CHAPTER XXVI.

THE POPE'S BLASPHEMIES. THE POPE OPENS HIS MOUTH IN BLASPHEMY AGAINST GOD TO BLASPHEME HIS TABERNACLE.

66 AND HE OPENED HIS MOUTH IN

BLASPHEMY

AGAINST GOD TO BLASPHEME HIS NAME AND HIS

TABERNACLE."-Verse 6.

THE Pope "opens his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his tabernacle." This he does in two ways. First, he blasphemes Christ's human nature. Secondly, he blasphemes the church of God.

I. First, the Pope "opens his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme" the human nature of Christ. The Jewish "tabernacle" was in some sort the palace of the Most High, the dwelling of the God of Israel, since it contained within it the Ark of the Covenant with the Shechinah, or symbol of God's presence, resting over the Mercy-Seat. It was, however, but a type of the human nature of Christ, wherein GOD dwells really, personally, substantially. The Body of Christ is "the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man." (Heb. viii. 2.) It is a tabernacle

"not made with hands." and is a far "greater and more perfect tabernacle" than its type. (Heb. ix. 11.) "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Col. ii. 9.) When the blessed Saviour tabernacled" upon earth, "he spake of the temple of His Body." (John ii. 21.) And the beloved disciple bears witness that "the Word was made flesh and tabernacled (eo«nywσev) amongst us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth." (John i. 14). Allusion is here made to the Shechinah or manifestation of the divine glory in the Jewish "tabernacle." And it is worthy of remark that the Hebrew word pv, which signifies to dwell, inhabit, particularly in a tent or tabernacle, is the root not only of the word Shechinah, but of the Greek σκηνη and σκηνόω, which occur in the passage before us. is the "Shechinah," the num which all the fulness of the Godhead" resides. It is also the "tabernacle" which the Pope blasphemes.

σκηνη

The Body of Christ or "tabernacle" in

The manner in which the Pope blasphemes the tabernacle of God" is illustrated in the following

statement.

There is, at the present day, in the Romish books of devotion, a service called The Litany of the blessed Sacrament.' This litany is addressed directly to the consecrated wafer, which is kept in every Romish Chapel in a small box or pix; and which, when the service is concluded, is usually placed within a repository, called 'A TABERNACLE'!!! The following are

some of the prayers in this Litany, which are offered up to the breaden god.'

'Jesus, our wonderful God, who for our sakes vouchsafest to subject thy Almighty self to the power of man, by immediately descending upon our altar, when the Priest pronounces the words of consecration, Have mercy upon us.'

'Jesus our incomprehensible God, who, though the heaven of heavens cannot contain thy immensity, yet vouchsafest personally to reside in our Churches, and to dwell among us in a SMALL TABERNACLE, Have mercy upon us.'

'Jesus, the Lamb without spot, who art every day sacrificed, and yet always livest; every day eaten, and yet still remainest entire, Have mercy upon us.' (See Preface to 'The Days of Queen Mary,' published by the Religious Tract Society, p. xiv.)

The Pope blasphemes the Body of Christ by the doctrine of Transubstantiation and the Sacrifice of the Mass. He takes the words, " Verily, Verily, I am that bread," literally. Why then does not the Pope take the words, "Verily, Verily, I say unto you, I am the DOOR OF THE SHEEP" (John x. 7) literally? He takes the words "This is my body" literally. Why then does he not take the words "I am the Vine (John xv. 5) literally? Why does he not take the words "I am the way" (John xiv. 6) literally? If the Pope takes the passage, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John vi. 35) literally, why does he not take the passage "I am the

way: no man cometh unto the Father but by me (John xiv. 6) literally? If Christ is literally a piece of bread, why is He not literally a vine, a door, a way? Roman Catholics allow that to suppose the latter is blasphemy. Why then is it not blasphemy to suppose the former?

Was it not sufficient humiliation that "the Word" should be "made flesh and tabernacle among us?" Must the Word be made a wafer and His tabernacle a piece of dough?

Was it not sufficient degradation that He, "who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God," should make " Himself of no reputation, and take upon Him the form of a servant, and be made in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion as a man, should humble himself and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross?” (Phil. ii. 6-8.)

Must He "humble Himself" still further, even to be "found in fashion as a" crumb of bread, and, being found in the shape of a crumb, be literally eaten and pass from the mouth into the stomach?

Must Christ Himself "enter in at the mouth, go into the belly and be cast out into the draught ?” (Matt. xv. 17.) Must the Body of Christ be converted into loathsomeness and corruption, when it was raised on the third day that it should see no corruption? It was said by the Psalmist, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." (Psalm xvi. 10.) But how different is the language of the Pope?

Where does the Pope leave the body of Christ? or rather, His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity? (See Matt. xv. 17.) What has become of all the millions of masses which have been offered up? Have they not all turned long ago into decay and rottenness? Christ Himself has told us the process to which the Pope would subject His Body, and the place where he would leave it. (Matt. xv. 17.) And is not the very idea blasphemy? Assuredly, if there is a doctrine upon earth which deserves the name of blasphemy, it is that of Transubstantiation, which so degrades "the tabernacle of GOD," the glorified Body of the blessed Saviour. How How many millions of times according to this doctrine has the Body of Christ "seen corruption!" Well may it be said that the Pope opens his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme His tabernacle."

The missals of the Romish Church declare that the Consecrated Host, i. e. "a whole Christ, God, and Man," is liable to be "vomited by the Priest," or to be eaten by a mouse;" and accordingly they give directions as to the course to be pursued in such emergencies. These directions we will give in the original Latin.

"Si Sacerdos evomat Eucharistiam, si species integre appareant, reverenter sumantur, nisi nausea fiat: tunc enim species consecratæ cautè separentur, et in aliquo loco sacro reponantur. Quod si species non appareant, comburatur vomitus, et cineres in sacrarium projiciantur."

"Si Hostia Consecrata dispareat, vel casu aliquo,

U