urately, when he treats of it in the thirteenth chapter of his
first epistle to the Corinthians. The primitive disciples were very
frequent in administering the holy sacrament, breaking bread from house
to house; yet should they be asked of the _Terminus a quo_ and the
_Terminus ad quern_, the nature of transubstantiation? the manner
how one body can be in several places at the same time? the difference
betwixt the several attributes of Christ in heaven, on the cross, and in
the consecrated bread? what time is required for the transubstantiating
the bread into flesh? how it can be done by a short sentence pronounced
by the priest, which sentence is a species of discreet quantity, that
has no permanent _punctum?_ Were they asked (I say) these, and several
other confused queries, I do not believe they could answer so readily
as our mincing school-men now-a-days take a pride to do. They were well
acquainted with the Virgin Mary, yet none of them undertook to prove
that she was preserved immaculate from original sin, as some of our
divines very hotly contend for. St. Peter had the keys given to him, and
that by our Saviour himself, who had never entrusted him except he had
known him capable of their manage and custody; and yet it is much to
be questioned whether Peter was sensible of that subtlety broached by
Scotus, that he may have the key of knowledge effectually for others,
who has no knowledge actually in himself. Again, they baptized all
nations, and yet never taught what was the formal, material, efficient,
and final cause of baptism, and certainly never dreamt of distinguishing
between a delible and an indelible character in this sacrament They
worshipped in the spirit, following their master's injunction, God is a
spirit, and they which worship him, must worship him in spirit, and
in truth; yet it does not appear that it was ever revealed to them how
divine adoration should be paid at the same time to our blessed Saviour
in heaven, and to his picture here below on a wall, drawn with two
fingers held out, a bald crown, and a circle round his head. To
reconcile these intricacies to an appearance of reason requires
three-score years' experience in metaphysics.

Farther, the apostles often mention _Grace_, yet never distinguish
between _gratia, gratis data_, and _gratia gratificans_. They earnestly
exhort us likewise to good works, yet never explain the difference
between _Opus operans_, and _Opus operatum_. They very f