in the year when she admits her children to communion, her ministers generally consider that they make an oblation only of bread and wine, and not of the body and blood of Christ, whereas, whatever Palmer or the Tracts for the Times may say to the contrary, we are prepared to prove from the _very liturgies_, which the former cites, that in the mass there is an oblation not merely of bread and wine but also of the body and blood of Christ; and accordingly even the author of Tract 81, vol. 4, admits, p. 61, that "the real point of difference between the primitive church and modern views is whether there be in this oblation a _mystery_ or no". It is truly lamentable that men of learning should falsely accuse the Roman church of departure from primitive discipline in a matter of so little comparative importance as the precise _time_ when communion is to be received, while they themselves must acknowledge, that they have _abolished communion_ itself as well as _consecration_ on _nearly_ all the days of the year, and that they have reduced the oblation of the mass from a '_mystery_' and a '_venerable, tremendous_ and unbloody sacrifice' (Palmer vol. 2, p. 84) to an offering of bread and wine. They have thus deprived their followers of the inestimable fruits of communion enumerated by Christ in the gospel--yet these forsooth are the men who charge Catholics with a departure from primitive practice. How many other _primitive practices_ mentioned in this work have been abolished by the church of England!] [Footnote 100: This plate, which is of gold or silver-gilt, resembles _in form_ the patera used in the ancient sacrifices, and generally represented together with the _prefericulum_ on sepulchral monuments dedicated to the Manes.] [Footnote 101: The wine is sanctified, but is not consecrated, either by the particle of the sacred host, or by the recital of the _Pater noster_, as has been shewn by Mabillon, (Museum Ital.) Bossuet, and other authors quoted by Benedict XIV. The wine and water represent the blood and water, which flowed on this day from Christ's body. See Act. Coer. p. 54. Whenever priests _say Mass_, they receive under both kinds, in compliance with the command of Christ "Drink ye all of this" which words as well as those others, "Do this in commemoration of me" were addressed to the apostles and their successors.] [Footnote 102: According to the direction of the Gelasian sacramentary, the _Pax Domini etc_. is not said on this day.]