Chap. V.
Of the dignity of the sacrament,
and of the priestly state.
The Voice of the Beloved.
1. If thou hast the purity of an angel, and the sanctity of St. John the Baptist, thou wouldst not be worthy to receive or handle this sacrament:
For this is not due to any merits of men, that a man should consecrate and handle the Sacrament of Christ, and receive for his food the bread of angels.
Great is this mystery, and great the dignity of priests, to whom that is given which is not granted to angels:
For priests alone, rightly ordained in the Church, have power to celebrate and consecrate the body of Christ.
The priest indeed is the minister of God, using the word of God, and by the command and institution of God: but God himself is there the principal author and invisible worker, to whom is subject all that he wills, and to whom obeys all that he commands.
2. Thou must therefore give more credit to an omnipotent God, in this most excellent sacrament, than to thy own sense, or any visible sign:
And therefore thou art to approach to this work with fear and reverence.