drink the blood, if you sigh after life, never doubting of what you hear concerning his flesh, nor scandalized at his passion. Keep firm, and resolved not to be shaken by the discourse of your adversaries, nor carried away by their efforts. With your foot upon the rock, and your body resting on the column of the temple, remain immoveable on the pinnacle which you occupy.” Ibid. Orat. xlii. p. 690.
ST. AMBROSE, L. C.-" The manna in the desert was given in figure. You have known things more excellent. For light is preferable to the shadow; truth to figure; the body of Christ to the manna of heaven. But you may say: I see somewhat else; how do you assert, that I shall receive the body of Christ? This remains to be proved.—How many examples may we not make use of to shew, that we have not here what nature formed, but what the divine blessing has consecrated, and that the virtue of this blessing is more powerful than that of nature ; because by it nature itself is changed? Moses held the rod; he cast it on the ground; and it became a serpent. Again he took it by the tail, and again it became a rod. See you not that, by the prophetic power, the nature of the rod and the serpent was twice changed?” He proceeds to instance many other miraculous changes, as recorded in Scripture, and then adds: “If now the blessing of men was powerful enough to change nature, what must we not say of the divine consecration, when the very words of our Lord operate? For that sacrament which you receive, is accomplished by the word of Christ. If the word of Elias could call down fire from heaven; shall not the word of Christ be able to change the form of the elements? You have read concerning the creation of the world : He spoke, and it was done ; he commanded, and it was formed. Therefore the word of Christ, which could draw out of nothing
