Ibid. cap. 33. From hence nothing can be more evident, than that this celebrated Father did not believe the Eucharistic elements were Transubstantiated into our Saviour's natural body. For it is granted on all hands, that the Eucharistic Sacrifice will for ever cease at the day of Judgment. For when the final decision is past, and every one's fate is fixed, where will be no more remission of sins, or need of grace against temptations, the reason for sacrificing of course must drop. And when the Eucharistic elements are no longer consecrated, the natural body of our Saviour supposed to emerge from them, can no longer be produced, and by consequence cannot continue with him to all eternity.
Pope Gelasius is no less strongly determining against Transubstantiation. This Pope, who wrote in the latter end of the 5th century, plainly declares, "the substance and nature of the bread and wine remains after consecration." 'Tis in Test. Contra Nestorium et Eutych. 'Tis true he there tells us, "the elements are changed into a divine thing," are raised to a divine offering by the operation of the Holy Ghost; which change we most willingly confess, viz. that there is a mystic virtue and supernatural force transfused upon the elements, by the Priest's pronouncing the words of consecration, and his Prayer for the descent of the Holy Ghost.
As to what has been urged from these Latin Fathers, their testimony can't be justly excepted to, for since they are early in time and considerable in character, their being members of the Western Church can be no disadvantage to their authority. For they lived several centuries before a rupture between the Greek and Latin Churches. And as for their not writing in Greek, we conceive their
