object which I had in view.

I found nothing in the three Gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, or St.
Luke, which gave me the least reason to suppose that their author had
recognized the real and corporeal presence of Jesus Christ in the
sacrament of the holy supper. The words of the institution, as related
by the first, Matt. 26:26, 27, 28, by the second, Mark, 14:22, 23, 24,
and by the third, Luke, 22:19, 20, reported with slight variations by
the three Evangelists, and which I took great pains to collate
and compare, conveyed no other idea than that of a _commemorative
ceremony_, designed to preserve and call to remembrance the
sufferings, the passion, and the death of Christ. In my then wretched
condition of unbelief, the magnitude, the sanctity, and the power of
the sacrament did not strike my mind; but, excepting that, I imbibed
from the consideration of these passages the views which I still hold.
So far, then, I had not discovered the doctrine of the real presence;
but I thought I _had_ indeed found it specifically established when I
read these words: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven:
if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread
that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the
world. The Jews, therefore, strove among themselves, saying, How can
this man give his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and
drink his blood, we have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the
last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I
in him." John, 6:51-56. These words appeared to me to be undoubtedly
the foundation of the Romish faith on this head. I even thought that
the writer of them had the establishment of this doctrine especially