XII

Matthew Wren was born in 1585; after being Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and Dean of Windsor, he was consecrated Bishop of Hereford in 1635, was appointed Bishop of Norwich in 1635 and Bishop of Ely in 1638; under the Commonwealth he was imprisoned; in 1660 he was released, and remained Bishop of Ely until his death in 1667. In a paper apparently prepared with a view to the revision of the Prayer Book, he refers scornfully to the “fancy of Transubstantiation” of “the Church of Rome”; and explains the “remembrance” in the Eucharist as being to put Christ in mind of Christians. He suggests the words “according to Thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ’s holy institution for a remembrance of Him by showing His death and passion” and “Do this for a remembrance of Me” in the Prayer of Consecration; and says of the first of these suggestions:—

“This would be thus, first, because St. Paul’s word is καταγγέλλετε, 1 Cor. 11:26; and, secondly, because εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν being spoken by Christ does most properly signify, To put Me in mind of you; Christ of us, and not us in mind of Christ. For in that we do this, it appears we are mindful of Him. It is not done therefore only to put ourselves in mind of Him.”

In a similar paper Robert Sanderson expressed a different view, namely, that the Eucharistic remembrance is to Christians. Sanderson was born in 1587, was appointed Regius Professor of Divinity in the University of Oxford in 1642, was deposed from that office in 1648, was restored to it in 1660, and in the same year was consecrated Bishop of Lincoln. He died in 1663. He was one of the chief of the revisers of the Prayer Book in 1661. His words on this point are:—

“This Sacrament was ordained by our Saviour Jesus Christ Himself for this end especially, that the remembrance of His death, wherein He offered up Himself a sacrifice for our sins, and the innumerable benefits that we receive thereby, might be better remembered in the Christian Church to all succeeding generations.”