In 1867 William Bennett, the Vicar of Frome-Selwood, published a pamphlet entitled A Plea for Toleration in the Church of England, in a letter to Dr Pusey.  In this work Bennett made some doctrinal statements relating to the Eucharist.  These statements provoked a great deal of controversy that resulted in Bennett being tried by an ecclesiastical court.  The following quotations, taken from the first edition of the pamphlet (1867) are made to illustrate Bennett’s views.  He argued for: “the real, actual, and visible presence of our Lord upon the altars of our churches” (Bennett, 1867: 3).  He also said:

“I am one of those who burn candles at the altar in the day-time, who incense at the holy sacrifice, who use the Eucharistic vestments, who elevate the Blessed Sacrament, who myself adore, and teach the people to adore, the consecrated elements, believing Christ to be in them, believing that under their veil is the sacred body and blood of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Bennett, 1867: 14).

Bennett’s words are suggestive of an objective presence of Christ in the elements which is honoured and adored.  Christ is seen to be present ‘in’ the bread and wine and the body and blood is ‘under’ their veil.  There is no direct suggestion here that any immoderate realism was implied, such that the fleshy presence of Christ was to be found in the Eucharist.  His words ‘real, actual and visible presence’ and his suggestion that the consecrated elements were adored, however, are open to the suggestion that an immoderate realism is meant.  Instead of suggesting that it was the inward part of the sacrament (the res sacramenti or the thing signified) that was adored, Bennett unwisely argued that it was the outward part (the sacramentum or the sign) which ought to be adored.  It was under the influence of Edward Pusey that Bennett agreed in subsequent editions of his pamphlet to amend his wording regarding the Eucharist.  In the third edition of the pamphlet, for example, he altered the wording of the passage cited above so that it now read:

“I am one of those … myself adore, and teach the people to adore, Christ present in the Sacrament under the form of bread and wine, believing that under the veil is the sacred body and blood of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (A Plea for Toleration, 3rd Edition, cited in Stone, 1909: II, 554).

The latter opinion expressed by Bennett in A Plea for Toleration (3rd Edition) was ruled in 1870 by the Court of Arches and in 1872 by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as lawful in the Church of England.

Bennett’s corrected opinion expresses moderate realism.  The sign and the signified are clearly linked with Christ’s body and blood being seen to be present in the bread and wine of the Eucharist.