Following his accession to the throne in 1685, James II openly professed Roman Catholicism.  This gave great encouragement to other Roman Catholics in England.  Many pamphlets were published supporting the Roman Catholic cause (see Dugmore, 1942: 124-127).  Others published pamphlets against the Roman Catholic cause (see Stone, 1909: II, 465-467).  One of the most significant Roman Catholic supporters was Abraham Woodhead (1609-1678) who published two important works (Two Discourses concerning the Adoration of our B. Saviour in the H. Eucharist) in 1687.  These two Discourses attempted to put the case for the adoration of the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, and also attempted to assign this belief to the Church of England.  The publication of these Discourses caused many to write in defence of the Church of England and its theology of the Eucharist.  Henry Aldrich, the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, was one of those who replied.  He published a pamphlet in 1687 entitled, A Reply to Two Discourses lately printed at Oxford concerning the Adoration of our Blessed Saviour in the Holy Eucharist.  In this pamphlet Aldrich says of Woodhead that he supposed:

“ … the Church of England to hold such a Real Presence of Christ’s natural body in the Eucharist, as he thinks a sufficient ground to adore the Elements: To which we need only reply; That as the Church ever held a real, so she ever denied a corporal i.e. a local presence; and for that reason forbids the adoration of the Symbols.” (Aldrich, A Reply to Two Discourses lately printed at Oxford concerning the Adoration of our Blessed Saviour in the Holy Eucharist, cited in Dugmore, 1942: 127-128).

Aldrich here denies any immoderate realism (natural, corporal or local) in regard to the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  Aldrich then states his view regarding the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, as taught by the Church of England.  He says, denying any assertion that Christ is not really present in the Eucharist, that:

“We do not hold that we barely receive the Effects and Benefits of Christ’s Body; but we hold it Really Present in as much as it is Really received, and we actually put in possession of it though Locally absent from us” (Aldrich, A Reply to Two Discourses lately printed at Oxford concerning the Adoration of our Blessed Saviour in the Holy Eucharist, cited in Dugmore, 1942: 130).

Here Aldrich affirms moderate realism and denies immoderate realism.  For Aldrich Christ is indeed present in the Eucharist, although this presence is not a local presence in the elements specifically.  Furthermore, Aldrich speaks of the benefits and effects of Christ’s body being really present in the Eucharist.  For Aldrich, Christ is really present and really received, but this presence and reception can in no way be local or immoderate.  He says that the term ‘real presence’ however, is not used in the formularies of the Church of England:

“ … yet it must not be denied but the term may be safely used among scholars, and seems to be grounded upon Scripture itself …. Which when we of the Church of England use, we mean thus: A thing may be said to be really received, which is so consigned to us, that we can really employ it to all those purposes for which it is useful in itself … and a thing thus really received may be said to be really present, two ways, either physically or morally, to which we reduce sacramentally … In the holy Eucharist, the Sacrament is physically, the res sacramenti morally present; the elements antecedently and locally; the very body consequentially and virtually, but both really present … When we say that Christ is present … in the Sacrament, we do not mean in the elements, but in the celebration.” (Aldrich, A Reply to Two Discourses lately printed at Oxford concerning the Adoration of our Blessed Saviour in the Holy Eucharist, cited in McAdoo and Stevenson, 1997: 68-69).

The view he puts forward to counter Woodhead is that of moderate realism.  The moderate realism that Aldrich advances is however, in regard to the celebration and not to the elements.