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34 Edit. Famelij.

I fhall not here fpeak of the Roman Liturgy, with which your Grace is very well Acquainted and which doth not fpeak of the Sacrifice of the Mafs with near fo Magnificent Terms as the Greek and Oriental Liturgies do. I only beg leave to remark, that it is as antient as the Times of St. Ambrofe, and Pope Gelafius, Doctor Brett himself being my Witness, that the Ambrofian and Gelafian Liturgies, at least what Pamelius and Thomafius have published under thofe Names, did not differ in that Part, which he proposed to publish, from the present Roman Miffal or Majs-Book. Thus much concerning the Liturgies which I borrowed from Dr. Brett's Tranflation of them. I now proceed, in the last Place to give the Sentiments of the antient Fathers of the Church concerning this Sacrifice.

And here fhall not give your Grace the Trouble of reading all the Paffages of the Fathers, which may be brought in Proof of this Tenet. Three or four antient Fathers emminent for their Piety, for the Sanctity of their Lives, for their great and univerfal Learning and Knowledge in things Sacred and Prophane, and thoroughly read in the Difcipline and Prac tice of the Ages preceding them, and in those of their own, are equal to a Thousand Witneffes, that what they taught, and practiced, was the Doctrine not only of the whole Catholick Church in their own Days, but also of the Ages that preceded them.

To begin with St. Cyrian: This great Bishop and Martyr, who flourished in the Year 240. in his Epiftle to his own Priefts, Deacons and Laity, hath thefe Words: Laurentinus

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& Ignatius, in Caftris & ipfi quondam fæcularibus Militantes, fed veri & Spiritales Dei Mi"lites; Dum Diabolum Chrifti Confeffione pro

fternunt, Palmas á Domino & Coronas illuftri "Paffione Meruerunt. Sacrificia pro eis femper, "ut Meminiftis, offerimus, quoties Martyrum "Paffiones & Dies anniverfaria Commemorati"one Celebramus." Laurentinus and Ignatius, were in Times paft Soldiers in a fecular Warfare, but fince, true and Spiritual Soldiers of God: When they caft down the Devil, by Confeffing Chrift, they merited Palms and Crowns by their Paffion, We offer Sacrifices for them, as you Remember, as often as we celebrate the Paffions and anniverfary Commemoration of the Martyrs. And again Epift ad Cæcilium. "Nam quis magis Sacerdos Dei fummi quam Dominus nofter Jefus Chriftus? qui Sacrificium Deo Patri obtulit, & obtulit hoc idem quod Melchifedec obtule"rat, id eft Panem & Vinum, fuum fcilicet Corpus & Sanguinem." For what Priest of the most high God is greater than our Lord Jefus Chrift? Who offered a Sacrifice to God the Fa ther, and even the fame which Melchifedec of fer'd, namely Bread and Wine, that is, his own' Body and Blood.

St. Cyril Bishop of Jerufalem, who flourish'd a little after the first Council of Nice, about the Year, 340. This great and learned Father, I fay, wrote a Book for the Inftruction of his own Flock, which he calls a Mylagogical Catechifm, and divided it into feveral Parts, for the Benefit of the Youth of his Diocefs. In the fifth Part, or Catechifm, hath thefe Words; as they are + Collecti made English by Doctor Brett: Then we al on of prinfo make mention of those, who are at Reft before pal 215 Firft the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Pas

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Martyrs, that God, thro' their Prayers and Sup plications, wou'd receive our Prayers: Then we pray for the Deceafed Fathers and Bishops: Laftly for all thofe that once lived with us, and are now departed; believing it to be a great Be nefit unto their Souls for whom Prayer is made, whilft the Holy and tremendous Sacrifice lies before us; which I will fhew you by an Example. For I know that many fay: What fignifies it to a Soul to be mentioned in our Prayers, whether it went out of the World with Sins or without? For if any King fhou'd fend into Banishment thofe which have offended him, but afterwards Some of their Friends making a Crown, shou'd offer it to him in behalf of thofe that are thus punifhed; wou'd he not be difpofed to remit their Punishment? In like Manner, we offering Prayers for the Dead, although they were Sinners, do not make a Crown, but offer Chrift, who was flain for our Sins, that we may render him, who is the Lover of Men, gracious and propitious both to them and to us.

There was then in the Catholick Church, in the Days of St. Cyril, an Holy and tremendous. Sacrifice offer'd for the Living and the Dead; a Sacrifice capable of rendering JefusChriftgracious and propitious both to the one and the other.

Give me Leave then, My Lord, to ask whether your Grace does not believe, St. Cyril was a Holy orthodox Father of the Church? Whether fuch a Man, in whofe Days Thousands of Christians both from the East and the West, repair'd to Jerufalem to vifit the holy Sepulchre, and the Crofs of Chrift fet up in that holy City fome Years before, was not well acquainted with the Faith and Practice of all the Faithful

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of thofe Times? And whether he would have left upon Record fo plain a Teftimony of a propitious, or propitiatory Sacrifice, being offer'd for the Living and the Dead, if it had not been the Doctrine and Practice of the whole Catho lick Church, when he governed that holy See? And if it was orthodox Doctrine and practiced then, why not fo in our Days? If this Holy and Learned Bifhop had faid; half fo much againft the Sacrifice of the Mafs, or against offering it for the Living and the Dead; and that tho' never fo obfcurely, I am confident his Authority wou'd often be urged against us: But he goes with the Torrent of the Holy Fathers, whofe Faith and Practice, the fame with ours, they have left Recorded in as plain, eafie and familiar Terms, as Words can poffibly exprefs.

St. Jerom. Lib. adverfus Vigilantium, Cap. 3. "Male ergo facit Romanus Epifcopus; qui fuper "Mortuorum Hominum Petri & Pauli Offa ve"neranda, fecundum te pulvifculum, offert Do"mino Sacrificia, & Tumulos eorum arbitratur "Altaria, idque non folum unius Urbis, fed to"tius Orbis faciunt Epifcopi." It is ill done then of the Bishop of Rome, who over the venerable Bones (contemptible Duft according to you) of dead Men Peter and Paul offers Sacrifices unto the Lord, and fuppofes their Tombs to be Altars; and this is not only done by the Bishop of one City, but also by the Biskops of all the World.

St. Ambrofe in Cap. 1. Sti. Luca, "Quando "Sacrificamus, Chriftus adeft, Chriftus immola"tur; etenim Pafcha noftrum immolatus eft "Chriftus. When we offer Sacrifice, Chrift is prefent, Chrift is Sacrific'd. For our Paffeover is Chrift Sacrific'd.

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St. Auftin, (I may fay without Hyperbole) in an hundred Places of his Works holds the fame Language I fhall inftance only in two. The first taken out of Concione 1. in Pfal. 33. Where he fays: "Erat autem, ut Noftis Sacrificium "Judæorum antea fecundum Ordinem Aaron "in victimis Pecorum; & hoc in Myfterio. "Nondum erat Sacrificium Corporis & Sanguinis "Domini, quod norunt fideles, & qui Evange"lium legerunt, quod Sacrificium nunc diffufum "eft toto Orbe Terrarum.

There was, as ye know, firft the Sacrifice of the Jews, which confifted in Victims of Cattle, and that in a Mystery. The Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of our Lord, which the Faithful know, and those who read the Gospel, was not then infiituted, which Sacrifice is now spread over all the World. The fecond out of Lib. 22. de Civit. Dei Cap. 8. "Vir Tribunitius Hefperi

us, qui apud nos eft, habet in Territorio Fuf"falenfi Fundum Zubedi appellatum, ubi cum "Afflictione Animalium & Servorum fuorum, "Domum fuam Spirituum Malignorum Vim "noxiam perpeti comperiffet, rogavit noftros, "me abfente Presbyteros, ut aliquis eorum illò

pergeret, cujus Orationibus cederent: Per"rexit unus, obtulit ibi Sacrificium Corporis "Chrifti, orans quantum potuit, ut ceffaret illa "Vexatio: Deo protinus miferante ceffavi." A certain Man called Hefperius of the Tribunitial Order, who liveth this Day by us, bath a little Farm, called Zubedi in the Territories of Fuffali, which he having obferved, by the Harm done his Servants and Cattle, to be haunted with evil Spirits, prayed my Priefs, in my Abfence, that one of them hou'd go thither, and expel them

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