all laymen, and no ministers: and the only way to keep us from returning into that disorder is by adhering to this truth, that every man should look to his own business, and follow his own calling; he that is called to the clergy, to preach like one that is called to the clergy; and he that is one of the laity, to hear like one of the laity; every man keeping within the bounds which the great God hath placed him in, not undertaking the office of the ministry, unless he be lawfully called unto it.

The fathers do offer themselves to be witnesses also in this case, but I shall trouble but these few for the present. As for the sacraments, Basil saith, But they being far from us, and laymen, have no power to baptize or ordain.' 'For that,' saith Athanasius, 'is the office only of those that are over the catholic church. For it belongs to you only, and to none else, to give to drink of the blood of Christ.' Chrysostom joins both sacraments together, But,' says he, 'if none can enter into the kingdom of heaven unless he be born again of water and the Spirit, and he that eateth not the flesh of the Lord and drinketh his blood, is cast out of eternal life, and all these things cannot be performed by any one else, but only by those holy hands, I mean the priests, how can any one without them either shun the fire of hell, or be made partaker of the crowns that are set before us?' So that it is the priests or ministers only, and none else, that can administer either of the sacraments.

* Τῷ γὰρ ἀρχιερεῖ ἰδίαι λειτουργίαι δεδομέναι εἰσὶ, καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἴδιος ὁ τόπος προστέτακται, καὶ λευΐταις ἰδίαι διακονίαι ἐπίκεινται· ὁ λαϊκὸς ἄνθρωπος τοῖς λαϊκοῖς προστάγμασιν δίδεται· ἕκαστος ὑμῶν, ἀδελφὸν, ἐν τῷ ἰδίω τάγματι ευχαριστείτω Θεῷν ἐν ἀγάθῇ συνειδήσει ὑπάρχων, μὴ παρεκβαίνων τὸν ὡρισμένον τῆς λειτουργίας αὐτοῦ κανόνα, ἐν σεμνότητι—Clem. Epist. ad Corinth. p. 53.

• Οι δὲ ἀποῤῥαγέντες γενόμενοι, οὔτε τοῦ βαπτίζειν, οὔτε τοῦ χειροτονεῖν εἶχον ἐξουσίαν. Basil. Epist. ad Amphil.

· Τοῦτο μόνον ἐστι τῶν τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας προεστώτων, μόνον γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστι προπίνειν τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων οὐδενὸς.—Athanas. Apol. ad Constant. Imper.

• Ει γὰρ οὐ δύναταί τις εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἐὰν μὴ δι ̓ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος ἀναγεννηθῆ, καὶ ὁ μὴ τρώγαν τὴν σάρκα τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ πίνων, ἐκβέβληται τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, πάντα δὲ ταῦτα δι ̓ ἑτέρου μὲν εἰδενὸς, μόνον δὲ διὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων ἐπιτελεῖται χειρῶν, τῶν τοῦ ἱερέος λέγω, πῶς ἄν τις τούτων ἔκτὸς, ἢ τὸ τῆς γεεινῆς ἐκφυγεῖν δυνήσεται τῖς, ἢ τῶν ἀποκειμένων στεφάνων τυχεῖν ; -Chrysost. Περι Ιερωσύνης, λογ. γ.

And therefore Athanasius pleads it was no sacramental cup that Ischyras consecrated, he being not lawfully ordained; and Socrates, that this Ischyras committed a crime worthy of many deaths, in presuming to do the work of any minister, not being ordained.

And as for preaching the word, Cyril of Alexandria saith, God distributeth the use of the trumpets in preaching of the word only to such as are consecrated.' But to this we have above two hundred fathers met together in the Trullan council subscribing: for they there determined', That it is not lawful for a layman to dispute or to teach publicly, taking there to himself the power or dignity of teaching, but to remain in the order which the Lord hath set him in, and to open his ear to such as have received the grace of teaching, and to learn divine things from him. For in one church God hath made diverse or different members, according to the word of the apostle, &c. But if any one shall be taken weakening or transgressing this canon, let him be separated forty days.'

Many more of the like testimonies from the ancients I might produce; but these are enough from whence to conclude, "That it is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of the ministry, unless he be lawfully called to it."

1 V. Athan. L. 1. p. 732. B.

8 V. Soc. Hist. Eccles. L. c. 20. p. 539.

Η Επιτήρει δὲ ὅτι μόνοις ἀπονέμει τοῖς ἱερᾶσθαι λαχοῦσι τὸ κεχρῆσθαι ταῖς σάλπιγξιν. --Cyril. Alex. de Adoratione in Spir. et Verit.

· Οτι οὐ δεῖ δημοσίᾳ λαϊκὸν λόγον κινεῖν ἢ διδάσκειν, ἀξίωμα ἑαυτῷ διδασκαλικὸν ἐντεῦθεν περιποιούμενον, ἀλλ ̓ εἴκειν τῇ παραδοθείσῃ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου τάξει, καὶ τὸ οὖς τοῖς τὴν χάριν τοῦ διδασκαλικοῦ λαβοῦσι λόγου διανοίγειν, καὶ τὰ θεῖα παρ ̓ αὐτῶν ἐκδιδάσκεσθαι. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ μίᾳ ἐκκλησιᾳ διάφορα μέλη πεποίηκεν ὁ Θεὸς κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀποστόλου φωνὴν, &c. Ει δέ τις ἁλῷ τὸν παρόντα παρασαλεύων κανόνα, ἐπὶ ἡμέρας Teoσagánovтa apogitoa.-Concil. Trul. Can. 64.

ARTICLE XXIV.

Of Speaking in the Congregation in such a Tongue as the People understandeth.

IT IS A THING PLAINLY REPUGNANT TO THE WORD OF GOD, AND THE CUSTOM OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH, TO HAVE PUBLIC PRAYER IN THE CHURCH, AND TO ADMINISTER THE SACRAMENTS, IN A TONGUE NOT UNDERSTOOD OF THE PEOPLE.

b

It was determined in the council of Trent, that though the mass' (so they call both their public prayers and the sacrament of the Lord's supper too, called often by the ancients " the Eucharist)—' though the mass contains a great instruction of the people, yet it doth not seem expedient to the fathers, that it should be every where celebrated in the vulgar tongue.' And as if they had not said enough there, they add presently, 'If any one say, that the rite or custom of the church of Rome, whereby part of the canon and words of the consecration are uttered with a low voice, is to be condemned; or that mass ought to be celebrated in the vulgar tongue, or that water ought not to be mixed

a Etsi missa magnam contineat populi fidelis eruditionem, non tamen expedire visum est patribus, ut vulgari passim linguâ celebraretur. Concil. Trident. Ses. 22. Can. 8.

ν Ἡ τροφὴ αὐτὴ καλεῖται παρ' ἡμῖν ἐυχαριστία. Justin. Mart, Apol. 2. Nostra consonans est sententia eucharistiæ, et eucharistia rursus confirmat sententiam nostram.—Iren. adv. Hæres. lib. iv. cap. 34. O agros naj ὁ ὀινὸς τῆς ἐυχαριστίας. — Cyril. Hieros. Catech. 1. Ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναδείξει τοῦ ἄρτου τῆς ivxaçıorlaç. — Basil. de Spir. S. cap. 27. Cum timore et honore eucharistiam accipiendam. — Cyprian. ad Quirin. lib. iii. cap. 95. Διὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ φρικώδη μυστήρια, καὶ πολλῆς γέμοντα τῆς σωτηρίας τὰ καθ ̓ ἑκαστην τελούμενα (λέγω) σύναξιν, ευχαριστία καλεῖται, ὅτι πολλῶν ἐστιν ἐυεργετημάτων ἀνάμνησις. — Chrysost. in Mat. Hom. 26. But they do not only call it the eucharist, but often the Lord's supper, vide Art. XXVIII.

Si quis dixerit ecclesiæ Romanæ ritum, quo summissâ voce pars canonis et verba consecrationis proferuntur, damnandum esse, aut linguâ tantùm vulgari missam celebrari debere, aut aquam non miscendam vino in calice offerendo, eo quod sit contra Christi institutionem, anathema sit. Concil. Trident. Sess. 22. Can. 9.

with the wine in the cup that is to be offered up, because it is contrary to Chrst's institution; let him be accursed. In which words they first transgress the ancient law of Justinian the emperor, that public prayers and offerings should be performed with a loud voice, so as to be heard by the people; and then they add sin unto sin, and command that they be not made in any tongue but an unknown tongue. First, they decree it should be so performed that the people might not hear it; and then that it should be so performed, that if they did hear it, they might not understand it.

Now against this vain and sinful custom and practice of the church of Rome, our church doth here set down this Article, that those public services should be administered in a language understood by the people; and that the contrary is repugnant to the word of God, and the practice of the primitive church.

1. First, That it is repugnant to the word of God is plain; for that commands that " all things be done to edifying," 1 Cor. xiv. 26. And what edifying can there be, when the people know not what is said? Nay, the apostle, as if he foreknew what wild practices and opinions would rise in the church, spends almost a whole chapter in showing, that public duties should not be performed in an unknown tongue; "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue, speaketh not to men, but God; for no man understandeth him," 1 Cor. xiv. 2. "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful," ver. 14. "Else when thou shalt bless with the Spirit,

d Jubemus omnes episcopos et presbyteros non in secreto sed cum ea voce quæ à fidelissimo populo exaudiatur, divinam oblationem et precationem quæ fit in sancto baptismate facere, ut inde audientium animi in majorem devotionem et laudationem et benedictionem efferantur, &c. Idcirco convenit ut ea precatio, quæ in sanctâ oblatione dicitur, et aliæ orationes, clarâ voce à sanctissimis episcopis et presbyteris proferantur Domino nostro Jesu Christo Deo nostro cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto, scituris religiosissimis sacerdotibus; quòd si quid horum contempserint, et in horrendo judicio magni Dei et Servatoris nostri Jesu Christi de his rationem reddent, neque nos hæc cognoscentes conquiescemus relinquemusque inulta. -Justinian. Novel. 137.

* Ex hac Pauli doctrina habetur, quòd melius ad ecclesiæ ædificationem est, orationes publicas, quæ audiente populo dicuntur, dici linguâ communi clericis et populo, quàm dici Latinè.-Cajet. in 1 Cor. xiv.

how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?" ver. 16. "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all; yet, in the church, I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue," ver. 18, 19. Certainly our adversaries are not of St. Paul's mind, who had rather speak ten thousand words in an unknown tongue, (as to the people,) than five words in a known. And again: "If the church come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned and unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?" ver. 23. Yes, certainly any one that comes to the popish masses, and hears a sound, but understandeth not a word of what is said, will surely think them to be mad,mad people that go to pray to the Eternal God, and yet know not what is said. And this doth not only make for public prayers, but for all public services whatsoever; and the sacraments amongst the rest, which our Saviour, and his apostles after him, administered in a known tongue. But we have a generation now sprung up, that think themselves wiser than their Maker and Redeemer, and know better what language his sacraments are to be administered in than himself did.

But I wish they would at the length consider, whether all such services as are performed in an unknown tongue are not blind performances? The apostle said, "I will pray with my spirit, and I will pray with my understanding also," 1 Cor. xiv. 15. and God's service should be "a reasonable service," Rom. xii. 1. And therefore, there is no language scarce in the world' but the Scriptures are translated into it, that so all that profess the Christian religion, be they of what language they will, may know the mind and will of God, and understand the duties he requires of them; and so perform a reasonable service to him. But, if there be no necessity of understanding what the priests say or do in their public services, surely the time spent in such

1 Καὶ ἡ ̔Εβραιων φωνὴ, οὐ μόνον εἰς τὴν ̔Ελλήνων μετεβλήθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὴν τῶν Ρωμαίων, καὶ ̓Αιγυπτίων, καὶ Περσῶν, καὶ Ἰνδῶν, καὶ ̓Αρμενιῶν, καὶ Σκυθῶν, καὶ Σαυρο ματῶν, καὶ συλλήβδην εἰπεῖν, εἰς πᾶσας τὰς γλώττας, αἷς ἅπαντα τὰ ἔθνη κεχρημένα Siares.-Theodor. de Cur. Græc. Affect. lib. v.