translations was but vainly spent. But I would know further, how, if I understand not what is said, I shall know whether the priest prays for me or against me? Yea, how shall I know whether he prays or swears? Or whether he blesseth the bread or curseth it? Whether he desires God to pardon or punish me? To save or to damn me? Certainly, he may do the one as well as the other, for aught that I know, unless I understand the language he speaks in. 2. Neither is this vain practice only repugnant to the holy Scriptures, and right reason, but to the primitive church also. Justin Martyr saith in his time,' After this we rise all unanimously, and send up our prayers; and as we said before, our prayers being finished, the bread, and water, and wine is offered, and the president pours out prayers and thanksgivings as he is able, and then the people cry out, saying Amen.' Now, if the people did not understand what was said, how, as the apostle saith, could they say Amen?' So Origen: The Greeks in Greek, and the Romans in Roman, and so every one in his own dialect prayeth to God.' And so Aventinus records of Methodius Illyricus', that he forced the Dalmatians and other Illyrians, that, the Latin tongue being abolished, they should use the vulgar tongue in the celebration of the holy mysteries.' And hence it was also, that in the primitive church their liturgies or common prayer books were still made in the language that was understood by them that were to use it; as Chrysostom, being himself a Grecian, composed his liturgy in the Greek language, and so Basil too. To which we may also add, besides that ascribed to St. James, the liturgies of St. Mark and St. Peter; all which were composed in a known language understood of the people. And so also the Syrians have a liturgy in their language, and the Æthiopians in theirs and in all of them there is still something Β. Επειτα ἀνιστάμεθα κοινῆ πάντες καὶ ἐυχὰς πέμπομεν, καὶ ὡς προέφημεν, παυσα μένων ἡμῶν τῆς ἐυχὴς ἄρτος προσφέρηται, καὶ οἶνος καὶ ὕδωρ, καὶ ὁ προεστὼς ἐυχὰς ὁμοίως καὶ ἐυχαριστίας ὅση δύναμις αὐτῷ ἀναπέμπει, καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐπευφημεῖ, λέγων Tò Aμǹv. —Justin. Mart. Apol. 2. * Οι μὲν Ἕλληνες Ελληνικοῖς, ὁι δὲ Ρωμαῖοι Ρωμαϊκοῖς, καὶ οὕτως ἕκαστος κατὰ τὴν šautou diáλextov žuXETAI TÕ OEÃ. — Orig. contra Cels. lib. viii. 1 Quòd impulerit Dalmatas aliosque Illyricos, ut, abolitâ linguâ Latinâ, vulgari in sacris mysteriis peragendis uterentur.-Avent, in Annal. to be said by the people, which it would be impossible they should know when to say, unless they understood what went before; nay, and what is observable also, there are many things in these liturgies which the priest is expressly commanded to say with a loud voice; and why so, but that the people might be sure to hear and understand them *? But this is so plain', that, as Lyra saith, in the primitive church, the blessings, and other common prayers, were made in the vulgar tongue,'-that the papists themselves, who are now the only persons that are against it, cannot but acknowledge it. For Aquinas himself saith", In the primitive church it was madness for any one to say prayers in an unknown tongue, because then they were ignorant of the ecclesiastical rites, and knew not what was done there.' And so Harding too: In the time of the primitive church,' says he, 'the people celebrated holy things in the vulgar tongue.' So that, by their own confession, it is a thing repugnant to the custom of the primitive church to have public prayer, or the sacraments, administered in an unknown tongue. * Ας Ο διάκονος ἐκφώνως· ἐν εἰρήνῃ τοῦ Κυρίου δεηθῶμεν· ὁ χόρος Κύριε ἐλέησον· ὁ διάκονος· ὑπὲρ τῆς ἄνωθεν εἰρηνης καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν· τοῦ Κυρίου δεηθῶμεν· ὁ χόρος· Κύριε ἐλέησον, &c.-Chrysost. in Liturg. Τῆς παναγίας, ἀχράντου, &c. Μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων μνημονεύσαντες ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἀλλήλους καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ παραθώμεθα· ὁ χόρος σὰ Κύριε.—Ibid. “Οι κατηχούμενοι τὰς κεφαλὰς ὑμῶν τῷ Κυρίω κλίνατε· ὁ χόρος· σοὶ Κύριε. Ibid. Ὁ δὲ χόρος ψάλλει, καὶ πάντων καὶ πασῶν, &c.-Ibid. Ειτα ὁ ἱερεὺς λέγει λαμπρᾶ τῇ φωνῇ, ὁ Κύριος μεθ ̓ ὑμῶν· ὁ λαὸς, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος σου.-In Petri Liturg. Εκφώνως ὁ ἱερεὺς· ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις, &c.-Chrys. Liturg. Ὁ ἱερεὺς κλίνει τὴν κεφαλὴν, καὶ αἴρων τὴν δεξιὰν αὐτοῦ μετὰ ἐυλαβείας, ευλογεῖ τὸν ἅγιον ἄρτον ἐκφώνως λέγων, ἔδωκε τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς, &c. -Basil. Liturg. Λέγων ἐκφώνως, λάβετε, φάγετε. — Petri Liturg. Ἐιπὼν ἐκφώνως, λάβετε, φάγετε, &c. - Marc. Liturg. But I need not cite any more testimonies for this: any that will but cast his eye upon these, or any of the ancient liturgies, will often meet with ixpaves, or λaμnçã parḥ, or something equivalent to them. In primitiva ecclesia benedictiones et cætera communia fiebant in vulgari. - Lyra in 1 Cor. xiv. m In primitiva ecclesia insaniam fuisse, si quis ignotâ linguâ preces dixisset, quia tunc fuerunt rudes in ritu ecclesiastico, nescientes quæ fierent ibi.-Aquin. 1 Cor. xiv. n Tempore primitivæ ecclesiæ populus in lingua vulgari sacra celebrabat. Harding. art. iii. sect. 18. SACRAMENTS ARTICLE XXV. Of the Sacraments. ORDAINED BY CHRIST BE NOT ONLY BADGES OR TOKENS OF CHRISTIAN MEN'S PROFESSIONS; BUT RATHER THEY BE CERTAIN SURE WITNESSES, AND EFFECTUAL SIGNS OF GRAGE, AND GOD'S GOOD WILL TOWARDS US, BY THE WHICH HE DOTH WORK INVISIBLY IN US, AND DOTH NOT ONLY QUICKEN, BUT ALSO STRENGTHEN AND CONFIRM OUR FAITH IN HIM. THERE ARE TWO SACRAMENTS ORDAINED OF CHRIST OUR LORD IN THE GOSPEL, THAT IS TO SAY, BAPTISM AND THE SUPPER OF THE LORD. THOSE FIVE COMMONLY CALLED SACRAMENTS, THAT IS TO SAY, CONFIRMATION, PENANCE, ORDERS, MATRIMONY, AND EXTREME UNCTION, ARE NOT TO BE COUNTED FOR SACRAMENTS OF THE GOSPEL, BEING SUCH AS HAVE GROWN, PARTLY OF THE CORRUPT FOLLOWING OF THE APOSTLES, PARTLY ARE STATES OF LIFE ALLOWED IN THE SCRIPTURES: BUT YET HAVE NOT LIKE NATURE OF SACRAMENTS WITH BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER, FOR THAT THEY HAVE NOT ANY VISIBLE SIGN OR CEREMONY ORDAINED OF GOD. THE SACRAMENTS WERE NOT ORDAINED OF CHRIST TO BE GAZED UPON, OR TO BE CARRIED ABOUT, BUT THAT WE SHOULD DULY USE THEM. AND IN SUCH ONLY AS WORTHILY RECEIVE THE SAME, THEY HAVE A WHOLESOME EFFECT OR OPERATION: BUT THEY THAT RECEIVE THEM UNWORTHILY, PURCHASE TO THEMSELVES DAMNATION, AS THE APOSTLE ST. PAUL SAITH. HAVING seen what language it is that the sacraments are. to be administered in, we have here determined what be those sacraments which are to be administered in such a language. That they are signs it is here acknowledged; but that they are no more than signs, is the thing that is here denied. They be indeed such signs whereby a Christian is distinguished from heathens; but that is not all they are, for besides that, they be also sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace and God's will towards us, by which he works invisibly in us,' and confirms our faith graciously in himself, as we read how circumcision was the seal of the righteousness by faith, Rom. iv. 11. And what circumcision was to the Jews, other sacraments are to Christians; not bare signs, but sure seals of the righteousness by faith, whereby God doth not only signify his grace to us, but confirms our faith in it; and our faith being confirmed in the sacraments, the sacraments do thereby prove so advantageous to our souls. So that the apostle saith, " For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ," Gal. iii. 27. Such as apply to themselves by faith what is sealed in the sacraments by God, are made partakers of Christ, and all the benefits of his death and passion; and the sacraments being themselves a means whereby this our faith is confirmed in God, and God's love is confirmed to us, they must needs be more than bare tokens and marks of distinction betwixt Christians and other men ; yea, no less than sure witnesses and effectual signs of grace, whereby God is pleased to work his grace in us, and to enable us better to act faith in him. And that the sacraments are not mere tokens or badges, but effectual signs and means of grace, we may read frequently asserted by the fathers. The baptism of Christians,' saith Optatus', ' made in the name of the Trinity, conferreth grace.' 'Afterwards,' saith Justin Martyr", 'they are brought to the place where water is, and they are regenerated after the same manner of regeneration that a Credimus adjuncta esse verbo sacramenta amplioris confirmationis causâ, nimirum, ut sint gratiæ divinæ pignora et tesseræ quibus infirmæ et rudi fidei nostræ subveniatur. Fatemur enim talia esse signa hæc exteriora, ut Deus per illa Sancti sui Spiritûs virtute operetur, ne quicquam ibi frustrà nobis significetur. - Conf. Gal. Art. 35. b Baptisma Christianorum Trinitate confectum confert gratiam. Optat. lib. v. • Επειτα ἄγονται ὑφ ̓ ἡμῶν ἔνθα ὕδωρ ἐστὶ, καὶ τρόπον ἀναγεννήσεως, ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ ἀναγεννήθημεν, ἀναγεννῶνται. — Just. Apol. 2. Αφέσεώς τε ἁμαρτιῶν ὑπὲρ ὧν προημάςτομεν τύχωμεν ἐν τῷ ὕδατι. - Ibid. we are regenerated withal. And we in the water are made partakers of the forgiveness of our sins before committed.' And in the Constantinopolitan Creed itself it is said, ' We confess one baptism for the remission of sins.' Nay, Gregory saith, He that saith that sins in baptism are not wholly forgiven, may as well say that the Egyptians were not truly dead in the Red Sea.' And Augustine also cried out, Whence comes there so much virtue into the water that it should touch the body, and wash the heart? Why,' as Gregory Nyssen saith, the water itself doth not afford that virtue, for of itself it is the weakest of all creatures; but the institution of God and the coming of the Holy Ghost, mystically working our liberty: but the water serves for the signification of that purging.' But the principal thing to be considered in this Article is what follows. THERE ARE TWO SACRAMENTS ORDAINED OF CHRIST OUR LORD IN THE GOSPEL, THAT IS TO SAY, BAPTISM THOSE FIVE COMMONLY CALLED SACRAMENTS, THAT IS TISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER, FOR THAT THEY h Lombard saying, that baptism, confirmation, the blessing † Ὁμολογοῦμεν ἓν βάπτισμα ἐις ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. —Symb. Constant. e Qui dicit peccata in baptismate funditus non dimitti, dicat in Mari Rubro Ægyptios non veraciter mortuos.-Gregor. lib. ix. epist. 39. Unde tanta virtus aquæ ut corpus tangat, cor abluat?-Aug. in Johan. Tract. 80. 5 Ταύτην δὲ τὴν ἐυεργεσίαν οὐ τὸ ὕδωρ χαρίζεται, ἦν γὰς ἁπάσης τῆς κτίσεως ὑψηλότερον· ἀλλὰ Θεοῦ πρόσταγμα, καὶ ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπιφοίτησις, μυστικῶς ἐρχομένου πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐλευθερίαν· ὕδωρ δὲ ὑπηρετεῖ πρὸς ἔνδειξιν τῆς καθάρσεως. - Greg. Nyssen. Orat. in Bapt. Christi. Ad sacramenta novæ legis accedamus, quæ sunt baptismus, con |