tive Catholic Church understood this to be the meaning of the Apostle. Hence, in all the Churches of CHRIST over the world, however distant from each other, we find set forms of public prayers, suited and conform to this direction of the Apostle.... And indeed, if we consult all the ancient Liturgies extant at this day, we shall find this observation to be most true; they are all framed and composed according to this rule of the Apostle. And it is observable, that, however those ancient Liturgies have been altered and corrupted in after-times by many additions and interpolations, yet there are in all of them still remaining many excellent and divine forms of prayer and thanksgiving, wherein they do all perfectly agree, and which, therefore, cannot reasonably be thought to have any other original than apostolical order and appointment, delivered to the several nations and people, together with the first preaching and plantation of Christianity among them. Such, for example, is the Sursum corda in the Office of the Communion, the priest saying, "Lift up your hearts ;" and the people answering, "We lift them up unto the LORD." There is no liturgy in any Church of CHRIST to this day, but hath this form. Such is the excellent form of thanksgiving in the same Office of the Communion, to be performed by the priest and people; the priest saying, "Let us give thanks unto our LORD GOD;" and the people answering," It is meet and right so to do." This form also is to be found in all the most ancient Liturgies... I add, to what hath been already observed, the consent of all the Christian Churches in the world, however distant from each other, in the Prayer of Oblation of the Christian Sacrifice in the holy Eucharist, or Sacrament of the LORD's Supper; which consent is indeed wonderful. All the ancient Liturgies agree in this form of prayer, almost in the same words, but fully and exactly in the same sense, order, and method: which, whosoever attentively considers, must be convinced that this order of prayer was delivered to the several Churches in the very first plantation and settlement of them. Nay, it is observable, that this form of prayer is still retained in the very canon of the Mass, at this day used in the Church of Rome, though the form doth manifestly contradict and overthrow some of the principal articles of their new faith. For from this very form of prayer, still extant in their canon, a man may effectually refute those two main doctrines of their Church, the doctrine of purgatory and that of transubstantiation, as I could clearly show you, if I had time, and this were a proper place for it. Thus, by a singular providence of GOD, that ancient, primitive, and apostolic form of prayer still remains in the Liturgy of that Church, as a convincing testimony against the latter innovations and corruptions of the Christian doctrine. But this by the way.... Other instances of the like nature I could give you, if the time would permit. But these, I think, are sufficient to show that there were set, prescribed offices, and forms of prayer and praise, and profession of faith, delivered to all the Churches of CHRIST by the Apostles or their immediate successors; many of those forms (notwithstanding the manifold corruptions and depravations of the primitive Liturgies in after-times) being still retained and unanimously used in all the Churches of CHRIST to this day. . . . What we have said concerning prescribed forms of prayer as always, from the days of the Apostles, used in all settled Churches of CHRIST, may administer abundant satisfaction and confirmation to all that adhere to the communion of the Church of England, and consequently to the Liturgy and form of prescribed in that Church. prayer This may be our comfort, that we serve and worship God in the same way that the primitive confessors and martyrs, and all good Christians in the succeeding ages did. We have a Liturgy conform to this law and rule of prayer laid down by the Apostle in my text, and observed by the Catholic Church. We have good and wholesome supplication, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving, not only for ourselves, but for all men. Those excellent men, our first reformers, took care to retain and preserve what was primitive and good in the Liturgies of other Churches, and to pare off all excrescences and adventitious corruptions of after-times. . . . We have an entire Sacrament, VOL. IV.-81. ... the cup of blessing in the holy Eucharist, which was sacrilegiously taken from us by the Church of Rome, being happily restored to us. The ridiculous pageantry and fopperies of that Church are laid aside, and we have the holy Sacrament purely, reverently, and decently administered 1. Let us bless and praise God for these His great mercies, and make a good use of them. Let us constantly resort to the prayers of our Church, and neglect no opportunity of receiving the holy Sacrament.—Works, vol. i. pp. 328-334. 343, 4. ID.-Corruptions of the Church of Rome. But, alas! these superadded articles of the Trent creed are so far from being certain truth, that they are most of them manifest untruths, yea, gross and dangerous errors. To make this appear, I shall not refuse the pains of examining some of the chief of them. The first article I shall take notice of is this; "I profess, that in the Mass is offered to GOD, a true, proper, and propitiatory Sacrifice for the living and the dead; and that in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, there is truly, and really, and substantially the Body and Blood, together with the soul and divi 1 Compare Nelson's Life of Bishop Bull. "He administered the Sacraments of our holy religion with great reverence and solemnity. The holy Eucharist, the mysterious right and perfection of Christian worship, was not performed so often in his parish, as he earnestly desired, and yet oftener than is usual in little villages; for he brought it to seven times in a year. But whenever he officiated at the altar, it was exactly agreeable to the direction of the rubric, and with the gravity and seriousness of a primitive priest. . . . "He always placed the elements of bread and wine upon the altar himself, after he had received them either from the churchwarden or clerk, or had taken them from some convenient place, where they were laid for that purpose. His constant practice was, to offer them upon the holy table, in the first place, in conformity to the practice of the ancient Church, before he began the communion service; and this the rubric, after the offertory, seemeth to require of all her priests, by declaring, That when there is a Communion, the priest shall then place upon the Table so much Bread and Wine as he shall think sufficient."". pp. 52, 53. (ed. Burton.) nity of our LORD JESUS CHRIST; and that there is wrought a conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the blood, which conversion the Catholic Church calls transubstantiation." Where this proposition, ("That in the Mass there is offered to GoD a true, proper, and propitiatory Sacrifice for the living and the dead,") having that other of the "substantial presence of the Body and Blood of CHRIST in the Eucharist," immediately annexed to it, the meaning of it must necessarily be this, that in the Eucharist the very Body and Blood of CHRIST are again offered up to GoD as a propitiatory Sacrifice for the sins of men. Which is an impious proposition, derogatory to the one full satisfaction of CHRIST made by His death on the Cross, and contrary to express Scripture, Heb. vii. 27; ix. 12. 25, 26. 28. and x. 12. 14. It is true the Eucharist is frequently called by the ancient fathers προσφορά, θυσία, an 66 oblation," a "sacrifice." But it is to be remembered, that they say also it is Ovoía Xoyıkǹ kai ȧvaíμaкToç, a "reasonable Sacrifice," a "Sacrifice without blood;" which, how can it be said to be, if therein the very Blood of CHRIST were offered up to God? They held the Eucharist to be a commemorative Sacrifice, and so do we. This is the constant language of the ancient Liturgies, "We offer by way of commemoration;" according to our SAVIOUR'S Words when He ordained this holy rite, "Do this in commemoration of me." In the Eucharist, then, CHRIST is offered, not hypostatically, as the Trent fathers have determined, (for so He was but once offered,) but commemoratively only; and this commemoration is made to God the FATHER, and is not a bare remembering, or putting ourselves in mind of Him. For every Sacrifice is directed to GoD, and the oblations therein made, whatsoever it be, hath Him for its object and not man. In the holy Eucharist, therefore, we set before God the bread and wine, as "figures or images of the precious Blood of CHRIST shed for us, and of His precious Body," (they are the very words of the Clementine Liturgy,) and plead to God the merit of His Son's Sacrifice once offered on the Cross for us sinners, and in this Sacrament represented, beseeching Him, for the sake thereof to bestow His heavenly blessings on us. To conclude this matter: the ancients held the oblation of the Eucharist to be answerable in some respects to the legal Sacrifices; that is, they believed that our blessed SAVIOUR ordained the Sacrament of the Eucharist as a rite of prayer and praise to GOD, instead of the manifold and bloody Sacrifices of the law. That the legal Sacrifices were rites to invocate God by, is evident from many texts of Scripture, see especially 1 Sam. vii. 9; and xiii. 12; Ezra vi. 10; Prov. xv. 8. And that they were also rites for praising God for His mercies, appears from 2 Chron. xxix. 27. Instead, therefore, of slaying of beasts, and burning of incense, whereby they praised GOD, and called upon His name, under the Old Testament; the Fathers, I say, believed our SAVIOUR appointed this Sacrament of bread and wine, as a rite whereby to give thanks and make supplication to His Father in His name. This you may see fully cleared and proved by the learned Mr. Mede in his treatise entitled, "The Christian Sacrifice." The Eucharistical Sacrifice, thus explained, is indeed Xoyin Ovola, a "reasonable Sacrifice," widely different from that monstrous Sacrifice of the Mass taught in the Church of Rome. The other branch of the article is concerning transubstantiation, wherein the ecclesiastic professeth upon his solemn oath his belief, that in the Eucharist "there is made a conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the body, and of the whole substance of wine into the blood of CHRIST;" a proposition that bids defiance to all the reason and sense of mankind; nor (GOD be praised) hath it any ground or foundation in divine revelation. Nay, the text of Scripture, on which the Church of Rome builds this article, duly considered, utterly subverts and overthrows it. She grounds it upon the words of the institution of the holy Sacrament by our SAVIOUR, the same night wherein He was betrayed; when He took bread and brake it, and gave it to His disciples saying, This is my body," rò didóμevov, saith St. Luke, [xxii. 19.] rò Kλwμevov, saith St. Paul, [1 Cor. xi. 24.] "which is given and broken for you." After the same manner |