again to God, as an Atonement for Sin, and Reconciliation to his Favour. So that I believe, this Sacrament of the Lord's Supper under the Gofpel fuc ceeds to the Rite of facrificing under the Law; and is properly call'd the Chriftian Sacrifice; as reprefenting the Sacrifice of Chrift upon the Crofs. So in his Sermon upon the great Neceffity, and Advantage of frequent Communion, upon 1 Cor. xi. 26. In which words we may firft obferve, that every time, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is adminiftred, his Death is thereby fhewn, and declar'd to all that are there prefent, as when the fews eat the Pafchal Lamb, the Master of the Family declar'd the Reafons why they eat it with bitter Herbs; and why with unleavened Bread, and the like: So here when we eat the Bread, and drink the Cup, according to Chrift's Inflitation, we thereby declare the Reafons of it, tho not by word, yet by the very Ad it felf, and the feveral Circumftances of it: By the breaking of Bread we declare Chrift's Body to be broken, and wounded to Death By the Cup we declare his Blood to be shed or powered out for the Sins of the World: And by diftributing both the Bread and the Cup to each Communicant apart, we declare to every one particularly, that Chrift died for his Sins and that he may be faved by Chrift's Death, if he will but receive, and apply it to himself as he ought, by a quick, and lively faith In the next place we may here obferve, that the Apoftle doth not fay, that Chriff's Death is repeated or that he is offer'd up again, every time this Sacrament is adminiftred, but only that the Lord's Death is shewn by it. And, therefore that this is not, as the Papifts abfurdly imagine, a propie tiatory Sacrifice for the living, and the head; but anly commemorative and declarative of that one Sacrifice, which Chrill once affer'd to be a Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World. And then after Thewing the various Offerings, by which the People

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of God under the Law had the Death of Chrift typify'd and reprefèpred to them; he concludes thus: There were many fuch ways, whereby the People of God in thofe Days were conftantly put in mind of what the Saviour of the World was to do, and fuffer for them; all which are now laid afide, and only this one Sacrament of his laft Supper inftituted by himself in the room of them: This is now our Chriftian Shewbread, whereby we fhew the Lord's Death, till he come. This is our Burnt-offering, our Sin-offering, our Trefpafs offering, our Thank-offering, our Meatoffering, our Drink-offering, and all the Offerings requir'd of us, whereby to commemorate our Blefjed Saviour, and what he hath done for us: And therefore as the Jews were punctual, and conftant in obferving all things prefcrib'd to them for the fame end: We certainly ought to do this as often as we can: This one thing, which answers the end of all their Offerings, and yet hath neither the Trouble. nor the Charges, nor the Difficulty of any one of them. So in his Church Catechifm erplained, p. 144. He faith, that the Sacrifices under the Law were not expiatory in themfelves, but only Types, and Shadows appointed by God to forefhew, and reprefent the Death of Chrift, then to come. And in like manner the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is now ordained by him to fet forth, and commemorate the fame Sacrifice, as now already offered up for the Sins of Mankind. Which therefore is neceffary to be continued to the end, as the typical Sacrifices were from the beginning of the World.

From this learned Prelate I proceed to a learned Presbyter, who is not pleafed to let us know his Name in his fecond part of the Clergy man's VADE MECUM: In the Preface to which he writes thus: ·Some have with Vehemence infifted, that whenever Alterations are to be made, the firft Collect in the Poft Communion Should be inferted between the Confecration,

fecration, and Adminiftration; or fome Prayer of Oblation added in that place. Now tho' I am fully convinced, that the Eucharift may as justly be call a Sacrifice, as any, fave that offered on the Crofs; yet I can fee no Neceffity for any fuch Alteration. The Confecration-prayer, and the words used by the Prieft at the Adminiftration, feem fufficient, if rightly underflood, and apply'd. In the Confecrationprayer Chrift is faid by the Oblation of himself upon the Crofs, to have made a full, and perfect Sacrifice; And in our Saviour's Words of Inflitution, inferted into this Prayer, the Bread is call'd his Body, given, i.e. facrificed for us; the Wine his Blood, thed as a Libation for us, i. e. for the remiffion of our Sins, as follows presently after, Nothing then can be more clear, than that the Eucharift is hereby declar'd to be a Sacrifice, and in the words of Adminiftration, the Merits of it are apply'd to every Receiver. The Body of Chrift, which was given for thee (and is now exhibited to God in thy behalf) preferve thy Body, and Soul to eternal Life. No wife Man is for Alte rations, but in cafe of apparent Neceffity; which I cannot perceive in the matter now before us. Tis true the Eucharist is fo commonly styl'd the Oblation, or Sacrifice, in the following Codes, that if the Pray er of Oblation had continued in the place, where it firft fix'd in Edward VI's Time, it might very well have been juftify'd by the common Practice of the ancient Church, and even by the Scripture it felf: But I fear that an Alteration of this fort, as things now fand, might be attended with no good Confequences

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So in his Note on the 2d Apoftolical Canon: Let the Bishop or Priest be depofed, that offers at the Altar any thing, befides the Inftitution of the Lord, &c. It is clear from this Canon, faith he, that the Bread and Wine for the Communion were offer'd to Almighty God in the Primitive Church, Irenæus in the 2d Century fpeaks of this Practice, this is

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Aill retain'd in our Church: For after the Alms for the Poor, and other Devotions of the People have teen humbly prefented, and placed upon the holy Table by the Prieft; as alfo fo much Bread and Wine, as he fhall think fufficient; the Prieft fhall fay, Almighty and everlafting God, we humbly befeech thee moft mercifully to accept our Alms, and Oblations: For as the Word Alms relates to the Money collected for the Poor; fo the word Oblation refers to the Bread and Wine, which is in this Canon call'd the Inftitution of our Lord. The Offering of First Fruits in the Church is mention'd alfo by Irenæus; and as for Lights, they were abfolutely neceffary in the Church, while Chriftians held their Affemblies in the Night, or before Day, as they were forced to do, during the times of Perfecution. Bishop Beverege fhews from Hippolytus, who wrote in the beginning of the 3d Century, that the Ufe of Incenfe in the Church was introduced before that time; and 'tis evident from this Canon, when it was used, viz. at the time of the holy Oblation. And here it is to be observ'd, that not only the prefenting the unconfecra ted Elements to God, was called an Oblation; bur that the Confecration it felf was attended with a fotemn Prefentation of the Symbols of the Body and Blood of Chrift to the Father; therefore this holy Me morial was call'd a Sacrifice, an Oblation, &c. and the holy Table an Altar: But it was not reputed a Sacrifice expiatory for the Sins of Quick and Dead, as is now in the Church of Rome.

To thefe Teftimonies I may add what Dr. Potter the learned Regius Profeffor of Divinity in the Univerfity of Oxford hath written in the 5th Chapter of his Dif courfe of Church Government. But there is yet a farther Reafon, why none but Bishops, and Presbyters have ever confecrated the Lord's Supper, viz. becaufe the Lord's Supper was always believed to fucceed in the place of Sacrifices: Confequently,

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as none befide the High prieft, and inferior Priests were permitted to offer Sacrifice under the Jewish Law; fo the Lord's Supper was confecrated by none, but Bishops, and Presbyters, who alone are Priests in the Chriftian Senfe of that Name. Here then it may be remembred, that in the ancient Sacrifices both among Jews, and Heathens one part of the Victim was offered upon the Altar, and another referved to be eaten by thofe Perfons in whofe Name the Sacrifice was made. This was accounted a fort of partaking of God's Table, and was a foederal Rite, whereby he owned the * Guests to be in his Favour, and under his Protection as they by offering Sacrifices acknowledged him to be their God. There are Examples of this in Homer, &c. to which there are frequent Allufions in the Scripture, &c. In the Chriftian Church there is only one proper Sacrifice, which our Lord offered upon the Crofs, and confequently Chriftians cannot partake of any Sacrifice in a literal and ftri&t Senfe, without allowing Tranfubftantiation. Left therefore they should want the fame Pledge to af fure them of the divine Favour, which the Jews enjoyed, our Lord appointed the Elements of Bread, and Wine to fignifie the Body, and Blood offered in Sacrifice, where they are exprefly called his Body, and Blood, it being common for Reprefentatives to bear the Name of thofe things, and Perfons, which they reprefent: And as they were eating, Fefus took Bread, &c. The Elements were not his real Body, and Blood, nor understood to be fo by the Apofties, or any primitive Father, but they were the Symbols of his Body, and Blood, the partaking whereof is all one to the Receivers, as if they should eat the Body, and Blood of Chrift offered upon the Crofs. To this purpose is the following Difcourfe of St. Paul: The Cup of Bleffing, &c. 1 Cor. x,16,21. Where it may be observed, 1. That