that our public worship was so pure as it is; our rites so simple and inoffensive, and our discipline in no worse a state, all things considered.-vol i. pp. 355, 6.

ID.-Sermons concerning the Sacrifice of the Mass.

Sermon xxiv.

Thirdly, To complete the Christian Sacrifice, we offer up both the aforesaid oblations or Sacrifices with a particular regard to that one Sacrifice of CHRIST which He offered upon the Cross, and which is now lively represented before our eyes in the symbols of Bread and Wine. That Sacrifice of His we now commemorate before GOD; we plead the merits and the virtue of it before Him, and for the merits, and by the virtue whereof, we have the confidence to offer up unto God the two forenamed Sacrifices, and the confidence to hope they shall be accepted. And in this sense we will not deny, that we offer up even CHRIST to His FATHER; that is, we commemorate to GOD what His SON hath suffered; we represent to Him the inestimable merits of His passion; and we desire God, for the sake of that, to be at peace with us, to hear our prayers, and accept our oblations. In this sense, I say, every Protestant offers CHRIST to His FATHER; and it is in this sense that St. Chrysostom speaks, when he says, 'What then, do we not offer every day? Yes, we offer, by making a commemoration of His death: And we do not make another Sacrifice every day, but always the same, or rather a Remembrance of that Sacrifice.' And in the same sense says Eusebius, 'we sacrifice a Remembrance of the great Sacrifice.'

In these three things consisted the whole of the Christian Sacrifice, as it was held by the primitive Fathers: They first offered to GoD of their substance, then they offered their prayers and their praises, and at the same time they commemorated to GOD the death and Sacrifice of CHRIST, by the merits of which they hoped and they prayed, that both their oblations and themselves might be accepted.

And these three things our Church observes at this day; for, after we have made our offerings, and begged God's acceptance of them, as I said before, we come to beg of GOD that He would

mercifully accept our Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving; and we humbly beseech Him to grant that, by the merits and death of His Son JESUS CHRIST (which we have now commemorated), and through faith in His blood, we and all His whole Church may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of His passion. And we here present unto Him ourselves, our souls, and bodies, as a lively Sacrifice to Him; yet being unworthy, through our manifold sins, to offer unto Him any Sacrifice, we beseech Him to accept this our bounden duty and service; not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offences, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. So that having offered up our Sacrifice of Alms, and our Sacrifice of Devotions, for the rendering these two acceptable; we plead, we commemorate before GoD, the Sacrifice of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

This is the whole of the Christian Sacrifice, as the ancients understood it; and, if the Church of Rome would be content with such a Sacrifice as this, I know none that would oppose them. And I am sure, if they go further, and pretend to any other Sacrifice than this, they go without precedent in antiquity. We offer up our alms; we offer up our prayers, our praises, and our selves. And all these we offer up in virtue and consideration of CHRIST'S Sacrifice, represented before us by way of remembrance or commemoration, nor can it be proved, that the ancients did more than this: this whole service was their Christian Sacrifice, and this is ours. But the Romanists have invented a new Sacrifice, which CHRIST never instituted; which the Apostles never dreamt of; which the primitive Christians would have abhorred; and which we, if we will be followers of them, ought never to join in.

COMBER, PRESBYTER.-Companion to the Altar.

Whatsoever benefits we now enjoy, or hope hereafter to receive from ALMIGHTY GOD, they were all purchased by the death, and must be obtained through the intercession of the Holy JESUS. And for a perpetual memorial thereof, we are not only taught to mention His Name in our daily prayers, John xiv. 13. and xv. 16. but are also commanded by visible signs to commemorate and

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set forth His Passion in the LORD's Supper, 1 Cor. xi. 26. wherein, by a more forcible rite of intercession, we beg the divine acceptance. That which is more compendiously expressed in the conclusion of our prayers, through JESUS CHRIST Our LORD," is more fully and more vigorously set out in this most holy Sacrament; wherein we intercede on earth in imitation of, and conjunction with the great intercession of our High Priest in heaven; pleading here in the virtue and merits of the same Sacrifice which He doth urge there for us. And because of this sympathy and near alliance between these two offices of praying and communicating, we find the Eucharist in the purest ages of the Church was a daily companion of their Common Prayer.Introd.

As the people of Israel were wont to bring their gifts and sacrifices to the Temple, and by the hands of the priest to present them to ALMIGHTY GOD, so are we appointed to give our oblations into the hands of the Minister of CHRIST, who, by virtue of his office, may best recommend them with prayers and praises to the Majesty of Heaven; and yet we must not neglect to join with him in these supplications, both to beg the acceptance of our offering, and to shew that our charity extendeth farther than our alms can reach, for the benefit of these is received only by a few of our neighbours, but we ought to love all the world, especially our Christian brethren, even those who do not need, or cannot have profit by our gifts. And how can we express this better, than by recommending them all to the mercies of God, who is able to relieve them all, and of whose bounty all have need? Which excellent duty, though it be to be done daily, yet at this holy Sacrament it is most proper, because we here behold the universal love of JESUS, and are declared lively members of His mystical body, and conjoined in the strictest bonds of union with all our fellow Christians. Besides, when can we more effectually intercede with GOD for the whole Church, than when we represent and shew forth that most meritorious Passion on earth, by the virtue whereof our great High Priest did once redeem, and doth ever plead for His whole Church even now that He is in heaven? This Sacrament, therefore, hath been accounted the "great interVOL. IV. No. 81.

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cession;" and accordingly all the ancient Liturgies did use such universal intercessions and supplications while this mystery was in hand, and in the time of St. Cyril there was a prayer used, exactly agreeing with this1 of our Church. St. Chrysostom also saith, that the priest standing at the altar, did "offer prayers and praises for all the world, for those that are absent, and those that are present, for those that were before us, and those that shall be after us, while that Sacrifice is set forth." Hom. 26. in Matt. For which cause our Communion Office in the Rubric before this Prayer, appoints the bread and wine to be set upon the table first, and then stirs us all up with that solemn "Let us pray for the whole estate of CHRIST'S Church," &c. And if, as we are worshipping without, we remember Him that is praying within the vail, and, by imitating His general charity, do unite our supplications to His all powerful intercession, we may no doubt obtain the largest and the choicest blessings in the treasures of heaven. -pp. 78, 9.

Let us then, with all possible devotion, offer up this Sacrifice, and delight in this pious and prudent intercession, which is enjoined by Him that purposes to grant it, and presented by charitable souls, who will infinitely rejoice in the success thereof, viz. the prosperity of the whole Church. p. 83.

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Beseeching Thee to inspire continually the universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord:"] Among the several prayers which were made at the holy table, it was particularly enjoined that they should pray for "the holy Catholic Church, extended from one end of the earth to the other, which the LORD had redeemed with the precious Blood of CHRIST," saith the author of the Apostolical Constitutions; for the Sacrifice here commemorated was offered for the Church, Acts xx. 28. which is called the Body of CHRIST, Eph. v. 23. Col. i. 24.-p. 85.

"Grant this, O FATHER, for JESUS CHRIST's sake, our only Mediator and Advocate; Amen."] This general conclusion of all our prayers we should not remark particularly here, but that the Mass hath thrust in the names of the Blessed Virgin, and other Saints into this supplication, through whose merits and [The Prayer for the Church Militant.]

prayers they intercede, even in this place, where there is a lively commemoration of the death of CHRIST our only Mediator, which is not only the holding a candle to the sun, but seems to intimate that to plead in the virtue of our LORD's Passion is not sufficient; and that His intercession, by which the Holy Virgin, and all other Saints, became accepted by GoD, was not alone forcible enough. But we desire no other Mediator, nor need no other Advocate (1 Tim. ii. 5) but our LORD JESUS CHRIST, who is here represented; nor do we doubt to ask all these mercies for all these persons, since we approach our heavenly FATHER with His dear and only beloved Son in our arms. Wherefore let us bless the Name of GOD, who hath chosen such a Master of Requests to present our prayers, and put such an argument in our mouths, when we approach unto Him. Let us look to the holy symbols, and remember our great High Priest, while we offer up the intercessions with a great humility, and a sprightly devotion, because our God will not, nay, cannot deny those that thus come unto Him. -p. 100.

The nearer we approach to these mysteries, the greater reverence we must express. The very heathen could say, men should be always best when they came to the gods, and therefore so much better, by how much they come nearer; our late rejoicing might savour of too much confidence, if it were not allayed with this act of humility, which is the immediate address to this holy Feast: ["We do not presume," &c.] There is somewhat agreeable to this, some apology, or acknowledgment, in all ancient Liturgies, but that of St. James comes the nearest to this of ours. "I come to this divine and super-celestial mystery, unworthy, indeed, but relying on thy goodness." And afterwards: "Turn not away from us sinners, who are celebrating this dreadful and unbloody Sacrifice, for we trust not in our own righteousness, but in Thy bountiful mercy," &c.—p. 243.

After all this preparation, we need not ask with Isaac, Gen. xxii. 7. "where is the lamb for the burnt-offering?" for God hath provided his own dear Son, whose Blood, being already spilt, is so efficacious and all-sufficient that there is now no need of any other but this unbloody Sacrifice to be offered, and that in me