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the command had been general, then, unaccompanied as it is with a general assurance of power to execute it, we must have understood it to enjoin nothing more than our natural faculties would enable us to obey. But this does not appear to have been the case; and therefore the consideration of what we are able to do, is altogether irrelevant, as it affects the Apostolic Eucharist, necessary as it is to be considered with reference to the interpretation of the Traditionary Rite.

§ 5. The Apostolic Eucharist Sacrificial.

If the Apostolic Eucharist may, for aught we know, have been as great a miracle as the accounts of its institution, [literally taken,] imply it to have been; and if, consequently, no one can reasonably undertake to administer it, who has not reason to think himself extraordinarily gifted for that purpose; it may seem unpractical to pursue the subject farther, without previously showing, first, the credibility that such gifts exist any where at the present day, and secondly, how the possessors of them are to be distinguished. Neither of these questions however can, properly speaking, be answered from Scripture; and as such do not come under this inquiry, which relates only to Scripture, I postpone them for the present, and proceed to such farther notices as Scripture affords, respecting this one great rite of Christian worship.

It is well known, that immediately after the Apostolic times the Eucharist was regarded by

Christians as sacrificial; and this alone, though Scripture were entirely neutral on the subject, might in the absence of any counter argument, amount to a presumption that it was really so. Scripture, however, is not absolutely neutral, but on more than one occasion appears to countenance the views of the ancient Christians.

1. The words of our Lord, [in Luke xxii. 1 Cor. xi.] which the English version renders, "This do in remembrance of Me," are, TOUTO TOLEÎTE, Now if these words are translated right, they leave us in doubt, in all the three passages where they occur, what the exact thing was which the Apostles were directed to do. If we looked only to the passage in St. Luke, we should suppose them equivalent to, "eat this in remembrance of Me;" for in this Gospel the words, "take, eat," of St. Mark and St. Matthew are omitted, and they in their turn omit the words, "Do this." St. Mark and St. Matthew represent our Lord as saying, "Take, eat, this is My Body." The parallel words in St. Luke are, This is My Body which is given for you: This do," &c.; so that from a comparison of these passages, St. Luke would seem to have expressed by "This do," what the other Evangelists expressed by "Take, eat." St. Paul's account, however, proves that our Lord used both expressions "Take, eat," and "This do." Take, eat, this is My Body which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of Me;" and again, "This cup is the New Testament in My blood, this do, as often

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as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of Me." Yet even here it is not at all obvious to what the words, "This do" are to be referred, though they certainly mean something more than "this eat" and "this drink." The whole passage is this; "The Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat, this is My Body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in My Blood, this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me." Now the awkwardness of this last expression, if it simply means, "This drink," is obvious; and the only other thing which it can mean, viz. “Take this cup as I have taken it," is, to say the least, vague, for we are no where told how our Lord took the cup, or how He gave thanks over it, or how He blessed it, but simply that He did these things, and that the result was the conversion of the bread and wine into His Body and Blood. I do not bring this forward as a proof that the words, TOUTO TOLEÎTE, are translated wrongly; for there is no difficulty in supposing that they were intended to be as vague as this translation makes them; but simply to show that, if they admit fairly of another and fuller meaning, we should not reject it as wholly unworthy of attention; for that our present version [of them] is not so absolutely satisfactory as to render all further research superfluous.

Now it should be observed that, though the TOUTO TOLITE, certainly may mean, "This do," it also ποιεῖτε, may mean, and in numberless and most unequivocal instances does mean, "Offer this," or "Sacrifice this." Thus Ex. xxix. 36. "And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement,” το μοσχάριον τῆς ἁμαρτίας ποιήσεις. And again, v. 38. "Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar, two lambs of the first year," à moiýσeis. Again, v. 39, “The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning, and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even,” τὸν ἀμνὸν τὸν ἕνα ποιήσεις, κ. τ. λ. And v. 41. So again, Ex. x. 25. "And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God,” ἃ ποιήσομεν τῷ Kupių So again, Lev. iv. 20. And thou shalt sacrifice the bullock, as the bullock for a sin offering," TOLYGELS TOV pooxov. Also, Lev. vi. 22. "The priest of his sons that is anointed in his stead shall offer it, (for a sweet smelling savour)” ποιήσει αυτὴν [θυσίαν.] Also, Lev. ix. 7. "And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the Altar, and offer thy sin offering, ["oinσov tò TEρì àμapтías σov] and thy burnt offering, and make atonement for thyself and for the people; and offer the offering of the people [ποίησον τὰ δῶρα τοῦ λαοῦ] and make an atonement for them, as the Lord commanded." Also, v. 16. " And he brought the burnt offering, and offered it according to the manner," ἐποίησεν αὐτό. Also, v. 22. "Aaron...came down From offering of the sin offering,” ποίησας τὸ περὶ τῆς

aprias. Also, Lev. xiv. 19. "And the Priest shall

efer the sin offering,” ποίησει τὸ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Also, v. 30. "And he shall offer the one of the turtle doves,” ποιήσει μίαν ἀπὸ τῶν τρυγόνων. Also, Lev. xvii. 4. "to offer it for a burnt offering," wσte Toσaι avrò eis óλokavτwμu, and v. 9. "And bringeth it not to offer it unto the Lord,” μὴ ἐνέγκῃ ποιῆσαι αὐτὸ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Also, xxiii. 12. “And ye shall offer...an he lamb without blemish," &c. OσETE Tроßаτov. Also, 1 Kings xviii. 23. "And I will dress [or offer] the other bullock," Tоow Tov Boûv. And v. 25, "choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress [offer] it first," woσαTE #ρŵτo. And v. 26, "And they took ποιήσατε πρῶτοι. the bullock and they dressed [offered] it," &c. καὶ ἐποίησαν.

In all the places above quoted, it is obvious that wou must be rendered "offer," or "sacrifice." It is also probable, that, wherever it occurs in combination with Tò άoxa, [the Passover] it has this signification'; for, though this phrase sometimes means "the feast of the Passover," and in this sense can be said molecolar, without expressing the notion of sacrifice, yet it much more frequently means, "the paschal lamb," and therefore most probably means this, wherever the context will allow of it and hence, Tolv τò máσɣa, since it may mean, "sacrifice the paschal lamb," probably does mean it.

Clearly then it is in no way far-fetched or unnatural, to translate TOUTO TOLECTE, "Offer" or "sacrifice

12 Chron. xxx. 1, 2; xxxv. l. Ezra vi. 19. Numb. ix. 2. Josh. v. 10. 2 Kings xxiii. 21. 1 Esdr. i. 6.

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