OF THIRD EDITION. 6 if peculiar; so is our episcopacy. ACCOUNT much a better argument is it against the doctrine of resistance that those among us, whom I need not name, were the first writers of the Church of England owning her communion, that contrary to her doctrine, their own subscriptions to it, the testimony of her martyrs, and the whole torrent of her writers since the Reformation, published that doctrine, which if it be false must needs be damnable; whereas the doctrine of the Eucharistical oblation, as taught by me after Mr. Mede and others, if it be not true, is but a harmless error, for the belief and practice of which no man shall endanger his soul? But indeed it is no argument at all against the Eucharistical sacrifice, were it true, that Mede and Heylin were the first publishers of it in our Church, unless my lord will acknowledge it to be an argument against his own order, that of all the reformed Churches, the Church of England was the first, and almost the only one which hath retained episcopacy, and taught that it was to be continued in the Church". How therefore, how can it be an argument against an old catholic doctrine and practice, that it is at any time revived and published where it happens to be forgot, neglected, or disused? Though I grant his lordship, it is a very strong argument against any doctrine and practice, and particularly that of resistance-of which catholic antiquity was not only entirely silent, but full of testimonies to the contrary-and the difference of the two cases is so great, that I may presume to tell his lordship, and I hope without offence, that the doctrine of the Christian sacrifice in the Eucharist needs fear no censure; but that of resistance, as it deserves censure, so it hath just reason to fear it, and will, I trust, sooner or later feel the censures of the Church *. Testimonies passed over by Hakewill. 7 OF THIRD But his lordship saith that "Dr. Hakewill in his Disserta- ACCOUNT tion hath shewn that neither the Scriptures, nor the authority of the fathers, do warrant any such notion y." But I appeal to any unprejudiced person, who will compare what I have written upon this subject with what Dr. Hakewill hath said against it, whether he hath shewn, or could shew, that there is no notion of a visible, true, and proper sacrifice in the Scriptures and fathers, as sacrifice signifies an oblation of a sensible or visible gift to God. The Doctor only pretends to prove that neither Irenæus nor Eusebius, cited by Heylin, are to be understood of a sacrifice properly so called. But Dr. Heylin proves it also from other authorities, as those of St. Ignatius, Justin Martyra, Tertullian, Cyprian, of which Hakewill takes no notice. As to Irenæus, Dr. Heylin cited only two passages out of him, which are in Latin, in lib. iv. cap. 34, the first of them is thus a little abbreviated: Non genus oblationum reprobatum est; oblationes enim et illic, oblationes autem et hic: sacrificia in populo, sacrificia et in Ecclesia: sed species immutata est tantum, quippe cum jam non a servis sed a liberis offerature. But this passage Dr. Hakewill passes over, I need not stick to say because it was too hard for him, especially as attended with other passages he could not solve; as, Ecclesiæ oblatio, quam Dominus docuit offerri in universo mundo, purum sacrificium reputatum est apud Deum, et acceptum ei est: non quod indigeat a nobis sacrificium, sed quoniam is qui offert, glorificatur ipse in eo quod offert, si acceptetur munus ejus. Per munus enim erga regem, et honos, et affectio ostenditur: quod in omni simplicitate et innocentia Dominus volens vos offerre, prædicavit dicens, cum igitur offers munus tuum ad altare,' pretantur B. Clemens Rom. lib. ii. OF THIRD 8 h Heylin's testimonies from Ignatius, ACCOUNT &c. There are many more such literal passages in that EDITION. chapter, besides what that father had said in the chapter preceding: as, Sed et suis discipulis dans consilium, primitias Deo offerre ex suis creaturis non quasi indigenti, sed ut ipsi nec infructuosi, nec ingrati sint, eum qui ex creatura est panis, accepit, et gratias egit, dicens: Hoc, &c. Et calicem similiter, &c. Et novi Testamenti novam docuit oblationem; quam Ecclesia ab Apostolis accipiens, in universo mundo offert Deo, &c. The other passage which Heylini uses is this: Offerimus ei, non quasi indigenti, sed gratias agentes donationik ejus, et sanctificantes creaturam'. This passage the Doctor cited to shew only what kind of sacrifice the Eucharistical was, to wit, a sacrifice of gratitude and thanksgiving, whereof the materials, viz., the bread and wine, were sanctified or consecrated by the priest. To this Dr. Hakewill saith nothing what became him, but in a most futile manner replies, “But is any man so weak as from thence to infer a sacrifice properly so called? The sanctifying [or blessing,] or consecrating [of] the bread to holy uses, we all grant to be the proper office of the priest or presbyter, and the giving of thanks common to him and the people, but that either of these is a sacrifice properly so called, that we deny and desire to see proved m." But did not the Doctor know that the consecration of the bread, and giving of thanks, to which Heylin observed offerimus relates, was of the bread as of an offering, as a munus or gift to God, and an oblation of the New Testament? Besides the passages just now cited out of Irenæus, these which follow in the same chapter prove it most expressly: Oportet enim nos oblationem Deo facere. ... hanc ob suis observandam promulgavit; non tam Mosaicas oblationes cum altari et riale panis et vini, quod verbo edendi clare significat Apostolus."-Grabe in locum. [S. Iren. contra Hæreses, lib. iv. cap.xxxiv.p.324. ed. Grabe. Oxon. 1702.] [Id. ibid., cap. xviii. § 1. p. 250. ed. Bened.] [Id. ibid., cap. xxxii. p. 323. ed. Grabe-cap. xvii. § 5. p. 249. ed. Bened. . qui ex creatura panis est.] i [Heylin, Antid. Linc., sect. ii. cap. v. p. 11.] k["dominationi." Grabe et ed. Be ned.] 1 [S. Iren., contra Hæreses, cap. xviii. § 6. p. 251. ed. Bened.] m [Hakewill's Diss., cap. iv. p. 23.] and from Eusebius de Dem. Evang. 9 ACCOUNT OF THIRD lationem Ecclesia sola puran offert Fabricatori, offerens ei cum gratiarum actione ex creatura ejus°. So Quemadmodum enim EDITION. qui est a terra panis percipiens invocationem Dei, jam non communis panis est, sed Eucharistia, ex duabus rebus constans, terrena et cœlesti: sic &c. And what this invocation was at the oblation of the creatures of bread and wine, and how they were joined together in the holy action, though I have shewed it abundantly in the additions to the Christian Priesthood, yet I shall by and by have occasion to mention it again. As to the other authority out of the tenth chapter of the first book of Eusebius, de Demonstratione Evangelica, Dr.Heylin makes use of the five following passages, whereof this is the first". "When therefore, according to the testimonies of the prophets, this great and precious price of redemption was found both for Jews and Greeks, when this piacle for the whole world, this ἀντίψυχον* for all men, this pure sacrifice for all vice and sin was found, to wit, the Lamb of God, that most holy Sheep acceptable to God, that Lamb foretold by the prophets, by whose divine and mystical doctrine, all we of the Gentiles have found remission of our former sins; and those of the Jews who trust in Him, are freed from the curse of Moses' law; daily celebrating, as they ought, the memory of His body and blood, being counted worthy of a more excellent sacrifice and ministry than any in ancient timest.” The second passage is this: “Then he n [“ puram.” ed. Bened.] [S. Iren., ibid., cap. xviii. § 4. p. 251.1 » [Ὣς γὰρ ἀπὸ γῆς ἄρτος προσλαμβανόμενος τὴν ἔκκλησιν (ἐπίκλησιν mallem) τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκέτι κοινὸς ἄρτος ἐστὶν, ἀλλ ̓ εὐχαριστία, ἐκ δύο πραγμάτων συνεστηκυῖα, ἐπιγείου τε καὶ οὐρανίου· OUTWS K. T. λ.—Id. ibid., § 5. p. 251.] a [Antid. Linc., sect. ii. cap. v. p. 22 -24. Heylin (p. 22) cites one more passage from Eusebius: εὔχοντας δὲ (πᾶν γένος τῶν πρὶν εἰδωλολατρῶν ἀνθρώπων) οὐκέτι πλείοσι κυρίοις, ἑνὶ δὲ τῷ μόνῳ Κυρίῳ κατὰ τὸ ἱερὸν λόγιον, (Isa. xix. 19.) καὶ τούτῳ θυσιαστήριον ἀναίμων καὶ λογικῶν θυσιῶν, κατὰ τὰ καίνα μυστήρια τῆς νέας καὶ καινῆς διαθήκης, καθ' ὅλης τῆς ἀνθρώπων σἰκουμένης ἀνεγήγερται. - De Dem. Evang., lib. i. cap. vi. p. 20, B, C.] [Hickes gives the translation of the whole passage, Heylin abridges it.] i. e. this sacrifice given for the souls of all men. t [Οτε τοίνυν κατὰ τὰς τῶν προφητῶν μαρτυρίας εὕρηται τὸ μέγα καὶ τίμιον λύτρον Ἰουδαίων ὁμοῦ καὶ Ἑλλήνων, τὸ τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου καθάρσιον, πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἀντίψυχον, τὸ πάσης κηλίδος καὶ ἁμαρτίας καθαρὸν ἱερεῖον, ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ θεοφιλὲς καὶ ἁγνὸν πρόβατον, τὸ προφητευόμενον ἀρνίον, οὗ διὰ τῆς ἐνθέου καὶ μυστικῆς διδασκαλίας πάντες ἡμεῖς οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων εὑράμεθα, διὸ καὶ Ἰουδαίων οἱ εἰς αὐτὸν ἠλπικότες ἐλεύθεροι τῆς Μωσέως ἀφίενται κατάρας,] εἰκότως τὴν τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τὴν ὑπόμνησιν ὁσημέραι ἐπιτελοῦντες, καὶ τῆς κρείττονος ἢ κατὰ EDITION. 10 Heylin's testimonies from Eusebius ACCOUNT adds," saith Heylin", "that 'Christ our Saviour, offering OF THIRD such a wonderful and excellent sacrifice to His heavenly Father for the salvation of us all, He also appointed us to offer daily μνήμην, the commemoration of the same to God, ἀντὶ τῆς θυσίας, for, and as, a sacrifice. And anon after he adds, 'that whensoever we celebrate the memory of that sacrifice on the table, partaking of the symbols of His body and bloodz, &c., we should say with David, Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Wherein,' saith he, 'the prophet signifies the mystical unction, kaì và σεμνὰ τῆς Χριστοῦ τραπέζης θύματα, and the reverend sacrifices of Christ's table, where we are taught to offer unto the Lord, by His own most eminent and glorious High-Priest, the unbloody, reasonable, and most acceptable sacrifice all our life long."" This is the third passage which Dr. Heylin produces, where I cannot but observe, that Eusebius, according to the tradition of the other fathers, as I have shewn from them, and from the most ancient form of consecration, in the Christian Priesthood, asserts, that Christ appointed the sacrifice of His own table, to wit, the symbols of bread and wine, to be offered unto God. Then the Doctor proceeds to the fourth passage in these words: "This he entitleth afterwards the sacrifice of praise, the divine, reverend, and most holy sacrifice, the pure sacrifice of the New Testament."" Then καινῆς διαθήκης παρειληφότες, πάλιν ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου Δαβὶδ παιδευόμεθα λέγειν, Ἡτοιμάσας ἐνώπιόν μου τρά πεζαν, ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων με. ἐλίπανας ἐν ἐλαίῳ τὴν κεφαλήν μου, καὶ τὸ ποτήριόν σου μεθύσκον με ὡς κράτιστον (Ps. xxiii.) Διαῤῥήδην γοῦν ἐν τούτοις καὶ τὸ μυστικὸν σημαίνεται χρίσμα,] καὶ τὰ σεμνὰ τῆς Χριστοῦ τραπέζης θύματα, [δι' ὧν καλλιεροῦντες, τὰς ἀναίμους καὶ λογικὰς αὐτῷ τε προσηνεῖς θυσίας διὰ παντὸς βίου τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων προσφέρειν Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ πάντων ἀνωτάτου Αρχιερέως αὐτοῦ δεδιδάγμεθα. Euseb., ibid., p. 39, Α, Β.] [ch. ii. sect. 10. § 6.] 4 [Θύομεν δῆτα τοιγαροῦν τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων Θεῷ] θυσίαν αἰνέσεως· θύομεν τὸ ἔνθεον καὶ σεμνὸν καὶ ἱεροπρεπὲς θῦμα· θύομεν καινῶς κατὰ τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην τὴν καθαρὰν θυσίαν. [Euseb., ibid., p. 40, A.] |