tendom, but also express authority and commission in Scripture, sending out apostles and apostolical men, persons of choice and special designation "to baptize all nations," and to entertain them into the services and institution of the holy Jesus. SECT. V. 1. I SHALL instance but once more, but it is in the most solemn, sacred, and divinest mystery in our religion, that in which the clergy in their appointed ministery do diaxovoüvtes μLEσITEÚε"stand between God and the people,” and do fulfil a special and incomprehensible ministry, which "the angels. themselves do look into" with admiration; to which the people, if they come without fear, cannot come without sin; and this of so sacred and reserved mysteriousness, that but few have dared to offer at with unconsecrated hands: some have. But the "eucharist" is the fulness of all the mysteriousness of our religion; and the clergy, when they officiate here, are most truly, in the phrase of St. Pauli, "dispensatores mysteriorum Dei," "dispensers of the great mysteries of the kingdom." For, to use the words of St. Cyprian k," Jesus Christ is our high-priest, and himself become our sacrifice, which he finished upon the cross in a real performance; and now, in his office of mediatorship, makes intercession for us by a perpetual exhibition of himself, of his own person in heaven; which is a continual actually-represented argument to move God to mercy to all, that believe in and obey the holy Jesus." 2. Now Christ did also establish a number of select persons to be ministers of this great sacrifice, finished upon the cross; that they also should exhibit and represent to God, in the manner which their Lord appointed them, this sacrifice, commemorating the action and suffering of the great priest; and by way of prayers and impetration, offering up that action in behalf of the people, ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω θυσιαστήριον αναπέμψας τὰς θυ i 1 Cor. iv. 1. Ad Cæcil. ep. 63. Si Jesus Christus, Dominus et Deus noster, ipse est summus sacerdos Dei Patris, et sacrificium Patri seipsum primus obtulit, et hoc fieri in sui commemorationem præcepit, utique ille sacerdos vice Christi verè fungitur, qui id, quod Christus fecit, imitatur: et sacrificium verum et plenum tunc offert in ecclesia Deo Patri, si incipiat offerre secundum quod ipsum Christum videat obtulisse. rias, as Gregory Nazianzen1 expresses it, "sending up sacrifices to be laid upon the altar in heaven;" that the church might be truly united unto Christ their head, and, in the way of their ministry, may do what he does in heaven. For he exhibits the sacrifice, that is, himself, actually and presentially in heaven: the priest on earth commemorates the same, and, by his prayers, represents it to God in behalf of the whole catholic church; presentially too, by another and more mysterious way of presence; but both Christ in heaven, and his ministers on earth, do actuate the sacrifice, and apply it to its purposed design by praying to God in the virtue and merit of that sacrifice: Christ himself, in a high and glorious manner; the ministers of his priesthood (as it becomes ministers) humbly, sacramentally, and according to the energy of human advocation and intercession; this is the sum and great mysteriousness of Christianity, and is now to be proved. 3. This is expressly described in Scripture; that part concerning Christ is the doctrine of St. Paulm, who disputes largely concerning Christ's priesthood, affirming " that Christ is a priest for ever;" he hath therefore "an unchangeable priesthood," because "he continueth for ever," and "he lives for ever to make intercession for us;" this he does as priest, and therefore it must be by offering a sacrifice; "for every high-priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices;" and therefore "it is necessary he also have something to offer," as long as he is a priest, that is, for ever,' till the consummation of all things. Since therefore he hath nothing new to offer, and something he must continually offer, it is evident, he offers himself as the medium of advocation, and the instance and argument of a prevailing intercession; and this he calls "a more excellent ministry;" and by it, "Jesus is a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle ;"—that is, he, as our high-priest, officiates in heaven, in the great office of a mediator, in the merit and power of his death and resurrection. Now what Christ does always in a proper and most glorious manner, the ministers of the gospel also do in theirs; commemorating the sacrifice upon the cross, "giving thanks," and celebrating a perpetual eucharist for it, and by declaring the death of Christ,' and praying to God in the virtue of it, for all the members of the church, and all persons capable; m Heb. vii. 23, &c. viii. 2, 3, &c. 1 Orat. 11. it is in genere orationis,' a sacrifice, and an instrument of propitiation, as all holy prayers are in their several proportions. 6 4. And this was by a precept of Christ; "Hoc facite," 'Do this in remembrance of me." Now this precept is but twice reported of in the New Testament, though the institution of the sacrament be four times. And it is done with admirable mystery; to distinguish the several interests and operations which concern several sorts of Christians in their distinct capacities: St. Paul thus represents it; "Take, eat―This do in remembrance of me;" plainly referring this precept to all that are to eat and drink the symbols: for they also do, in their manner, enunciate,' declare, or represent, "the Lord's death till he come." And St. Paul prosecutes it with instructions particular to the votes, to them that do communicate,' as appears in the succeeding cautions against unworthy manducation, and for due preparation to its reception. But St. Luke reports it, plainly to another purpose," And he took bread and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave it unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you;”— "Hoc facite," "This do in remembrance of me:' This' cannot but relate to "accepit, gratias egit, fregit, distribuit; hoc facite." Here was no manducation expressed, and therefore Hoc facite' concerns the apostles in the capacity of ministers: not as receivers, but as consecrators and givers; and if the institution had been represented in one scheme, without this mysterious distinction and provident separation of employment, we had been eternally in a cloud, and have needed a new light to guide us; but now the Spirit of God hath done it in the very first fountains of Scripture. 5. And this being the great mystery of Christianity, and the only remanent express of Christ's sacrifice on earth, it is most consonant to the analogy of the mystery, that this commemorative sacrifice be presented by persons as separate and distinct in their ministry, as the sacrifice itself is from, and above, the other parts of our religion. 6. Thus also the church of God hath for ever understood it, without any variety of sense, or doubtfulness of distinguishing opinions. It was the great excellency and secret mystery of the religion, to consecrate and offer the holy symbols and sacraments: I shall transcribe a passage out of Justin Mar tyr, giving the account of it to Antoninus Pius in his oration to him; and it will serve instead of many; for it tells the religion of the Christians in this mystery, and gives a full account of all the ceremony": Παυσάμενοι τῶν εὐχῶν, ἔπειτα προσφέρεται τῷ προεστῶτι τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἄρτος καὶ ποτήριον ὕδα τος καὶ χρήματος, &c. "When the prayers are done, then is brought to the president of the brethren [the priest] the bread, and the chalice of wine mingled with water; which being received, he gives praise and glory to the Father of all things, and presents them in the name of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and largely gives thanks, that he hath been pleased to give us these gifts: and when he hath finished the prayers and thanksgiving, all the people that are present, with a joyful acclamation, say, Amen.' Which when it is done by the presidents and people, those which amongst us are called deacons and ministers, distribute to every one that is present, that they may partake of him, in whom the thanks were presented, the eucharist, bread, wine, and water; and may bear it to the absent. Moreover, this nourishment is by us called 'the eucharist,' which it is lawful for none to partake, but to him who believes our doctrine true, and is washed in the laver for the remission of sins, and regeneration, and that lives so as Christ delivered. For we do not take it as common bread, and common drink; but as, by the word of God, Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world was made flesh, and for our salvation's sake had flesh and blood,-after the same manner also we are taught that this nourishment, in which by the prayers of his word, which is from him the food in which thanks are given, or the consecrated food by which our flesh and blood, by mutation or change, are nourished, is the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus. For the apostles in their commentaries which they wrote, which are called the 'Gospels,' so delivered, as Jesus commanded. For when he had given thanks and taken bread, he said, "Do this in remembrance of me; this is my body;" and likewise taking the chalice, and having given thanks, he said, "This is my blood;" and that he gave it to them alone."-This one testimony I reckon as sufficient: who please to see more, may observe the tradition full, testified, and entire, in Ignatius, Clemens Romanus P, or whoever wrote the Apostolical Constitutions in his name, Tertullian 9, St. Cyprian', St. Athanasius, Epiphanius', St. Basil", St. Chrysostomx (almost every where), St. Jerome, St. Austin; and indeed we cannot look in vain into any of the old writers: the sum of whose doctrine in this particular I shall represent in the words of the most ancient of them, St. Ignatius, saying, that "he is worse than an infidel that offers to officiate about the holy altar, unless he be a bishop or a priest." 7. And certainly he could, upon no pretence, have challenged the appellative of Christian, who had dared either himself to invade the holy rites within the cancels, or had denied the power of celebrating this dreadful mystery to belong only to sacerdotal ministration. For either it is said to be but common bread and wine, and then, if that were true, indeed any body may minister it; but then they that say so, are blasphemous, "they count the blood of the Lord, rò aiμa Tys Salyans (as St. Paula calls it, in imitation of the words of institution), the blood of the covenant, or New Testament, a profane or common thing; they discern not the Lord's body; they know not that the bread that is broken, is the communication of Christ's body."-But if it be a holy, separate, or divine and mysterious thing, who can make it (ministerially, I mean), and consecrate or sublime it from common and ordinary bread, but a consecrate, separate, and sublimed person?It is to be done either by a natural power, or by a supernatural. A natural cannot hallow a thing in order to God; and they only have a supernatural who have derived it from God, in order to this ministration; who can show that they are taken up into the lot of that deaconship, which is the type and representment of that excellent ministry of the true tabernacle,' where Jesus himself does the same thing, in a higher and more excellent manner. 8. This is the great secret of the kingdom, to which, in the primitive church, many who yet had given up their names P Lib. 7. cap. 31. et lib. 8, cap. ult. 4 De Præscript. Lib. 1. ep. 2. et 9. et lib. 3. epist. 15. * Lib. 3. et 6. de Sacerd. Homil. 51. et 83. in Matt. et Hom. 6. ad pop. An tioch. 9, 2. y Contr. Lucifer. et cp. 1. ad Helidor. et 85: ad Evagrium et ad Hedito. 150, a Heb. x. 29. * Lib. 20. de Civ. cap. 10. |