body of Christ, that is, His Church, is another Gospel Sacrifice or rather, it is coincident with the former; excepting that there persons are considered in their single capacity, and here collectively in a body. I take the thought from St. Austin, who grounds it chiefly on 1 Cor. x. 17. . . . 7. The Offering up of True Converts, or sincere penitents, to God, by their pastors, who have laboured successfully in the blessed work, is another very acceptable Gospel Sacrifice. 8. The Sacrifice of Faith and Hope, and Selfhumiliation, in commemorating the Grand Sacrifice, and resting finally upon it, is another Gospel Sacrifice, and eminently proper to the Eucharist."1

II.

"This Do" not "This Sacrifice."

The plea from hoc facite, when first set up, was abundantly answered by a very learned Romanist I mean the excellent Picherell, who wrote about 1562, and died in 1590. Protestants also have often confuted it; and the Papists themselves, several of them, have long ago given. it up." 2

1 The Eucharist considered in a Sacrificial View, chap. xii. 2 The Christian Sacrifice explained, Appendix, chap. iii.

III.

In what Sense the Eucharist is Not a Sacrifice.

"No one has any right to offer Christ as a sacrifice (whether really or symbolically), but Christ Himself. . . . 1. If Christ in the institution offered Himself under these symbols (which, however, does not appear), He might have a right to do it: we have none, and so can only commemorate what He did, and by the same symbols. 2. If we symbolically offer anything in the Eucharist, it is only in such a sense as St. Austin speaks of; where he considers the bread and wine as symbols of the united body of the Church. We may symbolically offer up, or sacrifice, ourselves, but that is all: more than that cannot comport with Scripture, or with the principles of the ancients, that all our sacrifices are made in and by Christ. He is not the matter or subject of our Sacrifices, but the Mediator of them: we offer not Him, but we offer what we do offer by Him. 3. If the thing symbolically offered in the Eucharist were Christ Himself, then the offerer or offerers must stand in the place of Christ, and be as truly the symbols of Christ in their offering capacity as the elements are supposed

to be in their sacrificial capacity. Then not only the priests, but the whole Church, celebrating the Eucharist, must symbolically represent the person of Christ, and stand in His stead: a notion which has no countenance in Scripture or antiquity, but is plainly contradicted by the whole turn and tenor of the ancient Liturgies, as well as by the plain nature and reason of the thing. 4. I may add, lastly, that all the confusion in this article [point] seems to arise from the want of distinguishing the sacrificial part of the Eucharist from a sacramental one, as before noted: we do not offer Christ to God in the Eucharist, but God offers Christ to us in return for our offering ourselves. We commemorate the grand sacrifice, but do not reiterate it; no not so much as under symbols But God But God applies it by those symbols or pledges and so, though there : is no symbolical sacrifice of that kind, neither can be, yet there is a symbolical grant, and a symbolical banquet, which is far better, and which most effectually answers all purposes. In short, there is, as the Apostle assures us, a communion of Christ's body and blood, in the Eucharist, to every worthy receiver." 1

1 The Eucharist considered in a Sacrificial Point of View, chap. xii.

IV.

In what Metaphorical Sense Ministers may be called Priests.

"From hence likewise may we understand in what sense the officiating authorised ministers perform the office of proper evangelical priests in this service. They do it three ways: 1. As commemorating in solemn form the same sacrifice here below which Christ our High Priest commemorates above. 2. As handing up (if I may so speak) those prayers and those services of Christians to Christ our Lord, who as High Priest recommends the same to God the Father. 3. As offering up to God all the faithful who are under their care and ministry, and who are sanctified by the Spirit. In these three ways the Christian officers are priests, or liturgs, to very excellent purpose, far above the legal ones, in a sense worth the contending for, and worth the pursuing with the utmost zeal and assiduity."

"The whole body of Christian people are equally sacrificers, though the clergy only are commissioned to preside and officiate in a

1 Eucharist considered in a Sacrificial View, chap. xii.

public character. The sacrifice is the common sacrifice of the whole body, and so the name of sacrificer is also common: but the leading part, the administration of the sacrifice, is appropriate to the commissioned officers; and so are also the names of Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons." 1

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v.

Holy Scripture.

Scripture alone is our complete rule of faith and manners, containing all things necessary to salvation, so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary for salvation."

"Whatever Scripture contains, either in express words rightly understood, or by consequence justly deduced, is Scripture doctrine, and ought to be religiously believed and obeyed; allowing only for the different degrees of importance belonging to different Scripture truths, or Scripture precepts. For the right understanding of Scripture, it is of great

1 Distinctions of Sacrifice,