a sacred person offers some creature, on the altar or holy table, to God in the way of a gift, to testify his own subjection, and that of those in whose behalf he offers, to Him as the Creator and Supreme GOD." The genus of Sacrifice, therefore, is oblation, and consequently whatever is properly called a Sacrifice must be offered by a priest upon an altar, as a sacred gift to God; and that which is not so offered, is not truly a Sacrifice. The general end of Sacrifices is the testifying of our inward devoted subjection to God, as the supreme LORD, in like manner as tributes or gifts are given to kings for the acknowledgment of their supreme outward dominion. Which comparison St. Irenæus uses, book iv. chap. 34. writing thus, "Therefore the oblation of the Church, which the LORD hath taught to be offered in the whole world, is esteemed by GoD a pure Sacrifice, and is accepted by Him; not that He wants a Sacrifice from us, but because he who offers is himself honoured in what he offers, if his gifts be accepted. For our honour and affection toward a king is declared by our gifts." And so all nations by means of Sacrifices showed themselves devoted to the service of those gods to whom they offered; so the Jews testified their devotion to the true God. But, in truth, in the Sacrifices of these [Christians] there was yet another general end regarded, namely, a representation of the oblation of CHRIST upon the Cross, through which all other oblations are accepted of GOD, whereas, without respect to that, they are hateful, or at all events useless. There were indeed besides,

The paper, No. 117, (in vol. vii.) from which extracts are given above, is headed "Qu. An S. Eucharistia sit Sacrificium Novi Testamenti?"

On the opposite page is pasted a paper containing a rough draft, less fully expanded, of the first few sentences, down to the quotation from St. Irenæus. On the margin of this paper stands a list of names of English divines in alphabetical order, written wide, as though for further insertions. "Burnet, Brevint, Beveridge, Fell, Forbesius, Hammond, Hooperus, Laud, Medus, Montacut., Sherlock, Taylor, Thorndike, White." "Burnet" has been added afterwards, and perhaps "Hooperus." This list, accidentally discovered, was, it may be mentioned, the groundwork of the present Catena.

No. 118, in the same volume, is the tract published, with a translation, in the volume referred to above. "De formâ Consecrationis," &c.

many and divers special reasons of Sacrifices, whence also the Sacrifices themselves were divers, being either Eucharistic, or propitiatory, or impetratory; but the two afore-mentioned ends were in common regarded in all the Sacrifices whether of all nations or of the people of GOD. And that which hath thus far been said is placed beyond all hazard of controversy, so that he would be losing his labour who should go about to prove it at length; and he who should deny it, would be introducing a new signification of the word "Sacrifice," and removing landmarks that have been fixed. It was, however, in the last century, a point strongly affirmed on the one side, and denied on the other, that the mystery of the holy Eucharist is a Sacrifice as described in the manner aforesaid. This point, namely, (to pass by the refinements of others,) was disputed; whether, in the Eucharist, the bread and wine, and after the mystical consecration, the Flesh and Blood of the LORD, are offered upon the holy table, as upon an altar, to God, for the testifying of His supreme dominion, and the commemoration or representation of the Sacrifice of CHRIST finished on the Cross. For there were, and yet are, many who believe that the holy Eucharist is a bare Sacrament, or sacred feast, not a Sacrifice, and who will have the aforesaid sacred symbols to be signs, indeed, whereby GoD doth declare and communicate His grace to the faithful, and represent the death of the LORD to their eyes, that they may not be taken with forgetfulness of it; but yet deny them to be signs whereby the faithful testify their subjection to the Deity, and represent the Sacrifice of the Cross to GOD the FATHER, in order that by this memorial they may find favour in His eyes. This, I say, in the last century almost all the Protestants denied; it is still denied by many: it hath been affirmed, however, in this century, and is still affirmed, by not a few prelates and divines of the English Church, Laud, Archbishop and Martyr, Mountagu, White, Fell, and others', bishops, and, of presbyters, Mede, Hammond, Thorndike, Beveridge, Sherlock, Hooper, &c. to whom may be added, from

1 In the margin is added, "Burnet forte ;" or possibly the text is- Whiteus, Fellus, episcopi," and the note, "Burnet aliique forte."

Scotland and Ireland, two most eminent Prelates, William Forbes and Jeremy Taylor; all, men illustrious for learning and piety, who would not have asserted it in their writings, unless they had seen firm grounds for this opinion, which it will be worth our while briefly to go over.

To begin from what is the better known; there is in behalf of this opinion such a consent of the most ancient Fathers and successors of the Apostles, as is seen in scarcely any mystery of the Christian faith. St Clement of Rome, in his epistle to the Corinthians, written while many of the Apostles were yet alive, $ 40. "We ought to do all things in order, whatsoever our LORD hath commanded us to observe; to celebrate the oblations and liturgies at the appointed times," &c. . . . and § 44. "It will be no small crime if we eject those from the episcopal function, who offer the gifts in an unblameable and holy manner." Justin Martyr, in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, p. 259. sq. "The oblation of fine flour which was ordered to be offered for those that were cleansed from the leprosy, was a type of the bread of the Eucharist, which the LORD JESUS CHRIST ordered to be offered for the remembrance of the suffering which He underwent for those who are cleansed, as to their souls from all wickedness; in order that we may give thanks to GOD for having created the world, and all things in it for the sake of man, and for having delivered us from the wickedness in which we lived, and for having finally dissolved powers and principalities through CHRIST, who, according to His will, became subject to suffering 1." I prove it by other words which Justin Martyr has used, in that Dialogue with Trypho, p. 344. "We who, by the name of JESUs, believe, as one man, in GoD the Maker of all things, are indeed a priestly race unto God; as God also Himself testifies, declaring that we offer in every place among the Gentiles, victims pleasing to Him and pure. Verily, GOD accepts Sacrifices from no one save from His priests. All those, therefore, who, by His name, offer the Sacrifices which JESUS CHRIST delivered to be performed, namely, in the Eucharist of the

....

1 Here follows a discussion of the right reading of the original text.

bread and the cup, which are offered in every place by Christians, God beforehand testifies to be acceptable to Him. But He rejects those made by you, and those priests of yours, saying, 'I will accept none of your Sacrifices at your hands, for, from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof, My name is glorified among the Gentiles, &c. But concerning this passage of Malachi, I shall, in what follows, adduce other expressions of Justin and other Fathers. I now go on to testimonies of Irenæus concerning the Eucharistic Sacrifice 1.

I proceed to the second oblation, whereby the bread and wine, or symbols and sacraments of the Body and Blood of CHRIST, are offered by the priest to God the FATHER, and not only thanks are given to Him, for that He hath delivered His beloved Son to death for the redemption of the human race, but He is also entreated that, looking from heaven upon these holy signs of the New Covenant, He will become propitious to us, and not disdain to bestow upon us remission of sins, and other good things obtained to us through CHRIST. Such an oblation there is in the first Liturgy of Edward VI. [and also in the Scotch 2,] in the following form, immediately after the words of institution, the consecrated symbols being present, "Wherefore, O LORD," &c. . . . There is rightly there made, and said to be made, that Eucharistic oblation, in observance of the sacred institution of CHRIST, who, pointing to the leading character of this sacrament, saith, "Do this for the commemoration of Me." Which words the Apostle reciting, (1 Cor. xi. 25.) subjoins these words of his own, v. 26. "Wherefore as often as ye eat this bread," &c. From which it is plain, that the memory of the LORD's Passion is to be celebrated not only by the mind inwardly, but also outwardly with the voice; and not by words only, but also in act. But is it in discourse to the people, or in prayer to GOD? That it is the latter that is to be done, rather than the former, is both pointed out by the very nature of a commemorative Sacrifice, in that therein we have to do with God, not with

1 On the back of this page is a discussion of the question of Apostolical tradition, in regard to the Eucharist. What follows is on the next leaf.

2 Added in the margin.

man; and also our SAVIOUR hath taught us by His pattern, inasmuch as, in the institution of this mystery, He discoursed not with His Apostles concerning the redemption of men, but blessed GOD HIS FATHER for it, and commanded the Apostles and their successors, all priests whatsoever, unto the end of the world, to do the same which He then did. Now, that our SAVIOUR gave thanks to GOD the FATHER for the redemption of the human race, now shortly to be accomplished by the offering of His Body and the shedding of His Blood, is most rightly gathered from the rites as well of the Jews as of the Christians, although the holy Evangelists have not expressed the matter or the form of the praise and prayer uttered by CHRIST. For the Jews, on festival days, not only praised GOD, as the LORD of all the creatures, in the ordinary form, for the creation of bread and wine, but made likewise especial mention of that benefit of which the festive memory was then celebrated. And CHRIST accordingly, in the first Eucharist, gave thanks to God the FATHER, not only for creation but chiefly for redemption, the memorial Sacrament whereof He was then instituting, and, by His example and precept, appointed the same to be done now also by priests. Whence Justin Martyr, in his Dialogue with Trypho, p. 250, having before made mention of the Eucharistic bread says, "which we offer for the remembrance of the suffering," &c. . . . . and Eusebius de Dem. Evang. lib. i. cap. 10. ... And that the primitive Christians strictly observed this institution of CHRIST, as well Eusebius bears witness as Justin Martyr, in the dialogue above cited.... In which passage of Justin, and that above cited, thanksgivings are spoken of as being appointed by CHRIST, and made by the primitive Christians, both for the creation of food and of the creatures necessary, and also for redemption by the Passion. And this their practice is most clearly seen from the ancient liturgies. Of which I will quote one, and that of the greatest antiquity, and undoubtedly genuine, extant in the 8th book of the Apostolical Constitutions 1. . . . Compare other forms, prescribed, as appears, for sacred services, lib. vii. c.

[Vid. sup. cit. pp. 260, 261–263.]