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through Chrift Jefus, as to my prieftly Miniftration, in things pertaining to God. Wherefore as the Apoftle's Allufion to the Chriftian Offering, which was fanctified, or made holy by the Invocation of the Holy Ghoft, obliged him to call his improper Offering up of the converted Gentiles, an Offering, or Sacrifice, and himfelf λειτεργὸν ἱερες όντα τὸ ευαγγέλιον, a Prieft of the Gofpel, in a metaphorical Senfe: So it proves the Holy Eucharift, to which that Allufion was made, to be a proper Sacrifice, and the Minifters who offer it to be proper facrificing Priefts. Juftin Martyr, in his firft Apol. having related how Jefus Chrift commanded the Apoftles, after his Example, to take the Bread, and when they had folemnly given Thanks, to fay, this is my Body, this do in remembrance of me, and in like manner to take the Cup, and when they had folemnly given Thanks, to fay, This is my Blood, he obferves to the Gentiles that the wicked Damons had, by way of Imitation, commanded the fame to be done in the Sacraments of Mithra. For, faith he, you either know, or may know for certain, that a Loaf, and a Cup of Water, with a Form of Words, was used in the folemn Sacrifices for him, who was initiated in that Religion, meaning,as he had thewn, that the Holy Eucharift was adminiftred immediately upon the Baptifm, or Initiation of Men into the Chriftian Religion, and his Parallel between the two Myfteries, and Initia tions implies, that the Euchariftical Bread, and Wine

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"So Tertullian de prafcript. c. 40. A Diabolo fcilicet, cujus funt partes intervertendi veritatem. Qui ipfas quoque res Sacramentorum divinorum idolorum myfteriis amulatur. Tingit & ipfe quofdam, utique credentes, & fideles fuos: expofitionem deli&torum de lavacro promittit fi adhuc memini, Mithra fignat illic in frontibus milites, fuos, celebrat & panis oblationem, & imaginem refurre&ionis indu cit, de fub gladio redimit coronam.

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* Εν τὰς τα μεμνημεία τελεξαῖς.

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was * Then a folemn material Sacrifice in the Opinion of the Chriftians, as the other diabolical Bread, and Water was in the Myfteries of Mithra, and by confequence that their Bishops, and Presbyters who were Ministers of Baptifm, and the Holy Eucharift, were Thesi, as Pollux calls Priests, even as proper Priests, as the Priests of Mithra, or the Sun were efteemed by his Worshippers to be. To this purpofe fpeaks Juftin in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, p. 259, 260. And the Meat offering of fine Flower, which was appointed to be offered for thofe who were cleanfed from the Leproly, was a Type of the Euchariftical Breal, which Fefus Chrift our Lord commanded to be offered in remembrance of bis Paffion, which he suffered for thofe, whofe Souls are purged from all Sins, that we might give Thanks to God, for creating the World, and all things therein for Man, and for delivering us from all the Wickednefs of which we were guilty, and for conquering the Principalities, and Powers with a compleat Victory. And therefore God by Malachy, who was one of the twelve Prophets, Speaks of the Sacrifices, which you then offered thus: I have no Pleafure in you, faith the Lord of Hofts, neither will I accept an Offering at your Hand; for from the rifing of the Sun, unto the going down of the fame, my Name (hall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place Incenfe fhall be offered unto my Name, and a pure Offering, for my Name fhall be great among the Heathen, faith the Lord, but you have profaned it. But of the Sacrifice of the Gentiles offered by us in every place, that is to fay, of the Bread of the Eucha. rift, and Cup of the Eucharift, be then spoke be

* Suidas. Τελετή. Θυσία μυςηριώδης, ἡ μεγίς η, και τιμιοτέρα, Telete. Sacrificium Myfteriorum, plenum, maximum, honoratif fimum.

Lib. I. cap. 1. Segm. 14.
Malach. ii. 10, 1.

2 Lev. xiv, 10

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fore hand, faying, that we glorified bis Name, and you profaned it. To the fame purpose speaks Eufebius in his Commentary on Pfalm li. and the last Verfe. But Symmachus faith, thou shalt receive, inftead of thou shalt accept, an Offering, and Holocaufts, to wit, of Righteousness; and moreover adds Calves. For all are Offerings of Righteousness, according to the Spiritual Sacrifices without Blood, which are offered thro' the whole World. In another of the Jewish Prophets it is alfo faid, I have no pleasure And in every place Incenfe, and a pure Sacrifice fhall be offered to my Name. This is now called the Sacrifice of Righteousness, and also of Praife, as he called it in the foregoing Pfalm; faying, Offer up to God the Sacrifice of Praife, See alfo his Comment on Ifaiah xviii. 7.

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I believe no Man in the World, that was of a Religion where Sacrifice was used, and that by chance fhould fee the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharift after Sermon, and Prayer adminiftred among Chriftians, either according to the Order, and Ufage of the Church of England, or as it was adminiftred in the primitive Times; but would take the Bread, and Wine for an Offering or Sacrifice, and the whole Action for a facrificial Miniftration, the Eating, and Drinking of the Holy Elements, for a facrificial Entertainment of the Congregation at the Table of their God. To fee Bread, and Wine, mixed with Water, fo folemnly brought to the Table, and then a Loaf of that Bread, and a Cup of that Wine,

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Ο Παυσαμβύων όπως ευχες απο προσφέρει, &c. fuft. Mart. Apol. 1.

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"As weœçiçe), yjävC, xjüdwę. Juft. Mart. 1. Apol. Έπειτα προσφέρει το προεςῶτι τ ἀδελφῶν ἄρα καὶ ποτήριον isal inequal. Idem ibid.

This was the Practice of our Church at the Reformation, as may be feen in the Rubrick of the Communion Office of the firft Common-Prayer Book of Edw. VI. See alfo Dr. Grabe's Notes on TO MENCwo wolnesov, in Irenaus Lib. V. Cap. 11.

brought

brought by the Deacon in manner of an Offering to the Liturg, or Minifter, which he alfo taking in his Hands as an Offering, fets them with all Reverence on the Table, and then after folemn Prayers of Oblation, and Confecration, to fee him take up the Bread, and fay, in moft folemn manner, This is my Body, &c. and then the Cup, faying as folemnly, This is my Blood, &c. and then to hear him with all the Powers of his Soul offer up Praifes, and Glory, and Thanksgiving, and Prayers to God the Fa ther of all things, thro' the Name of the Son, and Holy Spirit, which they befeech him to fend down upon the Bread, and Cup, and the People with the greatest Harmony, and Acclamation, faying aloud, Amen. After which also to see the Liturg first eat of the Bread, and drink of the Cup, and then the Deacon to carry about the Bleffed Bread, and Wine to be eaten and drank by the People; and laftly, to fee, and hear all concluded with Pfalms, and Hymns of Praife, and Prayers of Interceffion to God with the highest pomplike Celebrity of Words. I fay, to fee, and hear all this would make any uninitiated Heathen conclude, that the Bread, and Wine were an Offering, the whole Euchariftical Action a facrificial Myftery, the Eating, and Drinking the fanctified Elements a facrificial Feaft, and the Liturg who adminiftred, a Prieft. I have here ufed the term facrificial Myftery, because there was no fœderal Sacrifice, but what was a religious Mystery exhibiting one thing to the Senfe, and another to the Underftanding of the Votift, or what was not an outward Sign of an invifible inwward Grace of the God true, or believed to be true, to whom the Sacrifice was offered; I fay, every foederal Sacrifice is an outward Sign of an invifible Grace, and by confequence

* Διὰ λόγε πομπᾶς, καὶ ὕμνος πέμπειν. 7uft. Mart, Apol, 1. Edit. Oxon, P. 23.

is a Myftrey, or Sacrament; for Sacrament in the Latin Church, from which we borrowed the Word, fignifies the fame, as Myftery in the Greek, and therefore the Euchariftical Sacrifice is alfo a Sacrament, or to speak more properly of it, it is a Chriftian Sacrament or Mystery as a Fœderal Commemorative Sacrifice, in which as Chrift prefents unto God his Paffion, and the Merits of it, as our High Priest in Heaven: So in this Sacrifice the Priefts upon Earth in Conjunction with it, prefent, and commemorate the fame unto him, by fetting before him the Symbols of his Body, and Blood.

I fpeak this to let the reformed World fee, that they need not be afraid of believing the Holy Eucharift to be a proper Sacrifice, or Offering, and the Mini

fters

Chryfoft. de facerdotio Lib. III. "Olav 8 idrs, When thou fhalt fee the Lord facrificed, and the Priest standing over the Saerifice, and pouring out. Frayers, and the People dyed red with his Blood, canft thou think thou art among Men, or upon the Earth, or that thou art tranflated into Heaven? Bafil. de baptifa mo Lib. 11 quæft. 11. But when the Lord faid a greater than Solomon is here, he thereby taught us, how much more wicked he is, who being impure dares offer up the Body of our Lord, who gave himself for us an Offering, and Sacrifice to God. Eulogius Alexandrinus Photii. Bibl. p.116.2. Here the Apoftle (Hebr. x.46.) doth not forbid all Sacrifice, but the legal Sacrifices, nor doth he abfolutely discharge all Sacrifice, but threatens the laft Judgment to thofe, who after they had acknowledged the Truth, and been Partakers of the Mystical Sacrifice, returned to the Legal Sacrifices by Calves, and Bulls. Wherefore as he forbids them the legal Baptifm, fo he forbids them the bloody Sacrifices of the Law, for the tremendous Sacrifice of the Body of our Lord, which is offered among us, is not an Inftitution of different Sacrifices, but a Commemoration of the Sacrifice once offered for us. For, faith he, Do this in remembrance of me, and therefore as often 5 we do it, we do fhew forth the Death of our Lord. Ifidor. ig. Lib. VI. Duo autem funt, quæ offeruntur, Donum, & Sacriium, &c. There are two things which are offered to God, Gifts, d Sacrifices. Gifts confift in Gold, or Silver, or any other Species, which is offered. But Sacrifices are Victims, and whatfoever is burnt, or placed upon the Altar..

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