word of the Father see him cap. 32. above cited 220. S. Hyppolitus Bishop and Martyr Orat de cansummatione Mundi brings in Christ speaking thus Come ye Bishops and Priests who have dayly offered my precious body and bloud and speaking of the time of antichrist he sayes The holy houses of the Churches shall be like Cottages and the precious body and bloud of Christ shall not be extant in those dayes the liturgie or Mass shall be abolished the singing of psalms shall not be heard that is publickly With him agrees S. Chrisostome hom 49. operis imperfecti according to that of Dan. cap. 9. 12. 203. Tertulliam lib. de Oratione cap. 14. speaking of the stations very many do think that they are not to be present at the prayers of the sacrifices because the station is to end by taking the body of our Lord therefore the Eucharist doth finish the devout service to God were not thy station more solemn if thou did also stand at Gods Altar the Body of our Lord being taken and reserved both are safe both participation of the sacrifice and execution of Offices And l. ad scapulum We sacrifice for the health of the Emperour but to our God and his but by pure prayer as God has commanded S. Martialis Epist ad Burdegal cap. 3. Sacrifice is offered to God the Creatour on the Altar not to men nor to Angels not only on a sanctified Altar but every where a clean ablation is offered to God as he has testified whose body and bloud we offer unto life everlasting saying Joan. 4. God is a spirit and they that adore him must adore in veritie for he having been both immaculate aend without sin because he was conceived of the holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary permitted himself to be immolated on the Altar of the Cross but what the Jews through malice did immolate thinking themselves to abolish his name from the earth we propound in a sanctified Altar for the cause of our salvation knowing by this only remedy life to be given us and death avoided for our Lord himself hath commanded us to do it in Commemoration of him 171. S. Ignatius Martyr Epist ad Smirnenses It is not lawfull to baptize nor offer nor immolate sacrifice or celebrate Masses without the Bishop And Epist ad Ephesios he condemns those who separate themselves and come not to the the Congregation of sacrifices Thus we see that the Roman Masse used for almost twelve hundred years did not there take its beginning but was alwaies observed in Christs Church even from the beginning from Christ himself and his Apostles CHAP. V. Sacrifice necessary to the being of a Church THere can be no visible Church without visible Religion nor no visible Religion without a visible Sacrifice for as the Church is nothing but a visible congregation of all the faithful so it is necessary that in this Assembly or Congregation there be something that may manifest the ir murual desire and concord to worship God Now it is certain that there never could be any agreement to any internal action neither could there be any publick act of Communion in the worship of God unless they assembled did agree or follow some external sign voice or action such as Sacraments and sacrifices are S. Chrysostome well notes hom 60. ad Pop. Antioch If we had been incorporeal God would have given us plain and incorporeal gifts but because the soul is conjoyned to the body he has given us intelligible things in sensible and this conformable to humane nature which depends of the senses in her operations even in the worship of God whereto the vertue of Religion conduces us Now Religion includes four Acts The first is a consideration of Gods infinite Majesty on whom all things depend 2. A reflexion on our nothing for of our selves we are nothing have nothing and can do nothing but whatsoever we have or can do comes all from God These two acts are not elicited by the vertue of Religion but as supposed grounds or motives to the worship of God the other two proper acts of Religion are interiour or exteriour the first as pure is proper only to the Angells and Blessed souls now separated from their bodies or elevated by some supernatural grace but as it is found in Men of this world has dependence on the senses but may be purified in its operation and is a profound submission of heart or internal Inclination of the mind to serve and worship God The external act of Religion is an external profession of that interiour will made by voice gesture or external sign such are publick prayer adorations and such like but none like to the sacrifice which carries with it that true worship which S. Augustin l 10. de civitate Dci cap. 1 calls Latria or honour due to God A little after Religion signifies nothing so distinctly as the worship of God by which cap. 4. we owe sacrifioe to God and thence inferrs There is none dare say a sacrifice is due but to God alone and who ever sacrificed but to him whom he knew or imagined or feigned to be God whence I infer That since from the first creation of Man God had a Church wherein there was true Religion it necessarily follows that according to our humane constitution in the same Church there was and is an external sacrifice wherein God was and is worshipped with Latria which is the perfect act of Religion and worship of God Moreover sacrifices seem to follow the instinct of Nature for as Plutark adversus Colos sayes A man may find Cities without walls houses Kings Laws Coynes schools and Theatres but a Town without Temples and Gods to whom sacrifices are offered you shall never finde Plato before him de leg Dial. We can never finde any Nation so barbarous any people at all so rude and savage who with vows victins and outward sacrifices have not acknowledged the Soveraeignty of some God or other All Hysteries do testify that from the beginning of the world sacrifices were in use amongst all Nations and Religion whence S. Augustine Epist 49. ad Deograt 9.34 That it is not to be blamed in the rites of Pagans that they builded Temples ordained Priests offered sacrifices for he supposed these to be according to the law of nature but that these were exhibited to Idols and devills that was to be condemned for that they gave which was only due to God to false Gods But what makes more to our purpose is the continual practise of Gods Church even from the beginning of using sacrifices which S. Augustine lib. 10. de civit Dei cap. 4. How ancient apart of Gods worship a sacrifice is Cain and Abel do shew full proof and all along in the law of Nature the Examples of Noe Abraham Melchisedech and Jacob now the written Law had sacrifices ordained by God himself which continued to our Saviour to say then that the law of Grace should have no
sacrifice is to deprive Christs Church of the most noble act of Religion and so make it more imperfect then the law of Nature or Written law I know some will object that of S. John Chap. 4. God is a spirit and they that adore him must adore in spirit and verity whereto I answer that this place manifests that our sacrifices are spiritual and true in which they differ from all precedent sacrifices which were carnal and rather in figure or shadow of the sacrifice of the new law It is certain therefore that Christ did not reject all external worship of God but would have them done in spirit and truth otherwise take away all sacrifices Sacraments prayers Churches and society of men in his service The sacrifice of the new law requires to be done in spirit that is in saith hope charitie and interiour devotion and in veritie according to the institution of Christ The Apostle S. Paul Ephes. 6. invites us to pray at all times in spirit that is in mind affection and desire or as Vatablus terms it In spirit that is with servour of spirit that is with an Intimate and fervent spirit otherwise it works no true act of Religion whose external act requires also the internal as has been said already Our Advarsaries have sought all means possible to take away the belief of the sacrifice of the Mass notwithstanding that Christs Church as I have formerly manifested has alwaies taught and believed it as proper to the Evangelical law This Doctour Brevenâ— has two or three Inventions to this purpose which I shall endeavour to refute in the next Chapter CHAP. VI. Of the Doctours Invention to exclude the Sacrifice of the Mass SOme of our advarsaries have said That the Sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross is the peculiar and perpetual host in which our Priesthood law and Religion is constituted and so in the new law there is no other sacrifice remaining the Doctour in proof of this lays hold on the Apostles words Heb. 7. Christ did once offer himself cap. 9. once in the consummation of the world and again Christ was offered once It is needlesse then to frame another sacrifice I answer by granting the Antecedent and denying the consequence for the sacrifice of the Cross was both full and sufficient nothing was wanting to the value and sufficiency of the price for Christ by his passion has purchased the sufficient price for to redeem the whole world yea for all the sins ever committed either before or after for it was an expiatorie Redeeming and satisfactorie Sacrifice for the whole world by which the Sacrifice of the Mass is not excluded for the Mass is only applicatorie of the Redemption and satisfaction which Christ did work on the Cross so that in the Mass we do not offer a new price for our sinns but we apply the former price of the Cross to our selves even as we apply the same to us by baptism and other Sacraments Moreover the sacrifice of the Mass may be said to be the same with that of the Cross in as much as it is a continual representation of the passion whence S. Cyprian Epist 63. sayes Our sacrifice is correspondent to the passion of Christ and S. Augustin de fid ad Pet. Cap. 19. Those carnal sacrifices did prefigurate the flesh of Christ which he was to offer for sinns and the bloud which he was to shed But this sacrifice is the commemoration of the flesh of Christ which he has now given and of the bloud which he has shedd In them he was shewed as to be killed in this he is shewed as killed Again S. Cyprian in the place before cited sayes we make mention of the Passion in all our sacrifices for the passion of our Lord is the sacrifice which we offer we ought to do no other thing but what he did for the Scripture says as often as you shall eat this bread and drink this Chalice you shall shew the death of our Lord untill he comes as often therefore as we offer the Chalice in remembrance of our Lord and of his passion we doe that which manifestly our Lord did In fine the sacrifice of the Masse is the same with the sacrifice of the Cross for that in the Mass as well as on the Cross the same principal priest and the same offerer to wit Christ is both the same victime and host different only in the manner Incruentall in the Mass Cruentall on the Cross but the Incruentall in the Mass signifies and represents in a mysteriall manner the cruental on the Cross Christ therefore once dyed for all with all sufficiency imaginable but all do not receive the benefit thereof only those who by grace of God are made partakers thereof receive the fruit of Christs passion and we are made participant of this all-sufficient sacrifice by such means as Christ has lest in his Church amongst which the chiefest are the Sacraments sacrifice of the Eucharist as the principal means to apply the merit of Christs passion unto us which Christ instituted in his last supper according to the faith belief and doctrine of Christs Church even within these five hundred years after Christ as is formerly declared Others will admit of some sacrifices but they must be purely spirituall such as are the sacrifices of praise of contrition humilitie and such like as if they were all spirituall and celestiall but our omnipotent God condescending to our humane nature and for the general conservation of his worship in the hearts of men has alwaies ordained certain visible signes sacraments and rites for to move our interiour minde to such pious duties as is manifest in all states of Gods Church Moreover this is besides our question for we require a sacrifice which is proper and peculiar to the new testament or Law which was ordained by Christ such as are mentioned are common to all laws if you take them purely spiritual to no law for such belong only to celestiall spirits but if we take them as united to visible signs then such sacrifices were found in the law of nature as in the written laws nay there were several sacrifices in all The primary Intention was to exhibite due worship to God and in particular some were for expiation of sin some with thanksgiving other in praise of God in like manner in the law of Grace there are such sacrifices but the only true and proper sacrifice of the Evangelical law is the sacrifice of the Eucharist which as it succeeded all the sacrifices of the old law so it hath in a more excellent manner their effect Contrary to this Doctour Brevent cites S. Augustine lib. 10. de civit Dei cap. 6. Every work tending to effect our beatitude by a sincere inherence with God is a true sacrifice To which I say that in a general sense it is true especially if it be taken in metaphoricall sense as 8. Augustine plainly here takes it as it appears in the
sacrifice which is used by Christians on the holy Altars is not only offered to God the Father but also with common devotion to the Son 239. S. Fabian Pope and Martyr declared that the sacrifice is not to be admitted from the hands of a Priest who cannot perform the prayers or actions or other observances of the Mass according to the rites of the Church 175. S. Soter Pope and martyr determined that when the Priests consecrated the holy Mysteries in the time of the Masses if it happened by any accident of sicknesse that the Mystery began could not be accomplished it should be supplyed by some other Priest Again he ordained that none should presume to celebrate Mass after meat or drink how little soever it were as also that none of the Priests should presume to celebrate the solemnity of Masses without two being present to answer him 273. Foelix Pope and Martyr Epist 2. ad Episcop Galliae declared that in a synod he had commanded them and all Churches that Masses should be celebrated on the memory of Martyrs 145. S. Higgine Pope and Martyr ordained that all Churches should always be consecrated with Mass Evaristus also Pope and Martyr witnesse Ivo and Burchard had ordained the same 142. S. Telesphore Pope and Martyr in his Epistle to all Bishops Cap. 2. ordained three Masses to be said on Chrismass day one at midnight 121. Alexander Pope and Martyr Epist 1. ad omnes orthod sayes Veritie it self has instructed us to offer the Chalice and bread in the Sacrament when he said Jesus took bread and blessed and gave to his Disciples saying take ye and eat for this is my body which is delivered for you In like manner the Chalice c. for by these sacrifices offered to our Lord crimes and sinns are blotted out and therefore his Passion is to be remembred whereby we are redeemed and often recited and these offered to our Lord our Lord is delighted and pleased with such hosts and great sins are demitted for can there be in sacrifices a greater thing then the body and bloud of Christ Neither can there be any Oblation better then this for this excells all which is to be offered to our Lord with a pure conscience and to be taken with a pure minde and to be honoured by all and as it is better then all other so it ought rather to be honoured and worshiped The same Saint sayes In the Oblation of the Sacraments which are offered within the solemnity of Masses the Passion of our Lord is to be added that the Passion of him whose body and bloud is made may be celebrated so that setting aside all superstitious opinions Bread only and wine mixed with water are to be offered in the sacrifice for as we have received from our Fathers and reason it self teaches wine alone or water alone is not to be offered in the Chalice of our Lord but both mixt because we reade that both did flow from his side in his Passion To omit others I shall conclude with S. Clement Pope and Martyr l. 6. constit Apostat 23. for a bloudy sacrifice Christ gave a rational and Incruental and that Mystical sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord which is celebrated as a symbole of his death I know some of our adversaries will call in question some of these Decrees but setting aside all other disputes the practise of the Church from thence even to our times and the use of most of them in the liturgies before mentioned will sufficiently convince the truth of them let us now see whether the holy Councells of those times will manifest the same Councels 505. I Shall begin with the Agathen Councel within the fifth hundred year which can 14. ordains that the Altars are to be consecrated not only with the unction of Chrism but also by the sacerdotal benediction Can. 21. allows Masses in private Oratories but commands that in principal feasts all should hear Mass in the Parochial Churches and can 47. commands all seculars to hear Mass on Sundays 482. The first Councel at Tours Can. 2. forbids married or luxurious priests to offer sacrifice to God or to minister to the people 420. The last Councel of Carthage cap. 3. declares that it is not lawful for a priest to reconcile any one in the publick Mass 416. The second Melevitan Councel cap. 12. ordains that none should celebrate prayers or Orisons or Masses or Praefations or commendations or Imposition of hands which were not approved in Councels 398. The fourth Councel of Carthage in the first 6. Canons plainly shews the holy Orders to have reference to the due celebration of Mass Can. 33. Bishops or Priests if on cause of visiting the Church they come to the Church of another Bishop they are to be received according to their degree and invited to preach the Word and consecrate the oblation that is the Mass Can. 79. Penitents who have diligently performed the laws of Penance if accidentally they die in their journey or on the Sea where they could not be assisted let the memory of them be commended both in prayers and oblations Can. 89. it is ordained that the Bishop should prohibite none whether Gentile or Heretick or Jew to enter into the Church or to hear the Word during the Mass of the Catechumens All such were not to stay in the Mass of the faithful 397. The third Councel of Carthage Can. 23. When one is at the Altar the prayer is alwaies to be directed to the Father and Can. 24. Nothing more is to be offered in the Sacraments of the body and bloud but what our Lord himself has delivered that is bread and wine mixt with water nor nothing more offered in the sacrifices than of grapes and wheat 393. The Councel held at Hippon has the same Decrees and ordains that the Sacraments of the Altar should be celebrated by those who are fasting 352. In a Roman Councel Athanasius was accused for having consecrated a Church built by the Emperour without his knowledge and was so bold as to celebrate the synaxis therein S. Athanasius denies the first but grants the second wherein he prayed for the Emperour and was drawn to do it by the Multitude 324. The Gangrane Councel cap. 24. declares Anathema to those who through pride esteeming themselves perfect did condemn the Assemblies made in the places and Churches of the Saints or believed the oblations which are there celebrated to be despised and the memory of the Saints to be contemned 320. The ancient Councel of Laodicen cap. 58. Bishops are not to make the oblations in private houses without Priests But what makes more to our purpose the same is gathered out of three of the first General Councels which the present Church of England admits now in their Articles In the 4. General Councel of Calcedon Act. 3. Blessed Ischirion Martyr accused Dioscorus Bishop of Constantinople 251. that amongst other things he had taken away the wheat that
examples here alledged A sacrifice sayes he though offered by a man is a divine thing whereupon a man consecrated wholly to Gods name to live to him and die to the world is a sacrifice 2. when we chastise our bodie by abstinence it is a sacrifice 3. works of mercy being referred to God are true sacrifices We Catholicks do confesse and acknowledge those and such to be metaphorical improperly in a general sence true sacrifices but Protestants will not only deny them to be proper sacrifices but also will not believe them to be sacrifices at all for they will not allow the two first to be acts of vertue and the best word they will give them is that they are effects and fruits of Popery Moreover the Saint in the same place insinnuates another sacrifice by which the whole and holy society of the redeemed and sanctified City is offered to God by that great Priest who gave up his life for us to become members of so great a head in so mean a form this form he offered and herein he was offered in this he is our Priest our Mediatour and our sacrifice all in this and after concludes This is the Christians sacrifice we are one body with Christ as the Church celebrateth in the Sacrament of the Altar so well known to the faithful This alone is the proper and peculiar sacrifice which Christ has instituted and left in his Church as formerly hath been declared But our Doctour to prove his conceit cap. 11. towards the end cites Durandus l. 2. de sacerd fol. 29. which is cap. 10. In fine The Doctours words are Durand himself is full of this that is to prove the only sacrifices of the Cross for Christ sayes he performed excellently the office of a priest when he offered himself on the Cross for the sins of Mankind and performs it yet more gloriously now when sitting at the right hand of his Father he intercedes continually for us We acknowledge this as Catholick doctrine for this is true but no way excluding the sacrifice of the Mass but with the same Durandus in the precedent words this Office to wit of priest Christ did exercise when after supper he converted the bread and wine into his body and bloud saying to the Apostles Take ye and eat this is my body The Doctor omitted this either ignorantly or maliciously It hardly can be believed but that he did read the place except he took it from others notes and so little cared for the truth if he did little credit is to be given to what he says God defend us from such Doctors It is strange how the Doctor in the beginning of his 3. chapter should acknowledg that the Mass according to the primary Notion as it was anciently taken for that part of divine worship where the elements of bread and wine were by the priest both consecrated to God and distributed to the People which is the supper of our Lord in S. Paul 1 Cor. 11.20 for this he cites Ordo Romanus made by Gelasius and reprinted in Rome 1591. or thereabouts whereby is manifest the Conformity of the Present Romans with the Church in those primitive times for this sacrifice for which we contend to wit that we take it even in this Notion he assignes and accordingly imitating the primitive Church not inventing any new Mass but continuing still the same I could not but smile when for this he alledges Durandus for legitima Missa lib. 4. cap. 1. n. 39. and interprets it the only due and lawful administration of the holy Sacrament in the old latin Church whereas Durand interpreteth that to be a legitimate Mass in which are Priest and respondent offerer and communicant as the composition of the prayers demonstrates this by evident reason perhaps he means the order and manner of celebrating the Mass which Durand doth learnedly and solidly declare in every particular particle of the Mass which if the Doctour beleives as he does his legitima Missa he labours in vain against the Roman Church The Question in that place propounded was whether a Priest might celebrate Mass when less then two were present and after disputing pro and con he concludes That is a lawful Mass which hath one present besides the Priest at Mass O how much is this to the Doctours purpose Now the Doctour will solve all by putting instead of the sucrifice of the Mass Christian duties as evidently true Evangelical Oblations and sacrifices which in order to publick worship were made before Communion and which the holy Fathers commend as the general Christian sacrifice that succeeded Jewish offerings which he confirms by a prayer which he finds in the Roman Missal Dom. 5. post Pentecosten It cannot be denied but that such Oblations were made in the time of Mass at the offertory as is declared in the Liturgical discourse p. 2. sect 2. cap. 2. which also is declared in the 4. Canon of the Apostles in these words It it not lawful to offer at the Altar besides new corn and grapes and oyle for the lamps and perfumes that is Incense in the time wherein the holy oblation is celebrated many ancient Canons have been made concerning these oblations in all which we may see that these oblations were of things which belonged to the Sacrifice or to the things which belonged to the Altar or to the poor and sometimes to the Priests by way of Alms the present Church of England takes it in the fence of Alms and only prayes for the givers but never thought it as an essential point of Communion which may be distributed without alms as alms may be given without Communion Add to this that such Oblations are common to the old law and yet were never reckoned amongst the sacrifices Deut. 16. a law is made There shall not appear before our Lord any empty but every one shall offer according to that he hath but this was not by way of sacrificing which only did belong to Priests In the new law S. Paul 1 Cor. 16. calls them Collections S. Clement l. 4. constit Apostol cap. 7. supposes this when he advises the Priest to refuse at the Altar the Oblations which come from an ill conscience Pope Fabian an 239. Decreed that on Sundays men and women should make offerings of bread and wine S. Cyprian blames the rich misers of his time who brought nothing to this offering saying Dost thou who art wealthy and rich think to have part of the Mass without vouchsafing to put any thing into the bason Tertullian calls such Oblations pledges of piety Moreover taking the prayer of the Missal in that sence which the Doctor takes it the most that can be gathered thence is that such oblations were made in the time of Mass for that prayer immediatly follows the offertory but it may be better expounded of the oblations which the people do make of the sacrifice of the Mass together with the Priest as it is said in the first
exprimendam sunt accommodata dum per Apostolum Tit. 1. mandavit Christus ut crearentur Ministri mandavit implicite ut inter ordinandum verba adhiberentur Idonea quae dati tam ordinis potestatem complecterentur istius modi autem verba quatenus Datam potestatem denotant sunt illius ordinis forma essentialis If there be no form expressing or determining the power the most essential part is wanting and consequently no true Ordination Doctour Bramhal well considered this defect in all the following words of their form in Ordination and therefore he attributes the giving of this power to the words Accipite spiritum sanctum receive ye the holy Ghost In which is contained the power to consecrate but first these words receive ye the holy Ghost are as indeterminate as the imposition of hands And Act. 8. in order to Confirmation and no wayes to Ordination v. 17. It is said they imposed their hands upon them and they received the holy Ghost Secondly the Apostles were made priests in the last supper without these words and when our Saviour did use these words he specifies and determines the power which was given thereby whose sins ye forgive shall be forgiven c. But Doctour Bramhal will still insist that in saying Receive ye the holy Ghost is understood Receive the grace of the holy Ghost to exercise the office of Priesthood to which thou hast been now presented If this had been expressed the difficulty would soon cease but this is a meer invention of this learned Doctour who tells rather what it ought to be then what it is for during well nigh a hundred years the English Bishops never made such expression Some perhaps will say the Bishops always by those words did intend and so understand those words It is very probable that Bishop of Bramhal did so understand it but neither the meaning nor Intention of the Ordainer can add any force or vertue to the sacrament or be sufficient to produce sacramental effects without words determining and specifying the Ordination which is the most essential part or form of the sacrament No wonder then that we make difficulty in their Form of Ordination when in the late Act of Vniformity The Clergy of the Kingdom as supposing the precedent form of Ordination insufficient and not satisfactory have determined that the true form of Ordaining Priests is Receive the holy Ghost in the office of a Priest which in a manner is the same with what the Grecian Church useth which is The divine grace which always cures the infirm and supplys what is wanting promote N. this venerable Deacon to be a Priest whose office even according to the whole Grecian Church is to offer sacrifice which also in the following prayers they expresly mention Symon Bishop of Thessalonia in Tract de Ordinat affirms that the Priests and Deacons are ordained before the Altar where the Chalice is present whence in the Latin Church their Ordination is admitted because although they use not the same words yet they have words which in a general way express the determination of the material fignifying also the quality and nature and office of the order of Priesthood and distinction from other Orders Now admitting this Form after so long time made choice of not to condemn it for a not-sufficient form or reproving it but only that it is different from the use of the Western Church which always had other words in their Ordination of Priests from whence those who were under the Patriark of the West ought not to differ according to the Decree of the second Milevitan Councel cap. 12. that no ordination should be used but what was approved by the Councel but omitting this I have two things to say the first that from the first Ordination made in the time of King Edward 6. there was no true ordination of Priesthood untill this late Ordinance in the Act of Vniformity by reason that their was no essential form used and by consequence there was not true Priesthood from whence also it follows there were no true Bishops For as Mr Mason well infers in his Preface Cum Episcopum esse nequeatqui non fuerit Presbyter si nos presbiteros non esse probatum dederint De Ministerio Anglico actum est The second thing is that the now Church of England doth plainly reject and renounce the Function or Office of Priesthood insomuch that they have rejected the very name of Priest even in the holy Scripture translating Elder for Presbyter a name signifying antiquity of years and appropriated as well to secular as Ecclesiastical persons in their several callings never used by the Church in the Dignity of Priesthood others retain the name but not the Office whence Mr Mason l. 5. cap. 1. sticks not to say If by the name of Priest you had meant nothing else but a Minister of the Gospel to whom is committed the dispensing of the Word and Sacraments we would profess our selves Priests whence they more commonly are called Ministers Catholicks deny not the name Ministers in regard of the exercise of those functions for Bishops Priests Deacons and other inferiour Orders may be called Ministers so S. Paul Act. 4. calls the office of Apparitor which were sent to visit the Prisons Ministers and Rom. 15. Christ himself is called Minister of Circumcision And again v. 16. S. Paul stiles himself Minister of Christ Jesus in the Gentiles which rather signifies a particular office and vocation for the conversion of the Gentiles whence he is called Doctor Gentium then Priesthood which by office is indifferent to Jew or Gentile 1 Cor. 3. S. Paul calls himself and Apollo Ministers that is instruments of Christ Jesus and therefore in the next Chapter he sayes so let a man esteem us as the Ministers of Christ and the Dispensers of the Mysteries of God that is in the exercise or use of our function or office which we have received by our vocation or ordination whereby we receive power and authority to exercise our Ministery and dispensation in which principally consists the nature and reason of Ordination by which as the same Apostle says they are made meer Ministers of the New Testament so that all Priests are Ministers but all Ministers are not Priests and the word Priest plainly signifies him that hath power to ministrate and may be called Minister in the time of his Ministration The Prophet Jeremy cap. 32. v. 21. calls Gods Priests and Levites his Ministers Phil. 2.25 S. Paul calls Epaphroditus his brother and coadjutor and fellow-soldier and the Apostle and Minister of his necessities M. Mason must give me leave to ask of him a question whether he believes that Priests have no other power then what he specifies to wit a Minister of the Gospel to whom is committed the dispensing of the word and Sacraments if he does not his words are vain if he does how will this stand with what he saith in other places as lib. 5.
the words This is my Body by the word Body which they believe in another sense do not consecrate Matrimony with the same words and matter If by the word Wife they both or either of them understand Concubine is no Matrimony When then the Bishop intends not to ordain as a sacrificing priest but intends the the contrary his act is ineffectual for according to the Doctrine of Christs Church the power of consecrating and offering the true Body and Bloud of Christ and the remitting and retaining of sins is so annexed to the order of Priesthood that Priesthood cannot be without it and therefore he that intends to give Priesthood without gives nothing at all To conclude the Church of England has excluded Ordination out of the number of Sacraments and withall rejected the Papall power one may question then what power or authority they have to give Orders but principally from whence they have any authority or power to give them power to execute any offices belonging to Priesthood It cannot be said to be from the words which are not Sacramental and consequently being no Sacrament have no Institution from Christ for that end Moreover it cannot be said to be from the Church for the Church can give no such authority but by the Sacraments and the Reformed Ministers have no authority from the visible Catholick Church or Pope or Metropolitan which they professedly reject and disclaim for Ordination is a spiritual power which tends to spiritual effects Doctor Heylin Eccles Restit in his Preface Queen Elizabeth looked upon her self as the sole sountain of both Jurisdictions and the Act. 1. Eliz. 1. declares the Kings supremacy to use and exercise all such Jurisdictions spiritual and ecclesinstical as by any spiritual and ecclesiastical power or authority hath heretofore been or may lawfully be used over the Ecclesiastical state of this Realm yet as Doctor Bramhall well says pag. 63. The power of the Keys was evidently given by Christ in Scripture to his Apostles and their Successors not to Soveraign Princes Many of our Protestant Divines and learned Doctours did well consider this Difficulty and therefore most of them do admit that Ordination is a Sacrament and consequently they ground their Ordination on the authority of the former Catholick Bishops who in a Sacramental power did ordain them who according to Dr Brevent were all Idolaters and unlawful Ministers of the Sacraments except only Baptism in extreme necessity so that they have no right to any Ordination but by vertue of the Sacrament which cannot take effect unless it be dnely administred by lawful power and in due form From which I inferr that our Reformers in taking away and rejecting the sacrifice of the Mass have also rejected the Priesthood whose principal office is to offer sacrifice and consequently they have no true Ordination In fine no Sacrifice no Priest no Priest no Sacrifice wherefore call the Ministers Priests or what you will if they have not the office and power to consecrate and offer sacrifice they are no Priests properly taking the word priest or according to the common sense and use of the Catholick Church in all ages and times yea among Heathens and Infidels whence it follows that as our Reformers have framed a new Religion so they have invented a new priesthood never heard of before giving no other power then to preach and dispense the Sacraments which may be committed or done by Deacons or Lay-men as all Ecclesiasticall histories do testifie on this ground and other defects in their Ordination the present Catholick Church makes no scriple notwithstanding their pretanded Ordination to ordain or give Orders to those who being converted and reconciled to the said Catholick Church shall humbly defire it I know some will say that this cannot be done without Sacriledge for even in the Doctrine of the Universal Church Re-ordinations as also Re-baptizations are esteemed sacrilegious whence frequently those who were baptized or ordained by heretical priests or Bishops were not rebaptized nor re-ordained In consideration hereof the now Church of England does not re-baptize nor re-ordain priests coming to their communion but permits them to remain in the Order received and approves of them in all their function and power as if they had been ordained by Protestant Bishops This Subject would require a longer Discourse then my brevity will permit I will therefore briefly conclude this Chapter The Catholick Church hath always detested both Rebaptization and Reordination but never made difficulty to Baptize or Ordain some who falsly pretended to have been Baptized or Ordained when really they were not We have a plain Declaration of this in the Councel of Nice Can. 19. where those who were baptized by the Paulianists were absolutely to be Baptized because they were not Baptized in the right Form of Baptism to wit by the Invocation of the holy Trinity The Decree of the Apostles Can. 68. declares that baptized or ordained by Hereticks were neither Baptized nor ordained which as Caranzen notes is to be understood of such Hereticks who did not observe the right Form in ministring the Sacraments The Church whensoever it was manifest that the Ordainers had not lawful power or did corrupt or alter the form of Ordination judged that what they had done was Null and of no force and did simply and plainly ordain them But if upon due examination it were found that the heretical Bishops were formerly ordained by Catholick Bishops who observed the true form of the sacrament those who received orders from them and were otherwise fitting for it were received without any new Ordination only new power was given unto them for the execution of such and such Orers for as the learned Doctour Morinus de sacris Ordinat par 3. Eccercit 5. 6. well notes It may be admitted that such do receive a Character even those who are ordained against the Canons but so that the vertue of the Character is dulled or blunted not capable or not fit for action the Ancients did esteem Ordination Canonically given could never be blotted out but that its force or vertue by deposition might be repressed or dulled that it could not produce any other Ordination which may be confirmed by the common Doctrine of the Church which teaches that a Priest notwithstanding his Character received in some causes cannot give either lawfully or validly absolution As for that which is added concerning the use of the now English Church whch re-ordains not priests coming to it all men know that according to their Opinion it would be very Sacrilegious for no true Protestant will deny but that Catholick Ordination is valid and of Real force giving all power and vertue belonging to a Priest which to deny would be destructive to their pretended Hierarchy which has no other Foundation for its succession then that their Priests and Biships were so ordained The true state of the Case is the Catholick Church in such case Ordains those who were never truly
cannot be imagined unless we will lay a great blemish upon the whole Church especially the supreme Governours thereof with all the Bishops and Pastors Councels and Doctours and holy Fathers of gross Ignorance in using such forms as should contradict the substance of what they unanimously commended to the faithful 4ly It is no less strange that the Doctour should pretend the holy Fathers and Doctours of the Church when not only for almost twelve hundred yeares even by his town confession they all approved the Mass but also defended it against all Contradictors and hereticks and therefore he rejecte their authorities and pretends to stand to the judgment only of the primitive times to wit within five hundred years after Christ In this Treatise I have gone with him to those times and have produced their testimonies from Age to Age and dare say that in those times he can produce no one holy Father or Doctour that hath taught any Doctrine in any opposition or contradiction to any thing of the Roman Mased where as I have produced most of them in opposition to whatsoever the Doctour has pretended against it whereunto I have added the Councils both general and Provincial the practise of the whole Church in those times with the consent of all Christian Nations 5ly Whereas the Doctour pretends some Texts of the holy Scriptures for his cause we may consider that he follows therein his own fancy or private spirit without any Expositour or Interpreter of those times imitating the Hereticks of all Ages who grounded all their errours on the Scriptures misconstrued and by a counterfeit sense of them did delude the Ignorant Christians Of this we have manifest experience in these our times for the innumerable Sectaries now extant do ground themselves on the Texts of Scripture which they pretend for their multiplyed sects Each one affirming their sence and meaning of the holy Text with condemnation of other judgments and so wrest the Scriptures to their several senses making their fancies the Rule of the sacred Text whereas Catholicks take the Scripture for the Rule of their Faith follow the judgment and sence of the one holy Catholick Church as on this present subject I have followed the common Doctrine of the holy Church even in those five hundred years after Christ which the Doctour allows Finally the Doctours mainest argument is from humane Reason or sense which I have proved no way capable to comprehend the mysteries of our Faith which transcends above all Reason or sense otherwise there would be no necessity of such a supernatural gift without which there is no salvation It is true that reason is necessary for the reception of Faith for if we were not reasonable or rational creatures we should not be capable to receive Faith but that reason should guide us in supernatural things is preposterous we know nothing but by our senses which can have no sensation or act of senses in spiritual or supernatural objects such as all Faiths objects are for the receiving thereof only the sense of hearing may concurr from whence the understanding frames intellectual species representing the things which are revealed and declared unto us by the holy Church which teaches in all times according to the holy word of God In confirmation of this S. Paul Hebr. 11. defines Faith The substance of things to be hoped the argument of things not appearing to our senses or humane reason but of it self is an Blench Demonstration or convincing Reason for by Faith alone we are convinced to believe those things which are revealed for faith only shews and demonstrates them as clearly as if we did see them in mid-day faith so works in us that we as more doubt of future or most obscure mysteries revealed then if they were comprehended by the sight of our eyes and are more certain in them then by any sense reason or Demonstration which may deceive or be deceived but in matters known by faith we cannot be deceived for God cannot deceive us It behoves as therefore as S. Paul 2. Cor. 10. says to bring into captivity all understanding much more senses unto the Obedience of Christ If we be true Christians by faith we must captivate and humbly submit our will understanding all our reason and all our senses to the word of God revealed S. Basil in psal 113. said All the Articles of our faith are principles grounded only on God revealing and therefore we need no Inquisition or disputation by any weak reason but firmly believe them as principles of our Faith without any examination or Question it suffices to all true believers that Dominus ipse dixit The Objects of our faith are supernatural and the subject which we treat of is of the Reall and substantiall Body and Bloud of Christ Jesus being in the Eucharist which only the understanding by Faith comprehends I will therefore submit all I have said to the judgment of all understanding persons and earnestly desire them to ponder what has been pleaded fouthe equitie of my cause which is grounded on the positive Texts of holy Scripture attested and expounded by the holy Fathers and Doctours of those primitive times and seconded by the General Practise of Gods Church aswell in those times as in all succeeding Ages without any notable question untill our later times God out of his infinite mercy open the Eies of those who go astray and grant them the Light of Faith such is the continuall prayers of him who earnestly wisheth them all health and salvation in Christ Jesus FINIS