Roman-Catholick doctrines no novelties, or, An answer to Dr. Pierce's court-sermon, miscall'd The primitive rule of Reformation by S.C. a Roman-Catholick.

CHAP. XIII. (Book 13)

Of the Sacrifice of the Masse. Asserted Universally by Antiqui∣ty. The true Doctrine concern∣ing it explained.

1.* 1.1 HIS sixth supposed Novelty (which is the third that regards the blessed Sacra∣ment) is the Sacrafice of the Masse. But how is this prov'd to be a Novelty? Ipse dixit. Not one Text, not one Quotation appears in the Margin; and why? Alas! where should he find any? Since there's not a Father in Gods Church from the very Apostles, but ac∣knowledged a Christian Sacrifice; nor any old Heretick ever denyed it. Nay, who be∣sides himself calls it a Noveltie? I am sure Dr. Fulk* 1.2 expresly confesseth that Te••tullian, Cyprian, Austin, Hierom, and a great many more do witnesse that Sacrifice, yea, Sacrifice for the Dead is the Tradition of the Apostles. And Mr. Ascham acknowledges that the Sacrifice of the

Masse is so antient,* 1.3 that no first beginning of it can be shewed. Yet Dr. Pierce would fain have proved it to be a Novelty Gladly would he have applyed to this, his From the beginning it was not so: But could not find one Word in Antiquitie for his purpose. However, for all that it must not be omitted. His Auditors would have wonderd to hear the Church ac∣cused, and the clause touching the Sacrifice left out of the Indictment.

2. To please therefore popular ears, he named it, as an ill thing: But coming to print his Sermon, he leaves that Margin empty: For what could be in the Fathers to fill it? It was not for his purpose to quote St. Igna∣tius's saying,* 1.4 It is not lawful either to offer, or to immolate the Sacrifice or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 with∣out the Bishop: (Which, (say the Centurists) are dangerous words, and seeds of Errors) Or St. Ireneus,* 1.5 who tells us that our Lord, consecra∣ting the Mystical Elements, Taught us a New Oblation of the New Testament, which the Church having received from the Apostles, offers to God through the whole World.* 1.6 Or St. Cyprian, whose words are, Who was more a Priest of the most High God, then our Lord Iesus Christ? Who offred a Sacrifice to God the Father? and offred the very same that Melchisedech had offred, that is, Bread and Wine, to wit, his own Body and Blood, &c. and commanded the same to be after∣ward done in memory of him. That Priest there∣fore doth truly supply the place and function of

Christ, and imitates that which Christ did, who undertakes to offer according as he sees Christ him∣self offerd. In which one Epistle he calls the Eucharist a Sacrifice, seven times, and above twenty times he affirms that the Symbols are of∣fred in it.

3. The truth is, in the writings of Anti∣quity, the celebration of these Mysteries, is scarce ever call'd by other name, but Oblation, Sacri∣fice, Immolation, &c. And because the Fathers may be said to speak figuratively and rheto∣rically, the Canons also of the Church, which ought to speak properly, scarce ever use any other expression. See the third among the Apostolic Canons; The 58th. Canon of the Council of Laodicea: The 20th. Canon of the first Council of A••les: The 40th. Canon of the Council of Cart••age: And the 18th. Canon of the first General Co••ucil of Nice, in which are these words, The Holy Synod is inform'd, that in some places Deacons administer the Eu••harist to Priests: A thing which neither any Canon nor Custom hath deliver'd, that those who have no power of offering should give the Body of Christ to those who offer. Whole volums may be tran∣scribed to this effect: I will only therefore re∣fer him to St. Hierom on Titus,* 1.7 and St. Chry∣sostom on the Acts, where he will find the Eu∣charist not only a Sacrifice, but a Sacrifice for remission of sins,; a Sacrifice for the Priest that offers; a Sacrifice for the multitude; a Sacrifice for the procuring of plenty, &c. sutably

to the modern and ancient Liturgies.

4. If after all this he will not allow any of these expressions in Doctors, Canons, Litur∣gies, &c. to be proper and litteral, St. Augu∣stin will contradict him: Who saies, Presby∣ters and Bishops are now in the Church properly called [Sacerdotes] sacrificing Priests.* 1.8 And be∣cause the fancy which Protestants have enter∣tained against the term Sacrifice, Oblation, &c. proceeds from a mistake of the true sense in which the Church intends it; for ordinarily the conception of a Sacrifice, is supposed to import an immolation, shedding of blood, killing, &c. and no such matter appearing here, but only a commemoration of a former real immolation and shedding of Christs blood, therefore generally among all Sects, divided from the Church, the title of Sacrifice will not be endured.

5. To prevent therefore for the future such a mis-understanding, let them be pleased to take notice that all the Sacrifices of the Law were shadows and types of the Sacrifices of our Lord, and the Legal Priest-hood a type of his Priest-hood: But above all other Sacri∣fices and functions of Priest-hood, those were most lively figures of our Lord, which were perform'd on a certain day, only once every year, for the sins of the whole Congregati∣on: In the solemn celebration of which Sa∣crifice, besides the immolation of it on the Altar, the High Priest alone was appointed to

carry of the blood of that Victime into the most holy place within the Veile, and there to sprinkle it before the Propitiatory or Mercy-Seat. This is that Sacrifice which St. Paul especially applies to our Lord, and shews that Christ, as a Victime, was once, and but once immolated on the Altar of the Cross for the sins of all mankind: And that for the merit of his obedience to the death even of the Cross, he was raised from death, and made a Priest after the order of Melchisedech, a Kingly Priest, a Priest who had power given him in Heaven and Earth, to apply the merits of his own Sacrifice: And that the proper function of his Regal Priesthood, was the entring with his immolated Body into the Sancta Sanctorum, the highest Heavens, there appearing before his heavenly Fathers Throne, and presen∣ting that most precious Victime to him. This function of Priest-hood, far more august than the immolation, he does, and will con∣tinually exercise to the end of the World. By vertue of this he is made Head of the Church, he has the power of sending the Ho∣ly Ghost, &c. and hereby he perfects Re∣demption.

6. And withal, knowing of what infinite value and vertue this function of his Priest-hood is, he has been pleased to execute, as it were by proxy, the same function on Earth, that himself immediately performs in Hea∣ven. For which purpose he has instituted

Bishops and Priests to be not only his Mini∣sters, but Substitutes and Vice-gerents on Earth, giving them power to consecrate, and by cosecrating to place upon the Altar that ve∣ry Body and Blood which was immolated on the Cross, and is now present before his Fa∣ther in Heaven. This body and blood they Sa∣crifice, this they offer, this they with the Peo∣ple participate. It is not a Sacrifice of im∣molation, in that mistaken sense, for nothing is slain, the Victime suffers nothing: It is but a Commemorative Sacrifice of Immolation: But it is, in the most proper rigorous sence, an Oblation, the very same, of the very same body and blood that our Lord now offers in Heaven: And the same vertue it has, the same effects it produces, propitiation, remission of sins, participation of the graces of Gods holy Spirit, and all blessings both spiritual and temporal. So that in a word, as under the Law the Legal propitiation was said to perfected by the High Priests offring the blood in the most holy place: So by this Oblation of Christs bood in the Heavenly Sanctuary, perfect Redemption i•• obtained, and by the Commemorative Oblation of the same body and blood by his Priests in our earthly Sanctuaries, an application of the benefit and vertue of that only meritorious Sa∣crifice once offered on the Cross, is then pro∣cured unto us for remission of our sins, and the donation of all other benefits, spiritual and temporal.

7. In regard of this sublime function of the Priest it is, that the holy Fathers exalt his of∣fice before that of Princes, yea even of Angels: in this regard they call the oblation it self the most dreadful Mystery▪ at which the Angels themselves assist with reverence and astonish∣ment. To which purpose I will content my self with only one or two passages of St. Chry∣sost••m: When the Sacrifice, saith he, is brought out of the Quire,* 1.9 Christ himself the Lamb of our Lord immolated; When thou shalt hear the Deacons voyce crying, Let us pray all in common, when thou seest the Curtains and Veyls of the Gates drawn, then think the Heavens are open∣ed and the Angels descend. And in an other place:* 1.10 When the Priest has inv••cated the Holy Spirit and perfected the Sacrifice full of terrour and reverence, touching and handling with his Fingers him who is Lord of all things, to how sublime a rank is he elevated, &c. In that time the Angels assist the Priest, and all the Celestical powers send forth cryes of Ioy, all the places a∣bout the Altar are filled with Quires of Angels in honour of him who is offered. This we may have ground to believe, if we only consider the su∣per-eminent greatness of the Sacrifice then per∣formed. But moreover I have heard from the re∣port of one who learnt the story from the mouth of an admirable old man, to whom many rev••lati∣ons of divine Mysteries have been revealed from Heaven: How God was graciously plea∣sed to honor him with a Vision of these things,

and how in the time of the Sacrifice he sau sud∣denly appear, with as much splendor as human sight could support, a multitude of Angels cloa∣thed with white Robes encompassing the Altar, and having their heads enclined in the same po∣sture, as we oft see the Souldiers in the pre∣sence of the Emperour. Thus Saint Chryso∣stom.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Serm. Pag. 13.
• * 1.2

  Fulk. con••ut. of Purg. page 362, &c.
• * 1.3

  Ascham. Apol. pro c••na Dom.
• * 1.4

  Ignat. Ep. ad. Smirn. cent. 2. cap. 4.
• * 1.5

  Iren. l. 4. c. 32.
• * 1.6

  Cypr. Epist. ad Cyril.
• * 1.7

  Hier. on. Ti••. cap. 1. Chrys. 21. hom.
• * 1.8

  Aug. lib. 20. de Civ. D. cap. 10.
• * 1.9

  Chrysost. in Eph. cap. 1. hom. 3.
• * 1.10

  Id. l. 6. de Sa∣cerdot.