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XIII. In like manner it belonged to the Apostles, and Presbyters, by Virtue of their facerdotal Office, and Miniftry, to be Advocates, and Interceffors with God, and as fuch, to pray and entreat God for the People, and by Prayer, to make Atonement for their Sins, and propitiate him, and to ask Favours, and Bleffings of him for them. There are Inftances to prove this in the New Teftament, as fhort a Memorial as it is of the Practice of the firft Minifters of the Church. I need not infift upon their Power, of' Baptizing for the Remiffion of Sins with Fafting, and Prayer, which was a moft folemn Act of " Expiation for washing away all the paft Sins of the Baptized. Nor need I fpend much time to prove, that it was their Office to adminifter the holy Eucharift, in which more especially they exercifed the Prieft's Office in making Prayers, and Interceffions at the holy

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to make with their Gods. So Jul. Pollux. lib. 1. cap. 1. fegm. 25. πει την προσιόντων θεοῖς, προσίεναι θεοῖς, πρόσοδον ποιεἶπε πρὸς του θεός, ευχες θεοῖς. Ἀναζείνειν τὰς χεῖρας, ἐλυκνάνειν θεοῖς. Προτρέπεις θείς. Καλακαλῶν θεός, ἀνα καλῶν θεός. ̓Αλῶν αρα τη θεῶν τὰ ἄξαθα. Προσφάζειν, θεοῖς. Πολνιᾶς, ἐπανζιβολῶν, καὶ ἀντιβολών, καθικετεύει Juew Jeois, Izgrpfeiv, Iπolev, &c. Of those, who have accefs to the Gods; to go unto the Gods; to pray to the Gods; to stretch out Hands unto the Gods; to intercede with the Gods; to atone the Gods; to ask Bleffings of the Gods, to fly to the Gods; to obfecrate the Gods; to meet, or confront, and fupplicate the Gods; to perform holy Offices in things pertaining to the Gods. All which Phrases are moft proper to the Office of Chriftian Ministers, changing GODS into GOD, and by Confequence prove them to be Priests. So Segm. 29. Θυσία, κατάκλησις θεῶν, ἀνάκλησις, ἔναξις, πρό ood, issuería, isegπolia. aovan. Sacrifice, calling upon the Gods, crying unto the Gods, Interceffion, coming to the Gods, performng holy Offices, Sacrificing, Libation. See Herodot. Hift. Lib. I. P. 57.

Acts xi. 38. xxii. 16.

' Juft Mart. Apol. 1. Edit. Oxon. LXXIX. LXXX.

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* Αφορμή σωτηρίας καὶ καθαρμον ἀμας]ημάτων. So the Bifhops, that inftructed Conftantine the Great, called Baptifm. Sozom. Lib. I. Cap. iii.

Altar,

Altar upon the account of the fame Sacrifice, that Chrift makes continual Interceffion in the Prefence of God for us. And to thefe folemn Prayers, and Interceffions, which the Priefts make in the holy Eucharift, the People with all the Powers of their Souls are to fay Amen. The Cup of Bleffing which we blefs (faith the Apoftle) is it not the Communion of the Blood of Chrift? The Eread which we break, is it not the Communion of the Body of Chrift? It is their Office then to make Atonement molt efpecially at this Sacrifice, which confifts in the Celebration of the Sacrifice which Chrift made upon the Crofs, when they make a moft folemn Memorial, and Representation of it unto God upon Earth, correfpondent to that, which he daily makes of it before him in Heaven. It was they only who adminiftred this pure commemorative Sacrifice of Propitiation. Bifhops, or Presbyters licensed by their Bishops, as St. Ignatius fpeaks in his Epiftle to the Church of Smyrna, Look upon that Eucharift as lawful, and valid, which is either offered by the Bishop, or one, whom he shall appoint. Hence we read of the Three thoufand baptized Perfons, who were added to the Church, that they continued ftedfaftly in the Doctrine which the Apostles taught them, and in Fellowship with them, as the Principle of Unity, and in breaking of Bread, and Prayer, as the Eucharift is defcribed, of which they were the Minifters. And when I confider that Pro

* Non. Marcel. Sacrificare est veniam petere, litare est propitiare & votum impetrare. Virg. Lib. IV. Æneid. Aud. Lingua Lat. Gothofred. p. 1336. So more at large. Inter facrificare, & litare hoc interest: facrificare eft veniam petere,litare eft propitiare, & votum impetrare.

Tu modo pofce Deos veniam, facrifque litatis, Virg. Æneid. IV.

i. e. impetratis. Plaut. in pœnulo. Si Hercle iftuc unquam faElum est, tum me Jupiter facias, ut femper Sacrificem, neque i quam litem. ibid. p. 723.

phets fometimes facrificed under the Old Teftament by extraordinary Commiffion from God, and that the first Minifters of Chrift were generally Prophets, I cannot but think that place in 1 Cor. xiv. 16. is to be understood of the Holy Eucharift's being adminiftred by thofe prophetical Priests, because both the folemn Words, which our Saviour ufed at the Inftitution of it, are likewife ufed by the Apoftles in that place. The Words are blefs, and give Thanks. Fefus, faith St. Matthew, and St. Mark, took Bread, and bleffed it; or as St. Luke, Jefus took Bread, and gave Thanks: And of the Cup they fay, he took the Cup, and bleed it; but St. Luke faith, he took the Cup, and gave Thanks. For as learned Men have obferved, thofe words in Scripture' fignifie the fame thing, and are indifferently ufed for one another. And from them the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper came to be called Euchariftia, and Eulogia, though more generally by the former, than the latter Name. Hence St. Chryfoft. Theophylact, and Oecumenius expound this place of the Adminiftration of the Lord's Supper, according to the following Paraphrafe: Elfe when thou shalt blefs the Bread, and Wine at the Lord's Supper in an unknownTongue, how fhall the unlearned People fay Amen at thy bleffing, or giving of Thanks, feeing they understand not what thou fayeft. When thou shalt blefs, you know, Sir, anfwers to the Euchariftical Phrafe, the Cup of Bleffing which we blefs, juft now cited, and to that in Matth. xxvi. 26. Fejus took Bread, and bleffed it, and the other term, cuxasia, tranflated by giving of thanks, moft probably is the Church's Name for the Lord's Supper here, as in St. Ignatius; for the People then faying Amen, anfwers exactly to that

De Marca de Sacramento Euchariftiæ. p. 7, 8. 9. Cameron and Grotius on Matth. xxvi. 26.

? Suiceri Thefaurus Ecclefiafticus in cuλofía.

Paffage

a

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Paffage in Fuftin Martyr's firft Apology [SCσαν ευχάς, και * ευχαρισίαν, πᾶς ὁ παρῶν λαὸς ο ἐπώρημα λέγων, Αμ] the Bilhop having finifhed the Prayers, and Offering, all the People fay aloud Amen. But however that place is to be interpreted, it was the Work of the infpired, or gifted Minifters in the beginning of Chriftianity to make Interceffions as is plain from Rom. viii. 26. which according to Origen, and St. Chryfoft. upon the place, I fhall paraphrafe in these words: Likewife the Spirit alfo helpeth our Infirmities, for as yet we know not in what manner, or for what we should pray as we ought, but the infpired Minifter, by the help of the Spirit, which moves, and directs him, maketh Interceffions in moft eminent manner for us, with Sighs, and · Groans which cannot be expreffed. What is expreffed here by the infpired Liturg's making Interceffion for us, in the next Verfe is making Interceffion for the Saints, that is, for the Church; fo that from the beginning it was the Office of Chrift's Minifters, as Advocates, or Priests of the Gofpel to pray, and fupplicate for the People, even for the whole State of his Catholick Church. Is any Man fick among you? (faith St. James) let him call for the Presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over bim, a

a In Libro e cuxus.

b

beeper Saves nu. Pro nobis poftulat. Vulg. pro nobis fupplicat. Caftal. See alfo Claud. Efpenceum de Chrifto Mediatore, Cap. XI. p. 291. Hi ergo Spiritum non Spiritum hoc loco fubftantiam intelligunt, fed ex divinis ejus charifmatibus unum; precationis nimirum donum in Apoftolica Ecclefiâ, quod in communem totius Ecclefia ufum, qui divinitus accipiebat pro tota quidem Ecclefia, fed pro fimplicibus præfertim orandi nefciis ftans orabat magna cum compunétione, tum alacritate, &c. p. 292. D. Ambrofius reSpondet Spiritum plerumque poni pro fpiritali gratia. utroque modo exponunt & Spiritum Spiritûs gratiam nominari — Ita hic, Spiritus poftulat, i. e. poftulare nos facit, interpellat, nifi quod nos interpellare facit.

I 3

Hic

Quid est

nointing

nointing him with Oyl in the Name of the Lord, and the Prayer of Faith fhall fave the fick, and if be have committed Sins they fhall be forgiven him. Let them pray over him that is, by impofition of Hands according to what is written, Mark xvi. 18. and anointing him with Oyl in the Name of the Lord. To this purpofe fpeaks St. Chryfoft. The Jewish Priests had power to cleanfe the Leprofy of the Body, or rather not at all to cleanfe it, but to pronounce when the Lepers were clean of it.

C

But our

Priefs have received Power not to cleanfe the Leprofy of the Body, but the Uncleanness of the Soul, and not only to judge when we are clean, but to put away our Uncleannefs; fo that they who defpife them are much wickeder, and worthy of greater Punishment, than Dathan, and his Company. For thefe having the Priesthood in admiration, defired, and endeavoured to get a Dignity, which did not belong to them, but the others, though the Excellency, and Honour of the Priesthood is increas'd, in a way contrary to them, prefume to commit a greater Sin. For to afpire to an undue Honour, is not fo great a Crime, as to have Contempt for it, and there is as great a difference in the account of this Sin from that, as between Admiration, and Contempt. Who therefore can have fo wretched a Soul as 10 defpife fo excellent a thing? I think, I may fay no Man can be fo wicked, but who is acted by the Furies. But to return from this Digreffion, God hath given the Priests a greater Power not only of punishing, but of doing good, than he hath given to our Parents by Nature, between whom, and Priests there is as much difference, as between this Life, and that which is to come. Our Parents begat us into this Life, but Priefts beget us into Life eternal. Thofe cannot deliver us from the Death of the Body,

Lib. III. De Sacerdotio.

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