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A34085
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A scholastical history of the primitive and general use of liturgies in the Christian church together with an answer to Mr. Dav. Clarkson's late discourse concerning liturgies / by Tho. Comber ...
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Comber, Thomas, 1645-1699.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing C5492; ESTC R18748
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285,343
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650
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plenty for deliverance from Sedition and for the prosperity of the Public He mentions also the Prayers for those in divers Necessities and the Thanksgivings for all the Mercies we daily receive from God (g) Ambros Com. in 1 Tim. cap. 2. Tom. 3. pag. 574. Which are the Heads of general Intercession used in all ancient Liturgies and come as near the Words of some of them as can be expected in a Commentary where he doth not cite the very Words but shew the agreement of these Forms to the Apostolical Rule In another place he refers to this Prayer briefly and notes that immediately before the Prayer of Consecration there is premised a Prayer for Kings and all others (h) Oratio praemittitur pro râ—gibus pro caeteris Id. de Sacram. l. b. 4. c. 4. p. 366. But as to the Prayer of Consecration it self He gives us the very Form of it Would you know saith he with what Heavenly Words it is consecrated Hear the very Words The Priest saith Make this Oblation ratified rational and acceptable that it may be for a Figure of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ who the day before he Suffered taking Bread into his holy Hands c. Then reciting the Words and Actions of the Institution He goes on to tell us that the Priest adds Wherefore we being mindful of his most glorious Passion of his Resurrection from the Dead and of his Ascension into Heaven do offer unto thee this immaculate rational and unbloody Sacrifice this holy Bread and Cup of Eternal Life desiring and praying thou wilt accept this Oblation upon thy Heavenly Altar by the hands of thy Angels as thou didst accept the gifts of thy Servant the Righteous Abel and the Sacrifice of our Father Abraham which was offered to thee by thy High-Priest Melchisedec (i) Ambros de Sacr. lib. 4. c. 5 6. pag. 367 c. Which is an express Form and the same with the primitive Roman Canon till the New Doctrins of a Propitiatory Sacrifice and Transubstantiation compelled them to alter their old Forms to suit it with their later Opinion He also declares the Form of Administration The Priest saith The Body of Christ and Thou saist Amen (k) Id. ib. p. 368. vide Const Apostol lib. 8. cap. 20. Ubi habemus eandem Formulam He also tells us That the Lord's Prayer concluded the Office (l) Ibid. lib. 5. cap. 4. pag. 370. And concerning that Ancient Hymn the Trisagion He saith That in most of the Eastern and divers Western Churches in the Oblation of that Sacrifice which is presented to God the Father the People and the Priest with one Voice say Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts all the Earth is full of thy Majesty * Lib. de Spir. Sanct. Tom. 5. pag. 525. Moreover He mentions the old Form of the Bishops Saluting the People by Praying Peace might be with them (m) Ambr. de dign Sacerd. cap. 5. We have also in him The Form of renouncing the Devil (n) Id. de Sacr. lib. 1. c. 2 p. 354. and of Consecrating the Water in Baptism (o) Ib. lib. 2. cap. 5. pag. 359. and a Form of asking those who were to be Baptized concerning their Faith in the Holy Trinity (p) Ibid. cap. 7. pag. 360. He informs us also That the Church had ordered a Prayer for the Bishop (q) Id. Com. in Rom xv Tom. 3. pag. 331. And he prescribes the LI Psalm as a very proper Form of Prayer for a sincere Penitent to use in private (r) Tract ad Viâ—g laps T. 4. pag. 455. and recommends some Verses of the XLI Psalm as fit to be said when we go to Visit those that are Sick (s) Com. in Psal xli Tom. 2. pag 755. So that it is not only past all contradiction that S. Ambrose used and approved Forms but we might collect almost an intire Liturgy out of his Works And we have the Testimony of Walafridus Strabo who lived almost 900 year ago That S. Ambrose made not only a Communion Office but Composed all other Offices for his own Church and others which the Church of Milan retains to this very day (t) Walafrid Strab. de â—eb Ecclâ—s cap. 22. An 840. There is also other ancient Evidence that he made such a Liturgy in Card. Bona de reb Liturg lib. 1. cap. 10. but this like all other ancieâ—t Liturgies hath also been mixed with â—ome of the Modern Corruptions however his genuine Works give us Evidence enough that there were prescribed Forms of Prayer and Praise in his time Let us now examine what our Adversary hath gathered out of S. Ambrose to oppose this plain Proof First He is one of those Authors who calls the Prayer of Consecration A Mystery and this he tells us twice over (a) Discourse of Liturgy p. 28 29. But yet we have shewed that he hath actually writ it down so that it could not be his meaning That it was such a Mystery as might not be committed to Writing and that shews that our Author gets no advantage to his Cause by citing this place (b) Ambros de Fide ad Grat. lib. 4. cap. 5. Secondly He would prove that S. Ambrose counted Praying Extemporè to be praying by the Spirit and for this he quotes his Epistle to Horontianus (c) Discourse of Liturg. pag. 60. I Answer S. Ambrose is not speaking of the Public Service but of private Prayer in that place and therefore the Allegation is impertinent Besides He doth not say the Spirit furnishes us with Words and Phrases but helps us to apply our Minds to pray and keeps out Carnal thoughts making us content with such things as we naturally wish to be quit of because they are for our good And both here and elsewhere he explains that Phrase of the Spirits helping our infirmities Rom. viii 26. to be meant of the Spirits giving us such patience that we shall not desire to be presently freed from our Afflictions (d) Ambros ad Horont lib. 5. ep 4. pag. 290. Com. in Rom. viii Tom. 3. p. 293. which is nothing at all to his Notion of Extempore Prayer In another place He expounds those Words Praying always in the Spirit to signifie Praying with a pure Conscience and a sincere Faith which he who prays by a Form may do (e) Com. in Ephes vi p. 516. And certainly he who knew it was always his Duty to pray by or with the Spirit and yet used and approved a Form must believe it possible to pray in or by a Form and yet to pray by or with the Spirit Thirdly My Adversary objects a Passage out of S. Ambrose his Epistle to his Sister Marcellina viz. That while he was Celebrating he heard that the Arians had seized upon one Castulus just as he was performing the general Collect whereupon he ordered the Prayer suitable to that Occasion which one that had
Discourse of Liturg p. 138. and challenge any Judicious Eye to discover any thing of a Form therein For if the Reader have not S. Cyril's Works to consult let him look upon Mr. Clarkson's own Book (l) Discourse of Liturg. Marg. of pag. 14◠and of pag. 175 176. where he himself cites out of this very place of S. Cyril very many Ancient Forms which then were almost generally used in all Churches and particularly in the Church of Jerusalem in their public Office And all of those Forms and Responses which he cites being put together make up as clear and full a Liturgy as to the Peoples part especially as can be set down in Writing But since he is so confident we will first observe one thing and then set down the particulars The Observation is this That S. Cyril was here expounding the Liturgy not to Priests who are presumed to understand their part of the Office but to the Faithful who knew the Words of these public Forms which required their distinct Answer but perhaps might not fully understand the Sense and therefore S. Cyril here briefly passeth over the Priests part and only enlarges upon the Peoples share of the Office This being premised Let it be noted that S. Cyril saith to his Auditors That in the Eucharistical Office The Priest cries Lift up your hearts and saith he You answer We lift them up unto the Lord Then the Priest saith Let us give thanks unto the Lord and you reply It is meet and just (m) Cyril Cateches Mystag 5. which are the very Forms that we meet with in S. Cyprian c. above 100 years before But S. Cyril goes on to the Priests part and there indeed only mentions the general Heads for which he gave God Thanks in an Eucharistical Collect. Next he mentions The Seraphic Hymn viz. Holy Holy Holy and speaks of their singing together with Angels and Archangels Then he briefly describes The Prayer of Consecration and The Prayer for all Estates of Men which were said by the Priest alone And after this saith he you say the Lords Prayer which being the Peoples part is there largely expounded And then the Priest said Give Holy things to those that are holy And the People Answered There is one Holy even one Lord Jesus Christ Then one begins to sing that Psalm O tast and see how gracious the Lord is c. And when they receive the Bread and the Cup they are to say at each of them Amen Finally after they have Communicated they must stay for that Prayer Wherein God is praised for making us partakers of these Mysteries (n) Cyril Catech Mystag 5. à pag. 240. ad pag. 245. Vide locum Now if we compare this with those Accounts already produced out of the FATHERS or those that follow or if we examine it by the Ancient Liturgies or by our own Communion Office This is so full a proof of a prescribed Form being then used at the Eucharist in the Church of Jerusalem at that Time that he must have a Forehead of Brass who can deny it Indeed being a popular Discourse made by a Catechist he doth not presume to set down and explain the Priests part but that is made up by the Ancient Liturgy which goes under S. James his Name the Ancient part of which I will now prove was the public Service of the Church at Jerusalem long before S. Cyril's time § 6. The Liturgy of S. JAMES I have often wondred to see many Learned Protestants dispute earnestly against those Ancient Liturgies which now appear to the World under the Name of S. JAMES or others of the Apostles and level all their Arguments against the Titles and the Modern Corruptions of these Liturgies Since neither those of the Roman nor Reformed Church who in this Age defend them are so vain to pretend either that the Titles imposed on them are true with respect to all that is contained in these Liturgies or that all passages in the Modern Copies are Apostolical So that to go about to prove That S. James did not compose that whole Office which is now extant under his Name is highly impertinent since no Body in this Age of any Note hath affirmed it Bellarmin and Card. Bonaventure with others of the Romanists Dr. Hammond and divers Learned Reformed Divines do confess That the Title doth not belong to all that which is now found in this Liturgy and own that divers things have been added to it in later Times But that which we maintain is this That the Liturgy now extant under S. James his Name doth contain many Primitive Prayers and Responses which were the public Forms used at Jerusalem long before S. Cyril's Time And though S. James be not the undoubted Author of this Office yet if it were made and used at Jerusalem before the beginning of this Century that is sufficient to confute him who ascribes the Original of all Liturgies to the Fifth and Sixth Centuries and will fully prove Liturgies to be as Ancient as the setling of Christianity it self which is all that I am obliged to make out Now that the main of this Office was used long before at Jerusalem I think is very clear from the harmony and agreement which we find between S. James his Liturgy and that described by S. Cyril and expounded to the Catechumens of that Church The accounts differ only in some Words and Phrases but agree in many places in the very Syllables and in all places in Method and in the Sense the difference being not so great but it may be well imputed to variety of Copies and to the divers Ages in which the Liturgy was Transcribed every Age delighting to alter somthing in its Ancient Forms as we see in our own incomparable Liturgy which hath been more than once revised and altered in some places But let it be considered First that there were public Forms at Jerusalem in S. Cyrils time and that he who expounded part of them while he was a Catechist could not be supposed to make these Forms therefore they were in use long before him and to prove this let us note that S. Cyril pretends not to be Author of these Offices but when he hath delivered them and expounded them he calls them Traditions that is somthing conveyed down to them from their Fore Fathers and charges them to keep them (o) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyr. Cat. Mystag 5. pag. 245. So that at least they were made by some Bishop of Jerusalem before that Age T is true Cyril doth not mention S. James his name but he having been the first Bishop of that See and probably laying the Foundation of this Liturgy there soon after Cyrils time viz. within 80 years Proclus Bishop of Constantinople An. 434. calls this Liturgy by S. James his name saying it was so large that Men who were engaged in secular business could not attend it and so desired S. Basil to compose a