and offerings and that instead of the Bread and Wine which they had offered upon his Altar as either the first fruits or the Representatives of all their Goods he was pleased to return to them not simple Bread and simple Wine but such Blessed Bread and Wine as were both the sacred Mysteries of the Body and Blood of his Son and an infallible surety of all Things depending thereon This is the reason why because primitive Christians never received those holy Mysteries but after they had made their Offerings and because those very Mysteries which they received were commonly taken as to the matter from that Bread and Wine which they had before Offered The Holy fathers for instance S. Ireneus * Iren. l. 4. c. 30 34. Et alibi passim who then had no occasion to be so exact or cautious as to distinguish precisely the Nature of two sacred Offices which went constantly together do not scruple to speak of the blessed Communion promiscuously as Sacrament or Sacrifice 12. Now to bring all this more home The Law of Antient Israel the practise of the Primitive Church and the very equity of the thing it self do sufficiently testify that we ought not in these more then in the former Ages to appear before the Lord with emty hands that it is not more fit for worshippers now then it was then to present their persons without their Goods as it were trees without their sap and fruit and that these same Nations which in the prediction of Esay were at their first coming to bring and consecrate both themselves and their Gold unto the Lord must not be now less liberal when by their Sacrifice they appear to renew the vowes of their former Consecration as surely God is not upon the same occasions less merciful when by his holy Sacrament he renews unto them the Covenant of his saving Grace Therefore he that comes rich is bound to appear before his Savior with his hands full of such free Will offerings as he may take out of his abundance as did in Israel the husbandman out of a plentiful harvest when the Lord had blessed his field He that is less able must offer out of what he can either get by his labor or spare by his Parcimony as the poor widow did when she offered her Mite In a word every one whether he be rich or poor is to lay down at the Offerings of God according as the same God hath either blessed or spared him 1. Cor. 16.2 13. The quantity of these Oblations whether extraordinary as upon a Communion Day or more ordinary as upon other daily occasions is wholy left to the discretion of the Christian worshipper And whereas God by his Law did deal with the Israelites as fathers do with Children in an ago unfit to guide itself prescribing to them the measure the time and the manner of every thing which they were either to do or to give our Savior hath by the Gospel freed all Christians from this punctual Pedagogy leaving them as men able to give an account of themselves both to their own Judgment and to the direction of his spirit But if this different way of the Gospel discharges Christians now adaies from the subjection of doing punctually and litterally every thing which the ancient Israel were to observe it certainly obliges them to do more as to the matter and to do it in a better manner And God forbid that this honor and liberty which he vouchsafes us above what he did to the Jews should be taken by us either as a permission or as an occasion of being worse Therefore God in former times did give special Laws to his People for every thing they were to do in point either of Piety or Charity for example they were to give the Tenth part of whatsoever they could gather out of their feilds their Trees and their flocks besides another Tenth part every third year that is a Thirtieth part every year and what ever could grow of it self during the vacancy of every seventh year They were bound moreover to many other charitable waies of helping the poor as to lend them mony without taking either use or pawn and to leave in their fields and Vineyards so much of their Corn and fruits behind as could recompence the labor and diligence of many honest Neighbors who at the end of the year had no other Harvest then this Gleaning And altho all this was Charity yet it was among the People of Israel called Justice because it was commanded by Law and that they were obliged to pay these Almes as strictly as any other Debt Here then a downright Christian will do well to take notice of what all these charges may come to and what proportion they will bear with the Estate and revenue that God blesses him with that so he may contribute towards works of Piety and Charity not only so much but more and if not in the very same yet in as good a kind as the Jews did So that he may go beyond them in Charity whom the Gospel commands us to exceed in all other virtues as we exceed them in Blessings 14. The time of these oblations is not more limited then their measure At first S. Paul had appointed the first day of the week that is the Lords day for the gathering of those Charitable assistances and as he calls them Acceptable Sacrifices 1. Cor. 16.2 Phil. 4.18 which were to be sent to the poor Brethren of Jerusalem because even from that time that day was in a more special manner consecrated to the solemn Ministry of Prayers of Preaching and of Communion Now tho the danger of Profaneness which then was less to be feared hath in our daies made the use of this Sacrament much less Common then that of Preaching and Prayer Nevertheless since by these two holy exercises both God speaks to us and we to him this should be warning enough not to presume to appear before him without a Gift And that we may both bear up the more easily the expenses of this weekly Sacrifice and diffuse more universally the sweet savor thereof into all the parts of our life it would be a piece of holy prudence to take care that every day should both bear some part of the burthen and have some share of the holiness And that by a daily attending to this service the Rich be still industrious to defalk some larger portions of his abundance the poor to steal some thing out of his necessaries and the middle conditioned man to spare what he can out of all his competence But specially when the good Providence le ts fall into our hand some considerable advantages then let him that will grow rich in God look upon those temporal occasions as a propitious time of Harvest whereof he must be sure to reserve the first fruits to God and let him have a place in his house like the Treasury in the Temple where he may daily cast
be we have made either at our repenting of some sin or at our deliverance from some eminent danger or at the recovery out of some greivous sickness or at the receiving some other signal mercy whether for our selves or for our friends I will go into thy house with burnt offerings I will pay thee my vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble Psal 67.13.14 Then and there at the Altar of God must we both discharge all the vows which for some hindrance or other we had not yet the Convenience to fulfil and set afresh from Communion to communion as they did the Shew-loaves from Sabbath to Sabbath all those other Performances which by their nature and our duty can never be fulfilled but with the very end of our daies 8. So shall the new Israel tread on the pious steps of the Old who ever from time to time reiterated either in Mispah or in Gilgal c. that Covenant which the Lord had made with him in Sinai It is true the Lord did not then again repeat the Thunder that once made the Mountains tremble as in our Churches he doth not reiterate that very Passion that made the powers of Heaven mourn and shake Nevertheless as Josuah Asa Josias Jehojadah and other such holy men could from their Master assure the People that the Covenant which they did renew for example in Shechem Jos 24.25 2 Chr. 15.12 and 23.16 was not less powerful either to bless the observers or to destroy the offenders thereof then it was when Moses and the Holy Angels publisht it at the first upon Sinai So now the Ministers of our Lord Jesus Christ having in their hands the sacraments of the Gospel true Seals and Tables of the new Law may both produce and give them out as Evidences that the sacrifice of their Master is not less able to save mens Souls when it is offered to men and Sacramentally offered again to God at the holy Communion then when it was newly offered upon the Cross And this is the reason wherefore all faithful Christians ought then as effectually to reinforce all their Oblations their vows their Contritions and their protestations Men and Brethren what shall we do And God forbid that I should ever glory but in the Cross of my Savior as the Israelites did by protesting upon the like occasions We will obey the Lord our God and the Lord is the God the Lord is the God 1 King 18.39 both Israelites and Christians seconding their Protestation of obedience and their prostrations of Body and resignations of their minds with secondary sacrifices those of Bulls and Rams these of Alms and Pious works 9. By this it is easie to see that our holy Eucharistical Communions are much correspondent to those Feasts that did call the People of Israel together first to appear and prostrate themselves before the Lord with sacrifices for their sin and then to lay upon the Altar that other kind of Sacrifices which they used to call * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Peace offerings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Peace Offerings and which were ordained to express both their thankfulness to God and their Charity to men And in this friendly concurrence both of Mysteries and of holy duties that attend them all respects duly observed Moses may still with the same power command both new and old Israel thou shalt keep the feast unto the Lord thy God with a Tribute of a free will offering of thine hand which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee And thou shalt rejoyce before the Lord thy God thou and thy Son and thy Daughter the Levite the stranger the Fatherless and the Widdow And you shall not appear before the Lord emty Every man shall give according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee Deut. 16.10 11. 19. The first Christians ever took it and constantly practised it so For whensoever they met at their devotions whereof the Holy Communion was the most ordinary and the most essential part they did make the use of all their Goods to be common among themselves and the distribution of this blessed Sacrament was so constantly attended by the distribution of their Offerings that it is somewhat hard to discern which of the two the Apostolical History intends to signify by the Breaking of bread so often mentioned in the Acts. Some pious and learned men have thought that this largeness and frequency of Offerings which in the primitive times was all the stock they had for pious uses made that Article which immediatly follows that of the Church that is the Communion or Communication of the Saints But however tho this were not the Article of faith there meant yet it was an Act of Piety so frequent and so essential in those daies that St. Luke would place it amongst those other sacred functions that comprehend the whole duty and service of the Church They continued stedfastly in the Doctrine of the Apostles and in the Communion and in breaking of bread and in prayer Act. 2.24 Thus were the primitive Christians literally and punctually such as holy David had prophesied they should be a People that would come and offer themselves with their free will offerings to Christ in the Day of his Power and of that glorious effusion of Graces that like to a Celestial dew would appear wonderful by a thick and sudden producing of subjects and souldiers ready armed for his service Psal 110. 11. For this purpose it was that the Bishops had in their Churches two Tables One of them was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. within that space where the Ministers did officiate at the Altar and where were Curtins purposely shut to keep non-Communicants from the sight of and access to the Holy Mysteries The other was where the People could freely come to offer their Gifts part whereof afterwards was brought by the Deacons to the Communion Table Hither were brought the Free will Offerings of the People Bread Wine Oil Wooll sometimes Cloth Silver and any thing els that might be useful to the Church till by express Canons of the Church * Can. 37. Afric those Oblations in kind were limited to such things only as could be emploied about the sacraments and service of the Church and all this was offered up to God by all Christians by way of a daily Sacrifice And when the Christians had offered up to God their Goods the Priest who did receive them did solemnly pray to God that he would be pleased to look on their Oblations as he did once on them of Abel of Noah and of Abraham Out of these Oblations the Elements of the holy Communion were taken forth and presented at the other Table where they were blest by the Bishop or Priest and distributed by him to the People as from God to assure them he had accepted of both their persons
his holy Seat For then it was the kindness of the Lord towards his first People as certainly He hath no less mercy for the second virtually to diffuse the Propitiation and strength of Holy Things from his Palace into their Tents and to bless them both inherently with all the Graces and imputatively with all the Right which could be conferred on them whose fault 't is not if they cannot either eat the Passover nearer the Temple or wait upon Christ at his Cross 13. Thus this great and Holy Mystery extends and communicates the Death of the Lord both as offering himself to God and as giving himself to Men. As he offered himself to God it enters me both into that mysterial Body which is reputed as dead with Christ and into their Society priviledg and Communion for whom He was pleased to dye it sets me among the precious stones of Aarons Ephod Exod. 28. close to the Breast and on the very shoulders of that Eternal Priest whilst he offers up himself and intercedes for his spiritual Isiael and by this means it conveyes to me the Communion of his Sufferings Philip 3.10 whence will infallibly proceed another Communion in all his Graces and Glories Under the second notion as He offers himself to Men the holy Eucharist is after the Sacrifice for sin the true Festival and Sacrifice of Peace offerings and the Table purposely set up to receive those Mercies that are sent down from the Altar Take and eat this is my Body which was broken for you And this is the Blood that was shed for you 14. Here then I wait at the Lords Table that both shews me what an Apostle who had Heaven for his School had the greatest mind to see and learn and offers me the richest Gift that a Saint can receive on Earth the Lord Jesus crucified Amen Jesu my Lord and my God give me all this which Thou showest and grant withal that I may both devoutly take and faithfully keep what Thou art pleased to give Bless this thine own Ordinance and make it of a true Sign an effectual Means of thy Grace then bless and sanctify my Heart also and make it a fit Temple for thy Mercies Certainly Thou wilt deal with me in these thy Mysteries O God of Truth according to thy faithfulness but dispose also my heart so towards the right using of them that I may safely wish it may be don according to my Faith O Father which art in Heaven here I offer up to thee my Soul and thou offerest to me thy Son The Oblation which I make is alas an unclean habitation to receive the Holy One of Israel and a Tent infected with Leprosy therein to Lodg the Saint of the Lord. Come in nevertheless come in high and Eternal Priest but wash thy house at thy coming Let no ill savor of the grave no more then that of Lazarus keep thee so far from the Sepulcher and from the vile condition wherein I ly but that thy power with thy Voice and thy Blood with thy Sacrament may reach to me to raise me up And let none of those uncleannesses that after the Law of Moses did defile them who came too near keep off the great Saint of the Lord from touching and healing me Evil Spirits enter somtimes into swept houses to make them foul * Matth. 12. But O Holy and hallowing Spirit of God draw nigh unto my Soul which of it self is foul already to make it clean I am a poor sinful and unless thou help a lost person but yet such as I am sinful and lost I wait for thy Salvation Come in O Lord with thy Salvation to a dying Man to make him whole to a sinner tyed hand and foot with the bonds of iniquity to release him to one who confesses his sins to absolve him Finally come in my Savior as thou didst to the Publican both to make me better and to save me O let this day Salvation come to this House Amen SECTION V. Of the Blessed Communion as being a Pledg of the Happiness and Glory to come 1. THe blessed Communion opens such a treasure of Blessings on the two sides which look towards the past or present Time as I have considered it as it may very well take up both all the eyes of Cherubins in beholding the Mysteries and all the hands of the numerous Israelites in gathering up all the Manna that it contains yet it hath one other side or prospect more which goes beyond the two former as much as the future Blessings exceed the present and as the Glory which we hope for exceeds the small degree of grace which we possess The blessed Communion which is a speciall Instrument ordained of Christ both to present a new as to our use his Passion and to convey on us the present Graces which flow out of this Passion doth there withall assure us likewise of all the Happiness to come whereof the received Graces are a hopeful Earnest and this Sacrament under this third notion is a certain Pledg 2. Now tho what is given before hand for Earnest and what is engaged by way of Pledg come all to one in point of Validity and obligingness yet they quite differ many times both in their use and in their intrinsecal value Whence it comes to pass that Earnests may be allowed upon account for part of the Payment which is promised whereas Pledges are recalled and taken back as the Seal and Staff of Juda once were Gen. 38. Thus for example zeal Charity and these degrees of Holiness which God bestowes at the use of holy Sacraments will remain still ours in Heaven and there make part of our Happiness whereas the Sacraments themselves shall be kept back and shall not appear more in Heaven then did the Cloudy Pillar in Canaan or do now the shadows of the Law under the time of the Gospel Certainly we shall have no need either of these sacred Images of Christ when we shall see him face to face or of these Pledges to assure us of that Glory which is to be revealed when we shall actually possess it But till that day the holy Communion hath this third use namely of being a Pledg and an assurance from the Lord that in his good time he will crown us with Everlasting Happiness 3. Our blessed Savior pointed at it when He said to his Disciple the Holy Cup being in his hand that he would drink no more of that Fruit till he should drink it new in the Kingdom of his Father Luk. 22.18 In the reall purpose of God his Church and Heaven go both together That being the way that leads to this as the Holy Place to the Holyest and both Holy Place and Holyest come to this one Thing which Christ calls the Kingdom of God Let them not whom He hath invited to eat and drink at Abrahams Table trouble themselves about the Room where our blessed Savior will feed them for tho it were but
Sacrifice 1. IT is a certain truth that there never was on Earth a true Religion without some kind of Sacrifices and 't is a very great lye to say that now the Christian should want them The Jews and the Pagans who first aspersed the Church of Christ with this slander did it upon such a reason as became them because they saw neither Altars set up nor Beasts slain and burnt among them Thus the Pagans accused the Jews of adoring nothing but Clouds because they had no Gods of Stone or Silver in their Synagogues and thus silly men may think now that the world is destitute of Angels because they do not appear so often as they did in ancient times in the shape and forms of Men. The truth is as what appeared like a Body was not an Angel nor what was Stone or Silver could be a God Neither the slaughter of poor beasts could ever be true Sacrifices Thou delightest not in Oblations the Sacrifice of God is a broken Spirit Many among the Jews much less quick sighted then the Prophets were confessed as much nor certainly could any reason permit them to imagine that Flesh and Blood which in all their Scriptures passes both for the weakest and the vilest of Things could be the best and the soundest part of Sacrifices 2. Of all the Carnal Sacrifices which the Jews do reduce to six kinds besides many more Oblations none ever had any saving reality as to the washing away of sins but in dependance on Jesus Christ our Lord and as to our service and duty towards God which they were also to represent none had this second end so fully performed under the Law as it must be under the Gospel The blessed Communion alone when whole and not mutilated concenters and brings together these two great Ends full Expiation of sins and acceptable Duty to God towards which all the old Sacrifices never look't but as either simple Engagements or weak shadows As for the first which is Expiation of sins 't is most certain that the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone hath bin sufficient for it and that if all both men and Angels were joined to it it were not to add too but to receive from its fulness It is most certain also that this great Sacrifice being both of an infinit virtue to satisfy the most severe Justice and of an infinite virtue to produce at once all the Effects that can be expected of it it were impiety to think it should need to be don again as weak and infirm Causes must in order to make up by degrees and at several times their full Effect This was perhaps the want of Faith which the holy Scripture taxes in Moses Num. 20.12 which it is hard to find in any thing els to strike a second time and without order that mysterious Rock which to strike once had bin enough for this second blow could proceed but of a faithless mistrust that the first which alone was commanded could not suffice But it were a much greater offence both against the Blood of Christ to question its infinit worth and against the infinitness and Immensity of this worth to charge it with som Emtiness which any reiteration should fill up Therefore as the Expiatory Sacrifice which Christ offered upon the Cross was infinitly able to do at once whatever an infinit number of other Sacrifices had bin able to do either all together at one time or each of them severally during the succession of all Ages the Offering of it must needs be one only and the Reiteration of it were not only superfluous as to its real effect but also most injurious to Christ in the very thought and Attemt 3. Nevertheless this Sacrifice which by a real Oblation was not to be offered more then once is by an Eucharistical and devout Commemoration to be offered up every day This is what the Apostle calls to set forth the death of the Lord to set it forth I say as well before the Eyes of God his Father as before the Eyes of all Men and what S. Augustin did explain when he said that the holy Flesh of Jesus Christ was offered up in three manners by prefiguring Sacrifices under the Law before his coming into the World in real deed upon the Cross and by a Commemorative Sacrament after he is ascended into Heaven All comes to this first that the Sacrifice as t is it self and in it self it can never be reiterated yet by way of devout Celebration and Remembrance it may nevertheless be reiterated every day Secondly that whereas the Holy Eucharist is by it self a Sacrament wherein God offers unto all men the Blessings merited by the Oblation of his Son it likewise becomes by our Remembrance a kind of Sacrifice also whereby to obtain at his hands the same Blessings we present and expose before his Eyes that same holy and precious Oblation once offered Thus the ancient Israelites did continually represent in their Solemn Prayers to God that Covenant which he had made once with Abraham Isaac and Jacob their Forefathers Thus did the Jews in their Captivity turn their Faces towards either the Country or the Temple where the Mercy Seat and the Ark were which were the Memorial of his Promises and the Sacramental Engagement of his Blessings And thus the Christians in their Prayers do every day insist upon and represent to God the Father the meritorious Passion of their Savior as the only sure ground whereon both God may give and they obtain the Blessings which they do pray for Now neither the Israelites had ever Temple or Ark or Mercy seat nor the Christians have any Ordinance Devotion or Mystery that may prove to be such a blessed and effectual Instrument to reach to this Everlasting Sacrifice and to set it out so solemnly before the Eyes of God Almighty as the Holy Eucharist is To men it is a sacred Table where Gods Minister is ordered to represent from God his Master the Passion of his dear Son as still fresh and still powerful for their Eternal Salvation and to God it is an Altar whereon Men mystically present to him the same Sacrifice as still bleeding and still sueing for Expiation and Mercy And because it is the high Priest himself the true Anointed of the Lord who hath set up most expressly both this Table and this Altar for these two ends namely for the Communication of his Body and Blood to Men and for the Representation and Memorial of both to God it cannot be doubted but that the one must be most advantageous to the penitent Sinner and the other most acceptable to that good and gracious Father who is alwaies pleased in his Son and who loves of himself the repenting and the sincere return of his Children Luke 15.22 4. Hence one may see both the great use and advantage of more frequent Communion and how much it concerns us whensoever we go to receive it to lay out all our wants and
all that it shall be dedicated to the Glory of God and that it shall be surrendred into his hands employed to such uses upon such occasions and times as he will be pleased to appoint 4. Hear then my son as saies the wise man look to they feet when thou entrest into the house of God lest thou offer the Sacrifice of fools Eccles 5.6 It is the Sacrifice as well as the part of a fool to offer the Person without the Goods that attend it as it were the bones without the sinewes and the flesh that cover them It is the same Act of an Impious wretch to mangle and to mutilate either the holy Sacrifice which Jesus hath made to his father or the holy Sacrament which he hath ordained to his Church or that holy Oblation which after his Sacrifice and at his Sacrament he is pleased to require of us And after we have presented it it is an Act not only of great Impiety but of as great a Sacriledg as was that of Ananias to withdraw without leave any part of that Whole which we have devoted to Gods Service 5. It behoves not Israel alone to go forth out of Egypt with all their Children and Cattle and Goods to offer them unto the Lord that he may take either all or such a part as he will be pleased to chuse Exod. 10.25 26. All the Gentiles were likewise to go and give themselves up to Gods service with their Gold their Silver their Dromedaries and their Chariots loden with their cheifest substance The Egyptians with all their wealth Tyre and Sidon with their Merchandise Esay 23.18 and 60.6 7 9. The wise men with their Frankincense their Myrrh and their Gold and so every sinner at his Conversion to God was to consecrate all to Jesus Christ and to the service of his Church From that very moment that by any reall Act of conversion of faith of repentance or of vow we have given up our selves to Christ who hath likewise given himself for us as by virtue of this mutual Communion all what he possesses becomes ours namely his Grace his Immortality his Glory and so he bestowes it upon us according to the times and degrees which he sees best for our Salvation by the same consequence all whatsoever we have doth become his so that he may take it after in what proportion and season soever he shall see best for his Glory The two Asses which he sent for by his disciples that he might ride on them to Jerusalem and the Chamber which he commanded to be ready that he might eat the Passover in it were not so absolutely his as are our lives our Goods c. whensoever the Lord hath need of them Matt. 21.2 3. Luk. 22.11 Those things were his only by the Right of propriety which as to a Soveraign Lord and God is naturally reserved upon any thing which he creates or saves but these are his besides because we with our selves have given them When he calls for the former to deny them were injustice but to deny these latter were a visible Sacriledg all what we are what we can do and what we can give even to the least vessel in our houses being involved and made holy in this one Consecration In that day shall there be upon the very Bridles of the Horses holiness unto the Lord and every pot in Jerusalem and Juda shall be holy unto the Lord. Zechar. 14.20 21. 6. This Consecration whereby the worshipper offers and resigns up all himself and all his Concernments to God if it be well don and duly performed is first as for our Souls and Bodies a Christian Apotheosis if I may use this word which both makes them capable of the Sacrifice and grace of Christ and raises and prefers them to the very nature that is the Condition of holiness and Immortality of God Secondly as to the Consecrated things it is a miraculous priviledg which in the end infinitly multiplies every thing which is thus parted with it blesses the use of it altho it be but presented as long as we can enjoy it and finally exchanges it when we can enjoy it no more for such advantagious returnes as may be conceived to be not such as when water was turned into Wine or dirt into Gold but such as if we conceive a glass of water turned into streams of Everlasting Comsorts the dust of Israel into so many stars of Heaven small Cottages of Clay into Royal Palaces and vain declining shadows into real and Eternal possessions Thou hast bin faithful in a few things I will make thee Ruler over many things c. Matth. 25.21 But if the Law of these Consecrations be not well performed if Levi come to serve Ashtaroth after he hath dedicated himself to God and if the Offerings of the People be employed to profane uses after they have toucht Gods Altar then there are as many and as heavy Curses to be lookt for as on the other side upon a better use there are many and great Blessings to be expected So that upon all considerations both of prudence and of Duty first we must give up all to God next after we have given we must fly all not only as two most odious sins but also as two most terrible mischeifs the Sacriledg in withdrawing at any time when God demands it what hath bin thus consecrated to him and the Profaneness in mispending upon superfluous or worse uses what of it he is pleased to allow to our proper necessities and other lawfull Conveniencies 7. Now tho Christ our blessed Savior by that everlasting and ever same Sacrifice of himself offer himself virtually upon all occasions and we on our side also offer our selves and what is ours with him several other waies besides that of the holy Communion as at our Conversion and first Act of faith in him Christ saies St. Austin a Aug. Evang. Quest l. 2. q. 33. is sacrificed for the salvation of every sinner at the very moment he repents and beleives him to have bin Sacrificed and at our Baptism For every one offers the Sacrifice of the Passion of the Lord at that time that he is consecrated by the faith of this Passion and baptised a Christian saith the same father b August Expos incheat ad Rom. and the Baptism of Christ is the blood of Christ saith another c Chrâ—s Hom. 10. Heir Nevertheless because Christ offers himself for us at the holy Communion in a more solemn and public sacramental way thence it comes that the Memorial of the sacrifice of Christ thereby celebrated takes commonly the Name of the Sacrifice it self as St. Austin d Aug. de Civ c. 5. id â—p 23. ad Bonis â—e Consert Disp 2 hoc â—st explains it often we are then obliged in a more special manner to renew all our Sacrifices all the vows of our Baptism all the first fruits of our Conversion and all the particular promises which it may