the difference of opinion concerning this sacrifice such was also the difference in the ordination of those men who were appointed to offer it For the manner of ordination in the Greek Church supposed the man ordained only as a Minister to the administration of the sacrament for the Bishop that ordained him put the consecrated bread into his hand saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Take this holy thing committed to your charge and keep it till the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ when he will call you to an account how you have disâ—osed of it This man so ordained had delivered to him the Trust and charge only of a Sacrament But the manner of ordination in the Latine Church supposeth the man ordained as a Priest to the offering of a Sacrifice for the Bishop that ordained him put the Communion plate and chalice into his hand saying Accipe potestatem offerre Sacrificium Deo Missamque celebrare tam pro vivis quam pro defunctis in nomine Domini c. Receive the power of offering a Sacrifice to God and of celebrating the Mass both for the quick and the dead in the name of our Lord c. And agreeable to this is the benediction of the Presbyters after this ordination in the same Church Benedictio Dei omnipotentis Patris filii spiritus Sancti descendat su er vos ut sitis benedicti in ordine sacerdotali oâ—feratis placabiles hostias pro peccatis atque offensionibus populi c. The blessing of God the Father Son and Holy-Ghost descend upon you that you may be blessed in the order of Priests and offer acceptable sacrifices for the sins and offences of the People Pontifical Rom. Venetiis editum An. 1561. This man so ordained had delivered to him the trust and charge not of a Sacrament but of a sacrifice But in the ordination of the Church of England and some other Protestant Churches the Bishop saith to him that he ordains Receive the Holy-Ghost whose sins you forgive they are forgiven whose sins you retain they are retained but be thou a faithfull dispencer of the word of God and of his holy sacraments in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy-Ghost This man so ordained hath delivered unto him the trust and charge of no sacrifice but only of the Sacraments and also of the word and it were to be wished that those whom it nothing concerns would neither invade nor disturb this trust especially since it is so exactly agreeable with the Text which in all the new Testament hath not recommended to the Church the trust and charge of a Sacrifice but only of the Word and Sacraments And it can be no shame for us to confess that in the judgement of our Church the holy Eucharist is a Sacrament not a Sacrifice unless it be in a mystical sense a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving or in a figurative sense a commemoration or representation of a sacrifice but by no means a repetition of Christs corporal sacrifice since the Apostle hath expresly said concerning that We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all Heb. 10. 10. According to which our Church doth believe and profess in different words the very same truth saying That Christ made upon the cross by his one oblation of himself once offered a full perfect and sufficient sacrifice oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world and I will ever rejoice in this belief and profession since he that hath made a full satisfaction for the sins of the whole world hath not left his father unsatisfied only for my sins CAP. IV. Christ admired in his Application SECT I. Christ in his Propitiation and Satisfaction doth not benefit us without a particular Application TRuly to know Christ is truly to know the whole Christian Faith as hath been said For truly to know Christ in his person is to know the Christian Faith in the ground or substance of it And truly to know Christ in his Propitiation Satisfaction Application is to know the Christian Faith in the power or vertue of it Accordingly Saint Paul is not content to know Christ only in his Person saying that I may know him but he will also know him in his Propitiation Satisfaction and Application saying and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death Phil. 3. 10. To know Christ in the power of his resurrection is to know him in his propitiation for he was delivered for our offences and raised again for our Justification Rom. 4. 25. To know Christ in the fellowship of his sufferings is to know him in his satisfaction whereby he slaked body for body soul for soul in our stead that he might satisfie for all the sins both of our bodies and of our souls And to know Christ so as to be made conformable to his death is to know him in his Application for we cannot apply the merit of his death till we be conformed to it by dying unto sin and rising again to newness of life for the Application of Faith doth no less require that man apply himself to God by holâ—ness of conversation then that he apply God unto himself by strength of perswasion And truly the one cannot be without the other since it is impossible for that man to lay hold on Gods promise of mercy who looks not after the conditions on which it is promised to wit a hearty repentance of his sins and an amendment of his sinful life for Gods promises of mercy are not made to all sinners but only to penitent sinners so that where is no true repentance there can be no true faith and where is true repentance there cannot be too much for if man perform his part of the Covenant of grace he may assure himself that God will perform his part nay he must assure himself so unless he will remain in the state of infidelity For a true and lively faith is a full perswasion of the heart grounded upon the promises of God that whatsoever Christ hath done or suffered for the salvation of man he hath done and suffered for me as well as for others And I must never be satisfied with my self nor think I am in a good state or condition till I have gotten such a faith as will give me such a perswasion For the satisfaction of Christ in general will afford me but little comfort without the application thereof in particular to mine own soul Wherefore my labour must be to put my self in such a condition that though I cannot but think my self unworthy of the invaluable blessing of this satisfaction yet I may not think much less make my self uncapable of it SECT II. The ground of that application iâ— Christs threefold conjunction with us in his person in his nature and in his office from which proceedeth the marriage of the soul with Christ I
fear least the earth should open under him and heaven should be shut above him and against him for that he is a sinner against his own soul Numb 16. 38. and doth provoke God to make him as Corah and his company In this one case we have a memorable example of Gods justice and as exemplary a memorial thereof and we have scarce any other such as this but we find very many exemplary memorials of his mercy Scarce any singular blessing bestowed upon the Iews but there was a special feast appointed in the Church to propagate and to perpetuate its remembrance Thus was the feast of tabernacles instituted that your generations may know that I made Israel to dwell in bothes when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt Levit 23. 43. Thus without Gods immediate command was ordained the feast of Purim Esther 9. which yet was faithfully observed and the observation thereof looked on as a religious not as a superstitious practise by God and man Nay yet more we find another feast after this not mentioned in the Canonical Scripture but only in the Apocrypha the feast of the Dedication of the Altar 1 Macchab. 4. 59. and yet this feast was not only carefully observed by the Iews but the observation of it was also approved by our Saviour himself John 10. 22 23. which is warrant more then enough both for the Church to constitute still such festivals to the honour of God and for us to observe the Festivals that are so constituted And it is also check more then enough to their insolency and perversness if they would take notice of it who in matters of the Christian Religion will pretend to be wiser not only then Christs Church but also then Christ himself For if the argument be undenyable concerning marriage from John 2. 1 2. which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence and first miracle that he wrought in Cana of Galilee Then it is as undenyable concerning Festivals from Iohn 10. 22 23. which holy institution Christ himself adorned and beautified with his presence in that he went to the Temple at the feast of the Dedication as well as at other feasts which were immediately commanded in the text In a word Thus the feast of the Passover was instituted to commemorate to the Jews how God had passed over them when he slew the Egyptians Exod. 12. 12. And the Christian Church hath appointed this Gospel Anniversary feast of Easter to succeed that legal Anniverâ—…y feast of the Passeover not so much to shew her Authority which however cannot be denyed without Heresie nor resisted without Schism as to discharge her trust For the Apostle 1 Cor. 9 10. saying that those words Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the corn were written no doubt for our sakes hath laid it for an immoveable grouud of our Christian faith that the general equity even of the Levitical Law as far as it was not typical is still in force among Christians concerning the solemnities of Religion and must be so till the worlds end And if we will stick fast to this ground All our late contests about the times places and persons belonging to Gods publick worship will soon be determined if we will not stick to it we shall in effect put aside the Apostles Divinity that we may bring in our own By this ground Aerius his Heresie will soon be ejected out of the Church who taught That Imparity of the Ministry was condemned and Parity commended in the word of God as saith Saint August lib. de haeres haeres 53. Dicebat Presbyterum ab Episcopo nullâ differentiâ debere discerni For it is evident out of the Levitical Law alone That God himself ordained and instituted an Imparity in the Priesthood and as evident That he hath since not reversed but plainly approved if not established an imparity in the Ministers of the Gospel as appears by the power of Jurisdiction given by Saint Paul to Timothy over Presbyters 1 Tim. 5. 19. unless we will say That he might receive accusations against Presbyters pass sentence upon them without having jurisdiction over them Again By this ground tithes and all other provisions made for the Ministry will rather be encreased then diminished for the Gospel being so much above the Law doth rather call for a greater then for a lesser maintenance so that if the Ox that trod out the corn might not be muzzled then much less now Churches will no longer be nick-named much less unfrequented or profaned and the Sabbath will no more afford us matter of Disputation but of Devotion if we will stick to this ground for that God himself hath said Keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary Levit. 19. 30. and the same God that hath forbad us to profane the time hath also forbad us to profane the place of his worship Levit. 21. 23. that ye profane not my sanctuaries for I the Lord 〈…〉 sanctifie them I say by this ground all our late contests about the times places and persons belonging to Gods publick worship may easily be determined â—nless we will needs say for wilful men will say any thing That Gods commands about Oxen contain in them matter of precept for our Christian conversation and obedience though the Apostle plainly telleth us That God careth not for Oxen But not so his commands about the time and place and persons of his own worship concerning which God himself hath professed that he is solicitous and careful even to a jealousie And by this same ground it is evident That as the Jew under the Law â—as so the Christian under the Gospel is obliged to commemorate Gods extraordinary benefits to his Church with extraordinary thanksgivings And as God prescribed the Jews a set form of Catechism to instruct their children in the reasons of this solemn festival Exod. 12. 24 25 26. which Solomon Jarchi calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon Exod. 13. 8. that is to say The Annuntiation of the Passeover so did the Christian Church think fit to require catechizing specially against Easter and more particularly because of those who addressed themselves to the Holy Communion which never failed heretofore to be administred at that time and is our true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a most full and exact Annuntiation of our spiritual deliverance nor is it improbable that Saint Paul alluded to this very Text of Exod. 13. 8. Annuntiabis filio tuo and to this very custom of the Jews grounded thereon of making their Catechetical annuntiations when he used the very same word concerning the blessed Sacrament saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Annuntiatis mortem Domini 1 Cor. 11. 26. thereby himself calling or at least licencing us to call the holy Eucharist the annuntiation of the death of Christ And it is remarkable that the Jews used this manner of Catechizing only at this feast and their Catechism consisted of these three heads 〈◊〉
Iew he would have been zealous to have proved his Sabbath before Moses could he have made good his proof and that these words seem to be spoken by way of anticipation to continue the history like that of the Saints rising at our Saviours death Saint Mat. 27. 52. which yet was not so till after his resurrection for Christ was to be the first that should rise from the dead Act. 26. 23. The reason of the name Sabbath depends upon the creation of which God repented soon after as saith Moses it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart Gen. 6. 6. when as the reason of the name Lords day depends upon the Redemption of which he cannot repent For Christ rising again from the dead now dieth not death from henceforth hath no power upon him for in that he died he died but once to put away sin but in that he liveth he liveth unto God Rom. 6. 9 10. And as Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more so neither can this Festival die which is consecrated to the memory of his resurrection but as long as the first day of the week shall last so long it must be our Lords day and not our own As is the mercy immortal so is the duty that recordeth it and as is the duty so is the day on which it is recorded As is the Lord himself so is his day as much as a day can be the same yesterday and to day and for ever The same in all ages and successions of the Church Not changeable now by the Authority of his present Catholick Church because that hath a power for edification not for destruction 1 Cor. 10. 8. and in this change the Church that is now would but pull down what the Church when it was under the master-builders hands did set up Not changeable by the Authority of Angeis for they in so doing would in effect preach another Gospel another Christ delivered for our offences and risen again for our Iustification and so being themselves under Saint Pauls anathema Gal. 1. 9. I dare further say and I hope it is no presumption sure it is intended with reverence not changeable by Christ himself according to his power of excellency whereby he is head of the Church and founder of all Christian Institutions because though the change be Metaphysically possible that is in its own nature for that all daies are alike in themselves as to Gods worship yet it is not morrally possible that is in the end and reason of the change because Christ cannot rise again from the dead and consequently there cannot be another day as a memorial of his resurrection More daies then this may be set apart for the honour of Christ by the example and from the reason or end of this for the duty is of extent large enough to employ many daies and God having consecrated time to his own service hath made it lawful or rather necessary for the Church to do so too and we find the Jews did ordain the feasts of Purim and Dedication without any peculiar precept from the text and yet are justified for so doing But this day must be set apart by the example of Christ himself who made it his free-will-offering to God by making on it the first ordination of the ministers of his Gospel Other daies are authorized by vertue of this but this day is authorized by vertue of Christ who chose it for the day whereon to ordain his Apostles the Teachers and Governors of his Church and also to give unto them the power of ordaining others So that both the circumstances of time and person the day and the Ministers of Gods publick worshp have no less then the chief corner stone for their foundation For they both are grounded upon the practise of Christ on the day of his resurrection though builded upon the practise and precepts of his Apostles So we read John 20. 19. The same day at evening being the first day of the week came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them Peace be unto you the same day at evening the evening follows the morning in the Christian but went before it in the Iewish account of daies The evening and the morning made the first Sabbath but the morning and the evening made the first Lords day what other reason can we give of the change but because the Lord rose from death in the morning Being the first day of the week Why is the first day of the week so punctually named Surely not to tell the Apostles what day it was but to tell us that should be after them that we might know the very day on which Christ had purchased for and bestowed on his Church such unvaluable mercies and so know it as to keep it as it followeth ver 21. Theu said Jesus unto them again Peace be unto you Now it is more then an ordinary salutation it is certainly a most solemn benediction Peace be unto you as my Father hath sent me even so send I you and when he had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them receive ye the Holy Ghost We have here the practise and example of Christ for solemnizing the day of his resurrection and for the ordaining of his Ministers We have his example for the observation of the Lords day which as he made holy by his own rising so he kept holy by his blessing and ordaining the Apostles on it And we have his example for the ordination of the Lords Ministers and there is little reason why we should easily and much less slightly pass by the former since we are sure that the latter is to continue till the worlds end for this is the full meaning of the words As my Father sent me and endued me with the Holy Ghost or with spiritual authority to be the teacher and governor of his universal Church So I send you and endue you with the Holy Ghost or with spiritual authority and power to be teachers and governors of the Church after me And as the Father sent me with power and authority of sending others and of giving them the Holy Ghost or my spiritual power So do I send you with the power of sending others and giving unto them the Holy Ghost or this spiritual authority and power of sending others still after them even to the worlds end This is the full meaning of those words and therefore the antient Fathers particularly Saint Cyprian and Firmilian did rightly apply this Text to prove by it the authority of the Church in their daies and we may as rightly alledge it now to justifie the same authority For the Bishops are obliged by this Text to ordain a succession of Ministers even to the worlds end One must be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection saith Saint Peter Acts 1. 22. If God say One must be ordained it is not for
utriusque Tabulae that the Prince is entrusted with the keeping of both the Tables of the Decalogue is easily to be proved concerning each Table by it self For the words forecited out of the fourth commandment prove it sufficiently concerning the first table as that takes care for the external worship And as for the Duties of Religion that belong to the Second Table all the world agrees that the Prince is immediately and directly entrusted with them by vertue of the Fift Commandment And since the old Testament as far as it concerns Moral duties is no other then a various Paraphrase or Exposition upon the Decalogue we may not unfitly apply all those Texts that enjoyn or approve the supream Magistrates care of Gods publick worship as so many glosses upon this Text of the fourth commandment Particularly that signal Injunction of God to Joshuah This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou maist observe to do according to all that is written therein For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success Josh 1. 8. In that he saith This book of the Law we may not any more leave out the first Table of the Decalogue out of Joshuahs commission then out of Gods book in that he saith Thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou maist observe to do according to all that is written therein we must infer unless we will say that God spake to Joshua as to a private man at that very time when he made him a publick person and governour of his people in Moses his stead That this is a full precept both for his knowledge and for his practice concerning Religion as it was established for Prince and Priest and People Lastly in that he saith For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and ther thou shalt have good success We have a Promise answerable to that precept And what can be brought more for the proof of any duty then Gods precept and Gods promise His Precept commanding it his promise rewarding it the one to direct the other to encourage our obedience We need not doubt of our work if we have a Precept we cannot doubt of his acceptance if we have a promise Quae faciunt divisa beatos in te mista fluunt Those two things either of which severally and by it self were enough to authorize the Civil Magistrate to have a special care of and regard to Religion are here joyntly and both together in Joshuahs Commission to wit Precept and Promise So that to deny him the Precept concerning the Piety is in effect to deny him the Promise concerning the Prosperity And by the same reason If we will not have Christian Princes Religious we must have them improsperous If they will not take care of Religion God will not take care of them unless we dare say that our Saviour Christ came to defalcate from the power and trust which God had given to Princes by Legacy in the Old Testament because that being made Christian either they would deserve it less or abuse it more But in all the New Testament we find not the least hint of any such defalcation either by Christ or by his Apostles 1. Not by Christ he never diminished but altogether established the right of Princes for he withdrew himself when the Jews would have made him King John 6. 15. and professed openly before Pilate saying My Kingdom is not of this world John 18. 36. And acknowledged Pilates power over him John 19. 11. So far was he either from leaving a Vice-Roy behind him as an universal Monarch of the whole world to give some Princes a faculty to act and take away from others their power of acting or from leaving his Kingly office among a company of inferiour Presbyters with power to controul and subvert the government of Churches and States under pretence of setting up his Kingdom 2. Not by Christs Apostles they never diminished or debased the rights of Princes but rather advanced and extolled them So Saint Paul calleth them Gods Ministers and writeeth to the Clergy of Rome in the first place and to the people of Rome by and after them saying Ye must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for conscience sake Rom. 13. 4 5. What ye even Omnis Anima every soul ver 1. Nec animam Papae excipit He excepteth not the soul of the Pope said Aeneas Silvius whilst he was the Popes Scribe in the Council of Basil though when himself was afterwards Pope under the name of Pius the second he was of another mind whence that scoff was put upon him Quod Aeneas probavit Pius damnavit what Aeneas did piously approve that Pius did impiously condemn And t is possible that in the first place he condemned himself t is probable he thought some others might justly condemn him imputing the change of this opinion rather to his preferment then to his Judgement for so himself doth say in his Bulla Retractationum as t is recorded by Binius Dicent fortasse aliqui cum Pontificatu hanc nobis opinionem advenisse cum dignitate mutatam esse sententiam But t is certain there was reason enough for this condemnation because he shewed the greater Truth while he had the lesser Trust was a truer interpreter of the Text as a private man then as a Pope was more faithful whilst he was yet less powerful for surely Saint Paul that saith Every soul excepteth none Even Christs Vicar is by this precept Let every soul be subject himself made a subject to Gods Minister So likewise Saint Peter willeth those whom he calleth a chosen generation a royal Priesthood to submit themselves to Kings and Governours for the Lords sake saying For so is the will of God that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men 1 Pet. 2. 13 15. If they are a chosen generation that do submit then are they a reprobate generation that do rebell and if they submit for the Lords sake they who will not submit regard not the Lord If the one be well doing the other surely is ill doing and if the one silence the ignorance of foolish men then the other may be ashamed not to silence it self and all its presumptuous advocates In this strain of alleageance and obedience writ all the antient Divines whilst yet their interest had not corrupted their Divinity So Saint Augustine Reges quum in errore sunt pro ipso errore leges contra veritatem ferunt quum in veritate sunt similiter contra errorem pro ipsa veritate decernunt Ita legibus malis probantur boni legibus bonis emendantur mali Rex Nebuchodonosor perversus legem saevam dedit ut simulachrum adoraretur idem correctus severam ne Deus verus blasphemaretur In hoc enim Reges sicut divinitus eis praecipitur Deo serviunt in