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A28584 An examination of Dr. Comber's Scholastical history of the primitive and general use of liturgies in the Christian church by S.B. Bold, S. (Samuel), 1649-1737. 1690 (1690) Wing B3479; ESTC R18212 38,935 70

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relating what passed there that he had not patience to hear any more of that sort of stuff and that a further discourse about such matters would have the same effect on him as a story would concerning a Prayer beginning and ending as is before mentioned Which though Julian might design as a reflection on the Christians way of Praying yet for ought I know it imports no more than if you should tell me a Story of peoples beginning their Prayer as if they worshipped but one person and yet should conclude their Prayer in such a manner as if they had been Praying all the while to a great many persons The Doctor thinks that Lucian doth by this Prayer mean the whole Communion Office But this is only conjecture I will say no more of that but only mind you that when the Doctor suspected his evidence for Liturgies in this Century would not be very clear P. 29. he assigned this for his Reason We have no Authors who had occasion to Write particularly of the Church Service which they cared not to publish lest the Pagans under whom they lived should deride or blaspheme their Sacred Mysteries And yet in the next Page to serve a turn we must have the most jearing Pagan that Age did afford admitted to take a view of their Administration during their whole Communion Office But suppose Lucian was really at a Christian Assembly and did hear there a Prayer which began with the Father and ended with an acknowledgement of and an ascription of Glory and Honour in variety of expressions to every Person in the Trinity as is very usual with those who do not bind themselves in all their Prayers to a precise number of words might not he give that description of that Prayer which is before related and yet there be no prescribed Liturgy imposed on that Assembly The next Author the Doctor hath recourse unto is Justin Martyr Whether Justin Martyr undertaking to write an Apology for the Christians and in particular for their Church Service had not occasion to write particularly of their Church Service I leave the indisserent and unprejudiced Reader to judge P. 31. The Doctor doth acknowledge that he doth often speak of the Christian Assemblies and of the several Duties there performed c. Now if they were tied up to the constant use of a precise number of Words in their Prayers tho he might not think it convenient to report their words yet what can be imagined to obstruct his declaring they did celebrate their Offices in stinted Forms Ibid. But saith the Doctor when Justin Martyr mentions Baptism he only faith They are taught to Fast and Pray and ask of God the forgiveness of their former Sins and being brought where water is they are Regenerated in the same manner as we were Regenerated from whence the Doctor infers that even in his time they began to conceal the particular manner of Celebrating these Mysteries Now I conceive the Doctor is under some mistake as to this Passage for Justin Martyr doth immediately relate in what manner they were Regenerated Just Mar. Apol. 2. They are Regenerated in the same manner as we were Regenerated for saith Justin Martyr they are then washed in Water in the Name of the Father of all things and Lord God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit And then he proceeds to some extent in explaining and shewing the reason of all this so that here appears not any intent that he had to conceal any thing that was in use amongst them But notwithstanding Justin Martyr's reservedness in the Doctor 's opinion the Doctor meets with some general expressions which incline him to believe they had Forms in his time He will not insist upon his saying they prayed for the Conversion of the Jews and the Deliverance of the Gentiles from their errors and for all men though these are pieces of Antient Litany I only ask whether these things cannot be prayed for unless people be bound up to the constant use of particular prescribed words And whether there be any evidence that Justin Martyr borrowed this account from any Litany The Doctor next observes that when Justin Martyr speaks of the bringing the newly Baptized person to the place where the Faithful Worshipped God P. 32. he saith they there made Common Prayers for themselves for the person Baptized Just Mar. Apol. 2. and for all other men every where with great fervency Now saith the Doctor Common Prayers do signify Forms that are known to all and in which all may joyn But I answer the question is not what Common Prayers do signifie now but whether Justin Martyr by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did mean set prescribed Forms which they must constantly use and from which they must not on any account vary Here doth not appear any thing to incline us to think he meant prescribed Forms But his very next words intimate the Reason why he called them Common Prayers They made Common Prayers for themselves for the person Baptized and for all other men every where viz. because they did all hold Communion in offering up Prayers to God and their Prayers were not limited to themselves but did extend to the whole Community of Mankind What the Doctor doth here alledge out of Ignatius hath been considered already what he produceth out of St. Cyprian shall be considered when I come to his quotations out of that Author where you will meet again with this same passage In the next place the Doctor reports a passage which Mr. Clarkson cites out of Justin Martyr P. 33. about which they do both make some stir The passage is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The President in like manner offers up Prayers and Thanksgivings as well as he is able Mr. Clarkson urges this as a proof that he who did officiate in the Publick Worship was not tied up to the use of Prescribed Forms but did pray and give thanks according to his ability And he produceth many testimonies to prove that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used doth import so much The Doctor undertakes to prove that that phrase doth signifie otherwise in this place For saith the Doctor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answers to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the place before cited and that declares the Prayers at Baptism He should have said after Baptism were made servently or with all their might He endeavours to confirm this interpretation by producing some other passages where the phrase seems to be of this importance And then determines that When we desire the several things prayed for in a Form with all the earnestness and vigor we can we may properly be said to pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as we are able or to the utmost of our power So that the power here spoken of refers to the affections and not to the phrases and expressions of him that prays To all this I have these things to
a Rule for it He saith there was also some kind of uniformity in their Sacramental Prayers P. 5. that is a general agreement to pray for the same things Idem tho not in the same words He expresly relates what it is which is the point in dispute P. 2. And declares That by prescribing Forms are meant such as are imposed upon the Administrator so as those must be used and no other nor otherwise without adding detracting or transposing This saith Mr. Clarkson is it which is denied P. 6. That in the Ancient Church for many ages after Christ such Liturgies and Forms of Prayer were commonly imposed on those who administred the Sacraments as are before described Thus you see what was denied as well as what was granted by Mr Clarkson and therefore what the Doctor was to prove If the Doctor 's quotations be not home to this point they do not reach that for which he doth pretend to produce them And whether for the first three Centuries his Authorities do amount to a proof of what is in dispute yea or so much as of Forms of Prayer you may conclude as you shall see fit when you have considered the following account of them Before I enquire into the passages the Doctor doth quote for the proof of Liturgies in the particular Centuries as they come in their order I will take notice of a few passages which occur in his Discourse concerning the Grounds for Liturgies in Holy Scripture which takes up some Pages before he makes his entrance on the First Century The Doctor saith the Holy Bible makes it appear P. 2. that the People of God from the beginning did generally use Forms of Prayer and Praises in their Publick worship Now supposing this to be true to make it reach the present purpose he should prove they did not nor might not use any Prayers or Praises but those very Forms Idem Yea saith the Doctor God prescribes a Form of Prayer for the penitent Jews and charges them to take words with them and turn to the Lord and say Take away all Iniquity c. Hos 14.2 3 4. 'T is true God doth command them to use words in their Prayers and directs them what sort of words to use but let the Doctor answer when he thinks fit whether God doth bind them to use no words but what are there mentioned But further Forms of Prayer and Praise were indited by the Spirit of God for the publick service of the Temple and commanded by the Lord to be used there Is the inference from hence plain and just Therefore men may devise Prayers of their own and oblige the Church to use these and none but these The Doctor refers to Doctor Hammond and Doctor Lightfoot for proof that the Jews had a fixed Liturgy whether their proof be solid touching that matter would be too great a diversion to inquire But if occasion required I should not be afraid to undertake to produce the Authorities those two Learned Doctors build their proof upon for some things the Learned will not allow we must acquiesce in upon their testimony I will not insist on the difference betwixt the Jewish and Christian Church-State For we may suppose Forms might be of general use among the Jews and yet there be no necessity of an express abrogation of that way to warrant peoples addressing themselves publickly to God in another way than by stinted Forms For Prayer being commanded and there being two ways wherein this duty might be performed viz. by stinted Forms and by expressing themselves truly according to general Occasions and particular Emergencies There appears not any necessity that the use of Forms as to the Lawfulness thereof must of necessity be abrogated in order to it 's being Lawful to use the other way P. 5 6. But if we would prosecute the Doctors way of Arguing on this occasion aright somthing else will follow than what the Doctor doth conclude even what the Doctor I am perswaded would not be very willing to stand to For seeing the Jews did worship God acceptably c. by set Forms and Christ and his Apostles did joyn in these Forms and never reprove the Jews for using them The most obvious inference will be That Christians must now use those very Forms and none but them unless those Forms be abrogated and a positive institution of other Forms be left upon Record either in the Gospels or Epistles For by the Doctors discourse the Disciples had Forms of Prayers which must certainly be Jewish Forms and Christ only taught them another Form which they were to add to those they had before yea according to what the Doctor relates the Lord Jesus when he provided his Disciples a New Form to be added to the rest was not only so far from discharging people and setting his Disciples free from the stinted way of Liturgies but from their obligation to the Jewish Forms That he would consine himself in the very Prayer he made them whereby they were to be known from all others to be his Disciples to the Jewish Liturgy so that there should not be one sentence in his Prayer but what he took out of the Jewish Prayers then in use Now those who devote themselves to such notions as these may do well to consider whether if it be so as the Doctor reportes that Christ took every sentence of his Prayer out of the Jewish Prayers and taught it his Disciples that they might add it to their other Forms which were Jewish the obligation to use this as a Form of Prayer and to use those other Forms to which they were to add it be not of equal duration But alas whether will some mens pretences to reading hurry them What work will be made of Christianity if the forced conceptions of some men who would be thought to have read much must be entertained Some do represent matters in such a manner as if they had a mind to perswade people that the Lord Jesus was anointed with the Spirit only to supply the meanness of his education not to inable him to form and compose a Prayer himself but only to collect and cull sentences out of other peoples Prayers and then put them together into one form Not many years ago other matters were represented at such a rate by another hand as if the Spirit had been given to the Apostles to furnish them immediately because they had not been bred to such matters with Philosophical notions and some critical niceties and particularly was given to St. John to inable him to write his Epistle in a Platonick strain How far this sort of dealing may serve a particular interest for a while I will not inquire But it hath no probable tendency to promote the main design of Christianity The Doctor saith that Christ in giving his Disciples a new Form when they desired him to teach them to pray and Coppying the several Petitions out the Jewish
only for private use What hinders but if those variations are proper to answer the ends for which they were devised viz. the helping of people to perform the duty of Prayer with more understanding and better affections other variations in publick may be equally useful If P. 16. as the Doctor doth grant every good man may by the ordinary assistance of the spirit be moved to pray with Devotion and Fervency That is as I conceive may have his soul enlightned and possessed with a true apprehension and knowledge of his spiritual concernments and vigorously affected with them and carried out towards God in fervent desires inclinations and affections suitably to his present occasions What reason can be rendered why he may not by the ordinary assistance of the spirit be inabled to express his inward resentments in proper expressions The gift of utterance being the gift of the spirit as well as other gifts Mens discourses are usually answerable to their apprehensions and affections What we darkly apprehend we express obscurely and what we understand distinctly and clearly we discourse of plainly The principal thing indeed in Prayer is the frame and actings of our Souls the inward exercise of Faith Repentance Love and other Graces But saith the Doctor any good man may act these in the use of a Form And therefore may pray in or by the Spirit in the use of a Form But I say it must still be noted that if a man be to pray with others and that which we are now discoursing is concerning one that by way of Office is to perform this duty in the hearing of others so as to have them joyn with him in this performance he must use words and if he restrain himself to the words devised and put together by others and these words do not so well express and represent the sense he hath and which others should have of what is the matter of Prayer as others which do occur unto him and which he could very pertinently make use of for that purpose he cannot be truly said to pray in or by the Spirit according to the full import of that phrase But saith the Doctor then no man in the Publick Assemblies doth pray in the Spirit but the Minister for the Minister alone conceives the Prayer and it is a Form to the whole Congregation who must pray in his words To which I answer That the matter in dispute at present is only concerning him that officiates Besides it is not a Form to the Congregation taking a Form in the sense we are now discoursing of But the Congregation may joyn in the Spiritual Performance of this Duty acting graces suitably to the occasions which are administred and improving for this purpose the Abilities God hath bestowed upon others in order to the furthering and promoting of their devotion This is the work which pertains unto the Congregation at that time they not being called to express vocally their inward resentments during the Ministers officiating in this performance in the fittest expressions they are able The Doctor seems to be of the opinion that in the Apostles days there was an extraordinary gift of Prayer which some did partake of and that their Prayers were Divine Revelations They being immediately furnished by the Spirit both with the Matter and Words of their Prayers and that these Prayers were written down and after that gift failed they were preserved and used by the Church and were transmitted down to us by their Successors So that by this sort of discoursing our Liturgies are Divine Revelations But the Doctor hath none of the Ancients but St. Chrysostom to vouch for an Extraordinary Gift of Prayer in the Primitive Times This is certain before the Liturgies now extant or any part of them which is not expresly contained in the Books of the Old and New Testament will be owned by good Christians and sound Protestants for Divine Revelations very substantial particular proof must be made of their being such To father Liturgies in such an arrogant presumptuous manner on the Holy Spirit is not the way to bring them into credit with judicious and serious people It may effectually provoke God to pour forth in a little time so much contempt upon them they shall never get into repute any more This is further certain that our latest Liturgies have some prayers in them which by the very make of them any ordinary person may perceive they were not composed by Divine Inspiration And if the other could be proved to be of such an original surely these will not deserve to be thought the more venerable meerly because they have been added unto them Having said thus much concerning some passages in the Doctors Introduction before he enters upon the First Century I will now briefly consider the Testimonies he doth alledge for Liturgies In the First Century And he labours first of all to prove what he hath undertaken P. 28 c. by asserting that the Essenes who have been believed by divers learned men to be Christians had Forms of Prayer for Josephus saith they used Prayers which they received from their Forefathers which must be Forms and Philo saith they did sing alternately and Eusebius calls these the Hymns sung amongst us Christians And that excellent Historian labours to prove these Essenes were Christians by this Argument amongst some others Because they prayed and sung Hymns in set Forms as the Christians use to do Euscb Hist lib. 2. c. 17. Thus far the Doctor And I do readily acknowledge that Fusebius doth indeavour from what he sinds in Philo to prove the Essenes to be Christians And particularly from their way of singing Psalms and Hymns But he doth not say one word of their having set Forms of Prayers That they prayed in set Forms as the Christians use to do is the Doctor 's own saying for Fusebius doth neither say the Essenes had Forms of Prayers nor that the Christians did use any And yet Eusebius doth say That Philo's Book doth comprehend in it the Rules of the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Valefius thinks this doth import that that Book did contain in it all the Rules or Canons which were observed by the Christian Church in Eusebius's time Further Eusebius doth gather out of that Book what he thought was proper to shew how exactly these Essenes and the Christians did agree in their Ecclesiastical Affairs as he himself assures us in the Chapter before referred unto And yet saith not one word of praying by set Forms which rather intimates there were no set Forms of Prayer used by the Christians in his time seeing he omits the mention of the Forms the Essenes used if as Josephus reports the Essenes had Forms of Prayer In the next place the Doctor thinks he hath a proof of Liturgies in Clemens Romanus But whoever considers Clemens will soon perceive that the passages the Doctor hath been pleased to quote are nothing at all to the present purpose
were exprest freely according as the occasion required I shall leave the indifferent Reader when he peruseth what the Doctor hath said about this matter to conclude as he shall see fit whether the Doctor hath cleared this Passage to his satisfaction For I think the Question is not whether those words he relates there were the very words they constantly used on that occasion but whether there was a Prayer ready prescribed for that occasion If there were not and they did ordinarily pray for the things mentioned without being confined to use the same words every time do you judge whether this Passage do make more for the Doctor or Mr. Clarkson It is in my judgment but a poor answer for the Doctor to insinuate P. 70. that a Primate may occasionally pray without a prescribed Form but inferiour Priests may not unless Ministerial abilities are not to be exercised proportionably to the measure in which God hath conferred the same but accordingly as those who have them can climb up towards the top of Ecclesiastical Dignity and Preferment His second Allegation saith the Doctor out of St. Cyprian for such occasional Prayers is P. 71. that there are also mention of such occasional Prayers in the Epistle to Moses and Maximus but he durst not saith the Doctor cite the place at large which only speaks of private Prayers made by these Confessors in prison c. Now because the Doctor hath such a mind to have the place cited at large I will do it and then leave you to judge whether it only speaks of private Prayers or whether the Passage do speak at all of the Prayers of these Confessors Mr. Clarkson refers to the particular Epistle and the words are these Et nos quidem vestri diebus ac noctibus Cypr. epist ad Mos Maxim me mores quando in sacrificiis precem cum pluribus facimus cum in secessu privatis precibus oramus coronis ac laudibus vestris plenam domini faventiam postulamus There is one instance more P. 71. the Doctor takes notice of and seems to be in some passion with Mr. Clarkson about it Now the matter stands thus Mr. Clarkson in one part of his Book is shewing that the Ancients were not so wedded to particular words and phrases as some have been in latter years And to give some proof of this he doth shew amongst other instances that they did not conceive Christ had so tied them up in the Administration of Baptism that they must necessarily use just those very words he had set down relating to this matter in the Gospel but that they had leave to vary their expressions and change those words related in the Gospel for others provided they did not change the sence He shews they did ordinarily vary in several particulars and amongst the rest he saith some thought themselves not obliged to Baptise expresly in the name of the Sacred Trinity so as to name every person as they are mentioned Mat. 28.19 but in the name of Christ or of the Lord Jesus or of the Lord. He farther adds and this supposed to be the practice of the best times hath great Advocates He names several who are and were far enough from being lookt upon as Hereticks Afterwards he quotes this very Passage in St. Cyprian which creates the Doctor so much disturbance The Doctor seems to be displeased because Mr. Clarkson did not quote the Passage entire P. 72. without leaving out any words and then tells us St. Cyprians words are these How then do some say who are cut of the Church yea against the Church that if a Pagan be any where or any way Baptised in the name of Christ Jesus he may obtain the Remission of Sins And hereupon the Doctor falls into a warm sort of short talk about Hereticks and Schismaticks Now St. Cyprians words are these Quomodo ergo quidam dicunt Cypr. ad Jubai foris extra ecclesiam modo in nomine Jesu Christi ubicunque quemodocunque gentilem Baptizatum Remissionem peccatorum consequi posse I will not dispute whether the Doctor hath translated this Passage as it ought to be translated though I do not know any necessity that there is that foris extra ecclesiam must be used as explanatory of quidam But all that Mr. Clarkson brought this Passage for was to prove that some in St. Cyprians days were of the above mentioned opinion And I think the quotation is full to that point He did not produce this place to prove they were Orthodox in St. Cyprians Judgement but he doth expresly declare St Cyprian did not allow it yet I am not sensible that it doth follow they were either Hereticks or Schismaticks because foris extra ecclesiam is in this sentence The Doctors next proof for Liturgies is from the account St. Basil gives concerning Gregory Thaumaturgus P. 72. who was so much for a Liturgy that we have the testimony of St. Basil saith the Doctor concerning him that he appointed a Form of Prayer for that Church of Noeocesarea from which they would not vary in one Ceremony or in a Word nor would they add one mystical Form to those which he had left them Now the Case was thus St. Basil was proving the Divinity of the Holy Spirit Basil de Spir. sancto cap. 29. from the Ancients Ascribing Glory and Power to the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit And having named several of the Ancients who had taught that Glory and Power were to be Ascribed to the Spirit as well as to the Father and the Son he at last mentions Gregory the Great and proves that he was of the same mind from the present practice of that Church And to make it appear they had not varied from the Doctrine of that great man he reports the profound respect the people of that Country still had for him P. 73. So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as the Doctor relates in his Margin they would not add any Practice any Word or any mystical Form in the Church to what he had left with them By which I conceive he means that they did strictly observe that way and method for their ordinary Worship and kept strictly to those Doctrines and that way of Administring the Sacrament which were in use in Gregories time But he doth not say one word of Gregorie's appointing a Form of Prayer for that Church Nor does it follow that because they Worshiped God in the same manner a great many years after Gregory wherein they worshipped him in his time that therefore they used the very words he used Whereas it is said they did not add a word to what he left with them that doth not relate to their Prayers but to the Doctrine he taught for here St. Basil is speaking of the Divinity of the Holy Spirit and proving that Doctrine And in other places St. Basil takes notice how tenacious they were
of the Words in which Gregory did deliver the Doctrines of Christianity unto them particularly to prove his own Doctrine to be the same with what Gregory did teach Epist 75. he alledged his having learned from Macrina the Doctrines of Faith in the very words wherein Gregory had delivered them If it shall be said he is here proving the Divinity of the Holy Spirit by a part of their Worship viz. their ascribing Glory and Power to God what can be inferred from thence is but this That Gregory had taught them when they did ascribe Glory and Power to the Father and Son to add also With the Holy Spirit St. Basil farther adds They were so tenacious of what Gregory had taught and practised amongst them they would not depart from that simplicity in the Celebrating of the Worship of God which he observed though a more Pompous and Ceremonious way did prevail in other Churches and which some thought did better suit with the alteration of their circumstances But here you may take notice that St. Basil doth not alledge any Liturgy Gregory had composed for them but only pleads the present usage of that Church and argues it was the same in Gregories days not because they had a Liturgy of his Composing but because their respect to him all along to the present time was such they would not suffer any addition to be made to the method or order he observed or to the Doctrines he had taught To me it appears plain that there was not any Liturgy of Gregories Composing St. Basil could produce for his present purpose but finding something in the use of that Church which was pertinent to his business he alledges that and the better to inforce that allegation he urges the great probability there was that they received it from him and to put the more colour upon this he breaks forth into a Rhetorical Encomium on that Father and the great respect the people of that Country had for him So that the sentence the Doctor quotes only entertains us with an Hyperbolical account of the respect the people had for Gregory For St Basil himself doth speak much otherwise of this matter when it comes in his way upon a disserent occasion And particularly in that very Epistle the Doctor refers us to in the next place for a proof that this Gregory had appointed that Church a particular way of singing the Psalms P. 73. of which the Noeocesarean Clergy were so extreamly tenacious that when St. Basil would have brought in a better way they opposed him in it and objected that it was not so in the days of Gregory the Great 'T is true it was objected against that way of singing St. Basil would have introduced that it was not in use there in the time of Gregory But if you consider the Answer St. Basil makes to this Objection you will find him giving an account of the Noeocesareans very different from that we have in his Book de Spiritu Sancto Amongst other things which he saith Basil Epist 63. ad Cler. Noeoces he peremptorily enquires By what Testimonies will they make it evident that those things which he recommends to them were not in use in the time of Gregory Now assuredly this was a very strange sort of question if he knew they had a Liturgy of Gregory's Composing which they constantly made use of Or if they had but an Order of his framing which they were strictly to observe in the several parts of their Worship Yea he tells them to whom he Writes that they had not preserved any of those instances then used pure and uncorrupt unto that time moreover he very plainly intimates that there was no way to make a true judgment of what Gregory did but by consulting the Holy Scriptures When he mentions several particulars which he affirms concerning Gregory he doth not quote his Liturgy his Rubrick c. but express words of Scripture particularly he saith That Gregory Prayed with his Head uncovered Now how doth he prove this Not from any order Gregory had made concerning this matter but because the Apostle had said Every man Praying or Prophecying with his Head covered dishonoureth his Head And Gregory saith he was a genuine Disciple of the Apostles Thus you have an account of those two Passages the Doctor doth quote out of St. Basil And you may now judge whether it be possible to have a clearer proof in the World for Prescribed Forms than this And whether the Doctor had any occasion given him from these Allegations to break forth into such a Vaunting Discourse as he entertains his Reader with upon his having produced these quotations As for what the Doctor quotes out of Eusebius concerning Paulus Samosatenus It only concerns Hymns and I am not sensible that the way of arguing is cogent That because people do sing Hymns composed to their hands therefore they do or must necessarily pray by prescribed Forms One might think the Precentor of York should understand the difference there is betwixt praying and singing if any knowledge of the nature and use of singing of framing the voice into a regular melodious tunable sound in order to the raising of the affections be at all necessary to that Character And a due consideration of that might have prevented a great many tautologies which are to be found in his Scholastical History and would have made his Discourse much shorter than it is though it must have deprived the Reader of many of those flights which it may be the Doctor conceits are very graceful But if you have a mind to peruse the Passage the Doctor speaks of in Eusebius if you consult Valesius his Edition you must not look for it where the Doctor 's Margin directs but in lib. 7. cap. 30. I shall add no more saith the Doctor in this Century P. 76. but to observe that in the Epistle of Dionysius of Alexandria recorded by Eusebius it appears to have been the general usage of the Church for every one of the People to Say Amen when they heard the Priest offer them the Sacrament Euseb Hist Eccles lib. 6. cap. 35. p. 180. and say The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ c. which was a Form so universally used in all Churches of the world that we may conclude it was enjoyned by all Liturgies What Edition of Eusebius the Doctor made use of I do not know But his Margin gives me no assistance for the finding of the place he speaks of The Form the Doctor saith was so universally used I suppose is these words The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ c. Now I do not remember that Eusebius doth any where in his Sixth Book report either from Dionysius or any other that those words were universally used on the occasion the Doctor mentions But there is a passage in his Sixth Book which hath something of what the Doctor mentions whether that be the place the Doctor means I