hath been said, that neither the Canon of the Mass, rightly understood, includeth in it any such points of Romish religion, as some imagine, but in sundry, yea, in all the capital differences, between us and them of the Roman faction, witnesseth for us, and against them; and that the Prelates and guides of the Church formerly made no such construction of it, as now is made. . . . For the Canon of the Mass, rightly understood, is found to contain nothing in it contrary to the rule of faith, and the profession of the Protestant Churches; . . and the construction that they now make of the word sacrifice, so often used in it, appeareth to be a mere perverting of the meaning of the Canon to a sinister sense, never intended by the authors of it, nor ever allowed by the best men in the Church. This Canon, notwithstanding, is found to have some passages, that, in the judgment of men rightly learned, cannot well have any true meaning, unless the old custom of offering bread and wine on the LORD's table, out of which the Sacrament may be consecrated, be restored; so that those parts, that custom being discontinued, may well be omitted. Some other parts are obscure, and need explication, which being added or inserted, it will differ little or nothing from those forms of consecration of those holy mysteries, that now are in use in the Reformed Churches of England, and some other places, therefore brought in because in later ages many things were added to the Canon anciently in use, which the best and gravest in the Church thought fit to be taken away, and a new form of divine service to be composed. So that the Church that formerly was having no different judgment touching matters dogmatical, no liking of those abuses in practice, which some had brought in, and wishing things to be brought to such a course as Protestants now have brought them, it may well be said to have been a Protestant Church, in such sort as I have formerly shewed.-pp. 210-221.

Yet let us see what it is that this grave censurer reprehendeth.. for first, as he saith.. we have no altar. . we admit no sacrifice. . . . For answer whereunto, I say briefly, (for he deserveth no large answer) that we have altars in the same sort the Fathers had, though we have thrown down Popish altars: that we

admit the Eucharist to be rightly named a Sacrifice, though we detest the blasphemous construction the Papists make of it.— p. 761.

BUCKERIDGE, BISHOP.-Discourse concerning Kneeling at the

Communion'.

The first reason then is this: It is Pars cultus Dei, a part of divine worship; in which sense I understand not the worship of GOD in a large sense, for every act that concurreth in the worship of God; but in a more near and proper sense, as it doth exhibit and offer up somewhat to God...Now the Sacrament is a part of God's worship... in which, as GoD offereth to us His Son in His Death and Passion, and the graces of the HOLY SPIRIT, so we offer to Him ourselves.

In Baptism... we offer up ourselves and our children to be sons of God by grace... The like is done in the Eucharist. .. we there give and offer up our whole selves a holy and living Sacrifice acceptable to GOD, which is our reasonable service of Him... In which respect the Fathers call this Sacrament Latreiam, divine worship." While we do show the death of the Only Begotten Son of God, that is, JESUS CHRIST, and His resurrection from the dead, and His assumption into heaven, we profess to perform the unbloody worship of God in the Church "... so saith St. Cyril. And St. Augustine saith:-"We do owe to GOD that service, which in Greek is called divine worship, either in certain sacraments or in ourselves." Again, "The oblation of Sacrifice pertaineth ad cultum latreise, to divine worship." And again; "Sacrifice is divine worship." And again; "Infants know not that which is set upon the altar, and performed in the celebration of piety:" where this Sacrament is called "piety."

As, in the law, circumcision did consecrate and seal the seed of Abraham to GOD; and the Passover did prepare them to the sacrifice of GOD in the wilderness; yea, and this Passover is called Religio, Religion; "what is this service?" Exod. xii. 26. and Victima transitus Domini, ver. 27. "the Sacrifice of the LORD's

1 Subjoined to a Sermon preached before his Majesty at Whitehall, March 22nd, 1617, touching prostration and kneeling in the worship of God. 1618.

Passover." And Exod. xiii. 10. Custodies hujusmodi cultum, "thou shalt observe this ordinance, or form of worship:" so in the Gospel, Baptism doth regenerate and consecrate us to God; and the Eucharist doth offer us up in sacrifice to Him. And this Sacrament may better be called an act of religion or piety, and the Sacrifice of the LORD's Passover, since that was typus agni Paschalis, a type of the Paschal lamb, and here are offered membra agni Paschalis, the members of the Paschal lamb.

And this offering up of ourselves to Him, is indeed the true and daily Sacrifice of the Christian Church, which being the mystical body of CHRIST, cannot offer CHRIST's natural Body, which CHRIST offered once for all upon the Cross; but offereth His mystical body, that is herself, by CHRIST her High Priest and Head, unto God, as St. Peter saith (1 Peter ii. 5.), of which I shall speak more in the next reason. pp. 38-44.

The second reason, it is Sacrificium, or congeries Sacrificiorum, a Sacrifice, or rather a collection and gathering together, a sum or epitome of all the Sacrifices of Christianity. And Sacrifice was ever to be offered with all humility of soul and body, and therefore with kneeling, the true gesture and representation of humility.

I would not be mistaken, as if I spake in favour of any external daily Sacrifice of the Church, such as the Jews had in time of the law; for the one Sacrifice of CHRIST, Once offered upon the Cross, hath made a full and perfect redemption, and needs no new Sacrifice, nor reiteration of the old to perfect it. . . .

The Church, according to CHRIST's commandment, keeps the memory of this offering in this Sacrament: "Do this in remem. brance of Me:" but she doth not reiterate the action, or take upon her to offer the body of CHRIST : . In which respect I cannot sufficiently marvel at Bellarmine's subtilty, that will have this Sacrament to be an external proper Sacrifice, not only as the name Sacrifice doth signify rem sacrificatam, the thing sacrificed, that is, CHRIST crucified, which is there truly given and received; but also as it doth signify actionem sacrificii, or sacrificandi, the action of sacrifice : so that the action of CHRIST's Sacrifice on the Cross, and of the Priest's in the Host, must be one and the same action. . . . .

And as absurd is his other conceit, that one and the same action should be res et repræsentatio rei, the thing and the representation of the thing...... Surely in this conceit Bellarmine is a plain sophister, and no logician; for he doth instance only in this particular of this Sacrament, that it is the representation of CHRIST'S Sacrifice upon the Cross, as CHRIST and all antiquity call it; and the very Sacrifice itself or action of the Sacrifice; .... so that, if the Sacrament be the representation of the true, proper, and external Sacrifice of the Church, then it cannot be the Sacrifice itself.

And the truth is, that the Church hath ever offered true sacrifices, and that in this Sacrament; but, as St. Peter speaketh, they be hostiæ spirituales, "spiritual Sacrifices, acceptable unto GOD, per Jesum Christum, by JESUS CHRIST:" so the Church offereth her daily spiritual Sacrifice, not Jesum, but per Jesum Christum, not JESUS CHRIST, (He only hath power to offer Himself,) but by JESUS CHRIST her High Priest, by whom they are presented unto, and accepted of GOD. But although this Sacrifice be not an external proper Sacrifice, as our adversaries would make it, yet it hath in it spiritual Sacrifices of divers sorts, all which require all humility of soul and body in the offerers. For to say nothing of the elements, that were in all times and ages brought by the people in sportulis, in little baskets, and so in a sort offered up to be consecrated for the uses of the congregation, which is now done by public charge; there are besides divers other spiritual Sacrifices in the whole action of the ministration of this Sacrament.

First then, as the sacrifices of the law had a double respect; first, as they were offered up to GoD; secondly, as they were communicated and eaten by those men that offered them: so this Sacrament of the LORD's Supper, which contains a commemoration of CHRIST's one and only all-sufficient Sacrifice, consummated upon the Cross, and never more to be reiterated by any man, hath the same double respect in it; and therefore as it is represented to God by our consecration, so it may well be called Sacrificium repræsentativum, or commemorativum, a representative, or commemorative Sacrifice. And that is warranted in the words of our SAVIOUR. "Do this, in Mei commemorationem, in

remembrance of Me, or of My death;" and so expounded by the Apostle," so often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, annunciatis mortem Domini, ye show forth, or represent and commemorate the LORD's death till He come." And as it is received by us, it may be called Sacrificium communicativum, a communicative Sacrifice, or the communication or application of that Sacrifice that was offered for us on the Cross, and that is most plain in the Apostle; "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the Blood of CHRIST? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the Body of CHRIST ?" So that though there be not idem Sacrificium, the same Sacrifice, as it denoteth the action of sacrificing or offering, which is here done only by way of representation, yet it is idem sacrificatum, the same thing sacrificed; CHRIST crucified, that is, represented to GOD, and communicated to us.

And surely every one that doth desire to be heard, and therefore concludes his prayers with these words, per Jesum Christum, Dominum nostrum, "through JESUS CHRIST Our LORD," doth represent and offer CHRIST crucified to GOD, and entreats remission and grace, through His Death and Passion. And CHRIST Our High Priest that sitteth at the right hand of GoD, doth at that instant execute His office, and make intercession for us, by representing His wounds and scars to His FATHER. In Baptism, in like manner, when we do consecrate and dedicate ourselves to God's service, we do as it were offer up CHRIST crucified by way of representation, as if we did explicate and unfold the Passion of CHRIST at that time, desiring to be accepted for His sake. And that made St. Augustine to say," at that time every one offereth the Sacrifice of CHRIST'S Passion for His sins, when He is dedicated in the faith of that Passion:" and the manner he explicateth with quodam modo offert; "he offers in a sort," not properly but by way of representation and application. . . . But this Sacrament of the Body and Blood of CHRIST, as a more ample and perfect image, doth more fully represent CHRIST'S Death, and by way of memorial offer it to GoD, as being instituted and commanded for a representation and commemoration thereof. And this is generally received of antiquity, and so allowed by the Romish sacrificers, though they proceed further without ground or reason.