offerings and drink-offerings, signified by the cup and table of the Lord, were also sacrifices in the Apostle's estimation ; otherwise, the contrast he has instituted is greatly defective. As the meat-offerings and drink-offerings presented upon the table of devils were sacrifices, so were the bread and wine upon the table of the Lord; and, consequently, these were called oblation or sacrifice Προσφορα οι Θυσία. The former corresponds to the generic Hebrew term Mencha, which includes sacrifice as well as any other kind of offering; the latter, Zebeh, answers, in the Septuagint, to Ovora, sacrifice. The verb of the same root signifies to slay in general, whether for sacrifice or for food,-but most frequently for sacrifice.

Romanists endeavour to bolster up the pretended sacrifice of the Mass, by insisting that voia, sacrifice, necessarily implies the death of the victim;-but it will be easy to shew that Ouoia is much more extensive in its signification than its Hebrew correspondent. For, besides the slaying of food, it often signifies offerings in general, and is thus synonymous with Пgospoga, oblation. In reply to the Romish plea, and in proof that Ovora, sacrifice, has a general as well as special signification, it will be sufficient, at present, to mention Plato's definition of sacrifice: "To sacrifice is to make a present to the gods."*

In Acts xxiv. 17, Пgoopoga signifies alms or gifts; and in Philipp. iv. 18, the same thing is denoted by voia. It was already stated, that as the drink and meat-offerings, signified by the cup and table of devils, were idol sacrifices, so must the bread and wine, signified by the table and cup of the Lord, be regarded as a sacrifice, if we would

* Το Θυειν δωρεισθαι εσται τοις θεοις. Plato in Euthyphron.

P. 10.

maintain the congruity and conclusiveness of the Apostle's reasoning. Oblation and sacrifice are therefore names applicable to the sacramental bread and wine. But how they came to be thus used, and the sense in which they are applied, may be further illustrated, by considering what is said in Ephesians v. 2; "Christ loved us, and gave himselfПgoopоgav naι Ovoravan offering and a sacrifice for us." Here, the general term "offering," and the more specific term "sacrifice”—which has its meaning often restricted to that kind of offering made by the death of the victim-are both combined, to shew, that all that could, in the most extensive, or in the most minute sense, come under the name sacrifice, is comprehended and accomplished in the one great atoning sacrifice. And lest it should be supposed, that though oblation and sacrifice are combined to designate the sacrifice of Christ, but yet that each marks a special portion or relation of it, let it be further observed, . that in Heb. x. 12, it is said, " Christ offered, av volav, one sacrifice for sins," which in the 14th v. is called, "av Igorcogav, one offering, by which he perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Here the Lord's dying for our redemption is called an offering and sacrifice; and the sense in which they are applied is expressly and positively limited by the word one. Christ died but once; and therefore oblation and sacrifice implying death, must necessarily be restricted by one. Consequently, it can only be by metonymy that they are given to the bread and wine, which are the symbols whereby, according to the Lord's own appointment, his death is to be shewn forth. There was, in reality, but one actual Passover, namely, the Angel's passing by the Israelites, whilst he smote the Egyptians, and the deliverance from bondage next accomplished; yet the festi

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val which the Jews celebrated annually for a Sign and Memorial of that great deliverance, obtained its name, and was called the Passover. In like manner, Christ offered but one sacrifice for sin; yet, just as in the preceding case, the names oblation and sacrifice are applied to the sacramental service, in which the Lord's dying for our redemption is commemorated. What more appropriate name could be given to the memorial of our redemption, than that significative of the means by which it was accomplished?

In this way, the application of the terms "oblation and sacrifice" to the sacramental bread and wine, may be satisfactorily explained, and the sense in which they are used be clearly determined. And since such a use of them is so natural, and so entirely scriptural, being implied or understood in 1st Cor. x. 16-21; and being strictly analogous to the language of inspiration respecting the Passover, we feel strongly persuaded that these are the causes which led to the use of them, rather than the unimportant circumstance, doctrinally speaking, that either lay or sacerdotal oblations preceded the celebration of the Sacrament in the Primitive Church. At the same time, there is no doubt but that these names were also applied to the gifts brought by the people, and to the minister's presentation of them upon the altar; but this was only relatively, and by extension of their strict and principal meaning. Oblation and sacrifice were names assigned to the Eucharist in the first century,* and have continued to be so ever since.

But in the writings of many of the Fathers in the ancient Church, there are various expletive and qualifying adjuncts attached to them, which variety of combination most completely disproves the Romish pretence, that the natural body

* See the Epistles of Clemens and Ignatius.

of Jesus Christ is sacrificed every time the Sacrament is celebrated. Thus Augustine, on one occasion, combines sacrifice with the name of the object which the faithful con template in the Sacrament; and, accordingly, giving to the sign the name of the thing signified, calls it," the sacrifice of Christ's body and blood, which men may receive, and yet be wicked.”* It cannot be doubted, that bread and wine are here meant by Christ's body and blood, because the wicked are not partakers of Christ's mystical body.Besides, to sacrifice is to give something unto God, not to receive. A parallel passage occurs in Cyprian's 63 Epistle. "The sacrifice that we offer is the passion of our Lord."-In both these examples, the sign is confounded with the thing signified-the memorial with the deed commemorated. Augustine, on another occasion, conjoins with sacrifice the names of the substances appointed to be the commemorative symbols of the sacrifice of the cross. "The holy Catholic Church offers continually to Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the sacrifice of bread and wine in faith and love."+ Elsewhere, imitating the style of Paul, he omits all terms directly indicating or characterising the sacrifice of the cross, or the symbols by which it is commemorated, and joins to sacrifice the name of the place where the sacrament is dispensed, and calls it, "The oblation or sacrifice of the altar," which is exactly parallel to Paul's saying, "Ye cannot eat of the table of the Lord," &c. On the whole, then, it is most manifest, that the bread and wine are styled a sacrifice, because they are the signs of

August. cont. Cresconius, apud Aubertin, p. 5.

† De Fide ad Petrum, c. 19.

Christ's sacrifice; according to the saying of Augustine, “That which is universally denominated sacrifice is the Sign of the true sacrifice."

Had the bread and wine been a true sacrifice, either in themselves simply, or after being transubstantiated, as Romanists pretend,† how could the ancient Christians have answered the Jews and Pagans, who reproached them with having no sacrifices, as Justin Martyr does, saying, “That the prayers and thankgivings of believers and saints are the only perfect sacrifices and acceptable to God, and that they are the only sacrifices Christians have been taught to offer even when they celebrate the Eucharist ?" then, they appear to have kept in mind the fundamental law of Evangelical worship-"God is a Spirit; and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Thus,

The apostle's exhortation to "present your bodies a living sacrifice"-Ovora-(Rom. xii. 1.) embraces the entire sum of spiritual worship which Christians, considered as individuals, offer unto God. The Church or aggregate community of the faithful is likewise called a sacrifice or offering Igoopoga, (Rom. xv. 16; Isaiah, lxvi. 20; 1st Cor. x. 17.)-These sacrifices are styled living, partly, perhaps, in contra-distinction to the victims slain under the law, but chiefly because the subjects of them are regenerated, being born of the Spirit. They once were

* Illud quod omnibus appellatur sacrificium, Signum est veri sacrificii. De Civit. Dei, lib. x. c. 6.

†The Romanists, who maintain that the bread and wine are transubstantiated into Christ's body and blood, in order to be the sacrifice of his body and blood, must, if they would be consistent, maintain, likewise, that they are also transubstantiated back again into bread and wine, to be the sacrifice of bread and wine, and are also transubstantiated into the altar or table, to be the sacrifice of the altar.

See Howe's Discourse upon this text.