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in Extremis, dying at home, no Pricft or Priefts dare adminifter the Prayer- T. p. 357. Oyl to him; it is exprefly forbidden by my Canonarion to be given els ous Can Σπιθάνοντας Slávovτas to any dying Perfons what foever. This farther fhews that the Greeks lookt upon him who received it, as, Metavo@r, a Penitent, and as one capable of yet bearing at least fome meet fruit of his Repentance, which a dying Man is utterly incapable of.

P. 431. 2:

p. 464. a.

There were of old feven Priefts employ'd by the Latins themselves in their Extreme Unction, as A Lapide, Menardus, and others, nay, even Goar himfelf, acknowledge; and yet Sym. Theffal. is feverely taxed by him, because, in locum faith he, impiè affeverat, he impiously afferts that one Priest without the help p. 170. and affiftance of others cannot confer this Sacrament; But if there were originally in both Churches feven employ'd, the Greeks Practice is then most Catholick; and how can the Latins answer their dropping of fix, and reducing all to one? and if there were feven of old in both Churches, this must not only justify the present Greeks, but make my Conjecture yet more likely. The Sick were vifited by all about them; the more Pricfts amongst them, fo much the better. They all Pray'd, faith Arcudius, ut faciliùs impetrarent veniam, that they might more easily obtain Health and Pardon for the fick Perfon; that is, that their Prayers, according to St. James, might much more avail; every Priest might have his own Prayers, and his own Leffons; For want of Priests, other good People faid the Prayers and read fuch proper Portions of Scripture, Epifles or Gospels, as in feveral places had been pickt out as fuitable Leffons; without doubt great variety of good Forms of Prayer were compofcd and diftributed up and down and communicated mutually amongst them. I am beholden to Arcudius, who out of Matheus Galenus fully juftifies my Conjecture about p. 443. b. the Primitive Vifitation. Somethings, faith he, must be repeated from An- T. p. 358. tiquity, which as it was nearer to Apoftolical Tradition, fo it did apply and perform all things more Religiously. And at first it called together many Presbyters; but if they are not to be had, then thofe of the Inferior Orders of the Clergy were lookt for, quorum fi non fuiffet Copia, vocabantur utriufque fexus Religiofiffimi quique & omnium erat Idem labor extorquere Effectum Sacramenti; of whom if there were not Store, or fome, all the most Religious Perfons of both fexes were called, and it was one and the fame Labour, or Task, of them All to extort, or as it were Force out by Prayer, the Effect of the Sacrament. Here I think it most plain that, as I have faid, Priefts or the Clergy were chiefly to be called, but for want of them, (as in the beginning of Chriftianity they were few enough) all good People were to Vifit the Sick without them; and, even when with them, they were obliged joyntly to put up their Prayers with them for the Infirm Sinois Every win, A fervent, zealous Supplication indeed, which certainly no Man of fenfe, can allow to that pity full jejune Form (or rather faint with) of the Latins may the Lord by this Anoynting Pardon Thee.

This was

Ρ. συγ.

After Chryfoftom's time the Prayer Oyl and other Offices were contrived and taken up, as I have faid, upon feveral Occafions and to feveral ends. The Gofpels and Leffons in the Prayer Oyl, I have noted as I went along, and shall here add feveral others which are now daily used when Sick and Indifpofed People come to the Prieft in the Church, for a Gospel to be read and a Prayer to be faid over them. I have their Gofpels now in ufe printed at Venice; there these appointed to be read upon the Head of every one that Anno 16716 comes for Help, For Men, Luc. 9. 1. to the end of verf. 6. Matt. 10. 1, (2, 3, 4, omitted) to the end of verf. 8. For Women, Marc. 5. 24. to vers. I have a very fair and very large MS. Gospel, which (as I can prove) was of Manuli MS publick ufe, it was wrote in very large Letters, Anno Chrifti, 995. Indict. 8, P. 745. Here for Men. Marc. 11, 22. 26. Mat. 9, 36. to the end of c. 10. I. There is none particularly for Women, fo thefe I fuppofe were used for both. I have another, which I guess by the Hand was wrote, Sec. 12o. There for Men. Joh. MS. E. p.265 4. 46. 53. Marc. 6. 7. 13. For Women Mat. 8. 14. 15. Marc. 5.24. 34. I have b.

U u 2

34.

another

Goar 858.
P. 861.

T. p. 358. another from Prufa; I guefs by the Character that it was wrote Sec. 11. it is very large. There is written ἀνάγνωσμα εἰς ἀσθεν όντας ἄνδρας τε και γυναίκας α Leffon for the Infirm, both Men and Women. Mat. 8. 14. 17. Luc. 7. 1. 10. Luc. 8. 41. 56. John 4. 46. 54. Then follows this, A Gospel for the Infirm to be read at the Liturgy of the feven Presbyters, that is in the PrayerOyl; (but it is not there now, which fhews ftill greater Variation, and that that Office hath been altered) it is, Marc. 6 7. 13. In the Common Supplication is Luc. 1. 39 56. In another Copy of it, Luc. 1o. 38. to the end. This ftrange Variety of Prayers and Leffons, ftill makes me believe that they were used at first as good Pricfts in feveral Places had compofed them and chole thefe for their Sick; And the good People, in their abfence at the Vifitation, might (where they had more Prayers and Gofpels then one) use them all or which they pleafed. And the fame Liberty was left to the Prieft in reading the Gofpels over the Infirm Man's Head, if there were plurality; for in their printed Gofpel it is plainly left to the choice of the Pricft, xive of fore, Read which you will. This is a farther Demonftration that at first none of these Leffons and Prayers were fixt or prefcribed in any uniform Way, but every Prieft ufed what he had gotten by him. The Prayers as I have noted, are most of them devout and paffionate, and might be of very antient use before they were stufft with the Trumpery of following Agcs.

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The faying of these pious Prayers, and the reading of thefe Leffous to fick Men, exactly fets out the Primitive Vifitation which I contend for; and it is evident that they were defigned for fuch Perfons as had fo much Strength and Senfe left them as to be able to be attentive to them. 1 have the more induftrioufly fet thefe Leffons all down, that our English Minifters, or the fick Mens Friends or Neighbours, in their Vifitations might chufe out fome of them, and read them or difcourfe out of them to them. And one thing more I must remark, That all these Gofpels relate purely to the Recovery of Bodily Health and to the Strengthning of the Infirm Man's Faith; There is little or nothing of AbioT. p' 359 lution or Remiffion of Sins to a dying Man; which fhews moft plainly that thofe Antient Greeks who first chole thefe Gofpels, made the fick Man's Recovery the principal End and Defign of St. James his Prefcription, whereas the Cardinal makes that a meer Accidental thing; And fo all the Epiftles tend to move Mutual Help, mutual Comfort, Meekness, the fupporting of one another, Charity, Repentance, and future Holyness of Life; all which are proper Doctrines and Directions to Men only whilft they are in this Life, and in fuch a State of Strength and understanding as they may be able to receive them and practise them, All which to one, in Extremis, just a dying, would be like a Tale to a deaf Man, or a Lecture to a Man fast a fleep; This to me most evidently fhews that the primitive Greeks had quite another Notion of St. James his Direction, then what the Latins now have; but all this fuits most exactly and clearly with the Vifitation which I have described. Corn. a Lapide thus expounds it, Confeffion of Sins is to be made not only to Priefs, but to lay Brethren, either for the fake of mutual Reconciliation or from the ftudy of Humility, or to ask Advice and Help, or for a greater Bond of Charity, especially when their Diffolution and Death are approaching, Thus far is Right. But he hath cunningly prefixt this pure Jefuitical Diftinftion, This is only St. James his Counfel, not his Command; For my part I take St. James his Text to be all of a piece; if all be but meer Counfel, how come the Latins to pretend to make a true Sacrament out of it? if only Part of it is Counsel, and Part of it Command, I must confefs that I am not fo quickfighted as to diftinguifh one Part from the other. A little before he faith thus; We commonly fay, Teach one another, Cure one another, Support one another, Sacrifice for one another, to wit, let the Learned teach the unlearned, let Phyfitians cure the Sick; let the Rich fupport the Poor, let the Priests Sacrifice for the Laity, This alfo in a plain and honest Sense, is right enough, and fignify no more but this; That every one fhould affift

in locum

P. 173. 3.

fbid, a, D.

the

the Sick Man according as he is able, by instructing him; by giving him fuch T. p. 359. Receipts and Medicines as he knew of; by giving him (if Poor) what Alms he can fpare; by offering fervent Prayers for him, which every one is bound to do as well as the Pricft: But the Jefuit by using the word Sacrifice would hook in his Sacrifice of the Mafs; Thus to that objection which he there mentions, St. James faith, Confefs to one another, why did he not say exprefly Confefs to Priefts? He faith, it is purely to fave us from Shame, we must not Confefs, faith he, to Angels, but to Men, (then to hook in Auricular Confeffion he foifts in) puta Saccrdotibus, fuppofe to Priefts. Again upon that, Confess to one another, at first he owns it to be meant in General, That is, Man to Man, Like to Like, Brother to Brother, (then he drops in a Scrap of the fame Leaven) puta Sacerdoti, fuppofe to a Prieft.

I fhall not here trouble my felf, or the Reader, with any more of the SchoolMen's Jargon about the Matter and Form of this pretended Sacrament. Oyl is ufed (as I have fhewn) and Wine mixt with it in feveral of the Offices and Customs above mention'd. The modern Reconcilers are at a great Lofs, and quarrel with one another about what Prayer (and whether one or more) they shall affert to be the Form of it. Thefe Terms and the like Scholaftick ftuff, with which the Latins have confounded all their feven Sacraments, are abfolutely unknown (as they are unintelligible) to All, not only Ideot Greeks, but to thofe Papaffes, Pricfts themfelves, who have not been either train'd up and tutor'd in Italy themfelves, or have not been amufed and taught like Parrots by fome Latinized Brethren, or by Emiffaries from Rome, and thefe laft are met with every where. I do pofitively lay it, that not one ordinary Pricft of a hundred, (I may double the Number) with whom I have converfed, knows any thing of thefe Matters; but will be ftruck Dumb if you ask them, What is, λn, (which they pronounce ele) the Matter, or eidos (which to them is edos or ethos) the Form of this, or of any other of their Sacraments. That judicious Author, Morinus, most justly taxeth both Praf. in Comthe Ignorance and Boldness of the School Men, who were the first Inventorsment. **, and Patrons of these Philofophical and Intricate Terms; and truly what he faith of them, about their Ordinations, may very truly be faid of all the reft r. p. 360. of their Sacraments. That all the antient Fathers, both Greek and Latin, have nothing in them concerning thofe Subftantials, as they call them, wherein they place thefe Matters and Forms. So that School Divinity to him looks more like a Trick to embroil and confound rather then clear up the plain Truth. Religio fit, God forbid, faith he, that we should ever de- ut fupr. *. 4. pend upon their Decrees or Conclufions. And what another of their learned R. Simon. in Authors truly and ingenuously confesses concerning the Eucharift, is to the full Gabr. Philad as applicable to all the Reft; That the fubtilty of the Schools and their logical Intrigues have done far more Michief then ever they did Good. Indeed it is very Amazing, and really Ridiculous enough to fee how the late Reconcilers, and other bufy Latin Authors, bite and correct one another about these Matters; every one being wonderfully conceited of his own way, as Allatius, Arcudius, Goar, and others; and thofe great Oriental Masters, R. Simon. ibid. p. 198. a. Gabriel Sionita and Abraham Euchellenfis, both meer Parafites of Rome, are fnarling at one another like two Dogs for a Bone; yet always fawning on their new Latin Masters; to whom I will add, Vanflebius, whom I knew very thoroughly at Conftantinople of whom more elfewhere. What truft can we put in the Accounts, which fuch Mercinary Slaves give us of the Opinions and Practices of the Eaft; or how can we depend upon the Narrations of the Roman Emiffaries, especially the Jesuits, whofe real and only bufinefs it is every where to Corrupt or Mifreprefent thofe plain Ignorant People, and their Religious Offices wherever they pals.

Why should we be startled at the Greeks word, pugngior, or Mystery; There is not a Rite or Ceremony amongst them, but a Mystery or myftical Meaning is attackt to it, as you may fufficiently fee in their Celebration of the

Synaxis

p. 180, 181.

ment. par. 2.

p. 118.

Miffa. c. 1.

T. p. 360. Synaxis or Eucharift alone, which I have given you in the beginning of this Morin. Com Treatife; Their very bowing hath this hidden Secret in it, faith Simeon Theff. Bending downwards, fignifics Chrift's Defcent; ftanding up again, reprefents his Refurrection and Afcenfion. And truly the Latins are every jot as Sacramental, as the Greeks are Myfterious; Take this one Inftance for all in de Off. Amalarius, what wonderful Myfterics are there placed in only Tolling the Bell to Prayers; The Bell it felf, the Clapper, the very Rope, cfpecially its going up and down, have every one of them a very deep or myfterious Meaning in them; but whether one Greek of a hundred thousand when he bows, or one Latin Clerk or Sexton, when he tolls the Saints Bell, have either Simeon or Amalarius their fublime Thoughts or Reflections upon it, I leave to the Conjecture of the Honcft Reader. If any one hath Patience to perufe all the Greek Authors, who have ventured to expound the various Rites and Ceremonics of the Greek Church, but from Damafcen to this time; or only Germanus, Cabafilas, Sim. Theff. and Goar himself; he will find μungia, Myfteries, as they call them, enough; and the Latins may call them, by the old word, Sacraments too if they please. But when we require Chrift's own plain Inftitution of them, and a mutual Covenant in them betwixt God and Man, (which only makes a true Sacrament) they may fweat and ftretch their Wits all they can, and fummon all their (Poffe) Troops of aicry trifling School Men, but they can never make out one more, then Baptifm and the Lord's-Supper. And thefe, both Greeks and Latins, have fo mangled, and stuffed, and perverted with extravagant Notions, and new Subtilties and Tricks of Human Invention, as they have utterly forfaken, Morem Majorum, the plain Primitive way of the first Apoftolical and Catholick Fathers, and made Chrift's divine Inftitutions a perfect Farce and a piece of meer Pageantry. We own thofe Pious Rites and useful Antient Prefcriptions of the Catholik Church as well as they, yet declare them only as fuch, and own all their Authority only from thence; Confirmation, Ordination, Matrimony, Confeffion or Confulting fome difcreet learned Minifter for the quieting of Confcience, visiting of the Sick: Allo Catechifing of Children, and of thofe of riper Years before their Baptifm; folemn Burial of the Dead; and we have publick Conftitutions of our own Church, and we have T. p. 361. particular Offices appointed by it, for the Confecration of Churches, the Coronation of our Kings, and the like; and we own that every particular National Church may do the like. But the whole Catholick Church, either in a Council or otherwile, unless Chrift himself hath plainly Ordain'd both the visible Sign, and the spiritual Grace given and fignified by it, cannot by its own Authority inftitute a true Sacrament or federal Rite betwixt God and Man. Without this, the Church (as the Latins call themselves) may multiply their Sacraments not only to feven, but to feventy times feven, or as far as they please.

P. 2. p. 456.

Morinus out of Vitriacus tells us, That the Surians (Chriftians that live in the Holy-Land) are really of the Greek Church; but, Latinorum prælatis, yet they outwardly pretend, (only with their Mouth and fuperficially, not from their Heart,) to obey the Latin Bishops in whofe Diocefes they live, timore fcilicet fecularium Dominorum, only out of meer Fear of the fecular Powers, whom the Latins have made their Patrons; and as I have already Chronic. Ecc. noted, I will, with H. Hilarius, to my own knowledge moft confidently fay, Grac p.485. that it is the very fame Cafe now with the Greeks at Confiantinople and elfewhere, where I have been in the Grand Signor's Dominions; He is fo far Head of the Greek Church, as by Money given to Him or his Minifters, all things are now transacted by them who give moft. What then fhall we think of a Parcel of mercinary or intimidated Ignorant Bifhops, and Patriarchs, and their Church Officers and Dependants, bought or affrighted, or any other ways drawn in by a Defigning and Incroaching Conclave and wavering truckling Patriarchs? Be it a Nectarius or a Dofitheus, be it a Cyril of Eerrhea or a Cyril Lucar?

(for

(for as to this kind of private Caballing, All are alike to me) fhall a few bufy, T. p. 361; daring and contriving Men, whole Characters, and Defigns, and Methods are fufficiently known to be Ill; under a Government where Louis d'ores and Roman Pistols are fo Omnipotent; and Thousands of fearful or cautious Prelats shall stand (or rather fit) looking on, ready to let any Doctrines, or Perfwafions, or Impofitions quietly pals, rather then to come into any Trouble, or Hazard of loofing their Preferments; I fay, fhall a fmall number of fuch Men, under fuch Circumftances gull us with modern Forgeries under the Name of the Orthodox Religion of the Great Eastern Church, be it under the Name of Confeffions or the more fpecious Title of Synods? They who in thefe diftant Countries know nothing or very little of this Affair, may perhaps easily swallow all this, and wiping their Mouths cry all is well; But I must beg Pardon of all the World, if I, who have lived eight Years amongst them, and have well known and converfed with most of them, do folemnly profefs my Self to be of a quite other Opinion, as I have at large declared in the foregoing Treatife. Alafs! The Greeks are daily Haraffed and forely Preft between the Upper and the Nether Milftone, and now growing weary of fupplanting and turning out one Another, they have already made a fad Beginning, and will yer daily farther fubmit to any thing for Quietnefs fake. It is an unexpreffible Grief to me, and I pity them withall my Soul; The Turk bath rob'd them of their Empire, and, I fear, The Pope will foon ftrip them of their Faith.

I have often been amazed and wondred how fuch grofs Errors and abfurd Perfuafions first rofe and grew up in the Church; but I am well fatisfied with what I find in the Judicious Morinus. First I find by my own Obfervation, par. 2. p. 23. that most of the fond Opinions and fuperftitious Practices which have prevailed in the Great Churches, were for the most part first Sown and sprang up in times of Ignorance; when Men were lazy and blind Devotion had quite fhut out Reason and all ferious Endeavor and Searching after Truth. Now faith Morinus, if any religious Opinion or Legend (ftarted perhaps by fome doting Monk, or fome other Man, for his Prayers and Fafting, or otherwise of reputed Holiness) once hath feized upon the Minds of the Vulgar, there never were wanting Men. especially fome Pretenders to Learning, who T. P. 362. would not endeavor to defend it; either to gain the Reputation of Holiness, or the Favour and Applause of the People; and they would ftrain their Wits to the utmost to reconcile it with all Antiquity and primitive Truth; but if when all is done, they cannot make it out, or at moft not put it beyond a bare Poffibility, they bring in Oev åπò μnxavñs, God's Omnipotency to fupport their Fictions. This, to name no more, is the very Cafe of Tranfubftantiation. But of that and the other four Supernumerary Sacraments of the Latins, which Dofitheus in his pretended Synod hath grafted upon the Greek Church; I have here plainly and honeftly given you my own private Thoughts; not defiring Supercilioufly to dictate any thing, or Imperiously or Craftily to impose upon any one; but only to declare my own Opinion; which if it may any ways benefit the Reader, I fhall be glad; but if he likes it not, let him freely follow his own, as, at prefent, I must do mine.

CHA P.

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