The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029180913 Cornell University Library BR45 .B21 1830 Inquiry into the doctrines of the Anaio- olin 3 1924 029 180 913 AN INQUIRY INTO THE DOCTRINES OF THE ANGLO-SAXON CHURCH, EIGHT SERMONS PREACHED BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, IN THE YEAR MDCCCXXX. AT THE LECTURE FOUNDED BY THE REV. JOHN BAMPTON, M. A. CANON or SALISBURY. BY HENRY SOAMES, M. A. OF WADIIAM COLLEGE, RECTOR OF SHELLEY, IN ESSEX. OXFORD, PRINTED BY SAMUEL COLLINGWOOD, PRINTER TO THE UNIVEKSIT FOR C. J. G. AND F. RIVINGTON, LONDON ; AND SOLD BY J. PARKER, OXFORD. MDCCCXXX. TO. THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD, WILLIAM, BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE, LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, PRIMATE OP ALL ENGLAND, AND METROPOLITAN. My Lord Archbishop, THE following enquiry into the principles of Anglo-Saxon Christianity seeks, with pro- found respect and humility, the honour of your Grace's notice and protection . Its pro- gress has been greatly encouraged by that approbation of the design which your Grace was pleased kindly to express before this work was undertaken. Its completion is rendered additionally grateful, from an ob- liging permission to introduce it by a name long inseparably connected with high attain- ments, sound discrimination, and the still more solid excellences of a character truly a2 DEDICATION. Christian. From such a privilege the public generally will infer that these pages are oc- cupied by a subject worthy of investigation, and that endeavours to vindicate our national religion from the charge of novelty are very far from hopeless. That an elevation, which has ever enjoyed the rare felicity of aflfbrding universal satis- faction, may long continue to benefit the Church of England, is the earnest prayer, My Lord Archbishop, Of your Grace's Obliged and devoted Servant, THE AUTHOR. Shelley Parsonage, July 8, 1830. PREFACE. Jr ROM the publication of ^Ifric's decisive testi- monies against transubstantiation early in the reign of queen Elizabeth, it has become generally known, that the principal Romish article of belief was not entertained by the Anglo-Saxon Church. Arch- bishop Parker, under whose judicious patronage this important fact was communicated to the world, numbered, among many qualities of higher value, a liberal taste for our national antiquities, espe- cially for such of them as concerned his own pro- fession. Hence he diligently iraproved the oppor- tunities afforded by opulence and high station, for preserving from farther injury the wreck of those monastic libraries which had been so wisely and munificently accumulated by former generations, so inexcusably spoiled and neglected by his own. Probably, therefore, this discreet, learned, and vir- tuous metropolitan was perfectly awa!re, that, be- sides transubstantiation, several other distinctive features of the religion recently overthrown were at variance with the theological remains of ancient England. The numerous and anxious avocations, however, necessarily pressing upon official emi- vi PREFACE. nence in an agitated period, are amply sufficient to account for the very limited use made of these literary treasures when first consigned to a custody professedly Protestant. Perhaps, also, archbishop Parker even doubted the expediency of encourag- ing his contemporaries to form prematurely an extensive acquaintance with the monuments of Anglo-Saxon divinity. These venerable records, it is true, supply most remarkable confirmations of those religious principles which the reformers established. But then they also inculcate various usages and ceremonies which separatists from Rome abolished as cumbrous or pernicious. Vainly would men generally have been reminded, when established opinions were violently ejected, and pecuniary spoliation lent acrimony to polemical discussion, that mere externals could only afford a superficial and seeming encouragement to the papal system. The times would hardly allow the great mass of minds to distinguish accurately and effectively between dogmatic and ecclesiastical tra- ditions. Where attachment to Romish principles and usages swayed the affections, it would have been certainly assumed, that countenance from the latter class of traditions was conclusive in favour of the former class also. Daily experience of such a disposition would obviously have a tendency to restrain cautious leaders of public opinion from communicating information for which society hi- PREFACE. vii therto had become but imperfectly ripe. The days, however, for maintaining this reserve rapidly wore away, and in , the next age, accordingly, Abraham Whelock, public librarian at Cambridge, gave general satisfaction, by proving, among his Notes upon Bede, from the Saxon homilies under his care, that our Ante-Norman fathers differed from the modern Romanists upon many, other doc- trines besides that of transubstantiation. The ex- tracts, however, establishing this important fact being mere appendages to one among the editions of Bede, were not placed in a situation to attract permanently extensive notice, and they seem now to have become in a great measure forgotten. It has hence been indolently assumed by the great majority of men, that the Reformation expelled from the Church of England a series of doctrines which had been entertained, with the exception of transubstantiation, uninterruptedly within her bosom ever since the time of Augustine. Whe- lock's Bede would not allow the writer of these pages to doubt that our public libraries must afford ample means of convicting this assumption of un- soundness. . He was induced, accordingly, to ven- ture upon the task of exploring these noble repo- sitories, and of embodying the result of his inqui- ries in the present volume. In this, will be found some evidence hitherto unpublished, and that already easy of access, ranged a4 Vlll PREFACE. under the several heads to which the various por- tions of it respectively belong. The whole work will therefore, it is hoped, supply such as are de- sirous of investigating the ancient religion of Eng- land with much greater facilities than those which are offered for that purpose by aiiy former publi- cation. The Saxon extracts have been translated into English ; the venerable language of our distant ancestry beirrg but little understood. These trans- lations have been made with strict literal fidelity. Such a servile adherence to tjie original text ap- peared indispensable in matters of evidence. It Was, besides, thought liot undesirable to exhibit the style and phraseology of those froin whom we derive mainly our present speech. This object has led also to the preservation of their Latin forms in proper names, and in some other words, adopted by the Anglo-Saxons from the ecclesiastical lite- rature of Rome, and transferred unchanged into their own books. In the ^elli'n'g of Saxon words the MSS. have been followed. The extracts from Latin MSS. do not, however, appear with an equal degree of orthographical accuracy. A habit of writing the same words in a different form often imperceptibly affected the transcripts; and hence it became impossible, in many cases, op preparing these "pages for the press, to ascertain the ancient scribe's orthography without a new reference to PREFACE. ix his labours. This, as the MSS. were commonly at a distance, appeared a trouble and delay that might well be spared. Several of the Latin ex- tracts, accordingly, are printed with the modern orthography, though taken from MSS. in which the words are differently spelt. In cases where the Latin words appear in an ancient form, they are presented as they stand in the originals. For the abbreviations have generally been substituted words or syllables at length. To express many of them, indeed, types could not easily have been found, and the majority of them would have tended to disfigure the pages and embarrass the readers. As it was desired to prevent this work from becoming unnecessarily large, Saxon extracts al- ready published have not commonly been inserted. Translations, with references to books containing the originals, were esteemed sufficient. In some cases references only have been supplied. In a few instances Saxon extracts, to be found in former publications, appear again in the following pages. These, however, are passages of more than ordi- nary importance, and with the exception of the extracts from yElfric's Paschal Homily, they have all been transcribed anew from the original MSS. for the present undertaking. But, in general, no- thing that seemed not absolutely necessary for the reader's information has been admitted among the Proofs of the following Sermons. Hence have been X PREFACE. Diriitted ^Elfrie's interesting Epistles, which have been transcribed entire, and which have hitherto appeared in a mutilated form. These important pieces contain, indeed, a considerable mass of mat- ter not strictly doctrinal. It was thought, therer fore, expedient to reserve them for a future oppor- tunity, when they will probably be published with English translations, and a succinct history of the Anglo-Saxon Church. CONTENTS. SERMON I. THE NATURE AND USE OF THEOLOGICAL TRA- DITION. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, standfast, and hold, the traditibns which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Ancient uses of the word tradition 1 Trentine decree respecting tradition 4 Classification of traditions 5 Dogmatic tradition 7 Critical tradition 10 Hermeneutical tradition , 12 Ecclesiastical tradition 15 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON I. St. Cyprian upon tradition 21 Tertullian upon tradition ibid. St. Austin upon tradition 22 'Oiwovcrlov used before the first council of Nice ibid. Constantine to the first council of Nice ibid. Proto-Nicene council upon Scripture ibid . Decrees of the second council of Nice 23 The schoolmen 25 Trentine decree upon tradition 27 Ambiguous nature of this decree 28 Divine traditions 30 Apostolical traditions ibid. Ecclesiastical traditions ibid. Main distinction of Romanism ibid. Infant communion 32 Homily on the catholic faith 42 ii CONTENTS. SERMON II. SCRIPTURE, AND MISCELLANEOUS DOCTRINES OF THE ANGLO-SAXON CHURCH. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, standfast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Anglo- Saxon diffusion of scriptural knowledge 68 Scriptural labours of Bede 69 Alleged scriptural labours of JEadfrid 70 Scriptural labours of iElfric 71 Alfred's version of the Psalms , ibid. Alcuin's exhortation to read the Bible 72 Austin and Maur upon scriptural sufficiency 74 Scripture, man's daily spiritual food ibid. J^lfric's commendations of scriptural studies 75 Examination of bishops ibid. Saxon homilies upon scriptural sufficiency 76 The Anglo-Saxon canon 77 Adoption of the three Creeds 79 Two sacraments only 80 Infant baptism 81 Regeneration ibid. Confirmation immediately after baptism ; ibid. Infant communion .' ibid. Religious washing of the feet of others 82 Unction of the sick 83 Human corruption 84 Necessity of faith ibid. Septiform operation of the Spirit ibid. Eight principal virtues ibid. Predestination ibid. Hallowing the Lord's day 85 Ascetic prej udices and habits ibid. Apocryphal traditions i 86 Episcopacy 87 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON II. Christian erudition contained in Scripture 89 CONTENTS. Hi Bede's exhortation to read Scripture 89 Bede's last illness ibid. Eadfrid's translation of Scripture 90 Alcuin, account of ibid. Alcuin upon Scripture 91 Scriptural sufficiency asserted by Raban Maur 93 Scripture man's daily bread 94 Scripture the source of religious knowledge ibid. Examination of bishops 95 Examination of bishops, interpolation in ibid. Scripture, high estimation of 96 St. Jerome's canon that of the Anglo-Saxons ibid. Calcedonian canon respecting Scripture ibid. Laodicean canon respecting Scripture 97 Gregory's estimation of the first four general councils 100 Gregory's rejection of the Apocrypha ibid. Bede upon the canon of Scripture ibid. Alcuin's rejection of the Apocrypha 101 iElfric upon the canon of Scripture ibid. The three Creeds, how designated 105 Two sacraments only ibid. Two sacraments only, according to Raban 106 Sacerdotal intention ibid. Regeneration 107 Infant baptism, confirmation, and communion 109 Offices in Ccena Domini 110 Unguent for the sick Ill Necessity of divine grace 112 Faith 113 Good works 114 Septiform operation of the Spirit 115 Eight principal virtues and vices 117 Clerical celibacy 118 Fasting 119 Reappearance of Enoch and Elijah 120 Abstinence from food to be accompanied by virtue ... 121 The Limbus Patrum ibid. Christ's local descent into hell ibid. Temptation of Christ ibid. iv CONTENTS. Anti-Christ 123 Homily on St. Peter's day 126 SERMON III. THE SUPREMACY. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, standfast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Promise of our Saviour to St. Peter 135 Bede's exposition of this 136 Saxon homilist''s exposition 138 Equality of the saints Peter and Paul 141 Traditions respecting St. Peter 14S St. James the Just occupant of the first see 144 Triumph of the Roman party in England 1 45 Wilfrid's application to Rome 146 Theodore's neglect of the papal authority ibid. England's refusal of the Deutero-Nicene decrees 1 47 Egbert's prohibition of images ibid. The Caroline Books 148 Alcuin's confutation of the Deutero-Nicene decrees . . . ibid. OfFa's quarrel with the Kentish court 1 49 Extreme rarity of papal missions to England ibid. Episcopal elections ibid. No oaths of obedience to any alien jurisdiction 150 The pall ibid. The crown's ecclesiastical supremacy ibid . Religious unity '151 Anglo-Saxon deference for Rome 152 Evil results from this 15S King Alfred's complaints of ecclesiastical ignorance ... ibid. Saxon versions of creeds, hymns, and prayers 154 Gregory's liturgical advice to Augustine 155 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON III. Bede upon our Lord's promises to St. Peter 159 Equality of the saints Peter and Paul ibid. St. Paul the general conductor to judgment 161 CONTENTS. V St. Peters' ship, mystical meaning of 161 Traditions respecting St. Peter ibid. St. James our Lord's episcopal successor 163 The synod of Whitby ibid. Wilfrid's application to Rome 166 Consecration of St. Chad 169 Appointment of Wighard to Canterbury ibid. Theodore of Tarsus 170 Metropolitical authority of Canterbury established ... ibid. Rejection of the second council of Nice ibid. Alcuin's epistle against that council 171 Egbert's mutilated Etccerpf ibid. Council of Elvira, probable reference to 1 72 The CaroKwe Boofa, editions of 173 Iconolatry condemned at Frankfort and Paris ibid. England, France, and Germany adverse to iconolatry 174 No papal legation from Augustine to Offa ibid. Lichfield erected into an archbishopric ibid. Ken ulph's letter to the pope % 175 Guido's legation v ibid. Canterbury, the highest ecclesiastical authority 176 Episcopal elections popular ibid. The pall 178 Papal consent not required for episcopal consecrations 180 Apostolical, all metropolitans called 181 Ancient independence of the see of Milan ibid. Ecclesiastical supremacy of the crown ., 182 Saxon views of catholic unity 183 Saxon deference for the first four general councils ... ibid. Alfred's complaint of clerical ignorance 1 84 Ignorance of the episcopal order 185 Royal ordinance for popular instruction ibid. Translations of prayers, hymns, and creeds 186 Episcopal ordinance for popular instruction ibid. Evils of using the Latin language ibid. Gregory's correspondence with Augustine 187 vi CONTENTS. SERMON IV. THE INVOCATION OF ANGELIC AND DEPAllTJ^D SPIRITS. 2 Thes8. II. 15. Therefore, brethren, standfast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by woi'd, or our epistle. St. Austin upon the mediatorial office 192 Bede upon the mediatorial office ibid. Homage to creatures rebuked 193 Prayers for the suffrages of saints ibid. The Virgin Mary 195 Invocation of creatures introduced 20l W^orship of images introduced 204 Mutilation of tbe Decalogue 205 King Alfred's Decalogue 206 Invocation of saints not a Saxon tradition 207 Pagan habits the cause of Christian innovations 209 Darkness of the tenth century 212 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON IV. St. Austin upon the mediatorial office 215 Bede upon the mediatorial office ibid. Prayers to be addressed to God only ibid. Prayer to God on All Saints' day 2l6 Prayer on St. Chad's day ibid. Prayer to Christ recommended for the prayers of the baptist 217 Prayer on St. Aridriew's day ibid. Prayers to God for those of saints ibid. Ancient Litany 219 Offices at St. Oswin 221 Anciently no invocation of saints 223 Prayers to God for the Virgin's intercession 224 Comparison between Eve and the Virgin ibid. God's praises intended in praising the Virgin 225 Particulars of the Virgin's history ibid. The Virgin's perpetual virginity ibid. The Virgin not immaculately conceived ibid. CONTENTS. xvii The Virgin's parents 226 Caution respecting the Virgin's assumption ibid. Scripture alone trustworthy 227 Epithets of the Virgin 228 The Virgin's sufferings equal to martyrdom 229 The Virgin's triumphant entrance into heaven 230 Apostrophe to the water of baptism 231 Late introduction of addresses to the dead ibid. ina's alleged liberality to Glastonbury 233 Exhortations to invoke the Virgin ibid. Individuals, addresses to the dead fiM used by 235 Metrical address to St. Oswin 236 Service invoking angels and the dead 237 Exhortation to invoke St. Lawrence 238 Confession to the saints 239 Address to God for the archangel Michael's prayers . 24(0 Reserve respecting angels ibid. Egwin's dream ibid. Alleged council of London respecting images ibid. Worship of the cross 241 Mutilated Decalogue , 242 Decalogue in the Saxon Heptateuch 244 Ancient mutilated Decalogue 245 Alfred's visits to Rome 246 Alfred's Decalogue 248 Bede's Decalogue ..^. 249 Augustine's alleged introduction of image- worship . . . 250 Prayer against Pagan cruelty 251 Paganism, long continuance of ibid. Christian invalids recommended to visit churches 252 Ignorance preceding the conquest ibid. Metrical invocation of St. Stephen 253 SEiRMONV. ATTRITION. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, standfast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Entrance of Platonic philosophy into the Church ..;.. 257 b xviii CONTENTS. Ancient Britons unused to confession 257 Theodore's Penitential 258 Attrition 259 Principle of Anglo-Saxon penitential discipline 263 Natureof the ancient Penitentials 264 Auricular confession, object of 265 Public penance among the Anglo-Saxons 266 Auricular confession not deemed indispensable 268 Anglo-Saxon absolutions 271 Indicative absolutions, age of... Insufficiency of a disposition to confess Power of the keys 275 Anglo-Saxon doctrine identical with Tyndale's 277 Attrition, doctrine of, unknown to the Anglo-Saxons ibid. Protestant and Romish absolutions 279 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON V. I ntroduction of auricular confession 281 Theodore archbishop of Canterbury 282 His high estimation 283 Morinus upon attrition ibid. Aquinas upon attrition 284 The Trentine Catechism upon attrition 285 Bishop Fisher upon attrition ibid. Sufficiency of a wish to confess 286 Remonstrance of the council of Aix-la-Chapelle ibi(J. Confession before communion 287 Object of confession ibid. Public penances of the Anglo-Saxons ibi(i. Royal ordinances enforcing penance 288 Confession to God alone sufficient 289 Council of Chalons on confession 290 Secret satisfaction sufficient ibid. Origen's seven remedies for sin 291 Absolution- anciently consequent upon satisfaction ... 292 Precatory absolutions alone used anciently 293 Indicative absolutions, introduction of ibid. Anglo-Saxon penitential service 294 Ancient absolution ggg CONTENTS. xix Absolution for the sick 297 Ancient absolutions ibid. Confession to God, form of 298 St. Jerome upon absolution 299 •i Anglo-Saxon doctrine compared with Tyndale's 300 No absolution valid without contrition 301 Ahlendment, necessity of .' 302 Rising anxiety to extend the penitential doctrines .... 303 SERMON VI. PURGATORY. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, standfast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Liberality, a mode of compensating for sins 310 Philosophic speculations upon the soul after death . . . 312 Origen's opinion upon such questions 31 4 Opinions of the Fathers upon a purgatorial fire 315 Probable origin of these 316 Gregory the Great upon purgatory 318 Bede upon purgatory 319 Pul-gatory not mentioned by the council of Aix-la- , Chapelle 321 Nor in a Saxon admonition to a penitent 323 Purgatory neglected often by Saxon homilists 324 Alcuin's opinion of a purgatorial fire 325 Reason assigned for the general conflagration 326 Visions of Fursey and Drighthelm 327 Purgatory maintained in a Saxon homily 328 Saxon and Romish purgatories 329 Prayers for the dead, object of 331 The first resurrection 332 Indulgences 333 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON VI. .Compensatory nature of liberahty 337 Platonic and Manichsean opinions 339 Education of Origen ibid. b2 XX CONTENTS. Origen's opinions ^^9 Tertullian's view of purgatory 340 St. Jerome's view of purgatory ibid. St. Austin's views of purgatory 341 Origen's perversions of scripture ibid. Pope Gregory's views of purgatory 342 Bede's views of purgatory 344 Various expositions of 1 Cor. iii. 15 ibid. Bede upon that text 346 Purgatory omitted by the council of Aix-la-Chapelle . 348 Archbishop Anselm's omission of purgatory ibid. Purgatory omitted in a Saxon admonition 349 No cleansing to those who die in sin ibid. No penance after this life ibid. No forgiveness after death ibid. Immediate passage of the good to heaven 350 Human life compared to Israel's passage through the wilderness ibid. Souls of good men conducted by angels to paradise .. ibid. Superior advantage of Christian souls 351 Universal passage through the final conflagration .... ibid. New heavens, and a new earth 352 Universal purgation of the earth 353 Fursey's dream ibid. Drighthelm's dream 355 Purgatory, homiletic account of 358 Alfred's belief in purgatory 361 Authentic assertions of purgatory 362 Object of prayers for the dead 364 Indulgences 366 SERMON VII. TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, standfast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Importance of the doctrine ggg No trace of any ancient opposition to it 369 Gregory's neglect of it qi^q CONTENTS. xxi Prayer anciently in his sacramentary 370 Bede against transubstantiation 371 Sacrament, meaning of the term 378 Alcuin's evidence ibid. Charlemain 374 Raban Maur 375 William of Malmesbury's attack 376 Haymo of Halberstadt 377 Druthmar of Corbey 378 Sedulius ibid. Radbert's assertion of the corporal presence ibid. The corporal presence an innovation 379 Erigena 380 Post-communion prayer 381 Legend respecting Odo 382 Interpolated episcopal interrogatories ibid. M\Mc 384 Mutilation of his paschal homily 386 Romanism not the ancient religion of England 390 " Dogmatic tradition, Saxon testimony against 392 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON VU. Ancient Gregorian prayer 395 Liturgical variations 396 No ancient rubrics for adoring the eucharist ibid. Eucharistic wine styled vinum consecratutn 397 St. Jerome against transubstantiation 398 St. Austin, discourse of, from Fulgentius 399 Citation in Art. XXIX 401, 406 St. Austin upon the Eucharist 404 The passover and the Eucharist compared 406 Christ's eucharistic words, mystical 407 Sacrament, a sacred sigra ibid. Christ's body after a certain manner 409 Alcuin ibid. His opinion of Melchisedech ibid. Charlemain 410 Eulogies upon Raban 411 Archbishop Tillotson, extract from 412 xxii CONTENTS. Raban against transubstantiation ** * Attack upon Raban ^1^ Haymo - • ^^^ Druthmar ^^ Sedulius ;. • i^id. Transubstantiation, a novelty ^il'l Erigena ibid. Ancient prayer 418 Archbishop Odo's alleged stratagem ibid . Interpolated episcopal interrogatories 420 Bertram, name of ibid. ^Ifric's use of Ratramn 421 Original publication of iElfric 422 Passage from his Paschal Homijy ibid. His Epistles 423 Mutilation of his Paschal Homily 429 Orthodoxy of ancient England 442 SERMON VIII. THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND BEFORE THE CON- QUEST, AND SINCE THE REFORMATION. Jer. vi. 16. Thus saith the Lord, Startd ye in tJie ways, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. Departure of the Jews froni antiquity 445 Departure of Romanists from antiquity 446 Sufficiency of Scripture 449 Apocrypha 450 The Creeds 451 The Sacraments 452 Episcopacy 453 The Papacy 454 Iconolatry 457 Invocation 458 Attrition 459 Compensatory sufferings 4gl Piirgatory 4g3 Transubstantiation 4,g4 CONTENTS. xxlii Half-communion 470 Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley ibid. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON VIII. The first four general councils 475 Rejection of the Deutero-Nicene council ibid. The Reformatio Legum upon transubstantiation 476 No receiving of Christ's body by the wicked 477 EXTRACT THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OP THK LATE REV. JOHN BAMPTON, CANON OF SALISBURY. " I give and bequeath my Lands and " Estates to the Chancellor, Masters^ and Scholars " of the University of Oxford for ever, to have " and to hold all and singular the said Lands or " Estates upon trust, and to the intents and pur- " poses hereinafter mentioned ; that is to say, I " will and appoint that the Vice-Chancellor of " the University of Oxford for the time being " shall take and receive all the rents, issues, and " profits thereof, and (after all taxes, reparations, " and necessary deductions made) that he pay all " the remainder to the endowment of eight Di- " vinity Lecture Sermons, to be established for " ever in the said University, and to be performed " in the manner following : " I direct and appoint, that, upon the first " Tuesday in Easter Term, a Lecturer be yearly XXVI EXTRACT FROM " chosen by the Heads of Colleges only, and by " no others, in the room adjoining to the Print- " ing-House, between the hours of ten in the " morning and two in the afternoon, to preach " eight Divinity Lecture Sermons, the year fol- " lowing, at St. Mary's in Oxford, between the " commencement of the last month in Lent Term, " and the end of the third week in Act Term. " Also I direct and appoint, that the eight Di- " vinity Lecture Sermons shall be preached upon " either of the following subjects — to confirm and " establish the Christian Faith, and to confute all " heretics and schismatics — upon the divine author- " ity of the holy Scriptures — upon the authority of " the writings of the primitive Fathers, as to the " faith and practice of the primitive Church — upon " the Divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ " — upon the Divinity of the Holy Ghost — upon the " Articles of the Christian Faith, as comprehended " in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. " Also I direct, that thirty copies of the eight " Divinity Lecture Sermons shall be always printed, ^' within two months after they are preached, and " one copy shall be given to the Chancellor of the " University, and one copy to the Head of every " College, and one copy to the Mayor of the city of '* Oxford, and one copy to be put into the Bodleian " Library ; and the expense of printing them shall " be paid out of the revenue of the Land or Estates "given for establishing the Divinity Lecture Ser- " mons : and the Preacher shall not be paid, nor be " entitled to the revenue, before they are printed. CANON BAMPTON'S WILL. xxvii " Also I direct and appoint, that no person shall " be qualified to preach the Divinity Lecture Ser- " mons, unless he hath taken the degree of Master " of Arts at least, in one of the two Universities of " Oxford or Cambridge ; and that the same person " shall never preach the Divinity Lecture Sermons " twice." SERMON I. THE NATURE AND USE OF THEOLOGICAL TRADITION. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, stand Just, and hold the tra- ditions which ye have been taught, whether hy word, or our epistle. JjY traditions, the Evangelists obviously and uniformly mean, religious opinions of their countrymen uncontained in holy Scripture. In the Epistles also this term occasionally bears the same signification *. The text, how- ever, uses it in a wide, etymological sense. Under it is there included, evidently, the whole body of apostolical instructions to the church of Thessalonica, whether delivered orally or in writing. A similar laxity of expression was likewise adopted by the Fathers. " Whence comes this tradition ?" Cyprian inquires of Pompey ; " descends it from our Lord and his Gospel, or from the commands and Epistles of the Apostles ?" ' TertuUian, again, mentions tra- * Gal. i. 14. Col. ii. 8. 2 SERMON I. dition as dependent upon a written authority " He resolves it,, therefore, into Scripture. St. Austin, too, designates a passage from St. Paul to the Ephesians, as " a tradition of the Apo- stles." ^ Hence it appears, undeniably, that portions df holy Writ were styled traditions in primitive times. Interpretations of God's written word, immemorially current in the Church, were also naturally thus designated. It is asserted, accordingly, that the first coun- cilof Nice, in condemning Arianism, adopted a term '' and framed a decree under the guid- ance of tradition \ Constantine, however, had enjoined the members of that venerable synod to ground their decisions upon the re- corded " oracles of God*." Every thought even, of disobeying this imperial mandate, is at variance with one of their own express ad- monitions*. Whence then arose the tradi- tional character assigned to their determina- tion ? Evidently from this; that it was founded upon principles of scriptural exposition esta- blished in every branch of the Catholic Church, and connected with apostolic times by the whole Stream of ecclesiastical recordis. The second council of Nice was unable to follow this illustrious example. To recdncile one scripture with another was not indeed re- SERMON I. 3 quired of an assembly convoked principally to sanction the religious use of images. For such a purpose, who would appeal to the sa- cred penmen, or to any of their commenta- tors? Unwritten tradition must necessarily supply that aid which the volume of inspira- tion absolutely refuses. The Deutero-Nicene fathers, accordingly, were compelled to rest their decrees upon this foundation. But in thus departing from the cautious usage of an- tiquity, they fatally undermined the bulwarks of religious peace. It must, however, be con- ceded to their memory, that they seem not to have looked upon the main subject of their deliberations as one affecting any article of faith. Rather do -they treat it as a mere ob- servance, useful for exciting pious feelings, and for au^nelnting the attractions of public w^H-ship '. Nor in the middle ages does unwritten tra- dition appear to have been generally regarded as a sufficient authority for integral portions of the Christian creed. Scholastip writersj accordingly, use the phrases, "divine know- ledge," and " knowledge of scripture," as if identical in meaning ^ Intellects of such practised acuteness could, indeed, hardly fail of observing, that express declarations of va- rious articles in the received faith would be B 2 4 SERMON I. vainly sought in God's recorded will. But they probably considered, that all of these were, notwithstanding, capable of proof from the holy book ; being contained there, as a sufficient inquiry would infallibly discover, by inevitable implication. ' Those habits, however, of examining criti- cally the records of inspiration which arose in the sixteenth century overthrew all such opinions. The reformers laboured incessantly to strip sundry doctrines maintained in the Roman Church of every pretension to any sure scriptural warrantry. Nor could oppo- nents elude the necessity of admitting, in se- veral instances, the soundness of their conclu- sions. ■ The papacy was now, therefore, ob- liged to commit itself upon a question hi- therto left unreservedly open to controversy: Were principles to be abandoned because no- toriously destitute of any well-defined au- thority : or was that objection to be removed by some new decision adapted to the altered state of public opinion ? The latter alterna- tive prevailed. Hence the council of Trent' placed exactly upon the same level both scripture and unwritten tradition; whether this should relate to faith or to morals. <= At its fourth session, holden April 8, 1546. SERMON I. 5 Under the two, it was represented, as it had been by the Scribes and Pharisees of old, were comprehended the word of God. Each, con- sequently, of these independent and separate authorities was admitted to an equal claim upon the dutiful obedience of mankind '. The Trentine Fathers, however, contented with providing thus for the full integrity of established principles, expressed this import- ant decree in a manner brief and general". Individual discussion has naturally since in- troduced more copious, precise, and technical views of the question. The term tradition in its wide etymological sense has been dis- carded from use. It has been employed only for the purpose of designating tenets and usages, claiming, indeed, a heavenly origin, but avowedly contained neither expressly nor by inevitable implication in the recorded "oracles of God''." These dependences of the alleged unwritten word are ordinarily distributed into the three following classes: divine, apostolical, and ecclesiastical. To the first class belong revelations of the blessed Jesus to his apostles, unrecorded in the sacred books"; to the second, revelations of the Holy Ghost to the same pillars of our faith, and also left unrecorded by them"; to the d 1 Pet. iv. 11. B 3 6 SERMON I. third, usages of immemorial establishment in the Church of Christ '^ For practical purposes, however, this ar- rangement appears both insufficient and re- dundant. Nor, probably, will any classifica- tion of religious traditions be found so simple and satisfactory, as one that Tegai?ds their inatter only. This appears to be fourfold. From a source independent of Scripture are admitted into tTie Roman Church various ar- ticles of faith. All these may be referred to dogmatic tradition. From universal, unbroken consent, ascending to the remotest periods of ecclesiastical antiquity. Christian societies hare received certain records, as a T)ody of canonical Scripture. Will it be deemed al- lowable to say, that in acting thus, they have followed critical tradition f Prom early mo- numents of theology have been handed down to later ages, modes of reconciling scripture with scripture, especially in leading, but dis- putable ^points. Why may nfait such inter- pretations be compendiously described as a body of hermeneutidal traditionf From pri- mitive ages, the Church ha« derived sundry maxims and usages for the regulation of her polity, and of public worship. Her authority for such purposes has been universally known, as ecclesiastical tradition. SERMON I. 7 Of these four branclies, it is chiefly thiat first named which agitates important contro- versies '*. ' Wherefore is " the bond of peace *" broken between ^parties whom interest and duity call " to take sweet counsel itogethej, and walk in the house of God, as friends ^?'^ Is it not because one side requires for traditional articles of faith an assent which the other side refuses ? In defence of such refusal is urged the malediction, denounced in God's undoubt- ed word, against rehgious principles which Apostles and Evangelists have not taught e. But how shall those, especially, " upon whom " the ends of the world are come ''," certainly know what these holy men taught, unless they placed it likewise upon record ? Would it not also seem a. sort of reflection upon the superintending care of a merciful Providence, if integral portiojis of a Christian's faith escaped every sacred pen ? It is remarked, be- sides, that information, inown to have rbeen orally delivered by their inspired founders to certain churches, as that relating to the man ofsin\ is preserved no longer hy any church : a j&trong presumption, undoubtedly, against the preservation of all similar deposits. Nor 6 Ephes. iv, 3. f Psalm Iv. 14. g Gal. i. 8. Rev. xxii. 18. ^ i Cor. x.ll. • 2 Thess. ii. B 4 8 SERMON I. will a competent knowledge of ecclesiastical history fail of engendering, in cautious and discerning minds, a distrust of unwritten tra- dition. Is it not notorious, that early heresy sought a refuge in this mysterious, undefined authority "' ? Again ; we are desired to con- sider the communion of infants ; a practice prevalent for ages in the Church, and sanc- tioned by names of no mean importance ; yet founded in doctrinal misapprehension '^ and now generally abandoned. What a suspicious vacillation is here exhibited by dogmatic tradition ! Look also at various articles of faith, avowedly dependent upon this authority. Are they guarded by attestations, clear, uni- versal, uninterrupted, coeval with Christian literature? Has not, on the contrary, even the most unwearied industry of their advo- cates failed of extracting in their favour, from ecclesiastical antiquity, any proofs more satisfactory than obscure intimations and dis- putable inferences ? Yet the character of these traditions generally is far from suitable to a progress thus unopposed, thus almost unno- ticed even. Some of them have a very per- ceptible affinity with Pagan principles : others are eminently calculated to engender and ^ See Archbishop Usher's Answer to the Jesuit's Chal- lenge. Lond. 1631. p. 40. SERMON I. 9 feed ambitious and avaricious projects in the Christian priesthood"'. It is obviously not very probable that doctrines, tending to such ends, should have been professed, for many centuries, in silent acquiescence. To such topics of argumentation against dogmatic traditions, may be added the very constitution of the New Testament itself. Originally, as advocates for unrecorded reli- gious principles never fail to urge, all that Jesus and the Holy Ghost had revealed to the Apostles, was possessed by their disciples in a traditional form alone. From this merely oral transmission, however, pressing evils were quickly found to spring, Misrepresentations both of facts and doctrines obtained a ready currency among such societies of Christians as enjoyed not an apostle's immediate pre- sence. It was, indisputably, to successive ne- cessities for obviating such inconveniences, that we owe the several records of our holy faith. ' Every member, probably, of the New Testament is of incidental origin ''. The whole canon, therefore, forms a body of evidence against the safety of confiding in unwritten traditions '*. At what time could these circu- late under circumstances nearly so favourable, as when their inspired authors were alive, to guard their integrity and accuracy? That 10 SERMON I. very time, however, witnessed their daily mu- tilation and corruption. Whence the apo- stles were driven to become writers, as well as preachers. It was indeed rendered more and more manifest, almost every hour, that no church was likely to " stand fast," and hold the traditions which it had been taught ;" unless these, besides floating in the memories of their hearers, were also placed upon re- cord. Upon such igrounds, many branches of the Catholic Church consider themselves justi^ fied in rejecting dogmatic traditions ; nay more, obliged to this rejection. They freely admit, however, the authority of tradition in establishing the genuineness and authenticity of their sacred books. Palpable inconsistency has hence been laid to their xharge ; and it has often been asserted, in a tone of triumphj that the same ecclesiastical authority which assigns a divine character to known dogmatic traditions, also gives canonicity to the recorded " oracles of God." " But this representa^tion, unless restricted to the primitive Chureh, is evidently fallacious. Later; ecclesiastiGal aur thorities have done nothing, more, in this case, than register and witness the facts which de- scendied to their care. Now -the primitive Church acquiesced in apostolical claims to SERMON I. 11 inspiration, because tfliey were supported by miracles '' ; and she recognised as genuine the several members of our sacred canon, at a, pe- riod when it was ascertainable from personal knowledge that they were truly written by the authors to whom they were assigned. She thus formed the first link in the chain of tradition. Not, however, in the chain of dogmatic tradition, as it is half insinuated ;by those who fain would involve the subject in confusion ; but dn that branch of the matter for which the name .of critical tradition jhas been proposed in this discourse. This, it should be borne in mind, regards not^^the doctrine delivered, but merely the mode and means of its delivery '°. The age immediately succeeding that of the (apostles, in supplying a second link to the chain of critical tradi- tion, simply bore testimony to the prevalence of a conviction which no man, when the^facts were thus recent, was able to elude. Import^ ant, however, 'as are this ancient ecclesiasti- cal testimony and registration, posterity re- quires a great deal more for, its satisfaction. Were the sacred books, it asks, admitted as ge- nuine by the Fathers and heretics of Jiighest antiquity ? Do contemporaaieous historical monuments afford them confirmation? Is their early -^dispersion attested by versions of the 13 SERMON I. most venerable age? Unless affirmative an- swers could certainly be returned to these questions, no force of authority, merely eccle- siastical, would obtain assent from discerning minds to the pretensions which these books advance. Nor is even this degree of satisfac- tion sufficient in such a case, involving, as it does, the whole conduct of human life, and every hope of the soul, on its escape from corporeal durance. ' Unless the " Spirit itself bore witness with our spirit'," when we humbly and earnestly seek for comfort and instruc- tion from holy Scripture, assertions of its di- vine authority would sound in the ears of most men as little better than " idle tales "." It is because the sacred pages afford abun- dantly this kind of internal evidence, that they bring an irresistible conviction of their heavenly character to unprejudiced readers of every class. It is because the needful ex- ternal evidence in their favour is complete in all particulars, much more than because the Church supplies her own peculiar links in this chain of critical tradition, that sound in- quiring minds have universally acquiesced in the canonicity of our holy books. Intellects of this description have ever also sought assistance from tradition, in the expo- 1 Rom. viii. 16. m Luke xxiv. 11. SERMON I. 13 sition of Scripture, especially in those points which antiquity minutely canvassed, and ac- curately defined. It is indeed true that the volume of inspiration may be made, and ought to be made, its own interpreter. " Spiritual things are to be compared with spiritual"," and thus men are to seek such a knowledge of " all the counsel of God"," as their several faculties admit, and circumstances require. But this task, in the more hidden mysteries of revelation, particularly, demands a high degree of diligence, judgment, and humility. The records of our holy faith, having been incidentally elicited, are naturally wanting in systematic arrangement and technical precision. Probably, however, the communi- cation of heavenly knowledge by writers thus incited to. composition, is among those mer- ciful dispensations for which especial grati- tude is due to Providence. For instruction is imbibed far more aptly, by the great majo- rity of minds, in a miscellaneous form, than in one professedly didactic. Still it is obvi- ous, that doctrines interspersed in a series of occasional compositions must be difficult of accurate exposition and classification. In fact, without some considerable acquaintance n 1 Cor. ii. 13. ° Acts xx. 27. 14 SERMON I. with the circumstances under which our sacred books were written, with the controversies then prevailing, and with habits of thought and expression then existing, all attempts to use them theologically, are plainly hopeless. Now, these indispensable aids for biblical in- terpretation were possessed completely by those alone who conversed with the Apostles, and their immediate successors. A full per- suasion of this truth led the first council of Nice, that most august of ecclesiastical assem- blies, to unfold the meaning of Scripture in certain controverted passages, upon principles current immemorially among Christians, and formally embodied in the confessions of par- ticular churches*'. In this humble and wary deference for the most unsuspected periods of antiquity, the Proto-Nicene Fathers have been imitated by the best esteemed of subsequent councils, by the safest of scriptural expositors. Nor can any inquirer calculate rationally upon arriving at sound conclusions in donatio theology, unless he seeks for guidance from the venerable monuments of early Christi- anity. An arrogant or indolent neglect of hermeneutical tradition can scarcely fail of betraying cultivated minds, when intent upon religious knowledge, into rash confidence and erroneous opinions. SERMON I. 15 Respect is also manifestly due for the usages of that venerable period, when the chilrch encountered no worldly temptations, and when apostolical recollections yet lingered among her teachers. Eminent divines, ac- cordingly, have generally shewn a reverential deference for all those decencies of polity and worship, which ascend upwards to the re- motest ages of Christian antiquity. But here expediency may be permitted to raise her voice. Ecclesiastical tradition regards not the faith itself, but its External profession. It may, therefore, allowably be restrained from oifering violence to the varying aspect of hu- man society* ■ In examining questions, however, arising from this, or from any other branch of the subject under consideration, actual possession should not lightly pass as a proof of establish- ment from the first. Particular churches may have holden traditions, even for centu- ries, which, notwithstanding, were adopted loiig after the apostles had gdne to reap the fruit of their labours. For ascertaining, in any case, whether such may be the fact, in- quiry may be safely and advantageously re^ stricted within a limited range. If a Enk in the cha;in should be found wanting^ argu- mentsj drawn from alleged continuity are 16 SERMON I. obviously valueless. For applying to such arguments this conclusive test, our own coun- try offers facilities far from uninviting. Her earlier ecclesiastical history is broken into two portions, distinctly severed from each other, by the Norman conquest. Of the former portion many monuments have happily sur- vived the injuries of time. From these vener- able records Englishmen may form such a judgment upon religious tradition as most concerns them nationally; such too as may go far towards a satisfactory decision upon the whole question. In every comprehensive examination of this important question, usages and opinions upon points of inferior consequence ought to be carefully distinguished from articles of faith. It is from the last alone that the Christianity of any particular age and country derives its essential character. Imperfections of the for- mer kinds can hardly fail of appearing in the religious records of a rude people and an un- lettered age. Such blemishes, however, affect not materially that controversy which long has agitated western Europe. We are not very highly concerned to know whether any particular link in the chain of tradition is marked by credulity, defective criticism, and superstition. But great is the importance of SERMON I. 17 aseertaining whether it bears testimony to the solemn establishment of leading doctrines, incapable of scriptural proof. How, then, is this controversy affected by the literary remains of our Anglo-Saxon an- cestry ? Obscured among the shadows of a remote and a neglected period as are the means of answering this question, the in- quiry must be surely no unworthy or unin- teresting employment for an ingenuous Eng- lish mind; especially in this ancient and majestic seat of sound learning and religion. A superficial contempt of ages past, and an indolent, vainglorious assumption of supe- riority for the passing generation, are no genuine fruits of those well-directed studies which have rendered this venerable univer- sity not less preeminent in solid claims to public confidence, than it is in external mag- nificence. It is because we are here trained in habits enabling and accustoming us to " prove all things," to " hold fast that which isgoodP," that deference from liberal and dis- cerning minds generally waits upon us. But if such among us as are independent scholars, or devoted to lay professions, are bound to make our country some return, by the dili- P 1 Thess. V. 21. C 18 SERMON I. gent improvement of our studious hours, for the privilege of admission to her choicest mental culture, how much more obliged to this assiduous care are those individuals of our body whom Providence calls to minister in holy things ! Not only does our own gene- ration expect from us the guidance of sound religion, but also its upbraiding voice will rise against unfaithful shepherds in "the great and very terrible day of the Lord'." When this awful truth acts upon his imagi- nation, what " minister of Christ, and steward of the mysteries of God'," can refrain from exclaiming, " Who is sufficient for these things' ?" Fatally lost, then, to a just percep- tion of interest and duty, must be such among us as " wait at the altar'," if we fail to search, like " workmen that need not be ashamed"," into the grounds of our holy faith. ' At the present time our attention is imperiously de- manded by dogmatic tradition. In rejecting this, that establishment which offers to us maintenance and respectability is charged with error, by a numerous, ingenious, accom- plished, irreconcilable, and active class of -adversaries. Nor do such opponents fair of q Joel ii. 11. r 1 Cor. iv. 1. s g Cor. ii. 16. « 1 Cor. ix. 13. V 2 Tim. ii. 15. SERMON I. 19 seeking strength for their objections from ap- peals to the faith of their Christian ancestors in every age. An inquiry into the justice of such ap- peals will offer no violence, it may be pre- sumed, to the intentions of that excellent and reverend person, from whose pious and judi- cious liberality has arisen a long and useful series of occasions like the present. It is humbly proposed, accordingly, with earnest prayers for a blessing from on high, to trace a picture of Anglo-Saxon Christianity. No fact or doctrine will in this be submitted to your notice, for which an authentic voucher has not been provided. Among the venerable monuments, however, of our ancient Church, enough has been discovered, for ascertaining most of " the traditions" that she was taught, and the degree of steadfastness with which she held them. In . consulting these inter- esting stores, (chiefly yet unpublished,) the leading object has naturally been the illus- tration of prominent existing controversies. Hence your attention will be invited princi- pally to the voice of Anglo-Saxon tradition, respecting the sufficiency of scripture, the papal authority, the invocation of angelic and departed spirits, the penitential doctrines, purgatory, and transubstantiation. But other c 2 20 SERMON I. matters, of inferior importance in polemics, have not been overlooked, nor will be ex- cluded from appearing in the following Ser- mons. Of these, the last will contain a com- parison between the results of the whole inquiry and the principles of our national Church, as defined at the Reformation. We all of us are well aware, that then the sacred edifice was " built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone''." Haply the present undertaking may establish for our spiritual nursing-mother a new claim upon the grateful veneration of her children. Those admirable men, whose lives of unceasing anx^ ious toil, deaths of intense, unwonted agony, led England to reject articles of faith uncon- tained in holy scripture, may be found, in eifecting such a change, to have restored their country to the religion that she anciently professed. " Eph. ii. 20. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OP SERMON I. ' " Nihil mnovetur, inquit, nisi quod tra- ditum est. Unde est ista traditio ? Utrumne de Dominica et Evangelica auctoritate descendens, an de Apostolorum mandatis atque epistolis veniens ? Ea enim facienda esse quae scripta sunt Deus testa- tur, et proponit ad Jesum Nave, dicens : Non rece- det liber legis hujus ex ore tuo, sed meditaheris in eo die ac node, ut observes facere omnia qua; scripta sunt in eo (Jos. i. 8.). Item Dominus Apo- stolos suos mittens, mandat baptizari gentes, et do- ceri, ut observent omnia quaecunque ille prsecepit (Matt, xxviii. 20.). Si ergo aut in Evangelio prse- cipitur, aut in Apostolorum Epistolis aut Actibus continetur, ut a quacunque haeresi venientes non baptizentur, sed tantum manus illis imponatur in poenitentiam, observetur divina haec et sancta tra- ditib." Csecilii Cypriani Epist.74.— Ad Pojupeium. — S. Caec. Cypr. 0pp. per Joan. Oxon. Ep. Oxon, 1683. p. 211. ^ " Quomodo enim usurpari quid potest si tra- ditum prius non est? etiam in traditionis obtentu €xigenda est, inquis, auctoritas scripta : ergo quae- ramus an et traditio non scripta non debeat recipi ? PJane negabimus recipiendam, si nulla exempla praejudicent aliarum observationum, quas sine uUius c3 22 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Scripturse instrumento, solius traditionis titulo, ex- inde consuetudinis patrocinio vindicamus." (Qu. Sept. Flor. TertuU. de Corona, c. 3, Opp. Omn. Rothomag. 1662. p. 289.) See also the bishop of Lincoln's Ecclesiastical History illustrated from Tertullian. Camb. 1826. p. 298. ^ " Quia sicut multa erant quae doctus Cypria- nus doceret, sic erat et aliquid quod Cyprianus do- cibilis disceret. Quod autem nos admonet, ut, ad Jbntem recurramus, id est, ad apostolicam tradilio- nem, et inde canalem in nostra tempora diriga- mus, optimum est, et sine dubitatione faciendum. Traditum est ergo nobis, sicut ipse commemorat, ab Apostolis, quod sit unus Deus, et Christus unus, et una spes, et fides una, et una ecclesia, et haptisma unumP S. Aurel. Augustin. Hippon. Ep, de Baptismo, contra Donatistas, lib. V. cap. 26. Opp. torn. 9. p. 158. edit. Benedict. Paris. 1694. * U< 6e en-KTKOTioi, ov^ eavrois evpovref raf Ae^etf, aW (K T»v ■jrarepcov e^^ovre? t^v fxapTvpiav, ouTWf eypxipav. Ejt/- aKcfjroi yap ^(7m apyaloi, irpo ercSv eyyv<; ■ttov eKorov rpiaKovra, rvji T€ [A.eyak'^i Pw[mi( km zrjf ■^fji.fTepas irokews oi •q-vior aavTO Touf voiifjfitx keyovrag rov Tlov, kou [M] ojj.oovo'kv tm Uarpi. Theodorit. Eccl. Hist. lib. I. cap. 8. edit. Vales, et Reading. Cantab. 1720. p. 30. * 'EvayyikiKo.i yap, (pvja-t, ^ijSkot, Ka) aitory-rokiKoi, km tSov irakaiwv iTpo(f>virav ra Becmia-fiMroi, (7a(f>Zs ijimg a y^i) nepi rov ©6 teach that any thing has descended by apostolical tradition. &. Whenever any thing is accounted an apostolical tradition by those churches which have an unbroken and con- tinued succession from the apostles'. Integra et continuata successio. (Controv. 1. 77.) This, again, virtually refers full power to the papal see of deter- mining as to the members of this alleged unwritten word. For the first four marks are notoriously dis- putable, and probably papal pojemics would deny 30 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS integrity and continuity of succession to all churches, but that of Rome. " " Divinse (traditiones sc.) dicuntur, quae ac- ceptae sunt ab ipso Christo, apostolos docente ; et nusquam in divinis Uteris inveniuntur : talia sunt ea quae ad materiam et formam sacramentorum perti- nent : pauca enim de his habemus in divinis Uteris, et tamen certum est, sacramentorum essentiam non potuisse nisi a Christo institui. Propterea enim apostolus, 1 Cor. xi. loquens de Sacramento Eu- charistae, dicebat. Ego enim accept a Domino, quod et tradidi vobis" Bellarmin. I. 66. " Apostolicae traditiones proprie dicuntur illse quae ab Apostolis institutae sunt, non tamen sine assis- tentia Spiritus Sancti, et nihilominus non extant scriptae in eorum Epistolis, quale est jejunium Qua- dragesimae, et quatuor temporum, et alia multa." Ibid. '^ " Ecclesiasticse traditiones proprie dicuntur consuetudines quaedam antiquae vel a praelatis, vel a populis inchoatae, quae paulatim tacito consensu populorum vim legis obtinuerunt." Ibid. "* " Controversia inter nos et haereticos in duo- bus consistit. Primum est, quod nos asserimus, in Scripturis non contineri expresse totam doctrinam necessariam sive de fide, sive de moribus : et pro- inde praeter verhum Dei scriptum, requiri etiam verhum Dei non scriptum, id est, divinas et apo- stolicas traditiones. At ipsi docent, in scripturis omnia contineri ad fidem et mores necessaria, et proinde non opus esse uUo Dei verbo non scripto.— Secundo dissidemus, quod iUi existimant apostolos quidam quaedam instituisse praeter Scripturam, quae OF SERMON I. 31 ad ritus et ordinem Ecclesise pertinent, quae tamen non sunt necessaria, nee prsecepta, sed libera." (Bellarmin. 66.) This statement, although accurately defining the main difference between reformed churches and that of Rome, is liable to this objec- tion, that it might lead the more uninformed and incautious readers to suppose, that all the tradi- tional articles of belief, though not contained ex- pressly in scripture, are so contained by inevitable implication. But thus far the council of Trent has not ventured to go. In its decree respecting missal sacrifices for the dead, it makes no mention of any scriptural authority: " Quare non solum pro fide- lium vivorum peccatis, poenis, satisfactionibus, et aliis necessitatibus, sed et pro defiinctis in Christo, nondum ad plenum purgatis rite, juxta apostolo- rum traditionem, offertur." (Labb. et Coss. XIV. 853.) It uses the same reserve respecting the in- tercession and invocation of saints, the honouring of relics, and the religious use of images : " Man- dat sancta synodus omnibus episcopis, et cseteris docendi munus curamque sustinentibus, ut juxta Catholicce et ApostoUcee Ecclesiopovii.kva, hoc est, a Deo, per Apostolos confirmata, et a primis fidelibus per totum mundum, ut certissimae fidei comprobata." (Exam. Cone. Trident, per D. D. Martinum Chemnicium, Francof. 1596. p. 16. 20 cc This tradition" (respecting the canonical books of Scripture) " we own ; it being universal, continued, uninterrupted, and undenied. Though, in truth, this is tradition in another sense of the word ; not signifying the doctrine delivered unto us, but the manner and means of its delivery." Patrick's Discourse about Tradition, p. 15. . a> " ^^Q reverently receive also the unanimous tradition or doctrine of the Church in all ages, which determines the meaning of holy Scripture, and makes it more clear and unquestionable in any point of faith, wherein we can find it hath declared its sense. For we look upon this tradition as no- thing else but the Scripture unfolded: not a new thing, which is not in Scripture ; but the Scrip- ture explained and made more evident. And thus some part of the Nicene Creed maybe called a tra- OF SERMON I. 39 dition ; as it hath expressly delivered unto us the sense of the Church of God, concerning that great article of our faith, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, and of the same substance with the Father. " But this tradition supposes the Scripture for its ground, and delivers nothing but what the Fathers, assembled at Nice, believed to be contained there, and fetched from thence." (Ibid. p. 18.) " We allow that tradition gives us a considerable assist- ance in such points as are not in so many letters and syllables contained in the Scriptures, but may be gathered from thence by good and manifest rea- soning. Or in plainer words, perhaps, whatsoever tradition justifies any doctrine, that may be proved by the Scriptures, though not found in express terms there, we acknowledge to be of great use, and readily receive iand follow it ; as serving very much to establish us more firmly in that truth, when we see all Christians have adhered to it. " This may be called a confirming tradition : of which we have an instance in Infant Baptism, which some ancient Fathers call an Apostolical tradition." (Ibid. p. 22.) " Triie tradition is as great a proof against po- pery, as it is for Episcopacy. The very foundation of the pojpe's empire, which is his succession in St. Peter's supremacy, is utterly subverted by this : the constant tradition of the Church being evi- dently against it." (Ibid. p. 23.) ' " It is commonly given out that we reftise all traditions, than which nothing is more false : for we refuse none truly so called ; that is, doctrines delivered by Christ or his Apostles. No, we refiise d4 40 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS, &c. nothing at all, because it is unwritten ; but merely because we are not sure it is delivered by that au- thority to which we ought to submit. " Whatsoever is delivered uiito us by our Lord and his Apostles we receive as the very word of God; which we think sufficiently declared in the holy Scriptures. But if any can certainly prove, by any authority equal to that which brings the Scriptures to us, that there is any thing else delivered. by themj we receive that also." (Ibid. p. 26.) " It is true, the Fathers sometimes urge tradi- tion as a proof of what they say. But we must know, that the Scriptures were not presently com- municated among some barbarous nations ; and there were some heretics also who either denied the Scriptures, or some part of them : and in these cases it was necessary to appeal to the tradition that was in the Church ; and to convince them by the doctrine that was every where taught by all the bishops." (p. 31.) " But that (mark this, I pray you) of which they convinced them by this argument, was nothing but what was taught in the Scripture." " NuUam enim potes traditionem Romanam pro- ferre, quam nos improbemus, si illam toto terra- rum orbe semper observatam esse eviceris." (Gul. Whitaker. Edm. Campian. Jesuit. Christiana Re- sponsio. Opp. Theol. Genev. 1610. tom. I. p. 9.) " Denique in rebus mediis, de quibus nihil Scri- ptura certi in alterutram partem statuit, morem populi Dei, majorumque instituta, concedo magni esse facienda." (Id. de Sacris Literis, contra Du- rseum, lib. I. tom. i. 68.) HOMILY ON THE CATHOLIC FAITH. SERMO FIDE CATHOLICA' TRtX c)\iffcen man j-ceal sepfceji pihte cunnan segSeji hif pateji noj^ep- ge hij- qreban. OOib Jjam pateji nojtTie be fceal hme gebibban- mib Jjam cjieban he fceal hij- geleapan 3eqiymman. UJe habba'S gepaeb embe Jjeet patejv no]-teji- nu pe piUa'S j-ecgan eop J>one geleapan J>e on }>a qieban jrenf ppa ppa pe pipa !S3upCinup be ]?8epe balgan Jipyneppe trpahfcnobe. Sn pcippenb ip eallpa Jjin3a gepepenhcpa anb ungepepenlicpa* anb pe pceolon on hme gelypan- popJ>an ]?e he ip poS 30b- anb ana 8elmihti3* pe ]>e nseppe ne on3ann* ne an3mn nsepbe* ac he pylp ip an3inn* anb he eallum 3e- pceaptum an3inn anb opbppuman pop3eap" JjseC hi beon mihton • anb thset hi haepbon a3en 3ecynb ppa ppa hit Jjsepe 3obcunbhcan pabun3e 3ehcobe. Gn3lap he pophte* Jjap pynb 3aptap anb nabbaS nsene hchaman. Nytenum anb beop* pixap anb pu3elap he 3epceop on plaepce buton paple. ClOan- num he pealbe uppihtne 3an3- ]>a nytenum he bet 3an alotene. ClOannum he pop3eap hlap to bi- 3leopan- anb ]?am nytenum 3aepp. Nu ma3e 36 3ebpo'Spa unbepptanban 31P 36 pillaS- Jjset tpa ]7in3 '^ Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii. 23. f. 16. Printed nearly entire in Whelock's Bede, from a MS. in the public library, at Cam- bridge, pp. 41, 420. HOMILY ON THE CATHOLIC FAITH. JJiVERY Cristen man should rightly know both his Pater Noster and his Creed, With the Pater Noster he should pray ; with the Creed he should settle his belief. We have spoken about the Pater Noster *; now we will explain to you the belief which stands in the Creed, according to the wise Augustine's mode of treating about the holy Trinity. There is one Creator of all things visible and invi- sible ; and we should believe in him, because he is true God, and alone almighty ; who never began, nor had a beginning ; but he himself is the begin- ning, and he gave to all creatures a beginning and origin, that they might be, and that they might have their own kind just as it liked the Divine dis- position. Angels he made ; which are spirits, and have no body. Cattle and wild beasts, fish and fowls he created in flesh, without a soul. To men he gave an upright gait ; the cattle he commanded to go with downward head. To men he gave bread for food ; and to the cattle, grass. Now may ye, brethren, understand, if ye will, that there are two things ; one is the Creator, the other is the crea- ture. He is the Creator who created and made 'In the preceding Honuly. 44. HOMILY ON THE jynbon* an if fcj^penb- o*Seji if ^ef ceaj*. J7e if f cyppenb f e J>e gef ceop anb gepojvhte ealle J>mg op nahte. Dset if gef ceafC JpseC f e f o'Sa f cyppenb je- fceop- ]?8eC fynb aejieft heoponaf • anb engkf J?e on heofonon puma's* anb fy'SSan Jjeof eopJ>e mib eallum pom ]?e hyjie oneajibia'S' anb fte mib eallum pam ]>e hype onfpimma'S. Nu ealle J>af Jjing fynb mib anum naman genemnobe gef ceapc. J)i naejion sepjie punigenbe- ac gob hi gefceop. Da gefcea- fta.fynb peak* an if fe f cyppenb J»e hi ealle ge- fceop* f e ana If aplmihtig gob. pe psef aeppe* anb ?epj\e by^ J>uj\h pumgenbe on him fylpum anb Jjujih • bine fylpne. Irip he ongunne^ anb anginn bsepbe- buton fcpyn ne miht he b6on aelmihtig gob. 8o'S- lice J»8et gefceapfc J^e ongann* anb gepceapen if naepS nane gobcunbnypfe. Fojijji selc ebpiffc Jiaet }>e gob nyf • J>8et if gefceapt" anb Jjsefc ]?e gepceg^pt nyf • jjset if gob. 8e gob punaS on ]?pynyffe un- tobselebhc" anb on annyppe anp.e gobcunbnyppe. So'Slice o'Seji ip pe paebep- o'Sep. ip pe punu* oSeji ip pe halga gapf ac )»eah hpae'Sepe Jjaepa Jjpeopa ip an gobcunbnyppe* anb gehc pulbop* anb epen ece msegenjjjiymnypp, ^Imihfcig gob ip pe pabeji* seU mihtig gob ip pe punu- aelmihfcig gob ip pe halga gapt. TCc ]?eah hpae]?epe ne pynb Jij\y selmihsig^ gobap- ac an aelmihtig gob, Djiy hi pynb on ha- bum anb on naman* anb an on gobcunbnyppe. Dpy* pojijji ]>e pe pseberi hfS aeppe paebep* anb pe punu hfS seppe punu* anb pe halga gapt by« aeppe halga gape* anb heopa nan ne apent op Jjam ]>& he ip. Nu ge habbaS gehyjreb «a halgan ppynjjre' ge pceolon nu gehyjvan J?a pojjan annyppe. So'Slice pepaebeji* anb pe punu* anb pe halga gapt habbaS an gobcunbnyppe* anb an gecynb* anb an peope. CATHOLIC FAITH. 45 all things from nothing ; that is the creature which the true Creator created: first, namely, the hea- vens, and the angels who live in heaven ; and then, this earth with all that dwell therein, and the sea with all that swim therein. Now all these things are with one name, called Creation. They were not ever remaining, but God created them. The creatures are many ; the Creator who created them all is one ; who alone is Almighty God. He was ever, and ever will be remaining in himself, and through himself. If he began, and had a begin- ning, without doubt he could not be Almighty God. Truly, the creature which began, and is created, has no divinity. Therefore, every sub- stance which is not God, that is a creature ; and that which is not a creature, is God. God remains in trinity, indivisible, and in the unity of one di- vinity. Truly the Father is one thing, the Son another, and the Holy Ghost another : yet never- theless, of the three, the Divinity is one, the glory alike, and the majesty equally eternal. The Father is almighty God, the Son is almighty God, the Holy Ghost is almighty God. Yet, nevertheless, they are not three almighty Gods, but one almighty God. Three they are in persons, and in names, and one in divinity. Three ; because, the Father is ever Father, and the Son is ever Son, and the Holy Ghost is ever Holy Ghost ; and of them, no one ever changes from that which he is. Now ye have heard of the holy Trinity ; ye shall now hear of the true Unity. Truly the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost have one divinity, and one nature, and one work. The Father neither made nor makes any thing, without the Son and the Holy Ghost. 46 HOMILY ON THE Ne pojvhfce re paebeji nan Jjing- ne ne yfjidS- bu- fcan ]?am j-una- o'^e buCan J>am halgan gajtre. Ne heojia nan ne pyjiCS nan jjing butan oSjium- ac him eallum ij* an peojic- anb an jiaeb- anb an piUa. ^pjie psej- j-e psebeji* anb aepjie paej- pe punu- anb seppe paep pe halga gapf an selmihfcig 30b. 8e ip pzebep pe J^e nip naSep ne jebopen- ne gepceapen ppam nanum oSpum • pe ip psebep gehaten popjjan J>e he hsepS punu' Jjone ]?e he op him pylpum je- ptjvynbe butan selcpe mebep. 8e paebeji ip gob op nanum gobe- pe punu ip gob op J^am paebep gobe- pe halga gapt ip gob pop'Sptaeppenbe op ]?am paebep anb op J>am puna. Dap popb pynb pceopdice ge- psebe- anb eop ip neob Jpaet pe hi pputehcop eop onppeon. Jjpset ip pe paebep* selmihtig pcippenb- na gepophf ne acenneb* ac he pylp gepfcpynbe beapn- him pylpum epen ece. phaet ip pe punu* he ip Jjsep psebep pipbom* anb hip popb* anb hip mihf J)uph J>one he gepceop ealle ]?ing anb gepa- bobe. Nip pe punu na gepophc * ne gepceapen* ac he ip acenneb. Scenneb he ip • ac Jjeah hpse'Sepe he ip epen ealb. anb epen ece hip paebep. Nip nai ppa on hip acennebneppe ppa ppa by^ on upe acen- nebneppe. Donne pe mann punu geptpynb* anb hip cilb acenneb by®' 'Sonne hfS pe paebep mapa, anb pe punu laeppa. ppi ppa • pop pi ]?onne pe punu pyx]?* ]jonne ealbaS pe paebep. Ne pinpt Su na gehce on mannum paebep anb punu. ' "Kc ic Se pylle bypne hu 'Su gobep acennebnyppe J>y bet un- bepptanban miht. Fyp acen'S op him beophtnyppe* anb peo beophtnypp ip epen ealb f>am pype. Nip na J>aet pyp op J>aepe beophtnyppe* ac peo beopht- nypp ip op J>am pype. Daet pyp acen'S 'Sa beopht- nyppe* ac hit ne hfS naeppe buton Jjaepe beopht-; CATHOLIC FAITH. 47 Nor of them, does any one do any work without the others ; but to them all is one work, and one counsel, and one will. Ever was the Father, and ever was the Son, and ever was the Holy Ohost, one almighty God. The Father is he who is nei- ther born nor created from any other : he is called Father, because he has a Son, whom he generated from himself without any mother. The Father is God of no God, the Son is God of the Father God, the Holy Ghost is God, proceeding from the Fa- ther and from the Son. These words are shortly said, and it is needfiil for you that we explain them to you more clearly. "What is the Father? The almighty Creator ; not made, nor begotten, but he himself begat a Son, equally eternal with himself. What is the Son ? He is the Father's wisdom, and his word, and his might ; through whom he created all things, and set them in order. The Son is not either made or created, but he is begotten. Be-' gotten he is, yet nevertheless he is equally old, and equally eternal with his Father. It is not thus in his begetting as it is in our begetting. When a man begets a son, and his child is born, then is the father greater, and the son less. "Why so ? Be- cause, while the son • grows, the father is becoiriing old. Among men, thou findest not alike father and son. But I give thee an example, how thou mightest better understand God's generation. Fire generates brightness of itself, and the brightness is equally old with the fire. The fire is not from that brightness, but the brightness is from the fire. The fire generates the brightness ; but it is never without that brightness. ■ Now thou hast heard that the brightness is just as old as the fire from 48 HOMILY ON THE nyjje. Nu «u gehyjrft Jjaefc feo beojvhtnyjT- ij- call j-pa ealb fpa paet pyji J'e heo opcym'S- gejjapa nu poji J)i ]3aeC gob mihfce geji^ynan eall jya ealb beajin- anb eai j^a ece fpa he fylj: ij*. 8e J?e maej unbejvffcanban jjsefc uj\e haelenb cjnyt if on Jjaejie gobcunbnyjye eall fpa ealb j^a hij- psebeji" hejian- cige Ipssf gobe* anb blijyige* j-e ]>e unbejtjta,nban ne mseg* he hit fceal gelypan J>set he hit unbejv- ffcanban meeg" popjjan Jjsej- pitegan popb ne maej beon aiblob' J'e J>up cpse'S' buton ge hit gelypan ne mage ge hit unbejiftanban. Nu ge habba'S ge- hyji^b ]?8et pe punu ip op ]>am. psebeji butan aelcum anginne* pop]7an J>e he ip ]?8ep pasbep pipbom- anb he paep aeppe mib J)am paebep" anb aeppe by^. Ufcon nu gehypan be ]?ain halgan gapte • hpaet he jy. pe ip pe piUa anb peo po^e lupu Jjaep paebep anb J>aep puna* 'Suph ]?one pynb ealle J»ing gelip- paepte* arib gehealbene* be ]7am ip ]>uy gecpeben* gobep gapfc gepylS ealne ymbehpyppt mibban eaji- bep" anb hehealt ealle J>ing • anb he haepS ingehyb Eelcep gejxeopbep. Nip he gepophf ne gepceapen* ne ucenneb* ac he ip pop'Spfceppenbe- Jjset ip op- gangenbe op J>am psebep anb op^am puna- ^am he ip gehc anb epen ece. Nip pe halga gapt na punu- popJ>an J»e he nip na acenneb- ac he gee's op Jjam paebep anb op J»am puna gelice* popjian ]?e heij* heopa begpa piUa anb lupu. Lpipt cpae'S ]jup be him on hip gobppelle' pe ppopop gapfc ]>e ic eop apenban piUe- gapfc Jjsepepo'Spsepfcneppe' Jje op mi- num psebep gse^- he cy'S gecy^nyppe be me- Jjset ip- 'he ip mm gepita )?8et ic eom gobep punu. Snb eac pe pihfca geleapa up fcsecS jpsefc pe pceolon gd'y- pan on)>one halgan gapfc- he ip pe lippaeptenba gob pe gseS or ]?am paebep anb op Jjam puna, pu gse^ CATHOLIC FAITH. 49 which it comes ; admit now, therefore, that God might generate a Son just as old, and just as eter- nal as he himself is. Let him who can understand that our Saviour Crist is just as old as his Father thank God, and rejoice : let him who cannot un- derstand it believe it, that he may understand it ; for the prophet's words cannot be in vain, who says. Unless ye believe it, ye cannot understand it. Now ye have heard that the Son is of the Father without ^ny beginning ; because he is the Father s wisdom, and he was ever with the Father, and ever will be. Come, now hear concerning the Holy Ghost, what he is. He is the will and the true love of the Father and of the Son ; by whom all things are quickened and upholden : of whom it is thus said ; God's Spirit fills the whole circumference of the world, and he holds all things, and he has a knowledge of every language. He is not made, nor created, nor begotten ; but he is proceeding : that is, coming from the Father and the Son ; to whom he is like, and .(with whom) he is equally eternal. The Holy Ghost is not the Son, because he is not begotten ; but he gpeth from the Father and the Son equally; because he is the will and love of them both. Crist speaks thus of him in his Gospel ; the Comforter, whom I will send to you, the Spirit of Tru,th, he shall testify of me ; that is, he is my witness that I am the Son of God. And also the right belief teaches us, that we should believe in the Hply Ghost ; he is the God of life, who goeth from the Father and from the Son. How goeth he from therfi ? The Son is the Fathers wisdom, ever from the Father ; and the Holy Ghost is the will of them both, ever from them both. E 50 HOMILY ON THE he op him. 8e j-unu ip ]>iey paebep pifbom- aeppe op ]7am psebeji- anb pe halga gapt ip heopa begyia piUa sepjie op him bam. Ip popJ?i Jjonne seppe an psebep- pe jje seppe ip paebep- anb an punu pe ]?e seppe by^ punu- anb an hahj gapt pe ]?e seppe ip hahg gapt. ^ppe psep pe psebep butan anjinne- anb seppe Ipeey pe punu mib Jjam psebep • popJ>an J>e he ip yasy psebep pipbom. iEppe paep pe halga gapt pe J>e ip heopa begpa piUa anb lupu. Nip pe psebep op nanum o'Spum • ac he paep seppe. 8e punu ip acenneb op J»am psebep • ac he psep seppe on Jjsep psebep bopme- popJ>an J)e he ip hip pipbom- anb he ip op ]>am psebep eall Jiset he ip. ^ppe paep pe halga gapfc- popjjan 'Se he ip ppa pe sep cpaebon- piUa anb ydS lupu J)sep psebep anb "J>sep puna. 8oS- hce piUa anb lupu jetacnia'S an J'lng. DseC Jpset J>u pylt Ipast J>u lupapfc • anb 'Ssefc Jjaet ]?u nek Jjset ]?u ne lupapt. Seo punne Se opep up pern's ip lichamlic gepceapfc anb hsepS ppa J»eah J>peo agennyppa on hype. Sn ip peo hchamlice ebpipf Jiaec ip J?aepe punnan tpenbel. OSep ip peo leoma - o'SSe beopht- nypp seppe op jjsepe punnan- peo Jie onliht ealne mibban eapb. Dpibbe ip peo hsetu \>e mib \>am leoman becymS to up. Seo leoma ip seppe op Jjsepe punnan anb aeppe mib hype. Snb pe selmihtija gobep punu ip seppe op ]?am psebep acenneb- anb seppe mib him punigenbe. Be J>am apse's pe apoptol Jjset he psepe hip psebep pulbpep beophtnypp. Dsepe punnan hsetu gse'S op hype- anb op hype leoman* anb pe halga gapt gse'S aeppe op Jjam psebep anb op ]?am puna gelice. Be f>am ip ]jup appiten- nip nan ]>e hine behyban mage ppam hip hsefcan. Faebep anb punu anb halig gapt ne magon beon aetgsebepe genamobe- ac hi ne bee's ppa ]?eah na hpap tot- CATHOLIC FAITH. 51 There is, therefore, one Father, who is ever the Father ; and one Son, who is ever the Son ; and one Holy Ghost, who is ever the Holy Ghost. Ever was the Father without beginning ; and ever was the Son with the Father, because he is the Fa- ther's wisdom. Ever was the Holy Ghost ; who is the will and love of them both. The Father is not from any other, but he was ever. The Son is be- gotten from the Father; but he was ever in the Father's bosom, because he is his wisdom, and he is from the Father all that he is. Ever was the Holy Ghost, because he is, as we before said, the will and true love of the Father and of the Son. Truly, will and love betoken one thing. That which thou wilt, that thou lovest ; and that which thou wilt not, that thou lovest not. The sun which shines above us is a bodily creature, and has three properties in itself: one is the bodily substance, namely, the sun's orb ; another is the light, or brightness, ever from the sun, which enlightens all the world ; the third is the heat which comes to us with the light. The light is ever from the sun, and ever with it. And the Son of almighty God is ever begotten from the Father, and ever dweUing with him. Of whom the Apostle says, that he is the brightness of his Father's glory. The sun's heat goeth from it, and from its light ; and the Holy Ghost goeth ever from the Father a:nd from the Son alike. Of which it is thus written, There is no one who can hide himself from its heat. , Fa- ther and Son and Holy Ghost cannot be named together ; but they are not, nevertheless, any where separated. The almighty God is not threefold, but he is a Trinity. The Father is God, and the Son e2 52 HOMILY ON THE paembe. Nif j-e selmihtiga 30b na jTpypealb- ac ij- Jjjiynnyjy. Dob if fe paebeji- anb fe pinu ly 30b- anb j-e hal^a gaj-fc ij- 30b. Na J>j\y 3obar- ac hi ealle Jjjiy an 8elmihci3 30b. 8e f aebeji if pif bom op nanum oJ)jvum pif borne. 8e funu if pif bom op Jjam pif an psebep. 8e hal3a 3aft if pifbom. Sc }>eah hpse'Sejve hi pynb ealle aefc3aebejie an pifbom. Bpt fe paebep if fo'S lupu' anb pe funu ycfS lupu* anb pe hal3a 3aft if fo'S lupu- anb hi ealle 8et38ebepe an 30b- anb an ydS lupu. 6ac ppylce ip fe paebeji 3apt anb hali3; anb pe punu ip 3apt anb hali3 un- tpylice- J)eah hpae'Sejie pe hal3a 3apt ip pynbephce 3ehafcen hali3 3apf 'Ssefc Jjsefc hi ealle pjvy pynb 36- msenelice. Spa mi eel 3elicnyf if on ]7iffejie hal3an jTjvynnyff e J>aet: f e paebeji nip na majie Jjonne pe hal3a 3apt ■ ne nan heojia an nip na laeppe Jjonne eall peo ]?jiynnypp. Spa hpsep ppa heopa an byS Jjsep. hi beoS ealle ]?jiy * aepjie an 30b unfcobselebhc. Nip heojia nan majve J>onne o'Sejv ne nan laeppa J>onne o'Sejv ne nan bepojian o'Sjium* ne nan bae- pcan o'Sjium- pojxJ>an.ppa hpaet ppa laeppa by'S Jjonne 30b J>8efc ne by'S na 30b' Jjeet Jjaefc lafcop hfS pset hasp's an3inn- ac 30b naep'S nan an3inn. Nip na pe paebep^ ana Jjjrynnypp- o'SSe pe punu jjpyn- nypp- o'SiSe pe hal3a 3apC 'pjvynnyyy ac Jjap jTfiy habap pynbon an 30b on anjxe 3obcunbriypfe. Donne ]?u 3ehyfipfc nemnian J>one paebeji- Jjonne unbepptenjt: J)u Jpaet he haejr'S punu • epC 'Sonne 'Su cpij-c punu Jju paj-fc butan tpeon Jjaet he haepS pae- bejv. Gpt pe 3elypa'S fiaefc pe hal3a 3apc ip 8e3Seji 3e fiaep paebeji 36 ]?aep puna 3apt. Ne bepaece nan mann hme pylpne ppa past he pec3e o'SSe 3elype l?aefc ]jjiy 3obap pynbon- o®Se aeni3 hab on ]7£epe hal3an ]?jiynnyppe yy unmihti3jia poime oSeji. Mk CATHOLIC FAITH. 53 is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. Not three Gods, but all these three one almighty God. The Father is wisdom from no other wisdom. The Son is wisdom from the wise Father. The Holy Ghost is wisdom. Yet, nevertheless, they are altogether one wisdom. Again, the Father is true love, and the Son true love, and the Holy Ghost true love ; and all of them together one God, and one true love. Also as the Father is a Spirit and holy, so the Son is a Spirit and holy undoubtedly ; yet, ne- vertheless, the Holy Ghost is especially called Holy Ghost ; that, namely, which they all three are in common. So great is the likeness in this holy Trinity, that the Father is not greater than the Holy Ghost ; nor is any one of them less than all the Trinity. Wheresoever one of them is, there they all three are, one indivisible God. No one of them is greater than another, nor one less than another, nor one before another, nor one after an- other ; for whatsoever is less than God, that is not God: that which is later hath a beginning; but God hath no beginning. The Father alone is not the Trinity, nor is the Son the Trinity, nor is the Holy Ghost the Trinity ; but these three Persons are one God in one Divinity. When thou hearest the Father named, then thou understandest that he hath a Son ; again, when thou mentionest the Son, thou knowest without doubt that he hath a Father. Again, we believe that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit both of the Father and of the Son. Let no man deceive himself so, that he say or believe that there are three Gods, or that any Person in the holy Trinity is less mighty than another. Each of the three is God ; yet, nevertheless, they are all one E 3 54 HOMILY ON THE J?8epa ]?peo7va if gob- ac Jjeah hpse'Sepe hi ealle an 30b- poj\J)an ]pe hi ealle habba'S an gecynb- anb ane gobcunbnyjye- anb ane ebpij-fce* anb an gejjeahf anb an peopc anb ane mBegenJTfiymnyppe- anb gelic pulbop- anb epen ece pice. Ip hpae'Sepe pe punu ana geplsepc-hamob anb jebopen to menn op J»am halgan msebene mapian. Ne peapS pe paebep mib mennipcnyppe bepangen- ac hpaeSepe he a- penbe hip punu to upe alypebnyppe- anb himaeppe mib paep seg'Sep ge on hip lipe* ge on hip Jjpop- unge* anb on hip sepipte* anb on hip upptige. Gae eall gobep gela'Sung anbet on jjam pihtum gelea- pan Jjset cpipt ip acenneb op Jjam clsenan maebene mapian anb op J>am halgan gapte. Nip pe halga gapt ]?eah hpae'Sepe cpiptep paebep • ne nan cpipten man Jpaet naeppe pceal gelypan. !Sc pe halga japt ip piUa J>8ep paebep anb ]?aep puna- popj^i Jjonne ppiSe pihtlce ip appiten on upum geleapan Jjset cpiptep mennipcnypp peap'S geppemmeb J>uph J>one halgan piUan. Behealb Jjap punnan mib gleapnyppe- on Jjsepe ip ppa pe aep cpaebon haetu anb beopht- nypp- ac peo haetu bpig'S- anb peo beophtnyjy onlihf o'Sep Jjing be'S peo haetu- anb oSep peo beophtnypp- anb Jjeah 'Se hi ne magon beon tot- paembe belimp'S hpae'Sepe peah peo hae'Sung to Jjaepe haetan anb peo onlihting belimp'S to J?aepe beopht- nyppe. Spa eac cpipt ana unbeppeng ]>a mennif- cnyppe anb na pe paebep ne pe halga gapt- ^eah hpae'Sepe hi paepon mib him on eallum hip peop- cum- anb on ealpe hip pape. We pppeca'S embe gob beablice be unbeablicum • tybbpe be aelmihti- gum- eapmmgap be milbheoptum- ac hpa msej peop^puUice pppecan be ]?am ]>e ip unapecgenblic. pe ip butan gemete- popjji he ip aeghpaep- he if CATHOLIC FAITH. 55 God ; because they all have one nature, and one divinity, and one substance, and one counsel, and one work, and one majesty, and like glory, and equally eternal dominion. The Son, however, alone is incarnate, and born as a man of the holy Virgin Mary. The Father was not invested with human nature, but, however, he sent his Son for our re- demption, and was ever with him, both in his life, and in his passion, and in his resurrection, and in his ascension. Also all God's congregation con- fesses, according to the right belief, that Crist was born of the pure Virgin Mary, and of the Holy Ghost. Nevertheless, the Holy Ghost is not Grist's father, nor shall any Cristen man ever believe that. But the Holy Ghost is the will of the Fa- ther and of the Son : hence, then, very rightly it is written in our belief, that Grist's humanity was accomplished through the holy will. Behold the sun with prudence ; in it are, as we before said, heat- and brightness ; and the heat dryeth, and the brightness enlighteneth : the heat doeth one thing, and the brightness another ; and though they can- not be separated, yet the heating belongeth to the heat, and the lighting belongeth to the brightness. So also Crist alone undertook the human nature, and not the Father nor the Holy Ghost ; never- theless, they were with him in all his works and in a.11 his course. We speak concerning God ; mor- tals, of immortal ; weak, of almighty ; miserable, of merciful : but who can worthily speak of one who is ineffable ? He is without measure, for he is every where ; he is without number, for he is ever ; he is without weight, for he sustains all creatures without fatigue ; and he arranged them all under e4 56 HOMILY ON THE butan getele- pojtjjan he if asjrjie- he ij- butan hepe pojv|?an he hylfc ealle gef ceapta butan gep- pmce- anb he hi ealle gelo^dbe on 'Sam J>pym ]?in- gum- Jjsefc ip on gemete* anb on gefcele* anb on hepe. 3!c pite ge Jisefc nan man ne mseg pulhce embe gob ppjiecan ]?onne pe pup'Son J^a gepceapfca ]?e he gepceop ne magon apmeagan ne apeccan. J?pa mseg mib popbtim J>a2pe heoponan ppsefcepunge apecgan. OSSe hpa ]?8epe eopJ>an paeptm-baepnyppe. OSSe hpa hepaS gemhtpumhce ealpa fciba ymbh- pyppt. O^e hpa ealle f>a oSpe }?ing. Donne pe pupjjon ■Sa lichamlican 'Sing 'Se pe onlocia'S ne ma- gon pulhce bepon mib upe gepyhSe. 6pne J>u ge- pyhpt J?one mannan bepopan ]>&• ac on 'Saepe fcibe f>e Jju hip neb gepyhpt 'Su ne gepyhpt na hip hpicg. Gall ppa gip ]ju pumne da's pceapapt ne miht J>u hine ealne togaebepe gepeon* ac penpC abufcan J>aet Jju ealne hine gepeo. ppilc punbop ip gip pe aelmih- tiga gob ip unapecgenblic anb unbepangenlic pe J)e aeghpaep ip eall anb nahpap tobaeleb. Nu pmeaS pum unbeop-'Sancol man hu gob mage beon aeghpaep sefcgaebepe anb nahpap tobaeleb. Behealb ]>a pun- nan hu heage heo aptih'S- anb hu heo apent hype leoman geonb ealne mibban eapb- anb hu heo on- liht ealle 'Sap eop'San ]?e mancynn on eapbia®- ppa hpa J>e ppa heo up apppmc'S on aepne mepgen heo pern's on hiepupalem anb on pome bypig anb on f>ippum eapbe anb on eallum eapbum aetgaebepe* anb hpae'Sepe heo ip gepceapt anb gas's be gobep bihte. jTpaet penpt 'Su hu niicele ppi'Sop ip gobep anbpeapbnypp- anbhipmihf anb hip neopung aeg- hpaep. t>im ne pi«jt:ent nan }>ing- naSop ne ptae- nen peall- ne bpyben pah- ppa ppa hi pi'SptanbaS Saepe punnan. J?im nip nan 'Smg bigle ne uncuS. CATHOLIC FAITH. 57 these three things; that is, under measure, and under number, and under weight. But ye know that no man can fully speak concerning God, when we cannot even investigate and explain the crea- tures which he created. Who can with words de- scribe the host of heaven ? or who the earth's fertility? Or who praiseth sufficiently the yicissi-. tude of all the seasons ? or who all other things ? We cannot, then, fully take with our sight even the corporeal things upon which we look. Be- hold ! thou seest a man before thee ; but in the time when thou seest his face, thou seest not his back. Also, if thou examinest some cloth, thou canst not see it altogether, but goest about, that thou mayest see it all. What wonder is it, if the almighty God is ineffable and incomprehensible; who is every where whole, and no where divided ? Now, a shallow-thinking man considereth how God can be every where together, and nowhere di- vided. Behold the sun, how high it ascends, and how it sends its light over the whole world, and how it lights all this earth which mankind in- habit ; so that it no sooner riseth at daybreak than it shineth upon Hierusalem, and upon the city Rome, and upon this land, and upon all lands tOr gether ; tod yet it is a creature, and goeth by God's appointment. How much completer, think thou, must be God's presence, and his might, and his visitation every where. Him nought with- stands ; neither strong fence, nor firm house-wall ; as these withstand the sun. Nothing is concealed from him, nor unknown to him. Thou examinest a man's face, and God examineth his heart. God's Spirit trieth all men's hearts, and those that believe 58 HOMILY ON THE Bu j-ceapafC 'pasy mannej- nebb anb gob f ceapaS hij- heoptan. Dobej- gajt: apanba'S eallpa manna heoji- tan • anb J^a 'Se on hme gelypa'S anb hine lupia'S Ipa. he clsenj-a'S anb geglabia'S mib hij- iieopinge* anb J>aepa ungeleappulpa manna heoptan he pojiby^ anb onpcuna'S. IDite eac ge hpa Ipeet aelc mann haepS Jjp-eo Jjing on him jylpum untobselebhce anb fcogae- bejve pyyicenbe" ppa ppa gob apse's pa. J>a he aejiept mann gepceop he cpse'S • uton pyp.can mann to upe gelycnyppe* anb he pojihfce ]>a abam to hip anlic- nyppe. On hpyclum bsele hsepS pe mann gobep anhcnyppe on him. On Jjiepe paple* na on ]?am hchaman. Daep mannep papl haepS on hyjie ge- cynbe Jjsepe halgan Jjpynnyppe anhcnyppe • pop'San Se heo hsepS on hyjie J>peo J^mg* past ip gemynb* anb anbgit* anb piUa. Dujih J>8et gemynb pe man ge'Senc'S pa. J)ing Jjset he gehyjibe- o'SSe gepeah- o'SfSe geleopnobe. Duph ]?aet anbgit he unbepptent ealle ]?a )?ing Jjaet he gehyp.'S o'SSe gepyhS. Op Jjam piUan cumaS geSohtap* anb popb* anb peopc aeg- 'Sejx ge gobe ge ypele. 'Kn papul ip anb an hp anb an ebpipf peo pe haepS Jjap ]?peo 'Sing on hype togae- bepe pypcenbe untobaelebhce ■ pop'Si ]?aep Jjaet ge- mynb hfS' Jjsep by'S Jjset anbgit • anb pe piUa* anb aeppe hi beo'S togaebepe. Deah hpae'Sepe nip nan J>8epa Jjpeopa peo papul • ac peo papul 'Suph Jjset ge- mynb geman'S- Jjuph J>8et anbgit heo unbepptenf }>uph J)one piUan he pyle ppa hpa;t ppa hype lyca'S- anb heo ip hpae'Sepe an papul anb an lip. Nu haep'S heo pop'Si gobep anhcnyppe on hype- pop})an pe heo haepS 'Speo 'Sing on hype untobaelebhce pyp- cenbe. Ip hpae^epe pe mann an mann anb na Jjpyn- nypp. Dob poSlice paebep anb punu anb halga gapt Jjuph puna« on ]?pynnyppe haba- anb on annyppe CATHOLIC FAITH. 59 in him and love him, he cleanseth, and gladdeneth with his visiting ; and unbelieving men's hearts he avoideth and shunneth. Know also, every one, that every man hath three things in himself indivisibly, and working together : for God said when he first created man. Come, said he, let us make man after our likeness: and he made Adam after his image. In which part hath man God's image in itself? In the soul, not in the body. Man's soul hath in its nature the image of the holy Trinity ; for it hath three things in it, namely, memory and understand- ing and will. Through memory man thinketh over the things which he has heard or seen or learned. Through understanding he comprehends all the things that he hears or sees. From the will come thoughts and words and works, both good and evil. There is one soul, and one life, and one substance ; which hath these three things working together in it indivisibly : for where memory is, there is understanding and will ; and these ever are together. Yet, nevertheless, the soul is no one of the three ; but the soul, through memory, ob- serveth ; through understanding, comprehendeth ; through will, it willeth whatsoever it liketh ; and it is, notwithstanding, one soul and one life. Now hath it, therefore, God's image in itself, because it hath three things in itself indivisibly working. Man, however, is one man, and not a trinity. God truly. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, continueth in a tri- nity of Persons, and in the unity of one Divinity. Man is not dwelling in trinity as God is ; but he hath, notwithstanding, God's image in his soul through the three things which we mentioned be- fore. A certain heretical man was called Arrius, 60 HOMILY ON THE anpe gobcunbnyjye. Nif na ye mann on 'Spyn- nfjje punigenbe j*pa ]7»a gob* ac he hsejrS hpse'Sejie gobej- anlicnyjje on hij- j-aple* J)U]ah J)a Jjpeo ]?ing ^e pe sep cpaebon. Sjijiiup hafcte pum gebpol mann pe plat PI'S aenne bipceop J>e ytey genemneb alexan- bep* pip anb piht-gelypeb. Da cpse'S pe gebpol mann Jjaec cpipt gobep punu ne miht na beon hip paebep gehc* ne yya mihtig ppa ppa he- anb cpseS Jpset pe psebep psepe sep pe punu* anb nam bypne be mannum hu aelc punu by'S gingpa J>onne pe pae- bep on 'Sipum hpe. Da cpse'S pe halga bipceop ale- xanbep him togeanep* Dob paep seppe anb aeppe paep hip pipbom op him acenneb. 8e pipbom ip hip punu eall ppa mihtig ppa pe psebep. Da begeat pe gebpola Jjsep capepep pultum to hip gebpylbe* anb cpse'S gemot ongean 'Sone bipceop • anb polbe gebygan eall ]?aet pole to hip gebpylbum. Da pacobe pe bipceop ane niht on gobep cypcan anb clypobe to hip bpihtne anb Jjup cpse'S. Du selmihtiga gob bem pihtne bom betpux me anb appium. pi comon Sa 'Ssep on mepgen to Sam ge- mote. Da cpseS pe gebpola to hip gepepum Jjset he polbe gang embe hip neobe popS. Da Sa' he to gauge com anb he gepsef Sa gepanb him ut eall hip mnepeapbe set hip pettle- anb he pset Jisep beab. Da gepputelobe gob J>aet he psep ppa gesemtigob on hip innoSe ppa ppa he psep on hip geleapan. pe polbe bon cpipt Iseppan Jjonne he ip- anb hip gob- cunbnyppe pupSmynt panian. Da peapS him ppa bypmophc bea'S gepealb ppa ppa he pel pypSe paep. OSep gebpol man paep pe hatte pabelliup- he cpse'S ]?set pe paebep psepe 'Sa 'Sa he polbe psebep- anb ept Sa Sa he polbe he paepe punu- anb ept 'Sa 'Sa he polbe paepe halig gapf anb paepe pop's! an gob. CATHOLIC FAITH. 61 who contended with a bishop that was named Alex- ander, wise, and right-believed. Then said the he- retical man, that Crist, God's Son, could not be like his Father, nor so mighty quite as he ; and said, that the Father was before the Son ; and took an example from men, how every son is younger than his father in this life. Then said the holy bishop, Alexander, against him ; God was ever, and ever was his wisdom, begotten of him. The wis- dom is his Son, quite as mighty as the Father. Then the heretic got the Caser s aid for his heresy, and called a councir against the bishop, and wished to turn all the people to his errors. Then the bi- shop passed a wakefiil night in God's church, and called upon his Lord, and thus said : Thou, almighty God, judge right judgment betwixt me and Ar- rius. They came then there in the morning to the council. Then said the heretic to his companions, that he wished to go out for his necessary purpose. Then he came to the privy, and sat down. Then all his entrails turned out at his stool, and he sat there dead. Thus God, by the evacuation of his intestines, manifested that he was equally empty in his belief. He wished to make Crist less than he is, and diminish the honour of his divinity. Thus was assigned to him a disgraceful death, as he well deserved. Another heretical man there was, who was called Sabellius : he said that the Father was Father when he would ; and, again, when he would he was the Son ; and, again, when he would he was the Holy Ghost: and that he was thus one God. Then this heretic perished with his heresy. Now, again, the Jewish folk that slew Christ, as he wished and allowed, say that 62 HOMILY ON THE Da pojipeapS eac 'Sej- gebpola mib hip gebpylbe. Nu epfc }78et lubeipc pole }>e cjupt opplogon ppa ppa he pylp polbe anb ge^apobe- pecga^ ]?aet hi piUa^ gelypan on Jjone psebep anb na on Jjone punu ]je heopa majap opplo^on. peopa geleapa ip nahf anb hi pop J>i lopia®. Fop upe lalypebneppe cpipt ge'Sapobe )j8et hi hine opplogon- hit ne mihfc eall mancynn gebon gip he pylp nolbe. "Kc pe halga pffibep gepceop anb gepophte mancynn J>uph hip punu* anb he polbe Jiuph Jjone ylcan up alypau ppam helle pite ]?a ]?£i pe poppyphte paepon. Bu- fcan Eelcepe J>popunge he miht up habban* ac him jjuhfce J>0et unpihfclic. !Sc pe beopol poppyphte hine pylpne ]?a ])a. he tihce ]?3efc lubeipc pole to Jpaep hae- lenbep plege* anb pe pup'Son alypebe J»uph hip un- peylbigan bea'S ppam ecan bea'Se. IDe habbaS Jjone geleapan Jje epipt pylp taehte hip apoptolum anb hi ealle mancynne- anb Jjone geleapan 30b haepS mib, manegum punbpum getpymneb anb gepaeptnob. M]ieyt cpipt J)uph hine pylpne bumbe anb beape anb healte anb blinbe* pobe anb hpeoplige ge- haelbe* anb 'Sa beaban to lipe apenbe* anb pi'^an Jjuph hip apoptolap anb o'Spe hahge menn J»ap ylcan punbpa gepophte. Nu eac on upum timan gehpaep ■Saep halige menn hi pepta'S set heopa beabum ba- num Eob pypCS peala punbpa- to Jji ]?8et he pile polcep geleapan mib f>am punbpum getpymman. Ne pypc'S gob na J>ap punbpa set nanep lubeipcep mannep bypgene* ne set nanep o'Sep gebpolan' ac aet piht-gelypebpa manna bypgenum ■ 'Sa 'Se gelyp- bon on ]>a halgan J»pynnyppe- anb on po'Se annyp- pe anpe gobeunbnyppe. IJDite ge hpa eae }>aet nan man ne mot beon tupa gepuUob- ac gip pe man aeptep hip puUuhte aplibe pe gelypa'S }>aet he mage CATHOLIC FAITH. 63 they will believe in the Father, and not in the Son, whom their great men slew. Their belief is naught, and hence they perish. For our redemption, Crist allowed that they should slay him : all mankind could not have done it, if he himself had been un- willing. But the holy Father created and made mankind through his Son, and he desires through the same to redeem us from hell-punishment, when we were utterly undone. Without any suffering he could have saved us, but he thought that improper. But the Devil utterly ruined himself when he en- ticed the Jewish folk to the Saviour s slaughter ; and he even released us, through his innocent death, from eternal deaths We have the belief which Crist himself taught to his apostles, and they to all mankind ; and this belief God hath, with many wonders, confirmed and established. First, Crist through himself healed the dumb, and deaf, and halt, and blind, the mad and leprous, and sent the dead to life : and since, through his apostles and other holy men, he has wrought the same wonders. Now also in our times, where holy men rest, at their dead bones God worketh many wonders ; be- cause that he wills to confirm folk's belief with those wonders. God worketh not these wonders at any Jewish man's tomb, nor at any other heretic's ; but at right-believing men's tombs, who have be- lieved in the holy Trinity, and in the true unity of one Divinity. Know also, every one, that no man may be twice baptised ; but if a man lapse after his baptism, we believe that he may be preserved, if he repent of his sins with weeping, and by the teaching of leai'ned men diligently amend them. We should believe that every man's soul is created 64 HOMILY ON THE beon gehealben gip he hif j-ynna mib pope behpeop- j-a® anb be lajieopa taecunge hi geojine gebefc. IDe f ceolon gelyjran ]?8et aelcep mannej* j-apul bi'S Jjujih gob gepceapen* ac hpaeSepe heo ne by^ na op gobep agenum gecynbe. Dsep mannep hchaman antimbep by^ op pom psebep anb op J>aepe mebep- ac gob gepcyp'S jjone hchaman op }jam antimbjie- anb apenc on jjone hchaman paple. Ne by^ peo papul nahpaji punigenbe aep.oji- ac gob hi gepcyp'S Jjsep jiihce anb bepefc on Jjone hchaman • anb laefc hi habban agenne cyjie* ppa heo pynige* ppa heo pynna popbuge. Deah hpseSepe heo behopaS aepjie gobep pultumep J?aet heo mage pynna pojibugan* anb ept to hyjie pcyppenb gecuman J)uph gobe geeap- nunga* popjian ]?e nan man ne beS butan gobe nan f>ing to gobe. Gac pe pceolon gelypan Jpaet aelc h- chama 'Se paple unbeppeng pceal apipan on bomep- baeg mib ]?am ylcan hchaman Jpe he nu haepS' anb pceal onpon eblean ealpa hip baeba. Donne habbaS pa. goban ece lip mib gobe- anb he jjVS pa. mebe selcum be hip geeapnungum. Da pynpuUan beoS on helle pite a Jjpopigenbe- anb heopa pite by^ eac gemetegob aelcum be hip geeapnungum. Uton CATHOLIC FAITH. 65 by God ; yet, however, it is not of God's own na- ture. The matter of man's body is froin the father and the mother ; but God forms the body of that matter, and sends a soul into the body. The soul is nowhere staying previously; but God createth it at once, and placeth it in the body, and alloweth it to have its own choice, whether it will sin, or avoid sin. Yet, however, it always needeth God's aid, that it may avoid sins, and come again to its Creator through good deservings ; because no man doeth any thing good without God. Also we should believe that every body which containeth a soul shall arise in the day of judgment, with the same body that it now hath, and shall receive the reward of all its deeds. Then the good will have eternal life with God, and he will give to every one the re- ward according to his deserts. The sinful will be ever suffering in hell punishment ; and their pu- nishment also will be measured to each according to his deserts. Come, then, let us earn that eternal life with God through this belief, and through good deservings, who remaineth in trinity, one almighty God for ever and ever. AMEN. SERMON II. SCRIPTURE, AND MISCELLANEOUS DOCTRINES. OF THE ANGLO-SAXON CHURCH. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the tra- ditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Various allegations were offered to your notice, in the last Discourse, against unwritten tradition, as an authority for articles of faith. Upon the present occasion, it will be first in- quired how far this question is affected gene- rally by the views of scriptural sufficiency ap- pearing in monuments of Anglo-Saxon anti- quity. Your attention will afterwards be in- vited to the traditions of our ancient Church respecting the sacred Canon, and also respect- ing certain religious principles unconnected with controversies of prominent importance. As an introduction to the whole inquiry, you may, perhaps, allowably be reminded, that some controversies are incapable of decision from direct testimony. Before a particular F 2 68 SERMON II. principle has been expressly and solemnly maintained, an express and solemn denial of it is, obviously, not to be expected. A chain of evidence, inconsistent with its maintenance, is the most that we can reasonably hope to find under such circumstances. Upon this understanding those must proceed who seek to know the tradition of any ancient Church as to the sufficiency of Scripture. Never, until the Trentine council sat, were holy writ and unwritten tradition authentically placed upon a footing of perfect equality. Anterior documents, therefore, are not likely to supply any direct and solemn assertion of a contrary principle. In assertions, however, of that principle, sufficiently unequivocal, though not perfectly direct, Anglo-Saxon monuments are very far from wanting. The most eminent divines of ancient England were, indeed, universally scripturists : a fact, in itself enough to raise no mean presumption that our distant an- cestry looked upon the holy books as contain- ing all that God was known to have revealed. Now, those who acknowledge an unwritten word have usually treated the sacred volume with considerable reserve. Facilities for com- paring it with such alleged disclosures from on high, as are found not in its pages, appear SERMON II. 69 to have been esteemed undesirable for ordi- nary minds. Hence, wherever means are in- dustriously supplied for diffusing vv^idely a knowledge of the Bible, and men are incited generally to use them, there, we may reason- ably conclude, prevailed no suspicion of dan- ger lurking in the task. It could scarcely have been feared, lest the reading of God's indisputable word should undermine the au- thority of other revelations vouchsafed, it is alleged, to man, but, certainly, in a manner far ] ess satisfactory. That Ante-Norman Eng- land was, however, free from any such appre- hension, is attested sufficiently by the conduct of her most illustrious luminaries. Among these honoured names, few, if any, will be found affording not examples of a religious care to spread, on every side, an acquaintance with that holy book which ministers to hun- gry souls " the bread of life*." Bede, espe- cially, worthily and universally surnamed the Venerable, evinced, by unceasing labours upon Scripture, that he had learned from his great authority, St. Austin', to consider Christian erudition as contained within the sacred volume. Nor does that glory of ancient Eng- land, that wonder indeed of the age which gave him birth, omit to press it upon all men, a St. John vi. 35. F 3 70 SERMON 11. as a bounden duty, that they seek diligently such a knowledge of the recorded "oracles of God^" as their several opportunities admit*. Bede's grateful and admiring countrymen were duly heedful of this pious admonition. Eagerly they sought instruction in the ways of righteousness from those ample stores pro- vided by him for their use, and their exer- tions never flagged to render extensively ef- fective the fruits of his biblical researches. Nor did it satisfy the venerable father of English scriptural exposition to pile up faci- lities, in rich profusion, for the purpose of enabling less gifted teachers to scatter hear- venly knowledge through the land: Bede's holy zeal led him down from his learned emi- nence, and filled him with anxiety to unlock God's undoubted will to every ear around. When death, accordingly, bade his labours cease, it found him diligently busied in ren- dering universally accessible, by means of a vernacular translation, the gospeP of that disciple " whom Jesus loved''." Bede's diocesan enjoys also the reputation of having engaged in the task of rendering holy Scripture into his native idiom*. Nor as the years rolled on did they fail of offering to the public view numerous individuals, from b 1 Pet. iv. 11. c St, John xix. 26. SERMON II. 71 whose well-directed pens flowed both versions and expositions of the sacred book. jiElfric especially, the most able and industrious, pro- bably, of Anglo-Saxon scholars, after Bede, laboured incessantly thus to benefit the land which gave him birth. Besides providing for popular instruction, by numerous homilies, compiled from sources of highest estimation, he sought also to render men generally fami- liar with God's own communications to them, by clothing in a vernacular dress several of the sacred writers. There is yet another name among those ancient worthies of our native country, who thus endeavoured to improve the talents en- trusted to their management by the heavenly Master of us all. Alfred, the wisest and most Venerated of Anglo-Saxon kings, did not over- look the sacred volume amidst the press of labours, literary, civil, and military, by which he earned an eternity of fame within his moderate span of human life. A version of the Psalms, partially completed*^, attested, among many more conspicuous proofs, how well this admirable sovereign had remem- bered that account which all men must one d Willielm. Malmesb. de Gest. Regum Angl. inter Rer. .Angl. Scriptores post Bedam. p. 24. F 4 72 SERMON II. day give before the dread tribunal of al- mighty God. That these exertions flowed from a full conviction of the propriety, nay even of the necessity, of giving general currency to God's holy word, admits not of a doubt, Alcuin*, the pupil, probably, of Bede, certainly of Eg- bert, preeminent among ancient metropo- litans of our northern province, was a distin- guished commentator upon Scripture. And thus he recommends the study of that ines- timable book : " Would we ever be with God ? let us pray and read : in the former of these exercises, we converse with our heavenly Father ; in the latter, he converses with us. Would we sufficiently feed our souls? the Bible must supply us with the means ; it is no less needful for such an end, than earthly viands are for corporeal nutriment. Would we travel securely through the world ? holy writ must shed its light along our course*." Such is the language of one, whom England valued far above most of her then existing children : of one too, who, having attained the summit of domestic celebrity, was invited over to the court of Charlemain. To that illustrious monarch Alcuin became, hereafter, the principal adviser in all affairs connected with learning and religion: nor did he fail SERMON II. 73 of establishing upon the continent a repu- tation fully equal to that which he had gained in his native isle. Did, then, this highly dis- tinguished Englishman consider Scripture as an insufficient guide to heavenly knovs^ledge ? Had he looked upon the revelation of God's holy word as only partially committed to the sacred record, would he not have naturally somewhat qualified his glowing commenda- tions of biblical inquiries ? If articles of faith are extant without the volume of inspiration, surely those who seek for spiritual information only from its pages, may thus feed their souls with insufficient nutriment, and grievously mistake the real direction of their course. Alcuin appears, however, to have been wholly free from any such apprehensions ; in igno- rance of Scripture he sees famine and blind- ness weighing down the soul : in a close ac- quaintance with the holy book he discerns a due supply of that celestial nutriment which ripens men for a mansion in their almighty Father's tranquil, spotless, glorious, everlast- ing home. Of Alcuin's pupils, Raban Maur, who closed in the see of Mentz a life of learned industry and religious zeal, was undoubtedly the most illustrious. Our island, it is far most likely, cannot claim the honour of his birth ; but 74 SERMON II. his master, and his extensive, unsparing use of Bede, obviously connect this famous metro- politan with the theology of ancient England. What, then, was his opinion respecting the sufficiency of holy writ ? Adopting, though without acknowledgment, St. Austin's very words^ he pronounces, that all the principles of morality and faith are plainly contained in the sacred record. For understanding ob- scurer passages in Scripture, still identifying himself with the celebrated bishop of Hippo, he recommends a careful and scholarly col- lation of them with other texts, alike in im- port, but blearer in expression^ Thus unequivocally does one who learnt theology under English tuition assert the sufficiency of Scripture. This principle, there- fore, we can hardly doubt, was then acknow- ledged unreservedly by our national divines ; nor does it appear ever to have lost its ground among the Anglo-Saxons. Their pulpits^ ac- cordingly, at a period long posterior to Alcuin and Raban Maur, earnestly recommended sup- plications to our heavenly Father for a know- ledge of his recorded will, as for that " daily bread" which spiritual existence urgently re- quires*. ^ De Doctrina Christiana, lib. II. cap. 9. S. Aurel. Aug. 0pp. ed. Bened. torn. III. col. 24. SERMON II. 75 In unison with such a prayer, ^Elfric asks, " How can he fare well who turns his heart away from holy Scripture^?" It never seems to have entered the mind of that eminent in- structor, to whom our distant ancestry owed so much, that the Bible, as being an imperfect record, might prove a treacherous guide. On the contrary, he pronounces, that teachers who take their doctrine from any other source are no better than " blind leaders of the blind'." Such opinions, evidently, were not merely entertained by individuals. The national Church solemnly embodied them in her for- mularies. Her prelates, on election and con- secration, were publicly thus interrogated : " Will you apply the whole powers of your mind to the study of holy Scripture ?" Again: " Will you instruct the people committed to your charge, in the things which you shall have drawn from the sacred volume'" ?" Of un- written tradition, as an authority for articles of faith, no intimation appears in these early queries ; the framers of them seem to have acted under a full persuasion, that a bishop could hardly mislead his flock, so long as he diligently and honestly sought for heavenly knowledge at the holy fountain of recorded revelation. Had the Bible, however, been f jElfric Of the New Testament. L'Isle's Trans, p. 40. 76 SERMON II. esteemed an incomplete repository of God's known communications to mankind, episcopal inquiries into the principles of religious be- lief could not safely have been confined within such narrow limits. In these interrogatories accordingly, as appearing in formularies of a later date, we find the following interpolation : " Will you receive and keep the traditions of the orthodox fathers, and the decrees of the holy and apostolic see" ?" - By the term " traditions" here is intended, probably, nothing more than certain passages, alleged from the remains of ecclesiastical an- tiquity, both spurious and genuine, as autho- rities for papal claims to supremacy. The comparatively late insertion of such a clause affords, however, a strong presumption, that earlier times had recognised no religious guide independent of the sacred volume. Of such a presumption confirmations are, indeed, abundantly supplied in the homiletic stores of our ancient Church. It is represented in one of these venerable documents, that our Lord's immediate followers, when removed from earth, acted upon subsequent genera- tions by the books which some among them left behind". Of vital truths passed over un- recorded by the sacred penmen no suspicion seems to have been entertained in the Anglo- SERMON II. 77 Saxon Church. Hence her children were di- ligently trained in habits of reverencing and consulting the written word: habits, from which they could hardly fail of regarding it as a sufficient rule of faith. Among evidences of such religious training may be mentioned a fanciful picture of the unseen world pre- sented by a Saxon homily. A ransomed soul, summoned to its final occupation of the body from which death had severed it, introduces the following words into its gratulatory salu- tation : " When we were together in the world, thou paidest earnest heed to holy writ'^" It appears, then, that the insufficiency of Scripture was no tradition of our ancient Church. Nor did she hold the canonical authority of those books which are ordinarily called apocryphal. Her views, indeed, of cri- tical tradition were guided by St. Jerome'*, and by her implicit deference for the first four general councils. In the last of these, however, that of Calcedon'*, the Laodicean catalogue'® of inspired writings was unequi- vocally, though tacitly, confirmed. The canon, thus authenticated, was naturally recognised by Gregory the Great, honourably commemo- rated in Anglo-Saxon times, as the apostle of England : for he received, professedly, the der 78 SERMON II. crees of the first four general councils with a reverence hardly less than that which he paid to the four Gospels''. This famous pontiff accompanies, accordingly, a citation from Maccabees with a remark, that it is found in a series of writings not canonical'^ He de- nies expressly, therefore, canonicity to one of those two very books for which advocates of a belief in purgatory would earnestly contend, as affording to that doctrine an important scrip- tural proof. With Gregory, Bede agrees; taking occasion from a passage in the Apoca- lypse to mention twenty-four, as the number of books in the former volume of inspiration''. Again ; he speaks of the ancient canon as completed under Ezra ; and, more plainly still, he ranks the books of Maccabees with the histories of Josephus and Julius Africa- nus*°. Alcuin also rejects, as insufficient, a doctrinal proof alleged in controversy, be- cause drawn from the son of Sirach, a writer, he says, who lived after the voice of prophecy had been reduced to silence, and whose work is pronounced apocryphal by Jerome and Isidore". ^Elfric likewise adds his testimony to the same side of this important question". The apocryphal books were indeed freely used for popular instruction in Anglo-Saxon times. Nor was approbation even limited to such of SERMON II. 79 them as are appended to the Old Testament ; but care was taken to prevent men from con- sidering them as integral portions of God's recorded word. Of hermeneutical tradition, the current stream was followed reverentially by the Anglo-Saxon Church. Her solemn decisions and the works of her divines exhibit none of that vainglorious impatience, which, spurn- ing all antecedent authority, rashly claims an unlimited right of private judgment. On the contrary, she received, perhaps rather too im- plicitly, such expositions of the written word as had gained established credit. Her conci- liar decisions, accordingly, are in strict unison with those already received among Christians, and her divines used contentedly such mate- rials as they found provided for them by the Fathers, especially by St. Austin. • From such sources naturally flowed a pro- found veneration for the fundamental articles of our holy faith. Earlier ages had proved fatally prolific in reprehensible speculations upon the ever-blessed Trinity. Hence our Anglo-Saxon fathers found established a pre- cision in the treatment of this important mys- tery, which other questions in theology did not attain until after the lapse of several ceh- turies. Of this precision their Church availed 80 SERMON II. herself; adopting the three creeds, as her standard of orthodoxy'^ Nor did her preach- ers lose any opportunity of inculcating those principles of interpreting Scripture in certain leading articles, which these formularies pre- scribe. ' The people were thus carefully taught to view revelations of the Deity, passing man's understanding, among indispensable exercises of a Christian's faiths. ' Scholastical definitions and enumerations of the Sacraments did not arise until after Norman arms had overthrown the Saxon polity. Bede, however, speaks of Baptism and the holy Eucharist as the foundations of the Church**, and subsequent authorities ex- tol these two ordinances far more highly than any other observances of the Christian reli- gion*^ Raban Maur, however, declares ex- pressly that the Sacraments are Baptism and Chrism, the Body and Blood**. It is plain that he considered Chrism as properly a member of the baptismal ceremony. Hence he does, in effect, assert two sacraments only; and his views coincided, it is hardly doubtful, with those of that English theological school which formed him as a divine. Upon sacer- dotal intention, our Ante-Norman progeni- tors had probably not acquired any dispo- g See the Homily on the Catholic Faith. SERMON II. 81 sition to speculate; such a principle being chiefly demanded by a belief in transubstan- tiation*^ But their theological monuments inculcate repeatedly, that no unhappy taint of ministerial unworthiness defeats the ope- ration of God's holy sacraments'*. Of these, that whereby men are " grafted into the body of Christ's Church" was denied to adults, in- capable of repeating the Creed and the Lord^s Prayer. But generally, Baptism was admi- nistered in infancy, and especial care was taken to identify with regeneration the spiri- tual grace thereby received.** In the Satur- days next before the festivals of Easter and Whitsuntide, a space was allotted for the general administration of this holy sacrament. If a bishop were present, as he was not un- commonly, the confirmation with chrism, of all who had been immersed in the sacred laver, immediately followed. If no episcopal presence graced the solemnity, all the newly- baptized were admitted to that rite, but with- out Chrism, by sacerdotal hands. To these interesting celebrations, the pre- vailing course of hermeneutical tradition lent a feature yet more peculiar. That declara- tion of the blessed Jesus, " Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, h See note 25. 82 SEHMON II. ye have no life in you'," was understood as conclusive of an universal necessity for com- municating in the holy Supper. Hence, none were allowed to depart after their mystical ablution in the water of regeneratiouj, infants at the breast as many of them were, until they had tasted eucharistic bread and wine^°. It was apprehended that spiritual life, now so happily begun, unless fed by the sacred nutri- ment appointed for its sustenance, might fail of proceeding " unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ^." In the same spirit of literal interpretation, the Church of ancient England likewise re- ceived these words of her adorable Founder : " If I, then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet'." Among ceremonies, accord-^ ingly, commemorating the last Supper, the more pious of our ancestors imitated solemnly that admirable display of condescension, by which the great " Captain of our salvation""" significantly taught the hopelessness of hea- venly grace without a preparation of true humility^". In another instance, the teachers of our ' St. John vi. 25. k Ephes. iv. 13. ' St. John xiii. 14. m Heb. ii. 10. SERMON II. 83 distant ancestry enjoined obedience to the very letter of God's recorded word. That well-known text, in which St. James exhorts the sick to call for prayers and unction from the elders of the Church", was represented as a sufficient reason for sending such a sum- mons, whenever illness caused alarm^*. Ex- pectations were however entertained, that all the benefits mentioned by the Apostle were likely to flow from attention to his mandate. Hence our Saxon fathers calculated upon al- leviation of corporeal suffering, not less than upon some undefined spiritual advantage. Oft-recurring disappointments of the former expectation could not fail to strilse even an age of ignorance and credulity. This unc- tion, accordingly, seems to have experienced some difficulty in maintaining its hold upon popular veneration. In the first of these three literal interpre- tations, the Christian world in general has long virtually pronounced, that our proge- nitors held, without sufficient inquiry^ "the traditions which they had been taught." A very large and Ifearned portion of the Catholic Church has thus determined in these later ages respecting all the three. That portion, however, will not deny, that in other points " St. James v. 14^ g2 84 SERMON II. of no mean importance the divines of ancient England evinced asounddiscrimination. They firmly maintained the corruption of human nature, and the need of divine grace'^ They inculcated unceasingly^'*, that " without faith it is impossible to please God°." They repre- sented religious principles, unfruitful in good works, as merely serving to blind the under- standing, and betray the souP*. To spiritual aids, indispensable for unfeigned obedience, a septiform arrangement was assigned; and under eight divisions were classed the vari- ous moral fruits of this invisible direction from above^". Divine predestination and hu- man free-agency were treated with that reve- rential fear of aiming to be wise "above that which is written^," manifestly becoming the creatures of an hour. Neither did presump- tion rashly strive to fathom, or venture to deny, the depths of infinite prescience ; nor were anxious minds left unassured, that the eternal decrees of a merciful God had awarded perdition to those alone, in whom was fore- seen an irreclaimable habit of disobedience"!. For dispensing widely those " good and per- fect gifts" of heavenly knowledge, which have Heb. xi. 6. Pi Cor. iv. 6. 1 See an excellent homily upon this subject, with a Latin translation, in Whelock's Bede, p. 64. SERMON II. 85 "come down from the Father of lights'," pro- vision was piously and judiciously made in the strict observance of Sunday. That care, therefore, of hallowing regularly a sabbath to the Lord, which distinguishes modern Eng- land so advantageously from some of her con- tinental neighbours, is a portion of her inhe- ritance from Anglo-Saxon times. Numerous enactments of that distant age protected from secular profanation the consecrated seventh of human life. Other traditions of the Anglo-Saxon Church naturally partook of that ascetic character which had long prevailed among the followers of Jesus. High commendations, accordingly, were lavished upon a life of celibacy. Nor did the brightest ornaments of their profes- sion fail of representing ecclesiastics as uni- versally bound, in propriety, though not in law, nor, perhaps, altogether in conscience, to embrace it faithfully". Fasting too, at stated times, but especially in Lent, was earnestly - recommended^^ and canonical penances en- forced an observance of it upon the unreflect- ing and irreligious. But, then, it was im- pressed carefully upon the popular mind, that no abstinence from meats, however rigorous, would render men acceptable in the sight of f St. James i. 17. g3 86 SERMON 11. a holy God, unless accompanied by an aban- donment of iniquity^'. The wealthy were also recommended to relieve the wants of others in seasons of self-denial, by bestowing upon them that provision which their own tables would have demanded, if supplied in the usual way. As might be expected from an age of rude- ness and prevailing illiteracy, our ancient di- vines admitted into their discourses fanciful speculations, drawn from apocryphal gospels, and other questionable authorities. Thus it was represented, that the primeval pair, with others of those who preceded the Christian era, were consigned after death to a gloomy and uncomfortable place of detention. Thi- ther from Calvary did the disembodied spirit of Jesus flee ; when the tedious durance of our first parents, and of many among their children, found a termination'*". Our Lord's mysterious temptation was understood as an intended parallel, in all but its event, to that of Adam*° Antichrist was expected to prove an incarnation of Satan ; under whose usurped authority the Church would suffer a rigorous persecution before the final consummation*'. As a counterpoise to this infernal power, Enoch and Elijah, it was thought, would re- appear upon the earth ; but would fall vie- SERMON II. 87 tims to the violence and malice of their enemy. In the department of tradition, Jcnown as ecclesiastical, our early progenitors followed obediently the direction of their age. Hence obtained among them a ceremonial somewhat cumbrous; the deceitful nurse of that ten- dency to superstition, which besets the feebler intellects in every station. Their usages, however, with respect to the constitution of Christ's visible Church, are unimpeachable. Anglo-Saxon authorities afford no encourage- ment to that unapostolical form of religious polity, which arose from certain unhappy ne- cessities of the sixteenth century, and which has proved the fruitful parent both of heresy and fanaticism. On the contrary, a presiding bishop was established in every kingdom of the Octarchy, as soon as a Christian ministry found a settlement within its borders. Rash intrusions into the clerical office were thus rendered hopeless ; those who served in God's holy temple, received their commission through the regular channel of apostolical succession ; and religious unity was preserved by con- fiding to a single pastor in every district the chief direction of ecclesiastical affairs. Thus primitively constituted, thus excel- lently taught, in various traditions of conspi- G 4 88 SERMON II. cuous importance, was the Church of ancient England. Nor in these more essential arti- cles did she cease to " hold fast the profession of her faith without wavering'." Her foun- dation rested, therefore, upon the principle of acknowledging in Scripture a sufficient reve- lation of God's holy will. Her approbation of certain Jewish writings, uncontained in the Hebrew canon, extended merely to an admis- sion of their utility for moral edification. Her divines admitted only two sacraments, in the received acceptation of that term ; and from the initiatory one of these, they led men to ex- pect the grace of regeneration. The main principles of our ancient Church, unfolded in this Discourse, are thus evidently worthy of apostolic origin. Hence it may fairly be pre- sumed, that the whole inquiry will have a tendency to win respect from an English pro- testant for the religion of his distant ancestry. s Heb. X. 23. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS SERMON IL ' " SCRIPTURA divina, qua Christiana eru- ditio continetur." S. Aurel. Augustin. De Civit. Dei. lib. IX. cap. 5. Opp. Ed. Benedict. Tom. VII. col. 222. » " Egredimini, inquit, in montem,, et afferte frondes olivce, et frondes ligni pulcherrimi, &c. Et nos egrediamur de mansione quadam generalium cogitationum in altitudinem sanctarum Scriptura- rum crebrius meditandam : et alFeramus nobis inde, quasi frondes olivsBj fructus misericordiae, quibus pauperes recreando, nos simul ab sestu tentantium vitiorum obumbremus : et frondes ligni pulcher- rimij quod Judsei cedrum vocant, fructus, nirnirum, charitatisj quae inter omnes pulcherrima et eximia est virtutes : per quem et Dominus noster lignum crucis pro nostra salute conscendit." Bed. Ven. in Ezram Allegoric. Expos, lib. III. cap. 27. Opp. Bas. 1563. torn. IV. col. 569. ' " Veruntamen animi ejus" (Bedae sc.) " pura sanctitaSj et sancta puritas magis proximo tempore obitus excellunt. Siquidem continuis septem heb- domadibus stomachi indignatione cibos nauseans, aegroque et angusto suspirio halitum producens, adeo ut eum incommoditas lecto prosterneret, non tamen litteralium studiorum rejecit operam. Totis 90 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS enim diebus, prseter debitum psalmodiae pensum, assiduis ad discipulos lectionibus, ruminandisque et absolvendis qusestionum difficultatibus, gravedinem valetudinis decipere, suspensa interim cogitatione nitebatur. Evangelium quoque Johannis, quod dif- ficultate sui merites legentium exercet, his diebus lingua interpretatus Anglica, condescendit minus imbutis Latina." De Gest. Angl. Continuator Ano- nym. Inter Rer. Britannic. Scriptores Vetustiores. Heidelberg. 1587. p. 285. * " 710. Eadfridus, Lindisfarnensis Episcopus, a sermone Latino in Anglo-Saxonicam linguam vertit plures Bibliorum libros ; ut habet Gul. Butler, in sue libello contra translationem vulgarem." Jac, Usserii Armach. Archiepisc. Historia Dogmatica. Lond. 1690. p. 105. ^ Sum gejiungen lapeop pa&j" on engla Jjeobe al- , bmuj- gehafcen • "] haepbe micele geJimcSu. 8e lae- jvehe manega Jjb&j" englij*can mennij-cej* on boclicum cjvaepte j*pa J7>a he pel cuSe- ^ jrejibe p'S^an on pas to J»a j-noeejvan cyninge kajiuluj- gehaten • ye ha&p- be mycelne cps&pt pop gobe ^ pop populbe- ^ he piplice leopobe. To Jiam com albmup pe 8&]jela la- peop ^ on hip anpealbe 8&lJ>eobig punobe on pancte mapcinep mynptepe* ^ J>8&p manega gelaepbe mib f>am heoponlican pipbome ]>e him gob popgeap, (MSS. Junii 23. Bibl. Bodl.) There was a certain famous doctor in the En^ish nation, called Albi- nus, and he had great estimation. He taught many of the JEngUsh race in hooMsh. craft, as he well knew how ; and went afterwards over sea to the wise king, called Karulus : who had great ta- lents for reUgion, amdfor the world ; and he lived wisely. To him comes Alhinus, the noble doctor, OF SERMON II. 91 and in his dominions he lived a stranger, in St. Martin's minster : and Ikere he taught many with the heavenly wisdom which God gave to him. Al- cuin was called indifferently by that name, Albin, Alchwin, and the like. He was invited to France, by Charlemain, about the yea:r 793, and he died there in the year 804. Prsef. ad Albini, sive Al- chwini Opera. Lut. Par. 1617- * Deo jvs&bmj haligpa gepjuta ij* oncnapenyr Jjsejxe ecan eabignyjje. On ]?am halgan geppiCum Jje man hme pylpne maeg pceapian gelice "] on hpil- cum pceapejie hpylc he hfS. 6al ppa ]7eo. p.3&bing haligjia geppifca heo geclaenpa'S J>a paple J>sep paeben- ban* heo gebjimga'S on hip mobe Jjone ej^e helle pitep' ^ heo hip heojifcan ajio&p.e'S- to J»am uplican gepean. De ]?e pile pymble mib gobe beon he pceal hine opt gebibban- *] he pceal opt halige gepjxitu pseban- pop'San Jjonne pe up gebibba® pe ppeca'S to gobe- -\ Jjonne pe halige bee pseba'S J>onne ppeca'S gob to up. 8eo paebmg haligpa boca beoS tpipealbe gepea heo bpmge® J>am paebenba- a&pept ^ heo la&peiS hip mobep anbgit ■^ hit peeapppa biS- ^ eac f heo hme ppam fiipep mibban geapbep ibelaeppum to gobep lupan gelaebe'S. 8eo pa&bmg haligpa boca ip ppi'Se appaeptlic peopc- ^ heo ppi^e helpa'S to paple gecla&npunga. Irelice ^ ]?e licama bi'S gepeh mib pls&pclicum metum ppa eac pe hihpa man ■^ bi'S J>eo papl bi'S gepeb mib Jjam gobcunbum gep- fqia&cum- ppapepealm-pcopeps&S- ppefctpa pynbon minep mulSep cheke ]?inpe ppps&cu Jjonne hunig o'SSe beo^bpeab. ]?e bi'S fpi^e gepaelig ]?e]?a bal- gan geppitu paeba'S gip he ]?a J>opb gepenba'S on peopc. 80'Slice ealla ]?a halgan geppitu pynbon appitene pop upe haele ^ pe magon |7uph J^a ongy-i 92 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Can ydSTpg&ytnjjje. Opfceji s&fc j-pupne&'S Jie blinba Jjonne 'Se locienbe- j-pa eac J)e ]?a naC gobef beboba opteji he j-ynga'S j-pa ypa. hit naC ]?onne bo Jje 'Se hit pat. Dehce ^ pe bhnba butan latteope ppa eac J>e man butan lapeope ppiSe unea'Se magon jan on ]>one pihtan peg gobep beboba. (MSS. Bibl. Publ. Cant. li. 1—33. p. 420. This MS., as the letters and orthography prove, was written considerably after the Conquest. It was presented, as appears from the first page, by Abp. Parker, in 1574.) The reading" of holy Scriptures is the knowledge of everlasting blessedness. In the holy Scriptures man may contemplate himself, as in some mirror, what sort of person he is. Just so the reading of holy Scriptures ; it cleanseth the reader's soul, it bringeth into his mind the fear of hell-punishment, and it raiseth his heart to the joy above. The man who wishes ever to be with God; he should often pray to him, and he should often read the holy Scriptures. For when we pray, we speak to God, and when we read the holy books, then God speaks to us. It is a twofold joy which the reading of the holy books bringeth to the readers ; first, that it so instructs their understandings as to render them sharper, and also that it leads them from this world's vanities to the love of God. The reading of the holy books is a very pious work, and it greatly helpeth to the cleansing of the soul. As the body is fed with fleshly meats, so also the higher man, that is, the soul, is fed with divine confer- ences: as the Psalmist says. Sweeter to the cheek of my mouth are thy speeches, than honey, or the honey-comb. Hk is very happy who readeth the holy Scriptures, if he turneth the words into works. OF SERMON II. 93 All the holy Scriptures are written for our health, that we may through them understand the truth. Oftener the blind man stumhleth than he who sees; so also he who knoios not God's commands, oftener he sinneth,from his ignorance, than does he who knows them. And like the blind man without a guide, so also man without a teacher must have great difficulty in going the right way according to God's commands. This extract has been already- printed, with a Latin translation, by Whelock, in his Notes upon Bede's Ecclesiastical History, (Cant. 1643. p. 173,) from the same MS. that has been used upon the present occasion. But the learned editor has not acquainted his readers with their ob- ligation to Alcuin for this recommendation of Bib- lical studies. The piece, in fact, is one member of a short series upon the leading particulars of the Christian character, (and of which farther use will be made in this undertaking,) addressed to count Guidp. It may be found in Latin, probably its ori- ginal language, in the printed edition of Alcuin's' works, (p. 1220.) There are also two MS. copies of this address of Alcuin to Guido in the Public Library at Cambridge; one of them, (Kk. 6 — 19.) referred to the 14th century ; the other, (Mm. 6 — 12.) referred to the following age. Both these vary from each other, and from the printed copy, and all the three vary from the Saxon. But none of these variations are of any importance. ' " In his enim quae aperte in Scripturis posita sunt, inyeniuntur ilia omnia qua; continent fidem, mores vivendi, spem scilicet atque charitatem. Cum vero, facta quadam familiaritate cum ipsa lingua di- vinarum Scripturarum, in ea quae obscura sunt ape- 94f PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS rienda. et discutienda, pergendum est, ut ad obscu- riores locutiones illustrandas, de manifestioribus sumantur exempla, et quaedam certarum sententia- rum testimonia, dubitationem certis auferant: in qua re memoria valet plurimum, quae, si defuerit, non potest his prseceptis dari." (Rabanus Maurus, Mogunt. Archiep. de Clericorum Institutione, lib. II. c. 7. edit. Colon. 1533. p. 160.) Raban Maur was, most probably, a native of Fulda. Some writers, however, have asserted that he was an Englishman. See, prefixed to his works, (Col. Agr. 1627. p. 8.) Testimonia de Hrabano, * " Panem nostrum cotidianttm da nobis hodie: Sicut enim panis est esca corporis unde corpus in hoc seculo vivet, ita est panis spiritalis unde anima sine fine vivere debet. Hoc est divina Scriptural quae docetet ammonet qualiter ad Dominum et ad regnum seternum pervenire valeamus, et qualiter possumus relinquereviam quae ducit ad infernumet regnum Diaboli, ubi erunt peccatores sine fine tor- quendi. Ilium, ergo^ panem, fratres karissimi, co- tidie sine cessatione cum magno desiderio rogare debemus, ut ilium Dominus omnipotens pro sua pietate largiri dignetur ; ut valeamus intelligere quae sit voluntas Dei, et facere quae illi placita sunt> ut maneamus in illo et ipse in nobis." Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius^ c. 1. fol. 87- 9 " All teachers that: take not their doctrine and examples out of these holy- books are like those of whom Christ himself thus said, Ceecus si ceeco du- catum prcestet, ambo in foveam cadent : If the hUnd man he leader of the hlindt then shall the'^ hoth fall into some blind pit ; but such teachers as take their examples and doctrine from hence, whe- OF SERMON II. 95 ther it be out of the Old Testament or the New, are such as Christ himself spake of in these words ; Omnis scriha doctus in regno ccelorum similis est homini patrifamilias qui prqfert de thesauro suo nova et Vetera ; Every learned scribe in the Church of God is like the master of a family, who brings forth ever out of his own treasure things new and old. ^Ifric, of the New Testament, LTsle's Transl. p. 38. " " Incipit ordo vel examinatio in ordinatione EPiscoPi. Intierrogamus te dilectissime frater in caritate sincera : Si omnem prudentiam tuam quan- tum tua capax est natura divine scripture sensibus accommodare volueris. Responsio. Ita ex toto corde volo in omnibus obedire et consentire. In- terrogatio. Vis ea que ex divinis scripturis intelligis plebem cui ordinandus es et verbis doeere et exem- plis. Responsio. Volo." (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius; A. III. f. 91.) Respecting any belief in traditions this examination is silent. " " Vis traditiones orthodoxorum patrum ac de- cretales, sancte et apostolice sedis constitutiones ve- neranter suscipere, doeere, atque servare ? Respon- sio.Yolo." (Bibl.C.C.C.C. MSS. Parker. LXXIX.) The MS. from which this extract is made is a mag- nificent Pontifical, compiled at some time subse- quent to the commencement of the twelfth century, as appears from a reference therein to the works of Hugh de St. Victor, who died in the year 1140. (Cave, Hist. Lit. Lond. 1688. p. 655.) " Tpelp apoj-Colaj- psejt )7e punobon mib him* ^ tpa ■] hunb j-eopentig he geceaj" him Co bybelum Jja pepbon tpam "] fcpam get popan him ge hpybep. Dap peopep "] hunb eahtig Jje polgobon J>am has- 96 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS lenbe yjnb ]>a. gpunb-peallaj- on gobej- gelajjunje *] J?a pypmej-Can bybelaj" ^ hi ujie bee j-etton j-pa j-pa hi geleojinobon sec heopa lajxeope cjiipte* "] heopa laji becom to Jjam ytemepCum lanbum. (Serin, de Memoria Sanctorum, p. 228. MSS. Bibl. Publ. Cant. li. 1 — 33.) There were twelve apostles who lived with him, and he chose seventy-two for his heralds ; who went, two and two, here and there, before him. These eighty-four, who followed Je- sus, are the ground-walls in God's Church, and the foremost heralds; and they composed our hooks even as they learned them from, their teacher, Crist, and their teaching is come to the uttermost lands. '' Irobep ]?am haljum geppitum J»u geojine ge- hynbept "] J>ajie lajie hlyptepfc ]pe hij gobe polce bobebon ^ ps&bon. (MSS. Bibl. Publ. Cant. li. 1 — 33. p. 413.) Thou earnestly heardest God's holy Scriptures, and didst listen to the teaching of those who preached and said them to good folk. This congratulatory language of the disembodied soul to its former corporeal associate is ranged with addresses couched in the very words of our Saviour, " Naked, and thou clothedst them ; sick, and thou visitedst them," &c. Hence it is plain, that the Anglo-Saxons looked upon Scriptural acquisitions as among those employments of a Christian's life which are most acceptable to God. J4 « ^\ye worthy and wise author Jerome, who translated our Bible out of the Greeke and He- brew bookes into Latine." ^Elfric, of the N. T. L'Isle's Transl. p. 32. 'S « Qui a Sanctis Patribus in unaquaque synodo hue usque expositi sunt, observari canones sequuni OF SERMON II. 97 censuimus." (Cone. Chalched. Can. i. Labb. et Coss. IV. 756.) The Calcedonian Fathers, who met in 451, are considered here to authorize that ecclesiastical code, then generally used, and com- posed of the decrees of various antecedent councils. To this code, reference is made in the acts of the council of Calcedon, (Labb. et Coss. IV. 692, et alibi.) In it was included the Laodicean canon, already cited ; but the decree of some council of Carthage, considered among Romanists to authorize the Trentine canon of Scripture, was not inserted in the code, until the year 525. Romish writers generally refer this Carthaginian council to the year 397, but bishop Cosin, after noticing some ana- chronisms in the way of this date, assigns the coun- cil to the year 419. The canon is the 47th, among those enacted by this particular council, and is the 24th in the general body of Aftican canons. It is, however, insufficient for the purposes of Romish di- vines ; and it might seem, such as it is, to have been treated with no great attention in the Church generally when the council of Calcedon sat ; other- wise we may reasonably suppose that its innova- tion respecting the greater part of the Apocrypha, would have found its way, ere then, into the re- ceived code of ecclesiastical canons. Bishop Co- sin's Can. 111. Du Pin's Eccl. Hist. II. 279. Labb. etCoss. n. 1061,1177. ■* " Can. LIX. Quod non oportet privatos et vulgares aliquos psalmos dici in ecclesia, nee libros non canonicos, sed solos canonicos Veteris et Novi Testamenti. H 98 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS LX. Haec sunt quae legi oportet ex Veteri Testamento : I. Genesis. II. Exodus, id est Exitus ex ^gypto. III. Leviticum. IV. Numeri. V. Deuteronomium. VI. Jesus Naue. VII. Judices. Ruth. VIII. Hes- ter. IX. Regnoram I. et II. X. Regnorum III. et IV. XI. Paralipomenon I. et II. XII. Esdrse I. et II. XIII. Liber Psalmorum CL. XIV. Proverbia Salomonis. XV. Ecclesiastes. XVI. Cantica Canti- corum. XVII. Job. XVIII. Duodecim Prophetae. XIX. Esaias. XX. Jeremias et Baruch, Lamen- tationes et Epistolae. XXI. Ezechiel. XXII. Daniel. Novi autem Testamenti hsec : Evangelia quatuor (KUTa. Ma.T6aiov, Lat. desider.) secundum Marcum, secundum Lucam, secundum Joannem. Actus Apo- stolorum. Epistolae catholicae septem, videlicet la- cobi una, Petri duae, lohannis tres, ludae una. Epi- stolae Pauli quatuordecim : ad Romanos una, ad Co- rinthios duae, ad Galatas una, ad Ephesios una, ad Philippenses una, ad Colossenses una, ad Thessa- lonicenses duae, ad Hebraeos una, ad Timotheum duae, ad Titum una, ad Philemonem una." (Can. S. et B. pp. qui Laodiceae Phrygiae convenerant. Labb. et Coss.SS. Cone. Lut. Par. 1671. I. 5008. Respecting art. XX. in the foregoing extract, it is to be observed, that Baruch's name is joined to that of Jeremiah, because he was that holy per- son s amanuensis, and so much engaged in the ar- rangement of his prophecies, that he might be called, in some sort, the author of the book. Even Bellarmine admits that the apocryphal book of Ba- ruch was most probably not intended here by the Laodicean Fathers ; for he says, " De libro Baruch controversia fuit, et est, turn quia non invenitur in OP SERMON II. 99 Hebrseis codicibus, turn etiam quia nee concilia an- tiqua neque pontifices, neque Patres quos supra ci- tavimus, qui catalogum librorum sacrorum texunt, hujus Prophetae disertis verbis meminerunt." (Con- trov. I. 11.) This language would hardly have been used had the cardinal considered the council of Laodicea to have pronounced the book of Ba- ruch canonical. The " Epistle" mentioned in con- nection with the name of Jeremiah, is that which is found in his 29th chapter. The Apocalypse is omitted in this enumeration, because, probably, the council's attention being called to Scripture from its use in public worship, it was thought unnecessary to name a book, es- teemed unsuitable, on account of its mysterious character, for such a purpose. The date of the council of Laodicea has been in- volved in some degree of obscurity. Bishop Cosin assigns the year 364 to it. Du Pin declines the naming of any particular year, but says, " 'Tis very probable that it was celebrated between 360 and 370." All the ancients, indeed, place it after the council of Antioch, holden in 341. Many modern writers, however, of the papal party, following Ba- ronius, would rather believe that the council of Lao- dicea preceded that of Nice, holden in 325. This flows from a desire to maintain that authority which was assigned at Trent to the apocryphal books. St. Jerome mentions it as a thing " read," that the Nicene Fathers reckoned the book of Judith to be canonical. Now it is justly thought unlikely, that the council of Laodicea would venture to contra- vene the very high authority of that assembled at Nice. Hence, it is argued, the latter named must H 2 100 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS have preceded the other. But to say nothing of historical objections to this hypothesis, which are almost insurmountable, if not absolutely so, Je- rome's testimony really makes very little for esta- blishing the Nicene approbation of Judith. He does not say, that the circumstance related is to be found in any authfentic act of the Nicene Fathers. Notoriously there is not the smallest trace of any such act. He merely states that something of the kind is to be " read" in some unnamed book : a vague assertion which is, naturally considered, even by a large proportion of Romish scholars, insuffi- cient to warrant the conclusion of Baronius upon this question. (Bishop Cosin's Scholastical Hist, of the Canon. Lond. 1672. pp. 41, 55. Du Pin s New Hist, of Eccl. Writers, Lond. 1696. Engl. Transl. n. 268. R. P. Joan. Cabassut. Notitia Ecclesiast. Lugdun. 1680. p. 151.) '' " Et sic quatuor synodos sanctae universalis Ecclesiee sicut quatuor libros sancti Evangelii reci- pimus." Greg. Papae Epist. ad Sabinum Subdiaco- num. (Labb. et Coss. V. 1105.) Id. ad Theodolin- dam Reginam. (Ibid. 1157.) '* " De qua re" (elatione sc.) non inordinate agi- mus, si ex 7ibris, licet non canonicis, sed tamen ad sedificationem Ecclesiae editis, testimonium profera- mus. Eleazar, namque in prcelio elephantem fe- riens stravit, sed sub ipso quem extinxit, occubuit." (1 Mace. vi. 43, 4, 5, 6.) S. Gregorii Expos. Mo- ralis in Job. lib. 19. cap.' 13. Opp. Rom. 1589. tom. II. p. 748. '' " Alee sense quatuor animalium, quae sunt vi- ginti quatuor totidem Veteris Testamenti Hbros in- sinuant, quibus Evangelistarum, et fulcitur auctori- OF SERMON II. 101 tas, et Veritas comprobatur." (Bed. Ven. in Apoc. cap. 4. 0pp. torn. V. col. 1073.) For the mode of making up the number twenty-four, in the books of the O. T. see bishop Cosin on the Canon, p. 77 . so u 3489. Artaxerxes, qui et Longimanus, id est, fjMicpo')(etp, annis XL. Hujus anno VII. prima die mensis prinii, Esdras sacerdos^ et scriba legis Dei, ascendit de Babylone cum Epistolis Regis, et in prima mensis quinti ve- nit in Hierusalem cum viris MDCC. Et inter alia strenue gesta, castigavit filios transmigfationis ab uxoribus alienigenis. Ejusdem anno vicesimo Nee- mias, pincerna, de Susis castro adveniens, murum Hierusalem LII. diebus restituit, et ducatum genti XII. annis praebuit. Hue usque divina Scriptura temporum seriem continet. Quae autem post hsec apud Judseos sunt digesta, de libro Machabaeorum, et Josephi, atque Africani scriptis exhibentur, qui d^inceps universam historiam usque ad Romana tempora prosecuti sunt." Bed. Ven. de Sex ^tati- bus Mundi. Opp. torn. II. p. 181. " ". In libro Jesu filii Sirac, haec praefata senten- tia legitur, quem librum B. Hieronymus, atque Isi- dorus inter apocryphas, id est, dubiias Scripturas, deputatum esse absque dubitatione testantur. Qui etiani liber non tempore prophetarum, sed sacerdo- tum, sub Simone, Pontifice, magno regnante Pto- lomaeo Euergete, conscriptus est : nee tantum pro- phetiasj quantum morales disciplinas, et laudes sa- pientiaeproferre videtur." (Alcuin. adv. Elipant. To- let. Episc. Opp. col. 941.) "" JElfric mentions, in his tract upon the Old Testament, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numerus, Deuteronomium, Josue, Liber Judicum, Ruth, four 102 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS books of Kings, (i. e. two of Samuel, and two of Kings,) Verba Dierum, (a''»^n nai i.e. Chronicles; which is thus entitled in the Hebrew Bibles ; and which ^Ifric reckons, according to ancient Jewish usage, as a single book,) Psalms, three books of So- lomon, namely, Parabole, Ecclesiastes, Cantica Can- ticorum ; " two more books placed with Solomon's workes, as if he made them : which for likeness of stile and profitable use have gone for his : but Je- sus, the Sonne of Syrach, composed them : one is called Liber SapientitB, the Booke of Wisdome ; and the other Ecclesiasticus ; very large bookes, and read in the Church, of long custome, for much good instruction." (p. 17.) Isaias, Hieremias, Eze- chiel, Daniel, Osee, Johel, Amos, Abdias, Jonas, Micheas, Naum, Abbacuc, Sophonias^ Aggeus, Za- charias, Malachias, Esdras, Job, Tobias, Hester, Judith, two Machabeorum. ^Ifric's tract upon the New Testament, enumerates the sacred books thus, Matheus, Marcus, Lucas, Johannes ; two Epi- stles of Petrus; one, of Jacob the Righteous; (James the Just ;) three, of Johannes the Evangelist ; one of Judas the Apostle; altogether seven books of this rank : of Paulus the Apostle, fifteen Epistles ; namely, to the Romans, one ; to the Corinthians, two ; to the Galathians, one ; to the Ephesians, one ; to the Philipensians, one; to the Colosensians, one ; to the Thesalonicensians, twain ; also to the Ebreans, one ; to his own disciple, Timotheus, twain ; and Titus, one; to Philemon, one; to the Laodicen- sians, one : Actus Apostolorum, in English, Deeds of the Apostles ; Apocalipsis, that is, Revelation ; the last book in the Bible. Now this statement is clearly not formed accord- OF SERMON II. 103 ing to the canon of the African churches, men- tioned in note 15 ; for that expressly ascribes five books to Solomon, (Salomonis libri quinque,) this ascribes to him only three books, and more- over asserts that the two other books, going by his name, are not his, nor entitled to be read in the Church, except from long custom, and their gene- ral goodness of matter. The African churches also sanction two books of Esdras ; meaning, there is no doubt, by the first book, the books of Ezra and Ne- hemiah conjointly, which stood as one book in the ancient Hebrew canon. By the second book of Esdras is meant the first apocryphal book of that name. There can be no question that yElfric ac- knowledged as canonical only the first of these, namely, the conjoined books of Ezra and Nehe- miah; for he expressly ascribes but one book to Esdras, and in such a case we cannot hesitate as to the identification of that one. Gphjiaj* j-e pjxitejxe apjvat ane boc. Esdras the writer (or scribe) wrote one book. Again, the African Church ranges Tobit, Judith, and the two books of Maccabees, without any remark, in the canon : naming also Job between Chronicles and Psalms. ^Ifric places Tobit after Job, treating it as a fit accompaniment of that book, and saying, that it " is added unto this number because it hath a like holy meaning therein." (p. 22.) That it is placed there as being an integral part of God's revealed word, is not said. The words, indeed, would seem to imply, that it was not so considered. Nor is Judith treated as if esteemed canonical. ^Ifric says, " The widow Ju- dith, who overcame Holophernes, the Sirian general, hath her booke also among these, concerning her 104 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS own victory, and Englished according to my ^kill, for your example, that ye men may also defend your country by force of arms against the invasion of a foreign host." (The Danes were then in the habit of invading England.) Of" Maccabees, the writer says, " Among these books the Church hath accustomed to place two other tending to the glory of God, and entituled Machabeorum,,/?)/' the great valour of that family, who prevailed then so much in fight against the heathen forces, encroaching much upon them, and seeking to destroy and root them from the land which God had given them, and so to empaire the glory of God himself." Thus all the apocryphal books mentioned are said to have been included in the Bible (or perhaps merely used by /Elfric in his scriptural labours for popular instruction) upon some especial grounds : a tole- rably fair presumption, that he considered them no parts of the sacred canon. Among them he places the book of Esther, introducing it, as in the other cases, by a sort of apology. This may either arise from his having used the apocryphal portions of Esther, or from his reluctance to place a mere abridgment of his own under any appearance of equality with canonical Scripture. His words are, " Queene Hester, who delivered her nation, hath one booke also in this number, because it containes the praise of God: the which / briefly, after my manner, translated into English." Upon another point in which Elfric differs from the Africans, namely, his mention of St. Paul's Epistle to the Laodiceans, his tract allows no room for saying any thing farther than that he names this piece after the Apostie's Epistles to individuals ; a singu- OF SERMON II. 105 lar arrangement, if he were assured of its canoni- city. All uncertainty, however, as to this eminent ecclesiastic's estimate of canonical Scripture is re- moved by the fact, that St. Jerome's version was the received Bible of England in his days. This would be sufficient, even without the weight of individual authorities, to prove that the Anglo-Saxon Church agreed neither with ancient Africa, nor with mo- dern Rome, as to the canon of Scripture. '^ The Apostles' Creed was known as the less Creed, the Nicene Creed, from its use, as at pre- sent, in the Communion-service, the Mass Creed, the Athanasian Creed is styled in a Cottonian MS. (Vespasian. A. 1.) fides catholica. Of all these creeds there are vernacular translations. ''■* " Sicut eriim ex latere Adam dormientis nata est Eva, ita ex latere Christi dormientis in cruce exierunt sacramenta, sanguis, scilicet, et aqua, ex quibus constituta est Ecclesia." Bed. Ven. in Ps. 41. Opp. torn. VIII. col. 651. '^ Tpa 'Smg j-ynbon Jjujih gobej- mihte fpa miccle ^ ppa msepe •^ seppe a&nig man ne ms&g 'Sseji on aenig ]jmg apyjiban ne gepanian • puUuhc -\ hupel- halgung. Nip pe ma&ppe-ppeopt J>e ma&ppian mot "^ to mseppianne ah on pojiulbe ppa miptlic ne ppa ppacob on hip bseban gyp he bsepa )?enunga aSepe he's ppa ppa 'Ssep togebype'S • Jjeah he pylp unpiht bpeoge on hip lipe ne by^ peo ]?enung J)8&p na Jje pyppe. Ne ept nip aenig ppa maepe ne ppa halijep lipep •'p a'Sop 'Saepa J^enunga gegobian o'S^on gemyc- clian ma&ge. Do ppa hpylc ppa hit bo gobep pylpep miht by'S on ]?8&pe beabe ]7.uph halig gepyne. !3lc . pe eapma pynpuUa man heapma'S J»eah him pylpum egeplice ppy^e pe ]7e geJ'pipt-laec'S to ma&ppianne 106 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS o®Son huj-1 to bicganne ^ fat hme jylpne on jjn- num topulne ■] yyf^e: poppyjvhcene ^ nele aeji hit geanbettan ^ betan sep he to ]7am ge'Spij^-ls&ce f he mEej-fian angiime. (Ex Horn. Lupi, Episcopi. Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii. 99.) Two things are, through God's might, so great and important, that never can any man therein injure or diminish any thing: Baptism and Eucharist-hallowing. The mass-priest who can mass, and has the means of massing, is not so unsteady in the world, nor so base in his deeds, if he do either of these ministra- tions properly, unrighteous as may he his own life, that his ministration should he any the worse. Nor again, is any man so important, or of so holy a life, that he can add goodness or importance to either of these ministrations. Whatever may he done, God's own might is in these deeds through a holy mystery. Sut the wretched sinful man harmeth himself, notwithstanding, very terribly, who pre- sumes to mass or receive the Eucharist, and knows himself abounding and altogether undone in sins, and will not confess and amend ere he presumes to begin massing. Whelock, in his annotations upon Bede, (p. 462.) has printed the first sentence in this extract, with a Latin translation. ^* " Sunt autem sacramenta, Baptismum et Chrisma, Corpus et Sanguis : quae ob id sacra- menta dicun ur, quia sub tegumento corporalium rerum, virtus divina secretins salutem eorundem sacramentorum operatur, unde et a secretis virtuti- bus, vel a sacris, sacramenta dicuntur." Hraban. Maur. de Institutione Cleacorum, lib. I. cap. 24. 0pp. Col. Agr. 1626. tom. VI. p. 8. '' Cases have been supposed in which priests jo- OF SERMON II. 107 cularly, or from accident, might say. Hoc est corpus meum, over a mass of bread in a bakers shop, or elsewhere. In such cases, it is determined, no tran- substantiation would take place, because the parties did not intend to do what the Church does in pre- scribing the use of these words. ** Tupa pe beoS on Jjipum lipe acennebe* peo popme acennebnep ip plaepclic op paebejx ^ op me- bep • peo o'Seji acennebnep ip gaptlic Jjonne pe beo'S geebcennebe on ]?am halgan puUuhte- on ]?am up beo'S ealle pynna pojigipene J)uj\h ]?8ep halgan gap- tep gype. 8eo Jjpibbe acennebnep bi® on Jjam ge- msenelicum aepipte* on ]7a beo'S upe lichaman ge- ebcennebe to unbjiopnienbhcum lichaman. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii. 22.) T'wice we are, in this life, horn: the former hirth is fleshly , of a father and a mother ; the other is spiritual, when we are rege- nerated in the holy Saptism ; in which all our sins are forgiven us through the Holy Ghosfs grace. The third hirth is in the general resurrection, in which our hodies will be regenerated into incor- ruptible bodies. (St. Matth. xix. 28.) Duph claene ma&ben cpipt peap'S gebojven- ^ J>uph claene puUuht pe pynbon ealle cpiiptene gebo- pene • -^ pe pceolon eac on ealpe clo&nnyppe heal- ban gyp pe senige miltpe begytan pceolon aet gobe. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii. 23. f. 79.) Through a clean maiden Crist was born, and through clean Baptism we are all born Cristens ; that we should also in all cleanness hold, if we would get any mercy with God. 8eo gaptlice acennebnyp -f man gobe beo acen- neb on J>am halgan puUuhfce ]?ujvh Jjone halgan gapt ip up ungepunelic • poji'San J»e pe gepeon ne magon 108 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS hpset ^aep fox's geppemmeb on J>am gepuUoban menn. Du gej-yxt hine bebyppan on j-cijian paa- cejve- ■] epfc up ateon mib J)am ylcan hipe Jpe he haepbe aepoji aeji J^an ]?e he bupe- ac j-eo hahge mo- bop. J>e ij- gobef gela'Sung pat •^ -^ cilb fox's pynpuU foebypeb inn to jjam pante • ■] fox's up afopoben pjiam pynnum a'Spogen Jjujxh f hahge pulhiht. Duph abamep popga&gebneppe ■ 'Se gobep foefoob tofojvaec foeo'S J>a cilb pynpuUe- ac J>ujih ^obep pylpep ^ype heopa pynna foeo'S abylegobe ■f hi gobep menn foeoS" "] hi op pla&pchcum gepup'Sa'S gapthce- ^ gobep foeapn gehatene ppa ppa up bee pecga'S. (Bifol. Pufol. Cant. MSS. li. 4—6. p. 557.) The spiritual birth, that man be born to God in holy Saptism, through the Holy Ghost, is not familiar to our observation ; for that we cannot see what is there accomplished in baptised persons. Thou seest him bedipped in the sheer (pure) water, and again drawn up with the same hue that he had be- fore, ere that he dived ; but the holy mother, that is, God's Church, knows that that child is bedipped sinful into the font, and is taken up washed from sins through that holy Baptism. Through Adam's transgression, who God's commandment broke, those children are sinful; but through the grace of God himself their sins are blotted out, and they become God's men, (servants,) and they of fleshly are made spiritual, and are called God's children, even as the (sacred) books tell us. The last of these three extracts is printed by Whelock, {in Bed. 63.) with an additional clause, at the beginning, stating that the ordinary processes of birth and growth are familiar to human ofoserva- tion. Of this clause, however, the chief practical OF SERMON II. 109 use appears to be that it serves to explain the word ungepunelic, Uterally unwonted, which occurs in the extract given above, and which has been ren- dered, " not famiUar to our observation." Whelock renders the word by invisibilis. "' The following rubrics relating to these curious facts in the ecclesiastical antiquities of England, are extracted from an imperfect Pontifical in the British Museum, beautifully written, and, for the most part, anterior to the Conquest. (MSS. Cotton. Tiberius, C. 1.) After the directions for baptizing the parties, brought for that piirpose, (who were thrice totally immersed,) are found the following directions, f. 72. " Pontifex vero egreditur a fonte in sacrarium habens ibi sedem compositam, vel in ecclesia, ubi voluerit, et sedet in ea ; ut, cum vestiti fuerint in- fantes, confirmet eos ; et deportentur ipsi infantes ante eum, et det singulis stolam candidam et cris- male, et x siliquas, dicens, Accipe vestem candi- dam, sanctam, et immaculatam, qtiam prqferas ante tribunal Christi in vita eterna. Pax tibi. Amen. Et sic vestiuntur. Induti, vero, ordinan- tur per ordinem sicut scripti sunt in circuitu. Et cum omnes baptizati fuerint infantes, statuantur per ordinem, et juniores, quidem, in brachiis dex- tris ten'entur ; majores, vero, pedem ponant super pedem dextrum patrini sui, sive matrine sue. Et nemo carnalem filium aut filiam de baptismo sus- cipiat, vel ad confirmationem habeat : ut sit discre- tio inter carnalem et spiritualem generationem ; et qui non est confirmatus nullum ad confirmandum habeat. Et datis, orat pontifex super eos, confir- mans eos. Si, vero, episcopus adest, statim confir- 110 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS mari eos oportet chrismate, et postea communicare: et si episcopus deest, communicentur a presbytero corpore et sanguine Christi, dicente ita: Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat te in vitam eternam." Ex eod. Pontif. f. 75. " Hud, autem, de parvulis providendum est, ne postquam baptizati fuerint, uUum cibum accipiant, neque lactentur, sine summa necessitate, antequam communicent sacramentum corporis Christi ; et postea per totam hebdomadam pasche, omnibus diebus, ad missam veniant, et pa- rentes eorum, pro ipsis offerant, et communicent omnes." ' This last clause accounts for the origin of Easter oiFerings ; which, although disregarded from their insignificance in country-parishes, are of some im- portance where the population is large, and, as the case commonly stands, the clergyman's provision is scanty. Likewise, it hence appears, that such offerings were anciently claimable, not only from parishioners who have attained the age of puberty, or thereabouts, but from all parishioners who had passed the first Easter, or Whitsuntide, after birth ; all such persons being baptised, and immediately becoming communicants, as a matter of course. 3° From the MS., used in the last note, (f. 78.) the following extract has been made to illustrate the ritual Pediluvium, and the use of oil for the sick. The passages occur in a sermon to be preached on the day before Good-Friday, or in Coena Do- mini, as the day was called, and they mention other particulars relating to the celebration of that day. " Hodie, namque in forma servi, quam propter nos accepit, pedes discipulorum lavit, et nobis hu- OF SERMON II. Ill militatis exemplum dedit. Hodie finitum est ve- tus testamentum, et inchoatum est novum. Hodie multa ad nostram salutem facta sunt, que vobis enumerare perlongum est, quia ad alia transire ne- cesse est. Hodie in sancta ecclesia reservatur cor- pus Domini usque in crastinum. Lavantur pedes servorum, in exemplum Domini et discipulorum ; nudantur altaria usque in sabbato sancto. Et poe- nitentes veniunt ad absolutionem. Hodie tribus modis consecratur oleum. Oleum pro infirmis, et pro populo ; oleum principalis crismatis, et oleum ad ungendos catycuminos et neophytos. Potest, enim, Deus sine oleo sanare infirmos, sanctifica- reque suos, et demones effiigare. Sed propter fra- giles et animales aguntur hsec invisibilia, ut spirita- lia et invisibilia facilius capiantur. Oleum, vero, quando ofFertur pontifici simplex liquor est, et spe- ciem habet corporalem, sed per benedictionem sa- cerdotum transfertur in sacramentum. Consecra- tio, vero, hujus crismatis dicitur principalis, quia ad ejus unctionem principalis tribuitur principalis spi- ritus, idem septiformis paraclitus." ^' In a beautiful but imperfect Pontifical, attri- buted to the 13th century, in the public library at Cambridge, (LI. 2 — 10.) is found, among the ru- brics for the consecration of chrism, in Coena Do- mini, the following view of unguent for the sick. " Prima, vero, ad oleum infirmorum perfecta medi- cina ad effugandas quoque egritudines, et ad re- missionem peccatofum, ut per Apostolum instrui- mur : Infirmatur quis ex vobis unguatur oleo sa- lutari, in nomine Domini, et allevabit eum Domi- nus, et si in peccatis sit, dimittentur ei. In unison with this view is the following form of il2 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS blessing such oil, prescribed in the Constitutions attributed to the Apostles : " Domine sabaoth, Deus virtutum, creator aquarum, et largitor olei, misera- tor et amator hominum, qui dedisti aquam ad bi- bendum et abluendum, oleum ad exhilarandum fa- ciem in exultationem laetitiae ; ipse nunc sanctifica, per Christum, hanc aquam et oleum ex nomine ejus qui obtulit, vel quae obtulit, et tribue ei vim sanandi et depellendi morhum, fugandi dsemones, expellendi insidias, per Christum, spem nostram : cum quo tibi gloria, honor, cultus, et Sancto Spi- ritui, in saecula. Amen." (Const, quae tribuuntur Apost. lib. VIII. cap. 29. Labb. et Coss. I. 493.) It is not, perhaps, improbable, that in addition to disappointed hopes of bodily ease, flowing from the use of consecrated unguent, a low opinion of it (which ^Ifric tells us was the case) might obtain in England, from the prevalence of religious opinions there, underived from Rome. The Anglo-Saxons, it should be remembered, were chiefly converted by native missionaries, decried, indeed, by Augustine's Italian party as schismatics, but who seem to have used a less superstitious ritual than that imported from abroad. It is obvious, that these venerated na- tional heralds of evangelical truth, to whom the Saxon conquerors were so much indebted, would leave upon the pubhc mind many traces of their simpler principles, long after the annihilation of their political importance. 3' See the Homily on the Catholic Faith. — Spa eac f eo j-apul jip gob hi pojilet pop jynnum ne be« heo nan Jpmg to gobe. Ne maeg nan man nan J^inj gebon buton gobef pultume. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii.22.). So also the soul, if God abandon it OF SERMON II. 113 for sins, doth no good thing. No man can do any thing without God's aid. See large extracts upon this subject, and that of free-will, in Whelock's Bade, p. 64. " Deleapa ij- ealj\a msejna pyjimejt:" bufcon ]7am ne ms&g nan mann gobe lician ■ "] je jaihipij-a leopa'S be hij- geleapan. (Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li. 4—6. p. 20.) Faith is the foremost of all virtues : with- out it no man can please God ; and the righteous liveth hy his faith. 8e geleapa if ojvbpjiuma ealpa gobbjia mihta- pojiSan Jie pe jeleapa up jelgeC to heoponum. (Ex eod. cod. p. 393.) Faith is the origin of all godly powers ; for faith lets us into heaven. ?Ec J»eop oncnapennypp Jjaape gobcunbnyppe "] jjsepe j-o'Sp05j"tnypj-e ij* pipbom Co leopnienne )juph )jone pihtan geleapan ■ pop'San 'Se nan man ne mseg gobe gelician butan pihcum geleapan. So'Slice ]?e h\^ gepa&lij ]?e J>e on piht-gelypenbe pel lipa'S • "] pel lupienbe Jnone pulppemmeban geleapan geheal- ba'S. IDitoblice Jje geleapa hi'S unnyt butan jjam gobum peopcum" ppa eac Jja goban peopc butan ]jam pihtum geleapan nanum men naht ne helpa'S* be J>am lacob ]?e apoptol cps&'S" hpaet helped eop bpo'Spu mine •^ ]?eah hpa psecge •^ he geleapan ha&bbe J>onne he ]?a goban peopc napa'S • ac pene'S he mseg hine Jre geleapa gehealban. So'Slice ]?e geleapa butan ]jam goban peopcum he by'S beabe- gelic ■] 'Se lichama by'S beab butan ]?am gapte. (Al- cuin. ad Guid. Com. Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li. 1— 33.) But the knowledge of the Divinity and the truth is a wisdom to be learnt through a right faith ; for that no man can please God without a I 114 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS right faith. Truly he is happy, who, in right-he'- liemng, liveth well, and, welUliving, holdeth the perfect faith. Faith, indeed, is vain without good works; so also good works, without a right faith, nought help any men ; according to that which the Apostle Jacob (James) saith : What helpeth you, my brethren, that any one may say that he has faith, when he hath not good works; but weeneth he that faith can save him f Truly faith without good works, it is dead, like also the body is dead without the spirit. A Latin version of this extract, pretty closely answering to the Saxon, is printed in Alcuin's Works, p. 1218. ^^ j£\c tjieop blep'S s&p J>an J>e hifc pa&ftmaj- bepe- ■] 8&lc copn biS sejieft gs&Jif . Spa selc gobep mann pceal hine pylpne Co gobnyjye apenban • ^ pipbom lupian* "3 poplsefcan ibelnyjye. pe pceal hlyptan pipbomep 8&fc pipum mannum • popJ»ani ppa he optoji gobep lape gehyp'S ppa he ^ehenbop biS ]?am pip- bome. Ne pceal nan man pophogian -f he hype gobep lape* popjjan ]7e hit biS ppy^e pleolic jjam men- ■f he hip pcippenbep beboba gehypan nelle ppylce he gobep haepe poppeo. (Bibl. Bodleiana MSS. Junii. 23. Hom. 6. De Doctrina Apostolica.) Every tree bloweth ere that it fruits bear, and every corn is erst grass. So every man (servant) of God should turn himself to goodness, and love wisdom, and forego vanity. He should hear wis- dom from wise men ; for that by how much the oftener he heareth God's learning, by so much the nearer he is to wisdom. JVo man should despise the hearing of God's learning; for that it is very OF SERMON II. 115 dangerous to men to he unwilling to hear their Creator's commands, as if God's pleasure were overlooked. Nsejion hi on lihte Jjuph -^ ^ hi gobef beboba jehynbon • ac hi pupbon on hhte Jja hi ^obej* be- boba to peojic apenbon Jpujvh ]?a cumh'Snyppe. Foji- ■Sam ]pe hit ip appiten -f J>a ne beo'S pihtpipe ge- tealbe Jje mib peopcum hip beboba ne ^epylla'S. (AHus Sermo de Die Pasce. Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li. 4—6. p. 330. Gg. 3—28. p. 364.) They were not in the light through this, that they heard God's commands : hut these were in the light who turned God's commands into works through hospitality. Because it is written. That they are not accounted righteous who with works fulfil not his commands. See also the Homily on the Catholic Faith. ^* Ipaiap pe pitega appat on hip pitegunge be Jjam haljan gapte* ^ be hip peoponpealban gipu. Da peoponpealban jypa pynb J)up gehatene • Sapi- entia on leben- -^ ip pipbom on englipc Intellec- tup on leben- ^ anbgit on englipc : Lonpihum on leben ■^ ip paeb on englipc ■ Fojvtitubo on leben ^ mobep ptpeng'S on enghpc- &cientia on leben ^ job-in^ehyb on enghpc- Timop bin on leben- gobep ege on enghpc* Pietap on leben 'j appsept- nyp on enjlipc. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Trberius, C. 6. f. 28.). Isaias the prophet wrote, in his pro- phecy, of the Holy Ghost, and of his sevenfold graces. The sevenfold graces are thus called : Sapientia in Latin ; that is, Wisdom in English : Intellectus in Latin, and Understanding in Eng- lish : Consilium in Latin, that is, Counsel in Eng- lish : Fortitudo in Latin, and Strength of Mind in English ; Scientia in Latin, and Good Knowledge i2 116 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS in English: T\morI)am\m in Latin; Fear of God in English : Pietas in Latin, and Piety in Eng. lish. In the same Homily (f. 29.) is found the follow- ing catalogue of opposites to these graces. Da ypelan ungypa ]?8Bf ajvla&j-an beoplep jynbon ]puj- gehatene on leben ppjisece- Inpipientia ^ ij- byjig o'SSe bpsepnyj-- Stukitia ■f if j-tuntnyj-- Inpjioui- bencia -^ ip ps&celeapnyp bufcan popepceapunje- Ignauia -^ ip abpo'Sennyp o'S^e nahtnyp- Ignopan- tia -f ip nyfcenyp- Impietap ^ ip apleapnyp- Teme- pitap "^ ip bypelic byppCignyp. The evil ungraces of the wicked Devil are thus called in Latin speech: Insipientia, that is, Folly, or Dulness ; Stultitia, that is. Stupidity ; Improvidentia, that is. Recklessness without Consideration ; Ignavia, that is. Cowardice, or Naughtiness ; Ignorantia, that is. Ignorance ; Impietas, that is, Impiety ; Temeritas, that is, Foolish Daring. The text of Isaiah, to which the former of these extracts refers, is to be found (xi. 2.) The pro- phet, however, mentions only six spiritual gifts ; namely, " the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of know- ledge and of the fear of the Lord." The compilers of our Liturgy have thus treated this matter, in the episcopal blessing used at Confirmation. " Daily increase in them thy manifold gifts of grace ; the spirit of wisdom and understanding ; the spirit of counsel and ghostly strength ; the spirit of know- ledge and true godliness : and fill them, O Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear." In the Pontifical it stands thus : " Emitte in eos septiformem Spiri- tum tuum Sanctum Paraclitum de cells : Spiritum OF SERMON II. 117 sapientie et intellectus : Spiritum consilii et fortitu- dinis : Spiritum scientie et pietatis. Adimple eos Spiritu timoris tui." Pontif. Rom. 1497. f. 1. Among the Bodleian MSS. (Serm. de Christiani- tate. Junius. 99. f. 40.) are the following catalogues of the eight principal vices, and of their antago- nistic virtues, with Latin names over them, written in a very ancient hand. Difcj-ung, Cupiditas ; Di- pejinej", Gula; Dalnej-, Fornicatio ; IDeamobnyj-, Ira; Unjiofcnyj-, Tristitia; JCj-olcenyj-, Accidia; Dylpjeojinyj", Vana Gloria ; Opepmobignyj-, Su- jperbia. These sins are designated Da beoplican eahta leahcpaj-, The eight devilish vices, and it is said of them that all wickednesses arise from them. Their opposites are these : Rum-heojvfcnyp, (Roomy- heartness,) Liberalitas; Sypepnyj-, Sohrietas; Llaen- nej", Castitas; GOobhps&jvnej', Patientia ; Irlaebnej', Spiritalis Letitia ; ISnpsebnyj-, Instantia honi ope- ris ; Sybgeojinej-, Caritas Dei et Proximi; Gab- mobnej-, Humilitas. Alcuin (0pp. p. 1239.) thus enumerates the eight principal sins : Superhia, Gula, Fornicatio, Ava- ritia, Ira, Acedia, Tristitia, Cenodoxia, but he makes only four principal virtues ; vi%. Prudentia, Justitia, Fortiiudo, Temperantia, p. 1243. In a subsequent age it became the fashion to draught all objects of scholastic inquiry into sep- tenaries, and the mortal sins, as then called, natu- rally followed the stream. (See the author's History of the Reformation, III. 299.) In compUance with this fashion, some ancient reader, probably a monk imbued with school-theology, has written in the margin of a Bodleian MS. (Junius 23.) over against the usual Saxon enumeration, Mix moitalta peccata. i3 118 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS This note appears the more absurd, because not only eight sins are mentioned in the text, but also they are introduced as ]7am eahta heajrob leahtjium, the eight heavy vices. 3* 8eo gelajjunj if halig on lichaman -\ on gajte- ac heo mj- na eall mseben fpa Jjeah on lichaman . ac heo if fpa Jpeah mseben fo'Slice on gaffce- ^ heo If eall halig pop J>am halgan ^eleapan- "] heo if f pi'Sop halig on ]?am halgum mannum ]7e on maej- ■Shabe puma's on lichaman ^ on gafCe. (Bibl. Bodl; Horn. 11. De Sancta Virginitate, MSS. Junii 24. f. 159.) The Church is holy in hody and in spi- rit ; but it is not, however, all maiden in body ; but it is however truly maiden in spirit ; and it is all holy for the holy faith ; and it is the rather holy in the holy men who continue in maidenhead in hody and in spirit. In a handsome volume, formerly belonging to the library of Bury-abbey but now in the British Museum, (MSS. Cotton. Julius, E. 7.) and containing free translations from the Latin, by ^Elfric, of pieces, chiefly legendary, adapted to various festivals, is found the following view of clerical celibacy, (f. 56.) After stating that the Jewish high priest was al- lowed to marry, for the purpose of preserving his office in one particular family, the Homily pro- ceeds : pit mihte ]>& pel fpa- poji'San J)e hi ne maf-^ fobon naejTpe- ac hi oppjiobon nytenu on heopa lacum jobe. Ne huf el nsef gehalgob aep J>am ]?e fe hselenb com- ^ ]?a nipan gecy^nypfe mib cjiif- tenbome apeapbe- ■] geceaf Jja claenan to hif clse- num Jieopbome- na Co nyfcena oppjiunge ac to hif agenum lichaman- ^ bifceopap ne beo'S nu be ge^ bJTxbum gecopene- ac feo halige gela)?ung lupaS OF SERMON II. 119 J>a clsenan- ^ CTjiiyt pile habban J>a ]>e him clasnlice Jjema'S" set Ipsun liplicum lacum hij- lichaman ^ blobej*. It might he well so ; for they massed never, hut they offered heasts in their oblations to God. Nor was the Eucharist hallowed ere that Jesus came, and set up the new covenant with Christendom, and chose the clean for his clean ser- vice, not for the offering of heasts, hut for (that) o/" his own hody: and hishops are not now chosen ac- cording to fomilies ; hut the holy Church loveth the clean, and Christ will have those who cleanly serve him at the lively ohlations of his hody and hlood. In another part of this volume (Serm. de Me- moria Sanctorum, f. 78.) clerical marriages are treated as proofs of folly. Among the blessed spi- rits ^Elfric places pipe mseppe-pjveoj^ap ]?e punobon on clsennyj-j'e* wise mass-priests who lived in cleanness; yet, even in cases where celibacy had been vowed, we find that it only served as a cloak for licentiousness. A piece entitled, in a hand ap- parently not very ancient, Augustini Sermo, (Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li. 1 — 33.) giving a view of lost souls, contains this passage; (p. 412.) Dap bee's eac gepij-lice Jja unjiihtpij-e maejje-pjieoj-tap mib ]?am unphtpifum bij*ceopum • ";] ]7a unj\iht-pupcenb munecap mib ]?am unjiihc-ha&menbum nunnum. There are also, indeed, the unrighteous mass- priests with the unrighteous hishops; and the wrong-doing monks with the incontinent nuns. " On ]?8epe ealban gecy'Sneppa 'Sa 'Sa pe hepe- toja moypep psepte xl baga '-\ xl nihta to pone to ]>i ^ he mopte jobep se unbeppon. Gpt py^an pe msepe piteja ehap eall ppa lanj psepten Suph gobep i4 120 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS mihte jra&fte j-pa j-pa pe obep gefylbe* ^ py^an peapi'S gepepiob lichamlice on heoponlicum cpiaete to ]7am uplican lipe* "] Gym's epfc he ^ enoh to- gsenep antecjiipte* to ]?i ^ hi 'Ssep heoplep leapunge mib gobep po'Spseptneppe opepi-pts&lan. Djiihten eac on J^aepe nipan gecy'Sneppa paepte 'Sujih hip gob- cunban mihte xl baga ^ xl nihta pjiam eallum eoji'Shcum bigleopan. Dup pa&p ujie Isengtenhc paepten aptealb. !Sc pe ne magon pop upe tybbep- neppe "SyUic ps&pten Suphteon. Nu ip alypeb 'Suph lapeopa ealdopbom •f pe baeghpamhce on 'Syppepe Isengtenhcan tibe upne hchaman gepeopbigan mib pophsepebnyppe "] pypepnyppe ^ cla&nnyppe. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 85.) In the Old Testament, no sooner had the leader, Moyses, fasted forty days and forty nights, than he received God's Law. Afterwards, the great prophet Elias fulfilled quite as long a fast as did the other, through God's might, and then was carried hodily, in a heavenly chariot, to the life above ; and he will come again, with Enoh against Antecrist, in order that they may refute the DeviVs falsehood with God's truth. The Jjord also, in the New Testament, fasted, through his divine might, forty days and forty nights from all earthly food. Thus was our Lenten fast established. But we cannot, from our weak- ness, accomplish such a fast. Now it is permitted us, by the authority of doctors, that we daily, in this Lenten-tide, refresh our bodies, with absti- nence, and soberness, and cleanness. 38 Ne bi'S nan psepten gobe gecpeme buton pe man hme pelpne ppam leahtpum pophsebbe. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Jmiii. 8. Dominic, in Quadrag.) No fast is acceptable to God, unless the man keep him- OF SERMON II. 121 self from vices. — When we fast, then we should give more alms than on other days ; for we should distribute to the poor the meat and drink, which we should consume if we did not fast. Capit, Incert. Edit. c. 38. Spelman. Cone. 613. ^' Nigon hunb pintpa ^ J^pytij ymtyia abam lypbe on pijye pojiulbe on geppince ^ on ypm'Se • "] fy^- San Co helle poji* '-\ ]?8eji gpimme picu Jjolbe pip J?upenb pintjia* "] tpa hunb pmtjia ^ eahta ^ tpen- C13 pmfcjia. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Cleopatra, B. 13. Dom. ante Rogat. f. 46.) ^ine hundred winters and thirty winters Adam lived in this worlds in labour and in sorrow ; and then to hell went, and there grim punishments endured five thousand winters, and two hundred winters, and eight and twenty winters. Ljxipt on ]?8&p.e hpile to helle gepenbe "] ]?one beo- pol gepylbe* ") him op-anam abam '-\ euan •;] heojra oppppmj Jjone bsel J>e hi seji gecpembe "] gelaebbe hi to heopa lichaman • "] ajvap op bea'Se mib Jjam mic- clum pejiobe on ]7am j^pibban bsege hip Jjjiopunge. (Ex eod. Cod. Serm. de Init. Creat. f. 30.) Crist, in the mean-while, went to hell, and subdued the Devil, and took away from him Adam and Eva, and that portion of their offspring which had hitherto pleased him, and led them to their bodies; and arose from death with the great host on the third day after his passion. *° Ungepip com pe beopol to cpipte '] unjepip he eobe apeg. Fop'San ]?e pe haelenb ne geppytelobe na him hip mihte* ac opejibpap hine gejjylbelice mib halgum gepjiitum. 8e ealba beopol ^ecoptnobe ujve paebeji abam on Jjpeo pipum- -f ip mib gypep- nyppe "] mib ibelum pulbpe "] mib gitpunje • ^ J»a 122 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS peaji^ he opejij-pi'Seb • poji'Son J)e he ge'Sajrobe )>am beople on eallum J>am J^pym coj-tnunjum. Dujih jipejanefpe he ya&y opejippi'Seb J>a Jja he ]?uph beo- plep lajie aett J>one popbobenan seppel. Duph ibel pulbop he pajp opepppi'Seb ]?a Jja he gelypeb Jjaep beoplep popbum- Jja ]?a he cpsa'S* Spa maepe je bee's ppa ppa englap gip ge op J>am tpeope eta's* ^ hi Jja gelypbon hip leapun^e • -j polbon mib ibelum gilpe beon betepan Jjonne hi gepceapene pa&pon" J?a pupbon hi pippan. CPib gitpunge he pa&p opep- ppi'Seb J>a J>a pe beopol cpseS to him • anb ge hab- baS jepceab s&g'Sep ge gobep ge ypelep. Nip na gitpung on peo anum ' ac ip eac on je pilnum ge micelpe jeSinc'Se. GOib )jam ylcum J>pyni Singum J>e pe beopol Jjone ppum-pceaptan mann opepppi'Sbe. mib ]?am ylcum cpipt opepppi'Sbe hine "] aptpehte. Duph gipepneppe panbobe pe beopol cpipte pa. J>a he cpae'S • Lpae'S to J>ippum ptanum ■f hi beon to lapum apenbe* anb ett. Duph ibel pulbop he panbobe hip }>a ]?a he hine tihte ]78&t he pceolbe pceoten ny'Sep op Jiaep templep pcylpe. Duph gitpunge he panbobe hip ]ja pa he mib leapunge him behet eal- lep mibban-geapbep pelan gip he polbe peallan to hip potum. TCc pe beopol paep Jja opepppi'Seb ]?uph cpipt on Jjarn ylcum gemetum J>e he sep abam opepppi'Sbe- J?aet he gepite ppam upum heoptum mib }>am mnpsepe jeha&pt mib ]?am Jje innapapen pa&p ^ up gehaspt. (Ex Hom. cui titulus Ductus est iHc. Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 22.) Ignorant came the Devil to Crist, and ignorant he went away: Because Jesus did not manifest his might to him, hut overthrew him patiently with holy Scriptures. The old devil tempted our father Adam, in three ways ; that is, with gluttony, and with vainglory. OF SERMON II. 123 and with covetousness ; and then was he overcome; for he consented to the Devil in all the three temp- tations. Through gluttony he was overcome, when he, through the Devil's teaching, ate the forhidden apple. Through vainglory was he overcome, when he believed the Devil's words, when he said, Ye shall he as great as the angels, if ye shall eat of the tree : and they believed his leasing, (lying,) and would with idle vanity he better than they were created: then were they worse. With covetous- ness he was overcome, when the devil said to him. And ye shall he able to discriminate between good and evil. Covetousness is not in money only ; but it is also in desires, and great estimation. With the same three things with which the devil over- came the first-created man, with the same Crist overcame him and laid him prostrate. Through gluttony the devil tried Crist, when he said, Say to these stones that they be turned into loaves : and eat. Through vainglory he made trial of him, when he enticed him that he should shoot down off the templets *Ale^(ledge) . Through covetousness he made trial of him, when he, with leasing, promised him all the earth's weal, if he would fall at his feet. But the devil was then overcome through Crist, in the same points which formerly gave him the advantage over Adam ; in order that he should he forced to depart from our hearts by means of the very things which afforded him an entrance into them, and power over them. ''' Lpiyt ij" yo'S 30b ^ j-o'S mann • 3 antecjaijt: biS j-o'Shce beopol ^ mann. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii. Serm. de Temp. Antecr.) Crist is true God and true man ; and Antecrist is truly devil and man 124 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS, &c. It appears by the following extract from the same volume, (f. 45.) that this infernal incarnation had been expected about the time of the millenary year, and that, such year having passed without his ap- pearance, the vices and disorders of the years im- mediately following it were viewed as indications of his approach. PofC miUe annoj- j-olueCuji j-atanaj- •f ly on en- glij-c* v/Bpteji J)U]-enb geajium bi'S j-afcanaj- unbun- ben. Duj-enb geap.a ^ eac ma ly nu agan j*y^an cjiij-C yasy mib mannum on mennij-cum hipe* "] nu jynbon j-afcanaj-ef benbaj* fpy^e toj-lopene • '-j ante- cjiiytey fcima ij- pel gehenbe. Post mille annos sol- vetur satanas : that is, in English. After a thou- sand years is satanas unbound. A thousand years, and even more, are now gone since Crist was with men in manly hue, and now are satanases hands much relaxed, and antecrisfs time is well nigh. For the reappearance of Enoch and Elijah as the adversaries of Antichrist, see note 37. HOMILY FOR ST. PETER'S DAY. SERMO DIE S. PETRI APOST' JMSTpBUS ye gobj-pellepe apjxat on J>8&pe gob- j^ellicangej-etnejye- Jjuj- cpe'Senbe. Djiihtencom to anjie bujih-j-cipe ]>& if gehafcen cej-ajiea philippi ■] bepjvan hij* gmgjian hu men be him cpibbebon. pi anbpyjibon ■ Sume men cpe'Sa'S J?8&t ])u ip lohan- nep pe pulluhteTie* pume pecga'S Jjset Jju ip heliap- pume hiepmiap- ofSfSe pum o'Sep pitega. 8e hae- lenb J)a cps&'S" Ppaet pecce ge ]?s&t ic py. Petpup him anbpyjibe- Du eapC cp.ipt )38&p hpigenban 30- bep punu. Djiihfcen him cpaeS to anbppape* Gabig eapt J>u pimon culpp.an beapn''* popSon pla&pc ^ blob ]7e ne onpjieoh J)ipne geleapan ac mm paabep pe Jje on heopononum ip. Ic ]?e pecge ]?a&t Jju eapt pta&nen- "] opep Jpij'ne ptan ic getimbpe mine cy- pican • ^ helle gatu naht ne magon ongean hi. Ic beta&te ]?e heoponan picep cs&ge* ^ ppa hpaet ppa J>u binpt opep eop'San •^ biS gebunben on heopo- num • ■] ppa hpset ppa 'Su unbinpt opep eopSan ]?8et hvS unbunben on heoponum. Beba pe tpahtnepe up onppy^ J>a beopneppe ]?ipne paebinge* -} cpaeS => Blbl. Bodl. MSS. Junii. 22. b " Beatus es, Simon Bar lona. Bar lona Syriace, Latine dici- tur, Filius Columhte. Hie simplicitas Petri ostenditur, qui filius gratise spiritualis appellatur." Ven. Bed. in loc. Opp. Col. Agr. 1612. torn. V. SERMON THE DAY OF ST. PETER THE APOSTLE. MaTHEUS, the gospeller, wrote in the Gospel- volume, thus saying : The Lord came to a horough- ship, which is called Cesarea Philippi, and ashed his disciples how men spoke of him. They an- swered : Some men say that thou art Johannes the Baptist; some say that thou art Helias ; some, Hierimias ; or some other prophet. Jesus then saith. What say ye that I amf Petrus him an- swered. Thou art Crist, the living God's Son. The Lord saith to him for answer: Blessed art thou, Simon, son of a dove ; for flesh and hlood revealed not this belief to thee, but my Father, who is in the heavens. I say to thee, that thou art stony, and over this stone I build my Church, and helVs gates may do nought against it. I commit to thee heaven's kingdom's key, and ivhatsoever thou bindest on earth, that is bounden in the heavens, and what- soever thou unbindest on earth, that is unbounden in heaven. Bede, the Expositor, reveals to us the deepness of this reading, and saith, that Philippus the tetrarch built the borough Cesarea, and in Ti- berii Caser's honour, under whom he ruled, he formed Cesarea as the borough's name, and for his own remembrance, to that name added Philippi; thus saying Cesarea Philippi ; as if the borough 128 HOMILY FOR f philippuj- j-e p'Seji-pica Jja bujih cej-ajiea getim- bpobe* ■] on pyp'Smynte Jjsej* caj-ejiej- tibejiir Jja f>e he unbeppixobe- J>a&j\e byp.13 naman gej-ceop cej-apean • ^ poji hij" agenum gemynbe Co J»am na- man jeyhte philippi • Ipxiy cpse'Senbe cej-ajiea phi- lippi- j-pilce peo buph heom bam to pup'Smynte ppa genemmeb psepe. Da "pa. pe hselenb to Jia&pe buph-pcipe genealaehte • J?a beppan he hu populb- men be him cpybbon. Na ppylce he nypte manna cpybbunga be him • ac he polbe mib po'Spe anbefc- neppe J>8&p pihtan geleapan abpaepcan Jjone Isepan penan bpehenbpa manna, pip apopCoh him anb- pupbon- pume menn cpybba'S •^ J>u py lohannep pe puUuhfcepe- pume pecga'S ]?8et J>u py hehap- pume hiepimiap- o'S^e an f»8&pa pitegena. Dpihcen ]>a. beppan- Ppa&c pecpaS ge J>8ec ic py. Spilce he ppa cpaebe- Nu populb-men ]jup bpolhce me oncpapa'S' ge 'Se gobap pynb • hu oncnape ge me. 8e tpahfc- nepe cpaeS gobap- popSan J»e pe po'Sa gob* pe ]?e ana ip a&lmihtig hsep'S geunnen Ipone pyp'Smynt hip gecopenum- J>8efc he hig gobap gecij^. pim anb- pypbe pe jehypuma peCpup • Du eapt cpipt Ipasy h- pigenban gobep punu. pe cps&'S J>8ep hpigenban go- bep' pop tpseminge ]78epa leappa goba" Jja J7e has- Sena Jjeoba mib mipthcum gebpylbe bepaehce pup- ■Sobon. 8ume hi gelypbon on beabe entap- "j him pup'Shce anhcneppa apaepbon* "] cpaebon -p hi gobap psepon- pop Jjsepe micclan ptpenc^e Jje hi haepbon- paep Jieah heopa hp ppi'Se manpulhc ^ bipmoppuU. Be ]?am cpse'S pe pitega- Joepa hs&'Senpa goba anhc- neppa pynb gilbene -] pylppene* manna hanb ge- peopc- hi habba'S bumbnemuS- *] bhnbe eagan* ") beaue eapan- ^ ungepapienbe hanba- pet butan pe'Se- bobig butan hpe. Sume hi gelypbon on ]>a. ST, PETER'S DAY. 129 were named so, for the honour of them. both. When Jesus approached the borough-ship, then he asked, how worldly men spoke of him. Not, as if he knew not men's speaking of him ; but he would, with a true confession of the right belief, extinguish the false opinion of mistaken men. His apostoli him answered : Some men say, that thou art Johannes the Baptist ; some say, that thou art Helias ; some, Hierimias, or one of the prophets. The Lord then ashed. What say ye that I am f As if he thus said : Now, worldly men thus mistakenly think of me. Ye, who are gods, how think ye of me ? The Expositor says gods, for that the true God, who alone is almighty, hath granted this honour to his chosen, that he calleth them gods. Him answered the obedient Petrus ; Thou art Crist, the living God's Son. He saith the living God's for distinc- tion from the false gods whom the heathen nations, with various errors deceived, worshipped. Some of them believed in dead giants, and honourably reared images to them, and said that they were gods, for the great strength that they had : their life, though, was very wicked and disgraceful. Of them says the prophet. The images of the gods of the heathen are of gold and silver, the work of men's hands ; they have a dumb mouth, and blind eyes, and deaf ears, and motionless hands, Jeet without step, body without life. Some of them believed in the sun, some in the moon, some in fire, and in many other creatures. They said that these, for their fairness, were gods. Now distinguished Petrus manifestly the true faith ; when he said, Thou art Crist, the living God's Son. He is the living God who hath life and habitation through himself, without begin- K 130 HOMILY FOR funnan- j'ume on J)one monan" j-ume on pyjx" "] on maneja o'Sjie gefceapfca. Lpaebon Jjaet hi ppji heojia paejepnejye ^obap psepon. Nu tobaelbe pe- tpup ppitolice Jjone poSan geleapan • pa pa he cpse'S* Du eapt cpipt psey hpigenban gobep punu. 8e ip hbbenbe 30b pe ha&pS hp ^ pununge ]?uph hine pylpne butan angmne* ^ pe pe ealle gepceapfca f>uph hip agen beapn • Jpset ip hip pipbom • gepceop • ■] him eallum hp popgeap Jpuph Jpone halgan japt. On Jjypum J?pym habum ip an gobcunbnep* -j an gecynb- ^ an peopc untobselebhc. Dpihten cpa&'S to petjie* Gabig eapt f>u culppan punu. Nu geciSe pe hselenb petpum culppan beapn- pop- San he paep apylleb mib bilepitneppe ^ gipe ps&y hal3an gaptep. f e cpae'S- Ne onppeahSe plaepc ne blob pipne geleappan- ac mm paebep pe pe on heo- ponum ip. Fla&pc ^ blob ip gecpa&ben hip pla&pclice m»3'S. Naepbe he Jiast anbgit J»uph ms&ghce lape- ac pe heoponhca paebep- Jjuph Jjone halgan japf >ipne geleapan on pefcpep heoptan popgeap. Dpih- ten cps&'S to petpe- Du eapt ptaenen^ Fop Jjsepe ptpenc'S hip geleapan- ■] pop anpasbneppe hip an- betneppe he unbeppenj Jjone naman - popSan pe he ge'Seobbe hine pylpne mib pseptum mobe to cpipte- pe pe ip ptan gecpeben ppam ]?am apoptole paule''. S^nb ic timbpie mine cypican upon ]?ippum ptane- pe ip- opep me pylpne- mib ]?am geleapan Jje ]7u ' Some reader of this MS., probably belonging to the monastic profession, appears to have been more surprised than pleased by this mode of reducing St. Peter's honorary appellative merely to a compendious description of his personal qualities. He has' ac- cordingly written pttrug over reaenen, stony, in this place. '' " For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ." i Cor. x. 4. ST. PETER'S DAY. 131 ning, and who all creatures, through his own Son, that is, his Wisdom, created ; and to them all gave life, through the Holy Ghost. In these three Per- sons is one divinity, and one nature, and one work, indivisibly. The Lord saith to Petre, Blessed art thou, son of a dove. Now calleth Jesus Petrum, qhild of a dove, because he was filled with simpli- city, and grace of the Holy Ghost. ■ He saith. Nei- ther flesh nor hlood revealed this belief, hut my Father who is in the heavens. His fleshly nature is called flesh and blood. He had hot that under- standing through human teaching ; but the hea- venly Father, through tfie Holy Ghost, gave this belief into Petre's heart. The Lord saith to Petre, Thou art stony. For the strength of his faith, and the constancy of his confession, he received the name ; because he joined himself with firm mind to Crist, who is called stone by the Apostle Paul. And, I build my Church upon this stone; that is, over, myself, with the belief which now thou ut- terest respecting me. All God's congregation is founded over the stone, that is, over Crist ; because he is the ground-wall of all the building of his own Church. All of God's Church are reckoned as one congregation, and that is built with chosen men, not with dead stones ; and all the foundation of these bodily stones is placed over Crist ; for we are through the belief reckoned his limbs, and he our head. Jesus saith. Hell's gates may do nought against my Church. Vices and erroneous doctrine are hell's gates, for they lead the sinful, as if through a gate, into hell-punishment. Many there are, but none of them has any power against the holy con- gregation ; which is built upon the fast stone, Crist, k2 132 HOMILY FOR nu be me cybbejT. Gall gobej- gela'Sung ij- opep ]?am j^ane gebytlob* Jjaet if opeji cpijte- popjjon ]?e he If f e gpunb-peall ealljva Jjajia getimbjiunge hif ajenpe cipican. Galle gobef cipican fynb ge- tealbe to anpe gelajjunje- "] feo if mib copenum mannum gefcimbjiob • na mib beabum ftanum* "] eall feo gebytlung Jjs&jia licpicpa fCana if opep cpifte gelojob • popjjon ]?e pe beoS J)uph Jjone je- leapan hip lima gefcealSe* "] he upe ealpa heapob. 8e haelenb apse's • Ne magon helle gatni naht to- geanef mmpe eypican. Leahtpaf "] bpoUic lap pynb helle gatu • popjpon J»e hi la&ba'S J»one pynpiil- lan" ppylce ]?uph geat* into helle pite. GOanega pynb • ac heopa nan ne maeg ongean J>a halgan ge^ lajjunge* ]>e if getimbpob uppon J?am pcEptan ptane cpipte. Fopjjon J>e pe gelypeba J)uph cpiptep gep- cylbneppa setpint ]?am ppecebnepfum ]?apa beop- licpa coptnunga* he cps&'S* Ip Se betaete heoponan picep caege. Nip peo ca&g ne gylben ne peolppen • ne op nanum antimbpe gepmi'Seb • ac ip pe anpealb J)e him popgeap • J)8&t nan man ne Gym's into gobep pice- baton pe halga petpup him geopemge J>set mps&p- ppa cpipt pylp him to cpse'S* ppa hpset ppa Jju binpt on eop'San- Jiaet bi§ gebunben on heopo- num. Snb ppa hpaet ppa ]7u unbinpt opep eopSan- Jjset bi'S unbunben on heoponum- Jupne anpealb he popgeap nu petpe* ^ eac py'SSan aep hip upptige eallum hip apoptolum- pa Jja he heom onableop* Jjup cpeSenbe- Onpo'S haligne gapf J>8&pa pynna f>e ge popgeopa'S- beo'S gopgipene- ^ pam Jje gejja popgipeneppe opunnon- him bi'S optogen popgi- genep. Nella'S pa apoptoli naene pihtpipne mib heopa manpumunge gebinban- ne eac ]?one man- puUan miltpienbe unbinban • butan he mib po«pe ST. PETER'S DAY. 133 Because the believer, through Crist's protection, escapes from the dangers of deviUsh temptations, he saith, / commit to thee heaverCs kingdom's key. The key is not either of gold, or silver, nor of any metal besmithed; but it is the power which he gave to him ; that no man cometh into God's king- dom, unless the holy Petrus open to him the en- trance : as Crist himself said to him, IVhatsoever thou hindest on earth, that is hounden in the hea- vens ; and whatsoever thou unbindest on earth, that is unhounden in the heavens : this power he gave now to Petre, and also afterwards before his ascension to all his apostles, when he blew upon them, thus saying, Receive the Holy Ghost; the sins of them whom, ye forgive are forgiven, and to them whom ye the forgiveness deny, from them is withdrawn forgiveness. The apostoli would not bind any righteous man with their excommunica- tion ; nor also, from pity, unbind the wicked man, unless he should turn, with true repentance, to the way of life. The same power hath the Almighty settled upon bishops and mass-priests, if they it after the Gospel volume careftilly hold. And there- fore is the key especially committed to Petre, that all prudent nations may know, that whosoever falls away from the unity of the faith which Petrus then confessed to Crist, that upon him is neither settled forgiveness of sins, nor entrance into the heavenly kingdom. 134 HOMILY FOR ST. PETER'S DAY. beabbote jecypne to hfey peje. Done ylcan an- pealb haipS ye a&lmihtiga geci'Sob bij-copum "] maej-j-e-ppeoj^um • gip hi Hit septep ]78&pe gobppel- lican gepetneppe cappuUice healbaS. 3!c pojiSi ip peo cajge petjve pynbeplice betseht • J?aet ealle Jjeob- pcipe gleajjlice to cnape ]?8et ppa hpaet ppa o'Spcyt pjiam anneppe f>aap geleapan )?e petjiup ]?a anbettfe cjvipte* J»aet him ne htS geti'Sob naSoji ne pynna popgypenep • ne inpaep ]?sep heoponhcah pucep. Copious extracts from other Saxon homiUes, in- culcating the same doctrine^ often too, in the very words of that here offered to the reader's notice, may be seen in Whelock's Bede ; (pp. 236, 7, 8, 9.) also in the Preface to Mrs. ElstoWs JEnglisk-iSaxon Homily on the Sirth-Day of St. Gregory, (Lond. 1709. pp. xxxix. xli. xliii.). The former work has a Latin translation of these passages ; the latter, an English one. SERMON III. THE SUPREMACY. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, hreihren, stand Just, and hold the tra- ditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. X E W passages in the gospels have attracted a larger degree of critical attention, than that metaphorical address, in which our blessed Lord acknowledged and requited the manli- ness of St. Peter's confession. " Candidly and carefully consider," say papal advocates, " the promise of Jesus to the prince of the Apostles. In that memorable discovery of God's inten- tions may surely be discerned no obscure authority for the Pontiff's claims to jurisdic- tion over the whole Church of Christ. Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall K 4 136 SERMON III. be loosed in heaven". How palpable are the rashness and prejudice of denying, that these words contain, undoubtedly, a manifest scrip- tural declaration in favour of the Roman see !" To such representations, as it is well known, various answers have been supplied. Nor shall we, who are assembled here, hesitate to admit, that this passage of holy scripture has been explained satisfactorily, yet without af- fording any ground whatever for the papal assumption of superiority. Of the manner in which this end has been attained, it is, however, needless to say any thing. The pre- sent undertaking merely demands a detail of Anglo-Saxon religious traditions. It is nei- ther concerned with the soundness of these, nor with the true senses of those scriptures with which they are severally connected. What then, did Bede, the great scriptural guide of ancient England, teach our forefa- thers, respecting the remarkable promise made by Jesus to his Apostle ? The venerable expositor understands the " rock," hereafter to supply a foundation for the Church, as a metaphor in which our gracious master adum- brated his own divine person. ^ It was not St. Peter, therefore, upon whom the holy fabric was to be built. By no means ; that eminent ■^ St. Matt. xvi. 18, 19. SERMON III. 137 Apostle's name was introduced, we are told, merely figuratively. As God's ancient Church, while accomplishing its weary pilgrimage through the wilderness, " drank of that spi- ritual rock that followed it, and that rock was Christ *•;" so God's renovated Church was hereafter from the same heavenly source to derive stability and sustenance. " The gates of hell," vainly threatening the rising fabric, are expounded, as either here- tical pravity or moral disobedience, those fatal inlets of destruction to the soul. In committing to St. Peter the celestial keys, Bede considers Jesus to have endued that il- lustrious Apostle with a power of discerning who should be worthy of admission within the heavenly kingdom ; who, of repulsion from its everlasting gates. Authority to bind and loose, it is then observed, was a privilege even- tually bestowed upon all the apostolic band. Nor did it terminate with the earthly labours of that holy company. It is still continued to the ministers of God's gracious Word and Sacraments, and to the universal Church, while militant here below. The venerable expositor however teaches, that this privilege of our heavenly Father's appointed servants b 1 Cor. X. 4. 138 SERMON III. is limited by their own piety and discretion. Should rashness or corruption presume to condemn innocence or absolve iniquity, the sentence, he says, assuredly, will not be rati- fied on high. These traditions firmly maintained their ground in the Church of ancient England. Professedly from Bede's venerated exposition was derived a Saxon homily for St. Peter's day. This discourse, however, being intended for popular instruction, is naturally more dif- fuse than the commentary whence its mat- ter principally flows. It is hence incompa- tible, even beyond its original, with such in- terpretations of our adorable Saviour's figu- rative address, as papal advocates fain would recommend. Thus, the honorary appellation earned by Simon's frank and generous avowal appears not in his heavenly Master's gracious promise to him. In its place is found an ad- jective expressive of its meaning. The homi- list writes not, " Thou art Peter ;" but, " Thy qualities are those of stone." What attentive eye or ear could fail of collecting thence, that no undefined preference for St. Peter's per- son elicited our Lord's conspicuous testimony of approbation? Who would fail of under- standing, that Simon's plain good sense and unshrinking firmness had won for him the SERMON III. 139 distinction so gloriously connected with his name? By the "rock," or " stone," (for the latter word is used,) from which was to rise a reno- vated Church, the blessed Jesus, we are told, intended no other than himself: the " rock of their salvation*^" to all who should imitate St. Peter in faithfully acknowledging him as the Messiah. In promising the heavenly keys, Christ seems to have been considered as con- ferring upon St. Peter an especial privilege. Of this, however, we are not left at liberty to aissign a cause in any arbitrary preference. The Apostle, it is represented, was appointed janitor of heaven, from our blessed Saviour's providential care of those who should here- after come to the knowledge of his truth. Men were hence to learn that admission into " the joy of their Lord^" must depend upon their steadfastness in that faith which Cephas had so promptly and decidedly professed. A similar reason is assigned to the promised power of binding and loosing. Our heavenly Master's object, in thus rewarding the ready decision of his open-hearted follower, is treated as a solemn admonition to all posterity, that would they share with Simon eternal felicity <= Ps. Ixxxix. 26. d St. Matt. xxv. ai. 140 SERMON III. above, they must emulate below the firmness of his faith. By binding and loosing, excommunication is understood ; and a power of awarding and removing this was granted, we are told, be- fore our Lord's ascension, to all the Apostles. From them it has descended upon those who bear rule successively over the holy Church of God. But then it is added, the Son of man's personal followers were incapable of exercising any privilege improperly. Hence none of their sentences could have wanted heavenly confirmation. Subsequent ecclesi- astical decisions, it is represented, can claim however no such implicit confidence. Unless made in strict conformity with the divine will, they have no hope of recognition by " the Lord, the righteous judge^." Such, then, is the tradition of our ancient Church, respecting the scriptural authority alleged for St. Peter's imputed privileges. Here is no trace of any belief in some unde- fined, arbitrary preference for Cephas: no mention, in fact, of any especial prerogative conferred upon him, beyond that of acting as janitor of heaven. And why does this dis- tinction attach to his name ? Merely because men were thence to understand, that an un- « 2 Tim. iv. 8. SERMON III. 141 bending profession of his faith affords the only prospect of admission within the celes- tial portals. Thus our Saxon fathers detected in the whole address of Jesus nothing more than a significant admonition to hold his doc- trine entire and undefiled. The Ante-Norman Church of England es- timated indeed St. Paul not less highly than St. Peter*. Nay more : to the former Apo- stle was even assigned, in some respects, a striking superiority over his illustrious fel- low-labourer in the gospel-vineyard. Thus a homily upon our Lord's parable of the Ta- lents paints these two Apostles going forth to their great accounts followed by the fruits of their individual ministrations, as evidences of the diligence with which they had im- proved respectively the deposits intrusted to their management. Upon Romish principles St. Peter surely ought to head a train con- sisting of the whole Church of Christ. He was the rock, we are told, upon which the sacred fabric was erected. He was the centre of religious unity, the source of ecclesiastical authority. Why not paint him, therefore, unconnected with any particular division, but prfeceding majestically all those happy mem- bers of the great human family, whom a lively faith in Jesus had exempted from the penal- 142 SERMON III. ties of iniquity ? The Saxon homilist, how- ever, appears to have viewed St. Peter merely as the Apostle of the circumcision. Behind him, accordingly, in his way to the seat of judgment, are placed only those Jews who had come, through his means, to an eifec- tual knowledge of the truth^ In unison with such a picture were Saxori explanations of St. Peter's ship. What Romanist would not here discern a mystical representation of the entire Christian world? Our Ante-Nor- man fathers, however, understood not thus the figure. In their estimation, St. Peter's ship meant no more than Israel's Christian Church*. Behind St. Paul, on the other hand, the ho- milist upon the Talents places " almost all the world." Ancient England, therefore, looked ra- th er for an apostolic head to that illustrious pil- lar of our holy faith, than to Simon Peter. Our distant ancestors, as being members of that Gentile branch, which rapidly comprised by far the greater portion of our blessed Lord's disciples, considered themselves as destined to follow the great Apostle of the Gentiles, in the awful day of retribution. St. Paul, then, passed for their spiritual father. To Simon Peter was assigned that character, merely with respect to such « lost sheep of SERMON III. 143 the house of IsraeP' as had happily been awakened to consult their only real interests, by seeking safety for their souls within the fold of Jesus. It is true, indeed, that our Ante-Norman progenitors considered the great Apostle of the circumcision as charged especially to feed the flock of Christ. But then this charge appears to have been viewed as applying to St. Peter personally. When he had, accordingly, " fought the good fights," and his parting soul was upon the very point of winging its joyous way to the realms of eternal rest and glory, his lips are represented as thus addressing his gracious Master : " My Jesus ! I deliver to thee the sheep which thou committedst to me. They will not want a shepherd while thou art with them''." The Saxon Church, nevertheless, adopted those traditions respecting St. Peter's history which have obtained extensive credence in the Christian world. Her monuments, ac- cordingly, represent that Apostle as having occupied the see of Antioch during seven years, and afterwards the see of Rome dur- ing twenty-five. Nor do they pretermit his apocryphal contest, in the mighty seat of em- pire with Simon Magus ; nor the legendary f St. Matt. XV. 24. s 2 Tim. iv. 7. h Wheloc. in Bed. p. 128, ex Horn. Angl. Sax. 144 SERMON III. embellishments appended to current relations of that alleged encounter. The venerable remains of our early national theology con- firm also the received accounts of St. Peter's martyrdom with St. Paul, under the tyran- nical rule of Nero^ It must not, however, be inferred from these testimonies to the Roman episcopate of Cephas, that Anglo-Saxon au- thorities esteemed the papal see venerable above all others. On the contrary, they re- present St. James the Just as the successor to our blessed Lord in his universal episcopate". The Church of Jerusalem was thus unequi- vocally recognised, in ancient England, as the mother of all Churches, a distinction obvi- ously her due. She is also placed in a point of view which would give her the fairest title to be designated likewise as the mistress of all Churches. Had the traditions, however, of our early forefathers, besides assigning the Roman epi- scopate, to St. Peter, also confirmed those in- terpretations of Scripture, so commonly con- nected with his name, obviously, they might still be found insufficient for the purposes of papal advocates. The Apostle's alleged pri- vileges might have been merely personal; hence of a duration commensurate with the term of his continuance in the body. On the SERMON III. 145 Other hand, a supremacy, claiming its origin from descendible powers, conferred upon St. Peter, plainly, might be admitted by those who agreed not in certain expositions of Scripture, by which that supremacy has been supported. What then were the views of our distant ancestry, respecting that ecclesi- astical jurisdiction which emanated, as we are assured, from the great Apostle of the circum- cision ? Direct testimony, in this case, can hardly be expected ; because notoriously, the more striking and obnoxious features of papal jurisprudence came not into notice until the pontificate of Gregory Vll. a period subse- quent to that embraced by the present undef- takingv Facts, therefore, rather than express declarations, must guide those who would as- certain the nature of ancient England's rela-i tions with the Itoniansee. The party attached to that see gained ai Whitby the ascendency for which it long had struggledv What were the principles urged in conference there? What were the gl^ounds upon which the royal umpire professed to de- cide? Was it contended^ and eventually de- termined, that the Pope held an indefeasible right of regulating all Christian Churches ? By no means. Each of the contesting parties argued upon its own peculiar traditions and 146 SERMON III. views of expediency. On one side was al- leged St. Peter's authority ; on the other, St. John's. The former was preferred ; because even the advocates for native usages admitted that Christ had intrusted to Cephas " the keys of the kingdom of heaven'." Wilfrid, the principal Romish advocate upon this occasion, soon afterwards was dri- ven from the see which had rewarded his exertions. In his distress, he sought a refuge in the papal court, and authorities there pro- nounced his deprivation uncanonical and un- just. Vainly, however, did this opinion, al- though strengthened by a letter from the Pontiff, seek for acquiescence from Wilfrid's countrymen. They treated with open con- tumely the results of this application, ordi- narily represented as the first English appeal to the Roman see*. Even Theodore, Arch- bishop of Canterbury, foreigner as he was, and papal nominee besides, appears to have recognised no alien right of jurisdiction over the land of his adoption. He consecrated the two prelates, between whom, by royal author- ity, Wilfrid's diocese was divided, and if not an open adversary of that remarkable person- age, he was at least a passive spectator of his misfortunes '. In the next age, Rome, once glorious in SERMON III. 147 the Church as " the faithful city," tarnished indehbly her lustre, by maintaining solemnly the worship of images. The Deutero-Nicene decrees, inculcating this principle, were trans- mitted by Charlemain to the Mercian Offa. By that powerful prince they were submitted to the spiritual guides of England. These, decisively, as they saw the papal see com- mitted in them, treated them with unreserved contempt. Our English theologians plainly pronounced, that the Bithynian synod had approved "many things unsuitable to the Church of God, and contrary to the true faith ; especially the worship of images, an usage altogether execrated by the Catholic Church"." Who will believe, that men thus indiiFerent to the Pontiff's credit and author- ity could have acknowledged him as the supreme arbiter of the Christian world ? Nay more : as iconolatry had long been sanctioned by papal influence, how came our distant an- cestry to have been wholly unprepared for that solemn decision, which formally engrafted it upon the Roman faith ? How came Egbert, Archbishop of York, one of the most cele- brated prelates of his day, to supply us with a passage, (mutilated indeed, but sufficiently plain,) proving that the religious use of images was, when he lived, wholly forbidden l2 148 SERMON III; and reprobated by the Church of Englaftd" ? ^n Italy it was then far otherwise. Again : how came Alcuin to have been recommended by Charlemain to the council of Frankfort'; that famous assembly which condemned the Deutero-Nicene decrees? Undoubtedly our illustrious countryman brought from home principles adverse to the religious use of images. His, indeed, was the pen which wrote, on the part of his native land, an epi- stle, admirably confuting from Scripture, as we are told, those decisions which have brought so much obloquy upon the second council of Nice. To Alcuin, it has hence been inferr^j posterity owes the Caroline Books ; those in- estimable monuments of a distant age and an unsullied faith". At least, we cannot doubt that Charlemain spoke, in their far-famed and most important pages, the sentiments of his revered English friend. That very work af-< fords, therefore^; an additional proof, that England in the eighth century neither al-^ lowed the worship of images, nor that papal authority which then sought to establish such an usage throughout the west. This neglect, however, of the Pontiff's au- thority resulted not from any temporary disgust or alienation. On the contrary, Offa, then preeminent among Anglo-Saxon SERMON III. 149 princes, gladly received two legates of the Roman see, at the time, or very near it, when the Deutero-Nicene Fathers were earning an ever-memorable name. Anxious to mortify the Kentish court, and the prelate who filled the see of Canterbury^ Offa determined upon establishing a metropolitan within his own dominions, and he sought to conciliate popu- larity for his purpose, by the judgment of Roman canonists in its favour. His Italian visitors refused not their approbation ; and it is remarkable, that they describe themselves as the only bearers of a papal commission to England, since the time of Augustine'^ For such legations, indeed, the ordinary course of Anglo-Saxon polity afforded very little oppor- tunity. Advice and information were the only objects of our dista,nt ancestors in applying to their Italian friends. To the exercise of any ecclesiastical authority above that of the see of Canterbury, we are expressly assured they were utter strangers'*. In that see, accordingly, without even the form of a reference to Rome, was vested a controul over episcopal vacancies. On the death of their prelate, the principal inhabit- ants of a diocese, both clerical and lay, elected a successor. This individual was then pre- sented to his metropolitan, and on conse- L 3 150 SERMON III. cration he was required to swear canonical obedience to no other '^. The metropolitans themselves were indeed in the habit of re- ceiving a pall from the papal see : an insi- dious compliment, which eventually under- mined the independence of their several churches '^ But this consummation had not arrived within the Anglo-Saxon period. No member of our national religious establish- ment, as then existing, was reduced to the humiliating necessity of recognising any alien authority whatsoever, as entitled to interfere in the domestic affairs of England. The supreme direction of religious con- cerns within their dominions, was indeed an undisputed and uninterrupted prerogative of our Anglo-Saxon kings. Hence among their ordinances are found many of a character strictly ecclesiastical ; and among the privi- leges which they exercised are some which later ages have reserved exclusively for the papal see. Nay more : the monarchs of this ancient race have even made use of titles ap- propriated commonly to the Roman pontiffs. Thus Edgar styles himself " the Vicar of Christ," and Edward the Confessor asserts, that, as " Vicar of the Supreme King," his duty called him to rule the Church of God. Now these two sovereigns were eminently SERMON III. 151 subservient to ecclesiastical influence. Their language, therefore, and several of their acts, indicate sufiiciently, that when they swayed the sceptre, an ecclesiastical supremacy was recognised as an integral portion of their in- heritance '^ ' In unison with this acknowledgment of the crown as the head of their country's religious establishment, were the views of Christ's earthly kingdom entertained among Anglo- Saxon divines. They restricted not God's inheritance to a particular body, owning spi- ritual obedience to some one visible head. Yet they were very far from overlooking or undervaluing religious unity. But they taught, that it was to be found in a holy con- gregation, united by identity of faith, hope, and charity '^ Nor by the faith which they required from all who claimed the right hand of Christian fellowship did they understand any body of religious principles incapable of scriptural proof. The Catholic of Anglo-Saxon times was he who held such expositions of holy Scripture as were defined in the first four general councils*". Of that inconsistency, by which the modern Church of Rome solemnly assents to one definition of the Catholic faith, in the Athanasian creed, and to another, of a L 4 152 SERMON III. much greater extent, and of a very different nature, in the Confession of Pope Pius, no trace appears among the venerable remains of pur ancient Church. In truth, the primacy (if such a term may be allowed) conceded in Anglo-Saxon times to the Roman see, extended not beyond an admission of its established precedence, and a respectful deference for its authority. The former distinction had necessarily devolved upon a prelacy established in a city, where the Caesars long had given law to nations. The latter had gradually sprung from a habit of inveterate prevalence, which restrained re- ligious novelties, or extravagances, nurtured under cover of provincial obscurity, by a re- ference to the superior information of the capital. It was this habit, so deeply rooted in the west, so assiduously cherished by the Roman , prelates, which led to a veneration for their see among our early forefathers. Yisits to their court were esteemed equally honourable and advantageous. Of appeals to them, however, for judicial sentences, in- stances would be vainly sought in the records of Ante-Norman England. Did, then, results of a beneficial nature only, flow from the intercourse of our proge- nitors with Rome ? Very far from it. A few SERMON III. 153 among them, no doubt, occasionally derived something of refinement, and iseeiilar infor- mation, from visits to the former seat of im- perial greatness. But ruinous and; extensive evils alloyed these very limited advantages. Rome, unhappily^ sbeeame the nurse and pa- troness of superstition. May it not there- fore fairly be presumed, that Italian influence led the Saxon Church to adopt eventually various usages and principles, for which no authority appears in any records coeval with her conversion ? Roman legends also. fostered a spirit of credulity in her unlettered popu- lation. For it is remarkable that the biogra- phies of Saxon saints, although not altogether free from miraculous embellishments, are in- comparably more so, than similar pieces im- ported from abroad. ■ It was another and a more injurious con- sequence of ancient England's connection with Rome, that Latin offices usurped the place of a service which all the country could understand. To the evils hence arising, let testimony be borne by the memorable com- plaint of Alfred. Among the clergy subjected to his rule, there were scarcely any, that ad- mirable prince mournfully remarks, capable of interpreting the liturgy*'. Nor was the 154 SERMON III. rate . of learning universally much higher even among individuals of episcopal condi- tion". Against such crying evils, vernacular translations of the three creeds, the Te Deum, with other hymns, and of the devotions for private use, afforded, undoubtedly, some pro- vision. Royal ordinances too*^ and episcopal admonitions**, enjoined the clergy to deliver such popular explanations of these pieces, as might enable their congregations to pray, not only with the lips, but with the understand-^ ing also. While, however, the Communion service, or mass, with other offices for public worship, retained their foreign dress, any such regulations must have been seriously impeded in effecting their destined purpose. Erroneous views of religious institutions will ever find a soil fitted for their growth, in the minds of men who hear from God's appointed ministers what sounds more like some myste- rious charm, than like a reasonable service. The general tone also of knowledge and in- telligence appears to have been grievously lowered in ancient England, by her adoption of a foreign ritual. Domestic intellectual cul- ture naturally fell into disrepute. Hence, although neither books were conspicuously deficient, nor the mere power of reading SERMON III. 155 them, yet unhappily their contents were effectually hidden under the disguise of an unknown tongue**. This establishment of a foreign service ap- pears the more inexcusable, because Gregory the Great, liturgist as he was, desired not to impose upon England his own labours, or in- deed any formularies of the Roman Church. He left Augustine a full discretionary power to model the public worship of his converts in any manner that might seem most expe-^ dient*". That meritorious missionary suc- ceeded, however, in obtaining within our island, a footing so very limited and insecure, that he probably found but little leisure, and saw but little necessity, to change the offices which he had used in Italy, for others adapts ed especially for the edification of his insular children in the faith of Christ. His earliest successors were circumstanced but little dif- ferently from himself. They too were foreign- ers, incessantly struggling for ascendency over that national Church, by whose exertions the great majority of Englishmen had been turned from "worshipping dumb idols, to serve the living God." Men thus engaged in " striving for the mastery" are naturally tempted to claim a superiority over their adversaries in every distinctive peculiarity. Hence they 156 SERMON III. commonly find themselves, on attaining vic- tory, -fettered by previous declarations, from which a false shame forbids them to recede. •' The more discerning minds in ancient England were won over, probably, to acqui- esce in the use of a foreign liturgy, by an anxiety to terminate completely those animo- sities wJiich long, had separated the holders of a common faith. Such a spirit of compro- mise as, however, not infrequently very far from- safe. It has, indeed, an obvious ten- dency to weaken outworks which may guard important principles in their full integrity. Hence those who value their own souls, and the souls of such as may be affected by theif decisions, are especially bound to pause when religious questions are argued upon the de- ceitful ground of expediency. Their duty plainly calls them, upon such occasions, to seek counsel from the recorded " oracles of God." Who will thence learn to follow as the conveniences or prejudices of the passing hour may lead? Rather will the Christian reader see, that he is invariably to take as the pole-star of his earthly course those principles which came from heaven, and which are cal- eulated for eternity. The danger of abandoning this unbending steadiness of purpose is exemplified abun- SERMON III. 157 dantly in England's eventual relations with papal Rome. Norman theology gradually weaned the great majority of our fathers from " the traditions which they had been taught." They ceased to regard our blessed Saviour as the " rock" upon which his holy Church was built. A large party among their clergy zeal- ously strove even to wrest from the crown its ecclesiastical supremacy. With the pro- gress, however, of such innovations, this un- dertaking has no concern. Its object is ac- complished in shewing that our ancestors, in thus admitting an alien jurisdiction, forsook " the old paths, the good way," in which ear- lier generations had securely and honourably trodden. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS SERMON III, ' "Ego dico tibi, quia tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram eedificdbo Ecclesiam meam. Meta- phorice ei dictur Super, hanc petram, id est, SaU vatorem, quem confessus es, eedifieatur Ecclesia, qui fideli confessori sui nominis participium dona- vit. Et port(B inferi non preevalehunt adversus earn. Portas inferi haereticam pravitatem nominat, sive vitia et peccata ; unde mors ad animam venit. Et tibi dabo claves regni coelorum. Id est, dis- cernendi scientiam potentiamque qua dignos debeas in regnuin recipere, et indignos secludere. Et quodcunque Ugaveris, &c. Haec potestas sine dubio cunctis datur Apostolis, quibus ab eo, post resurrectionem, dicitur generaliter, jiccipite Spiritum Sanctum, &c. Nee non episcopis et pres- byteris, et omni Ecclesise idem officium committi- tur ; quamvis quidam eorum, non recte intelligentes, arbitrentur se posse damriare innoxios, et absolvere reos ; quod nequaquam possunt : sed tentantes se- metipsos concessa potestate privare." (Ven. Bed. in loc). The same doctrine is taught by Raban Maur De Universo, Ub. IV. Opp. tom. I. p. 82. " " Paul is the thirteenth of this heap, (i. e. num- ber, or society.) He was not bodily with Crist, 160 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS while he was alive ; but he chose him afterwards from heaven, and he is ordained equal to St. Peter for his great merits and labours." From the Ho- mily In natale unius Apostoli. Mrs. Elstob's Transl. (Pref. xl.) where also may be seen the ori- ginal Saxon, as likewise, with a Latin translation, in Whelock's Bede, p. 289. Mrs. Elstob well observes, as usual, after Whe- lock, that king Alfred appears to have thought no less highly of St. Paul's position in the Christian Church.. Bede' calls that Apostle, Ille ccelestis ex- erdtusprcecipuus miles. (Eccl. Hist. p. 95.) The following is the royal translator s paraphrastic ver- sion of these words. 8e mjej^a cempa "] j-e hyhjt:a ■Ssej- heoponhcan peop.obef . The greatest soldieT, and the- Jnghest of the heavenly army: It can hardly be supposed that this language proceeded from one who looked upon St. Paul as inferior to St, Peter. In a metrical Latin hymn, with an interlinear Saxon version, found among a volume of such pieces in the Bodleian library, being a transcript by Ju- nius,- (MSS. Junii 107.) the equality of these two great Apostles is plainly stated, and their respective pretensions are thus treated : " Est Petrus janitor coeli, Et Paulus doctor orbis ; Et sunt judices saeculi pariter, Et vera lumina mundi." If pecjae geatpeajvb heoponan ■ Snb paule lajreop ymbhpyjiptef • 3!nb hi jynbon beman peojiulbe pamob* Snb f o'Se leoht mibban-eapb. OF SERMON III. 161 Petre is gateward (porter) of heaven. And Paule teacher of the glohe, And they are judges of the world equally. And true lights of the earth. It should be observed, that the MS. from which this extract is made is written without any attention to metrical arrangement. ^ " Then shall every one shew what gain he hath made with his Talent. Then does Peter lead forth all the Jewish people, which, by his doctrine, he had brought to the belief. Paul, the doctor of the Gentiles, he leads forth almost all the world." From a Homily on the Talents, (Wheloc. in Bed. 289.) Mrs. Elstob's Transl. (Pref. xU.) * " Peter's ship, which stood near, signified the Jewish folk who turned to Crist, and believed in him : although some of them would not. In them was the beginning of the whole Church. That other ship signified the whole heathen folk, who, of all mankind, acknowledged with faith the be- loved Jesus : and this is the Church. The Jewish folk was called the Sinagoga : that is, the Gather- ing, in English speech." Ex Horn. Dom. vi. post Pentec. Wheloc. in Bed. 257. * 8e halga pefcjiuj' paej- ahapen on J)am bsege on hif bij'ceop-)-tol' on fiaepe byjiig antiochian- ]?one ftol he 3ej-8efc j-eopon geap pullice* ^ pi'S^an ge- penbe be ^obep pijjunge to J)£epe ms&pan pome by^ pij" ■] Jjsep bmnan punobe pip ^ tpenfcig geapa* "] pela punbpa aeteopbe Jjsepe pomanipcan leobe o'iS Saet he hi to geleapan gebigbe. ]?e pepbe ppam antiochian pop'San ]je he psep apoptol ^ pceolbe je- M 162 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS hpaeji gecuman* "] cpij-tenbom apsepan. Da jej-a&t he on jiome o'Sep bij-ceop-fetl o'S f f e apleaj-a ne- ]\o hine ahencg on jvobe. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Julius. E. 7. Ex Horn. viii. Kl. Mar. Cathedra S. Pet. f. 53.) The holy Petrus was raised, on this day, to his episcopal seat, in the city of Antiochia : in which see he sat, seven years, fully ; and then departed, by God's direction, to the great city, Rome ; and there dwelt Jive and twenty years, and manifested many wonders to the Roman people be^ fore that he converted them to the faith. He went from Antiochia, because he was an Apostle, and shoidd go every where, and rear Cristendom. Then sat he in Rome, his other episcopal see, until the wicked Nero hanged him on a cross. y6j:fceji bpihtenej' upjtrige paej- pefcjiuj" bobienbe geleapan Jjam leobpcipum Jje j*ynb gecpebene jala- Cia' cappabocia* bi'Sinia* apia- iCaha. Sy^an ymbe tyn geapia pypipt he penbe to jxome bypiij • ■^ he ge gepette bipcop-petl" "] J>8&p gepset v "] xx jeapa* Isepenbe J>a pomanipcan ceaptep gepapon gobep mo&p'Sa mib micclum tacnum. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Juniij 22. De Passione Beatorum Apostolorum Petri et PauH.) After the Lord's ascension Petrus was preaching the faith, in the regions which are called Galatia, Cappadocia, Bithinia, Asia, Italia. Then, about ten years from the first, he went to the city of Rome, and he established an episcopal see, and sat there 25 years, teaching the men of the Bo- man city God's glory, with great signs. Of these " signs" the most eminent was, probably, considered that contest with Simon Magus, (Simon pe bpy*) so famous in legendary lore, and which is detailed OF SERMON III. 163 at length in this Homily. The same piece contains the following notice of St. Peter's martyrdom, and of that of his apostolical associate. Samob hi pepbon pefcpup ^ paulup on Jjipum ba&je pijepsepte to jpsepe heoponlican pununge- on )?am fix T XXX t eojp'San geape aepfcep xpep ^por punje- mib ]7am hi puma^S on eceneppe. Together they went, Petrus and Paulus, on this day, victo- rious to the heavenly ahode ; in the six and thir- tieth year after Crist's passion: with whom they dwell for ever. ' " Then the Apostles, before they went away, placed James, who was called the Just, in Crist's seat, and all the faithful congregation obeyed him, according to God's teaching. He then sat in that see thirty years ; and after him Symeon, a relation of Jesus." JVheloc. in Sed. 397. ' The synod of Strenseshalch, now Whitby, holden in 664, is pronounced by Baronius rather a conference, or collation, than a synod, or council; inasmuch as it was not attended by a^ regular as- semblage of the provincial bishops. Oswy, king of Northumberland, who presided, was then Sret-i walda, or supreme monarch of South Britain. His wife was Eanfleda, a Keiitish princess, who brought into the north a priest of the Roman party, and who resolutely maintained the prejudices of her education. It could not be expected that this lady should neglect any oppoi-tujiities of inculcating her own peculiar notions upon the minds of her oiF- spring. Nor does she seem to have overlooked her advantages in this way. Her son Alchfrid, accord- ingly, was placed under the tuition of Wilfrid, a zealous admirer of the Roman system ; and, as m2 164 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS might be supposed, the young prince espoused his mother's principles in preference to his father's. Thus, the Northumbrian monarch, as his familyr grew up, found his great external prosperity some- what balanced by domestic dissensions. When a man who has long resisted under such circum- stances, at last expresses an intention of solemnly reconsidering the subject of dispute, he has gene- rally made up his mind to seek some plausible pre-, text for giving way. Oswy, most probably, took his seat at the council or collation of Strenseshalch with a fixed, though unavowed determination of this kind. He seems, accordingly, to have listened in silence during the arguments upon tradition and usage advanced by the respective disputants, and to have taken no notice of Wilfrid's appeal to the de- crees of the Roman see. He looked upon all these topics, probably, as rather within the sphere of di- vines and canonists, than as tangible by ordinary reasoners. But when Wilfrid asked his adversary, Colman, "Do you mean to give your Columba" (the principal alleged British authority for the na- tional Easter) " a preference over St. Peter, the ja- nitor of heaven ?" Oswy saw at once that the open- ing, for which he had probably watched, was now afforded to him. " Did our Lord," he enquired, " really promise to St. Peter the keys of the king- dom of heaven ?" The answer was, " Undoubtedly he did, O king." Oswy then said, " And can you, Colman, bring forward any grant of a similar privi- lege conferred upon your Columba?" The Nor- thumbrian bishop of course admitted that he could Bot. " You, both of you, then agree," rejoined the king, " that St. Peter had from our Lord a promise OF SERMON III. 165 of the heavenly keys ?"-^" Certainly," it was rephed on either hand. " Then, I tell you," said Oswy, " I shall not contradict the janitor of heaven ; lest v^'hen I shall knock at the gate, he should refuse to open it to me." This brief mode of sparing the hearers any trouble of thinking over the learned ar- guments which they had been compelled to hear, and of casting a ludicrous colouring over the whole transaction, was received with that general applause which rarely fails to reward brevity and humour in eloquence, even where kings are not the speakers^ The assembly was pretty unanimous in agreeing to respect that tradition, for which was alleged the heavenly janitors authority. Colman, however, and many of his friends naturally felt rather ill- used, than convinced, by a decision so manifestly unfair and absurd. After a short interval, accord- ingly, the baffled prelate left his diocese, and retired into Scotland, attended by a considerable number of his more devoted admirers. It should perhaps be stated, that Wilfrid, in ar- guing upon this occasion, not only seems to have mentioned " the decrees of the apostolical see," merely as one reason for agreeiiig to his own view of the questions at issue, but that also he makes a distinction between that " see" and " the universal Church." Tu autem, he says, et socii tut, si au- dita decreta sedis apostolicce, imo universalis Ec- clesi(S, et hcec Uteris sacris confirmata, sequi con- temnitis, absque ulla dubitatione peccatis. It is, in fact, evident that papal decisions were viewed by the parties appealing to them as important, indeed, for ascertaining the sounder side of the question, but not as claiming judicially a right of obedience. M 3 166 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Bed. Eccl. Hist. lib. III. cc. 25, 26. pp. 233, 239. Dr. Ingram's Saxon Chronicle, pp. 48, 88. Spelman. Cone. p. 150. Usser. Brit. Eccl. Antiqu. p. 482, Eadmer. Vit. S. Wilfrid, apud Mabillon. Act. SS. Ord. S. Benedict; Lut. Par. 1673. torn. III. p. 202. Eadmer's Life of IVilfrid is to be found in MS. in the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. No. CCCLXXI. * Tuda, a former adherent of the British party, who had been brought over to the Roman side, was appointed bishop of Northumbria on the retirement of Colman. But the new prelate lived no more than a few months after his promotion. Wilfrid, being about thirty years of age, was then chosen to preside over the northern diocese. In this dignified post he soon gave general oflFence by his ostenta- tious habits and love of interference. To his royal patron, and former pupil, Alchfrid, or Egfrid, now king in Oswy's room, he appears to have rendered himself particularly obnoxious by abetting the fa- naticism of that sovreign's wife, iEthelreda, or Audrey ; a princess who was obstinately bent upon deserting her husband, and shutting herself up in a monastery. Eddius, however, Wilfrid's chaplain, attributes that prelate's disgrace to his style of liv- ing, and fondness of accumulation. Probably, both causes concurred in eflPecting his ruin. He was, in fact, driven frorh his diocese. He then repaired to Rome, and finding some sort of a council deliberat- ing there, he laid his case before' it. By the pope and his advisers his deprivation was pronounced uncanonical, and he was sent home with a letter to that effect, addressed to his sovreign. That this letter mentioned no claim to any papal authority OF SERMON III. 167 for deciding such cases as Wilfrid's -judicially, ap- pears plainly enough from the following words of Eadmer. " Perveniens vir Dei Britanniam regi literas, quas ah apostolica sede acceperat, detulit, et earundem literarum auctoritatem suhnixum in conventu nohilium causam suam viva voce dejiendit, seque falso accusatum, ac injuria degradatum li- lera protestatione ostendiC (Bibl. C. C. G. C. MSS. Parker. CCCLXXI. p. 51.) Wilfrid, then, pleaded that his deprivation was inconsistent with the re- ceived principles of ecclesiastical jurisprudence, (a plea which he confirmed by producing the judg- ment of Roman canonists,) and he sought besides to vindicate his own character from the reflections cast upon it. Fridegod, accordingly, a monastic writer of the tenth century, more intent, certainly, upon displaying a knowledge of Greek, and a talent for poetical grandiloquence, than upon the develop- ment of historical truth, thus describes the com- munication which Wilfrid brought from Rome : " Annuit, et scriptis legalibus Archierarchus Theodora, Regique jubet sancita notari: Ni pietate pari conserventjussa Magistri, Judicio Domini cunctos anathemate plecti, Qucerentes animam sine re damnare Beatir (Mabillon. Act. SS. Ord. Ben. torn. III. p. 169.) It does not appear from this passage that the Ar- chierarchus, or pope, laid claim to any power of enforcing the restitution of Wilfrid. Only he de- nounced divine vengeance against Egfrid, and Theo- dore, archbishop of Canterbury, (a prelate who con- curred in the proceedings against Wilfrid, and pro- bably promoted them also,) unless these two should agree to his restoration. Nor does this ancient Benc- JM 4 168 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS dictine poet hint that Wilfrid alleged, when he ap- peared before Egfrid on his return, any papal au- thority judicially competent to his restitution. Oii the contrary, from the following lines he seems to have considered that the disgraced prelate chiefly argued his case upon scriptural grounds. [Ibid, p* 188.) " Post evangelicum catorthoma, post recitatas Sedis apostoUccB causas, indignejerebcmt Oppositi quidem raptam persolvere prcedam. Urgebantur acrifurioso pectore bile : Permulcentque, nefas ! perversa Jusmate regent Spernere syngraphasjurtivis rebus adeptas ; Symystemque Dei gaudent sycophanta notari. Tandem semoto Patrem trusere locello, Blanda retractantem Regis promissa Superni, Olim qui dixit. Qui vos, hi-c me qtwque spernit.'''' From this extract it might seem that Wilfrid's ef* fects had been confiscated : which is likely enough, and would certainly furnish a very cogent reason with most men why he should not be restored. Or the poet may refer to that division of his diocese which had been effected since his removal from it. However the case may be, it is undeniable that the papal interference in his favour was treated with the utmost contempt : a plain proof that the Nor- thumbrian court, though willing to follow the reli- gious usages of Rome, admitted not the pontiff to any jurisdiction over England. The words of Ead- mer are : " Propria itaque rex ira cescatus, et se- ducentium se adulatione a vero distractus, literas apostolici papce tumido fastu despexit, despiciendo irrisit, irridendo a se procul dbjecit, ac injhmulum Dei nequissimum delatoris crimen injecit." '> Although the Roman party had ever been esta- OF SERMON III. 169 blished in Kentj and by the accession of Oswy had obtained poUtical influence over the whole of England, yet the people generally seem to have ra- ther preferred that national Church to which they had chiefly owed their conversion. On the death of Deusdedit, bishop of Canterbury, we find, ac- cordingly, that Wine, bishop of Winchester, was the only prelate in the island who had received what the Romanists chose to call canonical conse- cration ; and that his zeal for the foreign party was none of the most ardent may be inferred from the fact, that he used the cooperation of two British bishops in consecrating the famous St. Chad. Thus the acquisition of the Northumbrian royal family to the Roman side appears to have turned the scale in favour of a cause rather upon the decline. This powerful family, having thus committed itself, na- turally became anxious to reduce the whole nation to a conformity with Italian usages. Probably it was thought, that one reason why England had been found so backward in adopting these usages was to be attributed to the constant possession of the see of Canterbury by foreigners. When Deus- dedit, accordingly, died, Oswy, king of Northum- berland, and Egbert, king of Kent, advised with each other as to the best mode of terminating those religious dissensions which had so long agitated the country. The result was, that they recommended to the choice of their subjects a native priest named Wighard, as the successor of Deusdedit. He was elected, and was sent to Rome for consecration. Soon after his arrival in that city, Wighard died. Vita- han, the pope, then took upon himself to consecrate to the see of Canterbury an elderly monk of great 170 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS learning, energy, and moral worth, named Theo- dore, a native of Tarsus, in Cilicia. A negotiation for the admission of the new prelate probably fol- lowed ; for he spent very nearly a year, after his consecration, in France. At length, however, in 669, he landed in England, and applied the whole force of his able and active mind to render the country throughout conformable to Roman usages. Favouring circumstances aiding the exertions of Theodore, he found them crowned with success ; and he seems to have been the first prelate of Can- terbury, who established any authority for that see beyond the limits of Kent. In other words, he seems to have been the first individual connected with Rome, whom ancient England owned for a metropolitan. Thus Theodore realized the project in which Augustine had failed, and which appears to have languished, as rather hopeless, since the Kentish apostle's death. But the monk of Tarsus, although zealous to identify the religious rites of England with those of Rome, appears to have known nothing of any right inherent in the latter to- jurisdiction over the former. Had he acknow- ledged any such right, we should certainly have heard something of his interference in Wilfrid's be- half, after that prelate's return from Rome with a pontifical communication in his favour. Bed. 248, 253. Inett's Origines AngUcance, I. cc. 5, 6, 7. '° " Anno 792. Carolus, rex Francorum, misit synodalem hbrum ad Britanniam, sibi a Constanti- nopoli directum, in quo libro, (heu, proh dolor!) multa inconvenientia, et verse fidei contraria, repe- riebantur: maxime, quod pene omnium orientalium doctorum, non minus quam trecentorum, vel eo OF SERMON III. 171 amplius, episcoporum, unanimi assertione confir- niatum fuerit, imagines adorari debere : quod om- nino Ecclesia Dei execratur. Contra quod scrip- sit Albinus epistolam, ex authoritate divinarum Scripturarum mirabiliter affirmatam ; illamque cum eodem libro, ex persona episcoporum^ ac principum ' nostrum, regi Francorum attulit." (Rogeri de Hove- den Annalium pars I. inter Rerum Anglic. Scrip- tores post Bedam. Francof. 1601. p. 405.) The very same words occur in Simeon of Durham. (Hist, de Gest. RR. Angl. inter Hist. Angl. Scrip- tores X. ex edit. Twysden. Lond, 1652. p. 111.) Matthew of Westminster also (Flores Hist. Fran- cof. 1601. p. 146.) has adopted them with scarcely any variation. This implicit transcription is not only a strong presumption that the facts related were considered indisputable, when these ancient chroniclers wrote, but also, that even then those opinions respecting papal preeminence, which have since prevailed, had by no means attained maturity. Had it been otherwise, these ecclesiastical writers of English history would, in all probability, have devised some expedient for softening down the very remarkable statement, as more recent events have made, it, which they fiirnish upon this occasion. One or more among them, indeed, might have seen no occasion for noticing such embarrassing facts at all. " " Non oportet aliquid ponere in ecclesia nisi quae ad ministeria ecclesiastica pertinent : in Deu- teronomio scriptum est : Non plantabis lucum nee statuam juxta sanctua7'ium Domini." (Excerpt. Eg- bert. Ebor. Archiep. c. 35. Spelman. Cone. 262. Labb. et Coss. VI. 1589.) There is a lacuna in the 172 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS MS. from which this passage has been transferred to the various editions of the councils ; and no wonder ; the whole of the Scripture to which Eg- bert refers being this : " Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy Godj which thou shalt make thee. Neither shalt thou set thee up any image : which the Lord thy God hateth." (Deut. xvi. 21, 22.) As the Excerpts of archbishop Egbert are, in fact, a collection of canons and regulations then received in the Church, we may naturally expect to find this particular passage among the decrees of some ante- cedent council. It is, probably, then an amplifica- tion of the 36th canon of the council of Elvira, (hoi den about 305.) " Placuit picturas in Ecclesia esse non dehere : ne quid colitur et adoratur, in parietihus depingatur." (Labb. et Coss. I. 974.) If this conjecture as to the source of Egbert's pro- hibition be well founded, it is an evidence that the Elviran canon, so embarrassing to Romish writers, and ordinarily restricted by them to pictures, was understood in early times as a general prohibition of every thing having an idolatrous tendency in places of public worship. It may be added, that the words obviously de- fective in the Excerpt cited above strongly confirm what Hoveden, Simeon of Durham, and Matthew of Westminster say of the judgment passed in England upon the Deutero-Nicene decrees : " Quod omnino Ecclesia Catholiea execratur^^ seeming to be little else than a paraphrase upon " which the Lord thy God hateth." " This interesting and important remain of anti- quity was first published in 12mo, anonymously, OF SERMON III. 173 in 1549, under the title of Opus Inlustrissimi et excellentissimi sen spectabilis viri, Caroli Magni, nutu Dei, regis Francorum, Gallias, Germaniam, Italiamque, sive harum finitimas provincias, Do- mino opitulante, regentis, contra Synodum, quae in partihus Grcecice pro adorandis imaginihus stolide sive arroganter gesta est. The editor was Tilly, bishop of Melun, and the place of impression Paris : but this does not appear in the title-page. A second edition was published at Cologne in 1555, a third, by Goldastus, in 1608, and a fourth by Heuman, at Hanover, in 1731. (Cave, Hist. Lit. 493. Mosheim. Eccl. Hist. II. 267. note.) As Charlemain can hardly be considered actually to have written this decisive testimony against the modern Romish religion, it is far from unreasonable to suppose, as many have done, that it came from the pen of his learned friend Alcuin, and that it is the very piece, probably, with some amplifications which our ancient chroniclers style an Epistle. It might not very improperly be thus described, because it was intended for transmission to the Pope, as a justification of Charlemain's conduct in rejecting the Deutero-Nicene council. The very copy prepared for that purpose is yet preserved in the Vatican. The Caroline Boohs, especially when viewed in conjunction with the decrees of the council of Frankfort in 794, and with those of the council of Paris in 824, or in the following year, are an unde- niable proof that image-worship was unanimously rejected by the churches of Gaul and Germany, and that these religious societies, however disposed to respect the Roman see, admitted it not to the privilege of overruling their established religious 174 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS opinions. Alcuin's connection with Charlemain, and other circumstances, render it sufficiently cer- tain that the Church of England agreed with her continental neighbours as to these matters. Du Pin, accordingly, hesitates not to say, " The wor- shipping of images, being established in the East, was also received at Rome, whilst in France, Ger- many, and England, all outward worshipping of them was unknown." (New Eccl. Hist. VI. 150.) For some ancient testimonies, mentioning the se- cond council of Nice with utter contempt, see Lau- noii Epistolte (Cant. 1689.) pp. 733, 734. An ab- stract from the Caroline JBooks may be seen in Du Pin VI. 145. '3 " Quia, ut scitis" say the legates, " a tempore Sancti Augustini pontificis, sacerdos nullus Roma- nus illue missus est, nisi nos." The reason of this papal interference will, probably, be found in the hostihty entertained by OfFa, king of Mercia, to- wards Kent, and the archbishop of Canterbury: hence he desired to found an archiepiscopal see at Lichfield. Jambert, or Lambert, archbishop of Can- terbury, was not very likely to relish the dismem- berment of his province ; but it is obvious, that if the most powerful prince of the Octarchy desired the measure, and the Roman see could be brought to advise it, the metropolitan would find it difficult to resist. Such was the event of this legatine visit : Jambert consented to the division of his province, and Lichfield became an archiepiscopal see. The council of Calcuith, which the legates attended, is referred to the year 787- (Spelman. Cone. 293. Inett's Orig. Angl. I. 202.) ' That advice merely was sought from Rome in this transaction is further shewn OF SERMON III. 175 by an epistle from Kenulph, king of Mercia, to pope Leo III. desiring an opinion as to the withdrawing of archiepiseopal honours from Lichfield. " Sed tamen^'' says the Mercian prince, " Exeel- lentiam vestram humiles exoramus, quibus a Deo merito smpientiee clavis collata est, ut super hac causa cum sapientibus vestris quceratis, et quid- quid vobis videatui; nobis postea servandum re- scribere dignemini." Kenulph had already said, " JPontifices nostri ac peritissimi quique in nobis dicunt, quod contra canones et apostolica statuta, quee nobis a patre beatissimo Gregorio dirigente statuta sunt, sicut vos seitis, auctoritas Dorober- nensis metropolitani in duas scinditur parockias. Thus those who passed for the best canonists in England, asserted that the partition of the province of Canter-bury was contrary to the generally re- ceived principles of ecclesiastical jurisprudence, and to the constitution of the national Church in parti- cular. An opinion upon the soundness of this re- presentation is requested, after due consultation, from Rome. Evidently nothing is presented in this case, different in kind from an application for the best legal or other advice. The king does not men- tion any papal authority to pronounce a judicial de- termination of the question. He only desires that Leo, and the sapientes about him, would consider whether the English canonists had- taken a just view of the question or no. Spelman. Cone. 320. Labb.etCoss. Vn. 1110. "* " Eodem anno (temp. Hen. I.) venit in An- gliam Guido, arehiepiscopus Viennensis, ftmctus, ut dicebat, legatione totius Britanniae, ex prsecepto et autoritate apostolicse sedis. Quod, per Angliam 176 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS auditum, in admirationem omnibus venit: inaudi- tum, scilicet, in Britannia, cuncti scientes, quem- libet hominum super se vices apostolicas gerere nisi solum archiepiscopum Cantuarice. Quaprop- ter, sicut venit, ita reversus iest, a nemine pro Le- gato susceptus, nee in aliquo Legati officio func- tus." (Eadmeri Hist. Nov. lib. III. ex edit. Sel- den. Lond. 1623. p, 58. — Ad calcem S. Anselmi Opp. ex edit. Monachorum Congreg. S. Maur, Lut. Paris. 1675. p. 59.) This complete superiority of the see of Canterbury in the ancient ecclesiasti- cal establishment of England, appears also clearly from the professions of canonical obedience pub- lished by Hearne. Among these, Herewin, elect of Lichfield, promises subjection to the Church of Canterbury, " quae caput est totius gentis Anglo- rum." Professionum Antiq, Angl. Episc. For- mulae, ad calcem Text. Roffens. Oxon. 1720. p. 246. " Ita quoque examinatus et pleniter instructus, cum consensu monachorum, sive clericorum, et lai- corum, ac conventu totius provinciae episcoporum, maximeque archiepiscopi Christi ecclesiae ab aucto- ritate aut prsesentia, ordinetur." (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius, A. 3. f. 92.) The next extract will be found to contain fuller information upon this subject. In a pontifical, formerly belonging to the priory of St, Swithin, at "Winchester, and now in the pub- lic library at Cambridge, (Ee. ii. 3.) of a date pos- terior to the Conquest, we still find the decree as to the confirmation of episcopal elections by the clergy and laity, but it is thus prefaced : " Venerando sanctse Cantuariensi metropolitano N. clerus atque OF SERMON III. 177 populus ecclesiae illi debitam subjectionem. Vestrae paternitati est cognitum, &c." In the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, (MSS. Parker, LXXIX. f. 42.) is also the passage decretum quod clerus et populus firmare debet de electo episcopo. An older pontifical, in the same library (XLIV.), as it is remarkable for other variations from more mo- dern MSS. of the same kind, so it is also for omit- ting any mention of subjection to the Roman see. The bishop elect was required to bind himself to obedience to the see of Canterbury, and nothing more. " Decretum quod Clerus et Populus firmare de- bet de electo Episcopo. " Dominis patribus 111. 111. venerabilibus : scili- cet Episcopis dioceseos metropolis, clerus, ordo, et plebs huic sanctae ecclesiae specialiter obsequentes. " Vestrae paternitati est cognitum quantum tem- poris est ex quo, accidentibus variis eventibus, haec sancta ecclesia metropolis nostro sit viduata pastore, ac destituta rectore. Quod non solum ad nostrum, verum et ad vestrum, ac omnis hujus dioceseos de- trimentum pertinere dinoscitur : cum totius provi- dentise sollicitudo metropolitano constet esse com- missa. Propterea eligimus hujus dioceseos illius ecclesiae presbyterum, nomine 111. nobis sufficienter cognitum ; natalibus, et moribus, nobilem ; aposto- lica, et ecclesiastica disciplina imbutum ; fide ca- tholicum ; natura prudentem, docibilem, patien- tem ; moribus temperatum ; vita castum, sobrium, humilem, affabilem, misericordem ; literatum ; in lege Dei instructum ; in Scripturarum sensibus cau- tum ; in dogmatibus ecclesiasticis exercitatum ; et secundum Scripturarum tramitem, traditionemque 178 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS ortodoxorum, et canonum, ac decretorum sedis apo- stolicae prse'sulum constitutiones, sano sensu eccle- siasticas regulas intelligentem, sanoque sermone do- centem atque servantem ; amplectentem eum qui secundum doctrinam est fidelem sermonem ; et cum modestia corripientem eos qui resistunt. Et qui sanse doctrinae adversantur eis resistere et re- darguere preevalentem ; hospitalem, modestum, suae domui bene prsepositum, non neophytum, haben- tem testimonium bonum ; in gradibus singulis se- cundum traditionem ecclesiasticam ministrantem ; ad omne opus bonum, et ad satisfactionem omni poscenti rationem de ea quae in illo est spe, para- tum. Quem nobis quantotius petimus ordinari pon- tificem, quatinus, auctore Domino, regulariter no- bis praeesse valeat, et prodesse, et nos sub ejus regi- mine salubriter Domino militari possimus : quia iii- tegritas praesidentium salus est subditorum, et ubi est incolumitas obedientiae, ibi est sana forma doc- trinae. Ut autem omnium nostrum vota in banc electionem convenire noscatis huic decreto cano- nico promptissima voluntate singuli manibus pro- priis roborantes subscripsimus." (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius, C. 1. f. 1 17.) The customary in- terrogations follow, and comprise a promise of sub- mission to the Roman see. The volume, it should be observed, vs^hich is imperfect, is thought to be partly posterior to the Conquest. Wanley (p. 220.) thus describes it : " Fragmentum libri pontificalis pulcherrime et maxima ex parte ante Conquestum Angliae scripti." "' Dissertatio de usu Pallii, ad calcem Libri Diurni Romanorum Pontificum ; ex antiquissmo codice MS. nunc primum in lucem editi : Op. et OF SERMON III. 179 Stud. Joan. Garnerii, Presh. e Soc. Jes. Paris. 1680. " I. Pallii nomine, qua significatione hie sumi- tur, genus quoddam sacri vestimenti intelligitur, quo Patriarchse amiciebantur quidem cum ordina- rentur, exuebantur vero, si deponi contingeret." p. 193. " IV. Vox Pallii apud Latinitatis autores vestem illam lohgam signifieat, quae aliis indumentis ita imponitur, ut subinde assumatur, cum prodeundum in publicum ; deponatur quando quisque domi apud se est. Fuit certe usus ante annum 336. quo anno Marcus Papa Ostiensi Episcopo permisit pallium gerere, tunc cum Electum a Clero Romano in sum- mum Pontificem, more majorum, ordinaret." p. 194. " XV. Primis temporibus, cum Pallium per li- teras a Pontificibus mitteretur, literae continebant non tantum exhortationem ad vitam sanctius insti- tuendam, munusque pastorale digne vicaria potes- tate implendam, sed etiam aliquando mandata de extirpandis haeresibus, zizaniisque in agro Ecclesise succrescentibus. Verum de peculiari obedientia suhjectioneque nullus Jiinc erat sermo ; fuit poste- riore aetate, si non semper, saltem ut plurimum. Id quod dixi de primis temporibus constat ex epistolis Symmachi, Pelagiique II. et S. Gregorii, atque etiam ex formulis Diurni." p. 195. " XVII. Quoniam vero sexto septimoque saeculo mittebatur Pallium episcopis etiam extra Imperii ditionem positis, factum est, ut quo tempore summi Pontifices pene servirent sub exarchis, imperatori- busque, eoque suspicaciores forent exarchi ac im- N 2 180 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS peratores, quod vix Romae dominatum retinerent adversus invadentes aliarum gentium reges : factum, inquam, est, ut Pontifices, cum Pallium mitterent, consensum Imperatoris expeterent ; ne ea de causa oriretur suspicio afFectati aliunde prsesidii." p. 195. " XXVI. Existimo pariter, imo certus sum, non solum metropolitanis concessum esse, sed inferiori- bus etiam episcopis." p. 198. " XXIX. Par est credere, prioribus temporibus, datum esse solis occidentalibus a Pontifice : nullum enim reperitur exemplum dati orientalibus, ante constitutes in oriente patriarchas Latinos." p. 199. " Optabant sane olim summi Pontifices ut omnes metropolitani, qui ad eorum patriarchatum pertine- bant, aliquod confirmationis genus a sede apostolica acciperent. Verum quia uhique receptum erat con- secrationes fieri posse extra Italiam absque eorum consensu, vim ei legi palam adferre noluerunt; sed metropolitanos rei cujusdam novae miraculo velut obstupefecerunt ; quae in initio magnifica, paulatim tamen antiquam eorum libertatem per cuniculos infregit, et synodorum provincialium auctoritatem pessumdedit. De Pallii usu loquor, cujus origo cum sit satis vetusta, effectus tamen ejus, et caetera quae nunc usurpantur, antiquitati prorsus ignota fuere. Quippe Galliarum metropolitani, statim post ordinationem suam, exercebant functiones sui mu- neris, juxta canones antiquos. At jus novum eos prohibet quicquam pontificalis officii attingere do- nee a sede apostolica missum ad eos fuerit Pallium, de corpore beati Petri sumptum." (Pet. De Marca, Archiep. Paris, de Concordia Sacerdotii et Imperii. Paris. 1669. tom. ii. p. 192.) Upon this passage it may be remarked, that the learned Archbishop of OF SERMON III. 181 Paris appears to include the whole West in the Ro- man patriarchate. Such an assumption, however, is notoriously untenable. He likewise applies the term apostolical to the Roman see, as if it pos- sessed an exclusive right to it. In another place, however, he informs us, that in ancient, and there- fore correct phraseology, that term belongs to all metropolitans. " Cum episcopus civitatis, inquit Alcuinusj^wenV defunctus, eligitur alius a clero seu populo ; fitque decretum ah illis, et veniunt ad APOSTOLICUM cum suo electa dqferente secum suggestionem, hoc est, rogatorias literas, ut eis con- secret episcopum. Ceterum hie observandus est modus loquendi illarum tempestatum, quibus lice- bat metropolitano tribuere titulum Aposfolici; cujus moris initia referenda sunt ad tempora Gregorii Tu- ronensis. Sequens aetas abstinuit ab alia simplici- tate ; et deinceps Apostolici titulus soli Romano Pontifici tributus est ab auctoribus." Ibid. 181. '' It is notorious, that not even the Archbishop of Milan, much less metropolitans of transalpine regions, depended anciently upon the Roman see. " VII. Ambrosii sane Mediolanensis Episcopi elec- tio et confirmatio, quae facta est a synodo totius Italise decreto Imperatoris Valentiniani coacta, evin- cit nihil juris per illas tempestates Romano Pon- tifici competivisse in ordinatione Metropolitani Me- diolanensis : a qua manus abstinuit per multum sevi, sero usurpata ejus ordinatione." " VIII. At pro- vinciae quae extra Italiam erant, metropolitanos baud dubie suos ordinabant, absque auctoritate Episcopi Romani, et absque consensu ejus." (Ibid. 188.) As for the confirmations which metropolitans anciently sought from the Roman see, they were nothing n3 182 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS more than announcements of their several conse- crations, and confessions of their faith. On receiv- ing these, and being satisfied with their correctness and orthodoxy, the bishop of the capital, that is, of Rome, admitted the parties respectively into com- munion with his church. The Ronian bishop him- self sent similar credentials to the other patriarchs, as vouchers for his own claims to communion with them. " Quod ad Patriarchas attinet ; responderi Jjotest confirmationem illam non esse signum juris- dictionis, sed tantum susceptionis in communionem, et testimonium quo constabat summum Pontificem consentire con^ecrationi jam peractae. — Quippe usu receptum erat, per illas tempestates, ut Patriarchae, et ipse etiam Romanus Pontifex, recens electus, literas de sua ordinatione mitterent; quibus adde- batur professio fidei, in synodicis eorum epistoli$ conscripta." Ibid. 191. ^* The laws of Ina, Alfred, Guthrum, and Ca- nute, regulated the administration of the sacra- ments. Alfred asserted a right to dispense with the marriage of nuns. Earlier sovereigns divided old and erected new bishoprics ; a privilege ex- pressly reserved, according to Bellarmine, to the Roman see. All the Saxon princes appear to have regulated episcopal appointments, to have sum- moned councils, and to have presided in these as- semblies, as often as occasion called. (See Twis- den's Historical Findication of the Church of England, ch. v. p. 95. Sax. Chr. pp. 58. 67. 78. 189. 224. Hist. Ref. i. 283. note; iv. 628. note.) The following are Edward the Confessor's words : " Rex autem qui vicarius smnmi regis est, ad hoc est constitutus, ut terrenum regnum, et populum OF SERMON III. 183 Domini, ef super omnia sanctam veneretur eccle- siam ejus, et regat." LI. Eccl. S. Edw. R. et Conf. c. 15. Spelman, 622. Labb. et Coss. ix. 1023. ■9 " Many now are God's houses, but neverthe- less (they are) one, on account of the unity of the true faith." (Whelock's Bede, 380.) The whole ho- mily, apparently, which is for the dedication of a church, has been printed in this place, and it con- tains many passages unfavourable to modern Rom- ish representations of catholic unity. The entire tenour of it, in fact, is at variance with such repre- sentations. In unison with its language is the fol- lowing clause, in the third canon of the council of Celichyth. " Ideo sicut conjuncti sumus in uno Spiritu perfidem et dilectionem, ita condecet actus nostras atque verba sine simulatione servare in ti- more et amore Dei omnipotentis, atque diligenter pro invicem orare." Spelman, 328. °° The first solemn declaration of the Anglo- Saxon Church respecting the faith, appears to have been made at the council of Hatfield, holden in 680, and in which Theodore, archbishop of Canter- bury, presided. This council being desirous to pre- serve England from the taint of Monoth elitism, re- ceived, in addition to the decrees of the first four general councils, those of the second council of Constantinople, the Epistles of Ibas, and the de- crees of a synod, holden at Rome, under pope Mar- tin. That all these councils, and other authorities, were considered as expositors of one series of doc- trines, that, namely of the proto-Nicene Fathers, appears reasonably to be inferred from the first ca- non of the council of Calcuith, which enjoins all clerical persons to hold the Nicene faith faithfully n4 184 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS and firmly, and directs annual examinations of them in the principles of this faith. The same council of Calcuith sanctioned another council called general, the third of Constantinople, namely, holden in 680, enjoining the English clergy to con- fess, hold, and teach the faith of these six councils. The council of Finchale, however, appears to have taken no notice of the third council of Constantino- ple, receiving only the first five general councils. But the last of these, although thus acknowledged at intervals, never attained the distinction of its four predecessors. ^Ifric, accordingly, using the lan- guage of Gregory the Great, says, " These four syn- ods are to be holden, in Christ's congregation, like the four books of Christ." (Epist. ad Wulf. Ep. Spelman, 581.) The ancient pontifical, heretofore cited, (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton, Tiberius, C. 1. f. 148.) after mentioning the first four general councils, proceeds, " Hce sunt ut prcediximus, qua- tuor principales et venerahiles synodi tarn apostoli- cam quam catholicmn fidem complectentes. Sed si qua sunt concilia, quae sancti patres Spiritu Dei pleni sanxerunt, post illorum quatuor auctoritatem, omni manent stabilita vigore." Hence it appears clearly enough, that when Anglo-Saxon divines spoke of the catholic and apostolic faith, they meant those principles of religious belief which were de- fined in the first four general councils. " " Very few were they, (says Alfred,) on this side the Humber (the most improved parts of Eng- land) who could understand their daily prayers in English, or translate any letter from the Latin. I think there were not many beyond the Humber : they were so few, that I, indeed, cannot recollect OF SERMON III. 185 one single instance south of the Thames when I took the kingdom." (Turner's Hist, of the Anglo- Saxons, Lond. 1828. ii. 9.) Alfred's original Saxon is to be seen at the bottom of the page. " The following is an imaginary speech, assigned to the book itself, which occurs in the preface to king Alfred's Saxon translation of pope Gregory's Pastoral. GDe hij" pjiitepum j-enbe yu'S "] nopS- pop'Sam y>e he het him j^ilcjia ma bjiengan be J'aepe byj-ne • f he hif bi)"copum penban meahte ■ pop'Sam hi hip pume be]?opptan pa ]>e leben pppsece laepte cu'Son. Me to his writers (the king) sent, south and north, for he had commanded them to bring more such, according to that pattern : that he to his bishops might send (them;) because they were needful to some of his bishops who least understood the Latin speech. (Bibl. Publ. Cant. Ii. 2 — 4. p. 5.) Thus it appears that some of the English episcopal order, in king Alfred's time, were scarcely equal to the reading of Gregory's Pastoral in the original. "^ " And we appoint, that each Christian man learn, at least that he be able to understand rightly the Belief, and learn Pater Noster and Credo; be- cause with the one shall each Christian man make his prayer to God, and with the other make confes- sion of the right belief. Christ himself first sang Pater Noster, and taught that prayer to his disci- ples. And in that holy prayer are seven petitions. With it whosoever singeth inwardly, (i. e. from his heart,) he applieth to God himself upon every ne- cessity with which a man is urged, either for this life or for that which is to come. But how then may ever any man inwardly (heartily) betake him- self in prayer to God, unless he have inwardly (in 186 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS his heart) a right belief in God ? Because he has no rights after his departure, to Christian fellowship with the saints in rest ; nor here, in this life, to be worthy of the Sacrament. Nor is he well (reputed) a Christian, that will not learn them. Nor has he any right to undertake (stand godfather) for any other man at Baptism, much less at the bishop's hand, (Confirmation,) before he has learned it so well, that he has it perfect." (22nd law of king Ca- nute. Mrs. Elstob's Transl. Pref. xxxv. Spelman, 549.) The Lord's Prayer, with the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, and sundry prayers for ordinary use, in Saxon and Latin, may be seen in Whelock's Bede, (p. 495. et seq.) Hence Mrs. Elstob has ex- tracted the Lord's Prayer, and the two Creeds, in her preface to the Saxon Homily, (p. xxxii et seq.) Services for the canonical hours, in Saxon and Eng- lish, may be seen in the Appendix to Dr. Hickes's Letters to a Popish Priest, Lond. 1705. The Athanasian Creed, and some of the hymns, are to be found in MS. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton, Vespa- sian, A. 1.) in a most magnificent MS. Psalter, in the library of Trinity college, Cambridge, and in other MSS. '* " The mass-priest shall tell, on Sundays, and on mass-days, the meaning of the Gospel, in Eng- lish, to the folk, and also concerning the Pater Noster, and the Credo, as often as he can." ^Ifric to Wulfine. Spelman, 578. "^ Da ic gemunbe hu j-eo lap. leben jeSeobej- sep Jjyj-um apeallen paej- geonb angel cyn- -j Jjeah man- ega cuSon englifc gepp.ic ajraeban. Bibl. Publ. Cant, li. 2 — A. p. 3.) Then I considered how the learn- ing of the Latin langiiage ere this was fallen away OF SERMON III. 187 through the English nation : and yet many could read English writing. For the information of these many, however, books do not appear to have been seriously wanting, but only books in the vernacular tongue. The king, accordingly, says, SpiSe lytle peojime Jjajia boca pipton • pojx'Sam J>e hi hijia nan Jjing onjifcan ne mihton* poji'Sam Jie hi nsepon on hipa agen gejjeobe appitene- (Ibid. p. 2.) V^ery little hnew (they) the use of these hooJes ; because they could understand no one thing of them ; be- cause they were not written in their own language. ^^ " Interrogatio Augustini. Cum sit una fides, sunt ecclesiarum diversas con- suetudines, et altera consuetudo missarum in sancta Romana Ecclesia, atque altera in Galliarum tene- tur. Respondit Gregorius Papa. Novit firaternitas tua Romanae ecclesias consuetu- dinem, in qua se meminit nutritam. Sed mihi placet, ut sive in JRomana, sive in Galliarum,, seu in qualibet Ecclesia, aliquid invenisti quod plus omnipotenti Deo possit placer e, solicite eligas, et in Anglorum Ecclesia, quce adhuc ad fidem nova est, institutione prcecipua, quee de multis Ecclesiis col- ligere potuisti, infundas. Non enim pro locis res, sed pro bonis rebus loca amanda sunt. Ex singulis ergo quibusque Ecclesiis, quae pia, quae religiosa, quae recta sunt, elige, et haec quasi in fasciculum coUecta, apud Anglorum mentes in consuetudinem- depone." Bed. Eccl. Hist. p. 81. SERMON IV. THE INVOCATION OF ANGELIC AND DE- PARTED SPIRITS. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, hreihren, standfast, and hold the tra- ditions which ye have been taught, whether hy word, or our epistle. Christians, mercifully called to the peaceful profession of their holy religion, cannot adequately conceive the sacrifices ex- acted from their brethren by less happy times. The distant picture of individual struggles, agonizing undoubtedly, but neces- sarily brief, and leading to " an eternal weight of glory*," fills the mind with admiration, rather than with sympathy. Attention fixes upon little more than transcendent services to the best of causes, heroic self-devotion, unfailing faith, and a triumphant entrance into the more distinguished of those blissful mansions which our heavenly Father's ever- lasting house affords. Contemporaries, how- ever, witnessed the yearnings of a spirit, a 2 Cor. Iv. 17. 190 SERMON IV. abruptly and violently torn from domestic ties. They keenly felt, because they saw, the cruelty of blighting every hope which in- dustry and foresight had encouraged. They shared in the martyr's physical recoil, on the nearer approaches of his distressing fate. Their own spirits were saddened and sub- dued by that intensity of suffering which threw a stern and frightful gloom around his escape from human life. Daily observation taught them also the real value of advan- tages thus dearly purchased for the Church of Christ. It impressed upon them, too, the surpassing evils of that pusillanimity, or waver- ing faith, which induced so many to count life, or even worldly ease, above a steadfast avowal of allegiance to a crucified Saviour. What serious mind, placed in personal con- tact, as it were, with such varied sources of absorbing interest, could fail of imbibing the highest veneration for those brethren who nobly persevered ? How reasonably then, and naturally, no less than politicly, did the pri- mitive Church embalm the memories of her martyred worthies by annual solemnities at their tombs ! She could not, indeed, animate and confirm, in any manner more effectually, the faith of her existing children, than by pressing upon their minds the services of SERMON IV. 191 those who had contentedly shed their blood, rather than deny their Saviour. Nor did the use of such appeals to the best feelings of mankind wear away with times of persecution. ' The faith of Christ, although no longer menaced by fierce intolerance, did not easily overspread the nations to which it was announced. Men might hear with glad- ness the message of salvation, but they quickly found that the name of Jesus made no slight demands upon them. Everywhere, deeply- rooted interests and prejudices vigorously struggled against that overthro\y which they must inevitably experience from the new re- ligion. Hence great exertions were con- stantly required, to confirm a rising purpose of defying worldly calculations at the foot of the cross. What was likely to prove more eifectual for such an end, than to fill men's imaginations with pictures of sufferings un- dergone in ages past, by those who willingly endured " the loss of all things, that they might win Christ"'?" What missionary to a heathen race, what minister of the Gospel in a nation half reclaimed, must not often have seen occasion for painting to his hearers that "noble army of martyrs," whose blood has aptly been esteemed "the seed of the Church?" b Phil iii. 8. 192 SERMON IV. It was naturally to be expected, that ima- ginations fired by such pictures of departed excellence should anxiously desire an interest in the prayers of those who had gone so tri- umphantly to their everlasting reward. Care was however taken, by early masters in theo- logy, to prevent such a desire from leading to superstitious usages and unauthorized opi- nions. St. Austin accordingly teaches that the office of mediation between God and man is necessarily confined to a Being at once divine and human ' ; in other words, that Jesus Christ alone " ever liveth to make in- tercession for us." This interpretation of the text, "there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," was adopted by the vener- able Bede^ It was therefore a tradition of our ancient Church, that through their blessed Saviour only, men were to sue for blessings from their heavenly Father. Our distant an- cestry, like other ancient professors of the Gospel, were indeed encouraged to bear " the reproach of Christ"" by commemorations of the mighty dead. But they were warned against a disposition to bestow upon these sainted worthies honours which are due to God alone. Every such feeling was plainly <= Heb. xi. 26. SERMON IV. 193 treated as the result of diabolical craft and malice. Hence a homilist rebukes it in the very words addressed by Jesus to the tempter, " Get thee hence, Satan." And men were taught expressly, that to the great Creator only should rise at any time the voice of prayer. All works of his almighty hands, however excellent, were declared unworthy of receiving addresses from below. Nay more : it was even represented, that were mortal supplications to reach the ears of those purified intelligences who fill the mansions of the blest, they would anxiously refuse the proffered homage. Like St. John's angelic monitor, they would thus correct the sup- pliant's mistaken piety : " Do it not : bow not thyself to me. I am God's servant, and thy brother. Pray to God only^." Our forefathers were, notwithstanding, train- ed in a belief, that the happy spirits now resting from their earthly trials entertain a lively interest for mankind. The Church triumphant was considered as sympathising completely with the Church militant. In the saints accordingly was discerned a band of unceasing suppliants in behalf of suffering mortals. Nor was it esteemed objectionable to petition the great Father of mercies, that, among the consolations of his faithful people, o 194 SERMON IV. should never fail earnest entreaties for their welfare, from the disembodied followers of Jesus*. Addresses of this kind to the foot- stool of Omnipotence were not restricted to the general company of " the spirits of just men made perfect ^." Particular names were inserted in the commemorative offices of piety^ imploring Him, to whom alone men can look for help and safety, that these ho- noured members of Christ's invisible king- dom might aid the suits of struggling mor- tals ■ by their own more powerful suffrages. Thus, not only was it entreated of God and Christ, that all the choir of angels, patriarchs, prophets, and apostles might pray for the sup- pliants, but also, that St. Peter, St. Paul, and other saints, might likewise render them this assistance. That the Anglo-Saxon Church exhibited no sound discretion, in giving this kind of honourable prominence to departed worth, is proved by the direct addresses intro- duced eventually into litanies". As presented in her earlier offices, at least, the practice, however, was evidently controlled by Scrip- ture. What is called the invocation of saints appears not in these venerable formularies. Saints aire, indeed, abundantly commemorated in them ; but God alone is ever addressed. d Heb. xii. 23. SERMON IV. 195 In honour of St. Oswin, for instance, no less than ten different prayers have been tran- scribed among materials for the present un- dertaking, being all that his offices contain. In no one of these occurs a call upon him'. A similar principle evidently guided the com- pilers of the Saxon homilies for festivals. None of these, probably, as originally com- posed, afforded even the slightest mention of invoking the saint commemorated. Men are merely admonished in them, to beseech God^ that they may be strengthened by the prayers of that venerated spirit *. All our earlier theo- logians appear, therefore, to " have stood fast, and holden the traditions" which Bede and Austin taught them. Evidently they never forgot that holy Scripture mentions no other "mediator between God and men, than the man Christ Jesus^." Nor, probably, would they have omitted to urge against invocation of the dead, that such a practice would amount to a call upon those, of whose power to hear even, man has not the least assurance. Among inhabitants of God's unseen king- dom, it was natural that the Virgin Mary should occupy the largest space in religious minds. Nor could the prevailing anxiety for saintly intercession fail of leading to a gene-. e 1 Tim. ii. 5. o2 196 SERMON IV. ral desire, that this holy personage, so " highly favoured, so blessed among women V should unite her prayers with those ascending from the world. For this benefit and satisfaction, accordingly, habitual importunities were of- fered to the great Jehovah. But in Ma;ry's case, as in that of all the departed spirits, " through faith and patience now inheriting the promises^," any example of direct invo- cation would probably be vainly sought among the most ancient monuments of Eng- lish theology. Yet the blessed Virgin was esteemed among our distant ancestry far more highly than any other member of the great human family. For placing her claims to gratitude and vene- ration in the most striking point of view, a comparison was instituted between her and Eve. The great progenetrix of mankind, it was observed, had unhappily afforded occa- sion for closing the gates of heaven against her posterity. Mary's inconceivably better fortune had rendered her an instrument for the reparation of this mighty mischief. Through the everlasting Son, who deigned to veil his Godhead under a corporeal frame derived from her, the fallen race of Adam was again allowed to hope for entrance into f St. Luke i. 28. s Heb. vi. 12. SERMON IV. 197 their heavenly Father's glorious and blissful kingdom". Hence to Mary was esteemed justly due the highest strains of respectful commemoration ; and she was ordinarily de- signated, in language long indeed established, yet certainly of doubtful propriety, as the mother of God. In thus, however, honouring the most venerable among women, Anglo- Saxon divines aimed professedly at the honour of God. It was not to any created being, it was to Him who spared not his beloved Son, it was to Him also, who, " to deliver man, dis^ dained not the Virgin's womb," to whom praise and glory were avowedly offered, in celebrating the high distinction of her who gave Emmanuel birth ". Curiosity was naturally on the watch for particulars respecting the personal history of one so prominent in the Church of Christ. Current traditions, accordingly, as to the blessed Virgin, appear to have been generally received in Anglo-Saxon times. It was be- lieved that she bore the Saviour when six- teen, and having lived with him three and thirty years, that she survived his crucifixion (sixteen) more ; thus dying at the age of sixty- three". Her perpetual virginity was like- wise maintained, but her immaculate concep- tion was denied. When "the Holy Ghost o3 198 SERMON IV. came upon her, and the power of the Highest overshadowed her*"," it was taught, that she was cleansed from every taint of sin'^. In unison with this wise and becoming absti- nence from thinking of any creature " above that which is written'," was the silence of our early divines respecting the blessed Vir- gin's parents. These were merely described as religious observers of the Mosaic law, but an expressed anxiety to be free from the charge of giving currency to erroneous rela- tions restrains the homilist from enlarging upon their history'*. Equally cautious were the fathers of our national theology respecting Mary's actual condition. Pilgrimages to Pa- lestine had, probably, rendered it notorious throughout the west, that in a tomb shewn as hers the corpse would now be sought in vain. The superstitious were hence anxious to conclude, that the frame once so highly favoured had been translated to the regions of eternal blessedness. Nor do marvellous accounts, harmonizing with this conclusion, appear to have been wanting. The plain good sense and sound theological discretion of our ancient homilist would not, however, allow him, zealous as he was for the Virgin's honour, to repeat any such legendary tales. h St. Luke i. 35. > 1 Cor. iv. 6. SERMON IV. 199 Holy Scripture, he wisely says, affords them not the least encouragement. If men, there- fore, aid in their circulation, their conduct is like that of heretics who fain would give to dreams and fictions the authority of truth '^. Such reserve extended, however, only to Mary's history. Mere eulogy upon her was allowed a dangerous license. She was styled Lady, as being the mother of him who is Lord of all things; Queen, as coming of a princely lineage ; Star of the sea, as having brought into the world the pole-star of a course toward heaven '*. An anxious wish to connect Mary's name with every distinction earned within the Church of Christ, led also to a claim for her of more than the glory of martyrdom. The sufferings, it was observed, of those who had contentedly poured out the vital stream in testimony to their holy faith were merely physical. But when Mary stood before the cross, crimsoned from the wounds of her beloved and ever-blessed Son, her ago- nies of mind exceeded infinitely any that ever racked the dying martyr's tortured frame. If intensity of anguish, therefore, affect esti- mates of eminence among the faithful, who shall challenge so high a place as our Lord's earthly mother '' ? To the world of spirits, accordingly, was attributed a full acknow- o 4 200 SERMON IV. ledgment of this unapproachable superiority. When released from human life, Mary is painted as appearing amidst this holy com- pany, welcome as the rising dawn, fairer than the moon, graceful above the sun, more ma- jestic than the embattled host'*. An apo- strophe'' similarly rhetorical, occurs in a dis- course commemorating the whole company of heaven. " O thou blessed mother of God," rapturously exclaims the homilist, "Mary ever virgin, temple of the Holy Ghost, virgin before conception, virgin in conception, virgin after conception ; great is thy glory among the ransomed of the Lord''." Of such embellishments the Fathers have undoubtedly supplied examples. ' To veil, however, the majestic simplicity of heavenly truth under the tinsel ornaments of a mere- tricious eloquence, is to lay a snare before undiscerning minds. It is, therefore, greatly to be lamented, that the spiritual guides of ancient England imitated those flights of a licentious fancy which are among the con- spicuous blemishes of their models. In yield- ing to such temptations, they naturalized eventually among their countrymen usages and principles unknown originally to the na- ^ Wheloc. in Bed. p. 313. ex Horn. Angl. Sax. in Natali Omn. SS. SERMON IV. 201 tional Church. She had "stood fast, and holden" inviolably, during the whole course of her earlier existence, that obviously ra- tional " tradition" of holy Scripture, and of primitive antiquity, which restricts invoca- tion to the Deity. ' But the tenth century came, pregnant with political convulsion, and overspread all but impenetrably with intel- lectual darkness, and her face was changed '°. Her monuments, posterior to the commence- ment of that unhappy age, exhibit instances of a departure from that wary spirit which had guided her divines in more auspicious periods. A practice had surreptitiously grown up, which tacitly invests the blessed Virgin with omniscience. Rhetorical apostrophe, ac- cordingly, and prayers to God for the aid of Mary's intercession, contented no. longer the generations immediately preceding the Nor- man Conquest. Individuals acquired an un- authorized habit of invoking directly our blessed Lord's mother after the flesh, urging her to press their several suits on high. Nor did masters in theology repress this innova- tion. On the contrary, exhortations appended occasionally to homilies for festivals, encou- raged and incited the superstitious populace thus to forsake the tradition of their fa- thers*'. This unhappy departure from ancient 202 SERMON IV. usages and scriptural principles quickly ex- tended to all the more illustrious members of our great Creator's unseen kingdom. In- dividuals, in their private devotions, appear to have led the way in calling upon the saintly dead". Metrical hymns also, contain- ing such invocations, might seem to have been introduced among the public offices of piety. Such, at least, occur in an ancient service-book already mentioned, of vphich the prosaic portions exhibit no instance of this unauthorized usage'^ In such cases it may therefore, perhaps, not unfairly be presumed, that the prayers and hymns are by no means identical in age. Our Ante-Norman Church, indeed, accurately speaking, may never have distinctly sanctioned saintly invocation. Her liturgical remains, imperfect and scanty as they are, and often mutilated also, undoubt- edly afford that practice but very slight en- couragement**. Among her formularies oc- cur very rarely any deviations from the for- mer usage, of commemorating by name the departed pillars of our holy faith, and of breathing a pious wish to God that their prayers might swell the mass of earthly sup- plication. Individuals, therefore, probably, must be considered as responsible, rather than their spiritual nursing-mother, for those instances of invoking intelligences, inferior SERMON IV. 203 to the Deity, which occur among the later monuments of Anglo-Saxon theology. This habit, once established in the land, led men, however, onwards to the practice of confess- ing sins to saints**. Nor were angels over- looked among the created beings to whom our later Saxon fathers addressed in their de- votions. Upon supplications, in aid of her own, from these mysterious ministers of Om- nipotence, no less than from the saints, our ancient Church had been used to pray that she might calculate*". But a wise and be- coming caution had forbidden her masters in theology to speculate upon their nature*'. Unhappily, however. Englishmen ceased at length to " hold the tradition," at least in its full integrity, which had restricted the reli- gious addresses of their fathers to the throne of grace alone. To angels, accordingly, did the voice of prayer and penitence eventually appeal, no less than to other venerated mem- bers of the invisible creation. God's omni- science was thus indefinitely as well as un- warrantably attributed to his creatures ; and he who " ever liveth to make intercession for us'" was in danger of being half-forgotten amidst a crowd of spirits, invested with a 1 Heb. vii. 25. 204 SERMON IV. mediatorial character, upon authority merely human. ' Akin with this infringement of ancient usages, and probably anterior to it, was an- other change adopted in the Anglo-Saxon Church. In ordinary course, the places which had known those discerning, scriptural, and spirited divines, who rejected contemptuously the Deutero-Nicene decrees, " knew them no more*"." A new race arose, with principles undermined by a long continuance of defer- ential amity with Rome ; and, alas ! it forgot the traditions, unquestionably divine, which deny adoration of any kind to the works of human hands. It is neither accurately known by what insidious means this palpable, this grievous innovation won its way, nor what height it gained'l But it is, unhappily, un- deniable, that within a century of the once- reprobated Bithynian council our national divines had ceased to look upon the worship of substantial forms as an usage " altogether execrated by the Church of God." They paid religious honours to the cross; they paid them to graven images ; they paid them to real or imaginary remains of sainted mor- tals. Of this departure from the tradition of their fathers the humiliating consequence ™ Psalm ciii. 16. SERMON IV. 205 was an act at once cowardly and sacrilegious. Let a truncated Decalogue ignominiously at- test the altered face of our ancient Church. Let it paint with vivid, mournful force of co- louring the unwillingness of her divines to meet the charge of ceasing " to divide rightly the word of truth"." They never forgot, in- deed, to impress upon the memories of the people those commandments by which Al- mighty God, amidst Sinai's awful thunders, taught men their duties to each other. Nor did they pretermit a corresponding care as to four of those injunctions which fingers more than human inscribed upon the first table. But with grief and shame it must be added, they ventured to curtail the heavenly code. They " shunned," as well they might, " to de- clare all the counsel of God ° ;" inexcusably withholding the command against adoring created substances. This rebuked their in- firmity of purpose. This tended to shake po- pular confidence in their decisions. How could they meet a general acquaintance with it ? In ordejf to fill the place thus dishonest- ly, nay, rather even impiously, left void, or- dinarily the tenth commandment was divided into two^°. Sorrietimes, however, the preamble n 2 Tim. ii. 15. ° Acts xx. 27. 206 SERMON IV. to the whole two tables appears to have been esteemed sufficient for lulling popular sus- picions of incompleteness^'. Deeply mortifying it is to know, that Alfred's illustrious name stands forth among authori- ties for this unholy dealing with the word of God. By way of introduction to his laws, we find what purports to be the Decalogue. The third commandment fills, however, the second place. Thus far, unhappily, our wise and patriotic king gratified those Roman friends to whom early predilections and obli- gations bound him^*. But he could not face, it seems, a total forfeiture of self-approba- tion. He found himself, one may imagine reasonably, unable to forget that there were and would be those in whose valuable good opinion this disingenuous act was likely to do him a serious injury. The concluding command, accordingly, by which he com- pletes the number ten, is this ; " Thou shalt not make any golden or silver gods^^" Alfred surely doubted when he presented to his people such a version of God's general claims upon their obedience. How much must it be lamented, then, that his conscience did not whisper to him this apostolic admonition; " Whatsoever is not of faith is sin p." In this P Rom. xiv. 23. SERMON IV. 207 great and excellent man's example, who may not find instruction? Do not such instances of human frailty forcibly remind every one among us, that great diligence and vigilance are urgently required in " running the race that is set before us 4?" " Let him," therefore, " who thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall""." To every rising of man's vain and treacherous confidence,let another of St. Paul's repressive admonitions be applied ; " Be not high-minded, but fear^" ■ In learning these departures of our distant ancestry from the traditions of an earlier age, regret must naturally overspread our minds. The facts, however, belong rather to ecclesi- astical history, than to pure theology. What, if a mutilated Decalogue proclaim with trumpet-tongue that the ninth century saw image- worship established in our island; if there be sufficient evidence to prove, that in- vocation of departed and angelic spirits was adopted by an age still later ; will it follow, hence, that these usages can claim the tra- ditionary attestation of our ancient Church ? Must it not be shewn by those who fain would thus confirm them that their establishment among us was coeval with the Christianity of our Saxon fathers? Until this object is effected, q Heb. xii. 1. ' 1 Cor. x. 12. » Rom. xi. 20. 208 SERMON IV. the traditionary chain, presented to our view, is deficient in all its earlier links : deficient, then, in all those members which alone can give it any value or importance. Advocates, however, for image-worship, and the invocation of angelic and departed spirits, will vainly seek to connect these practices with Augustine and his immediate successors. Enquiries, indeed, with such an object, are discouraged, upon the very threshold, by historical relations, by li- turgical formularies, and by the general course df documentary evidence. Opponents are thus enabled to allege, with perfect safety, " From the beginning it was not so ' " atnong us^^ The earliest Christians of our race were unquestionably " taught no such traditions." That their posterity " stood not fast," but gradually receded from doctrines and usages holden and observed by their fathers, is, indeed, just cause of mortification. Such a fact, however, is utterly worthless for the purposes of those who would recommend ico- nolatry, and invocation of invisible created intelligences, as divine or apostolical tradi- tions. But since these usages may be convicted of palpable innovation, it may be enquired, why did they ever find reception in the Church of • St. Matthew xix. 8. SERMON IV. 209 ancient England ? Consider the constitution of society during the first Christian millenary, and this question is resolved at once. What is the religious use of images, but a prac- tice alike endeared by custom immemorial to the polished nations of classical antiquity, and to the rude barbarians, under whose assaults their institutions were eventually overthrown ? and what is the invocation of unseen created beings, but the great prin- ciple of Gentile superstition ? Heathen illi- teracy might, and no doubt did, attribute to the ordinary objects of worship a character essentially divine. But Polytheists of supe- rior information have ever viewed their va- rious deities as nothing more than the most honoured among emanations from the great Supreme. Hence, when" the sound" of the gospel " went into all the earth"," it fell every where upon the ears of those who had been trained in habits of adoring visible objects, and of invoking mediators, of acknowledged inferiority to the mighty, but neglected, and therefore " unknown God." Did even a " Paul plant and an Apollos water ^?" habits of such inveteracy — habits, beside, so fascinating to the nature of fallen man, would rarely fail of exhibiting an extreme tenacity. They did, " Rom. X. 18. '^ 1 Cor. iii. 6. P 210 SERMON IV. in fact, long defy every effort even for their apparent extirpation. Ages rolled away after Constantino's conversion, and yet Paganism lurked throughout that magnificent inherit- ance which had owned obedience to the Cae- sars. It is true indeed that hordes of idol- atrous invaders had in the mean time trampled on the Roman eagle, in most of the regions which long had crouched submissively before it. But these barbarian victors altered not materially the religious face of Europe. Na- tionally, they were not slow in professing the faith of Christ. They did not, however, any more than the nations which, they had con- quered, abandon completely, and at once, the prejudices and habits of their ancient super- stition. Undisguised heathenism, on the con- trary, maintained for centuries a vigorous hold upon the more obscure portions of their several communities^^. Probably, too, an affec- tion for its principles lingered long in the breasts of many by whom its name would have been indignantly disclaimed. That pagan prejudices and habits defiled our native country during very many years after its conversion to the faith of Christ, is attested by existing records^*. Nor is probable inference our only reason for concluding that hence usages of Gentile mould were engrafted SERMON IV. 211 upon the Gospel. A Saxon homily rebukes the wretched spirit of popular credulity, which urged affliction to seek relief in places con- secrated by heathen superstition. But then it also recommends that sufferers transfer such visits to churches, crucifixes, and the reliques of Christian saints^'. From supplica- tions thus addressed to heaven, real benefits, it is represented, may be reasonably expected. Whereas religious honours offered to the false gods of heathenism are likely to provoke a heavier portion of that indignation from above, which the sufferer sought to deprecate. By such expedients it was hoped men would be weaned gradually, and almost imperceptiblyj from those practices and prepossessions, to which they seemed incurably addicted. Their inveterate partialities, they were taught, did not so much need eradication, as the gentler process of direction, into a new, and truly ad- vantageous channel. No doubt such policy lightened the labours of God's appointed mi- nisters. No doubt, it also hastened the time when Englishmen of every station openly professed the faith of Jesus. Nor can it be denied, that even those who made the small- est sacrifices of deeply rooted prejudices in this transition from hereditary errors were infinitely gainers by the change. But not- p 2 212 SERMON IV. withstanding, there was a dangerous com- promise here. Men whose affections were thus won over to the Gospel parted with a shadow, rather than a substance. How plausibly, however, might a spirit of conceding nothing from the principles of earlier divines have been resisted, under the plea of its unfitness for existing circum- stances ! It might have been argued, that these fountains of national theology, however excel- lent, had failed of conciliating completely popular affection. Hence the lingering hold of Paganism upon minds which less unbend- ing courses would long have placed entirely above its fascinations. ' For the stealthy pro- gress of such insidious arguments, the times proved eminently favourable. The tenth cen- tury, every where disastrous, was in few re- gions more so than in England. Scandinavian piracy, during a large portion of that miserable age, restrained our distant ancestry from all considerations, but those of providing security for person and property. Nor was it among the least unhappy consequences of these northern incursions, that they were inces- santly directed to the plunder of monasteries. They thus at once diminished the national stock of intellectual treasures, and deprived contemplative minds of those retreats in which SERMON IV. 213 they could securely and leisurely seek after truth. It can excite no surprise, that England thus harassed, thus overspread with unwonted darkness^^ gradually followed the Italian po- licy^® of investing with a Christian character the more attractive features of exploded Gen- tilism. Her monuments, however, (we have the gratification of reflecting,) fix immoveably upon this unhappy weakness the character of novelty. They distinctly mark the time when image-worship was repudiated with indignant contempt and strongly expressed abhorrence. They supply a copious and irresistible body of negative testimony against the invocation of angelic and departed spirits. If our an- cient church admitted such an usage as a divine or apostolical tradition, whence arose her neglect of it in her offices and homilies ? No such abstinence appears in religious for- mularies posterior to her overthrow. Her principles then, were not the same as those which eventually prevailed. The dark and disastrous times of Anglo-Saxon history might, indeed, and undoubtedly did, undermine the steadfastness of individuals. But their spiritual nursing mother seems hardly chargeable with such departures from the traditions of pri- mitive antiquity. Her voice, fairly estimated p 3 214 SERMON IV. manifestly sanctioned appeals to Him alone, whose poSver to hear is unquestionable, and who has graciously pledged himself to grant the prayers of his faithful people in such a manner as " may be most expedient for them." PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS SERMON IV. ' " JDlVINITAS sine humanitate non est me- diatrix, humanitas sine divinitate non est media- trix : sed inter divinitatem solam, et humanitatem solam, mediatrix est humana divinitas, et divina humanitas Christi." S. Aurel. Aug. de Civ. Dei, lib. 9. cap. 15. Opp. edit. Benedict, tom. VII. col. 229. ' " Si omnes homines, quamdiu mortales sunt, etiam miseri sint necesse est, quserendus est medius, qui non solum homo, verum etiam Deus sit, ut ho- mines ex mortal i miseria, ad beatam immortalita- tem hujus medii beata mortalitas interveniendo perducat, quem non fieri mortalem oportebat, neque permanere mortalem." Expos. Div. Patris Augus- tini in 1 Ep. ad Tim. coUecta a Ven. Bed. Presb. cap. 2. Opp. tom. VI. col. 976. ' " Get thee behind me, Satan : it is written, Man shall worship his Lord, and him only shall he serve. It is written in the old Law, that no man shall pray to any thing, but to God alone : because no creature is worthy of that honour ; but he alone who is the maker of all things. To him only we ought to pray. He only is very Lord and very God. We desire intercession of holy men, that they will intercede for us to their Lord and our p4 216 PROOFS ANI) ILLUSTRATIONS Lord. Nevertheless, we do not pray to them as we do to God, nor will they suffer it ; as the angel said to John the Apostle, when he would have fallen at his feet : Do it not, how not thyself to me. I am God's servant, as thou art; pray to God only'' Horn. Dom. 1. in Quadrag. Wheloc. in Bed. p. 283. Mrs. Elstob's Transl. Pref. p. xlv. ■• !5e uton bibban mib innepeajibpe heoptan f>one selmihfcigan pealbenb* j-e J>e uj- mib maenigpealbjve m8e]%funge ealp^e hij- halgena nu to bsej geblijyobe- ■f he uj- geti'Sije genihtjnimnej-j-e hij- miltpinge • Jmjih heojia msBnijpealban Jjingpsebenum • ■^ pe on ecejie gephjje mib him blijyian • j^a ppa pe nu mib hpilpenblicpe Jjenunje hi puji'Sia'S. 8i pulboji ^ lop hselenbum cpiptc pe ]?e ip angin* ■] enbe* "] pcyp- penb- ^ alypenb ealpa halgena* mib ps&bep* "] mib halgum gapte* a a on eceneppe. [SC106N. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 24. Ex Hom. in Nat. Omn. SS. 219.) Sut come, let us pray, with inward heart, the almighty Ruler, who us, with the manifold cele" hration of all his saints, now to-day has made us happy ; that he would grant us the abundance of his mercy through their manifold intercession : that we may rejoice with them in the eternal vision; even as we now, with temporal service, honour them. Glory and praise he to Jesus Crist, who is the beginning, and end, and Creator, and Re- deemer of all the saints ; with the Father, cmd with the Holy Ghost ; for ever and ever. Amen. * Bibban pe nu men Jja untobeleblican J?pyneppe •^ pe mib ]?am benum Jjep halgepfcan y^T^&^ pancfce ceabban peon gepultumabe- •^ pe geeapman f pe magon becuman Co ]?am gepeppcipe haligpa bip- copa T eabigpa gapta- popgipenbum upum bpih- OF SERMON IV. 217 Cene hselenbum cpijtie • ye leopa'S '] pixa'S mib ]?am pjebep.* -J mib ]?am halijan gaj^a* in eallpe populba pojvulb. SOOeN. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 24. Ex Horn, in Nat. S. Ceaddse Ep. et Conf. f. 17.) Pray we now men the indivisible Trinity, that we, with the prayers of the most holy man, St. Chad, may be assisted; that we may so act as to come to the companionship of the holy bishop and happy spirit: our Lord Jesus Crist forgiving (us, or granting this), who liveth and reigneth with the Father, and with the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen. Uton nu bibban )?one pealbenban hselenb* -^ he Jjujih hip ms&pan pojijiynelep ^ puUuhfcejiep Jnn- gunge up gemilfcpie on anbpeajvbum hpe* "] to J>am ecan gela&be. Dam py pulboji "] lop mib paebeji* "] mib halgum gapte a on eceneppe. !S!CDGN. (Ex Hom. in Nativ. S. Joh. Bapt. in eod. cod. f. 34.) Come, now, pray (we) to the ruler Crist, that he, through intercession of his great fore-runner and haptiser, may have mercy upon us in the present life, and may lead us to the eternal (one.) To him be glory and praise, with the Father, and with the Holy Ghost ; for ever and ever. Amen. Uton nu bibban Jjone selmihtigan pealbenb •f hip eabiga apoptol up^e ]?ingepa beo ppa ppa he punobe hip gela]>unje bybel. 8y ]?am metobon bjiihtne pyjiSmynt "3 lop* a on eceneppe. SCIO. (Bibl. PubL Cant. MSS. Gg. 3—28. Ex Hom. in Pass. S. Andi?. Ap. p. 136.) Come, now, pray (we) the almighty Ruler, that his blessed Apostle our intercessor be^ even as he lived a herald (beadle Sax.) of his con- gregation. Be honour and praise to the Lord, the Creator ; for ever and ever. Am. " Deus, qui in tenebris Ecclesise, velut gemina- 218 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS turn lumen quo caveantur tenebrse, fecisti Petri la- crimasj Pauli literas choruscare ; concede huic fa- milise tuse felicia dona suis indefessis petitionibus obtinere. Amen." (Bibl. Publ. Cant. Pontificale. MS. Ee. 2. 3. f. 2.) " Omnipotens Deus, qui primitias martyrum in beati levitse Stephani sanguine dedicasti ; tribue, qusesumusj ut pro nobis intercessor existat, qui pro suis etiam persecutoribus exoravit Dominum. Da nobisj Domine, qusesumus, beati Stephani prothomartyris intercessione adjuvari ; ut qui pro suis exoravit lapidatoribus, pro suis intercedere dig- netur veneratoribus : per Dominum nostruin, Jesum Christum. DeuSj qui nobis beatissimorum Apostolorum, Petri et Pauh natalicia gloriosa prseire concedis, tribue, quaesumus, eorum semper et beneficiis prae- veniri, et orationibus adjuvari : per Dominum nos- trum. Deus, mundi creator et rector, qui hunc diem in levitse tui Laurentii, martyris, consecrasti, concede propitius, ut omnes qui martyrii ejus merita vene- ramus, ejus intercessionibus, ab aeternae gehennae incendiis liberemur : per." (Bibl. C. C. C. C. Por- tif. Oswald. MS. CCCXCI.) " Accepta tibi sint, Domine, hostrae oblationis libamina, quibus intersint Sancti Cuthberti conti- nua voti merita : per Dominum." (Ibid. CLXXXIII. MS. Missa S. Cuthberti.) This is a MS. of high antiquity, the characters being Saxon, and it is in excellent preservation. " Concede, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, ut qui beati Johannis Baptistae soUempnia colimus, ejus apud te intercessionibus muniamur." (Bibl. Bodl. OF SERMON IV. 219 MSS. Bodley. 579. f. 34.) This MS. is the cele- brated Uturgical book given to the Church of Exe- ter by Leofric, who died bishop of that see in 1073. The volume, which is, probably, much elder than the time of Leofric, is chiefly filled by the Sacra- mentary of Gregory the Great. ' " Kyrrie leyson. Christe eleyson. Domine miserere. Christe miserere. Miserere nobis, pie Rex, Domine Jesu Christe. Christe audi nos. Sancta Maria or. Sancte Michael or. Sancte Gabriel or. Sancte Raphael or. Omnis chorus angelorum oret pro nobis. Sancte Johannes Baptistaor. Omnis chorus patriarcharum oret pro nobis. Omnis chorus prophetarum oret pro nobis. SANCTE PETRE OR. Sancte Paule or. Sancte Andrea or. Omnis chorus Apostolorum oret pro nobis. Sancte Stephane or, Sancte Laurenti or. Sancte Vincenti or. Omnis chorus martirum oret pro nobis. Sancte Benedicte. Sancte Augustine. Omnis chorus confessorum oret pro nobis. Sancta Felicitas; Sancta Lucia. Sancta Tecla. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Omnis chorus virginum oret pro nobis. Omnes sancti orate pro nobis. Christe audi nos. Ab inimicis nostris defende nos Christe. AiBictionem nostram benignus vide. Dolorem cordis nostri respice clemens. Peccata popuH tui pius indulge. Orationem nostram exaudi Christe. Hie et in perpetuum nos custodire digneris Christe. FiH Dei vive miserere nobis. Exaudi nos Christe. Exaudi nos Christe. Kyrrie leyson. Christe eleyson. Domine miserere. Christe miserere. Miserere nobis pie Rex, Domine Jesu Christe. Christe audi nos." • (Bibl. Publ. Cant. Pontificale. MSS. LI. 2—10.) This beautiful, but imperfect MS. is referred by Nasmith to the thirteenth century. Among its contents may therefore be expected to occur in- stances of liturgical innovations. The practice of, invoking saints had then been^ for a considerable time, fully established, and of course it could hardly fail of appearing in litanies. Traces, however, of the more ancient usage are exhibited plainly enough by the litany printed above, in those general ad- dresses, with oret, which rebuke, at intervals^ the innovating spirit of the particular invocations. : It is hence shewn that a time had been when litur- gists doubted either the reason or the propriety, or both, of addressing prayers to members of God's invisible creation. , ; In the same MS. is another litany, in which, OF SERMON IV. 221 after mentioning Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, with an or. merely, we find " Omnes sancti angeli et archangeli orate pro nobis." This is followed by " Omnes sancti heatorum spirituum ordines orate pro nobis." There are also here these two additional clauses relating to the Virgin ; namely, " Sancta Dei genetrix or. — Sancta Virgo Virgi- num or." The number of saints likewise mentioned is much greater than in the litany given entire in this note. The Evangelists Luke and Mark ap- pear after the Baptist and the Apostles, the disciples of our Lord, also the holy innocents, and the saints Stephen, Clement, Alexander, Laurence, Vincent, Dionisius, Maurice, Lucian, Eustachius, Gervase, Prothasius, Marcellinus, Peter, Silvestsr, Martin, Augustine, Leo, Gregory, Just, Theodore, Dunstan, Romanus, Nicholas, leronimus, and Benedict. Then came the female saints, Mary Magdalene, Felicitas, Perpetua, Agatha, Agnes, Petronella, Lucia, Cecilia, Raddegundis, Batildis, and Eufemia. In this volume is also a service for ordeals, which invokes no saints but only the Trinity. A litany among the Cottonian MSS. in the Bri- tish Museum, (Tiberius, A. 3.) invokes the follow- ing English saints, Augustine, Dunstan, yElphege, Alban, Edmund, Edward, Swithin, Fursee, Cuth- bert, iEtheldryd, and Mildryd. ' " Deus, qui hodiernam diem beati regisque martyris tui Oswini sanguine consecrasti, concede propicius, ut qui victorise ipsius recolimus insignia, ipsi sociari mereamur in gloria, per." f. 72. " Deus, qui hodierna die beatum Oswinum re- gem participem fieri concessisti glorise angelorum. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS da nobis, quaesumus, universorum veniam peccato- rum, ut mereamur, ipso interveniente, cernere te in regno celorum." f. 74. " Protege, quaesumus, Domine, familiam tuam sancti Oswini regis que martyris patrocinio inniten- tem, que per intercessionem ejusdem protectoris nostri ab hostis defensam insidiis, in securitate con- stitue pacis que aeternse salutis. per." f. 75. " Deus, qui beatum Oswinum ad hoc predesti- nasti, ut per martyrium Ecclesife tuse splenderet lucerna salutis, ejus meritis a nobis expelle quseque obscura iniquitatis, nosque illumina claritate tocius honestatis." f. 75. " Largire supplicibus tuis, omnipotens Deus Pa- ter, cunctorum veniam facinorum, que quos facis beatissimi Oswini martyris tui solennitate, facias meritis que suffragiis celitus sublimari. per Domi- num." f. 75. " Pretiosam celebritatem beati regis que mar- tyris tui, Domine, Oswini, plebem recolentem, gra- tise tuse muneribus perfunde, ut cujus interest nata- liciis interesse mereatur que gaudiis. per Dominum." f. 76. " Qusesumus, omnipotens Deus, ut beati Oswini regis que martyris tui precibus tuam nobis justiciam placari sentiamus, cujus gloriosa certamina solenni devotione mereamur. per Dominum." f. 76- " Praesta, quaesumus, Domine Deus noster, ut sicut in solennitate sancti regis que martyris tui Oswini tua magnalia multipliciter veneramus, ita tuo munere cum eodem in celesti gloria perpetuo potiamur. per." f. 76. " Sancti regis que martyris tui Oswini solenni- OF SERMON IV. 223 tas, Domine, prosit familise tuse, ut per ipsum me- reamur percipere gaudia sempiternae gloriee. per Dominum -nostrum." f. 76. " Deus, qui beatum regem que martyrem tuum Oswinum multis que mirandis miraculis faeis cho- ruscare, fac nos ita ejus sacram solennitatem cele- brare, ut cum eo vitam possideamus eternam. per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum." f. 76. Bibl. C. C. C. Oxon. MSS. 1601.— Joan. Tinmouth. S. Reg. et Mart. Oswini Vita, cum Officiis pro ejus Festo. * In the index to Whelock's Bede, under the head Invocatio, may be seen numerous references to that work, from which it will appear plainly that the venerable father of English ecclesiastical his^ tory knew nothing of invoking saints. The Saxon homilies for festivals also, though written, in many cases, not long before the Conquest, very rarely make any allusion to such a practice. Of this ab- stinence in the prayers provided by our ancient Church, proofs are to be found in the three last notes. More proofs of the same kind are supplied by Whelock, (p. 497.) and by Dr. Hickes, in the Appendix to his Letters to a Popish Priest. The established views of Anglo-Saxon divines were, in- deed, utterly at variance with the principle of in- voking invisible members of God's creation ; as is shewn by an extract from a homily on Antichrist, printed by Whelock, (p. 495.) The homihst says of Antichrist : " He raiseth himself above all whom heathen men said to be Gods, in heathen wise : such as were Erculus the giant, and Apollinis, whom they thought a great god. Thor also, and Eowthen (Woden) whom heathen men celebrate 224 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS greatly. Over all these he raiseth himself alone ; because he thinks that he alone is stronger than all of them. And not only he raiseth himself above them all, but also above the Holy Trinity, which alone is to he supplicated, and celehrated, and ho- noured: that, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." 9 " Deus, qui beatse Mariae virginis utero Verbum tuum, angelo annunciante, carnem suscipere vo- luisti, prsesta supplicibus tuis, ut qui vere earn gene- tricem Dei credimus, ejus apud te intercessionibus adjuvemur : per eundem Deum. " Concede, qusesumus, Omnipotens Deus, ut inter- cessio nos sanctse Dei genetricis Mariae et beatarum omnium virtutum celestium, et sanctorum patriar- charum, prophetarum, apostolorum, martyrum, con- fessorum, atque virginum, et omnium electorum tuorum, ubique Isetificet, ut dum eorum merita re- colimus,patrociniasentiamus: per." (Bibl. C.C.C.C. Portiforium Oswaldi. MS. CCCXCI.) " Intercedente pro nobis santa Dei genetrice, Maria, auxilietur nobis Omnipotens Dominus. Amen. " Per intercessionem sanctse Dei genetricis Mariae in suo sancto servitio confortet nos Dominus." (Bibl. Bodl. Missal. Leofric. MSS. Bodley, 579. f. 10.) '° Dujih upe ealban moboji epan uy peap.'S heo- ponej- jiice)" geat belocen- ■] ept ]?uj\h mapian hit If uf geoponob. Dujih ■f heo j-ylp nu to ba&j^ pul- boppuUice mnpejxbe. (Bibl. Bodl, MSS. Junii 22. f. 186.) Through our old mother, Efa, the gate ofheaveiis hingdom was locked against us; and afterwards, through Maria, it is opened to us. Through it she herself, now, to day, gloriously en- tered. OF SERMON IV. 225 " " God, through his prophet, commanded us, that we should praise him and magnify him in his saints ; in whom he is wonderful. Much more it becometh, that we should honour him with songs of praise and glorious celebrations in this great fes- tival of his blessed mother. For, undoubtedly, all her honour is the praise of God."' Wheloc. in Bed. 449. " Sancta mapia ys&y xvi pintejv J>a heo cjup: acsenbe* ^ p'S'San heo paej* mib him xxxiu pintpa on mibban eajibe* "] heo leopobe xiui ;5eap aeptejv him heji on pojiulbe • ^ heo pa&p Ixiii pmtpa ]?a heo poji'Spejibe* -} pe hs&lenb ips&y J^jiittig pintjra pa hme man puUube. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius, A. 3. f. 42.) St. Maria was sixteen winters when she bore Crist, and afterwards she was with him thirty-three winters on the earth; and she lived fourteen years after him here in the world, and she was sixty-three winters when she departed; and Jesus was thirty winters when he was baptised. '^ CDaeben ip cpiptep mobopi • -] on ma&g'Shabe pu- nobe. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 22. Ex Hom. in Purif. S. Marise.) Maiden is Crisfs mother, and in maidenhead remained. ?fnb mapia hip moboji psep opeji-pceabepob J>uph mihte Jj^p halgan gapCep. peo yie^y ppa opep-pcea- bepob )?8et heo ps&p geclaenpob- 3 gepcealb pi's ealle leahtpiap- J?uph mihfce ]?8ep halgan gaptep- '^ mib heoponlicum gipum gepylleb ^ gehalgob. (Ibid.) And Maria, his mother, was overshadowed through might of the Holy Ghost. She was so oversha- dowed, that she was cleansed and protected against all vices,. through might of the Holy. Ghost, and with heavenly graces filed, and hallowed. Q. 226 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS " All men, as the Prophet saith, are conceived with unrighteousness, and born with sins : but our Saviour alone was conceived without unrighteous- ness, and without sins born." Wheloc. in Bed. 448. 14 a What shall we say concerning the natal time of Maria, but that she was procreated through a father and a mother, even as other men, and was born on the day which we call the sixth of the ides of September? Her father (was) called Joachim, and her mother, Anna ; religious persons under the old law. But we will not write any farther con- cerning them, lest we fall into errors." Wheloc. in Bed. 448. 15 ]\fij, gejiaeb on nanpe bee nanpe j"pufcelpe ge- pij'punge be hyjie geenbunge* buton J)set heo nu to bseg pulboj\pullice op Jjam lichaman jepat. Pyjie bypjeft ip pputol eallum onlocienbum o'S ^ipne an- bpeajxban bseg • on mibban bene lopaphaf peo bene ip betpux J)8&jie bune pion ^ ]?am munfce ohvefcr ^ peo byjigen ip asefceopeb open ^ semtig* "] ]?8ep on uppan on hyjve pup'Smynte ip ajiaejieb msejae cyjice mib punbeplican ptan gepophte. Nip nanum beab- licum men cvlS hu- o'SSe on hpilcepe Cibe* hype halga lichama J»anon gebpoben pa&pe* o'^e hpibep he ahapen py* o'SSe hpae'Sep heo op beabe apipe. Lpaebon Jjeah gehpylce lapeopap Jja&t hype punu pe ■Se on ]?am Jjpibban ba&ge mihtlice op bea'Se apap" \>dit he eac hip mobop lichaman op beabe apaepbe' "] mib unbeablicum pulbpe on heoponan pice gelo- gobe. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 22. Ex Hom. in Assumpt. S. Mariae, f. 183.) There is not read in any hooks any more certain information concerning her end, hut that she, now, to-day, gloriously Jrom the hody passed. Her tomh is manifest to all he- OF SERMON IV. 227 holders, to this present day, in the middle of the valley of losaphat : the valley is betwixt the mount Sion and the mount Oliveti, and the tomh is shewn open and empty, and thereupon, in her honour, is reared a great church, wrought with wondrous stones. It is not known to any mortal men, how, or at what time, her holy body was withdrawn thence, or whither it is raised, or whether she rose from the dead. Some learned men, however, have said, that her Son, who, on the third day, mightily from death arose ; that he also reared his mother's body from the dead, and lodged it with immortal glory in the heavenly kingdom. ■ Ppa&t pylle pe eop j-pySoji pecgan be ]?ippum pym- bel-bsege* buton •^ majiia cpiptep mobop peapS on ■Sippum baege op 'Sippum geppmcpullum lipe genu- men upp to heoppnan pice to hipe leouan punu Jje heo on hue abeap* mib f>am heo blippaS on ecepe myp'Se a to pop.ulbe. I/ip pe mape pecga'S be Jjip- pum pymbel-bEege J>onne pe on ]?ani halgum bocum pseba'S ]7e ]?uph gobep bihte gepetfce poepon* 'Sonne beo pe Jiam gebpolmannum gelice' J)e be heopa agenum bihte* o'SSe be ppepnum peola leapa ge- petnyppa appifcon. 'Re 'Sa geleappuUan lapeopap auguptinup- hiepommup- gpejopmp- ^ gehpylce oSpe Jjuph heopa pipbom hi fcopuppon. Synb ppa Seah gyt J>a bpolhcan bee s&i'Sep ge on leben- ge on enghpc- ■] hi pseba'S ungepabe menn. Irenoh ip geleappullum mannum to ps&benne ^ to pec- genne ^ f poS ip- ^ peapa ip pseyia manna Jje mage ealle J?a bee ]?e ]?uph gobep mu'S- o'S'Se ]?uph gobep gapt gebihte paepon pulppemebhce Suph-pmeagan. Laete gehpa apeg ]>& bpolhcan leapunge Ipe ]>a. unpaT pan to poppypbe la&ba'S- j pa&be gehpa o'SSe lypte a 2 228 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS ]>8ejie halgan lajie J»e uj- to heoponan jiice gepifj'a'S- 31F hi gehyjian pilla'S. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 121. ex Horn, in Assumpt. S. Mariae Virg. f. 159.) What shall we better say to you, on this festal day, than that Maria, Crisfs mother, was taken, on this day, from this painful life up to the kingdom of' heaven to her hehved Son, whom she ha,re, in life ; with whom she rejoiceth in everlasting mirth, world without end. If we say more of this festal day than we read in the holy books, which were composed, through God's inditement, then be we like the her retics, who have written, from their own indite- ment, or from dreams, many lying composition^. But the orthodox doctors, Augustinus, Hierani- mus, Gregorius, and such others, through their wisdom, overthrew them. There are, th6,ugh,yet heretical books, both in Latin and in English, and foolish men read them. Enough (it) is to ortho- dox men to read and say that which is truth : and few there are of those men who can perfectly con- sider through all the books which were indited through God's mouth, or through God's Spirit, Let every one throw away the heretical falsehoods which lead the unwary to destruction; and let every one read or hear the holy lore which directs us to the kingdom of heaven, if we will hear it. Whelockjhas printed, and translated into Latin, the greatest part of this last extract, (p. 172.) among his proofs of Anglo-Saxon care to encourage the reading of Scripture. It is also no dubious, author- ity for believing that our ancient Church admitted Holy Writ alone as the source of religious know- ledge. '* Nu 1]- hyjie nama gepeht hlaepbige* o'SSe cpen' OF SERMON IV. 229 o^e ]'!B-}'teoj\]aa. ]peo ly hlaepbije gecpa&ben • pop- San ]je heo cenbe Jjone hlapopb heoponap -] eop'San. ISnb heo ip cpen gecpeben- pop'San ]>e heo com op ]?ain a&'Selan cynne- '^ op J>am cynehcan psebe ba- uibep cynnep. Sae-pfceoppa heo ip gecpeben • pop- ■San J>e pae-pCeoppa on niht gecySe'S pcyp-h'Senbum mannum- hpybep byS eapt* ■] pepfc" hyjbeji yu'S ^ HOP'S. Spa J)onne peap'S J>uph 'Sa halgan psemnan pancta mapian gecy'Seb pe pihfce pi'Spaet to f>am ecan hpe ]?am J>e lange oep pa&tton on Jieopt^xum • "-j on bea'Sep pcuan • ^ on Jiam unptiUum ySum JJipep mibban eapbep" ■] a py^an pypton ealle hahje Jjone ppuman mibban eapdep "] enbe- ^ heopona picep pulbop ^ helle pite. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 22. Ex Horn, de Nativ. S. Mari*, f. 201.) JVow is her name rightly, Lady, or Queen, or Sea-star. She is called Lady, because she bare the Lord of heaven and earth. And she is called Queen, be- cause she came of a noble family, and of the Mngly seed of Davids family. Sea-star she is called, because the sea-star, at night, pointeth out to sea- faring men whither is east and west, whither south and north. So then was pointed out, through the holy Virgin, St. Maria, the right path to eternal life to them who long before sat in darkness, and in the shadow of death, and on the unquiet waves of this world: and ever since all holy (men) have known the beginning of the world, and the end, and the glory of the kingdom of heaven, and the punishment of hell. '' O'Spe maptipap on heopa hchaman Jrpopobon mapfcipbom pop cpipfcep geleapan- ac peo eabige mapia naep na hchamhce gemapCipob* ac hype pa- pul yysj ppi'Se geancpumob mib mycelpe J^popunge Q. 3 230 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS J>a ]?a heo j^ob bpeopig pojian ongean cjnytey jiobe* ■] hyjie leopa cilb gef eah mib ij-enum nseglum on heajibum tjxeope gepaejtrnob. Nu ip heo mape Jjonne maptip pop'San ]?e heo Jjpopobe ]?one map- tipbom on hype paple • J>e o'Spe maptipap fipopobon on heopa hchaman. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 22. f. 185.) Other martyrs in their bodies suffered mar- tyrdom for Crist s faith; hut the blessed Maria was not bodily martyred: hut her soul was very distressed with great suffering, when she stood mournful over against Crisfs cross, and saw her beloved child fastened with iron nails upon the hard tree. Noiv is she more than martyr, because she suffered martyrdom in her soul: the other martyrs suffered in their bodies. '* Dep pymbel-ba&2 opep-pfcihS unpi'Smetenhce ealpa o'Spa halgena ms&ppe-bagap* ppa micclum ppa 'Sip hahje mseben gobep mobop ip unpiSmeten- hc eallum oSpum ms&benum. Dep ppeolp-baeg ip up jeaphc • ac he ip heopon-papum pmgalhc. Be Jjyppepe heoponhcan cpene uppfcige pulbpabe pe halga gapt on loppangum • J>up beppmenbe. pps&t ip f>eop ]5e hep aptih'S ppylce apipenbe bseg-pima* ppa phtig ppa mona* ppa gecopen ppa punne* "] ppa egephc ppa pypb-tjiuma. 8e halja gapt punbpobe* pop'San J»e he bybe J>8et eall heopon-papu punbpobe }>yppepe psemnan uppsepelbep. CDapia ip phfcijpe Jjonne mona popSan Jje heo pcmS buton ateopunge hype beophtneppe. peo ip gecopen ppa ppa punne mib leoman heahcpa mihta • pop'San J)e bpihfcen pe ]7e ip pihtpipnyp pe punne hi geceap Co cennepfcpan. Pype psep ip piSmeten pypbhcum tTiuman popSan ]?e heo yi&y mib halgum maegnum ymbtpymeb- "] mib engla Jppeatum. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 22. OF SERMON IV. 231 f. 184.) This holiday surpasses incomparably the mass-days of all the other saints : so much as this holy maiden, God's mother, is not to he compared with all other maidens. This festal day is yearly to us, hut it is continual with the inhabitants of heaven. On this heavenly queen's ascent, the Holy Ghost gave glory in hymns ; thus asking : Who is this that here ascends like the rising dawn; as beauteous as the moon, as choice as the sun, as ter- rible as a warlike band'? The Holy Ghost won- dered, for he caused, that all heaven's inhabitants wondered {at) this virgins upward journey. Maria is more beauteous than the moon, because she shin- eth without intermission of her brightness. She is choice as the sun with rays of exalted power, be- cause the Lord, who is the sun of righteousness, chose her for a parent. Her journey is comparable with a warlike band, because she was with heavenly potentates escorted, and with companies of angels. '' " S. Ambrose speaketh thus to the water of Baptisme ; O aqua, quce humano aspersum san- guine, &c. O thou water, that haste washed the worlde, stained with man's bloude. O thou water, that deservedst to be a sacramente of Christe. Thou beginnest, thou fulfillest the perfite myste- ries, &c. Muste we needs thinke, bicause S. Am- brose thus speaketh unto, and calleth upon the water, that, therefore, either the water had eares, and hearde him ; or Christe himself was there cor- porally present in the water ?" Bishop Jewel's Re- plie unto M. Hardinges Answeare. Lond. 1566. p. 398. ^° '' Nee mirum, quidem, si nostrates tarde adeo, et tam pigre ad sanctorum imagines adorandas ve- a4 232 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS nerint, cum parcius sub hoc seculo (8. sc.) ad~ eos- dem ipsos preces efFudisse dieitur. Est enim mihi Psalterium Davidis sub temporibus Niceni Concilii II. vel mox inde, ut conjicitur exaratum : in quo ad finem uniuscuj usque Psalmi, et singularum sectio- num Psalmi CXIX. habetur oratio, (numero scil. 171.) nee inter eas omnes reperitur una aliqua ad Sanctorum aliquem designata, nee qua nomen divse Virginis3 vel Apostolorum alicujus, aut inferioris alterius Sancti meminit. Haud nego, tamen, ve- teres ipsos Saxones nostros, alias, cruces, (ut Ale- xandrini olim sub infantia Ecclesise,) Christianitatis symbolum, alias, Sanctorum imagines, ad memo- riam, ornamentum, reverentiam, et exemplum pie- tatis exhibuisse. Vide donum Inae Regis Occid. Sax. infra hie in ann. Dom. 725. Crebra fuit sub hoc tempore, (Canut. R. A. D. 1032. aut circ.) beatse Virginis, et Sanctorum in- vocatio, quam et in Litania publica (tertio repeti- tam) jam invenio, proxime post imploratam sanctae Trinitatis misericordiam, vir. Sancta Maria or a pro nobis. Sancta Dei genitrix ora pro nobis. Sancta Virgo virginum ora pro nobis. Sequitur etiam ad archangelos, et coelestium animarum coe- tum reliquum nominatim provocatio, more hodierno in Romana Ecclesia." Spelman. Cone. I. pp. 218, 537. The Psalter of which Sir Henry Spelman speaks in the former of these extracts was published by his son in 1 640. The learned editor thus mentions the prayers to which his father alludes. " Cum vero in Codice nostro, itemque in MS. CoUegii * Trinitatis, ad finem Psalmi uniuscujusque optimse reperiuntur pi'eces, in animum Psalmi cujusvis OF SERMON IV. 233 compositae, nos, quamvis ad linguae Saxonicse no- titiatn, nihil prorsus conducant, eas tamen publi- candas sequum duximus. Turn ut librum ipsum fideliter recitemus, turn ut autiquioris Ecclesiae An- glicanse praxin synceram ob oculos ponamus, quae sub illo tempore, ut videtur, nee beatorum animas, nee beatissimam Virginem Mariam, nee erueem Domini adorandas docuit. Namque inter preces plus minus centum et septuaginta, ne minima qui- dem intercessio reperitur, nisi quae soli Deb, ipsique immediate praestatur. In his concessions. Sir Henry appears to have been somewhat too liberal ; especially since he cites no authority for them, besides King Ina's grant to Glastonbury ; which he has printed in p. 227. Of this instrunient he has observed, that the year of our Lord and that of the indiction do not agree in it. ' There are also other internal marks of forgery, and it is notorious that monastic for- geries of this kind are almost innumerable. With reference to crosses and images^ however, there is no occasion to be particular with Ina's alleged grant ; for it does not mention such things. The notice taken of them is found in a piece of history appended to the grant, and not claiming a coeval date. In this historical notice, we are told, that Ina lined a chapel at Glastonbury with gold and silver plates, and that his images, with all other of his gifts, were upon a scale of corresponding mag- nificence. It is needless to say any thing more of his liberality, or to shew the little value of such accounts, as evidences of iconolatry in the time of Ina. " Ufcan bihban nu J>8et eabi3e ^ Jjset gefselige 234 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS maeben maTiian- Jjset heo uf gejjinjie to hyjie agenum j-una- ^ to hyjie ]-cyppenbe hselenbe cjiiyte' j-e ]?e gepylt ealpa Jjinga* mib psebep* ■] mib halgan jajte* a on ecenepj-e. !Smen. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 22. Ex Horn, in Purif. S. Marise.) Come, pray now that blessed and that happy maiden Maria, that she would intercede for us to her own Son, and to her creator, Jesus Crist ; who ruleth (over) all things, with the Father and with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen. OQme gebpo'Sjia J)a leopejtan • ufcon clypian mib pingalum benum to J>s&pe halgan gobep mebep* ]?8et heo up on upum neab]?eappnyppum to hyjie beapne ge'Sin^ie. pit ip ppy^e geleaplic J>D&t he hype micclep 'Singep ti]7ian pylle pe J»e hyne pylpne gemebemobe Jjset he J)uph hi pop mibban eapbep alypebneppe to mennipcum menn acenneb pupbe* pe ]7e seppe ip gob buton angmne " ^ nu ]?uph-puna^ on anum habe po'S man • ^ po'S gob • a on eceneppe* ppa ppa gehpilc man puna's on paple "] on hchaman an man • ppa ip cpipt gob ^ man an ha&lenb • pe Jje leopa'S ^ pixa'S mib ps&bep "] halgum gapte on ealpa populba populb abutan enbe. Sm. (Ex eod. cod. f. 189.) My beloved brethren, come call with con- tinual prayers to the holy mother of God, that she would intercede for us in our necessities to her child. It is very credible that he will yield to her great intercession, who demeaned himself, that he, through her, for the world's redemption, was born among human beings: who is ever God without beginning, and now continueth in one person, true man and true God, for ever and ever : even as every man liveth in soul, and in body, one tnan, so is Crist, God and man, one Saviour; who liveth OF SERMON IV. 235 and reigneth with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen. It is worthy of remark, that the second extract in note 15, upon this Sermon, an extract so plainly levelled against unscriptural statements, is thus fol- lowed in the MS. Ufcon nu geopnlice bibban Jja eabigan majxian • J>e nu to ba&i psef ahapen ^ geu- pejiob bupon en^le ]p]aymne' "^ heo up Jjinjie to f>am aslmihfcigan gobe* pe ]?e leopa'S '] pixa'S on ealjia populba populb. TCmen. Come, now, ear- nestly pray the blessed Maria, who, to-day, was raised and exalted ahove the majesty of angels, that she would intercede for us to the Almighty God, who liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen. ' But then it is manifest, from the position of this last passage, at the very end of the homily, that it is not unlikely to be the addition of an age subsequent to that in which the body of the homily was written. " '^- It must appear obvious, that individual usage was likely to pave the way in this as in other in- stances for public innovation. In the case, how- ever, of invoking saints, this conclusion is confirmed by the ancient Portiforium Oswaldi, in the MS. library of C. C. C. C. (No. CCCXCI.) already cited. At the end of this interesting volume, which contains such numerous proofs, that the public prayers of our ancient Church addressed God only, is a series of prayers invoking saints, but attached to no particular services. Hence it seems not an unreasonable conjecture, that they were provided for the private use of persons who had acquired a taste for the Italian fashion of calling upon the dead. It should be remarked of this MS. that po- 236 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS sitive reliance cannot be placed upon it in all its parts, there being numerous erasures and substitu- tions in it. Hence it is riot improbable, that had it come down to us exactly as the original scribe left it, we might find in it even more testimonies against Romish innovations than it now supplies. Another reason for conjecturing that individuals first used the invocation of saints in their private de- votions appears to flow from the following conclu- sion of a penitential prayer. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cot- ton. Tiberius, A. 3. f. 46.) Nu ic bibbe halpge J)a heoponlican' ps&mnan* Sancfca majxian- j^ilce ic michael- ^ gabpiel- ^ Raphael- lohannej" ^ Pe- tyiuy ^ Pauluj-- ^ Snbpeaf lohannej- • ^ lacobuj-- 1 CiOatheu)" ^ Philippuj" "] Baptholomeup- Tho- maj-- "J lacobuj" Simon- ^ Tabbeuj-. Nu ic hal- j-ige J>a cjnytey Jiejnaj- pojv heopa ealboplican j-etle •f ge me j-ynpulne man ne j-ceabon on ]>a eapmpul- lan Jjypfcpa pop minum ypelum peopcum. N^ow I pray, beseech the heavenly virgin, St. Maria ; as I (do) Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, Jo- hannes, and Petrus, and Paulus, and Andreas, Johannes, and lacobus, and Matheus, and Philip- pus, and 'Bartholomeus, Thomas, and lacohus, Si- mon, and Taddeus. Now I pray the servants of Crist, through their princely seat, that ye repel not me, a sinful man, into miserable darkness, for my evil works. '^ " Ave Rex gentis Anglorum, Milesque Regis angelorum, Rex Oswine, flos martyrum, Velut rosa, vel lilium, Funde preces ad Dominum Pro salute fidelium." OF SERMON IV. 237 (Bibl. C. C. C. Oxon. MSS. 1601. S. Reg. et Mart. Oswini Vita cum Officiis.) f. 77 . As this MS. has no appearance of very high an- tiquity, there can be little doubt that the offices were transcribed from some older volume or vo- lumes. The hymns, therefore, are very likely to be less ancient than the prayers. The latter, in- deed, as being portions of established rituals, were not very readily susceptible of innovation. But a superstitious fancy might esteem it perfectly lawful to introduce among them some metrical embellish- ments according to its own taste. '''' The following may be taken as an example of this innovation in its greatest excess. " De Omnibus Sanctis. Ad Vesperum. Ave Maria gr a. Beata mater, et innupta virgo, gloriosa regina mupdi, intercede pro nobis ad Do- minum. O post partum virgo inviolata. Sancte Michael, archangele, defende nos in prse- lio, ut non pereamus in tremendo judicio. In con- spectu angelorum psallam tibi. Inter natos mulierum. — Fuit homo missus a Deo cui nomen. — Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram. . Sancte Paule, Apostole, prsedicator veritatis, et doctor gentium, intercede pro nobis ad Deum qui te legit. Andreas, Christi famulus, dignus Deo Apostolus, germanus Petri, et in passione socius. In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum.. Sacerdos Domini, Martine, pastor egregie, ora pro nobis Deum. Ora pro nobis, beate Benedicte, ut digni efficia- mur promissione Christi. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Sancte Cuthberte, confessor Christi venerande, adesto nostris precib. plus et propitius. Beate Birine, praedicator egregie, succurre nobis tua sancta intercessione. Sancte Swithune, gloriose confessor Christi, ora pro peccatis nostris ad Dominum. O beate Judoce, magile fldestua", intercede pro nobis ad Deum qui te elegit. Beata ^theldryd, virgo Dei electa, intercede pro peccatis nostris, omniumque populorum. Offerentur regi virgines. — Exultentjusti. — Ljiopobe mib cenum mobe manipealbe Cintjvegum • mib ]?am he ojtpojxhlice on ecenejje pulbpa'S. 7i.Q). Come, now, pray with humble voice the holy martyr of God, Larentius, whose festal tide of all the be- lieving congregation this present day declares ; that he intercede for us with the heavenly Mng,for whose name he suffered, with resolute mind, mani- fold torments : with whom he is securely glorified in eternity. Am. As the beautiful MS. from which this extract was made is written in a hand making considerable approaches to the black letter church - text, of an age posterior to the Saxon period, it is most probably a volume transcribed, before the Saxon tongue had become obsolete, from one of higher antiquity. If such be the fact, and the case is hardly doubtful, additions would be not unlikely to be made, in compliance with prevailing habits and opinions ; and such could be made no where so conveniently, as at the conclusions of the several pieces. There are, however, very few appearances of such liberties ; the volume bearing, for the most part, very plain negative testimony against the in- vocation of saints, by its general abstinence from such suspicious conclusions. ^^ " Confiteor Domino Deo coeli, et omnibus Sanc- tis ejus, et tibi, castissima ac beatissima virgo Maria; quia peccavi nimis in factis, in verbis, in cogita- tione, in locutione, in poUutione, mentis et corporis, et omnibus operibus pravis, quibus homo mortalis peccare potest. Ideo precor te, sanctissima Dei ge- netrix Maria, omnesque sanctos et electos Dei, ut oretis ad Deum pro me miserrimo, et peccatore- Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius, A. 3. f 107. 240 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS =* In S. Mich. Archang. Orat. Adesto plebi tuse misericors Deus, et ut gratiae tuee benefiqia potiora percipiant, beatis Michaelis archangel! fac suppHcem deprecationibus sublevari. per :•' (Bibl. C C, C. C. Portif. Osw. MS.) . In f. 7. of Leofric's Missal, in the Bodleian Li- brary, are also four prayers to God, supplicating for his aid, through, the , intercession of St. Michael. But these contain no address to the archangel per- sonally. ^' " God's saints are angels and men. Angels are spirits without bodies. Concerning them we fear to speak many things ; because it (belongs) to God alone? to know how their invisible nature, with- out any contamination or diminution, coatinueth in eternal purity." Wheloc. in Bed. p. 313. "' Egwin, who became bishop of Worcester to- wards the close of the seventh century, has been charged by Bale, and the Centuriators of Magde^ burg, with the introduction of image-worship into England. This prelate is said to have seen, in a dream, three female figures, one of whom he took for the Virgin Mary, and by whom . he was en- joined to erect a monastery, and to place her image in it, Egwin built, in consequence, the monasteiy of Evesham ; that place being the scene of his vision. He then went to Rome, obtained there a ratification of the privileges of his monastery, an approbation of his dream, and a promise of a lega- tine council in England, for naturalizing the wor- ship of images. The story goes on to say, that the promised council was holden in London, in the year 710, and that it agreed, of course, to the wor- OF SERMON IV. 241 ship of images. Now, under the name of this Egwin, we certainly have an instrument, printed in the various editions of the councils, shortly men- tioning the dream, and enumerating various estates with which Evesham abbey was endowed, together with privileges claimed by the monks of that house. This paper, however, even if genuine, which it most probably is not, would make nothing for iconolatry : no mention of images occurring in it. As for the alleged council of London, Bede, who lived in the time when it is reported to have sitten, says not one word about it. No such council, therefore, in all probability, ever assembled. The papal legate also, to whom is attributed the direction of this pre- tended council, was Boniface ; the pope who sent him over, Constantine. Now this Boniface was most probably no other than Winfrid, archbishop of Mentz, an Englishman, who long acted as legate of the Roman see upon the continent. But it is certain that he was never legate to Constantine. Thus the whole account is palpably nothing more than a legendaiy tale. Its falsity likewise appears from the facts detailed in notes 10, 11, and 1 2, upon the last Sermon : these being wholly inconsistent with English iconolatry, at the close of the very century which is reported to have seen its establish- ment. This usage, therefore, like other innova- tions, must be supposed to have made its way by slow and almost imperceptible degrees, until it had gained sufficient possession of the public mind to challenge a conspicuous place among the duties of piety. Spelman. Cone. 211. Innett's Orig. Anglic. I. 145. Wharton. Angl. Sacr. I. 470. '' Oswald, king of Northumberland, upon the 242 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS eve of an important battle, caused a cross to be erected, in honour, Bede says, of God, and falling upon his knees before it, offered his own private prayers to the Father of mercies for success. He then exhorted all his soldiers to bend their knees, and join him in a common prayer to the living, true, and Almighty God. In all this there is no- thing more than a demonstration of Oswald's an- xiety to propitiate the favour of Heaven, by going into battle under a solemn profession of the Chris- tian religion. These words of Bede, however, are amplified, perhaps, injudiciously by a homilist of later times. He makes the king say, " Come, let us fall to the cross, and pray Almighty God." An- other homilist, finding probably in such language a tendency to mislead, admonishes the people that they should by no means bend to the cross itself, but only to him who hung upon it. ' Such admoni- tions, however, at length were forgotten, or ex- plained away, and before the Normans came, the people whom they conquered had learnt to bend to the cross itself, being taught indeed to do this in the Saviour's name : a caution, possibly, not insuf- ficient with the discerning few, but certainly useless as to the uninformed and unreflecting many. Whe- loc. in Bed. p. 165. 3° Da appat fe Eelmihciga 30b him tpa jtaenene pexbjxebu mib a^enum pnjpie ■ on Jjam paepon apjntene tyn pojib • ■f jynb tyn ajlice beboba. Da&yia pojiba pa&jion ]?jieo on anpe Cabulan apjvitene" ■;) peopon on jjaspe o'Sjie. Daefc pojime bebob ip' Dpihten Jjin 30b xy an 30b. Daet o'Seji popb ip- Ne unbeppoh 'Su }?mep bjuhtenep naman on ybel- nyppe. DaeC jjpibbe popb ip. Beo Jju gemynbig f OF SERMON IV. 243 Jju Jjone p.ej'Cen-bseg ppeolj-ije. Daj- Jjpeo pojib j-tobon on anjte tabulan. On Jjaepe o'Spe tabulan fSdf "p popme bebob • Sppujx'Sa ]?inne paebep "] Jjine moboji. Daefc o'Seji bebob* Ne ha&m Ipu unpihtlice. Dset Jrjiibbe • Ne opj-leh )?u man nan. Daefc peoji'Se- Ne jt:ala ]ju. Ds&fc yrpte- Ne beo J>u leaj- gepita. Da&t pxte" Ne gepilna J>u oSjiep mannep pipep. Da&t peopo'Se* Ne gepilna J>u o'Sjiep mannep sehfca. Dap tyn beboba pynb eallum mannum gepette to gehealbenne. (Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li.— 4— 6. Ex Serm. de Lege Dei, in media Quadragesima, p. 170.) Then wrote the almighty God for him two stone tablets with his own finger ; on which were written ten words, which are the ten legal com- mandments. Of these words, were three on one tabula written, and seven, on the other. The first commandment is : The Lord, thy God, is one God. The other word is: Take not thou thy Lord's name in vain. The third word is : Be thou mind- ful, that thou keep as a holiday the resting-day. These three words stood on one tabula. On the other tabula, the first commandment was : Honour thy father and thy mother. The other command- ment: Copulate not thou unrightly. The third: Slay thou no man. The fourth : Steal not thou. The fifth: Se not thou a false witness. The sixth: Covet thou not another man's wife. The seventh : Covet thou not another man's property. These ten commandments are set for all men to hold. A like version of the Decalogue, with a commen- tary, is found in ^Ifric's second epistle, Quando Dividitur Crisma; of which a copy is preserved in the Bodleian Library, among the Junian MSS. (121. f. HI.) and in the library of C. C. C. C. r2 84.4 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS among archbishop Parkers MSS. (CXC.) Among the Cottonian MSS. in the British Museum (Vespa- sian, D. 14. f. 10.) is also a Saxon copy of this trun- cated Decalogue, with a short commentary upon each commandment. Against the place where the second ought to stand, is written, in a hand probably of the sixteenth century, Ubi tamen erit pfcecept. non fades sculptile f Of ^Ifric's version of the Decalogue, in his Hep- tateuch, or five books of Moses, with the books of Joshua and Judges, published in 1698, by Edward Thwaites, of Queen's college, Oxford, from a MS. in the Bodleian Library, the following is a literal translation, (p. 84.) 1 . God spake thus. 2. / am the Lord, thy God*. 4. Work thou not the graven gods. 5. Nor honour (them.) / punish the fathers unrighteousness on (his) children. 6. And I do mercy to them who love me, and hold my commandments. 7- Take thou not the Lord's name in vain. He shall not he guiltless who taketh his name in vain. 8. Hal- low the resting-day. 9. Work six days all thy work. 10. The seventh is the Lord, thy God's rest- ing-day : work thou no work on that day ; nor any of those who are with you. 11. In six days, God wrought heaven, and earth, and sea, and all the things which are in them, and rested the seventh day, and hallowed it. 12. Honour father and mother. 13. Slay not thou. 14. Sin not thou. 15. Steal not thou. 16. Be not thou as a false testi- mony against thy neighbour. 17. Covet thou not thy neighbour's house ; nor thou, his wife ; nor his male-slave ; nor his female-slave ; nor his ox ; nor his ass ; nor any of those things which are his. OF SERMON IV. 245 For more modern instances of mutilated Deca- logues, see Hist. Ref. II. 529, 530 ; III. 298 ; IV. 488. 3' " DECALOGVS. " Dnhten uuses sprecende daes uuord to Moyse, and thus cuuaeth : Ic eom Dnhten thin God, ic the utgelsedde of ^Egiptalond, and of heora theouudom. — Ne lufa thu othre fremde Godas ofer me. — Ne minne noman ne cig thu on idlenesse ; forthon the thu ne bist unscildig uuith me, gif thu on idelnesse cigst mmne noman. — Gemyne that thu gehalgie thone restedaeg. Uuyrceath eouue syx dagas, and on tha seofothon restath eouue, thu and thin sunu, and thine dohter, and thin theouue, and thine uuilne, and thin uueorcnyten, and se cum a the bith binnan thinum durum. Forthon on syx dagas Crist geuuorhte heofonas and eorthan, saes, and alle ges- ceafta the on him sint ; and he gerest on thone seo- fothan dsege, and forthon Dryhten hme gehalgode. — Ara thinum feeder, and dinre meder, tha the Dnhten sealde the, that thu sy thy leng libbend on eorthum. — Ne slea thu. — Ne stala thu. — Ne liege thu dearnunga. — Ne ssege thu lease geuuitnesse uuith thinum nehstan. — Ne uuilna thu thines neh- stan yrfes mit unriht. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii. 39. Decalogi, Orationis, Symholi, Saxonica Kersio ve- tustissima : Marq. Freheri notis exposita. Typis Gotthardi Voegelini. Anno cb b ex. The MS. probably was transcribed by Junius, from some rare printed tract.) The Lord was speaking these words to Moyses, and thus quoth : I am the Lord thy God, I thee out-led of Egipfs land, and of their slavery. — Love thou not other strange gods before me. — Tahe not my name in vain, for thou r3 246 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS heest not guiltless with me, if thou in vain tdkest my name. — Mind that thou hallow the resting~day. Work you six days, and on the seventh, rest you, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy ser- vant, and thy maid, and thy working cattle, and the comer that heeth within thy doors. For in six days Crist wrought heavens and earth, seas and all creatures that in them are ; and he rested on the seventh day, and therefore the Lord it hal- lowed.- — Honour thy father and thy mother, that the Lord gave thee, that thou he a long liver on the earth. — Slay not thou. — Steal not thou. — Lie not thou secretly. — Say thou not false witness a- gainst thy neighbour. — Covet thou not thy neigh- hour's substance with unright. '" King Alfred was sent to Rome, with a splendid train, in the fifth year of his age. Two years after- wards, namely, in 855, he went again to the ponti- fical city, with his father, Ethelwulf. That prince greatly preferred him to his elder brothers, and it is affirmed by most of our old historians, that pope Leo anointed him king, in his first visit to the an- cient capital of Europe, at Ethelwulf s especial request. As it is certain, however, that Alfred as- sumed not the sceptre until death had removed his elder brothers out of his way, some writers have conjectured that he merely received confirmation (with chrism, of course) at the hands of the Pope. Others, again, represent that Leo, being guided by a divine impulse, anointed him king, as Samuel did David, not with any view of conferring upon him immediately the royal dignity, but because he fore- saw that it would eventually fall to him. Of this notion it is needless to say any thing. Of the OF SERMON IV. 247 former view it must be observed, that confirmation was usually administered, in that age, immediately after baptism ; hence Alfred, young as he was, had most likely partaken of that rite before his depar- ture from England ; and that our ancient chroni- clers represent him as having been anointed king at Rome. Dr. Ingram thus renders the account of this transaction, in the Saxon Chronicle : " The same year king Ethelwulf sent his son, Alfred, to Rome ; and Leo, who was then Pope, consecrated him king, and adopted him as his spiritual son." ("] hme to bifcop-j-una genam.) (p. 94.) Now this fashion of adoption, on the part of illustrious per- sons, was an ordinary compliment in Alfred's time. Thus Charles Martel sent his son, Pepin, to Luit- prand, king of the Lombards, begging hjm to adopt that young prince as his son, and to clip his hair, according to the Lombardic mode : the receiving of locks of hair being the customary token of these adoptions. Constantine Pogonatus also sent locks of the hair of Justinian and Heraclius to pope Be- nedict II. It is not improbable that Ethelwulf de- sired this compliment of the Pope in behalf of his favourite son, Alfred; and that the circumstance in that celebrated monarch's early history, which has given rise to so much discussion, is nothing more than an intimation that this desire was granted. Nor is it unlikely that Ethelwulf likewise wished Leo to anoint his most beloved son. Pepin's usurp- ation of the French crown, under papal advice, was a transaction comparatively recent, and Ethelwulf, probably, reasoned, that if a similar sanction could be obtained, it would enable him to make a suc- cessor of his own youngest and best-beloved' child. r4 248 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS It is besides reasonable to suppose, that Ethelwulf really entertained an unusual degree of veneration for the Roman see ; his earlier life having been spent in a monastery, and his habits, at all times, being best adapted for such an abode. But what- ever may be the true reason of Alfred's first visit to Rome, and the true mode of explaining the com- pliments which he received there from the Pope, it is certain that his receptioUj and the whole journey, must have impressed his expanding mind with most agreeable recollections. These, too, were strength- ened after the lapse of only two years ; and thus he could hardly have failed to contract a habit of looking favourably upon every thing Roman. The deutero-Nicene decrees were of this description ; and hence it is no wonder that he received with little or no examination, such versions of the Deca- logue as the patrons of these decrees felt themselves driven to publish. Spelman. yElfred. M. Vita. Oxon. 1678. pp. 4, 5. Turner's Hist. Angl. Sax. I. 492. " The following is a literal version of king Al- fred's Decalogue. (Spelman, Cone. p. 354.) 1. The Lord was speaking" these words to Moyses, and thus saith : I am the Lord, thy God. I led thee out from JEgipts land, and from their slavery. Love thou not other strange gods over me. 2. Utter not thou my name in vain : for thou beest not guiltless with me, if thou in vain utterest my name. 3. Mind that thou hallow the resting-day. Work you six days, and on the seventh, rest you ; thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy slave, and OF SERMON IV. 249 thy maid-servant, and thy working cattle, and the comer who is within thy doors : for in six days Crist wrought the heavens and the earth, seas, and all creatures that in them are, and rested himself on the seventh day ; and therefore the Lord hal- lowed it. 4. Honour thy father and thy mother, whom the Lord gave thee, that thou be a long-liver on the earth. 5. Slay not thou. 6. Steal not thou. 7. Lie not thou secretly. 8. Say not thou false witness against thy neigh- hour. 9. Desire thou not thy neighbour's inheritance with unright. 10. Work thou not golden gods, or silver en. It is worthy of remark, that the various mutila- tions of the Decalogue are a plain departure from the traditions which ancient England was taught by her great scriptural authority. Bede, as will ap- pear from the following extract, although doubtful as to the most accurate mode of enumerating the Commandments, and inclining to fanciful views in the explanation of them, yet ventures not upon withholding any one of their number. " Primum mandatum pertinet ad Deum Patrem, dum dicit. Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, non ha- hebis Deos alienos ; non fades tibi sculptile ; et reliqua. Utique ut hsec audiens, fornicatione tua in multos Deos non offendas. Secundum pertinet ad Filium, ubi dicit, non assumes nomen Dei tui in vanum : id est, ne existimes creaturam esse Fi- lium Dei, quoniam omnis visibilis creatura vanitati 250 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS subjecta est. Tertium mandatum, de Sabbato, ad Spiritum Sanctum pertinet, cujus domo requies no- bis sempiterna promittitur. Per donum autem Spi- ritus sanctificamur : unde et hie dicitur. Memento ut diem sabbati sancti/ices. In sex ergo aetatibus hujus mundi operamur, quasi in sex diebus; in sep- tima die, hoc est, in fine hujus mundi, requies nobis seterna tribuetur. Post tria praecepta septenarius succedit numerus, pertinens ad amorem proximi, et incipit ab amore parentum, a quibus in hac vita su- mimus exordium. Hoc autem mandatum in ordine est quartum, sed tamen ex septem est primum. Unde juxta Evangehum dicitur primum : primum enim est in altera tabula. Fortasse ideo non una, sed duae tabulae dictae sunt, quia decem mandata haec ad dilectionem Dei pertinent et proximi. Quin- tum est, Mon occides ; sextum, Non mcechaberis ; septimum, Non furtwm fades ; octavum, Nonfal- sum testimonium- dices; nonum, Non concupisces uxorem proximi tui; decimum, Non concupisces rem-proximi tui. Aut certe sic distinguendum, ut sit primum mandatum, Non habebis Decs alienos : secundum, Non fades tibi sculptile ; tertium, Non assumes, et sic per ordinem, donee conjungatur illud ubi dicit, Non concupisces domum proximi tui, nee desiderabis uxorem ejus." Bedse Ven. Presb. in Exod. Expos, cap. 20. Opp. tom. IV. col. 130. 3+ St. Matt. xix. 8. Romish writers commonly are unwilling to admit this respecting image-wor- ship. Hence they abandon unceremoniously to their fate the visions of Egwin and the council of London ; relations which would prove that image- worship was not introduced into England until more than a century after the death of Augustine. OF SERMON IV. 251 They infer, howeverj that the Kentish apostle in- troduced this practice himself, from the fact that he and his brother missionaries advanced towards Ethelbert, bearing a silver cross as a banner, and a picture of Christ. "' At illi non dcemonia- ca, sed divina virtute prtediti veniehant, crucem pro vexillo ferentes argenteam, ei imaginem Do- mini Salvatoris in tabula depictam, letaniasque canentes pro sua simul et eorum propter quos, et ad quos venerant, salute ceterna, Domino suppli- cahantr (Bed. Hist. Eccl. p. 76.) That the mis- sionaries offered any kind of worship to these ob- jects is not even hinted. Nor are there any traces in Bede of such worship offered by any others. The conduct of Augustine, in fact, was evidently dictated merely by a desire to make a- favourable impression upon Ethelbert, and those around him, on his introduction to that- prince. Perhaps, also, he wished that a people who had not been used to mental images of the cross and the Saviour should see representations of both. See Inett's Orig. Angl. I. 256. Spelman, Cone. I. 217. ^^ Among the petitions of a Litany in Leofric's Missal, (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Bodley, 579. f. 267.) we find, accordingly, the following one ; TJt Pagano- rum sevitiam comprimere digneris. 3* The existence of English paganism in the reign of Alfred is shewn by the first two of his ec- clesiastical laws ; the latter of which imposes pe- nalties upon apostates from Christianity, and even upon those who give any encouragement to Gentile superstitions. This second law was soon afterwards renewed by Edward the Elder. That heathendom, as it was called, long, however, resisted even these 25a PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS civil provisions against its continuance, is attested by the forty-seventh among the laws of the Nor- thumbrian priests : a body of canons referred by Spelman to the year 988. or thereabouts. Spelman, Cone. 376, 391, 499. Labb. et Coss. IX. 514, 683, 727. " Nif nanum cjnj-fcenum menn alypeb f he hif hsele gepecce set nanum tpeope buton hit py halig pobe-tacn- ne set nanum ptope buton hit py halig gobep hup. 8e J>e ellep be^S he bejae'S untpyhce hs&Sengylb. (Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li. —1—33. Ex Hom. in Pass. S. Barth. Ap. p. 175.) It is not to any Christian men permitted that they seek their health at any tree, unless it he the holy cross ; nor at any place, unless it he God's holy house. He who doth otherwise, he practiseth, undoubtedly, heathenism. See also the Homily on the Catholic Faith, p. 62. 38 ft Veruntamen literarum et religionis studia setate procedente obsoleverunt, non paucis ante ad- ventum Normannorum annis. Clerici literatura tu- multuaria contenti, vix sacramentorum verba balbu- tiebant : stupori et miraculo erat cseteris qui gram- maticam nosset." "Willelm. Malmesburien. de Wil- lelm. I. inter Scriptores post Bedam. p. 57. ^9 That the religious use of images was natural- ized to the Anglo-Saxon Church from Italian in- fluence and example, admits of no doubt. The following hymn, which is among the transcripts of Junius in the Bodleian Library, (107. f. 25.) will shew that the invocation of saints likewise was im- ported into England from Rome. As it stands in the MS. there is no appearance of metrical order, even in the Latin, and the Saxon is OF SERMON IV. 353 placed as an interlinear version. An attempt has been made to remedy the former defect, and the same arrangement has been adopted with the Saxon. " Hymnus de Sancto Stephano. Sancte Dei pretiose Proto-martyr Stephane, Qui virtute caritatis Circumfultus undique Dominum pro inimico Exorasti populo ; Funde preces pro devoto Tibi nunc coUegio, Ut tuo propitiatus interventu, Dominus nos purgatos a peccato Jungat coeli civibus. Gloria et honor Deo Usquequo altissimo, Una Patri, Filioque, Et inclito Paraclito ; Cujus honor et potestas Per seterna saecula." Gala 'Su haliga gobej* beojapup'Se 8e pojima cy'Sepe* Du ]7e on mihfce po'Sjie lupe Unbeppjreo'Sob aeghpanone Dfuhten poji peonlicum Du geba&be polce. Sjyofc bene pop epfcpuUan De nu gepyjvpa&bene • Da&C J>inpe gemiltpob mib Jpingpaebene Dpihten up apeopmobe ppam pynne De'Seobe heoponep ceaptjie gepapan. 254 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS lUulbop "] pujx'Smynt jobe OS 'Sam hehjl:an • Samob paebeji ^ j-una Snb ]?8em s&Selan pjaopoji-gajt • Da&j- pujiSmynt -^ mihfca Dujih ece pojiulba. O thou holy, precious, God's First martyr. Thou, who, in might of true love Supported on every side. The Lord for hostile People thou prayedst Pour out prayers for a devoted Society now to thee. That, propitiated hy thy intercession. The Lord us purified from sin May join to the men of heaven's city. Glory and honour to God Even in the highest Both to Father, and Son, And the noble Spirit of comfort. Whose honour and power (Are) through eternal worlds. SERMON V. ATTRITION. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, standfast, and hold the tra- ditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. In considering the primitive Church, few things more forcibly strike the mind than the rigour of her penitential discipline. Exces- sive, however, as this may seem, it was ob- viously demanded, in a great measure, by the necessities of her situation. Had her children been freely permitted to conceal their holy profession, whenever persecution roamed abroad, a large proportion of them would have been rendered little better than hypo- critical dissemblers. Had not their body pre- sented also a picture of the severest virtue, heathen calumny would not ever have been promptly and ignominiously foiled, in seeking to undermine its credit. But happily the " grace" of God' was found amply " suffi- 256 SERMON V. cient *" for his faithful people. Their strength was especially manifested, during the very season of their greatest seeming weakness. Our blessed Lord's earlier disciples " came off more than conquerors,'' " " by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report *=." Hence it arose mainly, that "the reproach of Christ "i" so quickly wore away, and that the pride of man's wis- dom so readily was humbled before the cross. - When the Gospel had achieved this victory, the confessions, penances, and absolutions of less happy times were still generally retained. It could not indeed have been otherwise than most undesirable, to relax the bands of eccle- siastical discipline, at a time when an immense " mixed multitude %" had learned to " pay their vows in the courts of the Lord's house ^." Heathen prejudices and malignity, though de- pressed, were during a long interval by no means extinct. Nor would they have failed of a rapid reappearance in all their former strength, if the now triumphant faith of Christ had become conspicuously disgraced by the moral obliquities of its professors. ' Another bond of attachment to a system of penitential a 2 Cor. xii. 9. ^ Rom. viii. 37. c ^ Cor. vi. 7, 8. d Heb. xi. 26. « Exod. xii. 38. f Ps cxxi. 18, 19. SERMON V. 257 severity may, not improbably, have arisen from those philosophic habits, which, in the second century, found an entrance into the Church e. An alliance had been gradually formed be- tween Christian theology and Platonic phi- losophy. Hence it seems by no means un- likely, that divines, when insisting upon eccle- siastical penalties for offences against religious and moral duties, were influenced partly by their academic master's principle of purging the soul through mortifications exacted from the body. " The Christians of ancient Britain, however, were far removed from the refinements of southern Europe, and among them, accord- ingly, this penitential system appears to have been in a great measure unknown, or at all events disregarded. As a necessary conse- quence, it was not established in the Anglo- Saxon Church during the earliest stages of her existence'. " Our forefathers, you will bear in mind, were not generally converted, as many would fain represent, by Roman mission- aries. The heralds of salvation, who rooted Christianity in most parts of England, were trained in native schools of theology, and were attached firmly to those national usages which had descended to them from periods of the s Brucker, Hist. Crit. Lips. 1766. torn. III. p. 278. s 258 SERMON V. most venerable antiquity. Had Augustine, therefore, endeavoured to naturalize, in our island, the penitential discipline prevailing in foreign churches, his success must have been limited by the circumscribed limits with- in which Romish influence had taken root. But, in truth, neither the first Archbishop of Canterbury nor any one of his earlier succes- sors appears to have made any such attempt. The task was reserved for St. Paul's com- patriot, Theodore of Tarsus. That able Asiatic had evidently meditated upon religious dis- cipline more profoundly than any one of his contemporaries. Probably more so, likewise, than any preceding divine. At least, his Peni- tential is the first known work of the kind ; and having had the fortune to attract great at- tention throughout the west, it gave rise to nu- merous imitations*. Of Theodore's history but few particulars are known. He is, however, ex- pressly, and from no mean authority, styled a philosopher^. Upon the school which afforded him intellectual culture, persons of any learn- ing generally will have no difficulty to decide. In St. Austin's estimation, the Platonics were the chief and noblest of philosophers". Nor is it likely that Theodore belonged to any other sect. Its principles, therefore, we may reason- h De Civ. Dei, lib. IX. c. 1. Opp. torn. VII. col. 219. SERMON V. 259 ably suppose, affected far from inconsiderably the composition of that celebrated Penitential, which long exercised so powerful an influence over England and over all her continental neighbours. . In ascertaining this position, or even in making it appear very highly probable, occu- pation for a studious mind, at once interesting and important, might undoubtedly be found. Such an object falls not, however, within the scope of the present undertaking. Nor would it besides embrace that point in known penitential doctrines which is practically most worthy of investigation. ' There is a certain fear of God essentially carnal, and therefore properly termed servile ; a fear unconnected with any love of goodness, and flowing only from the dread of punishment. In this, the will to sin is never thoroughly subdued, and transgressions would incessantly and eagerly be reipeated, were they not utterly hopeless of impunity. Such apprehension leads to a state of mind technically called attrition among scholastic writers posterior to the twelfth century*. By these authors and their disciples attrite sinners, confessing their iniquities, and receiving sacerdotal absolution, were consoled by the prospect of reconciliation with an of- fended God. The council of Trent solemnly s 2 260 SERMON V. sanctioned this principle; and we are told, from no less authority than its Catechism, that, by means of attrition, the Church is gra- ciously enabled to mitigate the terrors of a guilty conscience upon terms at once easy and secure. When the mind, it is observed, be- comes truly sensible of alienation from God, by long familiarity with evil courses, how deep and heart-rending ought to be its contrition ! And yet who can say whether any anguish undergone shall have been sufficiently pro- portioned to the magnitude of iniquity com- mitted*? Even the more pious, therefore, might mistake in esteeming their grief and shame for sin sufficient evidences of genuine repentance. As for the great mass of men, who live in stupid forgetfulness of eternity, heedless whither their steps are tending, un- mindful of Him " whose they are," and whom therefore they are bound " to serve'," intent solely upon enjoying " the pleasures of sin for a season'';" how shall words paint the miseries of their case, if indeed it be utterly hope- less without true contrition ! Well might such sinners doubt, most rationally might surviving relatives apprehend, that the terror and regret which oppressed their spirits, upon the awful verge of another world, were most * Acts xxvii. 23. k jjeb. xu 25, SERMON V. 261 incommensurate with that unholiness which had stained their several careers through life. But it could not be doubted whether " a cer- tain looking-for of judgement and fiery in- dignation" had led the dying transgressor to confess his guilt, and to seek for absolution. Nor db Roman theologians content them- selves with speaking thus, "Peace, peace"," to the consciences of sinful men. The mortal shaft steals often unperceived upon its victim, allowing not the time for sacerdotal inter- vention. And shall attrition here be power- less ? Shall the Church refuse to mitigate the pangs which have overtaken unexpectedly the miserable child of disobedience? Shall she look with stern severity upon the grief excited* among survivors by his awful and perhaps untimely fate ? Her aspect is never thus repulsive towards those who listen sub- missively to her voice. If the attrite sinner were only willing and disposed to undergo the usual course of penitential discipline, had opportunities^ allowed him, he need not de- spond, because the act of God renders such disposition unavailable for its proper end. His soul will graciously be freed from " the bitter pains of eternal death," although no priestly accents are allowed to convey the I" Jerem. vi. 14. s 2 262 SERMON V. soothing assurance of forgiveness, no priestly ears to receive the mournful detail of his ini- quities". Thus the Church of Rome not only undertakes to secure salvation without true repentance, but'her children are also taught, that no individual of their whole community can hardly by any possibility finally miss the beatific vision. For who is there that, in the grasp of death, would not wish, at least, for absolution from his sins? Incredibly hard must be the heart, incredibly obtuse the ap- prehension, of him who would not keenly feel, in such a moment, " It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God°." Can we, then, be at any loss for a reason why the Roman Church so extensively enchains the affections of mankind ? Had she no other powerful attractions for the human mind, (and she has many,) her doctrine of attrition alone would sufficiently account for a very large portion of her influence. What, indeed, is it, but a full conviction that this doctrine is utterly untenable, which allows any who ever heard of it to turn away from her invi- tations? In Scripture, however, notoriously and undeniably, it is not contained either ex- pressly or by inevitable implication. Nor, again, will a cautious advocate contend that n Heb. X. 31. SERMON V. 263 it can be collected with any degree of cer-r tainty or precision, at least, from the re- cords of ecclesiastical antiquity. Are, then, assurances of safety from attrition, the growth of that age, comparatively recent, when scho- lastic divinity riveted the admiration of intel- lectual Europe ? By no means, we are told : the schoolmen merely acted by this as by other doctrines of our holy faith. Under their masterly hands, verities, current imme- morially in the Church, assumed that exact arid technical form which rendered them most useful to the student. This doctrine of attrition, therefore, is an integral portion of that traditional deposit which was in^ trusted to their successors by the first preachers of Christianity. Now if the case indeed be so, witness must necessarily be borne in its favour by the religious monu- ments of ancient England. Does it appear, then, from these venerable documents, that among the traditions holden by our Anglo- Saxon fathers, was one, promising safety for the soul through any channel short of true repentance ? * By way of throwing light upon this ques- tion, it is obviously desirable, as a prelimi- nary step, to discover the leading principle of Anglo-Saxon penitential discipline. The re- s 4 264 SERMON V. monstrance of a Frankish council, assembled in the ninth century, will probably supply us with a key to the information required. It is maintained by the fathers in this address, that God allows no sin to pass unpunished : hence, that oflfences unavenged while men remain upon the earth are only reserved for penalties infinitely more severe in a future stated What mind, sufficiently impressed with such an opinion, would not reason, that should angry visitations of Providence fail of afilicting men in due proportion to their ill deserts, common prudence bound them to impose voluntarily upon themselves the just measure of suffering demanded by their mo- ral failures ? ' The Penitential of Theodore, accordingly, and other compositions of a similar descrip- tion, embrace every known shade of human transgression, entering into great minuteness of detail ; and they affix to each iniquity a definite degree of penance. They are, there- fore, codes of criminal jurisprudence, en- abling men to decide upon the precise na^ ture of those inflictions here, which a due regard to the happiness of their souls here- after was considered to exact. Of such pro- visions, a sufficient knowledge, even in the plainer cases, would be necessarily placed be- SERMON V. 265 yond the capacities and opportunities of or- dinary minds. Instances also could not fail of occurring from time to time, for the due treatment of which, direct information would be vainly sought in any of the standard au- thorities. Hence the clergy naturally became the established dispensers of penitential dis- cipline; and an accurate acquaintance with its entire principles and provisions, both re- corded and inferential, was rendered an im- portant feature in their studies. Obviously, however, they could not reduce to practice their skill in this branch of their profession without a sufficient knowledge of the delin- quencies committed by the members, indivi- dually, of their several congregations. ' Au- ricular confession, at least of the more con- siderable iniquities, was thus indispensably required. This point of discipline was natu- rally recommended also, as tending to pro- duce that humiliation which fits the heart for the reception and operation of heavenly grace. It was, therefore, earnestly recom- mended before communion, especially where men's consciences were disquieted by sins of magnitude ^ But the principal object of con- ff/i^ession was, undoubtedly, no other than to furnish ecclesiastics with that information which the imposition of penance demanded'. 266 SERMON V. All human transgressions were justly viewed as symptomatic of spiritual disease ; and the ministers of religion were expected to possess the knowledge requisite for healing these in- firmities. Hence they were commonly styled physicians of the soul; and people were urged to lay before them their several vio- lations of religion and morality with no less unreserve than is used in the exposure of bodily disorders to medical attendants. In the latter case, appropriate remedies might happily renovate the physical energies; in the former, duly-apportioned penance was viewed as necessary, or nearly so, for secur- ing the soul from suffering hereafter the pe- nalties of evil deeds committed in the body. Where sinners had greatly disgraced the Christian name, private inflictions, prescribed merely with reference to the future immu- nity of their own souls, were not, however, deemed sufficient. Our Anglo-Saxon proge- nitors, in such cases, removed the scandal away from God's holy congregation by a course of discipline similar to that used among the primitive Christians. The un- happy parties from whom « the offence had come"" were desired to prostrate themselves, on Ash-Wednesday, bare-footed, and covered " St. Matt, xviii. 7. SERMON V. 267 with sackcloth, at the door of the mother- church, in their several dioceses. Some of the clergy in attendance received them there, enjoined them penances esteemed suitable to their iniquities respectively, and then led them into the house of God, singing the seven penitential psalms. Within the sacred walls the bishop laid his hands upon them, sprinkled them with ashes and lustral-water, covered them with haircloth, and then com- manded them to depart from a place dedi- cated to God's especial honour and service, and therefore polluted by their presence. On Thursday in Passion-week, their several pe- nances having been duly undergone, they presented themselves at the cathedra;l-gates again. Once more they were now required to suffer the humiliation of confessing those most unholy deeds which had brought so much discredit upon their Christian calling. This being done, the bishop solemnly prayed over them for their heavenly Father's gra- cious forgiveness, and readmitted them into communion". It is plain that the presumed necessity of compensating by proportionate austerities for conspicuous iniquities was not the only aim of those who prescribed this public display of penitence. No doubt it was desired also to preserve such as were merci- 268 SERMON V. fully called to the knowledge of heavenly truth, "a glorious Church, not having spot, nor wrinkle, nor any such thing •"; but that it should be holy, and without blemish." The same righteous object manifestly led to those royal ordinances for enforcing penance which occur among enactments of the Anglo-Saxon period". The sovereign acted in them as Christ's vicar, who, being "jealous with a godly jealousy''" for his Master's honour, would not "bear the sword in vain"' when the credit of religion was at stake. Neither a belief, however, in the pruden- tial necessity of apportioning penances to transgressions, nor an anxiety for guarding Christ's holy Church from injuries to its re- putation, would cause competent judges to look upon auricular confession, either in act or in wish, as indispensable for salvation. Even heinous iniquities might be secret ; hence entailing no public obloquy upon the Gospel of Jesus. " A patient also, sufficiently skilled in medical knowledge, might act suc- cessfully as his own physician. Why should not, likewise, a penitent, acquainted compe- tently with divine truth, form sound conclu- sions as to the terms of his reconciliation P Ephes. V. 27. 9 2 Cor. xi. 3. > Rom. xiii. 4. SERMON V. 269 with an offended God? Obviously such a transgressor might need no recourse to any authorized expositor of religion. Even the principle, too, which exacted compensatory sufferings apportioned to particular offences, required of necessity no sacerdotal interven- tion. The sinner himself might be versed in the religious jurisprudence of his day. Hence, if his self-love should not interfere, and his firmness could be trusted, he would have no occasion for reference to some regular dis- penser of penance. The only reason, indeed, why a party thus informed should have ex- posed his more secret delinquencies to the observation of a confessor, is of itself penal in its nature. It might have been looked upon as one among the fit and merited re- sults of his unrighteous deeds, that he should be humbled and confounded by the shame of detailing them to a fellow-sinner. But from this view of the case, who would infer the absolute necessity of auricular confession? Nor, again, does it indispensably follow hence, that such confession, if made at all, should be confided only to sacerdotal ears. Upon the whole question, accordingly, great latitude and uncertainty of opinion evidently pre- vailed. Even Theodore solemnly admits, in cases of necessity, the sufficiency of confession 270 SERMON V. to God alone". Nor does the reason which appears to have been commonly assigned for preferring a priestly confidant amount to any decided condemnation of those who declined a conformity with that prevailing usage. " Confession," says Theodulfi bishop of Or- leans, " made to God, blots out sins ; and that which is made to man teaches us how they are blotted out. Oftentimes God invisibly heals our evils. Commonly, however, he uses medical agency for that gracious purpose." A Frankish council, assembled early in the ninth century, adopts these very words in treating upon the subject of confession'^. Nor do the penitential doctrines of our distant ancestry appear ever to have assumed a more re- stricted character. A rubric, accordingly, oc- curring in a penitential service, but little an- terior, probably, to the Conquest, expressly states, as a matter incapable of denial, that " absolution from mortal sins may be ob- tained by secret satisfaction '^" A collector of canons also, whose labours are of uncertain date, but not usually referred to any consi- derable distance from Norman times, again brings Theodulf's capitulars to the notice of Englishmen, and thereby shews that public opinion respecting confession remained un- altered. He thus, necessarily, likewise, in SERMON V. 271 treating upon the remission of sin, cites a text from the Psalms, encouraging penitents to hope for that inestimable benefit from deep contrition, but affording no ground to expect it through any other channel'^. An additional reason for concluding that our Anglo-Saxon fathers esteemed not auri- cular confession sacramental in its nature, and effective for securing the soul, without true repentance, flows from the forms of their absolutions. In the modern Church of Rome individuals are absolved in direct terms im- mediately after they have confessed their sins, and the sacerdotal voice is considered as an actual conveyance of exemption from the penalties of eternal death '". We are taught, accordingly, that in absolution the sacrament of penance chiefly consists". Now the Church of our distant ancestry, holding the tradition of ecclesiastical antiquity, refused absolution to the more scandalous offenders, until they had accomplished their several penances. Nor even then did her absolving voice amount to any thing beyond a solemn restoration to for- feited privileges, and an earnest prayer to God that he would graciously remit the pe- nitent's iniquities. It is, indeed, a notorious and indisputable fact, that forms of absolu- s Bellarm. Controv. II. 248. 272 SERMON V. tion, entirely precatory, were alone used in the Church during the first Christian mille- nary ''. At the conclusion of that period there were, indeed, churches which gave to these forms something of an indicative character. But absolutions, decidedly of such a charac- ter, did not establish themselves until after the lapse of another three hundred years '^ None such, therefore, are to be found among Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical antiquities. Of pre- catory forms, however, many yet remain. Our Ante-Norman progenitors never heard, then, from the lips of their clergy any words con- veying an absolute assurance of God's pardon. The most solemn absolutions that met their ears amounted to nothing more than pubhc readmissions to church-membership. The less conspicuous absolutions were merely prayers, uttered by the ministers of God's Word and Sacraments, that iniquities, which had hum- bly been confessed, might be mercifully for- given ''. Such ritual forms are evidently un- suited to Romish penitential doctrines ; and being those alone which antiquity supplies, they have naturally occasioned much embar- rassment to theologians in communion with the papal see. What discerning sinner, in- deed, attrite only, would suppose himself suf- ficiently protected from perdition by a prayer SERMON V. 273 merely deprecating the wrath of a God whom he had not learnt to love, and whom he de- sired not to obey ? What unprejudiced mind will readily believe, that an age which knew no other forms of absolution, expected to reach the beatific vision through any way easier than true contrition ? That no such expectation Was encouraged in the Church of ancient England is farther shewn by her obvious ignorance of that prin- ciple which relieves Romanists from appre- hensions of dying unabsolved. We have not the smallest reason for attributing to our early ancestors a belief in the efficacy of a mere disposition to confess, and a mere wish for absolution, in emergencies allowing not such consolations. On the contrary, a Saxon homily paints unrighteous members of the sacred profession, including even bishops, among the wretched outcasts from God's everlasting kingdom*. Is it, then, possible, that such children of perdition could have been wholly unacquainted with that easier way to salvation which has occupied our at- tention, had such a prospect of escape been habitually contemplated all around them? Or can it be supposed that they felt no will- t See note 36 to Serm. II. p. 119. T 274 SERMON V. ingness to confess their sins, no anxiety for absolution, when upon the very threshold of eternity ? Or must we consider these imagi- nary victims of iniquity as overtaken by their awful fate in the very act of mortal sin? Neither of these two cases appears to have been within the homilist's contemplation. His object was evidently no other than to awaken the apprehensions of worldly-minded men, by painting the horrors which they daily braved by their inveterate forgetfulness of God. Many, now consigned to hopeless an- guish, he would represent, had been like the passing generation of sinners, practical infi- dels and hypocrites, bearing, indeed, the name of Christ, but turning habitually a deaf ear to his commands. No doubt such men had been attrite, whenever their minds were crossed by a thought of that fearful recom- pense to which their evil deeds exposed them. Probably, too, they had entertained, at inter- vals, a hasty purpose of amendment on reach- ing some " convenient season "." But it had proved, unhappily, that their deep entangle- ment in the snares of Satan had allowed them no escape from carnal lusts and pleasures, until the very moment when sinking nature said, "Thou fool, thy soul is required of " Acts xxiv. 25. SERMON V. 275 thee"." Obviously, such a picture is most unlikely to have been traced by the pen of one who reckoned upon salvation from mere attrition. Another reason for concluding that the Church of ancient England knew nothing of such a principle necessarily flows from her views as to the power of the keys. The prin- cipal ministers of religion, in Anglo-Saxon times, were allowed, indeed, ample authority for excommunicating and absolving those who brought scandal on their holy faith. The people were, however, taught expressly, that their spiritual guides, in exercising these important privileges, acted merely as the dis- pensers of ecclesiastical discipline, and the channels for communicating God's pleasure to mankind. A homilist, accordingly, endea- vours to impress these notions upon the po- pular apprehension by adopting from St. Je- rome ''° a comparison instituted between the Christian priesthood and the posterity of Aaron. In leprous cases these consecrated members of the great Jewish family were em- powered to give sentence for exclusion from society and for restoration to its bosom. To Christian ministers is assigned an authority strictly analogous. They are to cut off from ^ St. Luke xii. 20. T 2 276 SERMON V. associating with their brethren those who would introduce among them the poisonous contagion of an ill example ; and they are solemnly to readmit such offenders, when contrition had subdued their moral taint, and danger, therefore, was no longer appre- hended from their vicinage*'. Now upon no child of Aaron, evidently, depended a release from the plague of leprosy. The priestly fa- mily appeared, in Israel, merely as a body ex- pected to possess an accurate knowledge of certain morbid symptoms, and as public func- tionaries authorized to act judicially upon that knowledge, for the common interest. In like manner clergymen were expected to study Scripture and other sources of professional information. They were expected also to keep a strict watch over the members of their several congregations, in order that none should be consoled by the customary forms of absolution who had not shewn unequi- vocal signs of true contrition**. The sacer- dotal voice was thus placed exactly upon a level with that of a physician when he pro- nounces upon the health or sickness of a pa- tient. Who will suppose that unusual facili- ties for effecting the natural man's reconci- liation with an offended God were in the contemplation of those who placed the Chris- SERMON V. 277 tian priesthood in such a light ? It is, indeed, worthy of remark, that this very analogy be- tween the Jewish and Christian priesthoods Was revived at the time of the Reformation, as affording a sound view of absolution. It was urged in argument against the scholas- tic doctrine of attrition by the self-devoted Tyndale ; in early life a conspicuous orna- ment to this venerable and illustrious Uni- versity, 'afterwards a laborious translator of holy Scripture into his native tongue, and eventually a martyr to the cause he loved. Thus it was broadly maintained in the Anglo-Saxon Church, that sacerdotal author- ity affects only men's relations with each other. Of a belief in its efficacy to secure the soul, without true contrition, the monu- ments of our distant ancestry afford no trace whatever. Their homilies, indeed, inculcate unequivocally, that absolution, unless accom- panied by a real change of heart and life, is nothing better than a delusive mockery. The divines of ancient England, therefore, attri^ buted not to the keys any power enabling ec- clesiastics to admit into the kingdom of hea- ven such as, feeling no affection for its al- mighty Sovereign, and " hating to be reform- ed," were contented, notwithstanding, to pro- pitiate his wrath by certain external tributes T 3 278 SERMON V. of respect. The absolutions of our distant ancestry were never such as to lull into a false security even the most careless and san- guine among sinners. Their confessions wore nothing of a sacramental guise, but were evi- dently prescribed with no other view than to fill the soul with humility, apportion to each transgression the penalty which it was consi- dered to demand, and guard the holy Church of God from scandal *^. ' The whole penitential system of Anglo-Saxon times bears testimony, therefore, against that tradition of the Ro- man Church, to which her priesthood chiefly owes its influence over mankind. For aught that appears among England's most venerar- ble ecclesiastical antiquities, the boasted and fascinating doctrine of an easier way to eter- nal salvation, through attrition, may be little or nothing older than that term itself. Infi- nitely agreeable, then, as that doctrine must ever be to the corrupt and procrastinating habits of human nature, a prudential regard for their eternal welfare loudly and plainly warns men against entertaining it. Assuredly, were it a divine or apostolical tradition, cur- rent and admitted, therefore, immemorially in the Church of Christ, our own country's earliest theological remains would not abso- lutely refuse their testimony in its favour. SERMON V. 279 Their extent is amply sufficient for the pur- pose; arid yet their whole tenour, and very many of their direct admonitions also, unre- servedly proclaim their authors to have known nothing of any safety for the soul of him who had not felt the pangs of true contrition. To this point your attention has almost exclusively been directed in the present dis- course, because upon it really turns all that is practically of much importance in ques- tions relating to confession and absolution. It concerns, indeed, a liberal curiosity to in- vestigate the origin, principle, and details of the religious discipline prevailing in the Church at any particular period. Scholastic divinity and the Trentine Fathers have, how- ever, detracted greatly from the value of such inquiries, unless conducted especially with reference to that remarkable and attractive system, designated among Romanists as the sacrament of Penance. In this system attri- tion is the mark for observation. ' Have cer- tain acts, termed sacramental, the privilege of reconciling an offended God to those who, loving neither him nor his perfections, yet find themselves unable to escape apprehen- sions of his vengeance ? Romanists maintain the affirmative of this question ; Protestants, the negative. Here, then, is issue joined by T 4 280 SERMON V. the two contending parties. Nor will Pro- testants, arguing upon confession and absolu- tion, act discreetly in allowing themselves to be seduced from this position. Unless the voice of holy Scripture, and the plain, uni- versal, uninterrupted tradition of the Church, promise safety to the souls of sinners merely attrite, indeed, but yet anxious for sacerdotal intervention, a doctrine has undeniably been maintained in the last and most distinctive of Romish councils unsound in principle and ruinous in practice. Until also Protestant branches of the great Christian family are proved to make the promise of salvation with- out genuine contrition, their views of abso- lution must be pronounced widely different from those of papal Rome. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS SERMON V. ' XHIS has been inferred from the following passage, relating to the great winter fast, occurring in archbishop Egbert's Dialogue. " Nam haec, Deo gratias, a temporibus Vitaliani papae, et Theodori Dorobernensis archiepiscopi inolevit in Ecclesia Anglorum consuetude, et quasi legitima tenebatur, ut non solum clerici in monasteriis, sed etiam laici cum conjugibus et familiis suis ad confiessores suos pervenirent, et se fletibus et carnalis concupiscentise consortio his duodecim diebus cum eleemosynarum largitione mundarent ; quatenus puriores Dominicae communionis perceptionem in natale Domini perci- perent." (Labb. et Coss. VI. 1610. Inett's Orig. Anglic. I. 85.) De Sponde thus treats this testi- mony of the ancient British Church against the Romish sacrament of penance : " Scripsit" (Alcui- nus sc.) " ad Scotos adversus zizania ilia pessima, quae apud illos tunc primum seminari coeperant, hoc vero nostro saeculo densa segete Boreales omnes pene provincias occuparunt ; quibus affirmaretur illud infaustum hactenus inauditum ostentum, con- fessionem peccatorum non esse faciendam sacerdo- tibus, sed soli Deo : quae zizania eadem ilia epistola idem vir sanctissimus atque doctissimus, ita prae- cidit, immo convulsit radicitus, ut amplius visa non 282 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS fuerint, nee audita." (Annal. Eccl. Baronii, in Epi- tomen redacti. Opera H. Spondani, sub an. 778. Mogunt. 1623. p. 166.) The passage to which the learned epitomiser (who certainly writes with all the zeal of a convert) refers is this : " Dicitur vero neminem ex laicis suam velle confessionem sacer- dotibus dare, quos a Deo Christo cum Sanctis apo- stolis ligandi solvendique potestatem accepisse cre- dimus. Quid solvit sacerdotalis potestas, si vincula non considerat ligati ? Cessabunt opera medici si vulnera non ostendunt aegroti. Si vulnera corporis carnalis medici manus expectant, quanto magis vul- nera animse spiritalis medici solatia deposcunt?'' Alcuini Epist. 71- Dilectissimis Viris Fratrihus et Patrihus in Provincia Gothorum. Ale. Opp. col. 1594. The true reading in this superscription is undoubtedly Scottorum, as De Sponde understands it, although Aleuin's editor dissents. "" " Omnium quippe quae in Occidente extiterunt Poenitentialium, antiquissimum est et celeberri- mum ; (Theodori Poenitentiale, sc.) ad cujus instar Venerabilis Bedse Poenitentiale, Romanum, Egberti Eboraeencis, cetera denique composita sunt." (Jac. Petit. Prasf. in Theod. Poenit. Lutet. Par. 1677.) " Pope Vitalian, within less than seventy years after Augustine, consecrated Theodore, a Greek by birth, who had spent the greater part of his life at Rome, and sent him to be archbishop of Canterbury. This was not taken as if the Pope had imposed a primate upon us, but as a proof of Vitalian's care and affec- tion for the Church of England, and as a public blessing to the nation, for Theodore was certainly a person of as great abilities as any of his age ; and the kings of Kent and Northumberland were con- OF SERMON V. 283 senting to what the Pope did." A Collection of all the Eccl. Laws, 8ff. concerning the Church of England, by J. Johnson, pref. p. xxi. 3 " Nam et epistola, quam idem Agatho (Papa sc.) sextse synodo apud Constantinopolim congre- gatse direxit, hujus sermonis testimonio assistit, et mecum facit, in qua, inter csetera dicit, Speraha- mus deinde de Brittannia Theodorum confamulum atque coepiscopum nostrum, magnce insults Brit- tannice archiepiscopum, et philosophum, cum aliis, qui ibidem hactenus demorantur, exinde ad humi- litatem nostrum conjungere, et hac causa hue usque concilium distulimus." Willelmi Malmesburiensis de Gestis Pontificum Anglorum, hb. I. inter Scrip- tores post Bedam, p. 112. * " Cum igitur apud antiquos illos scholasticos, magistro et ipsius discipulis ab ipso viva voce edoc- tis, immediate succedentes, ratum esse contritionem justificationis et gratise gratum facientis esse pedis- sequam, nomen illis excogitandum fuit quo prsepa- rationes ad gratiam gratum facientem suscipiendam notare et indigitare possent. Hactenus enim con- tritione cordis et compunctione potissimum signifi- catse fuerant. Certum enim et exploratum erat apud cos, justificationem formalem, licet in instanti fieretj multis tamen prseparationibus et longo tem- pore opus esse ad formam illam inducendam, aliter- que ut fieret raro contingere. Nomen illud fuit attritio, quo haec omnia complexi sunt : illo ut jam in scholis vulgo utuntur Alexander Halensis, Gu- lielmus Parisiensis, et Albertus Magnus, et posterio- rum nemo illud praeteriit. NonnuUi tamen eodem tempore illud aut non cognoverunt, aut neglexerunt. 284 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Sed auctorum qui hos antecesserunt nuUus mihi cognitus attritionem commemoravit, licet easdem cum his qusestiones agitarent. Itaque nomen illud in scholis vulgari coepit post annum 1220. centum et paucissimis annis post natam scholasticam. " XV. Sic autem attritionem inter et contritionem distinguebant, ut attritionem dicerent ex fide in- formi nasci, contritionem ex fide formata, attritionis principium esse timorem servilem, contritionis ti- morem initialem : attritionis causas esse auxilia gratiae, seu gratias gratis datas, contritionis vero gratiam gratum facientem. Hinc omnem dolorem de peccatOj Deique amorem in non habente gratiam attritioni tribuerunt^ in habente gratiam contritioni. Attamen eo usque devenerunt antiquorum scholas- ticorum permulti, qui post tempus adnotatum scrip- serunt, ut disertissime, tanquam ab omnibus con- cessum assumerent, omnia opera ab auxiliis Spiritus S. hominem moventis et impellentis ante gratise gratum facientis influxum procedentia, naturalibus, mortuis, et ingratuitis, ut ipsi loquuntur, esse an- numeranda : sola vero opera habitum gratise conse- quentia, supernaturalibus, vivis, et gratuitis, proe- miique seterni meritoriis." (Morini Commentarius Historicus de Disciplina Poenitentiae, Par. 1651. p. 506.) " In corporalibus dicuntur attrita, quae aliquo modo diminuta sunt, sed non adhuc perfecte sunt comminuta. Sed contrita dicuntur quando omnes partes tritae sunt simul, per divisionem ad minima. Et ideo attritio significat in spiritualibus quandam displicentiam de peccatis commissis, sed non per- fectam : contritio autem perfectam. — DifFert enim OF SERMON V. 285 contritio ab attritione, sicut formatum ab informi." Supplem. III. P. Sum. Theol. S. Thorn. Aquin. Qusest. I. aiit. 2, 3. ^ " XL VI. Primo itaque docendum est confes- sionis institutionem nobis summopere utilem, atque ideo necessai-ium fuisse. Ut enim hoc concedamus contritione peccata deleri, quis ignorat illam adeo vehementem, acrem, incensam esse oportere, ut do- loris acerbitas, cum scelerum magnitudine aequari, conferrique possit ? At quoniam pauci admodum ad hunc gradum pervenirent, fiebat etiam ut a paucis- simis hac via peccatorum venia speranda esset. Quare necesse fuit, ut clementissimus Dominusfa- ciliori ratione communi hominum saluti consuleret, quod quidem admirabiU consiho efFecit, cum claves regni coelestis Ecclesise tradidit. " XL VII. Etenim ex fidei Catholicse doctrina om- nibus credendum, et constanter affirmandum est ; si quis ita animo aft'ectus sit, ut peccata admissa doleat, simulque in posterum hon peccare consti- tuat ; etsi ejusmodi dolore non afficiatur, qui ad im- petrandam veniam satis esse possit : ei tamen cum peccata sacerdoti rite confessus fuerit, vi clavium scelera omnia remitti, ac condonari : ut merito a sanctissimis viris Patribus nostris celebratum sit Ecclesise clavibus aditum in coelum aperiri : de quo nemini dubitare fas est, cum a Florentino Concilio decreto legamus^ poenitentiae efFectum esse absolu- tionem a peccatis." (Catechism. Roman, ex Decret. Cone. Trid. et Pii V. Pont. Max. jussu edit. Pars II. cc. 46, 47. Lovan. 1662. pp. 249, 250.) " lUi" (scholastici, sc.) " nimirum spectant illud EvangeUcum : Arundinem quassatam non confrin- get, et linum fumigans non extinguet. Condescen- 286 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS dunt itaque misericorditer infirmitatibus peccato- rum, ac propterea viam struunt Jaciliorem et cer- tiorem quo poterunt ad alliciendos in rectam semi- tam peccatores. Quoniam igitur via contritionis, seu attritionis formatae, non minus est dura, quam incerta peccatoribus, idcirco viam hanc alteram, per sacramentorum susceptionem, multo mitiorem et securiorem docent, utpote ob quam nihil exigi- tur, nisi ut non ponatur obex, vel infidelitatis, vel peccati mortalis." Joan. Fisher RoiFens. Ep. adv. Luther. Art. I. Opp. Wirceb. 1597. p. 339. * " Dico ergo, peccata remitti per hoc sacramen- tum in voto, quia hoc sacramentum ita nunc est institutum ut ejus susceptio pertineat ad integram dispositionem, seu satisfactionem, ex parte nostra necessariam ad remissionem peccati : nam hinc fit ut quamvis remittatur peccatum existente sola con- tritione, semper id fiat in ordine ad confessionem." (Disputationum in 3. P. Div. Thom.Autore P. D. F. Suarez. e Soc. Jes. Lugdun. 1603. torn. IV. p. 272.) " Tertia expositio est Caietani diet. q. 84. art. 1. qui distinguit triplicem attritionem. Una est, quae cum voto sacramenti, ante ilium in re sus- ceptum sufficit ad justificationem, et tanta est, in- quit, ut ex voto sacramenti fiat contritio." Ibid. p. 284. ' " Sunt enim nonnuUi, qui propterea haec tam temere loquuntur, et in barathrum cupiditatum sua- rum miserabiliter labuntur, eo quod divinorum prse- ceptorum transgressores, sanctseque Dei Ecclesiae dehonoratores atque expoliatores non continuo pu- niantur: non animadvertentes, neque animadver- tere volentes, quod Deus nullum peccatum inultum dimissurus sitJ' (Epist. Synod. Aquisgran. II. ad OF SERMON V. 287 Pippinum. c. I. (A. D. 836.) Labb. et Coss. VII. 1729. ^ Ne senij man mib unanbetfcan heapob leah- tpum huj-lej* ne abyjxige* ac anbefcfce ^ bete teji he huj-el «ic3e. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 99. Lupi Episc. Horn. f. 41.) Let no man with unconfessed heavy sins taste the Eucharist, but let him confess and amend ere he take the Eucharist. Bishop Lupus lived at the beginning of the eleventh cen- tury. ' Donne man to hip f cpipte ganje Jiaenne fceal he mib J'pif'e micelan gobep ege- "] mib micelpe eabmobnyppe beopopdn him hine pelpne ajjeman' ^ hine bibban pepenbe pfcepne ■f he him bseb-bote fcaece J>apa gylfca Jje he ongean gobep piUan gebon ha&bbe' "] he pceal him anbettan hip mipbseba •f pe pacepb pifce hpilce bseb-bote he him taecan pceale. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius, A; 3. f. 94.) When a man goes to his confessor, then shall he, with very great fear of God, and with great humility, prostrate himself before him, and pray him, with weeping voice, that he woidd teach him the satisfaction of the guiltinesses which he has done against God's will; and he shall confess to him his misdeeds, that the priest may hnow what satisfaction 'he shall teach him. See also the 30th inter Capitula Incertce Editionis. Spelman. Cone. I. 605. Bed. Eccl. Hist. IV. 25. in edit. Wheloc. p. 336. " " Capit. XI. Ut in capite jejunii omnes pub- lice poenitentes in civitate veniant ante fores eccle- si(S nudis pedibus, et cilicio induti Episcopo suo se repreesentent. — In capite quadragesimae omnes poe- nitentes qui publicam suscipiunt, aut susceperunt. 288 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS pcenitentiam, ante fores ecclesise se repraesentent Episcopo sacco induti, vultibus in terram prostratis, reos se esse ipso habitu et vultu proclamantes. Ibi adesse debent archipresbyteri parochiarum, id est, presbyteri poenitentium, qui eorum conversationem diligenter inspicere debent: et secundum modum culpae pcenitentiam per prsefixos gradus injungant. Post haec in Ecclesiam eos introducat, et cum omni clero septem poenitentiales psalmos in terram pros- tratusj cum lachrymis pro eorum absolutione de- cantet. Tunc resurgens ab oratione, juxta quod canones jubent, manus eis imponat, aquam bene- dictam super eos spargat, cinerem prius mittat. Deinde cilicio capita eorum cooperiat, et cum ge- mitu, et crebris suspiriis eis denuntiet : quod sicut Adam projectus est de paradiso, ita et ipsi pro pec- catis ab Ecclesia abjiciuntur. Post hsec jubeat ministris, ut eos extra januam Ecclesiae expellant. Clerus vero prosequitur eos cum responsorio. In sudore vultus tui &jC. Ut videntes sanctam Eccle- siam pro facinoribus suis tremefactam atque com- motam, non parvipendant pcenitentiam. In sacra autem Domini Coena rursus ab eorum presbyteris Ecclesiae luminibus reprsesentur." (Capitula Theo- dori Archiep. Cantuar. ex edit. Jac. Petit, p. 21.) See also Du Pin's New Eccl. Hist. VI. 47. " In the first among king Alfred's ecclesiastical laws, which is against the wilful violation of solemn engagements justly and lawfully contracted, it is decreed, that every such violator should be detained forty days in the Jcing's prison, and 'Spopige ]?8eji f pa bij-ceop him fcpipe suffer there, as the bishop shall shrive him. {i. e. enjoin him, upon his confes- sion.) OF SERMON V. 289 The seventh among ^Ethelstan's ecclesiastical laws denies Christian burial to any person, con- victed of perjury, unless he have given satisfaction, i. e. done penance for his offence, according to the directions of his confessor, j-pa hij- pcjxipt him fpipe as Ms shriver has shriven him, and his j-cpijrt shriver have certified, within thirty nights, to the bishop, that he is willing to give satisfaction. If a perjurer should have failed to obey the directions of his ordinary priest within that time, the bishop was to decide upon his penance. The third of Edgar s ecclesiastical laws restrains any one of the king's household, who might have shed a Christian's blood, from appearing in the royal presence ere he has done penance, as the hishop may have taught him, and his confessor di- rected him. Spelman, Cone. 365, 400, 420. " " Capitula collecta exfragmentis. Cap. 35. Confessio Deo soli, si necesse est, agi licet." Poenitentiale Theodori, Archiep. Cantuar. Lut. Par. 1677. tom. I. p. 47. This canon gave naturally considerable offence, on its publication, to those who were zealous for the Romish sacrament of penance, and Theodore's authority was accordingly treated in such quar- ters rather contemptuously. His editor, M. Petit, however, justifies him satisfactorily from the charge of innovation, in a second volume which he even- tually published. "' " XXXIII. Quidam Deo solummodo confiteri debere dicunt peccata, quidam vero sacerdotibus confitenda esse percensent: quod utrumque non sine magno fructu intra sanctam fit ecclesiam. Ita dumtaxat ut et Deo, qui remissor est peccatorum, u 290 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS confiteamur peccata nostra, et cum David dicamus, Delictum meum cognitum tibi feci, et injustitiam meam non ahscondi. Dixi, Confitehor adversum me injustitias meas Domino, et tu remisisti impie^ tatem peccati met : et secundum institutionem Apo- stoli, Confiteamur altereutrurri peccata nostra, et oremus pro inmcem ut salvemur. Confessio itaque quae Deo fit purgat peccata ; ea verb quae sacerdoti fit, docet qualiter ipsa purgentur peccata. Deus namque salutis et sanitatis auctor et largitor, ple- rumque hanc praebet suae potentiae invisibili ad- ministratione, plerumque medicorum operatione." Cone. Cabilon. II. (A. D.813.) Labb. et Coss. VII. 1279. '* " Nam secreta satisfactione solvi mortalia cri- mina non negamus. Cotidiana vero leviaque pec- cata, sine quibus haec vita non ducitur, dominica oratione purgantur, quorum est dicere, Dimitte no- bis, sicut et nos dimittimus." Brit. Mus. MSS. Cot- ton. Tiberius, C. I. f. 144. '^ Seventhly, through penitence, (baebbote,) as David saith, I am turned in my sorrow, when my hack is broken : as if he said. So soon as I give over my pride and my vices, and accomplish repent- ance and satisfaction Jbr them, (■] heojia hpeoj-unge ■] baebbote bo,) before God, so have I forgiveness. (Capit. incert. edit. c. 37. Spelman, Cone. p. 612.) These canons are taken from the Capitulars of Theodulf, bishop of Orleans. The passage cited from David here is the latter clause in the fourth verse of the thirty-second Psalm, rendered in our authorized version, " My moisture is turned into the drought of summer." {Conversus est succus meus in siccitatem esstivam. Vulg. Venet. 1542. OF SERMON V. 291 torn. II. p. 26.) In Spelman's Anglo-Saxon Psalter this Psalm is the thirty-first, and the Latin stands thus, " Conversus sum in serumna mea, dum confi- gitur spina." This translation, probably, comes from the old Italic version, and is intended as a counterpart of the Septuagint, 'Eo-Xjsa^ijv elg raXai- vuplav h rw efJivayYivat a.Ka,v6av. (Ps. xxxi.4.) A literal translation of the Saxon is given above. The ori- ginal is this : Ic beo gecyjifieb on mmpe yjim'Se ]7onne me biS Cobpocen ye hpyc^. In the former half of these w^ords, Spelman's Psalter exhibits the following variations : Decyppeb ic eom on agnyj'j'e min. The meaning, however, is the same with that of the words cited before from Spelman's Councils. These words stand in the last clause of a, passage taken from Origen, detailing the seven remedies for sin. The following is Origen's own account of these remedies. " Audi nunc quantae sint remissiones peccatorum in Evangeliis. Est ista prima qua baptizamur in remissionem pecca- torum. Secunda remissio est in passione martyrii, Tertia est, quae pro eleempsyna datur. Dicit enim Salvator: Veruntamen date eleemosynam, et ecce omnia munda sunt vobis. Quarta nobis fit remissio peccatorum per hoc quod et nos remittimus peccata fratribus npstris. Sic enim dicit ipse" Dominus et Salvator noster : Quia si dimiseritis Jratrihus ves- tris ex corde peccata ipsorum, et vobis remittet Pater vester peccata vestra. Quod si non remise- ritis Jratrihus vestris ex corde, nee vobis remittet Pater vester : et sicut in oratione nos dicere docuit, Remitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos remittimus debitoribus nostris. Quinta remissio peccatorum est cum converterit quis peccatorem ab errore vise u2 292 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS suae. Ita enim dicit Scriptura divina. Quia qui convertifocerit peccatorem ah errore vies suce, sal- vat animam ejus a morte, et cooperit multitudinem peccatorum. Sexta quoque fit remissio per abun- dantiam charitatis, sicut et ipse Dominus dicit, Amen, dico tibi, remittuntur ei peccata multa, quo- niam dilexit multum : et Apostolus dicit, Quoniam charitas cooperit multitudinem peccatorum. Est adhuc et septima, licet dura et laboriosa, per poeni- tentiam, remissio peccatorum, cum lavat peccator in lacrymis stratum suum, et fiunt ei lacrymae suae panes, die ac nocte, et cum non erubescit sacerdoti Domini judicare peccatum suum, et quaerere medi- cinam, secundum eum qui ait : Dixi pronunciabo adversum me injustitiam meam Domino, et tu re- misisti impietatem cordis mei. In quo impletur et illud, quod Apostolus dicit. Si quis autem infirma- tur, vocet preshyteros Ecclesice, et imponant ei manus, ungentes eum oleo in nomine Domini, et oratio fidei salvahit infirmum, et si in peccatis fuerit, remittentur ei. Orig. Hom. 2. in Levit. 0pp. Paris. 1604. tom. I. p. 68. '* " Hoc autem interest, inter actionem poeniten- tiae, seu exomologesin veteribus usitatam, et eam quae nunc usu recepta est, quod olim, nisi, his ope- ribus ab ecclesiae praefecto injunctis rite peractis, absolutio, et reconciliatio, et communionis jus, per manus impositionem non concedebatur, ut ex multis Tertulliani, et Cypriani locis constat : itaque actio- nes illae poenitentiae, cum ex fide, et animo vere dolente, et afflatu Spiritus Sancti, auxilio gratiae di- vinae hominis animum praevenientis fierent, ad re- missionem quoque peccati impetrandam, et Dei of- fensam placandam valere putabantur, non quod OF SERMON V. 293 earn dignitate sua mererenturj sed quod iis animus Hominis ad gratise divinse susceptionem prseparare- tur, quo modo de operibus praeparatoriis supra dic- tum est. Hodie vero statim, a facta confessione, manus poenitenti imponitur, et ad communionis jus admittitur, et post absolutionem opera aliqua pietatisj quae ad carnis castigationem et reliquiarum peccati expurgationem faciant, injunguntur ; quod ipsum utiliter fieri potest, si periti Ecclesiae minis- tri opera adhibeatur : de quo satisfactionis genere, Scholastici constanter docuere earn non rite fieri, nisi gratiam et remissionem culpae ac poense aeternae consequatur, quae remissio fiat solo merito ,Christi, et ministerio sacerdotis, eamque satisfactionem po- tissinium valere ad poenas temporarias mitigandas, et reliquias peccati, ut diximus, expurgandas. Unde est illud Scholasticorum axioma: Nulla est satis- factio nisi praecesserit condonatio." Georgii Cas- sandri De Articulis Religiosis inter Catholicos et Protestantes Controversis Consultatio. Art. 12. De Confessione. Opp. Paris. 1616. p. 948. '' " Formulam ordinariam absolutionis, sive re- conciliationis poenitentium, fuisse deprecatoriam, testantur quotquot hactenus legi, aut relata audivi antiquitatis ecclesiasticae monumenta, ad annum us- que salutis ducentesimum supra millesimum." Mo- rin. de Poenit. p. 529. '* " Ex iisdem quoque ritualibus colligitur post annum millesimum, paulo plus minusve, quasdam ecclesias aliquid indicativum uni formulae depreca- toriae a plurimis ejusdem generis inserere coepisse, quod tamen ad reconciliatonis substantiam ex eo- rum sententia et usu non pertinebat. Absolutionis insuper nomen, sive pura puta esset deprecatoria, 294 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS sive aliquid indicativum haberet admistum, de iis precibus et psalmis nonnunquam posterioribus se- culis usurpari quae ad reconciliationem poenitentium substantialiter non spectabant. Denique depreca- torias formulas longe ultra trecentesimum annum supra millesimum in multis celebribus eclesiis con- tinuatas esse." Morinus de PcEn. p, 546. '9 The following penitential service is extracted from one of the Cottonian MSS. in the British Mu- seum. (Tiberius, A. 3. f. 43.) CDan mot hme gebibban yya. j*pa he maeg "] can mib selcum gejieoyibe* ^ on a&lcejie jTope. Nu ij- hejv on englij-c anbeCnyjy ^ gebeb. Sc j-e J»e Jjij* j'mgan pylle ■ ne j-ecge he na map.e on J^aejie anbet- nyjye Jjonne he pypcenbe pa&j- • pojiSon ]?e ujie hse- lenb nele -^ man on hme pylpne leoge' ne eac ealle menu on ane pipan pyngia'S. Ic eom anbetCa a&lmihcijum gobe " '] eac mmum j-cpifte ealle ]?a pynna J>e me s&pjie apyjigebe gap- tap on bepmiten habba'S- o'S-Se on J^igene* -j on ast-hjryne" on googo'Se' on ylbe* pitenbe ^ m- tenbe* piUenbe "] nellenbe* on gepunbpulnyppe* "] on pan-halneppe* J^e ic ongean gobep piUen ge- pjiemmebe. Deppicneppe ic behate* 'j aeptepjjmpe tsecmga baebbetan pylle- gip me lipep ppuma pyp- ytsy geunnan pille. Ic bibbe ]>e eabmoblice f>e mm japthca lajveop eajit -p pu. me popie Jungie* "]' set mi'nep bjiihtnep J)jvym-petle on bomep-bsege mmpe anbetnyppa gepita py. A man ought to pray to him as he may and can, with every language, and in every place. Now is here, in English, a confession and prayer. But he who wishes to sing (say) this, let him say no more in the confession than he has done, because OF SERMON V. 295 our Saviour wills not that one should lie against himself; nor also do all men sin in one wise. I am a confessor to almighty God, and also to m,y shriver, of all the sins with which malignant spirits have ever polluted me, both in eating and in touching, in youth, in age, knowing and igno- rant, willing and unwilling, in soundness and in sickness, which I have committed against God's will. A cessation I promise, and will do penance, (or make reparation,) after thy teaching, if space of life will allow me. I pray thee humbly, who art my ghostly teacher, that thou wouldest inter- cede for me, and at my Lord's throne, on dooms- day, be a witness of my confession. " Domine Jesu Christe, tibi flecto genua mea, tibi corde credo, tibi confiteor peccata mea, mise- rere mihi miserrimo peccatori. " Supplico te Dei sacerdos, te praesul, ut de his omnibus sis mihi testis in die judicii, ne gaudeat de me inimicus mens : et misericorditer pro me Dei clementiam deprecare, ut donet mihi veniam et in- dulgentiam omnium peccatorum meorum, et per- ducere me faciat ad seternam gloriam. " Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus, frater N. et dimittat tibi omnia peccata tua, et tribuat tibi ve- ram humihtatem, veramque patientiam, sobrieta- tem, atque toUerantiam, bonum finem, bonamque perseverantiam. Amen. " Benedicat te quoque, frater, Deus Pater, sanet te Deus Fihus, inluminet te Spiritus Sanctus. In^ dulgeat tibi Dominus omnia peccata tua prseterrita, praesentia, et futura, et donet tibi possidere bona in- visibilia per infinita seculorum secula. Amen. " Pater noster. Sed libera nos a malo. Con- u4 296 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS verte nos Deus salutaris noster, et averte iram tuarn a nobis. Convertere Domine usquequo, et depre- cabilis esto super servos tuos. A^utorium nostrum in nomine Domini. Fiat misericordia tua, Domine, super nos. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam. " Clamantes ad te, Deus, dignanter exaudi, ut nos de profundo iniquitatis eripias, et ad gaudia seterna perducas : per : " Exaudi, qusesumus, Domine, supplicum preces, et confitentium tibi parce peccatis, ut pariter nobis indulgentiam tribuas, benignus, et pacem : per : '' Deus infinitae misericordiae, et majestatis im- mensse famulum tuum N. de tua benedictione ob- secro ut benedicas, et omnia ejus peccata dimittas, ut sub ope dexterae tuae, ut quicquid juste expetit desiderio celeri consequatur efFectu : per Dom. " Et postea dicat sacerdos cui confessus est pec- cata sua ante altar e, dicens, Deverte ab omni male, usque in finem. Et postea heec recedat humiliter in domum suam orans, et custodiens mandata sa- cefdotis." A longer form of confession, but without • the Latin prayers, given above, may be seen in Spel- man's Councils, 458. In the same Cottonian MS. that has fiirnished the foregoing service, occurs the following absolu- tion, (f. 53.) " Praeveniat hunc famulum tuum, quaesumus, Domine, misericordia tua, ut omnes iniquitates ejus celeri indulgentia deleantur : per." The following absolution for the sick is extracted from another of the Cottonian MSS. in the British Museum. (Tiberius, C. 1. f 147-) OF SERMON V. 297 " ReCDISSIO SVPGR INFIRCDVCP. " Domine, Jesu Christe, vita et salus in te spe- rantium, qui paraliticum propter peccata infirmitate detentum, eisdem dimissis, surgere et lectum suum toUere, atque sanum in domum suam abire jussisti, tu clemens et misericors hunc famulum luum nobis peccatoribus numerositatem peccatorum suorum confessum ipsis dignanter absolvere et indulgentia tua salvum facere, et domum orationis ac laudatio- nis tuae sanum repraesentare dignare : qui cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto vivis et regnas p6r infinita secula seculorum. Am." In a MS. Pontifical, in the public library at Cam- bridge, supposed to be of the thirteenth century, is the following absolution. (LI. 2—10.) " Absolutionem et remissionem omnium pecca- torum vestrorum tribuat vobis omnipotens et mise- ricors Dominus. Amen." Another MS. Pontifical, in the same library, (Ee. 2, 3.) described in Nasmith's catalogue, as " Codex membranaceus ante quinquenos annos scriptus," has the two following absolutions ; the former in a service entitled, " Ordo ad dandam pcenitentiam in capite jejunii ; Feria III I. quce Caput jejunii vacatur ;' the latter, in the form for reconciling penitents. 1 . " Absolvimus te vice beati Petri, Apostolorum principis, cui Dominus potestatem ligandi atque solvendi dedit ; et quantum ad te pertinet accusa- tio, et ad nos remissio, sit tibi omnipotens Deus vita et salus, atque omnibus peccatis tuis indultor. Qui vivit : " Omnipotens Deus qui dixit. Qui me confessus fuerit coram hominibus, confitehor et ego eum coram 298 PROOFS ANC ILLUSTRATIONS Patre meo, ipse te benedicat, atque custodiatj sem- per, detque tibi remissionem omnium peccatorum tuorum, et vitam aeternam. Amen. 2 " Dominus Jesus Christus, qui dixit discipulis suis, QucBCunque ligaveritis super terrain erunt ligata et in coelis, et queecunque solveritis super terrain erunt soluta et in coelis, de quorum numero quamvis me indignum et peccatorem ministrum ta- men esse voluit : intercedente Dei genetrice Maria, et beato Michaele, archangelo, et sancto Petro, apostolo, cui data est potestas ligandi atque solvendi, egregioque Johanne, Evangelista, venerandoque Ste- phano, prothomartyre, et omnibus Sanctis : ipse vos absolvat per ministerium nostrum ab omnibus pec- catis vestris, queecunque aut cogitatione, aut locu- tione, aut operatione, negligenter egistis ; atque a vinculis peccatorum vestrorum absolutos perducere dignetur ad regnum coelorum. Qui vivit : " Absolutionem et remissionem omnium peccato- rum vestrorum tribuat vobis omnipotens et miseri- cors Dominus. Amen." To these penitential forms may be added the fol- lowing precatory confession to God, from arch- bishop Parkers MSS. in the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. (Portiforium Oswaldi, CCCXCL) " Confessio JPura. " Confitebor tibi, Domine, omnia peccata mea quaecunque feci omnibus diebus vitae mese. Deus, qui creasti omnia, tu nosti peccata mea, indulge me, quia nimium peccavi tibi, Domine miserere mei per intercessionem omnium sanctorum angelorum atque archangelorum : miserere mei, Domine, per intercessionem apostolorum, martyrum, et confes- OF SERMON V. 299 sorum, simulque virginum. Te deprecor, Domine, miserere mei. Domine, si in te peccavi tamen te non negavij nee te dereliqui, deos alienos non ado- ravi. Domine, veniam peto a te pro omnibus culpis meis. Pius Deus, sanctus Deus, tibi confiteor pec- cata mea, quia crimina agnosco in me. Deus, pro- pitius esto mihi peccatori, famulo tuo. Non me deseras, neque derelinquas. Domine miserere mei. Pius Deus, sanctus Deus, sanctus fortis, sanctus et immortalis, misericors Deus, clementissime Pater, adjuva me. Da mihi cor quod te timeat, sensum qui te intelligat, oculos qui te videant, aures quae te audiant, nares quae odorem tuum suscipiant. Do- mine, mollifica cor meum durum et lapideum, quia sum cinis, mortuusque. Salva me dormientem, cus- todi me vigilantem, ut dormiam in pace, et vigilem in Christo. Amen." '° " Et tibi dabo claves regni ccelorum; et quod- cunque, &c. Istum locum episcopi et presbyteri non intelligentes, aliquid sibi de Pharisseorum assu- munt supercilio, ut vel damnent innocentes, vel sol- vere se noxios arbitrentur: cum apud Deum non sententia sacerdotum, sed reorum vita quseratur. Legimus in Levitico de leprosis : ubi jubentur, ut ostendant se sacerdotibus, et si lepram habuerint, tunc a sacerdote immundi fiant ; non quo sacerdotes leprosos faciant et immundos, sed quo habeant no- titiam leprosi et non leprosi, et possint discernere qui mundus quive immundus sit. Qtiomodo ergo ihi leprosum sacerdos mundum vel immundumjacit, sic et hie alligat vel solvit episcopus et presbyter : non eos qui insontes sunt vel noxii, sed pro officio suo, cum peccatorum audierit varietates, scit qui ligandus sit, quive solvendus." Divi Hieronymi 300 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Stridonensis Opp. torn. VI. col. 73. In Matt. cap. 16. Paris. 1602. " Spa f ceal eac j-e J»e mib heapob leahqium pi'Sin- nan hjreoplig hfS cuman to 3obej- ya.ceji.be "] jeope- man hip bigelnyppe J)am gapthcan Isece- ^ be hip jva&be T pultume hip papla punba bsebbeCenbe ge- lacnian. Sume menn penaS -f him gemhtpumige to pulpjiemebum Isecebome jip hi heojxa pynna mib onbyjibjie heoptan gobe anum geanbetta'S- ^ ne •Suppon nanum pacejibe geanbettan gip hi ypelep geppica'S. Sc gip heopa pena po'S paejie" 'Sonne nolbe bjiihten apenban J>one he pylp geha&lbe to J>am pacejxbe mib aemgjie lace. Fop. Jja&jie ylcan gebypnunge eac he apenbe paulum' J)one he pylp op heoponum gepppsec- to 'Sam pacepbe ananian* J>up cps&'Senbe. Ira inn to J)8&jie ceaptpe ^ ]>ieji Jje bi'S gepseb hpaet gebapena'S to bonne. Ne gebybe pe pacepiS J)one mann hp^eopligne o'SSe unhpeop- ligne- ac he bembe f he pceolbe beon apcypeb ppam manna neapipte gip hjaeopla pyppigenbe paepe. o'S'Se betpux mannum punian gip hip hpeopla go- bienbe ysejve. Spa pceal bon pe gaptlican pacepb* he pceal gepiiht Isecan gobep pole • "] J>one apcypan ■] amanpumian ppam cpiptenum mannum ]>e ppa hpeoplig biS on manpuUum ]?eapum • •f he oSpe mib hip ypelnyppe bepmyt. Be ]?am cpse'S pe apoptol paulup • apcyjiia'S J>oiie ypelan pp^am eop • Jpyloep ]>e an pann-hal peep ealle ]>a eopbe bepmite. Eip hip hjieopla bi'S gobienbe* J»8et ip* gip he ypelep gep- pic'S- ^ hip Jpeapap pujih gobep ege gejiiht Isec'S- he haebbe pununge betpux cjnptenum mannum o'S baet he pull halpi on hip 'Spohtnungum. (Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li. 4 — 6. Ex Horn, intit. Dominica Tert'ia post Theophaniam, f. 7- The homily is OF SERMON V. 301 Upon Christ's cleansing the leper.) So shall also he, who with heavy vices within is leprous, come to God's priest, and open his secret sin to the ghostly leech (physician), and hy his counsel and aid heal his soul's wounds ; doing penance. Some men ween that it suffices them for a perfect cure, if they confess their sins, with contrite heart, to God alone, and that no confession to a priest is required, if they cease from evil. Sut if their opinion were true, then would not the Lord have sent away him whom he healed himself to the priest with any pre- sent. For exemplifying the same thing also he sent away Paulus, whom he addressed himselffrom heaven, to the priest Ananias ; thus saying. Go into the city, and there shall he said to thee what hefitteth to he done. The priest made not the man leprous or unleprous, hut he judged that he should he separated from the neighhourhood of men, if his leprosy were growing worse, or dwell among men, if his leprosy were growing hetter. So shall do the ghostly priest : he shall rightly cure God's folk, and separate, and excommunicate from Cris- ten men him who so leprous is in wicked vices, that he others with his evilness defiles. According to that which saith the apostle Paulus, Separate the evil one from you, lest the one sickly sheep in- fect all the flock. If his leprosy he growing hetter, that is, if he cease from evil, and his vices, through God's fear, rightly cure, he may have habitation among Christian men. " Crist said to the Apostles, The sins of them whom ye forgive are forgiven, and those from which ye withhold forgiveness, from them it will he witholden. This power gave Crist to the Apostles,. 302 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS and to all bishops, if they rightly hold it. But if the bishop do according to his own will, and will bind the innocent and loose the guilty, then loses he the might which God gave him. Upon those men he shall bestow forgiveness whom he seeth to be contrite, through God's grace, and them shall he harden who have no repentance of their mis- deeds. Crist reared from death the stinking La- %arus, and when he was quick, then saith he to his disciples. Loose his bands, that he may go. Then loosed they the bands of the quickened (man) whom Crist reared to life. Therefore should the teach- ers unbind foom their sins those to whom Crist has given life through contrition. Every sinful man who concealeth his sins, he lieth dead in the tomb ; but if he confess his sins through contrition, then goeth he from the tomb, even as Lazarus did when Crist commanded him to arise. Then shall the teacher unbind him from the eternal punish-^ ment, even as the apostles bodily loosed Lazarus. Bib]. Publ. Cant. MSS. li. 4 — 6. Dominica i" post Pascam. p. 350. Wheloc. in Bed. p. 404 ; where may be seen the Saxon^ with a Latin translation. °^ Every man is baptised in the name of the holy Trinity, and he may not be again baptised, lest the invocation of the holy Trinity be despised; but true repentance, and penance, (ba&bboc,) with cessation from evil, wash us again from the sins which, after our baptism, we have committed. The merciful God says concerning all sinful men two words very profitable, Dechna a malo, et fac bo- num ; that is, Tijirnfrom evil, and do good. It is not enough, that thou turn from evil, unless thou, at the same time, according to thy condition, accom- OF SERMON V. 303 plish good. Penitence, (baebbot,) with cessation of evil, and alms-deeds, and holy prayers, and faith, and trust in God, and the true love of God and man, heal and medicine our sins, if we ear- nestly follow the advice of our physicians. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Julius, E. 7. ex Horn, in cap. Jejunii, f. 63. Wheloc. in Bed. p. 422; where may be seen the Saxon, with a Latin translation, and much more matter to the same effect.) It may naturally be supposed, that as the doc- trine grew up of an absolute necessity for auricular confession to a priest, passages like this were found by no means satisfactory. Whelock (p. 216.) has furnished some curious evidence to this effect, from a MS. volume of Saxon homilies, in the library of Trinity college, Cambridge. The homilist says. He who is lost in heinous sins shall not dare, though, to taste God's Eucharist, unless he first his sins amend, (gebefce.) Some one has written in the margin, against this last word, geanbefcte hij- ycTfiiytAii, confoss to his confessor. In another place of the same homily, it is said. The man who will not repent of his sins, in his life, he gets no for- giveness in the (life) to come. Against repent (beh- jieoppan) here, is written, hij- j-cpipfcan geanbefcfcan, to his confossor confoss. Another homily says. If a man would, at least when he is sick, turn to God, and his sins confoss with true repentance, the ve- racious Judge would have mercy upon him. The marginal annotator here has written against gean- betfcan, confess, hij- j-cp^iptan geanbettan, to his con- fossor confess. Even another passage, in the same homily, which evidently rather makes for confes- sion to a priest, does not go far enough for this zeal- 304 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS ous assertor of that doctrine. The homiUst says, But the unamended sins will there he manifested. They shall he ashamed and sorrowful in mind, that they hefore would not confess their sins, and do penance, (baebbote gebon,) according to their teacher's direction. In this passage, against anbefc- tan, confess is written^ heojia j-cjnpfcan, to their confessor. A similar anxiety to press auricular confession upon men appears in the following extract from a Bodleian MS. (Junius 99. f. 78.) in which the ho- milist is intent upon that object himself, but appears to have gone by no means far enough for some later reader. Dob pyle j-pa J>eah gemiltpian a&ghpylcum pyn- puUum menu ]?e hip pynna hep anbet hip pcpipte • •] bsebbetan pyle* '-] aappe geppican Jja&p unpihtep J?e he sap pophfce '^ bybe. Gal man p^ceal appipan pynna Jjuph abpybe anbetnyppe • Gal ppa man be'S unlibban bunh zobne bnenc0. ran- butan je an&e«an ^e ma&g pe ppeopfc aenigum eoppe rjnnan ■ nub nane pynpullum men pel baebbofce Jjinge • ne mib gebebum • fciBcan 8ep he gehype hip pynne ne mib arimerran • ne bi'S * jt * n. i. i ,, , ' ^ ***pe ma pe aenir lasce ms&r hit pell gebetc r>iS robb. ^ ' ° , , ° untpumne mann pel lacnian 8&P he hsebbe f attop ut appipen • Jje him on innan bi«. God will, however, have mercy upon all sinfid men who confess their sins here to their confessor, and will do penance, and ever cease from the un- righteousness that they ever wrought and did. Every man shall evacuate sins through contrite confession ; just as one gets rid of (something) 9 ana Know ye ceriam- , ~ ~ ly; unless ye confess your ^^^ P^^^St cannot Well teach sins; with no thing, nei- penitence to any sinful man ther with prayers, nor ere he hear his sin *** the with alms, is it well set to f^^yg ^^^^ ^^^ Igg^jf^ ^an well rights with God. .7 77 * cure a sick man, ere he have evacuated ike poison which is within. In this extract, the Saxon words underscored (to which the Enghsh words in Roman letters answer) and those placed in the margin are all written in a different hand, and with different ink from the homily itself. To make room for the words under- scored, the vellum has evidently been scraped, and the marks of the knife are still rough in the place * * * where is now found a lacuna. In Whelock's notes to Bede (pp. 340 et seq.) may be seen three Saxon pieces, with Latin trans- lations, upon Contrition, Confession, and Penitence, (baebbofc) respectively, which confirm the views of these subjects attributed in the present work to the Anglo-Saxon Church. The learned editor does not seem to have been aware that all these pieces are Alcuin's : being among the Theological Essays ad- dressed by that eminent English scholar to count Guido. They are to be found among the MSS. in the public library at Cambridge. (li. 1. — 33.) In the printed edition of Alcuin's works they are to be found in the columns 1224, 5, 6, 7 . SERMON VI. PURGATORY. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, stand Just, and hold the tra- ditions which ye have been taught, whether hy word, or our epistle. Your attention was invited in the last dis- course to a principle, probably, of philosophic origin, which could hardly fail of augmenting human apprehensions on the near approach of death. If it were believed, that all who would escape the posthumous vengeance of offended Heaven must compensate, on this side of eternity, by proportionate sufferings for their vicious acts, great anxiety would na- turally be felt, in most cases, lest sins and in- flictions should by no means have proceeded with equal pace. "Neither has a frowning Providence," would an accusing conscience generally say, "afflicted you nearly to the just measure of your iniquities, nor have your own voluntary austerities at all ap- proached the magnitude of those miscar- riages which they were intended to correct X 2 308 SERMON VI. and punish." There is, indeed, ordinarily, a considerable space in men's mortal career, when the cares and riches and pleasures of this world exclude and stifle such reflections. But at length a summons to his " long home" plainly sounds in the sinner's ears. He can no longer conceal it from himself, that he personally must soon occasion " the mourners to go about the streets." Exhausting ener- gies allow him not to doubt, that the time is nearly come for loosing " the silver cord" of life, for returning his "dust to the earth as it was^" What child of Adam, when at last awakened to this awful prospect, can avoid an anxious desire to ask. And shall my " spirit also return unto the God who gave it ?" In such moments of serious thought, the mind, oppressed with an overwhelming conscious- ness of past iniquities, is constrained to say, " Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God ? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil ? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul '' ?" It was by a Eccl. xii. 5, 6, 7. b Mio. vi. 6, 7. SERMON VI. 309 returning an affirmative reply to questions like some of these, that, in ancient England, apprehensions were allayed, excited by the presumed necessity of compensating, by pro- portionate sufferings, for unholy deeds. Men were told, when writhing under the terrors of an evil conscience, "You have, indeed, failed most grievously of doing what the Lord requireth. You have not done justly, or loved mercy, or walked humbly with your God^. Happily called, as you were, to be- come the child of grace hy the washing of regenerations you have alienated your hea- venly Father, and wilfully rendered yourself the child of wrath, by a long, infatuated in- dulgence of proud, impure, selfish, angry feel- ings. But you need not despond: that al^ mighty Friend, who constantly cared for you% while you were careless of yourself, has, pro- bably, given you the ability to come before him with tolerable assurance. Use his un- merited bounty with due liberality. Repent truly of your iniquities, and then you may be allowed to redeem that fearful debt which you justly view as threatening ruin to your soul. Charity shall cover the multitude of sinsK Forgive, then, freely ; nay more, even = Micah vi. 8. ^ Tit. iii. 5. « 1 Pet. v. 7. f 1 Pet. iv. 8. x3 310 SERMON VI. benefit and bless your enemies. Let your alms alleviate the privations of indigence. Let the slave be kindly bidden to go free. Let the house of God arise, by your means, among a population enshrouded in religious darkness. Let the bridge, or causeway, draw from future generations blessings upon your memory'." These latter indications, that Chris- >^tian charity truly wrought upon the parting soul, were, indeed, beyond the powers of or- dinary men. But the blessed Jesus has gra- ciously declared the widow's mite of equal estimation, in the sight of God, with an of- fering proportioned to the resources of opu- lences. Where, then, in ancient England, was the " broken spirit," where " the contrite heart^" that needed to grapple with man's last great enemy, hopeless for the future ? It was, however, obviously undesirable to render habitually prominent such a prospect of eluding penitential rigours. Had the or- dinary coarse of religious instruction led men generally to calculate upon thus retaining in security their sinful lusts and appetites, how few, unhappily, would have been careful to « war a good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience!" How fatally would the B St. Mark xii. 43. h pg. y, jiy. SERMON VI. 311 great mass of every successive generation have been lulled into an insensate neglect of eternity, and have blindly trodden "the broad way that leadeth to destruction'," until the day of the Lord, coming suddenly and unex- pectedly, like the midnight robber, precluded every hope of escaping the vengeance of of- fended Heaven ! That happy few in the great human family, whose temperaments appear to have been formed in a gentler, humbler, ho- lier mould than those of the great majority among their brethren, might, indeed, have willingly submitted to the compensatory dis- cipline, which was esteemed the safest medi- cine for the soul. Victims also of remorse or melancholy would have eagerly undergone even its most dreaded severities. But vainly would God's appointed ministers have ex- horted the bulk of their congregations to disarm vengeance from on high, by rendering themselves the avengers of their own un- righteous acts. Hence the Christian preacher ordinarily painted the palpable fool-hardi- ness of consuming year after year in wicked courses, and of deferring, or of declining al- together, such austerities as were considered necessary for exempting the soul from inflic- tions infinitely more rigorous in a future i St. Matt. vii. 13. X 4 312 SERMON VI. state. Men were thus generally retained in that frame of mind which allowed them not to look back upon their own lives without painful apprehension. Surviving relatives also could but rarely reflect upon the mortal ca- reers of those whom they deplored without uneasiness. On one side the mental eye en- countered a mass of iniquity, calling, indeed, loudly for judicial visitation ; on the other, penalties, exacted, perhaps, both by the sin- ner's own conscience, and by angry dispense^ tions of God's providence, yet utterly dispro- portioned to the magnitude of offences com- mitted. Apprehensions, however, of final perdition, arising from this source, not uncommonly found among our distant Christian ancestry some degree of alleviation in a doctrine in- herited from Pagan times, ' A primeval tra- dition, probably, has led men every where to expect a future state of retribution. But thii^ expectation, nakedly entertained, is calculated to cause great uneasiness in a world overspread with iniquity. Man's perverse ingenuity has, accordingly, devised various theories for its qualification. Thus oriental philosophy some- times taught, that human souls were ema- nations of the Deity, which, being defiled by their unhappy detention in corporeal pri- SERMON VI. 313 sons, were consigned, after death, to certain penal processes,. diifering in duration, seve- rity, and nature, according to the measures of those pollutions which they had severally contracted. When sufficiently purified by this course of discipline, they were again merged in that glorious and happy essence from which they had originally proceeded. This doctrine found an entrance into the Christian Church under the auspices of Ma- nes, and hence it quickly fell into general disrepute. A modification of it, however, escaped this load of obloquy among the faith- ful. Pythagoras and Plato had not proceeded to the revolting length of representing the unseen tenants of our mortal frames as es- sentially divine. But still they had flattered the proud heart of man by declaring his spi- rit originally an inhabitant of heaven, which, from some miscarriage, had, for a time, lost its title to that blest abode, and was there- fore doomed to struggle through far inferior states of being, until a course of suffering had sufficiently punished and completely purged away the disgraceful causes of its ne- cessary exclusion from the presence of the Great Supreme*. Philosophic refinements, and a vain, weak, mischievous, restless desire of "intruding into those things which man 314 SERMON VI. hath not seen^" seduced some among the earlier ornaments of our holy religion to think favourably of such speculations. By Origen especially they were cordially received ; and (as every thing must he which rivets minds like his) they were industriously and ingeniously recommended to the world. Ac- cordingly this great and good man, but one, alas ! most grievously " spoiled through phi- losophy and vain deceit' ^" not only main- tained that human souls would be consigned, after dissolution, to a fiery abyss, whence they would eventually emerge, purified by their agonizing detention there, and therefore . fit- ted for "seeing God"," but that even devils also, would exult, at last, in this anxiously ex- pected deliverance*. Speculators, zealous, un- shrinking, able, and energetic as Origen, com- monly make impressions that wear not soon away. Nor did his authority, though im- pugned by masters in theology, fail of long enjoying extensive influence in the Christian world. His peculiar opinions of a purgato- rial state, indeed, being based upon the de- nial of hell, and plainly savouring of the Academy much more than of the Gospel, quickly sank into general disesteem. But k Col. ii. 18. 1 Col. ii. 8. '" St. Matt. v. 8. SERMON VI. 315 their main principle was fostered by the con- tinued popularity of philosophic specular- tions ; it had received also some countenance, before his time, from TertuUian*; and it proved invincibly tenacious of vitality among the followers of Jesus. Even the Fathers, accordingly, of greatest eminence, adopted various views of a future purgatorial fire". Their general opinion, how- ever, appears to have been, that this would prove a mighty conflagration, enveloping the whole face of nature, on the consummation of all things. Through its flames, they thought, every child of Adam, even the bless- ed Virgin not excluded, would be compelled to pass in his way to the judgment-seat of Christ. The most holy of God's elect would accomplish this fiery passage rapidly, and with little or nothing of distress. Greater sinners would long have to buffet with the flames, and would smart severely under their effects; but these would, happily, consume every trace of such impurities as the sufferers had contracted upon earth, and hence render them fit for admission within that holy city, " into which any thing that defileth shall in nowise enter"." As for those who died in unyielding impenitence, it was considered n Rev. xxi. 27. 316 SERMON VI. that they would approach the mysterious and awful mass of flame spotted so deeply with iniquity as to make their purgation utterly hopeless. Hence when, at last, they had struggled through the horrors of this fiery baptism, their very appearance would be- speak unfitness for a heavenly habitation, and indelibly mark them for " a part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death"." For this picture, too, men were indebted, probably, to a primeval tradition. When "all flesh, in Noah's time, had corrupted his wayP," God purged the polluted earth by submersion under the billows of a mighty flood. Unhappily, from the single family preserved, arose a new progeny of sinners. Hence reflecting minds were driven to admit, that indeed the globe again demanded loud- ly some overwhelming scourge, ere it could be rendered worthy of its heavenly artificer. God had, however, pledged himself, that the " waters should no more become a flood to destroy all flesh "i." He had also, probably, given some intimations to the second father of mankind, that when a corrupt and infa- tuated world should, a second time, fill up Rev. xxi. 8. P Gen. vi. 12. q Gen. ix. 15. SERMON VI. 317 the measure of its iniquities, and thus be- come ripe for vengeance, fire would strike the blow. Such an annunciation would na- turally supply speculative minds with an analogy between the fate which had already overtaken nature and that which yet awaited her. From the former catastrophe had arisen a renovated soil, for a time, at least, scarcely profaned by a single guilty footstep. From the latter, as more effective to destroy every remnant of the past, might be expected to arise a new earth, incapable even of defile- ment, and hence fitted for the glorious, happy home of a blameless race. Christians of all classes naturally imbibed such opinions from their heathen associates. The more educated followers of Jesus had become grievously " spoiled through philosophy and vain de^ ceit." Hence they, too, allowed themselves a pernicious and unwarrantable licence in speculating upon the posthumous prospects of mankind. Nor did they fail to seek con- firmations of their views in holy Scripture. Ingenious framers of hypotheses, whether physical or moral, act, however, ordinarily thus. They strike out a favourite theory, and then endeavour to shew its consistency with God's undoubted Word^ But such spe- culators pretend not usually to offer their 318 SERMON VI. systems, even thus supported, as articles of faith. Nor, obviously, did those early theo- logians, virho amused themselves in tracing pictures of an intermediate purgatorial fire. Hence they freely gave an extensive range to their imaginations when employed upon this question; evidently considering themselves at perfect liberty either to reject the prin- ciple altogether, or to entertain it in such a manner as best agreed with their several feel- ings, prejudices, and habits of thought. The converted Anglo-Saxons were most probably prepared, by prepossessions descend- ing from their heathen ancestry, to think fa- vourably of speculations upon the soul's in- termediate purgation. A disposition to re- tain such hypotheses came recommended to them by the great authority of that cele- brated, but superstitious pontiff, whom they reverenced as the Apostle of their nation. Gregory pronounces it credible, that for cer- tain light offences, such as habits of in- dulging in idle conversation, or unrestrained laughter, improprieties in the management of pecuniary affairs, and sins of ignorance in the less important questions, there is a purgato- rial fire, before the day of judgment^" In another place he drops this doubtful tone, and pretty plainly makes the Psalmist say, SERMON VI. 319 " I know, that, after this life, some will be expiated in purgatorial flames, others will undergo the sentence of eternal damnation'." Can this language, however, positive as it ap- pears, be considered as an expression of the pontiff's deliberate judgment? Must it not rather pass for ah artful or a hasty declara- tion in favour of a system, far from infertile, as he was driven to admit, in moral evils, but still highly fascinating to a mind like his? If it be really more than this, how blameable, nay, rather, how inexcusable was Gregory to nullify his testimony, by placing it in the mouth of another, and by using such unde- termined phraseology on a different occasion ! Surely " a master of Israel'" would abundantly merit the severest reprehension, if he were to treat what he considered an integral member of our holy faith as merely credible. ' Equally wavering and doubtful upon this point, however, is our own countryman Bede. The Psalmist's prayer, " O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath," occasions the venerable expositor to observe, that " Venial sins must be burnt away in purgatorial firei, now, in the space intervening before the day of judg- ment"." But this decided language is in- consistent with its context. Bede there ad- ^ St. John. iii. 10. 320 SERMON VI. verts to the celebrated passage " in which St. Paul mentions those who " shall be saved, yet so as by fire." Now, when treating expressly upon that remarkable metaphor, he refers to the words in the Psalms, and he says, in the words of St. Austin, of the two texts con- jointly, "I find no fault with those who would expound Scripture here as announcing a future purgatorial fire, because, perhaps, their opinion is true^"^" Of the^re mentioned by St. Paul, in the text giving rise to this ex- pression of doubt, the great father of English scriptural exposition speaks even with greater diffidence. "I confess myself," he modestly says, again adopting the famed Bishop of Hippo's language, " rather desirous of hear- ing its meaning from individuals of greater learning and intelligence'^." He then offers two explanations of the term. Of these, the first represents the works of men as proved in the furnace of affliction, here, upon earth. The second views this fiery trial as a purga- torial flame, through which some of the faith- ful may be required to pass after death, and from which they may be expected to emerge, with a celerity, greater or less, according to the varying magnitudes of their several ini- quities. This latter hypothesis Bede charac- terizes as "not incredible'*." Such is the judg- SERMON VI. 321 ment upon purgatory of the most esteemed among our ancient theologians. He found in his authorities certain obscure and undefined speculations upon the subject, and he con- tented himself with dismissing these, as earlier divines had also done, by declaring them to involve no violation of probability. What would have been said of Bede, had he spoken of the Trinity or Incarnation in a similar tone of brief, indifferent scepticism ? What else, than that his creed bound him to pro- fess no such doctrines as articles of faith ? ' The speculations, however, to which Bede adverts were deeply rooted in pagan' prepos- sessions, and hence they maintained their ground throughout the regions of western Europe. That religious authorities, notwith- standing, forbore to regard them as entitled to implicit confidence is attested by nume- rous remains of antiquity. Among these may be mentioned the conclusion to that remon- strance, cited in the last discourse, in which a Frankish council affirms, that God allows no sin to pass unpunished. Three descrip- tions of penalty are then enumerated, two re- lating to this world, and one to the next. Under the first heads we find penances vo- luntarily undergone, and judicial visitations of an angry Providence. Under the second 322 SERMON VI. head is placed alone the horrible fate re- served for obstinate iniquity on the great and awful day of account '^ Of any post- mundane penalty, besides this final consign- ment of reprobate spirits to the realms of eternal misery, the fathers give not even the slightest intimation. How comes it that they abstained from mentioning a second scene of dreadful retribution after death ? Was it not politic, was it not indeed incumbent urgent- ly upon God's appointed servants, to provide a barrier against that torrent of sacrilegious avarice which they sought to stem, by stating every punishment in store for the oifenders ? The remonstrating prelates might have said, " Men vainly reckon upon impunity, because evir deeds are often long attended by prospe- rity and peace. The sinner, notwithstanding) may be seized, eventually, with remorse of conscience, and hence driven to inflict upon himself a galling course of penitential disci- pline. Or the fearful judgments of a right- eous God may overtake him when he least expects it. Or obstinate impenitence may consign him to everlasting misery. Or, if late contrition happily avert this intolerable doom, he may still bitterly deplore, on leaving hu- man life, in agonies terminable indeed, yet protracted and intense, the wretched infatua- SERMON VI. 323 tion of his wicked acts." What other infer- ence can reasonably be drawn from the total omission of such a topic as this last, than that an intermediate state of suffering for the soul was no recognized article of the Frankish creed early in the ninth century ? Nor, there- fore, we may reasonably conclude, did Eng- land, then, admit any such member into the " faith once delivered unto the saints." Of her continuance in such exclusion, the fol- lowing admonition to a penitent, after con- fession, but little anterior, probably, to the Conquest, is no doubtful evidence. " Thou shalt reflect upon the day of judgment, and ever entertain a fear of eternal torments. For eternal life thou shalt strive most earnestly ; and every day thou shalt think of death'®." Why was the voice of exhortation thus re- stricted? Did the monitor never hear of an intermediate state of punishment and purga- tion between death and judgment ? Assuredly, with such an expectation he was far from un- acquainted. ' But in holy Scripture he could not find it certainly confirmed ; ecclesiastical antiquity refused it any decided sanction. His theological authorities, accordingly, though fa- vourable to it, would not venture upon its po- sitive approval. He therefore abstained from introducing, among the more solemn of xeli^ Y 2 324 SERMON V gious exhortations, any reference to that which he knew might eventually be found no better than an ingenious theory. A like disregard of the purgatorial hypo- thesis appears in most of the Saxon homilies. One of these venerable sermons teaches, that "he can never be clean who will not cease from sin ere his dying day"." Another of them asserts, that no opportunities of compen- sating for iniquities await men beyond the grave, but that "every one will fare here- after according to his deserts here, be they good or be they evil'l" A third warns the people against any expectations of pardon for sin in a future state. Repentance in this world, it teaches, must be accomplished by all who would find forgiveness on reaching the world of spirits'*. And were those to whom we owe such declarations firmly per- suaded that a purgatorial fire would cleanse the disembodied soul from every defilement of carnality ? Could such writers also have esteemed bare attrition adequate for conduct- ing eventually the children of disobedience to those heavenly joys for which no relish had been acquired in their whole mortal course ? Besides thus extinguishing the hope of ob- stinate iniquity by their views of the disemr bodied soul's condition, our early homilists so SERMON VI. 325 represent it likewise as powerfully to encou- rage virtue. Good men, they teach, are trans- ferred immediately from earth to paradise*". Human life is compared, accordingly, to the passage of ancient Israel through the wilder- ness. If mortals, it is said, travel through that difficult and often painful portion of their whole existence in obedience to God's Commands, the heavenly Canaan awaits them at its end". Another homily paints the pious soul, on escaping from the body, as rendered seven times brighter than the sun, and as led by angels to the destined abode of happi- ness". Again, the prevailing belief in the Limbus Patrum aifords occasion for exhort- ing men to consider thankfully the privilege of those who live under the Gospel. These more favoured of God's children, it is repre- sented, at once attain that state of fruition, to which the fathers were not admitted, until after a wearisome delay '^. The view, indeed, of a future cleansing fire, apparently most popular in ancient England, was that which Alcuin adopted. This vene- rated scholar had followed those theorists of earlier date, by whom the final conflagration was expected to prove purgatorial in its na- ture and effects. A homilist, accordingly, af- firms unhesitatingly, that all men would have V 9, 326 SERMON VI. to make their anxious way through the flames enveloping a guilty world, and that, from this awful passage, every one who came out un- singed would be completely cleansed from the pollution of iniquity*'*. Nor did our distant ancestry abandon that principle, established among heathen specu- lators, which accounted for the kindling of this mighty conflagration. The globe will sink, they thought, amidst an all-devouring mass of flame, because it long has fostered impiety and moral disobedience. Even the einbers of this all-prevailing fire, it was ima- gined, will not be suffered to deform the face of renovated nature. No sooner will com- bustion cease, than an overwhelming flood will cover all the ground. This, in its ebb- ing tide, will carry downwards into the ca- verns of the great abyss every vestige of that defilement which has for ages tainted and profaned the perfect workmanship of a holy God. Thus, " the first heaven and the first earth having passed away," will arise " a new heaven and a new earth'," fitted for the ran- somed of the Lord, wholly, therefore, free from all that can ensnare the senses or en- gender moral contagion**. 1 From the prevailing practice of allowing * Rev. xxi. 1. SERMON VI. 327 this dangerous licence to an excursive fancy, religious persons of a visionary temperament naturally extracted food adapted to their pe- culiar habits of hallucination. Thus Fursey, truly eminent as a missionary to East Anglia, gained new admiration^ by declaring himself to have been admitted^ amidst the troubled slumbers of a sick man's couch, to a view of miseries in store for disembodied souls*^ The morbid imagination of Drighthelm, a North- umbrian ascetic, aiforded a dream of equal celebrity*'. One of these pictures, however, is evidently based in allegory; and neither of them^ it is worthy of remark, represents the purgatorial fire as any ground for uni- versal apprehension. Its torturing operation, the visions paint, awaits those only whose im- penitence has reached to the very end of life, and who have, hence, been unable to com- pensate for their sins by proportionate auste- rities. Here we may detect an ample reason for the circulation industriously given to these well-told instances of a distempered body's operation upon an enthusiastic mind. Our ancient clergy laboured anxiously to enforce that penitential discipline, which was deemed of incalculable importance to the soul. What was more likely to second effectually such endeavours than vivid pictures of agonizing, Y 4 328 SERMON VI. purgatorial sufferings reserved for those who should leave the world under a load of unex- piated sin ? That the spirits of such infatuated offen- ders would indeed pay their moral debts with usury and rigour inconceivable is as- serted, at considerable length, in a homily written, it seems, after the millenary year. It is there maintained, that some members of the great human family, on departure from the world, go immediately to rest, some, again, to eternal misery, and others to temporary punishmient in expiating fires. It is not, however, the more heinous transgressions to which this intermediate agony is threatened. It is only for sins of a less revolting character that men are allowed to calculate upon thus escaping from the horrors of eternal death *l Individual divines, then, appear to have taught our ancestry, through the whole Saxon period, that human souls pass immediately, by death, some to heaven, others to hell, others to paradise, while a fourth sort, those, namely, of the less grievous sinners, who re- pented truly at the end of life, but not be- fore, go for a time to a place of fiery punish- ment and purgation. These opinions differ from those eventually erected into articles of faith by the councils of Florence and Trent '') SERMON VI. 329 in the mention of paradise, in the deiiial of heaven to all who died not truly contrite, in offering no hope of purgatorial amendment to the most heinous offenders, and in posi- tively deciding upon fire as the destined in- strument of punishment and purification. The most essential point, however, in which these two systems disagree consists in this, that An- glo-Saxon speculations generally would ex- empt a very considerable number of human souls from the fear of purgatory, Romish doc- trines hardly any. For who is there so per- fect, upon the bed of death, as to be wholly free from certain venial sins, from an un- happy leaven of corruption^"? "While the soul yet lingers in its earthly tabernacle it rarely fails to exhibit some traces of the flesh. An exceedingly small minority of mankind can, then, upon Romish principles, leave the world with any reasonable hope of escaping purgatorial rigours. The theorists of ancient England, however, encouraged extensive ex- pectations of such a happy deliverance. Would men, they taught, lead religious, virtuous lives, and compensate penitentially for their iniqui- ties, their souls would pass, by death, imme- diately to a place of rest and refreshment. But this fact, though of some importance in controversy, affects not materially the main 330 SERMON VI. object of our enquiry. We are concerned to ask, whether a belief in a state of punish- ment and purgation for the disembodied soul was entertained, among the spiritual guides of ancient England, from the first, uninter- ruptedly and definitely, as ah article of faith ? To such questions must undoubtedly be re- turned a negative rieply. How can it be ra- tionally maintainedj that the earliest of our country's religious authorities inculcate the Romish doctrine of purgatory, when it is known that they merely treat expectations of a future cleansing fire, operating upon light offences, as involving no violation of probabi- lity? And why did writers especially called upon by their subjects to mention this pur- gatorial flame omit all mention of it ? Why did others notice it in a bpief, confused, un- satisfactory manner ? Why, again, was its cre- dit mainly supported by alleged revelations, confessedly vouchsafed to men of ascetic ha- bits, while their senses were locked in sleep, and their bodies laboured under indisposi- tion ? How came it also that some considered the soul's agonizing purgation as consequent immediately upon its release from humanity, while others, and those perhaps by no means the minority, expected not the kindlitig of this purifying flame until that awful day SERMON VI. 331 when "the heavens shall pasis away with a gred,t noii^fe, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up* ?" What can be inferred from such indisputable facts, but that all these varying opinions were looked upon as mere speculations, not un- fruitful, perhaps, in moral admonition, but still entitled neither to the implicit credence nor to the uniformity of definition demanded by articles of faith? Oiir ancient Church stood, indeed, committed to none of those theories upon the soul's intermediate purga- tion which were entertained among her chil- dren. She merely authorized those prayers and eucharistic services for the dead which had been established in Christian societies of earlier date. But such religious offices in- volve not necessarily any belief in purgato- rial sufferings. Disembodied souls were con- sidered, in ancient times, as expectants only of the beatific vision, until the day of judg- ment. Hence it was esteemed a pious exer- cise of charity in surviving friends to pray that they might miss, in their actual state, none of those comforts and satisfactions which that condition would allow. It was also thought indicative of a religious and affec- t 2 Pet. iii. 10. 332 SERMON VL tionate regard for the Happiness of those who had gone before, to pray, that when their souls should finally rejoin the body, the now renovated man should proceed with modest exultation into the presence of his almighty Judge. Such happy^ members of the great hu- man family would rise, it was imagined, before the wretched outcasts from heavenly favour ; arid, accordingly, men commonly supplicated for those among the departed whose memories they fondly cherished, that this first resur- rection might diffuse unwonted satisfaction over their reviving frames^'. The prevalence of such opinions among our Saxon fathers is established undeniably by their literary re- mains. Thus ^Ethelred, brother to king Al- fred, is described as awaiting in his grave, after a well-spent life, the second advent of our blessed Lord, and the first resurrection with the just^*. The same expressions are also used respecting Burghred, king of Mer- cia^^. Pacts like these account sufficiently for offices in behalf of departed spirits. Our ancient Church might evidently sanction them without espousing also any of those theories upon an intermediate, penal state of purification, which floated upon the surface of society. As in truth to such speculations her au- SERMON VI. 333 thority never stood committed, it will neces- sarily follow that her testimony would be vainly sought in favour of indulgences,. In- deed Bishop Fisher, one of the most excel- lent and learned among martyrs to the Ro- mish cause, has justly attributed the popu- larity of these famous relaxations to the ge- neral prevalence of a belief in purgatory ^'^. Our Anglo-Saxon fathers, however, knew that doctrine only in its infancy ; and they were taught expressly, that the posthumous inflic- tions, upon which many speculated, could be no objects of apprehension to such as would follow the directions of their spiritual guides. A race thus instructed was not likely to seek for those exemptions which the Roman see has offered, since purgatorial expiations have been represented as reserved for nearly all mankind. It is, besides, notorious, that in- dulgences became not objects of request, in any quarter, until after the period with which this enquiry is concerned. Nor would they have been mentioned here, were they not in- timately connected with our present subject of attention, and had they not attained an extraordinary degree of prominence among the details of ecclesiastical history. The spark which found a vent for a mighty but long-smothered flame could not fail, indeed. 334 SERMON VI. of arresting permanently the attention of mankind. The whole matter submitted to your no- tice in this discourse may haply suggest an answer to some important questions. When doctrines uncontained in Scripture are de- nied assent, their advocates commonly en- quire, How came articles of faith, unless taught in apostolic times, ever to have been received at all among the faithful ? Consider those indisputable facts which are connected with the case of purgatory. Who will deny that Gentile prejudices and associations pre- pared the early Christians for a belief in this important principle ? Is it not notorious also, that expectations of purifying fires, awaiting the disembodied soul, had long been enter- tained in that philosophic school which num- bered eventually among its pupils many of the most illustrious Christian luminaries? And ai-e not these very individuals the earliest known authorities within the Church for a belief in an intermediate state of suifering? Do they, however, inculcate such a principle as an article of faith? Do they not rather treat it as a mere speculation, not unworthy, indeed, of exciting human anxieties, but still entitled to reception upon no higher ground than upon that of probability ? Thus unau- SERMON VI. 335 thenticated and unsettled did the doctrine of purgatory reach the period when the tenth century ran its dark and uneasy course. Then it is known to have made very consi- derable progress. When, accordingly, the human mind recovered something from the leaden pressure of that miserable age, a be- lief in purgatorial fires between death and judgment was engrafted pretty thoroughly upon the Christian faith. Of other doctrines received among the fol- lowers of Jesus, but incapable of scriptural proof, let it be considered, whether a way was not prepared for them by immemorial pagan traditions, and whether they may not have received some degree of countenance from Christian writers before the tenth cen- tury. Popular principles and practices which had defied extinction until that age were ob- viously likely to gain a great accession of vi- gour in their passage through it. They had long been struggling obscurely for a perma- nent establishment. Three generations, or more, successively arose unusually deficient in the means of checking their progress. They could hence hardly fail of being left in firm possession of that ground which more intelligent times would never have conceded. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON VI. ' X HE tenth canon of the synod of Celichyth (holden in 816) enjoins, that, on the death of a bishop, the tenth of his property of every kind should be bestowed in alms, and that every English slave belonging to him should be manumitted, for the sake of obtaining mercy for his sins. " Quan- docunque aliquis ex numero episcoporum migra- verit de seculo, tunc pro anima illius prsecipimus, ex substantia cujuscunque rei decimam partem divi- dere, ac distribuere pauperibus in eleemosynam, sive in pecoribus et armentis, seu de ovibus et por- cis, vel etiam in cellariis, nee non omnem hominem Anglicum liberare, qui in diebus suis sit servituti subjectus, ut per illud sui proprii laboris fructum retributionis percipere mereatur, et indulgentiam peccatorum." (Spelman. Cone. 330.) The thirteenth, and three following of king Edgar's canons, declare that satisfaction for sins may be made by means of alms, and enumerate various ways of exercising such benevolence. A church may be built, it is said, a glebe settled upon it, and young men placed in it, for the performance of di- vine offices. Or some benefaction may be be- stowed upon God's Church, roads may be mended, bridges built over waters, causeways over bogs. z PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Relief may be given to the poor, assistance to wi- dows, step-children, (orphans,) and strangers. A man's own slaves may be manumitted, and money given for the manumission of slaves belonging to other people ; especially of such as have lost their liberties by becoming prisoners of war. The needy may be found in food, clothing, house, fire, bath, and bed. Tithes may be paid of every thing in the party's possession. The Church may frequently be visited with alms, and holy places greeted with lights. Shelter, meat, protection, fire, fodder, (pobbop, alimentum qubdlibet. Spelman. edulium hominum. Lye.) bed and bath may be supplied to such as want them. Visits may be paid to the sick, both in body and mind. The dead may be buried. He who is unable to do most of these things, may do, it is observed, at least some of them, and he is admonished to do what he can ear- nestly. In another collection of canons, adopted by the Anglo-Saxons from the Capitulars of Theodulf, (bishop of Orleans, near the end of the eighth cen- tury,) the one setting forth Origen's seven remedies for sins, from which an extract has already been made in illustration of the last sermon, (note 15,) has the following clause. " Thirdly, sins are ab- solved through alms ; according to that which Da- niel said to Nahuchodnosser, the king. Redeem thy sins with alms, in shewing mercy upon the poor : (Dan. iv. 27. sec. LXX. v. 24. ra? a/Aa^r/af vov h eXeyjfioavvais kirpuaai.) and that, Even as water ex- tinguisheth fire, so alms extinguish sin: and the Lord saith in the Gospel, Give your alms, then may ye, through that, be clean. Spelman. Cone. OF SERMON VI. 339 330, 471,611. Johnson's Collection of Eccl. Laws, vol. 11. ' " Super animse statu, memini vestrse qusestiun- culae, immo niaxime ecclesiasticae questionis ; utrum lapsse de coelo sit, ut Pythagoras Philosophus, omnesque Platonici, et Origenes putant ; an a pro- pria Dei substantia, ut Stoici, Manichseus, et His- paniae Priscilliani haereses suspicantur." (Hierony- mus Marcellino et Anapsychise. — Epist. 82. — Divi Hieronymi Stridonensis, Opp. Paris. 1602. torn. II. col. 492.) See also Huet's Origeniana, pp. 92, 93. * " Applicavit se deinde" (Origenes so.) ad Am- monium, cognomento Saccam, et in ejus exhedris insignem philosophise peritiam comparavit, sed Pla-r tonicse praesertim, quae tarn altas in ejus animo ra- dices egit, ut succrescentes Christianae doctrinae fruges interficeret : nam Ecclesiae scita fere exige- bat ad normam Platonis, et sincera Christi dogmata Platonicis, ut dicam, coloribus oblinebat." Orige- niana: Auctore Pet. Dan. Huet. ad Origenis Opera praefixa. Rothomag. 1668. vol. I. p. 4. * " Satis ex superioribus, etiam me silente, colli- gitur, damnatorum poenis modum aliquando et finem ex decreto Origenis impositum iri : cum enim futu- rum ratus sit, ut quemcumqiie teneant statum ani- mae, peccare possint, et reipsa saepe peccant, ac pro peccatis vel meritis perpetuo circuitu ab imis ad summa, a summis ad ima revolvantur, ipsiusque Diaboli aversa a Deo voluntas olim conterenda, et Deo.Patri regnum Christus sit traditurus, tumque existimaverit plenam omnium anroKoxdaTtnaiv ac per- petuam felicitatem futuram, cum Deus erit omnia in omnibus ; consequitur illinc necessario desitura darnnatorum supplicia, eaque noxarum duntaxat ex- z2 340 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS purgandi causa a Deo hominibus infligi." Onge- niana, p. 151. " Perspicuum hinc est non alias admisisse poenas Origenem quam piaculares et temporarias ; cujus- modi sunt Purgatorise illae quas Ecclesia Catholica agnoscit." Ibid. p. 153. " Cum ait aversam a Deo Diaboli voluntatem olim fore conterendam, satis significat se ne dae- mones quidem ab seterna felicitate excludere." Ibid, p. 154. ^ " In summa quum carcerem ilium, quern Evan- gelium demonstrat, inferos intelligamus, et novissi- mum quadrantem, modicum quidque delictum mora resurrectionis illic luendum interpretamur ; nemo dubitabit animam aliquid pensare penes inferos, salva resurrectionis plenitudine, per carnem quo- que." (Tertullian. De Anima, cap. ult. Opp. ex edit. N. Rigaltii. Lutet. 1634. p. 357.) See also the Bishop of Lincoln's Eccl. Hist. Illustrated, Camb. 1826. p. 343. * " Et sicut diaboli, et omnium negatorum atque impiorum qui dixerunt in corde suo : Non est Deus, credimus aeterna tormenta: Sic peccatorum atque impiorum, et tamen Christianorum, quorum opera in igne probanda sunt atque purganda, moderatam arhitrdmur et mistam clementise sententiam judi- cis." (Comment. Hieronymi, lib. XVIII. in Esaiam, cap. 66. Opp. ex edit. Reatini. Episc. Amer. Lutet. Paris. 1623. tom. IV. p. 229.) This passage, it is observable, amounts to nothing more thari a, mere opinion. Arbitramur is not a term for the use of an eminent divine in propounding an article of faith." " Facta resurrectione mortuorum non deerunt OF SERMON VI. 341 quibus post poenasj quas patiuntur spiritus mortuo- ruiii, impertiatur misericordia, ut in ignem non mit- tantur aeternum. Neque enim de quibusdam vera- citer diceretur quod wore eis remitfatur, neque in hoc saculo, neque infuturo, nisi essent quibus etsi non in isto, tamen remittitur in futuro." (S. Augus- tini de Civitate Dei, lib. XXI. cap. 24. ed. Benedict, torn. VII. col. 642.) St. Austin's partiality for the purgatorial hypothesis is likewise shewn by a passage in the 1 6th chapter of his treatise De Civitafe Dei, in which, speaking of a baptized person who dies in early life, before the commission, therefore, of ac- tual sin, he says, Non solum poenis non prcepafetur ceternis, sed ne ulla quidem post mortem purgatoria tormenta patiatur. (col. 636.) At the same time, his uncertainty as to the soundness of this philoso- phic speculation, and his acquaintance with the moral mischiefs resulting from it, are shewn by the following words, at the conclusion of this very 1 6th chapter. " Quisquis igitur cupit poenas evadere sempiternas, non solum baptizetur, verum etiam justificetur in Christo, ac sic vere transeat a diabolo ad Christum. Purgatorias autem poenas nullas futuras opinetur, nisi ante illud ultimum tremen- dumqtie judicium." ' An instance of men's disposition to support their theories by the help of scriptural perversions is strikingly supplied by Origen's endeavours to prove the preexistence of human souls. " Libro verb lucubrationis ejusdem priore, (cap. 7.) ani- mam hominis non cum corpore factam docet, sed extrinsecus insertam, idque pro meritorum ra- tione. Probando huic Jacobi profert exemplum et Esau, quorum hie fratrem, cum ex utero prodiret z3 342 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS supplantavit ; quod ita nequaquam eventurum fuisse censet, nisi id uterque fiiisset gestis suis promeritus, antequam coelo delaberetur : addit et Johannis ex- emplunij qui, in materni uteri claustris etiamnum compactus, ad Marise vocem tripudiavit; et Jere- mise, cui dixerat Dominus, Priusquam teformarem in utero, novi te, et antequam exires de vuha, sanctificavi te. Origeniana, p. 94. * " Sed tamen de quibusdam levibus culpis esse ante diem judicii purgatorius ignis credendus est, pro eo quod Veritas dicit : Quia si quis in Sancto Spiritu hlasphemiam dixerit, neque in hoc seculo remittetur ei, neque in future. In qua sententia datur intelligi quasdam culpas in hoc seculo, quas- dam vero in future posse laxari. Quod enim de uno negatur consequens intellectus patet, quia de quibusdam conceditur. Sed tamen, ut praedixi, hoc de parms, minimisque peccatis fieri posse creden- dum est, sicut est assiduus otiosus sermo, immode- ratus risus, vel peccatum curse rei famiUaris, quae vix sine culpa vel ab ipsis agitur, qui culpam qua- liter declinare debeant, sciunt : aut in non gravibus rebus error ignorantise: quae cuncta etiam post mortem gravant, si adhuc in hac vita positis mi- nime fuerint relaxata. Nam cum Paulus dicat Christum esse fiindamentum, atque subjungat: Si quis super cedificat, super hoc fundamentum, aurum argentum, lapides pretiosos, ligna, Jwnum, stipu- lam, uniuscujusque opus quale sit, ignis probabit: si cujus opus arserit, detrimentum patietur, ipse autem salvus erif, sed tamen quasi per ignem. Quamvis hoc de igne tribulationis in hac nobis vita adhibito possit intelligi ; tamen si quis hoc de igne futurae purgationis accipiat, pensandum soUicite est. OF SERMON VI. 343 quia ilium per ignem dixit posse salvari, non qui super hoc fundamentum, ferrum, ses, vel plumbum sedificat, hoc est, peccata majora, et idcirco duriora, atque tunc jam insolubilia ; sed ligna, foenum, sti- pulam, id est, peccata minuta, atque levissima, quae ignis facile consumat. Hoc tamen sciendum est ; quia illic saltern de minimis nihil quisque purga- tionis obtinebit, nisi bonis hoc actibus, in hac ad- huc vita positus, ut illic obtineat, promereatur." (Beati Gregorii Dialog, lib. IV. cap. 39. Opp. Paris. 1571. tom, I. col, 1031.) It is plain from the con- clusion of the penultimate sentence in this extract, that Gregory's contemporaries were in the habit of encouraging themselves in carnal security, under the hope that any unrighteous acts, for which they might not have duly compensated, by means of God's judgments and their own penances in this life, would easily find an ample atonement in a fu- ture state. ' Of such an expectation, it should, be recollected, the evil is the greater, because these expected purgatorial sufferings were considered as capable of important mitigation, or even of a rapid extinction, by means of alms, and the prayers and eucharistic services of survivors. ' " Domine, ne in furore tuo arguas me, neque in ira tua corripias me. Quasi dicat : Scio futu- rum esse, ut post hujus vitse exitum, alii flammis expientur purgatoriis, alii sententiam seternae sub- eant damnationis. Sed quia ilium transitorium ignem omni tribulatione sestimo prsesenti intolera- biliorem, non solum in furore seternae damnationis opto non argui, sed etiam in ira transeuntis timeo correptionis purgari." Explanatio D. Greg. Papae III. Ps. Poenit. Opp. tom. II. col. 373. z4 344 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS " " Futurum quoque est ut quidam corripiantur in ira tua, et ideo, Domine, flagella, seca, ure, pur- gatum me hie redde, ut non corripias me tunc in ira tua. Corripiuntur in ira Dei, qui Christum fun^ damentum turn habent, sed non tantum aurum, ar- gentum, lapides pretiosos, superaedificant ; sed etiam intermiscent ligna, fcenum, stipulam, id est, com- rnittunt qusedam venialia peccata graviora et le- viora, et ideo necesse est, ut hi tales in ira corripi- antur, id est in purgatorio igne, nunc interim ante diem judicii ponantur, ut quae in eis immunda sunt, per ilium exurantur, et sic tandem idonei esse cum his qui in dextra coronandi sunt inveniantur." (Bedse Presb. Comment, in Ps. xxxvii. Opp. torn. VIII. col. 628.) That Bede's philosophic theology led him to expect a strict correspondence between men's individual acts and their consequences, re- spectively, appears from the following passages in his homily upon the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. " Ecce enim dum dicitur, Recepisti hona in vita tua, indicatur, et dives iste boni aliquid ha- buisse, ex quo in hac vita bona reciperet. Rursum- que dum de Lazaro dicitur, Qitia recepit mala, profecto monstratur et Lazarum habuisse malum aliquod quod purgaretur. Sed mala La%ari pur- gavit ignis inopiee, et bona divitis remuneravit feli- citas transeuntis vitse." Homiliae Bedae ^Estivales de Tempore. Opp. torn. VII. col. 64. " " De loco, 1 Cor. 3. Ignis probabit, &c. est magna Patrum pugna. Augustinus ilium in En- ehiridio, et in libris de Civitate Dei, et in Qutesti- onibus ad Dulcitium, et in hbro Confessionum, in- telligit de tribulatione hujus temporis : quern sequi- tur Primasius simplicite in suis commentariis super OF SERMON VI. 345 Paulum. In eadem sententia est CEcumenius. Hi- eronymus per hunc ignem, examinationem judicii intelligit. Chrysostomus per ignem istum intelligit ignem seternum. Ambrosius et Haymo de doctrina intelligunt; etsi videatur Haymo magis ad ppinio- nem de judicio inclinare. Ab hac opinione de doc- trina non procul abest Theodoretus, qui illud de magisterio intelligit. Sedulius Scotus examinatio- nem judicii, inquit, igni voluit comparare. Diony- sius Carthusianus per ignem, ignem conflagrationis explicat. Gregorius, quidem, et Lyranus, atque Anselmus, hunc quidem ignem ex sententia Augus- tini de tribulatione prsesenti intelligi posse hie pu- tant ; attamen videntur ilium etiam ad purgatorium flectere, quanquam id non aperte faciunt : praesertim Lyranus, et Gregorius. Anselmus tandem se dubi- tare ostendit, quia cum primo istum ignem de tri- bulatione interpretatus sit, tandem cum Augustino ait, fieri posse et incredibile non esse, nonnullos fideles per ignem quendam purgatorium a minimis delictis purgari. Sed concilium Florentinum, et quotquot sunt hodie Papistse, locum ilium de pur- gatorio intelligunt: quanquam de materiali igni hie intelligi non possit, nisi et per ferrum, aurum, et stipiilam, etiam materialia intelligamus." De Tra- ditionibus Apostolicis et Tacitis. Auctore Her- manno Hammelmanno. Basil. 1568. p. 80. " " Post istius sane corporis mortem, donee ad illam vehiatur, qui, post resurrectionem corporum, futurus est damnationis et remunerationis ultimus dies, si, hoc temporis intervallo, spiritus defuncto- rum ejusmodi ignem dicuntur perpeti, quem non sentiant illi qui non habuerunt tales mores et amo- res in hujus corporis vita, ut eorum ligna, et foenum. 346 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS et stipula consumantur : alii vero sentiant, qui ejus- modi secum sedificia portaverunt, sive ibi tantum, sive et hie et ibi, sive ideo hie ut non ibi, et sae- eularia, quamvis a damnatione venialia, concreman- tem ignem transitoriae tribulationis inveniant, non redargue, quia forsitan verum est: Dominej ne in indignatione arguas me, neque in ira tua emen- des me." (Ven. Bed. Opp. V. 291. S. Augustini De Civitate Dei, lib. XXI. cap. 26. ed. Benedict, torn. VII. col. 649.) Cardinal Bellarmine (Controv. II. 244.) cites the passage from the Psalms, in which Bede pretty plainly asserts the doctrine of purgatory, but he does not add that the venerable commentator, in the passage extracted above, has nullified the former passage by speaking of its purport as a spe- culation perhaps founded in truth. '3 " Ignis probabit, Sac. Hie a me fortassis quae- ratur de ipsa Pauli Apostoli sententia quid ego sentiam, et quonam modo intelligendam putem? Fateor malle me hinc audire intelligentiores atque doctiores." Ven. Bed. Opp. V. 286. S. Augustini Ep. de Oeto Dulcitii Quaestionibus, cap. 6. Opp. ed. Benedic. tom. VI. col. 124. M " Ignis, enim, de quo eo loco locutus est Apo-' stolus, talis esse debet intelligi, ut ambo per euni transeant, id est, qui aedifieat super hoc fundamen- tum aurum, argentum, lapides pretiosos, et qui aedi- fieat ligna, foenum, et stipulam. Cum enim dixis- set, adjunxit, Uniuscujus opus quale sit, ignis pro- habit. Si enim opus manserit, quod superaedificavitj mercedem accipiet. Si cujus opus exustum fuerit, damnum patietur. Ipse autem salvus erit, sic tamen quasi per ignem. Non ergo unius eorum> OF SERMON VI. 847 sed utriusque opus ignis probabit. Est quidem ignis tentatio tribulationis, de quo aperte alio loco scriptum est, Vasa figuli probat fornacs ; et homi- nes justos tentatio trihulationis. Iste ignis in hac interim vita facit quod Apostolus dixit, si accidat duobus fidelibus, uni, scilicet, cogitanti quae sunt Dei, quomodo placeat Deo ; hoc est fedificanti su- per Christi fundamentum, aurum, argentum, lapi- des pretiosos ; alteri autem cogitanti ea quae sunt mundi, quomodo placeat uxori, id est, aedificanti super idem fundamentum, ligna, foenum stipulam. Illius enim opus non exuritur, quia non ea dilexit quorum amissione crucietur : exuritur autem hujus, quoniam sine dolore non pereunt quae cum amore possessa sunt. Sed quoniam, alterutra conditione proposita, eis potius mavult carere quam Christo, nee timore amittendi talia deserit Christum, quam- vis doleat cum amittit : salvus erit quidem, sic ta- men quasi per ignem ; quia urit eum dolor rerum quas dilexerat amissarum, sed non subvertit neque consumit fiindamenti stabilitate atque incorruptione munitum. Tale etiam aliquid post hanc vitam fieri incredihili non est, et utrum ita sit quaeri potest, et aut inveniri aut latere, nonnuUos fidelium per ignem quendam purgatorium, quanto magis minusve bona pereuntia dilexerunt, tanto tardius, citiusve transituros, salvari : non tamen tales de quibus dictum est, quod regnum Dei non posside^ bunt, nisi convenienter pcenitentibus eadem cri- niina remittantur. Convenienter autem dixi, ut steriles in eleemosynis non sint, quibus tantum tri- buit Scriptura divina, ut earum tantummodo fruc- tum se imputaturum pronunciet Dominus dexteris, et earum tantummodo sterilitatem sinistris, quando 348 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS iis dicturus est, Venite benedicti, percipite regnum : IlKs autem, Ite in ignem ceternum." Ven. Bed. Opp. V. 288. '^ " Tribus itaque modis peccata mortalium vin- dicantur, duobusinhac vita, tertio vero in futura vita. De duobus ita Apostolus inquit. Si nosmet- ipsos judicaverimus, a Domino non judicahimur. Haec est vindicta, quern, inspirante Deo, . omnis peccator pro suis admissis poenitendo in seipso vin- dicat. Quod autem prosequutus idem Apostolus infert ; Cum judicamur autem, a Dom,ino corripi- mur, ut non cum hoc mundo damnemur. Haec est vindicta quam omnipotens Deus misericorditer pec- catori irrogat ; juxta illud, Deus quern amat corri- pit, flagellat autem omnem filium quem recipit. Tertia autem extat valde pertimescenda atque terri- bilis, quae non in hoc, sed in futuro justissimo Dei judicio fiet saeculo, quando Justus judex dicturus est, Discedite a me maledicti in ignem ceternum, qui paratus est diaholo et angelis ejusr (Gone. Aquisgran. II. ad Pippinum R. Labb. et Coss. VII. 1729.) The first clause in this section of the council's remonstrance may be seen in the seventh note upon the last sermon. Perhaps it may be allowable to introduce here, as an additional illustration of the state of the pur- gatorial question, in ancient England, the following passage from a sermon by archbishop Anselm. That prelate, undoubtedly, lived after the time with which the present undertaking is particularly concerned, but his day was so very near it, that his opinions are not undeserving of attention from those who would understand its theology. " Duas enim OF SERMON VI. 349 beatitudines, et item miserias duas, majorem videli- cet, atque minorem esse novimus. Majorem bea- titudinem, regnum Dei, minorem dicimus esse, in quo Adam primo positus fiierat, gaudium paradisi. Item majorem miseriam, seternum ignem gehense, minorem fatemur, quas incessanter patimur, aerum- nas prsesentis vitae." Sermo Anselmi archiepiscopi de eeterna Beatitudine, in Cluniacensi capitulo ad Conventum habitus : ad calcem S. Pachomii Regul. ntrumque nunquam antea, nunc autem ah Achille Statio Lusitano primum editum. Rom. 1575. '^ Domef-bseg J)u j-cealfc jymle 3e]?encan • -^ helle piCu ]7U Jje j-cealc a onbjrseban • "] \^y ecan lipej* 'Su j-cealt mib ealjie geopnpulnej-j-e gyjinan* ^ selce bsege Jju J>e j-cealfc bea'Sef penan. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Tiberius, A. 3. f. 52.) OfdoonCs-day thou shalt also thinJe, and hell-punishment thou shall ever dread, and eternal life thou shalt with great earnestness earn, and every day thou shalt ween (consider) of death. These words are found in the Capitulars of Theodulf, Bishop of Orleans. '' Ne mseg pe ns&ppe pepan clsene pe ]?e nyle hip pynna geppican* aep hip enbe-ba&g. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 85.) He can never he clean, who will not cease from his sins, ere his ending-day. '* IDitoblice ne hfS nana ms&nn bsebbote alepb septep Jjyppen lipe- ac hs&pS seighylc an ppa ppa he hep geeapneb- ppa gob- ppa ypel. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Vespasian, D. 14.) Truly penance is al- lowed to no men after this life, hut every one hath even as he here earned, whether good or evil. '9 On ]?yppepe populbe pe bibba'S upe pynna pop- gipennyppe ^ na on J»8epe fcopepban. 8e man fte nele hyp pynna behpeopiah on hyp lipe- ne begyfc 350 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS he nane pojigypennyj-j'e on J»am Copejiban. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Vitellius, C. 5.) In this world we pray the forgiveness of our sins, and not in that to come. The man who will not repent of his sins in his life, he gets no forgiveness in that to come. " Thus the following passage from a threnodia, on the death of Edward the Confessor, printed and translated by the present learned President of Tri- nity College, Oxford, (Sax. Chr. p. 256.) repre- sents, in the following words, the king's soul as transferred immediately into the light of heaven : " Until suddenly came The bitter death, And this king so dear Snatched from the earth. Angels carried His soul sincere Into the light of heaven.'" " IDifcoblice ^ pejtren '] ^ peopejxfci geajia paec ij- ujie anbbibbung on mij-fclicum cojtnungum sept^p upum puUuhfce" o'S 'Saefc pe becomon- Jjujih ge- healbpimnyjye gobc;]' beboba* to J>am uphcan e'Sele* on ]?a Se pe ecelice eajibian j-ceolon. (Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li. 4—6. p. 173.) Truly the wilderness, and the space of forty years are our abiding in various temptations after our baptism, until we come, through the keeping of God's com- mandments, to the exalted country in which we shall dwell for ever. " Danne bi'S 'Sgep halgan mannep paul pitoblice ]panne heo op J>am lichaman gauge's peopon piSum heo bi'S beophtjie Jeanne punne- "] jja hdgan gobep senglap hie laebaS to pajiabipum. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 85.) Then truly is the holy man's soul, when OF SERMON VI. 851 it goeth from the body, seven times brighter than the sun, and the holy God's angels lead it to para- dise. "3 U]e j'o'Slice J>e to J)8&jve enblypfcan tibe comon aepteji ujxum gej-pince natephpon ne ceopia'S* ^ pe unbejipo'S Jjone pening. Foji'Sam pe J)e cuma® sep- fcejv J>aep hselenbep mennipcnyppe pe bee's gela&bbe to hip pice ]?aep pihte SBjrtep upum pop'Sppi'Se- gip pe 8&P on lipe pihthce leopobon • '-\ pe J>onne buton ylbunge unbeppo'S -^ ■^ Jja ealban psebepap a&pfcep langpumpe elcunge unbeppengon. (Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li, 4 — 6. p. 38.) We, truly, who have come, at the eleventh tide (hour), after our labour, by no means should murmur, but should take the penny. JBecause we come after the Saviour's human na- ture, we are led to his kingdom straight-ways, after our departure, if we before in life lived rightly ; and. we then, without delay, receive that which the old fathers, after a longsome waiting, received. '* Gall mibban-eajib bi'S J>onne on ba&3 bypnenbe* •] eall mancyn pceal f)8&nne op bea'Se apipan- '-j J)uph -^ pyp to J»am bome papan* "] pe bi'S Jjonne ppi'Se clasne aelcepe pynne pe 'Se Jjaene bpyne 'Suph- psep'S unbepenceb. Da&p bi'S 'Sonne on baej 3PJ7ie pe ms&pfca- popJ>am ]?uph gobep mihte* bi'S eal aptypeb* ge heopon pepeb* ge cop's pepeb* ge hell pepeb- '] eal hit bi'S bipienbe* ■] cpacienbe. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 99. f. 14.) All the earth will be burning on that day, (the day of judgment,) and all mankind shall then from death arise, and through that fire to judgment go ; and we shall then be perfectly clean from every sin (those of us), who pass through that fire unsinged. There will be, on that day, the greatest horror, for, through 352 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS God's might, all will be moved, both the heavenly company, and the earthly company, and the com- pany of hell: and all will be trembling and quak- ing. '^ 8e ha&lenb beleac ]>iyy gobj*pell mib f»yj-en pojiben. peopon -j eoji'Se gepite'S* -j mine pojvb ns&pjte j^epifce'S, Ne apsenbaS heopon "] eoji'Se to nahte* ac heo by^ apa&nbe op f>am heope ]>e heo nu on-punige'S to betepan heope • ppa ppa lohannep pe gobppellep^e cpseS. Donne by^ nipe heopone ^ neope eoji'Se. Ne by'S pitoblice o'Sp^e gepceapene • ac Jjap byS geebnypobe. peopon "] eop'Se gepite'S ■] 'Seh Jjuphpunige'S • pop'San J»e heo by'S ppam'Jjan heope J»e heo nu habba'S }>uph pyp gecla&npobe. (Brit. Mus. MSS. Cotton. Vespasian, D. 14. ex Horn, cui titulus DCOC ij jn abuentu bni. f. 78.) Jesus concluded this Gospell with these words: Heaven and earth shall pass away, and my words never shall pass away. Heaven and earth will not be turned into nought, but they will be changed from the hue in which they now continue to a better hue : even as lohannes the gospeller saith ; then shall be a new heaven and a new earth. Others, indeed, will not be created, but these will be re- newed. Heaven and earth will pass away, and yet will continue, because that they will be from the hue which they now have, through fire, cleansed. In another part of the same MS. volume is an account of portents, fifteen days in continuance, which are immediately to precede, it is said, the day of judgment. One portent is assigned to each day. The following extract relates to the last two days. (f. 100.) On J>an peopepten'Se bseige ealle libbenbe menn OF SERMON VI. 353 jepuji'Se'S beabe yya •f heopa nan ne by^ gebypob- ac pyp cumS "] pojibaepn'S ]>& eop.'Se- jrop'San J>e heo po)-fcjiebe ]?a pynpuUe ^ J>a apleape. On pan pipten'Se ba&ige Gum's plob "] geppyle'S Jia aeppen- •] bepsenc'S ealle pa unclsennyppen into Jjsepe eop'Se beopnyppe' ppa •f on mibban eapSe ne belsep'S naht unclsenep gepene. On the fourteenth day all living men will he dead, as if none of them had heen horn: and fire will come and hum away the earth, he- cause it fostered the sinful and the impious. On the fifteenth day will come a flood, and swill (wash) the ashes, and sink all the uncleannesses into the earth's deepness ; so that in the earth will not re- main any uncleanness seen. ^* The spirit of Fursey, during an illness of his, we are told, was once ravished from his body from even-tide to cock-crowing. In its absence from the world it was gratified with a sight of the angelic hosts, and of their heavenly occupations. After an interval of three days the favoured invalid was again conveyed in spirit beyond the limits of the world, and he then beheld more of celestial joys. His angelic conductors, however, would not allow him to fix his whole attention upon these delightful scenes. They desired him to look downwards, and he saw below him, in the air, four fires blazing at short distances from each other. " What are these?" he asked. ^' They are the fires," it was replied, " which will consume the world. One is the fire of falsehood, another that of cupidity, the third that of dissension, the fourth that of impiety." Continuing to look upon them, Fursey observed them rapidly increase, until they formed one mighty conflagration. He then, being near the flame, be- 354 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS came alarmed. One of the angels, however, de- sired him to dismiss his apprehensions, as none of these fires would affect him, unless he had contri- buted to the lighting of it. The object of all the four, it was added, was to examine the works of men ; every one's evil qualities involving him in a mass of flame as soon as he entered that particular fire which these miscarriages had helped to kindle. A passage was now made for the visitors through the flames, and Fursey saw many whom he had known on earth; and held with some of them in- teresting conversations. He saw likewise the de- mons tormenting their unhappy victims. One . of these was thrown at him by the infernal torturers, which, striking him on the shoulder and cheek, burnt both these parts of his body. Fursey recog- nized in the miserable ghost which had unwillingly inflicted these injuries upon his person, an indivi- dual whose garment he had received at the ap- proach of death. One of the angels, observing his uneasiness, seized the burning spirit and hurled him back again into the fiery gulf. A devil on this exclaimed, " Refuse not now what you received before. You shared this sinner's goods, you ought also to share his punishment." The angel, how- ever, answered, " He took not his goods from covet- ousness, but with a view to save his soul." Then turning to Fursey, he said, " What thou kindledst, that burnt in thee. Hadst thou not received the property of this sinner when he died, his punish- ment would not have left these marks upon thy body." Fursey was then acquainted with much valuable information respecting the treatment of penitents. On his return to the body he was found OF SERMON VI. 355 tp bear marks of the injuries in his cheek and shoulder, which had been inflicted on them by the contact of the burning ghost, and he continued to bear these marks to the day of his death. That this eminent missionary had received some visible injury from fire is probably the truth, and it is not unlikely that an accident, occasioning such disfigurements, happened to him while deprived of his recollection by sickness. All the rest plainly amounts to nothing more than a religious sick man's dreams, embellished in his waking hours. Fursey himself, it might seem, was rather inclined to view the matter thus in his cooler moments ; for he was by no means fond of telling the tale. It was, however, told incessantly by others ; a Saxon homily descants upon it, and what is more lament- able still. Cardinal Bellarmine, eminent as he was for learning and acutenes^, appeals to it as a proof of purgatory. The story may be seen in Bede, (lib. III. cap. 19. ed. Wheloc. p. 209.) the homily in the Bodleian library (MSS. Junii 23. Hom. 8.), and in other MS. collections of Saxon homilies. Mr. Southey, in his excellent Vindiciee Ecclesice An- glicancB, (Lond. 1826. p. 137. et seqq.) relates Fur- sey's vision more at length, accompanying it with some judicious observations, and he subjoins to it an account of the saint's life. ^' Drighthelm, a Northumbrian of substance, like his fellow-dreamer, Fursey, required the pressure of illness to render his imagination sufficiently prolific. Being thus prepared, he passed the whole of one night in a state of seeming death. On recovering his bodily faculties, he said that his spirit really had been absent from its earthly tenement, as his friends Aa2 356 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS supposed, and had, during such absence, been con- ducted by an angel into the invisible world. The first object seen there was a valley, considerable in depth and breadth, and infinite in length, occupied, on one side, by a region of fire, on the other, by a region of intense frost. In both these quarters were crowds of human souls, which, being tortured unbearably on either side, flitted unceasingly across the vale : thus exposing themselves, under the im- patience of despair, to constant and rapid altera- tions of fire and frost. This was a place, as Dright- helm was informed, in which the spirits were con- fined of those, who, having deferred confession and amendment to the very end of life, but being truly repentant then, were doomed to feel these distress- ing transitions from scorching heat to piercing cold, for their examination and castigation : heaven being in store for them on the day of judgment at far- thest. But it was added, the prayers of survivors, alms, fasts, and above all the celebration of masses, may help them out of this unhappy region of ex- tremes, something before the final consummation. Drighthelm also was taken to see an enormous pit, from which incessantly arose masses of fire, and an overpowering stench. The burning masses were full of human souls, the horror of whose condition was fearfully attested by lamentable groans. To other inhabitants of this fell abode, however, the miseries which excited these expressions of anguish were a source of merriment. Demons appeared to have been rendered thereby callous to their own sufferings, and hence indulged in continuous shouts of laughter. Some of these infernal spirits espy- ing Drighthelm, arose with burning tongs, and OF SERMON VI. 357 endeavouring to seize him, filled him with alarm. His heavenly conductor, however, delivered him from their power, and informed him that this pit was hell ; a horrible abyss, into which a fall was hopeless. The entranced Northumbrian like- wise was indulged with a sight of a most delight- ful plain, perfumed by vernal flowers, and occu- pied by companies of blissful individuals cloth- ed in white. This was the abode of those spirits which had left the world in virtue, but wanting something of perfection, were not to enter heaven until the day of judgment. Nor was Dirighthelm denied a glimpse of heaven itself, and he was told, that those who die perfect in word and deed, are immediately admitted within its portals. (Bed. Eccl. Hist. lib. V. c. 13. ed. Wheloc. p. 411.) Mr. Southey, who, in his Vindicice, (p. 174.) re- lates this poetic tale with greater fulness, has well observed of St. Fursey's vision, that it may be justly compared to the dream in Pilgrim's Progress. The same thing may be fairly said of both these ancient visions ; and, perhaps, the more discerning propagators of both looked upon them rather as popular vehicles of instruction than as realities. The doctrines inculcated in the two visions are evidently these following : That the best men pass directly from human life to heaven, the worst men to hell : that men who have spent a considerable space of time not unworthily of their Christian calling, pass directly from human life to paradise, while those who have deferred repentance until they come to die, but then have effected it^ pass into purgatory. This last principle is thus as- serted in the explanatory speech of the angel to A a 3 358 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Drighthelm, as found in the homily upon that as- cetic's vision. 8eo mycle bypnenbe bene ]je 'Su sepej-t gej^age 1]- pitnung ftoTpa • on ]?8epa beo'S J>8epe monna papla gepifcnobe ^ geclaenpobe Jje nolbon heopa j-ynna J>uph anbetnej-pe ^ baebbote gepihtlaecan on hpe. 3!c hi haapbon j-pa peah behpeopunge set hypa enbe-nextan baege* "j ppa gepifcon mib ]78&pe beh- peopunge op peoplbe -j becuma'S on bomep-'Ss&ge ealle to heoponan pice. 6ac hi pume Jjuph holbpa monna pultume' *] Jjuph ealmep-bs&bum 'Se hi mon pope bo's* ■] ealpa ppi'Sopt J>uph J>a hahge meppan hi beo'S alypbe op ]pam pitum sep Jjam myclum borne. (Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li. 1—33. p. 442.) The great burning vale, which thou sawest before, is a punishingjplace, in which the souls are pun- ished and cleansed of those men who would not correct their sins, through confession and peni- tence, in life. JBut yet they had repentance at their last day, and so passed repentant from the world, and they will all come, on doonCs-day, to the king- dom of heaven. Also some of them, through the aid of friendly people, and through alms-deeds, which men do for them, and most of all, through the holy mass, are released from the punishments ere the great judgment. ^^ Nip na eallum mannum pe gemaenlica bea'S gelice eappo'Se* ac pop-opt becymS J^am pynpuUan menn pumepa pynna popgypennyppe ]7uph J)one eappo'San baa's ]pe hyne ppa ppi'Se bpehte- ^ Jjuph ]7one 03an ]?o&p egeplican bea'Sep, Sume eac blip- pia'S on heopa popS-piSe pop-opt* J>onne hy pitob- lice gepeo'S ■J hy pceolan to pepte- anb glaba'S Jjonne peo papule* ^ ppa gepit op hpe. 8umepa manna OF SERMON VI. 359 j-apula p'Sia'S to pejtre' 8&ptejx heopa pop'S-j-iSe* ^ j-ume papaS to pitum be Jiam Jje hi po)ahton aep- 3 beo'S ept alypebe J»uph aelmef-baeba ■ "j ppi'Sojt: Jjujih Jja maeppan* gip him man pope he's* ^ pume beo'S poji-bembe mib }>am beople to helle ■ ne cymS he naeppe ]7anon* ^ pe J>e a&ne Gym's to pepte ne Gym's he no&ppe to pitum. Seo papul hasp's • ppa ppa up pec^a'S bee • ]>s&y hchoman gehc- nyppe on eallum heopa hmum • ^ heo geppet popt- nyppe o'SSe papnyppe- ppa hpse'Sep ppa heo on bi'S- be ]?am pe heo geeapnobe sep. 8ume leah- tpap beo'S on J>ippum hpe gebette* '-] pume s&ptep bea'Se • ppa ppa upe bpihten paebe • ac }»a micclan pynna ne magon ]?8ep beon gebette • ne ]?am popbo- nan ne ppemma'S -f 'f him man pope-he's • pop'Sam }je he hip ne geeapnobe s&p on hip hpe. Da leohtan gyltap ^ ]?a lytlan pynna beo'S J>onne apeopmobe Jjuph •f pitmenbhce pyp' ^ nip nanep cynnep pite on Jjippepe popiilbe ppa teapt ppa ppa •f popepsebe pyp pe apeopma'S ]?a gymeleapan. 8ume beo'S Jjsep langie- pume lytle hpile- be ]?am pe him pope beo'S hip ppeonb hep on hpe ■ ^ he J^am J»e he ge- eapnobe sep on hip hpe* "] selc ms&g tocnapan ojjepne on Jjam hpe • ^pape to pepte becuma'S on- cnapa'S po'Shce ge J)a pe hi s&p cu'Son • ge ]7a pe hi na ne cu'Son* pop'Sam pe hi on pel bsebum psepon aep gehce. !Snb ]7a halgan papla pe on heoponum puma's gebibba'S pop up pe on eop'San puma's* "] eac pop Jjam paplum pe pynbon on pitum* ^ hi habba'S gemynb heopa holbpa ppeonba* *] pe ma- gon eac ]?ingian pop }»am pe on pitum beoS* ^ ppi- Supt ]?uph ]7a majppan* ppa ppa up pecgab bee* ac Jjam pe on helle beo'S ne helpe'S nan pope ]?ingung. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 99. Sermo ad Populum in A a 4 360 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Octavis Pentecosten. f. 107.) The common death is not alike difficult to all men, but often cometh to sinful men forgiveness of some sins through the difficult death which so violently distressed them,, and through the fear of dreadful death. Some also rejoice in their departure, occasionally, when they truly see that they are going to rest, and the soul gladdens and departs. Some men's souls go to rest, after their departure, and those of some, go to punishments, according to that which they wrought before, and are afterwards released through alms- deeds, and especially through the mass, if men do (these things) for them : and some are condemned with the devil to hell. They come never thence ; and he who once cometh to rest, never comes to punishments. The soul hath truly, even as boohs tell us, the likeness of the body in all its limbs, and it feels softness or soreness wherever it is, according to that which it earned before. Some vices are in this life amended, and some cfter death; even as our Lord said. But the great sins may not be amended there; nor pro^ fiteih it the lost that which men do for them, be- cause they deserved nothing before in life. Light crimes and little sins are then purged through the penal fire ; and there is a punishment of no kind in this world so tart as that foresaid fire which purgeth the negligent. Some are there long, some a little while, according to what their friends do for them here, in life, and according to what they earned before,in life: each knows another, and those who come to rest know truly both those whom they knew before, and those whom they knew not, because they were in well deeds before alike. And the holy OF SERMON VI. 361 souls which dwell in heaven pray for us who dwell on earth, and also for the souls which are in\pun- ishments; and they have a recollection of their faithful friends ; and we may also intercede for those who are in punishments; and especially through the mass, even as hooks tell us: hut for those who are in hell no intercession availeth. This plain mention of purgatoiy appears capable of reference, not unreasonably, to the eleventh cen- tury, because the volume from which it is extracted, (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 99. f. 84.) contains a ho- mily thus entitled : Sermo Lupi quando Hani ma- xime persecuti sunt eos : Quodfuit in Dies ^thel- redi Regis. Against this is written in very small characters, and in a hand by no means modern. Anno Christi 1009. Before the subject of Anglo-Saxon opinions upon purgatory is dismissed, it may be well to mention Alfred's view of the question. That admirable so- vereign, then, thus paraphrases the following words of Bdethius, " Sed quceso, inquam, te, nullane ani- marum supplicia post defunctum morte corpus re- linquis f Et magna, quidem, inquit: quorum, alia pcenali acerhitate, alia vero purgatoria dementia exerceri puto^ (Boet. de Consol. lib. IV. pros. IV. ed. Valpy, p. 335.) " But I beseech thee, now, that thou wouldest tell me, whether thou thinkest that the wicked have any punishment after this world ; or the good any reward for their goodness ? Then said he ; Did not I say to thee before, that the good have recompense for their goodness, both here and also for ever ? But I will now divide the wicked from the wicked, in two parts. For one part of the wicked shall have eternal punishment, PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS because they have deserved no mercy; and the other part shall be purified and proved in the hea- venly fire, as silver here is, because it has some de- serts of mercy, wherefore, it may, after these trou- bles, come to everlasting honour." (King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon Version of Boethius, by J. S. Cardale, Lond. 1829. p. 313.) From this amplification of a mere hint in his original, it is plain that the royal paraphrast had adopted the popular speculations respecting a pur- gatorial fire. ^^ " Item si vere poenitentibus in Dei caritate de- cesserint, antequam dignis poenitentiae fructibus de commissis satisfecerint et omissis, eorum animas poenis purgatoriis post mortem purgari, et ut a poe- nis hujusmodi releventur, prodesse eis fidelium vi- vorum suffragia, missarum, scilicet, sacrificia, ora- tiones, et eleemosynas, et alia pietatis officia, quae a fidelibus pro aliis fidelibus fieri consueverunt, se- cundum Ecclesiae instituta : illorumque animas, qui post baptisma susceptum, nuUam omnino peccati maculam incurrerunt; illas etiam, quae post con- tractam peccati maculam, vel in suis corporibus, vel eisdem exutae corporibus, prout superius dictum est, sunt purgatae, in coelum mox recipi, et intueri clare ipsum Deum, trinum et unum, sicuti est, pro meri- torum tarn en diversitate, alium alio perfectius: illo- rum autem animas, qui, in actuali mortali peccato, vel solo originali decedunt, mox in infernum de- scendere, poenis tamen disparibus puniendas." (De- finitio Sanct. CEcum. Synod. Florent. A. D. 1439. Labb.etCoss. XIII. 515.) " Cum Catholica Ecclesia, Spiritu Sancto edocta, et sacris Uteris, et antiqua Patrum traditione in OF SERMON VI. 363 sacris conciliis, et novissime in hac oecumenica synodo, docuerit purgatorium esse, animasque ibi detentas fidelium sufFragiis, potissimum vero accep- tabili altaris sacrificio, juvari; praecipit sancta syn- odus episcopis, ut sanam de purgatorio doctrinam, a Sanctis Patribus, et conciliis traditam, a Christi fidelibus credi, teneri, doceri, et ubique prsedicari diligenter studeant." (Cone. Trident. Sess. XXV. 3 et 4. Dec. 1563. Labb. et Coss. XIV. 894. " Prseterea est purgatorius ignis, quo piorum animae ad definitum tempus cruciatae expiantur, ut eis in seternam patriam ingressus patere possit, in quam nihil coinquinatam ingreditur." (Catechism, ad Paroch. Pars I. c. v. edit. Lovan. 1662, p. 53.) " Constanter teneo purgatorium esse, animasque ibi detentas fidelium suflfragiis juvari." (Profess. Fid. Trident, ex Bull. Pii Papee IV.) Of these authentic declarations respecting purga- tory it may be observed, that the first restricts the benefits of that place to those who die truly re- pentant. This is agreeable to the Anglo-Saxon notion, but it is at variance with the doctrine of the Trentine Catechism, which offers to men the easier way of salvation through mere attrition. The two councils also say nothing of the place in which purgatory is likely to be found, or of the kind of punishment which awaits men there. Hence Car- dinal Bellarmine observes that the Church has de- fined nothing upon these two questions. Is not, however, that assertion somewhat invalidated by the words of the Trentine Catechism ? This last au- thority coincides with Anglo-Saxon opinions upon the subject. Nor, if it be understood that an ex- pectation of material fire in purgatory is not de 364 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS fide, and Bellarmine not unreasonably, as it seems, says that it is not, (Controv. II. 263.) will it be dif- ficult to explain away the whole doctrine. Ro- manists may of course believe that human souls departing in faith and penitence are sequestered in some place until the day of judgment, in which they suffer under a degree of regret and shame, on account of the sins committed in life. This, how- ever, is not answerable to Anglo-Saxon speculations upon purgatory, nor is it to those which prevail among Romanists. If it were, indulgences, and masses for the dead would quickly fall into dis-- repute. ^° " Restat ergo reatus poense, et peccata venialia, quae proprie dici possunt reliquiae peccatorum ; ob quas est purgatorium." Bellarm. Controv. II. 262. 3' " "Whereas the soul is but in an imperfect state of happiness till the resurrection, when the whole man shall obtain a complete victory over death, and by the last judgment be established in an endless state of consummate happiness and glory ; the Church had a particular respect to this in her prayers for the righteous, that both the living and the dead might finally attain this blessed estate of a glorious resurrection." (Bingham, b. XV. c. iii. sect. 16. Lond. 1726. p. 759.) " But in these an- cient times men were not under any obligation to offer their devotions for the dead upon a supposition that their souls were in purgatory ; but upon an- other principle, universally granted, viz. that they were in a very imperfect state of happiness." John- son's Collection of Ecclesiastical Laws concerning the Church of England, Lond. 1720. Pref. p. xix. ^' " Et eodem anno, post Pascha, ^thered [sic) OF SERMON VI. 365 rex prsefatus, regno per quinque annos strenue at- que honorabiliter cum bona fama gubernato, viam universitatis abiens, in Winburnam monasterio se- pultus, adventum Domini, et primam cumjustis re- surrectionem expectat." (Asserius Menevensis de Rebus Gestis ^Ifredi Magni, ex edit. Fr. Wise, A.M. Oxon. 1722. p. 24.) 33 « Burghredum quoque Merciorum regem, reg- num suum deserere, et Rom am adire contra volun- tatem suam coegit supra memoratus saepe exercitus (Danorum sc.) vigesimo secundo regni sui anno ; qui postquam Romam adierat, non diu vivens, in ecclesia Sanctse Mariae honorifice sepultus, adven- tum Domini, et primam cum Justis resurrectionem expectat.'" (Ibid. p. 26.) Upon this subject the following passage in the celebrated work of Peter Lombard is not unworthy of attention^ " Post hoc quseri solet si beatitudo sanctoruni major sit fiitura post judicium, quam interim. Sine omni scrupulo credendum est eos hahituros majo- rem gloriam post judicium quam ante : quare et majus erit gaudium eorum." (Text. Mag. Sentent. lib. IV. dist. 49. 1528. f. 110.) Archbishop Usher, after citing various prayers for the dead, thus remarks upon them. " In these, and other praiers of like kind, we may discern evident footsteps of the primary intention of the Church, in her supplications for the dead : which was, that the whole man (not the soul separated only) might receive public remission of sins, and a solemn acquittal, in the judgment of that great day, and so obtain both a full escape from all the conse- quences of sin, {the last enemy being now de- 366 ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON VI. stroked, and death swallowed up in victory^ and a perfect consummation of bliss and happiness. All which are comprised in that short praier of S. Paul for Onesiphorus, (though made for him while he was alive :) The Lord grant unto him, that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day." Answer to the Jesuit's Challenge, Lond. 6131. p. 224. ^^ " Quamdiu nulla fuit de purgatorio cura, nemo qusesivit indulgentias. Nam ex illo pendet omnis indulgentiarum existimatio. Si toUas purgatorium, quorsum indulgentiis opus erit ? His enim, si nul- lum fiierit purgatorium, nihil indigebimus. Con- templantes igitur aliquamdiu purgatorium incogni- tum fiiisse, deinde quibusdam pedentedim, partim ex revelationibus, partim ex scripturis fiiisse credi- tum, atque ita tandem generatim ejus fidem ab or- thodoxa Ecclesia fuisse receptissimam, facillime ra- tionem aliquam indulgentiarum intelligimus." Joan. Fisher. Roff. Ep. contra Luther, art. XVIII. p. 497. SERMON VII. TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 2 Thess. ii. 15. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the tra- ditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. 1 HE two last discourses offered to your no- tice the main pillars, probably, of that exten- sive empire which the Church of Rome has gained. What assurance can fall more agree- ably upon human ears, than that eternal sal- vation awaits the soul of every attrite sinner duly submissive to the priestly voice? And when transgression is menaced, notwithstand- ing, by temporary pains, how gratefully does fallen man reflect, that these may safely he deferred until the eyes are closed in death, and their rigours then be most materially mitigated by alms and masses! But, besides these provisions for leaving undisturbed the carnal security and sinful indulgences to which men so fondly cling, the papal system possesses also another most prominent and 368 SERMON VII. powerful hold upon their affections. Are not the eucharistic doctrines of their Church the principal sources of that ritual pageantry which enchains the admiration of Romish worshippers ? Does not a belief in the corpo- ral presence and transubstantiation lead them to invest their own devotions with a charac- ter immeasurably superior to those of all other Christians ? Amidst their public offices of piety they detect a present Deity, veiled, indeed, from human gaze, but yet sensibly claiming adoration. What honours shall be deemed excessive to greet a presence so au- gust ? Alas ! has not transubstantiation also generally supplied incentives to those cruel ebullitions of intolerance which have, during these later ages, brought so much unmerited discredit upon the Gospel of our meek and gracious Master ? What but exasperated zeal for this mysterious doctrine has bidden the persecuting pyre to shoot, in Christian coun- tries, its lurid blaze toward the firmament of heaven ? Whence has calumnious profaneness drawn more frequently and speciously its as- persions upon our holy faith, than from con- spicuous instances of that inhuman and in- fatuated policy which has asserted our Lord's corporal presence in the Eucharist, amidst a deluge of human blood ? SERMON VII. 369 Surely if a doctrine thus impressive, yet to human sense thus incredible, rest upon a di- vine or apostolical tradition, there must be traces of it imprinted deeply, clearly, and in- delibly upon the records of every age in the Church's history. Ecclesiastical antiquity must aiford examples of heathen scoffs, he- retical cavils, philosophical refinements, ex- cited by the daily repetition of a miracle so stupendous, yet eluding so completely man's natural apprehensions. The earliest apolo- gists for our religion must have left argu- ments in its defence, the earliest liturgists must have made provision for adoring the incarnate Saviour, when sensibly drawn, by priestly consecration, from the right hand of his Father's majesty. Such inferences are indeed highly reasonable; but upon them signal disappointment waits. Antiquity sup- plies nothing beyond incidental, inconsistent, and disputable authorities in favour of our blessed Lord's corporal presence in the Eu- charist. The implacable malignity of pa- ganism, and the restless, perverse ingenuity of heresy, appear to have overlooked this doc- trine. The Fathers, accordingly, have left no controversial pieces in its defence. Even the most ancient directors of public worship have wholly omitted those becoming provi- Bb SfO SERMON VII. sions which it obviously demands. Embar- rassing as are these notorious and indisput- able facts to advocates of a belief in transub- stantiation, it is asserted, notwithstanding, that the Catholic Church has holden this doctrine in every age, although long in the undisturbed, and therefore unnoticed, assur- ance of faith. If this representation, how- ever, be really worthy of reliance, at least in- ferential evidence in its favour must be sup- plied by the early religious records of every Christian country. Let the case, then, be tried by such remains as the theological school of ancient England has left behind. Upon Gregory, the Apostle of our Saxon fathers, according to their current phrase- ology, let attention first be fixed. From him, surely, they could not fail of being " taught traditions" in perfect unison with those eii- charistic doctrines which are among the most prominent and important peculiarities of the Romish creed. A prayer, however, anciently found in his Sacramentary, but long banished from its pages, and brought again to light at a period comparatively recent, affords abun- dant reason for abandoning any such expec- tation. This interesting remain of antiquity designates the Eucharist as " a pledge of eter- nal life," and "a sacramental image'." In SERMON VII. 371 Gregory's apprehension, therefore, communi- cants received not the Saviour's substance, only a "pledge and an image." Hence we can understand sufficiently why this pontiff's liturgical productions, like those of earlier periods, offer no directions for adoring the holy Sacrament. Fond as Gregory was of ri- tual pomp, who would expect him to enjoin the worship of "a pledge and an image?" On the other hand, had he looked upon con- secration as removing earthly substances from this altar, and placing in their stead an incar- nation of the Deity, was he not of all men most unlikely to forget the homage justly claimed by the Saviour corporally present? An omission of this kind, occurring in such a quarter, must alone supply a powerful in- ference against the doctrine of transubstan- tiation*. That our ancestors, however, were indeed " taught no such tradition" by their earliest instructors in the faith of Jesus appears suf- ficiently from the works of Bede. That lu- minary of ancient England evinces in nume- rous instances his entire agreement with his great authorities St. Jerome^ and St. Austin*, in attributing to our Lord's eucharistic pre- sence a character merely spiritual. The holy Supper he represents as the natural and legi- B b 2 372 SERMON VII. timate successor of the Passover; the latter solemnity commemorating God's mercy in de- livering his ancient people from Egyptian bondage; the former, that more important deliverance which Christ has wrought for those who " love him and keep his command- ments \" Who would not at once infer from such a parallel that the venerable writer at- tributed a figurative character to both these holy ordinances ? Bede, however, allows not any doubt as to his conceptions. He pro- ceeds to teach, that the sacramental bread has a mystical reference to the body of our blessed Lord, the wine to his blood. These elements are not, then, in his opinion, an incarnation of the Saviour, veiled under illusory forms, and presenting to the eye of faith a substance immeasurably different from that which is detected by unassisted human apprehensions. Their superiority over other substances of the same kinds arises from no material change, but only from spiritual use. .Again ; the fa- ther of our national theology maintains, that those who eat the flesh of Christ, and drink his blood, dwell in him, and that he dwells in them. Hence, all such as are not united spiritually with the Saviour are excluded from feeding upon his blessed body and " St.Johnxiv.l5. SERMON VII. 373 blood. Our gracious Master's language, in promising such a repast, is indeed expressly styled " mystical." More plainly still, in com- menting upon the Psalms, Bede affirms, that Jesus gave to his disciples, at the last Supper, " the figure of his holy body and blood," This passage is obviously decisive. It hence appears abundantly, that from the great spi- ritual guide of our distant ancestors they could never have imbibed the Romish eu- charistic doctrines. Nor in reality is this fact proved less eifectually from Bede's parallel between the Lord's Supper and the Passover. In the former celebration, we are told, Jesus " substituted for the flesh and blood of a lamb the sacrament of his own body and blood*." In the days of our venerable coun- tryman, we are assured expressly, the term sacrament meant a sacred sign^. The Son of man, then, in instituting the holy Supper, did not remove a shadow to make way for a sub- stance. He merely substituted one sacred sign for another. In the same spirit of interpretation Alcuin speaks of our Lord's presence in the world. After his ascension, Jesus, we are told, be- came absent carnally from this lower scene. In his divinity he will be present with his faithful people to the end of time. And Bb3 374 SERMON VII. could such language be deliberately used by a scholarly believer in transubstantiation ? Do not those who hold that doctrine consi- der the very flesh of their blessed Master to be daily presented, under a veil, indeed, but palpably, notwithstanding, to the senses of all who frequent the eucharistic sacrifice ? It is also worthy of remark, that Alcuin repre- sents the act of our adorable Saviour, at the last Supper, as a consecration merely, the of- fering being that of himself^ Thus our il- lustrious countryman, far from affording such favourable inferential evidence as, at least, a belief in transubstantiation indispensably re- quires, even adds to the weight of direct tes- timony against that doctrine. - Alcuin's imperial friend, and pupil in theo- logy, allows not, however, any doubt as to that celebrated scholar's rejection of the cor- poral presence. Charlemain plainly desig- nates, in a letter to him, the bread and wine given by Jesus to his disciples, at his parting Paschal meal, as " a figure of his body and blood, and as the exhibition of a mighty sa- crament, highly beneficial to mankind." Nor in those books against the worship of images, for which the world is, probably, largely in- debted to Alcuin's pen, does the Emperor fail of asserting, in repeated instances, the SERMON VII. 375 mystical and sacramental, that is, figurative character of the holy Supper^ But the most famous of those whom Al- cuin formed to intellectual eminence was Ra- ban Maur. This illustrious metropolitan is commemorated by Baronius, Bellarmine, and Sixtus of Sienna, as profoundly learned, the brilliant star of Germany, the prince of con- temporary divines, equally an ewample of piety and erudition, a perfect master of rhetoric, poetry, philosophy, theology^. Our national school might well be proud of producing such a pupil; and its eucharistic doctrines are not likely to be learnt from any abler, safer, more honoured pen. How, then,, does Raban's testimony affect the most prominent, the "great burning article of the Romish creed," as Archbishop Tillotson has strongly but aptly, and not unfairly, called it'°? The Moguntine metropolitan plainly pronounces the consecrated elements liable to all the acci- dents of ordinary food ; a position utterly ir- reconcileable with a belief in transubstantia- tion; a position which, indeed, those who hold that doctrine m,ust arid thers, and the conformity of his principles with those then professed in our national Church**. Besides this irrefragable homile- tic witness against transubstantiation, iElfric has also left, upon two occasions, epistolary matter, affording evidence equally clear and decided, that our forefathers were taught no such tradition*^. But a circumstance greatly enhancing the value of these testimonies has not hitherto received its due share of atten- tion. Both of them occur in addresses of considerable length to the clerical order ; ad- dresses which embody the leading points of doctrine and discipline established among our Anglo-Saxon ancestry. They may therefore fairly be considered as pastoral letters ; and hence were undoubtedly composed with all that regard to accuracy which public func- tionaries necessarily use in the preparation of authentic instruments. Who, then, will doubt^ that these two epistles and the paschal ho- c c 386 SERMON VII. mily deliver a correct exposition of the doc- trine which our national Church professed in iElfric's day ? As the years rolled on, this doctrine be- came highly distasteful to the ruling eccle- siastics. Lanfranc, who first under Norman domination filled the see of Canterbury, had earned notoriety by controverting Berenger's opposition to the corporal presence. His in- fluence was therefore naturally exerted to establish in England those principles for which he had laboured so strenuously upon the continent. * Among the fruits of this change in the national religion was one of those disingenuous expedients which imprint a character of unsoundness upon any cause. Those who desired to undermine ^Ifric's opinions, yet found themselves unable to overthrow his popularity. They ventured not, accordingly, to banish his instructions from the pulpit. On Easter-day the people were still allowed to hear that well-known paschal homily which had taught their fa- thers to view the holy Supper as a figurative repast upon the Saviour. But its proportions were grievously curtailed. Wherever iElfric, in admitting fabulous narrations, had shewn himself ensnared by that credulity which ne- cessarily clings to an age like his, the seeming SERMON VII. 387 repeater of his discourse failed not of exact fidelity. Nor was this individual's accuracy less when the original made use of language in any manner favourable to the corporal presence. Passages, however, of an opposite tendency were unsparingly retrenched, and the whole homily was thus imposed upon the people in such a guise as made it utter doc- trine widely diflferent from that which its admirable author had inculcated**. ' In such discreditable devices, who does not detect a consciousness of weakness? Who does not hear a tacit admission, that " from the begin- ning it was not so ?" Had not, indeed, yElfric's mutilators been afraid of confronting fairly his opinions with their own, would they not have adopted a very different course ? Would they not have boldly branded his belief with heresy and novelty? Would they not have openly and ignominiously rejected his dis- courses from the house of God, as unworthy of resounding within its consecrated portals, as a disgrace to the Christian preacher's lips, a snare and a defilement to the ears of a faithful congregation? Who will not infer from the surreptitious manner in which our fathers were weaned from iElfric's opinions, that an attack upon his character, until he nee, ut puto, magis vere. Nam Theologi Lova- nienses qui Augustini opera ab aliis edita, ad pluri- mos codices MSS. recensuerunt, ingenue fatentur in MSS. non es3e spirituaUter, licet illud relique- rint in editione sua. Codices quoque varii quos hie Perronio videre licuit, quosque ego propriis ocu- lis vidi, (plures autem vidi,) variarum Bibliotheca- rum, Sangermanse, San Victorianse, Thuanae, voca- bulo illo carent." (Albertinus de Eiich. Sacr. Da- vent. 1654. p. 720.) Bede in another place (ad Cor. i. 10. Opp. VI. 482.) thus gives the passage: " Qui manducat meam carnem, et bibit meum san- guinem, in me manet et ego in illo. Hoc est ergo manducare illam escam, et ilium bibere potum, in Christo manere, et ilium manentem in se habere. OF SERMON VIL 403 Ac per hoc qui non manet in Christo, et in quo non manet Christus, proculdubio nee manducat ejus carnem, nee hibit sanguinem, etiam si tantee rei sacramentum ad judicium sibi manducet et bibat." This doctrine, so completely Protestant, is un- doubtedly St, Austin's. The Benedictine editors^ accordingly, found themselves constrained to place within parenthetic marks, the words which have been so distinguished in the second extract from Bede, (note 5,) and to place at the bottom of the page the following apology for inserting these words at all. " Sic editi quidem, at MSS. nostri omnes habent hoc modo. Nee manducat carnem ejus, nee bibit ejus sanguinem, etiamsi tantce rei sacramentum ad judicium sibi manducet et bibat. Sicut inquit misit me vivus Pater, &c. carentque verbis ceteris, quae hie ansulis concluduntur : quae verba nullo etiam e suis MSS. contineri testantur Lovanienses : habentur ipsa in Bedae et Alcuini commentariis super Johannem." Alcuin most pro- bably copied the passage, as it stood in Bede, with- out any farther enquiry. Bede here might have used, possibly, some interpolated copy, and considered the additions serviceable for the better understand- ing of the text. Or it may even be, that these ad- ditions are his own, and were intended as a sort of interpretative amplification of his author. It should be observed, that he is not in thp habit of citing the quarters whence he derives his matter. An incau- tious reader might therefore take his incessant transcriptions from St. Austin for language of his own. Obviously, however, by this course, he ren- ders himself responsible for all the contents of his voluminous works, and he thought himself, pro- Dd2 404 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIOxMS bably, at full liberty to make such additions to the passages adopted, as appeared likely to render them more effective and intelligible. How such a repre- sentation of St. Austin's language having received currency from the authorities of Bede and Alcuin, came to be regularly produced in the works of that Father, we are at no loss to conceive. The bishop of Hippo, even in his interpolated form, is a very strong evidence against transubstantiation. As Bede exhibits him uninterpolated, he utterly overthrows that principal article of the Romish creed. That these words included within a parenthesis are indeed an interpolation, appears also from two ancient MSS. in the Bodleian library. (Laud. 144. and Laud. 139.) In the former of these the passage thus appears : " Hoc e g° manducare lUa esca & illii potu bibere, i xpo manere, & lUu manente i se hre : ac per hoc q' ii manet f xpo & i q° n manet xpc, proculdubio nee manducat carne eius, nee bi- bit sanguine eius, etiam si tante rei sacramtum ad ludiciu s' manducet & bibat." In the latter every word is the same. The third citation from Bede is contained in St. Austin's next Tractate : Viz. xxvii. col. 502. It is extracted verbatim. The fourth citation from Bede is taken from the following passage in St. Austin upon the Psalms. " Sed et ibi qui diligenter legunt, vident in illo bello David pacatum fuisse filio, qui etiam magno cum dolore planxit extinctum, dicens, Abessalon, filius mens, quis dabit mihi mori pro te ? Et in his- toria Novi Testamenti ipsa Domini nostri tanta et tam miranda patientia, quod eum tamdiu pertulit tamquam bonum, cum ejus cogitationes non igno- OF SERMON VIL 405 raret, cum adhibuit ad cqnvivium, in quo corporis et sanguinis suifiguram discipulis commendamt et tradidit; quod denique in ipsa traditione osculum accepitj bene intelligitur, pacein Christum exhi- buisse traditori suo, quamvis ille tarn sceleratae co- gitationis interno bello vastaretur." (S. August. Episc. Enarratio in Psalmum iii. Opp. torn. IV. col. 7.) The variations from his author's words in which the venerable expositor has here indulged himself, will serve, probably, to explain his conduct in offer- ing to the world the second extract as we find it. He meant, we may reasonably suppose, neither to interpolate, nor to adopt an interpolation ; only to present St. Austin's doctrine in a manner which he thought more clear and effective than that in which the renowned prelate of Hippo left it. But what- ever were Bede's object in giving us this version of St. Austin, he has thereby afforded considerable sa- tisfaction to the Romanists. By means of the word spiritualiter he allows them some chance of escape from his obvious meaning. This term may be and has been contrasted with sacramentaliter ; and thus a subtle disputant is enabled to involve the passage in a degree of mystery, and to overlay it with a degree of refinement, which at least will afford a plausible reason for remaining unconvinced to those who are anxious to see nothing unfavour- able to transubstantiation. St. Austin's genuine text, however, destroys every hope of the kind. If none eat the flesh of Christ and drink his blood, but those who dwell in Christ, and in whom Christ dwells ; then the doctrine of transubstantiation is at an end, and the author who overthrows it by Dd3 406 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS affirming this proposition, in language so plain and positive as to cut off every prospect of evasion, could have been no Romanist. ^ " Finitis Paschse veteris solemniis quae in com- memoratione antiquae de ^gypto liberationis populi Dei agebatur : transiit ad novum quod in suae re- demptionis memoriam Ecclesiam frequentare vole- bat, ut videlicet pro carne agni ac sanguine, sui corporis et sanguinis sacramentum substitueret. Be- nedixit panem etjregit, quia hominem adsumptum ita morti subdere dignatus est, ut ei divinae immor- talitatis veraciter inesse potentiam demonstraret, ideoque velocius eum a morte resuscitandum doce- ret. Et accipiens calicem, gratias egit, et dedit illis, dicens, Bibite ex hoc omnes. Gratias egit ut ostendat, quod unusquisque in flagello culpae pro- priae facere debeat, si ipse aequanimiter flagella culpae portat alienae, et quod in correptione facit subditus, gratias Patri agit aequalis. Hie enim est sanguis, mens JVovi Testamenti, qui pro multis effunditur in remissionem peccatorum. Quia ergo panis car- nem confirmat, vinum vero sanguinem operatur in carne : hie ad corpus Christi mystice illud refertur ad sanguinem verum, quia et nos in Christo, et in nobis Christum manere oportet." (Ven. Bed. in Matt. 26. Opp. Col. Agr. 1612. torn. V. p. 77.) The same language is also used by the venerable expositor, in treating upon the parallel passages in St. Mark. (p. 145.) " Et qui manducat carnem meant, et Mbit meum sanguinem, in me manet, et ego in eo. Hoc est, ergo, manducare illam escam, et ilium bibere po- tum, in Christo manere, et ilium manentem in se habere. Ac per hoc qui non manet in Christo, et OF SERMON VII. 407 in quo non manet Christus, proculdubio nee man- ducat (spiritualiter) ejus carnem, (licet carnaliter et visibiliter premat dentibus sacramentum corporis et sanguinis Christi :) sed magis tantae rei sacramen- tum ad judicium sibi manducat et bibit, quia im- mundus prsesumitur ad Christi accedere sacra- menta, quae alius non digne sumit, nisi qui mundus est : de quibus dicitur, JBeati mundi corde, quoniam Deum videbunt." (Ibid, in Job. vi. p. 509.) " Hoc ergo nos docuit^ et admonuit my sticis verbis, ut simus in ejus corpore^ sub ipso capite in membris ejus, non relinquentes unitatem ejus." (Ibid. p. 510.) " Invenietur quoque spiritalis David immensam in Judam habuisse pacem traditorem, cum et ejus nefanda consilia cognoscens, ejus prsesentiam per- tulit, nee a sacratissima coena, in qua figuram sa- crosancti corporis sanguinisque sui discipulis tra- didit, ipsumque exclusit, atque pacis osculum illi tradenti se non negavit, cum tamen celeritate cogi- tationis intern© bello nequam ille vastaretur." (Bedae Presb. Commentarius in Psalmum III. Opp. tom. VIII. col. 438. Bas. 1563.) The venerable com- mentator treats upon this Psalm by drawing a mys- tical parallel between our Saviour and David, and between Absalom and Judas Iscariot. * This explanation of the term sacrament will be found below, in the citation from Haymo of Hal- berstadt. (note 10.) It may be confirmed by the following passage from the ritualist, Amalarius, which, by stating that benediction converts oil into a sacrament, shews plainly enough the signification affixed to that term in the ninth century. " Quan- do a populis offertur, simplex hquor est ; per bene- Dd4 408 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS dictionem transfertur in sacramentum." (Amalarii Fortunati Ep. Trev. de Eccles. OflF. lib. I. cap. 12, Bibl. PP. Col. 1618. torn. IX. p. 3ll.) The same words nearly occur in the extract from a Cottonian MS. printed in p. 111. note 30. upon Sermon II. As usual, the authors here follow St. Austin. In that Father's work De Civitate Dei, (lib. X. cap. 5. ed. Bened. torn. VII. col. 241.) we find, accord- ingly, " Sacrificium ergo visibile invisibilis sacrificii sacramentum, id est, sacrum signum est." In his piece Contra Adversarium Legis et Pi-ophetarum (lib. II. cap. 9. tom. VIII. col. 599.) are these words : " Itane vero ubi essent cognoscenda tantae rei sacramenta, id est, sacra signa." Again, we read to the same effect, and more fully, though not expressly, in his epistle to Boniface. (Epist. 98. vulgo xxiii. tom. II. col. 267.) " Nonne semel im- molatus est Christus in seipso ? Et tamen in Sacra- mento non solum per omnes Paschse solemnitates, sed omni die populis immolatur : nee utique men- titur, qui interrogatus, eum responderit immolari. Si enim sacramenta quamdam similitudinem earum rerum, quarum sacramenta sunt, non haberent, omnino sacramenta non essent. Ex hac autem si- militudine plerumque etiam ipsarum rerum nomina accipiunt. Sicut ergo secundum qtiemdam modum, sacramentum corporis Christi corpus Christi est, sacramentum sanguinis Christi sanguis Christi est, ita sacramentum fidei fides est." In this important passage we thus find eucharistic bread and wine not conjointly designated as a sacrament, but sepa- rately, as two sacraments, that is, as two sacred signs. We see also the reason why the Fathers termed these consecrated substances Christ's body OF SERMON VII. 409 and blood. They had no intention, we are told plainly enough, of applying such terms to them, in strict propriety of speech. They only used this language after a certain manner. This is a strange account from a divine of eminent abilities, if he really believed that eucharistic consecration re- moved earthly elements from the Lord's table, and substituted for them an incarnation of the Saviour subsisting invisibly, but substantially, and therefore sensibly, under the accidents of bread and wine. ' " Pauperes enim semper hahetis vobiscum, me autem non semper hahetis. Et hie magnae mode- ramine patientiae Dominus, non Judam arguit ava- ritiae : et non pauperum de pecunia loqui, sed ex ratione demonstrat, non esse culpandos eos, qui in- ter homines conversati de facultatibus suis ministra- rent, cum tam parvo tempore ipse apud Ecclesiam corporaliter mansurus. Pauperes, autem, quibus eleemosyna fieri posset, in ea semper essent ha- bendi." (Alcuin. Comment, in S. Joan. Evang. lib. V. cap. 28. col. 572.) " Et si ahiero et prcepara- vero vohis locum, iterum veniam ad vos. Si abiero per carnis absentiam, veniam per divinitatis praesen- tiam, in qua vobiscum ero usque ad finem." (Ibid, lib. VI. cap. 34. col. 599.) Alcuin also (lib. III. cap. 15. col. 490.) copies Bede in the second ex- tract, found in note 5. Ppaet pa&f fe melchif ebech pe ]?e psej- aeg'Sep ge cymng- ge gobef j-acepb* ^ eac pe apoj-fcol pauluj- cpe'S be him -f he pej\e butan pa&beji ^ mobep.. — 8e melchipebech paep cymng ^ gobep pacepb • ppa J)at he oppjiobe Jjam aelmihtigan gobe hlap ^ pm- poji- ^an )je he getacnobe ujine ha&lenb cpipf pe ]?e ip ealpa cymnga cynmg- "^ eallpa pacejvba pacepb- 3 410 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS he gehalgobe huj-el op hlajre -\ op. pine- "] hine jylpne poji up geopppobe* Na&p melchipebeeh butan paebep '-j mobop acenneb ■ ac he leopobe ppa lange •p nan man hyp cynn nypfce • ^ poji'Si he getacnobe epipfc pe ]>e ip acenneb on heoponum butan maebep* ^ on eop'San butan paebep • be ]7am ip apjiiten • Tu ep pacepbop in etepnum pecunbum opbinem mel- chipebeeh- ■f ip on enghpc- Du eapt pacepb on eceneppe septep melchipebeeh enbebypbneppe. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii. 23. Ex Interogg. Sigewulf. Presbjrt. ad Alcuinum.) What was Melchisedech, who was both king and God's priest; and also the apostle Paulus saith of him, that he was without father and mother f — Melchisedech was king and God's priest ; so that he offered to almighty God loaf and wine, because he betokened our Saviour, Crist, who is of all kings king, and of all priests, priest: and he hallowed the Eucharist of loaf and wine, and himself for us offered. Melchisedech was not without father and mother born ; but he lived so long, that no man knew his kin: and there- fore he betokened Crist, who is born in the heavens without a mother, and on earth without a father : of whom it is written, Tu es sacerdos in eternum se- cundum ordinem Melchisedech : that is, in Eng- lish, Thou art a priest cfter Melchisedech' s order. This explanation is taken from Bade. In Genes. Expositio, cap. 14. Opp. tom. IV. col. 44. * " Coenando cum discipulis panemfregit, et ca- licem pariter dedit eis in Figuram Corporis et Sanguinis sui, nobisque profiiturum magnum exhi- buit sacramentum." (D. Caroli Gloriosissimi Regis Francorum, de Ratione Septuagesimae, &c. ad Albi- num Abbatem Epistola. B. Flacci Albini, sive Alch- OF SERMON VU. 411 wini 0pp. col. 1150.) In the 27th chapter of the 2nd book of the Caroline Books, the term sacra- mentum is used repeatedly and plainly to designate a figure or sacred sign. " Corporis et sanguinis Dominicr sacramentum ad commemorationem suae passionis, et nostras salutis nobis concessum. — Cor- poris et sanguinis Domini ci sacramentum non omni Sacramento cequiperundum, sed pene omnibus prae- ferendum." Imperialia Decreta de Cult. Imag. ex edit. Melch. Haim. Goldast. Francof. 1608. pp. 274, 277.) This publication of Goldastus contains the decrees of the synod of Paris against image-worship, and other authentic declarations to the same effect. ' " Fulgens illud Germanice sidus, Rabanus Maurus, Albini Flacci auditor." (Baronii Annall, Eccl. ad ann. 843. Antv. 160.3. tom. X. p. 9.) " Archiepiscopus Rabanus vir doctrina valde in- signis, prohitate atque scientia nulli secundus." (Id. ad ann. 847. Ibid. p. 56.) " Rabanus Maurus, natione Germanus, Abbas Fuldensis fiiit tempore Ludovici Pii Imp. Episcopus Moguntinus creatus est tempore Lotharii ejus filii. Obiit anno Dom. 856. tempore Ludovici Junioris Imp. virjuit ceque doctus ac piusT (De Scriptori- bus Ecclesiasticis : Roberto, Cardinale Bellarmino, e Soc. Jes. Auctore. Col. Agr. 1622. p. 200.) " Rabanus Magnentius Maurus, sextus Archie- piscopus Moguntinus, natione Germanus, ex urbe Fuldensi in Buconia, quartus abbas quondam coe-. nobii Fuldensis, ordinis D. Benedicti, Albini Anglici auditor, vir omnium discipUnarum cognitione abso- lutissimus, rhetor, poeta, astronomus, philosophus, et theologus^ eui nullum parem eo sceculo Ger- 412 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS mania hahuit." Bibliotheca Sancta a F. Sixto Se- nensi. Colon. 1576. p. 318. " " This hath been in the Church of Rome the great hurning article : and as absurd and unreason- able as it is, more Christians have been murthered for the denial of it, than, perhaps, for all the other articles of their religion." Archbishop Tillotson s Discourse against Transuhstantiation. Works, Lond. 1720. vol. I. p. 277. " " Aliud est sacramentum, aliud virtus sacra- menti ; sacramentum enim ore percipitur, virtute sacramenti interior homo satiatur. Sacramentum enim in alimentum corporis redigitur, virtute autem sacramenti aeternse vitae dignitas adipiscitur. In sa- cramento fideles quique communicantes pactum so- tietatis et pacis ineunt. In virtute enim sacramenti omnia membra capiti suo conjuncta et coadunata in aeterna claritate gaudebunt. Sicut ergo in nos id convertitur cum id manducamus et bibimus, sic et nos in corpus Christi convertimur, dum obedienter et pie vivimus." (Raban. Maur. Mogunt. Archiep, de Instit. Cler. lib. I. c. 31. Colon. 1532. p. 51.) " Sumunt ergo fideles hene et veraciter corpus Christi, si corpus Christi non negligant esse. Fiant corpus Christi si volunt vivere de Spiritu Christi." (Ibid. 52.) " Ergo quia panis corporis cor firmat, ideo ille corpus Christi congruenter nuncupatur. Vinum autem quia sanguinem operatur in carne ad sanguinem Christi refertur. Hsec autem dum sunt visibilia sanctificata, tamen per Spiritum Sanctum in sacramentum divini corporis transeunt." Ibid. 53. Upon the last supper, Raban copies Bede. " Quotiescunque enim manducahitis panem hunc, OF SERMON Vir. 413 et calicem hibetis, mortem Dom,ini annunciabitis donee veniat. Quia enim morte Domini liberati sumus, hujus rei memores in edendo et potando carne et sanguine, quce pro nobis oblatae sunt, signi^ ficamus ; novum testamentum in his consecuti, quod est novo lex, quae obedientem sibi tradit coe- lestibus regnis. Nam et Moyses, accepto sanguine vituli in patera aspersit Alios Israel, dicens. Hoc testamentum est, quod disposuit Deus ad vos. Hoc figura fuit testamenti quod Dominus novum appel- lavit per Prophetam, ut illud vetus sit quod Moyses tradidit. Testamentum ergo sanguine constitutum est, quia beneficii divini sanguinis testis est. In cujus typum, nos calicem mysticum ad tuitionem corporis, et sanguinis, et animae nostrse percipimus ; quia sanguis Domini sanguinem nostrum redemit, id est, totum hominem salvum fecit ; caro enim Sal- vatoris pro salute corporis, sanguis vero pro animae nostrse effiisus est." Hraban. Maur. Comment, in Epist. Paul. lib. II. cap. 11. Opp. Coi: Agrip. 1627. torn. V. p. 324. " This curious attack is to be found in a splendid folio MS. volume of liturgical tracts, (W. W. IV. 2.) to be found in the magnificent library of All Souls college, Oxford, to which it was presented by king Henry VI. This fact is thus commemorated in the first page : Liber Collegii Animarum Omnium Fi- delium : Oxonie : ex Dono Regis Henrici VI^ Oretis pro Inclito Statu eiusdem. The particular piece is an Abreviation of Amalarius, by William of Malmesbury, who addresses his work to his friend Rodbertus, at whose request, he says, he was induced to give himself a respite from historical studies, and to employ himself as a liturgical epi- 414. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS tomizer. In speaking of authors who dispense ritual information, he thus introduces, in this prefatory address, the famous archbishop of Mentz. " In- terea te ammonitum volo, ut unum ex his qui de taUbus disputaverunt fiigiendum scias, Rabanum nomino, qui in Ubro de Officiis Ecclesiasticis dicit, Sacramenta Altaris proficere ad saginam corporis, ac per hoc corruptioni, et morbo, et etate, et se- cessu, et postremo morte obnoxia. Que de Domini corpore, dicere, credere, scribere, quanti sit pericuH vides. Preterea Hbri eius per se parum conferunt scientie, minimum accomodant doctrine : de aUo- rum quippe laboribus, aut ad Utteram, aut ad sen- tentiam omnino usurpati." (f. 123.) Malmesbuiy then proceeds to specify particular portions of Ra- bans works, taken from others. This treatment, however, is somewhat unreasonable, for although it is true, that the archbishop's numerous pieces are commonly little else than transcripts from elder authors, especially from St. Austin, yet he does not offend in that way more than Bede, against whom we never hear a breath of censure from any quarter. The fact, indeed, is, that the literary monuments of Bede and Raban's age, although occupying a consi- derable space on the shelves of a library, contain a very moderate portion of new matter. Transcripts from St. Jerome and St. Austin, particularly the latter, contribute very largely to their bulk. The writers, probably, did not aim at literary reputation when they sat down to the production of these works, but only to the selection of such materials as they thought might prove extensively service- able. '3 " Licet enim a multis partibus deferatur ille OF SERMON VII. 415 panis, et a multis sacerdotibus per universum orbem consecretur, divinitas turn quae replet omnia, replet et illud, facit quod ut sit unum Christi corpus, omnesque qui digne percipiunt illud, unum Christi corpus faciunt, non duo, quia ipse dixit, Qui man- ducat carnem meam, et hibit sanguinem meam, in me manet, et ego in eo." Haymonis Ep. Halber- statensis in Div. Paul. Epp. Interpret, ad Gor. cap. vi. 1533. f. 128.) Haymo uses the very words of Bede, Finitis, &c. (note 5.) He then proceeds thus : " Accipite et manducate. Hoc est corpus meum, quod pro vohis tradetur. Sicut caro Christi quam assumpsit in utero virginali, verum ejus corpus est, et pro nostra salute occisum, ita panis quern Christus tradidit discipulis suis et omnibus prsedestinatis ad vitam seternam, et quem quotidie consecrant sacerdotes in Ecclesia cum virtute divinitatis, quae ilium replet paiiem, verum corpus Christi est; nee sunt duo corpora, ilia caro quam assumpsit, et iste panis, sed unum verum corpus faciunt Christi, in tantum lit dum ille frangitur et comeditur, Christus immoletur et commedatur, et tamen integer maneat et vivat." (Ibid. f. 129.) " Corpus ergo Christi et sanguis, Sacramentum dicuntur, id est, sacrum signum, non sui ipsius, ut prsemissum est et probatum, sed ad similitudinem sumentium revera signa dicuntur? sicut enim panis, qui sacratus fit corpus Christi, ex multis granis fit unus panis, et potus ille qui sanctificatus efficitur sanguis Christi, ex nmltis acinis fit unus potus ; sic omnes digne sumentes hoc sacramentum, ex multis, unum in Christo efficiuntur. Possunt et aliter cor- pus Christi et sanguis signa nominari, quod mandu- 416 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS camus et in corpus Christi nostrum trajicimus, quo- dam modo nobis incorporari videtur et uniri. Sig- nificat ergo hoc corporalis et temporalis carnis Christi et sanguinis comestio et incorporatio illam aeternse societatis et refectionis visionem spiritalem et sempiternam, qua ei incorporabimur et uniemur in futuro, sic sine fine cum eo permansuri, ad quod nos perduci posse integra fide, alacri spe, flagranti caritate praesumendum est." Tractatus Aimonis, al. Haimonis, de Cor. et Sang. Dom, in Spicilegio Domini Lucae Acherii. Paris. 1675. tom. XII. p. 29. '* " Christianus Druthmarus fuit Bedae discipu- lus, et floruit circa annos Domini 800." (Hospinian. Hist. Sacram. Tigur. 1598. p. 258.) " Deditque discipulis suis, et ait, Accipite et co- medite, hoc est corpus meum. Dedit discipulis suis sacramentum corporis sui in remissionem peccato- rum, et conservationem charitatis, ut memores illius facti, semper hoc in figura facerent, quod pro eis acturus erat non oblivisceretur. Hoc est corpus meum, id est, in sacramento. Et accipiens calicem, gratias egit, et dedit illis, dicens. Quia inter omnes vitae alimonias cibus panis et vinum valent ad confirmandam et recreandam nostram infirmita- tem, recte per hsec duo ministerium sui sacramenti confirmare placuit. Vinum namque et laetificat, et sanguinem auget. Et idcirco non inconvenienter sanguis Christi per hoc figuratur : quoniam quic- quid nobis ab ipso venit laetificat laetitia vera, et auget omne bonum nostrum. Sicut denique si ali- quis peregre proficiscens dilectoribus suis quoddam vinculum dilectionis relinquit, eo tenore ut omni die haec agant, ut illius non obliviscantur : ita Deus praecepit agi a nobis, transferens spiritaliter corpus OF SERMON VII. 417 in panem, vinum in sanguinem, ut per hsec duo memoremus quae fecit pro nobis de corpore et san- guine suOj et non simus ingrati tarn amantissimse charitati." (Christiani Druthmari Grammatici Ex- positio in Matt. Evang. Magna Biblioth. PP. Vet. CoL Agr. 1618. torn. IX. p. 934.) The last sentence in this extract is to be found in Sedulius, upon 1 Cor. 1 1 . (Sedulii Scoti Hyberniensis in Epistolas Pauli CoUectaneunij Basil. 1528. f. 57.) The age of Sedulius is somewhat uncertain, but Cave is dis- posed to place him about the year 818. See Hist. LitLond. 1688. p. 518. '^ " Nam quidam nuper, de ipso sacramento cor- poris et sanguinis Domini non rite sentientes, dixe- runt: Hoc ipsum corpus et sanguinem Domini, quod de Maria Virgine natum est, et in quo Domi- nus passus est in cruce, et resurrexit de sepulchro {Lacuna hie est in MS. exemplari.) cut errori, quantum potuimus, ad Egilonem abbatern scribentes, de corpore ipso quod vere credendum sit, aperuimus." Pcenitentiale Rhabani Archiep. Mogunt. ex MS. cod. Weingart. ex edit. P. Steuart- Leodii : in tom. Insignium Auctorum tarn Grtsco- rum, quam Latinorum. Ingolstad. 1616. '^ John Scot, or Erigena, has been represented by some as a native of England, by others, as a na- tive of Scotland, by others, again, as a native of Ire- land. His distinctive appellation renders it hardly doubtful that the last representation is the true one. He had lived for some time, with great distinction, at the court of Charles the Bald, and it was that prince's desire which led him to write upon the eucharistic question. His work was condemned by the synod of Vercelli, under Leo IX. in 1050. dur- E e 418 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS ing the heats excited by Berenger s attacks upon the doctrine of the corporal presence. Some Rom- ish writers, naturally anxious to extenuate the op- position encountered anciently by assertors of that doctrine, have contended that Erigena's piece upon the Eucharist is, in fact, that which we have under the name of Ratramn, or Bertram. This opinion, however, has been satisfactorily disproved, and is, accordingly, now universally abandoned. Erigena flourished in the middle and latter half of the ninth century. Cave, Hist. Lit. 548. Du Pin, Eccl. Hist. IX. 73, 77 . Eng. transl. L'Arroque's Hist, of the Euch. Engl, transl. Lond. 1684. p. 403. Labb. et Coss. IX. 1056. '' " Concede, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, ut quern senigmatice et sub aliena specie cernimus, quo sacramentaliter cibamur in terris ; facie ad fa- ciem eum videamus : eo sicuti est veraciter et reali- ter frui mereamur in coelis : per eundem. Amen." (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Laud. 201. fol. ult.) The vo- lume, which is a collection of transcripts from Cam- bridge MSS. made by L'Isle, evidently with a view to publication, appears to have come into the pos- session of archbishop Laud in 1638. The prayer extracted above is one of a short collection to which the following title is prefixed : " Certaine Prayers of the Saxon times, taken out of the Nunnes Rules of St. James's Order, in Bennet Coll. Library." This particular prayer is printed by Wanley, in the second volume of Hickes's Thesaurus, p. 101. '* " Hoc ferme tempore quidam clerici, maUgno errore seducti, asseverare conabantur, panem et vi- num, quae in altari ponuntur, post consecrationem, in priori substantia permanere, et figuram tantum- OF SERMON VII. 419 tnodo esse corporis et sanguinis Christi, non verum Christi corpus et sanguinem. Quorum enormem perfidiam, beatus Odo destruere cupiens^ dum qua- dam die, in conspectu totius populi, sacrosanctis missarum solemniis devotus, intenderet; expressis lachrymis, Dei omnipotentis clementiam in suo ministerio afFore postulavit ; quae, ad depellendos hominum errores, substantiam divinorum mysterio- rum declararet proprietatem. Cumque ad confrac- tionem vivifici panis ventum fuisset: (O inefFabilem Dei miserationem, et praesentiam aeternee majesta- tis ostentationem !) confestim namque inter manus beati pontificis fragmenta corporis Christi tenentis sanguis guttatim defluere ccEpit. Stans, itaque, pon- tifex, et prse gaudio uberes lachrymas fundens, in- nuit astantibus ministris, ut illi potissimum proprius accedant qui nuper in fidem titubaverant. Vocati igitur celeriter assunt, atque in tantarum rerum con- sideratione perterrefacti, poenitenti voce exclamant: O te inter homines foeHcissimum hodie ; cui FiUus Dei semetipsum in came dignatus est revelare ! Et rursum; Exora, inquiunt, prsesulunti pater, exora Domini majestatem ; ut in pristinam formam prae- sens sanguis commutetur ; ne nos, propter infideU- tatis errorem, ultio divina sequatur. Oravit ergo sacerdos. Post orationem, ad aram respexit; et ubi dimiserat sanguinem, consuetam vini reperit spe- ciem." (Osbern. de Vit. S. Od. Archiep. Cantuar. Ang. Sacr. Lond. 1691. II. 82.) As this relation rests upon the authority of a writer who lived at the distance of two centuries from Odo's time, it may be reasonably treated as a mere figment altogether. If the circumstance, how- ever, truly occurred, nothing, obviously, would have Ee2 420 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS been easier than to have contrived the pretended miracle beforehand. But the consistency of Anglo- Saxon testimony agdnst transubstantiation renders it most hkely that, Odo's memory is not jusdy chargeable vi^ith the clumsy and impious piece of legerdemain imputed to him. '9 " Inter. Credis sanctam catholicam atque apo- stolicam unam esse veram Ecclesiam, in qua unum datur Baptisma, atque vera omnium remissio pec- catorum? Resp. Credo. Inter. Credis panem quod in mensa Dominica ponitur panem tantum- modo esse ante consecrationem, sed in ipsa conse- cratione, inefFabili potentia Divinitatis, converti na- turam atque substantiam panis, in naturam atque substantiam carnis ; carnis, vero, nuUius alterius sed illius que concepta est de Spiritu Sancto, atque nata ex Maria Virgine ? Resp. Credo. Inter. Similiter vinum, quod, aqua mixtum, in sanctificandum pro- ponitur, vere atque essentialiter converti in sangui- nem, qui, per lanceam militis, de vulnere Domini lateris emanavit ? Resp. CreAo." (Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. Ee. II. 3. " Codex membranaceus ante quin- quenos annos scriptus. Pontificale." Nasmith. Ca- tal.) These questions are also found in the Parker MS. (Bibl. C. C. C. C. LXXIX. Pontificale post Hug. de S. Vict, script, f. 44.) in the examination of bishops, at the time of consecration. In an ear- lier Pontifical, (XLIV.) preserved among the trea- sures of archbishop Parker's inestimable collection, (p. 7.) there is no trace of this interpjolation, in the examination of bishops. ^" Ratramn has commonly passed under the name of Bertram. M. Claude has probably stated in the following passage the true reason of this confii- OF SERMON VII. 421 sion. " 'Twas the custom to give the name Beatus to illustrious men in the Church, instead of Sanctus, which has been since affectedly given 'em; of which there are thousands of instances in manuscripts and printed books. 'Tis then very likely that some tran- scribers, finding, in the manuscripts, the title of this book, S. Ratrami, or Be. Bdtrami, which sig- nifies JBeati Ratramni, they have impruderrtly joyn'd all these letters, and made thereof but one name." The Cath. Doctr. of the Euch. by M. Claude, Engl, transl. Lond. 1684. p. 286. " The following passage is palpably, from the words ateopia'S, iihew, and clypia'S, call, most espe- cially, shewn to be the original property of Ratramn : So'Slice j-e hlap anb ^ pin ]7e beo'S |jup:h j"acejvba masj-- pan gehalgobe* o'Sep Jjmj hi ateopia'S mennifcum anbgitoim pi'Sutan • '3 o'Seji ]7ing hi clypiab pi'Sinnan geleappuUum mobum. Truly the hread and wine which hy the masse of the priest is hallowed, shew one thing without to humane understanding, and another thing they call within to believing minds. (A Sermon on Easter Day. LTsle's Transl. p. 5.) " At ille panis qui per sacerdotis ministe- rium Christi corpus efficitur, aliud exterius humanis sensibus ostendit, aliud interius fidelium mentibus clamatr (Liber Ratramni de Cor. et Sang. Dom. Lond. 1686. p. 14.) It will be observed here, that yElfric, although manifestly borrowing from Ra- tramn, uses language more decidedly at variance with transubstantiation than his original. Among the preliminary matter to the edition of Ratramn, used above, (p. xl. et seqq.) may be seen more in- stances of parallelism between that celebrated fo- reigner and our own equally powerful witness 422 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS against the antiquity of a belief in the corporal pre- sence. Of this latter, indeed, Johnson well ob- serves, " I am fully persuaded that the Homilies of Elfric are more positive against the doctrine of transubstantiation than the Homilies of the Church of England, compiled in the reigns of Edward the Sixth and queen Elizabeth." Collection of Eccl. Laws, pref. p. xx. " Strype (Life of Archbishop Parker, Oxf. 1821. L 472.) considers that the archbishop published .(Elfric's famous testimonies against transubstantia- tion, in 1566. The book was printed by John Day, in octavo. Its correspondence with the original was attested by the signatures of the learned primate himself, of the archbishop of York, and of thirteen bishops. Foxe again published these interesting and most important remains of our ecclesiastical antiquities, in his Acts and Monuments, (Vol. IL Lond. 1610. pp. 1041, 1042.) L'Isle also rendered the same service to the cause of truth, in 1623, as did Whelock in his Bede, in 1643, (pp. 332, 333, 462.) and likewise, according to Strype, did Leon Litchfield, at Oxford, in 1675. Of the famous paschal homily there are two co- pies among the MSS. in the public library at Cam- bridge, one in li. 4 — 6. and another in Gg. 3 — 28. Another copy is also in the library of Corpus Christi College in that University. For a general account of this homily, see Hist. Ref. in. 162. Perhaps the most remarkable pas- sage in it is the following : CDicel ij- betpux 'Saepe unjefepenlican mihte 'Sa&j* haljan huj-lef • "] )?am jej-epenlican hipe ajenej- jecynbej". ])\t ij* on je- cynbe bjvofnienbhc hlap- ^ bpoj-nienblic pm* ■] if OF SERMON VII. 423 aepteji mihte gobcunbef popbej- j-o'Slice Lpiptej- li- chama "] hij- blob- na j-pa ]>eah lichamlice" ac gajtrlice. CDicel ij- befcpux ]?am lichaman ]?e Ejvij^ on)jjiopobe* -^ Jiam lichaman 'Se to huple bi'S ge- hal3ob. 8e lichama poSlice J^e Lpipfc on J^popobe paef gebopen op CDapian pla&pce mib blobe ^ mib banum- mib pelle "] mib pinum* on mennipcum limum- mib gepceabpipjie paple gelippa&pf ^ hip gaptlica lichama 'Se pe hupel haCa'S ip op manejum copnum gegabepob" buton blobe* ^ bane* limleap* ■] papuUeap* anb nip pop^Jji nan 'Sing 'Saejv on to un- beppfcanbenne lichamlice* ac ip eall gaptlice to un- beptanbenne. (L'Isle's Serm. on Easter Day, 6. Wheloc. in Bed. 471. Foxe II. 1043. Bibl. Publ. Cant. MSS. li. 4—6. p. 307. Gg. 3—28. p. 357.) Much is betwixt the invisible might of the holy housel, and the visible shape of his proper nature. It is naturally corruptible bread, and corruptible wine I and is, by might of God's v)ord, truly Crisfs body and his bloud; not so, notwithstanding, bodily, but ghostly. Much is betwixt the body Crist suf- fered in, and the body that is hallowed to housel. The body, truly, that Crist suffered in was borne of the flesh of Marie, with blood and with bone, with skin and with sinewes, in humane limbs, with a reasonable soul living; and his ghostly body, which we call the housel, is gathered of many comes, without bloud and bone, without limb, with- out soule ; and therefore nothing is to be under- stood therein bodily, but all is ghostly to be under- stood. L'Isle's Transl. ^' Both these epistles are contained in Junius, 121, among the Bodleian MSS. The first, which begins at f. 101, is entitled Epistola de Canonibus, V. e. A 424 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS and is addressed to bishop Wulfsine. It is a general account of such canonical regulations as the writer thought, probably, most material for the guidance of ordinary clergymen. Spelman and Wilkins have both printed a considerable portion of this epistle from a mutilated MS. at Cambridge; as it seems, from Gg. 3 — 28, a quarto volume in the public h- brary, lettered upon the back, ^Ifrid Sermones, and pronounced by Wanley to have formed a part of Leofric's donation to the church of Exeter. Spel- man has, indeed, by his heading of this epistle, rather intimated, that he has taken what he has pubhshed of it from a MS. in the library of Corpus Christi College ; but the copy there seems to be complete, and the learned editor's transcript ends thus : •^ hi on heojia bebbe lagon ]7onne hi jejyiemmebon. Ex- actly here the MS. in the public library is defective. Spelman adds, Reliqua ahscidit nequam aliquis plagiarius, nee labore reparanda sunt, vel pretio." The following is among the matter which this worthless pilferer has torn away, and it will pro- bably supply a sufficient explanation of his act. Some priests keepe the housel that is consecrate on Easter-da^, all the yearefor sicJce men. But they doe greatly amisse, because it waxeth hoary. And these will not understand how grievous penance the poenitential booke teacheth by this, if the housel become hoary or rotten, or if it bee lost, or bee eaten of mouse or beast, by negligence. Men shall reserve more carefuUy that holy housel, and not reserve it too long, but consecrate other of new for sicke men alwayes within a weeke or a fortnight, that it bee not so much as hoary. For so holy is the housel which to-day is hallotved, as that which OF SERMON VII. 425 on Easter-day was hallowed. That housel is Christ's body, not bodily, but ghostly. Not the body which he suffered in, but the body of which hee spake, when he blessed bread and wine to hou- sel a night be/ore his suffering, and said by the blessed bread. This is my body ; and againe by the holy wine. This is my blood which is shed for many, in forgivenesse of sins. Understand now that the Lord, who could turne that bread before his suffering to his body, and that wine to his bloud ghostly ; that the selfe same Lord blesseth daily, through the priesfs hands, bread and wine to his ghastly body, and to his ghostly bloud." (L'Isle's Transl.) To this extract is appended the original Saxon. This is also to be seen with a. Latin version in Whelock's Bede, (p. 332.) and the greatest part of it in Foxe, (p. 1041.) who was pro- bably the original transcriber. Whelock, how- ever, who published subsequently to Spelman, seems to have been wholly unaware of the fact, that this passage belongs to the mutilated epistle of iElfric, which that learned knight communicated to the world. Of iElfric's second epistle, which begins at f. Ill, in the Bodleian MS. and is entitled, De Se- cunda Epistola Quando Dividitur Crisma, that portion has been repeatedly published, which overthrows a confidence in the antiquity of a belief in transubstantiation. This is found in Foxe, L'Isle, and Whelock. The following is the concluding and most important portion of it, as presented by L'Isle. " The Lord which hallowed hbusel before his suffering, and saith, that the bread was his owne body, and that the wine was 426 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS truly his bloud ; he halloweth daily, by the hands of the priest, bread to his body, and wine to his bloud, in ghostly mystery, (on gajrlicepe gepyne : sic, CO pitanne heopena picej- gepinu : to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. St. Matt. xiii. 11.) as wee read in bookes. And yet that lively bread is not bodily so, notwithstanding: not the selfe same body that Crist suffered in. Nor that holy wine is the Saviour's bloud which was shed for us, in bodily thing, but in ghostly understanding. Both bee truly that bread his body, and that wine also his bloud, and was the heavenly bread, which wee call Manna, that fed, forty yeares, Gods people. And the chare water which did then run from the stone in the wildernesse, was truly his bhud, as Paul wrote on some of his Epistles, Omnes patres nostri eandem escam spiritualem manducaverunt, et omnes eundem potum spiritu- alem biberunt, &c. All our fathers ate, in the wildernesse, the same ghostly meat, and dranhe the same ghostly drinke. They dranke of that ghostly stone, and that stone was Crist. The Apo- stle hath said, as you now have heard, that they all did eat the same ghostly meat, and they all did drinke the same ghostly drinke. And hee saith not bodily, but ghostly. And Crist was not yet borne, nor his bloud shed, when that the people of Israel ate that meat, and dranke of that stone. And the stone was not bodily Crist, though hee so said. It was the same mystery in the old Law, and they did ghostly signifie that ghostly housel of our Saviour's body, which wee consecrate nowT This epistle contains various directions for pub- lic worship, the Decalogue, according to prevailing, OF SERMON VII. 427 but discreditable usage, the eight great vices, with their antagonistic virtues, and some general admo- nitions. Of .^Ifric's two epistles copies in Latin are pre- served among the Parker MSS. in the library of C. C. C. C. (CCLXV.) a volume referred to the eleventh century, and containing various canonical sanctions. ' In the second of these epistles, the part which corresponds with the extract above, (p. 177,) has been carefiiUy erased with a knife. We are at no loss for a reason why. When, however, the MS. came once more, at the Reformation, into the hands of those who held the ancient doctrine, this passage was restored from another MS. and a mar- ginal note was appended, explaining the alteration of the hand, and the scraped appearance of the parchment. 428 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Printed Panchal HorhUy. '* 8e J)e et mm pljBfc • '-\ mm blob bjimcS- he punaS on me ^ ic on him • •] he hsepS f ece hp* "] ic hine ajiaejve on ]?am enb- nextan bsege. Ic eom j-e hphca hlap 'Se op heopo- num apCah* na ppa ppa eopejie pojiS pasbejiap ae- ton ^one heoponhcan hlap on peptene • "] pySSan ppulton. 8e 'Se et 'Sipne hlap • he leopaS on ec- nyppe. pe halgobe hlap sep hip Jjpopunje- "] Co- bselSe to hip bipcipulum • Sup cpa&'Senbe • GtaS J>ipne hlap hit ip min lichoma • ■] boS Jjip on mmum ^e- mynbe. Gpt he bletpobe pin on anum calice- "] cpaeS. DpincaS ealle op jjipum • 'Sip ip mm blob -^ be bi'S pop manegum ago- ten on pynna popjype- nyppe. Da apoptoli bybon ppa ppa Lpipt het- -f hi halgobon hlap *] pin to huple ept py'SSan on hip gemynbe. Gac ppylce heo- pa aeptep gencgan* "] ealle pacepbap beLpiptep haspe halgia'S hlap "] pm to huple V Isle's Translation. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my hloud, abideth in me, and I in him, and hath that ever- lasting life, and I shall raise him up in the last day. I am the lively bread, that came downe from heaven ; not so as your forefathers eat that heavenly bread in the wil- dertiesse, and afterwards died. He that eateth this bread, he liveth for ever. He blessed bread before his suffering, and divided it to his disciples, thus saying. Eat this bread; it is my body, and doe this in my remembrance. Also hee blessed wine in one cup, and said; Drinke ye all of this : This is m^y bloud that is shed for many, in forgivenesse of sins. The Apostles did as Crist commanded, that is, they blessed bread and wine to housel againe af- terward in his remem- brance. Even so also, since their departure, all priests, by Crisfs com- OF SERMON VII. 429 C. C. C. C. MS. 8e man pe Jje Jpicge'S minne lichaman • "] SpinCS min'^haligeblob' j-epun- aS on me ^ ic beo on him. Trcmsl. C. C. C. C. MS. The man who reeeiveth my body, and drinketh that holy blood of mine, he ahideth in me, and I he in him. )?e halgohe hlap SBp. hi)* l^opunge* ^ fcobaelbe hij- bij-apulum' "] J>uj- cpse'S yGcaS ]jij-ne hlap hit if mm hchama- "] bo's Juj- on minum gejnynbe Gpt he bletpobe pin on anum calice- ■] cpae'S- Dpinca'S ealle op Jupum ' 'Sip ip min blob •^ bi'S pop manegum agoten on pynna popgipe- neppe- Gptp^^anfiaapop- tolap bybon ppa ppa Epipt hset- ^ hi halgobon hlap to huple- *] pin on hip gemynbe* Gac ppylce heo- pa septep gengan ealle bipceopap ") pacepbap be £piptep haape halgia'S hlap ■] Jjin to huple on hip na- He blessed bread before his suffering, divided it to his disciples, and thus said: Eat this bread ; it is my body ; and do this in my remembrance. Also he blessed wine in one cup, and said; Drink ye all of this : This is my blood that is shed for many, in forgiveness of sins. Again afterward the Apostles did as Crist commanded, that (is), they blessed bread and wine to housel, in his remem- brance Even so also since their departure, all bishops and priests; by Crisfs commandment. 430 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Printed Paschal Homily. on hij" naman mib jjaejxe apojTolicanbletfunge. Nu fmeabon gehpilce men opt* ^ jit gelome fmea- gaS' hu ye hlap 'Se biS op cojine 3e3eap.cob* ^ Jjujih pyjiep hsetan abacen mage beon apenb to Ljiiptep li- chaman* o'SSe -f pm* J)e bi'S op manejum bejvmm appungen- people apenb J>ufih aenignebletpingeto bjiihtnep blobe. Nu pec- ge pe gehpilcum mannum ■f pume Sing pmb gecpe- bene be Ljlipte J>up.h ge- tacnurige; pume J>ujvh ge- pippum 'Singe. 80S Sing ip ■] gepip- f Ljiiyt paep op maebene acenneb* ^ pylppillep Spopobe beaS* ") fxy bebypiigeb' ^ on Sipum ba&ge op beaS apap. pe ip gecpeben hlap ]7uph getacnunge* -} lamb* "] leo' ■] gehu ellep. pe ip hlap gehaten- pojiSan he ip upe lip T engla. pe ip lamb gecpeben pop hip U' Isle's Translation. mandment, doe hless bread and wine to housel, in his name with the Apostolike blessing. Now some men have often searched, and doe yet often search, how bread that is gathered of come, and through fir^s heat baked, may be turned to Crisfs bodie, or how wine that is pressed of many grapes, is turned, through one (any) bless- ing, to the Lord's blood. Now say we to such men, that some things be spoken of Crist by signification, some things by certaine. True thing is, and cer- taine, that Crist was borne of a maid, and suffered death of his owne accord, and was buried, and on this day rose from death. He is said bread by sig- nification, and a Lambe, and a Lion, andaMoun- taine. (and how else, it ought to have been ren- dered.) He is called bread, because he is our life, and angels^ life. Hee is said to be a Lambe for OF SERMON VII. 431 C. C. C. C. MS. Trmsl. C. C. C. C. MS. man mib Jjsejie apoffcoh- bless bread and wine to can blefcf unge. housel in his name with the apostolic blessing. 432 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Printed Paschal Homily. uncaj'SSinyjye. Leo pop Jjo&jie j^encSe*. J>e he o- pejapiSbe Sone jt:pan3an beopol. Sc ppa J>eah sep- tep po'Sum gecynbe nip Epipt naSop ne hlap- ne lamb- ne leo. ppi ip Sonne f halige hupel 3ecpeben Lpiptep lichama • o'SSe hip blob- 3ip hit nip poS- lice -f f hit gehaten ip. So'Slice pe hlap- ■;] f pin J>e bee's J)uph pacepba maeppan gehaljobe o'Sep Jjinj hi ateopia'S mennip- cum anbgitum pi'Sutan - anb o'Sep j^ing hi clypia'S pi's mnan geleappuUum mobum. IDi'Sutan hi bee's gepepene hlap *] pm aegjjep ge on hipe - ge on pppa&ce. "Kc hi bee's po'Slice- septep fiaepe halgunge- Lpiptep lichama- -j hip blob 'Suph gaptlice gepynu. pae'Sen cilb bi'S gepuUob- ac hit ne bpaet na hip hip pi'S- utan Jjeah 'Se hit beo pi'S- innan apenb. )7it bi'S ge- bpoht pynpuU Jpuph aba- mep popgsegebnyppe to Jjam pante pate. Tic hit bi'S ajjpogen ppam eallum L'' Isle's Translation. his inmocencie; a Lion for his strength wherwith he overcame the strong devill. But Crist is not so, notwitnstanaing, after true nature, neither bread, nor a Lamh, nor a Lion. Why is then that holy housel called Crisfs body or his hloud, if it he not truly that it is caUed^ Truly the bread and the wine, which by the masse of the priest is hallowed, shew one thing without»to humane understanding, and another thing they call within to believing minds. Without they be scene bread and wine both in figure and in taste ; and they be truly, after their hallowing, Crisfs body, and his blood, through ghostly mystery. An heathen child is chris- tened, yet he altereth not his shape without, though he be changed within. He is brought to the font- stone sinfull, through A- danCs disobedience. How- beit he is washed from all OF SERMON VII. 433 C. C. C. C. MS. Transl. C. C. C. C. MS. 80'Shce ye hlap" ^ f pin ]je bee's ]?ujvh heojxa maej'- pan jehaljobe ofSeji Jpin^ hi aefcypia'S mennipcum anbgitum ■ -j oJ)p.e 'Sing hi clypia'S pi'Smnan ge- leappuUum mobum. U)i- Bufcan hi bee's gepepene hlap ■] pin seg'Sep ge on hipe je on ppps&ce. 'Kc hi bee's po'Shce- o&ptepjjs&pe halgunje- Lpiptep hcha- ma"] hip blob- ]?uph gapfc- hce jepmu. )7se'Sen cilb fie man puna's ne bpa&fc hit na hip hip pi'Sutan ■ ac hit bi'S ppa 'Seah pi'Smnan apenb" '-japyo^en' on]?am pante* ppam eallum pyn- num Spa ip eac ■f hahge panfc-paetep o^pum pse- fcepum jehc on hipe- ac Truly the bread, and the wine that he, through their mass, hallowed, one thing they shew to human un- derstandings without, and another thing they call within to believing minds. Without, they be seen bread and wine, both in hue, and in speech. But they be truly, after the hallowing, Crist s body and his blood, through ghostly mystery. A hea- then child, whom one b(tp- tiseth, it changes not its hue without; but it is, ne- vertheless, within turned, and washed, in the font, from all sins. So is also the holy font-water like other waters, in hue, but Ff 434 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Printed Paschal Homily. j-ynnum pi'Sinnan* 'Seah ■Se hit pi'Sutan hij* hip ne apenbe. Gac ppylce •f ha- hge pant paeteji Se ip ge- haten hpep pylppjiing ■ ip gehc on hipe oSjium pae- tepum- ^ \y unbejx'Seob bjiopnunge' ac Jjsep hal- gan ^aptep miht genea- la&cj? ]7am bpopnigenbh- cum piBtejie ■ 'Suph pa- cepba bletpunge' "] hit ms&g py]?f>an hchaman ■ ^ paple a]?pean ppam eallum pynnum • Suph gapthce mihte. Cpne nu pe ge- peo]? tpa 'Sing on Jjipum anum gepceapte. yGpteji po'Sum gecynbe* 'f pasteji ip bpiopnienbhc paeteji* ^ 8&pteji gapthcepe gepynu ha&p'Shalpenbemihte. Spa eac gip pe pceapia'S •f ha- hge hupel aeptep hcham- hcum anbgite • Jponne ge- peo pe •^ hit ip gepceapt bjiopnienbhc ^ apenbebhc. Irip pe f)a gapthcan mihte ■Ssepon tocnapa'S 'Sonne unbejigite pe •^ 'Saeji ip hp on" ^ popgip'S unbeab- hcnyppe ]7am 'Se hit mib geleapan Jncga'S. ClOicel ip U' Isle's Translation. sin within, though he hath not changed his shape without. Even so the holy font-water, that is called the well-spring of life, is like in shape to other wa- ters, and is subject to cor- ruption, hut the Holy Ghost might cometh to the corruptible water, through the priesfs bless- ing, and it may after wash the body and soule Jromt all sinne, through ghostly might. Behold now we see two things in this one creature. After true nature that water is cor- ruptible water, and after ghostly mystery hath hal- lowing (heaHng) _ might. So also if wee behold that holy housel after bodily understanding, then see wee that it is a creature corruptible and mutable. ' If wee acknowledge there- in ghostly might, then un- derstand we that life is therein, and that it giveth immortality to them that eat it with belief. Much is betwixt^ &c. (supply OF SERMON VII. 435 C. C. C. C. MS. Transl. C. C. C. C. MS. J>uph ]?8ef facejibef blefc- through the priesfs hless- pnje genealaec'S f>a&j- hal- ing, the Holy gan jaffcej^ mihf ^ hit j^San ajjpyh'S ]?a faple ppam eallurn fynnum • )juph jajrlice mihte. the Holy Ghost's might Cometh, and it af- terwards washeth the soul from, all sins, ghostly might. 436 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Printed Paschal Homily. &c. (see note 20.) jajrlice to unbejajtanbenne. Spa hpset j^a on Jjam huple ij* Jje up lipep ebpipc poyi- gip^ • "^ ip op Jjsepe gapcli- can mihte ^ ungepepen- licpe ppemmincge. Fop- 's! ip ■^ halite hupel geha- ten gepynu" popjjan Jje oJ>ep 'Sing ip ]?8&p^on gepe- pen* "^ o'Sep J)ing unbep- giten. • Dsefc ■^ Jjsep gepe- pen ^- ha&pS lichamlic hip- T •^ ■^ pe ]?8epon unbep- ptanba'S hsepS gapfclice mihte. UliCoblice Lpip- tep lichama J^e baa's Jjpo- pobe- ■] op beaSe apap* ne ppylt naeppe heonon pop's* ac ip ece -^ unjjpo- pienblic. Daec hupel ip hpilpenbhc na ece. Bpop- menbhc* ■] biS pticc-ma&- lum tobaeleb. Betpux to- 'Sum tocopen • "^ into jjam buce apenb* ac hit biS J?eah hpa&Jjepeseptep gapt- licpemihteon selcum bs&le eall. COanega unbeppo'S Sone halgan hchaman- ■] he biS ppa ]?eah on selcum baele eall septep gaptlicpe ^epynu. Deahpumemenn nisle's Translation. what follows from note 20.) all is ghostly to be understood. Whatsoever is in that housel, which giveth substance of life, that is of the ghostly might, and invisible do- ing. Therefore is that holy housel called a mys- terie, because there is one thing in it seene, and an- other thing understood. That which is there seene hath bodily shape: and that we do there under- stand hath ghostly might. Certainly Crisfs body which suffered death, and rose from death, never dieth henceforth; but is eternal and unpassible. That housel is temporal, not eternal; corruptible, and dealed into sundry parts; chewed betweene teeth, and sent into the belly: hbwbeit, neverthe- lesse, after ghostly might it is all (whole) in every part. Many receive that holy body, and yet, not- withstanding, it is so all in every part, after ghosU OF SERMON VII. 437 C. C. C. C. MS. Transl. C. C. C. C. MS. 438 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Printed Paschal Homily. gej-ceofce la&j*)- e bsel ne bi'S fpa 'Seah na majie miht on Jiam majian bsele 'Sonne on J>am lo&jyan ■ pojijjan J)e hit bi'S on aelcum menn anj-unb septep 'Saejie un- gepepenlican mihce. Deoj* gepynu ly pebb ^ hip. Ljiiptep hchama ip po'S- paeptnypp. Dip pebb pe healbaS gepynehce- o'S 'f pe becumon to Jjaepe po'S- paeptnyppe- "] J>onne bi'S J)ip pebb geenbob. So'Shce hit ip ppa ppa pe s&p cpse- bon Lpiptep hchama '-] hip blob* na hchamhce ac gapthce. Ne pceole ge pmeagan hu hit gebon py* ac heal ban on eop- pum geleapan -f hit ppa ^ebon py. IDe jiseba'S on of»8epe bee 'Se ip gehaten vitap patjium •f tp6gen munecap abaebon set Dobe pume pputelunge be ]?am halgan huple* ■] asptep J?a&pe bene geptobon him mjeppan. Da gepapon hi began an cilb on Jjam peo- pobe 'Se pe maeppe ppeopt Ulsle's Translation. h/mysterie. Though some chew lesse, deale, yet is there no more might, not- withstanding, in the more part, than in the lesse, he- cause it is all in all men, after the invisible might. This mystery is a pledge and a figure: Crisfshody is truth it selfe. This pledge we doe keepe mys- tically, until that we be- come to the truth itself, and then is this pledge ended ^. Truly it is so as we before have said, Crisfs bodyandhisbloud: not bodily, but ghostly. And ye should not search how it is done, but hold it in your belief, that it is so done. We reade in another book, called Yita Patrum, that two monkes desired of God some de- monstration touching the holy housel, and after, as they stood to heare masse, they saw a childe lying on the altar, where the priest said mass, and ■' It seems hardly doubtful, that in this and the preceding sen- tence is an allusion to the prayer in note i. OF SERMON VII. 439 a C. C. C. MS. Transl. C. C. C. C. MS. lUe jiseba'S on Jjsejie bee* We read in the book which )?e ij- gehaCen vita pa- is calhd\'\t&VAtvmn, that tjxum- -f tpegen mune- two monks prayed of God, caj- bsebon oet gobe yu- some demonstration con- me j"putelunge be J>am cerning the holy housel, halgan huple- '] )7a septep and then after their JJBepe bene- hi geptobon prayers they stood to hear him maeppan. Da gepa- mass. Then they saw, pon on ]jam peopobe an 07i the altar, a child, and cilb- ■^.gobep engel ptob God's angel stood with a f4 440 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Printed Paschal Homily. sec msBjyobe" "] Dobej- engel ftob mib hanbj-exe anbbibienbe o'S ■f fe pjve- ojt: •^ huj*el fcobjxsec • "] )?a toly^obe j"e engel ^ cilb on ]?am bij-ce' ^ hij- blob in- to J>am calice ageac. 6pt ]?a Jja hi to J>am huj-le eo- bon- 'Sa peaji'S hit apenb to hlape* ^ to pine* ^ hi hit 'Sygebon • gobe 'Sanci- genbe f»8&jae pputdunge. Gac pe halga Irpegojiiup abs&b set Lpipte* •f he se- teopebe anum tpynigen- bum pipe embe Jiip gepy- nii micele pejjunge. peo eobe to huple mib tpyni- genbum mobe* ^ Dpie- gopiup begset set Dobe Ssepjaihte •^ him bam psep'S seteopeb peo pnseb 'Ssep huplep ]?e heo Jjicgan pceolbe* ppylce ]?8ep Isege on Jjam bipce anep pin- gpep h'S eall geblobogob- '] 'Ssep pipep tpeonung peap'S J>a gep-ihtlseceb. U- ton nu gehypan 'Ssep apop- tolep popb embe ]?ap ge- pynu. Paulup pe apoptol apse's be ]?am ealban polce Ippahel- 'Sup ppitenbe on L'' Isle's Translation. God's angel stood with a sword and abode looking until the priest brake the housel. Then the angel divided that child upon the dish, and shed his hloud into the chalice. But when they did go to the housel, then it was turned to bread and wine, and they did eat it, giving God thanks for that shew- ing. Also St, Gregory desired of Crist that he would shew to a certain woman, doubting about his mystery, some great affirmation. Shee went to housel with doubting minde,and Gregoryforth- with obtained of God, that to them both was shewed that part of the housel which the woman should receive, as if there lay in a dish ajoynt of a finger all beblouded: and so the woman's doubting was then forthwith healed. But now heare the Apostle's word about this mystery, Paul, the Apostle, speaketh of the old Israelites, thus OF SERMON VII. 441 C. C. C. C. MS. mib anum j'exe anbbibi- ^enbej o'S ^ ye ppeoj-t f huj*el fcobpa&c J>a toly- ■Sobe j-e engfel 'f cilb on ]pam bifce* ^ hij- blob in- to J>am calice ageaf ^ f>a hi to ]jam huj-le eobon* J»a jJeaji'S hit apenb j'ona to hlape ^ to pine* ^ hi hit Sigbon" gobe J>ancienbe jjsepe gepputelunje. Gac pe jiaeba'S ■^ panctup gjie- jopiup aba&b set cpipte* f he setypbe anum tpeo- nigenban pipe micle ge- pputelunge be Jjam halgan huple. peo eobe to huple mib tpeomgenbum mobe • J>a abaeb pe halga gpego- piup set gobe jpsep-jiihte f him bam peajv'S setypeb peo pnseb ]>{By huplep ]?e heo Jjicgan pceolbe • ppyl- ce Jjsep Isege on Jjam bipce anep pmgpep h'S eall blo- bij- -j psey pipep tpeo- nunj peap'S pona gepiht- Iseceb. Transl. C. C. C. C. MS. sword, abiding until that the priest broke the hou- sel; and then the angel divided the child in the dish, and pouredhis blood into the chalice; and when they to the housel went, then was it soon turned to loaf and wine, and they received it, thanking God for the manifesta- tion. Also we read that St. Gregorius ashed of Crist, that he would shew a great manifestation to a wife, doubting about the holy housel. She went to housel with doubting mind; then the holy Gre- gorius ashed of God out- right, that to them both was shewn the portion of the houselwhich she should receive, as if there lay in the dish a finger's joint all bloody, and the wif^s doubting was then healed. 442 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Printed Paschal Homily. Vlsle's Translation. hij- pij^ole to geleappul- writing in his Epistle to lum mannum. Galle ujie faithful men : all our fore- poji'S-psebepaf pejion ge- fathers were baptised in pullube on polcne" "] on the cloud and in the sea: pae- ^ ealle hi efcon Jjone and they all ate the same ylcan japtlican mete- "] ghostly meat and drank ealle hi bpuncon J)one yl- the same ghostly drinke. can gaptlican bpenc. pi They drank truly of the bpuncon poSlice op asp- stone that followed them tep pihgenban ptane- ^ and that stone was Crist. pe ptane y^ey Lpipfc. Naep Neither was that stone pe ptan 'Se "f pa&tep Jja op- then, from which the wa- pleop hchamlice Lpipt' ac ter ranne, bodily Crist, he getacnobe Lpipt. but it signified Crist. ' "^ The freedom of England from heretical taint, during the whole Saxon period, is a fact expressly attested, in consequence of an arrival from the con- tinent of some unfortunate Albigenses, in the time of Henry II. These persecuted foreigners, being seized, were examined by a council assembled at Oxford, and refiising to recant, were branded in the forehead, scourged, and then turned out into the fields, to perish there miserably of cold and hunger. As it was winter, and no one dared to afford them either food or shelter, it is probable that their suf- ferings quickly found a termination. The passage relating to the admitted orthodoxy of England until the landing of these refugees from continental in- tolerance is the following. " Sane ab hac et ab aliis pestibus haereticis immunis semper exstitit Anglia, cum in aliis mundi pairtibus tot puUulave- rint haereses. Et quidem hsec insula, cum, propter OF SERMON VII. 443 incolentes Britones, Britannia diceretur, Pelagium in Oriente hiaeresiarcham futurum ex se misit, ejus- que in se processu temporis errorem admisit : ad cujus peremptionem Gallicanse ecclesiae pia provisio semel et iterum beatissmum direxit Germanum. At ubi banc insulam, expulsis Britonibus, natio posse- dit Anglorum, ut non jam Britannia sed Anglia di- ceretur, nuUius unquam ex ea pestis hsereticse virus ebuUivit : sed nee in earn aliunde usque ad tem- pera Regis Henrici secundi tanquam propagandum et dilatandum introivit." (Guilielmi Neubrigensis Hist. Rerum Anglic, lib. II. cap. 13. Oxon. 1719. torn. I. p. 146.) To the extensive prevalence upon the continent of the heresy, as it is called, professed by these ancient Protestants, the following testi- mony is borne by the historian. " Hi nimirum olim ex Gasconia incerto auctore, habentes ori- ginem, regionihus jilurimis virus suae perfidife infu- derunt. Quippe in latissimis Galliae, Hispanise, Italise, Germaniseque provinciis tam multi hac peste infecti esse dicuntur, ut secundum Prophetam, multiplicati esse super numerum videantur." Ibid, p. 145. SERMON VIII. THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND BEFORE THE CONQUEST, AND SINCE THE REFORMATION. Jeremiah vi. 16. Thus saith the Liord, Stand ye in the ways, arid ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. xvELIGIOUS principles incapable of esta- blishing certainly their origin in a divine re- velation are manifestly unworthy of reliance. Hence novelties in theology are among the most hollow and pernicious of those fascinat- ing vents for vanity which exercise the per- verse ingenuity of mankind. It was their in- veterate indulgence of a taste for such inno- vations that had brought his countrymen to the very brink of ruin when Jeremiah penned the text. As he says elsewhere, speaking in the person of God, " My people have com- mitted two evils ; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and have hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can 446 SERMON VIII. hold no water^." The pure faith delivered by Moses, and illustrated by the prophets, had been most injuriously mingled with Gen- tile refinements, abominations, and supersti- tions. The Jews had thus forfeited their ti- tle to be considered as God's peculiar people. They had consequently no hope of that hea- venly succour which they now so urgently needed. Nor could any claim to it be re- vived without a faithful return to the profes- sion of those doctrines which their distant ancestry had undoubtedly received from a known communication of God's will. This course, accordingly, the prophet earnestly presses upon their adoption, imploring them to seek again those old but long-forsaken ways which alone afforded any reasonable prospect of peace and safety. A similar line of argument was used by the virtuous, indefatigable, and self-devoted scholars to whom Europe owes the Reforma- tion. They represented, that various doc- trines and usages had gradually arisen dur- ing the darker periods of medieval history, which a careful observation of ecclesiastical antiquity would infallibly convict of error and comparative novelty. ' Against these, in- deed, bodies of men had protested, from time ^ Jerem. ii. 13. SERMON VIII. 447 immemorial, in every region of the west. Such opposition, however, had been branded as heretical, had been occasionally overawed by fierce persecution, and had habitually been rendered utterly subversive of temporal in- terest. Hence it had hitherto failed of gain- ing a permanent and effective establishment among persons of superior condition. But the season of this depression was now evi- dently gone. A spirit of agitation and en- quiry had arisen which no force of mere au- thority, whether ecclesiastical or civil, ap- peared in the least likely to quell. Men eagerly sought "a reason of the hope that was in them ^ ;" and they were no longer to be satisfied by references to the principles and practices of those generations which had immediately preceded their own. Leading individuals, convinced that the papal system was unsound, endeavoured to allay this ge- neral excitement, by dispensing advice re- sembling that of the text. It was represent- ed, that would men diligently " ask for the old paths, the good way," in which Christians trod before apostolic recollections were ef- faced, "and walk therein, they would find rest for their souls." It was upon the principle of thus provid- b 1 Pet. iii. 15. 448 SERMON VIU. ing satisfaction for the mind and safety for the soul, that our own incomparable Re- formers proceeded, no less than their conti- nental friends. Had they merely stripped Romish doctrines of scriptural authority, and encouraged every speculator to devise a re- ligion for himself, they would, indeed, have provided an opening for admitting a deluge of disputatious heresy and illusory fanati- cism. They followed, however, with unvary- ing steadiness Jeremiah's advice in the text. At every step of their cautious and discreet opposition to the papal system, they sought most anxiously and laboriously for the "old paths." Innovation and destruction were by no means their objects. What they merely desired was the restoration of England to a creed, for which, in every part, Scripture would supply proofs, and Catholic tradition confirmations. In these endeavours, as originally con- ducted, our own country's theological anti- quities appear to have been very nearly, if not entirely overlooked. An attention almost exclusive was indeed naturally fixed upon those illustrious fathers, whose authority has been profoundly reverenced for ages through- out the Christian world. Archbishop Parker, at a subsequent period, however, by the pub- SERMON Vm. 449 lication of iElfric's most interesting and im- portant testimonies, vindicated, even nation- ally, our eucharistic doctrines from the charge of novelty. Nor have insulated points of our reformed faith failed of receiving, from time to time, similar illustrations of their claims upon the grateful veneration of Englishmen. The present undertaking may, haply, tinder the blessing of Providence, in this way, prove farther useful. It has indicated unquestion- ably sources of information whence appeals to the creed of Anglo-Saxon times, in behalf of Romish principles, may be convicted of palpable unsoundness. Those who would thus justify an adherence to that religious system which the Reformation overthrew, are manifestly trusting for a staff to " a broken reed*=." A careful and unprejudiced enquiry would probably make it appear, that the doc- trines which they brand as innovations ap- proach much more nearly to the ancient reli- gion of England than those which they pro- fess themselves. How plainly does the Church of ancient England agree with her modern daughter in maintaining the sufficiency of Scripture ! Where will any trace be found, among the venerable monuments of Anglo-Saxon theo- • c Isaiah xxvi. 6. Gg 450 SERMON VIII. logy, of a dread and a jealousy respecting the use of those holy books, " which are able to make men wise unto salvation**?" Where any intimation that these recorded " oracles of God^" are not a complete repository of all that concerns the faith and morals of man- kind? Our distant ancestry encountered no occasion, it is true, of making such an express declaration against an alleged unwritten word of God, as the progress of events at length drew from their posterity. Their testimony, however, against the existence of such a de- posit is substantially the same. The whole tenour of their conduct, and theological re- mains, asserts in a manner sufficiently clear that " holy Scripture containeth all things necessary for salvation : so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved there- by, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of faith '." Do not also our Ante-Norman ecclesias- tical authorities add their suffrages to those of our Reformers, in excluding from a divine origin such appendages to the Old Testament as are uncontained in the Hebrew canon ? St. Jerome, in fact, guided their judgment upon thiis important question, not less than d 2 Tim. iii. 15. <= 1 Pet. iv. 11. f Art. VI. SERMON Vm. 451 he did that of England at a later period. Hence Bede, Alcuin, ^Ifric, the great lumin- aries of our Anglo-Saxon progenitors, plainly shew that the books termed apocryphal were allowed to appear among Anglo-Saxon reli- gious offices, not because they were admitted to the rank of divine revelations, but because they had long been esteemed useful " for ex- ample of life, and instruction of manners ^." The source of faith in ancient and in mo- dern England was therefore perfectly iden- tical. In the former, no less than in the latter, existed no belief in an unwritten word, no canonicity was" assigned to books of doubt- ful origin, disputable character, and unau- thenticated pretensions. Our early progeni- tors were thus precluded equally with their descendants from affording a solemn attesta- tion to any summaries of Christian doctrine, besides the three Creeds ; to any ecclesias- tical conventions, besides the first four general councils ; those venerable and august assem- blies, in which the vital truths of holy Scrip- ture were carefully examined, and formally defined'. Who will then expect to discover, among Anglo-Saxon theological remains, any symbol answering to the doctrinal compen- dium promulg^ed under authority from Pope s Art. VI. Ggg 452 SERMON VIII. Pius IV. ? Who will esteem it even possible to find asserted any where among these in- teresting records, that the Catholic faith com- prises thirteen articles in addition to the Nicene Creed ? Who will suppose that any one among the spiritual guides of ancient England would have denied salvation to all who might see in mere ecclesiastical author- ity no sufficient reason for admitting such an extensive supplement ? An inference must necessarily be drawn, from the records of English religious antiquity, that our national church, as established before the Conquest, acknowledged only those articles of faith which she has expressly sanctioned since the Reformation. It will hence obviously follow, that our spiritual nursing-mother has agreed, in both these stages of her existence, respecting the evangelical sacraments. In Anglo-Saxon times the term sacrament was indeed loosely ap- plied to every sacred sign. Our distant an- cestry, therefore, might probably be found, not only to have equalled Romish authori- ties in the number of things invested appa- rently with a sacramental character, but even to have surpassed them. When we see chrism, however, described as a sacrament in the re- mains of ancient English divinity, shall we SERMON VIII. 453 venture to say that these venerable records, and the schoolmen, and the Trentine fathers, are identified with each other in their use of that term ? Again ; when Bede is known to name water and blood as the foundations of the Church; when Raban is found to pro- nounce expressly that the sacrainents are Baptism and Chrism, the Body and Blood; how can we reasonably doubt that our Ante- Norman fathers attributed a character pro- perly sacramental to those holy ordinances alone which are allowed that distinction by their Protestant posterity ! : In ecclesiastical polity the Church of Eng- land has notoriously been uniform. Before; the victorious Saxons a remnant of ancient British episcopacy retired into the more in- accessible regions of our island. From this venerable establishment, at a happier period, bishops, properly consecrated, were sent to preside over the spacious kingdoms of North- umberland and Mercia, districts evangelized by native missionaries: Augustine naturally planted episcopacy in such quarters of the land as were won over to receive instruction from him and his brethren. Our prelacy thus mounts upwards in one unbroken streaiii to the remotest periods in our country's an- nals. Such among us, accordingly, as are Gg3 454 SERMON VIII. called to the high privilege and responsibi- lity of ministering in holy things, have the satisfaction of knowing that our commission has been regularly received. It has been intrusted to us in strict conformity with the usage of every age in ecclesiastical his- tory. It is connected uninterruptedly with that distant and venerable epoch when apo- stles " appointed those who should set in order the things that were wanting, and or- dain elders in every city*"." > In another point, however, English reli- gious discipline is commonly charged with a signal variation. The Anglo-Saxon Church is represented as having yielded an authority to the papacy which our national institutions have long peremptorily refused. Nor is it, indeed, capable of denial, that the Roman see was constantly regarded among our dis- tant ancestry with a degree of affectionate esteem and grateful veneration, which offer a striking contrast to that habitual neglect, and to those occasional displays of contemp- tuous indignation, which it has received from England during the last three centuries. But let it be remembered that Ante-Norman times knew nothing of the political preten- h Tit. i. 5. SERMON VIIL. 455 sions advanced by Gregory VII. and by some of his successors ; they saw not solemnly esta- blished, as integral, members of the Catholic faith, those thirteen articles which papal au- thority has now appended to the Nicene Creed, and which are obtruded upon the consciences of men under a bold denuncia- tion of eternal perdition. The Roman see has therefore altered most materially both its worldly and its religious aspect since the Conquest. What was the light, however, in which our early progenitors viewed the pontiff? and what were the privileges con- ceded to him ? Did they esteem St. Peter the rock upon which the Church was built, the janitor who held the privilege of closing hea- ven's gates against all who should decline obedience to his admitted successors, the leader under whose guidance they would individually proceed to the judgment-seat of Christ ? Had they a papal legate con- stantly resident among them, claiming for his master a paramount jurisdiction, at least over their ecclesiastical affairs, and interfer- ing habitually in their domestic polity ? Was any disposition ever shewn among them to obey the pontifical authority, when it hap- pened to be at variance with their own judg- ment ? Did oaths of canonical obedience bind G g 4 456 SERMON VIII. their prelates to the Roman see ? Was a complete ecclesiastical supremacy, within the realm, denied to their princes? An unqualified negative must reply to every one of these ques- tions. Our Anglo-Saxon fathers understood uniformly by the metaphorical rock, in our blessed Lord's promise to St. Peter, no other than Jesus himself. They considered Cephas to have been appointed janitor of heaven merely by way of admonishing mankind, that all who would gain admission within the ce- lestial portals must firmly maintain the faith which he so manfully professed. They de- signated St. Paul the teacher of the Gentiles, and, looking upon him as their spiritual head, expected to follow in his train on the great and awful day of account. Any agent of the Roman see very rarely planted his foot upon their soil, even as a transient visitor; nor does it appear that such a personage was ever treated among them with more defer- ence than was deemed justly due to a canon- ist and divine of superior learning and abi- lity. Wilfrid's application, and, still more sig- nally, the scornful rejection of the Deutero- Nicene decrees, aiford plain evidences that the pontiff, when opposed to domestic judg- ment, was not, in any degree, respected, ei- ther as an ecclesiastical or a doctrinal au- SERMON VIII. 457 thority. No prelate of the Anglo-Saxon Church was called upon to admit the supe- riority of any see over that of Canterbury. The English crown exercised all the rights of ecclesiastical supremacy before the Nor- man Conquest as completely, to the very fullest, as it has done since the Reformation. Substantially and effectively, therefore. Eng- lishmen, in these later ages, have agreed, as to the papacy, with their distant ancestry. Complete alienation has indeed taken the place of amicable deference. But this al- teration has resulted from many and import- ant causes. Direct authority of any kind over our island was no more conceded, how- ever, to the Roman bishop, during the period^ with which this undertaking is concerned, than it has been since the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's wise, patriotic^ and vene- rated rule. Nor, when it is recollected that our early Saxon fathers solemnly pronounced the wor- ship of images an usage " altogether execrated by the Church of God\" how can their opin- ion as to this important question be pro- nounced at variance with that of their poste- rity ? Our own Articles, indeed, merely cha- racterise the principle upon which depend this and other similar usages, as "a fond thing, 458 SERMON VIII. vainly invented, and grounded upon no war- rant o£ Scripture, but rather repugnant to the word of God'." In such language ap- pears no trace of that bold, overpowering in- dignation excited by image-worship in the luminaries of ancient England. The descend- ants of these faithful stewards, who so man- fully and in such full integrity " kept that which was committed to their trust''," held not indeed their holy profession undefiled. But who will argue that their degenerate apo- stasy affects the voice of Anglo-Saxon tradi- tion ? By this had already been borne clear and decisive testimony to that very estimation of iconolatry now maintained in the national Church. This fact is amply sufficient to prove that English Protestants, in refusing religious honours to the seductive Works of human hands, merely follow the tradition of their fathers, merely profess a religious prin- ciple anciently established in their country. Nor will a different conclusion flow from careful reflection upon that kindred usage, the invocation of angelic and departed spi- rits, If Bede had approved of such a prac- tice, how injudiciously did he act, in teach- ing, from St. Austin, that no being is fitted for mediation between God and man, but one i Art. XXII.- k 1 Tim. vi. 20. SERMON VIII. 459 both divine and human ! If the compilers of our ancient religious offices esteemed it rea- sonable or allowable to call upon angels or the dead, how came their service-books to display no trace of that opinion ? Evidently they held in profoundest veneration God's ministering spirits, and the brighter orna- ments of their blessed Saviour's unseen king- dom. For aid from the prayers of these happy beings prevailed, accordingly, a gene- ral, an excessive, perhaps also an injudicious anxiety. Yet addresses ascended to the foot- stool of Omniscience only. Whence this re- markable restriction, unless there was indeed an identity of views respecting invocation be- tween ancient and modern England? How completely does an examination of our an- cient liturgies vindicate from, the charge of novelty those who discarded from English service-books all invocation of created beings ! Nor is there any disagreement between our national Church in Ante-Norman and in mo- dern times, respecting the indispensable ne- cessity of true repentance. Who can shew the belief of our Saxon fathers in the power of attrition, if attended by acts termed sacra- mental, to secure the soul from eternal ruin ? Are not, on the contrary, the religious monu- ments of our distant ancestry replete with 460 SERMON VIII. plain declarations and grounds for inevitable infereiices, that salvation is promised to those alone whose hearts are touched by genuine contrition ? Probably there are those who fain would say, " If the case, indeed, be so, the modern Church of England has inno- vated upon her venerable mother ; as is tes- tified abundantly by an absolution provided for the sick in the Book of Common Prayer." This formulary will be found, however, if carefully observed, to warrant no such con- clusion. It has indeed been modelled upon those indicative forms of absolving penitents which were unknown to any branch of the Catholic Church, until a period comparatively recent. Inveterate prejudices, it is likely, our Reformers reasoned, would hardly allow the people to surrender absolutely an assurance of pardon which had calmed the apprehen- sions of several preceding generations. Where men, therefore, desired earnestly to hear the customary form of absolution, that satisfac- tion, if warranted apparently by their states of mind respectively, was not to be denied. But those who kindly thus provided for alle- viating the griefs of a sick bed and a wounded conscience, were careful to prevent their in- dulgence from inflicting an injury upon the soul. They prefaced, accordingly, the voice SERMON VIII. 461 of seemingly authoritative consolation, by de- claring that the Church's absolving power ex- tends to those alone " who truly repent and believe" in Jesus Christ. No sinner, there- fore, merely attrite, has the smallest expecta- tion of escaping eternal death offered to him in -the indicative absolution of our service- book. Every hope of such a person is in- deed expressly cut off, and the penitent is plainly warned, that unless he brings true repentance to the footstool of Omnipotence, he must expect justice, and not mercy. In another instance, connected with peni^ tential doctrines, the modern Church of Eng- land has undoubtedly receded something from principles entertained within the bosom of her Anglo-Saxon mother. The doctrine of compensating for iniquities by proportionate austerities has not survived the Reformation. But can this doctrine securely claim support from holy scripture? Was it not, probably, largely indebted for establishment among Christians to the Platonism which early found an asylum within the Church? Can its rejection, therefore, by those who remo- delled our ecclesiastical institutions, be pro- nounced a fit occasion either for surprise or regret? In this abandonment of ancient usages, it was not, however, by any means in- 462 SERMON VIII. tended that the religious discipline of former times should have been included. Those il- lustrious men who guided England in her separation from the papal see, were not less anxious than had been their Saxon fathers to guard from scandal the holy church of God. Had Cranmer, accordingly, and his admirable colleagues been spared to complete their plans of reformation, they would have striven earnestly for the restraint of moral obliquities by<-ecclesiastical censures. They went, indeed, even so far as to propose that no Christian should enjoy the public consola- tions of his holy profession, unless he cleared himself from every serious imputation ^ But such severity, however theoretically good, is impracticable in communities of great extent. Hence there is no reason to lament that an attempt was never made to force it upon the country. Nor would the subject have been mentioned here, had it not been desired to trace as far as possible the similarity of views entertained by the divines of Ante-Norman England, and those who, at the price of many arduous labours, many struggles, many pain- ful sacrifices, accomplished the Reformation. These two classes of intellectual English- men, so remote from each other in age, ordi- 1 See Reform. LI. Eccl. de Purgatione. SERMON VIII. 463 narily so similar in religious principles, differ- ed, however, considerably upon the question of purgatory. A general expectation, undoubt- edly, prevailed in Anglo-Saxon times, of some cleansing fires reserved for a large number of disembodied souls. By the Reformers all such expectations were ranked among " fond things, vainly invented, without any warrant of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the word of God." It should, however, be recollected, that even here the two parties compared in this discourse are not opposed so strongly to each other as first impressions might lead us to. imagine. At the Reformation, a belief in purgatory had grown into a solemnly recog- nised article of faith. Divines controverting Romish doctrines, wholly denied it such an exalted character, and maintained, indeed, that it could advance no solid grounds of any description for claiming the confidence of mankind. The remains of early English theology very rarely offer a decided negative even to this assertion. They merely treat the doctrine of a purgatory, in some shape or other, as credible and reasonable. Hence it is sometimes brought forward, at others unceremoniously neglected. What cautious reasoner, competently informed, would there- fore undertake to prove that even upon this 464 SERMON VIII. question the Church of ancient England so- lemnly maintained an article of faith which her modern daughter has repudiated? Was not the purgatorial hypothesis manifestly en- tertained among our distant ancestry as a mere speculation, which individuals were con- sidered free to hold according to their several views, or to reject altogether ? Upon the most prominent article of the Romish creed, however, the identity of belief between ancient and modern England is com- plete, strongly marked, and unquestionable. " Transubstantiation," say our Articles, " or the change of the substance of bread and wine, in the Supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by holy writ, but it is repugnant to the plain words of scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions. The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper only after a heavenly and spiritual manner ; and the mean whereby the body of Christ is received is faith. The sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's or- dinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, and worshipped""." And does not Bede evi- dently teach this doctrine, when he repre- sents the Lord's Supper as the legitimate "» Art. XXVIII. SERMON VIII. 465 successor of the Passover ; an ordinance of a nature manifestly typical ? when he speaks of eucharistic celebrations as mysterious and sacramental ? when he plainly says that our Lord delivered to his disciples the figure of his holy body and blood ? Do not the divines of our ancient school universally and most remarkably bear testimony against a belief in the corporal presence ? Can any reasoning be directed more unequivocally against proofs alleged from scripture in favour of transub- stantiation than iElfric's parallel between the term bread, applied to our Lord's body in one place, and the terms lamb and lion, applied to his person in other places ? Each of these appellations, observes that luminary of an- cient England, is equally remote from strict propriety of speech. Each of them, there- fore, must be alike referred to the common and allowable use of a figurative phraseology. Hence no scriptural proof whatever, in M\- fric's judgment, can be drawn from the words of Jesus at his last Supper. Again : this il- lustrious instructor of our distant ancestry remarks, that the blessed Jesus, in consecrat- ing the Eucharist, designated it as his body and blood, although his precious body at that time had not been torn, his precious blood not shed. Transubstantiation, then, is pro- Hh 466 SERMON VIII. nounced by iElfric, not less obviously than by our Reformers, " repugnant to the plain words of Scripture." Nor does the language of this eminent divine import less clearly that such a doctrine would "overthrow the nature of a sacrament." He teaches, after St. Austin, happily there preserved by Fulgentius", that a mystery or sacrament offers one thing to the corporeal senses, another to the mental apprehension. Thus the eucharistic elements are temporal and corruptible, the objects re- presented by them incorruptible and eternal. That the body of Christ is administered only " in a heavenly and spiritual manner" is as- serted expressly and repeatedly in ^Elfric's most important remains. As for reservation of the Eucharist, it was practised among our Anglo-Saxon fathers only for private admi- nistration to the sick, and for public admini- stration in the church on Good Friday. Usage enjoined a participation in the holy Supper on that mournful anniversary, but forbade its consecration. Bread accordingly, hallow- ed on the preceding day, then was made to symbolize the spiritual repast. Of adoration, or circumgestation of the Eucharist, it is no- torious that not a single trace is afforded by " See note 4, Serm. VII. SERMON VIII. 467 the more venerable religious antiquities, ei- ther of this country or of any other. How complete, also, is Alcuin's agreement with that clause which was appended to the article against transubstantiation under king Edward ! " Because," it is in this inculcated, " as holy Scripture doth teach, Christ was taken up into heaven, and there shall con- tinue until the end of the world, a faithful man ought not either to believe or openly confess the real and bodily presence, as they term it, of Christ's flesh and blood, in the sacrament of the Lord's supper^." Had not Charlemain's illustrious English friend enter- tained opinions in perfect unison with these very words of our admirable reformers, is it likely that he would have represented the blessed Jesus as absent corporally from earth until the day of judgment ? Is not the Sa- viour, according to modern Romish appre- hensions, drawn down sensibly, bodily, among his worshippers in myriads of places, during many of the earlier hours in every passing day? Wherefore the admonitory bell, the pealing organ, the military salute, the bend- ed knee, unless to greet with becoming ador- ation the gracious descent of an incarnate Deity? Is it not believed also, that Jesus always continues corporally amidst his people ji h 2 468 SERMON VIII. in eucharistic reservations, gracing every pix? How came Alcuin, then, to overlook the manifest propriety of somewhat qualifying his denial of Christ's corporeal presence in the world? Did incarnations of the Saviour, dignifying every mass, escape entirely his habitually pious, thoughtful mind? Or could he deem that language tending to throw a doubt upon the reality of such glorious in- carnations was fitting, or indeed excusable, in one who numbered among the talents in- trusted for his diligent improvement a most extensive influence over the public mind? Or lastly, did this distinguished son of an- cient England, like the framers of king Ed- ward's Articles, believe the incarnate Saviour to be corporally present only at the right hand of his almighty Father's majesty? Those who would readily return that af- firmative answer which this last question might appear capable of exacting, will reflect with pleasure, that our Church, both before the Conquest and since the Reformation, has been perfectly consistent in restricting the participation of Christ's body and blood to those who believe effectively his holy reli- gion. The venerable remains of ancient English theology are unblemished by the remotest hint of a possibility that irrational SERMON VIII. 469 tenants of our earthly home, and worse than they, that infidels and reprobates may pro- fane the precious body and blood of our im- maculate Redeemer, by feeding upon it even to their condemnation. Our Articles affirm, that "the wicked, and such as be void of a liyely faith, although they do carnally press with their teeth, as St. Austin saith^ the sa- crament of the body and blood of Christ, yet in no wise are they partakers of Christ." Bede, accordingly, using the very words ordinarily attributed to St. Austin, here cited by the compilers of our Articles, re- stricts the feeding upon our Lord's body and blood to such as despise the world, and are poor in spirit". In another place he pre- sents Austin's language uninterpolated, and this is fatal to a belief in transubstantia- tioni". iElfric, also, adopting that important discourse of the famous bishop of Hippo, which has long been excluded from his col- lected works, but which fortunately appears with his name in copies of Fulgentius, thus affirms : " He that receives the eucharist, not being in the bond of peace, receives no mys- tery j^r himself, but a witness against him- self." ° Bed. in Joh. vi. Opp. V. 509. Note 4. p In 1 Cor. X. Opp. VI. 479. HhS 470 SERMON VIII. Of the cordial agreement between our Saxon fathers and ourselves, in maintaining that " the cup of the Lord is not to be de- nied to lay-people S" their whole practice is a sufficient attestation. Not even the infant hanging at its mother's breast, when ad- mitted, in compliance with prevailing usage, to the sacramental feast, was excluded from that consecrated liquor of which our blessed Saviour said, " Drink ye all of it." Upon this point, however, there is no dispute. Igno- rance must indeed be complete and palpa- ble, which could suppose that any who fre- quented the Lord's table in Anglo-Saxon times were denied a share of eucharistic wine. Sufficient enquiry will thus establish in- contestably for the Church of England, as existing before the Conquest, a perfect iden- tity of doctrine, respecting our Lord's pre- sence in his holy Supper, with that which she has maintained since the Reformation. What shall we say, then, for the heartless treatment received within the very walls of this elegant and majestic fabric by the honest, venerable, zealous, and truly apostolical Latimer? What, for that which insulted and sought to embar- rass and intimidate the blameless, dignified, q Art. XXX. See note 4. Serm. VII. SERMON VIII. 471 scholarly, and consistent Ridley ? What, for that which so severely tried the gentle spirit, conscious rectitude, physical self-possession, profound attainments of the discreet, inde- fatigable, but somewhat timid Cranmer ? Were they any other than the eucharistic doctrines of Bede and iElfric for which the three self- devoted prelates boldly and earnestly con- tended within this holy place? Was it an inflexible adherence to any other principle of belief that drew upon them, in the divinity- school which near us gracefully rears its ela- borately-fretted roof, a tumultuous torrent of indignities and clamour, (always infamous from educated assemblies, doubly so when coupled with a glaring want of sympathy?) Was it not because the lingering love of life, insidiously awakened in the breast of Cran- mer, had, fatally for his peace, wrung from him some disingenuous expressions of a dis- position to forsake these identical doctrines, that he stood within a few paces of this very spot, his venerable countenance bathed in tears, his whole figure a perfect image of deepest contrition, most heart-rending humi- liation ? Was it not, because he, and his two illustrious brethren, duly mindful of our blessed Lord's admonition against the denial of his known truth before men, refused to H h 4 472 SERMON VIII. forsake these very doctrines, that eventually all the three braved the horrors of a violent and excruciating death, within the desiccated channel of the once-neighbouring city-fosse ? And who shall overlook, among these mourn- ful, yet consoling recollections, the dying Latimer's address to his fellow-sufferer? " From this day's struggle will arise a flame, which, by God's grace, will never cease to shine upon our country." The martyr's prayer was heard: God's grace was abun- dantly bestowed, and after a brief and gloomy, yet glorious interval, England na- tionally regained her ancient faith. And shall we not acknowledge with lively gratitude the goodness of a merciful God in calling us to the profession of a faith esta- blished firmly upon the rock of Scripture, connected with the most venerable of our national antiquities, adorned by some of the noblest examples of self-devotion displayed in the records of our native land ? Our spiritual nursing-mother, we should ever bear in mind, is no creature of the Reformation. Her min- isterial commissions and her polity noto- riously and undeniably flow upwards, in one regular, unbroken stream, to that unsuspected period, when Apostles and apostolic men pre- scribed rules for ordering Christ's inheritance SERMON Vm. 473 upon earth. Her doctrines, not only regard- ing the eucharist, but also other leading and distinctive principles of belief, are in perfect unison with those traditions which were taught by all the earliest luminaries of our distant ancestry. The Reformers did little more than expel from her bosom the gra- dual accumulation of medieval novelties, and abolish various observances dependent upon ecclesiastical tradition, and convicted by long experience of inutility and danger. In other respects, the renovation of our religious sys- tem restored the ascendency of those doc- trines which had been originally established in the land, and which had long been holden " whole and undefiled." Cranmer had at- tained the summit of professional eminence when he embarked in the work of Reforma- tion. Nor were his fellow-labourers very far behind him. Rarely, therefore, have impor- tant changes been effected by individuals less likely to have acted from considerations merely personal and worldly. These eminent ministers of God's holy word and sacraments were, however, utterly unable to " find rest for their souls" in the doctrines which had gained possession of society. They diligently, therefore, " asked for the old paths," among the Fathers of the Church. By this wary 474 SERMON VIII. course they happily reached " the good way" in which their own Christian ancestry had originally trodden. Succeeding times, follow- ing their direction, have been hence enabled to repel triumphantly the charge of inno- vation. They have indeed shaken off the trammels of pontifical and scholastic autho- rity. They have even discarded many of those usages and ceremonies which their ear- lier forefathers undoubtedly admitted. In doctrinal profession they will be found, how- ever, to display a gratifying conformity with the most ancient of their country's theolo- gical authorities. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS SERMON VIII. ' JL HE first four general councils^ although not honoured with any express testimony of approba- tion in the Thirty-nine Articles, are thus treated in the Reformatio Legum Ecclesiasticarum, a work which may be considered as a half-official declara- tion of the sentiments of our Reformers : " Nam quaedam illorum (conciliorum sc.) qualia sunt prae- cipua ilia quatuor, Nicenum, Constantinopolitanum primum, Ephesinum, et Calcedonense, magna cum reverentia amplectimur et suscipimus." De Sum- ma Trinitate et Fide Catholica : cap. 14. Ref. LI. Eccl. Lond. 1640. p. 6. ^ " To this narrative Harpsfield gives the title of Commentitia et insulsd fahula, and thinks it not writ by Sim. Dunelmensis, or Mat. Westminster, (he might have added Hoveden, the MS. History of Rochester,) but that it was anciently inserted into them. For answer to which he would be de- sired to produfee any one old copy without it, not mangled, so as it doth prodere Jkrtum by ^^anting it. I have seen divers of Hoveden MSS. some of Mat. West, but never did one wherein it was not 476 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS found, not in the margin, but in the text itself, and so it is Dunelmensis his MS. at Bennet Colledge in Cambridge. For my part, I do not know how any thing we mishke in history may not after this manner be rejected, if a relation gathered from mo- numents of an elder date, which are perisht, yet cited by one who lived not so long after the time he speaks of,' but they might well come to his hands, whom we find very sincere in such citations as yet remain out of more old authors than himself, ever esteemed of good credit in the Church of God, and in his narration followed ad verbum by those who writing of the same matter succeeded him, I confess, I say, if this may be cast away as a lying and foolish fable, I know not what shall gain cre- dit." Sir Roger Twisden's Historical Vindication of the Chufch of England. Lond. 1675. p. 182. ^ The whole of this clause, which forms part of the twenty-ninth Article, in king Edward's forty- two Articles, may be seen in Bishop Burnet's work, (art. 28.) The following is the general treatment of the question relating to transubstantiation, in the Reformatio Legum. After explaining the natiu-e and uses of the Eucharist, the writer thus con- cludes : " Cum autem ad haec omnia nee transub- stantiatione opus sit ,nec ilia, quam fingere solebant, reali prsesentia Christi ; sed quidem potius haec cu- riosa hominum inventa sint : Primum, contra natu- ram humanam a Filio Dei, nostra causa, sumptam; deinde, cum Scripturis divinis pugnent, et praeterea cum universa sacramentorum ratione confligant, ista tanquam frivola somnia merito desecanda cu- ravimus, et oblivione obruenda; praesertim cum OF SERMON VIII. 477 magnum ex iis et perniciosum agmen superstitio- num in Ecclesiam Dei importatum fiierit." Ref, LI. de Sacramentis. cap. 4. p. 30. ♦ " Edent pauperes. Ego autem quidem reddam vota, de quibus votis edent pauperes, id est, mundi contemptores : edent quidem realiter, si ad sacra- menta referatur, et saturabuntur seternaliter, quia intelligent in pane et vino visibiliter sibi proposito, aliud invisibile, scilicet corpus verum et sanguinem verum Domini, quae verus cibus, et verus potus sunt, quo non venter distenditur, sed mens sagina- tur." (Bedse Presb. Comment, in Ps. 21. Opp. Bas. 1563. torn. VIII. col. 542.) Bede here, as usual, follows St. Austin, but that Father, although plainly enough intending to exclude from the feeding upon Christ's body all who are not truly imbued with the spirit of his holy religion, yet uses in this place language allowing some room for evasion. Lilbhab gepit to cnihthabe* '-\ cmhthab to ge- Jjungenum ps&j^m* j-e pulpjiemeba p8&jt:m gebuh'S toylbe- T j-eo ylb bi'S mib bea]?e geenbob. IDifcob- lice ne jtrent ujxe ylb on nanjie jtra'Solpsejtrnejye' ac j-pa micclum ppa j-e lichama pexpf ppa mic- clum beoS hij* bagap gepanbobe. Irehpaeji ip on upum lipe ateopung- ^ pepignep* ^ bpopnung J)ep lichaman- ^ j^eah hpaejiepe pilnaS je hpa •f he lanje libbe. Ppsefc ip lanje hbban* bufcan lange ppmcan. (Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Junii 24. p. 151. Hom. in DecoU. S. Joh. Bapt.) Childhood passes to youth, and youth to maturity, maturity declines to age, and age with death is ended. Our age truly con- tinues in no steadfastness ) hut so much as the body 478 ILLUSTRATIONS OF SERMON VIII. grows, so much are one's days diminished. Every where in our life is defect and weariness, and wasting of the body, and yet, nevertheless, every one is desirous that he should live long. What is long to live, hut long to labour f THE END. THE FOLLOWING WORKS HAVE BEKN RECENTLY PUBLISHED BY HENEY WASHBOURNE, SALISBURY SQUARE, FLEET STREET. AND MAY BE HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS. 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