with fidelity, like the planters of Maryland, to those unchangeable institutions to which we are referred by the former, that we can preserve individual ability to surmount those temptations, whose general predominance is but another name for national degradation. "But how shall I approach that last great argument, which immortalizes them whom we come here to honor, compared with which their other merits fade from view like the starry host of heaven paled by the glance of day? Monuments and festivals, and laurelled wreaths, and every demonstration of their country's love and gratitude, to the Washingtons, the Wallaces, the Tells, the Bolivars, who broke the chains of political thraldom! But glory to God in the highest,' and praise, and blessing, and adoration, and thanksgiving, for the grace that breathed his peace into these men of good will,' who gently loosed the fetters of the soul, and measurably restored His honor, whose acceptable worship can only be the voluntary homage of the understanding and the heart! 6 "Who and what were these unexampled people, who would suffer no believer in Jesus to be molested on account of his religion; who opened their homes and their hearts alike to the victim of Puritan persecution and the Puritan martyr; tolerating, beneath their halcyon rule, every thing but what was then universally considered unquestionable blasphemy and railing for railing?' "Were they philosophers of that easy school, which masks its own indifference or hostility to God's eternal truth, by affected liberality towards every opinion of the hour? Let the world produce examples of men who had proved, by sterner tests, their unyielding tenacity to conscientious convictions! Nay rather, (advanced as they were, before their cotemporaries, in that confidence in truth which never doubts of its peaceful triumph over error) would that they had not somewhat exceeded in their zeal, and, in respect of doctrines whose professors, though scarce amounting to a sect in their day, are now eminent among our separated brethren, for the consistency of their reasoning and purity of their lives, not reached forth the rash hand of flesh to stay the "Without a fault, they might have borrowed the caution of other communities, which sought by excluding innovation, to preserve their own tranquillity; while the rest of Christendom went to wreck in the fierce war of opposing doctrine. Had not themselves but just escaped its fury; and might they not, unblamed, have said to their separated brother, like the prudent father of the faithful,' let there be no quarrel between me and thee! behold, the whole land is before thee!' "Ought they not then to have foreseen and avoided the cruel consequences which followed so soon their facile hospitality? My friends, the believer looks to principles, not results. He does what conscience dictates, and leaves the rest to God. But had these peaceful rulers, instead of promptly yielding to their generous impulse, set down to a cold calculation of the ultimate effects of their policy, all history had confirmed to them the instinctive teaching of their own true hearts. For what are all these revolutions of temporal power-what all these developments, from age to age, of the varying resources of human ingenuity, and the temporary ascendancy of human will, but so many manifestations by the Most High, to the reflecting mind, of the unchangeable nature of his purposes-fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds which fulfil his word?' "In this mighty ministry, the planters of Maryland had their office too. For though their work was not to stand throughout their own brief day, they were to enrich the world with the imperishable monument of their example. Nor can American patriotism devise a holier or more salutary rite, than that in which, on this occasion, I am its unworthy representative. When blind credulity yields to the guidance of ignorance, interest, or prejudice-when once proud Massachusetts waits for the weeping heavens to wash from Mount Benedict the black record of her shame-when manly worth combines with female tenderness, in the name of truth and liberty, to close the hand of pity against the shrinking Catholic orphan; to shut out from the blessed beams of public education the child of the Catholic artisan or laborer, who will not consent to quench in its soul what he deems the brightness of the light eternal;' to withhold 'the leave to toil' from the honest Catholic waiter, or the poor Irish girl, whose infantile purity-the emerald crown of her devotion to the Queen of virgins '—might sometimes be as the lamp shining on the holy candlestick,”* to the giddy foot of fashion's gay votaress whom she sues to serve, unless they will consent to earn the meat that perisheth,' by renouncing what they believe the living bread which came down from heaven' then the aching heart can wing its weary way to the peaceful plain of old St. Mary's! There, still, in our land the tired dove can rest upon the olive! There Christians of every creed can still meet in love and harmony like children of the same kind and impartial Father! for there the very air is redolent of the good * Ecclesiasticus xxvi, v. 22. odor of their lives, as of the fragrance of the sweet wild mint, that wraps the humble graves of the Pilgrims of Maryland !'' Sublime peroration, and dazzling with all the power of truth, which we hope will be disseminated far and wide, for the salutary shame and moral guidance of those bigots, who under the pretence of fond attachment for our free institutions, are constantly declaiming against the progress of Popery, as if the Catholic had not been their master, their teacher, their exemplar, in the theory and practice of civil and religious liberty, in the new as well as in the old world. Now that these facts are beginning to be better understood, it is marvellous that the members of a Protestant association or of a Reformation society, do not retreat from their vain design, under the conviction that the light of historic truth, not less than the actual experience of the age, will turn their efforts to their own confusion and defeat. Whatever may be their views of the subject, we consider the position well established that it is too late in the day to proclaim the wisdom of such machinations, and that men who will thus rave against the very principles that are essential for the preservation of their social vitality, are the worst enemies of American freedom,"clouds without water which are carried about by winds raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own confusion;" whilst by the true philosopher, by the honest legislator, by the practical philanthropist, by the unbiased patriot, the general commemoration of the high principle and unexampled virtue displayed by the pilgrims of Maryland, will be regarded as an era in the history of our liberties, and as one of the most effectual preservatives of our national institutions. : Β' THE PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH. NO. IV. OSSUET has well observed that the whole controversy on the subject of the Christian sacrifice, between the Catholic Church and those who are separated from her communion, is reduced to the question of the real presence; for if this point be once admitted, it will easily be conceded that in the eucharist there is a true and real sacrifice, in the sense of the Catholic Church. From the origin of Christianity, they only who were deputed to offer sacrifice thus understood, were called priests; and we therefore remarked, in preceding articles, that no individual could legitimately assume this title, unless he were empowered to offer sacrifice, and that sacrifice which is taught by the Catholic Church to be the great oblation of the new law, and in which the body and blood of Jesus Christ are truly and substantially offered on the altar. We have already shown that Christ instituted a real sacrifice; and it now remains to be proved, in conclusion of this subject, that the victim which is offered on the Christian altar is nothing less than his own sacred body and blood under the appearances of bread and wine. We shall not dwell on the arguments that might be drawn from Holy Scripture, as they have been furnished at length in the first volume of this work. We shall confine ourselves to one principal proof, which will exhibit the positive testimony of the primitive Church in support of our proposition, and which will demonstrate, to the satisfaction of every unbiassed mind, that nothing could be more groundless than the assertion on the part of Protestants, that the Catholic doctrine was introduced at some period, subsequent to the apostolic age. The universal belief of the Church in the first ages of Christianity, acknowledged that the eucharist contained really and substantially the body and blood of Jesus Christ under the sacramental species. This fact is gathered from the various liturgies which were then in use, and from the writings of the ancient fathers, which attest in the plainest terms, the faith and practice of the primitive Christians. The liturgy or form of divine worship was not, in the earliest ages, committed to writing. It was retained by memory among the bishops and priests, as the Apostles' Creed was learnt and retained by the faithful. "The symbol of our faith and hope," says St. Jerom, "comes to us from the apostles, and is not written."* But when, in the beginning of the fifth century, there was no longer any danger to be apprehended from the open exposition of the mysteries of religion, the liturgy was placed upon record, and was in substance the same in all Christian countries; a circumstance which shows the unanimous consent of the different Churches on this point, and the belief which had been transmitted to them from primitive times. This is acknowledged even by some of the most distinguished Protestant writers. Archbishop Wake, speaking of the liturgies ascribed to St. Peter, St. Mark, and St. James, observes that "the prayers in which they all agree, were first prescribed in the same or like terms by those apostles and evangelists" and Bishop Bull upon the same subject, remarks, that "this order of prayer (in the liturgies), was delivered to the several Churches in the very first plantation and settlement of them." In fact the agreement of all the Churches in the east and west, so widely distant from each other, cannot be accounted for in any other hypothesis than the constant and uniform tradition among them of the apostolic teaching. But what is the language of the liturgies? *St. Jerom ad Pam. Sermons on Common Prayer, vol. 1, serm. 13. Liturgy of Jerusalem.*" Have mercy on us, O God, the Father Almighty, and send thy Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, that coming he may make this bread the life-giving body, the saving body, the heavenly body, the body giving health to souls and bodies, the body of our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and eternal life to those who receive it: Amen. And may make what is mixed in this chalice, the blood of the new testament, the saving blood, the life-giving blood, the blood of our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ, &c. Amen. Wherefore we offer to thee, O Lord, this tremendous and unbloody sacrifice, for thy holy places which thou hast enlightened by the manifestation of Christ, thy Son," &c. Liturgy of Alexandria.t-" We offer to thee, O Lord, this rational and unbloody worship-which all nations, from the rising to the setting sun, from the north to the south, offer to thee, because thy name is great in all nations; and in every place incense is offered to thy holy name, and sacrifice and oblation. . . . To thee, O Lord, our God, from thy own gifts we have offered thee what is thine. Send down upon us, and upon this bread and this chalice, thy Holy Spirit, that he may sanctify and consecrate them, as God Almighty; and may make the bread indeed the body, and the chalice the blood of the new testament of the very Lord, and God, and Saviour, and our Sovereign King, Jesus Christ, &c. Supreme Lord, God Almighty! we beseech thee to expel the darkness of sin from our minds, and to exhilarate them with the splendor of thy Holy Spirit, that, filled with a lively sense of thee, we may worthily partake of the good things that are given to us,—the immaculate body and precious blood of thy only begotten Son, our Lord, and God, and Saviour," &c. Liturgy of Constantinople.-" O Lord, The most ancient of the liturgies, and commonly used in the Churches of Syria. It is also called the liturgy of St. James. Called also the liturgy of St. Mark, who first planted the faith at Alexandria, and who, no doubt, gave a form of prayer or liturgy to his Church. It contains the ancient rite of that Church, and Patriarchate, and was constantly in use among the orthodox Christians in Egypt, till compelled to adopt that of Constantinople. Called also the liturgy of St. Chrysostom. It God Almighty, make us worthy to offer thee gifts and spiritual sacrifices; and grant that we may find grace before thee, and that our sacrifice may be acceptable to thee," &c. "Bless, O Lord, the holy bread—Make indeed this bread the precious body of thy Christ-Bless, O Lord, the holy chalice; and what is in this chalice, the precious blood of thy Christ-changing by the Holy Spirit. Amen, Amen, Amen! That it may be to those who receive it, available to sobriety of soul; to the remission of sins; to the communication of the Holy Spirit; to the plenitude of the kingdom of heaven; to confidence in Thee, not to sin or damnation." Apostolic Liturgy.*-"We offer to thee, who art King and God, this bread and this chalice, according to the order of our Saviour. We beseech thee to look down favorably upon these gifts in honor of Jesus Christ, and to send down upon this sacrifice thy Holy Spirit, the witness of the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he may make this bread become the body of thy Christ, and this chalice his blood." At the communion the people exclaim: "Hosanna to the Son of David! blessed be the Lord God, who cometh in the name of the Lord, and has shown himself to us." The rubric adds, "The bishop gives the eucharist with these words: It is the body of Jesus Christ! The receiver answers, Amen. The deacon gives the chalice, saying: "It is the blood of Jesus Christ, the cup of life! The receiver answers, Amen. And, after the communion, the deacon begins the thanksgiving, saying, 66 after having received the precious body and the precious blood of Jesus Christ, let us give thanks to Him, who has made us partake of his mysteries. The benediction is followed by the sacrifice and after it is offered, each one in order should receive the body and blood of the Lord, and approach to it with the fear and reverence due to the body of the King." Roman Liturgy.t-"We beseech thee, is followed by all the Greek Christians in the east and west; by the Russians and nations converted by the Greeks. So called, because taken from the eighth book of the " Apostolic Constitutions," a work written in the fourth century; several passages from which are found in St. Epiphanius, Adv. Hæreses. It was the principal liturgy used in the west, O God, to cause that this oblation may be in all things blessed, admitted, ratified, reasonable, and acceptable; that it may become for us the body and blood of thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ." After the consecration, the priest says: "we offer to thy supreme Majesty, of thy gifts and benefits, a pure host, a holy host, an unspotted host, the holy bread of eternal life, and the chalice of everlasting salvation." At the communion, bowing down in sentiments of profound adoration and humility, and addressing himself to Jesus Christ, then present in his hand, he says thrice: " Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof, but say only the word and my soul shall be healed." And giving the communion, as in receiving it himself, he declares again, that it is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Such was the language of the liturgy introduced into the British Isles in 595, and which, up to the sixteenth century was universally celebrated in England, Ireland, and Scotland, as it has been now for many centuries in France, Germany and Spain, and in every country of the world, where Latin priests are to be found. Ambrosian Liturgy.*—“ Receive, O most merciful Father, this holy bread; that it may be made the body of thy only begotten Son, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen. Receive, O Holy Trinity, this chalice, wine mixed water, that it may be made the blood of thy only begotten Son. In the name of the Father," &c. Syriac Liturgy.t-"May thy holy Spirit come down upon us, and upon these gifts, and was considered to come originally, and in substance from St. Peter. It was inserted by St. Gelasius in his Sacramentary, which was a collection of the prayers said in the course of the mass, in the Church of Rome, from the first ages, to which he added some new prayers and prefaces. *It was in use at Milan, when St. Ambrose was made bishop of that see in 374; to which he made some additions. The Church of Milan has, to this day, preserved its ancient Ambrosian right, only with a few changes and additions. +Called the liturgy of St. Basil. We learn from St. Gregory of Nazianzen, that St. Basil composed prayers for the altar; and in his letter to the clergy of Neocesarea, St. Basil speaks of the prayers he had made for the mass. This liturgy is one of the most ancient in use among the Syrians, and in other parts of the east. which we have presented, and may he sanctify them—and make this bread the glo rious body of our Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly body, the life-giving body, the precious body, for the expiation of faults, and the remission of sins, and eternal life to those who receive it. Amen. And this chalice, the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the Lord God, who has dominion over all things, the redeeming blood, the life-giving blood, the expiating blood which was poured forth, for the redemption and life of the world, for the expiation of faults, and the remission of sins, and eternal life to those who receive it." Liturgy of Nestorius."-" We offer to thee, this living, holy, acceptable, excellent, and unbloody sacrifice for all creatures." May the grace of the Holy Ghost come and dwell and rest on this oblation, which we are offering before thee; may he sanctify it, and make it, i. e. this bread and chalice, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ: thou transmuting them, and sanctifying them by the operation of the Holy Ghost, that the receiving of these holy mysteries may avail all who receive them, unto eternal life—may we be worthy, with a pure conscience, to partake of the body and blood of thy Christ, &c.-since we have externally received thy body, may thy virtue internally dwell in us-Grant that thy living body, O Lord, which we have eaten, and thy pure blood which we have drunk, may not turn to our detriment, but to the expiation of our crimes, and the remission of our sins, O Lord of all." Coptic Liturgy." O Lord Jesus Christ, we beg and entreat thy goodness, O Lover of mankind, look down on this bread and on this chalice, which we have placed on this thy sacerdotal table: bless them, sanctify them, and consecrate them: change them, so that indeed this bread may become thy holy body; and that which is mixed in this chalice, thy precious blood; that they may be to us a safeguard," &c. |