ແ 4. It was going great Lengths, to fay, "I must humbly declare my Opinion, that it is impoffible to establish the Doctrine of Chrift's Body and Blood being a real Sacrifice, by any other Arguments but thofe by which we prove the Eucharift to have been infti"tuted a Sacrifice by our bleffed Saviour k Whatever might be the Fate of this particu lar, much difputed Notion of the Euchariftick Sacrifice, one Thing is certain, and will be readily allowed by every confiderate Man, that the general and unquestionable Doctrine of the real Sacrifice, ought never to be put upon a Level with it: Neither ought it to have been fo much as fuggefted, that there is any Ground for fo ftrange a Comparison. It was obliging Socinians too far, to raise any Doubt or Question about the Certainty of the Sacrifice of the Cross: But to throw out broad Innuendos befides, that it ftands upon no better, or no other Foundation, than the material Sacrifice, the material and expiatory Sacrifice of the Eucharift; what is it but betraying the Christian Caufe into the Hands of the Adverfaries? For, if they may reasonably urge (or cannot reafonably be confuted, if they do urge) that fuch material and expiatory Sacrifice is a Novelty of Yefterday, fcarce thought on before the dark Ages of Superftition, which made ufe of material Incen for like Purposes; fcarce ever ferioufly maintained by any of the Weft, before the G XVIth * Johnson, Sax. Laws, Fref. p. 54. Unbl. Sacrif. part ii. Pref. P.1, 2. XVIth Century, and then only by the Roma nifts; never admitted, in either part, by Proteftants before the XVIIth Century, nor then by many of them; never taught (as now taught) before the XVIIIth Century, and then by a fingle Writer only, for fome Time: "I fay, if the Socinians may reafonably urge the Premifes, the Conclufion which they aim at, is given them into their Hands: And fo at length this indiscreet Zeal for an imaginary Sacrifice of the Eucharift (not capable of Support) can ferve only to perplex, darken, or destroy the real one of the Crofs1. I thought to go on to Two Chapters further, pointing out more Excelles and Inconfiftencies of the new Scheme. There is one which particularly deferved to be mentioned; the precarious Confequence drawn from our Lord's fuppofed Sacrifice in the first Eucharift, to our Sacrifice in the reft, built only upon this, that we are to do what Chrift didm: An Argument, which if it proves any thing, proves that we are to do all that Chrift is fuppofed to have done by way of Sacrifice; that is, to facrifice his facramental Body, and his natu ral alfo, (which is abfurd) or elfe to facrifice our 1 The chief Advocate for the new Syftem fays, "It is no fmall Satisfaction to me, that the Sacrifice of the Eucharif, and the perfonal Sacrifice of Chrift, do reft upon the fame "Foundation, and stand or fall together. Johnson, Unbl. Sacr part ii. Pref. p. 1, 2. To which it is fufficient to fay, God for bid! The perfonal Sacrifice of Chrift ftands upon the Rock Ages: The other (in his Sense of it) is built upon the Sand. Johnson, Unbl. Sacrif. part i. p. 50, 91. Alias, 51, 94. ourselves under Symbols, as our Lord facrificed Himfelf, which will not ferve the Purpose of the material Scheme. One way, the Argument proves too much, and the other way too little; and so neither way will it answer the End defigned. I am aware, that fome will tell us, what the Argument fhall prove, and what it fall not proven. But who will give a Difputant leave to draw Confequences arbitrarily, not regulated by the Premifes, but by an Hypothefis, which itself wants to be regulated by Reason and Truth? I have not here room to enter farther into this Matter: Thefe Papers are already drawn out into a Length beyond what I at first fufpected. I hope, my Readers will excuse my stopping fhort in this IVth Chapter, and faving both myself and them the Trouble (perhaps unneceffary Trouble) of Two more. It is of ufe in any controverted Points, to obferve what Exit they are found to have, when pursued to G 2 the Jobnfon, parti. p. 96, 122. Alias, 99, 126. Dr. Brett on Liturgies, p. 135. N. B. The Sum of what is pleaded on that Side, when carefully examined, will be found to amount only to this: We are to do what Chrift did, fo far as Jerves the new Syftem: But we are not to do what Chrift did, fo far as differves it. Do this, fhall be an Argument, when and where it makes for it: Do this, fhall be no Argument, when or where it makes against it. It is obfervable, that the words this do, in the Inftitution, come after the words, take, eat, this is my Body, and therefore manifeftly relate, not merely to the facerdotal Ministration, but to the whole Action, or Ations both of Prieft and People. The bleffing, the breaking, the pouring out, the diftributing, the receiving, the eating, and the drinking, are all comprehended in the words, this do. All thofe Actions are fhewing forth the Lord's Death, (1 Cor. xi. 26.) for a Remem brance, or Memorial of him, the utmost. There were fufficient Reafons before, against a material Sacrifice, confidered in its beft Light, as purely Gratulatory, or Euchariftical: And there were more and stronger against the fame confidered as expiatory, or propitiatory; Reasons, I mean, from Scripture, and Antiquity, and from the Nature of Things: But the Managers for the material Caufe have now lately furnished us with a new Argument against it, by fhewing us, that after all that can be done for it, it has really no Exit, or such as is worse than none; while it terminates in various Inconfiftencies, and Incongruities; and not only fo, but is contradictory alfo to found Doctrine, particularly, to the momentous Do&trine of the Sacrifice of the Crofs. A brief A brief Analysis of Mr. Johnson's Syftem, fhewing what it is, and by what Steps he might be led into it. "T HE first Thing in Intention, last in Execution, was to prove, that the Gospel-Minifters are proper Priests. 2. Proper Priests must have a proper Sacrifice: Therefore fome Medium was to be thought on, to prove a proper Sacrifice, particularly in the Eucharift. 3. A prevailing Notion, or vulgar Prejudice had fpread among many, for a Century or more, that no Sacrifice could be proper, but a material one: Therefore Pains were to be taken to prove the Eucharift a material Sacrifice. 4. But as material Sacrifice carried no Appearance of Dignity in it, looking too low and mean for an evangelical Priesthood to ftand upon; therefore ways and means were to be used to raise some Esteem of it: Spiritual Sacrifice was be depreciated, and material to be magnified. Hence, as it feems, a ofe the Thought of enriching the Elements with the Spirit; borrowing from the facramental Part of the Eucharist, G 3 to |