cence, faid, when thou bringeft thy Gift to the Altar, and there remembreft that thy Brother bath ought against thee: leave there thy Gift before the Altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy Brother, and then come and offer thy Gift. Therefore, faith Irenaeus, We are to offer unto God the first Fruits of his Creatures; even as the Law faid, Thou shalt not appear before thy God empty. Aud 'tis not Oblations in General that is forbidden; no, there were Oblations among the fews, and there are Oblations a mong us; there were Sacrifices at the Tem ple, and there are Sacrifices in the Church; it is only the kind of Sacrifices and Oblations that is changed. Therefore it behoveth us to make an Oblation, that we may shew our Gratitude and Thankfulness to God the maker of all things, with a pure Mind, with Faith unfeigned, with a firm Hope, with fervent Love, offering unto him the first Fruits of thofe Creatures which are his own. S. Cyp.de Therefore St. Cyprian feverely reprehendda rich Widow for coming to the Sa203 edit. crament without bringing fomething to the common Treasure, and for eating of that Sacrifice which the poor had offered, without prefenting any Sacrifice of her own.

oper.& e

leem.P.

Oxon.

SEVERAL more Teftimonies might be produced were it needful; but those are enough to fhew that in the firft and pureft

ages

ages of Chriftianity, the Celebration of the Eucharift was conftantly attended with Oblations, first to be offer'd unto God as an humble and grateful acknowledgement that he is the great Lord of all, and then to be applied as neceffary and charitableProvifions for the ufes of the Church, and efpecially for the fubftance of the Poor.

HENCE it is, that we read fo often in the Ancients of Offering and Sacrificing, and the like; by which expreffions they meant, not any new and real Sacrificing of Chrift by the hands of the Prieft, as fome would make us believe; for the Primitive Christians did not look upon the Eucharist as fuch a formal Sacrifice, but only as a Commemoration of that Sacrifice which Chrift only for all offer'd upon the Crofs but by Sacrificing they meant, partly the offering up of the joint Devction of the whole Congregation, their Prayers, and Praifes, which are the Spiritual Sacrifices of the Heart, and partly also the Alms of the Congregation, which they firft offered to the Prieft, and he presented and laid upon the Table; these were their Sacrifices; and fo they are exprefly called by St. Paul himself, Heb. 13. 16. To do good, and to communicate forget not, for with fuch Sacrifices God is well pleafed.

And

See Mr.

ироп this

point.

And hence also the Ancients familiarly called the Communion-Table the Altar; a word, which in all likelihood, they borrowed of Chrift out of that forementioned place of Scripture, whence they took the thing, the Rite of Oblations. That the Primitive Profeffors of our Religion com monly used the Word, is abundantly evident out of the most ancient Writers, Mede's Ignatius, Tertullian, St. Cyprian, the other difcourfe Apoftolical Canons, and a great many Teftimonies more. And though contentions about words are trifles, yet to speak freely, I fee no just exception against the ufe of this word, as long as we use it in the genuine sense of the Antient Chriftians: For they called it an Altar, not upon this fuppofition, as if the true Natural Body of Chrift were really offer'd upon it, and that too, as a propitiation for the Sins of the Living and the Dead; no, neither was any fuch Corporal Prefence, or any fuch Oblation either believed, or fo much as dreamt of by the Church for feveral hundred years after the beginning of Christianity. But fo they ftiled it, perhaps because the Death of Chrift is Commemorated, and Annunciated Solemnly at the Table; but moft plainly, because the Congregation of Communicants did gather themselves to it, to call

upon

God,

and

and to prefent their Alms to be laid upon the Table, and this, not only for the more eafie Celebration of the Eucharift, but as a decent fignification too, that whether they prayed, whether they gave Thanks, or whether they offered Alms, they did all to the Glory of Chrift, and in the name of Chrift, the Memorial of whose Death was celebrated there; and because these Prayers, thefe Praises, these Alms were called Sacrifices and Oblations, therefore was the Table it felf, at which they were offered, called an Altar.

TO conclude this point now. I think enough hath been faid concerning this Branch of Charity, at the Holy Communion, which confifteth in fhewing Mercy and Liberality to the Indigent, efpecially to those who have the fame Faith, and the fame Hope with us. You see what special Reasons there are to excite you to it at this great Solemnity, and how Ancient, Conftant, and Uniform, the practice of all Chriftians hath still been as to this particular; which I was the more willing to fhew, because Examples commonly are very operative; and I am fure, Ancienter, Nobler, Better grounded Examples, we cannot have of any Chriftian Office that is required at our hands.

CHAP.

2.

CHA P. IX.

Of Brotherly Forgiveness.

I

Proceed now to the confideration of the other Branch of Chriftian Charity, which confifteth in Fraternal Forgiveness. In difcourfing upon this, I am to fhew. r. What is meant by Fraterhal Forgiveness. 2. How necessary it is when we come to the Lord's Table. 3. How this matter is to be made practical.

1. Firft then, Fraternal Forgiveness, as it is required and ftated by the great Law of Chrift, confifteth in two things. 1. In laying afide all Defires and Intentions of pure Revenge. This the Scripture calls, rendring of Evil for Evil; when an injur'd Perfon punifheth the Offenders, not for any ends of Charity or Justice, but meerly for Punishment fake, because he delights in his Sufferings, and feeks only to fatisfie a provoked and diftemper'd Palfion. For the clearing up of this, because it is a very material point, we must note, that when an Injury is committed, either against ones Perfon, or Intereft, or good Name, oneor other of these three things is

apt