within that number of fifty, which, Baronius says, were known to antiquity. But he that desires more instances in this affair, may consult the canons themselves, amongst which he will find very few observed at this day by any church in Christendom. The church of Rome" pretends to believe that the Wednesday and Friday fast were ordained by the apostles; and yet the Wednesday fast is not observed, except by particular order and custom, but in very few places. I shall give one instance more. The apostles commanded the feast of Easter to be celebrated upon the Sunday after the full moon, which should happen after the vernal equinox: so the western churches said. The eastern pretended another canon from St. John, to celebrate it after the manner of the Jews: and though they were confident and zealous for that observation upon the apostolical warrant; yet the western bishops at first, and afterward the whole church did force the easterlings to change that rule, which they and their forefathers had avowed to all the world, to have received from St. John; and it is observable, that this was done upon the designs of peace and unity, not upon any pretence that St. John had never so given it in order to the Asian churches.

RULE XII.

All those Rituals, which were taught to the Church by the Apostles concerning Ministries, which were of divine Institution, do oblige all Christendom to their Observation.

1. I INSTANCE in the holy sacrament, first of all: concerning which the apostles delivered to the churches the essential manner of celebration, that is, the way of doing it according to Christ's commandment: for the words themselves, being large and indefinite, were spoken indeed only to the apostles, but yet they were representatives of all the whole ecclesiastical order in some things, and of the whole Christian church in other; and therefore what parts of duty and power and office did belong to each, the apostles must teach the church, or she could have no way of knowing without particular revelation.

Reginald. Prax. fori Pænit. lib. 4. cap. 12. sest. 3. p. 148. n. 153.

2. Thus the apostles taught the bishops and priests to consecrate the symbols of bread and wine, before they did communicate; not only because by Christ's example we were taught to give thanks before we eat, but because the apostles knew, that the symbols were consecrated to a mystery. And this was done from the beginning, and in all churches and in all ages of the church; by which we can conclude firmly in this rule, that the apostles did give a canon or rule to the churches to be observed always, and that the church did never believe she had authority or reason to recede from it. For in those rites, which are ministries of grace, no man must interpose any thing, that can alter any part of the institution, or make a change or variety in that, which is of divine appointment. For the effect in these things depends wholly upon the will of God, and we have nothing to discourse or argue; for we know nothing but the institution, nothing of the reason of the thing: and therefore we must, in these cases, with simplicity and obedience, apply ourselves to practice as we have received, for we have nothing else to guide us: memory and obedience, not discourse and argument, are here in season.

3. And in this we have an evident and apparent practice of the church handed to us by all hands that touch these mysteries; as who please may see in Justin Martyr*, Irenæus, Origen", St. Cyril of Jerusalema, and of Alexandria b, St. Basil, St. Gregory Nyssen de Vita Moysis, Optatus Milevitanusd, St. Chrysostom, St. Ambrosef, St. Jerome, St. Austin, Theodoret1, Gregorius Emissenus, Gregory the Great1, DamascenTM, Remigius", Paschasius, and divers others, and absolutely in all the liturgies that ever were used in the church: so that the derivation of this canon from the apostles, is as evident as the obedience to it was universal. 4. But where the apostles did not interpose, there the churches have their liberty; and in those things also, which evidently were no part of the appointed liturgy or ministration, in those things, though it be certain the apostles did give rules of order and decency, yet because order is as variable as the tactics of an army, and decency is a relative term, and hath a transient and changeable sense, in all these things there is no prescription to the church, though we did know what the churches apostolical did practise, for they did it with liberty: and therefore we are not bound; the churches are as free as ever; though the single persons in the churches can be bound, yet the churches always have liberty.

5. And indeed that is the best sign, that the apostles gave no perpetual order, in any instance, and that it is no part of the institution, or the ministry of grace, when the ancient churches, who were zealous for the honour apostolical, and accounted every thing excellent that derived from them, did differ in their practices. Thus the Greek and Latin churches did always differ in the sacramental bread, the Latins always consecrating in unleavened bread, which the Greeks refuse: if either one or other had been necessary, they should have been clearly taught it, and if they had, there is no reason to believe, but they would have kept the 'depositum,' there being no temptation to the contrary, and no difficulty in the thing, and no great labour to preserve; the daily use of the church would have had in it no variety; for no traditions are surer, or easier preserved, than the λειτουργικά ' the matters of liturgy,' and the rituals apostolical: which when we find that they were unitedly and consentingly kept by the ancient churches, we may well suppose the apostles to be the first principle of derivation, and that the thing itself was necessary and a part of the religion; but if at first they varied, they had no common principle, and therefore they had no necessity.

6. Thus that the bishop or priest should be the only minister of consecration, is an apostolical canon or rule, "ad quorum preces Christi corpus sanguisque conficitur," saith St. Jerome : and the continuation and descent of this particular, from the manners of the apostolical ministration, is evident in the fore-alleged testimonies. Now because, by this constant derivation, we can pursue the tract up to the

P Epist. 85.

:

apostles, and, from their practice and teaching of it, we can understand it to be 'the will of God,' and because this whole ministry is an act of grace and depends only upon the will of God, we perceive the thing to be necessary and unalterable, we must look for grace in the ministries of grace so as God hath appointed them; and therefore in these things, the churches of the succeeding ages have no authority, no liberty, no variety. That women do communicate in the holy mysteries, is not set down in the institution: but the church derives her warranty from the interpretation and order and practice apostolical: the church was taught by the apostles to admit them, and she always did it: and these things amongst sober and modest men do sufficiently prove one another. They always did it, and therefore they were taught it by the apostles: and they were taught to do so by the apostles, and therefore they were obliged to do it. And now in matters of salvation and common duty, the rule of the church is, "Scriptura loquens in masculino procedit etiam in fœminino." There is no difference in sexes, and before God it is now as it shall be in the resurrection: "There is neither male nor female with him," but all alike.

7. That the symbols were to be consecrated, and who were to consecrate, and who were to receive, were of great necessity to be taught and determined: and in all this we see unity and necessity, authority and obedience; but when we go beyond this, and the plain and necessary and constituent parts of the institution, we find variety and uncertainty. That bread is to be used, is plain; but whether leavened or unleavened, neither Christ nor his apostles have left in charge or memory. That wine is to be blessed, is certain: but whether mingled with water, or not mingled, we are not determined by any authority. That the bread and wine are to be blessed, we are sure: but in what form of words, and whether by the mystic prayer, or the words of institution,— is not derived to us by sufficient tradition. That the Lord's supper is, sacredly and with reverence, to be received, is taught us by the apostles: but whether this reverence ought to be expressed by taking it 'virgine saliva,' fasting, or not fasting, the apostles left the churches to their choice. In those things which did co-operate immediately to the grace

of the sacrament, in those we were not to invent any thing; and in those we were tied to obey what was delivered us.

8. And the same is the case in baptism, in which that which was necessary, is, that the person be baptized in water, and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: but whether the priest shall say, Ego te baptizo,' as the Latins do, or 'Baptizetur servus Christi,' as the Greeks do, is indifferent and if the apostles had used any other little variety of words, yet if there was not in the first churches a unity and universality of practice, it is certain the apostles did not, by their act or canon, intend to oblige all Christendom: but themselves did it with liberty, and therefore so might the churches after them.