Cyril and other ancient Fathers of the primitive Manner of celebrat ing the Christian Sacrifice; and well deferves to be universally receiv'd, both on account of its intrinfick Excellency, and of its venerable Antiquity for which it is so greatly regarded as well in the Latin as in the Greek Church.

P. S. The Reader will observe that the fame Notes ferve both for the Greek and English; and are referred to in both by the fame Marks.

The Publisher having defired of the Rev. Mr. B. to afk the Judgment of his Father T. B. L.L. D. about the Paffage in Mr. Johnson's Book here refer'd to, the Answer is laid before the Reader (with Mr. B.'s full Confent) in that late learned and pious Doctor's own Words. As to Mr. 's Question, I can fay but little more than I have done formerly in my Book called The neceffary Ufe of Tradition to understand the holy Scriptures, where, from Pag. 109, to the End of that Treatife, I have given, what I think, Reafons fufficient to fatisfy unprejudiced Perfons, that there was no written Liturgy used in any Church before the latter End of the fourth Century or Beginning of the fifth. Le Brun has confirmed me in this Opinion, who not only urges the fame Arguments I borrowed from Renaudot, but also obferves that during the Dioclefian Perfecution, which continued until the Beginning of the fourth Century, the Bishop Traditors when they delivered up the facred Veffels, answered, that they were not Keepers of thofe Books, they were in the Cuftody of the Readers; and then obferves that the Readers had only the holy Scriptures, the Liturgies or Forms of adminiftring Sacraments being performed by only the Bishops and Priests. And if they had any Liturgical Books they would have delivered them up, as well as they did the facred Vefjels. He also proves that the Bishops and Priests, even after the Liturgical Books were written, were obliged by Canon in feme Places to have all the Forms by Heart, and not to use any Book, when they adminiftred a Sacrament. He also proves from a Letter of Pope Innocent to Decentius Bishop of Eugubium, An. 416, that there was at that Time no written Liturgy in the Church of Rome. For that Bishop having confulted the Pope concerning the miniftring of the Sacraments, and particularly at what Time the Pax was to be given, the Pope answers," Pacem igitur afferis ante confecta myfteria quofdam populis impertiri, imperare; vel fibi inter Sacerdotes tradere, cum poft omnia, quæ aperire non debeo, pax fit neceffario indicenda." Why, fays le Brun, fhould he be afraid to discover what was in the Canon, if it was already written, and fo eafy to be feen? And at the Conclufion of the Letter he writes, "Reliqua vero quæ fcribi fas non erat, cum adfucris, interrogati "poterimus edifcere." But fure if there had been then a written Canon, it would not have been a Crime for the Pope to have fent a Copy of it to a Bishop. It could have been no greater Offence to have written it than to have imparted it by Word of Mouth. However, in the Time of Pope Leo, that is about the Year 440, Le Brun finds the Liturgy mentioned as a written Form. From whence he infers that it was first permitted to be written between the Years 416 and 440. But then be cbferves that Pope Innocent and others teach that this Prayer of Confecration, though not fuffered to be written, was derived from St. Peter, and preferved by eral Tradition, and was known only to the Initiated That Juftin Martyr, Irenæus, Tertullian, Cyprian, Cyril of Jerufalem, all fpeak of a Prayer by which God is defired to make the Bread and Wine the Body and Blood of Christ, but none of them pretend to tell you, the Form of Words

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ufed

ufed for that purpofe. Since the Liturgies were written, we fee the Form in all thofe that can be called ancient, to be the fame in Senfe, though different in Words, as whatever is handed down by oral Tradition only, will be. Le Brun obferves that the only Difference between the Roman and Eastern Liturgies is, that the Eastern Liturgies have placed this Invocation after the Words Hoc eft Corpus, &c. and the Roman places it before thofe Words. This be fays was the Order they learned from St. Peter, who berein exactly followed what our Saviour did, who first blessed and brake, and then faid, Take, eat, this is my Body, &c. But the other Apostles taught their Difciples first to pronounce the Inftitution, and then to pray for the Elements that they might be changed into the Body and Blood of Chrift. In all the Liturgies the Words of Inftitution are pronounced, and the Invocation; this is all that appears uniform and effential. But it seems Mr. Johnfon has obferved, that the Roman Miffal had an exprefs Invocation for the Defcent of the holy Ghoft in the fifth Century, becaufe Pope Gelafius fays, In hanc, fcilicet in divinam tranfeunt, Spiritu Sancto perficiente, Subftantiam, and hence fuppofes this express Invocation of the holy Ghoft was laid afide by Pope Gregory in the fixth Century. But le Brun, though I believe be never heard of Mr. Johnfon's Book, kas olviated this Objection, and has produced feveral Authors as low as the ninth Century, who have written on the Roman Canon, and all speak of the Bread and Wine being made the Body and Blood by the Operation of the Holy Ghost. I will tranfcribe one Inftance from Florus of Lyons, called for his great Learning Magifter, he expounds the Words Quam oblationem tu Deus, &c. Oratur Omnipotens Deus, ut oblationem fuis facris altaribus impofitam, & tantum precibus commendatam, ipfe per virtutem Spiritus defcendentis ita legitimam & perfectam Euchariftiam efficiat. From thefe Words of Florus there is certainly as much Reafon to believe there was an exprefs Invocation for the Defcent of the Holy Ghost in the ninth Century, as we have from the Words of Gelafius to believe it was in the fifth. This Invocation is implied in the Words of the prefent Miffal, and it does not appear any other Invocation was used in the Time of Pope Gelafius.

Springgrove, Friday, Jan. 20. 1744.

And in another Letter-that he ftill believed with Renaudot and le Brun, that there was. no written Liturgy for the public Ufe of any Church, until the latter End of the ivth, or Beginning of the vth Century.-That a [very Rev. and] learned Gentleman was of Opinion written Liturgies were much older, and that of Rome as old as any. But (faid the Dr.) whether or I are right, both are equally of Opinion, that the Church of Rome never had a more exprefs Petition for the Defcent of the Holy Ghost than he has at prefent. And in this, every Reader will judge for himself. But as thefe Sheets may probably fall into the Hands. of fome, who have never feen that laborious Work of Pere le Brun, here referred to by Dr. B. fo the following Paffage will let fuch Readers fee in what Efteem that learned Gentleman holds St. James's Liturgy. "S'il fufifoit qu'une Liturgie ne fût pas défectueufe pour " s'abstenir d'en admettre quelque autre, on auvoit pû conclure qu'il ne devoit y avoir nulle part d'autre Liturgie que celle de Saint Jâque, que n'eft pas défectueufe, & qui eft la plus. "ancienne de toutes, puifque c'eft celle de Jerufalem, où le Chriftianifme a pris naiffance, " & où par confequent les Apôtres ont célébré les divins Myfteres." Defenfe de l'ancien Sentiment fur la Forme de la Confecration de l'Euchariftie, &c. Par le R. P. Le Brun Pretre de l'Oratoire, a Paris 1727. avec Aprobations & Privilege du Roy. The Senfe of thefe Words, which cannot well be literally tranflated, is, If a Liturgy's being complete and perfect without any Defect were a fufficient Reafon not to admit the Ufe of any other, one might conclude, that no other Liturgy ought to be used in any Place but that of St. James, which is no ways defective, and which is the most ancient of all, fince it is that of Jerufalem, where Christianity was first eftalifhed, and confequently where the Apostles celebrated the divine Mysteries.

I would now only inform the Readers, that after I had procured from the Compiler, now with God, a Copy of the following Performance, and obtain'd his Consent to make it public,

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public, provided any competent Judge, who would fubmit to perufe it with care, fhould think it worthy; I had the Pleasure to find a Gentleman in London every way well fitted for the Tafk, who very kindly undertook it. His great Modefty and Diffidence of himself made him ask my Allowance to impart the MS to two others, whom he was pleased to call fitter Judges; from which, however, I begg'd to be excused, at least till he should throughly fatisfy himself, and favour me with his own Opinion. In the mean time I acquainted my Friend with this Propofal, who, in his Answer to me (dated Annunt. of the blessed Virg. 1743.) faid "As to the MS, I am intirely of your Mind, that the Gentleman to whom you have committed it, fhould in the firft Inftance carefully peruse it himself, and give "his own Judgment of it, which after he has done I fhall be glad to know. The Copy "of Lit. Ja. which I made use of, is that published by Fabricius among his Apocryphals "of the New Teftament. That of Lit. Mar. is both there and in the firft Vol. of Re"naudotius's Collection of Oriental Liturgies. Those of Chryfoft. and Bafil in Goar's Euchology; and the Clementine in the Apoft. Conftit. The Syriac Lit. Ja. is both in "Fabric. and Renaud. I have cited but few of the Fathers, that having been fufficiently "done before by Mr. Johnson, &c. The Edit, of Cyril I made ufe of is that published by "Tho. Milles at Oxon. 1703. Juft. Mart. Ap. 1. Ed. Grabe. Dialog. Ed. Jebb. Apol. 2. "Ed. Hutchinfon, Ox. 1703. Iren. Ed. Grabe. Athenagor. Ed. Dechair, Ox. 1706. Clem. "Alex. Ed. Potter, Ox. As for Tertullian, I refer to the Chapters which are the fame in "all the Editions; and fo are the §s of Ignatius's Epiftles. I have also cited Mabillon de Liturg. Gallic. in the End of the Preface, Edit. Paris 1729. The Fragment of Irenæus, published by Pfaffius, is not only to be found there, but alfo in Fabricius, Ed. of Hippolytus, vol. 2. p. 64. Mr. Johnson has published it alfo in his Vol. II. of his Unbl. Sacr. Pref. p. 7, and 8. I have alfo once cited Origen cont, Celf. Ed. Spencer, Cantabrig. 1658. and "St. Athanaf. Ed. Colon. the Pages of which, as far as I have obferved, answer to that of "the Paris Edit. fo that he will find the Place refer'd to in either of them; it begins σε thus — ἐν οἷς πρὸ πάντων τ ̓ ὑπὶ γῆς τὸ ἀνθρώπων ηλυθ ἐλεήσας, &c. It is in Engli/h to "this Purpose; But above all his Creatures bere on Earth he was most abundant in bis Mercy to Mankind; for confidering that they were not able to fubfift for ever by the "Condition of their own Nature, he freely beftowed on them fomething greater than it, "and did not fimply create them as he did all the brute Animals upon Earth, but made "them after his own Image, imparting to them even of the Power of his own Locos, &c. "Thefe Books he will eafily come at, and they will be as eafily confulted. I have taken "the Clem. Lit. for the Standard—and followed Dr. Hickes's Rule. I am perfuaded "that worthy Gentleman you mention, notwithstanding his Modefty, will be a fufficient Judge of that small Performance, if he think it worth his while to examine it."--And upon the 17th of July 1743, I received a Letter from the worthy Gentleman in whose Hands the MS then was, in which he said," I finished the Perufal of Lit. Jac. the Week "after I returned from Kent, and have found no room to alter the Opinion I at firft con"ceived of it: It is in my Opinion a judicious and accurate Performance; the learned "(but, alas! much to be lamented) Author, having made ufe of the only best Method, as I "think, to purge it of later Interpolations and Corruptions, and establish the genuine 66 Readings upon the best Authorities the Nature of the Thing is capable of. The Tranf"lation is indeed close, but juft and expreffive; I had fome Doubts about a few Words, "but upon further Examination was fatisfied; and as to the Orthography of the Greek one fhall rarely meet with any thing in Manufcript fo accurate; in a Word, 'tis a "valuable Piece of Learning, and Christian, Primitive Antiquity." And fuch, 'tis hoped, it will appear to every judicious and candid Reader. Some particular Account and Character of the excellent Author, together with fome other of his Researches into primitive Christianity, may fome time be offered to the Publick.

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THE

SUBSCRIBERS NAMES.

The Rev. Martin Annesley, D. D. Prebendary of Rev. Mr. Cuthbert, Vicar of Kendal, WeftmoreSalisbury.

Thomas Fotheringham Ogilby of Powrie, William Imrie, Esq;
Balfour.

Rev. Mr. George Græme in Glafgow, 2 Copies. Dr. King, Principal of St. Mary Hall, Oxon, I. p.