A Key Opening Mysterious Texts of Scripture, Collection of sermons 1 · Sermon 10
THE APOSTOLICK BISHOP. A Sermon preached at the Conſecration of the L. B. of Briſtow, before his Grace, and the Lord Keeper of the Great Seale, and divers other Lords Spirituall and Temporall, and other perſons of eminent quality, in Lambeth Chappell. A.D. 1622. March 23. THE TENTH SERMON.
JOHN 20.22.
And when hee had ſaid this, hee breathed on them, and ſaith unto them, receive yee the holy Ghoſt.
Moſt Reverend, Right Honourable, Right Reverend, Right Worſhipfull, &c.
A Diamond is not cut but by the point of a Diamond, nor the ſunne-beame diſcerned but by the light of the beame, nor the underſtanding faculty of the ſoule apprehended but by the faculty of underſtanding, nor can the receiving of the holy Ghoſt bee conceived or delivered, without receiving in ſomeaAug tract. 16. in Joh. Adſit ipſe ſpiritus, ut ſic eloqui poſſimus. degree that holieſt Spirit.bCi… de mat. Qui eloquentiam laudat, debet illam ipſam adhibere quam l…dat. Hee that will blazon the armes of the Queen of affections, Eloquence, muſt borrow her own pencill and colours: nor may any undertake to expound this text, and declare the power of this gift here mentioned, but by the gift of this power. Wherefore as in the interpretation of other inſpired Scriptures, wee are humbly to intreat the aſſiſtance of the Inſpirer, ſo more eſpecially in the explication and application of this, which is not onelyonly effectivè à ſpiritu, but alſo objectivè de ſpiritu, not onelyonly indited and penned (as all other) by the ſpirit, but alſo of the ſpirit. This of all other is a moſt myſterious text, which being rightly underſtood, and preſſed home, will not only remove the weaker fence betweene us and the Greeke Church, touching the proceſſion of the Holy Ghoſt from the Sonne; but alſo beat downe and demoliſh the ſtrong and high partition wall betweene the reformed and the Romane Church, built upon S. Peters ſupremacy. For if Chriſt therefore uſed the Ceremony of breathing upon his Apoſtles, with this forme of words, Receive yee the Holy Ghoſt, as it were of ſet purpoſe, viſibly to repreſent the proceeding of the holy Spirit from himſelfe, why ſhould not the Greeke Church acknowledge with us, the eternall emanation of the holy Ghoſt from the Sonne as well as the Father? and acknowledging it, joyne with us in the fellowſhip of the ſame ſpirit? Our difference and conteſtation with the Church of Rome in point of S. Peters primacy, is far greater I confeſſe. For the head of all controverſies between us and them, is the controverſie concerning the head of the Church. Yet even this, how involved ſoever they make it, may be reſolved by this text alone. For if Chriſt ſent all his Apoſtles, as his Father ſent him, if he breathed indifferently upon all, if he gave his ſpirit, and with it full power of remittting and retaining ſinnes to them all, then is there no ground here for S. Peters juriſdiction over the reſt, much leſſe the Popes: and if none here, none elſewhere, as the ſequell will ſhew. For howſoever Cajetan and Hart, and ſome few Papiſts, by jingling Saint Peters cMat. 16.19.Keyes, and diſtinguiſhing of a key,
1 Of knowledge,
2 Of power: and this,
1 Of order,
2 Of juriſdiction: and that,
1 In foro exteriori, the outward court,
2 Foro interiori, the inward court of conſcience;
goe about to confound the harmony of the Evangeliſts, who ſet all the ſame tune, but to a different key: yet this is confeſſed on all ſides by the Fathers, Hilary, Jerome, Auſtine, Anſelme; and by the Schoole-men, Lumbard, Aquinas, Allenſis, and Scotus, alledged by CardinalldBellar. de Rom. pont. l. 1. c. 12. Bellarmine, that what Chriſt promiſed to Peter, eMat. 16.he performed and made good to him here; but here the wholefHieronymus adver. Lucifer. Cuncti claves accipiunt, & ſuper omnes ex aequô eccleſiae fortitudo ſolidatur. bunch of keyes is offered to all the Apoſtles, and all of them receive them, all are joyned with S. Peter as well in the miſſion (as my Father ſent mee, ſo I ſend you) as in the Commiſſion.
Laſtly, as this text containes a ſoveraigne Antidote againſt the infection of later hereſies, ſo alſo againſt the poyſon of the more ancient and farther ſpread impieties of Arrius and Macedonius, whereof the one denyed the divinity and eternity of the Sonne, the other of the holy Ghoſt, both whoſe damnable aſſertions are confuted by conſequence from this text. For if Chriſt by breathing giveth the holy Ghoſt, and by giving the holy Ghoſt power of remitting ſinne, then muſt Chriſt needs bee God; for who but God can give or ſend a divine perſon? The holy Ghoſt alſo from hence is proved to be God, for who cangMar. 2.7. or Eſay 43.25. forgive ſinnes but God alone?
So much is our faith indebted to this Scripture; yet our calling is much more: for what can bee ſpoken more honourably of the ſacred function of Biſhops and Prieſts, than that the inveſtiture and admittance into it, is the receiving of the holy Ghoſt? *Primum in unoquo que genere, eſt menſura & regula caeterorum.The firſt action in every kind of this nature, is a preſident to all the reſt, as all the furniture of the Ceremoniall law was made according to the firſt patterne in the Mount, ſuch is this conſecration in my text, the originall and patterne of all other, wherein theſe particulars invite your religious attention:
1 The perſon conſecrating, Chriſt the chiefe Biſhop of our ſoules.
2 The perſons conſecrated, The Apoſtles the prime Paſtours of the Church.
3 The holy action it ſelfe, ſet forth
1 With a myſterious rite, he breathed on them:
2 A ſanctified forme of words, receive ye the holy Ghoſt.
1 Firſt, for the perſon conſecrating. All Biſhops are conſecrated by him originally, to whom they are conſecrated: all Prieſts are ordained by him to whom they are ordained Prieſts; the power which they are to employ for him, they receive from him, to whomhMatth. 28.18. all power is given both in heaven and in earth. By vertue of which deed of gift, he makethiMatth. 10.2. choice of his miniſters, and hee ſendeth them with authority,kJ…h. 20.21. as my Father ſent me, ſo I ſend you: And hee furniſheth them with gifts, ſaying, receive yee the holy Ghoſt; and enableth them with a double power; of order, tolMatth. 28.19. Teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghoſt. & 1 Cor. 11.24. This do in the remembrance of me. preach and adminiſter both the ſacraments; and of juriſdiction alſo (Matth. 18.18.) Verily I ſay unto you, whatſoever ye ſhall bind on earth ſhall bee bound in heaven, and whatſoever ye ſhall looſe on earth ſhallbe looſed in heaven. And that this ſacred order is to continue in the Church, and this ſpirituall power in this order, even till Chriſt reſigneth up his keyes and kingdome to God his Father, S. Paul aſſureth us (Eph. 4.10.11.12.) Hee that deſcended is the ſame alſo that aſcended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things, and he gave ſome Apoſtles, ſome Prophets, ſome Evangeliſts, ſome Paſtours and Teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the worke of the Miniſtery, for the edifying of the body of Chriſt. Ver. 12. Till wee all come to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God, unto a perfect man, unto the meaſure of the age of the fulneſſe of Chriſt. Till all the Elect be come God ceaſeth not to call by the miniſtery of the word, and none may call without a calling to call. Needs muſt there be therefore a ſettled order in the Church, for the calling of thoſe to the miniſtery of the word & ſacraments, who are to call others by their miniſtery. This conſtant ordination of a ſucceſſion in the Church, ſome make a royalty of Chriſt, or an appendant to his princely function; for it is for Kings to ſet men in authority under them in the affaires of the Kingdome. Others annexe it to his prieſthood, becauſe the high Prieſt was to conſecrate inferiour Prieſts. A third ſort will have it a branch of his propheticall office, becauſe Prophets were to anoint Prophets. All theſe reaſons are concludent, but none of them excludent. For the entire truth, in which theſe three opinions have an equall ſhare is, that the eſtabliſhing the miniſtery of the Goſpell, and furniſhing the Church with able Paſtours, hath a dependance on all three offices:
1 On the Kingly, in reſpect of heavenly power.
2 On the Prieſtly, in reſpect of ſacred order.
3 On the Propheticall, in reſpect of miniſteriall gifts.
Each of Chriſts offices deliver into our hands as it were a key:
1. Clavem Coeli.
2. Clavem Sanctuarii, or Templi.
3. Clavem ſacrae Scripturae.
1. His Kingly office conferreth on us the key of heaven, to open and ſhut it.
2. His Prieſtly, the key of the Temple, to enter into it and adminiſter holy things.
3. His Propheticall, the key of holy Scripture, to open the meaning thereof.
Thus you ſee ordinem ordinis, an order for holy orders; you heare who is the founder of our religious order, and whoſe keyes we keepe. Which conſideration, as it much improveth the dignity of our calling, ſo it reproveth their indignity who walke not agreeable thereunto. A ſcar in the face is a greater deformity than a wound or ſore in any other part of the body: ſuch is the eminency of our calling, beloved brethren, that our ſpots can no more be hid than the ſpots in the Moone: nay, that it maketh every ſpot in us a ſtaine, every blemiſh a ſcar, every pricke a wound, every drop of Inke a blot, every trip a fall, every fault a crime. If we defile Chriſts prieſthood with an impure life, we do worſe than thoſe his profeſſed enemies who ſpit on his face. If we foule and black with giving and receiving the wages of unrighteouſnes thoſe hands wherwith we deliver the price of mans redemption in the bleſſed Sacraments, we more wrong our Saviour than thoſe who pierced his ſacred hands with nailes. If we in theſe holy Mounts of God, wherein we ſhould preſſe the pureſt liquor out of the grapes of the Vines of Engaddi, vent our owne ſpleene and malice; what doe we elſe than offer to Chriſt againe vinegar and gall? If we Chriſts meniall and domeſticall ſervants turnemRom. 12.11. foreign into foreign, as ſome copies miſ-read, and ſerve the time inſtead of ſerving the Lord. If we preach our ſelves, and not Chriſt crucified; if we beare the world in hand to wooe for our maſter, but indeed ſpeake for our ſelves; if we uſe the ſtaires of the Pulpit as ſteps only to our preferment; if we heare our Lord and Maſter highly diſhonoured, and diſſemble it; if we ſee the Sea of Rome continually to eat into the bankes of our Church, and never goe about to make up the breaches; if that ſhould ever fall out which a ſweet ſounding Cymball ſometimes tinckled into the eares of the Pope, thatnBernard. de conſiderat. ad Eugen. Multi neceſſarii, multi adverſarii, non Doctores, ſed Seductores; non Praelati, ſed Pilati. the greateſt enemies of Chriſt ſhould be thoſe of his owne houſe; if Paſtours turne Impoſtours, if Doctours Seductours, if Prelates Pilates, if Miniſters of Chriſt ſervants of Antichriſt, either by ſilence to give way, or by ſmoothing Romiſh tenets to make way for Popery; no marvaile then if judgement begin at the houſe of God, as it did in the ſiege at Jeruſalem with the ſlaughter of Ananus the high Prieſt: no marvaile if God ſuffer ſacriledge to rob the Church of her maintenance almoſt in all places, when the Church her ſelfe is guilty of worſe ſacriledge, by robbing God of his worſhip and ſervice. But on the contrarie, if as Ambaſſadours for Chriſt, we deliver our meſſage faithfully and roundly; if we ſeeke not our owne, but the things that are Jeſus Chriſts; if we eſteeme not our preferments, no nor our lives deere unto us in compariſon of our Maſters honour; if we preach Chriſt crucified in our lives, as well as in our ſermons; if in our good name we are the ſweet ſmelling favour of God, as well as in our doctrine, we may then, Chriſti nomine, in Chriſts ſtead challenge audience, yea, and reverence too from the greateſt powers upon earth, (whatſoever State-flies buzze to the contrary.) For as he thatoLuke 10.16. deſpiſeth Chriſts miniſters deſpiſeth him, ſo he thatpMat. 10.40. receiveth him receiveth them alſo. No man who honoureth the Prince can diſ-eſteeme his Ambaſſadours. If Scribes and Phariſees muſt be heard becauſe they teach in Moſes chaire, how much more, Saith St. Chryſoſtome, may they command our attention who ſit in Chriſts chaire? The ſame Apoſtle who chargeth every ſoule to be qRom. 13.1.4.ſubject to the higher powers, who beare not the ſword in vaine, as ſtrictly requireth the faithfull torHeb. 13.17. obey them that have the rule over them in the Lord, and ſubmit unto them: for they watch, ſaith he, for your ſoules, as they that muſt give account, that they may doe it with joy, and not with griefe; for that is unprofitable for you. ThereforeſSym. epiſt. ad Anaſt. Defer Deo in nobis, nos Deo in te. Symmachus kept within compaſſe, when he thus ſpake to Anaſtaſius the Emperour; Acknowledge God in us, and we will acknowledge him in thee. Deus eſt in utroque parente, we hold from Chriſt as you from God, as we ſubmit ourſelves to Gods ſword in your hands, ſo you ought to obey Chriſts word in our mouthes. And ſo I paſſe from the perſon conſecrating to the perſons conſecrated.
He breathed on them, and ſaid, receive ye the holy Ghoſt.
The holy Martyr St.tCypr. de unita. Eccleſ. Apoſtolis omnibus poſt reſurrectionem ſuam parem poteſtatem tribuit, & dicit, ſicut miſit me pater & ego mitto vos, accipite Spiritum ſanctum: ſi cui remiſeritis peccata, remittentur ei &c. Hoc e…antutique caeteri Apoſtoli quod fuit Petrus; pari conſortio praediti, & honoris, & poteſtatis. Cyprian makes an inference from theſe words, for which the Popes have looked awry upon him ever ſince. The inference is this; Chriſt after his reſurrection gave all his Apoſtles equall power, ſaying, as my father ſent me, ſo I ſend you, receive ye the holy Ghoſt: whoſe ſinnes yee remit, they are remitted. Here leſt any addicted to the Papacy might thruſt upon the Martyrs words this meaning, that Chriſt gave all the Apoſtles equall authority among themſelves, but not equall to Peter their head, he addeth, the reſt of the Apoſtles were the ſame that Peter was, admitted into an equall fellowſhip both of honour and power. Marke I beſeech you, the Martyr ſpeakes here not of a priviledge or ſingularitie, but a ſociety, (conſortio;) not a ſuperiority, but a parity, (pari;) and this parity both in honour, (honoris;) and of power alſo, (poteſtatis:) where there is a parity in honour there can be no preheminencie; where there is a parity in power there can be no ſupremacy. Where then will our Adverſaries faſten? Upon thoſe words of Chriſt,uMat. 16.18. Thou art Peter, and upon this rocke will I build my Church? St. Auſtin beats them off this hold, expounding the rocke of Chriſt, not of Peter, thus, Upon me I xAuguſt. in haec verba, Super me aedificabo te, non ſuper te aedificabo me.will build thee, not me upon thee. Yet if we ſhould leave it them, the building upon Peter, or laying him in the foundation of the Church, will no more make him the ſupreme head of the Church than the reſt of the Apoſtles; for we read ofyApoc. 21.14. And the wall of the Citie had 12. foundations, and in them the names of the 12. Apoſtles of the Lambe. & twelve foundations upon which the heavenly Jeruſalem is built, on which the names of the twelve Apoſtles were engraven, and of more alſo: now therefore, ſaith he, ye are no more ſtrangers and forreiners, but fellow Citizens with the Saints, and of the houſhold of God; and are built upon the foundation of the Apoſtles and zE…heſ. 2.…0. Of more.Prophets. From whence SaintaJer adver. Lucifer. Super omnes ex aequo Eccleſiae fortitudo ſolidatur. Jerome inferreth, that the ſtrength of the Church is ſolidly founded, and equally built upon all the Apoſtles.
Will they faſten upon the promiſe made to Peter, (Mat. 16.19.) whatſoever thou ſhalt binde on earth ſhall be bound in heaven: theſe words might carry ſome ſhew of a priviledge granted to S. Peter, if S. Matthew, and the other Apoſtles were not joyned in Patent with him;zMat. 18.18. whatſoever yee ſhall bind on earth ſhall be bound in heaven, and*Joh. 20.23. whoſe ſoever ſins ye remit they are remitted unto them. The laſt refuge to which our adverſaries flye, is that text,aJoh. 21.15. Feede my lambs, feede my ſheep. Which charge of our Saviours makes nothing for Peters ſupremacy, Peter himſelfe being Interpreter; for what Chriſt gives him he gives all Elders in charge,bPet. 5.2. Feed the flocke of God which is among you. If feede my ſheepe make Peter an oecumenicall Paſtor, then feede the flocke of Chriſt, ſpoken in like manner to all Elders makes them oecumenicall Paſtors. If the word (paſce) when it is ſpoken to Peter ſignifies rule as a Monarch, then (paſcite) feede yee, ſpoken by S. Peter to Elders muſt likewiſe bee interpreted, rule yee over the Flocke of God, and Church of Chriſt as Monarchs. For ascCic. orat. pro Cecinna. Nunquam obtinebis ubi tu volueris verba interdicti valere oportere, ubi tu nolueris non oportere. Tully ſpake to Ebutius, ſo may I ſay to Bellarmine, you ſhall never perſwade any man of underſtanding that words muſt ſignifie what you will have them, and conclude nothing but what you will inferre from them; that the word paſce or feede, when it ſerveth your purpoſe muſt be taken for to beare rule over the whole Church; and when it ſerveth not, then it muſt ſignifie nothing but teach, as every Paſtor doth. Had the Apoſtles ſo underſtood the words of our Saviour to Saint Peter, Upon this rocke will I build my houſe, and, To thee I will give the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven, as the Church of Rome at this day doth, (viz.) I will appoint thee Head of all the Apoſtles, and viſible Monarch of the Church, and infallible Judge of all controverſies; they would never have contended, as they did afterwards,dLuk. 20.24. which of them ſhould bee counted greateſt; they would never have taken upon them to ſend himeAct. 8.14. Now when the Apoſtles which were at Jeruſalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they ſent unto them Peter and John. with John. It is not the manner of Subjects to ſend their Soveraignes in Embaſſages or meſſages, much leſſe joyne any other of their Subjects in equall commiſſion with them, as the Apoſtles doe John with Peter. Had the Church in the Apoſtles time underſtood that our Saviour by that charge, Paſce oves meas, Feed my ſheep, made Peter univerſall Paſtor of the whole world; and by his prayer for him, that his Faith might not faile priviledged him from all poſſibility of errour; they would have reſted upon his reſolution in the firſtfAct. 15.11. Synode. Saint James would never have preſumed to ſpeake after him in the great point which was then in controverſie; nor have added a diſtinct Head or Canon of his owne, That the Gentiles ſhould abſtaine from pollution of Idols, and from fornication, and from things ſtrangled, and from bloud. The Apoſtolicall letter ſhould have beene indorſed, not as it was, The Apoſtles, and Elders, and Brethren, but, Peter, Chriſts Vicar, and Monarch of the Church, and the Apoſtles his Counſellours; or after the like manner. Had Saint Paul beleeved Saint Peter to be Head of the Church, he would never havegGal. 2.11. withſtood him to the face, as hee did at Antioch, much leſſe have ſtood upon even tearmes with him as he doth, ſaying,h2 Cor. 12.11. In nothing am I behinde the very chiefeſt Apoſtles: and,iGal. 2.6. they who ſeemed to be pillars added nothing to mee: and ver. 7. the Goſpell of the uncircumciſion was committed to mee, as the Goſpell of the circumciſion was to Peter. If any mans eyes are ſo dazeled with the luſtre of the Popes triple Crowne, that hee cannot ſee Pauls equality to Peter in the letter of the text; yet hee cannot but ſee it in the Fathers Commentaries.kAmbroſ. in comment. 2 Cor. 12. Hoc dicit quia non eſt minor ne que in praedicatione, ne que in ſignis faciendis, nec dignitate, ſed tempore. Chry. in 2 Cor. 12.11. foreign. The Apoſtle ſpeaketh on this wiſe, ſaith Saint Ambroſe, that or becauſe, he is not inferiour to the chiefe Apoſtles, neither in preaching, nor in working miracles, nor in dignity, but in time. Saint Chryſoſtome acutely obſerveth, that the Apoſtle redoubleth his forces, and not content with that hee had ſaid before in 2 Cor. 11.5. I ſuppoſe I was not a whit behinde the very chiefeſt Apoſtles; he addeth in the Chapter following with more confidence and authority, In nothing am I behinde the very chiefeſt Apoſtles, though I be nothing. What? not inferiour to Saint Peter? no not Saint Peter (for ſo it followeth in Saint Chryſoſtome) he ſheweth himſelfe to be equall in dignity to the reſt; and he mChryſ. in Gal. 2. v. 8. foreign.compareth himſelfe not to other of the Apoſtles but to the chiefe, ſhewing that he was of equall ranke with him. See, ſaithnOccumen. in Gal. 2. foreign. Oecumenius, how he equalizeth himſelfe to Peter, or ſets himſelfe upon even ground with him. Theſe were Fathers of the Greeke Church: what will our adverſaries ſay ifoLeo ſerm. de laud. Petri & Pauli. De quorum meritis & virtutibus quae omnem ſuperāt dicendi facultatem, nihil diverſum ſentire debemus, nihil diſcretum, quos & electio pares, & labor ſimiles, & mors fecit aequales. Leo Biſhop of Rome, who extolled Peter above the skies, and admitteth him after a ſort into the fellowſhip of the individuall Trinity, yet maketh Saint Paul his match, ſaying, Let no man caſt a golden apple of contention betweene theſe glorious inſtruments of Chriſts Goſpell Peter and Paul, of whoſe merits and vertues, which exceed all faculties of ſpeech, or can never bee ſufficiently commended, wee ought to thinke nothing divers, or put no difference at all in any reſpect betweene them; whoſe calling to the Apoſtleſhip made them equall, and their travell in their office like, and their martyrdome parallel? Saint Paul then in Leo his judgement may goe everywhere hand in hand with Peter; and in very deed hee hath the hand of him in the Popes ſeale, which putteth Bellarmine to much trouble, and great feare, leſt Saint Paul ſhould bee taken to bee the better man of the two, becauſe in the Popes ſeale, which confirmeth all his Buls, and unerring Decrees ex cathedra, Saint Paul hath the right hand, and Saint Peter the left. But hee may ſet his heart at reſt, for no Proteſtant goeth about to ſet Saint Peter below Saint Paul, or any other Apoſtle: all that wee contend for among the Apoſtles is but for a parity: a parity there may bee in the Apoſtolicall power and function, and yet Peter have ſome preheminency in reſpect of his yeeres or gifts; ſuch a primacy may be granted him without any power or juriſdiction over the reſt: ſome power hee might have over the reſt, and bee a kinde of Preſident in the Apoſtles Colledge, yet not Chriſts Vicar generall, or Head of the whole Church: Head hee might bee of the Church in ſome ſenſe, yet his Headſhip, as his Apoſtleſhip, dye with him, and not deſcend upon his ſucceſſors: deſcend it might upon his ſucceſſors, to wit, upon his undoubted ſucceſſors in Antiochia, & not be appropriated to his queſtionable ſucceſſors at Rome: laſtly, it might be after a ſort entayled to his ſucceſſors at Rome, yet with a qualification, to all his lawfull ſucceſſors, not to uſurpers: to men, as Linus; not to women, as Pope Joane; to Catholickes, as Saint Gregory and Damaſus, and all the Popes for 300. yeeres; not Heretickes, as Liberius and Honorius, and many of the latter: to ſuch as entred canonically, as Cornelius and Stephanus, and the ancient Popes generally; not ſuch as thruſt themſelves into that See, and purchaſed the Papacy either by art Magicke, as Sylveſter the ſecond; or by an impoſture as Hildebrand; or ſimony and faction, as almoſt all ſince. Laſtly, upon Apoſtolicall men in life and doctrine, not apoſtaticall or apotacticall, as thoſe fifty Popes reckoned by Genebrard (his Holineſſes Chronicler) one after another. By all which particulars ſeriouſly conſidered, Urban his ſupremacy derived from Saint Peter, appeareth to be a rope of ſand, or a caſtle of Table-men piled one upon another without any thing to hold them together, which fall allaſunder with a fillep; or an old ruinous paire of ſtaires, the groundcell or foot whereof, viz. Peters ſuperiority to the reſt of the Apoſtles, is not ſure, and all the conſequences deduced from thence, like ſtaires built upon it, are all rotten: and therefore I will ſtand no longer upon them, but leape into my third and laſt part, The manner of the Apoſtles conſecration: and firſt of the myſterious rite,
Hee breathed. The truth and ſubſtance Chriſt himſelfe, who put an end to all legall ſhadowes, commanding all to worſhip God in Spirit and truth, ordained notwithſtanding myſterious rites in the Sacraments of the new Teſtament, and uſed viſible and ſignificant geſtures in his miraculous cures: he gave ſight to the blinde, not without touching the eye; and hearing to the deafe, not without thruſting his finger into the eare; and ſpeech to the dumb, not without wetting the tongue: he fetched not Lazarus breath back againe, without fetching a deepe ſigh; nor inſpired his Diſciples with the holy Ghoſt, without breathing upon them. GeſturespCic. de orat. l. 3. Geſtus eſt ſermo quidam corporis. in religious actions are as ſignificant, and more moving than words. Decent Ceremonies in the ſubſtantiall worſhip of God are like ſhadowing in a picture, which if it bee too much (as we ſee in the Church of Rome) it darkeneth the picture, and obſcureth the face of devotion; but if convenient, and in fit places, it giveth grace and beauty to it. Superſtition may be, and is as properly in ſuch, who put Religion in not uſing, as in thoſe who put Religion in uſing things in their owne nature meerely indifferent. Chriſtian liberty is indifferently abridged by both theſe errours about things indifferent. And as a man may be proud even of the hatred of pride, and contempt of greatneſſe; ſo he may be ſuperſtitious in a cauſleſſe feare, and heady declining of that which ſeemes, but is not ſuperſtitious. Which is the caſe of ſome refined Reformers (as they would bee thought) who according to their name of Preciſians, ungues ad vivum reſecant, pare the nailes of pretended Romiſh rites in our Church ſo neere, that they make her fingers bleede. For feare of monuments of Idolatry, all ornaments of the Church (if they might have their will) ſhould be taken away: for feare of praying for the dead, they will not allow any prayer to be ſaid for the living at the buriall of the dead: for feare of bread-worſhip, they will not kneele at the Communion: for feare of invocating the Saints deceaſed, they will not brooke any ſpeech of the deceaſed in a funerall Sermon: for feare of making matrimony a Sacrament, they will have it no ſacred rite, but a meere civill joyning the parties contracted in the congregation, not by the hand of the Miniſters of God, but by the hand of their laye Elders or Borgomaſters: for feare of overlaying the Queenes veſture with rich laces of ceremonies, they rip them off all, cut off the fringe, and pare off the nappe alſo. But becauſe the Spouſe of Chriſt (as things now ſtand) is more afraid of loſing her coat than of her lace or fringe, I leave theſe men, as unworthy upon whom more breath ſhould be ſpent; and come to the particular rite or ceremony of breathing uſed by our Saviour.
Hee breathed on them. Here every Interpreter aboundeth in his owne ſenſe:qBarrad. in Evang. Flatus domini poteſtatem quam dabat remittendi peccata adumbrabat; ut enim flatu nubes to…o aere pelluntur, ſic flatu domini, id eſt, Spiritu ſancto peccatorum nubes diſperguntur; juxta illud Eſa. 44. deleviſti ut nubes iniquitates noſtras. Barradius his ſenſe is, that this breathing ſhadowed forth the ghoſtly power of remitting of ſinnes, which Chriſt gave to his Apoſtles. For as by a blaſt of wind clouds are driven out of the aire; ſo by the blaſt of God, that is the holy Spirit, the clouds of our ſinnes are diſperſed; according to the words of the Prophet Eſay, cap. 44.22. I have blotted out as a thicke cloud thy tranſgreſsions. rMaldonat. in Johan. Chriſtus per inſufflationem declarare voluitipſam Spiritus ſancti naturam, eſt enim veluti flatus patris & filii.Maldonate his ſenſe is, that Chriſt by this viſible ceremony of breathing declared the nature of the holy Ghoſt, who is the breath of the Father and the Sunne. ſMuſculus in Johan. Commodè Spiritum per flatum dedit, cum illis muneris Apoſtolici poteſtatem daret, pendebat enim illa a verbis oris ipſius.Muſculus his ſenſe is, that Chriſt fitly uſed the ceremony of breathing, when he inveſted the Apoſtles into their function, becauſe it hath a dependance upon the words of his mouth; becauſe it is a power of the word, it was therefore given by breathing on them.tCalvin. harm. Cumarcana inſpiratione poſſet Chriſtus gratiam conferre Apoſtolis, viſibilem flatum addere voluit ad eos melins confirmandos: ſymbolum autem ſumpſit à vulgari S.S. more qui Spiritum confert vento. Calvin his ſenſe is, that Chriſt added this ceremony of outward breathing upon them, to confirme their faith in the inward inſpiration: the ſymbole or ſigne hee tooke from the common cuſtome of the Scripture, which compareth the ſpirit to winde.uAthana. in Joh. In ſufflando dedit animam quae eſt principium vitae naturalis, & Spiritum qui eſt principium vitae ſpiritualis, ut idem quicreator agnoſceretur renovator. Athanaſius his ſenſe is, that as God in the creation of man breathed into him his ſoule, which is the beginning or principle of the naturall life; ſo Chriſt here breathed into the Diſciples his ſpirit, which is the beginning or principle of the ſpirituall life; that wee might know that the ſame God who is the author of the naturall life, is alſo the author of the life of grace; and that hee who firſt created the ſpirit of man, reneweth all the faithfull in the ſpirit of their mindes. But the moſt naturall, genuine, and generally approved reaſon and interpretation of this rite and ceremony is that which is given by Saint Auſtine and Saint Cyrill (viz.) that Chriſt by breathing on his Apoſtles, when he gave them the holy Ghoſt, ſignified that the perſon of the holy Ghoſt proceeded from him, as that breath came out of his mouth. For although Theophylact infected with the preſent errour of the Greek Church, jeareth at this interpretation, yet neither doth hee, nor can hee give ſo apt and fit a one: and in this regard Cardinall Bellarmine juſtly taketh him up for ſleighting the judgement of two of the greateſt pillars of the Church. Verely, ſaith he, Theophylact is to be jeared at by all of the Latine Church, if hee flout at Saint Auſtine: and of the Greeke Church alſo if hee flout at Saint Cyril: for what interpretation ſo naturall, what reaſon ſo proper can be given of coupling this ceremony with the words, Receive yee the Holy Ghoſt? that is giving the holy Ghoſt by breathing, as this, that the holy Spirit proceedeth from his perſon. And ſo I paſſe from the myſterious rite of breathing, to the ſanctified forme of words.
Receive yee the holy Ghoſt. Not the perſon nor the ſubſtance of the holy Ghoſt; for that errour the Maſter of the ſentences was long agoe whipt by his ſchollars. Sanctified the Apoſtles were by receiving the Spirit, but not deified. What then received they at this time? ſome gift of the holy Ghoſt? that takes not away the doubt but makes it; untieth not the knot but faſteneth it rather. For as Pythagoras, when the queſtion of marriage was put to him in his flouriſhing age, anſwered, foreign not yet; when in his decaying and withering age, hee replyed, foreign not now: ſo if the queſtion be of the ordinary gifts of the holy Ghoſt, it may be ſaid, foreign, the Apoſtles were not now to receive them, becauſe at their firſt calling they were ſeaſoned with that heavenly liquor. But if the queſtion be of the extraordinary gifts of the holy Ghoſt, or a fuller meaſure of the ordinary, it may be replied, foreign, they were not as yet to receive them. For Chriſt*Joh. 16.7. muſt firſt aſcend before he ſend the holy Ghoſt. To take this pearle out of the eye of my text, many medicines have beene applyed. Theodoret thus offereth to remove it, Our Saviour (Joh. 16.7.) ſaid not that hee would not give the holy Ghoſt before his aſcenſion, but that he would not ſend him before; at this time (ſaith that Father) Chriſt gave the holy Ghoſt ſecretly, with grace; but then he ſent him in a viſible ſhape with power. xCalvin in Joh. Sic datus fuit Apoſtolis ſpiritus hoc loco, ut reſperſi fuerint duntaxat ejus gratia, non plena virtute imbuti.Calvin helpeth it with a diſtinction of the receiving the holy Ghoſt in different degrees; now the Spirit was but ſprinkled, as it were, upon them; but in the day of Pentecoſt it was powred out on them: now they were gently breathed on, and refreſhed as it were with a ſmall gale; then they were all blowne upon, as it were with a mighty winde. yChryſ. in Joh. foreign.Saint Chryſoſtome thus expedites the difficulty; ſome ſay that Chriſt gave not the holy Ghoſt at this time, but that by his breathing on his Apoſtles, he made them capable, or fit to receive him; but wee may ſafely goe farther, and ſay, that the Apoſtles at this time received ſome ſpirituall grace or power, not of working wonders, but of remitting ſinne. If you further aske, why the power of forgiving ſinnes; or, which comes all to one, why remiſſion of ſinnes is peculiarly attributed to the Spirit, and by a metonymie termed the Holy Ghoſt: Barradius bringeth us an anſwer out of the ſchooles, thatzBarrad. in harmon. Evang. remiſsion of ſinnes is a worke of Gods goodneſſe and mercy; now workes of goodneſſe are peculiarly attributed to the holy Spirit, who proceedeth (as they determine) from the will of the Father and the Sonne, whoſe object is goodneſſe; as workes of wiſedome are attributed to the Sonne, becauſe hee is the word, proceeding by way of generation from the underſtanding of his Father. This reaſon may goe for currant in their way; neither have I any purpoſe at this time to croſſe it, but to haſte to the period of this diſcourſe: in which that I may better diſcover the path of truth, in ſtead of many little lights which others have brought, I will ſet up one great taper made of the ſweeteſt of their waxe.
The Holy Ghoſt is ſometimes taken for the perſon of the Comforter, which ſealeth Gods choſen to ſalvation: ſometimes for the gifts, effects, or operations of the Holy Ghoſt, as it were, the prints of his ſcale left in the ſoule: theſe are principally three;
1 foreign, Grace.
2 foreign, ſpirituall power or authority.
3 foreign, Vertue, or ghoſtly ability to worke wonders, and ſpeake with divers languages.
1 Is common to all them that are ſanctified.
2 Is peculiar to Chriſts Miniſters.
3 Reſtrayned to the Apoſtles themſelves, and ſome few others of their immediate ſucceſſors.
zJoh. 3.5. Exce…t a man be borne of the water and of the ſpirit—1 Regenerating grace is termed the holyGhoſt.
2 Spirituall order, or miniſteriall power is called the Spirit or holy Ghoſt in this place, and Luk. 4.18. & Eſay 61.1. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach the Goſpell, &c.
3 Miraculous vertue is called the holy Ghoſt, Act. 2.4. And they were filled with the holy Ghoſt, and ſpake with divers tongues.
1 The Spirit of grace and regeneration the Apoſtles received at their firſt calling.
2 The Spirit of eccleſiaſticall government they received at this time, &c.
3 The Spirit of powerfull and extraordinary operation they received in the day of Pentecoſt.
1 In their mindes by infallible inſpiration.
2 In their tongues by multiplicity of languages.
3 In their hands by miraculous cures.
Receive then the Holy Ghoſt, is
1 A ghoſtly function to ordaine Paſtors, and ſanctifie congregations to God.
2 Spirituall gifts to execute and diſcharge that function.
3 Spirituall power or juriſdiction to countenance and ſupport both your function and gifts.
Thus have I opened the treaſury of this Scripture, out of which I now offer to your religious thoughts and affections theſe enſuing obſervations. And firſt in generall I commend to the fervour of your zeale and devotion, the exceſſive heat of Chriſts love, which abſumed and ſpent him all for us, fleſh and ſpirit. His fleſh he offereth us in the Sacrament of his Supper: his ſpirit hee conferreth in the ſacred rite of conſecration. His body hee gave by thoſe words, Take, eate, this is my body: his ſpirit hee gave by theſe, Receive ye the holy Ghoſt; a gift uneſtimable, a treaſure unvaluable: for it was this ſpirit which quickned us when wee were dead in treſpaſſes and ſinnes, it is this ſpirit which fetcheth us againe when wee ſwoune in deſpaire, it is this ſpirit that refreſheth and cooleth us in the extreme heat of all perſecutions, afflictions, ſorrowes, and diſeaſes; to it we owe,
1 Light in our mindes.
2 Warmth in our deſires.
3 Temper in our affections.
4 Grace in our wils.
5 Peace in our conſciences.
6 Joy in our hearts, and unſpeakeable comfort in life and death.
This is the winde which bloweth aCant. 4.16. Blow upon my garden, that the ſpices thereof may flow out: let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleaſant fruits.upon the Spouſe her garden, that the ſpices thereof might flow out. This is the breath which formeth the words in the cloven tongues: this is the breath which bloweth and openeth all the flowers of Paradiſe. This is the blaſt which diffuſeth the ſavour of life through the whole Church. This is the gale which carryeth us through all the troubleſome waves of this world, and bringeth us ſafe to the haven where we would be.
And as the Spouſe of Chriſt, which is his myſticall body, is infinitely indebted to her head for this gift of the ſpirit, whereby holy congregations are furniſhed with Paſtors, and they with gifts, and the miniſtery of the Goſpell continually propagated; ſo wee above all nations in the world at this day are moſt bound to extoll and magnifie his goodneſſe towards us herein: among whom in a manner alone, this holy ſeed of the Church remaineth unmixed and uncorrupt; not onelyonly as propagated but propagating alſo, not children onelyonly but Fathers. Apoſtolicall doctrine other reformed Churches maintaine; but doe they retaine alſo Apoſtolicall diſcipline? laying of hands they have on Miniſters and Paſtors, but conſecration of Archbiſhops and Biſhops they have not. And becauſe they want conſecrated Biſhops to ordaine Paſtors, their very ordination is not according to ancient order. Becauſe they want ſpirituall Fathers in Chriſt to beget children in their miniſtery, their Miniſters by the adverſary are accounted no better than filii populi; whereas will they nill they, even in regard of our Hierarchy, the moſt frontleſſe Papiſts muſt confeſſe the children begot by our reverend Fathers in the miniſtery of the Goſpell, to be as legitimate as their owne. For albeit they put the hereticke upon us, as the Arrians did upon the Catholike Fathers, calling them Athanaſians, &c. yet this no way diſableth either the conſecration of our Biſhops, nor the ordination of our Prieſts; not onelyonly becauſe we have proved the dogge lyeth at their doores, and that they are a kinde of mungrils of divers ſorts of heretickes: but becauſe it is the doctrine of their Church,bSee Croy in his third conformity. Whitaker in fine reſp. ad demonſtrat. Sanderi. Rivet, procem. de haeref. q. 1. Cath. orthod. that the character of order is indeleble; and therefore Archbiſhop Cranmer, and other of our Biſhops ordained by them, if they had afterwards (as Papiſts moſt falſly ſuppoſe) fallen into hereſie, could not loſe their faculty of conſecration and ordination. The conſecration of Catholicke Biſhops by Arrians, and baptiſme of faithfull Chriſtians children by Donatiſts, though heretickes, is made good, as well by the decrees of ancient as later Councels, determining that Sacraments adminiſtred even by heretickes, (ſo they obſerve the rite, and forme of words preſcribed in holy ſcripture) bee of force and validity. Prayſed therefore for ever bee the good will of him that dwelt in the buſh, that the Rod of Aaron ſtill flouriſheth among us, and planteth and propagateth it ſelfe, like that Indian fig-tree ſo much admired by all Travellers, from the utmoſt branch whereof iſſueth a gummy juyce, which hangeth downe like a cord or finew, and within a few months reacheth the ground, which it no ſooner toucheth than it taketh root and maketh it ſelfe a tree, and that likewiſe another, and that likewiſe a third, and ſo forward till they over-runne the whole grove.
To draw nearer to you my Lord to bee conſecrated, and ſo to an end. This ſcripture is part of the Goſpell appointed for the Sunday after Eaſter, knowne to the Latine Church by the name of Dominica in albis. Which Lords day, though in the ſlower motion of time in our Calendar, is not yet come; yet according to exact computation, this Sunday is Dominica in albis; and if you either reſpect the reverend preſence Candidantium, or Candidandi, or the ſacred order of Inveſtiture now to be performed, let your eyes be judges whether it may not truely be termed Dominica in albis, a Sunday in whites. The text it ſelfe, as before in the retexture thereof I ſhewed, is the prototypon or original of all conſecrations, properly ſo called. For howſoever theſe words may bee uſed, and are alſo in the ordination of Prieſts, becauſe they alſo receive the holy Ghoſt, that is, ſpirituall power and authority; yet they receive it not ſo amply and fully, nor without ſome limitation, ſith ordination and excommunication have bin ever appropriated and reſerved to Biſhops. And it is to be noted, that the Apoſtles long before this were ſent by Chriſt to preach and baptize; and therefore they were not now ordained Prieſts, but conſecrated Biſhops, as SaintcGreg. in Evan. Horum nunc in eccleſiâ Epiſcopi locum tenent qui gradum regiminis ſortiuntur, grandis honor ſed grave pondus eſt iſtius honoris. Gregory ſaith expreſſely in his illuſtration of theſe words, Receive the holy Ghoſt: whoſe ſinnes yee remit, &c. Now Biſhops who fit at the ſterne of the Church, hold the place of thoſe to whom Chriſt gave here the ghoſtly power of forgiving ſinnes: a great honour indeed, but a great charge withall, and a heavie burden; ſo ponderous in Saint Barnards judgement, that it needs the ſhoulders of an Angell to beare it. The Apoſtles had made good proofe of their faithfulneſſe in the miniſtry of the Word and Sacraments, before Chriſt lifted them up to this higher ſtaire; as likewiſe the venerable Perſonage now to bee taken up into that ranke hath done. For more than thirty yeeres hee hath ſhined as a ſtarre in the firmament of our Church, and now by the primus motor in our heaven, is deſigned to bee an Angell (or to ſpeake in the phraſe of the Peripatetickes) an Intelligence to guide the motion of one of our Spheres. Which though it be one of the leaſt, his Epiſcopall dignity is no whit diminiſhed thereby. In SaintdHiero. ad Evag Omnis Epiſcopus ſive Romae, ſive Eugubii aequalis eſt meriti. Hieromes account every Biſhop, be his Dioceſſe great or ſmall, is equally a Biſhop; Epiſcopatus non ſuſcipit magis & minus, one Biſhop may be richer than another, or learneder, but hee cannot bee more a Biſhop. Therefore howſoevereBaſil. epiſt. 31. foreign. Nazianzen tooke it unkindly at Saint Baſils hands, after hee was advanced to the Metropolitical See of Cappadocia, and had many good Biſhopricks in his gift, that he put him upon one of the meaneſt, being ill ſituated, and of ſmall revenue; telling him flatly, that he gained nothing by his friendſhip but this leſſon, not to truſt a friend: yet it never troubled great Auſtine that obſcure Aurelius worked himſelfe into the great and famous Archbiſhopricke of Carthage, whileſt this eminent light of the Church ſtucke all his life at poore Hippo: for hee well remembred the words of our Lord and Maſter,fMatth. 25.21. Be thou faithfull in a little, and I will ſet thee over much.
Suffer I beſeech you a word of exhortation, and but a word. Be faithfull to your Maſter, ſeeke not your owne but the things that are Jeſus Chriſts. It is not ſufficient in Nazianzens judgement for a Biſhop, not to be ſoyled with the duſt of covetouſneſſe, or any other vice;gNazian. orat. 1 de fuga in pont. Privati quidem hominis vitium eſſe exiſtimet turpia ſupplicioque digna perpetrare, praefecti autem vel antiſtitis non quam optimum eſſe. he muſt ſhine in vertue, and if hee bee not much better than other men,hIdem orat. 20. Antiſtes improbitatis notam effugere non poteſt, niſi multum antecellat. hee is no good Biſhop. Wherefore as it was ſaid at the creation of the Romane Conſul, praeſta nomen tuum, thou art made Conſul, make good thy name, conſule reipublicae: So give mee leave in this day of your conſecration to uſe a like forme of words, to you my Lord Elect; Epiſcopus es, praeſta nomen tuum, you are now to be made a Biſhop, an Overſeer of the Lords flocke, make good your name, looke over your whole Dioceſſe, obſerve not onelyonly the ſheepe but the Paſtors, not only thoſe that are lyable to your authority & juriſdiction, but thoſe alſo who execute it under you. Have an eye to your eyes, and hold a ſtrict hand over your hands, I meane your officials, collectors, and receivers; and if your eye cauſe you to offend, plucke it out, and if your hand, cut it off. Let it never bee ſaid by any of your Dioceſſe, that they are the better in health for your not viſiting them; as theiEraſ. apoth. Eò melius habeo quod te medico non utor. Lacedemonian Pauſanias anſwered an unskilfull Phyſician that asked him how hee did, the better (quoth he) becauſe I take none of your Phyſick. Imprint theſe words alwayes in your heart, which give you your indeleble character: conſider whoſe ſpirit you receive by impoſition of hands, and the Lord give you right underſtanding in all things: it is the ſpirit of Jeſus Chriſt, he breathed, and ſaid, receive the holy Spirit. This ſpirit of Jeſus Chriſt is,
1 The ſpirit of zeale. Joh. 2.17. Bee you not cold in Gods cauſe, whip out buyers and ſellers out of the Church.
2 The ſpirit of diſcretion. Joh. 10.14. I am the good ſhepheard, and know my ſheepe, and am knowne of them. Know them well whom you truſt with the myſteries of ſalvation, to whom you commit thoſe ſoules which God hath purchaſed with his owne blood; lay not hands raſhly upon any, for if the kMatth. 6.23.light be darkeneſſe how great will the darkeneſſe be? If in giving holy orders, and impoſition of hands there be a confuſion (hand over head) how great will the confuſion be in the Church?
3 The ſpirit of meekneſſe. Matth. 11.29. Learne of me that I am meek, breake not a bruiſed reede, nor quench the ſmoaking flaxe; ſis bonus O foelixque tuis, be good eſpecially to thoſe of your own calling. Take notlHiſtor. Aug. in Aureliano. Aurelian for your patterne, whoſe ſouldiers more feared him than the enemy: but rathermSuet. in Tit. Titus Veſpaſian, who ſuffered no man by his good will to goe ſad from him, and in this regard was ſtiled, Amor & delicrae humani generis, the love and darling of mankinde. The laity ſhew in their name what they are durum genus; and how ill they ſtand affected to us,foreign ſtone. and hardly entreat our tribe, all have experience who have or ever had paſtorall charges. Wee cannot pray them ſo faſt into heaven, as they will ſweare us out of our maintenance on earth. And what reliefe wee have at ſecular tribunals the world ſeeth; and if wee muſt yet expect harder meaſure from your officers and ſervants, I know not to what more fitly to compare the inferiour of our Clergy, who ſpend themſelves upon their parochiall cures, and are flieced by them whom they feed, and by whom they ſhould bee fedde, through vexatious ſuits in law, than to the poore hare in the Epigram, which to ſave her ſelfe from the hounds, leaped into the ſea, and was devoured by a ſea-dogge: nAuſon epig.In me omnis terrae pelagi que ruina eſt.
4 The ſpirit of humility. Matth. 20.28. The Sonne of man came not to bee miniſtred unto but to miniſter. The head of the Church vouchſafethoJoh. 13.14. to waſh his diſciples feet, profeſſing therein (ver. 15.) that hee gave them an example, that they ſhould doe as hee had done to them. Winde blowne into a bladder filleth it, and into fleſh, maketh it ſwell; but the breath of God inſpired into the ſoule produceth the contrary effect: it abateth and taketh downe all ſwelling of pride. Take not Auſtine the Monke for your patterne, from whoſe proud behaviour towards them, the Brittiſh Monkes truely concluded, that hee was not ſent unto them from Chriſt; but Saint Auſtine the Father, whoſe modeſt ſpeech in a contention betweene him and Jerome, gained him more reſpect from all men, than ever the Biſhops of Rome got by their ſwelling buls, and direfull fulminations. According to the preſent cuſtome of the Church (ſaith he) the title of a pAuguſt. epiſt. ad Hieron.Biſhop is above that of a Prieſt, yet Prieſt Jerome is a better man than Biſhop Auſtine. As theqBruſon facet. & exempl. Athenians wiſely anſwered Pompey, requiring from them divine honour; We will ſo farre account thee a God, as thou acknowledgeſt thy ſelfe a man (for humility of minde in eminency of fortune is a divine perfection): ſo the leſſe you account your ſelfe a Prelate, the more all men will preferre and moſt highly honour you. When Chriſt conſecrated his Apoſtles Biſhops, he breathed on them, to repreſent after a ſort viſibly by an outward ſymbole, the eternall and inviſible proceſſion of the holy Ghoſt from his perſon. In regard of which divine ſignification of that his inſufflation, no man may preſume to imitate that rite, though they may, and do uſe the words, Receive the holy Ghoſt. All that may bee done to ſupply the defect of that ceremony is in ſtead of breathing upon you, to breath out prayers to almighty God for you, that you right reverend Fathers may give; and for you my Lord Elect, that you may receive the holy Ghoſt; for us that wee may worthily adminiſter; and for you that you may worthily participate the bleſſed body and blood of our Saviour; and for us all, that wee may bee nouriſhed by his fleſh, and quickened by his ſpirit, and live in him, and hee in us; and dwell in him, and he in us: So be it, &c.