Original Correspondence.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 192, 1 April 1848, Page 3

Original Correspondence.

To the Editor of the New Zcalander* Sir, — In looking over your paper of this morning, 1 find some animadversions sought to be cast on tin.' account of the consecration of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, which appeared in one of your late numbers, that of the 22nd of March. The writer has Mud nothing that can in the least disturb the conclusions, so consonant to Revelation and purified reason, which were brought out on that occasion. The writer in question is displeased at its having been said " That the primitive rites of Christianity were, it may be, for thr first time introduced on this desert shore." It was meant to convey thereby (quite abstractedly, and with no intent of arguing with our dissentient brethren) that the Biide of Christ, his Holy and Glorious Church, having nor spot cor wrinkle, nor any such thing (Eph. v. 27)— that this, His Spouse, had used these ceiemonies of consecrating Churches, but now for thefir^t time in New Zealand, because previously she had been as though shorn of her beams on these shores, through the poverty of her poor children! This earthly rejoicing of the Church and its members has at all times pleased religious minds. Hence the glowing language of one who is commonly called the judicious Hookei— " The Church wished, amidst the general frailties and cold heartedness of man, to secure and perpetuate in certain spots those natural observances oi heaitfelt piety, which if our nature was perfect would be our only occupation and delight in every place. It is natural, and therefore right, for man to appioach His Maker, as he would approach an earthly sovereign, with nothing of sordidness or neglect, with more than decency, with much of splendour, not, perhaps, when he corned alone as a penitent sinner, bub when he stands before God in the company of that Chu eh which is the representative of God upon Earth" "We see by the latter words that Hooker had uo misgiving as to the Church personating the Redeeniei. But your correspondent cunuot allow that the sacrifice of the mass is a valuable rite of primitive Christianity. This I greatly regret, as it is one of the most affecting legacies bestowed upon us by our parting founder and Martyred Tutor, who while men weie devising hm death, yet, was he occupied, in the exubeiance of his Jove, in bestowing thifc unspeakable gift upon them. " This is my body, this is my blood " (Matt, xxvi, 26. Mark xiv. 22. Luke xvii, 19 .) are the unqualified assertions of tluee Evangelibts. The fourth asserts, " unless ye ratibe flesh of the Son of man, and dunk his blood, ye shall have no life in you. For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indued" (St John vi. 54.56.) St. Paul repeats the declaration of the three Evangel sts. "This is my body, This is my blood," (1 Cor. xi. 24.) And concludes from it, that "he who eateth and drmketh unwoithily, eatelh and dnuketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body," (ibid 29 ) The beliel of the Catholio Clmr b spread throughout the world, is unanimous on this head, and has ever been so from the earlest age*. As to the Holy Eucharist being also a sacrifice, this is the voice of human natuie, both without and within the Chuicb. Prayer we know is common to all created intelligences ; it is the mode whereby they express their dependence on their Cieator, and bless and adore Him for the manifestations of his infinite puwci, wisdom t and love. But it is necessary that the prayer of man should take a form corresponding to his bodily as well as spiritual nature. Hence the oblation was the exterior repiesenttttion of prayer — Us necess ry and essential complement. Thd oblation consisted always of those substances most necessary to the pieservation of man's existence ; and generally of the two which constituted his most ordinary nourishment —^brpad and wine. Its object was to denote the absolute sovereignty of God over ail created things, and the necessary etate of utter depeudcnuu in which uiuii was on h;s Creator for all llie

blessings and enjoyments of existence. The oblation was the sensible comummation of prayer— it may be I called the prayer of the senses, as prayer is the oblation of the heart. Even had man retained his primal innocence — had he never incurred the guilt of original sin, still prayer and oblation would have formed an essential part of his worship. But his fall necessitated a mighty change in Ins. worship. The fallen creature had now to appease the anger of an offended Deity, and his worship must be the expression not only ot gratitude for favours received, but of atonement for guilt incurred. Hence the origin of Sacrifices, the sensible representation of that great idea of atonement. Hence it was that all antiquity was convinced of the truth expre^ed by St. Paul, that " Without effusion of blood, there is no remission of 6ins." But Christj ianity was the full development of piimitive revelation; for its dogmas it perfected, by clear ly levenlius* the mysteries which had been at first but imp^rlecily disclosed; and its morality, by substituting for the servitude of fear, the law of perfect love. Had not a cotresponding development taken phce m the Christian worship — had its most solemn act been a mere commemoration of that mighty event, ot which the pumilive sacrifices were the type, there would have been but a substitution of one figure for another— the shadow would have been without a reality ; and a \\ ant of unity, the gieat characteristic of God's creations, would then h.we beon perceptible in the I), vine wo: k of man's restoration. The prophet Malcicln foieiold that a sacrifice should be offered under the new law. "For from the lising of the sun even to the corns, down thereof, my name is great among the Gentile?, and m eveiy place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation . for my name is gieat among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of Hosts " (eh. i, 11. see Psalm xcii, 3. 4,) The Church has in all ages recognised the great Eucharistic Sacrifice, iiom the days of the Apo3tles even to the present. We are dispensed with calling upon witnesses. "It has been done for us." The learned Grabe in his notes on St. lienseus, 4th Book, chap. 17, (alias 32 ) allows that all the Fathers of the Chinch as well those who neaily contemporary of the Apo ties, •is those who succeeded them, looked upon the Eucharist, as the samfice of the new Law. He cites St. Clement of Rome, Epist. 1. ad Cor., No. 40 and 44 ; St. Ignatius, Epist. ad Smyrn. No. 8 ; St. Justin Dial. Cum Trysph n 41. St. Irenseus, Tertullian, and St. Cypiian. lie acknowledges that this doctrine, was not the opinion of some individual Churches, or Doctors, but the belief and practice of the whole Church. He proves it by the ancient Liturgies, and concludes like many of his brethren, in w shmg that the Euchaiistic '.Sacrifice might be restore^ f or the gloty of God. Your correspondent objects t^g Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews. Now the de q j gn 0 < St. Paul in that Epistle is to teach us that the sinner could not escape death, but by substituting anotbe r t0 t ]j e f or him : that so long as men put omy animals to be slain in their stead, their sacrifices had no other effect than that of a public acknowledgment, that they themEeWes had deserved to die ; and that as Divine Justice was not to be satisfied by a substitution so very di&proportioned, hence it was, that they each day resumed the Sacrifice of new victims ; a clear mark that these were insufficient ; but that ever since Jesus Christ had vouchsafed to die tor sinners, God fully satisfied by the voluntary substitution of so ex,iUed and pleasing a Victim, — pleasing on account of his ardent will, as fulfilling all righteousness and obeying His Father even unto death, hence God had nothing moie to require as the price of our Redemption. Therefore the Apostles concludes; that not only no other Victim should be immolated after Jesus Christ but that Jesus Christ shou Id be only once offered up in death for us. St. Paul pioposed in this Epistle to explain the perfection of the Sacrifice of the Cross, but i,ot the various means of applying that Divine Sacrifice to us, Now in the consecration of the Mass, Hie body and blood are mystically separated, because Jesus Christ said separately of the bread, " This is my body," and of the wine, " This is my blood," which includes a most lively and efficacious rep-e^enta ion of the violent death that he underwent through love of us, The Son of God, then, is by virtue of these words placed upon the holy Altar, vested with the signs which represent his death, and the consecration which effects this, carries with it an acknowledgment of the Supreme dominion of God, in as much as Jesus Christ here present renews, and, as it were, perpetuates, the memory of his obedience even to the death of tha Cross, so that nothing is wanting to m.ike it a true and real sacrifice. All Christians will allow that the sole presence of Jesus Chi ist is a sort of intercession most available with GoJ for all mankind, accoiding to the expiession of the Apoatle— " That Jesus Christ presents himself and appears lor us before the face of God (Heb. ix, 24). Htnce we believe that Jesus Chiist, present upon the holy altar, under these appeal ances of death, intercedes for us, and represents continually te his Father, tho death which he suffered for his Church. It is in this seme that Jesus Christ offers himielf to God for us in the Euchaiist — it is thus we hold that this oblation renders God more piopitious to us; and hence we call it propitiatory, when, by fjith, we behold our blessed Redeemer actually present on the holy altir, with these signs of death, we unite ourselves to him in this state ; we ofFer Him to God as our only victim, and as our only atonement by His blood, pro'eiting at the same time that we h.ive nothing to offei up to God, but Jesus Christ, and the infinite merit of his death — we consecrate all our prayers by this Divine oblation, and in presenting Jesus Christ to God, we leain to offer up oui selves also in Him and by Him, to the Divine Majesty, us so many living victims. This is the sacrifice of Christians — differing infinitely from that which wai in use in the old law — a spiiitual saculice, andwoithy the new Covenant; where the victim, though present, is only discoveied by faith ; wheie the lmmoLitmir aword is the word which mystically separates the body and the blood; where the shedding of this blood is of couisebut mystical, and whcie death inteiveiies but in a most rial sacrifice, however, inasmuch us Jesus Christ is truly contained in it, and presents Himself to His Father under these symbols of death ; but still, a sacrifice of commemoration, which, far from withdrawing us from the .sacrifice o'the Cross, attaches us to it by all its ci curastances, since not only is it totally referred to that of the Cross, but in fact it his no existence except by this relation, and from the sacnfice of the Crois does it derive all its efficacy. This is the express doctrine of the holy Council of Trent, which teaches that this sacrifice was only insti- j tuted tv represent th*t which was once offered upon ! tne Cios* — to^perpetuaie the memory of it to the end of time, and to apply its saving viitue to us, for the remission of those sins which we every day commit — (session xxii, cap. 1). So that the Church, far from be'ieving the sacrifice of the Cross to be by any meatis detective, does, on the contrary, hold it to be so perfect, and ->o fully sufficient, that ever) thing thereafter done, is merely designed to commemorate it, and apply its virtue. This same Church acknowledges that all the merit of our redemption is annexed to the death of the well-bijloved Son of God : and when, in celebrating the Divine mysteries, we say to God — "To Thee we offer this sacred victim," we do not pretend to pay anew the pi ice of our salvation, but to present

to Him in our behalf, the merits of Jesus Christ, here present, and the io.inite price which for our sakes he once paid upon the Cross. This is the chief objection of your correspondent, and I trusf that this explanation may, with God's blessing suffice. He asks "On the floor of which of the primitive Churches did an Apostle trace the form of tiie Crosi?, in Greek, &c. ?" The Apostles traced in their prerioui bloo' 1 , their affection for the Cross of Cnust. Thi3 gentleman might find it rather inconvenient to account for many of tie practices of his own form of Chiisti.inity, but lie never can shew the unlawfulness at ceiemonies — nevar wjs there a religion, true or false, without them. From the origin of the world, the firat mortals, w'io were under the immediate instruction of their adorable Creator, made offerings and sacufice s to Him, addicted their prayeis to Hun, raised altais to Him, come crated them by the effusion of oil and perfumes — they swore by His name, they called on Him to witness their marriages, they made use of purifications, they eat in common the flesh of victims — it is thub th.it the Sacred writings display to us the Patriarchal religion. At length when God was pleased to leunile all nations into one rel'.gious society, He sent His only beloved Son to teach mankind to honor God in spirit and in truth. This Divine teacher instituted of Himself j. part of our ceremonies, and He left to the Aposrlcs, who were full of His Divine spirit, the care of establishing others. Even from the days of the Apostles, and in the midst of persecution!, we already see a Liturgy, Sacraments, a regular Hietarchy. In the fourth century, when the Church, in a brighter and more auspicious day, could put on her of praise and joy, then was her Liturgy wiitten. But H came from the Apostles. In the different Churches ot the East and West, in the Greek, Syiiac, and Laun tongues, in all it wai essentially the same. Had it been the woik of men, the character and genius ot each nation would have been stamped upon it. The gentleman will find miraculous relics spoken of in the 4th of Kings, xiii, 4, 28— and in St. M-Uthew, ix, 20, 21 ; and in the Actsxix, 11,12— we read these remarkable woids — " And God wrought by the hand of Paul moie than common miracles, so that even there werebiought from his body to the sick, luindkeichiofs and aprons, and the diseases depuitecl from them, and the wicked spirits went out of fiem." The gentleman finally asks— ln what place of worship were lapers li«hted, or incense burned ? I beg to refer him to the Sacred volume, and in the bouk of Revelations, lstch. 10th verse, he will find the picture of a Liturgy full ot pomp : St. John rel.ites a vision that he had, on the Lord's day, or Sunday, the day on which the faithful were wont to assemble to celebiate the sacred mysteries. The Apostle paints an assembly at which a venerable Pontiff presides, sealed on a throne, " and round about the throne «ere fouiand -twenty seats, and upon the seats four- ami-twenty ancients, or Priests, sitting, clothed in white garments, and on their heads were crowns of gold" (chap, iv, 2, 3, 1-). In hi 3 gorgeous description wo find all that appertains to the externals of Divine woislup— an altar, candlesticks, censers — mention is made ot hymns, of canticles or songs, of a spring of living waur, that giveth life fth. v, 11, 12— and in eh. vii, 17). Before the throne and in the midst of the ancients or Priests, is seen a lamb lying as a victim, and to the lamb Divine honors were paid. Here therefore do we behold a saciifice at which Christ is present, but being there ab a victim, He must be the High Priest thereof (c. v, 0, 11, and 12). Under the altar are the Martyrs, calling to avenge their blood on them that dwell on the eaith (vi, 10). It is well known that the primitive custom was to offer the holy sicrifice on the tombs and relics of the Martyrs. An Angel otters incense to God, which is siid to be emblematic of the prayers of the Saints or the faithful (viii). If thi3 picture be compared with what St. Ignatius, rmrtyr, siys in his letters of the manner of offering the Holy Euchanst, by the Bishop in the midst of his Piiests and Deacons; if it be compared wiih the glorious acts of his'mattyr« dona, and those of St. Polycarp, we shall see how the faithful were wont to gather round the tombs and relics of the Marty i-5. If we read what St. Justin, maityr, in hU Apologetic, writes about the meetings of Christians on the Sundays— and he wrote so early as one hundred years after the death of Chi ist— then shall we be convinced that a little while after the death of St. John the Evangelist, the Church on earth imitated and performed what the inspired Evangelist saw done in Heaven. Bingham in his " Crigines Ecclesiastics," (lib. 13, c. 2, p. 1 ) allows that in the Bth chapter of Revelations, the Christian Church is represented, both, in Heaven and on eait'i. St. Irenteus, who wiote so early as the second century, and who was well acquainted with St. Polyciiy, who himself saw and conversed with the beloved Disciple S f . John, this illustrious St. Ireiut is, in his well-known work (Adv. Hoei. lib. 4, c. 17 and c. 18,) supposes that this beautiful idea of the Christian Liturgy is of Apostolic oriain. And, indeed, we may justly doubt of anybody being able to impose on all Churches, a Liturgy i>o lull of uniformity, had not its model, as we believe, been traced by the Apostles. May we, by prayer to God, ° Learn where is wisdom, where is strength, where ia understanding, thus we nuy know alao where is length of day.3 and life."— (Baruch iii, 14.) Believe me, dear Sir, to remain very tiuly, Your obedient and humble servant, Joseph J.P. O'Rlilv, Catholic Pastor. (E. 1.) Auckland, March 29. 1848.