Page:The Catholic prayer book.djvu/307

 hope to  escape,  when  arraigned  for  so  daring  profanations?

[Examine yourself carefully  upon  the  use  you  have  made  of  the Sacramento, and  receive  them,  for  the  future,  as  if  death  were  immediately approaching.]

“Let a man prove  himself." — 1 Cor.

“ There are bad  Christians  who  are  called  by  the  name  of  Faithful, and  who  are  not  such; by  whom  the  Sacraments  of  Christ  are dishonoured  and  profaned.”— St. Austin.

1. A Sacrifice  is  an  exterior  or  visible  offering made by  a lawful  minister  to  God  alone,  in  testimony of his  supreme  dominion. Our absolute  dependence upon God,  and  the  homage  we  owe  him,  render sacrifice essential  to  religion. Hence from  the  beginning of  the  world,  it  has  been  always  offered. Abel, Noe, Melchisedech,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  have sacrificed to  the  Almighty; and  a variety  of  sacrifices were  prescribed  in  the  written  law  of  Moses.

2. All  these,  however,  were  only  weak  figures  of the  sacrifice  of  Christ  upon  the  cross: for  sin  was too great  an  evil,  its  guilt  was  of  too  black  a die,  to be  ever  removed  by  the  blood  of  sheep  and  oxen. No other  atonement  could  compensate  for  its  enormity than  the  sufferings  of  a God,  therefore  did  he come. “ In the  beginning  of  the  book  it  was  written  of him,  that  he  should  do  the  will  of  his  Father.” By the  one  oblation  of  himself  he  paid  off  all  our debts: he closed  up  the  abyss  of  separation,  cancelled the handwriting  of  sin  that  lay  against  us; and  the sanctified he  perfected  for  ever.

3. Was  this  not  enough? Most undoubtedly  it was; nay,  one  drop  of  his  blood  was  fully  adequate to all  these  purposes. Why, then,  is  the  same  sacrifice daily  renewed  in  the  Mass? why is  he  still  immolated upon  our  altars? why is  his  body  mystically