Chapter 18

§ 1.

Therefore the offering of the Church, which the Lord hath taught to be offered in the whole world, is accounted with God as a pure sacrifice, and accepted of Him: not that He needs a sacrifice from us, but because he who offers receives glory in that he offers, if his gift is accepted. For by a gift to a King both honour and affection are signified: and this gift our Lord willing us to offer in all simplicity and innocence, declared as follows:¹ When therefore thou offerest thy gift at the altar, and hast remembered that thy brother hath something against thee, leave thy gift before the altar, and first go to be reconciled to thy brother, and then thou shalt return and offer thy gift.

We must therefore offer unto God the first-fruits of His creation, as Moses also saith,² Thou shalt not appear empty before the Lord thy God; so that, wherein man hath been grateful, therein and thereby being counted acceptable to Him, he may receive the honour that cometh of Him.

§ 2.

And the whole kind of oblations is not rejected,³ for as there are oblations there, so also there are oblations here: there are sacrifices among the people, there are sacrifices in the Church; but the special sort only is changed, as being now offered not by slaves but by freemen. For there is one and the same Lord, but a special token is, the mark of a servile oblation, and a special token, that of free persons; oblations also having their note of liberty to shew. For with Him nothing is idle, nor without symbolical meaning, nor without special purpose. And therefore, while they had the tenths of their goods consecrated, those on the other hand who have received freedom, assign all that themselves have to the uses of the Lord, cheerfully and freely giving them, and not in lesser portions only, as become men possessing the hope of greater things; as she who both in widowhood and in poverty did⁴ here cast all her sustenance into the Treasury of God.⁵

§ 3.

For God from the beginning had respect unto the gifts of Abel, because he offered with simplicity and justice; but to the sacrifice of Cain He had not respect,⁶ because through envy and malice towards his brother he had a division⁷ in his heart,⁸ as God saith, exposing his secrets, If thou rightly offer, but dividest not rightly, hast thou not sinned? O be at rest: because God is not appeased by sacrifice.

For if a man according to that which is seen only, shall have tried to offer purely, and rightly, and lawfully, but in his own soul distributes not rightly his communion with his neighbour, neither hath fear of God; he deceives not God by that sacrifice which is rightly offered without, while he hath sin within him; nor will such an oblation profit him at all; but the ceasing from the evil which is conceived within, lest by corresponding practice, or rather by the sin itself [of such thoughts] it make man a murderer to himself.

For which cause also the Lord said,⁹ Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are like unto whited sepulchres. For without the sepulchre appeareth beautiful,¹⁰ but within it is full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness: so also ye indeed outwardly appear unto men as righteous, but within ye are full of wickedness and hypocrisy. For while in outward shew they were thought to offer rightly, they had in themselves a jealousy like Cain’s; wherefore also they killed the Just Man, passing by the counsel of the Word, as also did Cain. For to him He said, Be at rest, and he assented not. Now “being at rest,” what is it, but ceasing from his purposed assault?

And in like words to these,¹¹ Thou blind Pharisee, saith He, cleanse what is within the cup, that the outside may be made clean also.¹² And they hearkened not. For behold, saith Jeremiah, thine eyes and thine heart are not good, but in thy covetousness, and for righteous blood, that thou mayest shed it, and for unrighteousness and for murder, to do it.¹³ And again Esaias saith, Ye have wrought counsel, but not by Me, and a testament, not by My spirit.

In order therefore that their inward will and thought, being brought into open sight, might shew that the fault was not in God, nor the evil wrought by Him:—God Who reveals things hidden, but worketh not evil:—when Cain would by no means rest,¹⁴ He saith unto him, Unto thee shall be his regard and thou shalt rule over him. To Pilate also in like manner He said,¹⁵ Thou couldest have no power over Me, unless it were given thee from above: God in each instance surrendering the Righteous Man, that while the one is admitted after trial, by what he suffered and endured,¹⁶ he who was spiteful¹⁷ may be driven out, condemned by his doings.

It follows that sacrifices sanctify not a man;¹⁸ for God needs not sacrifice: but the conscience of him who offers sanctifies the sacrifice, being pure, and causes God to accept it as from a friend. But the sinner, saith He, who slays for Me a calf,¹⁹ is as if he slew a dog.

§ 4.

Since then the Church offers with simplicity, justly is her gift accounted of God a pure sacrifice. As Paul also saith to the Philippians,²⁰ I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent by you, an odour of sweetness, a sacrifice acceptable, pleasing unto God. For we must make our oblation to God and in all things be found grateful unto God our Creator, offering the first-fruits of those creatures which are His in a pure mind and faith unfeigned, in firm hope, in fervent love.

And this offering the Church alone offers pure unto the Creator,²¹ presenting it unto Him with thanksgiving from the things which He has made. But the Jews offer it not, for their hands are full of blood:²² for they have not received the Word, which is offered unto God. No, nor yet any of the congregations of the heretics. For some of them, who say that there is another Father besides the Creator, in offering unto Him things which appertain to our creation, make Him out desirous of that which is another’s, and covetous of other’s goods. And those who say that the things which pertain to us were made through decay and ignorance and passion, sin against their own Father, in offering to Him the fruits of ignorance, passion and decay: rather insulting than giving Him thanks.

And how can they be assured that the Bread whereon thanks have been given is the Body of their Lord,²³ and the Cup that of His Blood, if they do not acknowledge Him the Son of the Creator of the world; i.e., His Word, whereby the tree bears fruit, and the fountains flow down,²⁴ and the earth yields first the blade, then afterwards the ear, then the full corn²⁵ in the ear?

§ 5.

And how say they that the flesh passes into corruption and partakes not of life,²⁶ which is nourished by the Lord’s Body and by His Blood? Either let them change their opinion, or decline to make the offerings which I have mentioned. But our opinion is in harmony with the Eucharist, and the Eucharist again confirms our opinion. And we offer to Him the things which are His own, shewing forth accordingly²⁷ our communion and union, and professing a Resurrection of flesh and spirit: viz. that as Bread from the earth, receiving the summons of God, is no longer common Bread, but an Eucharist composed of two things, both an earthly and an heavenly one; so also our bodies, partaking of the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, having the hope of Eternal Resurrection.

§ 6.

For we offer unto Him, not as though He had need,²⁸ but as giving thanks to His Sovereignty, and sanctifying His Creation. For surely as God needs not the things which are of us, so surely have we need to offer something to God;²⁹ as saith Solomon, He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto God. For God Who stands in need of nothing, takes to Himself our good works, in order that He may grant unto us a return of the good things which belong to Him; as our Lord saith; Come ye blessed of My Father,³⁰ receive the Kingdom prepared for you. For I was hungry, and ye gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me to drink; I was a stranger and ye took Me in: naked, and ye covered Me, sick and ye visited Me; in prison and ye came unto Me. In the same way then as He, being in no need of those things, yet wills them to be done by us for our own sake, that we be not unfruitful: so this same Word gave unto the people the precept of making oblations, though He needed them not; that they might learn to serve God; and so accordingly He will have us also to offer our gift at the Altar very often without ceasing.

The Altar then is in Heaven (for thither our prayers and oblations are directed), and the Temple: as John saith in the Revelation, And the temple of God was opened,³¹ and the Tabernacle:³² For behold, saith he, the tabernacle of God, wherein He will dwell with men.