work with his hands the thing that is good"." Other recompense God looketh not for at our hands.

But when the godly have taken offence at any of our doings that are evil, we must give all heed to content their minds, and reconcile ourselves again unto them. It hath been an ancient order in the Church of God, that, if any had openly offended the congregation, he should come openly again before them to satisfy them by amends. There he fell down on his knees, confessed his fault, wept, and lamented for it; prayed the brethren that they would forgive him, and would also pray unto God to be merciful unto him. There the whole congregation fell down before God: their hearts melted: their eyes gushed out in tears: they held up their hands: prayed together for him, and gave thanks to God, that their brother who had been lost was found again. Such satisfaction was it, which hath been made to the Church of God.

The last of those which some have of late misused, and counted one of the Sacraments of the Church, is Extreme Unction. And

Eph. iv. 25, 28.

this they have founded upon the words of St. James: "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray for him, and anoint him with oil in the Name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he have committed sin, it shall be forgiven him"."

For the better understanding of which words, consider that God is merciful to the sons of men, and sheweth forth His mercy at sundry times, by sundry ways. And to leave the examples of the Old Testament: in the time of the Gospel, He hath given to some the gift of tongues, and hath made them able, being simple men, to speak the wonderful works of God in tongues which they never learned. To some He hath given the gift of power, and of the operation of great works. By this power many signs and wonders were wrought by the hands of the Apostles. At the word of St. Peter, Ananias and Sapphira his wife fell down dead'. In this power, St. Paul struck Elymas the sorcerer with blindness. To some He gave the gifts of healing. By h S. James v. 14, 25.

i Acts v.

k Acts xiii. 11.

this St. Peter healed a man who was a cripple from his mother's womb, and said, "In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk: and he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength'." They were able to make the blind to see; the lame to walk; the lepers to be clean; the dead to receive life again. For when He sent forth His Apostles to preach, "Christ gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every sickness and every disease"."

These things they wrought, sometimes by their shadow, as many were healed by the shadow of St. Peter; sometimes with their word; sometimes with handkerchiefs; sometimes by laying on of hands, and by touching; sometimes with oil, as in the sixth of St. Mark; "They cast out many devils, and they anointed many that were sick with oil, and healed them":"even as Christ also by many sundry ways healed many. He healed sometimes, though He were absent; sometimes by His word; sometimes by mourning and sorrow1 Acts iii. 6, 7. m S. Matt. x. 1.

n S. Mark vi. 13.

ing; sometimes by touching; sometimes with spittle and dust; for at that time the Church had the especial gift of working miracles.

Therefore St. James putteth them in mind, that they despise not to use the means which God hath appointed; that whosoever falleth into sickness, he call for the elders, and that they use their gift of healing, and anoint him with oil, because it hath pleased God thereby to work health. This was the manner and order of those times. Even as Christ used dust and spittle, so St. James willeth them to use oil for the restoring of health. As the Corinthians did abuse the gift of tongues, and were taught by St. Paul how to use it better: so did many abuse the gift of healing, and were therefore warned by St. James how they should use it better. As the gift of tongues was not to last for ever, but only for a time; so the gift of healing was not to continue ever, but for a time. Christ saith, "When thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face." He doth not in these words give an universal commandment that must ever be kept in our fasting, that we use the ceremony

• S. Mat. vi. 17.

of anointing but meaneth thereby, that in our fast we be fresh and merry. Even so St. James, in saying, " Anoint him with oil," doth not set down an order, whereunto he would have the Church of God tied for ever: it is not an universal commandment, that the afterages should do the like; but only a particular ordinance for the time, to use the gift of healing. This is the meaning of his words.

Let us mark what abuses have grown by mistaking them. St. James speaketh of bare and simple oil: they understand it of their oil, which they consecrate, and hallow in unadvised order. For these words the Bishop useth when he consecrateth it, "Hail, O holy oil, and chrism, and balsam"." Again; "I adjure thee, thou unclean spirit, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, that thou depart from this oil, that it may be a spiritual ointment, and that the Holy Ghost may dwell in it." Again, "O Holy Father, we beseech Thee send down Thy Holy Spirit the Comforter from heaven into

P Ave sanctum oleum, chrisma, balsamum.

9 Exorciso te immunde spiritus, in Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, ut recedas ab hoc oleo, ut possit effici unctio spiritualis, ut Spiritus Sanctus possit in eo habitare.

Y