OF THE CONFESSION. Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, &c.

Since Christ's Sufferings are commemorated in this Holy Ceremony, it is highly reasonable, that we should confess our Sins, which were the cause of them. This is performed in words so apposite and pathetical, that, if the repentance of the Congregation is only answerable to the Form, it is impossible it should ever be more hearty and sincere.

OF THE ABSOLUTION. Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who of his great Mercy, &c.

General Confession and Absolution have intirely taken place of the ancient discipline, which excluded from the Sacrament every notorious offender, till he had received a particular absolution, upon his manifest and declared repentance.

The form of Absolution in this place, is an imitation of that ancient form of blessing, recorded in Numbers, vi. 24. There can be no fitter opportunity than the present, when so many penitent sinners are kneeling, and begging forgiveness, for the Minister to exercise whatever power he is invested with, to support the spirit of a dejected penitent, by assuring him of a pardon in the name of God. Such is the only way left us, for quieting disturbed consciences, since revelation has ceased to speak to us on special occasions.

OF THE SENTENCES OF SCRIPTURE.

able words, &c.

Hear what comfort

These Sentences contain the very promises on which the above Absolution is grounded; and, if duly considered, they must satisfy the most fearful souls, heal the most wounded heart, and utterly banish the blackest clouds of sorrow and despair.

OF THE LAUDS AND ANTHEMS. Lift up your hearts, &c.

After having thus exercised our Charity, our Repentance, and our Faith, the next part of the Office is Thanksgiving; which is so considerable a portion of our present duty, that it

has given name to the whole, and caused it to be called1 the Eucharist, or Sacrifice of Praise. Here we begin with the Lauds and Anthems, which, with most of the remaining part of the Office, are purely primitive, nearly as old as Christianity itself, being to be found almost verbatim amongst the ancient writers.

The Congregation, after the exercise of their Faith upon the foregoing Sentences, seem to have gotten above the world, and ready to enter into the other, there to join with the glorified Saints and Angels, in praising and adoring God, who has done so great things for us.

The Sentences here used were, in the primitive Liturgies, only the introduction to the Eucharist, properly so called; which was a long and full Thanksgiving to God, for all his mercies of Creation, Providence, and Redemption; from whence, as has just been said, the whole Service took the name of Eucharist, or Thanksgiving. All the ancient Liturgies have some such Eucharistical Prayer; the Roman Missal was the first that omitted it; and the omission of it there, might perhaps, be the reason why this branch of the Communion Service, was not more fully noticed, when our own Liturgy was compiled. For the more solemn Festivals, indeed, there are some short prefaces provided, to commemorate the particular mercies of each season; but, upon ordinary occasions, we have no other Thanksgiving, than what these Lauds contain.

OF THE TRISAGIUM.

Therefore with Angels, and Archangels, &c.

It was an opinion among Christians, that Angels vouchsafe their presence at the performance of divine mysteries: but that they are more especially present at the Lord's Supper, was generally received. Since Jesus by his death, has united Heaven and Earth, it has been thought fit, that, in this Commemoration of his Passion, we should begin to unite our voices with the Heavenly choir, as is done in this hymn, which is of Heavenly original, Isaiah vi. 3, and from the word holy thrice repeated in it, was called by the Greeks, the Trisagium," or thrice holy.

OF THE PROPER PREFACES.

There are proper Prefaces appointed for the celebration of the Lord's Supper, on the greater Festivals; and these are repeated, in case there is a Communion, for seven days after the Festival; excepting the one for Whit-Sunday, which is not to be repeated on the seventh day, that being Trinity Sunday, and having a Preface of its own. It was thought by the primitive Christians, that the subject and occasion of these high Festivals, called for their being lengthened out in this manner; and the period of eight days was chosen, because the Jews celebrated their greater feasts, some for seven days, and the Feast of Tabernacles for eight days. Such Jewish institutions being only types and shadows, the Christians thought it fit, not to have their Commemorations of shorter duration.

OF THE ADDRESS. We do not presume to come, &c.

As we approach the holy mysteries, the Form of the Service requires greater humility, and reverence; the Minister now allays the foregoing exultations, that might savour of too much confidence, by an act of humility, wherein he excuses his own and the people's unworthiness, in words taken from the most ancient Liturgies.

THE PRAYER OF

CONSECRATION.

Almighty God, our

Heavenly Father, who of thy tender Mercy, &c.

As our Saviour himself did not deliver the bread and wine until he had consecrated them, by blessing them, and giving thanks, so the Priest is expected to pour out his Prayers over this mysterious food of our souls. Such a Prayer is the most ancient and essential part of the whole Communion Office. There are some, who believe that the latter part of the present Form, Who in the same night, &c. was used by the Apostles; and it is certain, no Liturgy in the world has altered that particular.

There was inserted in the primitive Forms, a particular Petition, for the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Sacramental Elements; this was in our Popish Service, and was continued in the first Liturgy of Edward VI. but was left out

of the second, and the following sentence placed in its stead, "Hear us, O merciful Father, &c. &c.

It looks, as if the Rubric, after the Form of Administration, was meant to convey, that the Consecration of the Elements is made by the words of Institution merely. But though all Churches in the world, have in the Consecration, used the words of Institution, yet none before the Church of Rome, ever attributed the Consecration to the bare pronouncing of those words; that was always attributed to the efficacy of the Prayer of the Church. The Lutherans and Calvinists however, both follow the Papists, and agree, that the consecration is made by barely repeating the words of Institution; because the Evangelists and St. Paul, have recorded no other words of our Saviour, than those of Institution. But it should be considered that our Saviour may have used other words; for the Evangelists tell us, that he gave thanks and blessed the Bread and Wine, which must be performed in some words, that are addressed to God, and not in those addressed to men, as the words of Institution were. It should seem therefore, the words spoken by our Saviour to his Disciples, could not be the whole Consecration of the Elements, but rather a declaration of the effect, which was produced by the Consecration. It has therefore been judged, by some of our divines, that, notwithstanding the Rubric, the Minister at the Consecration of fresh Elements should repeat, not merely the words of Institution, but the whole of the Form of Consecration, from these words: "Hear us, O merciful Father," &c.

After the Consecration, there followed, in King Edward's first Prayer Book, the Prayer of Oblation, which is now placed as the first Prayer in the Post-Communion, O Lord, and Heavenly Father, &c. but Bishop Overall did constantly, notwithstanding, use it in this place, between the Consecration and the Administering. The learned Prelate did this, in conformity with the practice of all Antiquity, which ever esteemed the Holy Eucharist, as a proper sacrifice, solemnly offered to God upon the Altar, before it was received, and partaken by the Communicants. This Prayer of Oblation is repeated by the Minister standing, because there is no direction to kneel. Indeed there are but three places in the Communion Service, where the Minister is directed to kneel, namely, at the general Confession, at the Prayer of Address, and at his receiving the Elements. When he stands it is to be on the right side of the Altar, not before it.

OF THE FORM OF ADMINISTRATION.

The Body of our

Lord, &c. The Blood of our Lord, &c.

After the symbols have been consecrated, the Communicants are not to take every one his part, but to wait, till it is administered to them by the Minister. This has ever been the practice from the earliest times; and this may be taken as evidence of the manner, in which Christ himself delivered the Sacrament; since, upon that particular, the Scripture is wholly silent. In the Primitive Church, the Clergy always communicated within the rails of the Altar, before they delivered the Sacrament to the people.

The direction for delivering the bread into the hands of the Communicants, was to obviate two superstitious practices; one was that of persons, who thinking more reverently of the elements than to defile them with their hands, provided themselves with silver, or gold saucers, to convey it to their mouths; another was a practice directed by the Rubric in the first book of Edward VI. for the people receiving the Sacrament of Christ's body in their mouth, at the Priest's hands; which was to prevent the carrying it away, and abusing it to superstition and wickedness.

There being nothing positive said by the Evangelists, or Apostles about the posture, in which the Disciples received the bread and wine of the Sacrament, from our Lord, occasion has been taken to form various conjectures about it. Upon which, it may be remarked, that it does not necessarily follow, because the table gesture of the Jews was that of reclining, therefore they ate the Eucharist in the same posture, though it was celebrated at the time of Supper; further, that as our Saviour blessed and gave thanks both for the bread and wine, this, in the nature of it, must be supposed to have been performed in a posture of adoration, our Saviour being remarkable for outward reverence in devotion. Moreover, it may be submitted, that had the table-gesture been the one used at the Institution of the Eucharist, yet it is very reasonable, since the circumstances are now different, our demeanour should also vary. The Passover itself was, at its first institution, commanded to be eaten standing and in haste, to commemorate the circumstances under which it was instituted; but when the Israelites were settled in Canaan, they ate it, sitting as at a feast, with which alteration our Saviour himself complied.