First or Second Books of Edward; for, according to the First, the Communicants were already there; and, according to the Second, the Altar was brought near to the Communicants. Much less can they be understood in that sense now; for at the last Revision the Rubric was introduced which directs them to be conveniently placed before the Exhortation (see before, P. II. Ch. i. Sect. i. p. 481), and, as if to remove all ambiguity, the words "with faith" were at the same tíme added. See before, Sect. i. p. 495.

f WITH FAITH.]-Compare the Homily:-"The meat we seek for in this Supper is Spiritual Food, the nourishment of our soul, a heavenly refection, and not earthly; an invisible meat, and not bodily; a ghostly substance, and not carnal; so that to think that without Faith we may enjoy the eating and drinking thereof, or that that is the fruition of it, is but to dream a gross carnal feeding, basely objecting and binding ourselves to the elements and creatures." The 28th Article rules that "the mean whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is Faith." Jewel, who may be considered as the authorized exponent of the theology of the Elizabethan Divines, says, "Spiritually and with the mouth of our Faith we eat the Body of Christ and drink His Blood, even as His Body was verily broken and His Blood verily shed upon the Cross."2 This is a necessary application of the general principle:-"How shall I send up my hand into heaven, and lay hold of Him seated there? Send up Faith, and thou hast laid hold of Him." See before on "Spiritual eating," Part II. Ch. i. Sect. iii. p. 487.

Faith, then, is the necessary condition on our part, without which we can derive no benefit from the Sacramental Presence of our Lord; though it is not our Faith which induces that Presence. When on earth Christ was often present, and even visible to those who did not believe in Him; but this did not avail even for the healing of their bodies. He required Faith, before He would exercise His power on their behalf. He is now spiritually present to the new Israel in this holy Sacrament, and present as full of mercy, love, and

Saviour to go up and down to seek them all the Church over."-Bostock, 1640; 2d Rit. Rep. p. 599. Compare the Articles drawn up by order of Convocation in 1640, ibid. p. 593, and its 7th Canon, Synod. p. 405. See also White's Articles, 1640, Rep. p. 600; and Pory's in 1662, p. 629. 1 On the Worthy Receiving, etc., Part i.

2 Reply, Art. v. Div. i. p. 238.

3 S. Aug. Tract. L. in S. Joh. Ev. § 4; tom. iv. col. 834.

power, as when the hem of His garment was touched with assurance of recovery by a long-afflicted woman, or when He listened to the prayer of the Syro-Phoenician mother. Yet neither now does He, present in this Sacrament, stretch forth His hand to heal our souls, unless we "draw near" to Him 66 with Faith."

YOUR HUMBLE CONFESSION.]-In 1 B. E. the Confession and Absolution came immediately before the Communion; but there is an obvious advantage in their present place, as they prepare all not only for that, but for the solemn act of Consecration. The First Book followed the Order of Communion in so placing them, but it cut off the Priest's preparation by superseding the Latin Liturgy which preceded the Order. This oversight was remedied in 1552 by removing the Short Exhortation, the Confession and Absolution, the Comfortable words, and the Prayer of Humble Access, to the places which they now respectively occupy before the Preface and Prayer of Consecration.

To ALMIGHTY GOD.]-Here the O. C. and 1 B. E. added, "and to His holy Church here gathered together in His name." In 2 B. E. this ran thus :-" Before this congregation, here gathered together in His holy Name;" where it is reasonable to suppose that "before this congregation" meant "before each other;" for the Communicants could hardly be required to make their confession before a body of noncommunicants, who had just been warned to leave the Church, who therefore were offending by their very presence, and certainly could not be recognised as "gathered together in God's holy Name." It is probable that the clause was omitted because its meaning was obscure.

CHAPTER I

The Confession, Absolution, and Comfortable

Words.

SECTION I.-The General Confession.

RUBRIC XII.

Then shall this general Confession be made, in the name of all those that are minded to receive the holy Communion, by one of the Ministers, both he and all the people kneeling humbly upon their knees, and saying,

d Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men; We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, Which we from time to time most grievously have committed, By thought, word, and deed, Against Thy Divine Majesty, Provoking most justly Thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent, And fare heartily sorry for these our misdoings; The remembrance of them is grievous unto us; The burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; For Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, Forgive us all that is past; And grant that we may ever hereafter Serve and please Thee In newness of life, To the honour and glory of Thy Name; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

a ONE OF THE MINISTERS.]-Until the last Revision a layman might say the Confession; the former Rubrics, including that of O. C., ordering that it should be made "in the

name of all those that were minded to receive the Holy Communion, either by one of them, or else by one of the Ministers, or by the Priest himself." In practice it is probable that the first provision was entirely neglected; for Bishop Andrewes1 remarks on the Rubric :-" The other Priest (if there be a second) or he that executeth, descendeth to the door, and there, kneeling, saith the Confession." The nonconforming "Ministers" who drew up the " Exceptions against the Book of Common Prayer" in 1661, " desired that it might be made by the Minister only."2 They do not give any reason, but it may be gathered from their Exception to the Litany:"The petitions for a great part are uttered only by the people, which we think not to be so consonant to Scripture, which makes the Minister the mouth of the people to God in prayer." The Scotch Liturgy had long before ordered the Confession to be said "by the Presbyter himself, or the Deacon."

b BOTH HE AND ALL THE PEOPLE KNEELING.]—“ During the whole time of the Priest's officiating at the Communion, setting aside in the very instant of his receiving, you find him but twice upon his knees, whereof this is the first. all other times and parts of the Service he is ordered to stand, and so was the practice of the Primitive Church." See before, P. I. Ch. iii. Sect. xv. p. 186. Even the Laity did not kneel on festal days; but there is a distinct evidence for the practice of the Priest at the Celebration, and an especial reason for it. See after, Ch. vi. Sect. i. p. 550. "But why then doth he not stand at this prayer also? I answer, Because it is not part of the former oblations, but a humble confession of his own and of the congregation's transgressions."5

с

SAYING.]-In the Exhortation and Invitation we are taught the necessity of true repentance and of fervent charity. We are now called to the exercise of both. The Church in this Confession leads us, one and all, as penitents and brethren, together up to the Throne of Grace, to bewail our sins as with one heart and voice, and to entreat for pardon for each other as well as for ourselves.

The First Prayer of the Faithful" after the dismissal of the Catechumens is ordered by the Council of Laodicea," probably A.D. 365, to be said in silence. I presume that it

1 Minor Works, p. 156.

2 Hist. Conf. p. 319.

3 Ibid. p. 305.

L'Estrange, ch. vii. Note E, p. 311. 5 Ibid. p. 312.

6 Can. xix. Bever. Pand. tom. i.

p.

461.

3

was said by all, and was a prayer for due preparation, that is, a prayer of confession and deprecation. In the Clementine Liturgy, the Bishop, just after the gifts are brought to him at the Altar, but before he offers them, or even puts on his special Eucharistic vestment, "prays secretly," and the assistant Priests do the same. This appears to be the origin of the "First Prayer of the Faithful." The subject which I have suggested is that of the first prayer said by the Priest in S. James after the offering and signing of the Gifts, and in S. Mark after the Great Entrance. The first two after the dismissal of the Catechumens in the present Greek rite are expressly entitled the First and Second Prayers of the Faithful.* In the former of these the Priest secretly implores pardon for his own sins and for the ignorances of the people, and grace for all that they may be "meet to offer to God supplications and prayers and unbloody sacrifices;" in the latter, now also said in silence, he prays that all present may be purified both in the flesh and spirit, and that the holy Mysteries may be worthily received; while in the next prayer, which is also said before the Offertory, and in secret, he implores that he may himself be cleansed from an evil conscience, and strengthened by the Holy Ghost to stand before the Altar of God, and offer the spotless sacrifice. In the West we also find an Apologia Sacerdotis, of which many examples are

1 Constit. Apost. L. viii. c. xii. Cotel. tom. i. p. 399.

2 Liturg. PP. p. 17; Assem. tom. v. p. 16.

3 Renaudot, tom. i. p. 141.

4 Goar, pp. 70, 71, 162, 163. They are both said secretly, though, according to the Canon of Laodicea, the First only was to be said in silence, and the other two to be bidden. A trace of the bidding of the Second is found in the commencement :-" Again and often." A comparison with the three prayers which precede the Preface in every Oriental Liturgy (Renaud. tom. ii. passim), suggests that the Third Prayer of the Laodicean Canon is in S. Basil and S. Chrysostom incorporated with the Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn.

5 Goar, p. 72. This is called the Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn, being said while that is sung, and having an allusion to it; but probably the Priest's prayer for himself which it contains is much earlier than the other matter. See last note. According to Cedrenus, A.D. 1130, the Hymn was introduced in the time of Justinian. See Goar's Note 108, p. 131.

6 It is so called in the Gothic Missal, N. xxxvii., Liturg. Gallic. p. 251, and in the Missa Latina published by Illyricus, Bona, Rer. Lit. App. p. 383. In the Gallican Sacramentary found at Bobio there is an imperfect Confession, with the title of Apologia merely, occupying a corresponding place in a Mass, i.e. following the Gospel; which we may safely assume to be intended for the secret use of the Priests, though what remains might be used by the whole congregation. -Mus. Ital. tom. i. p. 377. The Greek name is also retained in an ancient мs. preserved in the Monastery of S. Theodoric, near Rheims.-Martene, L. i. c. iv. Art. xii. p. 196. Other Gallican remains call it Confessio Sacerdotis.-Ibid. pp. 187, 191. Similarly