+et confirmo te chrismate salutis. In nomine Patris, et Fi + lii, Quastrmation et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Sequatur Psalmus. Ecce sic benedicetur homo qui timet Dominum. Benedicat tibi Dominus ex Syon, ut videas bona Jerusalem omnibus diebus vitæ tuæ. Gloria Patri. Sicut erat. Vers. Emitte Spiritum tuum et creabuntur. Resp. Et renovabis faciem terra. Pax tibi. Oremus. Oratio. Deus, qui apostolis tuis Sanctum dedisti Spiritum, quique per eos eorum successoribus cæterisque fidelibus tradendum esse voluisti: respice propitius ad nostræ humanitatis famulatum : et præsta ut horum corda quorum frontes sacro-sancto chrismate delinivimus, et signo sanctæ crucis consignavimus, idem Spiritus Sanctus adveniens templum gloriæ suæ dignanter inhabitando perficiat. Per Dominum: in unitate ejusdem. Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus: Pa+ter, et Fi+lius, et Spiritus Et si ejus ætas id deposcat, communicat eum episcopus dicens: Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat corpus tuum et animam tuam in vitam æternam. Amen. Hoc facto injungatur ab aliquo sacerdote quod compatres et commatres1 orent aliquod certum pro statu domini episcopi, et pro animabus patris et matris, et pro animabus omnium fidelium defunctorum, et quod tertia die vadant cum pueris ad ecclesiam ad chrismalia deponenda, et sic reccdant in nomine Domini. In the First English Prayer Book the order of the old Service was very much retained, omitting, however, the use of chrism. After the Versicles and the first Prayer, it proceeded thus: Minister. Sign them, O Lord, and mark them to be thine for ever, by the virtue of thy holy cross and passion. Confirm and strength them with the inwaru unction of thy Holy Ghost, mercifully unto everlasting life. Amen. Then the Bishop shall cross them in the forehead, and lay his hand upon their head, saying, N. I sign thee with the sign of the cross, and lay my hand upon thee: In the Name of the Father, &c. And thus shall he do to every child one after another. And when he hath laid his hand upon every child, then he shall say, The peace of the Lord abide with you. Answer. And with thy spirit. 1 See the third rubric after the omitted in the American and Irish Catechism. The last clause is Books. F F Ceremonies of Confirma Tion (1549) Confrmation. The present This was omitted at the revision in 1552, and our present benedictional Prayer was inserted, 'Defend, O Lord, this child with thy heavenly grace, &c.' The Collect, Almighty and everlasting God, who makest us, &c.,' was composed, in 1549, from the Collect which preceded the laying on of hands in Archbishop Hermann's Order of Confirmation.1 The Service was brought into its present form at the last revision in 1661. Being separated from the Catechism, its title was: The Order of Confirmation, or laying on of hands upon them that are baptized, and come to years of discretion,' instead of the words (1604), ' and able to render an account of their faith according to the Catechism following.' What had previously been an explanatory rubric before the Catechism, was turned into a preface to be read at the opening of the Service of Confirmation: and, instead of questions from the Catechism, the solemn demand of personal acknowledgment 1 Almighty and merciful God, Faith, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten heavenly Father, which only workest Commandments, and also how many in us to will and to perform the things of them could answer to the other that please Thee, and be good indeed; questions contained in this Catechism. we beseech Thee for these children In Hermann's Consultation (fol. 186) 6 Increase in them the gift of thy the parish Priests are directed, cerSpirit, that ever going forward in the tain days before the coming of the knowledge and obedience of thy Gos- visitors, to prepare the children pel, in thy congregation they may whom they purpose to offer to Concontinue to the end. So give these firmation, to make their confession children the thing that we pray Thee of faith, and profession of Christian for, through thy Son Christ, that when we shall now lay our hands upon them in thy name, and shall certify them by this sign that thy fatherly hand shall be ever stretched forth upon them, and that they shall never want thy Holy Spirit to keep,lead, and govern them in the way of health...' Hermann's Consultation, fol. 191. communion and obedience, decently and seemly, which must be done of them afte. this sort.' Then follows a long Catechism; and then (fol. 190), -After that one of the children hath rehearsed a full confession of his faith, and hath professed the obedi. ence of Christ before the whole congregation, it shall be sufficient to 2 Before this revision, a rubric had propound questions to the other directed the Curate of every parish, children after this sort: Dost thou in sending the names of the children also, my son, believe and confess, &c. to the Bishop, to specify which of Here it shall suffice, that every one them could say the Articles of the answer thus for himself: I believe of the baptismal vow is addressed to the candidates, confirmation. to be answered by each one for himself. The whole Service is to be said by the Bishop, except only the preface. The Lord's Prayer was at the same time inserted after the action of laying on of hands; and also the Collect, ‘O Almighty Lord, &c.,' before the concluding blessing. the rite. Confirmation occupies an important position in the Meaning e economy of the Church, which is pointed out in the last rubric,1 that it is the admission to full communion. Baptism is administered to infants through the faith and charity of others: but knowledge at least of the elements of Christian truth, and an intelligent promise of Christian obedience, is required of those who come to the Lord's Supper. At the age which is now generally fixed upon for this ordinance, more information is required than the mere ability to repeat the Catechism. This is left to the discretion of the Curate, who is to present to the Bishop such persons within his parish as he shall think fit: the earlier rubric, however, may still be received, so far as to point out the least amount of knowledge which the Curate can accept in a candidate for Confirmation. Other qualities, in the absence of higher knowledge, must be sought in a desire to be admitted to the Holy Communion. SECT. III.—The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony. There is no doubt that Marriage has been solemnized with religious rites from the earliest times of the Christian and confess the same, and yield up myself to Christ and His congregation, trusting in the grace and help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.' 1 This is taken from the rubric in the Sarum Manual, Ritus Baptiz. Maskell, p. 31: 'ltem nullus aebet Matrimony. Marriages forbidden at certain seasons. Publication of Banns. 2 Church. Being also an occasion of rejoicing, it was forbidden in the fourth century, together with other festivities, during the solemn fast of Lent; and in the eleventh century, at many other seasons also. The only seasons now prohibited, not indeed by law, but by custom and propriety, are Lent, and any occasion of a public fast.* The rubrics of the Publication of Banns,5 in the earlier Prayer Books, directed that they should be asked three several Sundays, or Holydays, in the time of Service, the people being present, after the accustomed manner. In 1661, the time of Service was explained to be immediately before the sentences of the Offertory; and the form was also provided in which it should be done. в 1 Tertull. ad Uxor. 11. 8, Opp. p. 5 So called from a barbarous 191: Unde sufficiamus ad enarran- Latin word, signifying an edict, or dam felicitatem ejus matrimonii quod proclamation. Bannum trino sig. ecclesia conciliat, et confirmat obla- nificatu ut plurimum accipitur: ac tio, et obsignat benedictio, angeli primo quidem pro edicto publico, renuntiant, Pater rato habet?' See rursum pro mulcta judiciaria, tertio Bingham, Antiq. XXII. 4; Guericke, denique pro districtu ac jurisdictione.' P. 271. Du Cange, Gloss. 2 Concil. Laodicense, (circa 364) Can. LII.: "OT où deî ev Teσcapaκυστῇ γάμους ἢ γενέθλια ἐπιτελεῖν. Mansi, II. 571. Bingham, XXII. 2, § 14. 3 Between Advent and the Octave of Epiphany, and between Septuagesima and the Octave of Easter; during fourteen days before the Feast of St. John Baptist, during the fasts of the Four Seasons, and on all vigils. Concil. Salegunst. (Selengsted in Franconia, 1022) Can. III.; Mansi, XIX. 397. 6 Non fidabit sacerdos nec consentiet ad fidationem inter virum et mulierem ante tertium dictum bannorum. Debet enim sacerdos banna in facie ecclesiæ infra missarum solemnia cum major populi adfuerit multitudo, per tres dies solemnes et disjunctas, interrogare: ita ut inter unumquemque diem solemnem cadat ad minus una dies ferialis...Et si contrahentes diversarum sint parochiarum, tunc in utraque ecclesia parochiarum illarum sunt banna interroganda.' Manual. Sar. Ordo ad faciendum Sponsalia; Maskell, Mon. Rit. I. p. 44 [54, ed. 1882]. The following clause was proposed to the Convocation (1661), but was not inserted in the Prayer Book: -"By the ecclesiastical laws of this 7 This rubric has been generally realm there be some times in the year supposed to be set aside by the Marwherein marriages are not usually riage Acts (26 Geo. II. c. 33, and solemnized, as from Advent Sunday 4 Geo. IV. c. 76), which say :-'The until eight days after the Epiphany; said banns shall be published upon from Septuagesima Sunday until three Sundays preceding the solemnieight days after Easter; from Roga- zation of Marriage, during the_time tion Sunday until Trinity Sunday.' of Morning Service, or of the EvenSee Cardwell, Synodalia, 1. p. 134, n. ing Service if there be no Morning The commencement of the Service is taken from the Matrimony Sarum Manual:1 In primis statuantur vir et mulier ante ostium ecclesiæ coram Deo, sacerdote, et populo,2 vir a dextris mulieris, et mulier a sinistris viri.3 Tunc interroget sacerdos banna dicens in lingua materna sub hac forma: Ecce convenimus huc, fratres, coram Deo, et angelis, et omnibus sanctis ejus, in facie ecclesiæ, ad conjungendum duo corpora, scilicet hujus viri et hujus mulieris, Hic respiciat sacerdos personas suas, ut a modo sint una caro et duæ animæ in fide et in lege Dei, ad promerendam simul vitam æternam quicquid ante hoc fecerint, Admoneo igitur vos omnes, ut si quis ex vobis qui aliquid dicere sciat quare isti adolescentes legitime contrahere non possint, modo confiteatur. Eadem admonitio fiat ad virum et ad mulierem, ut si quid ab illis occulte actum fuerit, vel si quid devoverint, vel alio modo de se Service in such church or chapel on any of those Sundays, immediately after the Second Lesson.' The rubric does not provide for any publication of banns but during the Communion Office, or that part of it which is directed to be said after the Litany: so that banns could not be asked at all in churches where there was no Morning Service. This is remedied by the Act, which allows a publication under such circumstances in the afternoon, and specifies the most public time in that service in which it must be done. The intention of the law is satisfied by the usual publication after the Second Lesson in the Morning Service. But if the Morning Prayers were said at an earlier hour, and the Litany and the Communion Office formed the principal or midday Service, then surely the banns must be asked in that service, and before the Offertory sentences. Notice of the names and places of abode of the parties may be required to be given to the Minister seven days before the first publication of the banns: Stat. 26 Geo. II. c. 33, s. 2. See Hook, Ch. Dict. art. BANNS OF MARRIAGE. The Irish rubric after the Nicene Creed, or after 1 Ordo ad faciendum Sponsalia. Maskell, Mon. Rit. I. p. 42 [50]. The York Ordo is printed in the York Manual (Surtees Society) p. 24: the Sarum Ordo is in the Ap pendix, p. 17*; the Hereford Ordo, p. 115*; and other ancient Ordines, p. 157*. 2 The direction that their friends proper house, with their friends and 3 This direction about the position |