of the dew which distil in the morning."-Stillingfleet's Origines Sacræ, Book II. chap. 7, p. 141.

By these comments, should not the latter part of the verse rather run thus ?—The birth of thy womb is as the dew of the morning.

The proper Psalm for the Morning Service for Good Friday, instead of the 40th, is the 60th, &c. And if the Archbishop and the Bishop of London had not lately interposed, and taken some care about these affairs, we should in a very little time have been forced to have recourse to the Scotch editions. An Oxford one was formerly very valuable, and might no doubt be so again, if the delegates of the press would but resume their power of appointing correctors of it. A General Thanksgiving.

This is said to be composed by Bishop Saunderson. Though the particular clause in this is only ordered to be said, when any that have been prayed for desire to return praise: yet has it been used for women that come to be churched, besides the thanksgiving after child-birth.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom.

This prayer, as it is put up by the minister for the people, is usually read with a different, i. e. a lower voice, than the rest. As is the address, or the humble access to the Holy Communion :do not presume," &c.

"We

The order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion.

As we have already seen that the morning and evening services were agreeable to divine canons, in the delivery of God's own law; so has our Church ordered every Lord's-day to be celebrated with more services, from the same law, than any of those ordinary days. "And on the Sabbath-day, two lambs of the first year, without spot, and two tenth deales of flour, for a meat-offering, mingled with oil and the drink-offering thereof."

In choirs this service is performed at the communion table, after the playing of a voluntary, or the singing of the Trisagium, i. e. the "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory.-Glory be to thee, O Lord most high."

In parish churches it is said at the communion table too, where it can conveniently be there said after the singing of a psalm.

So many as intend to be partakers of the Holy Communion, shall signify their names to the Curate at least some time the day before.

If this was any ways executed, the minister would not only know how to place upon the table so much bread and wine as he should think sufficient, but it would likewise prevent some open and notorious evil livers from communicating, before the congregation were satisfied of their repentance; as it might also the coming of some persons from other churches. There was not long ago, in Hants, a quack doctor and surgeon, who was frequently known to thrust himself into some neighbouring church or other, that never went to his own, nor indeed any where else, though the canon expressly says,

that none shall come from another church, and that the churchwardens shall assist the minister in making a discovery of such persons. Canon 28.

The table at the communion time having a fair white linen cloth upon it, shall stand in the body of the church, or in the chancel, where Morning and Evening Prayer are appointed to be said.

By Canon 82, the table is to be covered in time of divine service, with a carpet of silk, or other decent stuff; and with a fair linen cloth at the time of the ministration of the holy sacrament. This fair white linen cloth upon the communion table is called Palla Altaris, as the fair linen cloth that covers the elements, when all have communicated, is called the Corporal or Corporis Palla.

And the Priest standing at the north side of the table shall say the Lord's Prayer, with the Collect following, the people kneeling.

When we were upon the Rubrick before the first Lord's Prayer, we took notice that there was such a general order there, that it might be imagined that there would be no occasion for any further directions about that; but amongst the several that we meet with afterwards, this now before us is one, and which we promised then to say something of, when we came to the service itself.

And the Priest standing at the north side of the table

For all this plain direction, how often do we see in some of the greatest churches, nay, in some of our choirs, nay, in some Cathedral Churches, the officiating person, kneeling here, at the Collects for the King, and at the Prayer for the Church Militant here on Earth!

shall say the Lord's Prayer, with the Collect following, the people kneeling.

From hence we here observe, that the Minister may be supposed to say the Lord's Prayer, Amen, and all by himself (the Amen not being differently printed) with the Collect following.

Then shall the Priest, turning to the people, rehearse distinctly, i. e. clearly, plainly, (or perhaps with something of a pause between them) all the Ten Commandments.

Then shall follow one of these two Collects for the King, the Priest standing as before, and saying, Let us pray.

From " standing as before," some read the Collect standing, as they rehearsed the Commandments. But if that was designed, there would nothing have been said here. Standing as before, refers to the Priest standing at the north side of the table, before he is ordered to turn to the people. When the Commandments are read by him, he directs himself to the people; when he comes to the Collects, he directs himself to the Almighty by prayer.

After the Collect for the day, the Priest shall read the Epistle, saying, The Epistle, or if the word FOR is before it, then saying, The portion of Scripture appointed for the Epistle, is written in the chap.

of, beginning at the

verse. And the Epistle ended, he

shall say, Here endeth the Epistle, or the portion of, &c.

What may occasion some people's still saying after it, "Glory be to thee, O Lord," &c. "Thanks be given to God," was its being ordered so in King Edward's time.

Then shall be read the Gospel (the people all standing up) saying, The Holy Gospel is written, &c. And the Gospel ended, shall be sung or said the Creed following, the people still standing as before, without saying any thing, after the Gospel is ended, as there is after the Epistle; the Gospel being supposed to be continued on in the Creed.

Then shall the Curate declare unto the people what Holidays or Fasting days are in the week following to be observed, i. e. lest the people should be for observing such days as were abrogated by law.

Some Holidays are retained in our calendar, dedicated to persons of sanctity, as days for payment of rent; or were remarkable in the course of the law, or adapted to some other secular account; but without any regard of being kept holy by the Church.

By the Fasting days here, are chiefly meant those in the Table of the Vigils or Fasts, and days of abstinence. Not but that Government fasts and thanksgivings are to be given notice of here; but not by reading the proclamation, but the minister says, By a Proclamation sent by the Bishop, as enjoined by the King and Council, I give notice, &c.

And then also, if occasion be, shall notice be given of the Communion.

The Author of a Rational Illustration of the Book of Common Prayer is of opinion, that it was the intent of the Revisers, that when there was nothing in the Sermon itself preparatory to the Communion, both this and the other Rubrick should be complied with, viz. by giving notice in this place, that there will be a Communion on such a day, and then reading the exhortation after sermon is ended. See chap. vi. sect. 8. p. 282.

If the minister that is to officiate the next Sunday be there to read the exhortation after sermon is ended, there is very little occasion of notice being given here.

If occasion be, rather signifies, that the Curate that officiates then, may be only a Deacon, or it may be a stranger, that is not to administer the Sacrament the next Sunday; and then it is most proper to have notice of the Communion given here, and the Banns of Matrimony published, and Briefs, Citations, and Excommunications read.

The Banns of Matrimony are not to be denied now, but the right time is when the persons are marrying.

It looks very likely, that whatever is ordered here, was designed to be done only on Sundays.

The obligation for the reading a whole Brief cannot be well supposed. The congregation must needs be excited to a much higher degree of charity than ordinary, to have those paragraphs read to

them that respect Quakers, or separate congregations, or by hearing a parcel of justices or commissioners' names, that are perhaps dead or else removed. The sum, with the particular circumstances of any Brief, is as much as can be fairly required.

And nothing shall be proclaimed or published in the Church, during the time of divine service, but what is prescribed in the rules of this

Book, or enjoined by the King, or by the Ordinary of the place.

The use that some would make of this is, that the King, or Bishop of the diocese, may add or alter. No; the word enjoined only respects proclamations, or other such notices, as the alteration of the names of the King, Queen, or Royal Progeny, and hath no relation to the service, it being unlawful to make any other alteration, but by the whole Convocation and Parliament, as it is ordered in the Act of Uniformity.

Then shall the Priest return to the Lord's Table, and begin the Offertory, saying one or more of these sentences following, as he thinketh most convenient in his discretion, i. e. when there is no Communion he may think it convenient to say the first, second, third, fourth, or eleventh, of these sentences.

When there is a Communion, whilst as many of these sentences are in reading as will suffice for the alms and oblations to be collected, the Deacons, Churchwardens, or other fit persons appointed for that purpose, shall receive the alms for the poor, and other devotions of the people.

Other devotions of the people being mentioned after alms for the poor, and alms or oblations in the following prayer; and the sentences, from the sixth to the ninth, respecting only the maintenance of ministers, and which are therefore omitted in all chapels or collegiate churches, it should seem that there was a collection designed for the use of the minister, especially where the stated incomes are not a competent maintenance.

St. Paul prescribes, and the ancient Church used to have, collections every Sunday; however, no Church should fail of a collection every Sacrament day, be there never so little collected.

And reverently bring it to the Priest, who shall humbly present and place it upon the table, i. e. he shall appropriate it to holy uses: as whoever gave any lands or endowments to the service of God, the tender of it was made upon the altar by the donor on his knees.

And when there is a Communion, the Priest shall then place upon the table so much bread and wine as he shall think sufficient.

The order for their being covered, is after all have communicated. At the time of the celebration of the Communion, the Communicants being conveniently placed for receiving of the Holy Sacrament, the Priest shall say this Exhortation.

Whilst this Exhortation is reading in most places, the people continue kneeling, notwithstanding they have a particular instruction so

to do, at the end of what follows it: "And make your humble confession to Almighty God, meekly kneeling upon your knees."

Then shall the Priest, kneeling down at the Lord's Table, and addressing himself (after silence kept for a space) with a submissive voice to the throne of grace, say in the name of all them that shall receive the Communion, this Prayer following.

When the Priest, standing before the table, has so ordered the bread and wine, that he may with the more readiness and decency break the bread before the people, and take the cup into his hands, he shall say the Prayer of Consecration as followeth.

The word say is the same with standing, unless it is otherwise expressly ordered, as in the office of Baptism. "Then shall the Priest Let us pray." say, "After the two Collects, then shall the people stand up." So that he stood. After the child is received into the Church," then shall be said all kneeling;" after which, "Then shall the Priest say." But then it comes afterwards, "Then all standing up;" so that Priest and people kneel, for all the word, say. In the old Common Prayer Book, printed at the Restoration, it is thus: "Then the Priest standing up, shall say." Standing is a more proper posture as well as a more commodious one, than kneeling, at the consecration of the elements; the consecration of them being always esteemed an act of authority.

Here the Priest is to take the paten into his hands-and here to break the bread—and here to lay his hand upon all the bread, i. e. He shall take the paten into his left hand, and then break the bread there; and then only lay his hand upon the bread in any other paten. The same he is to do by the cup, holding it in his left hand, and not setting it down till the end of the Prayer.

Then shall the Minister first receive the Communion in both kinds himself, and then proceed to deliver the same to the Bishops, Priests, and Deacons in like manner, i. e. that they may help the chief minister. Such communicate within the rails.

Then shall the Priest say the Lord's Prayer, the people repeating after him (instead of with him) every petition.

After shall be said as followeth.

Though the Prayer of Oblation, by the first book of Edward VI. was placed after the Prayer of Consecration, and not as it now is after the participation, yet for the most part does it take place of the other, notwithstanding that the last, as a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, is more full of acknowledgments for the benefits just received, and therefore more proper to be oftener used than the other.

Then shall be said or sung.

It is highly noble, that all the devout communicants should, after so spiritual a feast, pour out their souls in joint praises to God, and with the minister unite their voices in this divine hymn of " Glory be to God on high," &c.