PRESENT jubilant character of the Service is deferred: the attitude THE of prayer and supplication befits those who shall partake OFFICE. of these mysteries, at each step of their approach to the table of the Lord. Here is, therefore, placed the Prayer of Humble Access, in which we again solemnly acknowledge our unworthiness of the mercies which we hope to receive through the unmerited kindness of our God and Saviour, in the cleansing of our sinful bodies and souls by the Body and Blood of Christ. The elements of The Canon. Bread and Wine are then consecrated by the Word of God and prayer; the prayer of the faithful being offered by the Priest, and the words in which this Sacrament was instituted being pronounced, according to the practice of the primitive Church, and following as closely as possible the actions of our blessed Lord. The material elements, being thus set apart for a sacred use, are delivered into the hands of the kneeling people, since this posture most befits us when we are to receive a pardon which is needed to deliver us from death eternal. The post-Communion, like the ante-Communion, com- The postmences with the Lord's Prayer; the doxology being here added, because it begins an Office of thanksgiving. For this Service of praise two forms are provided: the first is principally designed to give expression to a feeling like St. Paul's', who 'beseeches us by the mercies of God, to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, as our reasonable service;' for since Christ has given Himself for us, and now has given Himself to us, it is just and reasonable that we should offer up ourselves, our body and our soul, as dedicated to His will,—a sacrifice which is indeed the end of all our devotions. This Thanksgiving was originally the 1 Rom. xii. 1. Communion. THE PRESENT conclusion of the Canon; where, coming after the ConOFFICE. secration, and before Communion, it was taken to imply an oblation of the consecrated elements, or a material, though commemorative, sacrifice. In King Edward's Second Prayer-Book, therefore, it was removed into a position where it can have no such meaning, but implies a strictly spiritual sacrifice of praise, and an oblation of the worshippers to the service of God'. The second form of Thanksgiving consists more entirely of praise for the mercies which are assured to us in this Sacrament; yet it also includes a very earnest prayer for perseverance and fruitfulness in good works. The Office then concludes with the great doxology, or song of praise for the mercies of redemption, as our Lord sung an hymn with His disciples after the Passover; and finally with the Blessing, in which the ancient giving of the Peace is preserved in the words of Scripture, and the example of our Lord is followed, who parted from His disciples in the act of blessing them. Roman influence could not introduce the rubric which orders the worship of the transubstantiated Element. The Roman rubric is, -Prolatis verbis Consecrationis, statim Hostiam consecratam genuflexus adorat; surgit, ostendit populo. The Sarum rubric only directs,-Post hæc verba elevet eam supra frontem, ut possit a populo videri...; and that which Mr. Maskell supposes to be the Bangor Missal, and which prefaces the words, Hoc est enim Corpus meum,'-by a rubric, Hæc sunt verba consecrationis, only adds,Post hæc verba inclinet se sacerdos ad hostiam, et elevet... Maskell, Anc. Lit. pp. 92 sq. See the corresponding rubrics after the consecration of the Cup, pp. 96 sq. CHAPTER IV. The Baptismal Offices. SECT. I.-The Ministration of Public Baptism of Infunts, to be used in the Church. THE following portion of the Prayer-Book corresponds to the Manual and Pontifical of the medieval period:the one containing the Occasional Offices which fell within the duty of the parish Priest; and the other, those which the Bishop only might perform. ciendum menum.' Our Service for the Public Baptism of Infants' cor- The Mediresponds to three Offices in the Sarum Manual ;-Ordo aval Office. ad faciendum Catechumenum, Benedictio Fontis, and Ritus baptizandi'. The first of these contained many ordo ad faceremonies at the church-door, such as the placing salt Catechu in the mouth, exorcism, and signings of the cross, ending with the recitation of the Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, and Creed. Then the Priest took the child's right hand, and introduced him into the church as a complete Catechumen. In practice this formed the commencement of the Baptismal Service, which then proceeded, at the Ritus hapti font, with the questions addressed to the sponsors3, the anointing with oil, baptism, the anointing with chrism, 1 See an account of the baptismal ceremonies of the early Church in Guericke, Manual, § 31, pp. 224 sqq.; Bingham, Antiq. Bk. XI. For the administration of this sacrament to infants, see Dr. Wall's Hist. of Infant-Baptism; Hooker, Eccl. Pol. v. lviii.-lxiv. 2 Maskell, Mon. Rit. I. pp. 1. sqq.; Fallow, Baptismal Offices Illustrated, pp. 3 sqq. Godparents-(formerly gossips -God-sibs or God-relations)-sponsores, fide jussores, àvádoxoi, susceptores are probably coeval with the practice of baptizing not only the infant children of Christians, but foundlings rejected by their heathen parents. They are mentioned by Tertullian, De Baptismo, c. 18. Opp. p. 264; Guericke, p." 240; Bingham, XI. 8. zandi.' BAPTISM OF INFANTS. Fontis.' PUBLIC the putting on the chrisom, and placing a lighted taper in the child's hand. If a Bishop were present, Confirmation was then administered. A Gospel from St. Mark was read, as a protection from the falling-sickness; Benedictio followed by another Gospel from St. John'. The water in the font was changed on the Saturdays before Easterday and Whit-Sunday, and at other times, as often as might be required, but not while it continued pure and clean. The form for consecrating the fresh water consisted of the invocations of a Litany, Prayers, and many ceremonies, breathing upon the water, and putting into it wax, oil, and chrism. The Reformed Office indebted to Luther. In preparing a Reformed Service of Baptism, much use was made of the previous labours of Bucer and Melancthon in the Consultation' of Archbishop Hermann'; and some ceremonies, which had the authority of that treatise, were retained in 1549, although afterwards discarded. The first rubric was originally longer, and in the form of an Introduction to the Office:-'It appeareth by ancient writers that the Sacrament of Baptism in the Solemn times old time was not commonly ministered but at two times in the year, at Easter and Whitsuntide3, at which times of Baptism. 1 Mark ix. 17-29; John i. 1— 14. 2 Hermann's Baptismal Service, borrowed word for word from Luther's Taufbüchlein (Daniel, Cod. Liturg. Eccl. Luth. p. 185), is printed at length in Mr. Fallow's Baptismal Offices Illustrated, pp. 29 sqq.; and also a comparative view of the Offices in the Sarum Manual, in Hermann's Consultation, and in the English PrayerBooks of 1549 and 1552. Mr. Bulley (Communion and Baptismal Offices, pp. 90 sqq.) gives the Offices of 1549, 1552, and 1662, and also that in the Prayer-Book for Scotland (1637). 3 At Easter, in remembrance of Christ's resurrection, of which Baptism is a figure; and at Whitsuntide, in remembrance of the three thousand souls baptized by the Apostles at that time. In the Eastern Church, the feast of Epiphany was also assigned for the administration of this sacrament, in memory of our Saviour's Bap tism. About the 8th or 9th century the Latin Church began to it was openly ministered in the presence of all the congregation: which custom (now being grown out of use) although it cannot for many considerations be well restored again, yet it is thought good to follow the same as near as conveniently may be: wherefore the people are to be admonished, that it is most convenient that Baptism should not be ministered but upon Sundays and other Holy-days', &c.' Since the custom of observing solemn times of Baptism had long been disused, the mention of the custom was omitted in 1661. PUBLIC BAPTISM OF INFANTS. It was enough to specify the things which were necessary, which are, that the rite be administered at the font on a Sunday or a Holy-day, 'when the most number of people come together;' that the time in the Service be after the Second Lesson at Morning or Evening Prayer; and that three sponsors be required for each child2; Sponsors. notice must also be given by the parents at least before the beginning of Morning Prayer3. At the last revision administer Baptism (as at first) at all times of the year. Wheatly. " We will that Baptism be ministered only upon the Sundays and Holy-days, when the whole congregation is wont to come together, if the weakness of the infants let not the same, so that it is to be feared that they will not live till the next Holy-day.' Hermann's Consultation, fol. 164. 2 The rubric in the Sarum Manual was, 'Non plures quam unus vir et una mulier debent accedere ad suscipiendum parvulum de sacro fonte...nisi alia fuerit consuetudo approbata: tamen ultra tres amplius ad hoc nullatenus recipiantur: Maskell, Mon. Rit. I. p. 31. Our present rule, however, was the ancient custom in this country: Synod. Wigorn. (1240) cap. 5, 'Masculum ad minus duo mas culi et una mulier suscipiant; foe- 3 Hermann's Consultation, fol. |