Chap. VI. Participation: but it was always placed Altar-wife in the moft facred part of the church, and fenced in with rails to fecure it from irreverence and disrespect. 66 66 But at the beginning of the Reformation, an unhappy difpute arofe, viz. Whether thofe tables of the Altarfashion, which had been used in the Popish times, and on which Maffes had been celebrated, fhould ftill be continued this point was firft ftarted by Bifhop Hooper, who in a fermon before the King in the fourth year of his reign, declared, "That it would do well, that it might please the magiftrate, to turn Altars into Tables according "to the firft inftitution of Chrift; to take away the falfe "perfuafion of the people, which they have of Sacrifice, "to be done upon the Altars; for as long, fays he, as "Altars remain, both the ignorant people, and the igno❝rant and evil perfuaded priest will always dream of Sacrifice" This occafioned not only a couple of letters from the King and Council, one of which was fent to all the Bishops, and the other to Ridley Bishop of London; (in both which they were required to pull down the Altars ;) but also that, when the Liturgy was reviewed in 1551, the abovefaid rubric was altered, and in the room of it the present one was inferted, viz. The Table having at the Communion time 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 faid. And the Prieft ftanding at the North fide of the Table, fhall fay the Lord's Prayer with the Collect following. But this did not put an end to the controverfy; another dispute arifing, viz. Whether the Table placed in the room of the Altar ought to ftand Altar-wife, i. e. in the fame place and fituation as the Altar formerly flood? This was the occafion that in fome churches the Tables were placed in the middle of the chancels, in others at the East part thereof next to the wall; fome again placing it endwife, and others placing it at length 66. Bishop Ridley endeavoured to compromise this matter, and therefore, in St. Paul's Cathedral, fuffered the Table to ftand in the place of the old Altar; but beating down the wainscot partition behind, laid all the choir open to the Eaft, leaving the table then to ftand in the middle of the chancel 67, 65 See Heylin's Antidot. Lincoln. page 105. 66 Huggard's Difplay of Proteftants, page 81, printed Anno 1556, as cited in Heylin's Antidot. Lincoln. page 50. 67 Acts and Monuments, Part II. P. 700. which indeed was more agreeable to the primitive cuf- Sect. I. tom 68. Under this diverfity of ufage, things went on till the death of King Edward; when Queen Mary coming to the throne, Altars were again reftored wherever they had been demolished: but her reign proving fhort, and Queen Elizabeth fucceeding her, the people, (just got free again from the tyranny of Popery,) through a mistaken zeal, fell in a tumultuous manner to the pulling down of Altars: though indeed this happened for the generality only in private churches, they not being meddled with in any of the Queen's Palaces, and in but very few of the Cathedrals. And as foon as the Queen was fenfible_of what had happened in other places, fhe put out an Injunction 69 to reftrain the fury of the people, declaring it to be no matter of great moment, whether there were Altars or Tables, fo that the Sacrament was duly and reverently administered; but ordering, that where an Altar was taken down, a holy Table Jhould be decently made, and fet in the place where the Altar ftood, and there commonly covered as thereto belonged, and as fhould be appointed by the Vifitor, and fo to ftand, faving when the communion of the Sacrament was to be diftributed; at which time the fame was to be placed in good fort within the Chancel, as thereby the Minifter might be more conveniently heard of the Communicants in his prayer and miniftration, and the Communicants alfo more conveniently and in more number communicate with the faid Minifter. And after the Communion done, from time to time the fame holy Table was to be placed where it ftood before. Now it is plain from this injunction, as well as from the eighty-fecond canon of the church, (which is almoft verbatim the fame,) that there is no obligation arifing from this rubric to move the Table at the time of the Communion, unless the people cannot otherwise conveniently hear and communicate. The injunction declares, that the holy Table is to be fet in the fame place where the Altar ftood, which every one knows was at the Eaft end of the chancel. And when both the injunction and canon speak of its being moved at the time of the Communion, it supposes that the minifter could not otherwife be heard: the interpofition of a belfry between the chancel and body of the church (as I have already obferved, page 108, &c.) hindering the minifter in fome churches from being heard by the people, if he continued 68 See Bingham's Antiquities, 1.8. c. 6. §. 11. 69 See the Injunction in Bishop Sparrow's Collection, page 84. Chap. VI. in the chancel. So that we are not under any obligation to move the Table, unless neceffity requires. But whenever the churches are built fo as the Minifter can be heard, and conveniently adminifter the Sacrament at the place where the Table usually stands, he is rather obliged to administer in the chancel, as appears from the rubric before the Commandments, as alfo from that before the Abfolution, by both which rubrics the Priest is directed to turn himself to the People. From whence I argue, that if the Table be in the middle of the church, and the People confequently round about the Minifter, the Minifter cannot turn himfelf to the People any more at one time than another. Whereas if the Table be clofe to the Eaft wall, the Minister stands on the North fide, and looks Southward, and confequently, by looking Weftward, turns himself to the People. The Prieft why to of the Table. §. 4. Wherever it be placed, the Prieft is obliged to ftand at the ftand at the North fide, (or end thereof, as the Scotch LiNorth fide turgy expreffes it; which alfo orders, that it shall ftand at the uppermost part of the Chancel or Church,) the defign of which is, that the Prieft may be the better seen and heard; which, as our Altars are now placed, he cannot be but at the North or South fide. And therefore the North fide, being the right-hand or upper fide of the Altar, is certainly the moft proper for the officiating Priest, that fo the affifting Minifter (if there be one) may not be obliged to ftand above him. And Bishop Beveridge has fhewn that wherever, in the ancient Liturgies, the Minifter is directed to stand before the Altar, the North fide of it is always meant 70. The Table to be covered with a §. 5. The covering of the Altar with a fair white linen cloth, at the time of the celebration of the Lord's Supper, linen cloth. was a primitive practice ", enjoined at first, and retained ever fince for its decency. In the Sacramentary of St. Gregory 22, this covering is called Palla Altaris, the Pall of the Altar: to diftinguish it, I fuppofe, from the Corporis Palla, or the cloth that was thrown over the confecrated Elements. And the Scotch Liturgy orders, that the holy Table at the Communion time should have a carpet, and a fair white linen cloth upon it, with other decent furniture, meet for the high myfteries there to be celebrated. And by our own canons 73, at all other times, when divine fer 70 Bev. Pande&t. vol. ii. page 76. §. 15. See alfo Renaudotius's Liturgies, tom ii. p. 24. 71 Optat. Milev. 1. 6. p. 113. Hieron. in Ep. ad Nepotianum. vice is performed, it is to be covered with a carpet of filk, Śect.I. or rather decent ftuff, thought meet by the Ordinary of the place, if any question be made of it; which was originally defigned for the clean keeping of the faid [white linen] cloth; though the chief ufe of it now is for ornament and decency. SECT. II. Of the Lord's Prayer. the office. THERE can be no fitter beginning for this facred or- Why used dinance, which fo peculiarly challengeth Chrift for at the beits author, than that divine prayer which owes its origi-ginning of nal to the fame perfon, and which St. Jerom tells us 75, Chrift taught his Apoftles, on purpofe that they fhould ufe it at the holy Communion. To which the primitive fathers thought it fo peculiarly adapted, that they generally expounded that petition, Give us this day our daily Bread, of the Body of Chrift, the Bread of Life, which in thofe times they daily received for the nourishment of their fouls 76. SECT. III. Of the Collect for Purity. Command ments. As the people were to be purified before the first pub- Why used lication of the Law 77, fo muft we have clean hearts be- before the fore we be fit to hear it; left, if our minds be impure, Sin take occafion by the Commandment to stir up concupifcence 78 : for prevention of which, when the Commandments were added in the second book of King Edward, it was thought proper that this form fhould immediately precede them; not but that the form itself was in our first Liturgy, and, as far as appears, in the oldeft offices of the Weftern church. SECT. IV. Of the Ten Commandments. THESE divine precepts of the moral Law as much How aptly oblige Chriftians as they did the Jews: we vowed to placed here. keep them at our baptifm, and we renew that vow at every Communion : and therefore it is very fit we should hear them often, and especially at those times when we 74 See an order of Queen Eliza beth, A. D. 1561, in Heylin's Antidot, Lincoln. page 45. 75 Hieron, adv. Pelag. 1. 3. c. 5. tom. ii. P. 596. C. 76 Tert. de Orat. Dom. c.6. p. 131. D. 132. A. Cyprian. in Orat. Dom. p. 146, 147. 77 Exod. xix. 14. are Chap. VI. are going to make fresh engagements to observe them. Upon which account, fince we are to confefs all our fins before we come to this bleffed Sacrament of pardon, the church prudently directs the Minister, now standing in the most holy place, to turn himself to the People *, and from thence, like another Mofes from Mount Sinai, to convey God's Laws to them, by rehearsing diftinctly all the Ten Commandments; by which, as in a glass, they may discover all their offences, and, ftill kneeling, may, after every Commandment, afk God mercy for their tranfgreffion thereof (i. e. as the Scotch Liturgy expreffes it, of every duty therein, either according to the letter, or to the mystical importance of the faid Commandment) for the time past, and grace to keep the fame for the time to come ↑. SECT. V. Of the two Collects for the King. The Col. ST. Paul feems to command that we fhould pray for lects for the Kings in all our prayers 79 and in the primitive church King. the Com mand ments. they always fupplicated for their Princes at the time of the celebration of the holy Eucharift so; where, by virtue of the facrifice of Chrift's death commemorated, those great requests might be likely to prevail. : Whyplaced §. 2. In our Liturgy thefe prayers do not (as in the next after Roman Miffal) disturb the prayer of Confecration, but, as the office is now compiled, are more conveniently placed here the King is Cuftos utriufque tabulæ, defender of both tables of the Law, and therefore we properly pray for him juft after the Commandments. Nor do our prayers for him lefs aptly precede the daily Collect: fince when we have prayed for outward profperity to the church, the confequent of the King's welfare, we may very seasonably in the Collect pray for inward grace, to make it completely happy 1. For variety here are two prayers, but * This direction of turning to the People was first added in the Scotch Liturgy. These latter words, for the time past, &c. were added at the laft review though indeed no part of the rubric, nor of the Commandments themselves, were in the first book of King Edward VI. nor, as far as I can find, in any ancient Liturgy. In all the former Common Prayer-Books, except the Scotch, it seems as if the Collect for the day was used before that for the King. For the old rubric was this: Then fhall follow the Collect for the Day, with one of these two Collects following for the King. 79 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2. 80 Liturg. S. Jacob. S. Chryf. S. Baf. Vide Eufeb. de Vita Conftant. 1. 4. C. 45. p. 549. they |