Chap. VI. they were all in number 209: but where that work lies hid, is not known. the church. Bidding of §. 5. I defigned in this place to have added a paragraph Prayers en-concerning the form of Bidding of Prayers, which the joined by church enjoins, by the fifty-fifth canon, to be used by every Minifter before his Sermon, Lecture, or Homily: and from thence to have taken occafion to have hinted at the irregularity and ill confequences of the Petitionary Form, which is now the general practice. But finding it necesfary to be more particular than I at first forefaw, if I propofed to give any tolerable fatisfaction; the defign immediately fwelled into too large a compass to be inferted in a work of fo general a nature. For this reason I have chofen to publish it in a little treatife by itself: by which means too I hope it will be more known, than if it had only been treated of in a few pages here. For the fake of those who may be defirous to look into the question, I have inferted the title at the bottom of the page 94, not without hopes that my fincere endeavours may contribute a little to put a stop to the custom of praying in the Pulpit, which the reader will there fee has once been attended with fatal confequences, and which has been difcountenanced and prohibited almost in every reign, fince the Reformation, by our governors and superiors both in church and state. ceffary duty. SECT. X. Of the Offertory, or Sentences, and the Rubrics that follow. Almfgiv- AFTER the confeffion of our faith in the Nicene ing, a ne- Creed, or elfe after the improvement of it in the Sermon or Homily, follows the exercife of our charity, without which our Faith would be dead95. The first way of expreffing which, is by dedicating fome part of what God has given us to his ufe and fervice, which is frequently and ftrictly commanded in the Gospel, hath the beft examples for it, and the largest rewards promised to 94 Bidding of Prayer before Sermon, no mark of difaffection to the prefent Government: or, an hiftorical vindication of the fifty-fifth canon. Shewing that the form of Bidding Prayers has been prescribed and enjoined ever fince the Reformation, and conftantly practifed by the greateft divines of our church; and that it has been lately enforced both by his prefent Majefty, and our Right Re- it; being inftead of all the vaft oblations and coftly facri- Sect. X. fices which the Jews did always join with their prayers, and the only chargeable duty to. which Chriftians are obliged. It is, in a word, fo neceffary to recommend our prayers, that St. Paul prescribes 96, and the ancient church, in Juftin Martyr's time, used to have collections every Sunday 97. However, when we receive the Sacrament, it is by no means to be omitted. When the Jews came before the Lord at the folemn feafts, they were not allowed to appear empty; but every man was required to give as he was able, according to the bleffing of the Lord which he had given him 98. And our Saviour (with respect, no doubt, to the holy Table, as Mr. Mede excellently proves") fuppofes that we fhould never come to the Altar without a gift', but always imitate his practice, whofe cuftom of giving Alms at the Paffover made his difciples mistake his words to him that bare the bag. And it is very probable that at the time of receiving the Sacrament were all those large donations of houfes, lands, and money made3. For when thofe firft converts were all united to Chrift and one another in this feaft of love, their very fouls were mingled; they cheerfully renounced their property, and eafily diftributed their goods among those to whom they had given their hearts before. None (of ability) were allowed to receive without giving fomething*; and to reject any man's offering, was to deny him a fhare in the benefit of thofe comfortable mysteries. tences. §. 2. Wherefore, to ftir us up more effectually to imi- The defign tate their pious example, as foon as the Sermon or Ho- of the Sen. mily is ended, the Prieft is directed to return to the Lord's Table, and begin the Offertory, faying one or more of the Sentences following, as he thinketh moft convenient in his difcretion, i. e. according to the length, or fhortness of the time that the people are offering, as it was worded in King Edward's firft Common Prayer, and from thence in the Scotch one*. These * In the Scotch Liturgy Matt. v. 16. Matt. vii. 12. Luke xix. 8. Chap. VI. These are in the place of the Antiphona or Anthem which we find in the old Liturgies after the Gospel, and which, from their being fung whilft the people made their Why called oblations at the Altar, were called Offertory. The SenOffertory, tences which our church has here felected for that pur pofe are fuch as contain inftructions, injunctions, and exhortations to this great duty; fetting before us the neceffity of performing it, and the manner of doing it. Some of them (viz. thofe from the fixth to the tenth inclufively, unless the ninth be excepted) respect the Clergy. And Alms and it was with an eye, I fuppofe, to this difference, that in other De- the laft review there was a diftinction made in the rubric votions, how diftin- that follows thefe Sentences, between the Alms for the guished, Poor, and the other Devotions of the People. In the old I Common Prayer there was only mention made of the latter of thefe, viz. the Devotion of the People, by which Alms for the poor were then meant, as appears from its being then ordered to be put into the poor man's box. But then the Clergy were included in other words, which ordered, that upon the offering-days appointed, every man and woman fhould pay to the Curate the due and accustomed offerings. But of this I fhall have occafion to fay more, when I come to treat of the rubrics at the end of this office. fhall only obferve farther here, that the words Alms for the Poor being added at the last review, by which undoubtedly must be understood all that is given for their relief; it is plain, that by the other Devotions of the People is now intended fomething diftinct from the faid Álms. And if fo, then the offerings for the Clergy, or their share in the collections, muft certainly be meant, as is plain from the defign of the above-mentioned Sentences, which have a direct and immediate regard to them. It is well known that, in the primitive times, the Clergy had a liberal maintenance out of what the people offered upon thefe occafions, Now indeed, whilft they have a stated and legal income, the money collected at these times is Galat. vi. 10. 1 Tim. vi. 7. 1 John iii. 17. with all that follows in our book, are omitted: and Gen. iv. 3. to the middle of the 5th verfe; Exod. xxv. 2. Deut. xvi. 16, 17. 1 Chron. xxix. 10, 11, and part of the 12th, 14th, and the 17th yerfes; Pfalm xcvi. 8. Matt. xii. 41, 42, 43, 44, are added. 6 Vide Menard. in Greg. Sacrament. p. 582. Paris 1642. Vide et Mabillon de Liturgiâ Gallicanâ, p. 8. Paris 1685. 7 Cypr. Ep. 34, 36. generally generally appropriated to the poor: not but that where Sect. X. the ftated income of a parifh is not fufficient to maintain the Clergy belonging to the church, they have still a right to claim their share in these offerings. ner. II. Whilft thefe fentences are in reading, the Deacons, By whom Church-wardens, or other fit perfons, are to receive the Alms to be colfor the Poor, and other Devotions of the People. The Dea- lected. cons are the moft proper perfons for this business, it being the very office for which their order was inftituted'. And for this reafon the Scotch Liturgy does not allow the Church-wardens to do it, but at fuch times when there are no Deacons prefent*. It is now indeed grown a custom And in with us for the Church-wardens to perform this office, what manviz, to gather the Alms and Devotions of the congregation, which, by all the books before the Scotch Liturgy, they were ordered, as I have observed, to put into the poor man's box; not, I prefume, into that fixed in the church, but into a little box which the Church-wardens or fome other proper perfons carried about with them in their hands, as is still the custom at the Temple church in London. Now indeed they are ordered to make use of a decent bafon to be provided by the parish for that purpose. With which, in moft places, especially here in town, they go to the feveral feats and pews of the congregation. Though in other places they collect at the entrance into the chancel, where the people make their offerings as they draw towards the Altar. This laft way feems the most conformable to the practice of the primitive church, which, in pursuance of a text delivered by our Saviour 10, ordered that the people fhould come up to the rails of the Altar, and there make their offerings to the Priest". And with an eye, I fuppofe, to this practice, the Deacons, or Church-wardens, or whofoever they be that collect the Alms and other Devotions of the people, are ordered by the prefent rubric to bring it reverently to the Priest, (as in their name,) who is humbly to prefent and place * Whilft the Prefbyter diftinctly pronouncetb fome or all of thefe Sentences for the Offertory, the Deacon, or (if no fuch be prefent) one of the Church-wardens, Jball receive the Devotions of the Peoplet bere prefent in a bafon provided for that purpose. Scotch Liturgy. 8 Rubric after the Sentences. 9 Acts vi. 10 Matt. v. 23. 11 Greg. Naz. in Laud. Bafilii Orat, 20, tom. i. Theodoret. de Theodofio. Chap. VI. it upon the holy Table*; in conformity to the practice of the ancient Jews, who, when they brought their gifts and facrifices to the Temple, offered them to God by the hands of the Prieft. The Bread by whom ble. III. And if there be a Communion, the Prieft is then alfo and Wine to place upon the Table fo much Bread and Wine as he shall when and think fufficient. Which rubric being added to our own to be placed Liturgy at the fame time with the word Oblations, in the on the Ta- prayer following, (i. e. at the last review,) it is clearly evident, as Bishop Patrick has obferved "2, that by that word are to be understood the elements of Bread and Wine, which the Priest is to offer folemnly to God, as an acknowledgment of his fovereignty over his creatures, and that from thenceforth they might become properly and peculiarly his. For in all the Jewish facrifices, of which the people were partakers, the viands or materials of the feaft were firft made God's by a folemn oblation, and then afterwards eaten by the Communicants, not as man's, but as God's provifion; who, by thus entertaining them at his own Table, declared himself reconciled and again in covenant with them. And therefore our bleffed Saviour, when he instituted the new facrifice of his own body and blood, firft gave thanks and bleffed the Elements, i. e. offered them up to God as Lord of the creatures, as the moft ancient fathers expound that paffage: who, for that reafon, whenever they celebrated the holy Eucharist, always offered the Bread and Wine for the Communion to God, upon the Altar, by this, or fome fuch fhort ejaculation, Lord, we offer thee thy own, out of what thou haft bountifully given us 13. After which they received them, as it were, from him again, in order to convert them into the facred banquet of the Body and Blood of his dear Son 1. In the ancient church, they had generally a Side-Table near the Altar, upon which the elements were laid till the first part of the Communion service was over, at which the Catechumens were allowed to be prefent; but when they were gone, the elements were removed and placed * In the Scotch Liturgy, And when all have offered, be ball reverently bring the Bafon with the Oblations therein, and deliver it to the Prefbyter, bo fhall bumbly prefent it before the Lord, and fet the holy Table. it upon 12 Chriftian Sacrifice, p. 77. 14 See this proved in Mr. Mede's Chriftian Sacrifice, c. 8. p. 372, &c. upon |