Chap. XI. the feat of bliss, must pass through the dominion of evil Spirits, who are ready, to be fure, to fnatch at and feize all unhappy fouls who approach their territories, without a guard of holy angels to preferve them from their power, and to conduct them fafe to a place of repofe". For this reason, because there are but few, who, at the inftant of departure, are able to implore this protection for themfelves; therefore our church, in imitation of the faints of former ages 22, calls in the minister, and others who are at hand, to affift their brother in his laft extremity. In order to this the directs, that when any is paffing out of this life, a Bell fhall be tolled, and the minifter fhall not then be flack The Paff to do his laft duty 23. The Paffing-Bell indeed is now geing-Bell, why order- nerally disused, and only the fhort Peal continued, which the canon orders to be rung after the Party's death. But the former was certainly of much more ufe, to give notice to all within the found of it, to put up their last and most affectionate prayers for their dying neighbour, and to help their friend in thofe extremities, which themselves muft affuredly one day feel. However, if their prayers are wanted, it is more requifite that the minister should be more diligent in his, who fhould therefore conftantly be fent for, when these agonies approach, that fo, by the use of this excellent compofure, he may affift the dying foul in its flight to God, and alarm the living by fuch an example of mortality. ed. The Prayer troubled in in Confcience. IV. The fourth and last of these prayers is, for perfons for perfons troubled in Mind or Confcience. For when any become Mind and melancholy through bodily distempers, or by evil principles are troubled with difmal and falfe apprehenfions of God, or are too much disturbed in their inward peace and quiet, through a dreadful fenfe of their former fins; it is fit that the fpiritual phyfician fhould be called, that he may discreetly apply the promises of God, and endeavour to obtain his confolation and mercy for the dejected penitent's deplorable ftate: to which purpose the prayer, that is here provided, is very pertinent and useful. 21 Vide Juft. Mart. Dial. cum Tryph. p. 333. Compare alfo Eph. ii. 2. and vi. 12. with Luke xvi. 22. 22 Poffidon. in vita Auguft. c. 31. 23 Canon LXVII. APPENDIX TO CHAP. XI. OF THE COMMUNION OF THE SICK. SECT. I. Of the general Rubric. ral to for com FOR ORASMUCH as all mortal men be fubject to many fud- Appendix den perils, difeafes and ficknesses, and ever uncertain what time they shall depart out of this life; therefore to the intent Chap. XI. they may be always in a readiness to die, whenfoever it shall The genepleafe Almighty God to call them, the Curates are diligently for rubric from time to time (but especially in the time of Peftilence or municating other infectious fickness) to exhort the Parishioners to the often the Sick. receiving of the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Chrift, when it shall be publicly adminiftered in the Church; that fo doing they may, in cafe of fudden Vifitation, have the lefs caufe to be difquieted for lack of the fame. But if the fick perfon be not able to come to the Church, and yet is defirous to receive the Communion in his Houfe, then he must give timely notice to the Curate; who, in fuch a cafe, is here directed to celebrate and adminifter this holy Sacrament to him; which is exactly conformable to the Agreeable moft early practice of the primitive church: for there is to the prac nothing more frequently mentioned by the ancient writ-tice of the ers, than the care of the church to diftribute the Eucha-Church. rift to all dying perfons that were capable of receiving it. They esteemed it the greatest unhappiness that could be for any one to die before he had been fupplied with this 'Epódiov, or Viaticum, (as the ancient canons 24 frequently call it,) i. e. the necessary preparation or provifion for the road, for those that are going to their eternal home. For this reason even those who were under the censures of the church, and were fufpended from the Eucharift in the time of their health, were yet allowed to communicate, if any danger of death furprised them, before they had finished their ftated penances. Nay, about the fifth century this was carried fo high, that fome were for forcing the elements into the mouths of those that were dead: but this was foon cenfured by feveral councils, which or 24 Concil. Nicen. 1. Can. 13. Concil. Arauf. 1. Can. 3. Concil. Agathenf, Can. 11. 25 Vide Canones citat. in Not. (q) et Greg. Nyff. Ep. ad Letoium Meli. tenef. Can. 5. tom. i. p. 953. A. dered Hh 2 Appendix dered that practice to be discontinued 26. However, the to care of the church to communicate the Sick has been Chap. XI. equally the fame in all ages. And indeed that she looks upon this not only as convenient, but as highly neceffary, may be gathered from the difpenfation that she grants with the canons, purely to fecure it. Private tion of the §. 2. For though administering the communion in priConfecra- vate houses be forbid by the canons of 160327, as well as Elements, by thofe of ancient times 28, under the feverest penalties; how far yet there is an exception made in the case of sickness; allowed. upon which occafion, both the canons above mentioned, and this present rubric, allow the Curate (having a convenient place in the fick man's house, with all things neceffary So prepared, that he may reverently minifter) there to celebrate the holy Communion. This indulgence was rare in the primitive church: however, fome instances may be produced, even from thence, of private confecrations upon great emergencies 29. But, generally speaking, it was ufual for the Minifters to reserve fome part of the elements, that had been confecrated before, in the church, to be always in a readiness upon fuch like occafions 30. Agreeably to which in this very rubric (as it was worded in King Edward's firft Common Prayer) it was ordered, that if the fame day (on which the perfon was to be vifited) there was a celebration of the holy Communion in the Church, then the Prieft was to referve (at the open Communion) fo much of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood, as would ferve the fick perfon, and fo many as were to communicate with him, (if there were any) and fo foon as he conveniently could, after the open Communion ended in the Church, he was to go and minifter the fame, &c. But then this refervation was not allowed, unless there was a Communion at the Church on the fame day on which the fick perfon was to be vifited: for by another rubric it was ordered, that if the day were not appointed for the open Communion in the Church, then (upon convenient warning given) the Curate was to go and vifit the fick perfon afore noon; and having a convenient place in the fick man's houfe (where he might reverently celebrate) with all things neceffary for the fame, and not being otherwife letted with the public fervice, or any other juft impediment, there to celebrate the holy Communion. And even the elements that were confecrated thus privately were to be 26 Concil. Carthag. 3. Can. 2. Con cil. Trull. Can. 83. 27 Canon LXXI. 28 Concil. Trull. Can, 31. 29 See Bingham's Antiquities,book xv. chap. 4. §. 10. 30 Bingham, ibid. §. 9. and 11, referved, referved, if there was any occafion to adminifter the Sacra- Sect. I. ment again that day. For fo it was ordered by a third rubric of this office in the fame book, that if there were any more fick perfons to be visited the fame day that the Curate celebrated in any fick man's house; then the Curate was there to referve fo much of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood, as would Jerve the other fick perfons, and fuch as were appointed to communicate with them, (if there were any,) and immediately to carry it and minifter it unto them. So that from all these rubrics compared together, we may obferve, first, that though anciently it was ufual for the Minifters to reserve fome part of the confecrated elements, either in the church or at their houses, to be always in a readiness for any that should want to receive, before the time came to confecrate again3; yet after the Reformation it was never allowed to referve them longer than that day on which they were confecrated, nor indeed to referve them at all, unless the Curate knew before-hand that fome fick perfon was that day to be vifited. We may therefore, secondly, fuppofe, that it was not the defign of our Reformers to attribute more power or efficacy to the Sacrament, when it was confecrated in the church, than it had when it was confecrated in a private house; but rather that the Sick, by partaking of the elements which had been confecrated elsewhere, and of which his fellowrifhioners or neighbours had been partakers before him, might join as it were in the fame Communion with the reft of the congregation, though his present infirmity hindered him from attending the public fervice of the church. And this, it feems, was generally the motive, why the Sacrament was fent about to one another in the primitive church 32. Nor do I find that Bucer had any objection to it in his cenfure upon our Liturgy. However, in the fecond book of King Edward VI. all these rubrics, as far as they relate to the refervation, were laid afide. Though in a Latin tranflation of the Common Prayer-Book, which was put out by authority in the fecond year of Queen Elizabeth, for the ufe of the Univerfities and the Colleges of Winchester and Eton, the rubric for the reservation is inferted at large. The reason of this difference might probably be this, viz. that the refervation having been abused by fome ignorant and superstitious people, juft after the Reformation, was the cause why it was difcontinued in the English Common Prayer 31 See Mr. Bingham as before, §. II. -pa 32 See Mr. Bingham as before, §. 8. Hh3 Book: Appendix Book: but the Latin book being defigned for the use of to learned focieties, the reservation might fafely enough be Chap. XI. trufted with them, upon a presumption that they, who enjoyed fo much light, would be the lefs liable to abuse it to error and fuperftition. Though it is not unlikely, that this might be indulged those learned bodies, in order to reconcile them the easier to reformation: for it was the defign of Queen Elizabeth (as I have more than once obferved) to contrive the Liturgy fo, as to oblige as many of each party as the could. However (except in this Latin translation of it) there has been no mention of the refervation in any of the Common Prayer-Books fince the first of King Edward. But the rubric has conftantly enjoined the holy Communion to be celebrated, on fuch occafion, in the fick man's houfe. Timely notice to be given to §. 3. When the fick perfon defires to receive the Communion in his houfe, he must give timely notice to the Curate; the Curate. which ought to be fome time over night, or elfe early in the morning of the fame day, as it was expreffed in this rubric in all the Common Prayer-Books till the last review : fince otherwise the Curate, through other neceffary avocations, may, for want of fuch notice, be out of the way at the time that he is wanted. How many cate with the Sick. §. 4. When the fick perfon gives notice, he is alfo to required to fignify how many there are to communicate with him; which communi- was ordered (as appears by the firft Common Prayer) that the Minifter might know how much of the facred elements to referve. It is alfo plain by the first and last of those rubrics, which I have above transcribed out of that book, that the Minister was allowed, in all cafes of Sickness, to communicate alone with the fick man, if there were none elfe to receive with him. For they order him to referve fo much of the Sacrament as fhall ferve the fick person, and fo many as fhall communicate with him, (if there be any ;) which plainly supposes, that, if there were none, he was only to referve enough for himself and the fick man. And fo in the rubric relating to the manner of the Minifter's diftributing; he was firft to receive the Communion himself, then to minister to those that were appointed to communicate with the Sick, (if there were any,) and then to the fick perfon. However, it followed in that rubric, that the fick perfon fhould always defire fome, either of his own houfe, or else of his neighbours, to receive the holy Communion with him; for that would be to him a fingular_great comfort, and of their part a great token of charity. But at the second review, these parentheses were all thrown out, and |
