Adoration towards the Altar.

(Resumed from page 63).

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Enjoined by Bishop Andrewes.

Temp. James I.*] "Then shall the Priest rehearse distinctly all the Ten Commandments.] The Priest, after the collect, descends to the door of the Septum, makes a low adoration towards the altar; then turns to the people, and standing in the door readeth the Ten Commandments (as from GOD), while they lie prostrate to the end, as to GOD speaking... Then shall follow the Collect.] Bowing as before, the minister goes up to the altar and kneels down. Immediately after the Collect, the Priest shall read the Epistle.] Here the other Priest, or if there be none, he that executeth, descendeth to the door, adoreth, and then turning, readeth the Epistle and Gospel......

"The Epistle and Gospel being ended, shall be said the Creed.] Adorat, ascendit, et legit Symbolum Nicenum, populo adhuc stante. After the Creed.] Lecta confessione Nicenâ, the Priest adores, then he removes the basin from the back of the altar to the fore part. The Bishop ascends with treble adoration, and lastly kneels down at the altar. Into his hands the Priest, from a by-standing table on the south side, reaches first the wafer-bread in a canister close covered and lined with linen. Secondly, the wine in a barrel on a cradle with four feet. These the Bishop offers in the name of the whole congregation upon the altar. Then he offers into the basin for himself, and after him the whole congregation, and so

*The year in which the above extract was written cannot be ascertained. The same may be said respecting all the "Notes" by Andrewes, Cosin, &c. in Nicholls' Commentary. The date "1711" was inadvertently affixed to a paragraph by Cosin (antè, p. 187), which must have been penned at least forty years previously, as Cosin departed this life, January 15, 1671. Scarcely more correct is the date "circa 1636," appended to the citations antè, pp. 142, 144. These, and the extract at p. 187, form part of certain "Notes" written, as Nicholls states, in an interleaved Common Prayer-Book, printed in 1636. Whether the "Notes" were inserted in this Prayer-Book at the time of its publication, or whether subsequently, and at what period, is not known.-EDD.

betake themselves to their proper and convenient place of kneeling; Bishops and Priests only within the Septum, deacons at the door, the laity without, the Priest meanwhile reading the peculiar sentences for the Offertory, Solis ministerio sacro deditis ad altare ingredi et communicare licet, Conc. Laod. Can. 19.

"Then the Priest standing up shall say THE PRAYER OF CONSECRATION.]..............Here the Priest, having made adoration, poureth water upon the napkin ready for that purpose, and cleaneth his hands: mysticè respiciens illud Psalmi, Lavabo in innocentiâ manus meas, et sic introibo ad altare DEI, &c.......Moraliter et decorè, uti cum magnatibus accubituri sumus. Posteà panes è canistro in patinam ponit. Dein vinum è doliolo, adinstar sanguinis erumpentis in calicem haurit. Tum aquam è triconali scypho immiscet. Postremò omnibus ritè, et quam fieri potest decentissimè atque aptissimè compositis, stans pergit et peragit. In rariore solemnitate hîc pergit episcopus et consecrat......

"Then shall be said or sung, Glory be to GOD on high.]...... Here the congregation ariseth, and having made their adoration, they go towards their seats to a little private devotion. In their way, at the foot of the choir, stands the Cippus Pauperum, into which every man puts a small piece of silver; whilst the Priest, standing still at the altar, readeth the exhortatory sentences for alms, ut suprà. When all are composed in their seats, he proceeds to the blessing."-Bp. Andrewes' Notes in Nicholls' Commentary, pp. 38-52.

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The above "Notes" by Bishop Andrewes are very interesting and important. They shew how the Holy Eucharist was celebrated by that great Prelate, and (as may be fairly inferred) wherever his influence extended; and how closely he adhered, in cases where the Rubrick in the English Communion Office was silent or doubtful, to the ritual directions in the Liturgy of the Western Church. not the practice and injunctions of so great a ritualist as Andrewes, confirm the opinion expressed in our "Introduction," that "it never was the intention of the compilers of our present services, that their work should be considered as a new fabrick, but as a reformation of the existing system: consequently, many things then in actual use, and always intended to be retained, were not expressly commanded, any more than they were distinctly forbidden, in the new rubrick"? Certain it is (as the last and preceding extracts prove) that a number of ceremonics and usages practised in the Medieval English Church, and neither required nor forbidden in the new rubrick, were retained after its enactment by many and not the least distinguished of the Anglican Clergy, till the whole Church system was violently interrupted by the Great Rebellion.-EDD.

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Practised by Archbishop Laud at the Consecration of S. Katharine Creed Church, London.

1630.] "S. Katharine's Creed-church in London being repaired only by the parishioners, not new built from the ground, when Montaigne was Bishop of London, and the church thought holy enough by him without any new consecration, not requisite in such a case by the very Canon law; this popish Prelate [Laud], succeeding Montaigne in the Bishoprick of London, suspended this new repaired church for a time from all Divine service, sermons, and sacraments, till it was re-consecrated by himself; of which he writ down this special memorial with his own hand in his Diary, read in the Lords' House, in manner following:-January 16, 1630, Sunday, I consecrated S. Katharine Creed-church in London.' In what a popish, ridiculous bedlam manner, was thus attested upon oath by M. Willingham, a parishioner there, who then took special notes of all the passages in short-writing, thinking some good use might be made thereof in after times; the particulars whereof he thus expressed :The Archbishop (then of London) on the 16th of January, 1630, being the LORD's day, came in the morning about nine of the clock in a pompous manner to Creed-church, accompanied with Sir Henry Martin, Dr. Rive, Dr. Duck, and many other high-commissioners and civilians. There being a very great concourse of people to behold this novelty, the church-doors were guarded with many halberders. At the Bishop's approaching near the west door of the church, the hangbies of the Bishop cried out with a loud voice, Open, open, ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may enter in;' and presently (as by miracle) the doors flew open, and the Bishop, with three or four great Doctors and many other principal men, entered in; and as soon as they were in the church, the Bishop fell down upon his knees with his eyes lifted up, and his hands and arms spread abroad, uttering many words, and saying, 'This place is holy, and this ground is holy. In the name of the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY GHOST, I pronounce it holy:' and then he took up some of the earth or dust, and threw it up in the air (as the frantic persecuting Jews did when they were raging mad against Paul). This was done in the great middle aisle several times as they came up castward towards the chancel, which chancel was then paved. When they approached near to the rail and LORD's Table,

unto which was an ascent of two or three steps, the Bishop lowly ducked and bowed towards it some five or six times; and returning, went round about the church in procession on the inside thereof, they saying the 100th Psalm, and after that the 90th Psalm, (prescribed in the Roman Pontifical for this purpose, p. 262,) and then this prayer:

'LORD JESUS CHRIST, Who art the Eternal Word, of Thy Eternal Father, GOD ALMIGHTY to be blessed for ever, and diddest at first, in the beginning of time, create man out of the dust of the earth, to restore and repair in him the ruin and fall of angels: and when, as he by transgression had lost his original state, diddest, according to Thy threatening, return him again unto his dust, but so, that he should not perish everlastingly, but should in due time, by an omnipotent power, be raised again out of the earth; and therefore, in assurance of the resurrection, the bodies of men, the work of Thine own hands, are in this place to be deposited in their sepulchres, graves, or vaults, as in a repository or resting-place, until the end of all things, when the mighty Archangel shall sound his last trumpet, with Rise ye dead and come to judgement; accept, we beseech Thee, this our holy service, who do give and consecrate this beautiful church unto Thee; and we separate it unto Thee and Thy Church, as HOLY GROUND, not to be profaned any more to common use. This we beseech Thee to accept at our hands, for CHRIST JESUS' sake, &c.'

Then was read aloud the 23d chapter of Genesis, which being read, then followed another prayer, taken almost verbatim out of the Roman Pontifical, beginning thus:

'Merciful God, the resurrection and the life of all that trust in Thee, we most humbly entreat Thee to vouchsafe us of Thy grace, that all those Thy servants who from henceforth shall come into, or be interred within the circuit of this holy and sacred place, now by our service HALLOWED unto Thee, may so lead their lives in Thy fear, that they may leave them in Thy favour; and that their bodies resting in their sepulchres in this church in peace, until Thy coming unto judgement, may rise again unto immortal life, and live with Thee for ever in those glorious mansions of eternity. Hear us, O SAVIOUR, for Thy Passion's sake; hear us, O FATHER, for Thy CHRIST'S sake; hear us, O Sanctifying SPIRIT, for Thy comfort's sake, Who livest and reignest one GOD, &c.' Then 'The peace of GOD' followed, &c.

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After all this, the Bishop betook himself to sit under a cloth of state, in an aisle of the chancel near the Communion-table; and taking a written book in his hand, (in imitation of the Roman Pontifical and the Council of Trent's decrees therein cited, p. 247 &c.,) he pronounced many curses upon all those who should hereafter anyway profane that holy and sacred place, by any musters of soldiers, or keeping any profane law courts, or carrying burdens through it. At the end of every curse (which were some twenty or thirty in number) he bowed himself lowly towards the east or Table, saying, 'Let all the pec ay, Amen.' When the curses were ended, he then pronounced the like number of blessings to all those who had any hand in the culture, framing, and building of that holy, sacred, and beautiful church, and pronounced blessings to all those that had given any chalices, plate, ornaments, or utensils, and that should hereafter give any. At the end of every blessing, he also bowed down himself towards the east, saying, 'Let all the people say, Amen.' After this followed the sermon After the sermon, which was but short, the Bishop and two fat Doctors consecrated and administered the Sacrament, with a number of bowings, duckings, and cringings, in manner following.

At first, when the Bishop approached near the Communiontable, he bowed his nose very near the ground some six or seven times. Then he came to one of the corners of the table, and there bowed himself three times; then to the second, third, and fourth corners, bowing at each corner three times: but when he came to the side of the Table where the bread and wine was, he bowed himself seven times; and then, after the reading of many prayers by himself and his two fat chaplains, (which were with him, and all this while were upon their knees by him in their surplices, hoods, and tippets,) he himself came near the bread, which was cut and laid in a fine napkin, and then he gently lifted up one of the corners of the said napkin, and peeped into it till he saw the bread, (like a boy that peeped after a bird's nest in a bush,) and presently clapped it down again, and flew back a step or two, and then bowed very low three times towards it and the Table: when he beheld the bread, then he came near and opened the napkin again, and bowed as before. Then he laid his hands upon the gilt cup, which was full of wine, with a cover upon it. So soon as he had pulled the cup a little nearer to him, he let the cup go, flew back, and bowed again