Origines Ecclesiasticae, Or, The Antiquities of the Christian Church and Other Works of the Rev. Joseph Bingham

to God on high," Hosanna, &c.-33. Of the Invitatory Psalm sung
before the Communion.-34. That the Consecration anciently was al-
ways performed with an audible Voice.-35. And with the Ceremony
of breaking the Bread to represent our Saviour's Passion.

CHAP IV.

Of Communicants or Persons who were allowed to receive this

Sacrament, and the Manner of receiving it.

SECT. 1 All Persons, except Catechumens and Penitents, obliged to re-

ceive the Eucharist.-2. When and how this Discipline began first

to relax.-3. When first the Use of Eulogiæ came in, instead of the

Eucharist, for such as would not communicate.-4. The Corruption of

private and solitary Mass unknown in former Ages.-5. Other Corrup-

tions countenanced in the Roman Church, such as the Missa Sicea

and Nautica, and those called Bifaciata and Trifaciata, &c.-6. The

Communion not given to Heretics and Schismatics, without Confession

aud Reconciliation.-7. Yet given to Infants and Children for several

Ages.-8. And sent to the absent Members of their own and other

Churches.-9. And to those that were sick, or in Prison, or under

any Confinement, or in Penance, at the Point of Death.-10. The

Eucharist sometimes consecrated in private Houses for these Pur-

poses.-11. And commonly reserved in the Church for the same

Uses.-12. And also for public Use upon some Days, when they

made no new Consecration. This called, Missa Præsanctificato-

rum. Its Use and Original.-13. The Eucharist sometimes reserved

in private by private Men, for daily Participation.-14. Yet this never

allowed in the public Service.-15. A novel Custom noted, of reserving

the Eucharist for forty Days, and the Inconveniences attending it.-16.

The Eucharist sometimes given to the Energumens in the Interval of their

Distemper.-17. All Men debarred from it that were guilty of any great or

notorious Crime of what Rank or Degree soever.-18. The Question

Whether it debarred Men at

of Digamy or Second Marriage stated.

any Time from the Communion.-19. The corrupt Custom of some

who gave the Eucharist to the Dead, censured by the Ancients.-20.

Parallel to which is the Abuse of burying the Eucharist with the Dead.

21. The Order of Communicating.-22. Some Rules observed for

Distinction of Places in Communicating.

CHAP. V.

A Resolution of several Questions relating further to the Manner

of Communicating in the Ancient Church.

SECT. 1. That the People were always admitted to receive the Communion

in both Kinds.-2. That in receiving in both Kinds they always received

the Elements distinctly, and not the one dipped in the other.-3.

That the Ancients received sometimes standing, sometimes kneeling,

but never sitting.-4. No Elevation of the Host for Divine Adoration in

the Ancient Church for many Ages till the Rise of Transubstantiation.

-5. The People allowed to receive the Eucharist into their own Hands.

-6. The same Custom observed in delivering it to Women and Chil-

dren.-7. The Eucharist usually delivered to the People with a certain

Form of Words, to which they answered, Amen.-8. How Novatian

and others abused the Communion to wicked Purposes.-9. Proper

Psalms for the Occasion usually sung while the People were Communi-

cating.

CHAP. VI.

Of their Post-Communion Service.

SECT. 1. The Communion Service closed with several Sorts of Thanksgiv-

ing. The Deacon's Bidding Prayer or Thanksgiving.-2 The Bishop's

Thanksgiving, or Commendation of the People to God.-3. The Bi-

shop's Benediction.-4. The Deacon's Form of Dismissing the People

with the short Prayer," Go in Peace."-5. What Account we have of

these Prayers in other Writers besides the Constitutions.-6. These

Thanksgivings always made in the Plural Number by and for the

whole Body of Communicants. And so they are still remaining in the

Roman Mass Book, to the Reproach of the great Abuse of private an

solitary Mass.

CHAP. VII.

How the Remains of the Eucharist were disposed of; and of

their common Entertainment, called, Agape, or Feast of

Charity.

SECT. 1. Part of the Eucharist anciently reserved for particular Uses.-2.

The Rest divided among the Communicants.-3. This Division of the

Consecrated Elements, a distinct Thing from the Division of the other

Oblations.-4. The Remains of the Eucharist sometimes given to In-

nocent Children.-5. And sometimes burnt in the Fire.-6. Some Part

of the other Oblations disposed of in a Feast of Charity, which all the

Ancients reckon an Apostolical Rite accompanying the Communion.-7.

Whether this Feast was before or after the Communion in the Apos-

tles' Days.-8. How observed in the following Ages; when the Eu-

charist was commonly received fasting and before this Feast, except

upon some particular Occasions.-9. These Love Feasts at first held

in the Church, but afterwards forbidden to be kept in the Church, by

Orders of Councils.-10. How the Christians were at first abused and

calumniated by some of the Heathen, but admired and envied by others

upon the Account of these Feasts of Charity.

CHAP. VIII.

Of the Preparation which the Ancients required as necessary in

Communicants, to qualify them for a worthy keception.

SECT. 1. A general Answer to this Question, by referring to the Professions

of Repentance, Faith, and holy Obedience, made by every Christian in

Baptism; in the Observation of which Professions every One was pre-

sumed to be qualified for the Communion.-2. What failings were deem-

ed consistent with these Professions, and a State of Grace, and a con-

tinual Preparation for the Communion.-3. What Repentance required

for such Failings.-4. What Crimes unqualified Men absolutely for the

Communion, and what Sort of Repentance was required for them.-5.

Ministers not to admit scandalous and notorious Sinners to the Commu-

nion, without satisfactory Evidences of their Repentance, in such Cases

as subjected them to the public Discipline: in other Cases, where the

public Discipline was not concerned, they were only to admonish them

to abstain from Communion, but not obliged absolutely to repel them

from it.-6. Auricular Confession of private Sins not necessary to be

made to the Priest, as an indispensible Qualification for the Communion.

-7. That Preparation consists not in coming to Communion at certain

holy Seasons, Easter, Christmas, &c.; but in Sanctity and Purity at all

Times.-8. What Faith they required in Communicants.-9. What Pu-

rity of Soul by Repentance and Obedience. How far Fasting useful or

necessary to this Purpose.-10. The Necessity of Justice and Restitu-

tion in a worthy Communicant.-11. The Necessity of Peace and Unity.

-12. The Necessity of Charity to the Poor.-13. The Necessity of

forgiving Enemies, and pardoning Offences.-14. What Behaviour re-

quired in the Act of Communicating: and what Deportment afterwards.

CHAP. IX.

Of frequent Communion, and the Times of Celebrating it in the

ancient Church.

SECT. 1. All Persons, except Penitents under Censure, obliged anciently to

receive the Communion every Lord's Day, by the Canons of the Church.

-2. This shewn to be the constant Practice for the three first Ages.

-3. The Eucharist celebrated on other Days beside the Lord's Day in

many Churches.-4. And in some Places every Day.-5. When first it

came to be settled to three Times a Year.-6. And afterward to once a

Year by the Council of Lateran.-7. What Attempt was made to restore

frequent and full Communions at the Reformation.-8. Wherein this is

still deficient: and what seems yet necessary to be done in Order to re-

duce Communion to the Primitive Standard.

THE

ANTIQUITIES

OF THE

CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

BOOK XIV.

OF THAT PART OF DIVINE SERVICE WHICH THE ANCIENTS COMPRISED UNDER THE GENERAL NAME OF MISSA CATECHUMENORUM, THE SERVICE OF THE CATECHUMENS, OR ANTE-COMMUNION-SERVICE.

CHAP. I.

Of the Psalmody of the Ancient Church.

SECT. 1.-That the Service of the Ancient Church usually began with Psalmody.

It has been observed before, that the Ancients comprised their whole service under two general heads, to which they gave the distinguishing names of Missa Catechumenorum, and Missa Fidelium, the service of the catechumens, and the service of communicants, or believers; that is, as we would now term them, the ante-communion-service, and the communion-service. The service of the catechumens, was that part of divine worship, at which the catechumens, and all others, who were not perfect and full communicants,

VOL. V.

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