THE SERVICES

AT

THE COMMUNION TABLE,

&c., &c.

INTRODUCTION.

HE changes which have been latterly intro

THE

duced in some of the churches have inevitably given occasion for much discussion, and have caused great diversity of opinion. When they were first put forward the writer was disposed to view them as innovations unauthorized by the rules and ordinances of the Establishment; but he heard they were not only permitted, but were defended and approved by so many clergymen, and by some prelates of the Church, to whose superior knowledge and judgment he felt great deference was due, that he was inclined to doubt the correctness of his own opinion and to bow to such declared approval of the propriety and correctness of the change. A natural inclination to examine the subject, and to bring conviction to his own

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mind, however, prompted him to refer to the Rubrics from which the adverse conclusions were drawn, to read them with attention, to compare them one with another, and to place them in their relative positions. The result of the first investigation, instead of being favourable to the changes, tended to increase his doubts as to their propriety and correctness, and induced him to prosecute the inquiry, and to go through the services appointed to take place at the Communion Table. He was led to confine himself in a great measure to those services, because the questions in dispute arose principally from the diverse meanings given to the Rubrics which relate to those offices. The more he has examined the subject the more confirmed has become his conviction of the inaccuracy of the new reading of the Rubrics in question.

The subject under consideration does not require either persuasive argument or eloquent advocacy, it is simply a question of fact; and the author thinks that by merely placing the several Rubrics in juxta-position with the services to which they immediately relate, showing the bearing of the Rubrics upon those services, and also the connexion between one Rubric and another, the true intent and meaning of each Rubric will be apparent, and all doubt and

difficulty will be removed. The object which the composers of the several Rubrics had in view will be best ascertained by reference to the circumstances under which the Rubrics were framed and introduced; and for the purpose of supplying that information the writer has endeavoured to represent the state of the Church at the respective periods. He now submits not only the result of those examinations, his own opinion upon the several questions, but, that his readers may also be in full possession of the authority upon which his conclusions have been founded, he has introduced the Rubrics themselves in the order in which they stand in the Book of Common Prayer; he has subsequently applied them respectively to the different portions of the Offices to which they immediately or relatively refer, and he has given a brief sketch of the alterations made in the services of our Church in the reigns of King Edward VI. and of Queen Elizabeth; during which periods the Reformation was carried out, and became better understood; and our Liturgy was formed, and was established by law.

The conclusion which he has been compelled to adopt is, that he cannot discover any discrepancies in the Rubrics themselves, or any difficulty in carrying out, either in the spirit or to the letter, the several directions contained in them:

and that they will not, in the natural and plain interpretation of the words, accept or admit the construction which has been put upon them, nor countenance the innovations which have been introduced.

The writer has been induced to add some few observations which have naturally presented themselves during the progress of the inquiry.

The lamentable divisions which have arisen in the Church are attributed to the different expositions which have been given to the Rubrics; but there is much reason to apprehend that the present diversity of opinion on religious subjects may be traced to the ill-judged move made a few years since at one of our Universities. He entirely eschews the unchristian sentiment of attributing unworthy motives to any man. It cannot, however, be disputed that excess of zeal often leads to error. In the present instance, the desire of stirring up greater energy in the clergy and more devotion in the people, (objects in themselves most commendable,) has prompted the leaders in the movement, and their supporters, with a view to the attainment of those objects, to introduce change in the doctrine and in the ceremonial of our Church, by bringing back observances in the latter, and inculcating dogmas in the former, which were absolutely renounced and expunged at the time

of the Reformation. The efforts which have been subsequently made to justify those changes by appeals to the authority of tradition, and of the Fathers, have wounded the religious mind of the nation-have occasioned great discontent and distrust amongst the members of our Communion-and have created an apprehension that there existed a wish, and that an attempt was being made to restore much of the credence and of the discipline of the Church of Rome. As one step from the path of truth, if not retraced, inevitably leads to a second, the people have become seriously alarmed for the purity and safety of our Church. Ill-feeling towards those who advocate the change is the natural consequence.

It is well known that this is not the first time that such attempts have been made; and the distressing events which have followed former steps in the same direction are too well calculated to create and encourage painful anxiety and acute feelings.

At the period of the Reformation our Church, renouncing the errors of the Church of Rome, declared our doctrine to be founded on the simple truths of the Gospel, and on the authority of Holy Writ; and our Liturgy was reformed accordingly. All reference to tradition or to the Fathers was considered unnecessary.