If, however, he perceives there are not so many Communicants as will authorize him to celebrate the holy Communion, agreeably to the Regulations contained in the Rubrics (37 and 38), he must not place the Bread and Wine upon the Table, but should read one or more of the Collects, the Prayer for the Church Militant, and a Blessing, and so conclude the service as he is directed by Rubric (36.) That the Rubric (11) which directs the Priest to return to the Lord's Table and commence the Offertory, that is, the office of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, is not applicable, except to the original ordinance of the Church, which directs the holy Communion to be celebrated every time the people are assembled in the church, or to the days specially appointed by subsequent arrangements for the celebration of that holy office. That the Sacramental Service cannot legally be interrupted except from want of a sufficient number of Communicants. That the Rubric (36,) which speaks of there being no Communion, has reference to the contingency of there not being Communicants, in which case it directs the Clergyman how to terminate the service. And, that as all the Rubrics upon which questions have arisen relate to the office of the holy Communion, if it is not intended to celebrate a Communion they

should not be referred to; thus all doubt as to their meaning, or difficulty in complying with them, will be removed.

FOURTHLY. That, as it appears to have been the intention of the Church, and to be the true interpretation and meaning of the Rubrics, that the office for the celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper cannot be legally interrupted, except by a deficiency of Communicants, it consequently follows that the service cannot, with propriety, be commenced without the full intention on the part of the Priest to administer the Sacrament if a sufficient number of Communicants present themselves; therefore the ceremony of reading, without such intention, the Offertory and Prayer for the Church Militant, (which are a part of that holy office,) whether for the purpose of making a collection or otherwise, cannot be said to be in conformity with, or sanctioned by, the Rubrics; and, unless other and sufficient authority can be shown for doing so, the act can scarcely be considered less than an unauthorized deviation from, and an infringement of, the rules and ordinances of the service.

FIFTHLY. That the alms, &c., collected during the reading of the Offertory, and placed upon the Table, are to be disposed of by the Minister and Churchwardens to pious and charitable

uses.

That the practice of reading the Offertory during collections for charities, briefs, &c., or of any monies, except the alms, &c., offered at the celebration of the holy Communion, is incorrect, and unauthorized that such collections should not be placed on the Table; and further, that it is very questionable whether any monies collected during the reading of the Offertory can be legally applied to any other uses than for the poor of the parish in which the collection has been made.

SIXTHLY. That the custom of intoning, or chanting, probably ceased to be observed in Parish Churches in 1549, when the whole service was put into English, and the people were required to join in the very words used by the Priest.

SEVENTHLY. That the appointment of the Parish Clerk may reasonably be supposed to have been restored at the same time, viz., 1549, for the purpose of leading the responses and conducting the psalmody. The necessity for a similar appointment in Cathedrals, &c., did not exist.

EIGHTHLY. That psalmody is by law authorized, when it can be performed without let, that is, hindrance or interruption to the service, and without causing the omission of any part of it: and that it was, therefore, introduced at the

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time when the Minister was absent arranging his dress, or at least when he was changing his place in the Church. See Act Edward VI., 1549.

It would appear that those zealous and able men who devoted their time and attention to the reformation and revision of our Church Services, applied their powerful energies to the establishment of a DOCTRINE founded on the pure principles of Christianity, as laid down by our Saviour Himself, taught by His apostles, and recorded in the Holy Scriptures. In CEREMONIAL they endeavoured to adopt the simplicity and purity of the early ages, so far as was possible, consistently with the forms necessary to combine propriety and decorum with the devotion and zeal of united congregational worship. They were not insensible to the plausibility of the theorists, nor ignorant of the wiles and subtlety of priestcraft, and the cravings for ecclesiastical power, which at that time prevailed and distorted religion; and they were alive to the great perplexity which existed at the time in which they lived, and were aware that the watchful eye of a disappointed and baffled Church was upon them. They foresaw the desire that would be fostered, and the attempts that would be made, under every guise of zeal, of devotion, and of improvement, to sap and disturb the Establishment. Images were there

fore removed, and all useless ceremonials abolished; and bowings and bendings, except on the repetition of the sacred name of Jesus, were set aside. The altars unnecessary, there being no longer a sacrifice, were displaced, and the Lord's Table restored for the celebration of the commemorative observance of the Lord's Supper. They strove to shake off the errors of the Romanist, and to avoid the precision and self-sufficiency of the Puritan; and they drew up rules and regulations for the guidance of the Church with a clearness, precision, and comprehensiveness, which might fairly be considered a safeguard against the possibility of doubt and uncertainty, and against any attempts at innovation and change. But should questions or difficulties unfortunately arise, provision was made for the case by directing an appeal to the Bishop, and through him even to the Archbishop, from whose erudition, ecclesiastical knowledge, and sound judgment, there could be no doubt but a clear and correct elucidation of the disputed point would be obtained. Any alteration in the laws was the province of another tribunal.

Hitherto an observance of the rules and ordinances of the Church has been her shield against open as well as covert attacks; and though the struggle has, at times, been severe, and