After fhall be faid as followeth,

Lord and heavenly Father, we thy humble fervants entirely defire thy fatherly goodnefs, mercifully to accept this our facrifice of praife and thankfgiving; moft humbly befeeching thee to grant, that by the merits and death of thy Son Jefus Chrift, and through faith in his blood, we and all thy whole Church may obtain remiffion of cur fins, and all other benefits of his paffion. And here we offer and prefent unto thee, O Lord, ourfelves, our fouls and bodies, to be a reafonable, holy, and lively facrifice unto thee; humbly befeeching thee, that all we, who are partakers of this holy Communion, may be fulfilled with thy grace and heavenly benediction. And although we be unworthy, through our manifold fins, to offer unto thee any facrifice, yet we beseech thee to accept this our bounden duty and fervice; not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offences, through Jefus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be unto thee, O Father Almighty, world without end. Amen.

Or this,

thank thee, for that thou doft vouchfafe to feed us, who have duly received these holy myfteries, with the fpiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son our Saviour Jefus Chrift; and doft affure us thereby of thy favour and goodness towards us; and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son, which is the bleffed company of all faithful people; and are alfo heirs through hope of thy everlafting kingdom, by the merits of the most precious death and paffion of thy dear Son. And we most humbly befeech thee, O heavenly Father, fo to affift us with thy grace,

O Lord and heavenly Father, &c.] This prayer, different in its beginning, and placed immediately after the prayer of confecration, is found in Edward VIth's firft book. It affumed its prefent fituation in his fecond player-book.

Almighty and everlasting God, &c.] This form of praise and grateful acknowledgment was introduced into the second prayer-book of Edw. VI.

that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all fuch good works as thou haft prepared for us to walk in, through Jefus Christ our Lord; to whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

GLOR

T Then fhall be faid or fung:

LORY be to God on high, and in earth peace, good will towards men. We praife thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.

O Lord, the only-begotten Son Jefu Chrift; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the fins of the world, have mercy upon us: Thou that takeft away the fins of the world, have mercy upon us: Thou that takeft away the fins of the world, receive our prayer: Thou that fitteft at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.

For thou only art holy, thou only art the Lord, thou only, O Chrift, with the Holy Ghoft, art moft high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Then the Prieft (or Bishop, if he be prefent) fhall let them depart with this Blessing.

THE

peace of God, which paffeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jefus Chrift our Lord: and

Glory be to God, &c.] This noble hymn is of high antiquity. Its commencement is the enraptured fong of angels on the birth of Chrift. The other part of it is believed to be the compofition of Telefphorus, A. D. 139. It is found in all the Eaftern liturgies, particularly that of St. James, where it occurs thrice; and was exprefsly ordained to make a part of the Communion Service by the Council of Toledo, with a denunciation of excommunication against thofe who refufed its ufe.-Con. Tolet. iv. c. 4. The Romish Miflal has it at the beginning of the facramental office, and thus it ftands in the firft book of Edward Vith. In his fecond Prayer Book it is placed where it is now found. Archbishop Ufher found this fublime compofition in many ancient manufcripts, under the title of vos ativos, or morning hymn. He has given it in its original Greek, and with a Latin tranflation.-De Symbolis, p. 41.

Then the Prieft &c.] It was an ordinance in the ancient church, that the congregation should not depart after the celebration of the facrament, until they had received the bleffing of the bishop or the priest. Our form

U

the bleffing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, be amongst you, and remain with you always. Amen.

Collects to be faid after the Offertory, when there is no Communion, every fuch day one or more; and the fame may be jaid aife, as often as occafion shall ferve, after the Colleas either of Morning or Evening Prayer, Communion, er Litany, by the difcretion of the Minifter.

ASSIST us mercifully, O Lord, in there our fuppli

cations and prayers, and difpofe the way of thy fervants towards the attainment of everlasting falvation; that among all the changes and chances of this mortal life, they may ever be defended by thy moft gracious and ready help, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

of being is in Edward VIth's firft book, after which are the following rubricks, &c. "Then the people fhall anfwer, Amen. Where there are no clerks, there the Prieft fhall fay all things appointed here for them to Gng. When the holy Communion is celebrated on the work-day, or in pri vate houfes, then may be omitted the Gloria in Excelfis, the Creed, the Honuly, and the Exhortation beginning Dearly beloved, &c."

Colts All thefe prayers are in Edward VIth's first book; and were compofed at the Reformation. After them follow two prayers, one for rain, and another for fair weather, from which fituation they were removed at the Review in his reign, and placed as they now ftand in our Common Prayer Books. At the end of the communion fervice in Edward Vith's firft book are feveral rubrics, differing from thofe in our book; the moft fingular and curious of which are the following:-"For avoiding all matters and occafion of diffention, it is meet the bread prepared for the Communion be made through all this realm after one fort and fafhion; that is to fay, unleavened and round, as it was before, but without any manger of print, and fomething larger and thicker than it was; fo that it may be aptly divided into divers pieces; and every one shall be divided into two pieces at the leaft or more, by the difcretion of the Mimitter, and fo diftributed. And men muft not think lefs to be received in art, than in the whole; but in each of them the whole body of our Saviour tus Chrift. And forafmuch as the paftors and curates within this realm, hall continually find at their cofts and charges, in their cures, fufficient bread and wine for the Holy Communion, (as oft as their parishioners fhall be difpofed for their fpiritual comfort to receive the fame:) it is therefore ordered, that in recompence of fuch cofts and charges, the parishioners of every parith thall offer every Sunday, at the time of the Offertory, the juft value and price of the Holy Loaf (with all fuch money and other things as were wont to be offered with the fame) to the ufe of their paftors and their curates, and that in fuchorder and courfe as they were wont to find and pay

the Aid Holy Loaf. Furthermore, every man and woman to be bound

Almighty Lord, and everlasting God, vouchfafe, we befeech thee, to direct, fanctify, and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of thy laws, and in the works of thy commandments; that through thy most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preferved in body and foul, through our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Amen.

RANT, we befeech thee, Almighty God, that the

words which we have heard this day with our outward ears, may through thy grace be fo grafted inwardly in our hearts, that they may bring forth in us the fruit of good living, to the honour and praife of thy Name, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

PREVENT us, O Lord, in all our doings, with thy

moft gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name; and finally by thy mercy obtain everlafting life, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

ALmighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, who

knoweft our neceffities before we afk, and our ignorance in afking; We befeech thee to have compaffion upon our infirmities; and thofe things, which for our unworthinefs we dare not, and for our blindnefs we cannot afk, vouchsafe to give us, for the worthiness of thy Son Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ALmighty God, who haft promised to hear the peti

tions of them that afk in thy Son's Name; We beseech thee mercifully to incline thine ears to us, that to hear and be at the divine fervice in the parish church where they be refident, and there with devout prayer, or godly filence and meditation, to occupy themselves; there to pay their duties; to communicate once in the year at least, and there to receive and take all other facraments and rites in this book appointed, &c. And although it be read in ancient writers, that the people many years paft received at the prieft's hands the Sacrament of the Body of Chrift in their own hands, and no commandment of Chrift to the contrary; yet forafmuch as they many times conveyed the fame fecretly away, kept it with them, and diverfly abused it to fuperftition and wickedness; left any fuch thing hereafter fhould be attempted, and that an uniformity might be ufed throughout the whole realm; it is thought convenient the people commonly receive the Sacrament of Chrift's Body in their mouths at the priest's hands.”

have made now our prayers and fupplications unto thee; and grant that thofe things which we have faithfully asked according to thy will, may effectually be obtained, to the relief of our neceflity, and to the fetting forth of thy glory, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

Upon the Sundays and other Holy-days (if there be no Communion) fhall be faid all that is appointed at the Communion, until the end of the general Prayer, [For the whole ftate of Chrift's Church militant here in earth] together with one or more of thefe Collets laft before rebearfed, concluding with the Bleffing.

And there fhall be no celebration of the Lord's Supper, except there be a convenient number to communicate with the Priest, according to his discretion.

And if there be not above twenty perfons in the Parish, of difcretion to receive the Communion; yet there fhall be no Communion, except four (or three at the least) communicate with the Priest.

And in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches and Colleges, where there are many Priests and Deacons, they shall all receive the Communion with the Prieft every Sunday at the leaft, except they have a reasonable caufe to the contrary. And to take away all occafion of diffenfion and fuperfti tion, which any perfon hath or might have concerning the Bread and Wine, it shall fuffice that the Bread be fuch as is ufual to be eaten; but the best and purest Wheat Bread that conveniently may be gotten.

And if any of the Bread and Wine remain unconfecrated, the Curate shall have it to his own ufe: but if any remain of that which was confecrated, it shall not be carried out of the Church, but the Priest, and fuch other of the Communicants as he shall then call unto him, shall, immediately after the Bleffing, reverently eat and drink the fame. The Bread and Wine for the Communion shall be provided by the Curate and the Churchwardens, at the charges of the Parish.

Upon the Sundays &c.] Of thefe nine rubrics all were first introduced into the fecond book of Edward VIth, fave the fixth and the ninth; which were compofed at the laft Review 1662.