Plain Suggestions
for
A Reverent Celebration of the Holy Communion
by
Charles Chapman Grafton, STD
Bishop of Fond du Lac.
Second Edition
New York
James Pott & Co.
Fourth Avenue and 22nd Street
1898
Copyright 1897, by James Pott & Co.

Preface to the Second Edition

The following pages were written and published some twenty years ago, and at that time found favor with a number of the clergy. Since then a great many books have been written on the subject, giving elaborate details, full and particular, as to just how every part of the divine service is to be ordered. Such minute directions are useful to some; and the careful study of ritual as an exact science will always have a fascination for some minds. But there is a large number of the clergy, constantly increasing, who have neither the time nor the inclination to make a study of ritual, and who would not find places to put it in practice if they did. Yet there is a real desire for reverence, a desire to perform all priestly acts in an orderly manner and in conformity with ancient customs. To such this book will appeal. It is not a full directory of ritual, nor is it a book of private prayers. It simply gives sufficient directions for the fulfillment of the great priestly acts with reveren ce and edification. It is thought that nothing has been written which cannot be supported by competent Anglican authority.

Plain Suggestions

I

The Altar

The Book of Common Prayer, in the Institution Office, calls the holy table an altar. It should stand at the east end of the church and within the communion-rail. This part of the chancel is commonly called the sanctuary.

The reason why the Christian Church came to place its sanctuary, or holy of hollies, at the east end of the building probably was to mark the distinction between the Christian and its forerunner the Jewish Church, which placed its sanctuary at the west end. The Jewish Church, it has been remarked, since it looked forward to the death of Christ, placed its holy of holies toward the setting sun. The Christian Church, built on the triumphant fact that Christ not only died but rose again, and the belief that He will come in glory, symbolizes her faith by building her churches toward the rising sun and placing her altars in the east.

As an architectural feature the alter may have a screen of either wood or stone, more or less ornamented, behind it. When from the size of the church the size of the altar is somewhat large, it will be found convenient to have a small space of some eighteen inches in width left between the screen, or reredos, and the altar, in order that persons engaged in the necessary work of cleaning or dusting the reredos, or arranging flowers upon it, may do so more conveniently.

The altar may be of wood or stone. There is no universal tradition in the Church as to the most appropriate material for the altar. While the practice of the Western portion of Christendom has been in favor of stone altars, the Eastern Church has preferred wood, as bringing out more significantly the idea of sacrifice and the offering upon the altar of the cross.

For the very practical reason that the priest may be the better heard, as well as the symbolical one of the ascent to Calvary, it is customary to raise the altar on one or more steps. Save in very small churches or chapels, three steps of from four to five inches in height will be found a convenient number. As the priest is obliged, by the directions of the Prayer-Book, for the most part to stand while engaged in the altar service, it is important that the altar should be of sufficient height to enable him, in a standing posture, easily to read the altar-book.

This matter demands attention, because in portions of the communion service both of the priest's hands are so occupied that he cannot take the book into them; and one cause of the not infrequent injury done to a clergyman's throat is his being often constrained to read in unnatural positions. Three feet four to five inches is a good height for an altar. An altar lower than this will compel a priest of average stature to stoop inconveniently. Its length should be in proportion to the width of the sanctuary. The length varies from five feet and a half to twelve feet in American churches.

Often, but inaccurately, the term "super-altar" is applied to the shelf which runs along the back of the altar and rests upon it. Properly speaking, a super altar is a small movable slab of stone, which is placed, as occasion for the celebration of the Holy Communion may require, upon some unconsecrated table or altar. There is no necessity for such an article among us, unless it be in a sick-room. It is, however, fit and seemly that nothing should be placed on that part of the altar where the consecration takes place save the vessels required for the celebration and the altar-book, from which the service is read; for although in pre-Reformation times candlesticks and other ornaments were frequently placed on the altar itself, yet a sense of reverence suggests some change from this medieval usage. This propriety is secured by the shelf, or retable, as it is sometimes called, placed at the back of the altar, and upon which any needful ornaments may be placed.

The form of this altar-shelf resembles that of a box, of the same length as the altar, eight to ten inches broad and four to six inches high. There may also be shelves or ledges, as part of the reredos, for use in the fuller decorations of the sanctuary customary at Christmas and Easter and other festivals.

It may be observed that, for the most part, our altars are unnecessarily wide. Two feet or two feet three inches is considered as giving ample width. There is thus scarcely any existing altar upon which a retable may not be placed without any changes in the present position of the altar, or trenching upon the space needed in the sanctuary.

Where there is an altar in a church too low and small for convenience and dignity, the fault can often easily be corrected, at little expense, by putting a base of a few inches in height under the altar, and by constructing a plain and simple reredos, which, by extending beyond the altar on either side and also partly inclosing it, will give to the old altar its required dignity. By this arrangement, where, as in some places, there are special associations connected with any existing altar, the feelings of devout persons will not be pained, as they might be by the removal of an old altar and the substitution of an entirely new one. Reasonable persons will rather be gratified by the care taken of ant the beauty given to that which they have so cherished.

The Credence

In order that the priest may obey the rubric, before the prayer for Christ's Church militant, which requires of him, " Then [to] place upon the Table so much Bread and Wine as he shall think sufficient," a small table or shelf, called a credence, is needed, upon which the elements can be placed before service, and remain until they are, by the priest, placed upon the altar.

It is a matter of common sense to put the credence where it has anciently been accustomed to stand, on the south side of the sanctuary. There is no mystical reason involved in this. It came about, probably, from the fact that the celebrant at the altar, when about to receive anything brought to him, naturally turns by the right. Then coming to the Epistle corner, he can more readily make use of his right hand in taking or receiving the elements which may be handed to him.

II

The Altar Ornaments

The altar ordinarily has a covering, called an alter-cloth. For convenience, as well as for economy, it is usually divided into two parts. It is thus much easier to remove the altar-cloth when there is need of so doing, and it is more economical, as one portion, the upper one, can be used alone. This portion , which covers the top of the altar and hangs down in front nine or twelve inches, is called the superfrontal. The other portion, which is oftenest of the same material, is known as the frontal, and galls to the ground, covering the entire front of the altar.

The Fair Linen Cloth

The rubric requires that the holy table, at the communion-time, shall have upon it a fair white linen cloth. This cloth, in order to fulfill the rubrical directions, should be as wide as the top of the altar. It is not directed to be any wider, nut it may be considerably longer then the altar, so as to hang nearly half- way down on either side. As to its ornamentation, it is to be observed that the rubrical direction is not that it shall be "plain," that is, without any ornaments, but that it shall be "fair," that is, in the old English of the rubric, beautiful. The introduction, however, of any color into its decoration seems forbidden by the order that, though "fair," it shall be "white." The fair linen cloth may therefore be enriched by having some designs embroidered upon it. Quite a common and simple one is the working of five crosses of the Greek shape upon it; one being places in the center, and one in each of the corners. The linen c loth is spread upon the altar as significant that the altar is also the holy table, whereon is celebrated the Supper of the Lord. The five crosses upon it are symbols of Christ's wounds, and appropriate to the evangelical truth that the sacrifice we feed upon is that of a Lamb that was slain.

The Cross

Opposition among all well-instructed Churchmen to the distinctive symbol of the Christian faith has passed away. The form of the cross can now be seen everywhere in our churches, in the form in which they are built, upon the spires and doors and windows, and adorning the font and chancel. The most fitting place, however, for it is the altar. It is not only our entrance into the Church that is wrought by the power of the cross, but our salvation from the beginning to the end depends upon Christ's grace and the merits of the Passion. This thought Christians should have constantly before them. It is therefore most fit that if the symbol of our redemption by Christ's death is to be used anywhere in our churches, it should be placed before us and over the altar, where is celebrated the "sacrament ordained," as the Catechism tells us, "for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of Christ."

Alter-lights

In many churches where the chancels are dark the priest's labors will be greatly reliever and accidents to the sacrament be averted by placing lights upon the altar. The primitive custom is, however, so associated with the original institution by our blessed Lord of the Holy Supper deep in the night, when lights were required, that their use has a most commemorative significance.

They are also emblematic of joy; as St. Jerome writes: "In all the churches of the East, when the Gospel is about to be read, lights are kindled, though the sun be shining brightly, not to put the darkness to flight, but to a sign of rejoicing."

As emblematic of joy they are appropriate to the Holy Communion, and express the truth that it is a sacrifice "of praise and thanksgiving." Their use is, moreover, so interwoven with the entire history of the holy sacrament, with its primitive celebrations during the ages of persecution, with its subsequent long-continued observance at early dawn, with the immemorial practice of all branches of the Church Catholic, Eastern and Western, Greek, Syrian, Coptic, Gothic, Celtic, that we weaken our claim of being primitive, apostolic, and Catholic in our usage if we neglect a custom of the Church of God so ancient and so universal. Used, as altar-lights are, by Protestant churches in Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, their use cannot rightly be said to symbolize any Roman doctrine. Commanded by the original Anglican Reformers, their use cannot be said to be a revival of medievalism, or contrary to the spirit of the Reformation, or to symbolize doubtful or erroneous doctrin es. Continued in so many Anglican cathedrals, and by the widespread use of so many churches, the practice cannot be said to be contrary to the order of divine worship, as this Church hath received the same. Indeed, so far from tending toward Romanism or leading on to Rome, their general introduction and use would do much to show that our Church is Catholic, though not papal, and to remove those prejudices which prevent so many Lutherans and Roman Catholics from joining us. It is, however, of higher importance to remember that by God's own appointment lights are the symbol of a sacred presence (Exod. xi. 4, 24, 25), and are found in the pattern for our worship revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai, and to St. John in the isle of Patmos (Rev. iv.5; Heb. viii.5). Moreover, the argument is not without force that as God, after He had led His people out of Egypt, took Moses up into the mount, so when God had led the Christian Church out of Judaism He took St. John up to heaven, and shower him th e heavenly worship as the general model and directory, under the free power of the Spirit's guidance, of the worship of the Christian Church. There, in the midst of the divine glory, burning on forever in the eternal noonday, are the seven golden candlesticks and the seven lights before the throne.

Two lights are sufficient for a quiet, early celebration, but six are commonly used for a service accompanied with music.

III

The Altar Vessels

For the celebration of the Holy Communion a cup, or chalice, and a paten are required by the rubrics. It is not commonly known that a clergyman may bring into the country a chalice and paten free of duty. Articles for the priest's use, which he wears on his person or carries in his hand, it has been ruled, are free from import duty.

The large flagon sometimes seen in our churches is not mentioned in the Prayer-Book. The omission is not prohibition, unless all omissions are prohibitions, yet there seems but little need for it, as a properly constructed chalice will hold enough to commune a hundred persons. If there are to be more than this number at a celebration, there may be two patens and chalices. Where it is possible, a priest will prefer to use but one set, as there is something to be said for the feeling that sees in the one chalice and paten a symbol of the truth that we are all partakers of one bread and one cup.

The pater should be made without any base, and so that it may fit into or safely rest upon the top of the chalice. This enables the vessels to be carried together. If the paten has any engraving upon it, it is better to place this on the lower side.

Besides the chalice and pater the following articles will be found convenient for the priest's use in the celebration:

The Purificator

A purificator is a small square of damask with a narrow hem, and having a cross marked in the middle. If made of common linen it should be of somewhat coarse quality, as better adapted to absorb water. Its size is determined by the width of the chalice-bowl, the diameter of which, being multiplied by three, will give the length of one side of the purificator. The purificator is folded the same way twice, and is so more ready for use. It is used by the priest to cleanse the sacred vessels at the end of the service. The purificators should be kept in some suitable place in the sacristy. It is a more reverent custom to have a fresh and clean purificator at each celebration than to use one several times.

The Pall

Another article of utility is the pall. It is a piece of cardboard six to eight inches square, covered with linen. One side is marked in the center with a cross, which is the common sign placed on all articles used at the altar. The size is determined by the diameter of the paten, which it should entirely cover. The pall is used in the celebration to keep the chalice covered, and so prevent dust, flies, etc., from getting into it, and to protect it from other defilements.

The pall has a square of linen caught upon its underside by a stitch at each corner. This is so placed as to be easy of removal in case the linen should by any chance become stained. A reverently disposed priest will take some proper measure to keep the rim of the chalice dry, but if the lining of the pall should ever become stained it should be removed and washed with befitting care, or burned.

The Chalice-veil

As it is customary and seemly to cover the sacred vessels with a napkin or cloth of some kind, it is well to have one especially made and set apart for this purpose. This veil has come to be called the chalice-veil. It must not be confused with the thin lawn or fair linen one required by the rubric to cover the elements after the prayer of consecration. As the chalice-veil is used for a different purpose from that of the fair linen one, its different purpose is signified by its being made of a different material. The most serviceable material for the chalice- veil is silk, and of a size proportioned to the height of the sacred vessels. The size varies from twenty-one to twenty-three inches square. The veil is made more durable by being lined with silk, and may have an inner lining of linen. The sign of the cross is worked, not upon the center, where it would be rubbed and worn, but in the middle of the lower third of the veil.

The use of the veil is to protect the sacred vessels, while in the vestry and during the service before the communion, when the vessels are on the credence, from dust, insects, and accidental injury.

The Communion-veil

There are two other articles which may be mentioned. First the "fair linen cloth," or communion-veil, before alluded to, and directed in the rubric, the use of which is peculiar to our own Church. It is not found in the Roman rite, but was required by our Reformers, out of reverence for the sacrament. It should therefore not be laid aside, and the pall alone used, as is the habit with some, but rather cherished as a peculiarity of our Church. Symbolically it is said to signify the cloth which after the crucifixion was would about our blessed Lord's body at His burial. As the Church bids us make it "fair," that is, beautiful, love and reverence will take care to make it as beautiful as it can be made.

The Corporal

Another article of utility is a square piece of linen called the corporal. It is placed when in use on the altar for the vessels to stand upon. It is useful, as will be seen by subsequent directions, for covering the paten during the communion, as the pall is needed for covering the chalice. It also, by manner of its use, protects the chalice from the danger of being upset; and if crumbs get upon it, these are more easily gathered up (as it is movable) than if they fell upon the larger stationary linen cloth. The size of it is about sixteen inches square. It is folded into a smaller square by being first folded one way twice, and than folded twice the opposite way. So folded, it is, along with the fair linen cloth or communion veil, kept in a silk case called a burse.

The Burse

The burse is a case made of two squares of cardboard covered with silk, and joined together at the bottom, having the sides fastened together by a triangular piece of silk. The burse is open at the top. It thus forms a pocket or case which can be opened, within which the corporal and linen veil may be placed. It is about nine inches square, and may be adorned on one side with a cross of the same design as that on the chalice-veil, with which it corresponds in color.

IV

The Vestments of the Celebrant

From an early date it has been the custom of the Christian Church for those set apart to minister in holy things to wear in divine service a distinctive dress. To distinguish the Holy Communion as the only service ordained by Christ Himself, an appropriate vestment has ever been worn by the priest officiating at the celebration of it. One fact proves this. There are several historical churches which have possessed a continuous life since the Nicene era, namely, the Latin, the Orthodox Greek, the Syrian, the Coptic, the Armenian, and the Nestorian. The two former have been parted for nearly a thousand years. The four latter have been parted from one another and from the two former ever since the Council of Chalcedon, in A.D. 451. Any point on which they are agreed must therefore go back to the middle of the fifth century, and, unless there be some record of its formal introduction, must be part of their consentaneous tradition from a still earlier time. They all do agree in the use of specific eucharistic vestments. There are also written rubrical directions in one of the oldest extant forms of Christian liturgies (the Apostolic Constitutions), directing the celebrant to put on this vestment. Thus the use of distinctive vestments for the Holy Communion is not, as is sometimes ignorantly supposed, an imitation of Rome, but is a Catholic and primitive custom.. This eucharistic dress, which was not only recognized but enjoined by the Reformers (the rubric regulating its use being still in the English Prayer-Book), consists of three principal pieces, namely, and under and an upper garment and a stole.

The under garment is of linen, and is called, from its white color, an alb. It is like a surplice, only with scantier folds and sleeves, and so better adapted than the surplice to be worn under another garment. Probably the present surplice is only the amplification of the alb, and they are one and the same garment; the alb growing into the more ample Anglican surplice, or shrinking into the Italian form, because used alone. The common sense of the matter is this: that one portion of this clerical dress, called a surplice when used alone, is worn in saying Morning and Evening Prayer; but when the highest act of Christian worship is performed it is but fit that the priest should be fully vested, that is, should wear the upper garment, or chasuble, over his under one, then called an alb. It is to be remembered, however, that this dress cannot fairly be forced into having further doctrinal significance than already belongs to the surplice. The surplice, or alb, is a vestment, as all the contentions of the English Puritans show, identified in the popular mind with the idea of priesthood, and the chasuble is no more a sacerdotal garb than it. It was the recognition of this fact that led to the Surplice Riots in London many years ago, when the academical black gown was discarded in the pulpit, and the clergy took to preaching in the surplice. If one may use the analogy of an earthly army and its terms, it has seemed to the Church mode becoming that the priest should, when he comes to celebrate the one service ordained by Christ Himself, be in full uniform.

The alb has for practical purposes a movable collar, which is a small oblong piece of linen which is called an amice. It can be more often washed and changed than the alb, and its object is to protect the stole and chasuble from being soiled about the neck, and is put on in such a way as to fulfill this purpose.

The alb is usually made somewhat long, in order to be usable by all the clergy connected with or visiting a church. It is adjusted by a girdle, which also is used to keep the stole in its place. The chasuble, or upper garment of the primitive form, is of circular or oval shape, having no opening, save one in the center for the head.

The origin of these two parts of the clerical vesture, the alb and the chasuble, has been much investigated by German and English writers of late years. Some assert that they are derived from the vestments of the Jewish priests, others that they are derived from the dress of the Roman citizen. The better opinion seems to be that the dress is of Eastern origin, and was the ordinary garb used by the Lord and His apostles. Their own dress would, of course, be worn by the apostles into whatever part of the world they went; and would continue to be used, through the conservative spirit of the early Church, as the church vestments, amid the various changes of different national costumes. These vestments, having come down to us, help to mark the continuity of our Church with the Church of primitive times. They are part of our rightful inheritance as Christians and Catholics. They are sanctioned by the usage and order of our Reformers. They are by their primitive form and design a constan t and visible protest against Romanism and its modern ways. Various symbolical meanings have been invented by wise and unwise minds respecting these vestments. It is as free for any one now as ever to give any spiritual meaning to any one of the garments as may be of help to himself. It is probable that the general style of dress is the same as the one worn by the Lord; it may remind us of Him as the one High Priest.

The material of the chasuble may be of linen or silk, but the latter is preferable. If our Church's order of received worship allows the use of the black silk gown in the pulpit, there is no reason why a silk one of white of any other color may not be worn in honor of our Lord at the altar.

As the chasuble is the special eucharistic vestment, it should not be worn at any other service.

V

How to Prepare for the Celebration

In the vestry, or sacristy, the vessels are prepared in this manner: A simple linen covering is spread upon some suitable shelf or table. Upon this is placed the chalice. A purificator is laid across the top of if. Upon the purificator is then placed the paten, which is nearly flat, and so can rest safely upon it. Upon the paten in churches there wafer-bread is used it is customary to place a single wafer. Over this is laid the pall, and then over all the silk chalice-veil is spread. Lastly, the burse, containing within it the corporal and the fair linen veil, is laid on top. In the church, upon the credence, should be placed two cruets, one holding wine, the other water. If there is to be a very large number of communicants, the wine may be in the flagon, but glass is a better and cleaner material than metal for the purpose of holding wine. The kind of bread, whether leavened or unleavened, our Church does not regard as an essential matter. The kind and form used have no doctrina l significance. But bread in a wafer form, because always ready for use and never crumbling, is more convenient for both priest and people. It may also be said to appertain to reverence, as separate from common use. It is, moreover, most probably the same kind of bread used by our Lord at the institution of the Holy Communion, and known as Passover bread now. It is used by the Lutherans and in the Swedish churches. The altar-bread or wafer will be placed on some suitable vessel, which either has a cover or is covered with some linen cloth. If there is to be an offering of money a decent basin to receive it will be placed on the credence, and not on the altar. The altar will have upon it the fair linen cloth, which falls two or more feet at either end, but does not show in front. When the celebrations are very frequent, it is sometimes left upon the altar. It is then protected from dust by a temporary covering of some common stuff, which is removed before the celebration. The altar sho uld have a book-rest upon it. When the priest is without an assistant, the alter service-book will be placed closed upon the book-rest before the service begins.

If Morning Prayer is not to precede the communion, the priest should bring in the vessels when he comes to celebrate. Where Morning Prayer precedes the communion, he may place the vessels upon the altar before service. In this case he will take the corporal out of the burse and spread the corporal, and then place the sacred vessels upon it, still covered with the chalice-veil.

The priest vests himself in the sacristy, or vestry, the latter and more customary term better denoting the place where the vestments are kept. The vestments needed for the celebration, where there is room for the purpose, may be conveniently laid out for the priest in the following order on some table:

The Chasuble, with the lower half of its two sides turned up. so that, being laid down flat, the exterior is protected from any dust which might be on the table, and the garment is more easily put on by the priest. Upon it are laid the maniple and the stole. The girdle, having been doubles, is placed upon them. Then the alb is laid over them, so folded as to be more readily put on. And lastly the amice is laid on the top. The priest, having washed his hands, then vests himself in the following manner, with cassock, amice, alb, girdle, stole, maniple, and chasuble. The cassock, it may be here observed, though now much discarded for the purpose, is a much a home or secular garb as a church one, and therefore has not been previously mentioned. The amice is the first piece put on. It is first placed on the top of the head, the two long strings attached to it hanging down in front. The strings are crossed on the breast and then passed round the body and brought to the front, where they meet and are tied in a bow-knot. The alb is then put on, and next the girdle. The girdle is passed round the waist and brought to the front, where its two ends are passed through the loop which is made by the girdle's having been doubled, and is so secured. Next the stole is placed over the neck. The amice is now allowed to drop down and form a collar covering the stole and preventing its getting soiled. The stole, if the celebrant is a bishop, hangs straight on either side, but if the celebrant is a priest it is crossed on the breast. It is kept in place by the girdle, the lower portions of which were hanging in front, and are now brought to either side of the body. The maniple is worn on the left arm; and lastly the chasuble is put on.

As the act of vesting soon becomes a mechanical one, the priest may profitably say during the process a few prayers. The following, or others of one's own selection, can be used. They can either be learned by heart or copied out, hung up before the priest in the place where he is accustomed to vest.

Prayers while Vesting for the Holy Communion

At washing the Hands.

Cleanse me, O Lord, from all defilement of heart and body, that I may with clean hands and a pure heart fulfill Thy work.

At putting on the Amice.

Cover, O Lord, my head with the helmet of Thy salvation, that, the assaults of the evil one being repelled, in peace I may offer this service to Thee.

At putting on the Girdle.

Gird me, O Lord, with the girdle of Thy love, and extinguish within me the fire of all evil desire, that the grace of temperance and chastity may abide in me.

At putting on the Stole.

Grant me so to bear Thy yoke and minister in Thy name that Thy word may never return to Thee void, but may fulfill that to which Thou sendest it.

At putting in the Maniple.

Grant me so to bear the present burden of labor and sorrow that for love of Thee it may be light, and I may persevere even unto the end.

At putting on the Chasuble.

Clothe me, O Lord, with the robe of Thy righteousness, that trusting only in Thy merits, and resting in Thy love, all that I do may be acceptable to Thee.

(It may be observed that the ancient English use of Sarum directed the priest to say the hymn Veni Creator while he was robing himself in the sacred vestments.)

Other Prayers that may be Said.

O merciful Lord, incline Thine ear to our prayers, and enlighten our soul by the grace of Thy Holy Spirit, that we may worthily celebrate Thy holy mysteries and love Thee with an everlasting love.

Inflame our hearts, O Lord, we beseech Thee, with the fire of Thy Holy Spirit, that we may serve Thee with chaste bodies, and please Thee with pure souls.

Visit, we pray Thee, O Lord, and cleanse our consciences, that Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ may, when He cometh, find in us a mansion fitted for His abode.

O God, who in this wonderful sacrament hast left unto us a memorial of Thy passion, grant us so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy body and blood that we may always perceive in ourselves the fruit of Thy redemption.

VI

The Eastward Position

Our churches, according to an old custom, usually stood east and west with the chancel turned toward the east. It is no longer possible in cities to observe this custom. But in consequence of it, the chancel end is often technically called the east end, no matter in what point of the compass it stands.

The altar now ordinarily stands at the farther end of the chancel, and close to the wall, or its reredos, which rises behind it.

To stand before the long side of the altar, and to face the reredos, is what is called the eastward position.

That the priest is to stand while saying the consecration prayer has never been questioned. But it has been questioned whether he should stand not only when consecrating, but when he receives the communion. The rubric says that the priest shall first receive the communion in both kinds himself, and after that proceed to deliver the same to the people, into their hands, "all devoutly kneeling." The "all" who are here bidden to kneel surely does not include the priest. For if the "all kneeling" in the rubric applied to the priest, it would force him to go round the chancel delivering the sacrament on his knees. It, then, applies only to the people. Concerning himself, the rubric has told him to stand before the altar when he is consecrating, and gives him no direction to kneel when he receives. It leaves him in a standing position. To many who have been more accustomed to kneel it may seem the more reverent way. But standing is as sacred a position in p rayer as kneeling, and in receiving as well as offering the priest is acting, not as an individual, but in an official capacity. He officially completes the great transaction by partaking of the sacrifice he has offered. And this growing practice among us of receiving standing appears to have the sanction of the House of Bishops. In the direction given by them, in 1832, the priest, on account of the sacrificial character of the Eucharist, is always to stand, save where he is expressly bidden to kneel. According to this direction, he will therefore kneel only at the confession and the prayer of humble access. He will not kneel at his silent prayer of preparation at the beginning of the service, not when receiving the sacred elements. But as no one would wish to check reverence and devotion, the two ideas might well be combined by the priest, after receiving each kind in his official standing position, kneeling down for a brief moment for his own private prayer and act of homage.

The next point, where the priest is to stand at the time of the consecration, is one of more difficulty. The Reformers of the sixteenth century placed no direction in the Prayer-Book concerning it. But it led to great confusion and bitter contest in the times of Laud and the Stuarts, when party feeling ran high; and in the time of the Puritan Commonwealth, Dr. Wren was accused and tried for consecrating in the midst of the altar, which he contended was the place, where he, being short of stature, and so not able without awkwardness to reach over from the north end to the elements, could with more readiness and decency break the bread before the people.

When, in 1662, he, with others, had the opportunity and power given them to determine this matter, they did it by placing in the Prayer-Book our present rubric. The traditional interpretation of this rubric in America, affected, perhaps, by the Scottish custom, has been to place the priest in the eastward position. In has not been considered much of a party matter. There have been differences, but this eastward position has been the more common practice. Some few clergymen have gone behind the altar and faced the people, which is the position we take in our pulpits when preaching to them. Some have gone to one end of the altar and thus separated themselves from the people by taking an attitude toward the altar different from them. Now and then this north-end position has been defended by very high Churchmen, who have adopted it, as liturgically correct, because it was at the north end of the altar, in the Jewish rite, that the victim was slain. But most commonly the priest has bee n content to take the same position toward the altar that the people take toward it, and to stand, as they do, before it. To the objection that the priest is thus standing with his back toward the people, it is a sufficient answer that he is doing not otherwise than the priest in the front pew is doing to the priest in the pew behind him; for all the baptized and confirmed are sharers, in their degree, in the priesthood. Our church people have accepted the eastward position as the common sense construction of the rubric. So it has come to pass that what is called the eastward position has been commonly adopted in America.

But it is well to note that this position is in strict conformity with the directions of the rubric. The object of the new rubric was to settle the old dispute and determine the exact position of the clergyman at this point of the service. Consequently the rubric must be strictly construed in conformity with that intention. It declares that the priest is to stand "before the table."

Now the phrase "before the table" may have two meanings. First, it may mean "in the presence of." Let us suppose, for the sake of the investigation, that is has this sense. What follows? Every square or oblong table has four sides. If the words "before the table" means "in the presence of," then the directions of the rubric would be fulfilled at whichever one of the four sides of the table the priest might stand. At any side he would be in the presence of the table. But this would not be to construe the rubric in accordance with its intention and purpose. On the contrary, it would destroy its force as giving a precise direction as to position. It would allow every clergyman to do as he pleased. "Before the table" must therefore mean some one side of the table. This, we think, must be admitted. Which side, then, is it? Behind the table, or at one of its ends, or in front of it?

The Prayer-Book determines this by using the term "before" a second time in the same rubric. The priest must also stand "before the people," as well as "before the table." This gives us the clue to the true construction of the rubric. For, according to the rules of legal construction, a technical term in one clause of a law or rubric must have the same signification given to it as in any other part of the same rubric or law. In the latter use of the term, therefore, it cannot, any more than in the former use of it, mean "in the presence of" or "in the sight of the people." Here, as previously, it must be construed to designate the side where he is to stand. Regarding the people, as the rubric does, as a body of worshipers in the church, it cannot mean by the term "before" in their presence or sight, but must mean here, as it did when the term was previously used, at some one side of the people. If at some one side, three sides are excluded. Which are the three excluded sides?

Let us see. Clearly "before the people" does not mean behind of in the rear of the people, or at either end or on one of the flanks, but "before" here means, and can only mean, standing out in advance or in front of the people.

Now let us go back to the first phrase, "before the table," and apply to it what we have learned. By the law of legal construction, similar words in the same rubric must mean the same thing. Consequently "before the table" must mean what we have seen "before the people" means. Since the latter means in front of the people, so the former must mean in front of the table. Is it asked, Which is the front of the table? The rubric has provided an answer. According to the rubric, the people and the table are the two sole objects by which the priest's position is to be determined. These were put in the rubric for that purpose. Now these two objects face each other. The people face the table, and the table faces the people, The people front toward the table; the front of the table is that side which is toward the people. The priest must therefore so stand before the people as to be before the table. The rubric orders him to stand "before the people," i.e., in front of them, and "before the table," i.e., in front of it as it faces the people. It puts him between the two.

We can imagine an objector standing at one end of the table, claiming to be in front of the people. So far, so good. But in this case he is not before or in front of the table. To fulfill the rubric, he must be both at the same time. He might argue, and probably a good many honest-minded men do, that the table fronts him! Granted; but he, by his action, is not to determine which is the front. This is to place himself above the Church, and not make himself, as both bishop and priest are bound to do, the Church's humble servant. This is not to seek for and be governed by the mind of the Church, as a loyal Anglican Churchman should, but to seek to force his mind and ways upon her. No matter how low a Churchman, he ought to feel that the Church is wiser than himself; and no matter how high a Churchman, that the Church he has sworn to be obedient to is higher than he. For any one to say, when he stands at the so-called north end or south end, that he faces the altar, and the altar faces him, may be granted. But he, by his own action, is not to determine which is the front of the altar. This were to make his action control the rubric, not the rubric control and direct him. The Church, by the rubric, orders the priest where he is to stand; and the two and only objects by which the rubric determines the priest's position are the table and the people. They front each other; and the priest is ordered to stand "before the people," i.e., as they face the table, and "before the table," at it faces the people.

So far, then, as our examination of the rubric has gone, it places the priest between these two objects. This is the result of an honest and loyal attempt to know what the rubric means, irrespective of any theological or party considerations. But thus far the rubric does not say how the priest, standing between the two, is to face. It does not force him to face toe people or the table. It merely, by an honest construction, puts him between the two. Nor does it determine whether he is to stand nearer the table of nearer to the people. These two further points are yet to be determined.

But the framers of this rubric of 1662 had been through a terrible and painful experience in this matter, and were not likely to omit any direction needful for the complete determination of the priest's position. They therefore so worded the rubric as to force the priest to stand near the table, and to face it, by commanding him so to arrange or order the bread and wine that he may with more readiness break the bread and take the cup into his hands. There directions placed him close to the altar, and with his back to the people. They, moreover, used the words with which Wren had defended himself before the Puritans, and declared that in this position he could with "more readiness and decency break the bread before the people." There is nothing in the history of the time or in the rubric to give color to the absurd notion that "before the people" means that the people should be able to see the manual actions, or that any one ever supposed that it was important t hat they should do so. The ancient way of standing was, in the mind of those who finally revised the Prayer-Book, the "decent" way.

Thus carefully and thoughtfully was a rubric framed by the Reformers in 1662, after their sad experience with the Puritans, who used to move the holy table about in divine service to suit their own sacrilegious notions-a rubric which, by determining the priest's position, not by an easily avoided reference to the points of the compass, or by designating by name any side of the table, but by fixing the priest's position solely by reference to the table and the people, placed the priest between the two, near the holy table, with his back to the people, and so secured, however the table might be turned or places, the ancient position of the priest at the time of the consecration.

Surely every minister loyal to the Anglican communion, believing in the continuity of our Church, will take this position, in obedience to the Church's order, and as one assertion of our ancient heritage, and so far a protest against the exclusive claims of Rome.

VII

The Order of the Service

The following suggestions are for a plain celebration, where there is but a single priest. Being vested, and the vessels having been prepared as before described, the priest takes the chalice by the knob with his left hand, and, putting the fingers of his right on the burse, proceeds to the altar. He ascends to the middle of the altar, and places the sacred vessels a little on one side in order to leave room for the spreading of the corporal. He than takes off the burse and takes out of it the corporal and veil. He places the burse on the Gospel side, standing it up against the retable. He places the communion-veil, still folded, on the Epistle side, and then unfolds the corporal and spreads it upon the altar, and places upon it the sacred vessels, still covered by the silk veil. He than goes to the altar- book and opens it. The altar-book usually lies on a stand, or book-rest. He returns to the center and goes down the steps, and then, turning to the altar, says his private praye r. The Forty-third Psalm is a suitable devotion here, and is frequently used. He says all this standing, upon the general principle given by the House of Bishops in their published resolutions in regard to the posture of the officiating priest. They declared that, "as the Holy Communion is of a spiritually sacrificial character, the standing posture should be observed by him whenever that of kneeling is not expressly prescribed, to wit, in all parts, including the ante-communion and the post-communion, except toe confession and the prayer immediately preceding the prayer of consecration.

After this short private prayer the priest ascends to the middle of the altar and goes, according to the rubric, to the "right side." This does not mean to one of the ends of the altar, but to the right side of the "midst," or middle, of the altar. The American book has changed the old confusing direction of "north side," as it stood in the English book, to "right side"; and interpreting the Prayer-Book by the Prayer-Book, we learn which the right side is. The rubric in the marriage service, "standing together, the Man on the right hand," etc., seems to show that the "right side" means the Epistle side. Anyway, facing the altar, the Epistle side is in the right side, and this is the commonsense construction. Moreover, going to the Epistle side at the beginning involves less subsequent change of posture.

The priest then says the Lord's Prayer and the Collect for Purity. He then goes to his normal place, which is the middle of the altar, and turning to the people, recites the Ten Commandments of the Summary of the Law. It is well that he should do this without a book. If he says only the Summary of the Law he will turn, of course, to the altar to recite the Kyries. Then he goes to the Epistle side, and says the collect for the day and reads the Epistle. After the Epistle he goes over to the Gospel side and reads the Gospel. Then he returns to his normal place in the middle of the altar and recites the Creed; and here he remains, save when going for the elements and communicating the people, throughout the rest of the service.

After the Creed he shall begin the offertory by saying one of the appointed texts and by uncovering the sacred vessels. He takes off the silk veil, and folding it once, lays it on the Epistle side. He then places the pall upon it. He then takes the paten and goes to the Epistle corner of the altar to receive the bread. If he has no assistant to bring the elements from the credence, it would be well to place them within reach on the Epistle side. After this the priest returns to the middle of the altar, and places the paten with the bread on it upon the corporal, in such position that he may turn over upon the paten the right-hand corner of the corporal. He then takes the chalice, and, the purificator being upon it, he wipes out the chalice-bowl. Then he carries the chalice to the corner of the altar, and takes the cruet and pours into the chalice a sufficient quantity of wine, and then, if the universal practice of the primitive Church is observed, pours in also a very small quant ity of water. The chalice is then brought and placed on the corporal behind the paten, and is covered with the pall. It will be found convenient for its further use now to place on top of the pall, unfolded, the fair linen communion-veil.

From this point in the service the priest will take care that the chalice and paten, when not in use, are always covered with the pall or corporal. The alms having been presented, the priest turns from the right to the left toward the people, and, extending his hands, says: "Let us pray," etc.; and then, continuing to turn in the same direction, he completes a circle, and facing again the altar, he begins the prayer for Christ's Church militant. There is no other reason connected with this movement than that the circle typifies the whole world and Christians everywhere. The priest continues the service according to the directions of the Prayer-Book.

Here we may note that in saying collects, and during the preface, and at the beginning of the consecration, the hands are separated and held facing each other, the elbows resting naturally at the sides. This ancient custom probably comes from St. Paul's direction that men should pray "lifting up holy hands." In kneeling down at the prayer of humble access, it is well to contract the habit of putting the hands on the altar on either side, or under the corporal; by so doing the danger of upsetting the chalice is avoided. On coming to the consecration, the priest uncovers the paten and chalice. They are uncovered for the consecration and invocation, and then are usually covered during the rest of the prayers.

In communicating the people it is easier for the priest to commence on the Epistle side, so that, holding the paten with his left hand, he is more free to distribute from the paten with his right.

Care should be taken to remove any drops which may adhere to the edge of the chalice. After the communion of the people, the chalice is placed in the middle of the corporal. The priest places next the paten upon the chalice, and on the paten the pall, and unfolding the communion-veil, spreads it over the pall.

After the blessing the priest reverently receives the sacrament remaining. Then, if alone, he goes to the Epistle corner of the altar, takes the wine-cruet, and pours a little wine into the chalice, and having consumed the wine, a little water and wine is poured into the chalice over the fingers of the priest. Sometimes water also is poured upon the paten, which is afterward emptied into the chalice, and then the priest drinks the whole. The chalice and paten are next wiped with the purificator, which is left in the chalice-bowl. The chalice is then placed in the middle of the corporal, the paten placed upon the chalice, then the pall laid on the paten, and the whole covered with the silk veil. The vessels so covered are moved a little to the Epistle side, and the corporal and the communion-veil are folded. The burse is then taken from the retable, and the corporal and communion-veil are put in it, and the burse is laid on the top of the silk chalice veil as it was when it was bro ught from the vestry. The priest closes the altar-book, and takes the sacred vessels, and in the same manner in which he brought them to the altar returns to the vestry.

It will greatly tend to the devotion of the people and their more frequent attendance if the priest will study to sat the service reverently in manner, quietly and steadily in tone, with moderate rapidity of utterance, with dexterous economy of time at the offertory, without pauses for the introduction of his own private prayers. The service, with a dozen to communicate, can be said with great reverence and devotion, and without any sign of haste, in from twenty-five to thirty minutes. The priest will make, after the celebration, his thanksgiving to God before leaving the church.

VIII

Preparation and Thanksgiving

It is the custom of many devout priests to say an office of preparation immediately before vesting for the celebration. This habit is recommended. The few minutes spent quietly before the altar will be found most helpful as a means of recollection. The thought of his own unworthiness and the dignity of his high calling will help to prepare the priest for the accomplishment of his Master's command, "Do this." For such a purpose the following devotions are often used.

Office of Preparation

I will fear no evil.

Psalm 84.

O how amiable are Thy dwellings: Thou Lord of hosts!
My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the swallow a nest, where she may lay her young: even Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be alway praising Thee.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee: in whose heart are Thy ways.
Who going through the vale of misery use it for a well: and the pools are filled with water.
They will go from strength to strength: and unto the God of gods appeareth every one of them in Sion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: hearken, O God of Jacob.
Behold, O God our defender: and look upon the face of Thine anointed.
For one day in Thy courts: is better than a thousand,
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God: than to dwell in the tents of ungodliness.
For the Lord God is a light and defense: the Lord will give grace and worship, and no good thing shall He withhold from them that live a godly life.
O Lord God of hosts: blessed is the man that putteth his trust in Thee.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me. Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that trouble me: Thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.

In Penitential Seasons.

Psalm 130.

Out of the deep have I called unto Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice.
O let Thine ears consider well: the voice of my complaint.
If Thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss: O Lord, who may abide it?
For there is mercy with Thee: therefore shalt Thou be feared.
I look for the Lord, my soul doth wait for Him: in His word is my trust.
My soul fleeth unto the Lord: before the morning watch, I say, before the morning watch.
O Israel, trust in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy: and with Him is plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel: from all his sins.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

Remember not, Lord, our offenses, nor the offenses of our forefathers: neither take Thou vengeance of our sins.

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

Our Father, etc.

I said, Lord, have mercy upon me:
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee.

Turn us then, O God our Saviour:
And let Thine anger cease from us.

O Lord, let Thy mercy be showed upon us:
As we do out our trust in Thee.

Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness:
And let Thy saints sing with joyfulness.

Cleanse Thou me from my secret faults:
Keep Thy servant also from presumptuous sins.

Lord, hear my prayer:
And let my cry come unto Thee.

May the fire of the Holy Spirit, O Lord, cleanse our hearts and reins, that we may serve Thee with a chaste body and pure heart; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

O Lord, we beseech Thee, visit and cleanse our consciences, that Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, may, when He cometh, find in us a dwelling-place prepared for Him, who liveth and reigheth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Almighty, Everlasting God, lo! I draw near to the sacrament of Thy only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the Physician of life, unclean to the Fountain of mercy, blind to the Light of all things. I pray Thee, therefore, to wash my defilements, to enlighten my blindness, to enrich my poverty, to clothe my nakedness; that I may receive the true Bread of Angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with a humble, lowly, and contrite heart, with a lively faith in Thy mercy, and a pure desire to do Thy will. Grant, I beseech Thee, that I may receive not only the sacrament of the true body and blood of our Lord, but also the full benefit of the sacrament. O most gracious God, grant me so to receive the body of Thy only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that I may be made perfectly one with His holy body the Church. O most loving Father, grant unto me that, as I desire here to receive Him veiled from sight, so I may hereafter behold Him face to face, where with Thee , O Father, and Thee, O Holy Ghost, He liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

The grace of our Lord, etc.

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As silent communing with God is useful before celebrating the divine mysteries, so it will be found helpful after the service is finished and the vestments have been removed. Again to approach the altar and in silence to meditate upon the great thing which God had wrought by the hand of His minister will increase humility and gratitude. The unseemly haste with which both priest and people so frequently leave the house of God at the conclusion of a service is hardly suggestive of love for His habitation, the place where His honor dwelleth. The sight of the priest returning to the altar to make his thanksgiving is certain to have its effect upon his people, and soon they will be seen to linger on their knees in grateful homage for the Bread of Angels which they have received. The following office of thanksgiving is suggested as one in common use.

Office of Thanksgiving

To be Said in Church or during the Day.

Let us sing the Song of the Three Children:

O all ye Works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: Praise Him, and magnify Him forever.
O ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise Him, and magnify Him forever.
O ye Children of Men, bless ye the Lord: praise Him, and magnify Him forever.
O let Israel bless the Lord: praise Him, and magnify Him forever.
O ye priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise Him, and magnify Him forever.
O ye Servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise Him, and magnify Him forever.
O ye Spirits and Souls of the Righteous, bless ye the Lord: praise Him, and magnify Him forever.
O ye holy and humble Men of heart, bless ye the Lord: praise Him, and magnify Him forever.
O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord: praise Him, and magnify Him forever.
Glory be to the Father, etc.

Psalm 150. Laudate Dominum.

O praise God in His holiness: praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Praise Him in His noble acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
Praise Him in the sound of the trumpet: praise Him upon the lute and harp.
Praise Him in the cymbals and dances: praise Him upon the strings and pipe.
Praise Him upon the well-tuned cymbals: praise Him upon the loud cymbals.
Let everything that hath breath: praise the Lord.
Glory be to the Father, etc.

Nunc Dimittis (Song of Simeon).

Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace: according to Thy word.
For mine eyes have seen: Thy salvation,
Which Thou hast prepared: before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles: and to be the glory of Thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father, etc.

Let us sing the Song of the Three Children: which they sang as they blessed the Lord in the furnace of fire.

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

Out Father, etc.

Let all Thy works praise Thee, O Lord:
And Thy saints give thanks unto Thee.

Thy saints shall exult in glory:
They shall rejoice in their beds.

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us:
But to Thy Name give glory.

Lord, hear my prayer:
And let my cry come unto Thee.

O God, who didst to the three children soothe the flames of fire, mercifully grant that the flames of sin may not kindle upon us Thy servants.
Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with Thy most gracious favor, 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 everlasting life.
Grant us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, grace to quench the flames of our sins as Thou didst endue the Blessed Lawrence with power to overcome the fire of his torments; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We yield Thee thanks, O Lord, holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God, who for no merits of ours, but of the condescension of Thy mercy only, hast vouchsafed to feed us sinners, Thine unworthy servants, with the precious body and blood of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray Thee that this holy communion may not bring guilt upon us to condemnation, but may be unto us for pardon and salvation. Let it be to us an armor of faith and a shield of good purpose; a riddance of all vices; a rooting out of all evil desires and longings; an increase of love and patience, of humility and obedience, and of all virtues; a firm defense against the wiles of our enemies visible and invisible; a perfect quieting of all our sinful impulses fleshly and spiritual; a firm adherence to Thee, the one true God; and a happy consummation of our end. And we pray Thee that Thou wouldest vouchsafe to bring us sinners to that ineffable feast where Thou with Thy Son and the Holy Ghost art to Thy saints light, full satisfaction, everlasting joy, complete delight, and perfect happiness; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

We beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that Thy passion may be unto us virtue, whereby we may be fenced, protected, and defended; let the sprinkling of Thy blood be unto us the washing away of all our sins; let Thy death be unto us eternal glory, both now and forever. Amen.

The grace of our Lord, etc.

IX

The Mystical Meaning of the Liturgy

The Liturgy is the old name for our eucharistic service. It was originally applied to it alone. Morning and Evening Prayer are known by the name of the Divine Office. The Liturgy and the Divine Office are the combination of the synagogue and the temple service. The Anglican communion has preserved the two in better proportion than any other religious body. She has marked their distinction by a careful architectural division of her chancels into choir and sanctuary. In Roman churches this distinction is not made. There, indeed, we find an altar and an altar service, but, save the unvarying meager Sunday vespers, no public recitation of the Divine Office. In sectarian bodies we have a synagogue service, but no altar.

Thus Rome and the sects present a mutilated form of Christian worship. Both the synagogue and the temple worship are of divine origin or sanction, and in the new dispensation they passed on, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, into their glorified Christian condition.

It may, then, further aid in a devout celebration for the priest to have in mind the order and structure of his own Liturgy. It has grown into its present shape, we believe, under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit, and has consequently a meaning of its own. It is unlike that of Rome in some of its features, and where we differ we have no wish to copy her. Also, our church services are unlike those of the dissenters, which are but a collection of hymns, prayers, Scripture readings, arranged apparently after no principle save that of variety and supposed effectiveness. But the Church's offices and her Liturgy have a unity like that of a symphony or a drama. There is an underlying movement and purposeful progression, like the unity of nature as she utters her psalm of life in the music of sounding sea, and wine-stirred trees, and chorus of singing-birds, and harmony of clouds, and shining beauty of starlit heavens, and the incense and perfume of herbs and flowers.

Throughout the sacred Liturgy of the Church there is in all its parts the undertone of the Spirit's voice. The service moves on in majestic order, like a wonderful drama. By it the work of redemption is "evidently," i.e., as "by a picture conspicuously and publicly exhibited," set forth before us. For as the Bible is the Word written, so the Gospel sacraments are the Word in action. They are the two living witnesses, filled with divine power, that shall prophesy unto the end. The Holy Communion is at once a solemn commemoration of the life and death of Christ, a presentation and pleading of Calvary's all-sufficient sacrifice, and a saving incorporation into it through our partaking of Christ's body and blood. It is a divine mystery. Human reason cannot fathom it. The whole transaction, and all its details, takes place within the spiritual organism of which Christ is the ever-present center, and is governed by its laws. How can we realize this? When the priest a pproaches the altar let him, by an act of faith, draw aside the veil between the heavenly and the earthly, and mentally prostrate himself, along with all the elders, before the throne as he enters into the glorious worship of the Lamb. Hushed be the tumult without and within as he enters into the divine presence.

It will help him in the maintenance of this devotional spirit if he can keep in mind the inspired order of the Liturgy. A first attempt to do this while celebrating is apt to be confusing. But when one has become so familiar with the service that he can say the unvarying parts by heart, he can without much difficulty keep before his mental vision the progressive movement of this acted mystery of redemption.

We may for this purpose divide the Liturgy into four parts or acts, the first consisting of the Lord's Prayer, the Collect for Purity, the recitation of the Decalogue or Summary, and the Kyries. This first part brings us into the presence of Almighty God. The recitation of the Decalogue in this place is a peculiarity of the Anglican rite. Let us not therefore disparage it, but rather glorify it; for may we not humbly believe that in the development of the Liturgy each portion of Christendom bears its own witness to the faith and has its own special liturgical glories? Our Liturgy, beginning with the Decalogue and omitting the Gloria in Excelsis, is in striking contrast with the Roman. We can admit that the Roman order is more in accord with the primitive liturgies, and that there is something very beautiful in beginning the drama of Christ's life and death with the angel's song at Bethlehem. But yet it is a grand idea - a grander one, we venture to think - to throw the min d first of all back behind the scene of Bethlehem into the eternal counsels themselves and into the presence of the ever-blessed Trinity. The recitation of the Decalogue does this. It places us before the awful grandeur of God Himself, and enshrines us in the splendor of His glory. For the recitation of the Decalogue is not a promulgation of an arbitrarily imposed code of laws to regulate human conduct, but is a revelation of the divine nature by laws which could not have been otherwise than they are, any more than the rays of the sun could differ from its source. The Decalogue reveals the unique and perfect being of the Almighty; the sanctity of His Name; the marvelous combination of the dual principle of unceasing activity and absolute rest in His nature; the order and subordination found in the divine life itself, the basis of that order which holds family and state together. It brings before God Himself the eternal source of life which makes all human life and its propagation sacr ed, the absolute justice and essential truth, the one and only all- satisfying end of us otherwise covetous mortals. In the presence of that absolute perfection we shrivel into nothingness, and deplore our own sinful condition, and make our ever-needful plea for mercy. Surely there is something very deep and solemnizing in thus bringing the soul before the piercing splendor of the attributes of God.

The second part of the Liturgy extends from the collect for the day to the prayer for Christ's Church militant. It declares that God had heard the cry of humanity and bowed the heavens and come down. He has broken the eternal silence. God has become incarnate. He has to His own nature joined ours, and speaks to us through it as His organ or utterance. The eternal light and wisdom shine out through the human nature like light through an alabaster vase. The prevailing idea of this part of the Liturgy is Christ as the Prophet or Light of the World. Here we have the Epistle, the Word proclaimed by prophets and apostles going before or after Him; then the Gospel, the Word uttered by Himself in sermon, parable, miracle; then the Word preached or extended to us by His messengers and watchmen; then the Word confessed and proclaimed by all the Church in the Creed, swelling by each utterance the testimony of the ages to the faith and saying: "This is the way, walk ye in it."

The third division of the Liturgy begins with the prayer for Christ's Church militant, and extends to the end of the canon. Here Christ as the Priest and Victim is brought before us. What does it do but remind us of that great liturgical prayer which Christ made in the upper chamber when He summed up His lifework and pleaded for the unity of the Church and for the perfection of its members? Then follow the confession, absolution, comfortable words. Here we follow our Lord out from the upper chamber into Gethsemane's sorrow and agony. He has wrapped about Him our sins as a garment from off an outcast leper. As the representative of the race, He has taken those sins upon Himself. On our behalf alone, as bearing all the burden, He kneels and confesses then with tears of blood. The priest at the altar, as Christ's representative, likewise kneels, and, even if there should be no one to communicate with Him, says the great confession. It is an ever-abiding witness of Gethsemane's dark sorrow; it is part of the tragic drama of redemption. Then, as there appeared the angel strengthening Him, there come the absolution and the comfortable words. The light breaks in from heaven. Throughout Christ's life the angels ever attended Him. They sang the introit to His great lifelong sacrifice from off the rood-screen of the skies at Bethlehem. They are with Him at His Credo in the temptation. They wait beside Him at His act of penitence in the garden. They abide in silent adoration about His cross. They minister at His resurrection and ascension. He came to gather in one all things which are in heaven and earth. So in the very central portion of the :liturgy, amid the agony and betrayal and outward wrong and inward woe, the Sursum Corda opens the vision of heaven, and we are one in our worship with the angels and saints.

But the drama hastens with a divine impulse of love to its consummation. Christ, delivered into the hands of wicked men, goes forth bearing His cross, and as He goes He falls beneath its weight. In two places, and two places only, in the Anglican rite is the celebrant bidden to kneel - once as he says the confession, in union with Christ in the garden, and again at the prayer of humble access, in union with Christ as He goes to Calvary.

Then, in the reverent hush that tells that God is near, the Liturgy proceeds with the canon. First comes the consecration. In the American rite there follows the oblation of the holy gifts, called gifts after the union by consecration of the inward and outward parts of the sacrament, called creatures only before. Then the sacred memorial is offered to God, the Holy Spirit is invoked, and intercession is made for the whole Church. The communion comes next. The offering on Calvary's cross was for all mankind. We appropriate its work by faith, and by our communion and reception of Christ's body and blood are incorporated into it.

And when the dear and precious memorial before God has been presented and pleaded, and the communions made, the priest is bidden recently to place upon the Lord's table what remaineth of the consecrated elements, covering the same with a fair linen cloth. It was to protect the sacred elements that the Reformers added this rubric, so distinctive a feature of our rite. Surely we may plead for its literal observance, which the use of a small cardboard, according to the Roman rite, does not fulfill. The symbolical reason for the use of this special veiling makes the act of loyalty the more dear. Does it not bring to mind the descent from the cross and the tender entombment of the body by loving hands, which wrapped it in linen and bore it to its burial?

Then follows the fourth and last great division. It is full of the spirit of the risen and ascended Christ. As the first two portions of the Liturgy set forth His prophetical and priestly work, here He is brought before us as our risen and ascended King. The Roman mass practically ends with the priest's communion, and then he consumes the elements. Is it not something worse than a disloyalty for an Anglican priest to imitate this in the face of our rubric, which enforces the reservation of the sacrament until after the benediction? If it was for communion only that the sacrament was instituted, we might conceive that as soon as the communions were made the sacrament should be consumed. But the Prayer-Book orders its reservation and that the benediction shall be given in its presence. Like the apostles, we assemble about our risen Lord, and are with Him, like them, in the sacred inclosure of the closed doors. He is in the midst of us, and we have received Him, and He is in us and w e in Him. We rejoice in Him and adore Him as our king. We are incorporated into His mystical body, and are ready to do all such good works as He has prepared for us to walk in. We gather about Him as when the disciples took their last walk with Him in the glorious sunlight of His resurrection, and He led them out as far as Bethany. Not unfittingly our Liturgy reserves the Gloria in Excelsis for this place. t is the triumphantly filled-out response made by the Church to the angels' song at Bethlehem. We have been raised up and made to sit in heavenly places. We gaze not up into material heavens, but into the heaven whereof we form a part and wherein we are, one with the apostles, as when they gathered beneath the benediction of uplifted hands, and worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

And then, after the blessing, the priest immediately and reverently consumes the sacred gifts, and we can but think of the saying: "He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight."

Neither disparaging other liturgies nor seeking to imitate them, we may be humbly thankful for that which, through all the trials and purifications of our own communion, God has preserved to us, and try more fully to enter into its spirit and be reverent in its celebration.

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