Commissioners Petitioning for Review of Book of Common Prayer, Commentary 2 · Topic 3
Communion Service.
Sect. 1. P. 17. Kyries.
Ans. [To say [Lord have mercy upon us] after every Commandement, is more quick and active, than to say it once at the close; and why Christian People should not upon their knees ask their pardon for their Life, forfeited by the breach of each Commandement, and pray for Grace to keep them for the time to come; they must be more than ignorant that can scruple.]
Repl. We thank you for saying nothing against our four first Requests. Though we be thought more than ignorant for our scruple, we can truly say, we are willing to learn; but your bare opinion is not enough to cure ignorance and more. By your reason, you may make kneeling the gesture for hearing the Scriptures read, and hearing Sermons and all: If you will but interweave Prayers, he must be more than ignorant that will not kneel. The universal Church of Christ was more than ignorant, for many hundred years, that not only neglected, but prohibited Genuflexion in all adoration each Lords day: when now the 20. of Exod. or 5. Deut. may not be heard or read, without kneeling (save only by the Clergy.)
Sect. 2. P. 18. Homilies.
Ans. [Some Livings are so small, that they are not able to maintain a Licensed Preacher, and in such and the like Cases, this provision is necessary; nor can any reason be given, why the Ministers reading a [Homily] set forth by common Authority, should not be accounted Preaching of the Word, as well as his reading or pronouncing by heart, a Homily or Sermon of his own, or any other mans?]
Repl. 1. When the Usurpers would quickly have brought Livings to that competency, as would have maintained able Preachers, we may not question whether just Authority will do it. 2. When abundance of able Ministers cast out, would be glad of liberty to Preach for nothing, this pretence hath no taste or sense in it. 3. When we may not without the imputation of uncharitableness, once imagine that your Lordships, with your Deans, and other Officers, do not value the saving of Souls above Money, we may conclude, that you will voluntarily allow so much out of your ample Revenues, as will supply such places, or many of them: the rather, because we find you charging them, as [inordinately desiring the Honour and Wealth of the World] that would have had all Ministers to have had 100 l. or 80 l. per annum a piece; and therefore may conclude, that you will take no more, if you hate that sin, more than they do, that are accused of it: But the next part of your An…wer firghteth us more; to which we say, That we will not differ with you for the name, whether reading Homilies, may be called Preaching; but we take the boldness to say, that it is another manner of Preaching that Christ and his Apostles sent men to perform; and which the Church hath gloried in, and been edified by to this day; and which thousands of Souls have been brought to Heaven by; and which we again desire may be enjoyned, and not left so indifferent.
Sect. 3. Sentences.
Ans. [The Sentences tend all to exhort the People to pious liberality, whether the Object be the Minister, or the Poor; and though some of the Sentences be Apocriphal, they may be useful for that purpose.] Why Collection for the Poor should be made at another time, there is no reason given, only change desired.]
Repl. We have oft told you, why the Apocripha should be cautelously used in the Church; that Usurper that should pretend to the Crown, and have a more numerous party than the King (that hath the undoubted Right) will be lookt on more suspitiously than ordinary Subjects. 2. It is a sordid thing for Ministers to love Money, and it's sordid, unless in extraordinary necessities, to have them beg, and beg for themselves, and beg under a pretence of serving God; even in times when the Clergy seems advanced. 3. We confest our selves deceived, in thinking we should have free personal debates with you, which made us reserve many of our Reasons. Our Reasons are, 1. For less disturbance. 2. Because the Peoples affections are much more raised usually, and so fitter for returns, when they have received. 3. Especially, because it is most seasonable to do the Acts of Gratitude, when we had received the obliging benefits, and so say, [What shall I give the Lord for all his Benefits?] when we have partaked of them; and to offer our selves first, and with our selves, what he giveth us, unto him, when we have received him, and his Graces offered to us. These are the Reasons that brought us under your Censure of desiring a Change.
Sect. 4. P. 19. 3. Exhortation.
A…sw. [The 1. and 3. Exhortations, are very seasonable before the Communion, to put men in mind how they ought to be prepared, and in what danger they are to come unprepared: that if they be not duely qualified, they may depart, and be better prepared at another time.]
Repl. But is it not more seasonable that in so great business such warning go a considerable time before? Is there then leisure of self-examination, and making restitution and satisfaction, and going to the Minister for Counsel to quiet his Conscience, &c. in Order to the present Sacrament? We yet desire these things way be sooner told them.
Sect. 5. Exc. 1.
Answ. [We fear this may discourage many, certainly themselves cannot desire that men should come to the holy Communion with a troubled Conscience, and therefore have no reason to blame the Church, for saying [it is requisite that men come with a quiet Conscience, and prescribing means for quieting thereof] if this be to discourage men, it is fit they should be discouraged and deterred, and kept from the Communion till they have done all that is here directed by the Church, which they may well do considering, that this Exhortation shall be read in the Church, the Sunday or Holy-day before.]
Rep. But we can and do desire, that many that have a troubled Conscience, and cannot otherwise quiet it, should come to the Communion for remedy, and not be discouraged or kept away.
Sect. 6. Ministers Turning.
Answ. [The Ministers turning to the People is not most convenient, throughout the whole Ministration, when he speaks to them: as in Lessons, Absolution, and Benedictions, it is convenient that he turn to them, when he speaks for them to God, it is fit that they should all turn another way as the ancient Church ever did; the reasons of which you may see, Aug. lib. 2. De Ser. Dom. in monte.
Repl. It is not yet understood by us, why the Ministers or People (for which you meant by [they all] we know not) should turn another way in Prayer; for we think the People should hear the Prayers of the Ministers: if not, Latin Prayers may serve, and then you need not except against extemporary Prayers, because the People cannot own them, for how can most of them own what they hear not, whatever it be. As for Augustins reason for looking toward the East when we Pray, [ut ad moneatur animus ad naturam excellentiorem se convertere, id est ad Dominum, cum ipsum corpus e…us quod est terrenum ad corpus excellentius, id est ad corpus caeleste convert…ur:] we suppose you will not expect that we should be much moved by it. If we should, why should we not worship towards any of the Creatures visible when we can pretend such reasons for it, as minding us of Superior things? and why should we not look Southward when the Sun is in the South? And we fear the worshipping toward the Sun, as representing, or minding us of Christs Heavenly Body, is too like to the prohibited worshipping before an Image, and too like to that worshipping before the Host of Heaven, in which the old Idolatry consisted, or at least which was the Introduction of it; of which our Protestant writers Treate at large against the Papists, on the point of Image worship; See also Vessius de Idolat. lib. 2. cap. 2, 3. &c.
Sect. 7. Exc. 3.
Ans. [It appears by the greatest evidences of Antiquity, that it was upon the 25. day of Decemb. S. Aug. Psal. 132.]
Repl. It is not August. alone in Psal. 132. that must tell us which way [the greatest evidences of Antiquity] go: And his reasoning that John must decrease, and Christ must increase, as proved by Johns being born, when the dayes decrease, and Christs being born when the dayes increase, doth not much invite us to receive his testimony. We conceive the ancient opinion of Jerusalem, and other Eastern Churches, that were nearest to the place, is a greater Argument for the contrary, then you have here given us for what you thus affirm: we might set Epiphan. against Aug…st. and call the Greek Churches, till the midst of Chrysostoms time, when they changed their opinion, and in our time the Judgement of the Famous Chronologers, Scaliger, Berraldus, Broughton, Calvisius, Cappellus, Clopenburgius, with many others, are not contemptible, as set against such an unproved Assertion as this.
Sect. 8.
Ans. [That our sinful bodies, &c.] It can no more be said, those words do give greater efficacy to the Blood then to the Body of Christ, then when our Lord saith, [This is my Blood which is shed for you, and for many for the remission of sins, &c.] and saith not so explicitly of the Body.
Repl. Sure Christ their intimateth no such distinction, as is here intimated: There his Body is said to [be broken for us] and not onelyonly [for our bodies.]
Sect. 9. To every Communicant kneeling.
Ans. [It is most requisite that the Minister deliver the bread and wine into every particular Communicants hand, and ropeat the words in the singular number; for so much as it is the propriety of Sacraments, to make particular ob…ignation to each Believer, and it is our visible Profession, that by the Grace of God, Christ tasted death for everyman.]
Reply 1. Did not Christ know the propriety of Sacraments better than we? and yet he delivered it in the plural number to all at once, with a [Take ye, eat ye, drink ye all of it] VVe had rather study to be obedient to our Master, than to be wiser than He. 2. As God maketh the general offer, which giveth to no man a personal in…erest, till his own acceptance first appropriate it; So it is fit that the Minister, that is God's Agent, imitate Him, when his Example, and the Reason of it, so concur to engage us to it; Clemens, Alexandr. Stromat. lib. 1. Prope. giveth a Reason (as we understand him) for the contrary, That Man being a free Agent, must be the Chooser, or Refuser, for himself: foreign. Quemadmodum Eucharistiam cum quidem, ut mos est, diviserint, permittunt unicuique ex populo ejus partim sumere: and after rendreth this reason, foreign: ad accurate enim perfecteque eligendum ac fugiendum optima est Conscientia.
And the thing is so agreeable to your own doctrinal Principles, that we fear you disrelish it because it comes from us.
Sect. 10. Kneeling, &c.
Answ. [Concerning Kneeling at the Sacrament we have given account already; only thus much we add, That we conceive it an Error to say, that the Scripture affirms the Apostles to have received not kneeling: The posture at the Paschal Supper we know, but the Institution of the holy Sacrament was after Supper, and what Posture was then used, the Scripture is silent. The Rubrick at the end of the 1. Edw. c. 6. that leaves kneeling, crossing, &c. indifferent, is meant only at such times as they are not prescribed and required: But at the Eucharist kneeling is expresly required in the Rubrick following.]
Repl. Doubtless when Matthew and Mark say it was [as they did eat] to which before it is said [That they sate down] and when Interpreters generally agree upon it, this would easily have satisfied you, if you had been as willing to believe it, as to believe the contrary: Matth. 26, 20, 21, 26. the same phrase is used, v. 26. foreign, as in v. 21. where it sheweth they were still sitting. For the sense of the Rubrick, if you prove that the Makers so interpret it, we shall not deny it; but the Reason of both seems the same.
Sect. 11. Communion three times a year.
Answ. [This desire to have the Parishioners at liberty, whether they will ever receive the Communion or not, savours of too much neglect, and coldness of affection towards the holy Sacrament: it is more sitting that order should be taken to bring it into more frequent use, as it was in the first and best times: Our Rubr. is directly according to the ancient Counc. of Eliberis, cap. 81. Grat. de Consecrat. no man is to be accounted a good Catholick Christian that does not receive three times in the year: The distempers which indispose men to it, must be corrected, and not the receiving of the Sacrament therefore omitted: It is a pittiful pretence to say they are not fit, and make their sin their excuse: formerly our Church was quarrelled at for not compelling men to the Communion; now for urging men: How shall she please?] Hooker, l. 5. s. 8.
Repl. We con…ess it is desirable that all our distempers and unfitnesse should be healed; and we desire with you that Sacraments may be oftner; but that every person in the Parish that is …fit, be forced to receive, is that which we cannot concur with you to be guilty of: Two sorts we think unfit to be so forced (at least:) First, abundance of people grosly ignorant and scandalous, that will eat and drink Judgment to themselves, not discerning the Lord's Body: Secondly, many mela… holy and otherwise troubled doubting souls; that if they should receive the Sacrament before they find themselves more fit, would be in danger to go out of their wits with fear, left it would seal them to destruction, and, as the Lyturgy saith, left the Devil enter into them, as into Judas; or at least it would grievously deject them: As formerly, so now, there is great reason … that the unprepared be not forced to the Sacrament: and ye… … to great a part of the Body of the Church may not be let alon… in your Communion, without due admonition and discipline, that ordinarily neglect or refuse the Churches Communion in this Sacrament; Those that are so prophane should be kept away; but withall they should be proceeded with by discipline, till they repent, or are cast out of the Church.
Sect. 12.
Answ. [This Rubrick is not in the Lyturgy of Queen Elizabeth, nor confirmed by Law; nor is there any great need of restoring it, the world being now in more danger of Prophanation than of Idolatry; besides the sense of it is sufficiently declared in the 28 Article of the Church of England. The time appointed we conceive sufficient.]
Repl. Can there be any hurt or danger in the peoples being taught, to understand the Church aright? Hath not Bishop Hall told you in his Life, of a Romanist beyond Sea that would have forced him down, that the Church of England is for Transubstantiation, because of our Kneeling, pag. 20. And the same Bishop, greatly differing from you, saith in the same Book, pag. 294. [But to put all scruples out of the mind of any Reader concerning this Point, let that serve for the upshot of all, which is expresly set down in the fifth Rubr. in the end of the Communion, set forth as the Judgment of the Church of England, both in King Edward and Queen Elizabeth's time (note that) though lately upon negligence, (note, upon negligence) omitted in the Impression.] and so recites the words. Where you say, [There is no great need, &c.] We reply: 1. Prophaness may be opposed nevertheless for our instructing the People against Idolatry. 2. The abounding of Papists, who in this point seem to us Idolatrous, sheweth that there is danger of it. 3. The commonness of Idolatry throughout the world, and the case of the Israelites of old, shew that mans nature is prone to it. 4. Prophaness and Idolatry befriend each other. As God is jealous against Idolatry, so should all faithful Pastors of the Church be; and not refuse to give such a Caution to the People, and say, There is no great need of it.