ought to be perform'd with proportionable Care and Solemnity. And fince the New Teftament has given no Form for this Principal Part of the Chriftian Worship, the fafeft way is to be govern❜d by the Practice of the Ancient Church: Thofe early Times were best Judges of Apoftolical Precedent and Tradition, moft exemplary in their Lives, and most remarkably blefs'd with the Effufions of the Holy Spirit. By this Direction, as to Substance and Order, the following. Communion-Office is drawn. 11859 A 2 Thus Thus at the placing the Elements on the Altar, there is a Prayer for Acceptance, abridg'd out of S. Bafil's Liturgy. The moft fignal Inftances of the Divine Providence and Bounty are likewise briefly recounted, as introductive to the Words of Infiitution. This Recital is Paraphrafti cally taken from S. James's Liturgy. After the Words of Institution, the Prayer of Oblation and Invocation is fubjoin'd from the Apoftolical Conftitutions: These Prayers are addrefs'd for compleating the Sacrifice, and giving it the higheft degree of Confecration. The Prayer for the whole State of Christ's Church is much the fame with that in the First Reform'd English Liturgy. But the Order is changed by putting it after the Prayer for Confecration: For when the Sacrifice, commemorative of that upon the Cross, is finifh'd, and God the Fa ..ther ther propitiated by this Memorial; tis then the moft proper Time to declare the Ends of the Oblation, and recommend the Church to the Divine Protection. The Introits or Pfalms, which begin the Office, ftand as they did in our First Re form'd Liturgy, 92 The Prieft's pronouncing the Ten Commandments, with the Peoples Anfwer to each, are omitted for the Reasons follow ing:! -Firft, The putting the Ten Commandments in the Communion-Office was not done by our First English Reformers, and is altogether Modern and Unprecedented. T bas Secondly, Our Duty to God and our Neighbour, comprized in the Ten Commandments, is comprehenfively explain'd in the Church-Catechifm: The People therefore need only apply to this Inftruction; thus they will have a fuller Notion for Practice, than than can be gain'd by bare Repetition of the Decalogueblu ol eswal lat ezerit 9701szert,bas veil X=6}A Thirdly, The keeping the Sabbath-Day boly is Part of the Mofaick Inftitution, points upon Saturday, and is peculiar to the Tewife Difpenfation: Since therefore the Fourth Commandment looks fomewhat foreign to the Chriftian Religion, fince it could not well have been fingly omitted, 'tis thought fit to wave repeating the reft: And, inftead of this particular Rehearsal, to give the Sum and Subftance of the whole in our Bleffed Saviour's Words, together with the Peoples Answer at the end of the Tenth. I The reft of the Office is the fame with the English Liturgies, excepting that the Rubricks, for more Direction and Solemnity, are fomewhat alter d. besed o gaivert on 5. The Crofs and the Chrism are restored in the Confirmation Office. The Sign of the Crofs |