the laws of God. Yet this is only one amongst many instances which shew the little worth of abstract acknowledgments of duty. Men live by a different rule-by the law of their own habits, and of the tone of life around them; and that this is in direct opposition to the theoretical admission of the universal duty of communicating, is but too clear on all sides. How many may be found in every church, who rise with utter unconcern to quit the half-concluded service, when they know that they shall soon be bidden to "draw near with faith, and take that holy sacrament to their comfort!" a thought-it is a settled principle, on which they may act without the trouble of a separate process of deliberation. The feast is not for

It seems never to cost them

them. Yet how would this decent multitude endure the address which in the old times of the Church they could not have escaped?—“ Ye that cannot communicate, walk off and begone. Let no.... infidel be present; no heterodox person; no heretic."*

On this temper of the times no thoughtful Christian can look without pain; for though there may have been some increase in the num

Apostol. Constitut. lib. viii. cap. 12; quoted by Bingham, Antiq. b. xiii. cap. 1.

ber of communicants, it has undoubtedly kept no due relation to the increase of apparent piety amongst us. The complaint may still be made, "How insignificant is the proportion of that little company, which, when the bulk of the congregation has retired, and the doors are closed, thankfully gather round the table of the Lord, to commemorate the Saviour's meritorious cross and passion; and in this little company, how small is the number of the young!-where are the lambs of the fold ?""*

If, then, the evil be admitted, it is of no little moment to inquire into the causes which have helped it forward. Now, amongst the foremost of these appear to be two widely spread miscon ceptions, which, seeming at first sight destructive of each other, do in fact combine to bring about the same result. One of these, beginning with paying a seeming reverence to the holy rite, would represent it as too great and holy to be approached by ordinary Christians. Those whom matured age, and long-established habits, or greater spirituality of mind, seem to mark as belonging to the higher classes in the Christian school, may safely draw near and rejoice in their

Charge of the Lord Bishop of Winchester for 1837, p. 23

privilege; but for those who are still compassed about with temptation, still weak in faith, and not sure of themselves, they had better wait, lest, by a premature reception of the holy sacrament, they do but increase the guilt of their after-offences, if not "eat and drink their own damnation." This is one of the most common grounds for living in the absolute neglect of the holy office. The young think themselves too giddy, the middle-aged too full of occupation, the poor too full of cares, the rich too full of business; professional employments keep the men, the trials of a family the women; and so, by common consent, they stay away from communion, thinking that they are but treating with due reverence so great a mystery. It is much to be feared that, in many cases, the tone of our ministry has rather tended to help on than check this error. We have grown to connive at such excuses, in our desire to keep the table of the Lord free from unfaithful worshippers. We hear, in common language, the number of "the congregation," not of the communicants, at any church. The man who does communicate is marked as doing something more than others, rather than the non-communicant as doing less. We suffer ordinary Christians to attend week by week, and even year by year, upon our mi

nistry, and never come to the communion; instead of feeling it a monstrous thing, and plainly shewing that we feel it to be such.

Yet, what can be more injurious to a ministry? for it is, in fact, yielding to that universal temptation of putting off all serious care about religion to a "more convenient season." It is allowing that men may be Christians, and may profit by the hearing of God's word, though they cannot bring themselves to that true devotedness of heart and life which would warrant their habitual presence at the holy table.

The first working of this error may be often traced to the time of confirmation. That holy rite is intended by the Church to admit the ca techumen to the class of full-grown Christians, and to all the privileges of believers. Of these the chiefest and most evident is a partaking of this holy feast. But from this the young are Confirmation has been a step,

apt to shrink.

and for the present they are contented with it;

after a while, they

cating as another.

look forward to communi

"Let us," is their language, "have time to try our sincerity, to see whether we act up to our vows; and then hereafter we How may take our places at the holy table." thin a veil is this to cover self-dependence, and an unfaithful estimation of the eucharist as the

B