-^■IS'' m"*^ '| i4'iiPi i .i i . i li i > iii« " ' » ' , i ii f li j ii - -ifa i , i i ii j i I fc i H i I ' l i i 'm S P^ ' ':■ ^ "^■. BY « I' " «'. . .. -i . j .. 908TQJr! K. R mvms * CO. MtKI>lgEIOirr'lTr--T^'rm -^ I ' .Hft. 'i' l l l i i K" ■» » . — __-- __„-.-- — ^^ ^'13^. ^^T^iEzr, ■' ' '' r-? > J " in^'- •■"^f^ .^i":e^ V16U DIES PANIS. BY THEODORE EDWARD DOAVLING, lltrtor of goucjb!^, DIOCESE OE EnEDEJtlCTOy. ** On tlie Lord's Day it [the Holy Communion j was universtilly celcbnited in all cluirc^hes, and nev(^r omitted by any assembly of Christirins whatsoever: insomucli, tlnit some have observed, out ot'Chrysos- tom, that Sunday was anciently, anion«i^ other name:*, called dies pants, ' the day ot* ]>read ; ' because the; breaking of, brjMuJ was so .general a^- custom, in tii« Ohurcli, Ob ,tht\v vlay." — hlnuhnrn's li^nttquUie^., v<>!. v. Jiook XV. (ill. iKi s'^ol. iiJ - . : 1: ■ • > : : . ' « • • PRINTED BY HENRY A. CROPLE^^, Queen St., Fkedericton, N. B* 1867* '*!('m» tf.^- 1 h 1 w . ■'■ .;ma-'J''V-o<^i ^?MA:mtt :v:U}a0^u\: "* '■■"■ "■■ ' ' ' ■ ■ ■ ■ • " If worldly people ask you why you commun^cjvfo so often, tell them that it is to learn to love GoD; io be purified from your imperfections ; to be deliveretl from your miseries; to be consoled in your afflic- tions; to be supported in your weakness. Tell them that two classes of persons ought to communicate often : the perfect, because, being welli disponed, they would do very wrong not to approach the source and fountain of perfection ; and the imper- fect, in order to be able to aspire justly to perfec- tion ; the strong, in order that they may not become Aveak ; and the weak, that they may become ^^^'ong; the sick, to be cured; and the healthy, not to fall into sickness ; and that you, being imperfect, weak, and ill, have need to communicate often with your per- fection, your strength, and your doctor. Tell them that those who have not many worldly affairs, ought to commujiicHte o/ten, b^ecau^e.they l^a\;e^yie oprjor- tiinif;^;! im(/'yiosieIv/5ib*lvi*'V*maw3f w»i5d{y affairs* oil gilt Co to^jjimiliJiJAfe Often/ fiecifii|dtiicy -stand in nee"dt)flf; and thaf he whdlaUolfi^ ihhch'fttight also td JHvrtake oi'iboti Jthat ia solid, fiud ii kHmeutly.^' • . • ! • . . J • • . • • . ^ • • ^7 ■■•'I ♦ •» »*•«•- •• • • ^ m * »»4 «».» 'i'.'f'T PREFACE. >: The following extracts on the Fre- quency OF THE Celebration of the Holy Communion, from the shelves of a small library, are not intended for Non-Communicants. They were orig- inally prepared as material for dis- cussion at a Kural Deanery Meeting in the Diocese of F^ederictpn. ^i > If not asked in the same words, many earnest Communicants often search in vain for a satisfactory answer to the question, "How often shall I coaimuni- In some Parish Churches the Holy Communion is celebrated on the three great Festivals of Christmas, Easter, (3) 4 KlEJ'ACE. and Whitsunday alone. A tri-anniial celebration is the least that the Church of England allows. The last quarter of a century has neen a most blessed change for the better. Go where we will, we expect, almost as a matter of course, a monthly celebration in every Parish. But on what sound principle this improvement has been grounded, it would be hard to say. * . -; This is not one of the many ques-- tions of choice and taste. It is not necessarily a doctrinal question, which earnest minds in different schools of the Church of England need embrace or reject. A weekly celebration is no party badge 4 We have only to enquire (1.) w^hat was the Apostolic and Prim- itive practice as to the frequent cele- bration of the Holy Communion, and (2.) how iar our Liturgy is in accord^ PREFACE. 5 unco with the same ; and then, in God's strength, strive with all our might ^ Clergy and Laity together — to stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and find rest for our souls. (Jeremiah vi. 16.) ^ ^ - r* '^ If one or more of the extracts seem in any degree to bear upon a Daily Celebration of the Holy Communion, the Compiler would take this oppor- tunity of obsei'ving that his one object has been to bring into prominence The Sunday and Festival Celebration, a designation which fas Archdeacon Freeman, in the Principles of Divine Service, p. 187, observes) leaves ample verge for diversity within certain in- telligible limits, may safely be affirmed to be, as a general rule, the prescript of the Church, and to exhibit with the PREFACB. greatest fidelity the time character and purpose of the Holy Eucharist, On this principle we want no Eo- vision of the Liturgy. Not a line need be altered. The Book of Common Prayer, with her weekly-varying Col- lect, Epistle, and Gospel, supplies eveiy essential. But as practical objectiona are likely to arise, the Compiler, living in a large Country Mission, where a weekly Celebration has for some time been the rule, may perhaps be allowed to add his testimony to that of hun- dreds of Parish Priests, as to the fact that frequent Communions do "answer.*' Think of the servants, house-keepers, and nurses who are at present unable to attend regularly the ordinary monthly Celebrations ! In a large Parish thei'e are many invalids and aged persons who sometimes live a long distance q?REFACE. 7 from the House of God. A lengthy mid-day service, with a large number of Communicants jirescnt, is often felt to be a weariness. A weekly Cele- bration, with a judicious arrangement of the services, would, to a great ex- tent, remedy this last mentioned evil. As to the first, why should there not be in evei-y town, an early Celebra,tion on each recurring Lord's Day morning? It would be an advantage if it was generally known, far and near, that on each Loud's Day morning — summer and winter — the Holy Communion was celebrated at the same hour. Strangers and travellers are often perplexed at the frequent changes and strange var- iableness of the hours of celebration in many towns. Thus, even where a weekly Celebration has been established, 4te ufc^fuluess is certainly marred by S PREFACE. / / such an arrangement as the following :— I I. On the first Sunday in the mbnth, the ;}- > ; Holy Communion is celebrated at the Parish Church at 9, a.m. II. On the second Sunday in the month, ? the Holy Communion is celebrated at the Parish Church at. . . 11, a.m. in. On the third Sunday in the month, the Holy Communion is celebrated at St. John's Chapel at. . . 16', a.m. IV. On the fourth Sunday in the month, the Holy Communion is celebrated . at the Parish Church at . • . . 9, a.m. , ^ The continuity of a weekly celebra- tion is thus sadly broken in upon; whereas if all the year round every ono knew that at (say) 8 o'clock an early celebration might be expected, it would neither over-fatigue the parish priest, or interfere with any of the ordinary do- / PREFACE. ^0 %nestic arrangements of society, as at present constituted. '>^ ^ * ' ■' ^ '^ Many, of course, arc the blessings and advantages of attending the highest of all the means of grace ; and therefore in coimtries where the climate is liable to frequent and sadden changes, every inducement should be offered to those who, from local circumstances, are fre- quently prevented from attending even a regular monthly Communion. Let any British North American clergyman remember that next Easter- day (on which all his communicants arc supposed to be in church) the weather is liable to any of the strange peculiari- ties of the season, and he will see at once that if one of his flock be prevented from attending Divine worship through no fault of his own, it surely must bo a , serious consideration whether the next I 10 PREFACE. Sunday service (for which a Proper Preface is provided), and the next, and ^ the next, should be so arranged that not one of the Faithful may urge as an ex- cuse that he came to church on any Lord's day morning, and found not '*all things ready," - . '^ . , ■■■ani- i:!^ ■ w ■ unifsi 1.1 ■•■I < -i^r-,-^^ ■;■■» ■.trfip'»{r<'«rf ,. >''!.t:'">fo • it > .* ; %i A / BIES PANIS. QUESTION.— How often shall I com^ ^' niunicate? ANSWER.-^ On every JLonn'S Day 9 at the least, when possible* ' I. STATEICEITT FEOM HOLY SOEIPTIIEE. i '^Upon the first day of the week .... the disciples came together to break bread." — ^Actsx^.l. n, STATEMENTS PEOM THE EAELT AGES OF THE OHDECH. rirrt. t;-.^: frf'-T^ " "On the day which is called Sunday .... when we have ceased from prayer, bread is brought in, and wine and water, and our principal in like manner offers up prayers and praises with all his power. The consecrated elements are then dis- tributed, and received by each. — Justin Martyr, A. D. 140. 12 DIES PANIS. "Oii the Lord's Day we meet the more (liligeiitlj^ .... in which is performed the gift of the Holy Food All baptized persons who enter God's Holy Church, and hear the Sacred Scrip- tures, but do not remain to pray and partake of the Holy Communion, ought to be put away as introducers of confu- sion into the church." — The Aj)ostolical Constitutions^ A. D. 150. '^I persuade and exhort all to commu- nicate on the Lord's Days, if the mind })e free from aflection to sin." — Genua- diusy A. D. 360. ^' Except those who arc recommended by their priest not to communicate, all Christians ought to make their oblation, and to communicate every Sunday." — ^. Ambrose, A. D. 397. ^^Some communicate in the Body and Blood of the Lord daily. Some receive on certain days. Li some places no day is passed on which it [the Holy Eucharist] is^uot offered ; in other places on the Sal>- bath and the Lord's Day ; in others ou DIES PANI3. 13 the Lord's Day only." — jS. Augustine^ . D. 430. in. STATEMENTS PROM THE BOOK OF COMMON PEATEE, ETO. " Then shall be said the Collect of tho day." — Rubric before Nicene Greed. [The Church of England, in having pro- vided for every Lord's Day a different Collect, as part of the Holy Communiou office, has intended a celebration of the Lord's Supper on every Lord's Day] . See also " The Contents of this Book." /'XIV. The Collects, Epistles, and Gos- .pels, to be used at the ministration of the Holy Communion, thrc ughout the year." "Note also. That tie Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, appointcv^ for the Sunday, shall serve all the week after, where it is not in this Book otherwise ordered." " Upon Christmas Day and seven days after." "Upon Easter Day and seven daj^s after." "Upon Ascension Day and seven days after.'^ "Upon Whitsunday H DIES PANIS. and six days after." "Upon the Feast of Trinity only." — 'Proper Prefaces in the order of the administration of the Lord^s jSujyptr, ['^Thc Church, order- ing every parishioner to cominunicato at least three times in the year, is far from requiring them not to communicate oftencr." — Collis.'] See Kemarks of Bishop Wilson on the eighth Kubric after "The Communion" in iMants' Book of Common Prayer, Oxford 4to edit. "And in (Cathedral and Collegiate Churches and Jolleges, where there arc many Priests and I^cacons, they shall all receive the Communion with the Priests every Sunday at the least, except they have a reasonable cause to the con- trary." — Fourth liubric after "^^Tha Conuminion,^^ "The Curates shall diligently from timo to time .... exhort their parishioitt>rs to the often receiving of the Holy Commu- nion of the Bodv and Blood of our Sav- lOUK Christ, when it shall be publickly administered in the Church." — Iticbrio before the Communion of the Sick. DIES PANIS. 15 \ "All niJinncr of persons witJun tho Church of England shall from hence- forth celebrate and ke3p the Lord's Day ; . . . .that is. ... in oftentimes receiving the Communion of the Body and Blood of CiiuiST." — Constitittions and Canons Ecclesiastical ^ N^o. xiii. On due cele-^ hration of Sundays and Holy Days. "But, before ill other things, this wo must be sure oi especially, that this sup- per be in such wise done and ministered, as our Loud and Saviour did, and com- manded to be done, as His holy Apostles used it, and the good fathers in the prim- itive church frequented it.... The truo understanding of this fuition and union, which is betwixt the body and the bread, betwixt the true believers and Christ, the ancient Catholic fathers both per- ceiving: themselves and commendin«: to their people, were not afraid to call this supper, some of them, the salve of im- mortality and sovereign preservative against death ; other, a deiflcal commu- nion ; other, the sweet dainties of our IG I>IES P.VN1S. Saviour, the pledge of eternal wealth, the defence of faith, the hope of the resurrection ; other, the food of immor- tality, the beautiful grace, and the con- servatory of everlasting life. All which sayings .... of godly men, truly attribu- ted to this celestial banquet and feast, if Ave would often call to mind, O, how would they influence our hearts to desire the participation of these mysteries, and oftentimes to covet after this bread, con- tinually to thirst for this food!" — An Homily of the worthy receiving and rev-* ere7it esteeming of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. The Second Tome, No. xv. Oxford edit. IV. OPINIONS OF MEMBERS OF THE CHUEOH OF ENGLAND. ^' Some religious persons have raised a question, whether it were better to communicate often or seldom. Somo thinking it more reverence to these holy mysteries to come but seldom, while others say it is greater religion or char- t)IES TANIS. 17 ity to come frcqiienlly. But I suppose this (lucstioii docs not cliHer iiuich from a dispute, whether it is better to pray often or to pray seldom. For Avhiitevcr is pretended ngainst a frequent com- munion, miiy, in its proportion, oI)ject against a solemn prayer. . . . Concerning the connnunion of secular and hiy per- sons, S. Austin gave this answer to it: ^To receive the Sacrament every day I neither praise nor reprove, but at least let them receive it every Lord's Day,'' And this he spake to husbandmen and mer- chants.^' — Bishop Jeremy Taylor on Life of Christ. Hebers cd. vol. iii. p. 311. "The Apostolic custom of conmiuni- cating was at their Agapes and love feasts .... Out of the oiterings brought, so much as was thought convenient for the Sacrament w^as taken by the party who ofHciated, and the remains were deputed both for the refreshment of the congregation and also for relief of the poor : and these oblations w^ere by the Apostles' constitution to be set apart, 18 Dl^S PANIS. Kara iniav ^nP^aticv. CVCiy Lokd's Day."— » L^ Estrange s Allidiice of Dlvuvi Oijices. Libr. Aug. Oith. Thcoioiify, p. 272. " The primitive Cliristijins . . • . did as seldom meet to preach or pray without a communion, as did the okl Israelites to worship without a sacrifice." — Dr, Daniel lirivint, "As Ijishop Cosin remarks: ^Tlieso^ Liturgies were Avont iu the ancient church to be said at the celebration of the Lord's Sui)per, w^hich our church ap- points on evei'v Lord's Day." — Bishop Cosin on the Liturcfii. quoted from Bis^ se^s Bi¥tutii of Holiness^ \)\). 124. 128. In the Preface is the f )llo\vin2: : — "Thesis 6. No church u])()n the face of the earth, from the time of the Apostles to the time of the lleformation, uor to this day, except among Protestants, is knowm to have kept the Lord's Day, or had any ordinary assemblies for the solemn worship of God, without it. . . . That the Cler<2:v of the Church of En<2:- laud, and especially of this city, and tho DIES TAXIS, 19 imivorsitlcs, arc more guilty in this res- pect than the rest, because their neglect is not only contrary to the practice of the Apostles, and primitive christians, and of the whole Catholic Church of Christ, but even to the constitution of their own Church." — The Lltnn/f/ of the Ancienfs represented, as nearh/ as well may be^ in Un^/lishjorm'i: with a Preface coucerjtuir/ the restitution of the Christian worship in the JIoli/ Eucharist to its inte^jritij and jttst fre- quenry of celebration, rriutcd in L'jiKhni, A. 1). lOiiO. ^"It is most evident, by all the records of the church, that it was the Apostolic and primitive custom to partake of this most holy ordinance every Loiid's O ly, and that their mL>etings were chielly de- signed for this." — Bishop Hopkins on the Fourth Commandment, "This frequency of Communion may reasonably be supposed to be then, ac- cording to the known practice, once a week, on every Lord's Day .... The re- gaining of that Avhich was so much the glory of the primitive church, and the 20 DIES PAxrs. gi'cat support of christian innocence and piety (as frequent weekly communion most certainly Avas) nuist be a thinj^ Avorthy the most serious thoughts and e()nsi(l(»ration of all tliose into whoso hiuids (^OD has put power and auliiority, by a superior influence, to redress abuses, "when they can saf(dy do it to edification, and not to destruction. If 1 were woithy to iii\ e any advice in the case, it should l)e this : first, to restore the practice of the true ancient disci[)linc : and, -after that, the way would lie open to revive the ]>ractice of the true primitive way of conununicatinc: weekly every Lord's Day." — J } L li (jham'' s AnHquit ies oftlie Chris- tian Chvrchy book xv. cliap. ix. sections 2, 7. "If there be no Communion on any Sunday in the year, the people only are to bo blamed. The Church hath done her ]^art in ordering it." — Wheat!)/ on the Book of Common Prayer, Bohn's edit. p. 313. " The Communion is appointed for everji Simday." — Hookas Church Diction- ary, Article on Communion, eighth edit. DIES TAXIS. 21 **It was called *Dics Panis' from Iho custoni in the primitive chiireh to receive the Sacrament of the Kuchari.st on every Lord's Day throughout the year ; a cus- tom so universally recoirnized that they who came to cliurch to hear llie Scrip- tures read, and stayed not to join in the prayers, and to receive the Holy Com- munion, Avcre excommunicated, as the authors of disorder in the Church." — JSishop Nixon on the Church Catcrhisni, p. 4G9. "^lost Christians received it [the Sac- rament of the Loin/s Sup})cr] every Loiid's Day." — Ti/cb' Short J^Jcclemtdical lit dor f/ from the conclusion of the Acts of the jljwsllcs to the Council of Nice, in A. D, ul!5, cliJii). xiii. Knlcs luid Customs in the Church. "These thinjj^s were done on the Loiid's Day (Chrys.). Observe the in- timation here given, that the primitive christians assembled specially on the Lord's Day for the reception of the Holy Eucharist (see ii. 4(>), and for hearing of the Word.'' — Archdeacon Wordsworth" s Commentary on the Acts ofthQ ^jyostles, chap. xx. 7, 22 DIES PANIS. " These words seem fmrly to intimate that the first day of the week, or, the Lord's 2)a//, was set apart or sanctified for religious worship : but then, finding Justin Martyr, who wrote but forty years after the death of S. John, telling us in his Apology, that 'On Sunday all the christians in city or country meet toge- ther, .... and .... we receive the. Sacra- ment.', . . .Now, finding this, I say, sta- ted by Justin Martyr and the Fathers in general, it clears up the foregoing text beyond dispute, for the religious ob- servation of the Lord's Day in the time of the Apostles.'' — TvanHlation of theAi^ology of Justin Martyr ^ by W. Reeves. Prclhcc on Acts xx. 7. "The fact is, that people vcr} gener- ally mistake the whole nature and object of the Saciament of the Holy Eucharist. They think it a thing to be confined to great and particular occasions. Let me tell you how this idea has grown up. Of late years it has been customary in some places only to celebrate the Holy DIES PANIS. 23 Communion on the great Festivals ; and , some have really imagined tliat this was 4 the right way. And yet it appears from Holy Scripture and other sources that the early christians communicated, when not every day, at least every Lord's Day. That we have so far departed .from this custom, regarding the rest of /Our conduct, is not perhaps very sur- prising ; but the manner in which it has ^been clone is rather surprFsing. . . .There is a canon still in force by which tho <:'hurchwardens in every parish are re- quired to present those persons who iibsent themselves from the Holy Com- munion. The times fixed are the three ^jlrcat Festivals of Christmas, Easter, mul Trinity ; and now by a strange per- version it has come to be imagined that what was the least that would be allowed for any person, was really as much as is required or desired." — The Theory of Christian Worshi]), b}' Rev. T. Cham- Jberlain, Sermon x., ou "Our Life," p. 127, 24 DIES PANIS. *^ The most legitimate endeavour of a Chm-ch emulous of apostolic practice, — the first axiom of christian ritualism and apostolic polity and discipline, — is surely the restoration of weekly Cele- bration and Communion ; the one as a matter of faithfulness as a church, the other as the badge of christian member- ship .... External evidence towards the close of the apostolic times comes in to prove conclusively that then, at least, Aveekly Eucharist was the ordinary rule. .... The church at lari^^e was slow to admit any innovation in the apostolic usage. This appears from an expression in the verv ancient Eucharistic office of the Alexandrian church, the Liturgy of S. Mark intimating that celebration was confined to Sundays or Festivals .... Nothing short of an entire and radical misconception as to the apostolic idea of Christian worship and service as a whole, could have brought in infrequent celebration of the Holy Communion which characterizes the English Church DIES PAKIS, ^25 at the present day. I say acquiescence in such infrcquency ; for that is the pe- culiar character of our shortcoming iu the matter. While other churches, to secure apostolic frequency, have resorted to unapostolic and unjustiiia))le modes of celebrating, we have secured apostolic and genuine celebration, ])ut apostolic frequency we have, speaking generally, been careless of . . . . AVith 'one Loud, one Faith, one Baptism,' was conjoined one ^Lord's Day Eucharistic Festival ; the last, like all the rest, made equal for all • . . . To this apostolic standard, then, neither less nor more, broadly accepted, ^and acted on in its general spirit, I would fain urge the English church to return. For doing so she stands, in one respect, at a singular and immeasurable advan- tage. It is this : that she has no need, in order to its full accomplishment, to alter an iota of her existing theory iu •the matter of ritual, but only to give practical effect to it. She has, though ; much to do, yet nothing to undo ; no 26 DIES PAOTS. mutilated Sacrament to restore , no aban- doned or abolished ordinary worship to recah She need not change her course by a single point, but only * St *" ;ir up, and steer Right onward.' .... We have too much, it must be sa?d, invested it with circumstances of dis- couragement. It has too much been represented as a provision for an occa- sional ecstatic state of sanctity ; too lit- tle in its real character, as the ordained instrument of appropriating afresh, at 6r/e/ intervals, — and those of scarcely less than Divine appointment, — the Christian estate of salvation, and of dis- charging its duties in their highest and only complete form. A solemn and a festival thing doubtless it is designed to be ; but it is a solemnity and a festival of ordained weekly recurrence, at the least. It is this that we have need to realize; viz., that in apostolic days the return of the weekly Festival of Christ's Eesurrection, and of the Descent of th© DIES PANIS. 2t !o^y spirit, without Eiicharistic cele- iratioii and participation, would havo leen looked upon as scarcely less than n abandonmcut of the whole Christian {)osition. Surely we should then bo ess disposed to acquiesce in such ideas as that of monthly Communion, as being fc tolerably satisfactory measure of Chris- tian privilege ; and contend with moro -earnestness, from a more strongly for- tified position, and with greater success, for the weekly practice. Is there any reason to doubt that the same kind of persons Avhom we now unhesitatingly lind eflectually invite to monthly recey- iion, might with equal safety to their iouls, and with equal success, be pre- Tailed upon to become weekly Commu- iiicants ? It is the habit, which in various ways (as e. g. by books containing a Hveek's preparation' for communicating) has been spread abroad, of viewing Com- ©lunion a^ in its nature a rare event ; — it is this, and not any unmeetness or Hisiuclinatiou for more frequent recep- - ,28 DIES PANI3. tion, at any rate in the case of the more devout members of our congregations, which makes the general restoration of weekly Communion appear so formida- ble and difficult. Let the practice, and the irresistibly strong grounds on which it rests, be fairly set before them, and there is no reason to doubt that the call would be responded to ; more especially since monthly Communion has no defi- nite standing-ground of recommenda- tion, any more than quarterly, or the like. Both are, though in dillerent de- grees, a corrupt and unhealthy state of Christian privilege ; whereas weekly re- ception has the claim and the strength of apostolic sanction and example." — The J^rtnciples of Divine Service^ by Arch- deacon Freeman, vol. i. pp. 151-388. "xiny argument which destroys weekly Communion, destroys moyithlij ; and any argument Avliich destroys monthly^ de- stroys annual Commnion. As to the latter, I hold it to be nothing more than au outward sign of conformity to worldly DIES TANIS. 29 custom. It has very little indeed of tho true spirit of the love of Goo, and still less of the faith of the Church. It cer- tainly is not what the Holy Scriptures tell us it ou2^ht to be." — The Old Church Porch, vol. iv. p. 427. " Holy Communion is • • . . the great distinguishing act of Christian worship on the Loud's Day . . . • Holy Communion has now in theory the same place in the Church's Sunday worship as it had in primitive or New Testament times. It is true that this has been, to a lamentable extent, only the theory of the Church ; in practice it has not been carried out ; but the Prayer-book is not to blame for this. Each minister, no matter how infrequent his actual administration of Holy Communion, is obliged to read a j)art, viz., the commencement, of the Communion Service before he preaches, thereb}^ forcing the more thinking of his flock to ask, why does he omit the rest? why does he begin a separate and dis- tinct service, and break ofl* short in tho So DIES PANIS, middle of it? Our usual practice of reading the boginiiii)g of the Holy Com- munion Service and not adniinisterin^r the Sacrament, is like * saying grace ' when there is no food on the tal)le." — Church Doctrine — Bible Truth^hyllQy. M. F. Sadler, pp. 186-187, 2d edit. "Forlifteen centuries no such thing •was ever known as for Christians to meet together for worship on the Loiiiys Day without this memorial of the death of Christ .... For the last three centu- ries, in England, this characteristic act of our worship has been all but set aside, and an attempt has been made to supply its place by Psalms, and Litanies, and Sermons, and Scripture Readings. But sm^ely to read and preach about the death of Ciinisx, and to recite Prayers and Psalms, in memory of that death, without oflering that one memorial of it which our Lord Himself ordained, this is much the same thing as to read and speak about food to a fainting man, ^yithout giving him the food itself ou DIES PANIS. 31 wliicli his strength depends." — The Me- diation of the Churchy by llcv. E. Stu- art, p. 48, 2d edit. "It may be taken «is an apostolic in- stitution, that, on the first day of every "vveek, the Festiv^al of the Loud's Resur- rection, tlie Sacrament of the Body and Bh){)d of CiinisT, should be always openly celebrated ...• Without this no Loiid's Day was held to be duly ^'cle- brated. The Festival of Christ's Kes- urrection, in their eyes, would have been robbed of its perfection, and spoiled of its crown, had they been defrauded of the pledges of their Kedeemer's love, and of the food of their spiritual life." — A. Feiv^ Words on the Objections to Fre^ quent Uommnnion^ p. 6. " AVhat can be expected also, so long as there continue to be numerous par- ishes in our land, where the opportunity of fellowship with Christ through the Holy Communion is only offered quar- terly to the people? What life can bo anticipated in the Christian society . • • • 'A. :, 32 DIES PANtS. while tins enforced ohcdience to tho letter of our Canon shows thjit the qnick- cning principle of the Church's vitality is so little appreciated? What a depart- ure this from that early precedent, Avheu the Disciples at Troas came together weekly to break bread !" — The Doctrine of the Incarnation^ by Archdeacon AVil- berforce. 4th edit. 1852. P. 442. "The Refreshment from which this Sunday [Fourth Sunday in Lent] takes its name, is the 'Strengthening and Ke- freshing of our souls by the liody and Blood of CiiuiST ;' not, indeed, that this day was particularly appointed for the Celebration of the Lord's Supper — every Stmday and every Festival was that." — Seasons of the Churchy vol. i. p. 46(). See also James on the Collects^ p. 105. ' "Religiously regarded, it was a day of solemn meeting for the Holy Eucha- rist, for united prayer, for instruction, for almsgiving." — Smith'' s Dictionary of the Bible. Article ou the Lokd's !Day, by Rev. Dr. Hessey. ' DIES TAXIS. 3S "I am not aware "vvhcn, or on what principle, the monthly Communion was substituted for the weekly one in our parish churches. Perhaps it originated in the decline of practical religion con- sequent on the Great Rebellion. If weekly Communion had not unfortu- nately, and untruly, been supposed to be a ^party-badge' (it is sad to be ob- liged to write the word on such a sub- ject) , it would have been more gener- ally revived than it has been." — Direc* toriuni Pastorale^ by Rev. J. H. Blunt, p. 187, 2d edit. " Serious Christians arc coming round gradually, it is presumed by the force of conviction, to the habit of communicat- ing much oftener than they used to do. .... The old manuals of preparation .... need to be thrown into a new form, ad- apted to a weekly or fortnightly recur- rence of the ordinance." — Thoughts on Personal Beligion, by Dean Goulburn, Amer- ican edit. p. 117-119. ' ^ . Sv.,,t,. ,,, i . V " England would never properly ob- serve the Lord's Day until in her ghur- 84 DIES PAXIS. ches on that day she ' showed forth the Lord's death till He come.' With our present shortcomings how could we face those ancient Episcopal Churches in the East and West, who, whatever corrup- tions they might have fallen into, were at least not chargeable with infrcquency in the Celebration of the Holy Commu- nion." — Mr. A. J. B. Bcresford Hope, M^ P., Gudh'dian^ Oct. 10, 1866. "It has been my privilege to be con- nected with York Minster for a period of not less than a quarter of a century, and during that period we have had re- gular weekly communions." — Cathedrals — their £roper Work and Influence ^ by the Dean of York. " The Christian Church has , as it seems to me, something. to be noticed in the way of positive enactment as regards the Lord's Day — I mean the Sunday Com- munion. It is abundantly clear that in the first ages of Christianity every one in full communion with the Church was expected and required to communicate ,,/ DIES PAXIS^ 35 fts part of his regular worship on tho Lokd's Day. Our own Church .... as- suredly desires and encourages it. Much stress may justly be laid on this point. It may serve as a valuable touchstone by which wo may, for ourselves and others, try and determine many questions of detail. It seems almost enough, to a Churchman at least, if he enquires ^How shall I spend my Sunday?' to reply 'Begin it by devoutly communicating ; and then pass it as befits a Communi- cant.' " — Reverend T. Espin on the Lord's Day, Chiardiarij Oct. 10, 186C. ^'Although it was unwise to startle the people by any sudden changes, he des- ired that the weekly Celebration of the Holy Communion, so clearly intended by the Reformers, as shown by their celel^rated Eubric forbidding solitary masses, should be the rule. — Bishop of Oxford's Triennial Charge, 1866. From sum- mary in GlohCj Dec. 4, 1866. , - "I know that some of you, my rever- end brethren, are disinclined to this SG DIES P^VNIS. increase in the number of your cele- brations, from an . impression that the greater frequency tends in some degree to diminish the number of those Avho communicate. But, deriving my con- clusions from an average drawn from a large number of instances, I can assure that the veiy opposite is the fact. It is quite true that the numbers present at each separate celebration may not be in- creased by the increased frequency of celebrations, but the whole number who communicate within the year, and tho number of times on which the communi- cants attend are infallibly multiplied. I append the results afforded by a very carefully kept list of communicants in a parish in which the times of celebration were multiplied : — Average of twelve months hefoi'e (a,) and after (b.) the change in l^b\from monthly to fortnightly Communion, a 1. Present at each celebration (omitting fractions) 28 2. Gross number of communicants in twelve , , months... • 432 34 looa DIES PANIS. ST Averatje often montlis before (a.) and after (b.) the change in \^b^ from fortnightly to weekly Cominu7iion, a b 1. Gross number of communicants in ten months 458 SiO 2. Number of separate individuals commu- nicating once or oftener in each month 61 94 3. Present at each celebration 35 31 4. Gross monthly average 75 141 5. Number who communicated more than once in the month 14 27 — A charge delivered at the THennial Visita* Hon of the Diocese^ November, 1860, by Samuel, Lord Bishop of Oxford. ^^ For Archdeacon Freeman's persua- sive and solid arguments in favour of a weekly Celebration, the Church of to- day is his debtor." — The Liturgies o/1549 and 1662 contrasted and compared, by the Reverend Orby Shipley. *'We want in every Cathedral, accor- ding, to the Rubric, a celebration of the Holy Communion, at the leasts on every Sunday • . . . We want this — more fre- quent communions — more than stained glass, or grand organs, walls cleansed of whitewash, or a fabric restored ; we want a loving worship, and the crown and centre of all worship ."—Ca^/iec?raZi?e- forniy by Rcvereud Mackenzie E. C. Walcott* 138 DIES PANIS. ^' Shall wc . • . . with our still infre- quent celebrations of the Holy Com- munion, infrequent even when it is plainly otherwise ordered ; . . , . shall we be wise to pass mordant comments on others who may exceed the standard, when we ourselves so far, so very far, fall short of it ?" — Whose is this Image and Superscription f Sermon by the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, from The Churchvian^ Nov. 8, 1866. . . " There are very few directions in the Bible about the arrangement of public christian worship. St. Paul tells us that all things are to be done decently and in order, and he rebukes the un- seemly ^licence of some members of the Corinthian church. We gather from his words, and the practice of the first christian converts, that the Holy Com- munion was administered every Sunday, and that the Faithful were asked to make some offering on the first day of every week." — Public Worship and The Offertory^ by Eev. Harry Jones, 2d edit, p, 3. DIES PANIS. 39 The Compiler does not hesitate to quote John Wesley. The foot-note in connection with the title of his Sermon on "The Duty of Constant Communion'^ from which alone these extracts are brought to a close, is as follows : " The following discourse was written above five and fifty years ago, for the use of my pupils at Oxford. I have added very little, but retrenched much ; as I then used more words than I do now. But, I thank God, I have not yet seen cause to alter my sentiments, in any point which is therein delivered, — 1788. J. W."...." I shall, *^ I. Shew that it is the duty of every Christian to receive the Lord's Supper as often as he can . . . • because it is a plain command of Christ .... The ben- efits of doing it are .... great . . . . Now, when we are convinced of having sinned against God, what surer way have wo pf procuring pardon from Him, than the $honn7ig forth the Lord's death^ and 40 DIES PANJS,. beseeching Him, for the sake of His Son's suffering, to blot out all our sins ? *'n. I am, in the second place, to ans- wer the common objections against con- stantly receiving the Lord's Supper. " 1. There are those who plead as an excuse that they 'canliot live up to it; they cannot pretend to lead so holy a life, as constantly communicating would oblige them to do.' Then it is plain you ought never to receive it at all. For it is no more lawful to promise once what you know you cannot perform, than to promise it a thousand times . . . • If there- fore you cannon live up to the profession they make who communicate once a week, neither can you come up to the profession you make, who communicate once a year. ... It requires neither more nor less perfect obedience than you promised at your baptism. You then undertook to keep the commandments of God by His help ; and you promise uo more when you communicate. "2. A second objection, which is of- DIES PAXIS. 41 ten made against constant Commmiion, is the haying so much business, as will not allow time for such a preparation as is necessary thereto .... What excuse is this, for not obeying God? Whatever you do, or leave undone besides, be sure to do what God bids you do. "3. A third objection against constant communion is, that it abates our rever- ence for the Sacrament. Suppose it did? What then? Will you thence conclude, that you are not to receive it constantly ? This does not follow. God commands you ' Do this.' You may dq it now, but will not; and to excuse yourself, say, 'If I do it so often, it will abate the reverence with which I do it now.' Suppose it did ; has God ever told you, that w^hen the obeying His command abates your reverence to it, then you may disobey it? If He has, you are guiltless ; if not, what you say is just nothing to the purpose. The law is clear. Either show that the lawgiver makes this exception, or you are guilty- before Him* 42 DIES PANIS. "4. Another objection, ivhich some have made against constant communion, is, that ^ the Church enjoins it only three times a year.' If then you receive three times a year, because the Church com- mands it, receive everj^ time you can, because God commands it. But .... ^ye cannot conclude from these words that the Church excuses him who receives only thrice a year. The plain sense of them is, that he who does not receive thrice at least, shall be cast out of the Church ; but they by no means excuse him who communicates no oftener. This never was the judgment of the Church ; on the contrary, she takes all possible care that the Sacrament be duly admin- istered, whenever the Common Prayer is read, every Sunday and holiday in the year." — Sermons on Several Occa- sions^ by the Rev. J. Wesley, 13th ed. vol. ii. sermon cvi. In addition to the preceding Extracts, the Compiler has fallen in with some in- teresting statements, by members of DIES PAXIS. 43 various religious bodies ; some of them bearing strongly on the weekly admin- istration of the Holy Communion on the Lord's Day. They are omitted aa not directly affecting the Church of England. It must not be supposed that the subject has been exhausted by these few Extracts, ov that the Church has not expressed her mind more fully and plainly throu jh her leading Divines on the frequency of the Celebration of the Holy Communion. The contrary, no doubt, is the fact : and therefore it would afford unfeigned plea^^- lU'e to the present Compiler to learn that one of England's far-famed Theologians is preparing a learned and thoughtful Treatise on the subject. Wha| gioWdiieu" itf *alj%9s yo^Qmnacnd may be ' safely* ' tdrUidkreS at» thV* Ifeist , and (tliie ..C^m})3eK.hu«ibIy:k fMt^ upon. * ' "^ BlesseU Is tlittt 'seryaht, •Whofhi 44 DIES TANIS. his LoKD when lie cometh shall find so doing." For if the Service \vhich our Blessed Lord instituted for continual remembrance of Him till He come aii^ain be laid aside, or substituted on three Lord's Days out of every four by human and lesser offices, surely an impartial looker-on must imagine that Morning Prayer, the Litany, the Ante ( ?) Com- munion Office, and the Sermon are either more fitted for Christians on Dies Panis in these last days, or that the Church of England has, to a sad extent, neglected to show forth lnox Lord's Death on the weekly recurrence of His own most Holy Day — the Lord's Day. " Let us pray to God, For the Church of England, — /Ihe 8upi)'-y oC wha+ is wanTj,ag:_ in it, , ■ ■ The strengthening' of what iemah»s In it.-' — 'Daily Frayers and 3fedltations of Bishop