nounce, in no measured terms, the Church's rubrical permission of spiritual Communion of the sick in extreme cases; even though such cases be so extreme, rare, and improbable, that the rubric may be almost regarded practically as a dead letter.

Seeing, then, the dangers which have in times past arisen, and are now again manifestly arising, from the undue exaltation of the commemorative or dramatic features of the celebration of the Lord's Supper, we cannot but esteem it as another instance of the divine wisdom by which our Church has been guided, that she has retained and authorized, in the consecration of the elements for their holy purpose, no representative act, save the simple breaking of the bread in the sight of the people, coupled with the solemn blessing of the bread and of the cup through the use of our Redeemer's own words at the first institution.

With regard to the amount of ritual or ceremonial magnificence with which this

commemoration of the Sacrifice of Christ shall be surrounded, though the Church, according to the power entrusted to her, both may and must decree and determine the limits of ritual observance in kind and in degree, yet the adoption of any outward rite within those limits must, of necessity, be decided by circumstances in each individual case. There are, however, two prominent Christian principles by which every faithful member of the Church must feel himself to be bound and influenced far more than by the force of any outward enactment; and they are these:-First, that no outward sign, or symbol, or dress, or gesture, shall be admissible in the celebration of the Lord's Supper which shall represent or typify that which the Church of England has specifically condemned as false, or which she has not accepted and affirmed as Scriptural truth; and secondly, seeing that the ministers of Christ are the servants of His people, and not lords of His heritage, they

may not force upon them outward rites or symbols-even though they be significative of the truth-if they shall, through their novelty, or from any other cause, be an offence to faithful and consistent Christians in the congregation amongst whom they are called to minister.

SECTION IV.

WHAT THE FAITHFUL RECEIVE IN

THE SACRAMENT OF THE

LORD'S SUPPER.

HIS subject has of necessity been in part anticipated in the first section. We there observed how the whole tenor and testimony of Holy Scripture leads up to that which has ever been, and still is, the universal belief of the Church of Christ, namely, that the Lord's Supper was ordained by our blessed Redeemer Himself to be a spiritual feast His atoning Sacrifice, a feast upon His own most precious Body and Blood. Nor

upon

let us think that, by declaring it to be a spiritual feast, we diminish aught from the truth or reality of our participation of Christ therein.

According to the reckoning of faith that is not most true or real, which is visible, palpable, and discernible to the outward senses, but that which, like God Himself, is impalpable, invisible, spiritual, and eternal.

Though, therefore, "the Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper, only after an heavenly and spiritual manner," through the mean of faith, yet in the words of our catechism, the Body and Blood of Christ are "verily and indeed taken and received therein by the faithful.”

But, perhaps, the fullest and most perfect declaration concerning that which the faithful receive in the Lord's Supper is to be found in the words of the consecration prayer in our Communion office, "Hear us, O merciful Father, we most humbly beseech Thee, and grant that we, receiving these Thy