pon the Sundays, and other Holy-days (if there be no Communion) fhall be Jaid all that is appointed at the Communion, until the end of the general Prayer [For the whole State of Chrift's Church militant here on Earth] together with one or more of these collects laft b fore rebearfed, concluding with the Bleffing.

And there fhall be no Celebration of the Lord's-Supper, except there be a cons venient Number to communicate with the priest, according to his Difcretion. And if there be not above twenty perfons in the parish, of Difcretion to receive the Communion; yet there shall be no Communion, except four (or three at the leaft) communicate with the priest.

And in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches and Colleges, where there are many Priefts and Deacons, they fhail all receive the Communion with the Priest, every Sunday at the leaft, except they have a reasonable caufe to the contrary. And to take away all Occafion of Diffenfion and Superftition, which any perJen bath or might have concerning the Bread and Wine, it shall fifice, that the Bread be fuch as is ufual to be eaten; but the best and purest Wheat Bread that conveniently may be gotten.

And i

dif any of the Bread and Wine remain unconfecrated, the Curate fhall have it to his own Uje; but if any remain of that which was confecrated, it shall not be carried out of the Church, but the Prieft, and fuch other of the Communicants as be fall then call unto him, shall immediately after the Blessing, reverently eat and drink the fame.

The Bread and Wine for the Communion shall be provided by the Curate and the Church-awardens, at the Charges of the Parish.

And note, That every Parishioner fhall communicate at the leaft three Times in the Year, of which Eafter to be one. And yearly at Eatter every Parishioner fball reckon with the Parjon, Vicar, or Curate, or his or their Deputy or Deputies, and pay to them or him all Ecclefiaftical Duties accuftomably due, then and at that time to be paid.

After the Divine Service ended, the Money given at the Offertory shall be dif pofed of to fuch pious and charitable Ujes, as the Minifter and Church-wardens, ball think fit; wherein if they dijagree, it shall be difpofed of as the Ordinary fhall appoint.

it is ordained in this Office for the Adminif

tration of the Lord's Supper, that the Communicants should receive the fame kneeling; (which Order is well meant, for a Signification of our humble and grateful Acknowledgment of the Benefits of Chrift therein given to all worthy Receivers, and for the avoiding of fuch Profanation and Disorder in the holy Communion, as might otherwife enfue) Yet, leaft the fame Kneeling fhould by any Perfons, either out of Ignorance and Infirmity, or out of Malice and Obft nacy, be mifconftrued and depraved: It is here declared, That thereby no Adoration is intended, or

ought

ought to be done, either unto the Sacramental Bread of Wine there bodily received, or unto any Corporal Prefence of Christ's natural Flesh and Blood. For the Sacramental Bread and Wine remain fill in their very natural Subftances, and therefore may not be adored, (for that were Idolatry, to be abhorred of all faithful Chriftians) and the natural Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ are in heaven, and not here; it being against the Truth of Chrift's natural Body, to be at one Time in more Places than one.

А

Companion to the Altar:

Shewing the

NATURE and NECESSITY

OF A

Sacramental Preparation,

In order to our Worthy

Receiving the HOLY COMMUNION,

WHEREIN

Thofe FEARS and SCRUPLES about Eating and Drinking Unworthily, and of incurring our own Damnation thereby, are proved groundless and unwarrantable.

Unto which are added,

PRAYERS

and

MEDITATIONS

Preparative to a SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION, according to what the Church of England requires from her Communicants.

I will wab my Hands in Innocency, O Lord, and fo will I go to think Altar. Pfal. xxvi. V. 6.

CARLISLE:

Printed by JOHN

HARRISON.

MDCCLXXIX.

THE

PREFACE.

T

HE ufual Reafon which Men affign for their not coming fo often to the Holy Sacrament as they would do, is their Fear of Eating and Drinking unworthily, and confequently of incurring their own Damnation thereby. The Defign then of this fhort Difcourfe is, to fhew what that Sacramental Preparation is, which is abfolutely neceffary to qualify Men for a worthy Participation of the Lord's Supper, that fo Men may come without the leaft Fear of Eating and Drinking Damnation to themselves: For which Purpofe, I conceive no Rule, no Instruction more fafe, eafy, and inftructive, than that of our Church Catechism, which I have endeavoured to explain, and accommodate for the Ufe and Benefit of the meanest Capacity.

The concluding Part of this Difcourfe contains PRAYERS and MEDITATIONS preparative to a SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION; and though they be few in Number, yet I hope they fully answer all those Several Parts of a Communicant's Duty, according to that Rule and Standard which our Church has fixed for Q02

our