'the Congregation, to rehearse the Commandments; after which, 'read the Collect for the Queen, and that of the day, "standing as "before," i. e. with your face towards the Table. Then turn again towards the people, to read the Epistle and Gospel.' (p. 33.)— Hints to young Clergymen.

The Collect for Purity of Heart.

(To be said by the Priest alone-the Priest standing, and turning towards the Table; the People kneeling.)

605.-This Collect for purity of heart is of very early date, having been found in the Sacramentary of Alcuin at the end of the 8th century, and in that of Leofric, bp. of Exeter, in the 9th century. It occurs in the prayer for the preparation of the Mass in the Salisbury Missal, and was introduced, with the Lord's Prayer, into the first Liturgy of Edward VI. 1549. It is to be uttered by the Priest alone standing and looking to the Table, the People kneeling and silently following in their thoughts, but repeating aloud at the close the "Amen," as the difference of type will indicate. In the "Alterations" suggested by the Royal Commissioners in 1689, we find the word 'operation,' proposed in the place of inspiration.'

In the first Liturgy of Edward VI. 1549, there followed here these Rubrics, &c. in the place of the Ten Commandments and Responses we now have.

'Then shall he say a Psalm appointed for the Introit: which 'Psalm ended, the Priest shall say, or else the Clerks shall sing.' 'iij. Lord have mercy upon us. 'iij. Christ have mercy upon us. 'iij. Lord have mercy upon us.

Then the Priest standing at God's board shall begin.

'Glory be to God on high.

'The Clerks. And in earth peace, &c.' (to the end of the Gloria

in Excelsis.)

'Then the Priest shall turn him to the People and say.

'The Lord be with you.

'The Answer. And with thy Spirit.

'The Priest. Let us pray.'

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

Then shall the Priest, turning to the People, rehearse distinctly all the TEN COMMANDMENTS; and the People still Kneeling shall after every Commandment ask God mercy for their transgression thereof for the time past, 'and grace to keep the same for the time to come, as 'followeth.' (1662.)-Present Book of Com. Prayer.

(The Priest standing and turning to the People-the People
still kneeling.)

606.-It was formerly the usage in the Church of England, to read before the Epistle and Gospel a portion of the "Law," and at the Revision of the Liturgy in 1552, it was thought desirable to introduce here that portion of the 20th Chapter of Exodus, comprising the Commandments, so as to form a permanent and invariable Lesson from the Old Testament, and the one most suited to the circumstances of the reign, and the occasion of the service. It was divided into ten short verses or capitula, each provided with a Response, whence they acquired the appellation of the "TEN COMMANDMENTS." They formed no part of any ancient Liturgy, and the idea, probably, was suggested to our Reformers by the Strasburg Liturgy of Valerandus Pollanus, (LAURENCE'S Bampton Lectures, p. 210.). This foreign Liturgy was used by those strangers who had fled from Strasburg on account of the Interim,' and taken up their abode at Glastonbury.

The Rubric at its first appearance in the Prayer Book of 1552, did not much differ from our present Rubric; it ran thus :

:

'Then shall the Priest rehearse distinctly all the X Commandments, and the People Kneeling shall after every Commandment, ask God's (God. 1604) mercy for their transgression of the same after this sort.' (1552. 1559. 1604.)-KEELING. 170, 171.

607.-In the Alterations' suggested by the Royal Commissioners in 1689, it was proposed to read the first clause of the Rubric we now have, thus :-' Then 'shall_the_Minister standing with his face towards 'the People shall rehearse distinctly all the TEN

'COMMANDMENTS (as in Exodus,' in the Margin); 'and,' &c.: (the Roman letters indicate the changes). It was also proposed to strike out this Rubric and the whole text of the Commandments, and put in their place these words:-" Refer to the Litany." It was also advised to insert a Rubric permitting the reading of the Eight Beatitudes in the stead of the "Ten Commandments," adding to each a suitable Response : thus

เ

'Or the 8 BEATITUDES, the People still kneeling, and after 'every Beatitude, praying as is hereafter directed.

'Minister. Our Lord Christ spake these words and said, Blessed 'are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

People. Lord have mercy upon us, and make us partakers of 'this blessing.

&c. &c. &c.

The last Response was in these words:

'People. Lord have mercy upon us and indue us with all 'these Graces, and make us partakers of the blessedness promised to Them we humbly beseech Thee.'

There was also a rough draft of the above Beatitudes with Responses very much enlarged, inserted in the Book on paper, with this Note:- This is 'to be used after or instead [of] the X Commandments upon the great Festivals.' (Copy of 'Alterations' printed by Order of the House of Commons, 1854. p. 44-46.)

It was likewise suggested to add to the Fourth Commandment' a marginal Note at the word "Sabbath" as follows: :-- - which is now the Lord's Day? But none of these changes were accomplished.

In the Scotch Liturgy of 1637, the reading of this Rubric is important; thus

Then shall the Presbyter, turning to the People, rehearse distinctly all the TEN COMMANDMENTS: the People all the while Kneeling, and asking God mercy for the transgression of every duty therein; either according to the letter, or to the mystical 'importance of the said Commandment.'*-(KEELING p. 170.)

·

* In the AMERICAN LITURGY the only deviations from our present Rubric are -' Minister' for Priest' - omitting 'all' after distinctly' omitting thereof" after 'transgression' Keep the 'law' instead of 'Keep the same.' And there is appended at the close of the Commandments our Lord's summary of the Law found in Matt. xxii. 37-40.

Hence we see the origin of the insertion of these Commandments, and what care should be taken to read them aloud clearly, and distinctly. The opinions following will defend their introduction into the Office of the Holy Communion.

BP. COSINS (ob. 1672), commenting on the word' distinctly' says, 'i. e. with pauses between every one,' and then adds:- 'I do not 'find in any Liturgy, old or new, before this, of the fifth of 'Edward VI. (here continued) that the Jews' Decalogue was used in the Service of the Christian Church: but it seems, that the 'rehearsal of it in the beginning of the Communion, was appointed 'with the People's Answers, and craving pardon and grace to 'observe them, instead of Confession of Sins, always set in this 'place. It serves to actuate our repentance, by calling to mind our Offences by retail.'-Add. Notes to NICHOLLS' Book of Com. Prayer. p. 38.

DEAN COMBER writes:-'We vowed to keep them' (these divine " precepts) 'in our Baptism, and we renew that vow at every 'Communion, and therefore it is very fit we should hear them often, and have them repeated now, when we are going to make a fresh engagement to observe them......And where could the 'Law be placed in our Service more conveniently, than immediately 'before the Gospel, to make that more welcome to us, when the 'Law hath humbled us by its terrors? And since we are to confess all our sins before we come to this blessed Sacrament of pardon, 'the Church holds out this glass unto us by which we may discover 'all our offences.'...... When we hear these holy Commandments 'read in the Church, we must receive them with equal reverence and humility as if God Himself spake them from Mount Sinai: and, because we have offended against them all, we must kneel 'down as criminals ought to do, and diligently consider, as the 'Priest reads them, what sins we have done against each Commandment; and when we have found out the particular trans'gressions, we must at the close of every command, most earnestly 'beg pardon for them, saying, "Lord have mercy upon us," and 'forgive us for these great offences.' (p. 282, 283.)-MANT's Book of Common Prayer.

DR. BENNET remarks;- 'Here let me intreat the People to 'consider well the seriousness of this part of the Office. The Words ' of God Himself are read unto them by God's Ambassador; and 'they are to be received with the utmost reverence, and a mind sincerely resolved to obey them. Now the Congregation must not even mentally repeat them together with the Minister; much less " must they mutter them over aloud, and thereby disturb those who are placed near them: but attend to them as spoken by the 'Minister with an awful silence; and at the end of each Commandment fervently say, 'Lord, have mercy upon us,' &c.' (p. 157.).— Paraphrase of Book of Common Prayer.

The RESPONSES.

608.-The Responses, which are only another form of the Kyrie eleison, are derived, it is supposed, from a passage in Deuteronomy: O that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep 'all my Commandments always,' (ch. v. 29.) combined with the following clause from Jeremiah xxxi. 33.— I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts. (See also I Kings viii. 57, 58.) As the Responses are supplications it is the general opinion that they should be said' rather than 'chanted;' although chanting them with proper tone and suitable effect would not be in violence of the Rubric, which simply directs the People to ask God' for 'mercy and grace' to keep them. Where the Service is conducted chorally, or chanting them is the usage, of course, this practise would be continued.

BP. MANT writes:-The common tone of prayer is proper for 'the succeeding prayers "for mercy and grace." They ought not 'to be chanted, unless in connection with the Choral Service, (p. 53.)-Hor. Lit.

The REV. J. JEBB remarks: 'They are not expressly enjoined 'to be sung by the Rubric: nothing, however, forbids the practice: and the whole analogy of the Choral Service requires that every 'part allotted to the Choir or Congregation should be chanted or 'sung. Still, there is more direct rubrical sanction for the singing 'of the Creed than of the Kyrie; and therefore those Choirs who merely say the former and sing the latter, reverse the proper 'alternative, if indeed any is necessary. The regular Choral usage 'prescribes the singing of both......They are not Chants but rather 'short anthems......being set to a varied melody. It is altogether irregular to sing them to Chants, and quite inconsistent with their 'intrinsic character. In some Parish Churches, only the last is 'sung, a practice which interrupts the unity of this part of the 'Service.' (p. 476.)—Choral Service.

POSTURE.

609.—The Rubric directs the Priest to continue standing at the north side of the Table, and to turn towards the Congregation; the People to continue kneeling. The Priest is not to advance from the Table to the Altar-Rails, as is frequently done.