Hear also what Saint John saith':

If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins. 1 John ii. 1, 2.

¶ After which the priest shall proceed, saying,

Lift up your hearts.

Answ. We lift them up unto the Lord. Priest. Let us give thanks unto our Lord God. Answ. It is meet and right so to do.

¶ Then shall the priest turn to the Lord's table, and say,

IT is very meet, right, and our bounden duty,

that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father,* Almighty, everlasting God.

* These words [Holy Father] must be omitted on Trinity Sunday.

Here shall follow the proper preface, according to the time, if there be any specially appointed; or else immediately shall follow, THEREFORE with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name; evermore praising thee, and saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory: glory be to thee, O Lord most high. Amen.

PROPER PREFACES.

Upon Christmas Day, and seven days after. BECAUSE thou didst give Jesus Christ thine

only Son to be born, as at this time, for us: who by the operation of the Holy Ghost was made

very man, of the substance of the Virgin Mary his mother, and that without spot of sin, to make us clean from all sin. Therefore with angels, &c.

Upon Easter Day, and seven days after. BUT chiefly we are bound to praise thee for the glorious resurrection of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; for he is the very Paschal lamb, which was offered for us, and hath taken away the sin of the world; who by his death hath destroyed death, and by his rising to life again, hath restored to us everlasting life. Therefore with angels, &c.

Upon Ascension Day, and seven days after. THROUGH thy most dearly beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord: who after his glorious resurrection manifestly appeared to his apostles, and in their sight ascended up into heaven to prepare a place for us; that where he is, thither we might also ascend, and reign with him in glory. Therefore with angels, &c.

Upon Whitsunday, and six days after.

THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord : according to whose most true promise, the Holy Ghost came down, as at this time, from heaven, with a sudden great sound, as it had been a mighty wind, in the likeness of fiery tongues, lighting upon the apostles, to teach them, and to lead them into all truth; giving them both the gift of divers languages, and also boldness with fervent zeal, constantly to preach the Gospel unto all nations; whereby we have been brought out of darkness and error into the clear light and true knowledge of thee, and of thy Son Jesus Christ. Therefore with angels, &c.

Upon the feast of Trinity only. WHO art one God, one Lord; not one only person, but three persons in one substance. For that, which we believe of the glory of the Father, the same we believe of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, without any difference, or inequality. Therefore with angels, &c.

Then shall the priest, kneeling down at the Lord's table, say in the name of all them that shall receive the Communion this prayer following.

WE do not presume to come to this thy table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table: but thou art the same Lord, whose property it is always to have mercy: grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood; and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.d

The concluding part of this prayer (in which we acknowledge ourselves unworthy of God's favour, and profess our dependence on his great mercy for our acceptance) is expressed in a figurative manner. The meaning of which is, that by our redemption from sin our bodies are made clean by Christ's body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood; and by the influence of his doctrine on us, we are enabled to obey all the laws of God. And eating his flesh (or body) and drinking his blood tend to purify and cleanse our souls from sin, whilst by faith we look at Christ,

¶ When the priest, standing before the table, hath so ordered the bread and wine, that he may with the more readiness and decency break the bread before the people, and take the cup into his hands, he shall say the prayer of consecration, as followeth :

ALMIGHTY GOD, our heavenly Father, who of thy tender mercy didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption; who made there (by his one oblation of himself once offered) a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world; and did institute, and in his holy Gospel command us to continue a perpetual memory of that his precious death, until his coming again, hear us, Ở merciful Father, we most humbly beseech thee; and grant, that we receiving these thy creatures of bread and wine, according to thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ's holy institution, in remembrance of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most blessed body and blood: who in the

and meditate on the atonement he has made for us. This is to be done in remembrance of that Master, whose religion was designed, in the whole tenour of it, to engage us to cleanse ourselves from all "filthiness of the flesh and spirit, by perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Cor. vii. 1.)

This prayer is so framed, that the communi. cants are supposed to join in the one only petition in it, which is evidently formed on the original design of this holy institution, and very properly placed here just before the acts for receiving the bread and wine. In this prayer all the communicants are taught to say, 66 Hear us, O most merci. ful Father, we most humbly beseech thee, and grant that we, receiving these thy creatures of bread and

is

to take the paten [a] Here the priest. into his hands. [b] And here to break the bread. [c] And here to lay his hands upon all

the bread.

same night that he was betrayed [a] took bread; and when he had given thanks, [b] he brake it; and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take eat; [c] this is my body, which is given for you do this in remembrance of me. Likewise after supper [d] he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of this; for this [e] is my blood[e] And here to lay of the new testament, which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins: do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me. Amen.

[d] Here he is to

take the cup into his

hand.

his hand upon every

vessel (be it chalice or flagon) in which there is any wine to

be consecrated.

wine according to thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ's holy institution, in remembrance of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most blessed body and blood."

f The New Testament is properly a royal grant, which God condescends to make to us, his sinful creatures, in Jesus Christ. It is called a covenant likewise; not because of our consenting to it, but because of his declaring his own royal mind and good will in a way of promise, and engagement to perform it. [See Gen. ix, 9, 10, 11; xii. 1, 2, 3; xvii, 1-8.] Yet, inasmuch as this grant is not effectual to the salvation of any who do not believe and love it, there is therefore a consenting on our part, without which we remain excluded from the benefits of it. Wherefore, inasmuch as the Scripture grant, covenant, or testament, is Christ in all his benefits, (particularly for the purposes of justification, sanctification, and glorification,) our belief and love of this way of salvation, and real submission to it, are absolutely necessary to our effectually receiving the benefit of God's covenant.