Kòs vouos, an ancient constitution of the Church,* long before the holding of that Council,"† viz., A.D. 325.

"The LORD's Supper being a sovereign medicine for all the diseases of the soul, and especially against that universal disease, the fear of death, it should never be neglected."+

The sick person being now brought to a sense of his state in the sight of GOD, and on his true repentance towards Him and right dispositions towards his neighbour, God's grace and forgiveness being sought for him by the Prayers of the Church offered in the name of JESUS CHRIST, it is important that he should be instructed and prepared for the reception of the holy Communion, the seal of reconciliation and earnest of eternal life to the faithful receiver of it.

To this end the Priest will do well to suggest the subject to the sick man; and if he have not been a communicant, to ascertain what were the causes of his absenting himself from that holy Sacrament: whether ignorance as to its nature; carelessness as to its benefits; or unfitness for its reception.

His answers will determine what line of teaching the Priest ought to adopt in preparing him for it. Full instruction on the nature, importance, and solemnity of the Sacrament will in every case be indispensable; both as explaining the benefits to be derived from a faithful and devout reception of it, and the danger of receiving it without due carefulness and preparation. And this should never be omitted; except in the case of those who are known to have been frequent, attentive, and instructed communicants. For here it seems necessary to caution the inexperienced among our brethren against two sorts of cases:

Those who at once accede to the Priest's proposal to administer the holy Communion to them, or who them

*The ancient and Canonical law of the Church."-Bishop Taylor.

+ Dr. Nicholls' Commentary on the Book of Common Prayer, in Communion of the sick.

Bp. Wilson's Maxims of Piety. Article, Death. Works, i. 328.

selves, or their friends, express a desire that they may receive it; and who yet are exceedingly ignorant of its real nature and importance, and only wish to receive it from some impression or vague opinion that it is proper to do so on a sick bed; but without really knowing the benefits to be looked for on a faithful reception of it.

And those, on the other hand, who, however satisfactory their professions are, decline altogether to receive the holy Communion; or, if they seem to prepare themselves for it, postpone its reception from day to day, and evidently shrink from it. Such a case as this ought to excite a Clergyman's greatest anxiety; for it will mostly be found that, however fair their words or pretences are, there is really some sin unrepented of, or some evil habit not broken off, and that the testimony of their conscience keeps them back from partaking of the Communion.*

And as in the one case the Priest should not be too ready to communicate the sick, without due inquiry as to his faith, and his motives for receiving it, so in the other he must be careful not to press the necessity of Communion on his patient, without carefully examining the truth of his repentance, and the grounds for delaying its reception. And evidently in these cases complete instruction on the institution and nature of that holy Sacrament, a clear explanation of the benefits accompanying a proper reception of it, and a solemn warning of the danger to an unworthy receiver, with a particular examination of the sick man's preparation, will be indispensable.

To aid the Priest in this necessary work of preparation, we have given those parts of Scripture which bear on the institution of the holy Communion, and that of its type, the Passover. It will be well to read these carefully to the sick man; and then to read one of Bishop Beveridge's instructions on the subject. An interval being left for him to consider and reflect on this, the second instruction may in like manner be read at the next visit; and, on a third visit, if the Priest

* Sometimes, however, the same reluctance proceeds from very different causes; viz., a superstitious fear that if they receive it they will certainly die, or such like notions.

think fit, he can use Bishop Wilson's Instructions; which in fact are a summary statement of Bishop Beveridge's fuller explication; and then proceed with the Examinations of Repentance, Faith, and Charity, which follow. This supposes the case of one who needs the fullest instruction: in many cases the use of one of these instructions is sufficient; and, in point of fact, Bishop Wilson's Form will be found suitable for most cases. Considerable experience of its advantageous use enables us to advise that it, or some such similar instruction and examination, be used in almost every case before administering the holy Communion; except in the case of advanced and instructed Christians, constant and devout communicants, and of those whom, but shortly before Communion, the Priest has examined and dealt with as directed in the Visitation Office. In the case of these latter it will, of course, be sufficient to instruct them on the nature of Communion, dispensing with a new examination. But if any considerable time has elapsed since their faith and repentance was investigated (as e. g., in cases where the Priest has at the beginning of a long illness proceeded with the Visitation as the Church directs, and at the end of it they are brought to receive the holy Communion,) it will be well to use such short examinations, in order to remind them of their professions and resolutions.

The Minister is advised, on all occasions, at the last visit before the Communion is administered, to use the Litany previous to the holy Communion, (p. 222); or it may fitly be used occasionally or constantly during the time the Priest is instructing the sick man on this particular subject.

If after full instruction the sick man still postpone the reception of the Communion, it will be well to put to him such questions as these: Whether having now heard and admitted the importance of receiving it, he would wish to leave the world without ever having partaken of it? Whether if he be not now fit, by earnest repentance and humble faith, to appear at GoD's Table here, he can be prepared to appear before GOD's throne hereafter? That this he cannot postpone or avoid if GOD calls him; which, in dangerous sickness especially,

may be sooner than he expects; and whether, having admitted or expressed a wish to receive the Communion before his death, it be safe to postpone that which his conscience testifies he ought to do, till, perhaps, he becomes from weakness or loss of his senses incapable of doing it?

In the course of the preparation of the sick for the holy Communion, difficulties may still arise, and the Priest may doubt whether he ought to, or duly can administer the Sacrament. The following advices may prove useful in some of these cases.

It will sometimes happen that after having prepare l the sick man for Communion, the Priest will be very anxious, on the one hand to postpone the administration of it for a while, in order to still further perfect the requisite graces in the sick, or to impart further instruction; while on the other hand he will be fearful of deferring it, lest the sick man should come to die in the meanwhile. In such a case the best course for the Minister to take is to see the medical attendant of the sick man, and to explain to him his difficulty; begging him to tell him whether, from present appearances, he may safely postpone the administration of the Communion for the time he desires. Should he, on consideration, state that the balance of probability is in favour of the sick man's living and retaining his consciousness for any named time, it relieves the Minister's conscience from anxiety in postponing it; and should he say that the sick man's living is, under the circumstances, very doubtful, of course no time must be lost.* Even in the former case indeed, (since the uncertainties of a sick man's life are beyond any man's skill,) the Priest should

In advising our brethren to this course we do so in perfect confidence that in all cases of difficulty connected with the bodily state of the patient, communication with the medical man will be the best and safest course. One of the Compilers, indeed, whose position and ministrations have thrown him much into communication with medical men, can from experience assure his brethren how readily all such questions as to their patients, (as the degree of consciousness, the probabilities of life or its duration, the probable course and termination of disease, or the ability of the sick to receive instruction or ministration,) will be entertained, and how carefully they will be answered, if put to the Physician of the body by the Physician of the soul, as such.

particularly enjoin those about the sick to let him know immediately, should any change, forewarning death, take place.

In the case of those who have never been confirmed, the Rubric requires that "none shall be admitted to the holy Communion until such time as he be confirmed, or be ready and desirous to be confirmed." If therefore, in the course of his previous conference and examination, the Priest finds that the sick man is unconfirmed, it will be well, in addition to all other preparation, to ascertain that "he is ready and desirous to be confirmed." As to the former, if he is by instruction and examination prepared for Communion, it is evident he is thereby fitted for Confirmation; and as to the latter, the Minister should point out to him that the best proof of his being "desirous" of it is, if GOD should raise him up, to present himself for Confirmation at an early opportunity after his recovery. And it will be advisable, if from his age and other circumstances he might have been confirmed, to point out to him that his neglect of that ordinance is a sin of omission for which he ought now to express his repentance. But it must carefully be noted that want of Confirmation would be no just ground for refusing or postponing to administer the Communion to any one in danger of death; for the ancient Canons on which the Rubric of our Church is founded, expressly except those dangerously ill. In the event of the sick man's recovery, it will be well for the Priest to inform and instruct him fully, during the progress of it, on the nature of Confirmation; and to engage him to present himself to the Bishop for the reception of that rite as soon as may be.

Another case of considerable difficulty is that of sick children arrived at the age of discretion, but under that at which young persons are usually admitted by Confir mation to the LORD'S Table. The only rule that can be given in such a case is, that, if the Priest finds the child so intelligent and instructed as that he might, if in

Statuimus quod nullus ad Sacramentum Corporis et Sanguinis Domini admittatur, extra articulum mortis, nisi fuerit confirmatus, &c.-Mon. Ritual. i. ccxv.