ANGLICAN" CHURCHES. 



nor do we require thereby the ministers of our 

 Church to hold or teach any other doctrine 

 concerning this sacrament than that which is 

 set forth in the articles of religion. And it 

 should be plain to all men from the express 

 declarations of the offices themselves that no 

 language therein used is meant to exclude the 

 necessity of repentance toward God and re- 

 newal of the heart by the power of the Holy 

 Ghost on the part of all who shall live to be 

 capable of the same." 



The preface says on another subject: " The 

 special absolution in the office for visitation of 

 the sick has been the cause of offense to many, 

 and as it is a form unknown to the Church in 

 ancient times, and as we saw no adequate rea- 

 son for its retention, and no ground for assert- 

 ing that its removal would make any change 

 in the doctrine of the Church, we have deemed 

 it fitting that in the special cases contemplated 

 in this office, and in that for the visitation of 

 prisoners, absolution should be pronounced to 

 penitents in the form appointed in the office 

 for. the Holy Communion. No change has 

 been made in the formula of ordination of 

 priests, though desired by some; for upon a 

 full review of our formularies, we deem it 

 plain, and here declare, that no power or au- 

 thority, saving such as may belong to him in 

 the remission of ecclesiastical censures, is as- 

 cribed to the priest in respect of absolution of 

 sins after baptism other than the ministerial 

 one of declaring and pronouncing, on God's 

 part, remission of sins to all that are truly 

 penitent, to the quieting of their conscience, 

 and the removal of all doubt and scruple ; nor 

 is it anywhere in our formularies taught or 

 implied that private confession to, and absolu- 

 tion by, a priest, are any conditions of God's 

 pardon, or needful or availing for any other 

 purpose than that we have before set down ; 

 but, on the contrary, it is fully taught that all 

 Christians who sincerely repent, and unfeign- 

 edly believe the Gospel, may draw nigh,' as 

 worthy communicants, to the Lord's Table, 

 without any such confession or absolution ; 

 which comfortable doctrine of God's free for- 

 giveness of sins is also more largely set forth 

 in the Homily of Repentance, and in that of 

 the salvation of mankind." 



The preface also says : " "With respect to 

 the Athanasian Creed, commonly so called, we 

 have retained it unaltered among our formu- 

 laries; but we have directed that only that 

 part of it which is strictly speaking a confes- 

 sion of faith shall be recited on certain days, 

 instead of the Apostles' Creed, declaring, never- 

 theless, that in this order it is not our meaning 

 to withdraw the witness which the Church is 

 ever bound to bear (and which we here sol- 

 emnly bear) to the Incarnation of our Lord 

 Jesus Christ, and to the obligation which lies 

 on every man, as he regards his everlasting 

 salvation, to acquaint himself according to his 

 ability with all that God has revealed, and to 

 accept with faith and humility whatever shall 



be sufficiently proposed to him out of the 

 "Word of God and proved by clear and certain 

 warrant of Scripture." 



The principal changes made in the Prayer- 

 Book were as follows: The sentences after 

 the preface " concerning the service of the 

 Church," beginning "Though it be appointed," 

 and ending "pray with him," were omitted; 

 also, in the title, " the order for morning and 

 evening prayer daily to be read and used 

 throughout the year." 



The saints whose names are printed in black- 

 letter, and all the lessons from the Apocryphal 

 books, were excluded from the Lectionary and 

 Calendar. 



The rubric called " the Ornaments Rubric " 

 was omitted. 



The so-called "Damnatory Clauses" were 

 omitted from the Athanasian Creed. The 

 creed was made to begin with the words 

 "We worship one God in Trinity," and to 

 omit the warning clauses in the necessity of 

 belief in the Trinity and the Incarnation. The 

 amended creed was appointed for recitation on 

 three feast-days only of the year. To the rub- 

 ric before the prayer for the Church Militant, 

 "The priest shall then place upon the table so 

 much bread and wine," were added the words 

 "if he have not already done so," thus avoid- 

 ing the idea of an oblation. 



In the rubric before the Prayer of Consecra- 

 tion were added the words "standing at the 

 north side of the table," making this position 

 compulsory. 



It was ordered that the communion office 

 may begin with the collect, epistle, and gospel. 



Instead of the words " Every parishioner 

 shall communicate three times a year, of which 

 Easter to be one," were inserted, "All minis- 

 ters to exhort their people to communicate 

 often." 



In regard to the number of persons to whom 

 the administration of the communion may be 

 made, it was enacted that " the words may be 

 used once to as many as shall together kneel." 



Evening communions were distinctly rec- 

 ognized. 



The following new question and answer 

 were inserted in the Catechism : 



" After what manner are the body and blood 

 of Christ taken and received in the Lord's Sup- 

 per? 



" Only after a heavenly and spiritual man- 

 ner, and the means whereby they are received 

 is faith." 



Instead of the rubric in the Confirmation of- 

 fice, "And there shall none be admitted to the 

 Holy Communion until such time as he be con- 

 firmed," etc., was inserted, " Every one ought 

 to present himself for confirmation before he 

 partakes of the Lord's Supper." 



For "It is expedient that the new married 

 shall receive the Holy Communion," etc., was 

 inserted, "If there be no Communion, the 

 minister shall say," etc. 



A burial service was provided for unbaptized 



