this part of the service bowed down to receive the Church's prayers and the bishop's benediction.

SECT. 12.-In what Part of the Church these Prayers were made.

As to the Greek Church then, it is demonstrated beyond all contradiction, that there was a particular service of prayers for the catechumens, energumens, and penitents, distinct from the communion-service, in which they were again prayed for, though absent, among all other states and conditions of men. But there remain two questions, which have a little more difficulty in them. 1. In what part of the church these prayers were made? 2. Whether there were any such prayers at all in use in the Latin Church? As to the first question, some learned persons are of opinion,' that not only the oblations were made at the altar, and the communion received there, but that all the prayers of the Church were made at the altar likewise. Which is certainly true of all the prayers in the communion-service, but not so certain of these prayers in the service of the catechumens. For, first the several orders, for whom these prayers were made, and over whom they were made with imposition of hands also, had their station in a different part of the church; and we do not read, that they were ever called up to the altar to receive their benediction; but in some canons are expressly ordered to receive imposition of hands even in absolution before the apsis, or reading-desk, in case of scandalous offences; though absolution was usually given in ordinary cases at the altar. Now, if the prayer of absolution, which was their reconcilement to the altar, was sometimes made before the reading desk, there is little question, but that the other prayers, which were but the introduction to their reconcilement, were made there also. 2. This service of the catechumens and penitents was altogether a distinct service from that of the fideles or communicants, and a final dismission of them was

'Stillingfl. Unreason. of Separat. part iii. sect. 9. p. 250.

2 Con. Carthag. iii. can. 32. Cujuscunque pœnitentis publicum et vulgatissimum crimen est, quod universam ecclesiam commoverit, ante apsidem manus ei imponatur.

3. There is

always made before the latter service began. an express order in the third Council of Carthage, that all prayers made at the altar should be directed to the Father only, and not to the Son: and yet it is evident, that the prayer for the energumens was directed to the Son, as we have seen before in the form cited out of the Constitutions.2 So that either the discipline of the Eastern Churches differed very much from those of the West; or else we must necessarily conclude, that these prayers, some of which are directed to the Son, were not made at the altar.

SECT. 13.-Whether there were any such distinct Prayers for the Catechumens and Penitents in the Latin Church.

But it may be said, the prayers in the Latin Church were never directed to the Son: or perhaps they had no such prayers for the catechumens and penitents in particular, as they had in the oriental liturgies, distinct from those, which were made for all orders of men, both before and after consecration in the communion-service. The matter

indeed is not so clear, I confess, in the Latin Church, as I have shewed it to be in the Eastern: and that, which increases the difficulty, is, that some authors seem to intimate that as soon as the sermon was ended, the catechumens were dismissed, and then the communicants betook themselves to prayers at the altar. "Behold," says St. Austin,3 "after the sermon the catechumens have their dismission: but the faithful abide still, and come to the place of prayer," meaning the altar, where the Lord's prayer was according to custom to be repeated by the communicants only. And St. Ambrose, speaking of the same matter, says, "When

Con. Carthag. iii. can. 23. Ut nemo in precibus vel Patrem pro Filio, vel Filium pro Patre nominet: Et cùm ad altare assistitur, semper ad Patrem dirigatur oratio. 2 See before, sect. 7.

Aug. Hom. ccxxxvii. de Tempore, tom. x. p. 385. Ecce post sermonem fit missa catechumenis. Manebunt fideles, venietur ad locum orationis. Scitis quo accessuri sumus, quid prius Deo dicturi sumus? Dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.'

Ambros. Ep. xxxiii. ad Marcellinam Sororem. Post lectiones et tractatum, dimissis catechumenis, symbolum aliquibus competentibus in baptisteriis tradebam ecclesiæ.

the sermon was done, he dismissed the catechumens, and rehearsed the Creed to some candidates of baptism in the baptistery of the church." But these do not amount to a proof, that the communion-service succeeded immediately after the sermon, and that no other prayers or business came between them. For this very place of St. Ambrose shews, that at least some times the repetition of the Creed to the candidates of baptism was in the interval. And one of the forecited canons of the Council of Carthage makes it evident, that at other times the prayer for the absolution and reconcilement of a scandalous offender was made in the apsis, or reading-desk, before the communion-service likewise. And the other canon as plainly intimates, that some prayers were directed to the Son as well as the Father, by the prohibition that is made of not changing the name of the Son for the Father, or the Father for the Son. Which prohibition had been needless, had there been no prayers directed to the Son. Now, admitting there were some prayers directed to the Son, these must be made before the communion-service, since at that time by the same canon all prayers are ordered to be directed to the Father only. For these reasons I conclude, that the practice of the Greek and Latin Churches was the same, and that there were prayers in both for the catechumens, energumens, and penitents in their presence, distinct from those, which were afterwards made for them, in their absence, at the altar. And so I have done with the first part of divine worship, which the ancient Church called her Missa Catechumenorum, or Antecommunion-service.

BOOK XV.

OF THE MISSA FIDELIUM, OR COMMUNIONSERVICE.

CHAP. I.

Of the Prayers preceding the Oblation.

SECT. 1. Of the Prayer called Aià Σurns, or Silent Prayer.

WHEN the several orders of the catechumens, penitents, and energumens were dismissed, which was the completion of the Missa Catechumenorum; then immediately began that part of the service, which is properly called Missa Fidelium, or communion-service, because none but communicants, or at least such of the penitents as had gone through all the stages of repentance, and were now waiting for absolution, called therefore Zvvisάuevo, or co-standers, might be present at it. The entrance on this service was made by a mental or silent prayer, made by the people in private, and thence called Evxn did owns, the silent prayer, and Εὐχὴ κατὰ διάνοιαν, the mental prayer. learn from a canon of Laodicea, which gives a summary account of the whole order of the service of the Church ; and therefore for our clearer proceeding in this matter, I think it not improper to put it down entire in this place, as being one of the most remarkable canons in the whole Code and that which will give great light to the subsequent dis

This we

course. The words of the canon are these:"That after the bomily of the bishop first the prayer of the catechumens is to he made; and after the catechumens are gone forth, then the prayer for the penitents: and when they have received their benediction by imposition of hands, and are withdrawn, then the three prayers of the faithful are to be made; the first of which is to be performed in silence, the second and third by the bidding and direction (of the deacon.) After these the kiss of peace is to be given; presbyters saluting the bishop, and laymen one another: and then the holy oblation shall be celebrated; those of the clergy only communicating in the chancel."

Some learned persons take the prayer in silence here to mean no more than prayers made over the communicants by the minister alone, the people not making any responses ; and by the prayers called Εὐχαὶ διὰ προσφωνήσεως, they understand prayers made by way of responses, the minister and people mutually answering one another. But this explication does not come up to the sense of this Canon. For by the prayer in silence we are here to understand such private prayers as each particular person made by himself, and by the prayers διὰ προσφωνήσεως, such prayers as the whole Church made in common by the call and admonition of the deacon, who repeated the several forms, directing them what things they were to pray for, to each of which petitions they subjoined their Kúpte Xénoov, Lord have mercy, and grant the petitions we ask! And then the bishop added the 'Erikλnois, or invocation, which was also called Collecta, the collect, because it was a collection or repetition of all the prayers of the people. That there were these three sorts of prayers in the ancient Church, is evident from the accounts that are given of each of them. And first that there were such private prayers of every

1 Con. Laodic. can. xix. Περὶ τῷ δεῖν ἰδία πρῶτον, μετὰ τὰς ὁμιλίας τῶν ἐπισκόπων, κατηχεμένων εὐχὴν ἐπιτελεῖσθαι· καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἐξελθεῖν τὰς κατηχεμένες, τῶν ἐν μετανοίᾳ εὐχὴν γίνεσθαι, κ τέτῶν προσελθόντων ὑπὸ χεῖρα, * ὑποχωρησάντῶν, ὕτως τῶν πισῶν τὰς εὐχὰς γίνεσθαι τρεῖς μίαν μὲν τὴν πρώτην διὰ σιωπῆς, τὴν δὲ δευτέραν κ τρίτην διὰ προσφωνήσεως πληρῆσθαι. εἶθ ̓ ὕτως τὴν εἰρήνην δίδοσθαι. &c.