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dered that it should be made, not of silk, or purple, "or died cloth, but of fine white linen, like that in "which our Lord was buried." In the colour, manufacture, and use of the corporal, the old liturgical Writers have discovered many mystical significations.

IV. THE POST COMMUNION.

OUR Lord concluded his last Supper with that admirable prayer, which is recorded by St. John, and a Hymn mentioned by St. Matthew, and supposed to be the paschal Alleluiah. All Churches have followed his example. CYRIL directs the Communicant not to withdraw after receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, but to wait for the prayer, and give thanks to God for having thought him worthy of partaking of such great mysteries. After receiving the Lord's Supper, we conclude the solemnity with prayers and thanksgivings, which if performed with due devotion, will convert the heavenly food of which we have partaken into spiritual nourishment.

OF THE LORD'S PRAYER.

THE Post-communion, like the Ante-communion, begins with the Lord's Prayer; and we can at no time repeat this form more properly, or more effectually, than when we have just commemorated the meritorious sufferings and death of its divine Author. The Doxology is here added to the Lord's Prayer, because this part of the Office is principally eucharistic.

gelists and St. Paul. The Church at least thought it unnecessary to repeat a second time the precatory part of the form of consecration. The omission saves a little time, which is certainly desirable, when the Communicants are numerous, and the Clergyman has no other Minister to assist him.

"When all have communicated, the Minister shall "return to the Lord's table, and reverently place upon "it what remaineth of the consecrated elements, co

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vering the same with a fair linen cloth." This Rubric, taken from the Scotish Liturgy, was likewise added in 1661: the ceremony which it prescribes, was probably observed before. This cloth, by the Latin ecclesiastical Writers is called the corporal, because it was wrapped round the body of Christ in the Eucharist *. It was in use in the time of Isidore Peleusiota, who wrote A.D. 412, and says, "the fine linen cloth, "which is stretched over the holy gifts, represents "the good office of Joseph of Arimathea." DURANDUS, in his Rationale, delivers the same opinion :

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The corporal represents the fine linen cloth in "which the body of Christ was wound up in the se"pulchre." The corporal was likewise called palla, or pall, because "it vailed the sacramental elements." The institution of the corporal or pall is ascribed to EUSEBIUS, who was Bishop of Rome about the year 300: But it was probably in use before; for he or

Corporale dicitur linteum illud, cui super imponitur in sacro Missæ Corpus Domini. PSEUDO-ALCUIN de Div. Off.

dered

dered that it should be made, not of silk, or purple, "or died cloth, but of fine white linen, like that in

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which our Lord was buried." In the colour, manufacture, and use of the corporal, the old liturgical Writers have discovered many mystical significations.

IV. THE POST COMMUNION.

Our Lord concluded his last Supper with that admirable prayer, which is recorded by St. John, and a Hymn mentioned by St. Matthew, and supposed to be the paschal Alleluiah. All Churches have followed his example. CYRIL directs the Communicant not to withdraw after receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, but to wait for the prayer, and give thanks to God for having thought him worthy of partaking of such great mysteries. After receiving the Lord's Supper, we conclude the solemnity with prayers and thanksgivings, which if performed with due devotion, will convert the heavenly food of which we have partaken into spiritual nourishment.

OF THE LORD'S PRAYER.

THE Post-communion, like the Ante-communion, begins with the Lord's Prayer; and we can at no time repeat this form more properly, or more effectually, than when we have just commemorated the meritorious sufferings and death of its divine Author. The Doxology is here added to the Lord's Prayer, because this part of the Office is principally eucharistic.

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OF THE TWO PRAYERS AFTER THE LORD'S PRAYER.

Of these two prayers either may be used at the discretion of the Minister. A part of the first is principally designed for the practice of the advice given by St. Paul, who "beseeches us by the mercies of God, "that we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service." The dedication of ourselves to God, the Fathers considered as one grand end of this Sacrament; and this duty, at all times requisite, is at this time peculiarly seasonable. We have just been reminded of the infinite love of Christ in giving himself for us. In this Sacrament he has given himself to us: we have chosen him for our Lord, and vowed to be his servants; and we have offered up to him, not the blood of bulls, nor the calves of our lips, but ourselves, our souls, and bodies. The rest of the prayer, which is petitionary, agrees with the spirit of ancient forms.

The second prayer abounds more with praise and thanksgiving, and expresses our joyful sense of the benefits received in this Sacrament. This thanksgiving is followed by a petition for grace, that we may continue in the Communion of the Catholic Church, and be fruitful in all good works.

OF GLORIA IN EXCELSIS, OR THE ANGELIC HYMN.

THIS is called the Angelic Hymn, from its beginning with the words, which the Angels sung at our

Rom. xii. 1.

1

Saviour's

Saviour's birth, Glory be to God on high, &c*. It was likewise, but more particularly by the Greeks, called the great Doxology, in contradistinction to Gloria Patri, or the Hymn beginning Glory be to the Father, which was stiled the less Doxology. The use of the Hymn Gloria in excelsis, was more generally confined to the Communion Office, as it is now by our Church. It was, however, by the Greeks in the days of ATHANASIUS Said at public Morning Prayer, and in private devotions +. Who first composed the Hymm, that is, who first added the remaining part of it to the words spoken by the heavenly Choir, it is impossible to determine. Some suppose it to be as ancient as the time of LUCIAN, who lived in the second century, and imagine that he alludes to it in one of his dialogues, where he speaks of the won oλuwμ, the Ode or Hymn with many names. Others think LUCIAN meant the Gloria

Formerly in the Western Church, as Durant has remarked, the Priest alone, who represents the Angel of the great Council, announced the hymn by beginning it; and the choir, who represented the people, responded. In proof of this position he refers to INNOCENT III. and quotes the following verses from HILDE

BERT.

Angelicum post hæc Sacrifex pater incipit hymnum,

Incœptum complet vociferande chorus.

Incipiens memorat quæ salvatoris in ortu

Gaudia pastores Angelus edocuit.

Cantica quæ post hunc superi cecinere recenset,

Gloria, quam complet vociferando chorus.

+ ATHANASIUS (towards the end of his Treatise on Virginity) recommends that the hymns, Benedicite, and Gloria in Excelsis, be sung early in the morning..

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