also live together so long in tam progeniem incolumes vi. godly love and honesty, that deant, et in tua voluntate perthey may see their children severent, et in futuro ad coeChristianly and virtuously lestia regna perveniant. Per brought up, to thy praise and Christum Dominum nostrum. honour; through Jesus Christ Amenn. our Lord. Amen.

Formerly, in the English church, that part of the office which we have been considering was followed by the celebration of the eucharist; after which, the solemn benediction, to which I now proceed, occurred. But the celebration of the eucharist at this time is no longer enjoined. Nor is the church of England to be blamed for this, since the churches of Constantinople and the east do not celebrate their solemn marriage benediction during the time of the liturgy, as we may perceive from the euchologium of the Greeks; neither do we find that the new married couple are obliged by the eastern church to receive the sacrament of the eucharist immediately at the time of marriage. The following benedic

o tion was formerly repeated after the prayer of consecration, and before communion, according to the English and other western rituals; but a different form is found in the most ancient monuments of the western rites, as in the sacramentaries of Gelasius and Gregory the Great P. However it has been

p long used in the English churches of Salisbury and York, and is likewise found in manuscripts of the Gallican church, written seven hundred years ago.

n Manuale Sarisb. fol. 49. Man. Eboracens. ordo in

sponsalibus.

o Goar, Rituale Græcum. Officium Coronationis Nuptia

rum, p. 385, &c.

p Sacr. Gelasii Muratori Lit. Rom. Vet. tom.i. p. 722. Sacr. Gregori Menard. p. 287.

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O God, who by thy mighty Deus, qui potestate virtutis power

hast made all things of tuæ de nihilo cuncta fecisti, nothing; who also (after other quique dispositis universitatis things set in order) didst ap- exordiis, homini ad imaginem point, that out of man (created Dei facto, ideo inseparabile muafter thine own image and si- lieris adjutorium condidisti : ut militude) woman should take foemineo corpori de virili daher beginning; and, knitting res carne principium : docens them together, didst teach that quod ex uno placuisset instiit should never be lawful to tui, nunquam liceret disjungi. put asunder those whom thou Hic incipit benedictio sacramen. by matrimony hadst made one: talis. Deus, qui tam excellenti O God, who hast consecrated mysterio conjugalem copulam the state of matrimony to such consecrasti; ut Christi et ecan excellent mystery, that in clesiæ sacramentum præsignait is signified and represented res in fædere nuptiarum. Hic the spiritual marriage and unity finitur benedictio sacramentalis. betwixt Christ and his church; Deus, per quem mulier jungitur look mercifully upon these thy viro ..... respice propitius servants, that both this man super hanc famulam tuam quæ may love his wife, according maritali jungenda consortio, to thy word, (as Christ did que se tua expetit protectione love his spouse the church, who muniri. Sit in ea jugum digave himself for it, loving and lectionis et pacis : fidelis et cherishing it even as his own casta nubat in Christo, imitafesh,) and also that this wo- trixque sanctarum permaneat man may be loving and amia- fæminarum ..... et ad beable, faithful and obedient to torum requiem, atque ad coeher husband; and in all quiet- lestia regna perveniat. Per Doness, sobriety, and peace, be a minum &c. per omnia sæcula follower of holy and godly ma- sæculorum. Amen. trons. O Lord, bless them both, and grant them to inherit thy everlasting kingdom ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

9 Man. Sarisb. fol. 55. Man. Ebor. Missa in Sponsalibus. MS. Pontificale Monast. Lyren

sis Martene, lib. i. cap. 9. art. 5. p. 619.

The benediction which concludes the office is found in the ancient manuals of the churches of Salisbury and York, though not exactly in the place which it now occupies; but these manuals varied as much from each other in the arrangement of their prayers and benedictions as the position of the present benediction does from either of them. It is also found in a pontifical of the monastery of Lyre, in France, seven hundred years old.

Almighty God, who at the Omnipotens sempiterne Debeginning did create our first us, qui primos parentes nostros parents, Adam and Eve, and Adam et Evam sua virtute credid sanctify and join them to- avit, et in sua sanctificatione gether in marriage; pour upon copulavit, ipse corda et coryou the riches of his grace, pora vestra sanctificet et besanctify and bless you, that ye nedicat, atque in societate et may please him both in body amore veræ dilectionis conjunand soul, and live together in gat. Per Christum Dominum holy love unto your lives' end. nostrum. Amenr. Amen.

The office of matrimony is followed by an exhortation or address from the presbyter to the persons newly married, instructing them in their relative duties. It does not seem that such an exhortation was used in the English churches before the reform of our offices, in the time of Edward the Sixth ; but the rituals of the churches of Liege and Milans contain directions for a similar exhortation in this place.

r Man. Sarisb. fol. 50. Man. Ebor. ordo in sponsalibus.

Martene, p. 648,650, 651.

IT has ever been customary for the presbyters of the church to visit the sick, and after praying for them, and (if necessary) reconciling them to the church by the blessing of absolution, to communicate to them the sacraments of our Lord's body and blood a. For these purposes the English ritual contains a formulary, which has for the most part been used, from a period of remote antiquity, in our churches. Almost all the succeeding directions and prayers are found in the ancient manuals of Salisbury and York, and some of them may be traced to the primitive ages. Formerly, the sick were anointed with oil; but as the original object of this was to

save," or procure a miraculous recovery of the infirm, by remission of the temporal punishment which they had merited for their sins, and such cures had long ceased in the church, it was thought unnecessary to be continued b. Nor did the sick receive any injury by this; for on repentance, accompanied by the benediction and prayer of the priest, and the

66

a Concil. Nicæn. I. can. 13. Concil. Gangr. can. 6. Carthagin. 4. can. 76, 77, 78. Aurelianens. 2. can. 12. Aurausic. 1. can. 3. Toletan. 1. can. 18. Concil. Agathens. can. 15. Dionys. Alex. Epistola ad Fabium

ap. Euseb. Hist. lib. vi. C. 44.
See Bingham, Antiq. book xv.
c. 4. sect. 9; and Martene, de
Antiq. Eccl. Rit. lib. iii. c. 11.

p. 546, &c.

b See Clagget on Extreme Unction, part i. $. 3. p. 13,&c.

worthy reception of the sacraments of Christ's body and blood, they obtained remission of all their sins.

| The minister of the parish ... Et cum intraverit domum dicat,

coming into the sick person's house, shall say,

Peace be to this house, and Pax huic domui, et omnibus to all that dwell in it.

habitantibus in ea, pax ingre

dientibus, et egredientibus ... When he cometh into the sick man's presence he shall say, kneeling down,

Remember not, Lord, our Ne reminiscaris, Domine, deiniquities, nor the iniquities of licta nostra vel parentum nosour forefathers: spare us, good trorum, neque vindictum suLord, spare thy people, whom mas de peccatis nostris. Parce thou hast redeemed with thy Domine, parce famulo tuo,quem most precious blood, and be redemisti precioso sanguine tuo not angry with us for ever. et ne in æternum irascaris ei ...

Answ. Spare us, good Lord. | Then the minister shall say,

.. et statim sequatur,
Let us pray:
Lord, have mercy upon us.

Kyrie eleison.
Christ, have mercy upon us.

Christe eleison.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

Kyrie eleison. Our Father which art in hea- Pater noster qui es in cælis, ven, hallowed be thy name, &c. sanctificetur nomen tuum,

&c. Min. O Lord, save thy ser

Vers. Salvum fac servum vant;

tuum, Answ. Which putteth his Resp. Deus meus, sperantem trust in thee.

in te. Min. Send him help from Vers. Mitte ei, Domine, authy holy place;

xilium de sancto, Answ. And evermore might- Resp. Et de Sion tuere eum. ily defend him.

Min. Let the enemy have Vers. Nihil proficiat inimino advantage of him ;