lock, and to esteem the bond thereof a thing which could not be without impiety dissolved. If there be anything in Christian religion strong and effectual to like purpose it is the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, in regard of the force whereof Tertullian breaketh out into these words concerning matrimony therewith sealed; 'I know not which way I should be able to shew the happiness of that wedlock the knot whereof the Church doth fasten, and the Sacrament of the Church confirm.""1 The Scottish Church alone has provided a special Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for a Marriage Eucharist. The Collect, taken chiefly from the final blessing of the ancient service, is as follows:- "O Heavenly Father who didst join together in marriage our first parents, Adam and Eve: Sanctify and bless these Thy servants; and grant that those whom Thou by matrimony dost make one, may stedfastly keep the covenant betwixt them made, and ever remain in perfect love and peace together; through Jesus Christ our Lord." The Epistle is Eph. v, 25 to the end; the Gospel, S. Matt. xix, 4, 5, 6. 1 Ecc. Pol. V, lxxiii, 8. 66 CHAPTER XXXIII VISITATION AND COMMUNION OF THE SICK Then spreads she there an altar lone; Her priest, to bless and break, is there, And angels, radiant from the throne, Come winging round the scene of prayer." — BISHOP Coxe. HE VISITATION OF THE SICK, being an essential duty TH of all who have the cure of souls, as declared in their ordination vow, scarcely needs the specific authority of Holy Scripture. Such authority, however, is found, not only in the example of our Lord and His Apostles,1 but also in the express injunction of S. James.2 The service as we possess it today is mainly taken from that of the old Sarum Use. The ancient Office prescribed the seven penitential Psalms to be said by the Priest on his way to the sick man's house. Then followed the salutation, "Peace be to this house," etc., as in our present Office, for which we have the express authority of our Lord. The rubric does not seem to make it necessary that this should be said immediately on entering the house, but it should never be omitted in beginning the Office, or any portion of it. Its utterance makes it known in the most modest, yet most impressive way to the ears of both sick and well, that this is no mere friendly or neighborly visit, but that of one who comes as the ambassador of Him who of old went about healing the sick, and manifesting Himself as the God of peace and the 1 S. Mark vi, 7–14; xvi, 18; Acts v, 15, 16; ix, 17; xxviii, 8. Lord of all life. Though not prescribed, it is a most fitting custom to raise the right hand as in the act of benediction while reciting the salutation. The versicles and the two prayers following are translations, with slight changes, from the ancient Office. So also are the exhortations, the examination in regard to belief, the confession and absolution. The rubric, and the form of absolution in the English Book following the rubric about being "liberal to the poor," are as follows: "Here shall the sick person be moved to make a special confession of his sins, if he feel his conscience troubled with any weighty matter. After which Confession, the Priest shall absolve him (if he humbly and heartily desire it) after this sort. "Our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath left power to his Church to absolve all sinners who truly repent and believe in Him, of His great mercy forgive thee thine offences: And by His authority committed to me, I absolve thee from all thy sins, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." It will be observed that all this is voluntary on the part of the sick person, and is in full accordance with what is prescribed for the well in the first Exhortation in the Communion Office. The indicative form of absolution in the English Office ("I absolve thee") was the custom of the medieval Church, but is without primitive precedent. It was not used in fact before the 12th or 13th century.1 While acknowledging its late use, Bingham says concerning this indicative form, "It must needs be of considerable weight and moment towards the satisfaction and comfort of an afflicted, or a doubting and despondent soul, to have the declara 1 See Bingham, Antiq. XIX, ii, 5, 6; Hooker, Ecc. Pol. VI, iv, 15. 1 tion of a skillful physician to rely upon; and to have one, who by his office is qualified to be a proper judge in such cases, to pronounce his absolution." The collect that follows, "O most merciful God," has been in use in the Church since the days of Gelasius (5th century). This is followed in the English Book by Psalm lxxi, with its Antiphon, "O Saviour of the world," etc., "The Almighty Lord, who is a most strong tower," etc., and the Aaronic benediction," "Unto God's gracious mercy," etc. 2 It is at this point in the Book of 1549 that provision is made for THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK in the following rubric and prayer "If the sick person desire to be anointed, then shall the Priest anoint him upon the forehead or breast only, making the sign of the Cross, saying thus, 'As with this visible oil thy body outwardly is anointed, so our heavenly Father, Almighty God, grant of infinite goodness that thy soul inwardly may be anointed with the Holy Ghost, who is the Spirit of all strength, comfort, relief, and gladness. And vouchsafe for His great mercy (if it be His blessed will) to restore unto thee thy bodily health and strength, to serve Him; and send thee release of all thy pains, troubles, and diseases, both in body and mind. And howsoever His goodness (by His divine and unsearchable Providence) shall dispose of thee; we His unworthy Ministers and servants, humbly beseech the eternal Majesty to do with thee according to the multitude of His innumerable mercies, and to pardon thee all thy sins and offences committed by all thy bodily senses, passions, and carnal affec 1 Antiq., Appendix, Sermon I. Num. vi, 24, 25, 26. "This Antiphon is extremely interesting as being the only one retained in the Book of Common Prayer; and as still showing the manner in which Antiphons were formerly appended to Psalms for the purpose of drawing out their spiritual meaning, or giving them the turn required for the special occasion on which they were used." Blunt, Ann. Pr. Bk., p. 286. tions; who also vouchsafe mercifully to grant unto thee ghostly strength, by His Holy Spirit, to withstand and overcome all temptations and assaults of thine adversary, that in no wise he prevail against thee; but that thou mayest have perfect victory and triumph against the devil, sin, and death; through Christ our Lord: who by His death hath overcome the prince of death; and with the Father and the Holy Ghost evermore liveth and reigneth God, world without end. Amen." The Office of 1549 closed with Psalm xiii, "How long wilt Thou forget me?" This service for the Unction of the sick was omitted in 1552, and four special prayers were added in later revisions.1 In view of the fact that the Apostles, under our Lord's direction, "anointed with oil many that were sick," and that S. James gives the specific injunction to "the Presbyters of the Church" to pray over the sick, "anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord," it seems passing strange that this service, so simple and so thoroughly scriptural, should never have been restored in later revisions. Probably the omission in 1552 under foreign Protestant influence was largely owing to their unreasoning prejudice against anything that seemed at all sacramental, and also because of the perversion of the primitive custom which had come to be used only at the imminent approach of death, and for that reason was called, as it is still in the Roman communion, Extreme Unction. But such rejection of what is plainly an Apostolic practice for restoration of health to body and soul alike, can have no ground in reason. It is to be feared moreover that its omission has had some 1 The medieval office for the Anointing of the Sick was a much more elaborate one. See Maskell, I, 83-103. S. Mark vi, 13. 3 v, 14. |