reft that remain amongst them, be well brought up, and thoroughly inftructed in points of religion, and that they do diligently frequent public Service and Sermons, and receive the holy Communion; which we ordain to be * administered in all fuch Colleges and Halls the first or fecond Sunday of every month, requiring all the faid Mafters, Fellows, and Scholars, and all the rest of the Students, Officers, and all other the Servants there, so to be ordered, that every one of them fhall communicate four times in the year at the leaft, kneeling reverently and decently upon their knees, according to the order of the Communion Book prescribed in that behalf.

24. Copes to be worn in Cathedral Churches by thofe that adminifter the Communion.

IN

N all Cathedral and Collegiate Churches, the holy Communion fhall be adminiftered upon principal feaftdays, fometimes by the Bishop, if he be prefent, and fometimes by the Dean, and at fometimes by a Canon or Prebendary, the principal Minifter ufing a decent Cope, and being affifted with the Gofpeller and Epiftler agreeably, according to the Advertisements publifhed Anno 7 Eliz. The faid Communion to be adminiftered at fuch times, and with fuch limitation, as is specified in the Book of Common Prayer. Provided, That no fuch limitation by any conftruction fhall be allowed of, but that all Deans, Wardens, Mafters, or Heads of Cathedral and Collegiate Churches, Prebendaries, Canons, Vicars, Petty Canons, Singing Men, and all others of the foundation, fhall receive the Communion four times yearly at the least.

25. Surplices and Hoods to be worn in Cathedral Churches, when there is no Communion.

IN

N the time of Divine Service and Prayers, in all Cathedral and Collegiate Churches, when there is no Communion, it fhall be fufficient to wear Surplices; faving that all Deans, Mafters, and Heads of Collegiate Churches, Canons, and Prebendaries, being Graduates, fhall daily, at the times both of Prayer and Preaching, wear with their Surplices fuch Hoods as are agreeable to their degrees.

26. Notorious Offenders not to be admitted to the Commu

nion.

NO Minifter fhall in any wife admit to the receiving of the holy Communion any of his cure or flock, which

be

be openly known to live in fin notorious, without repentance; nor any who have malicioufly and openly contended with their neighbours, until they fhall be reconciled; nor any Church-wardens or Side-men, who, having taken their oaths to prefent to their Ordinaries all fuch public offences as they are particularly charged to enquire of in their feveral parishes, fhall (notwithstanding their faid oaths, and that their faithful difcharging of them is the chief means whereby public fins and offences may be reformed and punished) wittingly and willingly, defperately and irreligiously, incur the horrible crime of perjury, either in neglecting or in refufing to prefent fuch of the faid enormities and public offences, as they know themfelves to be committed in their faid parishes, or are notorioufly offenfive to the congregation there; although they be urged by fome of their neighbours, or by their Minifter, or by their Ordinary himself, to difcharge their confciences by presenting of them, and not to incur fo defperately the faid horrible fin of perjury.

27. Schifmatics not to be admitted to the Communion.

No Minifter, when he celebrateth the Communion,

fhall wittingly adminifter the fame to any but to fuch as kneel, under pain of fufpenfion, nor under the like pain to any that refufe to be prefent at public Prayers, according to the Orders of the Church of England; nor to any that are common and notorious depravers of the Book of Common Prayer and Adminiftration of the Sacraments, and of the Orders, Rites, and Ceremonies therein prefcribed, or of any thing that is contained in any of the Articles agreed upon in the Convocation, one thoufand five hundred fixty and two, or of any thing contained in the Book of ordering the Priefts and Bithops; or to any that have fpoken againft and depraved his Majefty's fovereign authority in Caufes Ecclefiaftical; except every fuch perfon fhall firft acknowledge to the Minifter, before the Church-wardens, his repentance for the fame, and promise by word (if he cannot write) that he will do fo no more; and except (if he can write) he fhall first do the fame under his hand-writing, to be delivered to the Minifter, and by him fent to the Bishop of the diocefe, or Ordinary of the place. Provided, That every Minifter fo repelling any, as is fpecified either in this or in the next precedent Conftitution, fhall, upon complaint, or being required by the Ordinary, fignify

the

the caufe thereof unto him, and therein obey his order and direction.

28. Strangers not to be admitted to the Communion.

THE HE Church-wardens or Queftmen, and their affistants, fhall mark, as well as the Minifter, whether all and every of the Parishioners come so often every year to the holy Communion, as the Laws and our Conftitutions do require; and whether any Strangers come often and commonly from other parishes to their Church; and shall fhew their Minister of them, left perhaps they be admitted to the Lord's Table amongst others, which they fhall forbid; and remit fuch home to their own Parish-churches and Minifters, there to receive the Communion with the reft of their own neighbours.

29. Fathers not to be Godfathers in Baptifm, and Children not Communicants.

No

[O Parent fhall be urged to be prefent, nor be admitted to anfwer as Godfather for his own Child; nor any Godfather or Godmother fhall be fuffered to make any other anfwer or speech, than by the Book of Common Prayer is prefcribed in that behalf: neither fhall any perfon be admitted Godfather or Godmother to any Child at Christening or Confirmation, before the faid perfon fo undertaking hath received the holy Communion.

30. The lawful Ufe of the Crofs in Baptifm explained.

WE "E are forry that his Majefty's moft princely care and pains taken in the Conference at Hampton-Court, amongst many other points, touching this one of the Crofs in Baptifm, hath taken no better effect with many, but that fill the ufe of it in Baptifm is fo greatly ftuck at and impugned. For the further declaration therefore of the true ufe of this ceremony, and for the removing of all fuch fcruple, as might any ways trouble the confciences of them who are indeed rightly religious, following the royal fteps of our most worthy King, because he therein followeth the rules of the Scriptures, and the practice of the primitive Church; we do commend to all the true members of the Church of England thefe our die rections and obfervations ensuing.

First, it is to be obferved, that although the Jews and'

D

Eth

Ethnicks derided both the Apoftles and the rest of the Chriftians, for preaching and believing in him who was crucified upon the Crofs; yet all, both Apostles and Chriftians, were fo far from being difcouraged from their profeffion by the ignominy of the Crofs, as they rather rejoiced and triumphed in it. Yea, the Holy Ghost by the mouths of the Apoftles did honour the name of the Crofs (being hateful among the Jews) fo far, that under it he comprehended not only Chrift crucified, but the force, effects, and merits of his Death and Paffion, with all the comforts, fruits, and promises, which we receive or expect thereby.

Secondly, the honour and dignity of the name of the Crofs begat a reverend eftimation even in the Apostles' times (for ought that is known to the contrary) of the Sign of the Crofs, which the Chriftians fhortly after ufed in all their actions; thereby making an outward fhew and profeffion, even to the aftonishment of the Jews, that they were not afhamed to acknowledge him for their Lord and Saviour, who died for them upon the Crofs. And this Sign they did not only use themselves with a kind of glory, when they met with any Jews, but figned therewith their children when they were christened, to dedicate them by that badge to his fervice, whofe benefits bestowed upon them in Baptifm the name of the Crofs did reprefent. And this ufe of the Sign of the Crofs in Baptifm was held in the primitive Church, as well by the Greeks as the Latins, with one confent and great applaufe. At what time, if any had oppofed themfelves against it, they would certainly have been cenfured as enemies of the name of the Crofs, and confequently of Chrift's merits, the Sign whereof they could no better endure. This continual and general ufe of the Sign of the Crofs is evident by many teftimonies of the ancient Fathers.

Thirdly, it must be confeffed, that in procefs of time: the Sign of the Crofs was greatly abused in the Church of Rome, especially after that corruption of Popery had once poffeffed it. But the abufe of a thing doth not take away the lawful ufe of it. Nay, fo far was it from the purpose of the Church of England to forfake and reject the Churches of Italy, France, Spain, Germany, or any fuch like Churches, in all things which they held and practifed, that, as the Apology of the Church of England confeffeth, it doth with reverence retain those ceremonies, which do neither endamage the Church of God, nor

offend

offend the minds of fober men; and only departed from them in those particular points, wherein they were fallen both from themselves in their ancient integrity, and from the Apoftolical Churches, which were their first founders. In which refpect, amongst fome other very ancient ceremonies, the Sign of the Crofs in Baptism hath been retained in this Church, both by the judgment and practice of those reverend Fathers and great Divines in the days of King Edward the Sixth, of whom fome conftantly fuffered for the profeffion of the truth; and others being exiled in the time of Queen Mary, did after their return, in the beginning of the reign of our late dread Sovereign, continually defend and ufe the fame. This refolution and practice of our Church hath been allowed and approved by the cenfure upon the Communion-book in King Edward the Sixth his days, and by the harmony of Confeffions of later years: because indeed the use of this Sign in Baptifm was ever accompanied here with fuch fufficient cautions and exceptions against all Popish fuperftition and error, as in the like cafes are either fit or

convenient.

First, the Church of England, fince the abolishing of Popery, hath ever held and taught, and fo doth hold and teach ftill, that the Sign of the Cross used in Baptism is no part of the fubftance of that Sacrament: for when the Minifter, dipping the infant in water, or laying water upon the face of it, (as the manner alfo is,) hath pronounced these words, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft, the infant is fully and perfectly baptized. So as the Sign of the Crofs being afterwards ufed, doth neither add any thing to the virtue and perfection of Baptifm, nor being omitted doth detract any thing from the effect and fubftance of it.

Secondly, it is apparent in the Communion-book, that the infant baptized is, by virtue of Baptifm, before it be figned with the Sign of the Crofs, received into the congregation of Chrift's flock, as a perfect member thereof, and not by any power afcribed unto the Sign of the Crofs. So that for the very remembrance of the Crofs, which is very precious to all them that rightly believe in Jefus Chrift, and in the other respects mentioned, the Church of England hath retained ftill the Sign of it in Baptifm: following therein the primitive and apoftolieal Churches, and accounting it a lawful outward ceremony and honourable badge, whereby the infant is dedicated to the fervice of him that died upon the Crofs, as