The general rubric for communicating the sick. Forasmuch as mortal men be subject to many sudden perils, diseases, and sicknesses, and ever uncertain what time they shall depart out of this life; therefore to the intent they may be always in a readiness to die, whensoever it shall please Almighty God to call them, the Curates are diligently from time to time (but especially in the time of pestilence or other infectious sickness) to exhort the parishioners to the often receiving of the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ when it shall be publicly administered in the Church; that so doing they may, in case of sudden visitation, have the less cause to be disquieted for loch of the same. But if the sick person be not able to come to the Church, and yet is desirous to receive the Communion in his house, then he must give timely notice to the Curate;
Agreeable to the practice of the primitive Church. who, in such a case, is here directed to celebrate and administer this holy Sacrament to him; which is exactly conformable to the most early practice of the primitive Church: for there is nothing more frequently mentioned by the ancient writers than the care of the Church to distribute the Eucharist to all dying persons that were capable of receiving it. They esteemed it the greatest unhappiness that could be, for any one to die before he had been supplied with this Ἐφόδιον, or Viaticum, (as the ancient canons frequently call it,) i.e. the necessary preparation or provision for the road, for those that are going to their eternal home. For this reason even those who were under the censures of the Church, and were suspended from the Eucharist in the time of their health, were yet allowed to communicate, if any danger of death surprised them, before they had finished their stated penance. Nay, about the fifth century this was carried so high, that some were for forcing the elements into the mouths of those that were dead: but this was soon censured by several Councils, which ordered that practice to be discontinued. However, the care of the Church to communicate the sick has been equally the same in all ages. And indeed that she looks upon this not only as convenient, but as highly necessary, may be gathered from the dispensation that she grants with the canons, purely to secure it.
§.2. Private consecration of the elements, how far allowed. For though administering: the Communion in private houses be forbid by the canons of 1603, as well as by those of ancient times, under the severest penalties; yet there is an exception made in the case of sickness: upon which occasion, both the canons above mentioned, and this present rubric, allow the Curate (having a convenient place in the sick man’s house, with all things necessary so prepared, that he may reverently minister) there to celebrate the holy Communion. This indulgence was rare in the primitive Church: however, some instances may be produced, even from thence, of private consecrations upon great emergencies. But, generally speaking, it was usual for the Ministers to reserve some part of the elements that had been consecrated before, in the church, to be always in a readiness upon such like occasions. Agreeably to which in this very rubric (as it was worded in king Edward’s first Common Prayer) it was ordered, that if the same day (on which the person was to be visited) there was a celebration of the holy Communion in the church, then the Priest was to reserve (at the open Communion) so much of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood, as would serve the sick person, and so many as were to communicate with him, (if there were any:) and so soon as he conveniently could, after the open Communion ended in the church, he was to go and minister the same, &c. But then this reservation was not allowed, unless there was a Communion at the church on the same day on which the sick person was to be visited: for by another rubric it was ordered, that if the day were not appointed for the open Communion in the church, then (upon convenient warning given) the Curate was to go and visit the sick person afore noon: and having a convenient place in the sick man’s house (where he might reverently celebrate) with all things necessary for the same, and not being otherwise letted with the public service, or any other just impediment, there to celebrate the holy Communion. And even the elements that were consecrated thus privately were to be reserved, if there was any occasion to administer the sacrament again that day. For so it was ordered by a third rubric of this office in the same book, that if there were any more sick persons to be visited the same day that the Curate celebrated in any sick man’s house; then the Curate was there to reserve so much of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood, as would serve the other sick persons, and such as were appointed to communicate with them, (if there were any,) and immediately to carry it and minister it unto them. So that from all these rubrics compared together, we may observe, first, that though anciently it was usual for the Ministers to reserve some part of the consecrated elements, either in the church or at their houses, to be always in a readiness for any that should want to receive, before the time came to consecrate again; yet after the Reformation it was never allowed to reserve them longer than that day on which they were consecrated, nor indeed to reserve them at all, unless the Curate knew beforehand that some sick person was that day to be visited. We may therefore, secondly, suppose, that it was not the design of our reformers to attribute more power or efficacy to the sacrament, when it was consecrated in the church, than it had when it was consecrated in a private house; but rather that the sick, by partaking of the elements which had been consecrated elsewhere, and of which his fellow-parishioners or neighbours had been partakers before him, might join as it were in the same Communion with the rest of the congregation, though his present infirmity hindered him from attending the public service of the church. And this, it seems, was generally the motive why the sacrament was sent about to one another in the primitive Church. Nor do I find that Bucer had any objection to it in his Censure upon our Liturgy. However, in the second book of king Edward VI all these rubrics, as far as they relate to the reservation, were laid aside. Though in a Latin translation of the Common Prayer Book, which was put out by authority in the second year of queen Elizabeth, for the use of the universities and the colleges of Winchester and Eton, the rubric for the reservation is inserted at large. The reason of this difference might probably be this, viz. that the reservation having been abused by some ignorant and superstitious people, just after the Reformation, was the cause why it was discontinued in the English Common Prayer Book: but the Latin Book being designed for the use of learned societies, the reservation might safely enough be trusted with them, upon a presumption that they, who enjoyed so much light, would be the less liable to abuse it to error and superstition. Though it is not unlikely that this might be indulged those learned bodies, in order to reconcile them the easier to reformation: for it was the design of queen Elizabeth (as I have more than once observed) to contrive the Liturgy so, as to oblige as many of each party as she could. However (except in this Latin translation of it) there has been no mention of the reservation in any of the Common Prayer Books since the first of king Edward. But the rubric has constantly enjoined the holy Communion to be celebrated, on such. occasion, in the sick man’s house.
§.3. Timely notice to be given to the Curate. When the sick person desires to receive the Communion in his house, he must give timely notice to the Curate; which ought to be some time over-night, or else early in the morning of the same day, as it was expressed in this rubric in all the Common Prayer Books till the last review: since otherwise the Curate, through other necessary avocations, may, for want of such notice, be out of the way at the time that he is wanted.
§.4. How many required to communicate with the sick. When the sick person gives notice, he is also to signify how many there are to communicate with him; which was ordered (as appears by the first Common Prayer) that the Minister might know how much of the sacred elements to reserve. It is also plain by the first and last of those rubrics, which I have above transcribed out of that book, that the Minister was allowed, in all cases of sickness, to communicate alone with the sick man, if there were none else to receive with him. For they order him to reserve so much of the Sacrament as shall serve the sick person, and so many as shall communicate with him, (if there be any;) which plainly supposes that, if there were none, he was only to reserve enough for himself and the sick man. And so in the rubric relating to the manner of the Minister’s distributing; he was first to receive the Communion himself, then to minister to those that were appointed to communicate with the sick, (if there were any;) and then to the sick person. However, it followed in that rubric, that the sick person should always desire some, either of his own house, or else of his neighbours, to receive the holy Communion with him; for that would be to him a singular great comfort, and of their part a great token of charity. But at the second review, these parentheses were all thrown out, and in all our Common Prayers ever since till the Restoration, a good number was required by this general rubric to receive the Communion with the sick person, without determining what number should be esteemed a good one. But the Scotch Common Prayer is a little more explicit, and orders a sufficient number, at least two or three; and from thence, I suppose, our own rubric, at the Restoration, ordered that there should be three, or two at the least, i.e. at least three, including the sick, to communicate with the Minister, which is the same number that is required to a Communion in the Church. However, at the same time that such a number was required in all ordinary sicknesses, (i. e. in the fifth year of king Edward,) there was a rubric added at the end of this office, (which has continued ever since,) that in the time of the plague, sweat, or such other like contagious times of sickness or diseases, when none of the parish or neighbours can be gotten to communicate with the sick in their houses, for fear of the infection, upon special request of the diseased, the Minister alone may communicate with him. But this is only indulged in such extraordinary cases; for in other ordinary diseases, lack of company to receive with the sick person is mentioned as a just impediment why the Sacrament should not be administered to him.