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Parentalia, or, memoirs of the family of the Wrens : Viz. of Mathew Bishop of Ely, Christopher Dean of Windsor, &c. but chiefly of Sir Christopher Wren ... in which is contained, besides his works, a great number of original papers and records on religion, politicks, anatomy, mathematicks, architecture, antiquities ... / comp. by his son Christopher; now published by his grandson Stephen Wren
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M A T T H E VV W R E N, D. D.

or towards the Grave, [ Rubrick before Burial .] The Thansgiving for Wo-men after Childbirth, to be at the Table, \Rubrick before it. ] The Com-mination to be part in the Pulpit, \Rubnck before the Comminution .]And part where they are accustomed to say the Litany, \fRubrick before thePsalm Miserere.] As for that Part of the Morning-prayer which is calledthe Communion-service, the Rubrick before the Communion appoints, thatit shall be said at the Table; and the Rubrick after the Collects orders, thatupon Holidays, if there be no Communion, yet all shall be said that is ap-pointed at the Communion, until the End of the Homily. And where thenshall the Communion-service be said, but at the Communion-table ? If no;how comes it then, that for the Sermon or Homily (be there Communion, orhe there none) they go to the Place for the Sermon ; that is, into the Pulpit;but that it was settled thus upon the Reformation, appears by the constantCustom ever observed in all cathedral and collegiate, and in many parochialChurches, Time out of Mind, and also in the King’s Chapel. (Mr. PhomasPoser , Parson of St. Matthew's in Ipswich , a Man of great Age, did affirm inopen Synod there, that for many Years after he was first Minister there, theten Commandments, and the rest of the Service was never otherwise readthen at the Table,) and by the Testimony of divers ancient Men, Ministersabove fifty Years since ; and by Mr. Cartwrighf s own Quarrel in theseWords, " After Morning-prayer, the Minister to fay other Prayers, climeth“ up to the further End of the Chancel, as far as the Wall will let him." Pag. 105, L. 1.”

He further faith, that the Practice which he law of this Usage in the Pre-sence of the supreme Governor of the Church, before this Defendant cameinto his daily Attendance, viz. in the Journey into Scotland , in the Year1633, and in all Parilh Churches where his Majesty came in his SummerProgresses, might be Inducement enough, if not Warrant, to this Defendant,to give that Direction, which he did in this Matter.

But he also alledgeth, that Queen Elizabeth's Advertisements fay, that theCommon Prayer shall be said, or sung in such Place, as the Ordinary shall thinkmeet, for the Largeness, or Straightnefs of the Church, and Choir, so thatthe People may be most edified ; and the first Rubrick before the Morning-prayer faith, that the Prayers shall be used in the accustomed Place of theChurch, Chapel, or Chancel ; except it shall be otherwise determined by theOrdinary. Now the accustomed Place of Prayer, when that Rubrick was made,was the Choir, in all Churches that has Choirs, as appears by the first Ru-brick ; that the Common Prayer-Book of King Edward VI. saying, thePriest standing in the Choir, lhall begin the Mattins. Queen Elizabeth also or-dered in her Injunctions, that to fay the Litany, the Priest, with other of theChoir, ffiall come and kneel in the midst of the Church ; which is as muchas to lay, they shall come forth of the Choir or Chancel. He thereforebumbly conceiveth, that if the Ordinary hath Power by Law, to determinewhere the Common Prayer lhall be said ; and also, to remove it out of theaccustomed Place, when he thinks meet } how much rather might this De-fendant give Direction to have it read in the Place which he law approvedof by so great Examples, and which he found to be the accustomed Place,when that Law and Rubrick was made, that is to lay, at the Table ? Andbow could the Consciences, either of Minister or People, (if they made anyConscience of Obedience) be justly offended and grieved, that a Thing so con-sonant to Law and good Example, was put into Practice ?

F°r if that be made the Reason of the Offence, because the Service itselfWas unprofitable to the People,- who could not hear, as this Charge faith,What was said or prayed there : This Defendant humbly answereth, that he

was