Page:Tracts for the Times Vol 1.djvu/246

 none of which can be a Sunday, if the Sacrament ought not to be administered upon all those days, and so upon week days as well as Sundays? They are all, as I intimated before, to be used in the actual Administration of it, and therefore plainly suppose it to be actually administered upon each of those days, which being for the most part neither Sundays nor Holy-days, they most evidently demonstrate, that according to the mind and order of our Church, as well as the Primitive, the Supper ought to be administered every day, that all who live as they ought, in her Communion, may be daily partakers of it.

In the rules and orders, (which we call the Rubric,) after the Communion Service, there are several things that deserve to be considered in this case. It is there ordered, that there shall be no celebration of the Communion, except there be a convenient number; that is, four, or three at the least, to communicate with the Priest. According to which rule, although the Priest have all things ready, and desires to consecrate and receive the Holy Sacrament himself, yet he must not do it, unless he have such a number to communicate with him, that it may be properly a Communion. But, as it is there ordered, "Upon the Sundays and other Holydays (if there be no Communion) shall be said all that is appointed at the Communion until the end of the general prayer (for the good estate of the Catholic Church of );" where we may observe, that the Church, as I have shewn, appoints the Sacrament to be administered every day. But if it so fall out, that there be not in any place a convenient number to conmiunicate with the Priest, and by consequence according to the order before mentioned, no Communion; yet nevertheless upon Sundays and other Holy-days so much of the Communion Service shall be said as is there limited. Why only upon Sundays and Holy-days, but to distinguish them from other days, on which if there be a sufficient number of Communicants, the whole Communion Service is to be used; but no part of it, except there be so; but upon Sundays and Holy-days, although there be not such a number, and therefore no Communion; yet, however, the Priest shall go up to the Altar, and there read all that is appointed to be said at the Communion, until the end of the prayer for Catholic Church; whereby the people may see, that neither he nor the Church is to be blamed, if the Holy Sacrament be not then