TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTOR. innovation, as contrary to the purity and uniformity of worship, presently authorized and practised in our national church; that they shall Innovation respecting the Commu. enjoin every presbytery within their SIR, nion Table. A PRACTICE has lately obtained in some established churches in the west of Scotland, of excluding the communicants from the communion table, and making them communicate in pews according to the practice of the Independents, and other sectaries in England. According to this form, all the communicants sitting in pews, turn their backs on one another, and exhibit no appearance of friends meeting together in Christian communion, at a feast of love. This innovation has been considered by some as a corruption of the worship of God, and contrary to the established laws and practice of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland; and the matter was brought before the Synod of Glasgow and Ayr, at their meeting in October last. The following is the substance of an overture on that subject, with the deliverance of the synod upon it : OVERTURE. "Whereas an innovation has been lately introduced into some churches, within the bounds of the Synod of Glasgow and Ayr, in the mode of dispensing the sacrament of the Lord's supper, namely, the distribution of the elements to the communicants sitting in pews, and not sitting about, or at the communion table, according to the laws and practice of the Established Church of Scotland; "It is overtured to the very reverend synod, that they shall declare their disapprobation of this bounds to take care that a communion table, according to the practice of the church, be provided in every church under their jurisdic tion; and that they shall recommend to all the ministers within their bounds, to observe the fifteenth article of the General Assembly, 1707, entitled, Act against Innovations in the Worship of God." It was moved and seconded that this overture should be approved and adopted by the synod, and that they should declare, enjoin, and recommend in the terms thereof. After discussing the merits of the case, this motion was agreed to without a vote. "Wherefore the. synod did, and hereby do, declare, enjoin, and recommend, in terms of said overture." This decision of the Synod of Glasgow and Ayr, I entirely approve, and subjoin for the consideration of the readers of your respectable periodical publication, a short historical account of the laws and practice of the Established Presbyterian Church of Scotland on the communion table. In large congregations, the tables should be lengthened, so that the service be not protracted to an inconvenient and fatiguing length; but the table posture ought to be observed agreeably to the laws and practice of the Church of Scotland, and the pattern exhibited by Christ and the apostles. This innovation of substituting pews for the communion table, is a violation of the laws of the Established Church of Scotland, and a departure from the constant practice of the church. At the Reformation, our pious ancestors in Scotland endeavoured to bring every part of the public worship of God to the Scripture pattern, and particularly the manner of celebrating the ordinance of the Lord's supper. They acted on that leading principle of the Reformation, "That the holy Scriptures are the only infallible rule of faith and practice." On this principle they removed from the manner of celebrating this ordinance, not only the superstitious and idolatrous practices, which had been introduced in the darkest ages of popery, but even some unscriptural practices which had obtained among the fathers in the early ages of the Christian church. It was an early practice to give the sacrament to children, which our ancestors in Scotland rejected as contrary to Scripture, because they were not able to examine themselves as directed by the apostle, 1 Cor. xi. 28. It was an early practice to send the consecrated elements from the communion table to people in their private houses, especially the sick and infirm, which our fathers in Scotland rejected, there being no authority from Scripture for such disorderly and private administration. It was the early practice for the communicants to stand around the communion table, and sometimes to kneel, which prac. tices were rejected by our Presbyterian ancestors, as not agreeable to the pattern exhibited by Christ and the apostles, at the institution of this ordinance, nor to our table posture; and the posture of sitting at the communion table was adopt ed, as most conformable to both. It was an early practice for each communicant to receive the elements from the officiating minister; but our Presbyterian ancestors re. jected this, and the nearest communicant received the bread and wine from the officiating minister, and then passed them from hand to hand, because Christ said, Luke xxii. 17. "Take this and divide it among yourselves," which, though applicable to the case in the passover, was considered by them as equally applicable to the bread and wine in the Lord's supper. At the Reformation in Scotland, and the times immediately following, there was no dispute among our ancestors whether there should be a communion table. In the twenty-third chapter of the Confession of Faith, agreed on by the General Assembly, 1560, the communion table is expressly mentioned. It is there called "the holy table, and table of the Lord Jesus." In the first book of Discipline agreed on by the Assembly, 1560, and ratified by the privy council the same year, it is distinctly stated, head second, that " the table of the Lord is then most rightly ministered when it approacheth most near to Christ's own action. But plain it is, that at supper Christ Jesus sat with his disciples; and therefore do we judge that sitting at a table is most convenient to that holy action ;" and in head ninth, under the title of separation of kirks, it is provided, that " every kirk must have doors; close windows of glass; thatch able to withhold rain; a bell to covocate the people together; a pulpit; a bason for baptizing; and TABLES for ministration of the Lord's supper." Ministers were enjoined by act of Assembly, in December 1562, that in the ministration of the sacraments, they should observe the order of the English kirk at Geneva, where Mr. Knox had been sometime minister. This act was renewed by the Assembly, 1564; and the order of Geneva for ministration of the sacraments, &c. was usually prefixed to the version of the Psalms then used in the Church of Scotland, and was the directory for worship then observed. This order expressly mentions sitting at the communion table, and refers throughout to that practice. In the exhortation before dispensing the sacrament, the minister says, " In the name and authoritie of the eternall God, and of his Sonn Jesus Christ, I excommunicate from this table all blasphemers of God, all idolaters, all murtherers, all adulterers, all that be in malice or envie, all disobedient persons to father or mother, &c. &c. charging them, as they will answere in the presence of him who is the righteous judge, that they presume not to prophane this most holy table," &c. &c. On the other hand, the minister encourageth the penitent in terms of that order, "Seeing that our Lord hath indued us with will and desire to renounce and withstande our owne affections, with a longing for his righteousnesse, and the keeping of his commaundementes, we may be now right well assured, that those defaultes and manifold imperfections in us, shall be no hinderance at all against us, to cause him not to accept and impute us as worthie to come to his spirituall table, &c. &c. The order proceeds thus, "The exhortation ended, the minister commeth downe from the pulpit, and sitteth at the table, every man and woman in likewise taking their place as occasion best serveth; then he taketh bread and giveth thankes, either in these words fol. lowing, or like in effect." Here follows the form of blessing or consecration. "This done," saith the order, "The minister breaketh the bread, and delivereth it to the people, who distribute and divide the same among themselves, according to our Saviour Christ's commandement, and likewise giveth the cuppe. During which time some place of the Scriptures is read, which doth lively set forth the death of Christ," &c. &c. After this the minister giveth thanks in the manner there directed. Then the order proceeds, "The action thus ended, the people sing the 108d Psalme, My soul give laude unto the Lord, &c. or some other of thanksgiving, which ended, one of the blessings before mentioned is recited;" namely, those in Numb. vi. 24, 25, and 2 Cor. xiii. 14. " and so they rise from the table and depart." Such is the order of the English kirk at Geneva *, which was observed in the Church of Scotland by enactment of the General As sembly, subsequent to the Reformation, and frequently referred to in after times as the practice of our church. In this order sitting at the communion table is prominently presented to our attention. The table is called the "holy table, the spiritual table, and every man and woman take their place at the table, as occasion best serveth." At and after..the Reformation there was a party attached to the Episcopal forms of worship and government, which considerably increased after the accession of James VI. to the throne of England. That prince favoured the Episcopalians, and exerted himself greatly in their behalf. Under the influence of the court, the General Assembly which met at Perth in the year 1618, enacted that communicants should kneel at the communion table, and other things favourable to the Episcopal form of worship. These were usually called the articles of Perth. This was the cause of much confusion and dissension in Scotland, and for some time both the practice of kneeling and of sitting at the communion *The above quotations are made from the order prefixed to the old version of the Psalms, used in the Church of Scotland, from the copy in the public library of the University of Glasgow, printed at Middleburgh in the year 1594. t table obtained, and caused much dispute. Those attached to Epis copacy insisted on the practice of kneeling, while the Presbyterians considered sitting as more agreeable to the Scripture pattern, and our own table posture. This struggle continued for nearly twenty years, until the meeting of the General Assembly at Glasgow, in the year 1638. In that Assembly the Articles of Perth were condemned, and the order of Geneva was again approved as a directory for worship, and the ministration of the sacraments. The Presbyterian form of worship and government now acquired the ascendancy; the order of Geneva was observed, and the communicants came in companies, and sat down at the communion table, according to that order. In this state matters continued until the meeting of the Assembly at Westminster in July, 1643. The object of this Assembly was to unite the whole island in one confession of faith, one form of church government, and one directory for the worship of God. It was then designed to establish the form observed by the Presbyterian Church of Scotland; and commissioners from the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland were sent to the Westminster Assembly, to assist in this good work. Our commissioners, it appears, had to struggle about the communion table, both with the Episcopalians, on the one hand, and the Independents, on the other. On the 20th of May, 1644, they wrote a letter to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, giving an account of their progress, in which they say, "We cannot but admire the good hand of God in the things done already;" and among other things they state, "that altars were removed, and the communion in some places given at the table with sitting." VOL. XXII. NO. I. In a letter from the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to the Westminster Assembly, dated June 4, 1644, they say, "We are greatly refreshed to hear by letters from our commissioners there with you, of your praiseworthy proceedings, and of the great things the Lord hath wrought among you, and for you;" and, among other things, they congratulate them, "That the sacraments were sincerely administered, according to the pattern in the mount," referring to the account received by them of the "communion being given at the table with sitting." The struggle, however, with the Episcopalians, was then short, and the victory was easily obtained. But very different was the case with the Independents. The struggle between our Presbyterian commissioners and the Independents in the Westminster Assembly, respecting the communion table, was long and arduous. The Independents warmly opposed the use of a communion table, and going in companies to the table, according to the practice of our Presbyterian church. Principal Baillie of Glasgow College, one of the commissioners from the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to the Westminster Assembly, gives, in his letters, an account of that opposition, from which I make the following extracts. In letter forty-fifth, dated London, April 2, 1644, he says, "Our paper anent the sacraments we gave in. We agreed, so far as we went, except in a table. Here all of them oppose us, and we them. They will not, and say the people will never, yield to alter their practice. They are content with sitting, albeit not as of a rite institute; but to come out of their pews to a table, they deny the necessity of it; we affirm it necessary, and will stand to it. The Independents' way of E celebrating seems to be very irreverent. They have the communion every Sabbath, without any preparation before, or thanksgiving after; little examination of people; their very prayers and doctrine before the sacrament are not to be directed to the use of the sacrament. They have after the blessing a short discourse, and two short graces over the elements, which are distributed and participate in silence, without exhortation, reading, or singing, and all is ended with a psalm, without a prayer." he In letter sixty-four, June, 1644, says, "We are proceeding in our Assembly. This day, before noon, we got sundry propositions of our directory for the sacrament of the Lord's supper passed; but in the afternoon we could not move one inch. The unhappy Independents would mangle that sacrament. No catechising nor preparation before; no thanksgiving after; no sacramental doctrine, or chapters in the day of celebration; no coming up to any table; but a carrying of the elements to all in their seats athort the church; yet all this, with God's help, we have carried over their bellies to our practice. But exhortations at tables we yet stick at. They would have no words spoken at all. Nye would be at covering the head at receiving; we must dispute every inch of our ground. Great need had we of the prayers of all God's people." In letter sixty-sixth, June 28, he says, "This day we were vexed also in the Assembly; we thought we had passed with consent sitting at the table; but behold Mr. Nye, Mr. Goodwin, and Bridges, cast all in the hows, denying to us the necessity of any table, but pressing the communicating of all in their seats, without coming up to a table. Messrs. Henderson, Rutherford, and Gillespie, all three disputed exceedingly well for it, with arguments unanswerable; yet not one of the English did join with us, only Mr. Assessor Burgess, who was then in the chair, beginning to speak somewhat for us, but a little too vehemently, was so met with by the Independents, that a shameful and long clamour ended their debate." In letter sixty-seventh, July 5, 1644, he says, "As for the Assembly, these three weeks Mr. Nye and his good friend Mr. Herle, has kept us on one point of our directory alone, the recommending of the communicants coming up to the table to communicate, Their way of communicating, of some at the table, and some about it, without any succession of companies to more tables, is that whereon we stick, and are likely to stick longer." In letter sixty-eight, July 12, he says, " In our Assembly we go on as we may. The Independents and others kept us long three weeks upon one point alone, the communicating at a table. By this we came to debate the divers coming up of companies successively to the table; the consecrating of the bread and wine severally; the giving of the bread to all the congregation, and then the wine to all; and so twice coming up to the table, first for the bread, and then for the wine; the mutual distribution, the table exhortations, and a world of such questions, which to the most of them were new and strange things. After we were over-toiled with debate, we were forced to leave all these things, and take to us general expressions, which, by a benign interpretation, would infer our church practices, which the most promised to follow; so much the more as we did not necessitate them by the Assembly's express determination. We have ended the matter of the Lord's supper, and these last three days have been upon baptism. We have carried with much greater ease than we expected the publicness |