The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-06-13 00:00:00

TO' TICE EDITOR OP TELT LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

you allow me, through the medium of your
columns, respectfully to enquii e. of the Rev. Cecil Wray on
what authority ne pleads for n weekly communion? Holy
Scripture supplies no such authority. Our Saviour com-
manded His disciples to " Da this in remembrance of
Him. But neither He nor any of His inspired Apostles
commanded that it should be dem once a week. It is
indeed referred to by only one of the. Apostles, and in only
one of his Epistles ; and there, whik instructing us that
"as often as we-eat of that bread and drink of that cup
we do shew the Lord's death until He come," he gives no
command, nor intimation whatever, as to how often that
should be. Scriptural authority for weekly communion
cannot be produced.
With some persons this is sufficient. But other persons
there are, who think that, in a matterof this kind, THE
CIIIIRCH may lawfully exercise her authority, and give
commandments in addition to Scripture, provided she
enjoin nothinc, contrary to Sciipture.- These will ask,
what does the Churchsay ?
Well ! what does she say ? Have we any Church
authority for weekly communion, except among the
" Priests and Deacons of Cathedral and Collegiate
Churches ?" If so, I hope Mr. Wray will,' point it out.
Meantime let me invite his attention to the following
rubrics :

" When the Minister giveth warning for the celebra-
tion of the holy Communion (which he shall always do
upon the Sunday, or some Holy-day immediately preced-
ing) after the Sermon;-or Homily ended, k`e' Src.
Is there any authority here for weekly Communion ?
'hist the reverse : for then, the minister- should give
warning every Sunday;: but Church commands him
to give warning on the Sunday (or some Holy-day)
immediately preceding: It is here taken for granted
that there shall be some-Sundays not immediately pre-
ceding the celebration :. and therefore it is' taken for
granted that there shall' be some Sundays—there is no
intimation of how many—without the celebration.
Again—Another Rubric describes certain, prayers
thus—" Collects to be said after the offertory, WHEN
THESE is io Comyttfriox, every such day one-or more."
And'another S'filrintore explicitly says, Upon- the Sun-
days and other Holy-days (iv THERE BE NO COMMU-
NION) shall be said all that is appointed, Srt.- And as
to the Church's actual requirement upon the subject, it is
written—" and note, that every parishioner shall com-
municate at the least TZSEEE TIMES IN TEE YEAR, of
which Easter to be one."

Chureh authority for weekly Communion cannot be
produced. Again, then, I. ask the rev. gentleman, who
professes to show us a more excellent way than any as yet
adopted in the churches of Liverpool, on what authority
he declares a weekly Communion to be indispensable?
His words are—" Mr. Hampton will pardon me for assert-
" ing that the Lord's Day.eannot be duly honoured with-
".out the offering of that sacred memorial which He
"-ordained as the peculiar service of His religion"

Here is a solemn charge, against the Chitral, a charge
or gross and unchristian: neglect, in not having plainly
and unequivocally enjoined that without whichthe Lord's
Day cannot be duly honoured. Nay, worse still : for the
Church has coolly and deliberately, and on Mr. Wray's
supposition, profanely, supposed and provided: for occa-
sions when the Lord's Day is not to be duty honoured,

"When there is no Coniraunion." So meat for Mr.
Wray's dutiful attachment to the Church !
And then consider his language. The offering, he says,
" the offering of that sacred memorial." This .is neither
Scriptural language nor Church language. Offering
applies to sacrifices, not to memorials. We •offer our-
selves, as living sacrifices, unto God. We offer-our prayers
and thanksgivings as spiritual sacrifices. But we offer no
memorials. "We receive this holy sacrament." We
"take and eat this." "We receive these• creatures of
bread and wine in remembrance," or memorial.
This is the language both of the Scripture and the
Church; but "the ofibring of that sacred memorial" is a
miserable mixture. Romanism calls the- celebration a
sacrifice, and nothing less, and offers the elements to
God to be transubstantiated. Protestantism calls the
celebration a memorial, and nothing more. Mr. Wray
makes these extremes meet, and calls the -celebration an
offering of a memorial !
But let that pass. I return upon and:conclude with
the single object of this letter—where is the authority
for weekly Communion in our Churches ? If it can be
supplied, let us have it; and if it be genuine, let us by all
means render dutiful obedience to it, and hare weekly
Communion. But if it be not supplied, if both Bible and
Prayer-Book be-searched for it in vaila, then let us learn
how duly to estimate, and duly to honour, self-opinionated
reformers.

We have no objection, on principle, to-weekly Commu-
nions, or fortnightly Communions, or daily Communions.
In the absence- of authority upon the subject, let every
man be persuaded in his own mind; and conscientious in
his own practice : but we have a great objection to such
an unwarrantable denouncement of the Church by any of
her professed disciples, as that where there is not weekly
Communion, the Lord's day cannot he duly honoured.
I may, perhaps, trouble you next week with a letter on
daily public prayer. Meantime, I am,, Sir, your obedient
servant), A CIIUY.CIDIA-N OF LIVERPOOL.
June-li, 1854.

ECCLESIASTICAL. INTELLIGENCE.

PREFERMENTS AND. APPOINTMENTS.

Bey. R. Barton, M.A., Rector, of St. George's, to the Sub-
deanery of Christ Church, Dublin.
Rev. .1. Bayldon, M.A., to the Curacy of Hope Mansell,,
Herefordshire._ .

Rev. H. G-.. Bunsen, M.A.,. Vicar of Lilleshall, Shropshire,
and Domestic Chaplain to the Duke of Sutherland, to be
Lecture-Secretary for the Church Missionary Society.
Rev. C. Campbell, M.A., Vicar of Dedham, Rssex„to the
Vicarage_ of St. George's, Wolverhampton.
Rev. R. Chapman„ M.A., to the Rectory of Nonnanton,
Lincolnshire._

Rev. C. B. Dalton, M.A., Rector of Lambeth, to the Incum-
bency of the Church. and District of St. Michael, Highgate.
Rev. R. Dn Boisson, Curate of Hampton Bishop, to the
Curacy of Breinton, Herefordshire.
Rev. H. B. Farmer, M.A., to the Rectory of Rathsaran.
Rev. 0. Goodrich, M.A., to the Rectory of Humber, near
Leominster. _ .

to the Perpetual Curacy of Llanstephan,
Radnorshire.

Rev. H. Maclean, Vicar of Caistor, Lincolnshire, to
be Chaplain to the Caistor Union.
Rev. W. P. Mackes, M.A., to the Incumbency of Lang-
cliffe, near Giggleswick, Yorkshire.
Rev. G. Morgan, 8.A., Curate of St. Paul's Church, Poole,
Dorsetsbire, to the Incumbency of that Church.
Rev. J. Murray, M.A., Perpetual Curate of St. James's
Church, Norwich, to the Rectory of North Walsharn.
Rev. R. Nares, 8.A., to the Curacy of Great Torrington,
Devon.

Rev. J. B. Smith, to the Rectory of Sotby, Lincolnshire.
Rev. J. G. Smyth, M.A., to the United Vicarages of North
and South Elkington, Lincolnshire,
Rev. G. Southwell, 8.A., Vicar of Yetminster, Dorset, to
be a Surrogate for the diocese of Salisbury.
Rev. T. C. B. Stretch, M.A., late Curate of Farthoe, near
Stoney Stratford, 'Northamptonshire, to the Archdeaconry of
Geelong.
Rev. H. T. Whateley, M.A., Rector of Rodington, near
Shrewsbury, to be Lecture-Secretary to the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.
Rev. T. Williams, M.A., of Penygelly, to the Vicarage of
St. George's, St. Asaph.
Rev. T. H. C Wright, M.A., to the Vicarage of Wolferton,
near Clifton-on-Teme.
Rev. H. Plater, M.A., of Merton College, Oxford, late
Fellow of St. Peter's College, Radley, Assistant Master and
Classical Tutor of Marlborough College, to the Head Master.
ship of the Endowed Grammar School, Newark-upon-Trent.