Since the celebration of the eucharift was now confidered as a proper facrifice, the table on which it was offered came of courfe to be an altar; and as altars in the Jewish church, and among the pagans, were confecrated, the chriftian altars must be fo too. The first mention that is made of the confecration of altars (more than was observed to have been done by Gregory Nyffenus) is in the council of Agde in 506, when they were ordered to be confecrated both by chrism and by the benediction of the priest. In the ninth century they added water to the chrism, and incenfe, and other things. They also confecrated three table cloths of several fashions, and a kind of veil of several colours, according to the different days, &c*.

In order to be better entitled to the name of altars, and to correfpond to the altars in the Jewish and pagan religions, all the wooden tables were removed, and all altars were ordered to be made of stone. And it was farther alledged in favour of this cuftom, that Jefus Chrift is called the corner ftone, and foundation of the church. This inftitution is afcribed to Silvefter; but the decree is not found. It was council of Epaone in 517, that forbad the confecration of altars, unless they were made of stonet.

To the due confecration of altars it is now requifite that there fhould be relics in them; but

Larroche, p. 49.

Bafnage, vol. i. p. 47.

this was far from being the cafe originally. For a council in the feventh century ordered that altars fhould not be confecrated in any place where a body had been interred*. The laft thing which I shall obferve in respect to altars is, that Bede is the firft who makes any mention of portable ones.

It was a cuftom in all this period not only to make use of lights, though in the day time, during the celebration of the eucharist, but of incense alfo; and both these appendages were borrowed from the heathen facrifices, and were first adopted by the Greeks, and fo early as the middle of the fifth century; mention being then made of affembling the chucrh by flambeaus and perfumes. But it is not faid that this was for the celebration of the eucharift in particular t.

Originally, the bread that was used for the celebration of the Lord's fupper, was fuch as was prefented among other offerings on the occafion. Afterwards it was the custom to make one great loaf or cake, to fupply all the communicants; and this was broken at the time of the celebration, and diftributed in fmall pieces to the communicants. But this cuftom being attended with fome lofs, fome priests in Spain began about the feventh century, to prepare the eucharistical bread

Bafnage, p. 48. ↑ Larroche, p. 526.

in a different manner, baking fmall round pieces on purpose that there might not be occafion to break it at all. But this innovation was not generally approved, and it was exprefsly forbidden by the council of Toledo in 693*. In time, however, the increasing fuperftition of the age got the better of this regulation, and the custom of making fmall round wafers for the purpose of communion at length became univerfal in the church.

It was the custom in the primitive church, as I have already obferved, to give what is called the kifs of peace, or of charity, immediately before communion. This, in time, was thought to be an indecent practice, and therefore ought to have been laid afide altogether. However, Leo III. at the end of the ninth century, changed this cuftom for that of kiffing a plate of filver or copper, with the figure of a crofs upon it, or the relic of fome faint after the confecration of the elements t.

In the fifth century, it was the custom for men to receive the bread with their naked hands, and the women (who perhaps did not expofe their hands naked) in a clean cloth, which obtained the name of Dominica. Afterwards, in the farther progrefs of fuperftition, it came to be the custom

Larroche, p. 36.

+ Hift. of Antient Ceremonies, p. 90.

D

το

to receive it in veffels of gold, &c, but this was forbidden in the fixth general council in 680, and they were again ordered to receive it with the hand. It has been already observed that glass was thought to be too brittle a thing to receive the holy elements. Glafs veffels, however, continued to be made ufe of, fo that it was thought neceffary to forbid the use of them in a council held at Rheims under Charlemaigne; and in another council, held in the year 895, wooden veffels were forbidden to be used for that purpose; and at prefent the Latin church does not fuffer the confecration to be made in any thing but in a chalice of gold, or filver, or at least of pewter; and a council held at Albi, in 1254, commands all churches, the yearly rent of which amounts to fifteen French livres, to have a filver chalice*.

In the primitive times we find no mention of any particular pofition of the body, as more proper than any other for receiving the Lord's fupper; but as fuperitition kept gaining ground, the East began to be held peculiarly facred, as it always had been held by the heathens, who worshipped with their faces turned that way; and about the year 536, Pope Vigilius ordered that those who celebrated mass fhould always direct their faces towards the East†.

Larroche, p. 53.

+ Hift. of Antient Ceremonies, p. 76.

We

We fee the effects of fuperftition as well in the method of difpofing of what remained of the confecrated elements, as in the use of them. Some churches used to burn all that remained after communion. This was the custom at Jerufalem, and it is fo with the Greeks at prefent; at least, says Fleury, they are reproached with it. At Conftantinople it was formerly eaten by young scholars, fent from the school for that purpose, as is related by Evagrius, who wrote at the end of the fixth century. The council of Toledo, in 693, left it to the liberty of each particular church, either to keep what remained of the confecrated elements, or to eat it; but, in the latter cafe, it was ordained that the quantity confecrated should be moderate, that it might not opprefs the ftomachs of those who were appointed to take it. But, in whatever manner they difpofed of these facred elements, it was the custom not to leave any of them till the next day t.

One would imagine that we had seen superftition enough in this one article of chriftian faith and practice within this period; but we shall find much greater abuses in the next; and notwithstanding the greater light of the prefent age, they contiuue unreformed in the church of Rome to this day.

• A. D. 1054. + Larroche, p. 171.