ctive of the lax practice of the un-reformed Church in
admission of unworthy persons to Communion. In this view, the
Curate should be informed of the names of intending Communicants,
in order that he may deal with the cases of scandal referred to
in the second paragraph, and with the cases of enmity referred to
in the third. The main reason of the Church's action herein is
the danger of profanation of the Lord's Table by the presence of
unworthy Communicants. A second reason is the danger of injury to
the consciences of the congregation by wounding their sense of
corporate responsibility for individual wrong-doing. A third is
the spiritual interest of the offenders themselves, viz., in the
words quoted with approval by Hooker (Eccl. Pol. vi. 4-15), "not
to strike them with the mortal wound of excommunication, but to
stay them rather from running desperately headlong into their
own harm, and not to sever from Holy Communion any but such as
are either found culpable by their own confession, or have been
convicted in some public Court." The mode of the Curate's action
was intended by the rubric to be admonition previous and private.
The first paragraph indicates the duty of the people, not of the
Curate, giving him the opportunity of admonition, but throwing
upon them the responsibility of the decision whether or no to
present themselves.

The rubric does not empower or entitle the Curate to repel any
at the time of Communion, on the _mere_ ground of their not having
previously signified their names to him. For there is no means
provided for receiving their names, or for making any due enquiry;
nor is any penalty imposed upon the Curate for communicating people
who have not signified their names, nor on the persons who present
themselves without having done so. The reference to the Ordinary
was added in 1662. The object is to set him in motion as the proper
person to take legal proceedings against an offender, and effectually
repel one who cannot be repelled by the Curate's weapons of
persuasion and admonition.

The precautions of this rubric against communicating unworthily are
not very effective, and it must be observed that the 26th, 27th,
and 28th Canons extend the Curate's duty in this respect much
farther than the rubric, but without giving him any power, which
would be recognised by a _secular_ Court, of conscientiously
performing his duty therein.

92. The Table, at the Communion-time having a fair white linen