of their neigiibours, or by their minister,
or by the ordinary himself, to discharge
their consciences by presenting of them,
and not to incur so desperately the said
horrible sin of perjury."
Canon 121. "In places where the bishop
and archdeacon do, by prescription or com-
position, visit at several times in one and
the same year, lest for one and the self-
same fault any of his Majesty's subjects
should be challenged and molested in
divers ecclesiastical courts, Ave do order
and appoint, that every archdeacon or his
official, within one month after the visita-
tion ended that year and the presentments
received, shall certify under his hand and
seal, to the bishop or his chancellor, the
names and crimes of all such as are de-
tected and presented in his said visitation,
to the end the chancellor shall henceforth
forbear to convent any person for any
crime or cause so detected or presented
to the archdeacon. And the chancellor,
within the like time after the bishop's
visitation ended and presentments re-
ceived, shall, under his hand and seal,
signify to the archdeacon or his official
the names and crimes of all such persons,
which shall be detected or presented unto
him in that visitation, to the same intent
as aforesaid. And if these officers shall
not certify each other as is here prescribed,
or after such certificate shall intermeddle
with the crimes or persons detected and
presented in each other's visitation, then
every of them so offending shall be sus-
pended from all exercise of his jurisdiction
by the bishop of the diocese until he
shall repay the costs and expenses which
the parties grieved have been at by that
vexation."
As to legal proof: in case the party
presented denies the fact to be true, the
making good the truth of the presentment,
that is, the furnishing the court with all
proper evidences of it, undoubtedly rests
upon the person presenting. And as the
VISITATION OF THE SICK.
(90
spiritual court in such case is entitled hy
law to call upon churchwardens to support
their presentments, so are churchwardens
oblii^ed, not only by law, (Dr. Gibson
says.) but also in conscience, to see the
presentment etiectually supported ; be-
cause, to deny the court those evidences
which induced them to ])rcsent upon oath,
is to desert their presentment, and is Httle
better, in point of conscience, than not to
]n-esent at all, inasmucli as, throui;h tlieir
default, the presentment is rendered in-
effectual as to all purposes of removini^
the scandal, or reforming? the offender.
And from hence he takes occasion to wisli
that the parishioners would tliink them-
selves bound (as on many accounts they
certainly are bound) to su])port their
churchwardens in seeinjjf tliat their i)re-
scntments are rendered effectual. In any
point which concerns tlie repairs or orna-
ments of churches, or the providinji^ con-
veniences of any kind for the service of
God, when such defects as these are ])rc-
sented, the spiritual judge immediately,
and of course, enjoins the churchwarden
presenting to see the defect made good,
and supports him in rejiaying liimself by
a legal and reasonable rate upon the j)ar-
ish. But what he intends is, the su])-
porting the churchwardens in the pro-
secution of such immoral and unchristian
livers as they find themselves obliged by
their oath to present, as fornicators, adul-
terers, common swearers, drunkards, and
such like, whose exam})le is of pernicious
consequence, and likely to bring many
evils upon the parish.
It is customary for the archdeacon at
his visitation, to call upon one of his clergy
to preach what is called a visitation ser-
mon ; and although it a])pears that for-
merly it Avas the duty of the visitor him-
self to preacli this sermon, it seems to be
doubtful whether the clergyman so called
upon l)v the arcluleacon may refuse.
VISITATION OF THE SICK. In
so uncertain a world, where sickness some-
times interrupts the very joys of marriage,
it is no wonder that the sad office should
be placed next to matrimony ; for all
people in all conditions, of all ages and
sexes, are subject to diseases continually;
so that when any person falls sick, those
that are in health must " remember them,
as being themselves also in the body,"
(Ileb. xiii. 3,) and lialde to the same
calamities ; and all Christians arc com-
manded to visit their neighbours in this
estate, and arc promised they shall ])e
rewarded by God for so doing. (Ps. xli.
1, 2; Matt. XXV. 34, 30; James i. 27;
l-lcclus. vii. 35.) And in the primitive
times they were famous for this pii-ce of
charity. lUit it is esju-ciallv the duty of
the clergy to visit the sick, a duty insti-
tuted and enjoined by (Jod himseif: "Is
any sick among you*? let him call for
the elders of the Church, and let them
pray over him, anointing him witii oil
in the name of the l.oith'; and the prayer
of faith shall_ save the sick, and the Lo'ui)
shall raise him uj), atul if he have, com-
mitted sins, they shall be forgiven him."
(James y. 14, l.j.) In whicii words (being
the original and foundation of this oHice)
we may note, first, that the duty is en-
joined by Divine authority, and therefore
it is not barely a jmint of civility, but an
act of religion, ancl a necessary duty which
God recpiires from us. Secondly, the
time to perform it is, " when any are sick
among us ; " for then the ])arties have
most need of comfort, atlvice, and i)ray('rH
to sujjport them and j>rocure help for
them, as also to prepare them for their
last and great account ; and then these
religious exercises will do us most good,
because sickness embitters the world and
endears heaven to us, making us nray
devoutly, and hearken willingly to holy
advice ; so that this hai)py opj)ortunity
must not be lost ; nor nuiy it be deferred
till the sick ]iersons be very weak and
nigh to death, for then tlu'y are incapable
either to join in the olfice, or to receive
the main benefits thereof; and the word
in St. James is, " if any be infirm '* (vcr.
14) ; to note, this should be done in the
beginning of sickness, and not \)u\. off till
the physicians give men over. 'Hiirdly,
as to the manner of performing this du-
ty ; the sick man (or his friends) must
"send for" the priest, who else may either
not know of his sickness, or when it may
be seasoiuible to visit; and if he come
unsent for, it is more than he is obliged
to do; but yet it is an act of great charily,
because GoD requires the elders of the
Cluu-ch shall do this duty. The sick man
must i)ray for himself (ver. 13); nml his
neighbours may pray with him and for
him (ver. 16); but neither of these »uf-
ficeth ; he must send for the minister be-
sides, who, now the Church is settle<l,
lives not far from him, and he is mo«t
able to give counsel, and most likely to
])revail, because GoD requires him to jht-
form this office, which is described in St.
James. 1. Hy " praying over him," that
is, beside him, in the house where he liea
sick. And since (ion enjoins pmycr shall
be made, and doth not prc'^cribc the form ;
as all other Churches have made proper
800 VISITATION OF THE SICK.
VULGAR TONGUE.
forms, so hath ours also composed this,
which is the most full and useful office
on this occasion extant in the world. 2.
In St. James's time, and as long as the
miraculous gift of healing continued, they
"anointed the sick with oil also in the
name of Jesus," not to convey any grace
to the soul, (as the Papists now pretend
to do by their extreme unction, lately
made a sacrament,) but to work a mi-
raculous cure, which was the usual effect
in those ages. But the power and gift
being noAv ceased, the reformed Churches
left off the oil, which was the sign, because
the thing signified w'as now taken away.
But yet we retain all the substantial parts
of this office. 3. Here are by St. James
set down " the benefits " which may be
obtained by it, which are annexed to the
" prayer of faith," the part wliich was not
ceremonial, and Avhich continues still as
the benefits also shall do, namely, this
shall be a means " to save the sick ; " and
more particularly, 1. " The Lord shall
raise him up," that is, if GoD see that
health be good for him, the devout per-
forming of this office shall contribute to
his recovery ; or, 2. However, (because
men are mortal and must die at some
time,) it shall be a means to procure " for-
giveness " of the sins he " hath commit-
ted ; " not the priest only will absolve him
upon his penitent confession, but God
will seal his pardon, and then, whether
life or death follow, the man shall be hap-
py. Wherefore, as we love our friends,
or our own souls, all care must be taken
that this necessary and profitable office be
not neglected. The method of perform-
ing which in this Church may be thus de-
scribed : The usual office contains, 1 . Sup-
plications to avert evil, in the salutation
and short litany. 2. Prayers to procure
good chings, in the Lord's Prayer and the
two collects. 3. Exhortations prescribed
in the large form of exhortation ; and di-
rections in the rubric, to advise the sick
man to forgive freely, to give liberally, to
do justice in settling his estate, and to con-
fess his sins humbly and ingenuously unto
God's minister now with him. 4. Conso-
lations, in the absolution, the prayer to God
to confirm it; in the 71st Psalm, and the
concluding benedictions.
Secondly, there are added, 1. Extraor-
dinary prayers for a sick child, for one past
recovery, for a dying person, and for one
troubled in conscience. 2. The manner
of administering the communion to the
sick. — Dean Comber.
_As to the form of prayer to be used on
this occasion, it is left to the prudence of
the Church ; since GoD hath only in ge-
neral ordered prayers to be made, but not
prescribed any particular words, therefore
several Churches have made and used
several forms proper for the occasion.
The Greek Church hath a very large office
in their Euchologion ; Avhich seems to have
been much corrupted by the superstitious
additions of later ages, though some of
the ancient prayers may yet be discerned
there. The most ancient of the Western
Church are those which bear the names
of St. Ambrose and St. Gregory ; and
that which Cardinal Bona cites with this
title, " Pro infirmis," written about 900
(1040) years ago, and supposed to be part
of the old Galilean service. And upon
the lieformation, the several Protestant
Churches had their several forms, which
are in use amongst them at this day. But
this office of the Church of England may
be thought to excel all that are now ex-
tant in the world ; and it exactly agrees
with the method of the primitive visitation
of the sick in St. Chrysostom's time. —
Dean Comber.
VISITATORIAL POWER. Every
corporation, w^hether lay or ecclesiastical, is
visitable by some superior ; and every spi-
ritual person being a corporation sole, is
visitable by the ordinary. There is, how-
ever, in our ecclesiastical polity, an excep-
tion to this rule ; for, by composition, the
archbishop of Canterbury never visits the
bishop of London. During a visitation,
all inferior jurisdictions are inhibited from
exercising jurisdiction : but this right, from
the inconvenience attending the exercise
of it, is usually conceded ; so that the ex-
ercise of jurisdiction in the inferior court
is continued notwithstanding.
VOLUNTARY. A piece of music played
on the organ, usually after the Psalms,
sometimes after the second lesson. This
Mas formerly more usual than now ; and
was practised in many cathedrals, where it is
now laid aside, as at St. Paul's, and Christ
Church in Dublin. In the latter place it
is transferred to another interval of the
service. The name is derived from its per-
formance not being obligatory, but op-
tional with those who are in authority.
Pieces of music played at other intervals
of the service are properly called sympho-
nies. Lord Bacon approves of voluntaries
as affording time for meditation.
VULGAR TONGUE. This expression
in the baptismal office stood formerly " in
the English tongue." The alteration was
made in compliance, as it should seem,
with a suggestion of Bishop Cosin, that
"suppose, as it often falls out, that chil-
VULGATE.
WAFERS.
SOI
dren of strangers, ^vhich never intend to
stay in England, be brought there to be
baptized," it -would be excei)tionable that
" they also should be exhorted and en-
joined to learn those ])rinciples of religion
in the English tongue."
VULGATE. The name given to what
is called the vulgar Latin translation of
the liiblc. It Avas a name anciently a])i)lied
to any pojndar ediiion ; and the Scptuagint,
as ])r. Hody remarks, was sometimes so
called by St. Jerome. This is the most
ancient version of the whole Scriptures
into Latin now extant, and the only one
which the Church of Home acknowledges
to be authentic.
The Vulgate of the Old Testament was
translated, almost word for word, from
the Greek of the Scptuagint ; the author
of it is not known, or so much as guessed
at. It was a long time known by the
name of the Italic version, as being of
very great antiquity in the Latin Church.
(See Italic Version}) It was commonly in
use, before St. Jerome made a new one
from the Hebrew. St. Austin preferred
this Vulgate before all the other Latin
versions, as rendering the words and sense
of the sacred text more closely and justly
than any of the rest. It was since corrected
from the emendations of St. Jerome ; and
it is the mixture of the ancient Italic
version with the corrections of St. Jerome,
that is now called the Vulgate, and which
the Council of Trent has declared to be
authentic. The version of St. Jerome,
however, forms the main part of the Vul-
gate, with the exception of some of the
apocr}-phal books, and the Psalter. The
translation of the latter from the Hebrew
was not adopted publicly by the Western
Church, though still to be found in his
works. The Psalter was twice corrected
by him from the old Italic version; the
first recension was for a long time used in
the Koman Church, the latter was iirst
adopted by the Churches of Gaul and
Britain, and was finally adopted by the
Western Church by an ordinance of Pius
V. The old lloman Psalter being still,
however, used at the Vatican, at St. Mark's,
Venice, and in part of the diocese of
Britain.
A revision of the Vulgate was made by
order of Sixtus V.,and i)ublished at Home
in 1590. But this, though pronounced by
papal authority to bo authentic, became
such an ol)jcct'of ridicule among the learn-
ed from its gross inaccuracies, that his
successor, Gregoiy XIV., caused it to be
suppressed, and another nnthcntic Vulgate
was published in lo92, bv Clement VIII.
•3 r '
— WaUons Prolcf/omoia. Ilodius ik Bihl.
text, oritj. llorm-s Introd.
The Vulgate of the New Testament is,
by the Komanists, generally preferred to
the connnon Greek text. The ])riest.s
read no other at tlie altar ; the preachers
quote no other in the ])ulj)it, nor the
divines in the schools. (See Bihlc.)
WAFERS. The bread which is used
in the eucliarist by the Komanists, and by
Lutheran Protestants in the Lokd's supper,
is so designated. In the ancient Church,
so long as the people continued to make
oblations of bread and wine, the elementH
for the n.se of the eucharist were usually
taken out of them ; and, consequently, so
long, the bread was that common lea> ened
bread, which they used upon other occa-
sions ; and the use of wafers, and un-
leavened bread, was not known in the
Church till the eleventh or twelfth cen-
turies. This is now acknowledged by the
most learned writers of the Jlomish com-
munion. The school divines, who main-
tain that the primitive Cliurch always
consecrated in unleavened bread, argue
that we must suppose they followed the
example of our Savioi'II, who celebrated
his last supper with unleavened bread,
lint ecclesiastical history, and the writings
of the ancient Fathers, unanimously testily
the contrary ; audit is noted by Epipha-
nius, as a peculiar rite of the l!bioiiile
heretics, that they celelirated the eucharist
with unleavened bread and Mater only.
How the change in this matter was
made, and the exact time when, is not
easily determined. Cardinal Bona's con-
jecture seems probable enough ; that it
cre])t in u})on the j)eoj)le's leaving off to
make their oblations m common bread ;
which occasioned the clergy to pr()\i(le it
themselves, and they, under jiretence of
decency and respect, ])rought it from
leaven to unleaven, and from a loaf of
common bread, that might be broken, to
a nice and delicate wafer, formed in tlie
figure of a Denarius, or penny, to re-
present the pence, for which our S.vvioiii
was betrayed ; and then also the people,
instead of offering a loaf of bread, as for-
merly, were ordered to offiT a i)rnny,
which was either to be given to the poor,
or to be expended u]u)n something per-
taining to the sacrifice of the altar.
This alteration in the euchariKtical bread
occasioned great disjjutes between the
r'.astern and Western Cliurches, which
divided about it; for the Western Church
ran so far into an extreme, as almost to
lose the nature of the sacramental ele-
802
WAGER.
WHITSUNDAY.
ment, by introducing a thing that could
hardly be called bread, instead of that
common slafl' of life, Avhich our Lord had
appointed to be the representative of his
body in the eucharist. But there wanted
not some discerning and judicious men,
who complained of this abuse, as soon as
it began to be introduced.
The first Common Prayer Book of King
Edward VI. enjoins unleavened bread to
be used throughout the whole kingdom,
for the celebration of the eucharist. It
was ordered to be round, in imitation of
the wafers, used by the Greek and lloman
Churches ; but it was to be ivithout all
manner of print, the wafers usually having
the impression either of a crucifix or the
holy lamb; and something more large and
thicker than the wafers, which \\exe of the
size of a penny. This rubric, aff'ording
matter for scruple, was set aside at the re-
view of the liturgy in the fifth of King
Edward ; and another inserted in its room,
by which it was declared sufficient, that
the bread he such as is usually eaten at the
table ivith other meats. By the injunctions
of Queen Elizabeth, wafer bread seems to
have been again enjoined, for among other
orders this was one, " For the more rever-
ence to be given to these holy mysteries —
the sacramental bread, &c., made and
formed plain without any figure thereupon,
of the same fineness and fashion round,
though somewhat bigger in compass and
thickness, as the usual bread and wafers,
heretofore called singing cakes, which
served for the use of private mass."
WAGER. (See Battle and Ordeal.)
WAKE. (See Dedication.)
WALDENSES. (See Albigenses.)
Some difficulty exists as to the origin and
history of the sect to which this name has
been attached. According to Mosheim,
the sect originated with Peter Waldo, a
merchant of Lyons, about the year 1160.
They flourished chiefly in the valleys of
Piedmont ; and hence, rather than from
Petor Waldo or Valdo, it is supposed by
some that they acquired the name of Val-
denses or Vaudois. From the perusal of
the Scriptures and other writings, and
from comparing the doctrines of Scripture
with the superstitions and practices of the
age in which he lived, Waldo perceived
the corruption of the existing mediaeval
Church, and, in advance of his age, became
a reformer. He shared the fate of those
who are so circumstanced. He had many
followers, and exposed both himself and
them to suspicion and persecution. It is
probable that, in attacking error, the
Waldenses themselves sometimes became
erroneous. They are accused of having
maintained the unlawfulness of oaths and
of infant baptism, and of being seditious.
These charges were easily made, but
writers of celebrity have undertaken to
confute them. The marvel is, that, when
every attempt was made to blacken their
character, the success of their accusers was
not greater than it has proved to be. It is
certain that they were austere, if not mo-
rose, in their ])ractice ; that they prohibit-
ed wars and hnv suits, penal punishments,
and all attempts to acquire wealth.
Those of them who dwelt in the valleys
of Piedmont in the seventeenth century,
were subjected by the Church of Rome to
the most barbarous and inhuman persecu-
tions, especially in the years 1655, 1656,
and 1696. The most horrible scenes of
violence and bloodshed were exhibited in
this theatre of papal tyranny, and the
Waldenses at last owed their existence
and support to the interference of the Eng-
lish and Dutch governments.
WARBURTONIAN LECTURE. A
lecture founded by Bishop Warburton, to
prove the truth of revealed religion in
general, and the Christian in particular,
trom the completion of the prophecies in
the Old and New Testament which relate
to the Christian Church, especially to the
apostasy of papal Rome. To this found-
ation we owe the admirable discourses of
Hurd, Halifax, Bagot, Davison, and many
others.
WARDEN. The head of some col-
leges, and the superior of some conventual
churches, in which the chapter remains, is
called a warden. The head of the collegiate
church of Galway is called warden : as
was the case at Manchester, till the erec-
tion of the collegiate church there into a
cathedral.
WEDNESDAY. This day has been
marked in many cases by the Church with
an especial religion. Thus it was often
added to Friday as a weekly fast, and in
our own Church it is numbered among
the rogation and ember days ; besides
which, throughout the year the Litany is
appointed to be sung or said on Wednes-
day, as well as on Sunday and Friday
after Morning Prayer.
WESLEYANS. (See Methodists.)
WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY. (See
Assembly of Divines.)
WESTMINSTER CONFESSION.
(See Confessions of Faith.)
^^^AVHltSUNDAY. One of the great
festivals of the Church, held in comme-
moration of the descent of the Holy
Ghost on the day of Pentecost. It occurs
AVHITSUXDAY.
f'O"
ten days after Holy Thursday, or Ascension
Day. The reason of this day heinj; called
AVTiitsunday, or more jiroperly A\'iiitesun-
day, is, because on this day, being a re-
markable time for baptism, the catechu-
mens, Avho were then baptized, as well as
those who had been baptized before at
Easter, appeared in the ancient Church in
white garments. It has also been thought
that the name was symbolical of those
vast diffusions of liglit and knowledge
which were then shed ujion the a])os-
tles, in order to the enlightening of a
world then in the darkness of superstition
and idolatry.
This day the Holy Ghost came down
from heaven upon his Church, as the
Epistle tells, according to the promise of
the Gospel; in honour of whom and of
his gifts we keep this holy day. — Bp.
Sparrow.
As to the name, the most received opi-
nion is, that the word is at length " White-
sunday ; " so called from the white gar-
ments worn by the persons baptized in
the ancient Church. For the adminis-
tering of which sacrament, Easter, and
this, and the Sundays between, were the
most solemn seasons. Particularly on this
day, the last of those Sundays, (when that
solemnity determined, and the prepara-
tion for it had been extended to the ut-
most length,) as well on that account, as
for the deserved veneration due to so great
a festival, vast numbers offered themselves
to be received to baptism. And, in token
of their being cleansed from all past sins,
as well as for an emblem of that inno-
cence and purity, to which they then
obliged themselves, they were clad in
white; and from the multitude of such
vestments then put on, are supposed to
have given occasion for this Lord's day
being distinguished by that name. — Dean
Stanhope.
The reason why this time was of old ap-
pointed for solemn baptism, was, 1. lie-
cause this day the apostles were i)aptized
with the Holy Ghost and fire (Acts ii.
3). 2. Because this day 3000 were bai)-
tized by the apostles (Acts ii. 41). In
memory of which, the Church ever after
held a solemn custom of baptizing at this
feast. — Bp. Sparrow.
Some conclude from St. Paul's earnest
desire of being at Jerusalem at this time,
that the observation of it as a Christian
festival is as old as the apostles; but,
whatever St. Paul's design was, we are
assured tliat it hath been universally ol)-
served from the very first ages of Chris-
tianitv. — Wheathj.