Untill He Knowe Them to Bee Reconciled

The text and images of a 500 year old reformation era  prayer book are here.
If you go to the site be ready for all the blackletter you can handle:

One funny thing about church back then is that this 1549 Book of Common Prayer puts a high barrier to recieving communion, not only giving the Eucharist a preamble reminding us to not presume the deserving of even "the crumbs under (His) table", but also instructing the rector, right up front, that people who are quarrelsome or vexed on that particular Sunday should put off communion until they've made right.  As the BCP puts it:

"The same ordre (exclusion from the eucharist) shall the Curate use, with those betwixt whom he perceiveth malice, and hatred to reigne, not suffering them to bee partakers of the Lordes table, untill he knowe them to bee reconciled."

Comments

[Denise Spring]

My former pastor, now deceased, used to say that when we take Communion, we are asking God to forgive our sins as we forgive the sins of others, so we needed to enter into Communion with a clean heart and make ammends. That has stuck in my heart and mind all these years.

[lynsieffert]

I honestly thought these factors were still taught during confirmation classes. Makes more sense than the R.C. theology of mortal sins, etc. , don't you think?