In the English liturgy the word "oblations" is re- served for the offering of that which is designed for the eucharistic service, and the more general term " offer- ings" includes both the alms and oblations, as in the definition given above. The practice of a weekly of- fertory-collection is now revived in some churches ill England (for in Ireland it has always been so), and it is the opinion of many that it is highly desirable it should become universal. Others who are not insensi- ble to some of the advantages which would attend such a practice, yet deem it wrong to make collections for all charitable objects indiscriminately through the medium of the offertory, which (they consider) was originally designed for purposes immediately connected with the parish or congregation from which the alms are col- lected. They think also that this, with all other prac- tices that have fallen into general disuse, however ap- parently expedient the readoption of them may seem, should not be revived without a recommendation to that effect from the diocesan; certainly not without a careful consideration of the local effect which is likely to be produced b}^ a return to such practice.
The custom of making oblations at the communion is certainly apostolical, as appears from 1 Cor. xvi, 2 : " On the first day of the week let every one lay by him in store as God hath prospered him." This custom continued down to the following ages, as appears from different passages in Justin JIartyr, Tertullian, St. Cyp- rian, St. Ambrose, and other ancient writers. See Cole- man, Ancient Chrisiianitg, p. 93, 244; Walcott, Sacred A rcktpol. s. V. ; Hook, Ch. Did. s. v. ; Siegel, Christl. Alterthiimer, s. v. Offertorium; Barnum, Romanism, p. 432 ; Palmer, Orig. Lit. ii, 73 sq. (J. H.W.)
Office is a term for an administration without pre- cedence in choir or chapter. The financial provost and procurator; the precentor, chancellor, and treasurer of Beverly; monks elected by the prior and seniors, and confirmed in authority by the bishop in a conventual cathedral, were called officers, the term designating now the vice-dean, treasurer, and receiver-general of the new foundations. See AN'alcott, Sac. A rch<rol. p. 409.
Office of the Church. It is the opinion of some
OFFICE, THE DIVINE
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OFFICER
persons that God designed his Church to be an authori- tative expositor of the sense of Scripture ; that while the precedence, indeed, is to be given to Scripture, in point of dignity, as the foundation on which human interpre- tations are to be built, the superstructure reared by the Church is to be regarded as no less tirm than the foun- dation on which it is fairly built; that supposing any of us fully to believe the truth of a given exposition, it answers to us the purpose of Scripture, since we must fully believe that. Others, on the contrary, conceive that it is not the will of God that any human statement of doctrines should be employed as the standard to be habitually appealed to; for if it had been his design that tliere should be any such regular system of doc- trine for habitual reference, from which there should be in ordinary practice no apjieal, they consider that he would surely have enjoined, or at least permitted, the framing of some such confession of faith or cate- chism by his inspired servants themselves, since such a system would fully have answered the purpose in question, with the great additional advantage that it must have commanded the assent of all who acknowl- edge the Christian Scriptures. No Church, therefore (they consider), is empowered to do that which God, for wise reasons, evidently designed should not be done. They maintain that a Church is authorized to prescribe terms of communion to its own members, but not terms of salvation. They assert that God has left to the Church the office o^ jyreservinc/ tlie Scriptures and intro- ducing them to the knowledge of her members as the sole standard of faith, as not merely the first step and foundation of proof, like the elementary propositions of mathematics, laut as the onh/ source of proof; and that he has left her also the office of teaching the Christian doctrines_//-o»i the Scriptures : that a Church is author- ized (1) to set forth for this purpose catechisms, homi- lies— in short, whatever may be needful for systematic elementary teaching; that it is authorized, again (2), to draw up creeds as a test or symbol to preserve uniform- ity of faith in her members; and that it is also au- thorized (?j) to frame offices for public worship and ad- ministration of the sacraments. But all these human compositions (they maintain) must be kept to their own proper uses; and that, however wisely framed they may be — however conlident, and justly confident, we may feel of their truth and scriptural character — we must never put them in the place of Scripture, by mak- ing them the standard of habitual appeal; that works of Christian instruction should be employed for instruc- tion ; works of devotion for devotion ; symbolical works, such as creeds and articles, for their proper purpose of furnishing a test for any person's fitness to be acknowl- edged a member or a minister of our Church, but that never, if we would in deed and in spirit avoid the errors of Romanism, never should we appeal to creeds, liturgy, or catechisms for the jiroofot an}^ doctrine or the refu- tation of any error; never must we admit as decisive such a syllogism as this: The doctrines of our Church are scriptural ; this is a doctrine of the Church ; there- fore it is a scriptural doctrine: this must never be ad- mitted without immediately proceeding to the proof of the first premise. — Eden, Ch. Diet. See Church.