The Real Question as to Altar Lights, by Edward J. Phipps

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Real Question as to Altar Lights, by Edward J. Phipps

Christ's Body Present by Consecration, and Offered in the Sacrament of the Altar

Produced by: Mark C. Orton, Thomas Frost and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Books project.)

THE REAL QUESTION
AS TO
ALTAR LIGHTS.

CHRIST’S BODY PRESENT BY CONSECRATION, AND OFFERED IN THE SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR.

I have read with much interest your correspondence with the Bishop of Ely on the subject of Altar Lights, and as the course which the Bishop has taken, makes it of serious importance to every clergyman, especially to those in the diocese of Ely, I have been giving it my best consideration.

I believe the facts were as follows:—The Bishop had given notice to hold a confirmation in S. Peter’s Church, Sudbury, on the 1st May last, being the festival of S. Philip and S. James.

According to your custom you prepared for the celebration of the Holy Communion, and as the Bishop was staying at your house, informed him of it, of course anticipating his attendance.

His Lordship, however, intimated that he understood you had Lights on the Altar at the Communion, that he objected to them, and in consequence, after discussing the matter with you, ended by absenting himself altogether from the service.

Some time after, his Lordship sends you Dr. Twiss’s opinion as given in your correspondence—pronounces Altar Lights illegal, and informs you that though he acquits you[Pg 4] of wilful disobedience on account of your ignorance of the Law, yet that no other course was open to him but that which he had adopted, viz., to abstain from Communion with you, and therefore in future, with any other clergyman who may presume to introduce or retain them.

I am moreover informed that in accordance with this arrangement, his Lordship has intimated his intention to transfer the place of holding his visitation at Sudbury, from S. Peter’s to All Saints, that is to say from a Church where to say nothing more, Morning and Evening Prayer are said daily throughout the year, to a Church where this most positive and essential Law of the Church, is wholly and habitually set at nought.

I certainly had not considered that the question of Altar Lights was of such vital importance. The Bishop has not even personal knowledge of their being used, and yet without even complaint made, without legal investigation or trial, you are at once subjected to the heaviest punishment it is in the power of the Church to inflict—you are cut off from Communion with your Bishop, ipso facto excommunicate.

This result makes it, I repeat, highly important that it should be thoroughly ascertained, whether and upon what grounds Altar Lights are illegal.

I believe the ordinary authority quoted for the use of Altar Lights, is that they were “in use” in the second year of Edward VI., and that the Rubric of our present Common Prayer, directs all such ornaments to be retained, as were “in use” in that year by authority of Parliament.

In the case of Liddell v. Beal, the Crown by its[Pg 5] supremacy has decided that the ornaments here spoken of are confined to those articles the use of which is prescribed by the first Book of Edward VI.

It will be seen on reference to that Book, that the articles so prescribed are The Altar—Vestments, copes, albe, surplices, tunicles, corporals, paten, chalice, and some other things.

Altar Lights are not mentioned amongst them, and therefore cannot according to this decision be supported by this Rubric.

But the advisers of the Crown in the above case, intimate their opinion, that there were other things lawfully in use, though not supported by express parliamentary authority, such as crosses, bells, organs, &c.

And it would seem therefore, that it is upon this ground that Altar Lights are to be supported.

In virtue of the supremacy transferred by parliament to the crown, all ecclesiastical powers before exercised by the Pope, have been claimed and exercised by the Sovereign. And on the accession of Edward VI., Injunctions were issued, and Commissioners appointed by the Crown, to visit and reform all Churches throughout England.

Amongst the injunctions so issued, was one expressly directing two Lights to be kept upon the Altar. And by no subsequent authority, either of the Crown or Parliament, have these Lights been directed to be removed.

In common with all other good church observances,[Pg 6] they have at various times, been violently opposed. Queen Elizabeth, however, “that bright occidental star,” King James I. and the successive English Sovereigns, have uniformly continued them in the Royal Chapels—they were constantly in use in the chapels of Laud—Bishop Andrewes (a predecessor of the Bishop of Ely) and Lord Burleigh—and they are to be found still, on the Altars of, I believe, all the Cathedrals, and most of the Collegiate and greater Churches of the Land.

There is indeed one peculiarity connected with the present use of them; the Church prescribes Lights, the present practice proscribes Lights, and sets up “dead lights,” (unlighted candles). Whether this proceeds from that slovenly and irreverent carelessness, which has crept into so many of our Church arrangements, or from that weak and miserable system of compromise, which never does and never ought to succeed, it is equally to be deprecated. If the Law orders Lights, to have candles and not to light them is to disobey the Law. It reminds me of the “guinea in the pocket with strict injunctions never to change it”—of the sage conclusion of the humorous poem, “When nose used the spectacles, eyes should be shut;” it becomes thus an idle vanity, and an inconsistent unlawful superstition.

Besides, the subject of Altar Lights has been regularly mooted in the Ecclesiastical Courts, and no question made of their legality. Dr. Twiss, indeed, in a curt and obscure statement, says the injunction does not apply to Communion Tables. I confess I cannot see upon what grounds he makes this assertion, or rather perhaps I do not comprehend what he means by it. If it is intended to say that the Altar is taken away, and therefore all that is commanded to be set upon it is taken away also, in that case the Holy Sacrament[Pg 7] itself must disappear, for the command is express also, to set the Holy Elements upon the Altar.

But in truth, is there any sufficient authority to be quoted, for the abolition of Altars throughout England? The Crown order to Ridley in 1550, was for his own diocese alone. The order in 1559, was, for the setting up Communion Tables where Altars had been violently pulled down; and I am not aware, that any other Crown or Parliamentary authority has ever directed the destruction of English Altars.

And here I think we ought to be on our guard, against being led away by irregular proceedings, or the opinions and acts of individuals. The only authorities which can bind the English Church are the Crown and Parliament.

No violent acts of mobs—no opinions of “Reformers,” even though called “Venerable,” are of the slightest legal force in determining doctrine or practice; legal, political and religious reformers may all be of use in their generation, but their acts and opinions are those of individuals, and nothing more.

And if the acts and opinions of religious reformers of a past generation, are to be considered, why are we to shut out those of the reformers of this present reforming generation? Why “build the sepulchres of the Prophets” and despise or persecute their successors? In the very matter of “ornaments” now in question, we hear of the Bishops of Oxford and Salisbury each assuming the ancient ensign of their office—the pastoral staff. Only a short time since the Archdeacon of Sudbury, himself a Venerable Reformer in the Church, introduced the Queen of Hawaii at Bury, and pleaded for the Church Mission established in those islands. And yet a few weeks[Pg 8] before at the confirmation of the young King of Hawaii the Anglican Bishop was vested in albe and cope, mitred, with episcopal ring and pastoral staff. And this is also as it ought to be. As majesty without its externals is a jest, so religion has no right to dispense with them.

Under these circumstances I cannot but think that there is amply sufficient prima facie evidence, to warrant an honest belief that you have legal authority for your Altar Lights—and I confess, therefore, that I cannot understand why the very suspicion of adopting them, should cut off a Priest from Communion with his Bishop.

But by far the most important aspect of this question, is that in connection with the doctrine of the Holy Eucharist.

Independently of its being an obedience to the Law, you, with many others, have restored Lights to their place on the Altar, as a much needed aid to revive something of that reverence and faith which is so grievously deficient in the English Church. I believe they have a certain limited power in conducing to this end. But a far more powerful, indeed as I think, the only efficient means, under God, of creating faith and reverence, is to have a clear, definite, positive, belief ourselves, and to endeavour to express it in the simplest and plainest language.

There is no doctrine on which plain unmistakable language is more necessary, than that of the Holy Eucharist.

I fear a vast number of Church people do not know what to believe. A great multitude of poor honest people believe the Eucharist to be nothing but a simple ceremony, and not a few, even of the clergy, believe the very contrary to the truth.

Formerly, in my recollection, to believe in the Real Presence, was universally held to be the distinguishing and erroneous doctrine of Catholics, in opposition to Protestants. We have now advanced so far as to teach a Presence, which however no one can understand to be a Presence, obscured as it is with terms of “a spiritual presence,” and “the means of apprehending it being faith.”

And thus in our Communion, the great service of the Church is almost entirely forsaken of the masses of the people, the great bulk of the people are uncommunicated, and have substituted for the Catholic faith and religion, a system of mere sermon hearing.

But in reality the true doctrine of the Church is plain enough. The commanded Elements of Bread and Wine are placed on the Altar, they are then, simply Bread and Wine; in virtue of the words of Institution or Consecration they become, and, are Christ’s Body and Blood; present, not indeed in an ordinary, natural, physical manner, such as our external senses can take cognizance of, but in a special, mystical, supernatural manner, as we sometimes call it spiritual; not meaning hereby, mere spirit, in opposition to body, but as the Apostle tells us, “there is a spiritual Body.” It is not Christ’s natural Body, subsisting according to the ordinary operation of what we call the Laws of Nature, but it is His glorified Body, that Body, which came suddenly, and stood in the midst of his disciples when the doors were shut; which vanished out of their sight; which was seen of S. Stephen, and appeared to S. Paul; the archetype of that perfection, in which our bodies were first created in the image of God, and to which they shall be restored and made like when He shall subdue all things to Himself.

The Holy Elements having thus become Christ’s Body, they are the source of life, and grace, and blessing of every kind, to those who, to use the divine language, “eat,” become partakers of,—are united with them.

In discoursing of, and admitting the supernatural, we at once put aside the consideration of physical laws; we at once admit that things supernatural pass the limits of our finite intelligence. But, as the Holy Scriptures describe the operations of God to us, in terms of human comprehension, such as eyes, hands, arms, &c., so in the word “eat,” we understand not alone a physical perception, but far more. To describe the divinely appointed method, the external means, the connecting link, (so to speak) by which the Divine agency is pleased to operate on Christians, we are bidden to Take, eat, and by it we understand soul-feeding, a uniting of the glorified Body of Christ with ours.

“He that eateth me shall live by me,” saith our Lord. There is a deep meaning here; “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” In this full sense of eating therefore, we understand, not only the act of “carnally pressing with the teeth, the Sacrament of Christ’s Body,” as S. Augustine saith (for it is Christ’s Body that all do so press), but those further dispositions of mind, which enable Christians to unite with Him, and which are described in the language of the Church as “a true and lively faith.”

And thus it follows, that they who have not the due dispositions of mind, obtain not that full and perfect union of Christ’s Body with their own, which is appointed by our Lord, to be the great Christian source of life and grace. John vi. 53, 54.

After the elements have been consecrated, they become Christ’s Body. The “Faith” or qualifications of the receiver have nothing to do with the Real Supernatural Presence of Christ in the Sacrament; and this point cannot be too strongly insisted on, when, as at present, the most solemn and positive doctrines of the Church of all ages and nations, are concealed, avoided, or explained away, in deference to a miserably short-sighted policy of expediency, under the name of moderation.

That therefore which has been consecrated—which is “given, taken, and received” by all communicants, is, as the 28th Article, and the solemn words of delivery expressly declare—the Body of Christ—and this is to be understood in the simplest, plainest sense of language without a shadow of ambiguity or refinement.

To every one receiving therefore, there is a sacramental impartation of Christ’s Body—to the humble, faithful Penitent, it is not only the Presence of, but union with his Lord—according to his fitness is the benefit he receives—“According to your faith be it unto you.”

But to the mocker, the godless, the profane; the actual receiving of Christ’s Body is no benefit, but rather injury—as was said of the unbelieving Jews—“Seeing, they see not, and hearing, they hear not.” So these, eating, they eat not—not having the necessary spiritual powers and faculties for receiving and uniting themselves with Christ; they have not that identification of their life with Him, that personal actual knowledge of Him, in which standeth or consisteth eternal life—they are like the multitude who thronged and touched our Lord, deriving no benefit from the contact; not having the simple earnest faith of the poor[Pg 12] woman who touched Him for her disease—they cannot be made whole by the virtue that proceedeth from Him.

There is another great doctrine, in connection with the Holy Eucharist, which has of late been grievously neglected; I mean the Doctrine of the Sacrifice.—

To state this doctrine in full, to discuss and remove objections, would require a treatise of itself.

Briefly then, I would state, that the sacrificial character of the Eucharist is perhaps its highest and chief end. The glory of God—the fulfilment of His will and work, is the supreme object of man’s existence—man’s own welfare is but secondary. Operating therefore to counteract the treasonable idolatry with which man serves and loves the creature rather than the Creator, God has ever instituted certain material observances by which He has appointed man to recognize and serve Him, and to become vehicles of Communion with His Creature. Thus, days have been taken from time—places from the earth—substances and persons from His creatures, which He has required to be wholly diverted from their ordinary use, and devoted in special ways to Himself—the Sabbath—the Sanctuary—the Sacrifice—the Priesthood, were thus appointed to the Jews—The Lord’s Day—the Parish Church—the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist and the Priesthood—have the same object and office with us Christians. They are our means of worshipping and serving God—our first great duty, irrespective of all personal considerations, although in the merciful Providence of God, our fulfilment of these obligations, is fraught with the greatest benefit to ourselves.

On the sacred time then, at the sacred place, we[Pg 13] come to offer the sacred offering; but what shall we bring? Ourselves, our substance, our devotions, are all imperfect and stained with sin. All were too little to testify our duty—all utterly impotent to obtain our needs.

In the service then, of the Holy Communion, we offer unto God, an offering far more precious and acceptable than any earthly object—we offer, present, the Consecrated elements, the sacred Body of our Lord supernaturally present, after, and by means of consecration. Before the Throne of Grace no sacrifice can be so perfect, no plea so prevailing, as when we interpose between ourselves and the Majesty of God, the Person of His Adorable Son.

This then, is the great doctrine of the Eucharist—this, the highest act of religion that we can celebrate; and to assist, be present at, take part in this great act of religious duty, is the bounden obligation of every member of the Church.

I do not now attempt to prove these things—they have been, thank God, repeatedly asserted and enforced by ancient and modern divines of the greatest piety and learning in the Church of England; nor have any of the Church Rulers ventured to deny the doctrines, or repress, or punish those who teach them.

But what is needed, is to have these things set forth in plain language, “understanded of the people,” in earnest, vigorous, popular (in the sense of common) methods. If these great doctrines of the Church were taught in their fulness without reserves and refinements, the plain honest people would come to understand what the Church meant; that there was a distinction between the Church and dissent, beyond personal prejudices and feelings.

If the boundaries were well defined—if the separation was by a wall (even a low one), instead of a ragged hedge, Churchmen and dissenters would have fewer occasions of quarrel; for bad boundaries make bad neighbours: there would be more charity, they might converse amicably, and shake hands over it, each clearly knowing and keeping within his limit.

And if the doctrine of the Real Presence were taught, believed, and felt, there would be less of that grevious, crying sin of irreverence, which is so lamentably and universally prevalent in the Church; people, even clergy, now enter a Church without even any attempt to manifest reverence; they stare about, talk loud, on the most ordinary and trifling matters; the only attitude you never see them assume is that of reverence and prayer. In the Churches of the Roman obedience—enter them when you will—you see people on their knees, absorbed in their devotions.

Even putting aside the principle of duty, is it wise to persevere in this system of disingenuous ambiguity? does it commend itself by its success? The majority of the upper classes (ten thousand they have been termed) are probably supporters of the Church—Churchmen. Are the tradesmen and middle classes so? are they not the chief strength and support of dissent. And the poor people—the masses in modern phrase—the real life and strength of the nation, as they are proclaimed to be when their support is needed; are they Churchmen? I think they are; their humble quiet spirit warms to her teaching, and only looks for more emphatic and clear enunciation of it.

If the Church rose to the discharge of her duty, plainly taught her great doctrines, and gave warrant for her sincerity by a speaking and glorious ritual, then would the people rally to her support.

But at present, though Churchmen, it is to be feared that the masses are but nominally so. They go to Church where there is no meeting house; but if one be at hand, they will frequent it, as readily as the Church. In fact, they are not taught, and they see no difference; and they are too plain and honest not to act on their convictions.

I do hope then that we may be entering on a better system, a system of plain dealing, calling things by their own names, irrespective of possible consequences.

Lord Capel, one of the most consistent and high-minded amongst the Royalist Leaders under Charles 1st., immediately before his execution for the defence of Colchester, solemnly charged his family to make Ps. xxvii. 11, as he always had done, a part of their daily prayers—“Teach me Thy way O Lord, and lead me in a plain path.”

The question of Altar Lights then derives its whole importance from its relation to the great doctrines of the Sacrament; they are, as it were, the Colours of the Regiment, of which the late Sir William Napier used to say, they were the pivot on which everything turned—Defend the Colours—Form on the Colours—Recover the Colours, was an appeal understood by all, and stirred the[Pg 16] strongest and deepest energies of every man. I can only hope in conclusion, that the candles which you have lighted may “rekindle such a flame in England, as by God’s blessing, shall never be extinguished,” and only wishing that the first discussion of the matter had fallen into more learned and abler hands,

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

THE REAL QUESTION AS TO ALTAR LIGHTS.

THE REAL QUESTION
AS TO
ALTAR LIGHTS.