[h] There seems a disposition to reduce the minimum lower than that appointed in our Rubric. The Lower House of Convocation of Canterbury have recommended its reduction to two or three, and the testimony of Bishop Torry to the ancient usage of the Scottish Church is that one was considered sufficient.
Cosin's Works, A.-C.L. Edition, vol. v. p. 129.
[j] This is A.D. 1643, the date of the total abrogation of the Prayer-Book.
[k] A distinction must, however, be drawn between the natural juice freshly pressed from the grape which has sometimes been allowed as valid matter for the Sacrament in cases of necessity, and the compounds now sold as 'non-alcoholic' or 'unfermented' wines. The reason why the former may be allowed is because it is potentially wine, and so to speak a child-wine, and would become true wine, if given time. But the principle of wine has been killed in the latter cases, so that the artificial fluids in question not only are not wine, but never can become wine, and are therefore invalid matter. The statement that the Jews employ unfermented wine at the Passover, is contrary to fact. They could not have employed it in our Lord's time, because the process of arresting fermentation during so long an interval as that between the vintage and the Passover, was unknown until very lately; and the Passover cup is now naturally fermented grape wine, carefully watched from the grape to the bottle to provide against accidental admixture from without: while vinegar, itself the product of two processes of fermentation, is also used by them at the Passover.
[l] Note.—It is sometimes customary, with a view of scrupulously consuming the entire of the consecrated wine, to cleanse the chalice with a little wine previously to using water; and not to pour away any water thus used until it is absolutely certain that all the consecrated species has been consumed. In the rare cases where wine has been consecrated in the flagon, that vessel must be cleansed with the same care as the chalice.