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LONDON: 
 
 Printed by William Clowks aud Sons, 
 
 Stiimroid Street 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 
 Page 
 
 i. Ornamental Border to Title. — At 
 the top, the Arms of Edw. VI ., 
 from a Gateway at Penshursti 
 on the left, Portrait of Cran- 
 mer, from Picture at Lambeth ; 
 on the rif;ht, Portrait of RiiUey, 
 after Vanderwerf ; at the bot- 
 tom, Lambeth Palace, from an 
 old Print, 
 vii. Theologia.— Raffaelle. 
 xxi. Interior of St. Paul's Catliedral. 
 „ Architectural Border composed 
 chiefly from parts of the edifice. 
 xxvii. Exterior of St. Paul's Cathedral. 
 
 MoRNiNO Prayer. 
 
 1 Interior of Canterbury Cathedral. 
 
 „ Architect. Border, composed chiefly 
 from parts of the Cathedral. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — 'Rend your heart 
 and not your garments,' Ahab, 
 1 Kings xxi. 29. 
 
 2 I. L.— Christ exhorting his Disciples. 
 
 3 Initial Letter and Ornament — 
 
 Prayer and Confession. 
 
 4 Initial Letter — Absolution. 
 
 6 Init. Let.— From Flaxman's Illustra- 
 
 tions of the Lord's Prayer — ' Our 
 Father which art in Heaven.' 
 
 7 Initial Letter— King David. From 
 
 Albert Durer's Prayer-Book. 
 
 8 Exterior of Canterbury Cathedral. 
 
 9 CherubinandSeraphin. — SirJoshua 
 
 Reynolds. 
 „ Initial Letter and Ornament — 'To 
 
 tliee all angels cry aloud.' 
 11 Initial Letter — ' O ye children,' &c. 
 
 13 Init. Let. — Zacharias, S. Luke i. 67- 
 
 14 Init. Let. — 'O be joyful in tlie Lord.' 
 
 15 Faith.— Sir J. Rkynolds. 
 
 „ Init. Let. and Ornament— Prayer. 
 
 17 Initial Letter — From Flaxman's 
 
 Illustrations of the Lord's Prayer 
 — 'Hallowed be thy Name.* 
 
 18 Initial Letter— Emblem of Peace. 
 
 19 Initial Letter and Ornament—' De- 
 
 fend us with ihy miglity power.' 
 „ Initial Letter — Royal Arms. 
 
 20 Initial Letter — Prayer. 
 l\. Initial Letter — Prayer. 
 
 Initial Letter — St. Chrysostom. 
 
 Initial Letter — Blessing. 
 
 Interior of Henry Vllth's Chapel. 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 33 
 
 Evening Prayer. 
 
 Interior of York Cathedral. 
 
 Architect. Border, composed chiefly 
 from parts of the Catliedral. 
 
 Initial Letter — Jonah at Nineveh. 
 
 Initial Letter — Exhortation. 
 
 Init. Let. and Ornam. — Confession. 
 
 Initial Letter — Absolution. 
 
 Initial Letter — From Flaxman's 
 Illustrations of the Lord's Prayer 
 — ' Thy Kingdom come,' &c. 
 
 Exterior of York Cathedral. 
 
 Salutation of the Virgin. — Andrea 
 DEL Sarto. 
 
 Initial Letter and Ornament — The 
 Annunciation. 
 
 Init. Letter — ' Praise the Lord,' &c. 
 
 Init. Letter— Simeon in the Temple. 
 
 In. Letter — 'Thy saving health,' &c. 
 
 Faith. — Raffaelle. 
 
 Initial Letter and Ornament — 
 Christ healing the Cripple. 
 
 Init. Let.— From Flaxman's Illustra- 
 tions of the Lord's Prayer — ' Give 
 us tliis day onr daily bread.' 
 
 Init. Letter — ' That our hearts,' &c. 
 
 Supplication— Infant Samuel. From 
 Sir J. Reynolds. 
 
 Initial Letter — Prayer. 
 
 Init. Letter — Prayer for the Queen. 
 
 In. L.— Prayer Ibr'lhe Royal Family. 
 
 I nitial Letter— Prayer for the Clergy 
 and People. 
 
 Initial Letter—' Wlicn two or three 
 
 iii 
 
 are gathered together in thy 
 Name,' &c. 
 „ Interior of King's College Chapel, 
 
 Cambridge. 
 38 Initial Lettei- — St. Athanasius. 
 
 The Litany. 
 
 Interior of Westminster Abbey. 
 
 Architectural Border, comjiosed 
 chiefly from parts of the Abbey. 
 
 Initial Letter — ' That it may please 
 thee to defend and provide,' &c. 
 
 Interior of St. George's Chapel, 
 Windsor. 
 
 Init. Let. — From Flaxman's Illus- 
 trations of the Lord's Prayer — 
 ' Forgive us our trespasses,' &c. 
 
 Initial Letter — ' Let us pray.' 
 
 In. L.— ' Glory be to the Father,' &c. 
 
 Initial Letter — Moses and Aaron 
 j)raying before Pharaoh. 
 
 Initial Letter — ' Our common sup- 
 plications unto thee.' 
 
 Initial Letter — Blessing. 
 
 Exterior of Westminster Abbey. 
 
 Prayers and Thanksgivings. 
 Interior of Lincoln Cathedral. 
 Architect. Border, comi)osed chiefly 
 
 from parts of tlie Cathedral. 
 Initial Letter— Deartli. 
 Initial Letter — Sacrifice of Noah. 
 In. L. — Prodigal Son lierding swine. 
 Initial Letter— Elisha fed. 
 Initial Letter and Ornament — Des- 
 truction of the Assyrian camp, 
 
 2 Kings xix. 35. 
 Initial Letter — Destroying Angel. 
 Initial Letter — Lajing ou of hands. 
 Initial Letter — 'Give thy grace.' 
 Initial Letter — ' Receive our humble 
 
 petitions.' 
 Initial Letter— Estates of the Realm. 
 Initial Letter and Ornament — ' We 
 
 humbly beseeeh thee for all sorts 
 
 and conilitions of men.' 
 Exterior of Lincoln Catliedral. 
 Initial Letter and Ornament — 
 
 Thanks for abundance. 
 Initial Letter— Harvest. 
 InitialLetter — Shepherd Boy .—From 
 
 Sir J. Reynolds. 
 Initial Letter— Spoiling the tents of 
 
 the Syrians, 2 Kings vii. 16, &c. 
 Initial Letter— The SpanishArmada. 
 Initial Letter— Giving thanks for 
 
 peace — 'Webless thy holy Name." 
 Init. Let. — Thanksgiving of Jonah. 
 Initial Letter — ' We oft'er uuto thy 
 
 Divine Majesty,' &c. 
 Interior of Salisbury Cathedral. 
 
 The Collects. 
 
 Title. — At the top, Peterborough 
 Cathedral and Ripon Miuster; 
 in the centre, Interior of Worces- 
 ter Cathedral, and Malmesbury 
 Abbey Church; at the bottom, 
 Exeter and Bristol Cathedrals. 
 
 Christ's Entry into Jerusalem. — 
 
 OVERBECK. 
 
 Init. Let. — Disciples, Ass, and Colt. 
 Initial Letter — ' It is high time to 
 
 awake out of sleep.' 
 Initial Letter — Christ driving out 
 
 the Money-changers. 
 Parable of the Fig-lree. 
 Initial Letter — 'And tlien shall they 
 
 see the Son ol Man,' &c. 
 Initial Letter — ' Wherefore receive 
 
 ye one another,' Sic. 
 Initial Letter — ' Men's hearts fail 
 
 ing them for fear.' 
 St. John in the Wilderness. — Sir 
 
 J. Reynolds. 
 I. L. — ' That at thy second coming.' 
 In. Let.—' It is reciuired in stewards 
 
 that a man be found faithful.' 
 
 385 
 
 Page 
 
 72 In.L. — ' Now when John had heard 
 in the prison the works of Christ.' 
 
 74 St. John preaching. — Stothard. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — ' I am the voice of 
 one crying in the wilderness." 
 
 75 Initial Letter— ' By prayer and sup- 
 
 plication with thanksgiving.' 
 „ Initial Letter — ' When the Jews 
 sent Priests and Levites.' 
 
 77 Nativity. — Carlo Maratti. 
 
 „ Initial Letter— The Holy Family. 
 — From M. Angelo. 
 
 78 Initial Letter — ' And let all the 
 
 angels of God worship him.' 
 
 79 Init. I.et. — ' There was a man sent 
 
 from God whose name was John.' 
 
 80 Martyrdomof S. Steph. — Le Brun. 
 ,, Initial Letter — Murder of Abel. 
 
 81 Initial Letter — ' I see the heavens 
 
 opened,' &c. 
 „ Initial Letter — Death of Zacharias. 
 
 83 St. John the Evangel. — A. Duker. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' 'Which is lie that 
 
 betrayeth thee?' 
 
 84 Init. Let. — ' If we confess our sins.' 
 
 85 In. Let.—' Whatshall this man do.' 
 
 86 Flight intoEgyjit— Repose.— Guido. 
 „ Initial Letter -Rachel weeping for 
 
 her children. 
 
 87 Init. Letter — Vision of Mount Sion. 
 
 88 Initial Letter— Flight into Egypt. 
 
 89 Angel appearing to Joseph. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — Virgin and Child. 
 
 90 In. Let. — ' As long as he is a child.' 
 
 91 Initial Letter — Joseph 'was minded 
 
 to put her away privily.' 
 
 92 Adorat. of the Shepherds— Poussin. 
 ,, In. L. — Presentation in the Temple. 
 
 93 Initial Letter — Angel appearing to 
 
 Abraham. 
 
 94 Initial Letter — ' The shepherds said 
 
 one to another.' 
 
 95 Wise Men's Offering. — Rubens. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — Paul preaching to 
 the Ephesians. 
 
 96 Initial Letter—' Paul, the prisoner 
 
 of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles.' 
 
 97 Initial Letter — Herod examining 
 
 the Wise Men. 
 
 98 Christ witli the Doctors in the 
 
 Temple.— OvERBECK. 
 ,, Initial Letter— Infant Prayer. 
 
 99 Initial Letter — Paul preaching to 
 
 the Romans. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' And he went down 
 with them.' 
 
 101 Marriage at Cana. 
 
 „ Initial Letter— The Widow's Mite 
 — • He that giveth, let him do it 
 with simplicity. ' 
 
 102 In.L.—' Weepwith them that weep.' 
 
 103 Init. Let. — '.lesus saith unto them, 
 
 Fill the waterpots with water.' 
 
 104 Christ curing the Leper. 
 
 „ In. Let.^ — t^hrist and the Centurion. 
 
 105 In. L. — ' If he thirst give him drink.' 
 „ Initial Letter — 'And Jesus put 
 
 forth his hand.' 
 
 107 Christ in the Storm. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — ' There met him two 
 possessed with devils.' 
 
 108 Initial Letter — ' For this cause pay 
 
 you tribute also.' 
 „ Initial Letter — 'And they that kept 
 them fled.' 
 
 110 Parable of Wheat and Tares. 
 
 ,, In. L. — ' An enemy hath done this.' 
 
 11 1 In. L. — ' And for;;iving one another.' 
 
 112 Initial Letter — ' But gather the 
 
 wheat into my barn.' 
 
 113 'They shall see the .Son of Man 
 
 coming in the clouds of heaven.* 
 „ Initial Letter— 'All the tribes of the 
 earth mourn.' 
 
 114 Initial Letter— Holy Family. 
 
 „ In. Let. — ' He shall send hisangels 
 with a great sound of a trumpet.' 
 116 Labourers at the Eleventh Hour. 
 
 a 2 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Page 
 
 116 Initial Letter—' Wliy stand ye here 
 
 all the (lay iillf?' 
 
 117 Initial Letter— ' Tliey do it to ob- 
 
 tain a corruptible crown.' 
 „ Initial Letter-' Go ye also into tlie 
 \ineyard.' 
 
 1 19 Piirab. of the Sower.-DoMENicHiNO. 
 „ III, Let.— Paul shaking olTtlieVii)er. 
 
 120 Init. Letter— Shiv» reck of St. Paul. 
 
 121 In. Let.—' Me spake l)y a parable.' 
 
 123 Christ and the Blind.— S. Ricci. 
 „ I. L.— Charity.-From Raffaem.e. 
 
 124 Init. Let.— * When I was a child,' &c. 
 
 125 luil.Letter—' What wilt thou,' &c. 
 
 127 Penitence. 
 ., Init. Letter— 'Turn ye even to me.| 
 
 128 Init. Let.—' And rend your heart.' 
 
 129 Initial Letter — ' Where thieves 
 
 break throu>,'h and steal.' 
 
 130 Christ in the Wilderness. 
 „ Initial Letter—' If thou be the Son 
 
 of God, cast thyself down.' 
 
 131 Init. Let.— Paul stoned at Lystra; 
 
 ' chastened and not killed." 
 
 „ Initial Letter — ' Command that 
 
 these stones be made bread.' 
 
 133 Womauof Canaan.— Le Sueur. 
 In. L.-David finding' Saul sleeping. 
 
 134 Init. Letter— Isaac blessing .Tacob. 
 
 135 Initial Letter— Woman of Canaan. 
 
 136 ' The Dumb spake.' 
 „ Initial Letter—' Seeking rest and 
 
 finding none.' 
 
 137 In L.— ' Walk as children of light. 
 „ Initial Letter—' When a stronger 
 
 than he shall come upon him 
 and overcome him.' 
 
 140 Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. 
 
 — Kaffaelle. 
 „ In. L.-Gathering up the Fragments. 
 
 141 Initial Letter— Agar and her chil- 
 
 dren in bondage. 
 
 142 Initial Letter— Jesus distributing 
 
 bread to his Disciples. 
 
 144 Christ and the Jews. 
 „ Initial Letter— The Jews taking 
 
 np stones to cast at J esus. 
 
 145 Initial Letter— The soldier piercing 
 
 the side of Jesus. 
 
 146 Initial Letter — Jesus reasoning 
 
 with the Jews. 
 
 148 Christ rejected. —Vandyke. 
 „ Initial Letter— Prayer. 
 
 149 Initial Letter— Jesus washing the 
 
 feet of his Disciples. 
 
 150 Initial Letter— Jesus mocked. 
 154 Christ in the Garden.— Correooio. 
 
 „ Initial Letter—' Who is this that 
 
 cometh from Kdom.' 
 157 Initial Letter— Woman with box 
 
 of ointment. 
 162 Christ crowned with Thorns.— 
 Titian. 
 „ In. Let.—' The chief priests moved 
 the people that he should rather 
 release Barabbas unto them.' 
 164 Initi.-»1 Letter—' Jesus led out to 
 
 be crucified.' 
 167 Christ scourged.— Rubens. 
 ,. In. L.-Moses sprinkling the people. 
 169 Initial Letter — 'And there ap- 
 peared an angel unto him,' &c. i 
 174 Bearing the Cross.— Uaffaei.i.e. 
 „ Initial Letter— The Lord's Supper. 
 176 Initial Letter— The women ot Je- 
 rusalem lamenting Jesus. 
 
 180 The Crucilixion.— Vandyke. 
 „ Initial Letter—' This thy family.' 
 
 181 Initial Letter— Prayer. 
 „ Initial Letter- Jesus weeping over 
 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 182 Initial Letter—' The law having a 
 
 shallow of good things to come.' 
 184 Initial Letter— The soldiers casting 
 lots for Christ's garments. 
 
 188 Entombm. of Christ.- Raffaem.e. 
 „ Initial Letter— Descent from the 
 
 Cross.— Rubens. 
 
 189 luilial Letter— The disobedient in 
 
 the davsof Noah. 
 „ Initial Letter— The two Marys at 
 
 the Sepulchre. 
 191 Initial Letter— Sprinkling the door 
 post with the blood of the Lamb. 
 
 iv 
 
 Page 
 
 191 Initial Letter— The Entombment. 
 „ Initial Letter— Adam eating the 
 
 forbidden fruit. 
 
 192 Mary Magdalen and the Disciples 
 at the Sepulchre.— Raffaei.i.e. 
 
 „ Initial Letter— Christ witli the keys 
 of Hell and Death.— Bt-aKE. 
 
 193 Initial Letter— Fleeing from Covet- 
 ousness. 
 
 „ Initial Letter— The two Disciples 
 running to the Sepulchre. i 
 
 195 ChristandtheDisciplesatEmmaus. | 
 „ In. L— ' We humbly beseech Thee.' 
 
 196 In. L.— Peter teaching Cornelius. 
 
 197 I. L. — Tlie Disciples pressing Jesus 
 to lodge with them one night. 
 
 199 Resurrection.— Rubens. 
 ,, In. Let.— The destruction of Death. 
 
 200 Initial Letter— Paul preaching in 
 the Synagogue. 
 
 201 Init. Let.— Jesus in the midst of his 
 Disciples after the Resurrection. 
 
 203 Jesus appearing to his Disciples 
 after the Resurrection. 
 
 „ Initial Letter— Peter and Philip 
 the Ethiopian Eunuch. 
 
 204 Initial Letter—' Victory that oyer 
 cometh the world, even our Faith.' 
 
 205 Initial Letter— Jesus giving the 
 I Disciples power to remit sins. 
 
 206 The Good Shepherd.— Murillo. 
 „ Initial Letter— The hireling fleeing 
 
 in time of danger. 
 ;)07 Initial Letter— Martyrdom— ' Suf- 
 fering wrongfully.' 
 „ Initial Letter— The wolf among the 
 sheep. I 
 
 209 Mother and Child.— Raffaelle. 
 Init. Letter — The woman crowned 
 
 with twelve stars. 
 
 210 In. L.— Pilgrim reading the Kpistle. 
 In. L. — ^' Ye shall weep and lament.' 
 
 212 Disciples weeping — ' Because I 
 have said these things unto you 
 sorrow hath filled your heart.' 
 
 Init. Let. — ' Who alone canst order 
 the unriilv wills and affections.' 
 
 213 Init. Letter—' Receive with meek- 
 ness the engrafted word.' 
 
 „ Initial Letter— Elymas the Sorcerer 
 smitten with blindness. 
 
 215 Peter visiting Dorcas.— Le Sueur. 
 „ Initial Letter— Elisha restoring the 
 
 Widow's Son to life. 
 
 216 In. Let.— Comforting the widowed. 
 ,, Paul and Silas in prison. 
 
 213 The Ascension. — Rubens. 
 „ Initial Letter—' May we also in 
 heart and miud thither ascend.' 
 
 219 Initial Letter — ' Why stand ye 
 gazing up into heaven?' 
 
 220 Initial Letter— Jesus appearing to 
 the Disciples as they sat at meat. 
 
 221 Per?ecnt. of Disciples.— Le Sueuk. 
 ,, Initial Letter— The servant of the 
 
 Lord of the Vineyard slain by 
 the husbandmen. 
 
 222 Initial Letter— 'Watch unloprayer.' 
 „ Initial Letter— Paul escaping from 
 
 Damascus. 
 
 224 Descent of the Holy Ghost.— Raf- 
 faelle. 
 „ Init. Let.— 'Judas saith unto him.' 
 
 •225 Initial Letter — 'They were all 
 amazed, and marvelled.' 
 
 226 Init. Let.—' Peter, lovest thou me ?' 
 
 228 Christ walking on the Sea.— P. 
 
 GiJTTINO. 
 
 „ Initial Letter—' For every one that 
 doth evil hateth the light.' 
 
 229 luit. Letter—' Cornelius baptized. 
 
 230 III. L.— Massacre of the Innocents. 
 
 231 Peter and John at Emmaus.— Le 
 Bbun. 
 
 „ Init Let.— .\haz and the Prophet. 
 
 232 Initial Letter— The Apostles going 
 to Samaria. 
 
 Initial Letter- The thief breaking 
 iuto the fold. 
 
 234 Jesus and Nicodemus. — Tinto- 
 retto. 
 
 „ Init. Letter—' And immediately I 
 was in the Spirit.' 
 
 235 Init. Let.— The Elders in Heaven 
 
 236 Initial Letter — Moses lifting up 
 
 the brazen Seqient. 
 238 Lazarus at the Rich Man's (Jate.— 
 
 Adapted from lIwiNs. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' Carried by the 
 
 angels into Abraham's bosom.* 
 230 Initial Letter— Jacob and Esau. 
 240 In.L.— Lazarus at the gate of Dives. 
 
 242 A certain Man made a supper. — 
 Jouvenet. 
 
 „ Initial Letter—' I have purchased 
 five yoke of oxen.' 
 
 243 Initial Letter — Joseph's brethren 
 putting him into the well. 
 
 244 Initial Letter—' Go out into the 
 highways and hedges,' &c. 
 
 245 The Prodigal Son. — L. Spada. 
 „ Init. Letter— The Lost Sheep found. 
 
 246 Init.Letter-Haman and Mordecai. 
 „ Initial Letter— Seeking for the lost 
 
 piece of silver. 
 
 248 The Blind leading the Blind.— 
 Tintoretto. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — ' Forgive, and ye 
 shall be forgiven.' 
 
 249 Initial Letter— ' The whole creation 
 (iroaneth and travaileth,' &c. 
 
 250 Initial Letter— Jonah under the 
 gourd. ' Be ve therefore mercitul. 
 
 251 Miraculous Draught of Fishes.— 
 Rubens. 
 
 „ Initial Letter— Jesus teaching the 
 people from Simon's boat. 
 
 252 In. Let.—' For the eyes of the Lord 
 are open to the righteous,' &c. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — The fishermen 
 washing their nets. ^ 
 
 254 ' First be rectmciled to thy brother. 
 Initial Letter—' And thou be cast 
 
 into prison.' 
 
 255 Initial Letter— 'Planted in the like- 
 ness of his death.' 
 
 Initial Letter—' Whoever shall say. 
 Thou fool, shall be in danger of 
 hell-fire.' 
 
 257 ' Lord of all power and might. — 
 Flaxman. 
 
 In. Let.— Jesus blessing the bread. 
 
 258 Initial Letter— Destruction of the 
 cities of the plain—' For the end 
 of these things is death.' 
 
 „ Initial Letter— A group partaking 
 of the loaves and fishes. 
 
 260 The unfruitful tree hewn down.— 
 Thurston. 
 
 „ Initial Letter—' For if ye live after 
 the flesh, ve shall die.' 
 
 261 Init. Let.— Philip caught up by the 
 Spirit afterbaptizing the Eunuch. 
 
 „ Initial Letter—' Do men gather 
 grapes of thorns (' 
 
 263 Destruct. of Pharaoh and his Host. 
 In. Let.— Moses striking the Rock. 
 
 264 Initial Letter— The Israelites pass- 
 ing through the Bed Sea. 
 
 265 Init. Letter— The Unjust Steward. 
 
 266 Christ overturning the tables of 
 the Money-changers. 
 
 „ Initial Letter— The gifts ofhealing. 
 
 267 Initial Letter— False Prophets— 
 the Pythones-. 
 
 268 Initial Letter— Casting a trench 
 around Jerusalem. 
 
 269 Publican and Pharisee. 
 
 270 Init. Letter— Paul led to Damascus 
 after he had been struck blind. 
 
 271 Initial Letter— The Pharisee. 
 
 272 Christ healing the Deaf. 
 Init. Lc-ttei— ' The deaf shall hear 
 
 the words of the book. —Isaiah. 
 
 273 luit. Letter— Moses descending the 
 Mount with theTables of the Law. 
 
 Initial Letter— Men publishing the 
 Name of Jesus. 
 •>75 Good Samaritan.— Rembrandt. 
 In. Letter-The Thieves attacking 
 tlie Traveller. 
 
 276 Initial Letter- Moses ascending to 
 Mount Sinai. 
 
 277 luit. Let.— The Good Samaritan. 
 •'79 The Leper kucelin;; bef ire Christ. 
 
 lu.L.— Saul and the witch of Ku.hir. 
 280 Init. Letter— Idolater worshipping 
 the Sun. 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Page 
 
 281 Iiiitiiil Letter— The Lepers cured. 
 
 282 Paul preacliing to the Galatians. 
 „ In.L. — ' Behold the fowls ofthe air.' 
 
 283 Initial Letter— Paul writing the 
 
 Epistle to the Galatians. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' Consider the lilies 
 of the field.' 
 
 285 Raising the Widow's Son. — Bird. 
 „ Initial Letter—' For this cause 1 
 
 bow my knees.' 
 
 286 Init. Letter — David's men fainting 
 
 in the pursuit. 
 
 287 Init. Let.— The Ilouseof Mourning. 
 
 288 Christ eating bread in the house of 
 
 the Pharisee. — Paul Veronese. 
 
 „ Init. Let. — ' When thou art bidden 
 
 to a feast take the lowest seat,' &c. 
 
 289 Init. Let.—' Keep the unity of the 
 
 spirit in the bond of peace.' 
 ,, Init. Let. — ' An ox. fallen into a pit.' 
 
 291 Christ and Pharisees. 
 „ In. Let. — Da%id composing Ps. 110. 
 
 292 Init. Let. — Waiting for the coming 
 
 of our Lord. 
 „ Initial Letter — Daniel in the lions' 
 den—' Love the Lord.' 
 
 294 Christ curing the sick of the palsy. 
 
 — F. Verdier. 
 „ Init. Letter — The sick man taking 
 up his bed and walking. 
 
 295 Initial Letter — Gehazi, the servant 
 
 of Elislia. smitten with leprosy. 
 
 296 Initial Letter— Jesus passing over 
 
 in the ship. 
 
 297 Temperance.— Sir J. Reynolds. 
 ,, Init. Letter — The Marriage-fe:ist. 
 
 298 Init. Letter— Noah in his Vineyard 
 
 — ' Be not drunk with wine.' 
 „ Init. Let. — The Siege of Jerusalem. 
 
 300 Clirist and the Nobleman of Ca- 
 
 pernaum. 
 „ Init. Letter — The Recovery of the 
 Nobleman's Son. 
 
 301 Initial Letter — ' Put on the whole 
 
 armour of God.' 
 
 302 In. L. — ' His servants met him and 
 
 told him, saying, Thy son liveth.' 
 
 303 A certain King and his Servants. 
 „ Init. Letter — The Wicked Servant. 
 
 304 Init. Let.— The Servant bringing 
 
 his talent with interest. 
 „ Init. Let. — Jesus addressing Peter. 
 
 306 TheTribute Money.— Rembrandt. 
 „ Init. Letter— Peter finding tiie Tri- 
 bute-money in the fisli's mouth. 
 
 307 Initial Letter — ' For our conversa- 
 
 tion is in Heaven.' 
 „ The Pharisees ' sent out unto him 
 tlieir disciples.' 
 
 309 Raising the Daughter of Jairus. — 
 
 OVERBECK. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — ' There came a cer- 
 tain ruler and worshipped him.' 
 
 310 Initial Letter—' Partakers of the 
 
 inheritance of the saints in light.' 
 
 311 I.L — The diseased woman touch- 
 
 ing the hem ot Christ's garment. 
 
 312 Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' A king shall reign, 
 
 and prosper,' &c. 
 
 313 In. L.— • Israel sliall dwell safely.' 
 „ Init. Let. — ' There is a lad here,' &c. 
 
 315 Calling of St. .Andrew and Simon 
 
 Peter. — liiRi). 
 ,, In.L -'Preach the Gospel of peace.' 
 
 316 Initial Letter-' How shall ihey 
 
 preaidi except they be sent ! ' 
 
 317 James, John, and Zebedee mend- 
 
 ing their nets. 
 
 318 Incredulity of St.Thomas.-RuBENs. 
 ,. In. L. — ' Blessed are they that have 
 
 not seen, and yet have believed.' 
 
 319 Initial Letter—' Ye are uo more 
 
 strangers and foreigners.' 
 „ Initial Letter — Disciples informing 
 Tiiomas of the Resurrection. 
 
 321 St. Paul.— Albert DuuER. 
 ,, Init. Let. — Conversi.in of St. Paul. 
 
 322 Initial Letter — Saul journeying to 
 
 Damascus. 
 324 Initial Letter — Lot's wife. 
 3:i5 The Presentation in the Temple. — 
 
 F. Bartolomeo di s. Marco. 
 ,. Init. Let.— Offering of Purilicatiou 
 
 Page I Pa^ 
 
 326 Initial Letter—' Who may abide 368 Sermon on the Mount. 
 
 the day of his coming ?' 
 ,, In. L. — Anna entering the Temple. 
 
 328 In those days Peter stood up in 
 the midst of the disciples. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — ' Let his habitation 
 be desolate.' 
 
 329 Initial Letter— Death of J udas. 
 
 330 Initial Letter — ' At that time Jesus 
 answered aud said.' 
 
 331 The Annunciation. — Ovekbeck. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' The Lord spake 
 
 again unto Ahaz.' 
 
 332 Initial Letter— Virgin and Child. 
 ,, Initial Letter — Angel Gabriel ap- 
 pearing to Marv. 
 
 334 St. Mark.— Rubens. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' When he ascended 
 
 up on high.' 
 
 335 Initial Letter — Roman triumph — 
 ' He le<l captivity captive.' 
 
 336 Initial Letter — Burning the unfruit- 
 ful branches. 
 
 337 Fortitude. — Reynolds. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' James, a servant 
 
 of God,' S:c. 
 
 333 Initial Letter— The twelve tribes 
 receiving Jacob's blessing. 
 
 339 Initial Letter — ' In my Father's 
 house are many mansions.' 
 
 340 Paul and Barnabas at Lystra. — 
 Raffaelle. 
 
 „ Init. Let. — ' Great dearth through- 
 nut the world.' 
 
 341 Initial Letter — ' In those days came 
 prophets fiom Jerusalem,' &c. 
 
 342 Initial Letter—' .^nd the handof the 
 Lord was with them ; ' Acts xi. 21. 
 — Peter escaping from prison. 
 
 343 John baptizing Christ. — Hubkns. 
 ,, Initial Letter—' He shall gather 
 
 the lambs with his arm,' &c. 
 
 344 Initial Letter—' He shall feed his 
 flock like a shepherd.' 
 
 345 Initial Letter — Zacharias writing 
 the name of John. 
 
 347 The Angel releasing Peter. — Do- 
 
 MENICHINi). 
 
 ,, Initial Letter — ' Upon this rock I 
 will build my Church.' 
 
 348 Init. Letter— Peter knocking at the 
 door after his escape from prison. 
 
 349 In. L. — Peter condemning Ananias. 
 
 350 Death of St. James. 
 ,, Init. Let. — .\rresting of St. Peter. 
 
 351 Init. Let. — 'And he killed James the 
 brother of John with the sword.' 
 
 „ Initial Letter — ' Then came to him 
 the mother of Zebedee's children 
 with Iter sons.' 
 
 353 Solomon's Porcli.— N. PoussiN. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' Laid them on beds 
 
 and couches.' 
 
 354 Initial Letter—' They brought forth 
 the .sick into the streets." 
 
 „ Init. Letter — ' And sit on thrones.' 
 
 356 St. Matthew.- Rubens. 
 ,, Init. Letter — ' As we have received 
 
 mercy we faint not.' Disciples 
 plucking the ears of corn. 
 
 357 Init. Let. — ' For we preach not our- 
 selves, but Christ Jesus the Lord.' 
 
 358 Init. Letter— The Angel troubling 
 the waters of Bethesda. 
 
 359 St. Michael and Satan.-RAFFAET.LE. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' And Jesus called 
 
 a little child unto him.' 
 
 360 Init. Let— 'Therelbre rejoice, ye hea- 
 vens, and ye that dwell in them.' 
 
 361 Init. Letter-^' Whoso shall receive 
 one such little child." 
 
 362 St. Luke.— Cornelius. 
 „ Init. Letter — ' The Lord appointed 
 
 other seventy also.' 
 
 363 Initial Letter—' Do the work of an 
 Evangelist.' 
 
 364 Init Let. — ' Peace be to this house.' 
 
 365 Christ e,\horting his disciples. 
 „ Init. Letter — ' .\fterward destroyed 
 
 them that believed not.' 
 
 366 Initial Letter— 'The angels which 
 kept not their lirst estate.' 
 
 367 Initial Letter — ' Love one another ;' 
 Jonathan aud David. 
 
 Initial Letter — ' And I saw atiother 
 
 angel ascending from the East.' 
 
 .369 Init. Letter — ' And he cried with a 
 
 loud voice to the four Angels,' &c. 
 
 370 Init. Let. — ' And when he was set, 
 his disciples came unto him.' 
 
 371 Interior of E.\eter Cathedral. 
 
 The Holy Communion. 
 373 Title to the Administration of the 
 Lord's Supper. — At the top, Sem- 
 pringham Priory, Lincolnshire, 
 and Bosham Church, Sussex; 
 in the centre. Interior of South- 
 well Minster, Nottinghamshire, 
 and Interior of Hereford Cathe- 
 dral ; at the bottom, Bromyard 
 Church, Herefordshire, and 
 Austin Friars, London. 
 
 375 Last Supper. — Raffaelle. 
 
 376 Initial I^etter — From Flaxman's 
 Illustrations of the Lord's Prayer 
 — ' But deliver us from evil.' 
 
 „ Init. Letter — 'Cleanse the thoughts 
 of our hearts.' 
 
 ,, Initial Letter — Stoning the Sab- 
 bath-breaker. 
 
 378 Initial Letter — ' Thy chosen ser- 
 vant Victoria.' 
 
 „ Init. Letter — ' The hearts of Kings 
 are in thy rule and governance.' 
 
 379 The Creed.— We stall. 
 „ Initial Letter — ' Maker of heaven 
 
 and earth.' 
 
 380 Interior of Wells Cathedral. 
 386 Administration of the Lord's 
 
 Supper. — Westall. 
 391 In. Let. — From Flaxman's Illustra- 
 tions of the Lord's Prayer — ' For 
 thine is the kingdom,' &c. 
 
 400 View of Christ Church Cathedral, 
 Oxford. 
 
 Offices of the Church. 
 
 401 Title to Offices of the Church.— 
 At the top, Tewkesbury Church, 
 Gloucestershire, and the Abbey 
 (or Holy Cross) Church, Shrews- 
 bury; in the centre, the Interior, 
 with the Foiit,of Irthlingborough 
 Church, Northamptonshire, and 
 the Interior, with the Font, of 
 Walsingham Church, Norfolk ; 
 at the bottom.LeominsterC'hurch, 
 Herefordshire, and Cirencester 
 Church, Gloucestershire. 
 
 403 Puldick Baptism.— Westall. 
 
 410 Kuins of lona. 
 
 420 Catechism. — Adapt. fromWEsxALL. 
 
 4'i5 Ruins of Tintern .\bl)ey. 
 
 426 Confirmation. — Westall. 
 
 429 Ruins of Netley Abbey. 
 
 430 Matrimony. — Westall. 
 4;i7 Ruins of Fountains .\bbey. 
 438 Visitation of the Sick. — Westall. 
 
 446 Ruins of Byland Abbey. 
 
 447 Burial of the Dead. — Adapted from 
 West.\ll. 
 
 453 Ruins of Melrose Abbey. 
 456 KuinsofRivaulx Abbey. 
 
 462 Exterior of Ely Cathedral. 
 
 The Psalms. 
 
 463 Title to the Psalms of David.— At 
 the top, the Cathedrals of Here- 
 ford and Llandaff ; in the centre, 
 the Cathedrals of Norwich and 
 Lichfield ; at the bottom, the 
 Abbey of St. Alban's and the 
 Cathedral of Carlisle. 
 
 The whole series, consisting of a 
 Subject and Initial Letter at the begin- 
 ning of the Morning Psalms, aud of 
 Initial Letters to the other Psalms, are 
 from uriginnl designs by W. Harvev. 
 The Subject prefixed to the first Morn- 
 ing Psalm has reference to some passage 
 iu the Psalms of the day, as will be 
 indicated in the following list: — 
 Page 
 
 406 First Day— Ps. 1. ver. 6. Day of 
 Judgment. 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Page 
 
 466 Initial Letter— Ps. i. v. 3. 
 
 467 Initial Letter— I's. ii.v. 2. 
 
 468 Initial Letter— Ps. iii. v. I. David 
 
 niournini;. 
 
 468 Initial Letter — Ps. iv. v. 2. Slumei 
 
 cursins David. 
 
 469 In.Let.— Ps.v. V. 6,11. Ahitliopliel 
 
 470 Initial Letter— Ps. vi. v. 6. 
 
 471 Initial Letter— Ps. vii. v. 2. 
 
 472 Initial Letter — Ps. viii. v. 6. 
 
 473 Second Day— Ps. x. v. 9. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. ix. v. 5. David 
 with the head of Goliath. 
 
 474 Initial Letter— Ps. x. v. 8. 
 
 476 Initial Letter— Ps. xi. v. 1. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. xii. v. 5. Dives 
 auit Lazarns. 
 
 477 Initial Letter — Ps. xiii. Daniel, a 
 
 Psalm of the Captivity. 
 
 478 In.L.— Ps. xiv. Belshazzar, Ditto. 
 
 479 Third Day— Ps. xviii. v. 14, Tlie 
 
 last War with the Philistines. 
 ,, Initial Letter— Ps. XV. V. 1. 
 
 480 Initial Letter— Ps. xvi.v 11. The 
 
 Resurrection. 
 
 481 Initial Letter— Ps. xvii. v. 8. 
 
 482 Initial Letter — P.^*. xviii. v. 40. 
 
 War with the Philistines. 
 
 485 Fourth Day— Ps. xxii. v. 18. 
 
 „ Init. Letter — Ps.xix. v. 5. Sunrise. 
 
 486 Initial Letter-Ps. xx. v. 8. Sub- 
 
 mission of the Syrians. 
 
 487 Initial Letter — Ps. x.\i.v.i. Roman 
 
 Triumph. 
 
 488 Init. Letter— Ps. xxii. V. 7. Christ 
 
 mocked. 
 
 490 Initial Letter— Ps. xxiii. v. 1. 
 
 491 Fifth Day — Ps. xxix. v. 5. Job 
 
 and his Friends. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. xxiv. v. 4. 
 
 492 Initial Letter-Ps. xxv. v. 8. 
 
 493 Initial Letter — Ps. xxvi. v. 6. 
 
 494 Initial Letter — Ps. xxvii. v. 3. 
 
 496 Initial Letter — Ps. xxviii. v. 2. 
 
 497 Initial Letter-Ps. xxix. v. 8. 
 
 498 Sixth Day— Ps. xxx. v. 12. Davi<l 
 
 dedicating the Altar. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. xxx. v. 7- 
 
 499 Init. Let.— Ps. xxxi. v. 3. David 
 
 pursued by Saul. 
 
 501 Initial Letter — Ps. xxxii. v. 1. 
 
 502 Initial Letter — Ps. xxxiii. v. 2. 
 
 503 Initial Letter— Ps. xxxiv. v. 7- 
 
 Hagar and Ishmael. 
 505 Seventh Day— Ps. xxxv. v. 6. 
 ,, Initial Letter — Ps. xxxv. v. 14. 
 
 507 Init. Letter — Ps. xxxvi. v. 4. Arab 
 
 Robber. 
 
 508 Initial Letter — Ps. xxxvii. v. 36 
 
 511 Ei<;hth Day— Ps xlii. v. I. 
 
 ,, Initial Letter — Ps. xxxviii. v. 6. 
 
 512 Initial Letter — Ps. xxxix. v. 5. 
 
 Absalom's Tomb. 
 
 513 Initial Letter- Ps. xl. v. 16. 
 
 515 Initial Letter— Ps. xli. v. 1. 
 
 516 Init. Let.— Ps. xlii. v. 8. David 
 
 in Heimon. 
 
 517 Int'- Let.— Ps. xliii. v. 5. Ditto. 
 
 518 Ninth Day— Ps. xlv. v. 10. Mar 
 
 riage of Solomon. 
 „ Initial Letter-Ps. xliv. v. I7. 
 
 520 Initial Letter-Ps. xlv. v. 4, 5, 6. 
 
 521 Init. Let.— Ps. xlvi. V. 1. Jehosa- 
 
 phat's Triumph over Moab. 
 
 522 Initial Letter — Ps. .xlvii. v. 4. 
 
 523 Initial Le'.ter- Ps. xlviii. v. 2. 
 
 Mount Zion. 
 
 524 Initial Letter-Ps. xlix. v. 10. 
 
 525 Tenth Day— Ps. 11. v. 1. Nathan 
 
 reproving David. 
 „ Initial Letter— Ps. 1. v. 3. 
 
 527 Init. Let.- Ps. h. V. 7. Hyssop. 
 
 528 Init. Let.— Ps. Hi. V. 9. Olive Tree. 
 
 529 Initial Letter- Ps. liii. v. 6. 
 
 530 In. L.— Ps. liv. v. 1. David in Zipli. 
 „ Initial Letter-Ps. Iv. v. 6. 
 
 532 KleventUDay— Ps.lvii. V.7. David 
 
 cutting the Skirt of Saul's Gar 
 mcnt 
 „ luili.,! Letter-Ps. Ivi. v. 6. 
 
 533 Iniii.il Letter-Ps. Ivii. v. 5. David 
 
 in Kngedi. 
 
 534 Initial Letter-Ps. Iviii. v. 5. Ser 
 
 |)ent Cluirnii r. 
 
 vi 
 
 Page 
 
 535 Initial Letter-Ps. lix. v. 6. 
 
 536 Initial Letter-Ps. Ix. v. 1. 
 
 537 Initial Letter — Ps. Ixi. v. 3. 
 
 538 Twelfth Day— Ps. Ixv. v. 14. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. Ixii. v. I. 
 
 539 Initial Letter-Ps. Ixiii. v. 2. 
 510 Initial Letter— Ps. Ixiv v. 4. 
 
 541 Initial Letter— Ps. l.xv. v. 6, 7- 
 
 542 Initial Letter-Ps. Ixvi. v. 5. 
 54.3 Initial Letter — Ps. l.wii. v. 6. 
 
 544 Thirteenth Day — Ps. Ixviii. v. 1. 
 David dancing before the Ark. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. Ixviil. v. 5. 
 547 Initial Letter — Ps. Ixix. v. 1 and 2. 
 
 549 Init. Letter — Ps. Ixx. v. 3. Death 
 
 of Absalom. 
 
 550 Fourteenth Day — Ps. Ixxii. v. 1. 
 
 Solomon appointed King with 
 David. 
 „ Initial Letter-Ps. Ixxi. v. 20. 
 
 552 Init. Letter-Ps. Ixxil. v. 4, 10, 11. 
 
 553 Initial Letter-Ps. Ixxiii. v. 16. 
 
 555 Initial Letter— Ps. Ixxiv. v. 8,9. 
 557 Fifteenth Day— Ps. Ixxviii. v. 15. 
 
 „ Init. Letter — Ps. Ixxv. v. 12. De- 
 struction of Sennacherib. 
 55s Initial Letter — Ps. Ixxvi. v. 6. 
 
 559 Init. Let. — Ps. Ixxvii. v. 11. Moses 
 
 with the Tables of the Law. 
 
 560 Init. Letter-Ps. Ixxviii. v. 64, 65. 
 565 Sixteenth Day — Ps. Ixxix. v. 1. 
 
 Desolation of Jerusalem. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps.lxxix. v. 1. Ditto 
 5*56 Initial Letter-Ps. Ixxx. v. 13. 
 
 568 Initial Letter — Ps. Ixxxi. v. 3. 
 
 569 Initial Letter — Ps. Ixxxii. v. 3. 
 
 ,, Initial Letter — Ps. Ixxxiii. v. 9. 
 Jael slaying Sisera. 
 
 571 Initial Letter — Ps. Ixxxiv. v. 3. 
 
 572 Initial Letter — Ps. Ixxxv. v. 10. 
 
 573 Seventeenth Day — Ps. Ixxxix. v. 
 
 21. Anointing of David. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. Ixxxvi. 
 
 574 In. Let. — Ps. Ixxxvii. v. 3. Rahab. 
 
 575 Initial Letter — Ps. Ixxxviii. v. 1. 
 
 Moses praying to the Lord. 
 
 576 Initial Letter — Ps. IxxxLx. v. 21. 
 
 580 Eighteenth Day — Ps. xciv. v. 6. 
 
 Destruction of Jerusalem by the 
 Assyrians. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. xc. v. 6. 
 
 581 Initial Letter-Ps. xci. v. 9. The 
 
 Nativity. 
 
 583 Initial Letter-Ps. xcii. v. 9. 
 
 584 Initial Letter — Ps. xciii. v. 5. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. xciv. v. 6. 
 
 556 Nineteenth Day — Psal. xcv. v. 8. 
 
 Moses striking the Rock. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. xcv. v. 1. 
 
 587 Initial Letter-Ps. xcvi. v. 12. 
 
 588 InitiMl Letter — Ps. xcvii. v. 2. 
 
 589 Initial Letter — Ps. xcviii. v. 6. 
 
 590 Initial Letter-Ps. xcix. v. 7. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. c. v. 2. 
 
 591 Initial Letter— Ps. ci. v. 1. 
 
 592 Twentieth Day— Ps. civ. v. 18. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. cii. v. 6. 
 
 594 Initial Letter-Ps. ciii. v. 13. The 
 Prodigal Son 
 
 .'i96 Initial Letter-Ps. civ. v. 11. 
 
 598 Tweuty-tirst Day — Ps. cv. v. I7. 
 Joseph sold. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. cv. v. 10. Ja- 
 cob's vision. 
 
 601 Initial Letter-Ps. cvi. v. 19. 
 
 604 Twi'ntv-secoud Day — Ps. cvii. v. 
 23-27. 
 „ Initial Letter— Ps. cvii. v. 20. The 
 Hrazen Serpent. 
 
 607 Init. Letter— Ps. cviii. v. 9. 'Ju 
 
 dah is an old lion.' 
 
 608 Initial Letter-Ps. cix. v. 9. 
 
 610 Twenty-third Day— Ps. cxiii. v. 8. 
 
 Hannah. 
 „ Initial Letter- Ps. ex. v. 2. 
 
 611 Initial Letter— Ps.cxi. V. 6. Spies 
 
 and Grapes. 
 
 612 Initial Letter— Ps. cxii. v. I. 
 
 613 Initial Letter-Ps. cxiii. v. 8. 
 
 614 Init. Letter — Ps. cxiv. v. 3. Pass- 
 
 ing the Jordan. 
 ,, Initial Letter— Ps. cxv. v. 12. 
 616 Twenty-fourth Day— Ps.cxvi. v. 16. 
 The Israelites sacrificing amid 
 
 Page 
 
 the ruins of Jerusalem upon their 
 return from the Captivity. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps.cxvi. v. 12. 
 
 617 Initial Letter— Ps. cxvii. v. 1. 
 
 618 Initial Letter-Ps. cxviii. v. 22. 
 
 (;hrist rejected. 
 
 619 Initial Letter — Ps. cxix. Aleph. 
 
 020 Initial Letter— do. Beth. 
 
 „ Init. Letter — do. He, v. 35. Moses 
 with the Tables of the Law. 
 
 021 Initial Letter — do. Gimel. 
 „ Initial Letter— do. Daleth. 
 
 622 Twenty-liflh Day— do. v. 55. 
 
 623 Initial Letter — do. Vau. 
 „ Initial Letter — do. Zain. 
 
 624 Initial Letter— do. Cheth. 
 „ Initial Letter — do. Teth. 
 
 625 Initial Letter — do. Jod. 
 
 626 Initial Letter — do. Caph. 
 „ Initial Letter — do. Lamed. 
 
 627 Initial Letter — do. .Mem, v. 97. 
 
 628 Twenty-sixth Day — do. v. 147. 
 
 ' Early in the morning do I cry 
 unto thee.' 
 „ Initial Letter — do. Nun, v. 1. 
 
 629 Initial Letter — do. Samech. 
 „ Initial Letter — do. Ain. 
 
 630 Initial Letter — do. Phe. 
 
 ,, Initial Letter— do. Tzaddi. 
 
 631 Initial Letter — do. Koph. 
 
 632 Initial Letter— do. Resch. 
 „ Initial Letter — do. Shin. 
 
 6.33 Initial Letter— do. Tau. 
 
 634 Twenty-seventh Day — Ps. cxxviii. 
 
 V. 3 and 4. 
 „ Init. Letter — Ps. cxx. v. 4. Tents 
 of Kedar. 
 
 635 Initial Letter — Ps. cxxi. v. 3. 
 „ Initial Letter-Ps. cxxii. v. 4. 
 
 636 Initial Letter — Ps. cxxiii. v. 2. 
 ,, Initial Letter — Ps. cxxiv. v. 6. 
 
 637 Initial Letter — Ps. cxxv. v. 2. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. cxxvi. v. 7. 
 
 638 Initial Letter— Ps. cxxvii. v. 5. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. cxxviii. v. 3. 
 
 639 Initial Letter — Ps. cxxix. v. 6. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. cxxx. v. 1. 
 
 640 Initial Letter — Ps. cxxxi. v. 3. 
 
 641 Twenty-eightli Day — Ps. cxxxviii. 
 
 v . 1 . ' B y the waters of Babylon 
 we sat down and wept.' 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. cxxxii. v. 5. 
 ' Removal of the Ark.' 
 
 642 Initial Letter — Ps. cxxxiii. v. 2. 
 
 Aaron anointed. 
 
 643 Initial Letter— Ps. cxxxiv. v. 3. 
 ,, Initial Letter — Ps. cxx.xv. v. 10. 
 
 64.T Initial Letter — Ps. cxxxvi. v. 9. 
 
 646 Initial Letter-Ps. cxxxvii. v. 2. 
 
 647 Initial Letter — Ps. cxxxviii. v. 2. 
 
 648 Twenty-ninth Day— Ps. cxiii. v. 7. 
 
 David in the Cave of Eugedi. 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. cxxxix. v. 13. 
 ' MaiTellous are thy works.' 
 6.i0 Initial Letter— Ps. cxl. v. 3. 
 
 651 Initial Letter-Ps. cxli. v. 8. 
 
 652 Initial Letter — Ps. cxliii. v. 1. 
 
 ()53 Init. Letter — Ps. cxliii. v. 2. Job. 
 
 654 Thirtieth Dav— Ps. cxliv. v. 13. 
 
 „ Init. Letter— "Ps. cxliv. v. 12, 13, 14. 
 
 655 Initial Letter — Ps. cxlv. v. 2. 
 
 657 Initial Letter — Ps. cxlvi. v. 7. 
 
 658 Initial Letter-Ps. cxlvii. v. 9. 
 
 659 Initi.il Letter— Ps. rxlviii. v. 12. 
 
 660 Initial Letter— Ps. cxlix. v. 3. 
 
 „ Initial Letter — Ps. cl. v. 3 and 4. 
 
 Forms of Prayer, &c. 
 
 661 Title to 'Forms of Prayer,' &c.— At 
 
 the top, St. Patrick's Cathedral 
 and Laindon Cliurch. Essex ; 
 in the centre. Ship at Sea and 
 Westminster Hall ; at the bottom, 
 Stewkley Church, Bucks, and 
 Cranham Churcli, Essex. 
 669 Interior of Winchester Cathedral. 
 „ Aicliitect. Border, composed cliietly 
 from parts of the (Cathedral. 
 
 685 Kxteiior of Winchester Cathedral. 
 
 686 Interior of Durham Cathedral. 
 
 „ Architect. Border, compo.^ed chiefly 
 from jiarts of the Cathedral. 
 702 Exterior of Durham (/'athedral. 
 711 Interior of Ely Cathedral. 
 
INTRODUCTORY 
 
 HISTORY OF THE LITURGY. 
 
 In no instance have Christians been more indebted to the use of a scriptural 
 and well-arranged Liturgy than the members of the Church of England. 
 During the changes produced in men's circumstances and tempers by the 
 lapse of time, religious opinion is exposed to many trials, and often under- 
 goes modifications in the minds of influential members of society which tend 
 greatly to injure the purity, or simplicity, of evangelical faith. When such 
 is the case, it is an invaluable privilege for the people to possess a Liturgy 
 which, drawn up at a period of great religious intelligence, and by men of 
 the profoundest wisdom and piety, may be readily appealed to as a standard 
 of opinion. 
 
 While this is manifestly true in regard to seasons of change and difficulty, 
 it is scarcely less so in reference to the ordinary wants of a Church and its 
 vii 
 
HISTORY OF THE LITURGY. 
 
 members. A liturgy is more to be considered, first, in respect to its 
 immediate and direct object; and, next, in regard to its collateral influences 
 on the minds of the worshippers- 
 Prayer, in its nature and primary design, must be the same, whether 
 exercised in communion with others, and in the Church, or in the most 
 private retirement. There will, therefore, in both cases, be the same oljjects 
 to provide for in the composition of prayer. " Seek ye first the kingdom of 
 God and His righteousness" is an universal precept, and on the principle 
 wliich it involves should prayer of every kind be commenced. The pardon of 
 sins — the increase of faith and other spiritual graces — the constant protection 
 and blessing of God in the great work of salvation — these are the grand 
 objects of supplication; and it matters not whether we be praying at home, 
 or in the Church, they must ever be the first things sought by a devout and 
 believing mind. When the thoughts themselves are not habitually inclined 
 to the exercises of religion, or are not fixed on the attainment of those graces 
 which lead to salvation, it is no small advantage to men to be taught by the 
 language of those around them what are the highest benefits to be sought 
 by an appeal to Heaven. In the composition of a liturgy, therefore, these 
 are the two characteristics to be chiefly looked for — that it consists of 
 petitions for the pardon of sins — for the application of Christ's merits — for 
 the gift of grace, and the intervention of God's providence in the furtherance 
 of general good ; and that it be conceived in language both generally 
 intelligible and tending to awaken the affections of those by whom it is 
 employed. The first grand purpose of prayer will then be answered. 
 Blessings most necessary to human happiness will be sought in a manner 
 acceptable to God ; and the hearts of the people, accustomed to the use of 
 spiritual expression, will feel their worldly and selfish passions powerfully, 
 and, with God's blessing, effectually, checked. 
 
 The second object to be contemplated in a liturgy is indirect and incidental, 
 but scarcely less important. Our Lord conferred an inestimable blessing 
 on His people by teaching them a prayer which embodies the essentials of 
 devotion in language the most simple and intelligible. He thereby instructed 
 them in the duty of regulating their petitions according to the will of God 
 and the principles of a true faith. Taught from infancy to address the 
 Almighty Creator by the endearing name of Father, thousands of hearts 
 have imbibed without an effort the primary doctrine of religion. In the 
 same manner, not left to their own crude notions of the language proper to 
 prayer, they have learned from this divine model that the Almighty will 
 listen to the simplest expression of love ; and that the petitions which imply 
 a trust in His wisdom and mercy, by the unlaboured, unparticularizing 
 character of their language, are those which may expect the readiest answer. 
 A liturgy framed according to the spirit and style of the Gospel will corre- 
 spond in influence to this inspired type of prayer for the universal Church. 
 Impressed upon the memories of people by constant use, it will enrich them 
 with many seeds of heavenly knowledge. Its phraseology will naturally 
 blend itself with the expression of serious thought, and often beforehand 
 viii 
 
HISTORY OF THE LITURGY. 
 
 prompt the heart to take the theme of its meditations from the Book of 
 divine mysteries. Serious error will thereby be prevented from concealing 
 itself amon^ the members of the Church, or circulating unopposed. The 
 theology of the Clergy cannot be perverted without striking the least obser- 
 vant of minds ; and the tone of preaching rendered at any time unspiritual, 
 or cold and obscure, by the fashion of the age, will be in such manifest 
 opposition to the character of the Church, that, with God's mercy, a cor- 
 rective cannot long be needed. 
 
 Reasons like these in favour of an established Liturgy are proper to a period 
 far remote from the time when Liturgies were first compiled. Experience 
 alone can teach us such arguments in their favour. Their origin, therefore, 
 is to be looked for in other causes than those which may be assigned for the 
 respect in which they have been held in later ages by the wise and good. 
 These more primitive reasons for the compilation of Liturgies may be briefly 
 stated. The services of the Jews had been conducted with such a profound 
 attention to order, that it was impossible for the precept which enjoined the 
 constant assembling of Christians together to be separated from that which 
 directed them to do all things Mith decency and regularity. In the use of 
 psalms appointed for particular occasions, and other parts of the worship of 
 the temple, or the synagogue, a precedent was found for the adoption of such 
 a system as should leave as little as possible in public worship to experiment. 
 The Lord's Prayer was a form of words which His disciples could not but 
 feel a particular delight in repeating together. It was introduced, therefore, 
 into all their ordinances ; and, when offered up in assemblies where the Spirit 
 of faith and love exercised His benignant sway, was in itself almost a Liturgy, 
 and for the pri\dlege of repeating which, in the company of Gods children, 
 penitent and anxious hearts would be devoutly thankful. The words used 
 by our Lord at the institution of the two sacraments, and which could never 
 be lawfully put aside for others, or even for a paraphrase, tended in the same 
 manner to the introduction of established forms in the worship of the new 
 Church. It was evidently not inconsistent with a divine institution to employ 
 regularly the same prayers and hymns in the ser\ice of God ; for this was 
 authorized by the practice of the Jews : nor could it be considered as an 
 infringement on Christian or spiritual liberty to repeat the same form of 
 words in the most solemn exercises of evangelical devotion; for Christ Him- 
 self had given them a form in three instances, from which it would have been 
 equally presumptuous and unspiritual to depart. 
 
 But had no reason of this kind existed, the circumstances of the Church 
 would of themselves have shown the necessity of an established Liturgy. 
 Inspiration itself had not been sufficient to suppress entirely the petulant 
 zeal of some of the first members of the Christian community. It was not to 
 be supposed that any kind of discipline could effect that for which the highest 
 endowments of miraculous power had been insufficient. Under the most 
 favourable circumstances, in very small congregations, and when affection 
 and reverence had sealed the authority of the pastor, the worship of the 
 Church might possibly be carried on without the discovery that a rule, or 
 ix b 
 
HISTORY OF THE LTTURCY. 
 
 form of service, was absolutely necessary to its rifi^lit conduct. The wisdom 
 of the teacher, and the obedience of the people, mig:ht, perhaps, insensibly 
 establish a discipline and order of worship which, written in the heart, would 
 not require the aid of a literal transcription to give it force. But the case 
 was altered when congregations became very numerous; — when obedience to 
 the will of the pastor was less the habit of the age, and conflicting opinions 
 could not be readily reconciled by his arguments or persuasions. It was 
 then found that much would be gained by the use of forms of devotion for 
 which the people were prepared, and the propriety and holiness of which 
 could not be disputed. We accordingly find many allusions to set forms of 
 prayer in the writings of fathers of the third century ; and St. Basil, who 
 lived in the fourth, is known to have composed a Liturgy which, in the course 
 of the next century, is said to have been in general use throughout the East. 
 From the works of St. Chrysostom it appears that, in his time, every festival 
 had its appropriate service — its set prayers, psalms, and lessons; and that 
 the ordinary days had, in a similar manner, their regular services. One of 
 the canons of the Council of Laodicea sets this in a still clearer light, for 
 it expressly enjoins that the same prayers should be read at matins and 
 vespers. 
 
 For a considerable period each bishop had the undisputed right of 
 arranging the Liturgy for his diocese without consulting other prelates. 
 There were accordingly several Liturgies in existence at an early era ; and 
 at first, perhaps, little inconvenience resulted from this species of independ- 
 ence. The faith of the various churches was the same; — the groundwork 
 of their services differed in no material point ; — and the common spirit of 
 brotherhood prevented the introduction of rites which might offend any of 
 the worshippers of the one God and the one Saviour. But, as the unity 
 of the faith began to be assailed by open or secret heresy, and as the 
 primitive simplicity yielded to a prouder spirit, the varieties in the several 
 Liturgies were made use of to disturb the peace of men's consciences. The 
 bishops, therefore, of the several provinces, at length found it expedient to 
 assimilate their Liturgies more closely to each other ; but the existence of 
 so many ancient forms, each claiming reverence either on account of the 
 celebrity of its author or from the circumstances in which it had its origin, 
 prevented the complete success of such a design. Even at the period just 
 preceding the Reformation in this country different Liturgies were used in the 
 different provinces ; and the separate orders of monks claimed to themselves 
 a still further right to conduct their services according to their own views. 
 
 This alone would have been sufficient to induce men of earnest piety to 
 desire a change In the arrangement of public worship. But another consi- 
 deration, of equal Importance with any of those derived from this source, was 
 drawn from the custom of performing the services in a language unknown to 
 those who were asked to j)ray with the Church, and own the value of its 
 ordinances. This, when combined with the numerous distressing proofs 
 that the services of the sanctuary had degenerated into a series of the most 
 wretched superstitions, led the Reformers of the English Clmrch to regard 
 
HISTORY OF l^HE LITURGY. 
 
 the change of the Liturgy as one of the objects which demanded their earliest 
 attention. 
 
 The first step made towards this great and important design was the 
 appointment of a committee by the Convocation which met in 1537. This 
 c(nnmittee was chosen for the express purpose of instituting an inquiry into 
 the means afforded for the spiritual instruction of the people. From the 
 character and learning of the members of the committee, there can be little 
 doubt, that they foresaw much more was to be done than it would be right 
 to attempt at the beginning of their labours. But it was the happy feature 
 of the proceedings of the early Reformers that, zealous as they were, and 
 abounding in knowledge, they were contented to act with the caution of men 
 who wished rather to foster the rising spirit of intelligence than to force the 
 population to acknowledge what it might not comprehend. 
 
 The first publication issued was entitled ' The Godly and Pious Institu- 
 tion of a Christian Man.' This book contained the Lord's Prayer, the Ten 
 Commandments, " with many other godly lessons, &c., according to the 
 command and injunctions of the King's Highness, to be used through the 
 realin." The mixed character of this work may be understood from the 
 heading of one of the chapters, in which it is said, " First ye shall pray for 
 the whole congregation, especially for the Church of England, wherein first 
 for the King's Majesty, supreme head of the spirituality and temporality of 
 the same Church. 2. For the Lords and Commons. 3. Ye shall pray for 
 the souls that be departed, that they may have fruition of God's presence." 
 
 About the same time the large English Bible was set up, and appointed 
 to be read in churches. In the year 1540 the work above alluded to was 
 revised, and a further revision took place three years afterwards, when, as 
 stated in the preface, " it was set forth by the King, with the advice of his 
 Clergy ; the Lords, both spiritual and temporal, with the nether House of 
 Parliament, having both seen and liked it very well." At length, in 1545, 
 the work appeared under the title of the ' King's Primer,' in the preface 
 to which the people were taught the necessity of uniformity in the public 
 ser\'ices of the Church, and the evils under which they laboured when 
 obliged to attend upon ordinances performed in a language with which they 
 were unacquainted. The chief contents of the book as thus revised were the 
 Lord's Prayer, the Ave, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and Graces. 
 Besides which there were the Matins, the Seven Psalms, the Commenda- 
 tions, the Collects, and other Prayers, the translation closely resembling, 
 or being the same as, that now in use. 
 
 But it was reserved for Edward VI. to complete the design commenced 
 with so much piety and caution. In the first year of his reign (1-547), a resolu- 
 tion was passed by the Convocation, that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 
 ought to b^ administered in both kinds. The statement of the Convocation 
 was followed by an act of Parliament, and a committee of bishops and others 
 was formed with authority to draw up a service in English for the proper 
 performance of this sacred ordinance. In the list of this committee occur 
 the names accounted most venerable in the ecclesiastical chronicles of the 
 xi b 2 
 
HISTORY OF THE LITURGY. 
 
 country. At the head stands that of Cranmer, then Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury : with him were associated Ridley, at that time Bishop of Rochester ; 
 Goodrich, Bishop of Ely; the Bishops of Lincoln, Chichester, Hereford, 
 and others of ccnresponding- note and dignity. 
 
 The mass-book presented the most melancholy proofs of the long reign of 
 superstition. It would have demanded the severest revision in any age of 
 growing intelligence, supposing even that the reformation of doctrine had 
 been a thing unheard of. But this was much more the case now that the 
 views of men respecting divine mysteries themselves were undergoing so 
 important an alteration. Every time the sacrament was offered according to 
 the old forms, the most grievous offence was given to the consciences of those 
 who had begun to imbibe and rejoice in the pure light of the Gospel. The 
 acknowledged right of all believers in Jesus Christ to partake of the Com- 
 munion in both kinds, afforded further reasons for making a vital change in 
 the Service. But it was not in the spirit of innovation that such men as 
 Cranmer and Ridley could act. They were anxious to promote the glory of 
 God and the salvation of souls by the use of those consecrated means known 
 in the happiest ages of the Church. It was not for the sake of intruding 
 contrivances of their own that they proposed to alter the hitherto-received 
 offices. They desired to do nothing more than remove what had been in- 
 troduced in corrupt times ; — to separate that which was weak, false, and 
 dangerous, from that which had received the indelible stamp of Divine grace 
 and truth. When they took the mass-book in their hands, therefore, it was 
 with the feeling, that from its pages might be derived the substance of a 
 communion service which should have the real authority of antiquity, and 
 the spiritual pathos of the devotions which had ever been dear to pious 
 hearts, but be free, at the same time, from long-standing errors and supersti- 
 tions. They accordingly selected and translated the most valuable of the 
 prayers and hymns contained in the old form. Where it was deficient they 
 made the necessary additions ; and expressions were carefully corrected which 
 either conveyed a false notion or seemed deficient in force. A work of the 
 utmost importance to the Reformation was effected by this compilation of a 
 New Service Book for the Communion. The Office was published separately, 
 and the nation had thereby the means of learning more exactly than ever what 
 were the views entertained by those to whom was committed the charge 
 of purifying the Church. Reverence for the mass, with its innumerable 
 ceremonies, was one of the feelings most deeply seated in the hearts of the 
 people. No thoughtful and religious mind could have contemplated with- 
 out dread the consequences of any design which should tend to diminish a 
 reverence for the Sacrament itself. But had not the Reformers proceeded 
 with the utmost caution such would have been the case. The people, seeing 
 the Service stripped of its wonted ornaments, or appealing less forcibly than 
 formerly to their imaginations, might have begun to doubt whether any strong 
 sentiment of awe would not be misapplied in respect to an ordinance which 
 they had venerated for reasons now proved to be unreal. But the care 
 employed in the compilation of the Service prevented this danger. The 
 
HISTORY OF THE LITURGY. 
 
 majestic simplicity of the Divine mystery slied its spiritual radiance over 
 every line of the Office ; and devout hearts saw that that only had been 
 removed which, while it had, perhaps, excited their emotions, had hindered, 
 in reality, the clear and deep apprehension of the heavenly vision itself. 
 
 Wlien the Communion Service had been published, the way seemed open 
 for the introduction of a complete Liturgy. The difficulties most to be 
 dreaded were overcome by the circulation of the new Office. There could 
 be little fear, that they who had hailed the change in the one instance, as 
 founded on the truth and requirements of the Gospel, would fail to see the 
 necessity of that which should afford the people at large pure forms of 
 devotion in their daily exercises, and in all their appeals to Heaven for its 
 guidance or its blessing. 
 
 The greatest confusion as yet prevailed in the mode of conducting public 
 worship. This was the natural consequence of the state of Church affairs. 
 The leaders of the Reformation had hitherto been mainly occupied with 
 settling the great questions which regarded the independence of the Church, 
 and the laws whereby it was in future to be governed. It was not till these 
 things were determined that they could turn their attention to the internal 
 arrangements of the Church, or properly attempt the exercise of an authority 
 requisite for the purpose. The Latin Mass, therefore, continued to be used 
 in some places, while in others it was regarded as an abomination. The 
 same confusion prevailed in other parts of the Service, and the preamble to 
 the act which was passed to stop these disorders states, that as there had 
 long been in use various " forms of Church Service, as those of Sarum, York, 
 Lincoln, and several forms of Common Prayer and Communion," " to stay 
 innovations or new rites, and that an uniform, quiet, and godly order should 
 be had, his Majesty, by advice of his council, had appointed the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury and other learned and discreet bishops to consider the pre- 
 mises, and thereupon, having as well an eye and respect to the most sincere 
 and pure religion taught by the Scriptures, as to the usages of the primitive 
 Church, should draw and make one convenient and meet order, rite, and 
 fashion of Common Prayer and Administration of Sacraments." 
 
 The venerable men who had drawn up the Office for the Communion 
 were engaged to compile the Order of Common Prayer. This work was 
 performed in the same conciliatory and devout temper as the former ; and, 
 after it had undergone the most careful revision, it was confirmed by the 
 king and both houses of Parliament, the language of the act describing it as 
 a work " concluded with uniform agreement," and " by the aid of the Holy 
 Ghost." The act alluded to was passed in 1548, but many obstacles existed 
 to the general reception of the new Liturgy. Bonner, Bishop of London, 
 and others of the Roman Catholic clergy, still possessed their dignities ; and 
 neither the act, nor an order of council passed soon after, abrogating private 
 Masses, could induce them to receive the reformed Services. The committal 
 of the prelate to prison, because he would not give up his judgment or violate 
 his conscience, was one of those circumstances which cast a shade over the 
 conduct of the reformers of the English Church that cannot be easily removed. 
 
HISTORY OF THE LITURGY. 
 
 Bonner had an indisputable right to adhere to a system which he believed to 
 be consistent with the laws of the Church and of God. Had he not desired 
 to act agreeably to integrity, he would not have held out against the per- 
 suasions of a court, and those who enjoyed its smiles. The harsh manner in 
 which he was treated proves the lamentable truth, that no system and no set 
 of men can be trusted when the argument of expediency is set against the 
 argument of either justice or consistency. 
 
 As so much difficulty was found in securing an undivided attention to the 
 new Liturgy, another act of Parliament was passed in 1549. In this it was 
 said, " Notwithstanding the settlement of the Book of Common Prayer, yet 
 there are other superstitions permitted, occasioning diversity of opinions 
 touching the rites of the Church. It is therefore enacted, that all other 
 Service-books, or books called Antiphonas, Missals, Grails, Processionals, 
 Manuals, Primers, Cowchers, Journals, Ordinals, formerly used, other than 
 the king shall set forth, shall be abolished." 
 
 The next year a further proof was given of the judgment with which 
 everything was done which concerned the Liturgy itself as the rule of 
 public worship. A careful revisal of the whole was undertaken, and this 
 because, as was stated in the act passed soon after, " there had arisen in the 
 use and exercise of the said Common Service, divers doubts for the fashion 
 and manner of the administration thereof, rather by the curiosity of the 
 ministers and mistakers than of any other worthy cause : Therefore, as well 
 for the more plain and manifest explanation thereof, as for the more per- 
 fection of the said order of Common Service in some places where it is 
 necessary to make the same prayer and fashion of service more earnest, and 
 fit to stir Christians to the true honouring of God; therefore the king has 
 caused the same former book to be perused, explained, and made fully 
 perfect." 
 
 Cranmer had been induced to urge this revisal of the new Liturgy by 
 the persuasions of the two great foreign divines, Bucer and Martyr; the one 
 professor of divinity at Cambridge, and the other at Oxford. With the 
 strong feelings of the Swiss reformers against every trace of Romish super- 
 stition, these celebrated theologians pointed out numerous errors in the 
 Services ; and Cranmer and his associates having themselves advanced to- 
 wards clearer views of doctrine, the book underwent a general and very 
 severe examination. The new edition, or, as it is commonly called, the 
 Second Book of King Edward, was confirmed by act of Parliament in 1552, 
 and ordered to be read on the approaching feast of All Saints, and thence- 
 forward, in all the churches of the kingdom. 
 
 Bucer and Martyr allowed nothing to remain which savoured of useless 
 ceremony. So great was the veneration paid to their judgment, that, as they 
 were unacquainted with English, the whole work had been translated into 
 Latin that it might be submitted to their scrutiny. When it reappeared, 
 those who had tolerated the previous edition, retaining as it did so strong a 
 tincture of old opinions, were greatly irritated at the evidence which it 
 afforded of the entire change in the sj)irit of the church. For the most part 
 xiv 
 
HISTORY OF THE LITURGY. 
 
 it was received with satisfaction. Nothing was left out which piety required, 
 and much was added, the want of which had been evidently felt in the use of 
 the former book. Of the additions thus made, the principal were the opening 
 sentences ; the Exhortation, the Confession, and Absolution, in the Morning 
 and Evening Service ; and the Ten Commandments in that of the Commu- 
 nion. In the first book, the use of oil in Baptism and in the Visitation of 
 the Sick had been prescribed, according to former usage. Prayers for the 
 dead had been inserted in the Communion and Burial Service, and in both 
 cases it was now considered there had been a violation of Christian truth 
 and simplicity. The present edition, therefore, prescribed neither the use of 
 oil, nor prayers for the souls of the departed. In the former book, the Holy 
 Ghost was invoked at the consecration of the elements in the Communion, 
 and in the prayer of Oblation ; this was now discontinued, and the Rubric 
 was left out which had directed the mixing of water with the wine. 
 
 In the same year that the new edition of the Liturgy made its appearance, 
 forty-two articles on the chief points of religion were published,, " as agreed 
 upon by the bishops, and other learned and good men, in the Convocation 
 held at London in the year 1552, to root out the discord of opinions, and 
 establish the agreement of true religion." Similar articles had been pub- 
 lished by authority of Henry VIII., but they were not the result of the same 
 wise and deliberate spirit as that which now prevailed. The long discussion 
 of the subjects to which they allude had taught the leading divines of the 
 Reformation both the importance and the difficulty of the task. They 
 had for their example the Confession of Augsburg to incline them to draw 
 up such a statement of faith. The reformers of Germany owed much to 
 the clearness with which the fundamental points of belief were set before 
 them in their Confession ; but devout minds could not fail, at the same 
 time, to see that human reason is sure to err if it would compass or define, 
 without assistance from above, those things which are only to be compre- 
 hended in the language and in the light of the Divine Spirit. 
 
 The King's Primer was also re-published this year, and with the addition 
 of a part of our present Catechism. Another Catechism had been compiled 
 by Dr. Poynett, Bishop of Winchester ; and as it was prefaced by an epistle 
 from the King, it received the title of King Edward's Catechism. 
 
 Affairs were in this happy state, when the death of the youthful and pious 
 monarch put a sudden stop to the progress of the Reformation, and exposed 
 its leaders to a persecution as fearful as had ever been endured in the 
 struggles of religion against a dark and cruel despotism. The hopes enter- 
 tained for a brief season that Queen Mary, notwithstanding her known 
 attachment to the Church of Rome, would not employ any violent measures 
 against the Reformation, were at once dissipated by the repeal of the acts 
 so lately passed in favour of its important designs. Had the religious or 
 intellectual state of the nation depended on the favour of the court, the 
 decrees of the infatuated Queen would have quickly plunged it into the 
 darkness of her own errors. By one of her ordinances the Mass was re- 
 stored ; by another the Pope's supremacy ; by a third the marriage of the 
 
HISTORY OF THE LITURGY. 
 
 clergy was prohibited ; and these were rapidly followed by others of a similar 
 kind, till not a vestige of Protestantism would have remained, had not the 
 affections of a vast proportion of the people been too deeply embued with 
 the love of the Gospel to allow of its being long or effectually resisted. The 
 martyrs that suffered in the ])ersecution which attended the enforcement of 
 the papal laws, exhibited a grandeur of character, a fulness of knowledge 
 and of faith, that shed a new glory on the Church of the Reformation. 
 While many thus shed their blood in its honour, illustrating the power of its 
 doctrines and the consistency of its children, others were led by the provi- 
 dence of God into foreign lands, there to increase in. spiritual knowledge 
 and experience, and to learn as exiles how to become more eminently useful 
 in their native land. 
 
 By the mercy of the great head of the Church, the season of persecution 
 was not allowed to be of long duration. Queen Elizabeth ascended the 
 throne in November^ 1.558, and measures were immediately taken to restore 
 some parts of the Service as established in the reign of Edward VI. The 
 Lord's Prayer, the Ten Com.mandments, the Creed, the Litany, and the 
 portions of Scripture appointed for the Epistles and Gospels, were at once 
 allowed to be used in English. But with the caution that characterised every 
 important proceeding in the English Reformation, it was deemed expedient 
 not to restore the complete Service Book till it had undergone the most careful 
 and severe revision. For this purpose a Committee of Divines was formed, 
 at the head of whom was Dr. Parker, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 Grindal, who subsequently rose to the same dignity ; Sandys, Guest, Cox, 
 and Pilkington, all of whom were raised to important sees, were members of 
 this Committee. For some time it was disputed whether the First or Second 
 Book of King Edward should be restored ; and Cecil is said to have very 
 earnestly questioned Guest, to whom Parker intrusted a great part of the 
 work, respecting the more important differences in the two editions. Some- 
 what of political feeling probably entered into the views of the secretary 
 in proposing his questions ; but it was at length decided that the Second 
 Book of King Edward should be established. Some corrections were then 
 made ; the arrangement of the lessons being altered, and the two sentences 
 which formed part of the Communion Service in the First Book, but which 
 were omitted in the Second, being restored. These sentences were, the 
 " body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body 
 and soul unto everlasting life," and " the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 which was shed for thee, «Scc. ;" and the rubric in the Second Book against 
 the real presence was now omitted. Some alteration Avas also made in the 
 Litany, the sentence " from the Bishop of Rome, and all his detestable 
 enormhies," which had appeared in the former edition, being omitted. 
 Other alterations were made, and with the same view, it is supposed, of 
 soothing the angry feelings of the opposite party. Among the additions were 
 prayers for the Queen, and " for the Clergy and People." Power was also 
 given to the bishop to appoint what part of the Church might be most 
 convenient for the performance of Morning and Evening Service, instead of 
 xvi 
 
HISTORY OF THE LITURGY. 
 
 confining the minister to the chancel, as had hitherto been the case. By a 
 similar rule, the vestments of the clergy, which had been disused according 
 to an order in the reign of Edward, were restored ; and the service of the 
 Church was generally established on the principles which have ever since 
 continued to give it its peculiar character and energy. 
 
 Parliament conferred its authority on the Liturgy thus revised ; and the 
 people at large were so well satisfied with its comprehensiveness and 
 charitable spirit, that, for ten years, the greater number of the Roman 
 Catholics themselves continued to attend the churches where it was used. 
 On the Accession of James I., a conference was held, at Hampton Court, 
 between the heads of the Church and the leaders of the Presbyterians. The 
 King himself, and Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, were present at this 
 assembly, and the Puritans were represented by Dr. Reynolds. Nothing 
 was effected by this conference, except that a few alterations were made in 
 the Liturgy. They consisted in the addition of forms of thanksgiving for 
 several occasions, and of Collects in the Morning and Evening Prayer, and 
 in the Litany an intercession, for the Royal Family. The administration 
 of Baptism was now also restricted to regularly-ordained ministers ; and 
 the questions and answers respecting the Sacraments were added to the 
 Catechism. 
 
 The King's authority only gave force to these alterations, but they were 
 received without dispute. Charles I. pursued a similar course, and made 
 some slight corrections, which were confirmed by his sole authority. During 
 the Commonwealth the Liturgy fell into* total disuse. On the Restoration a 
 commission was issued, whereby twelve bishops, and the same number of 
 theologians belonging to the Puritan party, with nine assistants on each 
 side, were appointed to make a complete re\aew of the Liturgy. The meet- 
 ings of this assembly were held in the Savoy, and the dispute was carried on 
 with an earnestness proportioned to the importance of the subject and the 
 zeal of the controversialists. But the result was as little satisfactory, so far 
 as the union of the parties was concerned, as the dispute was long and severe. 
 Some alterations were made in the Liturgy subsequent to the conference, but 
 they originated with the bishops. Thus the Prayer for all Conditions of 
 Men, the General Thanksgiving, the Prayers for the Ember Weeks, and 
 that for the Parliament, were added ; — as were also the two psalms in the 
 Burial Service, the Office for Baptism of those of Riper Years, the Form of 
 Prayer to be used at Sea, and that for King Charles's Martyrdom. The 
 Epistles and Gospels were taken from the last translation of the Bible ; but 
 this alteration was not extended to the Psalms, it being deemed advisable to 
 retain the old version, to which the people had been so long accustomed. 
 Some change was made in the Collects ; and those for Easter Eve, for the 
 Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, and for the Third Sunday in Advent, were 
 now first inserted. 
 
 The Liturgy, in this its revised and comprehensive form, was confirmed 
 by both houses of Convocation, and received the signatures of the bishops 
 xvii c 
 
HISTORY OF THE LITURGY. 
 
 and other orders of clerp:y. T*;irliamont established it by law, and on the 
 19th of May, 1GG2, it received the sanction of the Kinj^. 
 
 It was thus that the Book of Common Prayer acquired its present Scrip- 
 tural and comprehensive character, Originatins^ in a period of strong reli- 
 gious feeling, it was repeatedly exposed to the severest scrutiny of the best 
 and most enlightened minds. It passed through seasons of fearful trial, and 
 remained substantially the same. It was thrown into the hottest furnace of 
 controversy, and came out rendered only the better by the severity of the 
 test. So various is the provision which it makes for the expression of our 
 feelings in the house of prayer, that no sentiment is without its corresponding 
 language — no desire without its argument for the throne of grace. The 
 intermingling of ancient confessions of faith with the prayers and thanks- 
 givings, happily confirms the heart in its trust ; and the copious extracts 
 from Scripture diffuse a sacred light over the whole. Compiled from the 
 vast storehouses of devout antiquity, the Liturgy of our Church, like the 
 Church itself, did not in reality begin to exist when first exhibited in its 
 present form. Its largest and most important portions were the blessed 
 produce of Apostolic times, and the ever-valued possession of the universal 
 Church in all its struggles and afflictions. Melancholy would be the state 
 of the world were the lessons of experience suddenly to be set aside for 
 untried opinions ; but far more melancholy would be that of the Church 
 were it ever to be obliged to receive forms of prayer, confessions of faith, or 
 offices, not drawn from those pure sources which furnished the materials for 
 the Book of Common Prayer. 
 
THE 
 
 CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK. 
 
 1. Y^E Preface. 
 
 2. Concerning the Service nf the Church. 
 
 3. Concerning Ceremonies, why some be abolished, and some retained. 
 
 4. The Order how the Psalter is appointed to be read. 
 
 5. The Order how the rest of the holy Scripture is appointed to be read. 
 
 6. A Table of Proper Lessons and Psalms. 
 
 7. The Calendar, with the Table of Lessens. 
 
 8. Tables and Rules for the Feasts and Fasts through the whole Year. 
 
 9. The Order for Morning Prayer. 
 
 10. The Order for Evening Prayer. 
 
 11. The Creed of Saint Athanasius. 
 
 12. The Litany. 
 
 13. Prayers and Thanksgivings upon several occasions. 
 
 14. The Collects, Epistles, and Gosjyels, to be used at the Ministration of the 
 
 holy Communion, throughout the Year. 
 ] 5. The Order of the Ministration of the holy Communion. 
 
 16. The Order of Baptism both Publick and Private. 
 
 17. The Order of Baptism for those of Riper Years. 
 
 18. The Catechism. 
 
 19. The Order of Confirmation. 
 
 20. The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony. 
 
 21. The Order for the Visitation of the Sick, and the Communion of the 
 
 Sick. 
 
 22. The Order for the Burial of the Dead. 
 
 23. The Thanksgiving of Women after Child-birth. 
 
 24. A Commination, or denouncing of Gods anger and judgements against 
 
 sinners. 
 
 25. The Psalter. 
 
 26. Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea. 
 
 27. The Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Consecrating of 
 
 Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. 
 
 28. A Form of Prayer for the Fifth Day of November. 
 
 29. A Form of Prayer for the Thirtieth Day of January. 
 
 30. A Form of Prayer for the Twenty-ninth Day of May. 
 
 31. A Form of Prayer for the Twentieth Day of June. 
 
 32. Prayers for the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. 
 
 33. Articles nf Religion. 
 
A 
 
 iiliin 
 
 IT hath been the wisdom of the Church of England, ever since the first 
 compiling of her publick Liturgy, to keep the mean between the two 
 extremes, of too much stiffness in refusing, and of too much easiness in 
 admitting any variation from it. For, as on the one side common ex- 
 perience sheweth, that where a change hath been made of things advisedly 
 established (no evident necessity so requiring) sundry inconveniences have 
 thereupon ensued ; and those many times more and greater than the evils, 
 that were intended to be remedied by such change : So on the other side, 
 the particular forms of divine worship, and the rites and ceremonies 
 appointed to be used therein, being things in their own nature indifferent, 
 and alterable, and so acknowledged ; it is but reasonable, that upon 
 weighty and important considerations, according to the various exigency of 
 times and occasions, such changes and alterations should be made therein, 
 as to those that are in place of Authority should from time to time seem 
 either necessary or expedient. Accordingly we find, that in the reigns of 
 several princes of blessed memory since the Reformation, the Church, upon 
 just and weighty considerations her thereunto moving, hath yielded to 
 make such alterations in some particulars, as in their respective times were 
 thought convenient : yet so, as that the main body and essentials of it (as 
 well in the chiefest materials, as in the frame and order thereof) have still 
 continued the same unto this day, and do yet stand firm and unshaken, 
 notwithstanding all the vain attempts and impetuous assaults made against 
 it, by such men as are given to change, and have always discovered a 
 
THE PREFACE. 
 
 greater regard to their own private fancies and interests, than to that duty they owe 
 to the publick. 
 
 By what undue means, and for what mischievous purposes the use of the Liturgy 
 (though enjoined by the laws of the land, and those laws never yet repealed) came, 
 during the late unhappy confusions, to be discontinued, is too well known to the 
 world, and we are not willing here to remember. But when, upon His Majesty's 
 happy restoration, it seemed probable, that, amongst other things, the use of the 
 Liturgy would also return of course (the same having never been legally abolished) 
 unless some timely means were used to prevent it; those men, who under the late 
 usurped powers had made it a great part of their business to render the people dis- 
 affected thereunto, saw themselves in point of reputation and interest concerned 
 (unless they would freely acknowledge themselves to have erred, which such men 
 are very hardly brought to do) with their utmost endeavours to hinder the resti- 
 tution thereof. In order whereunto divers pamphlets were published against the 
 Book of Common Prayer, the old objections mustered up, with the addition of some 
 new ones, more than formerly had been made, to make the number swell. In fine, 
 great importunities were used to His Sacred Majesty, that the said Book might be 
 revised, and such alterations therein, and additions thereunto made, as should be 
 thought requisite for the ease of tender consciences : whereunto His Majesty, out 
 of his pious inclination to give satisfaction (so far as could be reasonably expected) 
 to all his subjects of what persuasion soever, did graciously condescend. 
 
 In which review we have endeavoured to observe the like moderation, as we find 
 to have been used in the like case in former times. And therefore of the sundry 
 alterations proposed unto us, we have rejected all such as were either of dangerous 
 consequence (as secretly striking at some established doctrine, or laudable practice 
 of the Church of England, or indeed of the whole Catholick Church of Christ) or 
 else of no consequence at all, but utterly frivolous and vain. But such alterations 
 as were tendered to us (by what persons, under what pretences, or to what purpose 
 soever tendered) as seemed to us in any degree requisite or expedient, we have 
 willingly, and of our own accord assented unto : not enforced so to do by any 
 strength of argument, convincing us of the necessity of making the said alterations : 
 For we are fully persuaded in our judgements (and we here profess it to the world) 
 that the Book, as it stood before established by law, doth not contain in it any thing 
 contrary to the word of God, or to sound doctrine, or which a godly man may not 
 with a good conscience use and submit unto, or which is not fairly defensible against 
 any that shall oppose the same ; if it shall be allowed such just and favourable con- 
 struction as in common equity ought to be allowed to all human writings, especially 
 such as are set forth by authority, and even to the very best translations of the holy 
 Scripture itself. 
 
 Our general aim therefore in this undertaking was, not to gratify this or that 
 party in any their unreasonable demands ; but to do that, which to our best under- 
 standings we conceived might most tend to the preservation of peace and unity in 
 the Church ; the procuring of reverence, and exciting of piety and devotion in the 
 publick worship of God ; and the cutting off occasion from them that seek occasion 
 of cavil or quarrel against the Liturgy of the Church. And as to the several varia- 
 tions from the former Book, whether by alteration, addition, or otherwise, it shall 
 suJBSce to give this general account, That most of the alterations were made, either 
 first, for the better direction of them that are to officiate in any part of Divine 
 service ; which is chiefly done in the Calendars and Kubricks : Or secondly, for the 
 more proper expressing of some words or phrases of ancient usage in terms more 
 xxii 
 
CONCERNING THE SERVICE OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 suitable to the language of the present times, and the clearer explanation of some 
 other words and phrases, that were either of doubtful signification, or otherwise liable 
 to misconstruction : Or thirdly, for a more perfect rendering of such portions of holy 
 Scripture, as are inserted into the Liturgy ; which, in the Epistles and Gospels 
 especially, and in sundry other places, are now ordered to be read according to the 
 last translation : and that it was thought convenient, that some Prayers and Thanks- 
 o-ivings, fitted to special occasions, should be added in their due places ; particularly 
 for those at Sea, together with an office for the Baptism of such as are of Riper 
 Years: which, although not so necessary when the former Book was compiled, yet 
 by the growth of Anabaptism, through the licentiousness of the late times crept in 
 amongst us, is now become necessary, and may be always useful for the baptizing of 
 natives in our plantations, and others converted to the faith. If any man, who shall 
 desire a more particular account of the several alterations in any part of the Liturgy, 
 shall take the pains to compare the present Book with the former ; we doubt not but 
 the reason of the change may easily appear. 
 
 And having thus endeavoured to discharge our duties in this weighty affair, as in 
 the sight of God, and to approve our sincerity therein (so far as lay in us) to the 
 consciences of all men ; although we know it impossible (in such variety of appre- 
 hensions, humours and interests, as are in the world) to please all ; nor can expect 
 that men of factious, peevish, and perverse spirits should be satisfied with any thing 
 that can be done in this kind by any other than themselves : yet we have good hope, 
 that what is here presented, and hath been by the Convocations of both Provinces 
 with great diligence examined and approved, will be also well accepted and 
 approved by all sober, peaceable, and truly conscientious sons of the Church of 
 England. 
 
 Coneernmg the Service of the Church. 
 
 THERE was never any thing by the wit of man so well devised, or so sure 
 established, which in continuance of time hath not been corrupted : as, among 
 other things, it may plainly appear by the Common Prayers in the Churcli, 
 commonly called Divine Service. The first original and ground whereof if a man 
 would search out by the ancient Fathers, he shall find, that the same was not 
 ordained but of a good purpose, and for a great advancement of godliness. For 
 they so ordered the matter, that all the whole Bible, (or the greatest part thereof) 
 should be read over once every year ; intending thereby, that the Clergy, and 
 especially such as were Ministers in the congregation, should (by often reading, and 
 meditation in God's word) be stirred up to godliness themselves, and be more able 
 to exhort others by wholesome doctrine, and to confute them that were adversaries to 
 the truth ; and further, that the people (by daily hearing of holy Scripture read in 
 the Church) might continually profit more and more in the knowledge of God, and 
 be the more inflamed with the love of his true religion. 
 
 But these many years passed, this godly and decent order of the ancient Fathers 
 hath been so altered, broken, and neglected, by planting in uncertain stories, and 
 legends, with multitude of responds, verses, vain repetitions, commemorations, and 
 synodals; that commonly when any book of the Bible was begun, after three or four 
 chapters were read out, all the rest were unread. And in this sort the book of Isaiah 
 was begun in Advent, and the book of Genesis in Septuagesima ; but they were only 
 begun, and never read through : after like sort were other books of holy Scripture 
 used. And moreover, whereas St. Paul would have such language spoken to the 
 xxiii 
 
CONCERNING THE SERVICE OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 people in the Church, as they might understand, and liave profit by hearing the 
 same ; the service in this Church of Enghmd these many years hath been read in 
 Latin to the people, which they understand not; so that they have heard with their 
 ears only, and their heart, spirit, and mind, have not been edified thereby. And 
 furthermore, notwithstanding that the ancient Fathers have divided the Psalms into 
 seven portions, whereof every one was called a Nocturn : now of late time a few of 
 them have been daily said, and the rest utterly omitted. Moreover, the number and 
 hardness of the rules called tlie Pie, and the manifold changings of the service, was 
 the cause, that to turn the book only was so hard and intricate a matter, that many 
 times there was more business to find out what should be read, than to read it when 
 it was found out. 
 
 These inconveniences therefore considered, here is set forth such an order, 
 whereby the same shall be redressed. And for a readiness in this matter, here is 
 drawn out a Calendar for that purpose, which is plain and easy to be understood ; 
 wherein (so much as may be) the reading of holy Scripture is so set forth, that all 
 things shall be done in order, without breaking one piece from another. For this 
 cause be cut off Anthems, Responds, Invitatories, and such like things as did break 
 the continual course of the reading of the Scripture. 
 
 Yet, because there is no remedy, but that of necessity there must be some rules ; 
 therefore certain rules are here set forth ; which, as they are few in number, so they 
 are plain and easy to be understood. So that here you have an order for prayer, and 
 for the reading of the holy Scripture, much agreeable to the mind and purpose of the 
 old Fathers, and a great deal more profitable and commodious, than that w^hich of 
 late was used. It is more profitable, because here are left out many things, whereof 
 some are untrue, some uncertain, some vain and superstitious ; and nothing is 
 ordained to be read, but the very pure word of God, the holy Scriptures, or that 
 which is agreeable to the same ; and that in such a language and order as is most 
 easy and plain for the understanding both of the readers and hearers. It is also 
 more commodious, both for the shortness thereof, and for the plainness of the order, 
 and for that the rules be few and easy. 
 
 And whereas heretofore there hath been great diversity in saying and singing in 
 Churches within this realm ; some following Salisbury use, some Hereford use, and 
 some the use of Bangor, some of York, some of Lincoln ; now from henceforth all 
 the whole realm shall have but one use. 
 
 And forasmuch as nothing can be so plainly set forth, but doubts may arise in the 
 use and practice of the same ; to appease all such diversity (if any arise) and for the 
 resolution of all doubts, concerning the manner how to understand, do, and execute, 
 the things contained in this Book ; the parties that so doubt, or diversly take any 
 thing, shall always resort to the Bishop of the diocese, who by his discretion shall 
 take order for the quieting and appeasing of the same ; so that the same order be not 
 contrary to any thing contained in this Book. And if the Bishop of the diocese be 
 in doubt, then he may send for the resolution thereof to the Archbishop. 
 
 THOUGH it be appointed, that all things shall be read and sung in the Church 
 in the English tongue, to the end that the congregation may be thereby edified ; 
 yet it is not meant, but that when men say Morning and Evening Prayer pi-ivately, 
 they may say the same in any language that they themselves do understand. 
 
 And all Priests and Deacons are to say daily the Morning and Evening Prayer 
 either privately or openly, not being let by sickness, or some other urgent cause. 
 And the Curate that ministereth in every Parish-church or Chapel, being at home, 
 x.\iv 
 
OF CEREMONIES. 
 
 and not being otherwise reasonably hindered, shall say the same in the Parish-church 
 or Chapel where he ministereth, and shall cause a bell to be tolled thereunto a 
 convenient time before he begin, that the people may come to hear God's word, and 
 to pray with him. 
 
 Of CEREMONIES, why some he abolished, and some 
 
 retained. 
 
 OF such Ceremonies as be used in the Church, and have had their beginning by 
 the institution of man, some at the first were of godly intent and purpose 
 devised, and yet at length turned to vanity and superstition : some entered into the 
 Church bv undiscrect devotion, and such a zeal as was without knowledge ; and for 
 because they were winked at in the beginning, they grew daily to more and more 
 abuses, which not only for their unprofitableness, but also because they have much 
 blinded the people, and obscured the glory of God, are worthy to be cut away, and 
 clean rejected : other there be, which although they have been devised by man, yet 
 it is thought good to reserve them still, as well for a decent order in the Church, 
 (for the which they were first devised) as because they pertain to edification, where- 
 unto all things done in the Church (as the Apostle teacheth) ought to be referred. 
 
 And although the keeping or omitting of a ceremony, in itself considered, is but 
 a small thing ; yet the wilful and contemptuous transgression and breaking of a 
 common order and discipline is no small oflfence before God, " Let all things be done 
 among you," saith St. Paul, " in a seemly and due order :" the appointment of the 
 which order pertaineth not to private men ; therefore no man ought to take in hand, 
 nor presvmie to appoint or alter any publick or common order in Christ's Church, 
 except he be lawfully called and authorized thereunto. 
 
 And whereas in this our time, the minds of men are so diverse, that some think it 
 a great matter of conscience to depart from a piece of the least of their ceremonies, 
 they be so addicted to their old customs ; and again on the other side, some be so 
 new-fangled, that they would innovate all things, and so despise the old, that 
 nothing can like them, but that is new : it was thought expedient, not so much to 
 have respect how to please and satisfy either of these parties, as how to please God, 
 and profit them both. And yet lest any man should be offended, whom good 
 reason might satisfy, here be certain causes rendered, why some of the accustomed 
 ceremonies be put away, and some retained and kept still. 
 
 Some are put away, because the great excess and multitude of them hath so 
 increased in these latter days, that the burden of them was intolerable; whereof 
 St. Augustine in his time complained, that they were grown to such a number, that 
 the estate of Christian people was in worse ease concerning that matter, than were 
 the Jews. And he counselled that such yoke and burden should be taken away, as 
 time would serve quietly to do it. But what would St. Augustine have said, if he 
 had seen the ceremonies of late days used among us ; whereunto the multitude used 
 in his time was not to be compared? This our excessive multitude of ceremonies was 
 so great, and many of them so dark, that they did more confound and darken, than 
 declare and set forth Christ's benefits unto us. And besides this, Christ's Gospel is 
 not a ceremonial law (as much of Moses' law was) but it is a religion to serve God, 
 not in bondage of the figure or shadow, but in the freedom of the spirit; being 
 content only with those ceremonies which do serve to a decent order and godly 
 discipline, and such as be apt to stir up the dull mind of man to the remembrance of 
 his duty to God, by some notable and special signification whereby he might be 
 XXV d 
 
THE ORDER HOW THE PSALTER 
 
 edified. Furthermore, the most weighty cause of the abolishment of certain cere- 
 monies was, that they were so far abused, partly by the superstitious blindness of the 
 rude and unlearned, and partly by the unsatiable avarice of such as sought more 
 their own lucre, than the glory of God, that the abuses could not well be taken away, 
 the thing remaining still. 
 
 But now as concerning those persons, which peradventure will be offended, for 
 that some of the old ceremonies are retained still: If they consider that without 
 some ceremonies it is not possible to keep any order, or quiet discipline in the 
 Church, they shall easily perceive just cause to reform their judgements. And if 
 they think much, that any of the old do remain, and would rather have all devised 
 anew : then such men granting some ceremonies convenient to be had, surely where 
 the old may be well used, there they cannot reasonably reprove the old only for their 
 age, without bewraying of their own folly. For in such a case they ought rather to 
 have reverence unto them for their antiquity, if they will declare themselves to be 
 more studious of unity and concord, than of innovations and new-fangleness, which 
 (as much as may be with true setting forth of Christ's religion) is always to be 
 eschewed. Furthermore, such shall have no just cause with the ceremonies reserved 
 to be offended. For as those be taken away which were most abused, and did bvirden 
 men's consciences without any cause ; so the other that remain, are retained for a 
 discipline and order, which (upon just causes) may be altered and. changed, and 
 therefore are not to be esteemed equal with God's law. And moreover, they be 
 neither dark nor dumb ceremonies, but are so set forth, that every man may understand 
 what they do mean, and to what use they do serve. So that it is not like that they 
 in time to come should be abused as other have been. And in these our doings we 
 condemn no other nations, nor prescribe any thing but to our own people only : for 
 we think it convenient that every country should use such ceremonies as they shall 
 think best to the setting forth of God's honour and glory, and to the reducing of the 
 people to a most perfect and godly living, without error or superstition ; and that 
 they should put away other things, which from time to time they perceive to be most 
 abused, as in men's ordinances it often chanceth diversly in divers countries. 
 
 The Order how the Psalter is appointed to he read. 
 
 THE Psalter shall be read through once every month, as it is there appointed, 
 both for Morning and Evening Prayer. But in February it shall be read only 
 to the twenty-eighth, or twenty-ninth day of the month. 
 
 And, whereas January, March, May, July, August, October, and December have 
 one-and-thirty days apiece; It is ordered, that the same Psalms shall be read the 
 last day of the said months, which were read the day before : so that the Psalter may 
 begin again the first day of the next month ensuing. 
 
 And, whereas the 119th Psalm is divided, into twenty-two portions, and is over- 
 long to be read at one time ; It is so ordered, that at one time shall not be read above 
 four or five of the said portions. 
 
 And at the end of every Psalm, and of every such part of the 119th Psalm, shall 
 be repeated this Hymn, 
 
 Glonj he to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the ho(jinnin(j, is now, and ever shall he ; world icithout end. 
 Amen, 
 
IS APPOINTED TO BE READ. 
 
 Note, that the Psalter foUoweth the division of the Hebrews, and the translation 
 of the great English Bible, set forth and used in the time of King Henry the 
 Eighth, and Edward the Sixth. 
 
 The Order how the rest of holy Scripture is appointed to 
 
 he read. 
 
 THE Old Testament is appointed for the first Lessons at Morning and Evening 
 Prayer ; so as the most part thereof will be read every year once, as in the 
 Calendar is appointed. 
 
 The New Testament is appointed for the second Lessons at Morning and Evening 
 Prayer, and shall be read over orderly every year thrice, besides the Epistles and 
 Gospels ; except the Apocalypse, out of which there are only certain Proper Lessons 
 appointed upon divers Feasts. 
 
 And to know what Lessons shall be read every day, look for the day of the month 
 in the Calendar following, and there ye shall find the chapters that shall be read for 
 the Lessons both at Morning and Evening Prayer ; except only the Moveable Feasts, 
 which are not in the Calendar, and the Immoveable, where there is a blank left in 
 the column of Lessons, the Proper Lessons for all which days are to be found in the 
 Table of Proper Lessons. 
 
 And note, that whensoever Proper Psalms or Lessons are appointed ; then the 
 Psalms and Lessons of ordinary course appointed in the Psalter and Calendar (if 
 they be different) shall be omitted for that time. 
 
 Note also, that the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, appointed for the Smiday shall 
 serve all the week after, where it is not in this Book otherwise ordered. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The Preface is said to have been written by Sanderson, Bishop of Lincoln. It was inserted, by 
 consent of the Convocation, after the review iu 1661. The word rubric, which occurs so frequently, 
 refers to the several directions placed at the head of the services. These directions were formerly 
 printed in red letters ; hence the term rubric. 
 
 ft 
 
 d 2 
 
U PROPER LESSONS 
 
 To be read at Mornincj and Evening Prayer, on the Sundays, and other Holy- 
 days throiKjhoid the Year. 
 
 f LESSONS PROPER FOR SUNDAYS. 
 
 Sunclai/s of 
 Advent. 
 
 1 
 
 •2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 Sundays after 
 Chi-istmas. 
 
 1 ■ 
 
 2 
 
 Sundays after 
 the Epiphany. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 Septuagesima. 
 
 Sexagesima, 
 
 Quinquagesima. 
 
 Sundays in Lent. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Easter Day. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Sundays after 
 Easier. 
 1 
 
 Matti 
 
 Isaiah 
 
 25 
 30 
 
 37 
 41 
 
 44 
 
 - 51 
 
 55 
 
 57 
 
 59 
 
 65 
 
 Genesis 1 
 
 —9 to V. 20 
 
 — 19tow.30 
 
 27 
 
 39 
 
 43 
 
 Exodus 3 
 
 Matth. 26 
 
 Exodus 12 
 Romans 6 
 
 Numb. 16 
 
 23,24 
 
 Deuter. 4 
 
 Evensong. 
 
 Isaiah 
 
 2 
 24 
 26 
 32 
 
 38 
 43 
 
 46 
 53 
 56 
 58 
 64 
 66 
 
 Genesis 2 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 22 
 
 34 
 
 42 
 
 45 
 
 Exodus 5 
 
 10 
 
 Heb, 5 to V. 
 (11 
 
 Exodus 14 
 Acts 2 V. 22 
 
 Numb. 22 
 
 25 
 
 Deuter. 5 
 
 Sundays afier 
 Easier. 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 Sunday after 
 Ascension-day. 
 
 If'h it- Sunday. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Trinity Sunday, 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Sundays after 
 Trinity. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 10 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 25 
 26 
 
 Mattins. 
 Deuter, 6 
 
 12 
 
 («. 18 
 
 Deut. 16 to 
 
 Acts 10 V. 
 
 (34 
 
 Genesis 1 
 Matth. 3 
 
 Joshua 
 Judges 
 1 Sam, 
 
 10 
 4 
 2 
 12 
 15 
 12 
 
 21 
 
 1 Kings 13 
 
 ■ 18 
 
 21 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 19 
 
 5 
 
 35 
 
 2 
 
 14 
 
 20 
 
 3 
 
 2 Sam. 
 
 2 Kings 
 
 Jerem, 
 Ezekiel 
 
 Daniel 
 Joel 
 Habak. 
 Prov, 
 
 Evensong. 
 Deuter. ! 
 
 13 
 
 Isaiah 1 1 
 
 Acts 19to V. 
 
 (21 
 
 Genesis 
 1 John 
 
 Joshua 
 Judges 
 1 Sam. 
 
 2Sa 
 
 2 Kin 
 
 gs 
 
 Jert 
 
 Ezekiel 
 
 Daniel 
 Micali 
 Prov. 
 
 23 
 5 
 3 
 13 
 17 
 19 
 
 24 
 
 1 Kings 17 
 
 19 
 
 22 
 
 9 
 
 18 
 
 23 
 
 22 
 
 36 
 
 13 
 
 18 
 
 24 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 12 
 
 14 
 
 16 
 
 19 
 
f LESSONS PROPER FOR HOLY-DAYS. 
 
 S. Andrew. 
 
 S. Thomas 
 the Apostle. 
 
 Nativity of Christ. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 S. Stephen. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 S. John. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Innocents'' Day, 
 
 Circumcision. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Epiphmiy. 
 
 1 Lesson, 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Conversion of 
 S. Paul. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Purifcution of the 
 Virgin Mary. 
 
 S. Matthias. 
 
 Annunciation of 
 our Lady. 
 
 Wednesday before 
 Easier. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Thursday before 
 Easter. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Good- Friday. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Easier Evrn. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Mattins. 
 Piov. 20 
 
 23 
 
 («. 8 
 
 Isaiah 9 to 
 
 Luke 2 to V. 
 
 (15 
 
 Prov. 28 
 
 Acts 6 v. 8. 
 
 (& </i. 7 to 
 
 (v. 30 
 
 Eccles. 5 
 Revel. 1 
 
 Jer. 31 to V. 
 
 (18 
 
 Genesis 17 
 Romans 2 
 
 Isaiah 60 
 
 Luke 3 to V. 
 
 (23 
 
 Wisdom 5 
 
 Acts 22 to z). 
 
 (22 
 
 Wisdom 9 
 19 
 
 Ecclus. 2 
 
 Hosea 13 
 
 John 1 1 V. 
 
 (45 
 
 Daniel 
 John 
 
 (20 
 Gen. 22 tot'. 
 John 18 
 
 Zechariah 9 
 
 Luke 23 v. 
 
 (50 
 
 Evensong. 
 Piov. 21 
 
 24 
 
 (to V. 17 
 
 Isai. 7 V. 10 
 
 Titus 3 V. 4 
 
 (to V. 9 
 
 Eccles. 4 
 
 Acts 7 v. 30 
 
 (to v. 55 
 
 Eccles. 6 
 Revel. 22 
 
 Wisdom 1 
 
 (12 
 Dent. 10 V. 
 Coloss. 2. 
 
 Isaiah 49 
 
 John 2 to V. 
 
 (12 
 
 Wisdom 6 
 Acts 26 
 
 Wisdom 12 
 Ecclus. 1 
 
 Hosea 14 
 
 Jerem. 3 1 
 
 Isaiah 53 
 1 Peter 2 
 
 Exodus 13 
 Hebrews 4 
 
 Monday in 
 Easier- If'eek. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Tuesday in 
 Easier- iVeek. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 S. Mark. 
 
 S- Philip and 
 
 S. James. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 Ascension-day. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Monday in 
 JVhitsun- Week. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Tuesday in 
 Whit sun- Week. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 S. Barnabas. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 iS. John Baptist. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 S. James. 
 
 S. Bartholomew. 
 
 S. Matthew. 
 
 S. Michael. 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 S. Luke, 
 
 S. Siinon and 
 S. Jude. 
 
 All Saints, 
 
 1 Lesson. 
 
 2 Lesson. 
 
 Mattins. 
 
 Exodus ] 
 Matth. i 
 
 Exodus 20 
 
 Luke 24 to 
 
 (v. 13 
 
 Ecclus. 4 
 
 John 1 V. 43 
 
 Deut. 10 
 
 Luke 24 v. 
 
 (44 
 
 (10 
 Gen. 1 1 to t;. 
 1 Cor. 12 
 
 (18 
 1 Sam. 19«. 
 1 Tliess. 5 V. 
 (12 to V. 24 
 
 Ecclus. 10 
 Acts 14 
 
 Malachi 3 
 Matthew 3 
 
 Ecclus. 15 
 Acts 3 
 
 Ecclus. 21 
 
 24 
 35 
 
 Genesis 32 
 
 Acts 12 to V. 
 
 (20 
 
 Ecclus. 51 
 
 Job 24, 25 
 
 (v. 10 
 
 Wisd. 3 to 
 
 Hebr. 11 v. 
 
 (33 8f ch. 12 
 
 (to V. 7 
 
 Evensong, 
 
 Exodus 17 
 Acts 3 
 
 Exodus 32 
 1 Cor. 15 
 
 Ecclus. 5 
 
 2 Kings 2 
 Eph. 4 to V. 
 
 (17 
 
 (16 to V. 30 
 
 Num. 11 V. 
 
 1 Cor. 14 to 
 
 {v. 26 
 
 Deut. 30 
 
 1 John 4 to 
 
 {v. 14 
 
 Ecclus. 12 
 
 Acts 15 to tJ. 
 
 (36 
 
 Malachi 4 
 
 Matth. 14 to 
 
 (r. 13 
 
 Ecclus. 19 
 Acts 4 
 
 Ecclus. 22 
 
 29 
 
 38 
 
 Dan. 10 I'. 5 
 
 Jude V. 6 to 
 
 {v. 16 
 
 Job 1 
 
 42 
 
 {v. 17 
 Wisd. 5 to 
 Rev. 19 to 
 
 iy. 17 
 
 % PROPER PSALMS ON CERTAIN DAYS. 
 
 Christmas-Day. 
 
 Ash- Wednesday, 
 
 Good- Friday. 
 
 Mattins. 
 19, 45, 85 
 
 6, 32, 38 
 
 22, 40, 54 
 
 Evensong. 
 89, 110, 132 
 
 102,130,143 
 
 69, 88 
 
 Easter-Day. 
 
 Ascension-Day . 
 
 Whil-Sunday, 
 
 Mattins. 
 2, 57, 111 
 
 8, 15, 21 
 
 48, 68 
 
 Evensong. 
 113,114,118 
 
 24, 47, 108 
 
 104, 145 
 
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TABLES AND RULES 
 
 FOU THE M0VEAI5LE AND IMMOVKAULE FEASTS; TOGEl'IIER WITH THE DAYS OF 
 FASriNG AND ABSTINENCE, THROUGH THE WHOLE YEAR. 
 
 RULES to know when the Moveable Feasts avd Holy-days begin. 
 
 T^ A STE R-DA Y (oi\ which the rest depend) is always the First Sunday after the Full Moon 
 -C^ which liappens upon, or next after the Twenty-first Day of March ; and if the Full 
 Moon happens upon a Sunday, Eas/er-Day is the Sunday after. 
 
 Advent-Sunday is always the nearest Sunday to the Feast of Saint Andrew, whether before or 
 after. 
 
 [Nine 
 
 JEifrhtl 
 
 j Seven I 
 
 I Six 
 fFive Weeks 
 Forty Days 
 I Seven Weeks I 
 [Eight Weeks J 
 
 Septuagesima 
 Sexayesirna 
 Qui7iquagesh)in 
 Quadragesima 
 Rogation- Sunday 
 Ascensiun-Day 
 Whit- Sunday 
 Trin ily- Sunday 
 
 Sunday is 
 
 Weeks before Easter. 
 
 after Easter. 
 
 A TABLE of all the Feasts that are to be observed in the Church o/England 
 throughout the Year. 
 
 All Sundays in the Year. 
 
 ^The Circumcision of our Lord JESUS 
 CHRIST. 
 The Epiphany. 
 The Conversion of S. Paul. 
 The Purification of the Blessed Virgin. 
 S. Matihias the Apostle. 
 The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin. 
 S. Mark the Evangelist. 
 S. Philip and S. James the Apostles. 
 Tlie Ascension of our Lord JESUS 
 
 CHRIST. 
 S. Barnabas. 
 ^The Nativity of S. John Baptist. 
 
 Monday and Tuesday in Easier- Week. 
 
 i; 
 
 S. Peler the Apostle. 
 S. James the Apostle. 
 S. Barthd/omew the Apostle. 
 S. Maithew the Apostle. 
 S. Michael and all Angels. 
 S. Luke the Evangelist. 
 S. Simon and S. Jude the Apostles. 
 All Saints. 
 
 S. Andrew the Apostle. 
 S. T/amias the Ajiostle 
 The Nativity ot our Lord. 
 S. Stephen the Martyr. 
 S. Juhn the Evangelist. 
 The Holy Innocents. 
 Monday and Tuesday in ll'hitsun-lf'eek. 
 
 A TABLE of the Vigils, Fasts, and Days of Abstinence, to be observed 
 
 in the Year. 
 
 The Evens 
 
 or Vigils 
 
 before 
 
 The Nativity of our Lord, 
 
 The Purification of the Blessed 
 
 Virgin Mary. 
 The Ainiunciation of the Blessed 
 
 Virgin. 
 Easter- Day. 
 Ascension-Day. 
 Pentecost. 
 S. Matthias. 
 
 The Evens 
 
 or Vigils 
 
 before 
 
 S. John Baptist. 
 
 S. Peter. 
 
 S. James. 
 
 S. Bartholomew. 
 
 S. Matthew. 
 
 S Simon and S. Jude. 
 
 S. Andrew. 
 
 S. Thomas. 
 
 All Saints. 
 
 Note, that if auy of these Feast days fall upon a Monday, then the Vigil or Fast-Day shall be kept upon 
 the Saturday, and not upon the Sunday next before it. 
 
 Days (f Fasting, or Abstinence. 
 I. The Forty Days of Lent. r The First Sunday in Lent. 
 
 II. The Ember- Days at the Four Seasons, being the < The Feast of Pentecost. 
 
 Mednesday, Friday, and Saturday after I Septemlier 14, and Decemher 13. 
 
 III. The Three R'igation-Days. being the Monday, Tuesday, and /Wednesday, before Holy 
 
 Thursday, or the A.icension of our LORD. 
 
 IV. All the Fridays in the Year, except CHRISTMAS-DAY. 
 
 Certain Solemn Days, for which particular Services are appointed. 
 
 I. The Fifth Day of November, being the Day kept in Memory of the Papists' Conspiracy. 
 II. The Thirtieth Day of January, being the Day kept in Memory of the Martyrdom of 
 King Charles the First. 
 
 III. The Nine and twentieth Day of May, being the Day kept in Memory of tlie Birth and 
 
 Return of King Charles the Second. 
 
 IV. The Twentieth Day of June, being the Day on which Her Majesty began her happy 
 
 Reign, 
 
A TABLE TO FIND EASTER-DAY, 
 
 From the prese7it Time till the Year 1899 inclusive, according to the foregoing 
 
 Calendar. 
 
 Golden 
 N umber. 
 
 XIV 
 
 III 
 
 XI 
 
 XIX 
 
 VIII 
 
 XVI 
 
 V 
 
 XIII 
 
 II 
 
 XVIII 
 VII 
 
 XV 
 IV 
 
 XII 
 
 I 
 
 IX 
 
 XVII 
 VI 
 
 Days of the 
 Bionth. 
 
 April 
 
 — 29 
 — 30 
 — 31 
 
 1 
 
 — 2 
 
 — 3 
 
 — 4 
 
 — 5 
 
 — 6 
 
 — 7 
 
 — 8 
 
 — 9 
 — 10 
 
 — II 
 — 12 
 — 13 
 — 14 
 — 15 
 
 — 16 
 
 — 17 
 
 — 18 
 —19 
 —20 
 —21 
 —22 
 
 — 23 
 —24 
 —25 
 
 Sunday 
 Letters. 
 
 c 
 
 D 
 E 
 F 
 G 
 A 
 B 
 C 
 D 
 E 
 F 
 G 
 A 
 B 
 C 
 D 
 E 
 F 
 G 
 A 
 B 
 C 
 D 
 E 
 F 
 G 
 A 
 B 
 C 
 D 
 E 
 F 
 G 
 A 
 B 
 C 
 
 THIS Table contains so much of the Ca- 
 lendar as is necessaiy i'or the deter- 
 mining of Easter; to find which, look for 
 the Golden Number of the Year in the First 
 Column of the Table, against which stands 
 the Day of the Paschal Full Moon ; then look 
 in the Third Column for the Sunday-Letter, 
 next after the Day of the Full Moon, and the 
 Day of the Month standing against that Sun- 
 day Letter is Easter-Day. If the Full Moon 
 happens upon a Sunday, then (according to the 
 First Rule) the next Sunday after is Easter- 
 Day. 
 
 To find the Golden Number, or Prime, add 
 1 to the Year of our Lord, and then divide 
 by 19; the Remainder, if any, is the Golden 
 Number ; but if nothing remaiueth, then 19 
 is the Golden Number. 
 
 To find the Dominical or Sunday Letter, 
 according to the Calendar, until 
 the Year 1799 inclusive, add to the 
 Year of our Lord its Fourth Part, 
 omitting Fractions ; and also the 
 Number 1 : Divide the Suin by 7 ; 
 and if there is no Remainder, then 
 A is the Sunday Letter : But if any 
 Number remaineth. then the Letter 
 standing against that Number in the small 
 annexed Table, is the Sunday Letter. 
 
 For the next Century, that is, from the Year 
 1800 till the Year 1899 inclusive, add to the 
 current Year only its Fourth Part, and then 
 divide by 7, and proceed as in the last Rule. 
 
 Note, that in all Bissextile or Leap Years, 
 the Letter found as above will be the Sunday 
 Letter, from the intercalated Day exclusive to 
 the End of the Year. 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 1 
 
 G 
 
 2 
 
 F 
 
 3 
 
 E 
 
 4 
 
 1) 
 
 h 
 
 C 
 
 6 
 
 B 
 
ANOTHER TABLE TO FIND EASTER 
 
 Till the Year 1899 inclusive. 
 
 Golden 
 Number. 
 
 SUNDAY LETTERS. 
 
 I 
 
 April 16 
 
 II 
 
 April 9 
 
 III 
 
 March 26 
 
 IV 
 
 April 16 
 
 V 
 
 April 2 
 
 VI 
 
 April 23 
 
 VII 
 
 April 9 
 
 VIII 
 
 April 2 
 
 IX 
 
 April 16 
 
 X 
 
 April 9 
 
 XI 
 
 March 26 
 
 XII 
 
 April 16 
 
 XIII 
 
 April 2 
 
 XIV 
 
 March 26 
 
 XV 
 
 April 16 
 
 XVI 
 
 April 2 
 
 XVII 
 
 April 23 
 
 XVIII 
 
 April 9 
 
 XIX 
 
 April 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 17 
 
 11 
 
 - 3 
 
 4 
 
 -24 
 
 25 
 
 -10 
 
 11 
 
 - 3 
 
 Mar.28 
 
 -17 
 
 18 
 
 -10 
 
 11 
 
 -27 
 
 28 
 
 -17 
 
 18 
 
 - 3 
 
 4 
 
 -27 
 
 28 
 
 -10 
 
 11 
 
 - 3 
 
 4 
 
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 18 
 
 -10 
 
 11 
 
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 19 
 5 
 
 29 
 12 
 
 5 
 
 19 
 12 
 29 
 19 
 
 5 
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 19 
 
 5 
 22 
 12 
 
 5 
 19 
 12 
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 20 
 
 6 
 
 23 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 20 
 
 13 
 
 30 
 
 20 
 
 6 
 
 30 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 23 
 
 13 
 
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 20 
 
 13 
 
 30 
 
 14 
 
 24 
 
 14 
 
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 21 
 
 14 
 
 31 
 
 21 
 
 31 
 
 14 
 
 7 
 
 24 
 
 14 
 
 31 
 
 21 
 
 31 
 
 -15 
 
 15 
 
 April 1 
 22 
 
 8 
 
 April 1 
 22 
 
 8 
 
 25 
 
 15 
 
 8 
 
 25 
 
 15 
 
 April 1 
 22 
 
 8 
 
 April 1 
 
 TO make use of the preceding Table, find the Sunday Letter for the Year in the 
 uppermost Line, and the Golden Number, or Prime, in the Column of Golden 
 Numbers, and against the Prime, in the same Line under the Sunday Letter, you have 
 the Day of the Month on which Easter falleth that Year. But note, that the Name of 
 the Month is set on the Lett Hand, or just with the Figure, and foUoweth not, as in other 
 Tables, by Descent, but Collateral. 
 
 XXXVl 
 
A TABLE OF THE MOVEABLE FEASTS 
 
 FOR FIFTY-TWO YEARS, 
 According to the foregoing Calendar. 
 
 The 
 Year of 
 
 our 
 LORD. 
 
 Septua- 
 gesima 
 Sunday. 
 
 The 
 
 
 
 First Day 
 
 Easter- 
 
 Rogatiou 
 
 of 
 
 Day. 
 
 Sunday. 
 
 Lent. 
 
 
 
 Ascension- 
 Day. 
 
 Whit- 
 Sunday. 
 
 Advent 
 Sunday. 
 
A TABLE of the MOVEABLE FEASTS according to the several 
 Days that Easter can possibly fall upon. 
 
 Advent 
 Sunday. 
 
 Note, that in a Bissextile or Leap Year, the Number of Sundays 
 after Epiphany will be the same, as if Easter-Day had fallen 
 One Day later than it really does. And for the same Reason, 
 One Day must, in every Leap Year, be added to the Day of the 
 Month given by the Table for Septuagesima Sunday : And the 
 like must be done for the First Day of Lent (commonly called 
 Ash- Wednesday') unless the Table gives some Day in the Month 
 of March for it ; for in that Case, the Day given by the Table 
 is the right Day. 
 
 TABLE to find Easter, 
 from the Year 1900 
 to 2199 inclusive. 
 
 THE Golden Numbers 
 in the foregoing 
 Calendar will point out 
 the Days of the Paschal 
 Full Moons, till tlie Year 
 ot'our Lord 1900; atwhich 
 Time, in order that the 
 Ecclesiastical Full Moons 
 I may fall nearly on the 
 j same Days with the real 
 I Full Moons, the Golden 
 Numbers must be removed 
 to different Days of the 
 Calendar, as is done in 
 the annexed Table, which 
 contains so much of the 
 Calendar then to be used, 
 as is necessary for finding 
 the Paschal Full Moons, 
 and the Feast of Easter, 
 from the Year 1900, to the 
 Year 'J199 inclusive. This 
 Table is to be made use of, 
 in all respects, as the First 
 Table before inserted, for 
 finding Easter till the Year 
 1899. 
 
GENERAL TABLES 
 
 For finding the Dominical or Sunday Letter, and the Places of the Golden 
 
 Numbers in the Calendar. 
 
 TABLE I. 
 
 TABLE IL 
 
 6 
 
 ^ 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 9, 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Years uf our 
 
 
 
 Years of our 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lord. 
 
 
 
 Lord. 
 
 
 B 
 
 C 
 
 D 
 
 E 
 
 F 
 
 G 
 
 A 
 
 B 
 
 1600 
 1700 
 1800 
 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 B 
 
 5200 
 5300 
 5400 
 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1600 
 
 1700 
 
 1800 
 
 B 
 
 1900 
 2000 
 2100 
 
 2 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 B 
 
 5500 
 5600 
 5700 
 
 17 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1900 
 
 9,100 
 
 '^''00 
 
 2300 
 
 '?500 
 
 '600 
 
 2700 
 
 
 2200 
 
 3 
 
 
 5800 
 
 18 
 
 2000 
 
 
 
 2400 
 
 
 
 2800 
 
 B 
 
 2300 
 2400 
 
 25110 
 
 4 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 B 
 
 5900 
 6000 
 6100 
 
 19 
 19 
 19 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2900 3000 
 
 310(1 
 
 3300 
 
 3400 
 
 31)00 
 
 3700 
 
 
 2600 
 
 5 
 
 
 6200 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 3'iOO 
 
 
 
 3b00 
 
 
 B 
 
 2700 
 2800 
 2900 
 
 5 
 5 
 6 
 
 B 
 
 6300 
 6400 
 6500 
 
 21 
 20 
 21 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3800 
 
 3900 
 4000 
 
 4100 
 
 4200 
 
 4300 
 4400 
 
 4500 
 
 1600 
 
 B 
 
 3000 
 3100 
 3200 
 3300 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 B 
 
 6600 
 6700 
 6800 
 6900 
 
 22 
 23 
 22 
 23 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4700 
 
 4900 
 
 5000 
 
 5100 
 
 5300 
 
 5400 
 
 5500 
 
 
 3-100 
 
 8 
 
 
 7000 
 
 24 
 
 4800 
 
 
 
 :)200 
 
 
 
 5600 
 
 B 
 
 3500 
 3600 
 3700 
 
 9 
 
 8 
 9 
 
 B 
 
 7100 
 7200 
 7300 
 
 24 
 
 24 
 25 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5700 
 
 5800 
 
 5900 
 fiOOO 
 
 6100 
 
 6200 
 
 t.300 
 6400 
 
 6500 
 
 B 
 
 3800 
 3900 
 4000 
 4100 
 
 10 
 10 
 10 
 11 
 
 B 
 
 7400 
 7500 
 7600 
 7700 
 
 25 
 26 
 26 
 26 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6600 
 
 6/00 
 6800 
 
 6900 
 
 7000 
 
 /lOO 
 7200 
 
 7300 
 
 7-JOO 
 
 B 
 
 4200 
 4300 
 4400 
 4500 
 
 12 
 12 
 12 
 13 
 
 B 
 
 7800 
 7900 
 8000 
 8100 
 
 27 
 23 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7500 
 7600 
 
 7700 
 
 7800 
 
 7900 
 8000 
 
 8100 
 
 8200 
 
 S3 00 
 8400 
 
 B 
 
 4600 
 4700 
 4800 
 
 13 
 14 
 14 
 
 B 
 
 8200 
 8300 
 8400 
 
 29 
 29 
 29 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4900 
 
 14 
 
 
 8500 
 
 
 
 8500 &c. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5000 
 5100 
 
 15 
 16 
 
 
 &c. 
 
 
 rpO find the Dominical or Sunday 
 
 X Letter tor any given Year of 
 
 1 
 
 rpc 
 
 ) find the Month and Days of the Month to 
 which the Golden Numbers ouijbt to be pre- 
 
 fixed in the Calendar, in any given Year of our 
 Lord, consisting of entire Hundred Years, and in 
 all the intermediate Years betwixt that and the 
 
 our Lord, add to the Year its Fourth 
 
 Part, omitting Fractions, and also 
 
 the Number, which in Table I. 
 
 next Hundredth Year following, look in the Second 
 Column of Table II. for the given Year consisting 
 
 standeth at the Top of the Column, 
 
 wherein the Number ot Hundreds 
 
 of entire Hundreds, and Note the Number or 
 
 contained in that given Year is 
 
 Cypher which stands against it in the Third 
 Column ; then, in Table III., look for the same 
 
 found: Divide the Sum by 7, and if 
 
 there is no Remainder, then A is the 
 
 Number in the Column under any given Golden 
 
 Sunday Letter ; but it any Number 
 
 Number, which when you have i'tiund, guide your 
 Eye Side-ways to the Left Hand, and in the First 
 C;olumn vou will find the Month and Day to which 
 
 remaineth, then the Letter, which 
 
 standeth under that Number at the 
 
 Top of the Table, is the Sunday 
 
 that Golden Number ought to be prefixed in the 
 
 Letter. 
 
 Calendar during that Period of One Hundred Years. 
 
 
 The Letter B prefixed to certain Hundredth 
 
 
 Years in Table 11. denotes those Years which are 
 still to be accounted Bissextile or Leap-Years in the 
 
 
 
 New Calendar ; whereas all the other Hundredth 
 
 
 Years are to be accounted ordy common Years. 
 
TABLE III. 
 
 Pasclnil Full 
 Moon. 
 
 5 % 
 
 THE GOLDEN NUM15E11S. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 
 March 21 
 March 22 
 March 23 
 March 24 
 March 25 
 
 c 
 
 D 
 E 
 F 
 G 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 25 
 26 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 14 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 18 
 
 25 
 
 26 
 27 
 28 
 29 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 9 
 10 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 
 20 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 5 
 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 16 
 
 23 
 24 
 
 25 
 26 
 27 
 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 8 
 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 18 
 19 
 
 26 
 27 
 28 
 29 
 
 
 March 26 
 March 27 
 March 28 
 March 29 
 March 30 
 
 A 
 B 
 C 
 D 
 
 E 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 
 24 
 25 
 26 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 8 
 9 
 
 16 
 17 
 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 9 
 
 10 
 11 
 12 
 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 25 
 26 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 25 
 26 
 
 27 
 28 
 29 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 17 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 
 20 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 5 
 
 March 31 
 April 1 
 April 2 
 April 3 
 April 4 
 
 F 
 G 
 A 
 B 
 C 
 
 18 
 19 
 
 "22 
 
 29 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 18 
 19 
 
 21 
 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 25 
 
 26 
 27 
 28 
 29 
 
 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 
 22 
 
 24 
 25 
 26 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 3 
 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 8 
 9 
 
 10 
 11 
 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 
 16 
 
 17 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 
 21 
 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 25 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 
 24 
 
 25 
 26 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 8 
 9 
 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 
 16 
 17 
 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 25 
 26 
 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 14 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 
 22 
 23 
 
 25 
 
 26 
 27 
 28 
 29 
 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 
 6 
 7 
 8 
 9 
 10 
 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 
 April 5 
 April 6 
 April 7 
 April 8 
 April 9 
 
 D 
 E 
 F 
 G 
 A 
 
 23 
 
 24 
 25 
 26 
 
 27 
 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 8 
 
 April 10 
 April 11 
 April 12 
 April 13 
 April 14 
 
 B 
 C 
 D 
 
 E 
 F 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 9 
 10 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 
 20 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 5 
 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 16 
 
 23 
 24 
 25 
 26 
 27 
 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 8 
 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 
 18 
 19 
 
 26 
 27 
 28 
 29 
 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 22 
 
 29 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 
 10 
 U 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 25 
 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 
 24 
 25 
 
 26 
 
 27 
 28 
 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 8 
 9 
 
 16 
 17 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 
 April 15 
 April 16 
 April 17 
 April 17 
 April 18 
 
 G 
 A 
 B 
 B 
 C 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 16 
 
 17 
 
 25 
 26 
 27 
 
 28 
 
 6 
 7 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 19 
 
 20 
 
 28 
 
 29 
 
 
 1 
 
 9 
 10 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 20 
 21 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 23 
 24 
 25 
 
 26 
 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 18 
 
 26 
 27 
 
 28 
 29 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 
 29 
 
 
 1 
 2 
 
 10 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 
 April 18 
 
 C 
 
 7 
 
 18 
 
 29 
 
 10 
 
 21 
 
 2 
 
 13 24 
 
 5 
 
 16 
 
 27 
 
 8 
 
 19 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 22 
 
 3 
 
 14 
 
 25 
 
 % The ORDER for MORNING and EVENING PRAYER daily to be 
 said and used throughout the Year. 
 
 f 1 ^HE Morning and Evening Prayer shall be used in the accustomed Place 
 -*- of the Church, Chapel, or Chancel ; except it shall be otherwise deter- 
 mined by the Ordinary of the Place. And the Chancels shall remain as they 
 have done in times past. 
 
 And here is to be noted, that such Ornaments of the Church, and of the 
 Ministers thereof, at all Times of their Ministration, shall be retained, and be 
 in use, as were in this Church of England, by the Authority of Parliament, in 
 the Second Year of the Reign of King Edxoard the Sixth. 
 
 xl 
 
THE ORDER FOR 
 
 MORNING PRAYER 
 
 DAILY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 
 
 m 
 
 ^ At the beginning of Morning Prayer the Minister shall read with a loud 
 voice some one or more of these Sentences of the Scriptures that follow. 
 And thin he shall say that which is written after the said Setitences. 
 
 HEN the wicked man tiirneth 
 :} away from his wickedness that 
 he hath committed, and doeth 
 ii that which is lawfnl and right, 
 he shall save his soul alive. 
 Ezek. xviii. 27. 
 
 I acknowledge my transgres- 
 sions, and my sin is ever before me. Psal. li. 3. 
 
 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine 
 iniquities. Psal. li. 9. 
 
 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit ; a 
 broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not 
 despise. Psal. li. 17. 
 
 " When the wicked man," S;c. — The Liturgy, originally published by King Edward 
 began with the Lord's PraA-er. It was found, however, thai some introduction was 
 1 B 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto 
 the Lord your God : for he is gracious and merciful, slow 
 to anger, and of great kindness, and rcpenteth him of the 
 evil. Joel ii. 13. 
 
 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, 
 though we have rebelled aorainst him : neither have we 
 obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws 
 which he set before us. Dan. ix. 9, 10. 
 
 Lord, correct me, but with judgement ; not in thine 
 anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Je7\ x. 24. Psal. vi. 1. 
 
 Repent ye ; for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. 
 St. Maltli. iii. 2. 
 
 1 will arise, and go to my father, and will say unto him. 
 Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and 
 am no more worthy to be called thy son. Si. Luke xv. 18, 19. 
 
 Enter not into judgement with thy servant, O Lord ; for 
 in thy sight shall no man living be justified. Psal. cxliii. 2. 
 
 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and 
 the truth is not in us : but, if we confess our sins, he is 
 faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us 
 from all unrighteousness. 1 St. John i. 8, 9. 
 
 EARLY beloved brethren, the Scrip- 
 ture moveth us in sundry places to 
 acknowledge and confess our manifold 
 sins and wickedness ; and that we 
 should not dissemble nor cloke them 
 before the face of Almighty God our 
 ;>-; heavenly Father ; but confess them 
 with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart ; to 
 
 needed to the solemn exercise of devotion ; and that an appearance of irreverence attended the sudden 
 and unprepared commencement of supplication. The method employed to supply this deficiency was 
 the wisest tliat could have been adopted. Prayer owes its efficacy to the grace and mercy of God. It 
 must spring from a penitent, believing, and loving spirit. Revelation alone can give us assurance in 
 the one case, or exhort with sufficient authority as to the other. From the Book of God, therefore, we 
 are first addressed when we enter the house of prayer to seek peace and happiness through the Saviour. 
 The sentences are so selected, that we have the testimony of G(>d"s spirit, heard in a long series of ages, 
 and under the old as well as the new dispensation, to the glorious truth, that he desireth not the death 
 of a sinner, but that he may repent and live. 
 
 " Dearly beloved brethren,^' Sfc. — As the foregoing sentences, so also were tlie exhortation, the confes- 
 sion, and the absolution, added to the original Liturgy, in the second book published by authority of 
 
 2 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by 
 his infinite goodness and mercy. And although we ought 
 at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before God ; 
 yet ought we most chiefly so to do, when we assemble and 
 meet together to render thanks for the great benefits that 
 we have received at his hands, to set forth his most 
 worthy praise, to hear his most holy Word, and to ask 
 those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for 
 the body as the soul. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, 
 as many as are here present, to accompany me with a 
 pure heart, and humble voice, unto the throne of the 
 heavenly grace, saying after me ; 
 
 % A general Confession to be said of the whole Congregation after the Minister, all 
 
 kneeling. 
 
 ?^^Oii^ 
 
 '"V-v ,, 
 
 LMIGHTY and most merciful Fa- 
 ther ; We have erred, and strayed 
 from thy ways like lost sheep. We 
 have followed too much the devices 
 and desires of our own hearts. We 
 have offended against thy holy laws. 
 We have left undone those things 
 which we ought to have done ; And 
 we have done those things which we ought not to 
 ;/ have done ; And there is no health in us. But thou, 
 "^'O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. 
 " Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults. 
 Restore thou them that are penitent ; According to 
 thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu 
 our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for 
 his sake ; That we may hereafter live a godly, righte- 
 ous, and sober life. To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen. 
 
 Edward VI., in the year 1552. The simple and affectionate language in which the minister liere 
 addresses the congregation, closelj^ harmonizes with the Scriptural tone of the whole service. His ex- 
 hortation arises naturally out of the passages of Scripture just repeated. It is, indeed, but an unfolding 
 of their application to every attentive ear and humhle heart. 
 
 " Almighty and most merciful.'' S\~c. — This is a general confession, made not in private to the minis- 
 ter, but by the wiiole congregation, and by the minister himself as well as by the people. Confession 
 of sins formed a material part of the service in the primitive church ; and it is somewhat remarkable 
 
 3 B -2 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 % The Absolution, or Remission of sins, to be pronniwced by the Priest alone, standing ; 
 
 the pfople still kneeling. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, tlie Father of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not tlie 
 death of a sinner, but rather that he 
 may turn from his wickedness, and 
 live ; and hath given power and com- 
 mandment, to his Ministers, to declare 
 and pronounce to his people, being 
 penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins : He 
 pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent, and 
 
 that provision was not made for it in tlie first book published bj' King Edward. We may, however, 
 account for its omission from the circumstance, that at the time when the English Liturgy was first 
 published, private confession had not fallm altogether into disuse. The opinions of the reformers had 
 yet to be settled on some points connected with the nature of confession and the absolving power of the 
 priest. Clearer views were possessed when they came to revise their work; and it was then determined, 
 that it would be most accordant to ancient practice, and to the nature of public worship, to begin with 
 an open and general confession. It has been doubted by some learned men whether the first confession 
 in the morning service of ancient times was made by the congregation silently to themselves, or 
 aloud. The confession, spoken of as a later part of the service, consisted of the fifty-first psalm ; 
 called, therefore, the psalm of confession. We may hence infer, that confession of sins was considered, 
 in early times, not only a proper introduction, but a most becoming conclusion to congregational 
 worship. 
 
 The form adopted is so simple and yet so earnest, that it would be difficult to imagine any state of 
 mind in which it might not be adopted. Afflicted in heart, broken in spirit, the humblest sinner can 
 feel that if, in sincerity, he thus acknowledges his guilt, thus confesses his utter depai-ture from the 
 ways of holiness, he has declared what his conscience would most urge him to express. Tire happier 
 worshippers, on the other hand, who come to the house of prayer less in the spirit of fear than of love, 
 will willingly adopt every sentence of this confession ; for tlie remembrance of their past lives fur- 
 nishes them with numberless reasons for acknowledging that they have erred and strayed from God's 
 ways like lost sheep, and their humble sense of present infirmities, of their entire dependence on 
 divine grace for help convinces them, that without the presence of the Sanctificator, there is no health 
 in them. 
 
 The practice of public confession is as old as the establishment of the Levitical law. On the great 
 day of expiation, the high priest of the Jews declared, in a threefold confession, his own sins, the sins 
 of his family, and of the people in general. The solemn announcement, that without shedding of 
 blood there is no remission, was considered, under the old dispensation, as almost equally applicable 
 to the duty of confession. No sinner, it was taught, might hope for pardon till he freely acknowledged 
 his transgression. ' He that covereth his sins,' says the holy Spirit, ' shall not prosper ; but whoso 
 coiifesseth, and forsaketh them, shall have mercy.' Prov. xxviii. 13. In the Gospel confession is one 
 of the chief evidences of that grace of humility, without which no one can enter the kingdom of heaven. 
 ' If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins," is the motto written over every 
 altar of his temple. 
 
 " Almighty God," S^-c. — As there is much beauty and consistency in the arrangement of the service, 
 the congregation should carefully attend to the directions of the Rubric. Thus, as in the confession, 
 the minister, as well as the people, bowed himself in humble reverence before God ; so in pronouncing 
 the absolution he stands up, as representing the authority by which alone he acts. That a true and 
 earnest penitence should be followed by forgiveness was the comforting assurance on which the Gospel 
 fixed its just claim to the gratitude of fallen man. The declaration of this principle, of this rule, by 
 which divine love and divine justice were henceforth to act in harmony, gave the whole system of 
 Christianity its title to be called good tidings; the revelation of peace and glory. 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 iinfeignedly believe his holy Gospel. Wherefore let us 
 beseech him to grant us true repentance, and his holy 
 Spirit, that those things may please him, which we do at 
 this present ; and that the rest of our life hereafter may 
 be pure, and holy ; so that at the last we may come to his 
 eternal joy ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 % The people shall anstcer here, and at the end of all other prayers. Amen. 
 
 *\\ Then the Minister shall kneel, and say the Lord's Prayer with an audible voice ; the 
 people also kneeling, and repeating it with him, both here, and wheresoever else it 
 is used in Divine Service. 
 
 Under the Mosaic dispensation the declaration of forgiveness followed the offering up of the sacrifice, 
 according to the requirements of the law. But as no sacrifice could be slain, except in the temple and 
 by the priest, it was through him alone that the people received the judicial sentence of pardon and 
 peace. Jesus Christ bestowed an authority upon his ministers at least equal to that conferred upon 
 tlie ministers of the old covenant. In both cases trusts were committed to the charge of the priest 
 which he was to administer vicarially, that is, not in his own name, but in the name of the Lord. In 
 the one case, justification through the sufficiency of the sacrificial type was pronounced ; in the other, 
 justification through the merits of Christ. The priest received the sole right of declaring that God 
 completed the act of mercy by forgiveness and benediction, when the penitent had sought him in this 
 appointed way of grace. But in neither instance could the absolution be otherwise than declaratory 
 and vicarious. It wholly depended upon the efficacy of the appointed sacrifice. The minister owed 
 his authority to the same power as that which gave efficacy to the sacrifice, and instituted the means of 
 grace. Our reformers, therefore, took for their guide the analogy of faith when they drew up the 
 above form of absolution. As following immediately the announcements of Scripture, and the open 
 confession of sins, it supposes the faith and penitence of the assembled people. On this ground they 
 are declared to be pardoned according to Gods will, and the grace of the Gospel. The condition 
 not fulfilled, true repentance and faith being wanting, the absolution is not applicable to their case, 
 and they remain, as before it was pronounced, unpardoned and unreconciled. ' The sins,' it was 
 said of old, ' that are committed against God, he alone hath power to forgive wliich took upon him 
 our sins ; even he who sorrowed and suffered for us ; he whom the Father delivered unto death for our 
 offences.' 
 
 " Ame7i.''' — The word Amen was frequently employed by our Saviour to introduce the most solemn 
 of his declarations. In these cases it intimates not only the truth, but the importance of the matter 
 communicated. Its original meaning in Hebrew, whence it was adopted into the Greek and other 
 languages, is true or faithful. Tims in tlie original of Isaiah Ixv. 16, the Almighty is called the God 
 Amen ; in English the God of truth. In Revelations iii. 14, the word is applied to Christ, ' These 
 things saith the Amen ; the faithful and true Witness.' In 2 Cor. i. 20, we have, ' All the promises 
 of God, in him are 2/ea and in him Amen.'' The general use of this word in the first Christian assem- 
 blies is shown by the question of St. Paul, ' How shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say 
 Amen, at tliy giving of thanks ? ' Among the Jews it had been used in giving a solemn assent to the 
 aiijuration of a judge; ' We adjure thee by the Lord God of Israel, (hat tliou hast nothing of this 
 mans in thy hand; and he answered, Amen T It was also the most weighty confirmation of a vow ; 
 ' Whosoever vowed any holy thing, and bound it up with Amen, was tied thereby." Lightfoot observes 
 that in the Old Testament it is only used to express a wish, or a prayer; but that our Saviour employed 
 it in the way of assertion. It may be conjectured, therefore, that the latter use of it had sprung up 
 among the Jews since the writing of the Old Testament scriptures. In our Liturgy it is employed in 
 both senses ; for when the people say Amen at the end of a prayer, it expresses their earnest desire that 
 the supplication may be answered ; and when at the end of a creed, it is an acknowledgment of their 
 belief in the several doctrines which it propounds. The early Christians pronounced this word with 
 great earnestness and devotion. ' They raised tliemselves as they uttered it,' says one of tlie Fathers, 
 ' as if they desired that that word should carry up their bodies, as well as their souls, to heaven :" a 
 strange contrast to the cold and negligent manner in which the word, so full of meaning and interest, 
 is heard in some of our congregations. 
 
 5 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 UR Fatlicr, which art in Iieaven, 
 Hallowed be thy Name. Thy 
 kingdom come. Thy will be 
 done in earth, As it is in heaven. 
 Give us this day our daily bread. 
 And forgive us our trespasses, 
 As we forgive them that trespass 
 against us. And lead us not into 
 temptation ; But deliver us from 
 
 evil : For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory. 
 
 For ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then liketvise he shall say, 
 
 O Lord, open thou our lips. 
 
 Answer. And our mouth shall show forth thy praise. 
 
 Pj'iest. O God, make speed to save us. 
 
 Answer. O Lord, make haste to help us. 
 
 ^ Hei'e all standing up, the Priest shall say. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost ; 
 
 " Our Father,^' Sfc. — This sacred and venerable form of words has been used by Christians in every 
 age as that under which they could best express and sum up whatever petitions they would present at 
 the throne of grace. Passages occur in the writings of the Fathers which prove that it was consi- 
 dered not simply in the light of a pattern for prayer in general, but as a prayer perfect in itself. 
 St. Chrysostom, it is remarked, has in a certain portion of his works repeated more than twenty 
 times that the Lord's Prayer was a common form in use among the Christians of his age, as by the 
 express command of Christ. No office was used in the ancient church into which it did not enter, 
 and it was regarded as the foundation of all other prayers. It entered into the daily and ordinary 
 services of the church, and was considered a necessary part of the prayers of God's people whenever, 
 or wherever assembled together, and when apart from each other they offered up their supplications in 
 solitude. 
 
 " Lord, opeti thou our lips." — There is a peculiar beauty and propriety in the introduction of these 
 short supplications at this part of the service. The confession has freed the burdened conscience ; the 
 declaration of the divine mercy in the absolution has ins))ired the heart with new hopes ; and in the 
 Lord's Prayer it has appealed to the throne of grace with the mingled feelings of penitence and love, 
 the result of filial faith. We desire now that the Lord would enable us to praise him in the language 
 of holy gratitude, and that he would hasten to complete lor us the salvation of wliicli we have thus 
 begun to taste the fruits. 
 
 " Glorif be to," i^~c. — In the Ancient Church the people were directed, by turns, to kneel, stand, or 
 prostrate themselves, and this not only as the service varied, but according to the day or the season. 
 Thus, in the performance of worship on the Sabbath, and between Easter and Whitsuntide, it was the 
 rule to stand, as in remembrance of the resurrection. Our own Liturgy requires us to use this variety 
 of posture, in conformity with the sentiment so early expressed, that we ought in our prayers to remem- 
 ber both our fall and our restoration. We rise, tlierefore, at this part of the service. The soul rejoices 
 in God ; and, quickened by the grace wiiich has been sought, gives glory to tlie Father, the Son, and 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Great importance was attached, in the Ancient Church, to this form of praise. The doxologies used 
 at first were addressed to the whole Trinity, or to the several persons of tlie Trinity, according to the 
 particular nature of tlie prayers in which they were introduced. The earliest known was the former 
 
 6 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Answer. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever 
 shall be : world without end. Amen. 
 Priest. Praise ye the Lord. 
 Answer. The Lord's Name be praised. 
 
 % Then shall be said or sung this PsaJni following : except on Easter-Day, upon which 
 another Anthem is appointed ; and on the Nineteenth day of every Month it is not 
 to be read here, but in the ordinary Course of the Psalms. 
 
 Venite, exultemus Domino. Psal. xcv. 
 
 COME, let us sing unto the Lord: let 
 us heartily rejoice in the strength of 
 our salvation. 
 
 Let us come before his presence with 
 thanksgiving : and show ourselves glad 
 in him with Psalms. 
 
 For the Lord is a great God : and a 
 great King above all gods. 
 
 Li his hand are all the corners of the earth : and the 
 strength of the hills is his also. 
 
 The sea is his, and he made it : and his hands prepared 
 the dry land. 
 
 part of that now in use ; the latter clause, or the response, having been first employed, it is said, during 
 the great Arian controversy of the fourth century. It was then also seen that considerable danger 
 attended the use of some of the doxologies employed at that time. The church, therefore, universally 
 adopted the one inserted in our Liturgy : and it has ever since been regarded not only as a noble ex- 
 pression of praise, but as a confession of belief in the foundation-doctrine of revealed religion. It was 
 formerly called the lesser doxologi/, to distinguish it from that in the Communion Service, entitled the 
 Great Doxology, or the Hymn of the Angels, and the use of which is now confined to particular 
 occasions. 
 
 " Praise ye the Lord" — is the ancient hallelujah. The response was added at the last revisal of the 
 Liturgy. 
 
 " O come, let us sing.'' — We have the testimony of the Fathers both of the Greek and Latin 
 Churches to the general use of this psalm in the services of the Sunday and festival days. It was 
 formerly known by the title of the Invitatory Psalm, and is said to have been sung very loud, that the 
 people who were lingering outside the church might be warned against delaying any longer to enter. 
 Many commentators suppose that it was used at the removal of the ark, and all agree that it referred 
 especially to the times of the Messiah. St. Paul has taught us that, while it instructs us to glorify 
 God in the language of the spirit, it conveys a warning of the most solemn kind. He is the Lord our 
 God ; but harden not your hearts, as in the day of provocation, is an exhortation full of wisdom and 
 of love. 
 
 The constant use of this psalm, as introductory to those of the day, is justified by its general and 
 hortatory character. It is a noble prelude, the customary notes of which awaken in the hearts of 
 attentive worshippers all those emotions which give force and meaning to divine psalmody. The 
 singing or repetition of psalms formed a principal part of ancient worship, and generally preceded 
 the reading of the Scriptures. St. Augustine alludes especially to the Ninety-fifth Psalm, and says 
 that it was read after the Epistle, and was immediately followed by the Gospel of the day; but it 
 was not particularly appointed for this purpose, the Psalms in general, it is stated, being intermixed 
 with the reading of the Lessons, so as to afford a refreshing and profitable variety to the minds of the 
 people. 
 
 7 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 O come, let us worship, and fall down : and kneel be- 
 fore the Lord our Maker. 
 
 For he is the Lord our God : and we are the people 
 of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. 
 
 To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts : 
 as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in 
 the wilderness ; 
 
 When your fathers tempted me : proved me, and saw 
 my works. 
 
 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, 
 and said : It is a people that do err in their hearts, for 
 they have not known my ways. 
 
 Unto whom I sware in my wrath : that they should 
 not enter into my rest. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 5[ Then shall follnw the Psalms in order as they are appointed. And at the end of 
 every Psalm throughout the Year, and likewhe at the end of Benedicite, Bene- 
 dictus, Magnificat, and Nunc dimittis, shall be repeated, 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost ; 
 
 Answer. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever 
 shall be : world without end. Amen. 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 % Then shall be read distinctly with an audible voice, the First Lesson taken out nj the 
 Old Testament, as is appointed in the Calendar, (except there be proper Lessons 
 assigned for that day :) He that readeth so standing, and turning himself, as he may 
 best be heard of all such as are present. And after that shall be said or sung in 
 English, the Hymn called, Te Deum Laudainus, daily tliroughout the year. 
 
 \ Note, That before every Lesson the Minister shall say. Here be2:inneth such a Chapter, 
 or Verse of such a Chapter of such a Book : And after every Lesson, Here endeth the 
 First, or the Second Lesson. 
 
 Te Deum Laudamus. 
 
 ■^£ 
 
 rV i /[fai«^^,^..^^^^Mt — '/s^fT^ '^1ge<^-^~ "(Rp E praise 
 
 ^ thee, O 
 
 God : we 
 
 ) 
 
 acknow- 
 iedffe thee 
 
 (^rs ,f>j|// " ^ to be the 
 J Lord. 
 x4.ll the earth doth worship 
 thee: the Father everlasting. 
 
 To thee all Angels cry aloud - 
 the Heavens, and all the Powers 
 therein. 
 To thee Cherubin, and Seraphin : continually do cry. 
 Holy, Holy, Holy : Lord God of Sabaoth ; 
 Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty: of thy Glory. 
 
 " TTiefi shall be readf 8^c. — The wisdom and piety of the Protestant Reformers were eminently 
 shown in their directions respecting the Scriptures. They desired that the doctrine which they 
 preached miglit be submitted to the test of heavenly truth; that the institutions which rose 
 under tlieir auspices might obtain permanency only as they appeared sanctioned by the Word 
 of God. In every Protestant church, therefore, the reading of Scripture becomes a broad and 
 essential characteristic of its services. To secure to the people at large the benefit of divine 
 teaching the Bible must be read publicly, and it must be read, not according to the will of 
 individuals, or partially, but by such a rule that the whole scheme of God's providence and the 
 plan of salvation shall be laid before mankind in the language of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 " lie praise thee,'' Sfc.~lt is a general tradition, that this beautiful hymn was composed by 
 St. Ambrose and St. Augustine. Tlie latter of these eminent fathers, after having been long 
 bewildered by the errors of Maniclieism, took up his abode at Milan, of which city the venerable 
 Ambrose was then bishop. Moved by his preaching, and at length converted by his powerful 
 arguments, Augustine sought baptism at his hands. Some writers report that this hymn was 
 the spontaneous effusion of these holy men as they were proceeding in solemn procession to the 
 font. Such a statement has nothing incredible in it. The ideas and language of the hymn must 
 have been familiar to the minds of all devout believers in those days, and it was no unusual thing 
 for the more distinguished ministers of the church to allow tlieir thoughts to assume the lofty 
 language here employed. But there are stronger objections to the credit of the tradition than 
 
 9 c 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 The glorious company of the Apostles : praise thee. 
 
 The goodly fellowship of the Prophets : praise thee. 
 
 The noble army of Martyrs : praise thee. 
 
 The holy Church throughout all the world : doth ac- 
 knowledge thee ; 
 
 The Father : of an infinite Majesty ; 
 
 Thine honourable, true : and only Son ; 
 
 Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter. 
 
 Thou art the King of Glory : O Christ. 
 
 Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father. 
 
 When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man : thou 
 didst not abhor the Virgin's womb. 
 
 When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death: 
 thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. 
 
 any intrinsic improbability. It rests originally on the statement of a writer whose authority is of 
 little worth. Even those, therefore, most desirous of promoting the fame of St. Ambrose have 
 given up his claim to the authorship of this hymn, which is now generally ascribed to Nicetus, 
 an ecclesiastic who lived a century later than the celebrated bishop of Milan. 
 
 But to whomever we attribute its composition, few will dispute the approj^riateness of its intro- 
 duction into the service of the church. The caution of our reformers was particularly shown 
 in their not admitting into the Liturgy any hymn but this, and the Canticle which follows, 
 which had not the seal of divine inspiration. As many hymns were used in the ancient churches 
 which had only the sanction of their holiness and beauty to justify their use, the compilers of the 
 Prayer Book could not be charged with doing aught for which they had not the example of 
 universal Christendom. But this argument is no more needed in modern times to sanction the 
 use of the two uninspired hymns contained in our Liturgy, than it was in those when they 
 first began to be used. At present every class of Christians claims the liberty of employing, in 
 congregational worship, numerous iminspired hymns, and it would be well if none had been 
 introduced which have not the characteristics of this sublime composition, rendered additionally 
 sacred by its use in the Christian church for thirteen centuries. 
 
 The Te Deum, like the Magnificat, and other similar portions of tlie service, derives its name 
 from the words with which it begins in the Latin original. It is worthy of otiservation, that the 
 sublime language of this hymn is peculiarly fitted to express the feelings of those who, having 
 first contemplated the ways of God, under the old covenant, are anxiously awaiting the fuller 
 revelation of his love, under the New Testament. Thus, in the commencing verses, the power, 
 majesty, and dominion of the Father, so awfully manifested in the creation, and the giving of the 
 law, form the theme of the believer's praise. Carried forward by the spirit of the prophets, 
 admitted with the enraptured Isaiah to contemplate the skirts of the divine glory, the soul rises in 
 its song. Sublimer visions press around it. Heaven and earth shine resplendent with the ful- 
 ness of the outflooding liglit. The innumerable hosts of created beings, characterized by their 
 several powers and acts, range themselves round the altar of the Eternal — the holy church, 
 througliout all the world, acknowledges his glory and his sovereignty. Exalted by these sublime 
 contemplations, tlie heart reverts to its own natural state, and trembling at the awful distance at 
 which it stands from the source of good, surveys with new thoughts the glory of divinity. The 
 benignant attributes of the Son re-awaken its joy. It views the unfolded chart of redemption. 
 The Holy Spirit occupies it with the heavenly benediction of its comfort; and, subdued by the 
 mingling visions of the love in which the whole began, of the glory in which it shall be consum- 
 mated, but also of the solemn series of suflerings and trials which intercept the beginning and 
 the end, it concludes its song with a humble prayer for mercy, ' Lord, in thee have I trusted : let me 
 never be confounded ! ' 
 
 10 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the Glory 
 ol' the Father. 
 
 We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge. 
 
 We therefore pray thee, help thy servants : whom thou 
 hast redeemed with thy precious blood. 
 
 Make them to be numbered with thy Saints : in glory 
 everlasting. 
 
 O Lord, save thy people : and bless thine heritage. 
 
 Govern them : and lift them up for ever. 
 
 Day by day : we magnify thee ; 
 
 And we worship thy Name : ever world without end. 
 
 Vouchsafe, O Lord : to keep us this day without sin. 
 
 O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us. 
 
 O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us : as our trust is 
 in thee. 
 
 O Lord, in thee have I trusted : let me never be con- 
 founded. 
 
 H Or this Canticle, 
 
 Benedicite^ omnia Oper^a. 
 
 ALL ye works of the Lord, bless ye 
 the Lord : praise him, and magnify 
 him for ever. 
 
 O ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye 
 the Lord : praise him, and magnify 
 him for ever. 
 S^^^^^^f J Q jQ Heavens, bless ye the Lord : 
 praise him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Waters that be above the Firmament, bless ye the 
 Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O all ye Powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise 
 him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Sun, and Moon, bless ye the Lord : praise him, 
 and magnify him for ever. 
 
 " all i/e works;' ,!^>c.— The officiating minister is allowed to adopt the Benedicite, if he see 
 fit, in place of the Te Deum. This it is considered may properly be done when the occasion, or 
 the Lesson of the day, directs our particular attention to the works of God's hands. 
 
 11 c2 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 O yc Stars of Heaven, bless ye the Lord : praise him, 
 and magnify him lor ever. 
 
 O ye Showers, and Dew, bless ye the Lord : praise him, 
 and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Winds of God, bless ye the Lord : praise him, 
 and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Fire and Heat, bless ye the Lord : praise him, 
 and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Winter and Summer, bless ye the Lord : praise 
 him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Dews, and Frosts, bless ye the Lord : praise him, 
 and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Frost and Cold, bless ye the Lord : praise him, 
 and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Ice and Snow, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and 
 magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Nights, and Days, bless ye the Lord : praise him, 
 and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Light and Darkness, bless ye the Lord : praise 
 him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Lightnings, and Clouds, bless ye the Lord: praise 
 him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O let the Earth bless the Lord : yea, let it praise him, 
 and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Mountains, and Hills, bless ye the Lord : praise 
 him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O all ye Green Things upon the Earth, bless ye the 
 Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Wells, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify 
 him for ever. 
 
 O ye Seas, and Floods, bless ye the Lord : praise him, 
 and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Whales, and all that move in the Waters, 
 bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for 
 ever. 
 
 O all ye Fowls of the Air, bless ye the Lord : praise 
 
 him, and magnify him for ever. 
 12 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 O all ye Beasts, and Cattle, bless ye the Lord : praise 
 him, and magniiy him for ever. 
 
 O ye Children of Men, bless ye the Lord : praise him, 
 and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O let Israel bless the Lord : praise him, and magnify 
 him for ever. 
 
 O ye Priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise 
 him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise 
 him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye Spirits and Sonls of the Righteous, bless ye the 
 Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O ye holy and humble Men of heart, bless ye the Lord : 
 praise him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord : 
 praise him, and magnify him for ever. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 % Then shall be read in like manner the Second Lesson, taken out of the New Testament. 
 And after that, the Hymn following ; except when that shall happen to be read in 
 the Chapter for the Day, or for the Gospel on St. John Baptist's Day. 
 
 Benedictus. St. Luke, i. 68. 
 
 LESSED be the Lord God of Israel : 
 for he hath visited, and redeemed his 
 people ; 
 
 And hath raised up a mighty sal- 
 vation for us : in the house of his 
 servant David ; 
 
 As he spake by the mouth of his 
 holy Prophets : which have been since the world began ; 
 
 " Then shall be read," 8fc. — According to the nature of the several books of Scripture, and 
 ancient custom, our church has appointed that the reading of the Old Testament should always 
 precede the Lessons taken from the Gospel. No inquiring mind could be well satisfied were a 
 ditVerent course pursued. 
 
 " Blessed be the Lord," ^x.— This song of Zacharias is well adapted to follow the reading of 
 the Gospel, and it is to be regretted that it is so generally passed over. 
 
 13 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 That we should be saved from our enemies : and from 
 the hands of all that hate us ; 
 
 To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather 
 Abraham : that he would give us ; 
 
 To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers : and 
 to remember his holy Covenant ; 
 
 That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies : 
 might serve him without fear; 
 
 In holiness and righteousness before him : all the days 
 of our life. 
 
 And thou, Child, shalt be called the Prophet of the 
 Highest : for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord 
 to prepare his ways ; 
 
 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people : for 
 the remission of their sins, 
 
 Through the tender mercy of our God: whereby the 
 Day-spring from on high hath visited us ; 
 
 To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the 
 shadow of death : and to guide our feet into the way of 
 peace. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 Jubilate Deo. Psal. c. 
 
 BE joyful in the Lord, all ye lands : 
 serve the Lord with gladness, and 
 come before his presence with a 
 song. 
 
 Be ye sure that the Lord he is 
 God : it is he that hath made us, 
 and not we ourselves ; we are his 
 people, and the sheep of his pasture. 
 
 " O he joyful;" ^-c— This psalm was not inserted in the first edition of the Liturgy. It aflFords, 
 however, the means of giving some variety to the service, and is in itself admirably calculated to 
 animate the heart with a thankful spirit. 
 
 14 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, and 
 into his courts with praise : be thankful unto him, and 
 speak good of his Name. 
 
 For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting : 
 and his truth endureth from generation to generation. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 1[ Then shall be sung or said the Apostles'" Creed by the Minister, and the People, 
 standing : except only such days as the Creed of St. Athanasius is appointed to be 
 read. 
 
 BELIEVE in 
 
 ^ God the Father 
 Almighty, Ma- 
 ker of heaven 
 \^ and earth : 
 
 And in Jesus 
 , _ . _ ^_, ,^ Christ his only 
 
 fge"W_,J^-.4y^ Who was con- 
 
 t-" ^'- Who was con- 
 ceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of 
 the Virgin Mary, Suffered under 
 Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, 
 and buried, He descended into hell ; 
 The third day he rose again from the 
 dead ; He ascended into heaven. And 
 sitteth on the right hand of God the 
 Father Almighty ; from thence he shall 
 come to judge the quick and the dead. 
 I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholick 
 Church ; The Communion of Saints ; The Forgiveness of 
 sms ; The Resurrection of the body, And the life ever- 
 lasting. Amen. 
 
 «/Wjere,-'^-c.— 'With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth con- 
 fession IS made mito salvation.' In this apostolic maxim we see the foundation of the several 
 
 15 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 ^ And after that, these Prayers following, all devoutly kneeling ; the Minister first irro- 
 
 nouncing with a loud voice. 
 
 The Lord be with you. 
 
 Answer. And with thy spirit. 
 
 Minister. ^ Let us pray. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Christ, ham mercij itpon us. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 arguments which establish the necessity of a public profession of faith. The primitive origin of 
 the Apostles' Creed is attested by the universal voice of antiquity. Under the title of the Symbol, 
 it was regarded among Christians as the signal of their consent to the doctrines of the Gospel ; 
 and as the standard which they were to bear in their conflict with error and disbelief. Viewed 
 in immediate relation to the principles of heavenly truth, it afterwards obtained the name of the 
 Canon, or rule of faith ; and many learned men have contended that these titles were bestowed 
 because it had the authority of Apostolic inspiration, even as to the words and phrases in which it is 
 set forth. 
 
 It is well known, however, that the earliest copies of this venerable creed present certain varia- 
 tions which, though not interfering with its general structure, or the wording of the more important 
 articles, aflbrd a strong objection to the notion that it was compiled by the Apostles. The 
 cautious inquiries of acute and learned theologians have led to the conclusion that its real claims 
 to reverence rest on the conformity of its articles to the plain language of Scripture ; on the agree^ 
 ment respecting their truth to be found in the writhigs of the fathers, and on the well ascertained 
 fact, that its general use may be traced up to times immediately succeeding those of the Apostles ; 
 if not to the very period when they lived and wrote. 
 
 The circumstances which attended the increase of the Church obliged the chief directors of its 
 discipline to adopt more than one form of confession. Every bishop had the right of drawing up a 
 creed in such language as he deemed best suited to the wants of his particular flock. But on the 
 comparison of these creeds, one with another, they are all found to agree in substance with that 
 which has the higher claims to Apostolic authority. It has been observed by Dr. Grabe, that the 
 slight diflerences found in the copies of this ancient formulary, are to be accounted for by the mode 
 in which it first came into use. Not written with paper and ink, but on the fleshly tablets 
 of the heart, it was orally communicated from one believer to another. When the members 
 of the Churches in difl'erent countries became too numerous for this primitive mode of insti-uc- 
 tion, the Creed was written out : and from the collation of the several copies thus made, that 
 was published, and at a very early period, which is at present used in all the churches of 
 Christendom. 
 
 It was not, however, till the fifth century that the creed was re])eated in the ordinary services of 
 the day. Before that time it was confined to the baptismal service, and such occasions as seemed 
 to demand some especial declaration of a pure and orthodox faith. The daily use of it in these 
 latter ages of the Church is justified by many important considerations. It assists the uneducated, 
 implanting in their minds a summary of divine trutlis exhibited in their proper order and mutual 
 dependence ; and to Christians of every class it presents the ever valuable means of declaring their 
 union, and of their continuance in the faith as once delivered to the saints. 
 
 '^ And after that, these Prai/ers,"^ 8^'c. — When the Creed has been repeated with earnest and 
 devout attention, these simple prayers and blessings will be heard as the spontaneous efl'usion of 
 holy hearts. To confess our faith in the sublime doctrines of the Creed is not only an acknow- 
 ledgment of God's majesty and goodness, but an assertion of our own dignity and privileges. We 
 enjoy, through the gift of heavenly light, the vision of those things which many wise men of other 
 days desired, but were not permitted, to behold. A mingled feeling of thankfulness and awe, 
 therefore, becomes the mind when occupied with a confession of faith. Tliat the Lord may 
 be present among us, that the Saviour whom we have acknowledged may shed the dew of his 
 mercy on our souls, and thereby both quicken and establish them in the faith ; these are the 
 
 16 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Then the Minister, Clerks, and People, shall say the Lord's Prayer wUh a loud 
 
 voice. 
 
 UR Father, which art in heaven, 
 Hallowed be thy Name. Thy 
 kingdom come. Thy will be 
 done in earth. As it is in heaven. 
 J Give us this day our daily bread. 
 And forgive us our trespasses. 
 As we forgive them that trespass 
 against us. And lead us not 
 into temptation; But deliver us 
 from evil. Amen. 
 
 H Then the Priest standing up, shall say, 
 
 O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us. 
 Answer. And grant us thy salvation. 
 Priest. O Lord, save the Queen. 
 
 Answer. And mercifully hear us when we call upon 
 thee. 
 
 Priest. Endue thy Ministers with righteousness. 
 Answer. And make thy chosen people joyful. 
 Priest. O Lord, save thy people. 
 Answer. And bless thine inheritance. 
 Priest. Give peace in our time, O Lord. 
 
 desires which help us to fulfil the Apostle's saying, " With the heart man believeth unto righteous- 
 ness. ° 
 
 The brief exhortation, "Let us pray," is introduced, as in the old Liturgies, to excite the people 
 o tha tervency of sp.nt, without which devotion languishes, and misses the blessing which it seeks 
 It .s a so to be observed that a division in the service is hereby pointed out, the following portion 
 consisting enhrely of prayer. This could not be more appropriately commenced than in the word 
 d.ct^ated by the Lord himself, according to the spirit of whose teaching we now continue to declare our 
 wants and desires. 
 
 '^ Then the Pnest stand^ng,- 8,-c.~Thh rubric was not inserted till 1552; and appears to liave 
 been added m conformity with the principle, that when short supplications are offered up by the 
 pnest and the people together, the former is to be considered as their guide to the throne of gaace 
 The petitions themselves are supposed to answer respectively to the following collects. They carry 
 us indeed, over a wide sphere of supplication, embracing the wants incident to both our temporal 
 and spiritual condition. In this respect they might be considered as an accompaniment to the 
 i.oras l-rayer; but they were probably inserted with no other view than that of affordin- the 
 peop e a succinct form for expressing their desires, and in imitation of the short Litanies so common in 
 iiie ancient services. 
 
 17 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Answer. Because there is none other that lighteth for 
 us, but only thou, O God. 
 
 Priest. O God, make clean our hearts within us. 
 Answer. And take not thy Holy Spirit from us. 
 
 ^ Then shall follow three Collects : the first of the Day, which shall be the same that is 
 appointed at the Communion ; the second for Peace ; the third for Grace to live well. 
 And the two last Collects shall never alter, but daily be said at Morning Prayer, 
 throughout all the year, as follow eth ; all kneeling. 
 
 The second Collect, for Peace. 
 
 GOD, who art the author of .peace 
 and lover of concord, in knowledge 
 of whom standeth our eternal life, 
 whose service is perfect freedom ; 
 Defend us thy humble servants in all 
 assaults of our enemies ; that we, 
 surely trusting in thy defence, may 
 not fear the power of any adversaries, 
 through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 " Then shall follow three Collects," &;c. — The word Collect means a collection, and has been 
 adopted, it is supposed, as the title of the short prayers to which it is ajjpended, either Jjecause they 
 combine in one petitions for many various blesshigs; or because they were substantially collected 
 out of the portions of Scripture by which they are accompanied; or because used chiefly when the 
 people were gathered together. Most of these valuable aids to the devotion of the Church have 
 been handed down from very remote days. Pope Gelasius, who lived in the fifth century, and 
 his deservedly celebrated successor Gregory the Great, contributed largely to their number. But 
 the spiritual feeling by which they are distinguished, the simple, energetic character of the language, 
 may fairly lead to the conclusion that they have lieen, for the most part, derived from a period still 
 more ancient and apostolic. It would be difficult to find any selection of prayers more admirably 
 adapted to the purposes for which they are used. The portions of Scripture set apart for the day 
 awaken the spirit of supplication, and the collect furnishes the pure unaffected language which best 
 expresses the sentiment thus excited. As the seasons carry us through the circle of divine mysteries, so 
 the collects assist the soul in framing the prayer which befits every period of grace. The Christian 
 would do well if he employed them not only in public but in jjrivate exercises of devotion, whenever 
 he seeks a particular blessing on the reading of Scripture. 
 
 " Collect for Peace." — The peace spoken of in the Gospel, and asked for in tliis prayer, is that 
 comprehensive gift and grace of God promised by Jesus Christ to his disciples, and described by 
 those who have most deeply experienced its effects as passing all understanding. God is the author of 
 peace, the unchangeable foundation of goodness, truth, and happiness. In the knowledge of Him 
 we find that security for our being and our hopes, which eftectually expels the harassing doubts 
 and fears which must otherwise afflict us. "Wherever the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty :'' 
 remembering this Apostolic maxim, we gladly acknowledge that his service is perfect freedom ; 
 and in this confidence of faith entreat him to afford us that defence which shall enable us to exclaim, 
 ''If the Lord be with us, who can be against us?" This collect is translated from the Sacramentary of 
 Pope Gregory. 
 
 18 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 The third Collect, for Grace, 
 
 LORD, our heavenly Father, Al- 
 mighty and everlasting God, who hast 
 safely brought us to the beginning of 
 this day ; Defend us in the same with 
 thy mighty power ; and grant that 
 this day we fall into no sin, neither 
 run into any kind of danger ; but that 
 all our doings may be ordered by thy 
 
 i->/|^ governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight ; 
 
 A0 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 
 % In Quires and Places where they sing, here followeth the Anthem. 
 
 % Then these five Prayers folloiving are to be read here, except when the Litany is read ; 
 and then only the tuo last are to be read, as they are there placed. 
 
 A Prni/er for the Queens Majesti/. 
 
 LORD our heavenly Father, high 
 and mighty, King of kings, Lord of 
 lords, the only Ruler of princes, who 
 dost from thy throne behold all the 
 dwellers upon earth : Most heartily 
 we beseech thee with thy favour to 
 
 behold our most gracious Sovereign 
 
 " Collect for Grace." — Grace is a term employed in Scripture to express the manifold mercy of God. 
 which, ever sufficient for its object, displays its power in an infinite variety of operations. Sometimes 
 it is seen manifesting its strength in the support or deliverance of individuals ; at others in the 
 conversion of nations. Sometimes in the fulness of temporal blessings; at others in the outpouring of 
 those heavenly helps which seal the soul with salvation. In this collect we pray that God's grace, or 
 favour, may be exercised in our safe preservation through the da)' ; and that, the same divine power 
 continuing to exercise itself in our behalf, we may ever be able to do what is pure and righteous; an 
 effect of God's help so important above all others, that the influence by which it is produced has in 
 every age of the Church been eminently characterized as grace. This prayer is taken from one of the 
 most ancient of the Greek Liturgies. 
 
 " The Anthem.''' — Great attention was paid by the compilers of our Liturgy to the securing of a 
 due and wholesome variety in the service. Unfortunately their pious endeavours were soon after 
 rendered abortive by the negligence of churchmen, who seemed to forget entirely the plan and 
 spirit of the institution which it was their du^A' to uphold. Thus the cheering melodies of the 
 primitive Church were silenced ; congregations began to forget the share which they ought to take in 
 the service ; and the Liturgy, so powerful and awakening in all its parts, when properly understood, has 
 excited a thousand objections, on the side of gainsayers, because of its supposed tediousness, and length. 
 Let psalmody resume its proper place, and be conducted with due attention, and these objections will 
 soon cease to be heard. 
 
 " Prayer for the Queen." — This prayer was not added till the revision of the service in the reign 
 of Queen Elizabetli. The duty of yiraying for kings and tliose in authority was recognizeil even 
 
 19 ' " d2 
 
MORNING PRAYEH. 
 
 Lady, Queen VICTORIA ; and so replenish her with 
 the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that she may alway incline 
 to thy will, and walk in thy way : Endue her plenteously 
 with heavenly gifts ; grant her in health and wealth long 
 to live ; strengthen her that she may vanquish and over- 
 come all her enemies ; and finally, after this life, she 
 may attain everlasting joy and felicity ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 A Prai/er for the Royal Famili/. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, the fountain of all 
 goodness, we humbly beseech thee to 
 bless ADELAIDE, the Queen Dow- 
 ager, and all the Royal Family : 
 Endue them with thy holy Spirit ; 
 enrich them with thy heavenly grace ; 
 prosper them with all happiness ; 
 and bring them to thine everlasting 
 kingdom ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 by heathen nations, among which not only prayers but sacrifices were offered up for tlieir rulers. 
 With the Jews this practice was followed as one of the first of a people's duties. Both reason and 
 Christianity confirm it by their sanctions. God"s help and blessing wanting, the power of kings 
 is little likely to be exercised for the good of tlieir people, who, when they refuse or neglect to ask 
 divine aid in this respect, may ascribe the greater part of the evils whicli tliey suffer to their own 
 want of holiness, or faith in the promises of God. The prayer before us is after the model of those, 
 allusion to which is frequent in ancient writers. Many of the Fathers tell us, that supplications 
 were made by day and by night for the peace and safety of princes : that in these prayers God 
 was entreated to give them victory over their enemies ; and that the constant custom of the church, in 
 this respect, proved how willing and loyal an obedience Christians ever rendered to the proper 
 authorities of the state. The prayer here introduced omits no petition which the Gospel allows, or 
 instructs us to offer up for our ruler. It teaches a nation to look to the Holy Spirit as the sole 
 source of the wisdom which can render kings sufficient for their duties. Rising above the flatteries of 
 courts and the sophistry of politicians, it directs us to pray that our monarch may be adorned with the 
 substantial glories of heavenly-mindedness; and then, but not till after these blessings have been 
 devoutly implored, it shows us how we ought to seek for him, as the righteous head of a Christian 
 people, prosperity in this world, and joy and felicity in the next. 
 
 " Prayer for the Royal Family.'' — Like the last, this prayer was not in the original edition of the 
 Liturgy, but was added at the revision which took place in the reign of King James L The 
 example of former times has been cited to show tlie propriety of the addition; which would probably 
 have been earlier made had not the preceding sovereigns died without issue. A slight alteration was 
 made in the commencement of the prayer at the suggestion of the high Church party, towards the 
 middle of the seventeenth century, the original having been " Almighty God, which hast promised to be 
 a Father of thine elect and of their seed," which, it is supposed, was rejected because of the doctrinal 
 tone of the expression. 
 
 20 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 mg. 
 and 
 
 A Prater far the Clergy mid People. 
 
 LMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 who alone workest great marvels ; 
 Send down upon our Bishops, and 
 Curates, and all Congregations com- 
 mitted to their charge, the healthful 
 Spirit of thy grace ; and that they 
 may truly please thee, pour upon 
 them the continual dew of thy bless- 
 Grant this, O Lord, for the honour of our Advocate 
 Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 vants, 
 us in 
 world 
 
 A Prai/er of St. Chrysostom. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, who hast given 
 us ffrace at this time with one accord 
 to make our common supplications 
 unto thee; and dost promise, that 
 when two or three are gathered to- 
 gether in thy Name thou wilt grant 
 their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, 
 the desires and petitions of thy ser- 
 as may be most expedient for them ; granting 
 this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the 
 to come life everlasting. Amen. 
 
 " Prayer for the Clergy." — This prayer was among the addirions made In the time of Queen 
 Elizabeth. The expression, " workest great marvels,'" refers to the giving of the Holj' Spirit, and 
 that efi'ectual blessing on the labours of the Church and its ministers whereby alone they may hope 
 for success in their work. Bishops and curates form the two great classes of the clergy ; the former 
 being the chief shepherds and superintendents of the flock of Christ, the latter comprehending all 
 those who, whatever their appointments, are occupied in watching over the daily state of the 
 people, and providing for the nourishment of their souls. There is great beauty and pathos in this 
 prayer, which was adopted into our Liturgy out of the Sacramentary of Gregory. The clergy could 
 scarcely fail to labour in the spirit of holiness if the people would ardently and perseveringly use these 
 supplications on their behalf. 
 
 " Prayer of St. Chrysostom." — The celebrated Father whose name is appended to this prayer 
 was patriarch of Constantinople in the fourth century. He enjoyed equal fame for his piety and 
 his eloquence. By him the Greek Church was long preserved against the inroads of false doctrine ; 
 and the public services received not less advantage from his devotional fervour than did theology 
 from his great learning and industry. The care and Catholic spirit of our Reformers are proved in an 
 interesting manner by their having thus selected the prayers of the Church from such wide and 
 various sources. 
 
 •21 
 
MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 2 Cor. xiii. 
 
 HE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and the love of God, and the fellow- 
 ship of the Holy Ghost, be with us 
 all evermore. Amen. 
 
 Here endeth the Order of Morning Prayer 
 throushoul the Year. 
 
 " The Grace." — This is a supplication to be used by all the congregation, and not merely a 
 blessing pronounced by the minister. A more becoming or impressive close to the service could no1 
 have been suggested. It embraces the substance of every prayer that has been otl'ered up. Tlio 
 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the fulness of evangelical blessing; the love of God flows upon 
 us in consequence of that reconciling grace; and the constant presence and fellowship of tiie Holy 
 Spirit crowns the work of mercy and glory. 
 
 22 
 
EVENING PRAYER, 
 
 ^ DAILY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 
 
 M 
 
 U 
 
 P!i'^ 
 
 ^ At the beginning of Evening Prayer, the Minister shall read with a loud 
 voice some one or more of these Sentences of the Scriptures that follow. 
 And then he shall say that which is loritten after the said Sentences. 
 
 HEN the wicked man turnetli 
 away from his wickedness that 
 he hath committed, and doeth 
 that which is lawful and right, 
 he shall save his soul alive. 
 Ezck. xviii. 27. 
 1 acknowledge my transgres- 
 sions, and my sin is ever before me. Psal, li. 3. 
 
 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all 
 mine iniquities. Psal. li. 9. 
 
 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit : a 
 
 "Evening Service:'— 1\\e Christian system providing means for the sanctifying of 
 the human character, demands of mankind the general consecrating of time to the 
 service of God. Our Chtnxh, following the example of antiquity, willingly yields her- 
 self to this ordinance of natiue and religion. The morning brings with it the recollection 
 
 23 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 broken and a contrite heart, O God, tliou wilt not despise. 
 Psal li. 17. 
 
 Rend yonr heart, and not your garments, and turn unto 
 the Lord your God : for he is gracious and merciful, slow 
 to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the 
 evil. Joel ii. 13. 
 
 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, 
 thouo^h we have rebelled ao:ainst him : neither have we 
 obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws 
 which he set before us. Dan. ix. 9, 10. 
 
 Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine 
 anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Jer. x. 24. Psal. 
 vi. 1. 
 
 Repent ye ; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. St, 
 Matlh. iii. 2. 
 
 1 will arise, and go to my father, and will say unto him, 
 Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 
 and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Si. Luke xv. 
 18, 19. 
 
 Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord; 
 for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. Psal. 
 cxliii. 2. 
 
 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, 
 and the truth is not in us : but, if we confess our sins, he 
 is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse 
 us from all unrighteousness. 1 St. John i. 8, 9. 
 
 of duties, labours, and necessities. Evening impresses the mind with a feeling of awe and solemnity; 
 and in both cases the heart finds its best security in the exercises of a pure and sober devotion. 
 Ill the divinely instituted ritual of the Jews, the morning and evening had each its sacrifice and its 
 peculiar prayers. The first converts to Christianity readily followed tlie venerable customs which, 
 uncorrupted by tradition, retained the odour of patriarchal sanctity. In the progress of the 
 Gospel, believers in every land were glad to continue a custom' so fitted to their profession and 
 their circumstances. The evening assembly, during the ])erilous times of persecution, afforded them 
 precious moments of consolation. It was often prolonged through the night ; and the offering up of 
 the sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving; the mutual exhortations of those who might on tiie morrow 
 be themselves offered up on the fiery altar of persecution, consecrated anew the close of day to the 
 hearts of Christian worshippers. 
 
 " These Sentences,'" Sfc. — Little difference existed in the ancient Liturgies between the mornhig and 
 evening services. Worldly occujiations, or contact with the worldly ; the very infirmities of nature 
 and the sadder influences of unconquered sin, all tend to convince us that no day draws to a close 
 without leaving some injury to repair, lost ground to be regained, offences to be answered for, or cor- 
 ru])tions to be cleansed. Hence the necessity of our repeating the parts which compose the beginning 
 of tiie morning service at the end of our daily labours. 
 
 24 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 7^ EARLY beloved brethren, the Scrip- 
 ture moveth us in sundry places to 
 acknowledge and confess our mani- 
 ibld sins and wickedness; and that 
 we should not dissemble nor cloke 
 them before the face of Almighty 
 God our heavenly Father ; but con- 
 fess them with an humble, lowly, 
 penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may 
 obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness 
 and mercy. And although we ought at all times humbly 
 to acknowledge our sins before God ; yet ought we most 
 chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to 
 render thanks for the great benefits that we have re- 
 ceived at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, 
 to hear his most holy Word, and to ask those things 
 wliich are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as 
 the soul. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as 
 are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart, and 
 humble voice, unto the throne of the heavenly grace, 
 saying after me ; 
 
 ^ A general Confession to be said of the whole Congregation, after the Minister, all 
 
 kneeling. 
 
 LMIGHTY and most merciful Fa- 
 ther ; We have erred, and strayed 
 from thy ways like lost sheep. We 
 have followed too much the devices 
 and desires of our own hearts. We 
 have offended against thy holy laws. 
 We have left undone those things 
 which we ought to have done ; And 
 ^1^ we have done those things which we ought not to have 
 ^^ done ; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, 
 '^^ have mercy npon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou 
 '1- them, O God, which confess their faults. Restore thou 
 
 25 K 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 them that are penitent; According to thy promises de- 
 clared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord. And 
 grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we 
 may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life. To 
 the glory of thy holy Name. Amen. 
 
 ^ The Absolution, or Remission of Sins, to be pronounced by the Priest alone, standing ; 
 
 the People still kneeling. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, the Father of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not 
 the death of a sinner, but rather 
 that he may turn from his wicked- 
 ness and live ; and hath given power 
 and commandment to his Ministers, 
 to declare and pronounce to his 
 people, being penitent, the Absolu- 
 tion and Remission of their sins : He pardoneth and 
 absolveth all them that truly repent, and unfeignedly 
 believe his holy Gospel. Wherefore let us beseech him 
 to grant us true repentance, and his Holy Spirit, that 
 those things may please him which we do at this present ; 
 and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and 
 holy ; so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 % Then the Minister shall kneel, and say the Lord's Prayer; the People also kneeling, 
 
 and repeating it with him. 
 
 " Note to the Absolution." — Next in value to the inestimable blessing of " a conscience void of 
 offence," is that of the peace wliich follows the contrite acknowledgment of sin under the softening 
 influences of divine grace. To resign ourselves to night, sleep, and helplessness, with God's anger 
 upon us and feel no alarm, is equally the sign of folly and obduracy. But if after an honest ex- 
 amination of ourselves we have come to the conclusion that we justly merit punishment; that it is 
 impossible to say how long it may be withheld ; and that there can be no escape unless through the 
 mercy of God promised to sincere penitents, then how comforting to us must be the announcement in 
 this form of absolution : how soothing to the afflicted heart the assurance, that the Father of mercies 
 hath, for the sake of Jesus Christ, granted it the remission of sins, and restored it to the adoption of 
 sons ! Besides the positive advance in spiritual strength thus obtained, there are many other attendant 
 blessings which we should most naturally seek for at the close of day. " The Angel of tlie Lord 
 encampeth round about them that fear Him," and in the happy conviction of the divine presence, the 
 darkness of night "becometh no darkness at all." 
 
 26 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 UR Father, which art in hea- 
 ven ; Hallowed be thy Name. 
 Thy kingdom come. Thy will 
 be done in earth, As it is in 
 heaven. Give us this day our 
 daily bread. And forgive us 
 our trespasses, As we forgive 
 them that trespass against us. 
 And lead us not into tempta- 
 tion ; But deliver us from evil ; 
 
 For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. For 
 
 ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 % Then likewise he shall say, 
 
 O Lord, open thou our lips. 
 
 A7iswer. And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 
 
 Priest, O God, make speed to save us. 
 
 Answer. O Lord, make haste to help us. 
 
 % Here all standing up, the Priest shall say. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost; 
 
 Answer. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever 
 shall be : world without end. Amen. 
 
 Priest. Praise ye the Lord. 
 
 Answer. The Lord's Name be praised. 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 f Thpn shall be said or sung the Psalms in Order as they are appointed. Then a Lesson 
 of the Old Testament, as is appointed. And after that, Magnificat (or the Song of 
 the blessed Virgin Mary^ in English, as follmveth. 
 
 Magnificat. St. Luke i. 
 
 Y soul doth magnify the Lord : and my 
 spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 
 
 For he hath regarded : the lowliness 
 of his handmaiden. 
 
 For behold, from henceforth : all 
 generations shall call me blessed. 
 
 For he that is mighty hath magnified 
 me : and holy is his Name. 
 And his mercy is on them that fear him: throughout 
 Jail generations. 
 
 1 " Then shall be said or sung the Psalms,'' ^-c. — The 95th Psalin is not inserted in this part of 
 the service, its use being appropriate only to the commencement of the day's devotions. This was 
 the case with the fi3rd Psalm, in the early Liturgies, the place of which was supplied by the 141st for 
 evening prayer. No introductory psalm is employed in our evening service, but the preceding 
 sentences, and "the glory,"' may be considered as supplying the necessary exhortations to devotional 
 fervour. The singing of psalms and reading of Scripture, are properly regarded by our Church as 
 essential to its services. They formed, in early times, the ground-work and sinews of public prayer ; 
 and as a portion of our evening Lihn-gy afl'ord the mind a deep foundation of hcdy thought, a rich 
 treasury of sublime meditation, out of which the greatest of intellects, the most afflicted, or the 
 tenderest hearts, may rejoice to draw the nourishment of everlasting hope. 
 
 Note to the Magnificat. — The Holy Spirit, wlien insph'ing the servants of God with the language 
 of zeal and love, did not intend to confine the blessing to those who first received the gift, but 
 instructed them in the use of terms which, unfolded by his further gifts of grace and light, 
 
 28 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 He hath shewed strength with his arm : he hath scat- 
 tered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 
 
 He liath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath 
 exalted the humble and meek. 
 
 He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the 
 rich he hath sent empty away. 
 
 He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant 
 Israel : as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and 
 liis seed, for ever. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 ^ Or else this Psalm ; except it be on the Nineteenth Day of the Month, when it is read 
 in the 07-dinary course of the Psa/ms. 
 
 Canlate Domino. Psal. xcviii. 
 
 SING unto the Lord a new song : 
 for he hath done marvellous things. 
 With his own right hand, and 
 with his holy arm : hath he gotten 
 himself the victory. 
 
 The Lord declared his salvation : 
 
 his righteousness hath he openly 
 
 shewed in the sight of the heathen. 
 
 He hath remembered his mercy and truth toward the 
 
 house of Israel; and all the ends of the world have seen 
 
 the salvation of our God. 
 
 convey wisdom and consolation to tlie Church throughout all ages. Thus the Magnificat, as 
 it IS called from the first word iu tlie Latin version, has been adopted into our Liturgy on 
 account of its general appropriateness as a hymn of praise. It was thus employed in the primitive 
 Church; and, repeated with becoming ihoughtfulness, is admirably calculated to express the 
 feelings which accompany the earnest reading of the word of God. The Old Testament testifies 
 througliout of the mystery of Christ's incarnation. In tlie fulfilment of its j)rophecies respecting this 
 mystery the believer finds his peace and joy; and the first sentiment which awakens in his heart is 
 poured gladly forth when he says, " My soul doth magnify tlie Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in 
 God my Saviour."' 
 
 In order to afi'ord variety, sliould occasion require it, tlio 9Sth Psalm was inserted in (he second book 
 of King Edward. Tlie whole structure of this beautiful song points it out as fit to be used at any 
 period of great triumph and rejoicing ; or when the preceding lesson has contained the narrative of 
 some special interference on the part of God for the safety of his people. 
 
 29 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Shew yourselves joyful unto the Lord, all ye lands : 
 sing, rejoice, and give thanks. 
 
 Praise the Lord upon the harp : sing to the harp with 
 a psalm of thanksgiving. 
 
 With trumpets also and shawms : O shew yourselves 
 joyful before the Lord the King. 
 
 Let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is : the 
 round world, and they that dwell therein. 
 
 Let the floods clap their hands, and let the hills he joyful 
 together before the Lord : for he cometh to judge the earth. 
 
 With righteousness shall he judge the world : and the 
 people with equity. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then the Lesson of the New Testament, as it is appointed. And after that. Nunc 
 Dimittis (or the Song o/'SimeonJ in English, as followeth. 
 
 Nunc Dimittis. St. Luke ii. 29. 
 
 ORD, now lettest thou thy servant 
 depart in peace : according to thy 
 word. 
 
 For mine eyes have seen : thy 
 salvation. 
 
 Which thou hast prepared : before 
 the face of all people ; 
 
 " Nunc Dimittis," S^-c. — Nunc Dimittis are the first worils in the Latin version of the Song of 
 Simeon. The observation above made respecting the general application of these inspired hymns 
 to the wants of the Church, may also be repeated in this instance. Simeon rejoiced, after many 
 years of watchful prayer and contemplation, that he at length beheld the promised deliverer of 
 his people, and of mankind in general. He could now depart in peace, for he knew that with the 
 staff of Messiah to support him, he might safely walk through the valley of the shadow of death. 
 How much more confidently may they utter tiiese words, who see in the Gospel the victory of 
 Christ over sin and deatli, and who hear his own gracious words, "Let not your hearts be troubled: 
 ye believe in God ; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions, I go to prepare 
 a place for you: and if I go away, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, 
 there ye may be also." 
 
 The 67th Psalm was also added iii the second Liturgy of Kmg Edward. It exhibits, witli 
 great force and beauty, the earnest desires of a mind intently occupied in meditating on those 
 times, when the way of God shall " be known upon earth, and his saving health among all nations," 
 
 30 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 To be a light to lighten the Gentiles : and to be the 
 glory of thy people Israel. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the 
 Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 f Or else this Psalm; except it be on the Twelfth Day of the Month. 
 
 Deus misereatur. Psal. Ixvii. 
 
 OD be merciful unto us, and bless 
 us : and shew us the light of his 
 countenance, and be merciful unto 
 us: 
 
 That thy way may be known upon 
 earth : thy saving health among all 
 nations. 
 
 Let the people praise thee, O God : yea, let all the 
 people praise thee. 
 
 O let the nations rejoice and be glad : for thou shalt 
 judge the folk righteously, and govern the nations upon 
 earth. 
 
 Let the people praise thee, O God : yea, let all the 
 people praise thee. 
 
 Then shall the earth bring forth her increase : 
 and God, even our own God, shall give us his bless- 
 ing. 
 
 God shall bless us : and all the ends of the world shall 
 fear him. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 Then shall be said or sung the Apostles' Creed, by the Minister and the People, 
 
 standing. 
 
 ol 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 BELIEVE 
 
 ill God 
 the Father 
 Ahnighty, 
 Maker of 
 heaven and 
 earth : 
 And in Jesns Christ his 
 only Son our Lord, Who was 
 conceived by the Holy Ghost, 
 Born of the Virgin Mary, Suf- 
 fered under Pontius Pilate, 
 Was crucified, dead, and bu- 
 ried, He descended into hell ; 
 The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended 
 into heaven, And sitteth on the right liand of God the 
 Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge 
 the quick and the dead. 
 
 I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholick 
 Church ; The Communion of Saints ; The Forgiveness of 
 sins ; The Resurrection of the body, And the life everlast- 
 ing. Amen. 
 
 ^ And after that, these Prayers following, all devoutly kneeling ; the Minister first 
 pronouncing with a loud voice, 
 
 " The Apostles Creed.'' — As the confession of faith in the fundamental articles of Christianity 
 forms an essential part of public worship, the service of the evening would no more be comjjlete 
 without it than that of the morning. But there are considerations which will impress a thoughtful 
 mind with peculiar feelings of seriousness when repeating this Creed at tlie close of day. The 
 light which liglitens our darkness is the knowledge of immortality, derived immediately from the 
 Gospel revelations of God and of Christ. In these lieavenly teachings we now again declare our 
 contidence. Night and sleep are emblems of the change which shall bring us to the realization 
 of our hopes; and on the point, as it were, of tliis solemn approach to eternity, the highest and 
 the most consolatory of duties is the renewal of faith. We confess, with a saving efficacy, the 
 paternity and love of God. The sufferings and mediation of Jesus Christ, his Son, assure us of 
 the forgiveness of sins. In the belief of the Holy Ghost we (ind the means of jiersonal sanctification ; 
 in that of a church, or communion of saints, the assurance that we have the faith, the prayers and 
 blessings of the great body of Cin-ist"s people to uphold us; and in the doctrine of the resurrection of 
 the dead, and life everlasting, an answer to all the questionings which can worthily occuj>y the niinil, or 
 interest the affections. 
 
 32 
 
e:vening prayer. 
 
 The Lord be with you. 
 Answer. And with thy spirit. 
 
 Minister. Let us pray. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Christ, have mercy upon us. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 % Then the Minister, Clerks, and people, shall say the Lorct's Prayer with a loud voice. 
 
 UR Father, which art in hea- 
 ven, Hallowed be thy Name, 
 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be 
 done in earth, As it is in heaven. 
 Give us this day our daily bread. 
 And forgive us our trespasses. 
 As we forgive them that trespass 
 against us. And lead us not into 
 temptation ; But deliver us from 
 evil. Amen. 
 
 % Then the Priest standing up shall say. 
 
 O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us ; 
 
 Answer. And grant us thy salvation. 
 
 Priest. O Lord, save the Queen. 
 
 Answer. And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee. 
 
 " Tfie LortTs Prayer." — At whatever period we are called upon to unite in oflering up this prayer, 
 its fulness and simplicity teach us to feel that it is adapted, above all others, to the expression of 
 spiritual sentiment. What can be more comforting to the heart, in the service of the evening, than 
 the assurance of God's fatherly love ? Or what more becoming the soul than an exalted desire that 
 the discovered vanities and coiTuption of the world may speedily give way to the glory of his 
 kingdom, and the peace and happiness consequent on the establishment of his laws ? Our trespasses 
 have been multiplied; we feel our sinfulness and our danger. What can we desire more than for- 
 giveness ; or how can we look for pardon if we let the sun go down upon wrath cherished in our hearts 
 against our fellow-men? The night is not without its dangers for the soul. Let no thought or sjjirit 
 of evil come near us, is a petition then well fitted to the hour ; and we again sum up our supplications 
 by an acknowledgment, that whatever good has been already enjoyed, or can now be looked for, must 
 be regarded as the gift of Him who ruleth over all, and whose glory is without end or limit. 
 
 The words, " For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,'" are not repeated at the end of the 
 Lord's Prayer as given in the Gospel of St. Luke. This may be accounted for on the supposition, 
 that the heavenly Author intended the prayer to be used on occasions when the addition of the glory 
 would not be equally appropriate. But whatever be the decision of Commentators on this point, the 
 Fathers of our Church have followed the guidance of the written word. Adopting the prayer, in its 
 complete form, at the commencement of the service, they have inserted it, without the doxologj', in 
 those places where it succeeds many parts of the service which ascribe glorv to the eternal Father. 
 
 33 ' F 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Priest. Endue tliy Ministers with righteousness. 
 Answer. And make thy chosen people joyf uL 
 Priest, O Lord, save tliy people. 
 Answer. And bless thine inheritance. 
 Priest. Give peace in our time, Lord. 
 Answer. Because there is none other 
 us, but only thou, O God. 
 
 Priest. O God, make clean our hearts within us. 
 Answer. And take not thy holy Spirit from us. 
 
 ^ Then shall follow three Collects ; the first of the Day ; the second fw Peace; the third 
 for Aid against all Perils, as hereafter followeth : which two last Collects shall be 
 daily said at Evenhig Prayer without alteration. 
 
 that fighteth for 
 
 The second Collect at Evening Prayer. 
 
 GOD, from whom all holy desires, 
 all good counsels, and all just works 
 do proceed ; Give unto thy servants 
 that peace which the world cannot 
 give ; that both our hearts may be 
 set to obey thy commandments, and 
 also that by thee we being defended 
 from the fear of our enemies may 
 
 pass our time in rest and quietness ; through the merits 
 
 of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. 
 
 " Second Collect.'' — This collect, like that in the corresponding part of the morning service, is 
 also a prayer for peace, and was taken out of the Sacramentary of Gregory. In that for the moniing 
 the chief object of desire is protection tlirough those struggles which await us from enemies without. 
 We pray that He who is the author of peace and lover of concord may so order the at!airs of the world, 
 and temper tlie power of all our adversaries therein, tliat the events of our lives may leave us un- 
 injured and uncorrupted. Now we pray that the enemy of souls may be kept from us ; that our 
 inward thoughts and purposes and counsels may be infected with no taint of evil. " I have remem- 
 bered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law."' " Mine eyes prevent the night 
 watches, that I might meditate in thy word," and " Great peace have they which Icve thy law; and 
 nothing shall ofl'end them." This is the language of God's people. They rest in the conviction that 
 holiness of heart and spirit is the best and surest of all the sources of tranquillity. 
 
 34 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 The third Collect, for Aid against all Perils. 
 
 . ^_,^_\'^-~~^,''~(^C- 
 
 IGHTEN 
 
 our dark- 
 ness, we be- 
 seech thee, 
 O Lord; 
 and by thy 
 great mercy 
 deiend us from all perils and 
 dangers of this night; for the 
 love of thy only Son, our Savi- 
 our, Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 *?[ In Quires and Places where they sing, 
 here fnlloweth the Anthem. 
 
 A Prayer for the Queens Majesty, 
 
 LORD our heavenly Father, high 
 and mig-hty. King of kings, Lord of 
 lords, the only Ruler of princes, who 
 dost from thy throne behold all the 
 dwellers upon earth ; Most heartily 
 we beseech thee with thy favour to 
 behold our most gracious Sovereign 
 Lady, Queen VICTORlJf"; and so 
 replenish her with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that she 
 
 " Third Collect." — Having besought the blessing of peace, as resulting from inward purity, we ask 
 in this collect for protection against the ordinary dangers of the night season. A spiritual mind will 
 naturally blend the thoughts of temporal perils with those of the soul, and the enlightening of the 
 darkness of the night will excite profounder anxieties for the illumination of the divine presence. 
 But the collect is, strictly considered, a prayer for defence and safety, and, when used with faith, 
 expresses very beautifully our filial recognition of God's constant care for his children, and ability to 
 protect them. Like the third collect in the morning service, it is taken from one of the ancient Greek 
 Litiu-gies, and originally formed the conclusion of the service, the other prayers, in both instances, 
 having been subsequently added. 
 
 ■' Prayer for tlie Queen," S^c. S^c. — The fiUowing prayers are the same as tliose i:i the morning 
 service, and are rightly introduced on the noble and evangelical principle that ''love is the fulfilling 
 
 35 F 2 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way : 
 Endue her plenteously with heavenly gifts ; grant her in 
 health and wealth long to live ; strengthen her that she 
 may vanquish and overcome all her enemies ; and finally, 
 after this life, she may attain everlasting joy and felicity ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 A Praj/er for the Roi/al Family/. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, the fountain of 
 all goodness, we humbly beseech 
 thee to bless Adelaide the Queen 
 Dowager, and all the Royal Family : 
 Endue them with thy holy spirit ; 
 enrich them with thy heavenly grace ; 
 prosper them with all happiness ; and 
 bring them to thine everlasting king- 
 
 imen. 
 
 dom ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 A Prayer for the Clergi/ and people. 
 
 ing. 
 cate 
 
 Grant this, 
 and Mediator, Jesus Christ 
 
 LMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 who alone workest great marvels ; 
 Send down upon our Bishops, and 
 Curates, and all Congregations com- 
 mitted to their charge, the healthful 
 Spirit of thy grace ; and that they 
 may truly please thee, pour upon 
 them the continual dew of thy bless- 
 O Lord, for the honour of our Advo- 
 Ame7i. 
 
 of the law," and tliat " supplicalioiis, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, sliould be made for 
 all men.'' We conclude, therefore, the public devotions of the day with sentiments in the highest 
 degree acceptable to God, and useful to the world. Our prayers for otliers accepted at the throne of 
 grace, and with the fulness of divine peace in our liearts, we may well rejoice in having been admitted 
 to the courts of the Lord's house, there to join our prayers with tliose of the faithful upon whom his 
 grace and blessing shall rest for evermore. 
 
 3G 
 
EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 A Prayer of St. Clirysostom. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, who has given us 
 ffrace at this time with one accord to 
 make our common supplications unto 
 thee ; and dost promise, that when 
 two or three are gathered together in 
 thy Name thou wilt grant their re- 
 quests : Fulfil now, O Lord, the 
 desires and petitions of thy servants, 
 as may be most expedient for them ; granting us in this 
 world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come 
 life everlasting. Amen. 
 
 2 Cor. xiii. 
 
 THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love 
 of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with 
 us all evermore. Amen. 
 
 Here endeth the Order nf Evening Prayer throughout the Year. 
 
 37 
 
AT MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 % Upon these Feasts ; Christmas-day, the Epipliany, Sai//t Matthias, Easter-day, Ascen- 
 sion day, Whitsunday, Saint John Baptist, Saint James, Saint Bartholomew, Saint 
 Matthew, Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Saint Andrew, and upon Trinity Sunday, 
 shall be su?7g or said at Morning Prayer, instead of the Apostles' Creed, this Con- 
 fession of our Christian Faith, commonly called The Creed of Saint Athanasius, 
 by the Minister and people standing. 
 
 Quicunque vull. 
 
 HOSOEVER will be saved : before 
 all tilings it is necessary that he hold 
 the Catholick Faith. 
 
 Which Faith except every one do 
 keep whole and undefiled : without 
 doubt he shall perish everlastingly. 
 
 And the Catholick Faith is this : 
 That we worship one God in Trinity, 
 in Unity ; 
 Neither confounding the Persons : nor dividing the 
 [Substance. 
 
 For there is one Person of the Father, another of the 
 Son : and another of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 " Upon these Feasts,'' Sfc. — Tliis confession of faith was composed at a period when tlie primary 
 doctrines of the Gospel were assailed by numerous and powerful adversaries. It probably acquired 
 the title which it bears from fully expressing the opinions of Athanasius, and the great body of the 
 Catholic Church whose powerful champion he proved in the most ditficult of its struggles against the 
 errors of Arius. Some learned men have contended that Athanasius was really the author of the 
 Creed. Among these ai-e Baronius, and the more learned and candid Bellarmin ; but both Vossius 
 and Quesnel, with a long line of later critics, as Bishop Pearson, Dr. Cave, and the foreign divines, 
 Pagi and du Pin, have brought many arguments to prove that it was not known in the Church till the 
 close of the fifth century, and that it was written in Latin by the African Bishop, Vigilius. The 
 opinion that it may be ascribed to that period is rendered probable by the fact, that it was then that 
 the Church suilered the greatest persecution at the hands of the Arians. Aided by the whole force of 
 the Vandal conquerors, the opponents of the Catholic faith pursued its professors with fire and sword, 
 and would have destroyed every vestige of true belief did it not rest on a rock which can never be 
 shaken. The history of the Church proves abundantly that the servants of God are ever ready at such 
 periods to bear witness to the faith. It is not to be doubted, therefore, that when the doctrines for 
 which many of the most venerable of Christian teachers had suH'ered were again jissailed, others would 
 be found anxious to pursue the same course, and make their belief known in the fullest and most 
 distinct terms. 
 
 Though not resting on the same authority as the Apostles' Creed, nor sanctioned like that of Nice 
 by the decisions of those councils to which the greatest reverence is due, it has for above a thousand 
 years been used in the Christian Church as a sound and valuable form of confession. " Whoever was 
 the author of it," says Bingham, "there never was any question made of its orthodoxy, except by 
 the Samosatenians and Arians in these latter ages of the Church." "The Creed of Athanasius," 
 
 38 
 
AT MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost, is all one: the Glory equal, the Majesty co- 
 eternal. 
 
 Such as the Father is, such is the Son : and such is the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate : and the Holy 
 Ghost uncreate. 
 
 The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehen- 
 sible : and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible. 
 
 The Father eternal, the Son eternal : and the Holy 
 Ghost eternal. 
 
 observes the venerable Hooker, " was both in the East and West churches accepted as a treasure of 
 inestimable price, by as many as had not given up even the very ghost of belief.'' 
 
 Many controversies have risen respecting what are commonly termed the damnatory clauses of this 
 Creed. But it would be well were it always remembered that our Church has done whatever it could 
 to avoid the charge of novelty, intolerance, or dogmatical presumption, and has, therefore, adopted 
 for its confession of belief the three most ancient and most generally received creeds of universal 
 Christendom. No one who does not dispute the doctrine contained in the Athanasian Creed can 
 doubt the value of a form of confession which exhibits it in distinct terms. The question with our 
 Church, therefore, was simply this. Shall a creed be rejected which has from the remotest ages been 
 repeated in the Christian Church, and acknowledged as a defence against the most dangerous errors ? 
 Had it been rejected by the compilers of our Liturgy, they would have evinced a want of respect for the 
 authority which they never pretended to impugn — the authority of holy men in all ages, and all 
 countries, united in the profession of the same doctrine. But if the Creed was not to be put aside, 
 could they do otherwise than receive it as it had come down to them ? Might they venture to alter 
 or abridge it? This again would Jiave implied the possession of an authority to which the Fathers of 
 our Church did not lay claim. They adopted the Creed, therefore, because its value and importance 
 had been so generally acknowledged: and they would not modify its expressions because they had no 
 authority to do so. 
 
 But while our Church thus manifests its reverence for the doctrines of the Fathers, and the forms 
 under which they have been transmitted to it, the anathemas of this ancient Creed are not, perhaps, 
 to be considered as adopted by it in the same manner as the Belief itself. They are not its own 
 language. In the eighth article, where it speaks according to its independent authority, it simplj' 
 says of the creeds that they '■ ought thoroughly to be received and believed, for they may be proved 
 by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture;' but it adds no anathema : nor does it anywhere assert 
 that a man ought to be anathematized, except in the eighteenth article, which refers to those who reject 
 the Gospel altogether. 
 
 That the Church would not on its own authority, or in its own name, have spoken in the concluding 
 terms of this Creed, may also be inferred from the sentiments of some of its most distinguished 
 members. " For the articles themselves,"' says Jeremy Taylor, '' 1 am most heartily persuaded of 
 the truth of them, and yet I dare not say all that are not so are irrevocably damned.'' Archbishop 
 Tillotsou expressed himself in a similar manner. Bishop Burnet interprets the clause with the most 
 cautious spirit of cliarity ; and the late Bishop of Winchester, in a work dedicated expressly to 
 students for the ministry of the church, adopts almost the very language of Jeremy Taylor in his obser- 
 vations on this subject. 
 
 But the sentiments thus expressed on the damnatory clauses of the Athanasian Creed must not be 
 regarded as detracting from the solemn authority of the doctrines in which it teaches us to say, " We 
 believe." Our Church has so appointed it to be used, that it may be repeated once a month ; and every 
 true and humble-minded Christian, whatever may be his feelings respecting the damnatory clauses as 
 they refer to others, will in his own case take occasion from them to meditate earnestly on the state of 
 his mind, to inquire whether he be in the faith, and to pray if it be yet imperfect, " Lord, I believe ; 
 help thou mine unbelief.'" 
 
 39 
 
AT MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 And yet tliey are not three eternals : but one eternal. 
 
 As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three 
 uncreated : but one uncreated, and one incomprehensible. 
 
 So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty : 
 and the Holy Ghost Almighty. 
 
 And yet they are not three Almighties: but one Al- 
 mighty. 
 
 So the Father is God, the Son is God : and the Holy 
 Ghost is God. 
 
 And yet they are not three Gods : but one God. 
 
 So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord : and 
 the Holy Ghost Lord. 
 
 And yet not three Lords : but one Lord. 
 
 For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity : 
 to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and 
 Lord ; 
 
 So are we forbidden by the Catholick Religion : to say, 
 There be three Gods, or three Lords. 
 
 The Father is made of none : neither created, nor be- 
 gotten. 
 
 The Son is of the Father alone: not made, nor created, 
 but begotten. 
 
 The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son : 
 neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. 
 
 So there is one Father, not three Fathers ; one Son, not 
 three Sons : one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. 
 
 And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other : none 
 is greater, or less than another ; 
 
 But the whole three Persons are co-eternal together : 
 and co-equal. 
 
 So that in all things, as is aforesaid : the Unity in 
 Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped. 
 
 He therefore that will be saved : must thus think of the 
 Trinity. 
 
 Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation : 
 that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 40 
 
AT MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 For the right Faith is, that we beheve and confess: 
 that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and 
 Man: 
 
 God, of the Substance of the Father, begotten before 
 the worlds : and Man, of the Substance of his Mother, 
 born in the world ; 
 
 Perfect God, and perfect Man : of a reasonable soul and 
 human flesh subsisting ; 
 
 Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead : and in- 
 ferior to the Father, as touching his Manhood. 
 
 Who although he be God and Man : yet he is not two, 
 but one Christ ; 
 
 One ; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh : but 
 by taking of the Manhood into God ; 
 
 One altogether ; not by confusion of Substance : but by 
 unity of Person. 
 
 For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man : so God 
 and Man is one Christ ; 
 
 Who suffered for our salvation : descended into hell, 
 rose again the third day from the dead. 
 
 He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand 
 of the Father, God Almighty : from whence he shall come 
 to judge the quick and the dead. 
 
 At whose coming all men shall rise again with their 
 bodies : and shall give account for their own works. 
 
 And they that have done good shall go into life' ever- 
 lasting : and they that have done evil into everlasting 
 fire. 
 
 This is the Catholick Faith : which except a man 
 believe faithfully, he cannot be saved. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the 
 Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 41 
 
THE LITANY. 
 
 % Here followeth the LITANY, or General Supp lication, to bf^fmK^ 
 suns or said after Morning Prayer upon Sundays, Wednesdays,? W '"* 
 Fridays, and at other times when it shall be commanded by M 
 
 and Fridays 
 the Ordi?iari/. 
 
 •? 
 
 GOD tlie Father of heaven : 
 have mercy upon us miserable 
 sinners. 
 
 God the Father of heaven: 
 have mercy upon us miserable 
 smners. 
 
 O God the Son, Redeemer 
 of the world : have mercy upon 
 us miserable sinners. 
 ^ God the Son, Redeemer of the icorld : have merci/ 
 
 t^upon us miserable sinners. 
 
 li • • 
 
 — " The Litatvj:' — This spiritual and beautiful iiortion of (lie Mornnig Service is so 
 . £lull of the excellencies which constitute the worth of prayer, that a church iriay 
 rightly be counted Apostolic. Catholic and Evangelical which uses it as in harmony with 
 all its other offices. The word Litany was not originally employed to designate any 
 particular kinil of prayers; but about the fourth century it began to be exclusively 
 applied to jjublic services instituted when ajiprehensions of the divine displeasure 
 called for especial exercises of fixitli and devotion. In its literal signification it 
 
 42. 
 
THE LITANY. 
 
 O God the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father 
 and the Son : liave mercy upon us miserable sinners. 
 
 O God the Holt/ Ghost, proceeding from the Father and 
 the Son : have merci/ upon us miserable sinners. 
 
 O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three Persons and 
 one God : have mercy upon us miserable sinners. 
 
 ho/^, blessed, and glorious Trinitj/, three Persons and one 
 God : have mercy upon us miserable sinners. 
 
 Remember not, Lord, our oiFences, nor the oflPences of 
 our forefathers ; neither take thou vengeance of our sins : 
 spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast 
 redeemed with thy most precious blood, and be not angry 
 with us for ever. 
 
 Spare us, good Lord. 
 
 From all evil and mischief ; from sin, from the crafts 
 and assaults of the devil ; from thy wrath, and from ever- 
 lasting damnation, 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 
 From all blindness of heart; from pride, vain -glory, 
 
 answers to the word supplication, and the approach of any great calamity was regarded by the Church 
 us a warning to summon the people to more earnest and open prayer. Litanies thence became 
 peculiarly devoted to seasons of alTliction ; and, as stated portions of set Liturgies, may be considered 
 as that division of the service in which all who would deprecate Divine anger, or the dreaded punish- 
 ment of sin, ought to take an earnest and devout interest. The Litanies of the early Churches were 
 usually rej)eated in solemn processions. Thus Gregory the Great instituted what was termed the 
 seven-fold Litany, so called from the various classes of the clergy, and other religious persons engaged 
 in the solemnity. It is from this Litany that our own is chiefly taken, but with such alterations as 
 suit it to the simpler character of our belief and worship. 
 
 The use of the Litany is confined to the three days of the week whicli are particularly consecrated 
 to the remembrance of Christ's suflerings and triumph. Originally, and till the review in 16G1, it 
 constituted a separate service, succeeding to the jMorning Prayer, and forming a fit introduction to the 
 Commmiion. Though at present employed in immediate connexion with the other parts of the Morn- 
 ing Service, an attentive worshipper will feel that it is so far distinct, as to supply liim with calls to, 
 and means and topics of, devotion, which could not be spared, however excellent the rest of the 
 Liturgy. 
 
 hi this, as in other cases, serious attention should be paid to the order and divisions of the service, 
 which very strikingly illustrate the calm and harmonious spirit of true devotion. Thus the Litany 
 opens with a solemn address to the three persons of the adorable Trinity, and the cry for mercy mingles 
 with a most humble confession of guiltiness. Having prayed that we may be spared, that the anger 
 of God may not rest upon us for ever, we next entreat deliverance from the various evils to which sm 
 has rendered us subject, and this deliverance is sought through the merits of him " who died for our 
 sins, and rose again for our justification." 
 
 Our fears allayed, and iiope revived by this exercise of faith in the sovereign mercy of the Lord, we 
 now " beseech him to hear us,'" while we ask for the helps and blessings necessary to our peace in this 
 world, and our attainment of glory in the next. But according to the proper character ot the Litany, 
 all these entreaties for mercy, and these prayers for blessings, are closed by a pathetic supplication for 
 true repentance, forgiveness, and reiiewing grace. 
 
 43 G 2 
 
THE LITANY. 
 
 and hypocrisy ; from envy, hatred, and malice, and all 
 uncharitableness. 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 From fornication, and all other deadly sin : and from 
 all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil, 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 From lightning and tempest ; from plague, pestilence, 
 and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden 
 death. 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 From all sedition, privy conspiracy, and rebellion ; from 
 all false doctrine, heresy, and schism ; from hardness of 
 heart, and contempt of thy Word and Commandment, 
 Good Lo7'd, deliver us. 
 By the mystery of thy holy Incarnation ; by thy holy 
 Nativity and Circumcision ; by thy Baptism, Fasting, and 
 Temptation, 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 By thine Agony and bloody Sweat ; by thy Cross and 
 Passion ; by thy precious Death and Burial ; by thy 
 glorious Resurrection and Ascension ; and by the coming 
 of the Holy Ghost, 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 In all time of our tribulation ; in all time of our 
 wealth ; in the hour of death, and in the day of judg- 
 ment. 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 We sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God ; 
 and that it may please thee to rule and govern thy holy 
 Church universal in the right way ; 
 
 fVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to keep and strengthen in the 
 true worshipping of thee, in righteousness and holiness of 
 life, thy Servant VICTORIA, our most gracious Queen 
 and Governour ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to rule her heart in thy faith, 
 44 
 
THE LITANY. 
 
 fear, and love, and that she may evermore have affiance in 
 thee, and ever seek thy honour and glory ; 
 
 fVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord, 
 That it may please thee to be her defender and keeper, 
 giving her the victory over all her enemies ; 
 
 fVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to bless and preserve Adelaide, 
 the Queen Dowager, and all the Royal Family ; 
 JVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to illuminate all Bishops, 
 Priests, and Deacons, with true knowledge and under- 
 standing of thy Word ; and that both by their preaching 
 and living they may set it forth, and shew it accordingly ; 
 fVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to endue the Lords of the 
 Council, and all the Nobility, with grace, wisdom, and 
 understanding ; 
 
 JVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to bless and keep the Magis- 
 trates, giving them grace to execute justice, and to main- 
 tain truth ; 
 
 JVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to bless and keep all thy people ; 
 
 JVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to give to all nations unity, 
 peace, and concord ; 
 
 JVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to give us an heart to love and 
 dread thee, and diligently to live after thy commandments ; 
 JVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to give to all thy people increase 
 of grace to hear meekly thy Word, and to receive it with 
 pure affection, and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit ; 
 JVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to bring into the way of truth 
 all such as have erred, and are deceived ; 
 
 JVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 45 
 
THE LITANY. 
 
 That it may please tliee to strengthen such as do stand ; 
 and to comlbrt and help the weak-hearted ; and to raise 
 up them that fall ; and iinally to beat down Satan under 
 our feet ; 
 
 JVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to succour, help, and comfort, 
 all that are in danger, necessity, and tribulation ; 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to preserve all that travel by 
 land or by water, all women labouring of child, all sick 
 persons, and young children ; and to shew thy pity upon 
 all prisoners and captives ; 
 
 IVe beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to defend, and provide for, the 
 fatherless children, and widows, and all that are desolate 
 and oppressed ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear 21s, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to have mercy upon all men ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to forgive our enemies, perse- 
 cutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts ; 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to give and preserve to our use 
 the kindly fruits of the earth, so as in due time we may 
 enjoy them ; 
 
 We beseech th ee to hear us, good Lord. 
 That it may please thee to give us true jepentance ; to 
 forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances ; and 
 to endue us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit to amend 
 our lives according to thy holy Word ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. 
 Son of God : we beseech thee to hear us. 
 Hon of God : ice beseech thee to hear us. 
 
 ^'Son of God, we,'' Sj'C. — In these short sentences, upon which the spirit of the worshipper rests, 
 assuring itself of the success of its petitions by a recollection of the Saviour, our Lord is addressed in 
 a three-fold character. First in his divinity, the .Son of God ; next in his supremely pure and meri- 
 torious humanity, tlie Lamb of God ; and thirdly as the Lord, Lord of the Kingdom of Heaven, the 
 triumphant conqueror of sin and death. 
 
 46 
 
THE LITANY. 
 
 O Lamb of God : that takest away the sins of the world ; 
 
 Grant us thy peace. 
 O Lamb of God : that takest away the sins of the world ; 
 Have mercy upon us. 
 O Christ, hear us. 
 
 O Christ, hear us. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 Lordf have mercy upon us. 
 Christ, have mercy upon us. 
 Christ, have mercy tipon us. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 47 
 
THE LITANY. 
 
 % Then shall the Priest, and the people with him, say the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 UR Father, which art in hea- 
 ven, Hallowed be thy Name. 
 Thy kingdom come. * Thy will 
 be done in earth, As it is in 
 heaven. Give us this day our 
 daily bread. And forgive us 
 our trespasses. As we forgive 
 them that trespass against us. 
 And lead us not into tempta. 
 tion ; But deliver us from evil. 
 Amen. 
 
 Piiest. O Lord, deal not with us after our sins. 
 
 Answer, Neither reward us after our iniquities. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 GOD, merciful Father, that despisest 
 not the sighing of a contrite heart, 
 nor the desire of such as be sorrow- 
 ful ; Mercifully assist our prayers 
 that we make before thee in all our 
 troubles and adversities, whensoever 
 they oppress us ; and graciously hear 
 us, that those evils, which the craft 
 and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us, 
 be brought to nought ; and by the providence of thy 
 goodness they may be dispersed; that we thy servants, 
 being hurt by no persecutions, may evermore give thanks 
 unto thee in thy holy Church ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. 
 
 O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thij Name's 
 sake. 
 
 <' TTie Lord's Prayer." — The Lord's Prayer is introduced as necessary to every set form of devotion, 
 and the exhortation, " Let us pray,'" is used as in the former instances to rouse the mind of the wor- 
 shipper to higher degrees of fervour. The prayers which follow may be regarded as collects to the 
 Litany, that is, as collecting in a succinct form the substance of all the preceding supplications. St. 
 Chrysostom's Prayer, and The Grace, formed the conclusion to the Litany, when used as a separate 
 service, as they now do to tlie whole of the Morning Prayer. 
 48 
 
THE LITANY. 
 
 GOD, we have heard with our ears, 
 and our fathers have declared unto 
 us, the noble works that thou didst 
 in their days, and in the old time 
 before them. 
 
 O Loj'd, arise, help iis, and deliver 
 us for thine honour. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the 
 Son : and to the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Answer, As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever 
 shall be : world without end. Amen. 
 From our enemies defend us, O Christ. 
 Graciously look upon our afflictions. 
 Pitifully behold the sorrows of our hearts. 
 Mercifidli/ forgive the sins of thi/ people. 
 Favourably with mercy hear our prayers. 
 O Son of David, have merci/ upon us. 
 Both now and ever vouchsafe to hear us, O Christ. 
 Graciousli/ hear us, O Christ ; graciously hear us, O Lord 
 Christ. 
 
 Priest. O Lord, let thy mercy be shewed upon us ; 
 Answer. As we do put our trust in thee. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 E humbly beseech thee, O Father, 
 merciiully to look upon our infirmi- 
 ties ; and for the glory of thy Name, 
 turn from us all those evils that we 
 most righteously have deserved ; and 
 grant, that in all our troubles we 
 may put our whole trust and con- 
 fidence in thy mercy, and evermore 
 serve thee in holiness and pureness of living, to thy honour 
 and glory; through our only Mediator and Advocate, 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 " God, we have heard,'' S)-c. — The feeling of devotion, the earnest confidence of supplication, is 
 greatly strengthened by the recollection of what God 'has done for his people in the days of old. It 
 18 both our interest and our duty to j)repare ourselves for using these words aright by habitual medi- 
 tation on the history of Divine Providence. 
 
 4y H 
 
THK LITANY. 
 
 A Prayer of St. Clirysostom. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, wlio hast given us 
 grace at tliis time with one accord to 
 make our common supphcations unto 
 thee ; and dost promise, that when 
 two or three are gathered together 
 in thy Name, thou wilt grant their 
 y requests ; Fulfil now, O Lord, the 
 desires and petitions of thy servants, 
 as may be most expedient for them ; granting us in this 
 world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come 
 life everlasting. Amen, 
 
 2 Cor. xiii. 
 
 HE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and the love of God, and the fellow- 
 ship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all 
 evermore. Amen. 
 
 Here endeth the LITANY. 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 W 
 
 iTO? 
 
 -fV^V'l 
 
 
 ^"•' • "irr*-^*^'^^^^'^' 
 
 50 
 
g gfe t f If n,n| iiii[ \if W W If III ilii 1 1 If iflnii ; .!. - ;;:■.,. 
 
 JIli 
 
 mm 
 
 
 PRAYERS AND THANKSGIVINGS,^ 
 
 UPON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, ' 
 
 5r To be used before the two final Prayers of the Litany, or of 
 Morning and Evening Prayer. 
 
 i 
 
 %;3 
 
 ■-.,4 
 
 fi^ 
 
 PRAYERS. 
 
 For Rain. 
 
 GOD, heavenly Father, who by 
 thy Son Jesus Christ hast pro- 
 mised to all them that seek thy 
 kingdom, and the righteousness 
 thereof, all things necessary to 
 their bodily sustenance; Send 
 us, we beseech thee, in this our 
 necessity, such moderate rain 
 and showers, that we may receive the fruits of the 
 earth to our comfort, and to thy honour ; Through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ?i " For /?(«'«.■' — The Chui-ch is the gate of heaven. Whatever we need or sutler, if is 
 j**^- ■( there we are to present our supplications for relief. The hour of peril often finds us 
 
 51 H 2 
 
PRAYERS. 
 
 For fair JVcafker. 
 
 ALMIGHTY Lord God, who for 
 the sin of man didst once drown all 
 the world, except eight persons, and 
 afterward of thy great mercy didst 
 promise never to destroy it so again ; 
 We humbly beseech thee, that al- 
 though we for our iniquities have 
 worthily deserved a plague of rain 
 and waters, yet upon our true repentance, thou wilt send 
 us such weather, as that we may receive the fruits of 
 the earth in due season ; and learn both by thy punish- 
 ment to amend our lives, and for thy clemency to give 
 thee praise and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen, 
 
 In the time of Dearth and Famine. 
 
 GOD, heavenly Father, whose gift 
 it is, that the rain doth fall, the earth 
 is fruitful, beasts increase, and fishes 
 do multiply ; Behold, we beseech 
 thee, the afflictions of thy people ; and 
 grant that the scarcity and dearth, 
 which we do now most justly suffer 
 for our iniquity, may through thy 
 goodness be mercifully turned into cheapness and plenty ; 
 
 disturbed in thought as well as oppressed in spirit. Resting on ourselves, we sink and languish ; 
 and the very season in which prayer would atlbrd the greatest consolation, is that in which we are 
 least able to depend upon our own resources, our own solitary Aiith. While this is the case in 
 respect to private, it is so also in regard to fears and apprehensions produced by public calamities. 
 Apart, in our own homes, we are unable to contend with alarm; but in the Church, and surrounded 
 by many children and servants of God, the danger may be viewed more calmly, and the means 
 of relief sought in deep and composed prayer. The promises of Scripture, moreover, teach every 
 Clnistian to believe that, " the Lord's liand is not sliortened, that it cannot save," and that as He 
 is especially present with his people when assembled together, the first signs of distress ought always 
 to be viewed as calls to prayer, and to sucli other acts of devotion as may be suited to the occasion. 
 It was according to this principle that our Church introduced the following prayers into the Liturgy, 
 the simplicity and spiritual tone of which give them every claim to devout attention. Tlie first 
 two were in the original Liturgy of King Edward ; the otlier four were not added till the second book 
 was compiled. 
 
 .52 
 
PRAYERS. 
 
 for the love of Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee, 
 and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and 
 for ever. Amen, 
 
 Or this. 
 
 GOD, merciful Father, who, in the 
 time of Elisha the prophet, didst sud- 
 denly in Samaria turn great scarcity 
 and dearth into plenty and cheap- 
 ness ; Have mercy upon us, that we, 
 who are now for our sins punished 
 with like adversity, may likewise find 
 a seasonable relief: Increase the 
 fruits of the earth by thy heavenly benediction ; and grant 
 that we, receiving thy bountiful liberality, may use the 
 same to thy glory, the relief of those that are needy, and 
 our own comfort ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 In the time of ff^ar and Tumults. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, King of all kings, 
 
 and Governour of all things, whose 
 
 power no creature is able to resist, 
 
 to whom it belongeth justly to punish 
 
 sinners, and to be merciful to them 
 
 that truly repent ; Save and deliver 
 
 us, we humbly beseech thee, from the 
 
 hands of our enemies; abate their 
 
 ^. MM pride, asswage their malice, and confound their devices ; 
 
 \^0 that we, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved 
 
 \ |!^ evermore from all perils, to glorify thee, who art the only 
 
 ?i giver of all victory ; through the merits of thy only Son 
 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, 
 
 " In the time of Elisha,'" Sfc. — The circumstance alluded to in this prayer is recorded in 2 Kings, 
 iv. 38 — 44. Seasons of danger prove the value of that faith and holiness which the servants of God 
 cultivate, not only to their own profit, but for the good of mankind at large. Even they who bask 
 most thoughtlessly in the sun of prosperity, and scarcely wake to recollect the change of seasons, 
 will one day learn that they owed the protracted period of mercy to the intercession of those who 
 pray in the spirit of Elisha. See also St. James v. 16 — 18. This prayer was omitted in Queen 
 Elizabeth's book, but restored at the review of the Liturgy. 
 
 53 
 
PRAYERS. 
 
 l)i the time of any coninion Pldirac or Sickness. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who in thy wrath 
 didst send a ])lagiie upon thine own 
 people in the wilderness, Ibr their 
 obstinate rebellion against Moses and 
 Aaron ; and also, in the time of king 
 David, didst slay with the plague of 
 Pestilence threescore and ten thou- 
 sand, and yet remembering thy mercy 
 didst save the rest ; Have pity upon us miserable sinners, 
 who now are visited with great sickness and mortality ; 
 that like as thou didst then accept of an atonement, and 
 didst command the destroying Angel to cease from punish- 
 ing ; so it may now please thee to withdraw from us this 
 plague and grievous sickness ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 % In the Ember Weeks, to he said every day, for those that 
 are to he admitted into Holy Orders. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, our heavenly Fa- 
 ther, who hast purchased to thyself 
 an universal Church, by the precious 
 blood of thy dear Son ; Mercifully 
 look upon the same, and at this time 
 so guide and govern the minds of thy 
 servants the Bishops and Pastors of 
 thy flock, that they may lay hands 
 suddenly on no man, but faithfully and wisely make 
 
 "In the Ember fVeeks," 8)-c — The Ember days are the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the 
 first Sunday in Lent, the feast of Pentecost, or Whitsunday, September the llth and December the 
 13th. In the 31st Canon it is expressly said that, " Forasmuch as the ancient Fathers of the Church, 
 led by the example of tlie apostles, appointed prayers and feasts to be used at tlie solemn ordering of 
 mnnsters; and to tliat purpose allotted certain times, in which only sacred orders might be given or 
 conferred. We, following their holy aiid religious example, do constitute and decree, that no deacons 
 or ministers be made and ordahied but only upon the Siuidays immediately following PJuiiia quatuor 
 temporum, appointed in ancient time for prayer and fasting, (purposely for this cause at tlieir first 
 institution,) and so continued at this day in the Church of England." The* meaning of tlie word 
 Ember is doubtful, but it is generally supposed to signify a fast ; or the ashes which persons sprinkled 
 on their heads wiien fasting, or perhaps the course in which the fasts occurred. 
 
 54 
 
PRAYERS. 
 
 choice of fit persons to serve in tlie sacred Ministry of 
 thy Church. And to those which shall be ordained to 
 any holy function, give thy grace and heavenly benedic- 
 tion ; that both by their life and doctrine they may set 
 forth thy glory, and set forward the salvation of all men ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Or this. 
 LMIGHTY God, the giver of all 
 good gifts, who of thy divine provi- 
 dence hast appointed divers Orders 
 in thy Church; give thy grace, we 
 humbly beseech thee, to all those who 
 are to be called to any office and ad- 
 ministration in the same ; and so 
 replenish them with the truth of thy 
 doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life, that 
 they may faithfully serve before thee, to the glory of 
 thy great Name, and the benefit of thy holy Church ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ A Prayer that may be said after any of the former. 
 
 GOD, whose nature and property is 
 ever to have mercy and to forgive, 
 receive our humble petitions ; and 
 though we be tied and bound with 
 the chain of our sins, yet let the piti- 
 fulness of thy great mercy loose us ; 
 for the honour of Jesus Christ, our 
 Mediator and Advocate. Amen. 
 
 Or this. — It was the earnest desire of St. Paul that the people whom he had instructed in the Gospel 
 might be urgent in their prayers for him at the Throne of Grace. If such was the wish of an Apostle, 
 how much more so must it be that of those who, coming so far behind him in gifts, have yet entered 
 into the same office, and may, at least in some degree, share his zeal, his desire to make known the 
 truth, and glorify his Heavenly Master ! It is such prayers as tliese which the Heavenly Advocate 
 rejoices to present at the Throne of Grace, and in offering which we best prove our fidelity to the cause 
 of God and the Clmrch. 
 
 " A prai/cr that inay he said,'^ S^c. — Tliis prayer was added to the Liturgy as revised in tlie time 
 of Queen Klizabetii. It is well ada])fed to its object, wliich appears to be tliat tlie iiumble w()rshi])p*T 
 may sujiply tlie acknowledged deficiency of his prayers by an application to the all-suflicient fulness 
 of divine mercy. 
 
 55 
 
PRAYERS. 
 
 ^\ A Prayer for the High Court of Parliament, to he read 
 during their Session. 
 
 OST gracious God, we humbly be- 
 seech thee, as for this Kingdom in 
 general, so especially for the High 
 Court of Parliament, under our most 
 religious and gracious Queen at this 
 time assembled : That thou wouldest 
 be pleased to direct and prosper all 
 -:._J their consultations to the advancement 
 of thy glory, the good of thy Church, the safety, honour, 
 and welfare of our Sovereign, and her Dominions ; that all 
 things may be so ordered and settled by their endeavours, 
 upon the best and surest foundations, that peace and hap- 
 piness, truth and justice, religion and piety, may be 
 established among us for all generations. These and all 
 other necessaries, for them, for us, and thy whole Church, 
 we humbly beg in the Name and Mediation of Jesus 
 Christ our most blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen. 
 
 IT 
 
 A Collect or Prayer for all Conditions of men, to be used 
 at such times when the Litany is not appointed to be said. 
 
 GOD, the Creator and Preserver of 
 all mankind, we humbly beseech thee 
 for all sorts and conditions of men; 
 that thou wouldest be pleased to make 
 thy ways known unto them ; thy saving 
 health unto all nations. More espe- 
 cially we pray for the good estate of 
 the Catholic Church ; that it may be 
 
 " Prayer for the High Covrt of," &:c. — This prayer was not added till the last review of the 
 Liturgy. The propriety of such an addition is manifest. Political wisdom can avail nothing if its 
 decisions be unaided by Him before whom "the wisdom of this world is foolishness.'' When a 
 nation trusts its destinies to men, or imposes on them the responsibility of labouring for its welfare and 
 liberties it is unwise in the one respect, and unjust in the other, if it neglect to entreat that they may 
 I be guided strengthened, and blessed in their work. The use of the epithet "religious" as applied to 
 sovereigns of very diflerent characters, would not be warranted were it employed in the ordinary sense. 
 But it pertains to the office, and is no more intended as descriptive of personal character than are the 
 terms reverend and honourable as appended to the names of those who occupy particular offices or 
 stations in society. 
 
 56 
 
PRAYERS. 
 
 so guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all 
 who profess and call themselves Christians may be led 
 into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, 
 in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, 
 we commend to thy fatherly goodness all those, who are 
 any ways afflicted, or distressed, in mind, body, or estate ; 
 * This to be said [*especialb/ those for whom our prai/ers are 
 Pmyers^"of IhTcon- desired,] that it may please thee to comfort 
 gregation. g^ud rcHeve them, according to their several 
 
 necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, 
 and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this 
 we beg for Jesus Christ his sake. Amen. 
 
 " Prayer for all conditions of men," 8fc. — There is an earnest appeal to every holy and kindly 
 sentiment of our hearts in the title of this prayer. If we be rich, let our alms ascend for a memo- 
 rial before God as well as our petitions ; but deprived of every other means of doing good, we are 
 here taught that the way is open to the exercise of charity, however helpless we may seem. The 
 prayer which our Church instructs us to use for this purpose is in the true Spirit of Him who ' so 
 loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not 
 perish, but have everlasting life,' — of Him, ' who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto 
 the knowledge of the truth.' The petition for the Catholic, that is the Universal Church, is espe- 
 cially indicative of this sublime feeling of love. It is not for itself simply that our Church prays, 
 or to itself that it applies, by way of eminence, the name of Church ; it prays under that name for 
 all the true people of God who have one faith, one Lord, one Spirit. The supplications for those 
 who are afflicted are alms and prayer both, converted, united, melted into one, by the warmth of 
 Christian love, and the still mightier efficacy of the divine blessing. It ought to lie heavily on 
 the conscience of those who are in the habit of hearing it said, 'The prayers of the congregation are 
 desired,' but either through inattention or sloth allow the prayer to be repeated without heartily 
 joining in its petitions. 
 
 57 
 
THANKSGIVINGS. 
 
 f 
 
 A General Tlianh^Loinfy. 
 
 ^m_^->-_^,§^,LMIGHTY God, Father of all mer- 
 vS! ^^^^' ^^ thine unworthy servants do 
 give thee most humble and hearty 
 thanks for all thy goodness and loving- 
 kindness to us, and to all men ; [*/;ar- 
 - Thk to he said tiadarl^ to those icho desire 
 
 when aiiv that have . /t" „ * 7 * 
 
 beenpra'yedforde-'^^^^^^ offer Up theiT prCllSeS 
 sire to return praise, and t/ianksgivingS foV tkl/ IcUC 
 
 mercies vouchsafed unto them.] We bless thee for our cre- 
 ation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life ; but 
 above all, for thine inestimable love in the redemption 
 of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of 
 grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, 
 give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts 
 may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we shew forth thy 
 praise not only with our lips, but in our lives ; by giving 
 up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in 
 holiness and righteousness all our days ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost 
 be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen, 
 
 " A General Thanksgiving.'' — ' A joyful and pleasant thhig it is to be thankful,' is a sentiment 
 true to natural as well as spiritual feeling-. The ordinary state of a Christian, undepressed by fears, 
 unharassed by multiplied temptations, is that of tliankfuhiess ; and when he has joined his brethren 
 ni prayers for mercy, he reverts with joy to the blessings already received, and in the fuhiess of 
 filial gratitude pours out his heart in praises to the God of love. The thanksgiving is as universal 
 ni Its spirit and aj)plication as the prayer for all men. It gives thanks for those who have not 
 yet been taught the heavenly lesson of gratitude to God. It gives thanks for every blessing we 
 enjoy, or are made capable of enjoying throngli the mercy of our Father and the merits of our 
 Redeemer; audit closes with a petition, indirectly the best praise which could be otiered, that we 
 may be rendered more and more wise to appreciate, and more capable of exhibiting, the force and 
 influence of the divine goodness. 
 
 This prayer was not added till the last review of tiie Liturgy, and is skid to have been composed 
 by Bishop Sanderson. Those which follow were inserted in the time of James the First; and an 
 objection was thereby removed wiiich had been made with some degree of reason, namely, that we bad 
 no form of thanksgiving for deliverances obtained in answer to our prayers. 
 
 58 
 
THANKSGIVINGS. 
 
 For Rain. 
 
 GOD our heavenly Father, who by 
 thy gracious providence dost cause 
 the former and the latter rain to 
 descend upon the earth, that it may 
 bring forth fruit for the use of man ; 
 We give thee humble thanks that it 
 hath pleased thee, in our great ne- 
 cessity, to send us at the last a joyfid 
 rain upon thine inheritance, and to refresh it when it was 
 dry, to the great comfort of us thy unworthy servants, 
 and to the glory of thy holy Name ; through thy mercies 
 in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, 
 
 For Fair Weather. 
 
 4 LORD God, who hast justly humbled 
 us by thy late plague of immoderate 
 rain and waters, and in thy mercy 
 hast relieved and comforted our souls 
 by this seasonable and blessed change 
 of weather ; We praise and glorify thy 
 holy Name for this thy mercy, and 
 will always declare thy loving-kind- 
 ness from generation to generation ; through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen. 
 
 59 
 
 For Plentj/. 
 
 MOST merciful Father, who of thy 
 gracious goodness hast heard the de- 
 vout prayers of thy Church, and 
 turned our dearth and scarcity into 
 cheapness and plenty ; We give 
 thee humble thanks for this thy 
 special bounty ; beseeching thee to 
 continue thy loving-kindness unto us, 
 
 I :d 
 
THANKSGIVINGS. 
 
 that our land may yield us her fruits of increase, to thy 
 glory and our comibrt ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen, 
 
 For Peace and Deliverance from our Enemies, 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who art a strong 
 tower of defence unto thy servants 
 against the face of their enemies; 
 We yield thee praise and thanks- 
 giving for our deliverance from those 
 great and apparent dangers where- 
 with we were compassed : We ac- 
 knowledge it thy goodness that we 
 were not delivered over as a prey unto them ; beseech- 
 ing thee still to continue such thy mercies towards us, 
 that all the world may know that thou art our Saviour 
 and mighty Deliverer ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 For restoring Public Peace at Home. 
 
 ETERNAL God, our heavenly Fa- 
 ther, who alone makest men to be of 
 one mind in a house, and stillest the 
 outrage of a violent and unruly peo- 
 ple ; We bless thy holy Name, that 
 it hath pleased thee to appease the 
 seditious tumults which have been 
 lately raised up amongst us ; most 
 
 " For Peace,''' 8(c. — There are seasons in which the Almighty manifestly stretches forth his hand 
 to deliver the nation from calamity. Tremblingly alive to danger, we surely ought not to be less 
 awake to the mercy whereby alone deliverance is etl'ected. National calamities should be met by 
 national prayer, and national deliverance by national thanksgivings. Were we more attentive to 
 the signs of Divine displeasure and returning mercy, the substance of these prayers would often 
 enter spiritually into the general form under which they are ranged. We need deliverance from 
 many an unnamed danger ; and we owe a vast debt of gratitude to God for innumerable blessings, 
 mighty in their influence, but invisible in their operation. 
 
 CO 
 
THANKSGIVINGS. 
 
 humbly beseeching thee to grant to all of us grace, that 
 we may henceforth obediently walk in thy holy com- 
 mandments ; and, leading a quiet and peaceable life in 
 all godliness and honesty, may continually offer nnto 
 thee our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for these 
 thy mercies towards us ; through Jesus Christ onr Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 For Deliverance from the Plague, or other common 
 
 Sickness. 
 
 LORD God, who hast wounded us 
 for our sins, and consumed us for our 
 transgressions, by thy late heavy and 
 dreadful visitation ; and now, in the 
 midst of judgment remembering 
 mercy, hast redeemed our souls from 
 the jaws of death ; We offer unto thy 
 fatherly goodness ourselves, our souls 
 and bodies which thou hast delivered, to be a living 
 sacrifice unto thee, always praising and magnifying thy 
 mercies in the midst of thy Church ; through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Or this. 
 
 E humbly acknowledge before thee, 
 O most merciful Father, that all the 
 punishments which are threatened in 
 thy law might justly have fallen upon 
 us, by reason of our manifold trans- 
 gressions and hardness of heart : Yet 
 f seeing it hath pleased thee of thy 
 tender mercy, upon our weak and 
 unworthy humiliation, to asswage the contagious sickness 
 wherewith we lately have been sore afflicted, and to 
 restore the voice of joy and health into our dwellings ; 
 61 
 
THANKSGIVINGS 
 
 Wc offer unto thy Divine Majesty the sacrifice ol' praise 
 and thanksgiving, lauding and magnifying thy glorious 
 Name for such thy preservation and providence over us ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 62 
 
§l|[|i-|;i;i!liii[;iauy^M/i;jf.''> ^ T, { ;|;,;|, 
 
 
% Note that the Collect appointed for every Sunday, or for any Holiday that hath a 
 Vigil or Eve, shall be said at the Evening Service next before. 
 
 The First Simdai/ in Advent. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, give us grace that 
 we may cast away the works of dark- 
 ness, and put upon us the armour of 
 liglit, now in the time of this mortal 
 life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ 
 came to visit us in great humility; 
 that in the last day, when he shall come again in his 
 glorious Majesty to judge both the quick and dead, 
 we may rise to the life immortal, through him who 
 liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, 
 now and ever. Amen. 
 
 % This Collect is to be repeated every day, tvith the other Collects in Advent, until 
 
 Christinas Eve. 
 
 The arrangement of the Coi.i.ects, Epistles, and Gospels in the order here observed has pre- 
 vailed from the most ancient times. It is to tlie zeal and piety of St. Jerome that the selection is 
 ascribed ; and the assertion of its antiquity is justified by the frequent allusion to the Collects, 
 or portions of Scripture appointed for particular days, in the homilies of the early lathers. 
 The Collects, though for the most part left unaltered, were revised on being adopted into our 
 Liturgy ; and the Epistles and Gospels, which were, at first, taken from the old version, or that of 
 the great Bible, were subsequently selected from the last translation,— an improvement for which 
 we appear to be indebted chiefly to the presbyterian divines. Formerly, find according to the first 
 
 05 K 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 The Ephfle. Rom. xiii. 8. 
 
 WE no man any thing, but to love 
 one another : for he that lovcth ano- 
 ther hath lulfillcd the law. For this. 
 Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou 
 slialt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. 
 Thou shalt not bear false witness. 
 Thou slialt not covet ; and if there 
 be any other commandment, it is 
 briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt 
 love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to 
 his neighbour ; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 
 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to 
 awake out of sleep : for now is our salvation nearer than 
 when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at 
 hand : let us therefore cast ofl* the works of darkness, and 
 let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly 
 as in the day ; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in 
 chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 
 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not pro- 
 vision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. 
 
 book of King Edward VI., a proper psalm was appointed to precede the reading of the Collect at 
 the Communion. This psalm was called The Introit, from its being used when the priest entered 
 the altar ; and as it was selected with great care, and in close correspondence with the Gospel, it 
 might be productive of benefit were a similar selection still authorised. 
 
 As the Jews began their religious or ecclesiastical year from the memorable day on which they 
 were delivered from Kgypt, so the Christian Church commences the course of its annual services 
 with the dawning of the Day of Salvation ; — the approach of him in whom all things have become 
 new. The word Advent means a coming, or arrival ; and the season of preparation to which it 
 refers has been observed in the Church for at least fourteen hundred years. 
 
 The Coi.lkct. — Of the four collects for Advent, the last is the only one traced immediately to 
 an ancient source. The first and second were composed for the reformed Liturgy ; and the third 
 was added at the Restoration, to supply the place of one thought inadequate to the occasion. 
 Founded on the most beautiful expressions of spiiitual eloquence, the First Collect teaches us to 
 seek that purifying, and, at the same time fortifying grace, which alone can fit men for the service 
 of Christ. He now comes to us as a Saviour : let us cast away darkness from our hearts ; the pride, 
 — the folly, — the sensuality, which have hitherto separated us from God. He will return from his 
 throne as a Judge: let us so live in the Spirit now, that we may rise by the Spirit hereafter! 
 
 The Epistle. — The wisdom and power of the Gospel are eminently set forth in this portion of 
 Scripture. Every practical duty of life is urged upon us by the grand argiuuent of love ; — which 
 forming the ground- work of the whole system of creation and redemption, enters also, like the 
 pervading breath of the Universal Spirit, into the mhmtest circumstance and relation of the Chris- 
 tian's course. Our preparation for the coming of Christ, either as a Saviour or a Judge, can go 
 but slowly on while we are making "provision for the ilesh to fulfil the lusts thereof."' Then only 
 can we be fit to appear before him when from the grave of sin we wake up in his own likeness, 
 having " put him on" by the graces of faith and holiness. 
 
 60 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 The Gospel St. Matt. xxi. 1. 
 
 HEN they drew nigli unto Jeru- 
 salem, and were come to Betlipliage, 
 unto the mount of Olives, then sent 
 Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, 
 Go into the village over against you, 
 and straightway ye shall find an ass 
 tied, and a colt with her : loose them, 
 and bring them unto me. And if any 
 man say ought unto you, ye shall say. The Lord hath 
 need of them ; and straightway he will send them. All 
 this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken 
 by the Proj^het, saying. Tell ye the daughter of Sion, 
 Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting 
 upon an ass, and a colt the fole of an ass. And the dis- 
 ciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them; and 
 brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their 
 clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great 
 multitude spread their garments in the way ; others cut 
 down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the 
 way. And the multitudes that went before, and that 
 followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; 
 Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord ; 
 Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into 
 Jerusalem all the city was moved, saying. Who is this ? 
 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the Prophet of 
 Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of 
 God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the 
 temple ; and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, 
 and the seats of them that sold doves: and said unto 
 them. It is written. My house shall be called the house of 
 prayer ; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 
 
 The Gospel. — This account of Clnisfs entrance into Jerusalem is chosen for the Gospel of 
 the day as illustrating the prophetic character of our Lord. We here behold him coming as the 
 King of Israel — " Behold 1 have set my king upon my holy hill of Sion." As the Messenger of 
 the Covenant, suddenly coming to his Temple, and manifesting his authority in that house of 
 prayer. But with all this, he comes in the meekness of one who intended to make liimself an 
 offering for the sins of his people. Isai. Ixii. 11. Zech. ix. 9, 
 
 67 K 2 
 
The Second Smidai/ in Advent. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LESSED Lord, who hast caused all 
 
 holy Scriptures to be written for our 
 
 learning ; Grant that we may in such 
 
 wise hear them, read, mark, learn, 
 
 and inwardly digest them, that by 
 
 patience and comfort of thy holy 
 
 Word, we may embrace, and ever 
 
 hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which 
 
 thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
 Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — Our religion is a religion of revelation : a religion to be known only by the 
 teaching of God. The works of nature, the ways of Providence, as well as the loftier mysteries 
 of spiritual being and action, form together a wondrous whole, no one part of which can be 
 separated from the other in the due contemplation of Divine goodness. God works out his pur- 
 poses by means variously chosen: He "hath made all things for himself;" but it is not on the 
 face of things that He has made known his counsels. It is in the series of commxmications vouch- 
 safed by his Spirit, where alone we are to look for the bearing of his work, the influence of his 
 determinations on our higher destinies. The necessity of help in the study of Scriptm-e appears 
 both from the nature of the subjects contemplated, and the express precept of its Author, " The 
 natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God," and " The things of God knowcth no 
 man, but the Spirit of (iod." 
 
 68 
 
 i 
 
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 The Epistle. Rom. xv. 4. 
 
 HATSOEVER things were written 
 aforetime, were written for our learn- 
 ing; that we through patience, and 
 comfort of the Scriptures, might have 
 hope. Now the God of patience and 
 consolation grant you to be like- 
 minded one towards another, accord- 
 ing to Christ Jesus ; that ye may 
 with one mind, and one mouth, glorify God, even the 
 Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye 
 one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of 
 God. Now I say, that Jesus Christ was a minister of the 
 circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises 
 made unto the fathers : And that the Gentiles might 
 glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause 
 I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto 
 thy Name. And again he saith. Rejoice, ye Gentiles, 
 with his people. And again. Praise the Lord, all ye 
 Gentiles, and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias 
 saith. There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall 
 rise to reign over the Gentiles, in him shall the Gentiles 
 trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and 
 peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through 
 the power of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 The Episti.e. — The Epistle instructs us iu the use of a most valuable privilege. It is the comfort 
 of a Christian to know that the Bible, in all its divisions, is given for his advantage ; that the 
 Holy Spirit has written that he may he comforted and taught to hope. St. Paul's application of 
 this truth is equally interesting and important. God gave not his promises of future happiness 
 to a small section of the race, but intended them for men of every age and clime. The Advent of 
 Christ fulfils these promises, first in the means of grace ; secondly, in the consummations of glory. 
 On examining the pages of the prophets, we everywhere behold traces of the Divine intentions 
 respecting this recall of mankind to favour. In the blessing given to his faith, the Gospel '*' was 
 preached beforehand unto Abraham." The exalted sentiments of love and hope, which breathe 
 through the noblest of the Psalms, owe their beauty to this anticipation of EvangeUcal grace. 
 Isaiah, drawing his inspiration from the wells of salvation, rejoicing to watch the day-spring of 
 redemption, passes continually beyond the boundaries of the system under which he lived, and 
 delights himself in proclaiming freedom and glory to all the nations of the earth. See Psalms 
 xviii. 49., cxvii. 1. Deut. xxxii. 43, and Isaiah xi. 1. 10. 
 69 
 
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xxi. 25. 
 
 ND tlicre shall be signs in the sun, 
 and in the moon, and in the stars; 
 and upon the earth distress of nations, 
 with perplexity, the sea and the waves 
 
 roaring 
 
 men's hearts failing them 
 
 for fear, and for looking after those 
 things which are coming on the earth : 
 for the powers of heaven shall he 
 shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming 
 in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these 
 things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up 
 your heads ; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he 
 spake to them a parable, Behold the fig-tree, and all 
 the trees ; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know 
 of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So 
 likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know 
 ye that the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I 
 say unto you. This generation shall not pass away, till all 
 be fulfilled: heaven and earth shall pass away ; but my 
 words shall not pass away. 
 
 The Gospei,. — If our minds refuse to bestow proper attention on the first coming of Christ, they 
 are here roused to thoughtfuhiess by his own prophetic warning respecting his second coming. 
 Perhaps to us he may come beforehand by special judgments^ inflicted on us individually, as he 
 punished the Jews ; so that this generation will not have passed away till all wliich concerns us 
 be fulfilled. But the day is certainly coming in which all men shall stand before His throne. 
 Prepared by signs and wonders for its approach, let us " watch and be sober." The warning to 
 Jerusalem and its people was fulfilled in the course of forty j'ears, and in a manner the most 
 complete and fearful. Not one stone of the temple was left upon another ; the city of Zion, once 
 the joy of the whole land, the boast of nations for its strength and beauty, became a heap of stones ; 
 its people fell beneath the outstretched arm of the Angel of the Covenant which they had 
 despised ; and mankind might behold in their awful fate a terrible type of that of the world itself, 
 persisting in the rejection of Christ, and liis prort'ered rigliteousness. God has never punished his 
 creatures witliout having given them time to repent, and plead for that mercy which He is always 
 ready to exercise till holiness and truth oblige him to fulfil his judgments. We read of these 
 inflictions as matter of history merely, instead of solennily contemplating them as the results of a 
 progressive and undeviating plan, which necessarily involves the disobedient in ruin, while it 
 carries forward the righteous to endless happiness and perfection. That such subjects demand 
 frequent meditation, is as tme as that our personal interests are inseparably bound up with the 
 principles and events to which they refer. It is impossible that the consecpiences of a system 
 combining in its action the mighty powers of Diviae justice and Divine love, and the knowledge of 
 whicli has been conununicated to mankind in language the most universal, should fail in respect to 
 any being originally made subject to the design. 
 
 70 
 
The Third Siindfu/ in Advent. 
 
 The Collect. 
 Lord Jesii Christ, who at thy 
 first coming cliclst send thy 
 messenger to prepare thy way 
 before thee ; Grant that the 
 ministers and stewards of thy 
 mysteries may likewise so pre- 
 e and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts 
 he disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at 
 second coming to judge the workl we may be 
 ^i found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest 
 and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, 
 ever one God, world without end. Amen. 
 
 The Coi.i-ect. — There is a progress and gradation to be observed in the Collects for Advent, 
 In the tirst we pray for the grace of a general preparation : 4n the second, for ability to read and 
 understand aright the revelation of Divine mysteries ; and now we seek the blessing of God for 
 those who are appointed to minister in holy things, — to comfort the sorrowful, to warn the obsti- 
 nate, and instruct the ignorant, by pointing their thoughts to the power and goodness of a Saviour, 
 and to the certainty of his second coming. 
 
 71 
 
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 Cor. iv. 1. 
 
 ET a man so account of us, as of the 
 ministers of Christ, and stewards of 
 the mysteries of God. Moreover, it 
 is required in stewards, that a man 
 be found faithful. But with me it is 
 a very small thing that I should be 
 judged of you, or of man's judgement : 
 yea, I judge not mine own self. For 
 I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified; 
 but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge 
 nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both 
 will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will 
 make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall 
 every man have praise of God. 
 
 Th 
 
 le 
 
 Gospel. St. Matth. xi. 2. 
 
 OW when John had heard in the 
 prison the works of Christ, he sent 
 two of his disciples, and said unto 
 him, x\rt thou he that should come, 
 or do we look for another ? Jesus 
 answered and said unto them. Go 
 and shew John again those things 
 which ye do hear and see : The blind 
 
 The Episti.e — The respect due to tlie ministers of Christ corresponds to their responsihility. 
 As intrusted with the administration of the riches of heavenly knowledge, they may rightly claim a 
 serious attention to their counsels and persuasions. But the trust which gives them this claim to 
 respect is of the most awiul kind, and the words of the Apostle, " it is required in stewards that a man 
 be found faithful," imply instruction, which reaches the heart of every thoughtful and conscientious 
 servant of God. To such the judgment of the world is of little consequence ; yet they can entreat 
 it to pause in its decisions, assured as they are that when hidden things are brought to light, tliey 
 will he found to have served the best interests of mankind in serving God. 
 
 The GosPEi,. — It was not without the most cautious inquiry and observation that the early wit- 
 nesses to the truth of the Gospel allowed themselves to be convinced of its divine origin. John the 
 Baptist must have been long impressed with general convictions that the Son of Maiy was the 
 Messiah, whose way he was to prepare ; but it was not till he had seen the Spirit descending and 
 abiding upon him, and had heard a voice from heaven proclaiming him the Son of God. that he 
 properly became a believer in Christ. The question which he now put was asked, probably, rather 
 for the sake of his disciples than himself; but he might be anxious to add proof to proof; and it 
 ought to be remembered that, great as was John the Baptist, the least in tlie kingdom of heaven, 
 
 72 
 
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 receive their siglit, and the lame walk, the lepers are 
 cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised np, and 
 the poor have the Gospel preached to them : And blessed 
 is he whosoever shall not he offended in me. And as 
 they departed, Jesns began to say nnto the mnltitndes 
 concerning John, What went ye ont into the wilderness 
 to see ? a reed shaken with the wind ? Bnt what went ye 
 ont for to see ? a man clothed in soft raiment ? Behold, 
 they that wear soft clothing are in kings' honses. Bnt 
 what went ye ont for to see? a prophet ? yea, I say nnto 
 yon, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it 
 is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, 
 which shall prepare thy way before thee. 
 
 that is, the lowest subject of the dispensation of faith is greater than he. Tlie practical answer 
 of Christ showed that he was indeed the Propliet, the Deliverer, for whom the nations looked. 
 
 It is worthy of observation that, in the allusion which our Lord makes to his miracles, he speaks 
 of every class of disease to which the human frame is most painfully liable. Not pausing here, 
 he refers to the final proof of their mastery in the power of death; and to the equally sad but less 
 evident results of the dominion of sin ; the ignorance, the darkness, the whole long train of moral 
 and spiritual miseries attendant upon poverty. Over all these sources of affliction He asserts his 
 control ; and illustrating the faithful description of the Gospel, that it is not in word but in power, 
 he points to cases in which he had actually made the most obstinate maladies yield to his 
 command ; had broken the bonds of death and the bars of the grave ; and diffused through barren 
 wastes of dark and hopeless poverty the cheering and renovating light of heaven. For the human 
 heart to be offended at the purest holiness and humanity, betokens a loss of every principle 
 through which the Spirit of God might shed its benign influence on the soul ; and were it not 
 that he acts by his own will, and not according to the foregoing desires of man, the first rejection 
 of Christ's appeal to the evidence of his truth would be the last. But instead of uttering the 
 fearful sentence which might have been expected, he alludes to the happiness of those who receive 
 him, rather than to the fate of the corrupt and blinded unbeliever. " Blessed is he whosoever 
 shall not be offended in me :" blessed, because of the righteousness imputed to faith ; blessed, 
 because of the union thereby effected with the best and holiest of beings ; blessed, because of tlie 
 assurance which is thence obtained of help and consolation in the hour of trouble ; blessed, because 
 thereby we are enabled to exclahn, " O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy victory ?" 
 blessed, because, however poor and desolate we majr be in this world, we have the consciousness of 
 being possessors of great dignity and wealth in that which is to come. The testimony which 
 Jesus bore to the faithfulness of his forennnier was powerful and impressive. He had performed 
 the duties of his office with a self-denying grandeur of purpose that placed hhn at the head of all 
 who had hitherto suffered in the cause of truth and holiness ; while his knowledge of the object for 
 which he had been raised up, and the dignity tr\ily belonging to his office as the precursor of the 
 Messiah, invested his character and person with the sublimest attributes ever yet enjoyed by a 
 human minister of God. 
 
 73 
 
The Fourth Hundmj in Advent. 
 
 
 ^:5>{:^- 
 
 
 
 The Collect. 
 LORD, raise up (we pray thee) thy 
 power, and come among us, and 
 with great might succour us; that 
 whereas, through our sins and wick- 
 edness, we are sore let and hindered 
 in running the race that is set be- 
 Ibre us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily 
 help and deliver us ; through the satisfaction of thy 
 Son our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost 
 11" be honour and glory, world without end. Amen. 
 
 The Coi.t.ect. — The cxpcct.ation of some great event fills the heart with awe, — and it desires a 
 strength and steadfastness not naturally possessed. Guided hy the offices of the Church to con- 
 template the progress of spiritual events as actual, we stand now on the eve of that mightiest of 
 occurrences— the first manifestation of the Son of God ! Still carried forward by faith, we behold 
 him preparing for judgment ; and in the deep consciousness of unworthiness, — in the sad assurance 
 that hitherto we liave not made due use of the means of grace,— we pray, in language strongly 
 expressive of fear, mingling with love, for the help of that might which alone can succour and 
 deliver us. And happy are we if these prayers be lieard. When the power of the Lord is present 
 to save, who can hinder us from triumphing over our enemies ? The weakness of sin is then over- 
 come by the strength of righteousness : and the accusations of the adversary are answered by the 
 .Judge himself. 
 
 74 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 The EjjUtle. Phil. iv. 4. 
 
 E JO ICE in the Lord alway, and 
 again I say, Rejoice. Let your mo- 
 deration be known unto all men. 
 The Lord is at hand. Be careful 
 for nothing : but in every thing, by 
 prayer and supplication with thanks- 
 giving, let your requests be made 
 known unto God. And the peace of 
 
 God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your 
 
 hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John i. 19. 
 
 HIS is the record of John, when the 
 Jews sent Priests and Levites from 
 Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou ? 
 And he confessed, and denied not ; 
 but confessed, I am not the Christ. 
 And they asked him, What then? 
 Art thou Elias ? And he saith, I am 
 not. Art thou that Prophet ? And 
 
 The Episti.e. — When most humbled, — most earnestly impressed with convictions of helpless- 
 ness, — even then may the Christian find Scripture exhorting him to hope and gladness. " When 
 1 am weak then am I strong," becomes, therefore, the accustomed language of the believer. He 
 would only tremble at the looked-for coming of Christ were he depending on himself; but trusting 
 as he does to the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit, he is careful for nothing, that is, — is not 
 depressed, — is not curiously anxious about any thing, — but rejoices in the Lord, with a " peace 
 which passeth understanding." 
 
 The Gospei,. — Distinct prophetic communications ceased with Malachi ; and the Jews did 
 not expect the appearance of any other prophet till the days of the Messiah. " I will send j-ou 
 Elijah," said Malachi : the Septuagint translators added, "' the Thesbite," — an addition to which 
 has been attributed the expectation of the Jews that Elijah, or Elias, would appear in person. 
 John was expressly raised by God to be the forerunner of Christ. His miraculous conception, — 
 his birth of a sacerdotal race, — deserve especial remark. He was sent by God, and was thus both 
 a prophet and an apostle. His rare endowments attracted general attention ; and there were cir- 
 cumstances in his teaching calculated to remove most of the Jewish prejudices. He came in the 
 character of those ancient seers and teachers of Israel, the memorj' of whose virtues and profound 
 wisdom still haunted the minds of the people. They heard him asserting the dignity of God's law, 
 but propounding no new doctrine : he called them to repentance, but not to the rejecting of any 
 old-established rite or custom. Baptism was a rite long in use among the Jews ; it was employed 
 at the admission of proselj-tes ; and the numerous washings were but illustrations of the principle 
 of purification indicated in the baptism of John. His baptism, indeed, was the very perfection of 
 
 75 
 
 L -Z 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 
 
 he answered, No. Then said they unto liim, Who art 
 thou ? that we may give an answer to tliem that sent us. 
 What say est thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of 
 one crying in the wihlerness. Make straight the way of 
 the Lord, as said the propliet Esaias. And they which 
 were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, 
 and said unto him, Why haptizcst thou then, if thou be 
 not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that Prophet ? John 
 answered them, saying, I baptize with water : but there 
 standeth one among you, whom ye know not : He it is 
 who coming after me is preferred before me, wliose shoe's 
 hitchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were 
 done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was bap- 
 tizing. 
 
 a legal ceremony, scaling repentance outwardljr ; but it eonlil not cleanse ; or, if it did, it was as 
 the blood of sacrifices, which owed its efficacy to an imjnited holiness. 
 
 Liglitfoot c^notes passages from the Rabbinical writings, which show that the Messiah was 
 looked for as a cleanser of the people, and hence the cpiestion, " Why baptizest thou then, if thou 
 l)e not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet ? " John sealed bjr his baptism the vow, — the 
 promise of repentance : his baptism washed the pollnted heart, but did not ensure the cpiickening 
 of the soul : it was the sign of changed desires and resolves ; but not " the laver of regeneration :" 
 it took away but did not impart : it prepared and hmnbled, but could not satisfy, restore, illu- 
 minate. This the Baptist plainly declared, and in his use and limitation of the rite which he 
 employed he manifested in the most striking manner the true nature of his office. Had he em- 
 ployed no outward sign, he could not have been so well understood by people long accustomed to 
 emblematical rites ; and what sign could be better adapted to his purpose than that which was 
 deemed essential to the preparation of everything for the use of those who regarded themselves as 
 holy ? As Christ's word turned the water into wine, so did the prophet's looking to his love, as the 
 lamb of Grod, change the waters of Bethabara into a purifying stream, more efficacious to the sufier- 
 ing consciences of sinners than all the sanguinary currents which were poured from the altar of 
 sacrifice. His baptism formed a rite, comprehending and, in some measure, spiritualizing the 
 ancient methods of sanctifying repentance ; and was, therefore, intermediate between tlie sacrifices 
 and the letter of the Law, and the pure and all-STifficient spirituality of the Gospel. Everything 
 done before Christ was by signs. Under Christ, signs become realities. The water of baptism is 
 poxued upon the head, and grace is poured into the heart ;— the bread and the wine are received, 
 and Christ's body and blood refresh the soul : the single condition required to render them so 
 is, that there be faith iu the recipient ; without wliich he is not luuler Christ, — he is not near him, — 
 he has not the species of life or being on which the grace of the Gospel operates. The privileges 
 enjoyed by the members of the Christian Church will appear in their just degree of importance 
 when viewed in comparison with those granted by earlier dispensations. Abraham's hapi)iness 
 and glory consisted in promises only to be fulfilled in his posterity. He rejoiced at the prospect 
 of good, but it was hope only which filled his heart with gladness. Under the Law, Divine justice 
 permitted but rare manifestations of the everlasting glorj' which pertain to regenerated spirits. We 
 already enjoy the realized promises made to tlie fathers in many of the particulars most essential 
 to our comfort. The seal of redemption being upon us, the heirship is certain, and tlie prospect of 
 such an inheritance is of infinitely greater and more substantial worth than the grandest of present 
 possessions. 
 
 76 
 
TheNaliviti/ of our Lord, or the Birth'dni/ of CHRIST, 
 commonfy called Christmas-dai/. 
 
 The Collect. 
 LMIGHTY God, who hast given us 
 thy only-bcgotteii Son to take our na- 
 ture upon him, and as at this time to 
 be born of a pure Virgin ; Grant that 
 we being regenerate, and made thy 
 ^ . chihlren by adoption and grace, may 
 
 daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the 
 same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reign eh 
 with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world 
 without end. Amen. 
 
 THK Co..c..-Tho .ay of the Nativity is the pa^nt ^^ fl^;^;^ ^:::::^:,::^Z 
 ^vho have hest arprehen.U.l by faith, an.l kept -^*^V^"1-^^^' " ."l^^" "^'"l", ,y,e Birth of Christ 
 prepared to conten.plate the n.ysteries of ^^-^^';^'^?^^^^^^'^: , 'h of the Son of God 
 
 Collect was first published m l3-J9. 
 
 77 
 
CHRISTMAS-DAY. 
 
 The Epistle. Heb. i. 1. 
 
 OD, who, at sundry times and in 
 divers manners, spake in time past 
 unto tlie fathers by the prophets, 
 hath in these last days spoken unto 
 us by his Son, whom he hath ap- 
 pointed heir of all things, by whom 
 also he made the worlds ; who being 
 the brightness of his glory, and the 
 express image of his person, and upholding all things by 
 the word of his power, when he had by himself purged 
 our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on 
 high ; being made so much better than the angels, as he 
 hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than 
 they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time. 
 Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee ? And 
 again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a 
 Son ? And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten 
 into the world, he saith. And let all the angels of God 
 worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh 
 his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But 
 unto the Son he saith. Thy throne, O God, is for ever 
 and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of 
 thy kingdom : Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated 
 iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed 
 thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, 
 Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of 
 the earth ; and the heavens are the works of thine hands : 
 they shall perish, but thou remainest ; and they all shall 
 wax old as doth a garment ; and as a vesture shalt thou 
 fold them up, and they shall be changed : but thou art 
 the same, and thy years shall not fail. 
 
 The Epistle. — In this sublime passage the glory of the Saviour shines forth in unclouded lustre, 
 teaching us to adore the wonderful goodness of God, speaking to us by such a messenger. The 
 Divinity of Christ is asserted in the language of the Holy Spirit, revealing the counsels of the 
 Father and the Son from the beginning. Creation is ascribed to Him as the brightness of God's 
 gloiy, — " the express image of his person : " the inheritance of all things is given to him as the 
 loving Guardian, Redeemer, and Mediator of the universe. He sits on the everlasting throne, 
 creating ; — he descends, and hangs on the Cross, redeeming ; — and he returns to uphold all things, 
 not as before, by his divine power only, but by the merits ascribed to his sufferings and his love. 
 
 7« 
 
CHRISTMAS-DAY. 
 
 The Gosi^l. St. John i. 1. 
 
 N the beginning was the Word, and 
 the Word was with God, and the 
 Word was God. The same was in 
 the beginning with God. All things 
 were made by him ; and without him 
 was not any thing made that was 
 made. In him was life, and the life 
 was the light of men. And the light 
 shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it 
 not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was 
 John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of 
 the light, that all men through him might believe. He 
 was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that 
 light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man 
 that Cometh into the world. He was in the world, and 
 the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 
 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 
 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to 
 become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his 
 Name : which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of 
 the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the 
 Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we be- 
 held his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the 
 Father) full of grace and truth. 
 
 The Gospet,. — " In the beginning," says Moses, " God created the heaven and the earth." "In 
 the beginning," says the Evangelist, " was the Word."' By the beginning is to be understood the 
 commencement of the system of Nature ; —the first movement in the newly-arranged mass of 
 matter; — the first breathing in the fonns which life animated ;— the first stirrings of thought in 
 whatever had a soul and spirit. But then already had the Word— being, power, and glorj'. He 
 began not to exist ; for a beginning belongs only to time, which had its origin with the revolutions 
 of created Nature. " He is before all things" — Coloss. i. 1 7. And he himself speaks of " the 
 glon,^ which he had with the Father before the world was" — John xvii. 5. The appellation given 
 to him of "the Word" is peculiarly descriptive of his nature and offices, and was consecrated by 
 ancient usage. It answers closer than any other name to that which is said of Him as " the express 
 image," or character, "of his person;" and, "by the word of the Lord were the heavens made," 
 connects the creating power with the nature so ascribed to Christ in the Kpistle to the Hebrews. 
 By his everlasting and infinite wisdom as " the Word," he becomes to his people "the true light," 
 and "the light which lighteth every man ;" and, by his Incarnation as the Word, he becometh 
 "righteousness and sanctification" to all who receive him as a Saviour. How full, how clear 
 and glorious are the announcements thus made of the sufficiency of the plan of grace, introduced 
 and established by Him " in whom dwellcth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily ! " 
 
 79 
 
Saint Stephens Daij. 
 
 RANT, O Lord, that, in all our suf- 
 ferings liere upon earth for the testi- 
 mony of thy truth, we may stedfastly 
 look up to heaven, and by faith behold 
 ^ the glory that shall be revealed ; and, 
 being filled with the holy Ghost, may 
 learn to love and bless our persecutors by the ex- 
 ample of thy first Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed 
 for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who 
 standest at the right hand of God to succour all those 
 that suffer for thee, our only Mediator and Advocate. 
 Amen, 
 
 % Then shall folloiv the Collect of the Nativity, which shall be said continually unto 
 
 New-year's Eve. 
 
 The Collect. — It is reasonably conjectured that the commemoration of St. Stephen follows 
 immediately the feast of the Nativity, from his martyrdom having been, as it were, the first fruits 
 of evangelical holiness and suffering on the altar of Christ. The Collect for this day and that for 
 " The Innocents" were added at the Restoration. It instructs us to ask for that faith which is tlie 
 best consolation and support in all sufferings, as well as the sole guide to the Cross on which, as 
 well as by which, alone wc can be made righteous in the sight of God. 
 
 80 
 
SAINT STEPHEN'S DAY. 
 
 For the Epistle. Acts vii. b5. 
 
 TEPHEN, being full of the Holy 
 Ghost, looked up stedfastly into 
 heaven, and saw the glory of God, 
 and Jesus standing on the right 
 hand of God, and said, Behold, I 
 see the heavens opened, and the Son 
 of man standing on the right hand 
 of God. Then they cried out with 
 a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him 
 with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned 
 him : and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young 
 man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned 
 Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, re- 
 ceive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a 
 loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And 
 when he had said this, he fell asleep. 
 
 The Gospel. St. JMatth. xxiii. 34. 
 
 EHOLD, I send unto you prophets, 
 and wise men, and scribes ; and some 
 of them ye shall kill and crucify; 
 and some of them shall ye scourge 
 in your synagogues, and persecute 
 them from city to city ; that upon you 
 may come all the righteous blood 
 shed upon the earth, from the blood 
 
 The Episti.e. — The portion of Scripture chosen in place of a passage from the Epistles, pathetic- 
 ally shows how pure anil gentle a spirit reigned supreme in the heart of the first martjT. His 
 resignation was a type of that which gives grace to the holiness of every follower of Christ — the 
 blind rage of his persecutors, — the image of that which ever prevails in the world when rebuked 
 for its sins and follies. 
 
 Thr Gospel. — It is characteristic of the teaching of our Lord that he, on all occasions, fore- 
 warned his followers, that he called them not to cabC and comfort, but to suffering. The early 
 history of the Church proves the truth of his words by the sufTcrings of successive generations of 
 believers. Dignity in the Church of Christ entitled its possessor to the right of suffering for his 
 sake. This was the faith of the primitive times. "Thou shalt be baptized with the baptism 
 wherewith I am baptized" had 1 ecome,to the apprehension of spiritual believers, as a promise rather 
 tlian a warning. They felt that to bear the cross was to win a crown ; and gratitude and love 
 mging them forward in the same path as the hope of gloiy, the example of the devout Stephen 
 81 M 
 
SAINT STEPHEN'S DAY. 
 
 of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of 
 Bavachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the 
 altar. Verily I say unto you. All these things shall 
 come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 
 thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which 
 are sent unto thee ; how often would I have gathered thy 
 children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens 
 under her wings, and ye would not ! Behold, your house 
 is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you. Ye shall 
 not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that 
 Cometh in the name of the Lord. Amen. 
 
 was followed by a band of martyrs such as the world had never seen ; sucli as no system but the 
 Gospel could ever produce. The conduct and language of Stephen are as free from enthusiasm as 
 they are redolent of holmess. He neither declaimed nor rebuked, but died as they only can die, 
 who feel that they are pennitted and invited to resign their souls unto God, 
 
 Christ had endeavoured to convince the Jews of their impiety and danger. He had spoken the 
 purest language of wisdom ; had manifested a power which could be traced to God alone ; and he 
 bore in his sacred lineaments the deep and unchangeable likeness of the Messiah of the prophets, 
 God, who in times past spoke by those anointed messengers of his will, now spoke by his Son ; and 
 liad the generation to which he was sent given heed to his words, there would have been no fiu-ther 
 necessity ibr Divine interference. His rejection proved the fatal obstinacy of sin ; but God's long- 
 suffering was not yet worn out. He mercifully continued to send messenger after messenger to 
 his abandoned people. Apostles and evangelists were rejected as prophets before had been: and 
 the nation was left to its fate. Forty years after this prophecy was delivered, Jerusalem fell beneath 
 the power of the enemy. Its house was left desolate ; and the wide circuit of its strength and 
 splendour became a heap of ruins. Commentators are divided in opinion respecting the Zacharias 
 alluded to by our Lord. The prophet designated in the Old Testament as the son of Barachias 
 might be meant ; but the sufferer was more probably the Zacharias spoken of 2 Chron, xxiv. 20, 2 1 . 
 
 The affectionate exclamation of Jesus over the sentenced city ought to convince mankind, that 
 whenever calamities happen, as ordered by the judgment of God, they are the consequence of obsti- 
 nate wickedness. He might allow them to pursue their course without any other warning than 
 that which the natural conscience gives, and no charge of injustice could be made if He punished 
 them after that warning had been long and presumptuously despised. But his mercy is as vast in 
 its plans, as various in its resources, as his wisdom or his power. The guilty fall not till every 
 element of heavenly goodness has tried the heart in vain. This is proved by everj' event in the 
 history of Jerusalem. It was there that the holiness of God manifested itself in visible glory ; that 
 the law spoke from its own consecrated oracles ; and that the purifying blood of sacrifices flowed 
 in unceasing streams. But there it was that pride and rapine had their birth ; that even idolatry 
 stirred up men's hearts to rebellion ; and that while simple faith dared scarcely show its face, super- 
 stition and legal confidence could boast of their admission to the highest places of the state. 
 Horrible as was this abuse of his goodness in the land which He had peculiarly favoured, God 
 continued His mercj% daily calling the offenders to repentance, assuring them of forgiveness, and 
 offering them [lis blessing. By a blindness the most remarkable that has ever fallen upon a 
 nation. His grace was rejected. Jerusalem preferred the inventions of men to the counsels of the 
 Holy Spirit ; believed the frantic cries of dark fanatics rather than the solemn warnings of their 
 ancient prophets ; and refusing the shelter offered by the outspread wings of Jehovah, rushed 
 blindly upon infamy and destruction. 
 
 82 
 
Saint John the Emngelist's Day. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ERCIFUL Lord, 
 
 we beseech tliee 
 
 to cast tliy bright 
 
 beams of light upon 
 
 thy Church, that it 
 
 being enlightened 
 
 by the doctrine of 
 
 thy blessed Apostle and EvangeHst 
 
 Saint John, may so walk in the light 
 
 of thy truth, that it may at length 
 
 attain to the light of everlasting 
 
 life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 Amen. 
 
 The Coi i rcT —The reason assigned for the arrangement which 
 places St. John's Day so near that of the Nativity is derived from 
 what is lecoided of his loving attachment to Christ, above that of 
 all the other disciples. Few of the Collects are more beautiful than 
 this. It instructs us to seek light from the source of light ; to ask 
 for it as those who desire by its assistance, first, to find the truth ; then to walk according to its 
 uninfluenced dictation in this world ; and at last, by the same guidance, to be able to reach the 
 gates of heaven, — the joy of the world to come. Holiness changes the nature of man, and imbues 
 the whole being, — making him, in the significant language of the Scriptures, a new creature. And 
 there is the furnishing of this regenerated being with his proper qualities ; and as the furniture of 
 a poor ruined tenement would ill become the stately mansion which may be built upon its site, or 
 as the beggar, transformed by some event into a man of rank and wealth, would not think of retain- 
 ing the miserable clothing of his poverty, — so as little could they who are changed by the power of 
 the heavenly Spirit, and endowed with grander principles of being, be contented with the elements 
 of knowledge or wisdom which belong to the mere creature. They aspire instinctively to the pos- 
 session of truth and wisdom in their higher forms and character ; — they look for a more intimate 
 communion with them both than has hitherto been enjoyed by the world. But man is not to be 
 wrought upon like senseless matter. The Author of liis being gave him a different nature. It was 
 not by a mere word — a simple command — that he could be made holy. In man, a free spirit has to 
 be acted upon according to the nature of that which is spiritual and that which is free. Hence the 
 necessity of the co-operation of the Holy Spirit in the mighty work of Salvation. That which is 
 spiritual must be fed, guided, enlightened, glorified by the Spirit. The light, the beams of which 
 are shed with an invigorating influence upon the true Church of Christ, is the living wisdom of 
 that Spirit. In His light we see light : in that light may the Church and its members evermore 
 walk ! 
 
 83 M 2 
 
 s 
 
SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 St. John i. 1. 
 
 HAT which was from the beginning, 
 which we have heard, which we have 
 seen with our eyes, wliich we have 
 looked upon, and our hands have 
 handled of the Word of life ; (for the 
 life was manifested, and we have 
 seen it, and bear witness, and shew 
 unto you that eternal life, which was 
 with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That 
 which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that 
 ye also may have fellowshij) with us; and truly our 
 fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus 
 Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your 
 joy may be full. This then is the message which we have 
 heard of him, and declare unto you, That God is light, 
 and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have 
 fellowship with him, and ,7alk in darkness, we lie, and do 
 not the truth : but if we walk in the light, as he is in the 
 light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood 
 of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we 
 say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the 
 truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful 
 and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all 
 unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we 
 make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 
 
 The Episti.e. — St. John's Epistles are the counterpart of his Gospel. Ever engaged in devout 
 recollections of his Master, and exalted by the illuminating strength of the Spirit, he delighted to 
 proclaim the suhlimest revelations of Heaven. Permitted to contemplate mysteries veiled from other 
 eyes, he seemed to enjoy the peculiar privilege of love to speak with more freedom than is allowed 
 to either faith or knowledge. His expressions are the language of a spirit which apprehends what 
 it beholds by love. The essential life, the hidden mystery of godliness, acknowledged by others to 
 exist, because taught by faith, or convinced by evidence, had to him been made visible and pal- 
 pable. His senses, quickened and spiritualized, had aided him in the apprehension of the truth; 
 his wliole being had opened itself to the benign influences of manifested Divinity ; and the truth 
 thus learnt, thus sul).stantially received, it was the corresponding desire of pure benevolence to make 
 known to the world. " That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may 
 have fellowship with us ; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." 
 A part of the 15th chapter of Ecclesiasticns was originally inserted for the Epistle. It was wisely 
 changed at the revisal of the Liturgy. 
 
 81 
 
SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John xxi. 19, 
 
 ESUS said unto Peter, Follow me. 
 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the 
 disciple whom Jesus loved following ; 
 which also leaned on his breast at 
 supper, and said. Lord, which is he 
 that betrayeth thee ? Peter, seeing 
 him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what 
 shall this man do ? Jesus saith unto 
 him. If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to 
 thee? Follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad 
 among the brethren. That that disciple should not die : 
 yet Jesus said not unto him. He shall not die ; but. If I 
 will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? This 
 is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote 
 these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 
 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, 
 the which if they should be written every one, I suppose 
 that even the world itself could not contain the books 
 that should be written. 
 
 The Gospel. — " The disciple whom Jesus loved " is the appellation by which John designated 
 himself; and there is no title after which the Christian ought to aspire so earnestly as after this. 
 Apostles, Evangelists, the overseers of Christ's flock, even Angels themselves, enjoy these names 
 but in reference to others ; and however venerable their dignity, might have been compelled to ex- 
 change it for shame and sorrow. But, " The disciple whom Jesus loveth," is a title which implies 
 the fullest assurance of personal happiness and perfection. It exalts its possessor far above the 
 world ; renders him superior to time and change ; inspires him with holy rapture when meditating 
 on the glory of (iod, and enables him to look for the coming of Christ as the day when, a child of 
 the Most High, he shall be admitted into the inheritance of an everlasting kingdom. While the 
 disciples were yet in a state of uncertainty respecting the intentions or power of their Master, they 
 interpreted his allusions in the way which best suited their own preconceptions. Thus when he 
 spoke of John's waiting till he should come, they looked forward to the consummation of all things 
 by the victoiy over death ; but he referred only to his coming in judgment against Jerusalem ; and 
 as St. John lived till after that event, the prophecy was literally fulfilled, and in the manner in 
 which we find it was viewed by the Apostle himself. Peter obeyed the command, and early fol- 
 lowed his lord, being put to death about the year 65 ; while John lived above thiiiy years after, 
 surviving, it is believed, all his fellow Apostles. 
 
 85 
 
The Innocents Day. 
 
 t 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who out of the 
 mouths of babes and sucklings hast 
 ordained strength, and madest in- 
 fants to glorify thee by their deaths ; 
 Mortify and kill all vices in us, and 
 so strengthen us by thy grace, that 
 by the innocency of our lives, and constancy of our 
 faith even unto death, we may glorify thy holy Name ; 
 throucrh Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — This day was kept in the earliest ages of the Church as calling peculiarly for 
 holy meditation. The children of Bethlehem dying in their innocency were regarded as martyrs 
 in the cause of the Lamb of God. They were sacrificed to the jealousy which reigns supreme in 
 the world ; but their angels always behold the face of their Father which is in heaven ; and, like 
 all others who suffer for Christ's sake, the losing of their lives in this world was their great and 
 everlasting gain. " Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall in nowise 
 enter the kingdom of heaven." The graces of purity, of simple truth and resignation, the prime 
 virtues of the Christian character, were typically exemplified in the fate of the Innocents. Hence 
 they were called " the first-fruits of martyrdom ;" " a tender flock of sacrifices playing innocently 
 before the altar with their crowns and garlands." 
 
 86 
 
THE INNOCENTS' DAY. 
 
 For the Epistle. Rev. xiv. 1 . 
 
 LOOKED, and lo, a Lamb stood on 
 the mount Sion, and with him an hun- 
 dred forty and four thousand, having 
 his Father's Name written in their 
 foreheads. And I heard a voice from 
 heaven, as the voice of many waters, 
 and as the voice of a great thunder : 
 and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their 
 harps : and they sung as it were a new song before the 
 throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders ; and 
 no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty 
 and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 
 These are they which were not defiled with women, for 
 they are virgins: these are they which follow the Lamb 
 whithersoever he goetli : these were redeemed from among 
 men, being the first-fruits unto God, and to the Lamb. 
 And in their mouth was found no guile ; for they are 
 without fault before the throne of God. 
 
 The Episti.e. — The portion of the Revelations read for the Epistle describes the triumph of 
 Innocence and Truth in their final exaltation over the powers of darkness. God's chosen ones, 
 m3'stically numbered, are assembled round the throne of the Lamb. For the sad lamentations of 
 afflicted hearts, they now hear the sweet harpings of angelic hosts ; for the sighs of resignation, 
 they sing their new song before the throne ; and for the emblems of deepest humiliation and suf- 
 fering, they are surrounded with the splendour and glories of eternal sovereignty. Thus it is that 
 the foundations of true honour are laid in simplicity; that the fruits of the tree of life are watered 
 with tears and blood, poured forth because of sin, and the people of God purified in the furnace 
 of affliction, that they may be fit to endure the otherwise insupportable brightness of Jehovah's 
 holiness. In the early ages, the memory of martyrs was cherished by the Church as proper, not 
 only to quicken the zeal of its members, but to exalt their affections, and give a new assurance to 
 their hopes. The power of the Holy Spirit was triumphant in their patient endurance of suffering. 
 It manifestly raised humanity above every standard by which it had before been measured ; and 
 while the mind contemplated these its wonder-working doings, and the heart grew warm with holy 
 sympath)', the character of faith advanced to its completeness. But the fervour of natural feeling 
 at length took the place of the sublimer spiritual principle. In commemorating the holiness of 
 martjTs, the pure doctrines of the Cross were mingled with hiiman fancies ; and it became the 
 duty of the Church to return to the simplicity of the da3^s when it was deemed sufficient to speak 
 of martyrs in the plain language which ascribed their holiness to Christ, and their patience to his 
 grace. Still we have not lost the nourishment of love and zeal by this abridgment of the festivals 
 of martyrs. While the spiritual eye can see and the ear understand the manifestations of God's 
 love for his people, the memory of witnesses to the truth will never cease to operate with gladden- 
 ing influence on the heart, 
 
 87 
 
THE INNOCENTS' DAY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Mattli. ii. 13. 
 
 .-^ 
 
 ,^S HE Angel of the Lord appearetli to 
 ^) Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and 
 take the young child and his mother, 
 and flee into Egypt, and be thou there 
 L until I bring thee word ; for Herod 
 ^ will seek the young child to destroy 
 him. When he arose, he took the 
 young child and his mother by night, and departed into 
 Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod ; that it 
 might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the 
 prophet, saying. Out of Egypt have I called my Son. 
 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the 
 wise men, was exceeding wroth ; and sent forth, and 
 slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all 
 the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, accord- 
 ing to the time which he had diligently enquired of the 
 wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by 
 Jeremy the prophet, saying. In Rama was there a voice 
 heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, 
 Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be com- 
 forted, because they are not. 
 
 The Gospel. — It was a remarkable interference of Divine Providence which thus carried Jesus 
 into the countiy which had been the cradle of the chosen race. There Israel passed his infancy in 
 bondage ; and there Jesus, as a fugitive, passed the early days of childhood. The rage of Herod 
 was part of the punishment which every wicked man experiences when he in vain endeavours to 
 turn the wisdom of the wise to his own purposes. But it added to the sorrow of the sinful and the 
 stricken people. Jeremiah spoke at first of the miseries of an approaching captivity. Rachel's 
 tomb was near Rama, a small town in the tribe of Benjamin, and the prophet represents her, as a 
 mother of Israel, mourning overthe miseries of her children. Jer. xxxi. 15. The number of children 
 who are said to have perished has been differently computed, but the most probable conjecture 
 fixes it at about fifty. 
 
 88 
 
The Sundcu/ after Christmas-da^, 
 
 LMIGHTY God, who hast given 
 us thy only-begotten Son to take our 
 nature upon him, and as at this time 
 to be born of a pure Virgin ; Grant 
 that we being regenerate, and made 
 thy children by adoption and grace, 
 may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through 
 the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and 
 reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — The seven days immediately succeeding the principal festivals were observed in 
 the early chmxhes, and the octave or eighth day had a service corresponding to that of the festival. 
 On these days the same Collect continued to be read ; and hence the repetition of that for the 
 Nativity ou the following Sunday. In the original service, that is as it stood before the compiling 
 of the refonned liturgy, the Gospel of the day was the 2nd Chapter of Luke, from verse 33 to 
 verse 41. The whole of the first of Matthew was inserted in the early editions of the prayer- 
 book, 
 
 89 N 
 
THE SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS-DAY. 
 
 The Epistle. Gal. iv. 1. 
 
 OW I say, that tlie lieir, as long as 
 he is a child, differeth nothing from 
 a servant, though he be lord of all ; 
 but is under tutors and governours, 
 until the time appointed of the father. 
 Even so we, when we were children, 
 were in bondage under the elements 
 of the world : but when the fulness 
 of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a 
 woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were 
 under the law% that we might receive the adoption of sons. 
 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit 
 of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Where- 
 fore thou art no more a servant, but a son ; and if a son, 
 then an heir of God through Christ. 
 
 The Epistle. — A being like man, left to the capricious influence of his passions, or, still worse, 
 to the dominion of acknowledged corruption, finds in this imaginaiy liberty the very bane of his 
 existence. It is infinitely better, therefore, that he should be placed by Iris Creator under any 
 system of law, than that he should be left to himself. The law of Moses was given to convince 
 men of sin ; to prove the justice of God in withdrawing his primary gifts and blessings, and yet 
 to furnish those who sighed after a better state of things with some guide towards the knowledge 
 of holiness. ^Vith all the sad penalties, therefore, attached to the breaking of this law, and limited 
 as it was in the communication of spiritual principles, it was the best gift which man had received 
 since the fall. How vast, then, is the treasure bestowed by the Gospel! How benign in power: 
 how infinite in gracious consequences, that plan of grace, which brings us, by the methods of 
 mercy, under subjection to a law perfect as unshadowed truth; bright and beautiful as heavenly 
 love ! The obedience of a servant where God is the Master is fmitful of good ; how much more 
 then the obedience of sons who owe their life to his own regenerating Spirit ! The evidence of 
 Christianity is proportionable to the importance of the system. But no mere outward proofs could 
 have made it so. It is with the heart alone we can really believe. Faith is a spiritual grace ; and 
 though embracing all the testimonies of reason, and giving due weight to every sensible manifesta- 
 tion of the truth of things, it caimot itself be embraced or comprehended by reason, or acknowledge 
 subjection to the evidence of sight. The greatest blessing conferred by the system, is the highest 
 possible proof of its truth. If, on receiving the Gospel, we feel strengthened for the pursuit of 
 virtue and wisdom by a power new to our nature; — if a fountain of thought be opened in our minds, 
 which takes not its rise either from the teaching or the experience of the world ;— and both in mind 
 and heart, we are thus filled with principles hitherto unknown, but as dignified as they are benign ; 
 — have we not hereby the best of all possible arguments for the truth of our Religion, and its con- 
 nexion with the Source of life? And the gift of that Spirit which teaches us to cr}', " Abba, 
 Father 1" is ever followed by these results, confirming the promise that, doing the will of God, we 
 shall know the truth of His Word. " If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, 
 whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." John vii. 17. ; and the Comfoiier aud the 
 Sanctifier is he whose grand office it is to " teach all things." John xiv. 26. 
 
 90 
 
 J 
 
THE SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS-DAY. 
 
 The Gospel St. Matth. i. 18. 
 
 HE birth of Jesus Christ was on this 
 wise : When as his mother Mary was 
 espoused to Joseph, before they came 
 together she was found with child of 
 the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her 
 husband, being a just man, and not 
 willing to make her a publick ex- 
 ample, was minded to put her away 
 privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, 
 the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, 
 saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto 
 thee Mary thy wife ; for that which is conceived in her 
 is of the Holy Ghost : And she shall bring forth a Son, 
 and thou shalt call his name Jesus ; for he shall save his 
 people from their sins. (Now all this was done, that it 
 might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the 
 prophet, saying. Behold, a Virgin shall be with child, and 
 shall- bring forth a Son, and they shall call his name Em- 
 manuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.) Then 
 Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the 
 Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife ; and 
 knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son : 
 and he called his name Jesus. 
 
 The Gospel. — Christ's divinity, as the Word, is the subject of the Gospel for Christmas-Day. 
 His conception by the Spirit, his birth of a woman, is the subject of the present. A devout mind 
 will consider with profound delight the incidents here related. Familiar as they are in the letter, 
 their deep spiritual meaning is ever fresh, as the waters of a ninning brook which, however often 
 the weary traveller seeks it, supplies him at each return with water newly sprung from the source. 
 " Thou shalt call his name Jesus ;" and, " He called his name Jesus," furnishes of itself a subject 
 for thought, which neither the mind nor the heart can exhaust. God designated his Son a Saviour: 
 may we all, as readily as Joseph did, call him by the same name ; feel liim to be so, and as such 
 worship and obey him ! 
 
 yi 
 
 N 2 
 
The Circumcision of Christ. 
 
 Qr 
 
 ^^^^m-ci^'^y^KSk^ 
 
 '^^t.^s^.^^!: 
 
 LMIGHTY God, who madest tliy 
 
 blessed Son to be circumcised, and 
 
 obedient to the law for man ; Grant 
 
 us the true circumcision of the 
 
 Spirit ; that, our hearts, and all our 
 
 members, being mortified from all 
 
 worldly and carnal lusts, we may in all things obey 
 
 thy blessed will ; through the same thy Son Jesus 
 
 Christ our Lord. Amen, 
 
 The Collect. — Neither the Collect for this day. nor the portions of Scripture selected, appeared 
 in the original Liturgy. The day itself does not appear to have been observed till about the tenth 
 century ; but to those who view it aright it may be made serviceable by many important consider- 
 ations. Christ submitted as an example merely to the baptism of John ; but it was absolutely 
 necessary that he should be circumcised, since otherwise he could neither have fulfilled the law, 
 nor redeemed from the curse of the law. If the day of his Nativity, then, is kept to awaken holy 
 and thankful meditation, so also for the same end may that of his Circumcision be observed. The 
 spiritual application of the mystery is taught by the Collect, the substance of which is found in 
 the words of St. Paul : — " Circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter." — 
 Rom. ii. 29. 
 
 92 
 
THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST. 
 
 The Epistle. Rom. iv. 8. 
 
 LESSED is the man to whom the 
 Lord will not impute sin. Cometh 
 this blessedness then upon the cir- 
 cumcision only, or upon the uncir- 
 cumcision also? For we say, that 
 faith was reckoned to Abraham for 
 righteousness. How was it then 
 reckoned ? when he was in circum- 
 cision, or in uncircumcision ? Not in circumcision, but 
 in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circum- 
 cision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he 
 had yet being uncircumcised ; that lie might be the father 
 of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised ; 
 that righteousness might be imputed unto them also : 
 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the 
 circumcision only, but also walk in the steps of that faith 
 of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircum- 
 cised. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the 
 world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the 
 law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they 
 which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the 
 promise made of none effect. 
 
 The Epistle. — St. Paul in this Epistle unfolds the whole legal mysteiy of Circumcision. As 
 Abraham was circumcised that he might be the father of all them that believe, so was Christ 
 circumcised that he might be their Saviour and their everlasting spiritual head. Both sealed 
 the covenant of faith with blood, establishing thereby the righteousness of the law, and the sure 
 applications of a saving grace. As Abraham, moreover, was counted righteous because of his 
 faith, before circumcision, which he received as the seal of a covenant that regarded posterity, so 
 Christ, being positively and essentially righteous, was circumcised only in respect to others ; but 
 he thereby became the Author of a legal righteousness, as he did by his sufierings and Holy Spirit 
 afterwards become the Author of a true and perfect righteousness to as many as believe. VY e are 
 heirs through the faith which applies this righteousness, and not by our obedience to the law, 
 which was added, " because of offences." The New Covenant is introduced on the principle that 
 it was utterly impossible for man to justify himself before God. But if it could be shown that 
 perfect obedience might be rendered, and the justice of the Almighty bowed to acknowledge tlie 
 righteousness of man in his works, the offers made by the Gospel would either, on the one side, be 
 inconsistent with the Divine holiness, or, on the other, would be inapplicable to the actual state of 
 human nature, and the real circumstances of mankind. If the law could justify, the death of Christ 
 would sen-e only to save those who, though able to keep the command, will not : but he died to 
 satisfy when none but he could satisfy, and to bring all to the obedience of love. 
 
 93 
 
THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST. 
 
 The Gospel St. Luke ii. 15. 
 
 ND it came to pass, as the angels 
 were gone away from tliem into 
 heaven, the shepherds said one to 
 another, Let ns now go even nnto 
 Bethlehem, and see this thing which 
 is come to pass, which the Lord hath 
 made known unto us. And they 
 came with haste, and found Mary 
 and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when 
 they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying 
 which was told them concerning this child. And all they 
 that heard it wondered at those things wliich were told 
 them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, 
 and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds re- 
 turned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that 
 they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. And 
 when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising 
 of the child, his name was called Jesus, wliich was so 
 named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 
 
 % The same Collect, Epistle, and Gospel shall serve for every day after unto the 
 
 Epiphany. 
 
 The Gospel. — It was the general custom among the Jews to give a name at circumcision as 
 we do at baptism. In the case of a grown person his name was usually changed, as he was con- 
 sidered by this rite, which admitted him into fellowship with the people of God, to have become a 
 new man. The imposition of the name of Jesus, or Saviour, connected with the circumcision of 
 our Lord, deserves consideration. He became a deliverer not merely by his wisdom, by his power, 
 by his intercessions, but by his blood. Instead of neglecting the days on which these mysteries 
 are commemorated, how thankful ought we to be that our Church so carefully marks every point 
 in the economy of grace, — every stage in the progress of the work of salvation ! The events in the 
 life of Christ are substantially the Gospel. Studied aright, they lead us, with an interest to be 
 derived from no other source, to the statements of doctrine in the writings of his Apostles. His 
 Birth, Circumcision, Baptism, Temptation, and Crucifixion, are all texts ou which the writers of 
 Scripture have written dissertations according to the dictation of his own divine Spirit ; and then 
 only is the Gospel received when, in the conversion of our own nature into the likeness of his, we 
 manifest the power both of his precepts and his example. The circumstances of the narrative are 
 of themselves deeply impressive. Shepherds, in the calm repose of night, hear the voices of 
 Heaven, and, believing, find a Saviour who gives everlasting peace in the glorious light of God's 
 love. 
 
 94 
 
The Epqihani/, or the Manifestation of Christ to 
 the Gentiles. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 GOD, 
 
 wlio l)y 
 the lead- 
 ing of a 
 star didst 
 manifest 
 thy only- 
 begotten 
 Son to the Gentiles ; Mer- 
 cifully grant, that we, 
 wliich know thee now by 
 faith, may after this life 
 have the fruition of thy 
 glorious Godhead; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 The Collect.— This festival was early observed in the Church, and originally, according to 
 the spirit of the times, with much outward solemnity. The word Epiphany means, a shining 
 upon, or Manifestation, and the feast was anciently considered as commemorative of the three- 
 fold Manifestation of our Lord ; by the appearance, that is, of the star ; by the descent of the 
 Holy Ghost, and the voice from heaven at his baptism ; and by his miracle of turning water 
 into wine. The miracle of feeding the five thousand is also sometimes regarded as another degree 
 in tlie Manifestation. Some of the fathers, again, treat the appearance of the star as the event 
 which ought alone to be considered as the origin of this feast ; and our Church seems to have 
 adopted their opinion, except that in the lessons there is an allusion to the other demonstrations of 
 Christ's Messiahship. Many ancient writers speak of his baptism as the proper Epiphany, and 
 this is the view of it taken generally I y the eastern church, which reckoned this feast as one of the 
 three periods especially set apart for the admission of converts to baptism. It was observed with 
 Sabbatical reverence. The public games were suspended, and all public offices were closed on 
 this day. Nor need we wonder at the feeling thus expressed, for what event can be more interest- 
 ing to a thoughtful mind than the Manifestation of a Saviour to a ruined and benighted world ? 
 Let it be our constant endeavour to look for those displays of the Saviour which concern the en- 
 lightening of our own hearts, the sanctilying of our own souls. Have we seen the star iu the hast 
 ourselves P Have we felt the beauring of the Redeemer's love in the depths of our minds and 
 consciences ? 
 
 y5 
 
THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 The Ephtle. Eplies. iii. 1. 
 
 OR this cause, I Paul, the prisoner 
 of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles ; if 
 ye have heard of the dispensation of 
 the grace of God, which is given me 
 to you-ward : How that by revela- 
 tion he made known unto me the 
 mystery (as I wrote afore in few 
 words, whereby, when ye read, ye 
 may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 
 which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of 
 men, as it is now revealed unto his holy Apostles and 
 Prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be 
 fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his 
 promise in Christ, by the Gospel : whereof I was made a 
 minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given 
 unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, 
 who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace 
 given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the un- 
 searchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see 
 what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the be- 
 ginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created 
 all things by Jesus Christ : to the intent, that now unto 
 the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be 
 known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God, 
 according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in 
 Christ Jesus our Lord : In whom we have boldness and 
 access with confidence by the faith of him. 
 
 The Epistt,e. — Unwilling as the human heart is to give up any pretension to superiority, it is 
 not surprising that a people, austere and proud as were the Jews, when losing sight of the Divine 
 intentions, should look with jealousy on any proposal to share their privileges indiscriminately with 
 the world. It required the bright shining of a star to bring the first Gentile worshippers to the 
 cradle of Christ ; it was necessaiy that the Holy Spirit should make a particular revelation of the 
 design of this Manifestation when the time arrived for the call of all men to the cross of Christ, and 
 the promise of the Gospel. The manifold wisdom of God was proved iu the plan which rendered 
 salvation possible to all ; the unsearchable riches of Christ are shown in the application of his 
 mercy to whoever will receive it, whether he be Jew or Gentile, — whether he be bond or free. This 
 tmth is evolved immediately from what we are taught in the preceding F^pistle respecting tlie 
 j)romise made to Abraham. 
 
 9G 
 
THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 The Gospel St. Mattli. ii. 1. 
 
 HEN Jesus was born in Bctlilelicm 
 of Judaea, in the days of Herod the 
 king, behold, there came wise men 
 from the east to Jerusalem, saying, 
 Where is he that is born King of the 
 Jews ? for we have seen his star in 
 the east, and are come to worship 
 him. When Herod the king had 
 heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem 
 with him. And when he had gathered all the chief 
 priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded 
 of them, where Christ should be born. And they said 
 unto him. In Bethlehem of Judaea : for thus it is written 
 by the prophet. And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, 
 art not the least among the princes of Juda : for out of 
 thee shall come a Governour that shall rule my people 
 Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise 
 men, enquired of them diligently what time the star ap- 
 peared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said. Go, 
 and search diligently for the young child, and when ye 
 have found him, bring me word again, that I may come 
 and worship him also. When they had heard the king, 
 they departed ; and lo, the star which they saw in the 
 east went before them, till it came and stood over where 
 the young child was. When they saw the star, they re- 
 joiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were 
 come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary 
 his mother, and fell down and worshipped him : and when 
 they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him 
 gifts ; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being 
 warned of God in a dream that they should not return to 
 Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 
 
 Thk Gospel. — We learn from this Gospel the interestinn; particular, that it was the first repre- 
 sentatives of the Gentile world who made kuowu to Jerusalem and its monarch the birth of the 
 Messiah. Their offerings were evangelical tokens and oblations ; not the legal offerings prepared 
 or fitted for a Jewish altar, but the offerings of the world at large, — the emblems of a more 
 general thankfulness and love. For the prophecy alluded to, see Micah v. 2. 
 
 97 o 
 
The First Sunday after the Epiphcmi/. 
 
 f4wc 
 
 ivM^^ through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 The Collect. 
 LORD, we beseech thee mer- 
 cifully to receive the prayers of 
 thy people which call upou 
 thee : and grant that they may 
 both perceive and know what 
 things they ought to do, and 
 also may have grace and power 
 faithfully to fulfil the same ; 
 Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — To have a clear understanding of our duty, to see plainly the path 
 which leads to the fulfilment of our lahours, and the attainment of the promised reward, 
 is the first desire of every intelligent mind. If we add to the possession of this 
 knowledge the enjoyment of aliility and means to put it in practice, our happiness hoth 
 in this world and the next will be fixed on the surest of all foundations. And for such a blessing 
 it is that we pray in this Collect. Teach us, O Lord, that we may know om- duty : Give us the 
 grace whereby to perform it ! The Collects. Epistles, and Gospels for all the Sundays after Epi- 
 phany, except the last, are the same as those in the Sacramentary of Gregory. 
 98 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 The Epistle. Rom. xii. 1. 
 
 BESEECH you therefore, brcilireii, 
 by the mercies of God, that ye pre- 
 ^ sent your bodies a living sacrifice, 
 ^ , holy, acceptable unto God, which is 
 your reasonable service. And be 
 not conformed to this world ; but be 
 ye transformed by the renewing of 
 your mind, that ye may prove what 
 is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. 
 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man 
 that is among you, not to think of himself more highly 
 than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as 
 God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For 
 as we have many members in one body, and all members 
 have not the same oiRce ; so we, being many, are one 
 body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke ii. 41. 
 
 OW his parents went to Jerusalem 
 every year at the feast of the pass- 
 over. And when he was twelve years 
 old, they went up to Jerusalem, after 
 the custom of the feast. And when 
 they had fulfilled the days, as they 
 returned, the child Jesus tarried be- 
 hind in Jerusalem ; and Joseph and 
 
 The Epistle. — Tlie exhortation, "Present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God," and that of 
 similar import, " Be ye trausfomied by the renewing of your mind," embrace the vast series of 
 New Testament laws and precepts. The body offered to God is purified on the altar of sacrifice ; 
 the mind opened to the grace of the Divine Spirit is renewed ; and thus the whole man is trans- 
 formed into the image of Him who purchased him from sin and death for an everlasting possession. 
 Nor is the change without its attendant evidence. " The good and acceptable and perfect will of 
 God " is thereby proved ; for what can be his will, in respect to any of his creatures, but their 
 retaining or recovering perfection ? Or what is the nearest consequence to this but the happiness 
 of the creature thus rendered obedient to the will of the Universal Father ? The lesson which the 
 Apostle draws from this doctrine is one of sincere humility ; so that while we are taught to rejoice 
 in our exaltation through the power of holiness, we learn to keep down every rising feeling of pride 
 or harshness which might oppose the interests of Christian brotherhood. 
 
 The Gospel — Little is recorded of the early da)S of our Lord; but the Epiphany of liis infancy 
 meets, and blends with, the glorv manifesting itself in his youth. The incident here related is 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPH'HANY. 
 
 his mother knew not of it. But tlicy, supposing him to 
 have been in the company, went a day's journey; and 
 they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 
 And wlien they found him not, they turned back again 
 to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that 
 after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in 
 the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking 
 them questions. And all that heard him were astonished 
 at his understanding and answers. And when they saw 
 him, they were amazed : and his mother said unto him. 
 Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us ? behold, thy father 
 and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto 
 them. How is it that ye sought me ? wist ye not that I 
 must be about my Father's business ? And they under- 
 stood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he 
 went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was 
 subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings 
 in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and sta- 
 ture, and in favour with God and man. 
 
 highly interesting'. It shows that the presence of the divine nature in Christ led him to commence 
 the work of God, before the time appointed for the coming of his kingdom, as Messiah. There 
 was divine wisdom in his questions and answers ; and had not the darkness of sensual prejudice 
 hindered them from perceiving the truth, the wise men of Israel would liave discovered in the 
 wonderful reasonings of the boy of Nazareth the strongest proofs that he had his knowledge from 
 heaven. The Star in the East, which guided the Magi to his humble cradle, shed not beams half so 
 clear and bright as his own spirit now did ; and had the Doctors of the Temple been awake and 
 watchful, they would have followed him to his despised city and home, and there offered him the 
 best treasures of their nation, the gold, frankincense, and myrrh of repentant and loving hearts. A 
 beautiful illustration of the sweet and gentle virtues which shed so soft a light on the sublime per- 
 fections of Chri^fs character is afforded by the statement, " He went down with them, and came 
 to Nazareth, and was subject unto them." That mind, which already manifested powers grander 
 than the endowments of the loftiest genius, was contented simply to put forth its might for a brief 
 season, and then to screen itself from observation in the most obscure retreat. At Nazareth were 
 no distinguished doctors of the law ; no influential Sadducees and Pliasisees ; no curious and 
 admiring multitudes ; wisdom there had none to reverence it but the poor and simple, who might 
 love it for its usefulness. Subject to his parents, Jesus exhibited in his obedience the perfect 
 concord which properly exists between the grandest powers of mind and soul and the simple virtues 
 of the heart. His greatness, his sublimity of nature, rendered him subject to his parents and 
 obedient to every law and precept of righteousness. Had he been less perfect, less exalted, or iu 
 the smallest degree inferior to the Deity-comprehended man, we should probably have seen the 
 weight of conscious grandeur overbalancing the motives to obedience and scorning the humility 
 of subjection. The power of Christ, and that only, can bring great minds into a uniform obedience 
 to the simple duties of life and action. 
 
 100 
 
The Second Simdaj/ after the Epiphani/. 
 
 LMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 who dost govern all things in heaven 
 and earth ; Mercifnlly hear the sup- 
 plications of thy peojjle, and grant 
 us thy peace all the days of our 
 life ; through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
 Amen, 
 
 The Com.ect. — God's government of heaven and earth is founded on the laws of 
 an unchangeable rigliteousness. But mercy, truth, and justice, meet and rejoice in their 
 union, as they walk and take sweet coimsel together on the path which Christ has trodden, 
 and along which he leads his people. I'herefore it is that we dare ask of the Almighty and 
 everlasting God " peace all the days of our life." But the peace for which we pray is that which 
 He alone can give. '* Grant us thy peace." Suffering from anxieties engendered in the world, 
 our only wish may be to have the burden lightened which presses most heavily for the moment ; 
 afflicted with painful recollections of lost pleasure, our chief desire may be to steep the heart in 
 forgetfulness ; or, convinced by observation as well as experience of the changeableness of human 
 affairs, we may only be anxious to obtain for ourselves a greater degree of calm and security than 
 falls to the lot of others. But if we ask for peace with no higher thoughts than these, the object 
 aimed at, low as it is, will never be reached. It is Divine peace only which can bestow rest, even 
 when the removal of worldly anxieties may seem suflticient for the purpose ; which alone can soothe, 
 even when the fountains of regret have only an earthly source, and would seem capable of being 
 dried up by the return of prosperity ; or when, in the muUiplying fears of a timid and calculating 
 miud, the only thing apparently required is a promise that the good at present enjoyed shall be 
 possessed to the end. In all cases, O God 1 to be made permanently tranquil, our prayer must be, 
 '■ Grant us thy peace all the days of our life."' 
 
 ioi 
 
THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 21ie EjAitle. Rom. xii. 6. 
 
 AVING tlicn gifts differing accord- 
 ing to the grace that is given to us, 
 whether prophecy, let us propliesy ac- 
 cording to the proportion of faith ; 
 or ministry, let us wait on our minis- 
 tering ; or he that teacheth, on teach- 
 ing ; or he that exhorteth, on exhor- 
 tation ; he that giveth, let him do it 
 with simplicity ; he that ruleth, with diligence ; he that 
 sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without 
 dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that 
 which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with 
 brotherly love, in honour preferring one another; not 
 slothful in business ; fervent in spirit ; serving the Lord ; 
 rejoicing in hope ; patient in tribulation ; continuing 
 instant in prayer ; distributing to the necessity of saints ; 
 given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you ; 
 bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, 
 and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one 
 towards another. Mind not high things, but condescend 
 to men of low estate. 
 
 The Epistle. — Diligence in the works of our calling, simplicity in our principles and motives, 
 sincerity in our conversation, love, humanity, a readiness to forgive all injuries, deep sj-mpathy with 
 the sorrowful, brotherly feeling, unfeigned humility, and all this combined with a fervent spirit, 
 opposed alike to ignorance, indifference, and sloth ; — the man who should truly possess these 
 qualities as the elements of his character, would scarcely be refused the host praise which mankind 
 can bestow. But such would be the features of every Christian's heart and conduct were he simply 
 to act according to the dictates of his faith. The instruction is supplied which resolves the light of 
 that faith into all the varieties of precept and effective grace ; and the strength is offered which is 
 more than sufficient to raise the humblest spirit to the thankful comprehension of the mystery. It 
 would be difficult to find any subject for reflection more interesting than the hannony which exists 
 between the plan and the precepts of the (lospel. The Son of God was manifested to take away sin, 
 and he removed the power and the curse which attended it by his meritorious sufferings. But this 
 was only the beginning of the work of love. The Eternal Spirit gives a new life to those who have 
 been redeemed ; and when we look at, and pry most diligently into, the consequences of the 
 change, when we carefully trace the course and read the sentiments of the faithful believers in the 
 system, we behold results which correspond to no other system ; effects which can be traced to no 
 other cause than the power of God working men's salvation. The galaxy of Evangelical precepts 
 contained in this Epistle nobly illustrates the confidence which the first teachers of the Gospel 
 placed in its power and truth. They taught not as the Scribes, but with autHority. It was not 
 necessary, they considered, to speak long and argumentatively on each separate duty of a holy life : 
 the Gospel required a manifestation ol' the spring and working of universal holiness, 
 
 102 
 
THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 llie Gospel St. John ii. 1. 
 
 ND the third day there was a mar- 
 riage in Cana of Galilee, and the 
 mother of Jesus was there. And 
 both Jesus was called, and his dis- 
 ciples, to the marriage. And when 
 they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus 
 saith unto him, They have no wine. 
 Jesus saith unto her. Woman, what 
 have I to do with thee ? mine hour is not yet come. His 
 mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto 
 you, do it. And there were set there six water-pots of 
 stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, con- 
 taining two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto 
 them, Fill the water-pots with water. And they filled 
 them up to the brim. And he saith unto them. Draw out 
 now, and bear unto the governour of the feast. And they 
 bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water 
 that was made wine, and knew not whence it was, (but 
 the servants which drew the water knew,) the governour 
 of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, 
 Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, 
 and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse : 
 but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This begin- 
 ning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and mani- 
 fested forth his glory, and his disciples believed on him. 
 
 The Gospet.. — The first miracle of our Lord was another stage in the general manifestation of 
 his gloiy. An Epiphany of wonders and mysteries thus began to shed its light on the world ; and 
 it shone forth benignantly, startling by the greatness of the miracle, but calming the heart again by 
 the sentiment of benevolence and love which seemed to give it bii-th. " Mine hour is not yet come" 
 would have decided everj' Pharisee in the nation against granting any petition, however preferred ; 
 but the Son of God, when the cause of kindness and brotherly charity was to be served, could allow 
 himself to anticipate the seasons of Heaven ; the dates which would have been decrees, but for the 
 power which had been given to the one almighty decree of love. We may also give a spiritual 
 meaning to this miracle. The gladness of the feast was beginning to fail ; necessity in the midst 
 of rejoicing had taken off the mask which it had for the moment assumed. Christ was present, and 
 the spirit of gladness recovered itself at his bidding ; necessity fled at his look. And thus it will 
 ever be. In the failure of the hope or strength which regard salvation, he changes the cold and 
 tasteless element of mere natural thought into heavenly wisdom : in regard to worldly affairs, he 
 supplies the daily bread, and the contentment which makes it a feast, and the godliness which 
 makes it a great gain. At the last resplendent Epiphany, he will convert the broad dull streams of 
 mortality into rivers of life and glorj^. 
 
 103 
 
The Third Sundfu/ after the Epiphanj/, 
 
 rT-^K -^^Sc.^,,^^^^^ 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 mercifully look upon our infirmities, 
 and in all our dangers and necessi- 
 ties stretch forth thy right hand to 
 help and defend us ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — Our infirmities are a sufficient hinderance to our " running the race 
 which is set before us ;" but how greatly do we increase tliose which spring from the want 
 of natural strength by sin, and obstinately-cherished follies ! Danger and necessity' beset 
 our path on all sides ; they who feel secure are frequently the least so ; and they who 
 most anxiously desire security, missing the right path, fall into destruction when they 
 imagine they are close to the fortress of defence. This short and simple prayer directs us to the 
 only soiu'ce of unerring wisdom. Tlie experience of the world has often deceived the best in- 
 structed in its way ; the lessons of human wisdom as frequently fail in fitness of api)lication, or 
 power of conviction ; the passions of the heart, love, fear, pride, ambition, guard but capriciously, 
 even when their own ends are concerned ; but the strength which God bestows never fails. It 
 satisfies the mind while it i'ortifies the heart ; and giving dignity in time of repose, it renders us 
 sufficient for the encounters in which our infirmities would otherwise leave us helplessly exposed to 
 the wrath of our most deadly enemy. 
 
 104 
 
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 geance is mine ; 
 
 The Epistle. Rom. xii. 16. 
 
 E not wise in your own conceits. 
 Recompense to no man evil for evil. 
 Provide things honest in the sight of 
 all men. If it be possible, as much 
 as lieth in yon, live peaceably with 
 all men. Dearly beloved, avenge 
 not yourselves, but rather give place 
 unto wrath; for it is written, Ven- 
 I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, 
 if thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him 
 drink : for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his 
 head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with 
 good. 
 
 The Gospel St. Mattli. viii. 1 . 
 
 HEN he was come down from the 
 mountain, great multitudes followed 
 him. And behold, there came a 
 leper, and worshipped him, saying. 
 Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make 
 me clean. And Jesus put forth his 
 hand, and touched him, saying, I 
 will; be thou clean. And imme- 
 diately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto 
 
 The Episti.e. — It is the part of prudence as well as holiness to suppress the temptations of self- 
 conceit. Providing for " things honest in the sight of all men," the very next object of the Christian 
 will be to chasten his heart, to set it free from the strivings of pride and passion, and to fill it with 
 every attainable argument to peace and humility. We heap coals of fire on the heads of our 
 enemies when we return their evil by good ; their ciu'ses by blessings : not coals of fire to consume 
 them, but to make their hearts, hitherto impenetrable to right feeling, susceptible of love and 
 kindness. The sixth chapter of Isaiah may furnish, by analogy, an illustration of the sentiment 
 employed : the live coal was taken from off' the altar, and placed on his mouth it took away his 
 iniquity and purged his sin. 
 
 The Gospel. — The miracles described in this Gospel are further manifestations of Christ's divine 
 nature, and therefore pertain to the illustration of the mysterj- of glory, or the spiritual Epiphany. 
 It is interesting to find that the most miserable of men, as lepers might be considered, could 
 come and worship Christ in the confidence of finding mercy. Driven as they were, because of their 
 uncleauness, from the haunts of society ; compelled to dwell apart, and lament unbefriended their 
 forlorn condition, they could find no consolation in the offices of that religion, the stern rules of 
 which had declared them unfit for admission into any consecrated place. But here was One sur- 
 liassingly merciful and wise, the perfect purity of whose character had never been disputed, and 
 
 105 p 
 
Tllli: THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 him, See thou tell no man, but go thy way, shew thyself to 
 the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for 
 a testimony unto them. And when Jesus was entered into 
 Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion beseech- 
 ing him, and saying. Lord, my servant lieth at home sick 
 of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto 
 him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered 
 and said. Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come 
 under my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant 
 shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having 
 soldiers under me : and I say unto this man. Go, and he 
 goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometli ; and to my 
 servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, 
 he marvelled, and said to them that followed. Verily I say 
 unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel. 
 And I say unto you. That many shall come from the east 
 and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, 
 and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children 
 of the kino-dom shall be cast out into outer darkness : 
 there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus 
 said unto the centurion, Go thy way, and as thou hast 
 believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was 
 healed in the self-same hour. 
 
 He was willing to listen to the prayer of the leper. He cured and cleansed at the same moment. 
 We ought from tliis miracle to learn, that when the world rejects us, Jesus Christ, if we go to Him 
 humbly and helievingly, is ever ready to hear our complaints ; that, however despised we may he 
 in the sight of men. He will not regard us as unworthy of attention ; and that, even should we know 
 ourselves to he as fallen and sinful as the world represents us, still our refuge must be the mercy- 
 seat of Christ. In the Church, therefore, how hopefully may we ask for the loving regards of the 
 Saviour : plead for the pardon of our sins, the cleansing of our souls, and our restoration to the 
 companionship of the good and holy ! The cure of the Centurion's senant is another instance of 
 mere)', and shows the value of faith and prayer, not only to those who exercise the grace, but to 
 those also with whom they are connected. Happy is he among the afflicted who, unable to seek 
 Christ himself, has some one to seek the great Physician for him. The Centurion was an officer in 
 the Roman army, but a proselyte. He had not enjoyed from his birth the grand privilege of being 
 admitted into covenant with God ; of receiving from the lips of divinely authorized teachers the 
 knowledge of heavenly truths ; or of standing before the altar while the blood of purifying sacri- 
 fices was poured forth as the means of reconciliation with God. But he had sought these 
 blessings in the maturity of his reason ; and deeply impressed with the truth of God's early revela- 
 tions, now rejoiced with unspeak.able satisfaction at being permitted to seek Him in whom the Law 
 and the Prophets were to have their fultilment. 
 
 106 
 
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphanj/. 
 
 GOD, who knowest us to be set in 
 the midst of so many and great dan- 
 gers, that by reason of the frailty of 
 our nature we cannot always stand 
 upright ; Grant to us such strength 
 and protection, as may support us 
 all dangers, and carry us through all temptations ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — The Christian is taught by sad experience to tremble at his weakness, and the 
 insufficiency of his powers for the conflict with the world. He hastens, therefore, to Him who has 
 said, " My grace is sufficient for thee ;" '' My strength is made perfect in weakness:" and this he 
 does in conformity with the merciful direction, " Ask, and ye shall receive." Dangers and tempta- 
 tions embrace the various evils to which we are exposed both from within and from without. Pro- 
 tected from the one, we may yet perish by the other ; and it is Divine grace alone wliich can 
 strengthen us against both. 
 
 107 p 2 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 The Epititle. Rom. xiii. 1. 
 
 ET every soul l)e subject unto the 
 Inglier powers ; for there is no power 
 but of God : the powers that be are 
 ordained of* God. Whosoever there- 
 fore resisteth the power resisteth the 
 ordinance of God : and they that 
 resist shall receive to themselves 
 damnation. For rulers are not a 
 terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not 
 be afraid of the power ? do that which is good, and thou 
 shalt have praise of the same : for he is the minister of 
 God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, 
 be afraid ; for he beareth not the sword in vain : for he is 
 the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon 
 him that doeth evil. Wlierefore ye must needs be subject, 
 not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For 
 for this cause pay ye tribute also ; for they are God's 
 ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 
 Render therefore to all their dues; tribute to whom 
 tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom 
 fear, honour to whom honour. 
 
 TJie Gospel St. Mattli. viii. 23. 
 
 ND when he was entered into a ship, 
 his disciples followed him. And be- 
 hold, there arose a great tempest in 
 the sea, insomuch that the ship was 
 covered with the waves : but he was 
 asleep. And his disciples came to 
 him, and awoke him, saying. Lord, 
 save us, we perish. And he saith 
 unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith ? Then 
 
 The Episti.e. — The Epistle from which this passage is taken was written at a time when the 
 rulers of the world were preparing to exercise the {"nil force of their authority against the followers 
 of Christ. But this did not prevent the Apostle from urging upon thorn the duty of that ohedience 
 108 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 lie arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there 
 was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What 
 manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea 
 obey him ! And when he was come to the other side into 
 the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed 
 with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so 
 that no man might pass by that way. And behold, they 
 cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, 
 thou son of God? art thou come hither to torment us 
 before the time? And there was a good way off from 
 them an herd of many swine, feeding. So the devils be- 
 sought him, saying. If thou cast us out, suffer us to go 
 away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them. Go. 
 And when they were come out, they went into the herd of 
 swine : and behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently 
 down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. 
 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into 
 the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to 
 the possessed of the devils. And behold, the whole city 
 came out to meet Jesus : and when they saw him, they 
 besought him, that he would depart out of their coasts. 
 
 to the laws, without which society could not exist. The objects of the Gospel were independent 
 of things earthly and temporal. It would have been to act in direct opposition to the example 
 of their Master, had believers concerned themselves with the governments of the world. '* My 
 kingdom is not of this world," was his explicit declaration ; and lie taught them by this statement 
 to fix their thoughts on the higher business of Salvation as distinct from temporal anxieties. A 
 Christian, therefore, will then only meddle with public affairs when he can take to their examina- 
 tion the feeUngs and sentiments proper to his calling. Not shrinking from his responsibilities as 
 a man and a citizen, he will, when necessary for tlie good of his country and mankind, lilt up his 
 voice ; but this will never be done for the sake of justifying disobedience to legal authority, but 
 always to fix that authority on broader and sounder foundations. 
 
 Thr Gospel. — Our Lord rarely put forth the power of his divinity without the twofold intention 
 of demonstrating the truth of his sayings, and his willingness to relieve affliction. In the miracles 
 here described, he exercises his sublime attributes in a more awful manner than usual. The stormy 
 waves raging against him disturbed not the slumbers which he allowed to be broken bj' the mis- 
 trusting fears of his disciples. He wakes at their ciy, reproving their want of faith, but relieving 
 their distress. The deepest calm follows his command ; and the Lord of Nature is thus seen 
 bringing every thing into obedience to the purposes of his love. From the disturbed and raging 
 provinces of the material world, he enters that where moral existence presents the miseiy and 
 horrible confusion of all-powerful evil. He speaks again, and his word is again omnipotent. A 
 thousand miracles could not teach us more plainly than these two, that miseiy, whether it be 
 physical or moral, must ever yield to the present influence of the Word that became incarnate, and 
 still by his Spirit dwells among us. Let us not be as the blind and foolish Gadarenes, desiring 
 liim '' to depart out of our coasts." 
 
 109 
 
The Fifth Sundaj/ after the Epiphany. 
 
 wwmsM 
 
 LORD, we beseech tliee to keep thy 
 Church and household continually 
 in thy true religion ; that they who 
 do lean only upon the hope of thy 
 heavenly grace may evermore be 
 defended by thy mighty power ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — Dependence on the mercy and grace of God is the best proof we can 
 give that they are earnestly desired. Leaning only on the hope of His goodness, that 
 goodness will never fail to manifest itself. The Church of Christ has in all ages found 
 this to be the case. It has failed in nothing while trusting to the power of its Founder and 
 Head: it has been well-nigh overwhelmed whenever it has for a short season looked to other 
 sources of strength or dignity. The truth of this doctrine is intimated with equal force and beauty 
 in the appellation here given to the Church. It is God's family and household ; it consists of 
 those whom He has received into the adoption of sons; whom He regards as His children reborn 
 m Christ ; and of those whom He employs in the all-important services of ministering the afl'airs 
 and mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. A household thus composed may indeed look for His 
 blessing and continual presence. The notion of a Church is then only rightly formed when it is 
 thus conceived of as implying the Fatherly superintendence, conlrol, and spiritual benediction of 
 the Almighty Founder and Head. 
 
 110 
 
THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 The Epistle. Col. iii. 12. 
 
 UT on therefore, as the elect of God, 
 holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, 
 kindness, humbleness of mind, meek- 
 ness, lono;-suifering ; forbearing one 
 another, and forgiving one another, 
 if any man have a quarrel against 
 any ; even as Christ forgave you, so 
 also do ye. And above all these 
 things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 
 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which 
 also ye are called in one body ; and be ye thankful. Let 
 the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teach- 
 ing and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, 
 and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to 
 the Lord. And whatsoever ye do, in word or deed, do all 
 in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and 
 the Father bv him. 
 
 The Epistle. — There is great fulness of instruction in this Epistle. The outward character of 
 Christians is to be formed of graces and virtues, the worth of which may he discerned by the world 
 at large. As the people of God, — a race separated by holiness from the sensual and thoughtless 
 multitude — they are expected to manifest the power of the Spirit which first said, " Come out from 
 among them, and be ye separate," by the kindness of their dispositions, and the uniform purity of 
 their conduct. But while this might satisfy the world, something more is expected from them by 
 God. His grace must rule in their breasts : that is, they must have an inward and spiritual motive 
 for all they do. The fruits they produce must be the result of the quickening grace of God ; — not 
 the product of principles which may change, or of motives independent of His promises or com- 
 mands. If the \VGrd of Christ — that true seed of all wisdom and all virtue — dwell in us, this will 
 be the case ; whatever we do will be done in His name, and for His sake will be accepted by God 
 as the free-will offering of loving and thankful hearts. It is only by adopting the Apostolic pre- 
 cept of doing all things in the name of the Saviour, who is not the pure example merely of holiness 
 and virtue, but the quickening spirit, that these wonders of humility and energv, of peace, resigna- 
 tion, forgiveness, and love of enemies, with the power and readiness to work out the noblest plans 
 of truth and benevolence, can show forth themselves in simple humanity. Beginning with the 
 exercise of repentance, the heart of the Christian rises by the gradual but ever-increasing influences 
 of holiness to the grandest heights of converting wisdom. He repents, believes, and loves ; and at 
 every stage of his progress manifests that the bond of perfectness is drawn more and more firmly 
 round him ; and that it is uniting him by indissoluble ties to the bright circles of God's family above. 
 
 The Gospel. — The existence of evil can never be traced to the will of a Being perfectly good ; 
 but it is not inconsistent with His attributes to permit it till He shall have completed His plans, and 
 overruled its hostility and power by the force of His own everlasting wisdom. Our Lord evidently 
 alludes to the circumstances which would occur in the establishment and progress of His Church. 
 The seed is sown ; the blade springs up and bears forth fruit ; but then appear the tares which had 
 111 
 
THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Mattli. xiii 24. 
 
 HE kingdom of heaven is likened 
 unto a man wliicli sowed good seed 
 in his field. But while men slept, 
 his enemy came and sowed tares 
 among the wheat, and went his way. 
 But when the blade was sprung up, 
 and brought forth fruit, then ap- 
 peared the tares also. So the ser- 
 vants of the householder came, and said unto him. Sir, 
 didst not thou sow good seed in thy field ? from whence 
 then hath it tares ? He said unto them. An enemy hath 
 done this. The servants said unto him. Wilt thou then 
 that we go and gather them up ? But he said, Nay ; lest 
 while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat 
 with them. Let looth gro\7 together until the harvest; 
 and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather 
 ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to 
 burn them ; but gather the wheat into my barn. 
 
 been sown by an enemy. Who sees not in all this the faithful representation of what has taken 
 place since Christ suffered, and first sent forth His ministers to preach the doctrines of Salvation ? 
 The good soil of humble and penitent hearts received the seed of heavenly truth thus sown ; but the 
 author of error was not backward in his work ; and contemporary with the diffusion of the purest 
 knowledge was the rise of heresies, — not less evil in their practical tendencies than opposed to the 
 doctrines of the Cross. Mercy, wisdom, and justice, have allowed these ills to remain. Those who 
 foster and promote them mingle uninterruptedly for a while with the good. Some of them may 
 repent: the rest will afford a signal proof of the Divine justice : — all contribute to bring about the 
 designs of God. The knowledge that evil exists, combined with the simple element of natural 
 faith that it will not be allowed to exist for ever, ought to act upon men's minds with the force of 
 the most tremendous warning against sin. "Offences must needs come, but woe unto him by 
 whom the offence cometh !" The mightier the power of evil in our hearts, the surer our condemna- 
 tion, the more impossible our restoration to felicity. To reason against this conclusion, is to deny 
 the power and the sovereignty of good ; to drive hope from its deep hiding-places in the heart of 
 nature, and make the best foundations of human happiness a sacrifice to the miserable selfishness 
 of vice. 
 
 112 
 
The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphanj/. 
 
 he 
 
 GOD, whose blessed Son was mani- 
 fested that he might destroy the 
 works of the devil, and make ns the 
 sons of God, and heirs of eternal 
 life ; Grant ns, we beseech thee, that, 
 liaving this hope, we may pnrify our- 
 selves, even as he is pure ; that, when he shall appear 
 again with power and great glory, we may be made 
 like unto him in his eternal and glorious kingdom ; 
 where with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, 
 liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without 
 
 end. Amen. 
 
 The Coi-i.ect. — So directly does the Gospel refer to our various and most urgent necessities, 
 that we then best express our wants in prayer when we are most deeply imbued with the lessons of 
 Scripture. The foundation of our hope is the purpose of Christ to save, sanctify, and glorify us. 
 Without this, we should in vain raise our thoughts to Heaven, or look for mercy from the strict 
 justice of God. Manifested to take awaj^ our sins, and perfecting His design by the methods of 
 combined holiness and love, the petition that they may be made like Him in His eternal kingdom 
 will be gloriously accomplished in all His faithful people. 
 
 113 Q 
 
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 The Epistle, 1 St. John iii. 1. 
 
 EHOLD, what manner of love the 
 Father hath bestowed upon us, that 
 we shoukl be called the sons of God : 
 therefore the world knoweth us not, 
 because it knew him not. Beloved, 
 now are we the sons of God, and it 
 doth not yet appear what we shall 
 be : but we know, that, when he shall 
 appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he 
 is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth 
 himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin 
 transgresscth also the law : for sin is the transgression of 
 the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take 
 away our sins ; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth 
 in him sinneth not : whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, 
 neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive 
 you ; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he 
 is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil : for 
 the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose 
 the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the 
 works of the devil. 
 
 The Gospel St. Matth. xxiv. 23. 
 
 HEN if any man shall say unto you, 
 Lo, here is Christ, or there ; believe 
 it not. For there shall arise false 
 Christs, and false proi)hets, and shall 
 shew great signs and wonders ; inso- 
 much that (if it were possible) they 
 shall deceive the very elect. Be- 
 hold, I have told you before. Where- 
 fore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert ; 
 
 Thk Episti.e. — The truths of the Gospel seem to concentrate tlie whole force of their rays in 
 this sublime account of the dignity and holiness of Christians. A prejudiced world contents itself 
 with looking occasionally at the precepts of Religion, and, acknowledging tlieir beauty, it imagines 
 that the requirements which it involves are sufficiently answered. But the world knows not Clirist. 
 
 114 
 
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. 
 
 go not forth : behold, he is in the secret chambers ; be- 
 lieve it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, 
 and shineth even unto the west ; so shall also the coming 
 of the Son of Man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, 
 there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately 
 after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be dark- 
 ened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars 
 shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens 
 shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the 
 Son of Man in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of 
 the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming 
 in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 
 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a 
 trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the 
 four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 
 
 and how should it know His Gospel, or His people ? The day approaches when the star shall 
 arise which will conduct us, not to the cradle, but to the resplendent throne of the Saviour; when 
 the Kpiphanj^ of eternal glory shall burst upon us, and we shall see Him as He is. But in this 
 mightiest of the manifestations of the Redeemer is our own fate involved ! We shall either be, 
 like Him, changed into His image by the triumphant power of the Spirit, — or be driven into the 
 outer darkness, where there would be an everlasting nothingness, but that sin has there its dwelling. 
 The hope of the former grand consummation of our being may well teach us to seek for puritv, — 
 the purity of heart and mind which the Holy Ghost bestows — and without which, long as we may 
 look, we shall never see God ! 
 
 The Gospei,. — Our Lord appeared in a season of profound peace ; but the seeds of war and 
 calamity were already thickly sown. The condition of the Jews was one of bondage, and they bore 
 it with ill-concealed impatience. Careful not to provoke them, their Roman Masters had hitherto 
 consulted their prejudices, and spared them many of the insults which they might have looked for 
 from less tolerant conquerors. The pride and luxury of the Sadducees, — the secret views of the 
 Pharisees, induced both parties to submit themselves complacently to the men in authority, hoping 
 thereby to secure the pre-eminence of their own interests. But a spirit of hate was daily gathering 
 strength ; and the superstition of the people drew fresh nourishment from eveiy event that occurred 
 for the mad and destructive zealotry which had its birth in these times. The universal expectation 
 of a Messiah furnished a ground-work for imposture such as existed in no other nation. To the 
 bold speculator on the credulity of the people, it offered an ever ready means for producing the 
 wildest excitement; to the earnest and fevered enthusiast himself, it brought arguments sufficient 
 to justify the conscience in the most daring undertakings. A few years only bad passed since the 
 Ascension of Our Lord when all these causes of confusion and misery began to work. False Christs 
 and false prophets presented themselves to the bewildered people ; terror obtained a hearing for them ; 
 and, aided by magical arts, they deceived all but those who were willing to abide by the Word of 
 God. History describes how awfully the predictions of Christ were fulfilled. The hand of God 
 was visibly stretched forth. The carcase, the miserable remains, that is, of the once glorious body 
 of the Jewish nation, lay cumbering the sacred soil, which had been as the garden of the Lord; 
 and the eagles, the Roman armies, namelj', with their proud emblematic standards, gathered round 
 it to devour. What an Epiphany of mingled terror and gloiy was the manifestation of CJnist 
 judging Jerusalem ! How much more awful will that be of which this was the type ! The Collect, 
 Epistle, and Gospel for the Fifth Sunday were formerly read on the Sixth Sunday : the present 
 were added at the review. 
 
 115 Q 2 
 
The Sundaij called Septuageaima, or the third Siindaj/ 
 before Lent. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LORD, we beseech tliee favourably 
 to hear tlie prayers of tliy people ; 
 tliat we, who are justly punished for 
 our offences, may be mercifully de- 
 livered by thy goodness, for the glory 
 of thy Name ; through Jesus Christ 
 our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth 
 
 with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world 
 
 without end. Amen. 
 
 The Coi-I.ect. — The Sundays named Septuajj;esima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesinia, are so 
 called from tlieir coming, in round numbers, seventy, sixty, and fifty days before Easter. Lent 
 itself is called the Quadragesimal Fast, or fast of forty days. The antiquity of this fast is un- 
 disputed ; but churches and learned men have formed different views respecting its original 
 institution. Some ascribe it to Apostolic authority ; others regard it as only of Ecclesiastical 
 origin. There are many also who contend that it was a last of forty hours, and not of forty days ; 
 but this opinion is opposed by such a variety of arguments, both doctrinal and historical, that it is 
 now rarely held. The observance of the three Sundays preceding its commencement is traced up 
 to the times of Gregoiy the Great, that is, to the close of the sixth century. Seasons of such 
 solemnity as Lent may well be regarded as requiring a preparation of the mind and lieart. We 
 can scarcely pass at once from the agitations of life to the deepest exercises of penitence and 
 sjiiritual confession. 
 
 116 
 
 I 
 
SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 The Epiath'. 1 Cor. ix. 24. 
 
 NOW ye not, that tliey which run 
 in a race run all, but one recci\ eth 
 the prize ? So run that ye may ob- 
 tain. And every man that striveth 
 for the mastery is temperate in all 
 things : now they do it to obtain a 
 corruptible crown, but we an incor- 
 ruptible. I therefore so run, not as 
 uncertainly ; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air : 
 but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, 
 lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, 
 I myself should be a cast-away. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Mattli. xx. 1. 
 
 HE kingdom of heaven is like unto 
 a man that is an householder, which 
 went out early in the morning to hire 
 labourers into his vineyard. And 
 when he had agreed with the labour- 
 ers for a peny a day, he sent them 
 into his vineyard. And he went out 
 about the third hour, and saw others 
 standing idle in the market-place, and said unto them, 
 
 The Epistle. — To those who discover in tlie Gospel the true sources of life and peace, — who 
 believe that, when God's love is secured, liappiness can never fail, — the pursuit of righteousness 
 will be the constant employment of their powers. On contemplating what is done and suffered by 
 aspirants after worldly honours, — how they strive for masteiy when a prize is offered which has no 
 intrinsic or enduring value— they cannot hut reprove themselves for inconsistency if, with a crown 
 of gloiy in view — an inheritance in the everlasting heavens — they shrink from enduring any of the 
 toils or difficulties necessarj- to insure success ! Discipline is as essential to the strengthening of 
 our minds, as to the nerving of our frames for any great undertaking ; and the process pointed out 
 by the great masters of divine wisdom has something in itself so noble and animating, that to 
 adopt it is to raise ourselves at once above the worst misfortunes of our state. 
 
 The Gospel. — The mercy of God never shines more resplendently than when contrasted with 
 the selfishness and rigid severity of man. Were the Almighty Father to answer us according to 
 oiu- folly, and treat us by the rides of our own framing, the world would soon cease to exist. The 
 most melancholy of all proofs of the hardness of man's lieart is the jealousy with which he regards 
 his religious advantages and privileges. The proper tendency of holiness is identical with that of 
 charity ; but this is resisted, and hate, pride, and severity, are brought in as the handmaids of 
 
 117 
 
SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 Go ye also into the vineyard, and wliatsoever is right 
 I will give you. And they went their way. Again he 
 went out al)out the sixth and ninth hour, and did like- 
 wise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and 
 found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why 
 stand ye here all the day idle ? They say unto him, 
 Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them. Go 
 ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that 
 shall ye receive. So when even was come, the Lord of 
 the vineyard saith unto his steward. Call the labourers, 
 and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto 
 the first. And when they came that were hired about the 
 eleventh hour, they received every man a peny. But 
 when the first came, they supposed that they should have 
 received more ; and they likewise received every man a 
 peny. And when they had received it, they murmured 
 against the good-man of the house, saying. These last 
 have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them 
 equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of 
 the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, 
 I do thee no wrong ; didst not thou agree with me for a 
 peny ? Take that thine is, and go thy way ; I will give 
 unto this last even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me 
 to do what I will with mine own ? Is thine eye evil, be- 
 cause I am good ? So the last shall be first, and the first 
 last : for many be called, but few chosen. 
 
 righteousness. It was as liateful to the Jews to think of sharing, as to contemplate the loss of, 
 their privileges. The intimation, therefore, which occurred in the discourse of our Lord, that the 
 time would come when the Gentiles, though called late, would he admitted to glory, filled them 
 with indignation. We may apply the lesson hoth generally and individually. Let us not allow the 
 grandeur of either our Church or nation to inflame us with pride, — the first and worst source of 
 uncharitableness : let us not, if we have long repented, and long cultivated the spirit of faith and 
 wisdom, look slightingly on those who have but just felt the movements of Divine grace. What 
 have we that we have not received ? And if we are all alike indebted to one common Fountain of 
 compassion, what room is there for disputing the right of mercy to exercise itself without obeying 
 the dictates of our selfishness or our pride P Want of charity, with its attendant evils, is more than 
 sufficient to deprive the best religious privileges of their force, and so place the first where the last 
 liad stood. Christianity is the only religion which has established itself on the foundation of 
 love ; and love is the only sufficient foundation of religion. It is by the power of this divine 
 principle alone that an infinite God can act for the benefit of His creatures, or that His creatures 
 can prove their obedience to His will by continually reciprocating acts of holiness. 
 
 118 
 
The Sunday called Sexageshna, or the second Simdai/ 
 before Lent. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LORD God, who seest that we put 
 not our trust in any thing that we 
 do ; Mercifully grant that by thy 
 power we may be defended against 
 all adversity 
 our Lord. Amen. 
 
 through Jesus Christ 
 
 The Coi.i.kct. — It is the requisite characteristic of earnest prayer, that it springs from 
 a strong feeling of necessity. The praises which we render to God are only acceptable 
 when they express the unaffected sentiments of grateful hearts ; and in the same manner we 
 must he able to say and feel, when we present our petitions, that we put not our trust 
 in am-thing which we do, but depend solely on the power of God, exercised in our favour 
 through Jesus Christ. Our dread of adversity, like the desire of good, will always partake of the 
 nature of our principles. AVorldly and sensual, our only fear will be lest the chances of life should 
 deprive us of present enjoyments. Roused to a better understanding of the designs and capabilities 
 of our being, our fears will then be most intensely excited when adversity threatens us in the form 
 of spiritual losses and defections. Happy they who are susceptible of such sorrows and appre- 
 hensions ! 
 
 119 
 
SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 The Ephtle. 2 Cor. xi. 19. 
 
 E suffer fools gladly, seeing ye your- 
 selves are wise. For ye suffer if a 
 w man bring you into bondage, if a 
 man devour you, if a man take of 
 you, if a man exalt liimself, if a man 
 smite you on the face. I speak as 
 concerning reproach, as though we 
 had been weak : howbeit, whereinso- 
 ever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. Are 
 they Hebrews ? so am I. Are they Israelites ? so am I. 
 Are they the seed of Abraham ? so am I. Are they 
 ministers of Christ ? (I speak as a fool,) I am more : in 
 labours more abundant ; in stripes above measure ; in 
 prisons more frequent ; in deaths oft. Of the Jews five 
 times received I forty stripes save one ; thrice was I beaten 
 with rods ; once was I stoned ; thrice I suffered shipwreck ; 
 a night and a day I have been in the deep ; in journeying 
 often ; in perils of waters ; in perils of robbers ; in perils 
 by mine own countrymen ; in perils by the heathen ; in 
 perils in the city ; in perils in the wilderness ; in perils 
 in the sea ; in perils among false brethren ; in weariness 
 and painfulness ; in watchings often; in hunger and 
 thirst ; in fastings often ; in cold and nakedness ; besides 
 those tilings that are without, that which cometh upon me 
 daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I 
 am not weak ? who is offended, and I burn not ? If I 
 must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern 
 mine iniirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. 
 
 The Epistle. — Tlie readiness with which the first preachers of tlie Gospel suffered everything 
 for its sake, affords a noble illustration of its power to strengthen and elevate the heart. It was 
 not by the patient endurance of bodily pain merely that they exhibited the grandeur of the prin- 
 ciples which glowed within them ; — reproach and contumelj', scorn and misrepresentation, attended 
 their self-devotion to the cause of truth. They who suffered fools gladly, — the l)old, presumptuous 
 pretenders to wisdom — would not endure the glorious yet mild instruction of these true disciples of 
 knowledge and heavenly science. Yet, luiprovoked and unwearied, the teachers of the Gospel could 
 persevere in their course, rejoicing in tribulation whenever their affliction might remind either them- 
 selves or others of the Cross of Christ. St. Paul supported his claims to' attention by arguments 
 
 120 
 
SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke viii. 4. 
 
 HEN much people were gathered 
 together, and were come to him out 
 of every city, he spake by a parable : 
 A sower went out to sow his seed; 
 and as he sowed, some fell by the 
 way-side, and it was trodden down, 
 and the fowls of the air devoured it. 
 And some fell upon a rock, and as 
 soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it 
 lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the 
 thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell 
 on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundred- 
 fold. And when he had said these things, he cried. He 
 that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples 
 asked him, saying, What might this parable be ? And he 
 said. Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the 
 kingdom of God : but to others in parables ; that seeing 
 they might not see, and hearing they might not under- 
 stand. Now the parable is this : The seed is the Word of 
 God. Those by the way-side are they that hear; then 
 Cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their 
 hearts, lest they should believe, and be saved. They on 
 
 adapted to the views of those whom he had to instruct. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, — a 
 Jew both by birth and profession; but he could urge arguments of a still more forcible kind, — he 
 was influenced in all he did by the warmest and most generous sj-mpathy : — " Who is weak, and I 
 am not weak ? Who is offended, and 1 burn not ? " 
 
 Thu Gospei.. — In this divine parable our Lord shows in the most striking manner how small a 
 proportion of those to whom the Gospel is preached receive it with truly thankful and obedient 
 hearts. The way-side hearer allows it to fall upon his ear as if it were of no more value than the 
 verbiage of tasteless and formal moralists. Others receive it upon hearts cold and impenetrable. 
 The superficial knowledge which they acquire displays itself in an outward conformity to some of 
 the more obvious requirements of decency, or perhaps a momentaiy expression of zeal when 
 provoked by the contradiction of declared unbelievers. Others have received the word with 
 joy, pleased with the discovery of its adaptation to the necessities of the world, or the state of 
 morals ; or if their characters be of a more ardent and imaginative kind, they thus receive it, be- 
 cause it answers some natural wish, or capricious desire of the heart ; but it has not penetrated 
 or converted the sovd, and temptation coming, the whole of the seeming belief vanishes. There is 
 yet another class to whom God's word, though at first acknowledged, comes in vain. This consists 
 of the busy and ambitious votaries of the world. The Gospel rouses them to attention. — quickens 
 the conscience, — obliges reason to warn them of the folly of their anxiety respecting the things 
 which perish. A few straggling signs of repentance, — of faith.— of devotion, appear ; but the world 
 
 121 R 
 
SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 the rock are tliey, wliicli, when they hear, receive the word 
 with joy ; and these have no root, which for a while believe, 
 and in time of temptation fall away. And that which 
 fell among thorns, are they, which, when they have heard, 
 go forth, and are choked with cares, and riches, and plea- 
 snres of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But 
 tliat on the good ground, are they, which in an honest 
 and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring 
 forth fruit with patience. 
 
 presses on with its cares and temptations, and the weak nurslings of the Gospel perish. Blessed 
 are they to whom the conclusion of the parable applies. Wisdom is justified of her children ; and 
 they shall he justified when they appear in the presence of their eternal Father. " Unto you it is 
 given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables ; that seeing they 
 might not see, and hearing they might not understand." This must seem a hard saying to the 
 understanding of those who are unwilling or unaccustomed to consider the character of the Gospel. 
 The minds of men are naturally not more inclined than their hearts to receive it as it comes from 
 the clear regions of truth. Doctrine and moral precept share the like fate in this respect. They 
 are equally unacceptable to the worldly, and would be still more so could it see them in their most 
 perfect forms. A softening shadow is thrown around their radiance by Divine mercy itself; and 
 our weak sight is enabled to bear the lustre of the brightest tmth passing through its proper 
 medium. But the world, by wilful unbelief, converts the transparent veil of inspired language into 
 clouds and darkness. Men see without perceiving. They are assured of God's presence, but feel 
 it not. He reveals His will and intentions ; but to the revelation, all-important and interesting as 
 it is, they oppose a deaf ear and an obstinate heart. That our Lord, in speaking by parables to 
 the multitude, did not act with severity or with the intention of refusing them the blessings of 
 light and knowledge, appears from the whole tenor of His conduct. He came for the express pur- 
 pose of instructing mankind. " I am come a light into the world" was the language which He 
 used ; and when we consider how patiently He unfLilded His gracious designs, how plain were His 
 oflTers of mercy and of the regenerating Spirit, who will doubt His right to such an appellation ? 
 The medium of parables was in reality employed that prejudice might be disarmed ; that ignorance 
 nright not be disheartened ; that minds least accustomed to spiritual contemplation might be able 
 to see, even from the beginning, somewhat of the plan and objects of the Gospel. " That seeing 
 they may see, and not perceive,'' was spoken proverbially, and in reference to the persevering 
 obstinacy of men, rather than as a declaration of intended punishment. But the world, as in 
 other cases, did itself inake that a cause of difficulty which was originally intended to open the 
 paths of truth, and thereby converted a blessing into a cause for the highest species of moral and 
 spiritual punishment. The structure of our Saviour's parables is of the simplest character : no one 
 could fail to understand the general meaning of that above delivered. He was known to speak of 
 moral and religious truths ; and the people had been accustomed from the most ancient times to 
 this mode of instruction. Unwillingness to make the practical application, hardness of heart, 
 pride, and self-sufficiency were the true reasons of their finding His parables obscure. In the 
 result his hearers divided themselves into two classes : the one contented to remain in their dark- 
 ness; the other seeking from the Lord with humbled hearts the spiritual interpretation which He 
 alone could give. 
 
 122 
 
The Siindaj/ called Quinqungesima, or the next Sunday 
 
 before Lent. 
 
 LORD, who hast taught us that all 
 our doings without charity are no- 
 thing worth ; Send thy Holy Ghost, 
 and pour into our hearts that most 
 excellent gift of charity, the very 
 bond of peace and of all virtues, 
 without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before 
 thee: Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ's 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 Thk Collect. — The harmony of Christian graces is beautifully illustrateil in this Collect. Faitli 
 acknowledges the divine teaching of the Scriptures : hope leads us to look for the sublime gift of 
 the Holy Spirit; our general understanding of the system of grace instructs us to regard Him as 
 the sole fountain of holiness and virtue ; and to charity, or love, the foundation of tlie Gospel itself, 
 we attribute the power which blends together and vivifies all the elements of good which may be 
 bestowed upon our hearts. 
 
 123 R -2 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 Tlie Epistle, 1 Cor. xiii. 1 . 
 
 HOUGH I speak with the tongues 
 of men and of angels, and have not 
 charity, I am become as sounding 
 brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And 
 though I have the gift of prophecy, 
 and understand all mysteries, and 
 all knowledge ; and though I have 
 all faith, so that I could remove 
 mountains, and have no charity, I am nothing. And 
 though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and 
 though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, 
 it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is 
 kind ; charity envieth not ; charity vaunteth not itself, is 
 not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh 
 not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, 
 rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth ; beareth 
 all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth 
 all things. Charity never faileth ; but whether there 
 be prophecies, they shall fail ; whether there be tongues, 
 they shall cease ; whether there be knowledge, it shall 
 vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in 
 part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that 
 which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, 
 I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as 
 a child ; but when I became a man, I put away childish 
 things. For now we see through a glass darkly ; but then 
 face to face : now I know in part ; but then shall I know 
 even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, 
 charity, these three ; but the greatest of these is charity. 
 
 The Episti.e. — Never was any grace or virtue described with a more exquisite particularity or 
 with nobler eloquence than that which St. Paul employs in this delineation of charity. Whatever 
 can give dignity to the outward man ; whatever is most esteemed in the acquirements of mind ; 
 whatever even is considered as of greatest worth in the profession of holiness ; all are brought in 
 review before us. The spectacle awakens our admiration ; we feel inclined to exclaim. Surely 
 nothing more can be wanting to complete the line of human merits and distinctions ! The world 
 quickly echoes this sentiment ; but the decision of pure wisdom is, that as yet we have seen nothing 
 more than the pageantry of virtue ; that the grace being wanting which the world cannot give, the 
 
 1-24 
 
QUTNQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xviii. 31. 
 
 HEN Jesus took unto him the twelve, 
 and said unto them, Behold, we go 
 up to Jerusalem, and all things that 
 are written by the prophets concern- 
 ing the Son of Man shall be accom- 
 plished. For he shall be delivered 
 unto the Gentiles, and shall be 
 mocked, and spitefully entreated, 
 and spitted on : and they shall scourge him, and put him 
 to death; and the third day he shall rise again. And 
 they understood none of these things: and this saying 
 was hid from them, neither knew they the things which 
 were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come 
 nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way- 
 side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he 
 asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of 
 Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou 
 
 whole is baseless and worthless as a shadow. The eloquence of angels employed on the highest 
 themes that can interest the human mind ; the wisdom which by foresight should enable a man to 
 unfathom the mysteries of Providence ; the faith, the generosity, which might lead to wonderful 
 displays of ardour : even these liave no substance in them, we are told, without charity, the 
 animating and glorifying grace of the regenerating Gospel. And if the rule thus earnestly 
 insisted upon by the Christian system be carefully examined by the light of reason, will it be found 
 wanting in truth ? Will it not rather be seen that the principle of which the Apostle speaks is 
 absolutely necessary to the efficiency of every plan employed for the benefit of mankind, whether 
 it originate in the wisdom of states or in the virtue of individuals ? Charity, in the language of 
 the Gospel, is synonymous with love, and is contented with nothing less than the entire sacrifice 
 of every principle of selfishness to its own ennobling influence and demands. 
 
 The Gospel. — Our Lord's foresight of His sufferings gives additional force to the grandeur of 
 His example. He endured not pain and anguish by some sudden effort of resignation ; but, looking 
 forward to the continually increasing weight of sorrow, willingl)' bowed His head to the pitiless 
 storm which sin had raised against Him. The shadow of the Cross lay darkly on His path from 
 the beginning, and gave a deeper gloom to the wilderness, greater horror to the raging of the wind 
 and the sea. It was written in the Prophets that He should " be despised and rejected of men ;" 
 that " the assembly of the wicked should inclose Him ;" that they would " gape upon Him with 
 their mouths as a ravening and roaring lion ;" that they would " pierce His hands and His feet ;" 
 and " part His garments among them."' These and the whole long train of other awful particulars, 
 read by the Spirit which dwelt within Him, were present to the mind of Christ with a distinctness 
 proportionable to the power of His illumined understanding. From others they were hid ; and the 
 first glimpse which they caught of the truth overwhelmed their hearts. The difficulty to mere 
 natm-al reason was increased tenfold by the demonstrations of power which accompanied even His 
 warnings of approaching suffering. The Son of Man " shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, 
 and spitted on ; and they shall scourge Him and put Hinr to death." Scarcely had these words 
 been uttered, when the prayer of distress is answered by an act of Divinity. He who, a moment 
 before was speaking of sorrows which seemed necessarily confined to the most abject or the most 
 
 125 
 
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
 
 Son of David, liave mercy on mc. And they which went 
 before rehnked him, that he shonld hold his peace : but 
 he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have 
 mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to 
 be brought unto him : and when he was come near, he 
 asked him, saying. What wilt thou that I shall do unto 
 thee ? And he said. Lord, that I may receive my sight. 
 And Jesus said unto him. Receive thy sight; thy faith 
 hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, 
 and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, 
 when they saw it, gave praise unto God. 
 
 lielpless of maukiud, now vitters but a word, and the bonds of affliction, where most firmly riveted, 
 are at once dissolved. Blindness had shut out the world from the present object of our Saviour's 
 mercy ; poverty had deprived him of the comforts and solaces of a home ; but the readiness with 
 which he appealed to the power of Christ seems to intimate that he had made up for m.anj^ of his 
 natural disadvantages by the right employment of inward grace. Unable to trace for himself the 
 chart of prophecy, he had, it is probable, listened in the synagogues with intense interest to the 
 reading of the heavenly Word. Memorj', quickened by hope and strengthened by love, had laid 
 hold of the truths most comforting to the spirit ; he carried them with him to his obscure retreats ; 
 he mused upon them as he sat by the way-side begging. Truth, living and divine, thus treasured 
 in the heart, grows quickly, and speedily connects itself with all that is most gracious in the plans 
 of Providence. The Spirit and the blessing of God visit the soids in which it dwells ; and to such 
 souls it is that the first communications are made when the Father of mercies is about to open 
 fresh fountains of grace. The blind man knew his Saviour when learned scribes and self-righteous 
 Pharisees rejected Him; the blind man acknowledged the might of Jesus when the thousands who 
 had seen His miracles and received sensible demonstrations of His Almighty power said, " He 
 hath a devil 1" the blind man, who could read no prophecy, who had no means of comparing pre- 
 cept with precept, was able to address Him by the title which connected His present mission with 
 the most remarkable of the announcements made to the fathers ; while the best instructed of the 
 land — the men who imagined that they could find a mystery, and the interpretation of it, in every 
 letter of the Scriptures, — were unable to see the true meaning of any one of the plainest prophecies, 
 of those which most intimately concerned the safety and glory of their nation. The petition of the 
 blind man, " Lord, that I may receive my sight," was a prayer for an inferior blessing, springing 
 from the possession of one by analogy the same, but of an infinitely higher kind. It is of vast 
 consequence that we should in all cases be able to use this argument with God — " Father, thou 
 hast given us the riches of grace. Oh ! do not refuse us the inferior blessings which in this our low 
 estate are necessary to our peace or our usefulness !" St. Paul leads us to cultivate this mode of 
 reasoning in that sublime model of cheering argument where he says, " He that spared not His 
 own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all 
 things ?" The practical application which we ought to make of the narrative is this : Have we 
 recovered the light of our understandings by the power of the Divine Spirit, or, convinced of our 
 darkness, do we watch for the presence of Jesus Christ, that we may obtain from Him that most 
 important of all blessings ? Or, if we may rest in the happy conviction that the boon has been 
 already bestowed, and that through the mercy of the Most High we see and possess the things 
 which make for our peace, do we now, after the example of the blind beggar, follow our benefactor 
 and glorify God .? 
 
 126 
 
The First Dai/ of Lent, commonli/ called Ash- 
 Wednesdaj/. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY 
 
 and everlast- 
 ing God, who 
 hatest no- 
 thing that 
 thou hast 
 made, and 
 dost forgive the Sins of all 
 them that are penitent ; Create 
 and make in us new and con- 
 trite hearts, that we worthily 
 lamenting our sins, and ac- 
 knowledging our wretched- 
 ness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect 
 remission and forgiveness ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 *\ This Collect is to be read every day in Lent after the Collect appointed for the Day. 
 
 The Collect. — This day has been obseiTed from the time of Gregory the Great with fasting 
 and prayer, and other exercises indicative of sorrow for sin. It is called Ash- Wednesday, from the 
 custom which prevailed among the ancient Christians, as before among the Jews (Esther iv. 1, 
 Daniel ix. 3), of sprinkling ashes on their heads when engaged in acts of deep and public penitence. 
 The word Lent, which is derived from the Saxon, and signifies spring-time, is applied to the forty- 
 days' fast, to distinguish it from other periods of abstinence. Jt was from the established rule that 
 the Sabbath ought to be regarded and kept as a festival, that Pope Gregory introduced the custom 
 of beginning Lent on Ash- Wednesday, thence called the head of the fast. Four days are thereby 
 gained, and the Sunday is still left us to commemorate with joj^ and thanksgiving the resurrection 
 of Christ. Penance in the ancient Church was commonljr performed on this day. The persons 
 who sought thereby readmission to the communion of saints were obliged to present themselves at 
 the door of the church, barefooted, and clothed in sackcloth. Led into the church, they were 
 surrounded by the clerg^r, who repeated the seven penitential psalms, and then the bishop sprinkled 
 them with water of puiifrcation, and having put ashes and sackcloth on their heads, expelled them 
 the church, as Adam, he said, was driven from paradise. Various acts of mortification were 
 enjoined them, and these being duly performed, the penitents were readmitted to communion at the 
 close of the forty days. The Church of England employs the commination on this day, and its 
 members are called upon to exercise all the duties of a spiritual, though not those of an outward, 
 penance. 
 
 127 
 
THE FIRST DAY OF LENT. 
 
 For the Epistle. Joel ii. 12. 
 
 URN yc even to me, saith tlie 
 Lord, with all your heart, and with 
 fasting, and with weeping, and with 
 mourning. And rend your heart, 
 and not your garments, and turn 
 unto the Lord your God : for he is 
 gracious and merciful, slow to anger, 
 and of great kindness, and repenteth 
 him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return, and 
 repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meat- 
 offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God? 
 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn 
 assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, 
 assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that 
 suck the breasts ; let the bridegroom go forth of his 
 chamber, and the bride out of her closet ; let the priests, 
 the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and 
 the altar, and let them say. Spare thy people, O Lord, 
 and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen 
 should rule over them : wherefore should they say among 
 the people. Where is their God ? 
 
 The Episti.e. — It is the consolatory precept of our religion, that the sacrifice of " a broken and 
 contrite heart" shall not be despised. That God is " slow to anger and of great mercy," bearing 
 with long-suffering the offences of His creatures, and " repenting Him of the evil." that is, acting 
 towards humbled and penitent offenders with so much compassion and fatherly kindness that He 
 may seem to have changed His purpose, and to justify the use of the prophet's expression, " He 
 repenteth Him of the evil," whereas it was in His own eternal and predetermined counsels to pardon 
 all who should return to Him with unfeigned penitence and faith, for the sake of Him who had 
 undertaken to be their Redeemer. The passage from tlie prophet Joel is pecvdiarly adapted to a 
 season of religious sorrow. It represents every class of the people, and whatever their own private 
 circumstances may be, presenting themselves, under the guidance of the ministers of the altar, 
 before their offended God. The exhortation, " Rend your heart, and not your garments," shows that 
 even under the law, spiritual feeling, the deep and earnest sorrow of an afflicted conscience, was 
 essential to the proper obsei-vance_ of a fast. If we neglect this principle while professing tlie 
 Gospel, our exercises of humility or devotion can have no value whatever, everything in the new 
 and spiritual system of Jesus Christ having an immediate reference to the conversion of the heart. 
 The most afflicting of misfortunes are those which indicate the withdrawal of the Divine presence. 
 Some there are which may be regarded as the chastisements ol' a Father who still watches over 
 us, and blesses us ; but sad indeed is the condition of the people of whom it may be questioned — 
 " Where is their God ? " 
 
 128 
 
THE FIRST DAY OF LENT. 
 
 The Gospel 8t. Matth. vi. 16. 
 
 HEN ye fast, be not as tlie liypo- 
 crites, of a sad countenance : for tliey 
 disfigure their faces, that they may 
 appear unto men to fast. Verily I 
 say unto you, They have their re- 
 ward. But thou, when thou fastest, 
 anoint thine head, and wash thy face, 
 tliat thou appear not unto men to 
 fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret ; and thy 
 Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 
 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where 
 moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break 
 through and steal : but lay up for yourselves treasures in 
 heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and 
 where thieves do not break through nor steal ; for where 
 your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 
 
 The Gospkl. — Our Lord himself states the principle above alluded to with all the force of divine 
 authority. Two classes of persons fall into sin and ruin by the false notions which prevail respecting 
 the merit of formal observances. The one imagines that righteousness may be found in a careful 
 attention to outward ordinances ; and, satisfying themselves by their strict obedience to the rule 
 thence formed, they allow the mind and heart to remain under the dominion of corruption. To the 
 other class, the respect paid to even an appearance of sanctity offers the ready means of deceiving 
 the world, and gaining for themselves a species of honour to which they could prefer no real claim. 
 They win in many cases the good for which they labour, " they have their reward." Men regard 
 them with reverence for their supposed self-denial and superiority to the ordinary weaknesses or 
 corruptions of their nature. But God knows the secrets of their hearts ; and both in this case and 
 the other, the only result of hypocrisy will be, confusion of face and despair when the soul has to 
 render up its account. Fasting is for humiliation, and not for display. It has no good in itself, 
 but only in the end proposed, — the expression of sorrow, and the subduing of unruly passions. A 
 withdrawing of the heart from the things of the world is the best result and the surest sign of our 
 having fasted according to the rule laid down by Christ. Advice given by such a Being would 
 ever be valuable to us were not our minds preoccupied by the suggestions of pride and folly. We 
 acknowledge His wisdom, and how can we doubt His love ? The treasures which He tells us are 
 not worth hoarding, maj' safely be regarded as of little value ; — for what species or form of good is 
 there which He would teach us to stjuander, whose whole object it was to make us the heirs of all 
 good ? No '. — He only warns us against laying up treasures upon earth because they are not in 
 themselves worth our care, — and because, while employing our minds about the empty shadows 
 which thus solicit our attention, we may miss the substantial and enduring glories of heaven. The 
 heart will be where the treasure is ; and little are they Ikely to advance in dignity and holiness 
 whose hearts are here rather than with God. 
 
 129 
 
The First Sundai/ in Lent. 
 
 LORD, who for our sake didst fast 
 forty days and forty nights ; Give us 
 grace to use such abstinence, that, 
 our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, 
 we may ever obey thy godly motions 
 in righteousness, and true holiness, 
 to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with 
 the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world 
 without end. Amen, 
 
 The Collect. — The example of Christ both awes and encourages us. We feel how impossible 
 it is that beings unused to the discipline of holiness, weak in heart and infirm of purpose, should be 
 able to follow such a guide by any effort of nature. But the mingled sense of infirmity and love 
 teaches us to seek support in the example itself as a source of life and power. The light which we 
 would follow casts its rays, not in the distance merely, but into the depths of our hearts. " Give 
 us grace," is the prayer of believers, as they contemplate with solemn admiration the example of 
 their Lord ; and that grace bestowed, they find themselves " able to do all things'' to the full 
 measure and capacity of their being in its best and most exalted condition. It is not in particular 
 instances only that they are content to follow Him. The grace which they seek is the living prin- 
 ciple that leaves nothing within them unsubdued to the power of holiness, — nothing over which 
 they have command unconsecrated to the honour and glory of their Saviour! 
 
 130 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 The Epistle. 2 Cor. vi. 1. 
 
 E then, as workers together with 
 him, beseech you also, that. ye re- 
 ceive not the grace of God in vain; 
 (ffor he saith, I have heard thee in a 
 time accepted, and in the day of sal- 
 vation have I succoured thee : be- 
 hold, now is the accepted time; 
 behold, now is the day of salvation ;) 
 giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not 
 blamed; but in all things approving ourselves as the 
 ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in 
 necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in 
 tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings ; by pure- 
 ness, by knowledge, by long-sufiering, by kindness, by 
 the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, 
 by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on 
 the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, 
 by evil report and good report ; as deceivers, and yet 
 true ; as unknown, and yet well known ; as dying, and 
 behold, we live ; as chastened, and not killed ; as sorrow- 
 ful, yet alway rejoicing ; as poor, yet making many rich ; 
 as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. 
 
 llie Gospel. St. Mattli. iv. 1. 
 
 HEN was Jesus led up of the Spirit 
 into the wilderness, to be tempted of 
 the devil. And when he had fasted 
 forty days and nights, he was after- 
 wards an-hungred. And when the 
 tempter came to him, he said. If 
 thou be the Son of God, command 
 that these stones be made bread. 
 
 The Episti.e. — Divine grace is so precious a gift, that the richest treasures of nature and 
 fortune fall far short of its value. They may adorn the possessor with a lustre glorious in the sight 
 of the world, and enahle him to command the luxuries in which sense revels till satiated with 
 enjoyment ; but the grace of God, not a name or a shadow, as the world supposes, gives the perma- 
 nent dignity which will hear the inspection of Heaven as well as of the wisest of mankind. It 
 
 ■ 131 s 2 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 But he answered and said, It is written, Man sliall not 
 live by bread alone, but by every word tliat proceedetli 
 out of tlie moutli of God. Then the devil taketh him 
 up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of 
 the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of 
 God, cast thyself down ; for it is written, He shall give 
 his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands 
 they sliall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy 
 foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written 
 again. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, 
 the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high moun- 
 tain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, 
 and the glory of them; and saith unto him. All these 
 things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship 
 me. Then saith Jesus unto him. Get thee hence, Satan ; 
 for it is written. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, 
 and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth 
 him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him. 
 
 confers the deeply-enjoyed delights to which no worldly pleasure can ever he compared. The mind 
 in its ordinaiy state wants the keen susceptibility which enables it to discover the full worth or 
 beauty of things. Still less is it capable of understanding the sublimity of heavenly mysteries ; but 
 the grace of God quickens and enlarges it. The good which exists becomes more perceptible ; the 
 good which is to come more attainable. 
 
 The Gospki.. — The temptation in the wilderness, though at first sight an occurrence least to be 
 looked for in the history of a being like Christ, affords one of the sublimest manifestations of His 
 Divine character. It is not in repose that virtue of any kind is best displayed ; and the holiness 
 of Him to whom the Spirit of truth was imparted without measure could only be fully proved by His 
 immediate conflict with the spirit of error and evil. The circumstances attending this awful 
 trial were pregnant with sacred mystery. It is not till after the strongest encounter with all 
 natural desires and mere bodily weaknesses, the lengthened preparation of holy discipline, that 
 Christ is exposed to the dark designs of Satan. He meets Him in silence and solitude. The gloom 
 of the wilderness is around Him, and but for the indwelling light of His own soul, it would have 
 been wholly desolate. Satan appeals first to His natural appetites. Failing in this attempt, he 
 strikes at the living principle which bound up all the human graces of Christ's nature in faith and 
 love. Had the Son needed to prove the truth of the Father's word by the methods pointed out by 
 the tempter, never could He have trusted himself to the Cross, or descended to the depths of the 
 grave, exclaiming, "Thou wilt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption !" Again, therefore, Satan 
 misses his aim. But he has still power in reserve ; and the several temptations to which oin- Lord 
 was subjected seem to mark out the three great classes of trials to which His followers, or mankind 
 in general, stand exposed. Ambition furnished the snare whereby the best and greatest minds 
 that acknowledged the power of evil became subject to its swa3\ Satan, it is probable, had but very 
 inadequate views of our Lord's nature or character; great, and wise, and good. He evidently was 
 above all that He had encountered. The patriarchs of old, the sages of Greece and Rome, the 
 kings and priests most renowned for fortitude, wanted the perfection of strength and lustre dis- 
 played by this mysterious Peasant of Galilee. One mighty effort, therefore, was still to be made. 
 The offer of a dazzling sovereignty had blinded before now the loftiest souls ; but it moved not the 
 calm spirit of Jesus. Satan left Him, therefore, and hastened to his gloomy abode to prepare other 
 trials — the Cross, — the fieiy arrows of death, — and the blackness of the grave 1 
 
 132 
 
The Second Sunday in Lent. 
 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, who seest that we 
 have no x^ower of ourselves to help 
 ourselves ; Keep us both outwardly 
 in our bodies, and inwardly in our 
 souls; that we may be defended 
 from all adversities which may hap- 
 pen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which 
 may assault and hurt the soul ; through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen, 
 
 wilderness, at another, a garden full of ''-^Yrif^^^nlZixfv^^^^^^^^ little of the 
 
 dangers; and the future, though apprehended by the ^-^^^""g^ ^ /^;; ^ ^^^ ^ i,,lent for all 
 sorrL with which it n.ay be pregnant to the w.sest ^^^^-"^'^^.^l^^^^ -^^^^^ -^^^^^^ *^-* 
 these perils,-a compensation for all these natural or ^"^^^^ \f ^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 God will hear and answer us. Having " no power of ourselves to help 
 tower of defence, and our present help in trouble. 
 
 133 
 
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 Thess. iv. 1. 
 
 E beseech you, bretlircii, and exhort 
 you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye 
 have received of us how ye ought to 
 walk, and to please God, so ye would 
 abound more and more. For ye 
 know what commandments we gave 
 you by the Lord Jesus. For this is 
 the will of God, even your sanctifica- 
 tion, that ye should abstain from fornication; that every 
 one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanc- 
 tification and honour ; not in the lust of concupiscence, 
 even as the Gentiles which know not God ; that no man 
 go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter; be- 
 cause that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also 
 have forewarned you, and testified. For God hath not 
 called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He there- 
 fore that despiseth despiseth not man, but God, who hath 
 also given unto us his Holy Spirit. 
 
 The Epistle. — The doctrines and precepts of the Gospel are equally distinguished by their 
 purity. Christ is manifested to take away sin, and His blood is shed to cleanse the corrupted heart, 
 and restore it to that state in which it may feel itself capable of loving what is good and innocent. 
 The Holy Ghost — the Eternal Spirit of truth and holiness — the grand Source of knowledge — the 
 Fountain of sanctification — attends upon the redeeming sacrifice, and gives a new life to the de- 
 livered soul, every principle of which will act in the same direction as the will of Gud, and engage 
 in the working out of His plans of good. In this manner, the doctrines of the Gospel — all its fun- 
 damental truths — are found to be the parts of a mighty system, not only for the assertion of the 
 supremacy of righteousness, but for giving it that supremacy in the hearts of men, and securing to 
 them a full share, both in time and eternity, of its sublimely-beneficial results. Precepts in every 
 system must not only have a certain correspondence with the system, but must partake of its nature, 
 and breathe of its life. Those of the Gospel, therefore, may be expected to exhibit a holiness as 
 far above that of other moral lessons, as the foundation on which they rest is grander than human 
 sanctions. When taught by Christianity to be holy, we are referred for an account of what holiness 
 is to the character of God : " Be ye holy, for I am holy ;" — to that of Christ, " Who did no sin, 
 neither was guile found in his mouth;" — to the nature of the Sanctifier, who baptizes as with a 
 purifying fire. The beautiful consistency which thus exists between all the parts of the Religion, 
 ought to have its parallel in the minds and conduct of its professors. It was to convince them of 
 this that the Founder himself urged the necessity of their proving their faith and love by their 
 obedience; — that He spoke so plainly of the dependence of knowledge upon doing the will of God ; 
 — and that His Apostles, following the same track of heavenly light, so interweaved the statement 
 of doctrine with practical directions for a holy life, being, as it would seem, constrained by the 
 blessed Spirit from ever dividing a system into parts which is one and entire as the will of the 
 Almighty. Christians are made Christians by the action of Divine grace, which, when received at 
 all, leaves no vital principle of humanity untojiched. The want of purity, therefore, or practical 
 holiness, is an unanswerable proof that the religion has not been received, or that, if acknowledged, 
 it has produced none of those effects which are the only sure signs of a preparation for the freedom 
 and blessedness of heaven, 
 
 134 
 
THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Mattli. xv. 21. 
 
 ESUS went thence, and departed 
 into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 
 And behold, a woman of Canaan 
 came ont of the same coasts, and 
 cried nnto him, saying. Have mercy 
 on me, O Lord, thon Son of David ; 
 my danghter is grievonsly vexed with 
 a devil. But he answered her not a 
 word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying. 
 Send her away ; for she crieth after us. But he answered 
 and said, I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the 
 house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, 
 saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is 
 not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to 
 dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of 
 the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Then 
 Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is 
 thy faith : be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her 
 daughter was made whole from that very hour. 
 
 Thk Gospei,. — This interesting narrative again brings the grandeur of the Redeemer's power 
 within the range of our sympathies. The woman of Canaan was of a poor and despised race, 
 as characterised by all the circumstances of moral degradation and spiritual darkness. The Jews 
 who received the Divine oracles as a precious trust, had proved themselves wholly unworthy of their 
 sacred office. The bordering nations, therefore, derived no advantage from their neighbourhood, 
 and the insults continually put upon them by those who claimed the name and titles of holiness, 
 tended to harden them more and more in the obstinate love of sin. " It is not meet to take the 
 children's bread, and to cast it to dogs," was the proverbial saj'ing of the day, and repeated by our 
 Lord not as His sentiment, but to show what little reason the poor suppliant had to look for com- 
 passion from a Jew. There was, however, in the woman herself a degree of preventing grace. Not 
 all the people of the coasts of Tyre and Sidon were prepared to address Him as Lord, and Son of 
 David ; — to bear His repetition of the wonted rebuke, and fall down and worship Him. Their 
 degraded condition had too much darkened their hearts to admit of this happy recognition of the 
 virtue which dwelt in Christ. The woman who came to Him was led by that mercy itself, which, 
 before it wrought the outward miracle, had already wrought a greater miracle in the conversion 
 and illuminating of her soul. " Great is thy faith" was not said till due proof had been given of 
 the strength of her belief. The firmness of her conviction was first tried by the disciples, who 
 would fain have sent her away unanswered. It was then tried by our Lord himself, who replied 
 to her request by a reference to the often-republished axiom, — that all spiritual good and honour 
 was to be bestowed exclusively on God's chosen people. This answer to a mind less strengthened 
 by grace would have seemed to shut it out by a stern necessity from the hope of mercy. But to 
 the woman of Canaan it only gave fresh motives for an exercise of that faith which overpowers all 
 rules and restrictions, and rejoices in triumphing by the sole strength of Divine love and pity. Still 
 she had another trial The pride of the human heart was to be ofll'ered as a sacrifice, and gladly 
 was it given. This completed the proof of Christ's power, and a spiritual and a visible miracle 
 were wrought at the same moment. 
 
 135 
 
The Third Sundai/ in Lent. 
 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 E beseech thee, Almighty God, look 
 upon the hearty desires of thy hiimhlc 
 servants, and stretch forth the right 
 handof thy Majesty, to he our defence 
 against all our enemies 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 through 
 
 The Coij.ect. — If it be the duty of Christians not to use vain repetitions in their prajcrs, 
 it is equally their duty to ol)serve well the i'ull and proper application of the language which 
 they employ in the forms of supplication adopted by the Church. The present Collect is 
 one of the shortest in the Liturgy, and to a careless eye may seem to contain only a single, 
 and that a very general, petition. But if care be taken to analyse it, we shall see that, brief 
 as it is, it conveys much sublime truth to the heart, and teaches us to pray in a language most con- 
 formable to the spirit of the Gospel. We address God as His servants : it is in that character only, 
 or in that of His children, that we can ever properly beseech Him to look upon our hearty desires. 
 In any other character, our desires will be such as His pure eyes can only behold with angry dis- 
 pleasure. Our hopes and wishes being conformable to the proper character of God's worshippers, 
 we may rightly entreat Him to exercise His jiower in our defence, and to give us the means of 
 triumphing over our enemies. Care should always be taken to consider the particular style and 
 language of the prayers we adopt. That which we ask for as devout servants, and loving, though 
 humble children of God, we cannot properly request when we come before Him simply as penitent 
 sinners, whose first, and, for the time, whose sole anxiety must be the forgiveness of their sins, — 
 the removal of Divine wrath. 
 
 130 
 
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT 
 
 The Epistle. Eplies. v. 1. 
 
 E ye therefore followers of God, as 
 dear cliildren ; and walk in love, as 
 Christ also hath loved us, and hath 
 given himself for us, an offering and 
 a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smell- 
 ing savour. But fornication, and all 
 uncleanness, or covetousness, let it 
 not be once named amongst you, as 
 becometh saints ; neither filthiness, nor foolish-talking, 
 nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving 
 of thanks : for this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor 
 unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath 
 any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, and of God. 
 Let no man deceive you with vain words : for because of 
 these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children 
 of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them : 
 for ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in 
 the Lord ; walk as children of light ; (for the fruit of the 
 Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth ;) 
 proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no 
 fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather 
 reprove them : for it is a shame even to speak of those 
 thino:s which are done of them in secret. But all thino^s 
 that are reproved are made manifest by the light : for 
 whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he 
 saith. Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, 
 and Christ shall give thee light. 
 
 The Episti.e.— The portions of Scripture chosen for this season of preparation have all an evi- 
 dent relation to the grand rule, — " Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." But it is the 
 happy feature of our religion that the service claimed is called for by the voice of fatherly tender- 
 ne'is and beneficence. " Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children," is the language of the 
 blessed Spirit ; and lest we shoidd be discouraged when considering oiu- helplessness and the great- 
 ness of the work set before us, we are reminded of the love of Christ, who has made this way of 
 honouring His Father not only manifest by His example, but easy by the powerful influences of 
 His grace. Many vain reasonings were employed by heathen philosophers to excuse the gross 
 practices of the ancient world. Their ignorance of the truth is but a poor apology even for tl-.em; 
 conscience, and the proofs given by the outward world of the existence of a God, having been at 
 all times sufficient to convince those who did not wilfully love darkness rather than light, of the 
 
 137 " T 
 
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 The Gospel St. Luke xi. 14. 
 
 ESUS was casting out a devil, and 
 it was dnml). And it came to pass, 
 when tlie devil was gone out, the 
 dumb spake ; and the people won- 
 dered. But some of them said, He 
 casteth out devils through Beelzebub, 
 the chief of the devils. And others, 
 tempting him, sought of him a sign 
 from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto 
 them. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought 
 to desolation ; and a house divided against a house 
 falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how 
 shall his kingdom stand? because ye say, that I cast out 
 devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast 
 out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? there- 
 fore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger 
 of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is 
 come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his 
 palace, his goods are in peace ; but when a stronger than 
 he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh 
 from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and dividetli 
 his spoils. He that is not with me is against me : and 
 
 inexcussibleness of sin. But if so little can be said for those who lived in times of general igno- 
 rance, how much less can be urged in defence of those who, at a period when the knowledge of 
 holiness is shedding its lustre around them, still attempt to excuse, before God and men, the in- 
 dulgence of degrading vices ! That the wrath of God will come upon the children of disobedience, 
 is proved by the strongest arguments of nature, reason, and revelation. The folly of mankind 
 leads them to imagine that they can make a satisfactory answer to these arguments ; but the real 
 strength of this their answer consists in its being kept back ; for were it brought into comparison 
 with the proofs of the divine truth, whereby they will at last be judged, its utter insignificance 
 would be apparent, and their vain words would deceive no man. But the lovers of pleasure rather 
 than of God will not allow this comparison to be made. They prefer the momentary and uncertain 
 peace which they gather from the supposition that some excuse may exist for them, to ceasing from 
 sin, and the obtaining of a sure and imperishable happiness. 
 
 The Gospei,. — It is a curious fact, that the enemies of our Lord distinctly ascribed His mira- 
 cles to a supernatural power. There was no cpiestion among those who saw His works as to 
 their reality, and ecpially little doubt was felt respecting their being performed by means which 
 came not within the range of earthly agencies. This circumstance affords a very striking species 
 of evidence to the truth of our religion. We are not disposed to believe in the power of evil 
 rather than in the power of good. If blind men were in these days suddenly made to see, — if the 
 sick and the maimed were restored by a word, — and the dead even revived, at the simple bidding 
 
 138 
 
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 lie that gatlieretli not with me scattereth. When the 
 unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through 
 dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I 
 will return unto my house whence I came out. And 
 when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 
 Then goeth he and taketh to him seven other spirits more 
 wicked than himself, and they enter in, and dwell there ; 
 and the last state of that man is worse than the first. 
 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain 
 woman of the company lift up her voice, and said unto 
 him. Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps 
 which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed 
 are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it. 
 
 of a deliverer, supposing that our senses convinced us of the reality of the fact, we should either 
 endeavour to account for the wonder by natural causes, or by looking to the presence of Divinity. 
 But if the laws of Nature could not be regarded as undoing that which had arisen from their ordi- 
 naiy operation, we should see no reason to prefer ascribing the supernatural wonder to any superior 
 power rather than the power of Gud. There are, moreover, many circumstances to be taken into 
 consideration in every question of this kind. The miracles were wrought for some end ; the nature 
 of that end will help us to determine the source of the power by which they were wrought. But 
 Christ's preaching, and everj' action which He performed, as well as every sentence He uttered, 
 had a tendency the veiy reverse of that which marks the designs of evil. It needed not even the 
 open casting out of devils to convince an unprejudiced observer that it was His aim to set up a 
 kingdom, the establishment of which should be the ruin of the empire of darkness. Our great 
 object, therefore, in the present day, is to give proper weight to the evidence which proves the 
 reality of the miracles. The unsuspected testimony of the Jews to this point will go far to con- 
 vince a mind free from prejudice that it deserves implicit credence : while they who need not 
 further arguments for the truth of their religion will regard the narrative as aflfbrding a valuable 
 though melancholy proof of the corruption of the human heart. For what can more strougly con- 
 vince us of our fallen and miserable condition than such a desire to escape from the plainest mani- 
 festations of the Divine presence, or the teaching of divine truth ? If we have been cleansed, — 
 if the spirit of evil have left the chambers of our hearts — let us take the warning conveyed by our 
 Lord in the latter part of the Gospel. The mind unoccupied by God is ever likely to become the 
 prey of a host of evil spirits, each stronger than the tempter that before held it in subjection. By 
 seven spirits we are to understand, either an immense multitude of spirits, or a certain compact 
 band of evil angels, the number seven being ordinarily used in Scripture with a mystical signi- 
 fication of fulness and completeness ; see 1 Sam. ii. 5, Isaiah iv. 1, and Revelation i. 4, where the 
 everlasting source of grace and spiritual life is represented as "the seven spirits" which are before 
 the throne of God. The exclamatiou of the woman who lift up her voice in obedience to the 
 sudden emotion which the words of Jesus had inspired, was answered by an allusion to the truer 
 relationship existing between Him and His people than that which springs from the circumstance 
 of birth. It was thus He spoke on another occasion, saying, as He stretched forth His hand toward 
 His disciples, " Behold My mother and My brethren." Nor ought we to be surprised that He 
 should lay such stress on the superior claims of a spiritual kindred. The family of God's children 
 in His heavenly kingdom are bound together by bonds that can never be broken. Their union 
 springs from a perfect harmony of nature and principles — from a mutual interest in the pursuit of 
 truth and happiness; and still more essentially from the oneness of the spirit of life of wliichthey 
 have all drunk, and to whose quickening influence they are indebted for their sonship with God. 
 and their membership in Jesus Christ. " There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called 
 in one hope of vour calling." 
 
 I3y T 2 
 
The Fourth Sundnj/ in Lent. 
 
 
 ry 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 RANT, we beseech thee, Almighty 
 God, that we, who for our evil deeds 
 do worthily deserve to be punished, 
 by the comfort of thy grace may 
 mercifully be relieved ; through our 
 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 J men. 
 
 Thk Collect. — Confession of sin and unworthiness is one of the best and most essential 
 ingredients of prayer. The world, when forced to acknowledge its opposition to the divine 
 s law, offers a thousand reasons against the sentence being passed upon it which God's justice 
 is prepared to pronounce. But the contrite penitent admits not only the commission of the ofFence, 
 but that it merits the lieavy punishment which the law has declared shall follow disobedience. Our 
 deeds are evil, say the bold, licentious, pleasure-loving votaries of the world, — compelled by reason 
 and conscience to this confession ; our deeds are evil, also say the humble suppliants at the throne 
 of grace ; but they add, we worthily deserve to be pmiished for these our offences ; and in that 
 they honour God by an acknowledgment of His justice when He condemns the sinner ; and by 
 the most earnest praise of His mercy when, through tlie operation of His grace, and the atoning 
 merits of Christ, he forgives and restores him. We should do well if we attended to these dis- 
 tinctions ; and on all occasions questioned ourselves whether we be sufficiently impressed with awe 
 at the danger to which sin exposes us, and thence feel how large a debt of gratitude we owe to 
 Him by whom the work of our deliverance lias been wrought. 
 
 140 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 The Epistle. Gul. iv. 21. 
 
 ELL me, ye that desire to be under 
 tlie law, do ye not hear the law ? 
 For it is written, that Abraham had 
 two sons, the one by a bond-maid, 
 the other by a free-woman. But he 
 who was of the bond-woman was 
 born after the flesh ; but he of the 
 free-woman was by promise. Which 
 things are an allegory : for these are the two covenants ; 
 the one from the mount Sinai, which gendcrcth to bondage, 
 which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, 
 and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in 
 bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is 
 above is free ; which is the mother of us all. For it is 
 written. Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break 
 forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate 
 hath many more children than she which hath an hus- 
 band. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children 
 of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh 
 persecuted him that was born after the Spirit; even so 
 it is now. Nevertheless, what saitli the Scripture ? Cast 
 out the bond-woman and her son ; for the son of the 
 bond-woman shall not be heir with the son of the free- 
 woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the 
 bond-woman, but of the free. 
 
 The Episti-e. — To beings who felt in themselves the workinpj of a spirit which invariably 
 pointed to good, and who knew no delight but that which springs from the exercise of pure and 
 elevated virtue, the stricter and the more comprehensive the law under which they lived, the better 
 would they be able to exhibit the noble purity of their nature. While nothing could give them 
 pleasure but that which at the same time set forth the excellence of the heavenly rule of right, 
 they would have every reason to desire that their existence and happiness might always depend 
 upon their conformity to its maxims. But if. on the other hand, this original adaptation of their 
 nature to the divine law should no longer exist, — if the innate tendencies of both mind and heart 
 should now be on the side of evil, and with all the resistance which may, from time to time, be 
 offered from motives of thought and prudence, the weakness or corruption of nature should be 
 allowed to overcome the suggestions of conscience, and the terrors of expected punishment, if such a 
 change should have taken place, would it be wise in these beings to wish, as belbre, to be judged by 
 the strictest and most unyielding law ? But this, in reality, is the case of those who, with the law 
 and the Gospel before them, take the former rather than the latter ibr the foundation of their hopes. 
 
 141 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John vi. 1. 
 
 ESUS went over the sea of Galilee, 
 wliicli is the sea of Tiberias. And 
 a great multitude followed him, be- 
 cause they saw his miracles which 
 he did on them that were diseased. 
 And Jesus went up into a mountain, 
 and there he sat with his disciples. 
 And the Passover, a feast of the 
 Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lift up his eyes, and 
 saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, 
 Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat ? (And 
 this he said to prove him ; for he himself knew what 
 he would do.) Philip answered him, Two hundred peny- 
 worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one 
 of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, 
 Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him. There is a lad here 
 which hath five barley-loaves and two small fishes : but 
 what are they among so many ? And Jesus said, Make 
 
 The justification of this choice must depend on the notion, either that a general fulfilment of the 
 law will satisfy divine justice, or that there is virtue even in the apparent willingness to abide by so 
 holy a rule, whatever be the consequence. To the former, it may be answered, that the express 
 declarations and the essential character of the law fully prove that it requires a perfect and un- 
 varying obedience ; and for the latter, that to a mind nobly set on the recovery of holiness, and 
 anxious to see God glorified by obedience to his laws, — the old dispensation affords not means for 
 the attainment of such an object, while the system which has the righteousness of faith for its 
 basis, supplies all that is required for its accomplishment, and proposes to bring back the fallen 
 creature to that state of freedom, and holiness of disposition, in which the love of goodness shall 
 be the ruling principle of his soul. At the best we could but keep the law, as under bondage, as 
 dreading the penalties of disobedience ; whereas the Gospel offers us the grace which, taking away 
 the outward compulsion, bestows the inward and living principle of an obedient will. 
 
 The Gospel. — None of the miracles of our Lord strike the mind as more mysterious than the 
 one recorded in this Gospel, A divine power is manifested in all that He performed ; but He 
 connected in other instances the miracle with the object by some sign, or action, which seemed to 
 form a channel for the energy exerted. But here is no sign ; and the mind has to pass at once 
 into the boundless ocean of omnipotence, with nothing to guide it in its search for explanation but 
 the one simple truth, that God was manifest in the flesh. As a proof of divine power, none could 
 have been given more striking and complete : but there are other views to be taken of this miracle. 
 It was wrought to feed the fainting multitudes who had hastened to hear the preaching of Christ ; 
 and afforded a testimony to the truth of His own gracious promise, — " Seek ye first the kingdom 
 of God, and His righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto you." The multitudes 
 were fed in the wilderness, where there was no opportunity of obtaining nourishment, and they 
 were entirely dependent on divine mercy. This ought to teach us that, however destitute we may 
 be as to earthly helps, and liowever desolate in our prospects, we are in reality well and happily 
 
 H2 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 the men sit clown. Now there was mnch grass in the 
 j3lace. So the men sat down, in nnmber about five thou- 
 sand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given 
 thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples 
 to them that were set down ; and likewise of the fishes as 
 much as they would. When they were filled, he said 
 unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, 
 that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them to- 
 gether, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of 
 the five barley-loaves, which remained over and above 
 unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they 
 had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said. This is of a 
 truth that Prophet that should come into the world. 
 
 situated if the blessing of our God be with us. To rise superior to the consideration of circumstances, 
 and be able habitually to fix the mind on the realities of truth, whether outwardly visible or not, 
 is the grand triumph of noble souls. And this is the Christian's triumph — when he can look with 
 serenity from the troubled scenes of the world to the unchangeable systems of heavenly love, and 
 answer the questionings of his heart as to what may be about to come by casting his care on God, 
 in the assurance that He careth for him. But if we may thus trust to His present mercy for the 
 supplj' of our natural wants, whatever be our condition, with still greater confidence may we look 
 to Him in all seasons of spiritual necessity. The wilderness itself blossoms as a rose at His word, 
 and the hard rock pours forth the gushing stream ! However much, therefore, we may lament 
 the low state of religion in the age or country upon which we are thrown, as individuals, or as a 
 Church, we may find bread in the wilderness if we seek it at the hands of Christ. " When they 
 were filled. He said unto His disciples. Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost."' 
 The lesson conveyed in these words is one of economy ; but of an economy the best and noblest 
 that can be practised. If in no case it is allowable " to take the children's bread, and cast it to 
 dogs," much less can it be so to leave to utter waste the bread of life, even though that which 
 remains after the plenty bestowed by God in seasons of extraordinary blessedness be but fragments 
 of the feast. Our Lord himself feeds the people that gather round Him ; but while He satisfies 
 them with the fidl bounty of His mercy, He forgets not those who remain behind : He allows some- 
 thing to remain ; and it is the especial duty of His chosen servants to gather up these fragments 
 that nothing be lost. The spiritual application of the lesson is not difficult. Divine knowledge is 
 communicated in different degrees of fulness or intensity. This is true of nations and churches as 
 well as of individuals. The Holy Spirit can give as much light as is required for the fellowship of 
 the prophets, the glorious company of the apostles, or the noble army of martyrs ; lut the whole of 
 this light is not required to lead a man to the Gospel, or to enable him to learn from its pages the 
 doctrines of its Salvation, We should evidently err, however, if we concluded, because there are 
 these various degrees of grace and knowledge, and that the lowest degrees of sanctification may be 
 sutficient for the purpose, that therefore the abundance of the more gloriously gifted might be 
 regarded as solely belonging to themselves. Their fulness, in fact, is to be the gain of the whole. 
 The knowledge they possess, — the strength wherewith they are endowed, — the courage which has 
 been given them to meet the enemy, — all those qualifications and privileges which they enjoy above 
 other men, and for which they are indebted to the especial favour of God, are part of the nourish- 
 ment which remains for distant ages, — the nourishment bestowed in the shape of well-described 
 examples and powerful precepts of experience; — of grace given in answer to prayers ; — strength 
 resulting to the church from the communion of saints ; — and a larger knowledge of the designs of 
 God. Many are the thousands that have been fed at different periods by the special grace of God ! 
 At the close of each feast fragments have remained ; and it is these whicli we must gather up, if 
 we would lose nothing of that which Christ bestows for the nourishment of our souls. 
 
 143 
 
The Fifth Sunday/ in Lent. 
 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 E beseech thee, Almighty God, mer- 
 cifully to look upon thy people ; that 
 y by thy great goodness they may be 
 i\H governed and preserved evermore, 
 both in body and soul ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — When God tuvns away His face, the world but iudistmctly sees in the 
 thickly-gathering cloud of calamities tokens of His wrath. But His people trace these 
 terrors to their source, and kni<w that the prospects of mankind can only become bright 
 again when the light of the Almighty's countenance once more breaks through the gloom. 
 In their own affairs, the children of God daily feel that, whatever of good they enjoy, the 
 liglit which beams on their dwellings and in their hearts flows directly upon them from the blessed 
 regards of God. Well, therefore, may they beseech Hirn to look upon them with His wonted 
 mercy! — well may they desire that His goodness may be their support, and the foundation of their 
 safety ! To those who rightly contemplate the nature of things, it will appear as the highest and 
 best of privileges to feel that they belong to a class which can thus address God in the assurance 
 of filial love. To be governed and preserved bv Him, who upholds all things by the word of His 
 power, is to possess a degree of security beyond which no idea or conception of safety can 
 cany us. 
 
 144 
 
THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 The Epistle. Heb. ix. 11 
 
 HRIST being come an Higli Priest 
 of good tilings to come, by a greater 
 and more perfect tabernacle, not 
 made with hands; that is to say, 
 not of this building ; neither by the 
 blood of goats and calves; but by 
 his own blood, he entered in once 
 into the holy place, having obtained 
 eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and 
 of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the un- 
 clean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh ; how much 
 more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal 
 Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge your 
 conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 
 And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new testa- 
 ment, that by means of death, for the redemption of the 
 transgressions that were under the first testament, they 
 which are called might receive the promise of eternal 
 inheritance. 
 
 The Epistle. — No institution has ever existed so closely adapted by outward signs to convey 
 spiritual truths as the Levitical system under Moses. The sacrifice bleeding on tlie altar taught 
 the solemn doctrine, that without shedding of blood there is no remission, and pointed to a sacrifice 
 inconceivably more precious than any that could thus be offered. The rite of circumcision connected 
 the promises made to the fathers with the coming in of a better hope ; — Jerusalem itself became a 
 figure of that heavenly city where mansions are prepared for the just made perfect ; — the Temple 
 on the consecrated hill of Sion was a type of that sanctuary in which God's glorified people worship 
 round His throne ; and the high-priest represented Him who was to bring the sacrifice and pour 
 out the blood that should lay the innermost recesses of that sanctuary open to all mankind. But 
 while it is interesting to trace, even in the most general outline, the figurative correspondence of 
 the Jewish system to the sublime realities of the Gospel, the subject becomes one of profound 
 beauty when pursued in its details, and when the innumerable suggestions offered by everj' point 
 of the system are followed according to the traces of spiritual thought. The intimate relation in 
 which we stand to Christ, and the concern which we have in all that He did, renders whatever is 
 taught on this matter, in the introductory dispensation, a subject of practical importance. To the 
 Jew, the great Day of Atonement — that one solemn day of the year on which the high-priest 
 entered the Holy of Holies — was fraught with the most awful associations. Ought we to feel less 
 impressed with awe and gratitude when we meditate on the entrance of Jesus Christ into the true 
 Holy of Holies, after having made the offering of His own blood before the mercy-seat of His 
 Father P Or ought we to think little of the wondrous privilege which has thereby been obtained 
 for us of entering the Holy of Holies ourselves, — the veil having been rent, and the depths of 
 mysterious love revealed, by a High Priest omnipotent through the worth of His sacrifice P 
 
 145 u 
 
THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John viii. 46. 
 
 ESUS said, Wliicli of you convinceth 
 me of sin? and if I say the truth, 
 why do ye not believe me ? He that 
 is of God heareth God's words ; ye 
 therefore hear them not, because ye 
 are not of God. Then answered 
 the Jews, and said unto him. Say we 
 not well, that thou art a Samaritan, 
 and hast a devil ? Jesus answered, I have not a devil ; 
 but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. And 
 I seek not mine own glory ; there is no one that seeketh 
 and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you. If a man 
 keep my saying, he shall never see death. Then said the 
 Jews unto him. Now we know that thou hast a devil : 
 Abraham is dead, and the prophets ; and thou sayest. If 
 a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 
 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is 
 dead ? and the prophets are dead : whom makest thou 
 thyself ? Jesus answered. If I honour myself, my honour 
 is nothing ; it is my Father that honoureth me, of whom 
 ye say, that he is your God : yet ye have not known him ; 
 
 The Gospel. — We view with astonishment the power manifested in the miracles of our Lord ; 
 but we ought to regard with equal wonder His humility and gentleness. Pure as was His doctrine, 
 and untainted by the slightest leaven of selfishness as were all His actions, He could yet con- 
 descend to reason with His adversaries, while they only opposed Him by fierce malice and pre- 
 judice. He could not be convinced of sin, for what sin is there in persuading men to serve God, 
 to study his word, to keep His commandment, not only according to the letter, but in the spirit ? 
 Or where is the iniquity of healing the sick, of soothing sorrow wherever it is found, and over- 
 coming evil, both natural and moral, though it cost us the inteusest suffering ? No one would 
 venture to say that there is sin in anything of this kind, except he could make it appear that the 
 source of evil is also the author of good. But should it be for an instant supposed that the un- 
 witnessed conduct of Jesus was different to that which the world beheld, we might answer the 
 doubt by asking, how could a person situated as He was, and living as He must needs have done, 
 always in public, have escaped detection had he been practising hypocrisy ? His simple question, 
 "Which of you convinceth me of sin ?'' was evidently put in the full confidence that no one could 
 accuse Him without violating every pretension to integrity. The searching inquiiy, "If I say the 
 truth, why do ye not believe me ?" involved an accusation to which His persecutors could give no 
 answer, either to Him or to their own consciences. He had said nothing for which there was not 
 ample proof in the prophets, or in the grand outline which had been drawn of His doctrines in the 
 whole of the old dispensation. His precepts were established on general and universal truth ; and 
 the right which He had to proclaim Himself the Son of God was amply proved by His miracles. 
 
 146 
 
THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 
 
 but I know him : and if I slioiild say, I know liim not, I 
 shall be a liar like unto you ; but I know him, and keep 
 his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my 
 day, and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews 
 unto him. Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou 
 seen Abraham ? Jesus said unto them. Verily, verily, I 
 say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. Then took 
 they up stones to cast at him ; but Jesus hid himself, and 
 went out of the temple. 
 
 Christ appealed to the signs of His Father's presence for the proof of His divinity : — " If I honour 
 mj'self, my honour is nothing ; it is my Father that honoureth me." By this appeal, He put the 
 argument on its proper basis. It cannot be fairly reasoned that there are no infallible means 
 whereby the Almighty may prove His presence ; or that a Being claiming the mysterious glory 
 of an eternal Sonship could not manifest His union with the Father by tokens fully sufficient 
 to demonstrate its realit3% If a being should pretend to such a dignity of nature, or claim the 
 obedience due but to one sole Mediator between God and man, he would deserve no credit, unless 
 the manifestation of power should be proportionable to the greatness of the pretensions. " If I 
 honour myself, my honour is nothing," is the veiy maxim which, of all others, the enthusiast or 
 the impostor would refuse to adojit ; but it is that by which Jesus ever expressed His desire to be 
 tried ; — that to which He exposed every assertion of His authority as a fair and righteous test, the 
 sufficiency of wliich ought to be apparent to all. Had He honoured himself, the preaching of the 
 Gospel would have consisted from the first of eloquent declamations respecting His wisdom and 
 goodness ; and both He and His Apostles would have been contented to secure the allegiance of 
 converts on any terms, and under any circumstances. But the contrary of this was the case. The 
 passages which speak directly the praise of Christ are few ; and none are to be found which par- 
 take of the style of oratorical eulogies. Our admiration of His virtue springs rather from the 
 recital of His positive acts — from what is seen and known of His progress to the sufferings of a 
 Redeemer — than from any thing which is said of their origin in His personal goodness. Had 
 He honoured himself, the praise bestowed upon each particular act of power, and on the disposi- 
 tions from which it arose, would have occupied ten times as much space as is bestowed in the 
 way of direct praise on the whole of His miracles. It was plainly the object of the writers of 
 Scripture, as it had been that of Christ, to let His works speak for Him ; — to prove His graces by 
 His acts, and His divinity by the record of miracles which could have been wrought by no power 
 but God's. That His Father did honour Him is seen in these miracles, — in the fulness of His 
 wisdom, — in the crowning wonder of His resurrection, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit ! By 
 this last instance of the Father's union with the Son, the Church is still assured of the truth of 
 Christ's appeal. He honours not Himself by verbal claims to reverence; — His Father honours 
 Him by showing, that, wherever His Gospel is received, there a Spirit of power and holiness blesses 
 and seals men's souls. The answer which Christ thus returned to His enemies affords, when 
 carefully considered, an important addition to the internal evidence of the Gospel ; but it also 
 conveys to the mind of the believer a subject for profound meditation and thankfulness. Abraham 
 saw His day and rejoiced at its coming, even before it had shed a gleam of lustre upon the earth. 
 We live almost in the fulness of its noontide splendour. How inadequate is our gratitude, how 
 cold and feeble our apprehensions of the blessing to what they ought to be I The fifth Sunday 
 in Lent was formerly called Passion Sunday ; but only, it seems, because that immediately pre- 
 ceding Easter is particularly designated Palm Sunday. 
 
 147 u 2 
 
The Siindai/ next before Easter. 
 
 ^^^''f^ifi^MlM 
 
 
 T/ie Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 wlio, of thy tender love towards man- 
 kind, hast sent thy Son, our Saviour 
 Jesus Christ, to take upon him our 
 flesh, and to suffer death upon the 
 cross, that all mankind should follow 
 
 ^j^jv^j the example of his great humility ; 
 
 148 
 
THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 Mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example 
 of his patience, and also be made partakers of his resur- 
 rection ; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 man, 
 death, 
 
 The Epistle. Phil. ii. 5. 
 
 ET this mind be in you, which was 
 also in Christ Jesus : who, being in 
 the form of God, thought it not rob- 
 bery to be equal with God ; but made 
 himself of no reputation, and took 
 upon him the form of a servant, and 
 was made in the likeness of men : 
 and being found in fashion as a 
 he humbled himself, and became obedient unto 
 even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also 
 
 The Collect. — The redemption of mankind is a theme on which the mightiest minds, aided by 
 the illumination of the Divine Spirit, have rested with a deep and ever-growing delight. But if 
 the subject be thus sufficient to satisfv the loftiest intellects, it is equally calculated to fill the 
 heart, however susceptible of right emotions, with the best and most affecting sentiments. Thus 
 in the present Collect we are led to pray by the most animating of all suggestions, by motives of 
 the greatest weight, and by appeals to our love and gratitude, — irresistible if we have any part or 
 lot with the people of God. The scheme of redemption could have no other origin than His mercy, 
 which was from everlasting. That love which thus originated the plan was the living spirit of its 
 fulfilment. His Son alone could bring into operation a system conceived by the eternal love and 
 all-perfect wisdom of God. No inferior being could have received the complete impression of the 
 scheme, or contained the mighty influence of the grace essential to success. The Son of God, 
 therefore, undertook the work. He emptied Himself of His glory ; assumed the nature of man ; 
 and became obedient unto death. And thus He humbled Himself that we should follow the 
 example of His great humility ; and that not simply, according to the lowest meaning of the words, 
 but in their most spiritual application. He who obeys them in this sense, will take up his cross, 
 strive to overcome evil bj^ good, and in all things manifest that he has died unto sin. The Sunday 
 before Easter is usually called Palm Sunday, in reference to the triumphal entrance of our Lord 
 into Jerusalem. Palms were formerly used in the processions of the Church ; but the custom was 
 discontinued in England in the reign of Edward VI. 
 
 The Epistle. — The Epistle affords a beautiful illustration of the sentiment expressed in the 
 Collect, and teaches us where to find the root of all Christian holiness and morality. In other 
 systems, the doctrine or the precept is everything. The leader of the sect may inspire by his 
 fervour the minds of his followers with a corresponding energy ; but in Christianity, the very spirit 
 itself of the master is to become, by more than a metaphor, the spirit of his people. " Let this 
 mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," is a jirecept springing immediately from the 
 nature of the Gospel. The recovery of man from the legal consequences or penalties of sin is but 
 a part of this scheme of mercy. His complete renewal is the final object of the love of God; and 
 to this end it is that the Holy Spirit which descended upon Christ at His baptism, and which 
 requickened His humanity in the grave, becomes the indwelling power of life and holiness to every 
 regenerated believer in the Gospel. The mind of Christ was the perfect mirror of heavenly per- 
 fections. Righteousness, benevolence, and wisdom, entered into all its determinations, and were 
 the strength and glorj- of what it wrought. To have this mind in us, is not to follow its dictation 
 merely, but to have the conforming spirit, the pervading life which gives holiness and wisdom an 
 animation in the human soul of the same kind as that which bestows its everlasting power on the 
 mind of Christ. 
 
 1-19 
 
THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 liatli liiglily exalted liim, and given him a Name which is 
 above every name ; that at the Name of Jesus every knee 
 should how, of things in heaven, and tilings in earth, and 
 things under the earth; and that every tongue should 
 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the 
 Father. 
 
 The Gospel St. JMattli. xxvii. 1. 
 
 HEN the morning was come, all 
 the chief priests and elders of the 
 people took counsel against Jesus, to 
 put him to death. And when they 
 had bound him, they led him away, 
 and delivered him to Pontius Pilate 
 the governour. Then Judas who had 
 betrayed him, when he saw that he 
 was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the 
 thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 
 saying, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the inno- 
 cent blood. And they said. What is that to us ? see thou 
 to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the 
 temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. 
 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It 
 is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it 
 is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought 
 with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. Where- 
 fore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this 
 day. (Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by 
 Jeremy the prophet, saying. And they took the thirty 
 pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom 
 they of the children of Israel did value, and gave them 
 for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.) And 
 Jesus stood before the governour ; and the governour 
 asked him, saying. Art thou the King of the Jews ? And 
 Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was 
 accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered no- 
 thing. Then saith Pilate unto him, Hcarest thou not 
 150 
 
THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 how many things they witness against thee? And he 
 answered him to never a word, insomuch that the gover- 
 nour marvelled greatly. Now at that feast the governour 
 was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they 
 woidd. And they had then a notable prisoner, called 
 Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, 
 Pilate said unto them. Whom will ye that I release unto 
 you ? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ ? For 
 he knew that for envy they had delivered him. When he 
 was set down on the judgment-seat, his wife sent unto 
 him, saying. Have thou nothing to do with that just man : 
 for I have suffered many things this day in a dream be- 
 cause of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded 
 the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy 
 Jesus. The governour answered and said unto them. 
 Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you ? 
 They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them. What shall 
 I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ ? They all 
 say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governour 
 said, Why, what evil hath he done ? But they cried out 
 the more, saying. Let him be crucified. When Pilate 
 saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a 
 tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands 
 before the multitude, saying, 1 am innocent of the blood 
 of this just person : see ye to it. Then answered all the 
 people, and said. His blood be on us, and on our children. 
 Then released he Barabbas unto them : and when he had 
 scourged Jesus he delivered him to be crucified. Then 
 the soldiers of the governour took Jesus into the common 
 hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 
 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 
 And when they had platted a crown of thorns they put it 
 upon his head, and a reed in his right hand : and they 
 bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying. 
 Hail, King of the Jews. And they spit upon him, and 
 took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after 
 that they had mocked him they took the robe off from 
 him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away 
 151 
 
THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 to crucify him. And as tliey came out tliey found a man 
 of Cyrene, Simon by name ; him they compelled to bear 
 his cross. And when they were come unto a place called 
 Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a scull, they gave him 
 vinegar to drink mingled with gall : and when he had 
 tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified 
 him, and parted his garments, casting lots : that it might 
 he fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, They 
 parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture 
 did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him 
 there ; and set up over his head his accusation written, 
 THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 
 Then were there two thieves crucified with him ; one on 
 the right hand, and another on the left. And they that 
 passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, 
 Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three 
 days, save thyself : if thou be the Son of God, come down 
 from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking 
 him, with the scribes and elders, said. He saved others, 
 himself he cannot save : if he be the King of Israel, let 
 him now come down from the cross, and we will believe 
 him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if 
 he will have him : for he said, I am the Son of God. 
 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast 
 the same in his teeth. Now from the sixth hour there 
 was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour: 
 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 
 saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say. My 
 God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? Some of 
 them that stood there, when they heard that, said. This 
 man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, 
 and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it 
 on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, 
 let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, 
 when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the 
 ghost. And behold, the vail of the temple was rent in 
 twain from the top to the l^ottom, and the earth did 
 quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves Vvcre opened, 
 152 
 
THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 and many bodies of saints which slept arose, and came 
 out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the 
 holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the cen- 
 turion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw 
 the earthquake, and those things that were done, they 
 feared greatly, saying. Truly this was the Son of God. 
 
 TnK Gospel. — We now approach the solemn commemoration of om* Lord's final sufferings ; 
 and that this may be done with the devout sorrow which becomes such an occasion, the Church 
 leads us into the society of those holy men who were appointed to be witnesses of His afflictions 
 and triumphs. The I'eeling inspired by the contemplation of the history upon which we are enter- 
 ing is not that which arises simply from sympathy or commiseration ; — it is mingled with a 
 consciousness of shame, — of compunction, — of deep humiliation. We did not, it is true, stand in 
 the judgment-hall of Pilate, and exclaim, " Crucify Him ! Crucify Him I '* We had no share in 
 suborning the false witnesses, nor did we heap scorn upon His head as He went toiling along the 
 road to Calvary, — too weak to bear the Cross upon which He had strength of spirit enough to look 
 for His body to be nailed. The revilings and curses which attended His death were not raised 
 by us ; nor were we with those who, when He left the grave, had a lie ready to contradict the 
 miglitiest demonstration of the Spirit of life. But for all this, we have ample reason to go to the 
 Cross and weep there ; for the tragedy began with him in whom we all die ; and to the sin then 
 introduced we have as willingly consented as we have sworn determined hostility to its companion 
 — death. This makes us partakers in the whole affair. We cannot pretend that we have sided 
 with God against the world; — that we have cherished His commandments as our rule of conduct ; 
 — that we have not loved many forms of iniquity, or willingly allowed ourselves to be deceived by 
 Satan. Now all these are proofs of our intimate union with the party which crucified Christ. 
 Sin was the cause of His sufferings ; and sin has a certain oneness and universality of essence 
 which binds all whom it in any degree influences in the same bond of unholy enmity against God. 
 But while we humble ourselves by these considerations respecting our personal share in Christ's 
 afflictions, we are happily called upon, at the same time, to meditate on the deliverance effected for 
 us by His patient endurance of suffering. And let us imagine what our feelings would be if, when 
 greatly oppressed by trouble, some generous-minded man should come to our relief, having left his 
 home and made a long and perilous journey solely for our sakes. Our hearts woidd be hard and 
 rude indeed were they not moved to thankfulness. But the motive to gratitude would be still 
 greater towards one, who seeing us stretched _on a bed of sickness, and at the point of death, had 
 come with a healing medicine when no one else dare venture into our presence, and who by so 
 doing had, as was foreseen would be the case, fallen a victim to the disease, and was now to be 
 seen stretched on the bed whence his healing balms had enabled us to arise. And these supposed 
 instances of charity afford but weak representations of the benevolence of Christ. He left for our 
 sakes scenes of ineffable delight and gloiy ; — He came to pay our debts, — to dismiss our inexorable 
 creditors, — and save us from all the horrors of anticipated imprisonment. He came to us when we 
 were on the point of expiring under the attack of a most grievous malady ; — when neither men 
 nor angels could help us, and we were becoming melancholy instances of the power of inward cor- 
 ruption. Then He shrunk not from the task of attempting our cure, but, entering our miserable 
 liomes, submitted Himself to the scourge of the plague, healed us, and sent us forth in the strength 
 and gladness of recovered health ! It is with reflections of this kind that we should approach the 
 scene of our Lord's sufferings as depicted by the living pencil of the Evangelists. The develop- 
 ment of the mystery, — the consideration of the circumstances answering so minutely as they do to 
 the tracings of prophecy, — will afford divine employment for the mind of the Christian during this 
 week, described so emphatically as Passion Week, or the week of suffering. He will delight in 
 walking in the footsteps of prophets, knowing for certainty the end which they at a distance saw 
 would be accomplished. As they bid him farewell, he knows that the herald of the Lord is nigh ; 
 and he will consider, as one intensely interested in the subject. His solemn announcement, " The 
 kingdom of lieaven is at hand." And when he has communed with John in the desert on the 
 grace of repentance, now, by a species of anticipating revelation, called a change of mind, he 
 lieholds the Lamb of God ajiproaching ; and is thenceforward occupied, heart and spirit, with the 
 Saviour's personal revelations of His own and His Father's love. 
 
 153 X 
 
Monday before Easter. 
 
 ,p r '^''^■' ^0/('{^'^W^^i% vi 
 
 For the Epistle. Isai. Ixiii. 1. 
 
 HO is tills that cometh from Edom, 
 with dyed garments from Bozrah? 
 this that is glorious in his apparel, 
 travelling in the greatness of his 
 strength? I that speak in righte- 
 ousness, mighty to save. Where- 
 fore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments 
 like him that treadeth in the wine-fat ? I have trodden 
 the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none 
 with me : for I will tread them in mine anger, and 
 trample them in my fury, and their blood shall he sprinkled 
 upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For 
 the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my 
 redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to 
 help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: 
 therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me, and 
 154 
 
MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 my fury it upheld me. And I will tread down the people 
 in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I 
 will bring down their strength to the earth. I will men- 
 tion the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of 
 the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on 
 us, and the great goodness towards the house of Israel, 
 which he hath bestowed on them, according to his mercies, 
 and according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses. 
 For he said. Surely they are my people, children that will 
 not lie : so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction 
 he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them : 
 in liis love, and in his pity, he redeemed them, and he 
 bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But 
 they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit; therefore he 
 was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against 
 them. Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and 
 his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out 
 of the sea with the shepherd of his flock ? where is he that 
 put his Holy Spirit within him ? that led them by the 
 right hand of Moses, with his glorious arm, dividing the 
 water before them, to make himself an everlasting Name? 
 that led them through the deep as an horse in the wilder- 
 ness, that they should not stumble? As a beast goeth 
 down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to 
 rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a 
 glorious Name. Look down from heaven, and behold 
 from the habitation of thy holiness, and of thy glory; 
 where is thy zeal, and thy strength, the sounding of thy 
 bowels, and of thy mercies towards me ? Are they re- 
 strained? Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abra- 
 ham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not : 
 thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer, thy Name is 
 from everlasting. O Lord, why hast thou made us to err 
 from thy ways ? and hardened our hearts from thy fear ? 
 Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inherit- 
 ance. The people of thy holiness have possessed it but 
 155 X 2 
 
MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 a little while : our adversaries have trodden down thy 
 sanetiiarv. We arc thine : thou never barest rule over 
 them ; they were not called by thy Name. 
 
 TiiK Episti.e. — The observation of the early part of this week, sometimes called the Great 
 Week, as well as Passion Week, is traced hack to the earliest times. It appears from what is 
 said by Dionysius, who was hishop of Alexandria in the early part of the third century, that those 
 who attended most strictly to the discipline of Lent, greatly increased their austerities this week. 
 Till now, they allowed themselves refreshment at the close of day, and did not fast at all on the 
 Sabbath; hut this week they passed in utter abstinence, or at least two, three, or four days of it. 
 St. Chrysostom tells us, in one of his most eloquent commentaries, that this week was called the 
 Great Week, because, in it, "The ancient tyranny of the devil was dissolved, — death was extinct, 
 — the strong man was bound, his goods were spoiled, — sin was abolished, — the. cuVse was destroyed, 
 — paradise was opened, — heaven became accessible; men and angels were joined together, — the 
 middle wall of partition was broken down, — the barriers were taken out of the way, — the God of 
 peace made peace between things in heaven and things on earth : and therefore is it called the 
 Great Week. And as this is the head of all other Vveeks, so the Great Sabbath is the head of this 
 week, being the same thing in this week as the head is in the body. Wherefore many now in- 
 crease their labours ; some adding to their fastings ; others to their watchings ; others give mm-e 
 liberal alms ; testifying the greatness of the Divine goodness by their care of good works, and 
 more intense piety, and holy living. As the Jews went forth to meet Christ, when He had raised 
 Lazarus from the dead, so now not only one city but all the world go forth to meet Him, not with 
 palm-branches in their hands, but with alms, deeds, humanity, virtue, fastings, tears, prayers, 
 watchings, and all kinds of piety, which they offer to Christ their Lord. And not only we, but 
 the emperors of the world honour this week, making it a time of vacation from all civil business, 
 that the magistrates, being at liberty from business of the law, may spend all these days in spiritual 
 service. Let the doors of the courts, they say, now be shut up ; — let all disputes, and all kinds of 
 contention and punishment cease ; — let the executioners' hands rest a little. Common blessings are 
 wrought for us all by our common Lord : let some good be done by us. His servants. Nor is this 
 the only honour they show this week ; they do something else still more considerable. Tlie im- 
 perial letters are sent abroad at this time, commanding all prisoners to be set at liberty from their 
 chains. For as our Lord, when He descended into hell, set those free that were detained by 
 death, so the servants, according to their power, imitating tlie kindness of their Lord, loose men 
 from their corporal bonds when they have no power to relax the spiritual." — See Chrysos., Hom. in 
 Psal. 14.1 ; and Antiquities of Christ. Ch., B. xxi. c. 1. sec. 24. The additional fasts thus observed 
 were called Supeipository Fasts, or fasts joined one to another by a long-continued abstinence. 
 But it was not, we see, by acts of mortification only that the early Christians observed this solemn 
 period of reflection : Charity then put forth its might. It was especially ordered that, " In the 
 whole Great Week, and the week following, servants should rest from their labour : the one being 
 the time of our Lord's passion, and the other that of His resurrection." "The holy days," it was 
 moreover said, " of the last week ia Lent is the time when the bonds of debtors are wont to be 
 loosed ;" and the suspension of lawsuits was, by a special enactment, continued to the end of 
 the following week. The Christian delights in contemplating these noble instances of the power 
 of his religion, as exhibited in its earliest triumphs. If the calm of the Sabbath and the genial 
 influence of its sei-vices produce impressions on society highly conducive to its happiness, the 
 same blessed results must doubtlessly follow the devout observance of other periods of religious 
 rest. Little is gained to the world by its eager employment of every week and day in secular 
 concerns : were more lime given to the exercises of penitence and faith, it would be both wiser 
 and happier. 
 
 The portions of Scripture chosen for the services of this period were care'.idly selected by the 
 compilers of the reformed Liturgy. They exhibit the most important of the prophecies relating to 
 the character and suH'erings of our Lord, and then present the complete evangelical history of their 
 fulfilment. Isaiah saw, in the spirit, the triumphs as well as the sorrows of the coming Messiah. 
 He beheld Him pouring out His soul unto death ; but he saw Him also returning from the land of 
 the enemy — a mighty conqueror, the honour of the victory all His own, " glorious in His apparel, 
 travelling in the greatness of His strength ! " 
 
 156 
 
MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 The Gospel St. Mark xiv. 1 . 
 
 FTER two days was the feast of the 
 Passover, and of unleavened bread : 
 and the chief priests and the scril^es 
 songht how they might take him by 
 craft, and put him to death. But 
 ^ they said. Not on the feast-day, lest 
 ,^^^^ there be an uproar of the people. 
 And being in Bethany, in the house 
 of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman 
 having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very 
 precious ; and she brake the box, and poured it on his 
 head. And there were some that had indignation within 
 themselves, and said. Why was this waste of the ointment 
 made ? for it might have been sold for more than three 
 hundred pence, and have been given to the poor: and 
 they murmured against her. And Jesus said. Let her 
 alone ; why trouble ye her .'' she hath wrought a good 
 work on me : for ye have the poor with you always, and 
 whensoever ye will ye may do them good ; but me ye have 
 not always. She hath done what she could ; she is come 
 aforchand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I 
 say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached 
 throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done 
 shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. And Judas I sea- 
 riot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests to betray 
 him unto them. And when they heard it they were glad, 
 and promised to give him money. And he sought how 
 he might conveniently betray him. And the first day of 
 unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his dis- 
 ciples said unto him. Where wilt thou that we go and 
 prepare, that thou mayest eat the passover? And he 
 sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them. 
 Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bear- 
 ing a pitcher of water ; follow him : And wheresoever he 
 shall go in, say ye to the good-man of the house. The 
 157 
 
MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 Master saitli, Where is the guest-chamher, wlicre I shall 
 eat the passover with my disciples? And he will shew 
 you a large upper-room liirnished, and prepared : there 
 make ready for us. And his disciples went forth, and 
 came into the city, and found as he had said unto them : 
 and they made ready the passover. And in the evening 
 he Cometh with the twelve. And as they sat, and did 
 eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which 
 eatetli with me shall betray me. And they began to be 
 sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one. Is it I ? and 
 another said. Is it I ? And he answered and said unto 
 them. It is one of the twelve that dippeth with me in the 
 dish. The Son of Man indeed goetli, as it is written of 
 him : but wo to that man by whom the Son of Man is 
 betrayed : good were it for that man if he had never been 
 born. And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, 
 and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat : this 
 is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given 
 thanks he gave it to them : and they all drink of it. And 
 he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, 
 which is shed I'or many. Verily I say unto you, I will 
 drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that 
 I drink it new in the Kingdom of God. And when they 
 had sung an hymn they went out into the mount of Olives. 
 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended be- 
 cause of me this night : for it is written, I will smite the 
 shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But, after 
 that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. But 
 Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet 
 will not I. And Jesus saith unto him. Verily I say unto 
 thee, that this day, even in this night, before the cock 
 crow twice, thou slialt deny me thrice. But he spake the 
 more vehemently. If I should die with thee, I will not 
 deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. And 
 they came to a place which was named Gethsemane : and 
 he said to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 
 And he taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and 
 158 
 
MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 ])egaii to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and saitJi 
 nnto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death ; 
 tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, 
 and fell on the ground, and prayed, that, if it were pos- 
 sible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, 
 Father, all things are possible unto thee ; take away this 
 cup from me ; nevertheless, not what I will, but what 
 thou wilt. And he cometh and findeth them sleeping, 
 and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou ? couldest not 
 thou watch one hour ? Watch ye and jiray, lest ye enter 
 into temptation : the spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is 
 weak. And again he went away, and prayed, and spake 
 the same words. And when he returned he found them 
 asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they 
 what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and 
 saith unto them. Sleep on now, and take your rest : it is 
 enough, the hour is come ; behold, the Son of Man is be- 
 trayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go ; lo, 
 he that betrayeth me is at hand. And immediately, while 
 he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with 
 him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the 
 chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders. And he 
 that betrayed him had given them a token, saying. Whom- 
 soever I shall kiss, that same is he ; take him, and lead 
 him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth 
 straightway to him, and saith Master, master ; and kissed 
 him. And they laid their hands on him, and took him. 
 And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote 
 a servant of the high priest, and cut oif his ear. And 
 Jesus answered, and said unto them. Are ye come out as 
 against a thief, with swords and with staves, to take me? 
 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took 
 me not : but the Scriptures must be fulfilled. And they 
 all forsook him, and fled. And there followed him a 
 certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his 
 naked body ; and the young men laid hold on him : and 
 he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. And 
 159 
 
MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 tlicy led Jesus away to tlic high priest : and with him were 
 assembled all the chief priests, and the elders, and the 
 scribes. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the 
 palace of the high priest ; and he sat with the servants, 
 and warmed himself at the lire. And the chief priests 
 and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to 
 put him to death ; and found none. For many bare false 
 witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. 
 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against 
 him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple 
 that is made with hands, and within three days I will 
 build another made without hands. But neither so did 
 their witness agree together. And the high priest stood 
 up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou 
 nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 
 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the 
 high priest asked him, and said unto him. Art thou the 
 Christ, the Son of the Blessed ? And Jesus said, I am ; 
 and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right 
 hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 
 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith. What 
 need we any further witnesses ? ye have heard the blas- 
 phemy : what think ye ? And they all condemned him to 
 be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him, and 
 to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him. 
 Prophesy : and the servants did strike him with the palms 
 of their hands. And as Peter was beneath in the palace, 
 there cometh one of the maids of the high priest ; and 
 when she saw Peter warming himself she looked upon him, 
 and said. And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But 
 he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what 
 thou saycst. And he went out into the porch ; and the 
 cock crew. And a maid saw him again, and began to 
 say to them that stood by. This is one of them. And he 
 denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by 
 said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them ; for 
 
 thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. But 
 
 100 
 
MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this 
 man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock 
 crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus 
 said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt 
 deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. 
 
 The Gospel. — As the account which St. Matthew gives of our Lord's apprehension and cruci- 
 fixion was read on the preceding day, so the Evangelist next in order furnishes the present Gospel. 
 There is that close harmony in the four narratives thus given which we have a right to look for in 
 the recital of witnesses like the Evangelists ; but, at the same time, there is that difference of style, 
 and those slight varieties in the statement of some minor circumstances, which, without their being 
 contradictory, convince us that the witnesses to the truth of the events recorded were independent 
 of each other. Thus while the other Evangelists simply mention, in general terms, that our Lord 
 was crucified between two malefactors, and say that they joined in the revilings which the mul- 
 titude hurled against Him, St. Luke particularises the circumstances of this part of the narrative, 
 and informs us that it was only one of the thieves who railed on Him, the other repenting and 
 believing in that hour of his agony. Thus, also, we find it stated by St. Mark, that " it was the 
 third hour, and they crucified Him," while St. John speaks of the sixth hour. More than one 
 explanation may be given of this seeming difficulty ; but the simplest is, that the two Evangelists 
 were speaking according to different modes of computing the hours of the day, which being divided 
 into twelve parts, reckoned from sun-rise to sun-set, the first hour answered to our six in the morn- 
 ing, the third to nine o'clock, and the sixth to noon. But the day was also divided into four parts, 
 also called hours ; and the beginning of the third of these parts would answer to the period men- 
 tioned by St. John as " about the sixth hour." Some other slight points of difference admit 
 similarly of an easy explanation, and by their incidental occurrence confute the suspicion of con- 
 cert or deceit. To those who feel interested in the narrative of the Gospel in any degree propor- 
 tionably to its vast importance, the repetition of the history of Christ's sufferings will afford motives 
 for the deepest gratitude. Let us receive some floating general report respecting an event which 
 greatly concerns our happiness, and how anxiously do we look for some one on whose acquaintance 
 with the subject we may more properly place reliance ? But should the matter be one which affects 
 our health, character, and fortune, — should it be one on the issue of which the comfort of our whole 
 life is necessarily depending — it is not the word of a single witness that would set our minds at rest. 
 We should anxiously look for some one who might confirm his statement ; and then for another, 
 and another, from whose lips we might learn whether any circumstance of importance had oc- 
 curred to modify the earlier reports ; or whether we might now fairly rest in the conviction that we 
 had been made acquainted with all that it concerned us to know. Were we as practically in- 
 terested in the mysteries of redemption as we are in the transitory affairs of the world, the value of 
 the many provisions made for our instruction in the truth would not be so little understood. The 
 evidence of everj' point of our religion is given, as well as the religion itself, by the Almighty and 
 the All-Wise. It is measured and compacted with a most perfect adaptation to the weight which 
 it has to support, or the wide-stretching recitals which it has to bind together in harmonious con- 
 sistency. That we do not at once perceive the sufficiency of the evidence, or the benevolence 
 involved in the peculiar character which it assumes, is to be ascribed to the same cause as our 
 unwillingness to obey the spiritual precepts of the system. We should, therefore, earnestly question 
 ourselves, when following the repeated narrative of Christ's sufferings, whether it be a mental or a 
 moral indifference which allows us to remain so cold while the Redeemer of the world is being 
 " crucified before us ? " If the former, let us ask what event has ever had so awful a claim upon 
 the powers of inquirj' and meditation as that recorded in the lessons of this sacred season ? Let us 
 have the courage to acknowledge that, whatever may be the subject which entices us from the con- 
 templation of Christ's sufferings, it is inferior to that which opens the counsels of God's love, and 
 shows them both in progress and completion. If, on the other hand, the cause of our indifference 
 be found in the repugnancy of our moral feelings to what is heavenly and spiritual, — if it be seen 
 that the cross of Christ presents an image to our imagination which no rising sentiment of peni- 
 tence connects with thoughts of recovered peace and gloiy, — then we may profitably ask ourselves, 
 whether we have no need to be reconciled with God ; or whether it is probable that this earthliness 
 of natme and feeling can exist consistently with auy pretensions to immortality, or future happiness ? 
 
 161 V 
 
I'ueadaj/ before Easier. 
 
 , 7^ f^fZ 
 
 
 ^ \ L ' > i 
 
 
 JFor ^//e EjAatle. Isai. 1. 5. 
 
 HE Lord God liatli opened mine 
 ear, and I was not rebellious, nei- 
 ther turned away back. I gave my 
 back to the smiters, and my cheeks 
 to them that plucked off the hair ; I 
 hid not my face from shame and 
 spitting. For the Lord God will help me, therefore 
 shall I not be confounded : therefore have I set my 
 face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be 
 ashamed. He is near that justifieth me ; who will 
 contend with me ? Let us stand together ; who is 
 mine adversary ? let him come near to me. Behold, 
 the Lord God will help me ; who is he that shall condemn 
 me ? Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment : the moth 
 shall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth the 
 Lord, that obcyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh 
 in darkness, and hath no light ? let him trust in the Name 
 162 
 
 \ 
 
TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that 
 kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks ; 
 walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye 
 have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand, ye shall 
 lie down in sorrow. 
 
 The Episti.e. — Isaiah writes in the language of one who already felt what it is to be sorrowful 
 for sin with the sufferings of a Redeemer in view. In the above passage, the coming Messiah is 
 described as offering Himself with ready obedience to the will and dispensations of His heavenly 
 Father. His ear was opened to receive the stern behests of unerring justice; — it listened to the 
 decrees on which, as an eternal foundation, the whole sti-ucture of created being was raised ; and 
 when it was required that, like a servant, the Son of God should j'ield Himself to the humiliations 
 of mortality, He refused not to let His ear be opened as one willingly yielding Himself to bondage. 
 (Psalm xl. 6. Exod. xxi. 6.) But the submission of Christ to the will of His Father was not ex- 
 pressed mereljf in the act of assuming our nature : it imposed upon Him the necessity of exposing 
 Himself to the dark and wanton cruelty of the world. And to this He willingly submitted, in- 
 fluenced solely by the mercy which prompted Him to begin the work of our salvation. " I gave 
 my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them which plucked off the hair, I hid not my lace 
 from shame and spitting ; " expressions which describe the worst insults that can be heaped upon 
 the head of man, and which were peculiarly infamous among the Jews. It is observed by 
 Sir John Chardin, as quoted by Bishop Louth, that spitting before any one, or spitting upon the 
 ground in speaking of anj^ one's actions, is, through the East, an expression of extreme detestation. 
 These were the insults which He bore " who had done no sin," but whose whole career was cha- 
 racterized by the sublimest virtue and humanity. The world regards patience and forbearance as 
 pusillanimity ; and true it is that they do not always arise from any better motive than some meau 
 regard for personal interests or safety. But this could not be the origin of Christ's gentleness and 
 submission ; there being in reality, though little attended to, no virtue in Him more nobly or fully 
 manifested than courage and resolution. No ! He had a purpose to effect, a purpose of goodness 
 and love, by His patient endurance of insult and affliction ; and He " set His face as a flint," in 
 the assurance that the Almighty Father was near, ready to justify Him, and support His cause ! 
 The concluding verse contains a solemn exhortation to the proud and self-sufficient, whatever be 
 their rank or their belief Tiiere is a feeling in the human heart which none can gainsay ; — a 
 feeling of dependence and responsibility, which, were it not stifled in our commerce with the world, 
 would lead us, in deploring our helplessness, to seek strength from God. But we are ever seeking 
 to overcome this sense of dependence on any power except our own. The cure for weakness, the 
 supply of necessities, is never supposed to exist in an appeal to the great Source of strength, but 
 must always be found somewhere in the world, or by some ingenious employment of its complicated 
 machinery. Thence spring the various inventions and contrivances with which we attempt to 
 resist the opposing winds and currents of human life ; — thence it is that some think by money, 
 others bj' power, and a still greater number by obeying every impulse of passion, and every sug- 
 gestion of vanity, to overcome the difficulties which meet us in the search after happiness. We 
 "kindle a fire," we "compass ourselves about with sparks;'' — we "walk in the light of our fire, 
 and in the sparks that we have kindled." And that which is done by mankind at large, considered 
 in their personal views and characters, has been done by churches, the most extensive and the most 
 renowned. Forgetting their origin and foundation, they have looked for strength and a living 
 spirit in the mere materiality and form of their own constitution. Agreeably to this notion, they 
 have hedged themselves around with defences to which they have trusted with more or less dis- 
 regard of the divine blessing. Their support has been the arm of power, or the influence of wealth ; 
 — the means of patronage, or the impression which might be made on men's minds by outward 
 displays of authority and pomp. Thej' have kindled a fire, and compassed themselves about with 
 sparks ; but both in their case and in that of individuals the warning of the prophet is literally ful- 
 filled. God convinces them of their folly, and '' they lie down in sorrow." History on the one 
 hand, and personal experience on the other, prove the truth of this remark. No church, no sect 
 even, exists, which does not offer some illustration of the lesson ; and it would be well for us all 
 were we often strictly to examine ourselves on the subject, never forgetting that while we read the 
 word of God, the eye of God is upon us. 
 
 1C3 ■ V 2 
 
TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Mark xv. 1. 
 
 ND straightway in the morning the 
 chief priests hekl a consultation with 
 the elders, and scribes, and the 
 whole council, and bound Jesus, and 
 carried him away, and delivered him 
 to Pilate. And Pilate asked him. 
 Art thou the King of the Jews? And 
 he answering said unto him. Thou 
 sayest it. And the chief priests accused him of many 
 things : but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked 
 him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing ? behold how 
 many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet 
 answered nothing: so that Pilate marvelled. Now at 
 that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whom- 
 soever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas, 
 which lay bound with them that had made insurrection 
 with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. 
 And the multitude, crying aloud, began to desire him to 
 do as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered 
 them, saying. Will ye that I release unto you the King 
 of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had 
 delivered him for en\'y. But the chief priests moved 
 the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto 
 them. And Pilate answered, and said again unto them, 
 What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call 
 the King of the Jews ? And they cried out again. Crucify 
 him. Then Pilate said unto them. Why, what evil hath 
 he done ? And they cried out the more exceedingly. 
 Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content the peo- 
 ple, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, 
 when he had scourged him, to be crucified. And the 
 soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium ; 
 and they call together the whole band. And they clothed 
 him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put 
 it about his head : and began to salute him. Hail, King 
 164 
 
TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 of the Jews. And they smote him on the head with a 
 reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees wor- 
 shipped him. And when they had mocked him they took 
 off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, 
 and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one 
 Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the 
 country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his 
 cross. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, 
 which is, being interpreted. The place of a scull. And 
 they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh ; but he 
 received it not. And when they had crucified him they 
 parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every 
 man should take. And it was the third hour, and they 
 crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation 
 was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And 
 with him they crucify two theives, the one on his right 
 hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was 
 fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the 
 transgressors. And they that passed by railed on him, 
 wagging their heads, and saying. Ah, thou that destroyest 
 the temple, and bulkiest it in three days, save thyself, and 
 come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests 
 mocking said among themselves, with the scribes. He 
 saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the 
 King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may 
 see and believe. And they that were crucified with lum 
 reviled him. And when the sixth hour was come, there 
 was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 
 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 
 saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ? which is, being inter- 
 preted. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? 
 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, 
 said. Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a 
 spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him 
 to drink, saying. Let alone ; let us see whether Elias will 
 come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud 
 voice, and gave up the ghost. And the vail of the temple 
 1G5 
 
TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when 
 the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he 
 so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this 
 man was the Son of God. 
 
 The Gospel. — ^We continue the contemplation of our Lord's humiliation ; and the simplicity of 
 the Evangelist's recital enables us to see, as in a broad and lucid mirror, the solemn procession of 
 events. This iniaffected clearness of narration gives additional force to the evidence of its correct- 
 ness; the Evangelists showing thereby that, like their Master himself, they had no object but to 
 make known the truth. The circumstances attending the apprehension and crucifixion are par- 
 ticularised with an awful distinctness. It was in the darkness and gloom of night that Jesus 
 resigned Himself to the power of His adversaries. Malice is ever wakeful ; and the hours of that 
 eventful night were fully occupied. The high-priest had prepared liimself for His coming; and 
 the greater part of the Sanhedrim were gathered round their chief, eagerly looking for the appear- 
 ance of Him at whose word they had trembled, but whom they now hoped to see prostrated by the 
 vigour of their counsels. There was more of difficulty in the proceeding than could be known to 
 casual observers ; and the assembling of the chief priests, together with the elders and scribes, at 
 such an unseasonable hour for deliberation, seems to indicate that they had not yet fully determined 
 what course to pursue. The right of condemning a criminal to death was taken from them by the 
 Romans ; and they dare not venture, at present, on any sudden act of violence, or on overstepping 
 the line marked out for them by their conquerors. Though, therefore, they had little reason to 
 doubt that Jesus might be apprehended, they were still far from being sure of a triumph. They 
 could try and condemn Him according to their law, but there they must leave Him, unless His guilt 
 should be apparent to the Roman governor, or they might be able to overrule the heathen's sense 
 of justice by their persuasions and promises. To effect their purpose by either of these methods, 
 required a real or pretended conviction of the prisoner. A long time was spent in the effort to 
 procure some proof of His guilt. Witnesses had been prepared, but corrupt as were the judges, 
 they dare not admit the testimony, which involved manifest contradictions. In this state of things, 
 the high-priest himself undertook the task of showing the guilt of Jesus, which he suddenly 
 pronounced to be sufficiently manifest by our Lord's assertion of His divinity. With the dawn of 
 day, the same fierce band of traitors to God and truth assembled round the judgment-seat of Pilate. 
 The accusation they bring is one not easily comprehended by a heathen ; but he discovers their 
 envy and injustice, and a secret feeling of awe, inspired by the gentleness and dignity of Christ, 
 inclines him to take part with the accused rather than the accusers. But it was the hour in which 
 evil had its appointed triumph. The weakness and selfish fears of Pilate soon overpowered every 
 other feeling ; and though a judge, and the officer of a people not favouring open injustice, he 
 delivered the most innocent of beings, while convinced of His innocency, to be crucified. Such 
 was the testimony borne by a man of the world to the injustice of Christ's enemies ; and such is 
 the proof which we derive from his conduct, that the most perfect innocency would at any time be 
 left to perish were there not a better protection for it than the world's acknowledgment of its worth. 
 The confession of the Centurion is strikingly interesting when viewed in connexion with the doubts 
 and questions of Pilate. To the latter the innocence of Jesus appeared manifest ; and a feeling of 
 awe and curiosity had evidently impressed him with sentiments of a higher kind than those which 
 sprung from the mere sense of justice. But the former witnessed the death of Jesus ; and the 
 evidence of His divinity increasing amid the darkening gloom of His sufferings, the Roiuan soldier 
 saw clearly the mystery of which the Roman governor had only caught some strange and bewilder- 
 ing glimpse. The conduct of both these men — the unwillingness of the one to condemn, and the 
 open declaration of faith by the other— throws a darker shade upon the obduracy of the Jews. 
 They had never read the prophets, — they had received no aids to thought from the discipline of a 
 holy education. Whatever degree of respect they felt for the character of Jesus was derived 
 entirely from what they momentarily beheld. The Jews, on the other hand, possessed every 
 advantage for the pursuit of truth, and to assist them in overcoming the prejudices which might 
 exist against the poverty and humiliation of our Lord. Their prophets had taught them in what 
 form they ought to expect the Messiah ; and had they been willing to consider the predictions 
 of these inspired men in conjunction with the miracles and discourses of Christ, they would not 
 have lelt it to a heathen soldier to make the first confession of belief at the foot of the Cross, — 
 that great altar of sacrifice for all the world. 
 
 1G6 
 
fVednesdai/ before Easter, 
 
 '/j'ij'^ 
 
 The Epistle. Heb. 
 
 HERE a testament is, there must 
 also of necessity be the death of the 
 testator : for a testament is of force 
 after men are dead ; otherwise it is 
 of no strength at all whilst the tes- 
 tator liveth. Whereupon, neither 
 the first testament was dedicated without blood ; for 
 when Moses had spoken every precept to all the 
 people, according to the law, he took the blood of 
 calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and 
 hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 
 saying, This is the blood of the testament, which God 
 hath "enjoined unto you. Moreover, he sprinkled with 
 blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the 
 ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged 
 with blood ; and without shedding of blood is no remis- 
 167 
 
WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 sion. It was therefore necessary tliat the patterns of 
 things in the heavens shoukl be pnrified with these ; but 
 the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than 
 these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places 
 made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but 
 into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God 
 for us ; nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the 
 high priest entereth into the holy place every year with 
 blood of others : for then must he often have suffered 
 since the foundation of the world ; but now once in the 
 end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the 
 sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men 
 once to die, but after this the judgement : so Christ was 
 once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them 
 that look for him shall he appear the second time without 
 sin unto salvation. 
 
 The Episti.e. — The Epistle for this day teaches us the important truth, that the death of Christ 
 was required for the twofold purpose of cleansing and redeeming us. " Almost all things are, by 
 the law, purged with blood :'' and " It was necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens 
 should be purified with these ; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than 
 these." Here we are instructed respecting the purifying influence of the blood of the sacrifice, 
 and its absolute necessity to the confirming of a covenant, or the sealing of a testament ; but in the 
 following passage our thoughts are directed to the redeeming efficacy of Christ's sacrifice, in offering 
 which He is compared to the high-priest entering into the holy place on the Day of Atonement, 
 and bearing with him the blood of a victim on whose devoted head had typically been laid the 
 sins of the whole nation. No portion of Scripture could better teach us to read with gratitude the 
 narrative of our Saviour's sufferings. To be cleansed from the contamination of sin, and to be 
 delivered from its power, is the desire of every being who looks upon himself as allied to heaven. 
 The gladness of the tidings which gives a name to the Gospel rises but from the certainty that that 
 desire shall be answered, and that, sin being overcome, Christ shall appear a second time to pour 
 forth then the fulness of unrestricted bounty. It is worthy of the most careful observation, that the 
 sacrifice of Christ is one sacrifice, and but once offered. That which is perfectly sufficient in 
 itself can need no addition ; but sufficiency is to be considered not only in respect to the sacrifice 
 offered, but to the number of times in which it is to be offered. Under the Levitical law, every 
 transgression required its sacrifice of atonement, and the repeated offences of the people were to 
 be answered for by a corresponding number of victims. But it is the principle of evangelical 
 atonement that the sacrifice which God Himself provided is both sufficient of itself and sufficient 
 as once offered. The repetition of sacrifices under the law was necessary simply because they 
 were signs, and the frequency of the use of a sign must depend upon the importance of the 
 thing signified, and its separation from the ordinary objects of thought. But though the sign 
 may thus, l)y its very nature, require to be repeated, the mystery once revealed can no more be 
 revealed ; — the sacrifice efficacious in itself cannot be a second time demanded. Thus Christ 
 "was once offered to bear the sins of many;" and our interest in that sacrifice, and the applica- 
 tion of it to our salvation, are represented not by other sacrifices, or the sacramental repetition 
 of the sacrifice, but by the sacramental remembrance thereol', and a spiritual partaking of the 
 body and blood of the Lamb, according to the most spiritual interpretation of the words, " Whoso 
 eateth my flesh and driuketh my blood hath eternal life ; " and " This do in remembrance 
 of me." 
 
 168 
 
WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xxii. 1. 
 
 OW the feast of unleavened bread 
 drew nigh, which is called the Pass- 
 over. And the chief priests and 
 scribes sought how they might kill 
 him ; for they feared the people. 
 Then entered Satan into Judas sur- 
 named Iscariot, being of the number 
 of the twelve. And he went his 
 way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, 
 how he might betray him unto them. And they were 
 glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he pro- 
 mised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them 
 in the absence of the multitude. Then came the day of 
 unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. 
 And he sent Peter and John, saying. Go and prepare us 
 the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him. 
 Where wilt thou that we prepare ? And he said unto 
 them. Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there 
 shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water ; follow 
 him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall 
 say unto the good-man of the house. The Master saith 
 unto thee. Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat 
 the passover with my disciples ? And he shall shew you 
 a large upper room furnished; there make ready. And 
 they went, and found as he had said unto them : and 
 they made ready the passover. And when the hour was 
 come he sat down, and the twelve Apostles with him. 
 And he said unto them. With desire I have desired to eat 
 this passover with you before I suffer : for I say unto 
 you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled 
 in the Kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave 
 thanks, and said. Take this, and divide it among your- 
 selves. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit 
 of the vine, until the Kingdom of God shall come. 
 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, 
 169 z 
 
WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 and gave unto tliem, saying, This is my body, wliicli is 
 given for you : this do in remembrance of me. Like- 
 wise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is 
 the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. 
 But behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with 
 me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goeth as 
 it was determined ; but wo unto that man by whom he 
 is betrayed. And they began to enquire among them- 
 selves, which of them it was that should do this thing. 
 And there was also a strife among them, which of them 
 should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto 
 them. The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over 
 them, and they that exercise authority upon them are 
 called benefactors. But ye shall not be so : but he that 
 is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and 
 he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is 
 greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth .'' is not 
 he that sitteth at meat ? but I am among you as he that 
 serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in 
 my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as 
 my Father hath appointed unto me ; that ye may eat and 
 drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones, 
 judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And the Lord said, 
 Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, 
 that he may sift you as wheat : but I have prayed for 
 thee, that thy faith fail not ; and when thou art converted, 
 strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto liim, Lord, I 
 am ready to go with thee both into prison and to death. 
 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow 
 this day, before that thou slialt thrice deny that thou 
 knowest me. And he said unto them. When I sent you 
 without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing ? 
 And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them. But 
 now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his 
 scrip : and he that hath no sword, let him sell his gar- 
 ment, and buy one. For I say unto you. That this that is 
 
 written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was 
 170 
 
WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 reckoned among the transgressors : for the things con- 
 cerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, 
 here are two swords. And he said unto them. It is 
 enough. And he came out, and went, as he was wont, 
 to the mount of Olives, and his disciples also followed 
 him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, 
 Pray, that ye enter not into temptation. And he was 
 withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled 
 down and prayed, saying. Father, if thou be willing, 
 remove this cup from me : nevertheless, not my will, but 
 thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him 
 from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony, 
 he prayed more earnestly ; and his sweat was as it were 
 great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And 
 when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his dis- 
 ciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, and said unto 
 them. Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into 
 temptation. And while he yet spake, behold, a mul- 
 titude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, 
 went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. 
 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son 
 of Man with a kiss? When they who were about him 
 saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall 
 we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the 
 servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. 
 And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And 
 he touched his ear, and healed him. Then Jesus said 
 unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and 
 the elders who were come to him. Be ye come out as 
 against a thief, with swords and staves ? When I was 
 daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands 
 against me : but this is your hour, and the power of 
 darkness. Then took they him, and led him, and brought 
 him into the high priest's house : and Peter followed afar 
 off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of 
 the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down 
 among them. But a certain maid beheld him, as he sat 
 171 7. 2 
 
WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This 
 man was also with him. And he denied him, saying. 
 Woman, I know him not. And after a little while 
 another saw him, and said. Thou art also of them. And 
 Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one 
 hour al'ter, another confidently affirmed, saying. Of a 
 truth this fellow also was with him ; for he is a Galilean. 
 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And 
 immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the 
 Lord turned, and looked upon Peter ; and Peter remem- 
 bered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, 
 Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And 
 Peter went out, and wept bitterly. And the men that 
 held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. And when they 
 had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and 
 
 The Gospel. — St. Luke here describes with impressive particularity the events of a night, the 
 monitory and affectionate recollection of which ought to have a permanent hold upon our minds. 
 It would he well indeed could we impress the image of this sad passage of time so strongly on the 
 heart, that, in all its proud and sensual risings, it might have the memory of Christ's sorrows to 
 soften and humble it. If our faith have any life in it, we have eaten the paschal feast with our 
 Master, and the deep love and feelings of holy brotherhood have bound us to Him by ties never to be 
 broken. The slumber which has come over us when we ought to have been watching, — the weak- 
 ness and want of fidelity and resolution which have so often marked our conduct when we should 
 have risked all for His cause, and rejoiced in being made partakers of His sufferings, will furnish 
 cause for hearty repentance and humiliation. We have forsaken Him and fled. Perhaps we have 
 done still worse. Though our profession of faith has been a thousand times repeated, — though we 
 have acknowledged Him by a belief to which is attached the highest blessings and honours, — yet, 
 it may be, we have denied Him at the very moment when it would have been most honoiu-able to us 
 and to His cause to have proclaimed our knowledge of His divinity, and our full trust in His power 
 to overcome the world. St. Paul complains that, in his examination before the emperor, "No 
 man stood with him, but all forsook him." This want of firmness or aifection in those who had 
 received lessons of wisdom from his lips, seems to have been a cause of greater sorrow to the 
 Apostle than all his other atflictions. But Christ was forsaken and denied under circumstances 
 far more distressing; and the perfection of His nature rendered Him exquisitely sensible to every 
 wound which the sting of unkindness or falsehood could inflict. Our want of earnestness in the 
 defence of His Gospel, — our backwardness to proclaim the assurance which we have in the power 
 of His spirit to save us, — should humble us into the personal application of whatever is affecting in 
 the words, "They all forsook Him and fled," or " Peter went out, and wept bitterly." A momen- 
 tary zeal may have led us to speak or act in support of the Gospel, and we have lived on the 
 recollection of that show of fidelity, firmly believing that, as we could feel so ardently at the 
 instant of provocation for the honour of our religion, we must ever be prepared to act in its defence. 
 But here is the example of a whole band of Apostles, and of one especially, the most zealous in the 
 company, to warn us against placing any trust in the sudden influences of zeal. The ditterence 
 between mere natural ardour and the true inspiration of Christian faith is strikingly exemplified in 
 the history of this night's occurrences, compared with the subsequent conduct of our Lord's early 
 disciples. Danger and the prospect of suffering j)ut each to the test. In the one instance, the 
 most boastful confidence shrunk back terrified and astonished at the first advance of danger ; in 
 the other, no proud expression of courage — no lofty assurance of personal suflficiency is heard, but 
 the heart is found endowed with a resohition against which the gates of hell prevail not. " He 
 
 17-2 
 
WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee ? 
 And many other things blasphemonsly spake they against 
 him. And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people, 
 and the chief priests, and the scribes, came together, and 
 led him into their conncil, saying, Art thou the Christ ? 
 tell us. And he said unto them. If I tell you, ye will not 
 believe : and if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor 
 let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the 
 right hand of the power of God. Then said they all. Art 
 thou then the Son of God ? And he said unto them, Ye 
 say that I am. And they said, Wliat need we any further 
 witness ? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth. 
 
 was led as a lamb to the slaughter" is deeply treasured up in the memories of those who have 
 sought to glorifj' Christ by following His example. The meekness of the Lamb has been their 
 strength and their power : the Spirit which converted them into the likeness of their Master gave 
 them, at the same time, a portion of His unconquerable might. While we contemplate, then, first 
 one and then another circumstance in the history of this memorable night, our constant prayer 
 should be, that Divine grace may fill us with the faith and well-rooted strength which descend 
 from above, and will enable their possessor to stand unterrified not only in the judgment-hall with 
 Christ before any earthly judge, but in the midst of a perishing universe, and before the tribunal 
 of God. The answer of our Lord to the high-priest conveys incidentally an important lesson on 
 the subject of faith. " Art thou the Christ ? " was the inquiry ; but it proceeded from no wish to 
 know the truth, and Jesus replied, " If I tell you, j-e will not believe." He, however, answered the 
 question, and distinctly declared Himself to be the Messiah, and the Son of God. The result of 
 this confession of His divinity was such as He had foreshown it would be. It quickened the rage 
 of those who were determined on His destruction ; and instead of inducing them to seek the truth, 
 plunged them deeper in the darkness of their wilful error. We may learn from this, that to ask 
 after truth is not the same as to be desirous of finding it ; and that the right answer will be in vain 
 given us if there be no preparation of the mind and will for its reception. In religious inquiries, it 
 is of the first consequence that we fairly rid ourselves of proud and selfish prejudices. No degree 
 of evidence can overcome them ; evidence having no relation to moral feeling, and being wholly 
 unfitted, therefore, either to cure or to resist the adverse dispositions of the heart. The moral cure 
 must precede the attempt to convince the mind by proofs or arguments ; otherwise the eye will see 
 and not perceive, and the ear hear without understanding. It was the determined neglect of this 
 principle which blinded the whole Jewish nation to the mighty demonstrations of our Lord's 
 Messiahship. This it was which permitted the high-priest to abuse the privilege and sanctity of 
 his ofSce, hearing the tmth and despising it ; — and this it is which so often impedes our own 
 advancement in faith and knowledge when, with the Gospel open before us, we endeavour to fathom 
 mysteries, but forget to ask for the grace which can alone prepare us to receive them. Let the 
 contrary practice be piusued, and under whatever circumstances we ask of Christ '* Art thou the 
 Son of God?" an answer will be given us, and we shall rejoice in the knowledge of the truth. 
 Unsanctified hearts can know nothing of heavenly things ; words cannot convey to them the mind 
 of a spirit which they resist ; and the more direct the answer, the more unwilling will they be to 
 receive it with patience and thankfulness. Christ had answered the question put by the high- 
 priest in so many ways, that disbelievers were without excuse. The " power present to save " was 
 visible ; the Spirit ready to sanctify and instruct had manifested itself in the typical miracles which 
 sent forth the leper cleansed and the blind seeing ; and now the Divine Being who wrought these 
 wonders gave an answer to the question, simple and direct, but with the solemnity of an oath, 
 crowning thereby the evidence which went before with the best, the sublimest of all arguments, — 
 the word of One in whose mouth there was found no guile. 
 
 173 
 
Thursdaj/ before Easier. 
 
 ' W^^ 
 
 The Epistle. 1 Cor. xi. 17. 
 
 N this that I declare unto you, I 
 praise you not ; that ye come toge- 
 ther not for the better, but for the 
 worse. For first of all, when ye 
 come together in the church, I hear 
 that there be divisions among you, 
 and I partly believe it. For there 
 
THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 must be also heresies among you, that they who are 
 approved may be made manifest among you. When ye 
 come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat 
 the Lord's supper : for in eating every one taketh before 
 other his own supper ; and one is hungry, and another is 
 drunken. What, have ye not houses to eat and to drink 
 in ? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them 
 that have not ? What shall I say to you ? shall I praise 
 you in this ? I praise you not. For I have received of 
 the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. That the 
 Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, 
 took bread ; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, 
 and said. Take, eat ; this is my body, which is broken for 
 you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same 
 manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying. 
 This cup is the new testament in my blood : this do ye, as 
 oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often 
 as ye eat this bread, and drink tliis cup, ye do shew the 
 Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall 
 eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, 
 shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But 
 
 The Epistle. — This day was anciently called Dies Maudati, the Day of the Mandate, corrupted 
 by us into the word Maundy. The command alluded to is that which our Lord gave concerning 
 the Eucharist, " This do in remembrance of me ;" or the more general injunction respecting 
 obedience to his great example of humility, when he washed the feet of his disciples. It was on 
 this day that catechumens, or candidates for baptism, rehearsed the creed publicly before the 
 assembled clergy and people ; and many persons, anxious in all things to obey the primitive rule, 
 received the communion in the evening as well as in the morning, as a closer commemoration of 
 the last supper of their Lord. No door of the sanctuary was left shut on this day, and the peni- 
 tents who had fulfilled the directions of their ministers, and perfoi-med the penances imposed, were 
 now readmitted to the church. Of this we are informed by St. Ambrose, who says, that sinners 
 received on this day some remission of penance, or obtained full absolution, in remembrance of 
 Christ's giving Himself up for our redemption. The mode of readmission varied according to the 
 nature of the offences committed, and other modifying circumstances. In the more important 
 cases the penitents presented themselves at the doors of the church, where, as they lay extended on 
 the earth, they were accosted by the bishop, who thrice addressed them in the words of the inspired 
 preacher, " Come, j^e children, hearken unto me, and I will teach j-ou the fear of the Lord." He 
 then led them, clothed in sackcloth, to the altar, and having pronounced the absolution, admitted 
 them to communion. It was to this course of humiliation that the early believers readily and even 
 joyfully submitted themselves, when their errors had brought upon them the just displeasure of the 
 Church. They knew no peace while denied participation in the mysteries of Divine grace. That 
 ordinance of which we have so complete an accoimt in the Epistle was to them the means of holi- 
 ness, salvation, and life. They were willing to suffer any thing that they might be restored to peace 
 and to the altar of Christ. Alas ! how much has to be said to the Christians of this age to persuade 
 them to come and partake of the bread of life, however freely and openly offered ! 
 
 175 
 
THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that 
 bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and 
 drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to 
 himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause 
 many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 
 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be 
 judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of 
 the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the 
 world. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together 
 to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, 
 let him eat at home ; that ye come not together unto 
 condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I 
 come. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xxiii. 1. 
 
 HE whole multitude of them arose, 
 and led him unto Pilate. And they 
 began to accuse him, saying. We 
 found this fellow perverting the na- 
 tion, and forbidding to give tribute 
 to Csesar, saying. That he himself is 
 Christ a King. And Pilate asked 
 him, saying. Art thou the King of 
 the Jews ? And he answered him, and said. Thou sayest 
 it. Then said Pilate to the chief priests, and to the 
 people, I find no fault in this man. And they were the 
 more fierce, saying. He stirreth up the people, teaching 
 throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this 
 place. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether 
 the man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that 
 he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to 
 Herod, who himself was also at Jerusalem at that time. 
 And when Herod saw Jesus he was exceeding glad ; for 
 he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he 
 had heard many things of him ; and he hoped to have 
 
 seen some miracle done by him. Then he questioned 
 176 
 
THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 with him in many words ; but he answered him nothing. 
 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently 
 accused him. And Herod with his men of war set him 
 at nouglit, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gor- 
 geous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. And the same 
 day Pilate and Herod were made friends together; for 
 before they were at enmity between themselves. And 
 Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, and 
 the rulers, and the people, said unto them, Ye have 
 brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the 
 people : and behold, I, having examined him before you, 
 have found no fault in this man touching those things 
 whereof ye accuse him : No, nor yet Herod : for I sent 
 you to him ; and lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto 
 him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. For 
 of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast. 
 And they cried out all at once, saying. Away with this 
 man, and release unto us Barabbas : (who for a certain 
 sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into 
 prison.) Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake 
 again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, 
 crucify him. And he said unto them the third time. 
 Why, what evil hath he done ? I have found no cause of 
 death in him : I will therefore chastise him, and let him 
 go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring 
 that he might be crucified : and the voices of them and 
 of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence 
 that it should be as they required. And he released unto 
 them him that for sedition and murder was cast into 
 prison, whom they had desired ; but he delivered Jesus 
 to their will. And as they led him away, they laid hold 
 upon one Simon a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, 
 and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it 
 after Jesus. And there followed him a great company of 
 people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented 
 him. But Jesus, turning unto them, said, Daughters of 
 Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and 
 1 n 2 A 
 
THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 for your cliiklren. For behold, the days are coming, in 
 the which they shall say. Blessed are the barren, and the 
 wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave 
 suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, 
 Fall on us ; and to the hills. Cover us. For if they do 
 these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the 
 dry ? And there were also two other, malefactors, led 
 with him to l)e put to death. And when they were come 
 to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified 
 him ; and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the 
 other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, 
 for they know not what they do. And they parted his 
 raiment, and cast lots. And the people stood beholding ; 
 and the rulers also with them derided him, saying. He 
 saved others ; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the 
 chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, 
 coming to him, and offering him vinegar, and saying. If 
 thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself. And a super- 
 scription also was written over him in letters of Greek, 
 and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF 
 THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors, which were 
 hanged, railed on him, saying. If thou be Christ, save 
 thyself, and us. But the other answering rebuked him, 
 saying. Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the 
 same condemnation ? And we indeed justly ; for we re- 
 ceive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath 
 done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, 
 remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And 
 Jesus said unto him. Verily I say unto thee. To-day shalt 
 thou be with me in paradise. And it was about the sixth 
 hour : and there was a darkness over all the earth until 
 the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the vail 
 of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus 
 had cried with a loud voice, he said. Father, into thy 
 hands I commend my spirit : and having said thus, he 
 gave up the ghost. Now when the centurion saw what 
 was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a 
 178 
 
THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER. 
 
 righteous man. And all the people that came together 
 to that sight, beholding the things that were done, smote 
 their breasts, and returned. And all his acquaintance, 
 and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar 
 oif, beholding these things. 
 
 The Gospel. — St. Luke describes with great minuteness the circumstances of our Lord's appear- 
 ance before the Roman governor. We learn from him the true cause of Pilate's weakness, and 
 become thereby more than ever impressed with the melancholy feeling of the world's injustice, and 
 of the fearful extent of depravity to which the malice of our Saviour's enemies had led them. " AVe 
 found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar." That there was 
 no proper foundation for such a charge, must have been evident to all who had any knowledge of 
 Christ's character or actions. Pilate no doubt took sufficient care to consider the circumstances 
 of so grave an accusation ; and must have understood, both from our Saviour's answer and the 
 observations of the Jews respecting Him, that He claimed an authority and reverence which had 
 no relation to the allegiance due to Csesar. Had he not been convinced of this, his answer to the 
 Jews would have been altogether different to what it was : he dare not have said, after Jesus had 
 consented to be called King of the Jews, " I find no fault in this man." The sending of our Lord 
 to Herod is a new feature in the trial. He was thereby made a spectacle of and a mockery to a 
 class of men best prepared to insult Him fur His virtues and His wisdom. The courtiers of a 
 petty prince, rejoicing in their licentiousness, and caring little about law or religion, would hate 
 Him from different motives to those which inspired the priests and Pharisees, but with no less 
 rancour and obstinacy. Herod had formed a party to which it is supposed he gave a name by the 
 care with which he fostered it for the purposes of his pride and vanity. The Herodians possess 
 a certain distinction in Scripture, which is their utter want, as it would appear, of any religious 
 sentiment. We know the incredulous Sadducee by his subtle and anxious ij^uestionings ; and the 
 self-righteous Pharisee by his strivings for the law, and his laborious efforts to add line after line 
 to his creditor-account with God: but we hear nothing of the Herodians, except the name, and 
 their occasional intercourse with the most sophistical of the other sects. By the complacency of 
 Pilate to the head of this partj', our Lord was exposed to the scoffs of men who may be considered 
 as the representatives of the gay, the worldly, and the courtly, in all ages and countries. Aided by 
 modern instances, how easy for us is it to conceive the scene in which Herod and his men of war 
 set the meek and forsaken Jesus at nought ! The gorgeous robe was intended to be a bitter satire 
 on His pretensions to honour : — pretensions which were ridiculed and despised, and yet so little 
 understood, that Herod was glad to send Him back to Pilate, and escape the responsibility of His 
 punishment. The Roman governor was now more convinced than ever that Jesus had done 
 nothing which could deserve death. With the jealousy of a magistrate, he allowed himself to 
 believe that, by His preaching to the people. He might have some sinister intention of a political 
 nature. He was, therefore, willing to inflict some slight chastisement before setting Him free, 
 and then allow the people to satisfy their thirst for blood by witnessing the execution of one 
 whose crimes were known throughout Judaea. But Pilate knew not the nature of the malice 
 which infected their hearts. It was more than blood that they required. The sacrifice of truth, 
 — purity, — holiness, could alone satisfy the spirit of evil, now at its moment of highest triumph, 
 and from which it was for ever after to be on the descent. This was the feeling which prompted 
 the infuriated ciy, so pointedly recorded by all the Evangelists, " Crucify Him ! Crucify Him ! " 
 The violence of the hate thus generated drove all before it ; and the weak barriers opposed to its 
 surges by the conscience of Pilate, or any slight remains of justice which might exist among some 
 of the people, were iu an instant hurled down, and only contributed to increase the triumph of the 
 power of evil. 
 
 179 
 
G<wd Fridfuj. 
 
 
 
 V ^ « [ ' -v '1 
 
 T/ie CoUectti. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, we beseech thee 
 graciously to behold this thy family, 
 for which our Lord Jesus Christ was 
 coutentcd to be betrayed, and given 
 up into the hands of wicked men, 
 ^\ and to suffer death upon the cross, 
 ^** who now liveth and reigneth with 
 thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one 
 God, world without end. Amen. 
 
 ISO 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 LMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 by whose Spirit the whole body of 
 the Church is governed and sanc- 
 tified; Receive our supplications and 
 prayers, which we offer before thee 
 _ ^ ^ __ for all estates of men in thy holy 
 ^^^^^^^r^'*^^^^^ Church, that every member of the 
 
 same, in his vocation and ministry, 
 
 may truly and godly serve thee ; through our Lord and 
 
 Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 Merciful God, who hast made all 
 men, and hatest nothing that thou 
 hast made, nor wouldest the death 
 of a sinner, but rather that he should 
 be converted and live ; Have mercy 
 upon all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and 
 Hereticks, and take from them all 
 ignorance, hardness of heart, and 
 contempt of thy Word ; and so fetch them home, blessed 
 Lord, to thy flock, that they may be saved among the 
 remnant of the true Israelites, and be made one fold 
 under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth 
 and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 The Coi.i.ECTS. — " Good '" is the epithet applied to this day of solemn recollection, and no term 
 Could have been better chosen to describe the commemoration of the Saviour's victorious suffer- 
 ings. The brightest day that ever shone upon Eden beamed not so resplendently with divine love 
 as this. Beneath the clouds of sin, the signs of God's wrath alone present themselves to view, 
 and we weep and tremble, as it becomes us, at the awful spectacle ; but in the regions above, the 
 blessed angels behold the lustre of God's mercy preparing to fill the whole circle of existence with 
 ineffable delight. Good is the love which thus provides the means of grace ; — good is the dis- 
 pensation through which it is conveyed ; — good is the thankfulness which hearts converted thereby 
 pour forth ; — and good the day in which the people of Christ assemble round His altars, as cap- 
 tives loosed from their bonds, to praise their Deliverer, and receive the bread of life from His 
 hands ! The first of the three Collects teaclies us to pray, as the family of God, for His grace and 
 protection ; the second instructs us to address Him in behalf of our brethren and fellow-worshippers 
 — the whole body of the Church, and all the members thereof; and the third, supposing us im- 
 pressed with the sentiments of true Christian love, carries us to the mercy-seat with a supplication 
 for those who are yet lying in the shadow of death, that they may be made partakers of the salva- 
 tion effected for us as on this day. 
 IKl 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 The Epistle. Hebr. x. 1. 
 
 HE law having a shadow of good 
 things to come, and not the very 
 M image oi' the things, can never with 
 those sacrifices, which they offered 
 year by year continnally, make the 
 i^' comers thereunto perfect: for then 
 woukl they not have ceased to be 
 offered ? because that the worship- 
 pers once purged shoukl have had no more conscience of 
 sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance 
 again made of sins every year. For it is not possible 
 that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away 
 sins. Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he 
 saith. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a 
 body hast thou prepared me : In burnt-offerings and 
 sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure : Then said I, 
 Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of 
 me) to do thy will, O God. Above, when he said, Sacri- 
 fice and offering, and burnt-offerings, and offering for 
 sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein, 
 which are offered by the Law : then said he, Lo, I come 
 to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that 
 he may establish the second. By the which will we are 
 sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus 
 Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily 
 ministering, and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, 
 which can never take away sins. But this man, after he 
 had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on 
 the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till 
 his enemies be made his foot-stool. For by one offering 
 he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified: 
 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us : for 
 after that he had said before, This is the covenant that 
 I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, 
 I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds 
 182 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I 
 remember no more. Now where remission of these is, 
 there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, 
 brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood 
 of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath con- 
 secrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh ; 
 and having an High Priest over the house of God ; let 
 us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, 
 having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and 
 our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast 
 the profession of our faith without wavering ; (for he is 
 faithful that promised ;) and let us consider one another 
 to provoke unto love, and to good works ; not forsaking 
 the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of 
 some is ; but exhorting one another : and so much the 
 more, as ye see the day approaching. 
 
 The Epistle. — The church has in all ages commemorated the day of Christ's sufferings with 
 peculiar and grateful solemnity. It was early regarded as a proof of singular impiety to neglect 
 it, or to pass over on this day the performance of any act of self-denial which, according to the in- 
 junctions of the church, might express sorrow and humiliation. The strict fasting from which some 
 might shrink in the earlier periods of Lent, justifying themselves either by doubts as to the ancient 
 custom, or by excuses derived from their own circumstances, was on this day to be observed with- 
 out exception, and according to the severest rule. Till the evening absolution had been pronounced, 
 no one was free to eat who expected to be admitted to take part in the blessed and joyful cere- 
 monies of Easter. The Epistle, which shows the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice to effect all which 
 the sacrifices of the law only dimly shadowed forth, connects the consideration of the day also as 
 the true Day of Atonement with that of its typical representative in the old dispensation. Accord- 
 ing to the Levitical law, it was expressly ordered, that the tenth day of the seventh month should 
 be observed as a Day of Atonement. " Ye shall do no work in that same day ; for it is a day of 
 atonement to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be 
 that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people." — 
 Levit. xxiii. 27 — 30. The Holy of Holies, or innermost recess of the sanctuary, where the ark and 
 the mercy-seat were placed, was on thi-i day open to the high-priest. He alone might enter the 
 mysterious presence-chamber of the God of Israel ; and even he, sacred as he was, could not enter 
 till he had undergone special purification, and performed the sacrifice of atonement. With the 
 blood of the offered victim (first a bull, and then a goat), and with burning incense, he approached 
 the altar, and there, unattended and unseen, sought pardon for his people. Even this shadow of 
 an atonement and sanctification was precious in the eyes of those who deeply deplored their sins 
 and alienation from God. With what far greater awe — with what a much deeper sense of grati- 
 tude—ought we to observe this great Day of Atonement, prescribed not by a law-giver but by a 
 Saviour ; — and instituted not to teach us to look forward to redemption, but to remind us that we 
 are redeemed ; — that the sacrifice which was to save us has been offered up, and the brightest 
 courts of heaven made ready to receive us. The body which Christ assumed is compared by 
 St. Paul to the veil wliich separated the Holy of Holies from the other parts of the Temple. That 
 veil was rent when Christ was crucified, and the sanctuary was thereby opened to the world. 
 Christ's bodj', — the living and the consecrated way — broken on the Cross, brings us at once to the 
 glory which must for ever have remained veiled liad He not by His willingly-endured afflictions 
 so made it approachable. 
 
 183 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 The Gospel. St, Jolin xix. 1. 
 
 I LATE tlierelbrc took Jesus, and 
 scourged liim. And the soldiers 
 platted a crown of thorns, and put 
 it on his head, and they put on him 
 a purple robe, and said, Hail, King 
 of* the Jews : and they smote him 
 with their hands. Pilate therefore 
 went forth again, and saith unto 
 them. Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know 
 that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, 
 wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And 
 Pilate saith unto them. Behold the man ! When the 
 chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried 
 out, saying. Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto 
 them. Take ye him, and crucify him : for I find no fault 
 in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and 
 by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the 
 Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, 
 he was the more afraid; and went again into the judge- 
 ment-hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou ? But 
 Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, 
 Speakest thou not unto me ? knowest thou not that I 
 have power to crucify thee, and have power to release 
 thee ? Jesus answered. Thou couldest have no power at 
 all against me, except it were given thee from above: 
 therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater 
 sin. And from henceforth Pilate sought to release him : 
 but the Jews cried out, saying. If thou let this man go, 
 thou art not Caesar's friend : whosoever maketh himself 
 a king, speaketh against Caesar. When Pilate therefore 
 heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down 
 in the judgement-seat, in a place that is called the Pave- 
 ment, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the 
 preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour : 
 
 and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King ! But 
 184 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 they cried out. Away with him, away with him, crucify him. 
 
 Pilate saith unto them. Shall I crucify your King ? The 
 
 chief priests answered. We have no king but Ca?sar. Then 
 
 delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified : and 
 
 they took Jesus, and led him away. And he, bearing his 
 
 cross, went forth into a place called the place of a scull, 
 
 which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha : where they 
 
 crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, 
 
 and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title, and 
 
 put it on the cross ; and the writing was, JESUS OF 
 
 NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This 
 
 title then read many of the Jews : for the place where 
 
 Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city-, and it was 
 
 written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said 
 
 the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not. The 
 
 King of the Jews ; but that he said, I am the King of the 
 
 Jews. Pilate answered. What I have written, I have 
 
 written. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified 
 
 Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every 
 
 soldier a part ; and also his coat : now the coat was 
 
 without seam, woven from the top throughout. They 
 
 said therefore among themselves. Let us not rend it, but 
 
 cast lots for it, whose it shall be : that the Scripture 
 
 might be fulfilled, which saith. They parted my raiment 
 
 among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. 
 
 These things therefore the soldiers did. Now there stood 
 
 by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, 
 
 Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When 
 
 Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing 
 
 by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother. Woman, 
 
 behold thy son. Then saith he to the disciple. Behold 
 
 thy mother. And from that hour that disciple took her 
 
 unto his own home. After this, Jesus knowing that all 
 
 tilings were now accomplished, that the Scripture might 
 
 be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel 
 
 full of vinegar : and they filled a spunge with \dnegar, and 
 
 put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus 
 185 2 B 
 
GOOD FRIDAY 
 
 therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: 
 and he bowed his head, and gave np the ghost. The Jews 
 therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies 
 should not remain upon the cross on the sab])ath-day, (for 
 that sabbath-day was an high day,) besought Pilate that 
 their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken 
 away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the 
 first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But 
 when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead 
 
 The Gospel. — Another witness to the sufferings of Christ is now to be heard ; and one whose 
 tenderness and affection well prepare him for the office of speaking to his brethren on the last 
 agony of their Lord. We now contemplate the mj'sterious event as believers. The examination of 
 the histoiy has been carefully made ; we have weighed well the unanswerable evidence of miracles 
 and prophecies ; the sublime beauty of Christ's wisdom, as well as the greatness of his power, has 
 penetrated our hearts ; and the blessed exercises of prayer, fasting, and silent meditation, have 
 rendered them susceptible to the deeper influences of grace and love. It is in this state of mind 
 we hope to engage in the commemoration of Christ's death ; and we follow, in spirit and with the 
 best beloved of the Apostles, our Master to the Cross. " Away with Him ! away with Him I Crucify 
 Him !" sounds in our ears as we leave the hall of Pilate. The heavy cross-beam of the tree is 
 laid upon his shoulders ; and he bows beneath it, worn with sorrow, and the solemn terrors of the 
 approaching vengeance of His Father against the sin for which He is to suffer. Angry crowds of 
 priests and Pharisees surround Him, — some hurling at Him their bitter scoffs, and others muttering 
 their still fiercer curses. Are we ashamed now of our Master ? Do we shrink back at the sight of 
 the Cross? — do those multiplied mockings and revilings disturb the confidence which we have had 
 in the majesty of His innocency and holiness ? No ! The sight of His sorrows but makes the flame 
 of our love burn brighter. Though we tremble, we still follow in the path which He is treading : 
 and the wild shouts of the benighted multitude are responded to in our hearts by sad confessions 
 of sin for our fallen race ; — by tearful supplications that our own hearts may be more and 
 more strengthened; — and that the awful hour of suffering may cleanse, as it passes away, the 
 paths of future generations. And Calvary is before us ! " The city which is set on a moun- 
 tain cannot be hid;" and Christ carries to the top of the mountain the first foundation-stone 
 of the new Jerusalem, — there to lay it, and to cement it with His blood, and inscribe it with 
 His own name. Nothing was wanting to make the sufferings of the Redeemer complete. False- 
 hood and injustice had pursued Him to the summit of the rock. There, amid the crowd anxious 
 to witness His agony, He bowed Himself to the executioner; — lay outstretched upon the Cross, 
 and patiently bore the horrible torture of the nailing of the hands and feet. Nor was it mere pain 
 that Jesus had to endure. The ignominy of the Cross had all the terror in it which can arise 
 from signs of the lowest debasement. Even a malefactor of the worst kind was not nailed to the 
 accursed tree, if above the rank of a slave ; so that the Apostle, when speaking of the humiliation 
 and death of Christ, might well say, " even the death of the Cross ; '" for there was none so painful, 
 — none so degrading. Among the witnesses of His deep abasement and agony were His mother, 
 and His beloved disciple John, the writer of this sad narrative. Suffering, though consoled by 
 sympathy, yet pierces the heart more keenly when it is seen with the same sharp point to wound 
 those we love ; and Jesus was surrounded in His last hour by all the circumstances which make 
 up the body of the expression, " Behold the man ! " His gentle uature had to endure the awaken- 
 ing of affection, that He might suffer the j)ain which belongs to it when wounded ; and that in 
 the moment of saddest tribulation He might set an example of filial thoughtfulness and duty. 
 But while these circumstances are occupying our thoughts, and we look at Jesus still labournig, 
 though on the Cross, in the work of love, the darkness increases around Him. His frame shudders 
 as every nerve receives all that it can convey of agony. His mind and spirit become aware of the 
 concentrated wrath of God against the sin for which He suffers. No ministering angel dare now 
 descend from heaven ; the very light of the natural universe is withdrawn. On no spot of existence 
 can His eye rest and find a sigu of mercy or forbearance. The world and its Redeemer are con- 
 
 180 
 
GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 already, they brake not his legs. But one of the soldiers 
 with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout 
 blood and water. And he that saw it l)ear record, and 
 his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, 
 that ye might believe. For these things were done that 
 the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not 
 be broken. And again, another Scripture saith, They 
 shall look on him whom they pierced. 
 
 signed to the powers of darkness and death. But in this awful moment the sacrifice is completed. 
 Divine justice is appeased; and man, bound to the altar with Christ, is set free ! Such was tiie 
 origin of the liberty we enjoy ; but only a part of the design is as yet visible. The plan of Chris- 
 tianity was unfolded with the most perfect adaptation to the nature of things, and the peculiar con- 
 dition of those for whose salvation it was established. In false religions the most striking parts of 
 the system have always been presented first. Impostors naturally begin by magnifying the 
 advantages they have to confer ; heap promise upon promise, — and colour the whole with the most 
 gorgeous tints that imagination can supply. Enthusiasts, in a similar manner, loudly proclaim the 
 grandeur of their discoveries. The fire of their souls burns with a meteoric vividness that dazzles 
 most when it first meets the eye ; and it is then that they secure followers by tlie strong and almost 
 irresistible force of sympathy. Now how opposite to all this was the conduct of Christ, and tlie 
 progressive development of His dispensation ! It was only by the slowest steps that He unfolded 
 the intentions of the Gospel. At first a poor and simple infant. He lay cradled in a manger : then 
 the companion of his parents' flight into a foreign land ; and on their retiun, the inhabitant of the 
 poorest town in all Palestine, He remained the poorest among the poor of His people. His mani- 
 festation unto Israel was accompanied with no pomp or pretence, but with acts of humility, and 
 toilsome endurance and patience. The miracles which He wrought had all the essence of power; 
 but not its usual accompaniments of grandeur. They were performed with a gentle and silent 
 spirit, and might have escaped observation as the mere work of charity, could charity ever exercise 
 its will with such an instantaneous command of means. The personal condition of Christ was so 
 far from improving as He proceeded in His labours, and continued to gather around Him new 
 members of His church, that it daily became worse. " The foxes have holes, and the birds of the 
 air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." Toil and danger were His 
 constant companions ; and the close of His career was like the setting of a mild benignant star 
 amid fierce tempest clouds ; or the seeming shrinking of the glorious sun, midway in its course, 
 within the thick folds of melancholy eclipse. But during all this time Christ was approaching 
 His great reward, and the cup of agony, put into His hand by divine justice, filled to overflowing, 
 and drunk off, even to the dregs. He had nothing before Him, either for Himself or His people, 
 but the eternity of holiness and glory. We, now contemplating the Cross, know that such was the 
 result of Christ's humiliation ; and the Cross is borne with because it is become an emblem of 
 triumph rather than of shame. But it would be well for us to think more of it as it stood upon 
 Calvary, bathed in the blood of the sacrifice. We usually content ourselves with taking a hasty 
 glance at the spectacle which it there afforded to mankind ; and then press forward, eager only to 
 cherish hope by the contemplation of the happiness which the Gospel, victorious, now holds out to 
 us. By this rapid passage from the solemn preparations of humiliation and suffering, througli 
 which Christ Himself passed with so slow and sedate a step, our minds fail of acquiring a just idea 
 of His religion ; our hearts are wanting in seriousness ; and hope and resolution are alike deficient 
 in stedfastness and energy. 
 
 187 2 B 2 
 
Easter Emn. 
 
 RANT, O Lord, that as we are Ijap- 
 
 tized into the death of thy blessed 
 
 Son our Savionr Jesus Christ, so 
 
 by continual mortifying our corrupt 
 
 affections we may be buried with 
 
 him ; and that throui^h the grave, 
 
 Yj and gate of death, we may pass to our joyful resur- 
 
 \i rection: for his merits, who died, and was buried, 
 
 1^ and rose again for us, thy Son Jesus Christ our 
 
 \ Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collkct. — This was the Jewish Sabbath, and it was a high day, for it had all the sanctity 
 of the Passover added to the holiness of the ordinary Sabbath. To the Jews it brought festivity 
 and rejoicing; but how sad a day was it to the followers of Christ! How many thoughts and 
 questionings must have arisen in their minds, as they joined in the services of the Temple ; or 
 listened to the reading of the law and the prophets in the synagogues ! The memory of their 
 affliction, and of the mysterious events about which it was concerned, has been kept up in the 
 church from the earliest times, by prayer and fasting. It was enjoined that all who were not 
 prevented by infirmity, should continue their abstinence from the preceding day till the morning 
 of the resurrection dawned upon them. The midnight hours were employed in reading tlie Scrip- 
 tures and in prayer ; and in tlie Eastern Church lights were everj-where kept burning as emblematical 
 of the looked-for glory of the risen Saviour. On the evening of this day also numerous Catechumens 
 were admitted to baptism ; and all awaited the dawn witli the eager joy of those who felt that a 
 triumph was about to be celebrated, in which they had an innnediate interest. 
 
 18S 
 
•^m 
 
 EASTER EVEN. 
 
 T/ie Epistle. 1 St. Pet. iii. 17. 
 
 " T is better, if tlie will of God be so, 
 that ye suffer for well-doing, than 
 for evil-doing. For Christ also hath 
 once suffered for sins, the just for 
 the unjust, that he might bring us 
 to God, being put to death in the 
 flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. 
 By which also he went and preached 
 unto the spirits in prison ; which sometime were dis- 
 obedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited 
 in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing; 
 wherein few, that is eight souls, were saved by water. 
 The like figure whereunto, even baptism, doth also now 
 save us, (not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but 
 the answer of a good conscience towards God,) by the 
 resurrection of Jesus Christ : who is gone into heaven, 
 and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities 
 and powers being made subject unto him. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Matth. xxvii. 57. 
 
 HEN the even was come, there came 
 a rich man of Arimatha^a, named 
 Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' 
 disciple. He went to Pilate and 
 begged the body of Jesus. Then 
 Pilate commanded the body to be 
 delivered. And when Joseph had 
 taken the body, he wrapped it in a 
 clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which 
 he had hewn out in the rock ; and he rolled a great stone 
 
 The Episti.e. — In conqiieiing death, our Lord conquered the grave also ; but as He was to be 
 first overcome by the one, so was He likewise to be held for a certain time imder the power of the 
 other. Both these species of subjugation were necessary to fulfil the intentions of His sacrifice. 
 Had He not really died, He would nut have been an atonement ; and death is simply a separation 
 of the two constituent portions of our being. To make it manifest that this separation had taken 
 
 18U 
 
EASTER EVEN. 
 
 to tlic door of tlic scpiilclirc, and departed. And there 
 was Mary Magdalene, and tlie other Mary, sitting over 
 against the sepnlchre. Now the next day that followed 
 the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees 
 came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we rememl)er that 
 that deceiver said, while he was yet alive. After three 
 days I will rise again. Command therefore that the 
 sepulchre he made sure until the third day, lest his dis- 
 ciples come by night and steal him away, and say unto 
 the people, He is risen from the dead : so the last error 
 shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye 
 have a watch ; go your way, make it as sure as you can. 
 So they went and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the 
 stone, and setting a watch. 
 
 place, the body of Jesus was left to the grave, there to lie in its utter helplessness and destitution 
 of sense, with no more of life in it than the rocks by which it was surrounded ; and manifesting to 
 those who beheld it, the same capabilities of corruption as the others which had just been taken 
 from the companion crosses on Calvary. The word of the Apostle assures us that the soul of the 
 blessed Sufferer descended, in the mean time, to the general home of departed spirits, to Hades, 
 that is, the invisible world. But neither was His body to see corruption, nor His soul to be left 
 in this its separate state of existence. The eternal Spirit, whereby all the wonders of His own and 
 His Father's mercy were wrought in old times, was to descend upon His sacrificed humanity, and 
 requicken it ; and it was for this His requickening— His return from the spirits in prison till the 
 judgment day — or from Hades, where all must be till that solemn restitution to substantial life, — 
 that his disciples waited with more of fear than hope on the eve of the first Easter. 
 
 The Gospel. — The circumstances recorded in this Gospel are highly important as proofs of the 
 actual death of Christ, and of the care employed by his enemies to prevent the possibility of fraud. 
 They who attended to his execution pronounced him dead: the few who ventured to his cross in 
 the spirit of love and reverence, knew that his soul had departed ; and in the account of their pre- 
 parations for his burial, according to the custom of the age and country, we have a valuable, be- 
 cause undesigned, evidence to the truth of the narrative. The disciples acted as was natural to 
 their state of mind ; but a writer of " cunningly-devised fables " would not have sent them to prepare 
 spices and anointings for a body which, at the next step that their faith took, they knew '' could 
 not see corruption." Like every other part of our Saviour's history, moreover, this account of His 
 burial presents to our contemplation the wonderful fulfilment of projihecy. " He made His grave 
 with the wicked, and with the rich in his death ;" or more clearly, according to Bishop Lowth's 
 translation, " His grave was appointed with the wicked ; but with the rich man was his tomb." 
 Is. liii. 9. Dying with malefactors, and as a malefactor, how little was it to be expected that His 
 dead body would be treated differently to that of any other supposed criminal who had suffered 
 the punishment due to his alleged guilt. But while, by the strange circumstance of His being 
 sentenced at a Roman tribunal. He died the death of tiie Cross, not an ordinary punishment among 
 the Jews, and so fulfilled one class of prophecies ; and by His being taken from the Cross without 
 a bone being broken, completed another ; so now also in this His entombing, He made it manifest 
 that there was, as it were, a bit and bridle in the mouth of circumstance, by which the Almighty 
 Father made everything give evidence to the truth of His Gospel. 
 
 IIJO 
 
EASTER-DAY. 
 
 % At Morning Prayer, instead of the Psalm, O come let us sing, &c;., these Anthems 
 
 shall be sung or said. 
 
 HRIST our passover is sacrificed 
 for us ; tlicrelbre let us keep tlie 
 feast ; 
 
 Not with the old leaven, nor with 
 the leaven of malice and wickedness, 
 but with the unleavened bread of 
 sincerity and truth. 1 Cor. v. 7. 
 
 HRIST being raised from the dead 
 dieth no more : death hath no more 
 dominion over him. 
 
 For in that he died, he died unto 
 sin once : but in that he liveth, he 
 liveth unto God. 
 
 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves 
 to be dead indeed unto sin : but alive 
 unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. vi. 9. 
 
 HRIST is risen from the dead : and 
 
 become the first-fruits of them that 
 
 slept. 
 
 For since l)y man came death : by 
 
 man came also the resurrection of 
 
 the dead. 
 
 For as in Adam all die : even so 
 
 in Christ shall all be made alive. 
 
 1 Cor. XV. 20. 
 Glory be to the Father, ^'c. 
 As it was in the beginning, ^'c. 
 
 Sentences and Collect.— The Church, like the afflicted Apostles and other followers of Christ, 
 may be supposed to have passed the preceding hours in the examination of the prophecies concern- 
 ing His sufferings and triumphs. 'With the first dawn of day, these our predecessors in the ways 
 of salvation, who stand in the same relation to us as they who were earliest at the tomb did to the 
 rist of the disciples, bring us by their Gospels or Epistles the glad tidings that the Redeemer has 
 
 191 
 
EASTER-DAY. 
 
 
 
 ^ -..*_ i^i-^--:i^'?ftDV->.^_ <>r7?> . "^^==^^^1*^-* 
 
 T%e Collect. 
 
 I.MIGHTY God, who tliioiigli tliine 
 only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast 
 overcome death, and opened unto 
 us the gate of everlasting life ; We 
 humbly beseech thee, that, as by thy 
 special grace preventing us thou 
 dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy con- 
 tinual help we may bring the same to good effect; 
 throuo:h Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and 
 reigneth with tliee and the Holy Ghost, ever one 
 God, world without end. Amen. 
 
 Ll>W,^^==dSWLi 
 
 indeed triumphed over death and the grave. The dawn of this day, therefore, is that of our com- 
 pleted salvation ; for while Christ died for our sins, so did He also " rise again for our justification." 
 Intelligence of such a nature must ever have a newness and freshness about it ; the veiy grandeur 
 of the tidings, and its immediate reference to the freedom and exaltation oi' the whole human race, 
 teaching every heart to glow with a sense of liberty that can never grow old. Well, then, has our 
 Church appointed the service of this day to commence with the most joyful announcements of the 
 Resurrection that are to be found in Scripture. Woven together, they foim a noble anthem, every 
 line of which is redolent of thankfulness and consolation. 
 
 Full of gratitude for our perfected redemption, we acknowledge the value of preventing grace, or 
 those helps of our heavenly Father which precede every wish or effort of our own to seek holiness 
 and salvation. And thus convinced of God's mercy in what lias already been done, the grand 
 object with us now is, to obtain from the same Divine source the all-powerful grace which may 
 secure our entrance into glory. 
 
 192 
 
EAST EH- DAY. 
 
 The Epistle. Col. iii 1. 
 
 F ye then be risen with Christ, seek 
 those things which are above, where 
 Christ sitteth on the right hand of 
 God. Set your affection on things 
 above, not on things on the earth : 
 For ye are dead, and your life is hid 
 with Christ in God. When Christ, 
 who is our life, shall appear, then 
 shall ye also appear with liim in glory. Mortify there- 
 fore your members which are upon the earth ; fornication, 
 uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and 
 covetousness, which is idolatry : For which things' sake 
 the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. 
 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in 
 them. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John xx. 1. 
 
 HE first day of the week cometh 
 Mary Magdalene early, when it was 
 yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and 
 seeth the stone taken away from the 
 sepulchre. Then she runneth and 
 cometh to Simon Peter, and to the 
 other disciple whom Jesus loved, and 
 saith unto them. They have taken 
 away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not 
 where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, 
 
 The Episti.e. — In ancient times, this Sabbath was called Dominica Gatidii. or, the Lord's Day 
 of Joy ; and slavery, poverty, and affliction of every kind, were brought from the retreats of miserj^, 
 that the world might have a visible exemjilification of the power of Christ and His Gospel to work 
 our deliverance. The Epistle addresses us as having experienced in our souls the mighty working 
 of that Spirit whereby He himself arose from the dead. On this our spiritual participation in His 
 triumph over sin and death, it establishes an argument for holiness so direct and yet so profound. 
 that we may ask with wonder, how is it that any one can hope for salvation through the sufferings 
 of Christ, and yet remain contentedly subject to the influence of sin ? The power of the resurrec- 
 tion is even now working in those who are finally to be delivered. Already Christ sees of the 
 travail of His soul, and is assured by the conversion of sinners that He did not suffer in vain ; but 
 were His people still left under bondage to sin, had they not escaped, through the applications of 
 
 193 2 c 
 
EASTKR DAY. 
 
 and tliat otlier disciple, and came to the scpnlclire. So 
 they ran both together ; and the other disciple did outrun 
 Peter, and came first to the sepulchre ; and he, stooping 
 down and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying ; yet 
 went he not in. Then cometli Simon Peter following 
 him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen 
 clothes lie ; and the napkin that was about his head, not 
 lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a 
 place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple 
 which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and be- 
 lieved. For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he 
 must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went 
 away again unto their own home. 
 
 faith and grace, the follies and corruptions of the world, where would be His joy, or how coiJd it 
 be said that His kingdom is come upon earth, or that the life of believers is "hid with Him in 
 God ?" The mortification of vicious desires is the being crucified with Christ ; and lie alone can 
 truly and with reasonable confidence rejoice in the triumphs of this day who has so offered himself 
 as a living sacrifice on the Cross of his Saviour. Blessed are they who have already prepared 
 themselves in this manner for the keeping of Easter ! and great is their happiness who, having 
 learnt the goodness of God by the working of His preventing grace, are preparing themselves to 
 make the sacrifice which, though too long deferred, is now ready for the Lord's acceptance. 
 
 The Gospel.— The veneration which Christ had inspired did not cease with His earthly career. 
 Though in the grave. He still exercised, by the sublimity of His doctrines, and the memorials of 
 charity and holiness which He had left behind, a deep and unchanging power over the affections of 
 His followers. The presence of Mary Magdalene and others at His grave, preventing the dawn of 
 day by their assiduity, affords an interesting proof of this permanency of their devotion, and of its inde- 
 pendence in respect to other and grander evidences of His divinity. But early as they were at the 
 tomb, — early as love and veneration had broken their slumbers — Christ had left His bed in the tomb 
 before them. The Sun of Righteousness rose to shed His benignant beams upon the world long before 
 the natural day returned to diffuse its lustre on suffering mankind. And thus it was at the first, — 
 God's love poured forth its streams of blessed light, preparing thereby both nourishment and a 
 path for the light which was to supply the inferior necessities of our nature. But let us look at 
 the little group which surrounds the tomb. Nearest to it, and with sorrow, penitence, and love 
 depicted on her countenance, stands Mary Magdalene, the emancipated and the purified. There 
 also is St, John, his thoughtful look almost illuminated with hope and anticipated triumph even at 
 the grave of his Master ; and there, too, stands St. Peter, his eyes scarce dry, — his whole appear- 
 ance that of one who still feels the anguish of some recollected instance of ingratitude perpetrated 
 against a beloved and lamented friend. To some one or the other in that little group we may, 
 perhaps, liken ourselves. Happy for us if we can do so ; for to every one in that circle did " the 
 sun of righteousness arise with healing on his wings." Peter, not content with the general 
 announcement made to him by Mary, enters the sepulchre. John follows him. The grave then, 
 for the first time, lost its terrors. It had given up the dead, retaining only the memorials of its 
 own defeat. Had the minds of the two Apostles been at that moment sutiiciently free from wonder, 
 they would have exclaimed, " O death where is thy sting ! O grave where is thy victory ?" But 
 the sublime truth filled them with unutterable awe and delight. They now saw that they had not 
 believed in vain. Peter could repeat with new devotion, " Thou art indeed the Christ, the Son of 
 the living God;" and John rejoice with a deeper joy than ever in the manifested truth and glory 
 of his Master. For mankind at large it was the mightiest event that had ever occurred. It was 
 equivalent to a new creation ; for with Christ the whole world arose, as it were, from the grave of 
 sin to life and gladness. 
 
Mondaij in Easter-week. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, who through thy 
 only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast 
 overcome death, and opened unto 
 us the gate of everlasting life; We 
 humbly beseech thee, that, as by 
 thy special grace preventing us thou 
 jl dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy con- 
 ||| tinual help we may bring the same to good effect; 
 VI through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and 
 ■4 reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one 
 God, world without end. Amen, 
 
 The Collect. — Not only was the whole of Easter week anciently observed with religious festi- 
 vity, but the period which intervened between that week and Whitsuntide, was almost entirely 
 devoted to similar exercises of holy gratitude. The times are changed, and mankind have gene- 
 rally come to the conclusion that the business of the world could not go on were so much attention 
 paid to the claims of religion and the church. It may be alleged, we fear, with better reason, that 
 the long -continued festivities of the early Christians were in later times so much abused to purposes 
 of superstition, on the one hand, and licentiousness on the other, that it was the part of wisdom to 
 abridge their duration. Our reformers acted on the conviction that such was the case ; and there- 
 fore limited the festival to the Monday and Tuesday. To the observance of these days it affection- 
 ately calls its faithful children ; and surely they who feel what it is to have been redeemed from 
 death will not think they make a too expensive sacrifice, though they should, for the third part of 
 a week, give themselves up to the worship and praise of their Benefactor. 
 
 195 2 c 2 
 
MONDAY IN EASTER- WEEK. 
 
 The Ephtle. Acts x. 34. 
 
 ' ETEll opened liis mouth, and said, 
 Of a truth I perceive that God is no 
 respecter of persons ; but in every 
 nation he that feareth him, and 
 workcth righteousness, is accepted 
 with him. The word which God 
 sent unto the chiklren of Israel, 
 preaching peace by Jesus Christ ; 
 (he is Lord of all ;) that word (I say) ye know, which 
 was published throughout all Judaea, and began from 
 Galilee, after the baptism which John preached : how 
 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, 
 and with power ; who went about doing good, and healing 
 all that were oppressed of the devil : lor God was with 
 him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did, 
 both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem ; whom 
 they slew, and hanged on a tree : Him God raised up 
 the third day, and shewed him openly ; not to all the 
 people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even 
 to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from 
 the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the 
 people, and to testify that it is he who was ordained of 
 God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give 
 all the prophets witness, that through his Name who- 
 soever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. 
 
 The Epistle. — The great theme of the first preachers was the resurrection. On this tliej- insisted 
 with the deepest interest whether addressing Jews or Gentiles. The Pharisees and Sadducees of 
 Jerusalem, and the proud philosophers of Athens, were to he argued with on this solemn truth, the 
 crucified Jesus has risen from the dead. " Him God raised up the third day, and showed Him 
 openly ; not to all the people, hut unto witnesses chosen before of God."' The assertion of a fact 
 is far more open to contradiction, unless supported by the firmest evidence, than any species of 
 doctrine or theory. In coming forward, therefore, with a plain and direct statement of their 
 Master's resurrection, the disciples of Christ pursued a course which they dare not have attempted 
 to follow but with the knowledge that they were speaking truth. The miracle of the resurrection 
 was not witnessed by the proud and disbelieving multitude who had despised all the preceding 
 manifestations of the divine power in Christ. But to those who already gladly owned him as their 
 Master, He proved His return from the grave by frequent personal communications ; and not con- 
 fining this simple and incontrovertible proof of His resurrection to His Apostles merely. He appeared 
 to " five hundred brethren at once." Tiicse chosen witnesses evinced their conviction of the truth of 
 what they asserted, by stating it fearlessly in the face of powerful enemies, and then gladly laying 
 
MONDAY IN EASTER-WEEK. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xxiv. 13. 
 
 EH OLD, two of his disciples went 
 that same day to a village called 
 Emmaiis, which was from Jerusalem 
 about threescore furlongs. And they 
 talked together of all these things 
 which had happened. And it came 
 to pass, that while they communed 
 together, and reasoned, Jesus him- 
 self drew near, and went with them. But their eyes 
 were holden, that they should not know him. And he 
 said unto them, What manner of communications are 
 these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are 
 sad ? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, 
 answering, said unto him. Art thou only a stranger in 
 Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are 
 come to pass there in these days ? And he said unto 
 them. What things ? And they said unto him. Concern- 
 ing Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in 
 deed and word, before God and all the people : and how 
 the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be 
 condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we 
 trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed 
 Israel : and besides all this, to-day is the third day since 
 these things were done. Yea, and certain women also 
 of our company made us astonished, which were early at 
 the sepulchre ; and when they found not his body, they 
 came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, 
 which said that he was alive. And certain of them 
 which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it 
 even so as the women had said; but him they saw not. 
 Then he said nnto them, O fools, and slow of heart to 
 believe all that the prophets have spoken : ought not 
 
 down their lives in proof both of their faithfuhiess and their innocency. The sufferings of their 
 Master were not forgotten, and nothing could have taught either Peter, or any other follower of 
 Christ, to continue the preaching of His doctrines, after they saw Him die, except the knowledge 
 that He had triumphed over the power of the grave, and that they should triumph in Him. 
 
 197 
 
MONDAY IN RASTER WE 1:K 
 
 Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into 
 his glory? And beginning at Moses, and all the pro- 
 phets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the 
 things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto 
 the village whither they went ; and he made as though 
 he would have gone further : but they constrained him, 
 saying. Abide with us, for it is towards evening, and the 
 day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 
 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he 
 took bread and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 
 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and 
 he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to 
 another. Did not our heart l)urn within us, while he 
 talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us 
 the Scriptures? And they rose up the same hour, and 
 returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered 
 together, and them that were with them, saying. The 
 Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And 
 they told what things were done in the way, and how he 
 was known of them in breaking of bread. 
 
 The GosPEr,. — The interesting narrative contained in this Gospel, and which is given by St. 
 Luke only, fills the mind with many delightful sentiments. Our Lord, just risen from the tomb, 
 — returned to this earth from the mansions of the dead — is seen pursuing His path along the road 
 to the rural village of Emmaus. The fervours of the day are past, and the tranquil afternoon 
 hours dispose men's thoughts to quiet meditation. Unable to occupy their minds with other cares, 
 the disciples of Jesus can think only of His sufferings, or of the prospects which are before them 
 as the followers of One so obnoxious to the rest of their countrymen. Still ignorant of the true 
 meaning of His words, or of the spiritual interpretation of the prophets, all the sad circumstances 
 of the crucifixion present themselves to their memoiy. They behold the afflicted Jesus sinking 
 under His Cross, then bleeding upon it, and at last exclaiming, '• My God ! My God I why hast 
 thou forsaken me ? " To these melancholy proofs of the power of the world armed against the 
 innocent Sufferer, they have as yet nothing to oppose but the report of the women who spread the 
 tidings of His resurrection. Far from convinced by that report, their minds are only placed thereby 
 in a state of anxious surmising. With the natural tendency of deep sorrow, they are more inclined 
 to brood over the cause of their grief than to examine carefully the reasons for hope. Even to a 
 stranger they readily make known the subject which so painfully employs their thoughts. Great 
 must have been their astonishment when they found in that stranger one so much better acquainted 
 than themselves with the writings of the prophets ; — when they felt their minds drawn gradually 
 on to contemplate the long series of revelations with a feeling and understanding of their nature 
 altogether new ; — and at last saw that as they ought to have looked for the sufi'erings of Christ, so 
 they might now confidently trust to the report of the women, and believe in His resurrection. 
 Impressed with the power of the Stranger's words, — their hearts glowing with hope — their souls 
 exalted to grander views of Christ's promises and doctrines — they reach the village when the 
 evening is already far advanced ; and their mysterious Companion prepares to bid them farewell. 
 But He permits Himself to be constrained to abide with them till He has bestowed the bread of 
 life, and in bestowing that which has opened their eyes, and enabled them to discern in the Com- 
 panion of their journey — the crucified Jesus and the Lord of Life ! 
 
 198 
 
Tiiesdaj/ in Easter-week. 
 
 The Collect. 
 LMIGHTY God, who through thy 
 only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast 
 overcome death, and opened unto 
 us the gate of everlasting life ; We 
 humbly beseech thee, that, as by thy 
 special grace preventing us thou 
 dost put into our minds good desires, 
 
 109 
 
TUESDAY IN EASTRR-WEEK. 
 
 SO by thy continual help we may bring the same to good 
 effect through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and 
 reigncth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 The Epistle. Acts xiii. 26. 
 
 EN and brethren, children of the 
 stock of Abraham, and whosoever 
 among you feareth God, to you is 
 the word of this salvation sent. For 
 they that dwell at Jerusalem, and 
 their rulers, because they knew him 
 ^|i not, nor yet the voices of the pro- 
 phets which are read every sabbath- 
 day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And 
 though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired 
 they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had 
 fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down 
 from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But God 
 raised him from the dead: and he was seen many days 
 of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jeru- 
 salem, who are his witnesses unto the people. And we 
 declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise 
 which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the 
 same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up 
 Jesus again ; as it is also written in the second Psalm, 
 Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And 
 as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now 
 
 The Collect. — The Collect is repeated on this as on the preceding day, according to the 
 ancient custom of using the same throughout the week succeeding a great festival. Independently 
 of early usage, many reasons may be urged to justify the repetition of prayers which are in them- 
 selves fit and spiritual. The mind does not always take in, at once, the full meaning of even 
 ordinary words ; — much less does it always comprehend the spiritual force of those employed to 
 express devotion, faith, and the desires of a soul striving after the perfecting graces of holiness. 
 It is not the repetition of the same prayer which can hinder the progress of devotion; but the 
 indulgence of that loose and apathetic state of mind in which prayer is so often begun, and which, 
 continuing, would render any form of words useless and oppressive, however often varied, or how- 
 ever beautiful and sublime. Formerly the Wednesday in Easter Week was kept ; but though the 
 observance of only two days is now provided for by Epistles and Gospels, the proper Preface in the 
 Communion is said to be for Easter Day and seven days after. 
 
 200 
 
TUESDAY IN EASTER-WEEK. 
 
 no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I 
 will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he 
 saitli also in another Psalm, Thou slialt not suffer thine 
 Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had 
 served his own generation by the will of God, fell on 
 sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption : 
 But he whom God raised again saw no corruption. Be 
 it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that 
 through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness 
 of sins : and by him all that believe are justified from 
 all things, from which ye could not be justified by the 
 law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon 
 you which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye 
 despisers, and wonder, and perish : for 1 work a work 
 in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, 
 though a man declare it unto you. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xxiv. 36. 
 
 ESUS himself stood in the midst of 
 them, and saith unto them. Peace be 
 unto you. But they were terrified 
 and affrighted, and supposed that 
 they had seen a spirit. And he said 
 unto them. Why are ye troubled, and 
 why do thoughts arise in your hearts ? 
 Behold my hands and my feet, that 
 it is I myself : handle me, and see ; for a spirit hath not 
 flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had 
 
 The Episti.e. — In this nolile specimen of apostolic preaching the resiu-rection of our Lord is 
 described as the fulfihnent of God's promise both to the patriarchs and to their children. Religion 
 contemplates the glory of the Almighty Father and the happiness of His creatures. But neither 
 the one nor the other could be secured without that system of grace which the resurrection has 
 confirmed. Man, under bondage to sin, can offer no acceptable homage to the God of righteous- 
 ness ; — can perform none of the duties whereby the will of God is established, or the perfection of 
 His goodness illustrated. To render this acceptable service, he must first be set free from the 
 thraldom of a corrupt spirit, and be taught by new principles of being to rejoice in the holiness which 
 forms the happiness of heaven. And this renewal of his nature is provided for in the Christian 
 system. He begins by a resurrection ; and the sense that he has been recovered from the power of 
 sin is the grand evidence whereby he stands assured that he shall enjoy a higher and more per- 
 manent state of existence. The resurrection of Christ seals these expectations. " Thou art my 
 Son : this day have I begotten Thee." is applied to Jesus raised by the Spirit from the grave. 
 The Spirit lias already exercised His power on the regenerated C'hristian. He too is taught to 
 
 201 '1 D 
 
TUESDAY IN EASTER-WEEK. 
 
 tlius spoken, lie shewed tliem liis hands and his feet. And 
 while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said 
 unto them, Have ye here any meat ? And they gave him 
 a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honey-comb. And he 
 took it, and did eat before them. And he said unto them, 
 These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was 
 yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were 
 written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in 
 the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their under- 
 standing, that they might understand the Scriptures, and 
 said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved 
 Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day ; 
 and that repentance and remission of sins should be 
 preached in his Name among all nations, beginning at 
 Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. 
 
 ciy "Abba, Father !" by that reviving influence; and thus the mystery of redemption brings the 
 Saviour and the saved under the same system of restoration— the One from the sorrows to which 
 He voluntarily submitted Himself; — the other from the bondage under which he groaned, but 
 without any original desire to be set free. To this consummation of the plan of deliverance the 
 promises of God continually pointed. Man was to be regenerated, and to recover his immortality. 
 One mighty Saviour was appointed to secure both his escape from sin and his subsequent enjoy- 
 ment of eternal glory ! This end accomplished, the human race again becomes capable of serving 
 God, and its happiness is secured at the same instant that it recovers its power of glorifying the 
 Deliverer. 
 
 The Gospei,. — The disciples who had been so signally favoured by the presence of Jesus on the 
 way to Emmaus, hastened back to Jerusalem, rejoicing at having such glad tidings to communi- 
 cate to their fellow-believers. They found them engaged in earnest converse on the one absorbing 
 subject of their Master's reported resurrection. Doubt still oppressed them. They were yet with- 
 out sufficient proof of the truth to persuade them that the women were not deceived by some illusion 
 of mind. The intelligence brought by the disciples who had been to Emmaus gave a new impulse to 
 inquiry. But the information they conveyed was only of the same kind as that which had been already 
 received. In the midst of the solemn debate which had arisen, and when all minds and hearts were 
 intently engaged in weighing the strange accounts which had been communicated, — Jesus Himself 
 appeared ! The fears excited by His presence were not allowed long to trouble the hearts of the dis- 
 ciples. With the tenderness of a loving friend, and the earnestness of a teacher that never refused to 
 demonstrate the truth according to the necessities of His hearers. He subdued their terror by the most 
 palpable demonstrations of His identity and substantial presence. " Behold my hands and my feet ! " 
 — those hands and feet in which the prints of the nails were still to be seen. And who else could 
 it be but Jesus that had thus descended from the cross to the tomb, and returned thence to mani- 
 fest His power over death ? Or what vision — what disembodied spirit could have presented such 
 infallible signs of corporeal suffering ? The proof was too strong to be resisted: — and it was a 
 proof most agreeable to the natural wishes of the human mind. It had long been allowed that 
 the spirit might live, and that, under certain conditions, it might make itself visible to the eyes of 
 men; but never till now had it been really believed that the body might return from the stern 
 embraces of death, and, inider the power of the invigorating soul, come unharmed from the depths 
 of the grave. But here all was proved that the hearts of men sigh to find established wliea 
 trembling either at their own mortality or at the decay which they behold in those they love. 
 Joy at the triumph of their Master was doubtlessly the first feeling which occupied the minds of 
 the disciples ; l)ut with that, it is equally certain, soon mingled the countless tribe of hopes and 
 gladtleniug thoughts which fill, even to this day, the souls of those who practically feel that 
 iumiortality is brought to light by Jesus Christ. 
 
 202 
 
The First Swidai/ after Easter. 
 
 ^- ^:^^J^ 
 
 ^A 
 ii\ 
 
 truth 
 
 ^/^ living and 
 
 if j Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 LMIGHTY Father, who hast given 
 thine only Son to die for our sins, 
 and to rise again for our justification ; 
 Grant us so to put away the leaven 
 of malice and wickedness, that we 
 may alway serve thee in pureness of 
 through the merits of the same thy 
 
 The Coi.i.ect. — It is a wonderful proof of tlie Almighty's pjoodness that He should permit 
 ','' us to address Him by the title of Father. We require many argmnents and proofs of 
 benevolence to convince us, that we have autliority to approach with such a title tlie infinite and 
 eternal God. And we are not without these assurances that He willingly hears us when our lips 
 pronounce Him, what our hearts ought to feel Him to be, our Father, as well as our Lord and 
 Creator. The benignity displayed in nature, — the merciful arrangements of Providence, — and all 
 the diversified means employed for the recovery of the human race from sin and misery, afford in 
 their several classes a distinct manifestation of God's paternal goodness. But while all these 
 united would be inferior to that proof of Fatherly regard alluded to in this Collect, so is eacli 
 enlarged and confirmed thereby, for the blessings of redemption seal every inferior good with the 
 signet of eternal love. The First Sunday after Easter was formerly called Low-Sundaj-, — that is, 
 inferior in dignity to Easter Day itself: and sometimes Dominica in Albis, in reference to the 
 change of garments which took place, — the newly-baptized now laying aside their white robes. 
 The present Collect is that originally inserted in the reformed Liturgy, and used at the Second 
 Communion on Faster Day. It was after\vards omitted, and the first for Easter Day repeated. 
 
 203 2 I) 2 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 St. John v. 4. 
 
 HATSOEVER is born of God over- 
 comctli the world; and this is the 
 victory that overcometh the world, 
 even our faith. Who is he that over- 
 cometh the world, hut he that he- 
 lie veth that Jesus is the Son of God ? 
 This is he that came by water and 
 blood, even Jesus Christ ; not by 
 water only, but by water and blood : and it is the S^nrit 
 that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For 
 there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, 
 the Word, and the Holy Ghost : and these three are one. 
 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, 
 and the water, and the blood : and these three agree in 
 one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of 
 God is greater : for this is the witness of God, which he 
 hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son 
 of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not 
 God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the 
 record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, 
 that God hath given to us eternal life ; and this life is in 
 his Son. He that hath the Son hath life ; and he that 
 hath not the Son hath not life. 
 
 The Episti-e. — St. John vindicates his rit^ht to the character of the " beloved disciple" by the 
 close correspondence of all that he says to the doctrine of his adorable Master. The necessity of 
 divine regeneration was insisted upon by Jesus, as occupying every portal to the kingdom of 
 heaven ; and St. John tells us that whoever is thus re-born, " overcometh the world," the dark 
 antagonist of righteousness. Christ came by water and blood : by water, when He consecrated 
 baptism to the washing away of sin, and as the sign of His own new covenant; and by blood, 
 when He poiu'ed it forth upon the Cross, cleansing therel>y the defiled conscience, and satisfying 
 the offended justice of Jehovah. The Father bore witness to His truth by the miracles which He 
 wrought in Him ; and to His innocence by raising Him from the dead : and the Holy Spirit gave 
 like testimony to Jesus, confirming whatever He had taught, — establishing the hearts of His dis- 
 ciples in the pure doctrine of the Cross, and leading them forth by His own invincible energy to 
 the conquest of the world. And while the Father and the Holy Ghost testify to the truth of Christ, 
 so does He also bear witness to them. In Him are manifested the goodness and the justice of the 
 foi-mer; the sublime attributes of the truth and wisdom which belong to the other. Uniting in 
 the work of salvation, they bear witness both in heaven and on earth to the stedfastness of the 
 decree whereby man is saved through the infinite love of God, and yet by methods which are as 
 accordant with His justice, a-s they are illustrative of His mercy. But happy are we that it depends 
 not upon our reasoning to find out the way of salvation. We have the plain and iuefiaceable 
 record, " that God hath given to us eternal life ; and this life is in His Sou. He that hath the 
 Son hath life ; and he that hath not the Son hath not life." 
 
 204 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John xx. 19, 
 
 HE same clay at evening, being the 
 first day of the week, when the doors 
 were shut, where the disciples were 
 assembled for fear of the Jews, came 
 Jesus and stood in the midst, and 
 saitli unto them, Peace be unto you. 
 And when he had so said, he shewed 
 unto them his hands and his side. 
 Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. 
 Then said Jesus to them again. Peace be unto you : As 
 my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when 
 he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto 
 them. Receive ye the holy Ghost. Whosesoever sins ye 
 remit, they are remitted unto them ; and whosesoever sins 
 ye retain, they are retained. 
 
 The Gospel. — Again we contemplate the wonderful appearance of Christ to His disciples on 
 the day of the resurrection. The circumstance is in itself sufficiently interesting to command 
 attention. All our natural doubts and fears are wrought upon by such an event, Death — so long, 
 so instinctively regarded as unconquerable — had been made to confess itself vanquished. The 
 grave — so terrible to the eye and the imagination — had admitted the fresh air and the broad 
 daylight of heaven, for a Being who had experienced the power of both, was now seen among 
 His accustomed companions in the full strength and glory of humanity. But the wonder was 
 accompanied by a mystery : — Jesus appeared in the midst of His disciples with the suddenness of 
 a spirit. Though bearing the substantial form of living man, He was known to have come from 
 unseen worlds, the inhabitants of which had nothing in common with the nature or laws of material 
 beings. Awe, approaching to terror, was the first sentiment which might be expected to occupy 
 the minds of men on such an occasion. The human soul involuntarily shrinks Irom contact with 
 that which seems to belong to the empire of death, to which, since the fall, all has ever been sup- 
 posed to pertain that has passed through the grave. '' They were terrified and affrighted," says 
 St. Luke, " and supposed that they had seen a spirit." But St. John passes over the recollection 
 of the fear excited at the first appearance of Jesus, to fix for ever in men's minds the delightful 
 memory of His benignant greeting. The wonder, we have said, was accompanied by a mystery : 
 both were embraced in a blessing. " Peace be with you ! " were the gracious words which fell 
 from the lips of the risen Saviour, as " Peace I leave with you" were among the last which He 
 spoke when He was about to enter upon His sufferings. Gladness filled the hearts of the dis- 
 ciples when thus addressed. Astonishment yielded to the sweeter emotions of love and gratitude. 
 And yet was there another feeling to be awakened ; — another link to be added to the chain of new 
 thoughts and sentiments which had its commencement with the manifestation of Christ as the 
 resurrection and the life. Again He says to His now adoring disciples, " Peace be unto j-ou !"' and 
 they find themselves endowed with an authority which elevates them at once above all who ever 
 before conveyed the knowledge of God's will to mankind. It is of vast importance to the right 
 understanding of Scripture that we attend to the sequence of occurrences. Christ gave His Apostles 
 the right of proclaiming the pardon of sinners, or their continuance in condemnation. We ask, 
 How can man forgive sins ? Is it not reserved to God alone to pronounce the remission of the 
 penalties of ini(iuity ? But on looking attentively at the narrative, we find it especially recorded, 
 that Christ had breathed on His Apostles, and said to them, " Receive ye the Holy Ghost !" before 
 He endowed them with that otherwise unaccountable gift of authority to declare sins pardoned, or 
 to declare them retained. 
 
 •205 
 
The Second Siindaj/ after Easter. 
 
 .^^^^Y^'^'^r^t^^C ^"^"^ ^Z^"?^'^'"^!/^'^'"^"''"-^ JS? 
 
 I 
 
 LMIGHTY God, who liast given 
 thine only Son to be unto us both a 
 sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample 
 of godly life ; Give us grace that we 
 may always most thankfully receive 
 that his inestimable benefit, and also 
 daily endeavour ourselves to follow the blessed steps 
 of his most holy life ; through the same Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Thk Collect. — The complete view of the Gospel is that alone which satisfies thoughtful and 
 devout hearts. To hehold the Son of God dying as a sacrifice for sin fills tlie soul with awe and 
 astonishment ; hut the sentiments which thence arise receive a more defined and permanent form 
 at every fresh recollection of his words and actions. The sacrifice gave a sacramental force to the 
 example; the example teaches the necessity, and proves the value of the sacrifice. May we ever 
 possess grace to know the worth of the one, and yield ourselves gladly to the power of the other ! 
 Jesus Christ will then be to us all that our heavenly Father intended Him to he, the Author and 
 the Finisher of our .salvation. This Collect was fiist inserted at the revisal in 1049. 
 
 206 
 
THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 The Ephtle. 1 St. Pet. ii. 19. 
 
 HIS is tliankwortliy, if a man for 
 conscience toward God endure grief, 
 suffering wrongfully. For what glory 
 is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your 
 faults, ye shall take it patiently? 
 But if, when ye do well, and suffer 
 for it, ye take it patiently; this is 
 acceptable with God. For even 
 hereunto were ye called : because Christ also suffered for 
 us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps : 
 who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth : 
 who, when he was reviled, reviled not again ; when he 
 suffered, he threatened not ; but committed himself to 
 him that judgeth righteously : who his own self bare our 
 sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to 
 sins, should live unto righteousness : by whose stripes ye 
 were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but 
 are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your 
 souls. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John x. 11. 
 
 ESUS said, I am the good shepherd : 
 the good shepherd giveth his life for 
 the sheep. But he that is an hire- 
 ling, and not the shepherd, whose 
 own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf 
 coming, and leaveth the sheep, and 
 fleeth ; and the wolf catcheth them, 
 and scattereth the sheep. The hire- 
 and careth not for 
 
 ling fleeth, because he is an hireling, 
 
 The Epistle. — Tliis Epistle breathes of the times when it was folly in a man to think of em- 
 bracing the Gospel, or following Christ, without being willing to take up the Cross. The religion 
 of the New Testament has changed the views of thoughtful minds on almost everj^ subject that 
 can engage inquiry. Honour is ascribed to fortitude by the world, but it takes little care to con- 
 
 207 
 
THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 the sliccp. I am tlie good shcplicrd, and know my slieep, 
 and am known of mine. As tlic Father knoweth me, even 
 so know I the Father : and I lay down my hfe for the 
 sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this 
 fold ; them also I mnst bring, and they shall hear my 
 voice ; and there shall he one fold, and one shepherd. 
 
 sider whether the suffering under which no complaint is made, be merited or not. The Gospel, on 
 the contrary, denies that any honour is due to those, however great their sufferings and their 
 patience, whose folly or whose wickedness has brought upon them the resentment of mankind. 
 To be acceptable with God while we resign ourselves to the infliction of suffering, we must be able 
 to show that it is not for our vices but for our virtues that the world persecutes us ; that it is not 
 because we have added to its miseries that it pursues us with resentment and hatred, but because 
 we have resisted its follies, and its headlong course to destruction. A lesson like this, though 
 strictly conformable to right reason, would have little weight with mankind at large ; and they who 
 most readily and devoutly acknowledge its truth, are obliged, at the same time, to confess that it 
 is only when viewing it in the light of Christ's example that they can practically yield to the force 
 of such a morality. The Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. He has called us from sin to holiness, 
 from the deceits of the world, to the full and perfect truth of heaven. But He leaves us in the 
 midst of sinners to warn them also of the error of their ways ; to let our light shine before them, that 
 they may have some knowledge of the beauty of holiness. And if, in fulfilling these designs of 
 our existence, we suffer, and take it patiently, then assuredly shall we be acceptable with God and 
 with Christ, whose example we are thus endeavouring to follow. 
 
 The Gospel. — Our Lord assumed the most endearing titles in addressing His disciples ; and, if 
 we may so speak, permitted Himself to be anticipated in this respect by His forerunner, who, in 
 designating Him as " the Lamb of God," proclaimed by that one name His power to redeem, His 
 holiness. His purity, His gentleness and His love. In His later conversations with the Apostles, 
 Jesus spoke of Himself under almost every figure which could illustrate the merciful character of 
 His doctrine. At one time He describes Himself as a door through which the flock passes freely 
 to its pasturage, or its secure fold. At another time. He describes Himself as the vine which His 
 Father, the chief husbandman, planted ; and leads the thoughts of His people to contemplate the 
 graciousness of His nature, — the generosity of His purposes, — His will and His power to heal the 
 broken spirit and comfort the sad and desolate heart. In the present Gospel, we behold Him as 
 the good Shepherd ; and under this image how many gentle characteristics arrange themselves, 
 teaching us to love and follow, as well as adore, the Saviour of our souls ! A shepherd in the 
 rocky wilds of Palestine needed both courage and tenderness. The danger of the flock was His 
 own danger : and from the nature of the country ; — the abrupt precipices which intersected the 
 mountains, — the sudden storms to which it was liable, — and the roaming herds of wild animals 
 which often prowled in the neighbourhood of the fold — obliged Him to be continually on the watch. 
 And was He to leave any of his flock, perhaps the tenderest, if it strayed, into danger ? Was He 
 not rather to seek it, and bear it home .'' Or was He to allow the wolf to approach, and flee, anxious 
 only about His own safety ? Was He not rather to provide first, by His zealous diligence and love, 
 for the preservation of the flock ? Our Lord, by assuming to Himself the character of a good 
 shepherd, not only conveyed comfort to the hearts of those who then heard Him speak, but by 
 taking upon Himself all the responsibility of such an office, taught His people in every age to feel 
 confident of His mercy and protection. 
 
 208 
 
The Third Sundaj/ after Easter. 
 
 throu 
 
 o^li our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY 
 
 God, who 
 shewest to 
 them that he 
 in error the 
 liglit of thy 
 truth, to the 
 intent that they may return 
 into the way of righteousness ; 
 Grant unto all tliem that are 
 admitted into the fellowship 
 of Christ's Religion, that they 
 may eschew those things that 
 are contrary to their profes- 
 sion, and follow all such things 
 as are agreeable to the same ; 
 Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — Among the innumerable mercies of our heavenly Father, that which is named 
 in the introductory sentence of this Collect deserves our profoundest gratitude. Involved in error 
 that defies the efforts of human wisdom, the majority of our race would remain for ever subjected 
 to ignorance and sorrow were it not for the light which flows direct from heaven. Truth is too 
 little cherished among us to be known in its native excellence and brightness. When Pilate asked, 
 "What is truth?" the world would have answered, "The knowledge of good and evil." But 
 knowledge is dependent on the will and capacity of the human mind ; truth is the result of the 
 glorious harmony which exists between all the attributes of the infinite Jehovah. The light of this 
 truth He sheds upon men's souls, that they may see the way which leads to holiness and peace. 
 Obedient to the heavenly influence, many millions have rejoiced to follow in the track marked out; 
 they have found the gate, though narrow, open to admit them ; and the company of God's children 
 already prepared to hail their entrance into His kingdom with songs of thanksgiving. Ad- 
 mitted to the fellowship of Christ's religion, for what can they now be more anxious than for the 
 power which may enable them to act consistently with the dignity of their calling ? While in the 
 world, they were free to pursue the course of sin and folly which the world allows its children 
 uninterruptedly to follow. But they have left the world — the reign of error and corruption — the 
 companionship of the children of wickedness — for the society of just men made perfect ; and the 
 simplest lesson of consistency dictates to them, to renounce, with the world itself, tlie love of its 
 follies, and, ceasing from pursuits so degrading to a redeemed and sanctified spirit, to follow the 
 example of Christ and His people, and do whatever may be acceptable in the sight of God. It is 
 for such purposes that He first bestowed upon us the light of His truth. The gracious gift may 
 not be valued by us as it ought. We may pray in the words, but not in the spirit of this prayer ; 
 and, admitted into the fellowship of Christ's religion, may have still done what we ought not to 
 have done, and left undone what it was our duty most earnestly to perform. Should this have 
 been the case, let us with ht.v fervour present the petitions here taught us. The light is given ; 
 let it not be given in vain ! 
 
 209 2 K 
 
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 St. Pet. ii. 11. 
 
 EARLY beloved, I beseecli you as 
 strangers and pilgrims, abstain from 
 fleshly lusts, which war against the 
 soul ; having your conversation honest 
 among the Gentiles; that, whereas 
 they speak against you as evil doers, 
 they may, by your good works which 
 they shall behold, glorify God in the 
 day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance 
 of man for the Lord's sake ; whether it be to the King, 
 as supreme ; or unto governours, as unto them that are 
 sent by him, for the punishment of evil doers, and for the 
 praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, 
 that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance 
 of foolish men : as Iree, and not using your liberty for 
 a cloke of maliciousness; but as the servants of God. 
 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. 
 Honour the King. 
 
 The Gospel. St, John xvi. 16. 
 
 ESUS said to his disciples, A little 
 while and ye shall not see me ; and 
 again, a little while and ye shall see 
 me ; because I go to the Father. 
 Then said some of his disciples 
 among themselves. What is this that 
 he saitli unto us, A little while and 
 ye shall not see me ; and again, a 
 little while and ye shall see me ; and. Because I go to 
 
 The Epistle. — The lesson conveyed in this portion of Scripture answers immediately to the 
 petitions in the Collect. We tliere acknowledge the influence of the light of truth. It has shown 
 to the erring the way of righteousness ; and here we meet them on their journey ; the world which 
 was their home forsaken, and they, as strangers and pilgrims, seeking another dwelling-place, — 
 " a city which hath foundations, whose maker and builder is God." Entered upon their new course, 
 they are exhorted by the Holy Spirit to cease from the evil practices which belonged to their former 
 state, as wholly inconsistent with the prospects now opening before them. Nor is this all. They 
 must not only cease from doing evil. — they must learn to do well. Their former conduct was unob- 
 
 210 
 
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 the Father ? They said therefore, What is this that he 
 saith, A little while ? we cannot tell what he saith. Now 
 Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said 
 unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I 
 said, A little while and ye shall not see me ; and again, 
 a little while and ye shall see me? Verily, verily I say 
 unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world 
 shall rejoice : and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow 
 shall be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in 
 travail, hath sorrow, because her hour is come : but as 
 soon as she is delivered of the child, she rememberetli 
 no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the 
 world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will 
 see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy 
 no man taketh from you. 
 
 served by the world ; but since they have professed to be the ser\'auts of God and followers of Christ, 
 they have been watched, and reproved with all the bitterness which hate engenders. The answer 
 which their Master gave must be theirs. It is by arguments of well-doing they are to " put to silence 
 the ignorance of foolish men." Carefully considering the various relations in which they stand to 
 society, each will excite a corresponding feeling of responsibility : but the grand key-stone to the 
 whole circle of their virtues will be the fear of God: — the recollection that they are His servants, 
 and that they belong to a brotherhood of which Jesus Christ is the first-born. It is a melancholy 
 proof of the corruption of the world that, while morality is often spoken of in contradistinction to 
 the religion of the Gospel, so few persons can be brought to consider the matter with the Gospel 
 before them ; for what does the Gospel here do but give the sublimest of all sanctions to the 
 precepts which are, in every respect, the most essential to social good ? 
 
 The Gospel. — Our Lord was tenderly cautious in preparing the minds of His followers for the 
 awful trial of faith to which His sufferings would subject them. Notwithstanding the mingled warn- 
 ings and promises with which He fortified their spirits, they were scattered like sheep when the terrible 
 hour arrived which left them without a Master. But it is not to be supposed that the means which 
 He employed for strengthening their minds proved altogether vain. Human weakness was left to 
 show itself, and convince the followers of Christ for ever after of the necessity of the presence of 
 the divine Spirit whenever they would act or suffer as the servants of such a Lord. Yet when we 
 carefully consider the state of mind in which the disciples were left by the crucifixion, there ap- 
 pears reason to believe that they had been already endowed with much of energy and wisdom. 
 Though not clearly understanding the prophets, or believing with the faith which the Holy Spirit 
 has since bestowed, they were sutficiently impressed with the conviction of Christ's holiness and 
 power to expect important consequences from His sufferings. " Ye shall be sorrowful, but your 
 sorrow shall be turned into joy," were words which evidently continued to have an echo in their 
 hearts during the events which followed. Peter would never have dried his tears had he not 
 remembered them ; nor would the eleven have kept together in such earnest converse had not the 
 sorrow which they felt been tempered by the recollection of this gracious assurance, " Your sorrow 
 shall be turned into joy." Our Lord had been asked, with all the earnestness of combined curiosity 
 and affection, " Whither goest thou?" and He had answered, ''Whither I go thou canst not 
 follow me now, but thou shalt follow me afterwards." Natural feeling prompted the inquiry ; but 
 he who made it was a firm believer in the Messiahship of Christ; and the verj- zeal with which 
 that belief was cherished rendered the mention of coming sorrows the more sad and intolerable. 
 The shadow which the Cross threw on the path of the prophets was easily overlooked by those who 
 fixed their eyes on the glorj- in the distance. 
 
 211 2 K 2 
 
The Fourth Sioulaj/ after Radcr. 
 
 Vi / 'ArJ " " 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who alone canst 
 order the unruly wills and affections 
 of sinful men ; Grant unto thy peo- 
 ple, that they may love the thing 
 which thou commandest, and desire 
 ^/il2i^^ ) , that which thou dost promise; that 
 so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the 
 world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where 
 true joys are to he found ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — Tliis Collect originally began with the sentence, " Almighty God which dost 
 make the minds of all iaithi'ul men to he of one will,"' which was altered at the review of the 
 Liturgy into that with which the prayer at present commences. Civil or political union is so 
 essential to the happiness of mankind, that without it states fall rapidly to decay, and virtue is almost 
 as great a sufferer as peace. But the concord of men's hearts and minds is necessary to the firm 
 establishment of even political tranquillity, and the efficient operation of laws and governments. 
 How much more is it necessary to the furtherance of religion ? To the support of churches ? To 
 the securing of tlie general and just diffusion of the means of grace, intelligence, and Christian 
 holiness? For private and individual happiness the same ride holds equally good. To be happy, 
 we must be at peace with ourselves ; and the grace of God alone can so make one disposition, — 
 one principle of thought and nature within us, agree with another, — that our hearts shall remain 
 fixed where true joys arc to be found, 
 
 212 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 The Epistle. St. James i. 17. 
 
 VERY good gift, and every perfect 
 gift is from above, and cometli down 
 from the Father of lights, with whom 
 is no variableness, neither shadow of 
 turning:. Of his own will bco^at he 
 us with the Word of truth, that we 
 should be a kind of llrst-fruits oi' his 
 creatures. Wherefore, my beloved 
 brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, 
 slow to wrath; for the wrath of man worketh not the 
 righteousnesss of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness 
 and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meek- 
 ness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John xvi. 5. 
 
 ESUS said unto his disciples. Now 
 I go my way to him that sent me, 
 and none of you asketh me. Whither 
 goest thou ? But, because I have 
 said these things unto you, sorrow 
 hath filled your heart. Neverthe- 
 less, I tell you the truth; it is ex- 
 pedient for you that I go away : for 
 if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; 
 
 The Epistle. — If we fairly consider either our pastor present condition, we shall see how much 
 of our happiness has been derived from others ; and from their bestowing that which could not 
 Lave been claimed as a matter of right. But gifts partake of the nature of the giver ; and there is 
 nothing which man lays claim to purely as his own, which is not weak and perishable as himself. 
 Good and perfect gifts are things which have an intrinsic excellence ; and are, both in themselves 
 absolutely, and to us relatively, endowed with perfection. There are principles in our being which 
 forbid our remaining contented with things not iutrinsically good or perfect. That which is but 
 seemingly so, angers and disappoints when its deceitfulness is discovered. That which is not good 
 for us, loses its value in our eyes as soon as its inapplicability is made evident. Now the gifts 
 which pertain to our spiritual existence are to be especially examined in these respects. They must 
 come from a sphere beyond us, — they must be good, that is, pure and unmixed ; — they must be 
 perfect in themselves — perfect in their sufficiency. The perfection of God secures not only the 
 perfection but the continuance of His gifts, and it adds greatly to the value of any favour that it is 
 to be a permanent one. An unsteady friend is worse than no friend; but God, unchangeable as to 
 His nature, is unchangeable in His gifts and in His mercy. 
 
 213 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when 
 he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of 
 righteousness, and of judgement: of sin, because they 
 believe not on me ; of righteousness, because I go to my 
 Father, and ye see me no more ; of judgement, because 
 the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many 
 things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 
 Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will 
 guide you into all truth : for he shall not speak of him- 
 self ; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak : 
 and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify 
 me : for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto 
 you. All things that the Father hath are mine : there- 
 fore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it 
 unto you. 
 
 The Gospel. — We now begin to receive tidings of the most precious and most glorious of all 
 God's gifts, the life, grace, wisdom, and comfort bestowed by His own eternal Spirit. Christ 
 would not leave His followers without the encouragements and consolations proper to their situation. 
 They were called to His kingdom for peculiar objects, and if they left the world to join it, they 
 were then most likely to be satisfied with the course they had taken, when they heard from His 
 own lips the promise of its noblest and happiest privileges. The very names by which He desig- 
 nated the blessed Spirit must have excited in thoughtful hearts the most exalted sentiments. He 
 represented Him as the Spirit of truth ; and, blending the sublimer visions which belong to that 
 title with the milder consolations which the trembling soul so often requires. He next described 
 Him as the Comforter; and thus in the very elements of the Christian system we have truth and 
 comfort united inseparably together, in the same maimer as it was so long foretold to the fathers 
 that mercy and truth, righteousness and peace, should bind themselves in an eternal bond of harmony 
 before the altar of God's love. The promises of the Gospel may be classL'd under two heads ; those 
 which regard oiu- nature, and those which refer to our state, or condition. Christ, in His last discourse 
 with the Apostles, summed up the latter in this — " In my Father's house are many mansions ; if 
 it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." And the former in the 
 assurance of the Holy Ghost as a Sanctifier ; a guide into all truth, and a Comforter. A very com- 
 plete view of the offices of the blessed Spirit may be gathered from this portion of our Lord's 
 discourse. For, first, He tells us what He would do in respect to the world : He was to reprove it, 
 that is, to convince it of its sin ; to contrast this its sin with the righteousness of God and His law, 
 and to manifest the truth of all that had been said by natural conscience, and the wise and good, 
 respecting the judgments of God against sin. Next He was to make known the full scope and 
 intentions of the Gospel to those who humbly received the words of Christ, but who were not yet 
 able to bear the complete revelation of the mystery of His system. And, in the third place. He 
 was to glorify Christ, which was to be done by His confirming the truth of His word, — by His 
 making known what peace and blessedness the Father had given to the redeemed, or was keeping 
 in store for them, — and thereby demonstrating the sublime mystery, that whatever the Father hath 
 has been bestowed upon the Son. " He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you,'' that is, 
 shall exercise, for the establishment of my kingdom, the power which is given me: Shall infuse 
 into the soul of my people the light of the wisdom which is my perfect attribute; and by many 
 revelations of love, shall make manifest the riches of the glory of the inheritance which, through 
 me, shall finally be given to the Saints. 
 
 214 
 
The Fifth Sunday after Easter, 
 
 LORD, from whom all good things 
 do come; Grant to us thy humble 
 servants, that by thy holy inspira- 
 tion we may think those things that 
 be good, and by thy merciful guiding 
 may perform the same ; through our 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — This short but beautifully simple prayer is couched in the trae language 
 of spiritual affection. God is the giver of all good gifts ; and all things are in His power. 
 He could bestow riches and honours : He could restore youth to the aged, and the beauty 
 of childhood to the most decrepid : He could make the desert of the saddest life blossom like the 
 rose, and surround the forsaken with a host of friends. This the believer knows and feels ; but it 
 is not for such things the prayer of faith is put up. Of all that God can give, the most precious 
 and the first asked for by the Christian is the power of thinking aright, the will to do aright. This 
 blessing gained, a solid foundation is laid ior future happiness, and patience awaits, with a peace 
 which is its sufficient reward, for the glory to be revealed in the last times. 
 
 The Epistle.— The law of the Gospel is the perfect law of liberty. Every system of positive 
 laws will be good or bad, as it is agreeable or opposed to the natural rights and the social happiness 
 of those whose conduct it regulates. Wisdom and justice, therefore, must be its basis; but law is 
 ior restraint on the will, and therefore contemplates the will in a state of resistance or rebellion. 
 The will may not always be in actual resistance, and yet may require a law ; laws become multiplied 
 and complicated, because the will of man is uncertain and capricious in its movements, but is always 
 
 •215 
 
THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTFR EASTER. 
 
 The JEphtle. St. James i. '22. 
 
 E ye doers of the Word, and not 
 hearers only, deceiving your own 
 selves. For if any l^e a hearer of 
 the Word, and not a doer, he is like 
 unto a man beholding his natural 
 face in a glass. For he beholdeth 
 himself, and goeth his way, and 
 straightway forgetteth what manner 
 of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law 
 of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forget- 
 ful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man sliall be 
 blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be 
 religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his 
 own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion, 
 and undefded before God and the Father, is this. To visit 
 the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep 
 himself unspotted from the world. 
 
 77ie Gospel. St. John xvi. 23. 
 
 ERILY, verily I say unto you. What- 
 soever ye shall ask the Father in my 
 Name, he will give it you. Hitherto 
 have ye asked nothing in my Name: 
 ask, and ye sliall receive, that your 
 joy may be full. These things have 
 I spoken unto you in proverbs : the 
 time cometh when I shall no more 
 speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly 
 
 ready to assert its selfish powers and rights against those of others. The law of God is the rule 
 laid down hy the Maker to guide and govern the creature. This law consisted at first in the proper 
 relations of the creature to its God, except in one particular instance of positive command. The 
 law hy which angels are governed is a pure law of relations, that is, a law resulting from the relation 
 in which they stand to God, that relation heing rejoicingly and thankfully owned hy them as the 
 source of their happiness. Law, introduced as the antagonist of sin, commands, restrains, or con- 
 demns to captivity and death. It is therefore said to he the strength of sin, and to work wrath, 
 and to have entered, " that the oflf'ence might ahound."' Contrasted witli this law is the law of 
 liherty. Law and liherty seem irreconcileahle terms ; and so they are, ahsolutely and positively- 
 considered, except in the single case of the law of liberty. This is, in other words, ''the law of the 
 
 216 
 
THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
 
 of tlie Father. At that day ye shall ask in my Name : 
 and I say not unto you, that I will l)ray tlie Father for 
 you ; for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have 
 loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 
 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the 
 world : again, I leave the w^orld, and go to the Father. 
 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou 
 plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that 
 thou knowest all things, and ncedest not that any man 
 should ask thee : by this we believe that thou camest 
 forth from God. Jesus answered them. Do ye now be- 
 lieve ? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that 
 ye shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall 
 leave me alone : and yet I am not alone, because the 
 Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto 
 you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye 
 shall have tribulation ; but be of good cheer, I have over- 
 come the world. 
 
 Spirit of life," — of that Spirit for which the Psalmist prays, " Uphold me with thy free Spirit ; " 
 — Psalm li. 12 : and " Iwill walk at liberty, for I seek thy precepts." — cxix. 45. Isaiah says, *' He 
 sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives ; " and St. Paul speaks of '* the glorious liberty of the 
 children of God," and affirms that, " Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty ! "' The law 
 of liberty, then, is the law which, setting the will free from the power of sin, rules it not by positive 
 precepts, except as they are all resolvable into the relation which exists between a loving God and 
 creatures who only wish to live that they may glorify and dwell with the Author of their being 
 and their happiness. 
 
 The Gospel — No greater consolation can be given to Christ's disciples than the assurance that, 
 praying in His name, they are heard by God. The Apostles were filled with sorrow at contem- 
 plating the departure of their Lord. They felt how little able they would be to sustain themselves 
 in the lofty paths of holiness and wi: dom, to which He pointed their steps, if He were not with 
 them. To revive their drooping spirits. He assures them that His return to heaven, so far from 
 being their loss, would prove their great and permanent gain ; for that then, the work of redemp- 
 tion being finished, they might ask of God whatever was needful for their success and happiness, 
 and it would be given. The name of Christ embraces and represents the whole mysteiy of His 
 nature and His offices. " His name shall be called Wonderful ; " and to ask in His name is to 
 make our appeal to the Father by an acknowledgment of all the operations of His grace, and by 
 entering ourselves into the consecrated channel of mercy. 
 
 The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week are called Rogation-days, or Litany-days, 
 that is, days of petition. They are said to have been first observed by Mamercus, bishop of Vienne 
 in the sixth centuiy, and who instituted this as a period of fasting and solemn prayer in the hoi)e 
 of averting the calamities with which the Church was, and ever has been, threatened from witliout. 
 The custom was adopted in many of the western provinces, but not universally ; and the Greek 
 Church never acknowledged its propriety. It was argued by those who rejected it, that the whole 
 of the period intervening between Easter and Pentecost ought to be kept as a festival. Our own 
 Church has chiefly marked its sense of the subject by appointing a homilj' for the Rogation-days : 
 and it would be well were its members, if they attended in no otherwise to the season, carefully to 
 read this excellent piece of affectionate and sober divinity. Few persons can be so occupied as not 
 to be able to do many things in conformitj' with the spirit and wishes of the Church, though not 
 always able to attend its public ordinances. 
 
 217 '2. K 
 
The A scension-da^. 
 
 
 The Collect. 
 ,^4 >; RANT, we beseech thee, Ahiiighty 
 
 "^1 God, that like as we do bchcve thy 
 
 i:K only-hegotten Son our Lord Jesus 
 
 g|| Christ to have ascended into the 
 
 ^^";; heavens; so we may also in heart 
 
 Z cind mind thither ascend, and with 
 him continually dwell, who liveth 
 and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, 
 w^orld without end. Amen. 
 218 
 
THE ASCENSION-DAY. 
 
 For the Epistle. Acts i. 1. 
 
 HE former treatise have I made, O 
 Tlieopliilus, of all that Jesus began 
 both to do and teach, until the day 
 in which he was taken up, after 
 that he through the Holy Ghost had 
 given commandments unto the Apos- 
 tles whom he had chosen : to whom 
 also he shewed himself alive after 
 his passion, by many infallible proofs; being seen of 
 them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining 
 to the Kingdom of God : and, being assembled together 
 with them, commanded them that they should not depart 
 from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, 
 which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly 
 baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the 
 Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore 
 were come together, they asked of him, saying. Lord, wilt 
 thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 
 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the 
 times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his 
 own power. But ye shall receive power after that the 
 Holy Ghost is come upon you ; and ye shall be witnesses 
 unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in 
 
 The Collect.— Every article of the Christian's faith has in it much that is elevating and en- 
 nobling. The personal history of the Saviour Himself raises the believer above the world, and 
 habitually inclines him to have his conversation in heaven. With Christ he leaves the grave, 
 having already, in spirit, put ofFhis mortality ;— with Christ he ascends, in thought, to those happy 
 regions where the soul may contemplate the glories of eternity, and rejoice in the blessmg of the 
 Almighty Father ! To be able thus to converse with heaven in heart and mind is a privilege which 
 might be envied by genius the most sublime. If we desire to be really wise and happy, let us 
 endeavour to attain this true state of intellectual exaltation ; and then the next step in the advance- 
 ment of our nature will be an actual ascension into those bright regions where Christ already 
 reigns, and where He has prepared our homes. 
 
 TuE Epistle.— Our Lord's ascension is the grandest event that history has ever had to record. 
 Considered in itself, it exhibits the triumph of holiness over every adverse power. No shadow is 
 seen upon the path of the Conqueror. The enemies with whom He had to contend are fled, or 
 watch with terror and despair His approach to supreme dominion. When the subject is examined 
 more closely, it is seen that holiness alone could have gained such a triumph. Every thing else 
 has somewhat of weakness and insufficiency ; but holiness is the primal perfection of bemg, and it 
 is that, therefore, in the exaltation of which whatever exists has a deep and permanent interest. 
 Christ ascended into heaven by virtue of this principle ; holiness being the all- comprehensive 
 quality of His nature,— the assertion of its sovereignty the end of His actions, — and the diffusion 
 of its vivifying grace the result of His mediation. In restoring mankind to the favour of God, He 
 had first to assert the necessity of their becoming obedient to His own perfect law. And to this 
 
 219 2 F 2 
 
THE ASCENSION-DAY. 
 
 Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And 
 when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he 
 was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. 
 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he 
 w^ent up, behold, two men stood l)y them in white apparel ; 
 which also said. Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing 
 up into heaven ? This same Jesus, which is taken up 
 from you into heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye 
 have seen him go into heaven. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Mark xvi. 14. 
 
 ESUS appeared unto the eleven as 
 they sat at meat, and upbraided them 
 with their unbelief and hardness of 
 heart, because they believed not them 
 which had seen him after he was 
 risen. And he said unto them, Go 
 ye into all the world, and preach the 
 Gospel to every creature. He that 
 believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that 
 believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall 
 follow them that believe : In my Name shall they cast 
 out devils ; they shall speak with new tongues ; they shall 
 take up serpents ; and if they drink any deadly thing, it 
 shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, 
 and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had 
 spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and 
 sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth and 
 preached every where, the Lord working with them, and 
 confirming the Word with signs following. 
 
 obedience He brought those who fonn His kingdom by the rule of His example, — the influence of 
 His justifying sacrifice, — and the intervention of the Holy Spirit. By this process He led captivity 
 captive ; and ascended into heaven, soon to be followed by the race which He had redeemed. Sin 
 beheld its cords broken. It was no longer possible tliat the living spirit should, involuntarily, be 
 holden of them. In the ascension of Christ, therefore, mankind at large triumph, the way to heaven, 
 through the vast tracks of star-paved space, being now open to every redeemed and regenerated 
 soul ! 
 
 The Gospel. — Our Lord spent His last moments on earth in preparing His disciples for the 
 proper fulfilment of the duties which it behoved them to perform. The commission which He 
 gave them was solemu and comprehensive : it had no limitation as to place or time. The very 
 simplicity of tlie charge atiords evidence of the imiversal power and sovereignty of Him from whose 
 
 220 
 
Sunday after Ascension-dai/, 
 
 
 7y^6> Coiled. 
 
 GOD the King of Glory, wlio liast 
 exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ 
 with great triumph unto thy kingdom 
 in heaven ; We beseech thee, leave 
 us not comfortless ; but send to us 
 thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and 
 
 exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour 
 ^ Christ is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with 
 
 thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without 
 
 end. Amen. 
 
 lips it proceeded :—" Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to everj' creature ; " and, as it 
 is added in another place, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of tlie world." 
 
 The Feast ol' the Ascension has heen observed from the earliest times, and is supposed to have 
 originated in apostolic example, or in an ordinance of some coinicil held in the primitive age. 
 Both the Greek and Latin fathers speak of it as one of the great feasts of the Church, — of those 
 joyous days in which the souls of believers were gladdened by hymns and prayers, and the spiritual 
 discourses of men who gave their lives to the contemplation of the mysteries which they were set 
 apart to explain to the people. 
 
 The Coi.i.ect. — It is the characteristic excellence of the Collects that they speak the language 
 of times and seasons. That for the present Sunday anxiously expresses the request which the 
 very witnesses of our Lord's ascension may be supposed to have breathed when anxiously awaiting 
 the coming of the Holy Ghost according to His promise. Convinced of His great glory, and 
 
 221 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION-DAY. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 St. Pet. iv. 7. 
 
 HE end of all things is at hand ; be 
 ye therefore sober, and watch nnto 
 prayer. And above all things have 
 fervent charity among yourselves : 
 for charity shall cover the multitude 
 of sins. Use hospitality one to an- 
 other without grudging. As every 
 man hath received the gift, even so 
 minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the 
 manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak 
 as the oracles of God : if any man minister, let him do it 
 as of the ability which God giveth; that God in all things 
 may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise 
 and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John xv. 26 and part of Chap. xvi. 
 
 HEN the Comforter is come, whom 
 I will send unto you from the Father, 
 even the Spirit of truth, which pro- 
 ceedeth from the Father, he shall 
 testify of me. And ye also shall 
 bear witness, because ye have been 
 with me from the beginning. These 
 things have I spoken unto you, that 
 ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the 
 
 having all the demonstrations which faith can receive from without, they yet needed the internal 
 illumination, — the comfort which the heart and mind can obtain only from the communication of 
 the eternal Spirit. The more intense the conviction of Christ's power, truth, or exaltation, gained 
 by the eye or the ear, the more earnestly does the soul desire the evidence which is peculiar 
 to its own nature. Mentally assured, we may yet be spiritually weak and sad, and so must remain 
 till the Holy Ghost fulfil Christ's promise in our favour, and diffuse His blessed graces through 
 our being. 
 
 The Ei'isTLE. — Exhortations to serious thought, and the practice of Christian virtues, have a 
 peculiar propriety in seasons of religious festivity. Always ready to escape from the actual per- 
 formance of duty, and satisfy ourselves with an appearance of zeal, we need to be warned continu- 
 ally to add to our faith virtue. The knowledge of divine mysteries will not of itself suffice to the 
 purifying of the heart, or urging it forward in the career of good. Watchfulness and prayer must 
 be exercised, that the grace of God may not be given in vain. We shall then be able to combine 
 the announcement, " the end of all things is at hand," with a most joyful expectation of happiness 
 and glory. 
 
 222 
 
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION-DAY. 
 
 synagogues : yea, the time cometli, that whosoever killetli 
 you will think that he cloeth God service. And these 
 tilings will they do unto you, because they have not known 
 the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, 
 that, when the time shall come, ye may remember that I 
 told you of them. 
 
 The Gospel. — Our Lord was too generous as well as too holy to leave His followers ignorant of 
 the perils which they were about to encounter. He had said from the beginning that if any man 
 would ibllow Him, he must take up the Cross, already an emblem of whatever was most painlul 
 and humiliating. At first these warnings seem to have been regarded by His disciples with little 
 attention. They allowed themselves to hope that the sufferings alluded to would only be of the 
 same nature with those which must always be encountered in the execution of great designs. A 
 kingdom had to be recovered, a proud and benighted people subdued to the force of divine holi- 
 ness, and the nations of the world driven back from the gate of God's sanctuary. This was the 
 object which the more ardent of the disciples of Christ contemplated ; and warned by the sublime 
 spectacle which it presented to their imagination, they felt themselves ready to endure any of the 
 preliminary dangers, that they might have their share in the lofty glories which should follow. 
 But as Christ approached the period of suffering. His intimations oF the nature of the difficulties 
 through which they would have to struggle became more and more plain. He now began to teach 
 them that their perils would not be like those of princes and warriors, but sad and private afflic- 
 tions, such as try the heart, without affording it any of the relief which belongs to struggles of a 
 prouder kind. They were to be put out of the synagogues, — to be regarded as enemies by their 
 dearest friends,— to be hated and despised of all men,— and, at last, subjected to tortures and an 
 ignominious death. It is not to he supposed that the disciples could hear these sad predictions 
 unmoved ; or that they could continue to doubt the nature of the sufferings to which they were to 
 be exposed, if they remained faithful to their Master. But it was the object of Jesus to warn, not 
 depress;— to prepare, not to alarm. He foretold their sorrows, that when the hour of trial arrived, 
 they might not be offended, as at an imexpected change. And thus it is that He still instructs His 
 people, if not directly yet most powerfully, by the lessons of His Gospel, and the general example 
 of the Church. The Cross is still essential to the Christian pilgrim and warrior ; the resistance 
 and enmity of the world, the machinations of the wicked, are as much opposed as ever to his pro- 
 gress in the peaceful ways of righteousness ; and if he wish to do much in the service of the Saviour, 
 it is scarcely to be hoped that few or none of these will be encountered in the progress of his labours. 
 But in all cases the promise of Christ is, that He will send the Holy Spirit as a guide and com- 
 forter ; a guide through the labyrinth, — a support in tribulation, — an instructor in fears and diflS- 
 culties;— a friend, in short, sufficient to effect everything which the heart may require when 
 affected with sorrow, or ardently looking forward to the attainment of everlasting blessedness. 
 The history of the first three centuries of the Church proves with fearful particularity the truth of 
 our Lord's predictions ; but it proves with equal force and clearness the power of the Holy Spirit 
 to fulfil His office of a comforter and guide into all truth. Never had human nature been so 
 tried as it was in the early peisecutions of Christ's disciples. The storm raged not against those 
 merely who might seem fitted by a peculiar strength of character to meet its force ; but burst with 
 equal force on the poor, the weak, the aged, and the young : and finding in its fury that none could be 
 shaken from the rock on which they had taken their stand. If it be inquired by what means this 
 strange spectacle continued to be jjresented through successive generations,— how it was that the 
 weak acted as if they were possessed of the noblest courage, and men of simple understanding 
 learned to breathe the sentiments of divine and elevated wisdom, — what answer can rationally be 
 given but this:— that as they were called to suffer for the sake of Christ, so they received from 
 Christ the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 223 
 
WHIT-SUNDAY. 
 
 T/ic Culiect. 
 
 OD, who as at this time didst teach 
 the hearts of thy faithful people, hy 
 the sending to them the light of thy 
 Holy Spirit ; Grant us by the same 
 Spirit to have a right judgement in 
 all tilings, and evermore to rejoice 
 in his holy comfort ; through the merits of Christ 
 Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigncth with thoe, 
 in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world with- 
 out end. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — The first sentence in this Collect carries the mind back to that point of time 
 in which the existence of the Christian church began to be made manifest to the world. Its 
 foundations were laid in Christ ; but now the first of the living stones of the temple were placed 
 on the rock that could never be shaken ; the walls were raised, and the majestic plan of the mighty 
 edifice might be traced by angelic or prophetic eyes. While tlie first sentence of the Collect 
 carries us back to the time when this grand event took place, so does the next unite our hearts 
 with those who were principally concerned in the occurrence. Nor do we stop here ; tlie language 
 of the petition teaches us to aspire after the joy and the permanent comfort which are the j)roper 
 gifts of the Holy Ghost. The conclusion of the prayer, though common to many others, ought in 
 this instance to impress us with peculiar earnestmss. It is througli Jesus Christ, and Him alone, 
 that we enjoy the mysterious privilege of being made recipients of the divine Spirit. AVithout 
 redemption there could have been no regeneration, or sanctification. 
 
 224 
 
WHIT-SUNDAY. 
 
 For the Epistle. Acts ii. 1. 
 
 HEN the day of Pentecost was fully 
 come, they were all with one accord 
 in one place. And suddenly there 
 came a sound from heaven, as of a 
 rushing mighty wind, and it filled 
 all the house where they were sitting. 
 And there appeared unto them cloven 
 tongues, like as of fire, and it sat 
 upon each of them : and they were all filled with the Holy 
 Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the 
 Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at 
 Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under 
 heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude 
 came together, and were confounded, because that every 
 man heard them speak in his own language. And they 
 were all amazed, and marvelled, saying one to another, 
 Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And 
 how hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we 
 were born ? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the 
 dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, 
 in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, 
 and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers ol' 
 Rome, Jews, and Proselytes, Cretes, and Arabians, we do 
 hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of 
 God. 
 
 The Epistle. — Pentecost was one of the three great festivals especially appointed to be observed 
 by the Mosaic law. The word Pentecost means fifty ; and the feast of weeks was so called be- 
 cause it took place just fifty days, or seven weeks, after the celebration of the Passover. It deserves 
 observation, that the most important circumstances connected with the rise of Christianity occurred 
 at periods when they might be best examined. Our Lord appeared in Jerusalem, and wrought 
 His miracles there, when its streets were crowded with busy inquisitive strangers, and the Temple 
 with devout and zealous worshippers. By divine appointment, He suffered at the Passover, and 
 His resurrection took place before the multitudes dispersed. The first and mightiest evidence of 
 His ascent to glory was, in the same manner, afforded at a time when its value might best be tried. 
 People from every province, and from strange lands, " Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and 
 the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and 
 Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyreue, and strangers of Rome, Jews and 
 Proselytes, Cretes and Arabians,"' — were then assembled, and, united in one vast congregation, 
 beheld the consecration of Christ's Church and people. It is easy to conceive that, assured of 
 success, the possessor of infinite power might call together a numerous assembly to witness the 
 
 225 ^ 2 G 
 
WHIT-SUNDAY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John xiv. 15. 
 
 ESUS said unto his disciples, If ye 
 love me, keep my commandments. 
 And I will pray the Father, and he 
 shall give you another Comibrter, 
 that he may abide with you for ever ; 
 even the Spirit of truth, whom the 
 world cannot receive, because it seeth 
 him not, neither knoweth him : but 
 ye know him ; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in 
 you. I will not leave you comfortless ; I will come to 
 you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more ; 
 but ye see me : because I live, ye shall live also. At that 
 day ye shall know, that I am in my Father, and ye in me, 
 and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and 
 keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ; and he that loveth 
 me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and 
 will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, (not 
 Iscariot,) Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself 
 unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and 
 said unto him. If a man love me, he will keep my words, 
 and my Father will love him, and we will come unto liim, 
 and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not 
 keepeth not my sayings : and the word which ye hear is 
 not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things 
 have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But 
 the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father 
 will send in my Name, he shall teach you all things, and 
 
 operations of his word ; but it is inconsistent with all that we know to suppose that a deceiver 
 would choose a season for his imposture in which his pretensions might be most readily confuted. 
 Incidental and striking evidence is, therefore, aflbrded by the publicity of the periods at which the 
 Gospel was more fully presented to mankind. The term Pentecost continued to be applied to this 
 feast for some time after the days of the Apostles ; but White or Whit-Sunday at length supplied 
 its place, — an appellation used to signify the appearance presented by the white-clothed candidates 
 for baptism on this day, or, as some of the fathers suppose, the bright shining of that light which 
 now, by the Spirit, was shed upon the Church. The most ancient writers speak of this feast as 
 having been established in the primitive, and, as most believe, in the apostolic times. It is not, 
 indeed, to be imagined that a day so remarkable as that of the first descent of the Holy Ghost 
 could cease to be commemorated by those who were the principal recipients of its power. 
 
 22G 
 
WHIT-SUNDAY. 
 
 bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have 
 said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give 
 unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let 
 not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye 
 have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come 
 again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because 
 I said, I go unto the Father : for my Father is greater 
 than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, 
 that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. Here- 
 after I will not talk much with you : for the prince of this 
 world cometli, and hath nothing in me. But that the 
 world may know that I love the Father ; and as the Father 
 gave me commandment, even so I do. 
 
 The Gospel. — It is the noble privilege of Christians to be called to the contemplation of the 
 highest truths that can emploj'the understanding of rational beings. The nature of God — the pos- 
 sibility of a union between Deity and humanity — the methods by which divine anger may be ap- 
 peased, and God's favour permanently conciliated— these are the themes which exercise the Chris- 
 tian's mind, and in the treatment of which he finds his best solace in misfortune, and his highest 
 enjoyment in times of peace and prosperity. The article of our faith which teaches us to acknow- 
 ledge the Holy Ghost as a Comforter and Sanctifier is not less essential to the scheme of salva- 
 tion than that by which we know and own a Redeemer. The hannony and intimate connexion 
 between these two fundamental principles of the Gospel are clearly pointed out in the discourses of 
 our Lord and His Apostles. By the Holy Spirit believers are made new creatures, and their security 
 as a redeemed people is established by the seal of their sanctification. Christ strengthened the 
 minds of His followers by the promise of the Spirit, because He knew that the fulfilment of that 
 promise would be sufficient for all the purposes both of a human and a divine existence. The 
 Holj^ Spirit having been a witness to Christ becomes also a witness in our behalf. Originally He 
 was a witness against mankind, "reproving the world of sin;" but sought through the Mediator, 
 "He beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." A universal Teacher of 
 truth, and the Source of unchanging peace, this heavenly witness to the love of Christ, and to our 
 salvation, may rightly demand of every intelligent creature the profoundest homage of thankful 
 obedience. To Him we are indebted not only for our original regeneration, but for our daily 
 renewal; — the former, life recovered; the latter, life replenished. To Him we owe the revelations 
 of Scripture, and the light whereby alone they can be understood ; — to Him we owe our brother- 
 hood with the honourable of the earth, and the glorified in heaven ; — and whatever there may be 
 in our hearts which breathes of immortality, or in our hopes that has the stamp of truth and 
 consistency, from Him it has its origin : — and without Him, the whole comprehensive circle of our 
 powers and faculties would present but sadness and confusion ! He alone can make us at peace 
 with heaven ; — and to Him we must equally look if we would be at peace with ourselves. The 
 prince of this world is now the enemy of the Holy Ghost, as he was originally opposed openly and 
 personally to Christ. Ever on the watch to betray and destroy, we must guard ourselves against 
 his approach by allowing the blessed Spirit to take complete possession of our hearts. With Him 
 for our shield, we shall be inspired with that happy sense of security which will difltiise a gladden- 
 ing peace through our souls, and enable us to say, in the hour of sorrow or temptation, "The 
 prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." No state of mind can be so happy as that 
 in which the power of darkness and of the world is felt to be subdued to the influences of divine 
 grace. The deep serenity which belongs to such a condition leaves both the eye and the ear open 
 to perceive all that is noblest in the teachings of truth, and all that is most benign in the promises 
 of God. 
 
 227 L> G 2 
 
Monday in Whilswi'iceek. 
 
 . K. I 
 
 The 
 
 Collect. 
 
 OD, who 
 as at this 
 time didst 
 teach the 
 hearts of 
 thy faith- 
 ful peo- 
 ple, by 
 the sending to them the light 
 of thy Holy Spirit ; Grant us 
 by the same Spirit to have a 
 right judgement in all things, 
 and evermore to rejoice in his 
 holy comfort ; through the 
 merits of Christ Jesus our 
 Saviour, who liveth and rcigneth with thee, in the unity 
 of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. 
 
 ^ r 
 
 The Collect. — The Monday and Tuesday of Whitsun-week are observed as a continuation of 
 the Festival, but the three following days are set apart for fasting, this being one of the Ember- 
 weeks, and therefore calling for the earnest prayers of the church in favour of those about to be 
 admitted to its ministry. The proper preface for the Communion Service is appointed for the 
 whole of the week, and expresses in powerful and beautiful language the faith of the believer in 
 the divine energy of the blessed Spirit. Happy are they who commemorate the festival with a 
 true feeling of the change which the Holy Spirit is appointed to work ; who experimentally know 
 that He is a sanctifier, — and are willing, for the joy which He gives, to resign whatever is contraiy 
 to the will or law of God. 
 
 The Epistle. — The narrative contained in this passage of the Acts affords a noble view of the 
 nature of the Gospel, and of the part which the Holy Spirit performs in its administration. It 
 was for mankind at large that Christ died. The law which He has given is the universal law of 
 love ; and, endowed with the attributes of an omnipotent and eternal Spirit, the Holy Ghost is the 
 administrator of this mighty system, bounded by none of the restrictions of infirmity or ignorance, 
 or selfishness, but free as the light of heaven, in its original puritj', to bear the knowledge, and 
 give the power, of salvation to the remotest limits of the universe. The distinctions wliich the 
 Almighty Father has either by religious or providential dispensations made between ditierent portions 
 of mankind, liave only been temporary, and in every instance have regarded the general benefit of 
 the race, rather than the private good of the individual. This is proved in the most signal manner 
 by the fate of the old Jewish dispensation. A nation was raised under the broad shield of the 
 law against which the might of the world proved powerless. It boasted of its grandeur, independ- 
 ence, and final prospects ; but it existed only for the good of the world at large ; and in the 
 fulness of time the Universal Father broke down the barriers which had, for a season, restrained 
 
 228 
 
MONDAY IN WHITSUN-WEEK. 
 
 For the Epistle. Acts x. 34. 
 
 HEN Peter opened his mouth, and 
 said, Of a truth I perceive that God 
 is no respecter of persons ; but in 
 every nation he that feareth him, 
 and worketh righteousness, is ac- 
 cepted with him. The Word which 
 God sent unto the children of Israel, 
 preaching peace by Jesus Christ; 
 (he is Lord of all ;) that Word, I say, ye know, which 
 was published throughout all Judaea, and began from 
 Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; how 
 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, 
 and with power ; who went about doing good, and healing 
 all that were oppressed of the devil : for God was with 
 him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did, 
 both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem ; whom 
 they slew, and hanged on a tree : Him God raised up the 
 third day, and shewed him openly ; not to all the people, 
 but unto witnesses chosen before of God ; even to us who 
 did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. 
 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to 
 testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the 
 Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets 
 witness, that through his Name whosoever believeth in 
 him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet 
 spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which 
 heard the word. And they of the circumcision, which 
 believed, were astonished, as many as came with Peter, 
 because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift 
 of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with 
 
 the flowing of the streams of light and grace. This did not take place till the world had been 
 redeemed, and a fountain opened for the cleansing of the nations. The blood of Christ was that 
 fountain. His humanity, universal in its representative character, embraced every individual of 
 the vast family ; and His atonement was an atonement for mankind. This or that nation was not 
 to claim an exclusive right to the blessing ; it was for all, glorious and free in its diffusiveness as 
 the light of the sun. But wherever Christ has been, there also the Spirit may be looked for; and 
 thus the belief of Cornelius, the first-fruits of Gentile conversion, is immediately followed by the 
 gift of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 229 
 
MONDAY IN WHITSUN-WEEK. 
 
 tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can 
 any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, 
 which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we ? And 
 he commanded them to be baptized in the Name of the 
 Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Jolin iii, 16. 
 
 OD so loved the world, that he gave 
 his only-begotten Son, that whoso- 
 ever belie veth in him should not 
 perish but have everlasting life. For 
 God sent not his Son into the world 
 to condemn the world, but that the 
 world through him might be saved. 
 He that believeth on him is not 
 condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned 
 already ; because he hath not believed in the Name of 
 the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the condem- 
 nation, that light is come into the world, and men loved 
 darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 
 For every one that doetli evil hateth the light, neither 
 Cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 
 But he that doctli truth cometh to the light, that his deeds 
 may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. 
 
 The Gospel. — The love of God is a theme so precious to every created being, that the highest 
 archangel, and the meanest of sentient things, have, according to the capacity of their nature, an 
 equal interest in its elucidation. But if love be manifested in the direct gift of good, in creation 
 and its continued accompaniments, it is exercised in a far higher degree when employed to 
 recover that which has wasted and despised its beneficence. The existence of a world in peace 
 and blessedness would be a glorious demonstration of heavenly mercy. But let the history of this 
 world be unfolded, — let it be seen that it had shot down the deep gulfs of darkness, and had thence 
 been recovered by the free and most luimerited compassion of the Creator ; then every spot that 
 is verdant upon its surface will appear more lovely to the eye of gratitude, — every ray of simple 
 light will be as a beam of glory, — and the sounds of life and activity as a concert of sweetest music. 
 God might have sent His Son to condemn the world, and leave it to the dark fate which it liad 
 tempted ; but He sent Him to save it, and its recovery from sin is a greater miracle than its original 
 derivation from the bosom of night and chaos. Nothingness is omnipotent against aught but 
 Omnipotence ; but sin presents a resistance to the working of Almighty power and love, involving 
 difficulties far more insurmountable to mercy than those presented by nothingness to creation. 
 That the stupendous mystery of redeeming love should make no impression on the liearts of the 
 majority of mankind is the most melancholy of all tniths. It is as if they desired to remain buried 
 in the whirlpools of chaos; or were exclaiming, when God says " Let there be light," No ! Creator, 
 let not the light be ! 
 
 230 
 
Tuesday in Whilsun-iceek. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 OD, who as at this time didst teach 
 the hearts of thy faithful people, by 
 the sending to them the light of thy 
 Holy Spirit ; Grant us by the same 
 Spirit to have a right judgement in 
 all things, and evermore to rejoice 
 in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ 
 Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, 
 in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world with- 
 out end. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — The repetition of the Collect will not weary spiritual minds. Thoughts and 
 words become the more and more valuable in proportion as they become more familiar, if they 
 possess a real and intrinsic worth. The prayer of penitence, " Lord, be merciful to me a sinner," 
 increases in meaning and propriety with the deepening of our sorrow for sin. The prayer of faith, 
 " Increase our faith ;" " Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief," becomes more forcible as our 
 desire to know God acquires new strength in our souls. And so the prayer of thanksgiving, " I 
 will praise thee, O Lord," as the heart expands itself more readily to the softening influences of 
 love and gratitude. May we, through the Holy Ghost, be united with Christ's faithful people ; — 
 may we, through the same Spirit, have a right judgment in all things ; and, rejoicing in His holy 
 comfort, reach by His guidance the mansions of blessedness. How thankful, then, shall we be 
 that this prayer has often ascended from our hearts to the throne of grace. 
 
 231 
 
TUESDAY IN WHITSUN-WEEK. 
 
 For the Epistle. Acts viii. 14. 
 
 HEN tlie Apostles, which were at 
 
 Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had 
 
 received the word of God, they sent 
 
 unto them Peter and John ; who, 
 
 when they were come down, prayed 
 
 for them, that they might receive the 
 
 Holy Ghost : (for as yet he was fallen 
 
 upon none of them ; only they were 
 
 baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid 
 
 they their hands on them, and they received the Holy 
 
 Ghost. 
 
 I'lie Gospel. St. John x. 1. 
 
 ERILY, verily I say unto you, He 
 
 that entereth not by the door into 
 
 the sheepfold, but climbeth up some 
 
 other way, the same is a thief and a 
 
 robber. But he that entereth in by 
 
 the door is the shepherd of the sheep : 
 
 to him the porter openeth ; and the 
 
 sheep hear his voice, and he calleth 
 
 his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And 
 
 when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before 
 
 them, and the sheep follow him ; for they know his voice. 
 
 The Epistle. — As the Apostles had awaited at Jerusalem the fulfilment of Christ's promise 
 respecting the gift of the Holy Ghost, so they continued there till events should occur which might 
 determine their future course. It was from Jerusalem that the word was to go forth, Sion was 
 still to be " the joy of the whole earth," and the wells of salvation, opened amid her rocky heights, 
 were to pour forth streams of living water to wash the desert plains beneath. Christ, exalted to His 
 throne at the right hand of His Father, had not forgotten Samaria,— poor, bewildered, and despised 
 Samaria! There were some there who already called upon His name, and who had, probably, 
 learned the tidings of His resurrection and ascension with feelings scarcely less joyous and devout 
 than those which filled the hearts of His Apostles themselves. The two most distinguished of the 
 sacred messengers were sent. Both of them especially witnesses of the resurrection, and each 
 inspired with a peculiar reverence for Christ, and knowledge of His character. The object of their 
 mission was, it appears, not so much to teach as to pray. Others might have communicated in- 
 formation respecting the doctrines of the Gospel but it was for Apostles to seek, and bring down 
 upon the people, the mighty influences of the converting Spirit. Their prayer was heard accord- 
 ing to the promise of Christ. They had agreed to ask for the illumination of those to wliom they 
 were sent, and their entreaties prociu-cd the blessing. 
 
 232 
 
 :i^'^-f' 
 
TUESDAY IN WHITSUN-WEEK. 
 
 And a stranger will tliey not follow; but will flee from 
 him; for tliey know not tlie voice of strangers. This 
 parable spake Jesus unto them : but they understood not 
 what things they were which he spake unto them. Then 
 said Jesus unto them again ; Verily, verily I say unto you, 
 I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before 
 me are thieves and robbers ; but the sheep did not hear 
 them. I am the door ; by me if any man enter in, he 
 shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 
 The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to 
 destroy : I am come that they might have life, and that 
 they might have it more abundantly. 
 
 The Gospel. — It is always of great importance to us to determine rightly the pretensions of 
 those who offer to become our friends and guides. " Try the spirits, whether they be of God, for 
 many false prophets are gone out into the world." This precept is valuable under everj^ circum- 
 stance; and mankind would have saved themselves from innumerable calamities, and avoided a 
 host of errors equally ruinous and degrading, had they adopted it as their rule of inquiiy. But if 
 this be true in respect to our general condition and pursuits, it is of still greater importance in 
 whatever concerns the formation of a religious belief. Here a wrong guide involves the mind and 
 heart in inextricable difficulties. The path of inquirj^, strange and intricate at first, soon becomes 
 a perfect labjTinth, every turn of which plunges the unhappy spirit into more fatal obscurity. Most 
 men have found themselves involved in a labyrinth of this kind before they are aware of their 
 danger. They have allowed their passions or their pride to lead them on. Or they have listened 
 to the woi'ld, — or taken its teachers for their guides, — or have found, perhaps, in the concourse of 
 pretenders to sacred knowledge, some bold and confident mind whose daring energy has won them 
 to acknowledge subjection to its will. Should such be the case, how consolatory is it to know that, 
 if they desire to recover the right path, Christ stands ready to assist them : that as He is " the 
 way, the truth, and the life," so is He ever willing to save the erring, and by the power which He 
 possesses, admit them to the presence of His Father. His people know His voice. They cannot 
 be deceived by the pretensions of others, however subtly set forth, or through whatever channels 
 made known. Let those who have not yet accepted his offers of grace compare those offers, and 
 the foundation on which they rest, with the corresponding promises of other guides. Let them 
 compare their several characters, and weigh, without prejudice, the nature of the appeal made iu 
 each instance to the various principles of their being. They will then see that Jesus alone can 
 so teach and guide that His people " may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." 
 It is the fate of the worldly to be continually exposed to the machinations of cruelty and deceit. 
 Imagining themselves wise, they become the dupes of their gross and obstinate folly. No form of 
 malice is unknown in the world ; and falsehood has never been without some stratagem, sufficiently 
 well contrived to lure thousands into ruin. Under the name of philosophy or religion, bold im- 
 posture, griping avarice, and fierce ambition, have, singly or collectively, preyed upon mankind in 
 almost every age of the world. Our Lord's denunciation of the wickedness of those who, before 
 His time, had pretended to come as the saviours or benefactors of their race, might be applied 
 with equal force to many who have since taught in His name. But in neither instance have His 
 sheep followed the call of the false shepherds; v/hile the world, ever eager after novelty, and ready 
 for the snare, has phmged itself into sorrows which it has required centuries to heal. The sim- 
 plicity of the Christian rule is the safety of Christians. Christ speaks to them plainly of the love 
 of God, — of the necessity of personal holiness, and places the hope of happiness on this foundation 
 alone. No other teacher ever taught such a doctrine : and while the world runs a thousand ways 
 to hear the various pretenders to wisdom, Christ's people move not till they hear His call to 
 repentance, or His promises of mercy. 
 
 233 2h 
 
TRINITY-SUNDAY. 
 
 LMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 
 who hast given unto us thy servants 
 
 grace by the confession of a true 
 
 faith to acknowledge the glory of 
 
 the eternal Trinity, and in the power 
 
 of the Divine Majesty to worship 
 
 the Unity ; We beseech thee, that thou wouldest keep 
 
 us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from 
 
 all adversities, who livest and reign est, one God, 
 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 The Collect.— This festival was not observed till a late period, and was only generally esta- 
 blished at the beginning of the fourteenth century. But it is a wise arrangement of the Church, 
 that after its members have been led to contemplate the most important events in the history of 
 their Redeemer, and have joined in the celebration of the first great outpouring of the Spirit of trutli, 
 they should proceed to the especial consideration of that highest of revealed mysteries, the union 
 of three persons in the Godhead, or the absolute oneness of the essence of Deity, with a tlireefold 
 personality. It is the first principle of a religion which teaches us to lament our natural ignorance and 
 depravity, to convince us also of our inability to receive such revelations without the aid of heavenly 
 grace. If, therefore, we can join the church in the confession of a true faith, it is our duty to 
 acknowledge the source of that faith, and oin- interest to seek with earnest zeal for further supplies 
 of grace, that we may not cease to possess the inestimable gift of a pure and saving knowledge 
 of the truth. It is to be observed that this Collect does not end in the usual manner : all the three 
 persons of the Adorable Trinity being addressed in the simple unity of the Godhead. 
 
 231 
 
TRINITY-SUNDAY. 
 
 For the Epistle. Rev. iv. 1 . 
 
 FTER this I looked, and beliold a 
 door was opened to heaven : and the 
 first voice which I heard was as it 
 were of a trumpet talking with me ; 
 which said, Come up hither, and I 
 will shew thee things which must be 
 hereafter. And immediately I was 
 in the Spirit ; and behold, a throne 
 was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne : and he 
 that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine 
 stone : and there was a rainbow round about the throne, 
 in siorht like unto an emerald. And round about the 
 throne were four and twenty seats ; and upon the seats I 
 saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white 
 raiment ; and they had on their heads crowns of gold : 
 and out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunder- 
 ings, and voices. And there were seven lamps of fire 
 burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of 
 God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like 
 unto crystal : and in the midst of the throne, and round 
 about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and 
 behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the 
 second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face 
 as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 
 
 The Epistle.— Minds rightly ordered approach the contemplation of divine mysteries with 
 mingled delight and awe ; — with delight, hecause it is the glory of elevated souls to be admitted 
 to the contemplation ;— with awe, hecause the purest angels veil their face when near the throne of 
 God,— in whom centre, and in wliom, when He is known, are revealed all mysteries. Our religion 
 is founded on the doctrine of the Trinity, which we find interwoven with every branch of the 
 fully-developed system. The God whom we serve is not merely the God of nature : He is revealed 
 as acting and decreeing in relation to plans which extend far beyond the present and visible state 
 of things. In the revealed threefold personality of the Godhead, we discover the explanation of 
 many wonderful circumstances that could never be understood from the simple knowledge of its 
 essential unity. The designs of God are decrees, proceeding from the same unchangeable and 
 eternal wisdom ; but in the execution of these decrees a threefold mode of operation is manifest, 
 which, though in each instance indicating the presence of Deity, manifests also a difference of 
 personality, that is, the energy is one, but the persons acting are three. It is not till the personality 
 of God is known and contemplated, that we see the importance of the doctrine of the Trinity. An 
 impersonal God is a mere abstraction ; but admit His personality, and the doctrine of the Trunty 
 seems necessarily to follow. We may account fur the characters impressed on the system of 
 
 235 2 H 2 
 
TRINITY-SUNDAY. 
 
 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about 
 him ; and they were full of eyes within : and they rest 
 not day and night, saying Holy, holy, holy, Lord God 
 Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when 
 those beasts give glory, and honour, and thanks, to him 
 that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the 
 four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on 
 the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, 
 and cast their crowns before the throne, saying. Thou art 
 worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power ; 
 for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they 
 arc and were created. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John iii. 1. 
 
 HERE was a man of the Pharisees, 
 named Nicodemus, a ruler of the 
 Jews : the same came to Jesus by 
 night, and said unto him. Rabbi, we 
 know that thou art a teacher come 
 from God : for no man can do these 
 miracles that thou doest, except God 
 be with him. Jesus answered and said 
 unto him, Verily, verily I say unto thee. Except a man be 
 born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nico- 
 demus saith unto him. How can a man be born when he 
 is old ? can he enter the second time into his mother's 
 womb, and be born ? Jesus answered, Verily, verily I say 
 unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and of the 
 Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That 
 which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is 
 born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto 
 
 nature when we only recognise as its ruler a notional and impersonal Deitj% But the system of 
 grace requires for its explanation that threefold personality so sublimely exhibited in the solemn 
 visions of the Apocalypse. There we behold the glorified Son clothed in the attributes of eternitj', 
 — and there the Comforter, designated by the mystic title of perfection, " the Seven Spirits of God ; " 
 while in the Unity of the one Lord God Almighty, they receive the homage of the Church and of 
 universal nature. 
 
 236 
 
TRINITY SUNDAY. 
 
 thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it 
 listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst 
 not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth ; so is 
 every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered 
 and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus 
 answered and said unto him. Art thou a master of Israel, 
 and knowest not these things? Verily, verily I say unto 
 thee. We speak that we do know, and testify that we have 
 seen ; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you 
 earthly things, and ye believe not ; how shall ye believe, 
 if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath 
 ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from 
 heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven. And as 
 Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so 
 must the Son of man be lifted up : that whosoever be- 
 lieveth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 
 
 The Gospel. — There are certain introductory principles in the science of heavenly tnith ; and 
 there are the grand and comprehensive doctrines which sujipoii the whole mystery of godliness. If 
 the former be not received and understood, much less can the latter. Jesus describes the one 
 under the name of earthly things, whereby He means that they are subjects which come within the 
 range of common observation, or belong to the elemental knowledge of religion; — things which 
 may be rendered familiar by comparison with objects seen and understood ; — or which by their 
 simplicity and contracted influence are not to be long dwelt upon : while the higher doctrines 
 which He was soon about to teach had a close and immediate connexion with eternity. The doc- 
 trine of baptism and spiritual regeneration ought not to have surprised a master in Israel. If he 
 had rightly employed the advantages which every Israelite possessed, he would have seen in the 
 typical washings prescribed by his own religion the necessity of a spiritual baptism. The prose- 
 Ijie had to be cleansed thereby, and when admitted into the family of God's people, was regarded 
 as a new man. Raising his thoughts but a little from the old religion of signs and types to that 
 spoken of by the prophets, he might have understood that as in this all was to be real and sub- 
 stantial, yet spiritual, so the change to be wrought in those receiving it was to be a renovation, 
 vital and entire. The religion of Christ is received by the world at large rather according to the 
 teaching of its own favourites than as it is set forth either by the Gospel or the Church of God. 
 We might almost imagine, from the manner in which it is sometimes spoken of, — from the authori- 
 tative tone with which doctrines are rejected or modified, that there were no such fixed standard of 
 faith as Scripture, and no such interpreter as the blessed Spirit. Christianity as professed liy the 
 world is a religion without mystery ; — a system compounded of precepts and general promises, both 
 the one and the other wanting the foundation on which alone they can be reasonably established. It 
 is presented altogether under an earthly aspect ; — as a system appreciable by earthly understandings, 
 and capable of being easily supported by earthly arguments and sanctions. But the world does not 
 in reality, and with good faith, accept the system with which it has thus ventured to interfere, and 
 so greatly modify in order to suit it to its wishes and apprehensions. It leaves itself at liberty to 
 reject, for the sake of expediency, both the doctrines and the precepts which it has outwardly 
 acknowledged. For the proof of this, witness its practices, and compare them with the admitted 
 commands of Christ. Listen to its ordinary language, and then turn even to the summaries of 
 doctrine which it consents to receive as containing correct exhibitions of the Christian system. 
 No further proof will be wanted to demonstrate its folly and its inconsistency. 
 
 237 
 
The First Sunday after Trimty, 
 
 
 The Collect 
 
 GOD, the strength of all them that 
 
 put their trust in thee, mercifully 
 
 accept our prayers ; and because 
 
 through the weakness of our mortal 
 
 nature we can do no good thing 
 
 ^ '^-v.i^_/,._J(_,.. — ))? without thee, grant us the help of 
 
 :^ thy grace, that in keeping of thy commandments we 
 
 ^ may please thee, both in will and deed; through 
 
 \ Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 '^^^ , 
 
 The Collect. — We have passed, step bj^ step, along the pathway of evangelical history ; and 
 are now brought, as it were, to expatiate in the wider fields of spiritual doctrine. This and the 
 other Collects for the Sundays after Trinity are taken from the Sacramentary of Gregory. The 
 present prayer acknowledges, by an act of faith, the power and the mercy of God, and the utter 
 helplessness of unaided mortality. His grace is sought because no good thing is possible to man 
 without it ; and in the true spirit of Christian holiness, the power which it bestows is desired in 
 order that we may be enabled to keep God's commandments, and, in the ways of holiness, find 
 peace and joy. 
 
 238 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 St. John iv. 7. 
 
 ELOVED, let us love one anotlier : 
 for love is of God, and every one 
 that lovetli is born of God, and 
 knoweth God. He that loveth not 
 knoweth not God ; for God is love. 
 In this was manifested the love of 
 God towards us, because that God 
 sent his only-begotten Son into the 
 world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, 
 not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his 
 Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God 
 so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man 
 hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God 
 dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby 
 know we that we dwell in him, and he in us ; because he 
 hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen, and do 
 testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of 
 the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son 
 of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we 
 have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God 
 is love ; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and 
 God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we 
 may have boldness in the day of judgement ; because as 
 he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love ; 
 
 The Epistle. — The perfect system of the Gospel proposed to, and accepted by, the Chris- 
 tian, it becomes his duty to inquire into the great characteristics of the religion, as intended 
 to produce the most noble effects on the state of mankind at large. " Love is the fulfilling of the 
 law," is the sublimest statement that ever fell from the lips of a teacher. Neither poet nor philo- 
 sopher had ventured thus simply and comprehensively to declare the truth which, of all others, 
 is most essential to the happiness of the world. St. John, who rejoiced in the privilege of being 
 appointed to unfold the higher mysteries of the Gospel, insists with a never-tiring energy on this 
 grandest of moral truths. In his record of Christ's words, he had made known the necessity of the 
 new birth — of a regeneration which should leave nothing in the will of man hostile to the purposes 
 of God. Here, speaking by the Holy Ghost, he shows what we are to look for in those who have 
 been born of God, or in whom " His love is perfected." God Himself, he tells us, is love ; and 
 the reality of our regeneration must be proved by the manifest participation of our souls in that 
 prime attribute of the Father. By this new quality of our nature, we become capable of knowing 
 and glorifying Him ; and by the same divine principle it must be that we are rendered tender, 
 useful, and compassionate to our fellow-men. One heavenly Spirit regenerates and endows us with 
 life, and fills the channels of our immortality with the copious streams of an unfailing love ! 
 
 239 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 but perfect love castetli out fear; because fear hath 
 torment : He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 
 We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I 
 love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar : for he that 
 loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he 
 love God, whom he hath not seen ? And this command- 
 ment have we from him, That he who loveth God love 
 his brother also. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xvi. 19. 
 
 HERE was a certain rich man, 
 
 which was clothed in purple, and 
 
 fine linen, and fared sumptuously 
 
 every day. And there was a certain 
 
 beggar named Lazarus, which was 
 
 laid at his gate full of sores, and 
 
 desiring to be fed with the crumbs, 
 
 which fell from the rich man's table : 
 
 moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it 
 
 came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by 
 
 the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also 
 
 died, and was buried : and in hell he lifted up his eyes 
 
 being in torments, and sceth Abraham afar off, and 
 
 Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father 
 
 Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he 
 
 may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; 
 
 for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, 
 
 Son, remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy 
 
 good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things ; but now 
 
 he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And besides 
 
 all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed : 
 
 so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot ; 
 
 neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 
 
 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou 
 
 wouldest send him to my father's house : for I have five 
 
 brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also 
 240 
 
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, 
 They have Moses and the prophets ; let them hear them. 
 And he said, Nay, father Abraham ; but if one went unto 
 them from the dead, tliey will repent. And he said unto 
 him. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither 
 will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. 
 
 The Gospel. — A lesson equally solemn and pathetic is afforded in this Gospel. It was not the 
 want of evidence which prevented the rich man in the parable from believing God, or obeying His 
 call to repentance. Equally certain is it that the poor afflicted beggar possessed no superior 
 means of studying the truth, or examining the foundations upon which it rested. Pride, folly, and 
 licentiousness, will resist any degree of evidence ;— the evidence of the senses as readily as the 
 demonstrations of reason. A pure and simple mind, on the other hand, presenting no obstacle to 
 the flowing in of light, and having an instinctive love lor that which is right and true, perceives 
 the value of every degree of evidence ; and instead of waiting to acknowledge a truth till it has 
 been proved by every possible kind of argument, it embraces it with delight as soon as it is pre- 
 sented to the understanding. The desire of the rich man was inconsistent with his own conduct. 
 Moses and the prophets had failed to aflect his heart, not because he disbelieved them, but because 
 he was unwilling to cease from his sensual mode of life. No accumulation of proof could have 
 brought religion to a soul which rejected it not for want of pioof, but from motives which regarded 
 only the passions and inclinations of a gross spirit. The brothers of the miserable culprit were 
 pursuing the same course of pride and folly, and already verged towards the gulf down which he 
 himself had been plunged. It was not a new proof of the life after death which would have 
 induced them to become wise and holy, but the proper application of the grace which God was 
 already willing to bestow. This is established both by the nature of things and by actual ex- 
 perience. On those who are oidy waiting for more evidence, that which they have received at the 
 beginning of the inquiry will surely exercise some influence : but the proud and thoughtless sen- 
 sualist stands altogether opposed to religious truth ; and that degree of proof which is granted 
 being utterly despised, no complaint can justly be made that a larger quantity of evidence is not 
 granted them to despise. The futility of the hope, that by multiplying the proofs of a truth unholy 
 and obstinate minds may be convinced, was sufficiently manifested in the course of our Saviour's 
 ministry. Those very miracles which we now imagine would convert the most determined un- 
 believers were performed in the sight of multitudes, from among which not one in a hundred ap- 
 pears to have 1 een brought to Christ. The same species of fact is witnessed in our own days. 
 Many men are mentally witnesses to the reality of our Lord's miracles, — that is, see and acknow- 
 ledge them by the assent of the understanding ; but they remain as far from the kingdom of 
 heaven as if they had never heard that Christ rose from the dead. The world has been visited 
 by a Redeemer, and the price of its salvation paid to the uttermost farthing. But it refuses to 
 consider its former lost condition, or its present means of good. Still enchained by sensuality, its 
 children seek only the gratification of their passions ; and the wealth which they possess is mainly 
 employed in pampering the selfishness which rises in rebellion against both humanity and God. 
 For a time they triumph. The full hand of nature is allowed to supply them, so that they shall 
 know no want ; and at the liberal feast they iorget that, existing not with them, it may yet be 
 oppressing others of their race. God and man are both lust sight of. But the hour of retribution 
 comes. The lights are put out, — the gay assembly has vanished, — the foundations of the gilded 
 palace tremble, — and in a moment its pruud and thoughtless lord finds himself transported to the 
 fearful realms of unutterable woe. Not thus is it with the poor and humble worshipper of God. 
 Willingly submissive to the severest discipline, if it leads but his soul to heaven, he is contented to 
 look forward to futurity with no other assurance of its bringing him consolation than that which 
 can be gathered from the word of God. Poverty and sickness serve to expel the rank humours 
 which might otherwise infect his soul. He is sunk to the world's eye in the depths of wretched- 
 ness ; but the seeds of eternal life have been sown in his heart. He awaits patiently the period of 
 emancipation : at length it comes ; and the glad messengers of heaveri bear him to his joyous 
 resting-place in the mansions of his Father's house. Reader ! if rich, selfish, and thoughtless, 
 tremble ! If poor and righteous, " rejoice and be exceeding glad, for the day of thy redemption 
 draweth nigh." 
 
 241 2 I 
 
77//; Second Sioidoj/ after Trinitj/. 
 
 LORD, who never failcst to help 
 and govern tliem wliom tliou dost 
 bring np in thy stedfast fear and 
 love ; Keep ns, we beseech thee, 
 nnder the protection of thy good 
 providence, and make ns to have a 
 
 perpetual fear and love of thy holy Name ; through 
 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Thk Collect. Were the change whicli the Gospel works proiluctive of no ulterior couse- 
 
 iiuences, it would yet be of infinite value to the luniian race. To be holy is a blessing in itself; 
 and it would be incomparably belter to exist, were it only for a few years, in the free and light- 
 some condition of a virtuous spirit, than to pass the same time under the tyranny of the best 
 "•ratified and most pampered passion. Hut God leaves not those whom He has converted to them- 
 selves: He keeps them under His continual guaidianship ; and every hour which passes by de- 
 posits some new gift of grace in their hearts, and adds to the treasure which is laid up fur them 
 in heaven. 
 
 242 
 
THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epiatle. 1 St. Jolin iii. 13. 
 
 ARVEL not, my brethren, if the 
 world hate you. We know that we 
 have passed from death unto life, 
 because we love the brethren. He 
 that loveth not his brother abideth 
 in death. Whosoever hateth his bro- 
 ther is a murderer: and ye know 
 that no murderer hath eternal life 
 abiding in hmi. Hereby perceive we the love of God, 
 because he laid down his life for us : and we ought to lay 
 down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this 
 world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shut- 
 teth up his bowels of compassion from him ; how dwelleth 
 the love of God in him / My little children, let us not 
 love in word, neither in tongue ; but in deed, and in truth. 
 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall 
 assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn 
 us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 
 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we con- 
 fidence towards God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive 
 of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those 
 things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his 
 commandment, That we should believe on the Name of 
 his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us 
 commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments 
 dwelleth in him, and he in him : and hereby we know that 
 he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. 
 
 The Epistle. — Another lesson of profound wisdom and holiness from the beloved disciple. No 
 attempt was made by Christ, neither is any made by his followers, to conceal from believers their 
 condition in the world. They were taun;ht from the beginninj^ that it hates them ; and their state 
 is perilous when they imagine that the danger is at an end, and that they have no further need to 
 dread its enmity. But convinced that little good ought to be looked for from the world, whence is 
 the comfort to be expected, without some portion of which the human heart would sink under the 
 burden of its sorrows ? It is here, in the very words of the Apostle, — " We have passed from death 
 imto life ! " And what better consolation can we receive than an assurance, given by the Spirit of 
 God, that the shadows of death have already passed away, leaving the bright expanse of heaven un- 
 clouded before us ! The proof that such is the case is purely evangelical. It is, in the first place, 
 the love of God and of Cltrist towards us, and then our love towarils them, rising and working with 
 noble energy through all the paths of humanity till it rejoice in the fulness of the heavenly life. 
 
 243 2 I 2 
 
THE SFXOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 
 
 The Gospel. 8t. Luke xiv. 16. 
 
 CERTAIN man made a great sup- 
 per, and bade many ; and sent liis 
 servant at supper-time to say to 
 tliem that were ])idden, Come, for 
 all things are now ready. And they 
 all with one consent began to make 
 excuse. The first said unto him, I 
 have bought a piece of ground, and 
 I must needs go and see it ; I pray thee have me excused. 
 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, 
 and I go to prove them ; I pray thee have me excused. 
 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I 
 cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord 
 these things. Then the master of the house being angry 
 said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and 
 lanes of the city, and bring in hitlier the poor, and the 
 maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant 
 said. Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet 
 there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go 
 out into the high-ways and hedges, and compel them to 
 come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto 
 you, That none of those men which were bidden shall 
 taste of my supper. 
 
 The Gospel.— W^hen we have long and carefully contemplated the mystery and the reality of 
 salvation, it is a fearful proof of inconsistency if we refuse to accept the means of grace therehy 
 supplied. Every part of the Gospel consists of good tidings ; for the warning to repentance, — the 
 exhortations to a new and holy life, are but so many instructions to those whom God lias invited 
 to partake of everlasting glory, and for which they cannot he capable if unprepared by the dis- 
 cipline of holiness. When our Lord describes the conduct of those who were invited to the 
 marriage supper of the king's son, He depicted, in the first place, the conduct of the Jews, un- 
 willing to leave the lowest cares of a sensual ambition for the spiritual glories of Messiah's king- 
 dom ; and, in the next place, He foreshew what would be the conduct of many professed members 
 of His Church in later times. They do not doubt His royalty ; they dispute not the right of His 
 messengers to summon them, liut they have other cares, — other pleasia-es, — other and more 
 esteemed sources of honour than those which concern, or are to be found in, the kingdom of 
 heaven. On comparing the claims of the world with those of Christ, we find that the whole 
 strength of the former depends on their immediate address to men's passions and ambition. The 
 call of holiness is rejected because the result has to be looked for in some distant scene of existence. 
 But let us once calculate the rate at which time passes away, and it will then be seen how little 
 reason we have to allow any thing which can only be ours in time to compete with that which may 
 be ours for eternity ! 
 
 244 
 
The Third Sundaj/ after Triniti/. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LORD, we beseech thee mercifully 
 to hear us ; and grant that we, to 
 whom thou hast given an hearty 
 desire to pray, may by thy mighty 
 aid be defended and comforted in 
 all dangers and adversities ; through 
 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect.— It is the happiness of Christians to know, that their desire to pray is an 
 evidence of the faith to which all tilings are possible. The habitual tendency of the heart 
 to repose on God in seasons of trial, and to rest on Him, at all times, as the great Source 
 of good, belongs to the filial character of belief. When necessity and danger press hard upon 
 our path, then the cry ascends, " Delend us from the perils which surround us ! comfort us in our 
 tribulation ! " and the prayer obtains a l)lessing in every instance in which it is offered with faith, 
 through Jesus Christ. Dangers and adversities are encountered eveiy step we set. When the 
 world is tranquil, our own hearts supply the peiils from which outwardly we seem to have escaped. 
 But whatever be the nature of our troubles, the aid which God gives is a sutiicient defence and 
 comfort. We need no other support in either temporal or spiritual distress ; and happy are we 
 when our hearts glow with an earnest desire to be partakers of its consolation. 
 
 245 
 
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 ^t. Pet. v. 5. 
 
 LL of you be subject one to another, 
 and be clothed with luimility : ibr 
 God rcsisteth tlie proud, and giveth 
 grace to the huml^le. Huml)le your- 
 selves therefore under the mighty 
 hand of God, that he may exalt you 
 in due time ; casting all your care 
 upon him, for he careth for you. 
 Be sober, be vigilant ; because your adversary the devil, 
 as a roaring lion, vvalketh about seeking whom he may 
 devour : whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that 
 the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren 
 that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who 
 hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after 
 that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, 
 strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion 
 for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xv. 1. 
 
 HEN drew near unto him all the 
 Publicans and sinners for to hear 
 him. And the Pharisees and Scribes 
 murmured, saying. This man re- 
 ceiveth sinners, and eatetli with 
 them. And he spake this parable 
 unto them, saying. What man of 
 you having an hundred sheep, if he 
 lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in 
 
 Tin-, Ei'isTi.E. — The quiet virtues of the Christian are derived immediately from the view which 
 he takes of his religion. For that view of the Gospel he is indebted to the Holy Sj)irit ; but it is 
 to him in the place of a mighty and universal argument, embracing reasons and sanctions which 
 ai)peal with equal force to his moral and intellectual nature. Mutual kindness and forbearance ; — 
 the absence of pride and envy ; — a readiness to forego many private claims for the general good, 
 — and the willing acknowledgment of the superiority of others, and their right to our respect ; — 
 these are the proper characteristics of a Christian society : they belong as qualities to the peculiar 
 people of God ; and where they are not, there, we may conclude, the power of Ihe Gospel has never 
 
 246 
 
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he 
 find it ? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his 
 shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he 
 calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto 
 them. Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which 
 was lost. I say unto you. That likewise joy shall be in 
 heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over 
 ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 
 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she 
 lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the 
 house, and seek diligently till she find it ? And when 
 she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neigh- 
 bours together, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found 
 the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you. 
 There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over 
 one sinner that repenteth. 
 
 been known. But the Apostle suggests a solemn consideration respecting this subject which ought 
 to weigh deeply with those who, looking for salvation through Christ, yet allow pride and thought- 
 lessness to keep them from the practice of evangelical humility. The mighty hand of God is 
 stretched out for our preservation. Ought we not to humble ourselves at the contemplation of this 
 interference in our favour P The devil, as a roaring lion, is awaiting to destroy us. Shall we not 
 be cautious and sober-minded, liaving to resist such an adversaiy ? Our forerunners in the Gospel 
 have sui!ered many afflictions in the work of salvation. Ought we to expect to complete the same 
 work without imitating any of their virtues P But while we are bound to resign ourselves willingly 
 to the dispensations of God, and bear uith cheerful submissiveness the trials to which He may put 
 us. there is this consolation : the afflictions will endure but for a while ; — the glory that is to follow 
 will be eternal. It is the joy of the Christian to know, that he is being daily prepared for this 
 glory by the Holy Spirit ; and that, having been perfected in holiness, he will be admitted to the 
 seats where happiness is perfected also. 
 
 The Gospel. — How strange it is that men should ever wish to limit the operations of God'» 
 mercy, or endeavour to make themselves believe that they are the better off' the more exclusively 
 their privileges and enjoyments are confined to the circle in which they move ! The Pharisees and 
 Scribes reproved Jesus for His mercy : our churches and sects still do the same. They may have 
 faith, but they have not charity ; and religion suffers, as if its members and sinews were torn 
 asunder. The angels in heaven reprove us for this. They take an interest in our fate, and in that 
 of the most miserable of our brethren. The Founder of our religion reproves us ; and in every 
 thing which He has done for the recovery of a lost world, a judgment is passed upon our want of 
 kindness, humility, and charity. Exquisitely tender are the illustrations which He employs to 
 defend His desire and His right to save the poorest of sinners. But we must not suppose that 
 any thing which He says implies the equalizing of a late repentance with long-enduring and true 
 perfection in holiness. He appeals but to human feeling as affording an illustration of the charity 
 of heaven when it rejoices over the returning penitent more than over those who are already safe. 
 The joy refers but to the moment of recovery ; — and what circle of loving children would suppose 
 that they were failing in love for each other, if they did for the moment let every other feeling be 
 lost in the glad congratulations which they heap on a supposed perished, but now recovered, 
 brother ? The other comparisons employed by our Lord serve to guard the one alluded to from 
 any wrong interpretation ; for though the finding of the lost piece of money, or the strayed sheep, 
 gives more joy for the moment than the possession of all the rest, it would manifestly be folly to 
 suppose that this feeling is other than temporary. 
 
 247 
 
The Fourth Siindaj/ after Trinitj/. 
 
 ^K'M 
 
 GOD, the protector of all that trust 
 in thee, without whom nothing is 
 strong, nothing is holy ; Increase 
 and multiply upon us thy mercy; 
 that, thou being our ruler and guide, 
 we may so pass through things tem- 
 poral, that we finally lose not the things eternal : 
 
 js Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's 
 
 pi sake our Lord. Amen. 
 
 
 The Collect. — God, as the source of power, is, under tlie Christian system, tlie source of good 
 and happiness to His creatures. Frail and miserable in themselves. He replenishes them with in- 
 ternal strength ; and by the ordinances of His providence, and often by special interferences, pro- 
 tects them against every enemy and betrayer. But though His mercy is over all His works, it is 
 to those only who })ut their trust in Hiin that the promise of protection is fully and distinctly made. 
 In their safety the glory of Christ and His kingdoin is concerned. " They sliall be mine," He 
 says, •■' in the day when I make up my jewels." Without tlie strength which God gives for this pur- 
 pose, the mightiest power of men and the most s))lendi(l of their glories are but as things of nought. 
 
 248 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epistle. Rom. viii. 18. 
 
 ^TX%)^ 
 
 RECKON that the sufferings of this 
 present time are not worthy to be 
 compared with the glory which shall 
 be revealed in us. For the earnest 
 expectation of the creature waiteth 
 for the manifestation of the sons of 
 God. For the creature was made 
 subject to vanity, not willingly, but 
 by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope : 
 because the creature itself also shall be delivered from 
 the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the 
 children of God. For we know that the whole creation 
 groaneth, and travaileth in pain together until now. And 
 not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first- 
 fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within our- 
 selves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of 
 our body. 
 
 The Epistle. — It is the prospect of a restoration to primeval happiness and perfection which 
 sheds the brightest of the rays that beautify the present state of things. Witliout this hope, the 
 sun would lose its splendour in the natural, and virtue its energy and cheerful loveliness in the 
 moral, world. Blank discontent and weariness would be everywhere visible ; and the race of man, 
 wanting the impulse which is given by the ingrafted expectation of a higher and nobler condition, 
 would stop far short of the efibrts which it now makes after enlightenment and wisdom. The 
 present is a period of travail. Nature in all its provinces has been made subject to vanity; that 
 word comprehending the power of sin, the power of death, of folly, and whatever can employ 
 itself in perverting the great and good purposes of creation. And this state of things is rendered 
 more and more conspicuous by the light of the Gospel. The antagonist of good rages against the 
 progress towards recovery ; suffering thence follows to those who stand foremost in the sulilime 
 struggle for emancipation. But a glory shall in the end be revealed in them which will fully 
 reward them for all their toils, and Creation in its renovated beauty will rise to salute them as the 
 victorious soldiers of its Deliverer. The word " creature " is used with a various extent of significa- 
 tion in Scripture. Sometimes, and most commonly, it is employed to signify all created beings in 
 contradistinction to the Creator. At others, it means all tilings inferior to man, and especially the 
 inanimate universe. In a few cases it is applied to the Gentile, or uusanctified portion of man- 
 kind, as separate from the people of God. But these meanings are not in opposition to each 
 other: and the word vanity describes the condition to which any being is reduced when rendered 
 perishable, — when divested of the excellence which it originally possessed, — when put to purposes 
 inferior to its proper destiny, or shut out from the prospects to which it might have aspired. 
 Bearing this in view, it will not be difficult for the ingenious inquirer to discover how the lan- 
 guage of the Apostle may be applied. He will see that nature in general was made subject to 
 vanity by sin ; — that all inferior things shared in man's loss of glory and perfection ; — that the 
 body suffered in correspondence with the soul; — and that the mass of mankind, considered iu 
 every relation, became subject to vanity through the condemnation of sin. But it was "not 
 willingly " that either nature, or any class of beings, or man in any relation, became subject to 
 vanity. It is the essential property of every thing to resist change which tends to pain or injuiy. 
 
 249 2 K 
 
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke vi. 36. 
 
 E ye therefore merciful, as your Fa- 
 ther also is merciful. Judge not, 
 and ye shall not be judged: con- 
 demn not, and ye shall not be con- 
 demned : forgive, and ye shall be 
 forgiven : give, and it shall be given 
 unto you ; good measure, pressed 
 down, and shaken together, and 
 running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with 
 the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be mea- 
 sured to you again. And he spake a parable unto them. 
 Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall 
 into the ditch ? The disciple is not above his master ; 
 but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And 
 why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, 
 but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye.'' 
 Either how canst thou say to thy brother. Brother, let me 
 pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself 
 beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye ? Thou 
 hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, 
 and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that 
 is in thy brother's eye. 
 
 The sun unwillingly allows his beams to be clouded ; decay is resisted long and obstinately ; the 
 voice of gladness only ceases when checked by stern necessity ; and death, which consummates 
 the work of vanity, is universally regarded as a foe. Man himself, the conscious, reasoning victim 
 of vanity, yields not willingly : whatever his blindness and corruption, he wars against the necessity 
 of his state. Though bringing in death by sin, he would not die ; — though loving corruption, lie 
 would fain not be himself corruptible ;— though borrowing the veil of darkness to hide his evil 
 deeds, he would not be dark in heart and spirit; — though wishing others — even God — to be blind, 
 he would wish to be himself all-seeing. 
 
 The Gospel. — The subtlest moralists have fallen far short of our Lord in detecting the corrup- 
 tions of human character, or prescribing rules for their correction. Pride and self-esteem are fruit- 
 ful in error. The judgments which they pass are usually grossly false, and he who would really do 
 good, is bound to cultivate humility as well as generosity ; and a meek and gentle spirit, not less than 
 the more active virtues which may prompt him to become a teacher of his kind. Sell-knowledge is 
 the best guide we can have to a knowledge of the world ; but that is a poor acquaintance with 
 ourselves which only brings before us an exaggerated catalogue of merits, the greater part, per- 
 haps, factitious, and which leaves out of sight the follies and the meannesses — the pride, volup- 
 tuousness, and wrathfulness which, in various proportions, probably form the larger portion of our 
 active principles. Mercy, such as the Gospel teaches us to cultivate, will, in all cases, present 
 a noble barrier to the invasion of these enemies, and prepare us to judge rightly both of ourselves 
 and others. 
 
 250 
 
The Fifth Sunday after Trlniti/. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 RANT, O Lord, we beseech thee, 
 that the course of this world may be 
 so peaceably ordered by thy govern- 
 ance, that thy Church may joyfully 
 serve thee in all godly quietness; 
 throuo^h Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 |V^ The Collect.— Peace is dear to the Christian by the very principles of his new nature. 
 
 I,' He serves the Prince of Peace, and peace in his own heart is the first-fruits of the blessing 
 ^ which he has received from Christ. But he beholds the world oppressed with strife and 
 tumult; or, if ceasing for awhile from warring with its own members, preparing to assail the 
 sanctuaries of religion. Peace, therefore, is the subject of his most earnest petitions ; and if 
 Christians were more careful than they are to cultivate the virtues which become the profession 
 of the Gospel, their prayers for this blessing for themselves and mankind at large would prove the 
 most efficient labour they can perform in the service of humanity. The Church — that is, the true 
 and spiritual Church of Christ, is the sole minister of peace on earth. It is its peculiar province 
 to teach and persuade men to cultivate the grace of charity as the bond of perfectness ; and it is 
 in this its especial capacity and office, that it offers up prayer for the peaceable governance of the 
 world. The tranquillity of mankind at large, furthered by its supplications, secures its own joy 
 and godly cpiietness, each, by the ordinance of a merciful God. being made to influence the other. 
 
 2.51 -2 K 2 
 
THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Ephtle. 1 St. Pet. iii. 8. 
 
 E ye all of one mind, having com- 
 passion one of another, love as bre- 
 thren, he pitiful, be courteous; not 
 rendering evil for evil, or railing for 
 railing; but contrariwise blessing; 
 knowing that ye are thereunto called, 
 that ye should inherit a blessing. 
 For he that will love life, and see 
 good days, let him rei'rain his tongue from evil, and his 
 lips that they speak no guile : let him eschew evil, and 
 do good ; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes 
 of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open 
 unto their prayers : but the face of the Lord is against 
 them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if 
 ye be followers of that which is good ? But and if ye 
 suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye : and be not 
 afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify 
 the Lord God in your hearts. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke v. 1. 
 
 T came to pass, that as the people 
 pressed upon him to hear the Word 
 of God, he stood l^y the lake of Gen- 
 nesareth, and saw two ships standing 
 by the lake ; but the fishermen were 
 gone out of them, and were washing 
 their nets. And he entered into one 
 of the ships, which was Simon's, and 
 
 The Epistle. — Strife in the Christian Church is one of the scaiulals whicli have done most 
 harm to the souls of men. The unity of the Spirit is surely forgotten when controversy, losing the 
 characteristics of a humble inquiry after truth, presents all the features of angry disputation and 
 rivalship. Kindness, courtesy, and love unfeigned are the ornaments of the familj- of Christ. 
 They who cultivate not these virtues I'ail in making good their pretensions to the name of His 
 people, or the blessings which belong to His Church. The assumption of a name — the possession 
 of titles and dignities — the homage of the world — even the performance of many duties, — nothing, 
 in short, can make up for the want of that mutual compassion, and refraining from recrimination 
 which the Apostle urges so pathetically on the professors of the Gospel. 
 
 252 
 
THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 prayed liim that lie would thrust out a little from the land : 
 and he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 
 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, 
 Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a 
 draught. And Simon answering said unto him. Master, 
 we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing; 
 nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net. And 
 when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude 
 of fishes, and their net brake. And they beckoned unto 
 their partners which were in the other ship, that they 
 should come and help them. And they came, and filled 
 both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon 
 Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying. Depart 
 from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was 
 astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of 
 the fishes which they had taken ; and so was also James, 
 and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with 
 Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not, from 
 henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had 
 brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed 
 him. 
 
 The Gospel. — The words of Christ had a power in them which belonged to the preaching of 
 none who had preceded Him. We read not that the people pressed to hear Isaiah or Malachi. 
 The first time, it is probable, that they were ever addressed in the plain and simple words which 
 call to repentance because of the wrath to come, was when St. John began to preach on the banks 
 of the Jordan. Preaching is an evangelical ordinance. The ceremonial law preached to the 
 people in former times ; and in almost every institution in which signs and pomps and ceremonies 
 are much employed, direct preaching is only slightly practised. But whatever was the case with 
 the Jews in earliur times, it is little to be doubted but that since the time of Malachi the instruc- 
 tions they received were poor and meagre. The law and the prophets, imperfectly understood, 
 were timidly taught even by the Scribes. When our Lord, therefore, preached to the people 
 openly, and with the full authority of a teacher of righteousness, they were astonished, and pressed 
 eagerly to hear Him. His intended Apostles were among His auditors on this occasion, and the 
 power of His words was, for their sake, accompanied with a demonstration of His authority not 
 only over the minds of men, but over imiversal nature. The result proved that He had not exer- 
 cised His power in vain. Deeply impressed with the signs of divinity which they beheld, Simon 
 Peter and the sons of Zebedee acknowledged the right of Jesus to the service of their lives. No 
 vow was made, for a vow was not needed where the whole man was given. We read not how, or 
 when Judas joined himself to the band of Apostles; but this we know, that one grand circum- 
 stance was wanting in the completion of his call which characterized that of the holy men whose 
 conduct is here described. He followed Christ ; but he did not forsake all ; he probably forsook 
 nothing which had before occupied his base and worldly heart. This is a test to which we may 
 profitably put not only the more distinguished servants of Christ, but all who profess to believe 
 His Gospel. 
 
 •253 
 
The Sixth Sundai/ after Trlniti/. 
 
 (" 
 
 _^^-=~-.^^^^^, 
 
 f^^-^i 
 
 ^^S^^ 
 
 
 'Die Collect. 
 
 GOD, who hast j)repared for them 
 that love thee such good things as 
 pass man's understanding ; Pour into 
 our hearts such love toward thee, that 
 we, loving thee above all things, may 
 obtain thy promises, which exceed all 
 
 that we can desire ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 Amen. 
 
 The Collect.— God has prepared for His people successive grades of felicity, and at every 
 ascent they make, some fresh proof is afforded of His infinite compassion. But while reason and 
 revelation agree in assuring us of the love of God, we are taught with equal clearness by the 
 simplest principles of gratitude, that the profoundest homage of our hearts and minds is due in 
 return to Him. Convinced of this, how gladly do His children worship Him ! but sensible of the 
 imperfection of their best acknowledgments of His goodness, tliey never cease to pray that they 
 may be enabled by His own Spirit to love Him more and more. AVhen we can love Him, the 
 supreme and perfect good, above all things, then shall we be fit to enter into the enjoyment of His 
 promises. 
 
 254 
 
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epistle. Rom. vi. 3. 
 
 NOW ye not, that so many of us as 
 were baptized into Jesus Christ were 
 baptized into his death? Therefore 
 we are buried with him by baptism 
 into death; that hke as Christ was 
 raised up from the dead by the glory 
 of the Father, even so we also should 
 walk in newness of life. For if we 
 have been planted together in the likeness of his death, 
 we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection : know- 
 ing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the 
 body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should 
 not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. 
 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall 
 also live with him; knowing that Christ being raised 
 from the dead dieth no more ; death hath no more domi- 
 nion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin 
 once ; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Like- 
 wise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, 
 but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 ger 
 
 The Gospel St. Matth. v. 20. 
 
 ESUS said unto his disciples, Ex- 
 cept your righteousness shall exceed 
 the righteousness of the Scribes and 
 Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter 
 into the Kingdom of heaven. Ye 
 have heard that it was said by them 
 of old time. Thou shalt not kill : and 
 whosoever shall kill, shall be in dan- 
 of the judgement. But I say unto you, that whosoever 
 
 The Epistle. — Disposed as men are to escape from the spiritual representations of the Gospel, 
 this apostolic exposition of the doctrine of baptism calls for frequent and earnest contemplation. 
 By both the sacraments which Chri:-t instituted, He brings His people into communion with Him 
 through making them conformable unto His death. He suffered for us, but we, by faith, suffered 
 
 •255 
 
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 is angry with liis brother without a cause shall be in 
 danger of the judgement : and whosoever shall say to his 
 brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council : but 
 whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell- 
 fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and 
 there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against 
 thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy 
 way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and 
 offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles 
 thou art in the way with him ; lest at any time the ad- 
 versary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver 
 thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily 
 I say unto thee. Thou shalt by no means come out thence, 
 till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 
 
 in Him, and are partakers of His joy ; because, buried with Him in baptism, He raises us to a 
 new existence by the power of His Spirit. In like manner, when the body broken, and the blood 
 shed, are partaken of in faith, we realize the crucifixion of sin ; and by showing forth the death of 
 Christ till he come, assure to the soul a full participation in its atoning influence. Dying unto sin, 
 and living unto God, is the epitome of every Christian's history. It embraces the whole series of 
 the events whereby he attains to glory, the mystery of godliness being described therein as applied 
 to the regeneration of humanity ; for the Word became incarnate that redemption might be accom- 
 plished by the dying of one for all, — all in Him dying, and all in Him recovering life. The selec- 
 tion from the Epistles now follows the order in which they stand in the New Testament. 
 
 The Gospel. — The pretensions of mankind in general to the praise of righteousness, are effec- 
 tually confuted in the first sentence of this Gospel. To the Scribes and Pharisees pertained the 
 knowledge of the law ; and thej' were distinguished, it is admitted, for the strictness with which 
 they observed its outward requirements. No scandal is attributed to them. They were decent in 
 their mode of life, and upheld, by their strictness and austerity, the credit of the nation for religion, 
 when the Sadducees and Herodians would probably have ruined its reputation by their infidelity 
 and licentious mode of living. But they wanted the root and principle of holiness The love of 
 God possessed not their hearts ; and the righteousness which led them to believe that they were 
 better than others, was not the righteousness which could render them acceptable to Him who 
 must be served in spirit and in truth. They were wrathful, self-willed, and haughty. Their inter- 
 pretation of the law was made to suit the wishes of their own hearts ; and while they obeyed it 
 outwardly, the movements of their internal being were in direct contradiction to its spiritual inten- 
 tions. The precepts of our Lord enable us to put our own character to the test. If we can obey 
 them readily and joyfully, our righteousness already exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees ; and 
 by the continued help of the divine Spirit, it will be our constant delight to compare what is merely 
 legal with what is lovely, and of good report, in the eyes of God and of Christ. The world would 
 gain little by the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, while in the holy doctrines of the 
 Gospel its best and dearest interests are secured by the most powerful defences. Law, as the 
 offspring of civilization, might protect us from murder, but it cannot defend us efiectually against 
 the invasions of a cruel and persevering enmity. Christianity, on the other hand, is planned to 
 effect this. It binds us and our brethren reciprocally against the commission of aught that is 
 injurious. The heart and the tongue are brought under the law as well as the hand. The pre- 
 sence of God is not to be sought till the obedience required is duly rendered ; and if the angry 
 heart refuses to be appeased, it is itself placed at the bar of judgment, and made to endure the 
 chastisement which its wrathfulness has provoked, 
 
 256 
 
The Seventh Sunday after Trinitj/. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 O RD of 
 all power 
 and might, 
 wlio art tlie 
 author and 
 giver of all 
 good things; 
 Graft in our hearts the love 
 of thy Name, increase in us 
 true religion, nourish us with 
 all goodness, and of thy great 
 mercy keep us in the same ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — This is a truly spiritual and comprehensive prayer. It assigns to God the 
 attributes which best distinguish His being to the thoughts of men, — almighty power, and ever- 
 active benevolence. That we may love His name, — that holiness, with all its truest characteristics, 
 may grow in our hearts, — that He may evermore nourish us with the bread of life and the waters 
 of salvation, pouring down upon our souls and our homes the abundance of His blessing, — these 
 are petitions which every one would put up did not sin blind men to their real and most important 
 interests. In the very notion of a Gud is implied the possession of unlimited power ; and we have 
 but one reason to doubt His willingness to do us good. That reason is furnished by our want of 
 holiness, faith, and love. Let these occupy our hearts, and we shall ask and receive. No thought- 
 ful reader of Scripture can fail of being surprised that the doctrines and morality of Christianity 
 should ever have become separated. Into wliatever portion of the system we look, there is truth 
 and there is holiness,— each shedding its own peculiar light — each speaking with sweet distinct- 
 ness of voice to the attentive heart ; but the one never illuminating or comforting without the 
 other. The Urim and Thummim on the breast-plate of the Jewish high-priest were emblematical, 
 we are told, of light and perfection ; and here was an apt and beautiful type of the religion of the 
 Gospel. Christ Himself, in whom are embodied all the energies of the evangelical system, proved 
 in the most perfect and significant manner the eternal union of holiness and morality. The in- 
 crease of true religion in our hearts, — the nourishment of our whole being with the goodness of 
 God, is the noblest exemplification that can be afforded of the power of divine grace. But in pro- 
 portion to the grandeur of these things ought to be our reverence for the Source in which they 
 commence. True it is we may exist without them : but what is existence when destitute of honour 
 and hope i' W-hat is humanity itself without the virtues which are its proper ornaments ? And if 
 God alone be the Author and Giver of all good tilings, is it not from Him we should seek, in the 
 language of such prayers as this, the supply of nourishment and strength ? Simple as is the style 
 of the Collects, they are founded on the sublimest views of Christianity ; and the experienced 
 believer may generally tiud in them the elements of his best and most treasured thoughts. 
 
 257 2 L 
 
THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 TJie Eputle. Rom. vi. 10. 
 
 Speak after the manner of men, be- 
 cause of the infirmity of your flesh : 
 for as ye have yielded your members 
 servants to uncleanness, and to ini- 
 quity, unto iniquity; even so now 
 yield your members servants to right- 
 eousness, unto holiness. For when 
 ye were the servants of sin, ye were 
 free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those 
 things whereof ye are now ashamed ? for the end of those 
 things is death. But now being made free from sin, and 
 become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, 
 and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is 
 death : but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Mark viii. 1. 
 
 N those days the multitude being 
 very great, and having nothing to 
 eat, Jesus called his disciples unto 
 him, and saith unto them, I have 
 compassion on the multitude, be- 
 cause they have now l)cen with me 
 three days, and have had nothing to 
 eat : and if I send them away fast- 
 ing to their own houses, they will faint by the way; for 
 
 The Epistle. — The change produced on the character of the first heathen converts by the 
 power of the Gospel, must have surprised many whom it did not influence. They had been thought- 
 less and sensual,— they had delighted, like the rest of mankind, in the coarse follies of the world, 
 and manifested their desire to make the most of an existence which they believed to be measured 
 by a span. Their lives were now as greatly altered as their opinions. Folly found them too much 
 occupied with the lessons of truth and wisdom to listen to its allurements, and they shrimk from 
 the contamination of vice as from the sting of a scorpion. Thus piuity and spiritual-mindedness 
 had taken the place of all other motives to action, and they walked in a path by themselves, their 
 efforts being uniformly directed to the glorifying of God, and the benefiting of their fellow-men. 
 Mankind at large, in whom selfishness and sin still reigned supreme, regarded them with wonder. 
 Not understanding the natiu'e of the principles which animated them, they could comprehend none 
 of the motives which prompted their conduct ; and they were as lights shining in a dark place, 
 accounted as meteors by the many, but used as friendly beacons by the few. In our own days, 
 
 •258 
 
THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered 
 him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread 
 here in the wilderness ? And he asked them. How many 
 loaves have ye ? And they said, Seven. And he com- 
 manded the people to sit down on the ground. And he 
 took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and 
 gave to his disciples to set before them ; and they did set 
 them before the people. And they had a few small fishes; 
 and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before 
 them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took 
 up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And 
 they that had eaten were about four thousand. And he 
 sent them away, 
 
 the contrast presented by merely professing Christians, and those who spiritually receive and obey 
 the Gospel, is scarcely less evident, though less observed. A worldly Christian is, in reality, in 
 greater opposition to a true follower of Jesus than a heathen ; for there is the fearful charge of 
 inconsistency, and that of sinning against the light, to be added to his other offences of a natural 
 and worldly kind, which place him originally in an equality of condemnation with the heathen. 
 In both cases the servants of sin are, to their misery, free from, or independent of righteousness. 
 When converted, they change masters ; and as their former lord paid them with death, so now, 
 when serving God Almighty, though most unprofitable servants, do they receive as a free gift the 
 precious boon of eternal life. 
 
 The Gospel. — The miracle recorded in this Gospel is of the most interesting kind. In the first 
 place, and viewed in the most literal manner, it enables us to see how humane and gentle was 
 Christ in all His dealings towards those who listened to His words. In the next, it affords an 
 illustration of a promise completed, " Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, 
 and all other things shall be added unto you ;" and, in the third place, it leads us to contemplate 
 the mystery in which He took bread and blessed it, and said, " Take, eat : this is my body." 
 Famishing thousands were lingering around Him. They had eagerly listened to His word. It 
 had, we may believe, comforted and enlightened many, leading them at once to recognise in His 
 heavenly discourse the power of the Son of God. Others, it is probable, were moved to reflection 
 though their conversion was delayed ; and the rest, while remaining in the spiritual condition in 
 which the generality of men are found by the Gospel, — a state of mingling doubt, of sensual fear, 
 and hope, and passion, were, it may be conjectured, interested and detained by the expectation of 
 some good necessarily, as they imagined, involved in the novelty of the Saviour's doctrine. To 
 each class the Gospel was preached : to each class did Christ address Himself in tones of love and 
 compassion. The immediate pressure of hunger was not felt while His words held the mind in 
 calm and solemn suspense ; but the merciful Teacher had not forgotten the dependent nature of 
 His hearers. He was ready to supply the wants for which they were unprepared ; and none of 
 those who had listened patiently to His Gospel went away without feeling that He who could so 
 well satisfy the desires of the soul, could also answer the piercing cry of hunger. It is evident 
 from the sequel of the historj', that this His benignant miracle wrought, like His preaching, with 
 a very different influence on the minds of the various classes of His hearers. To some it brought 
 the conviction of His divinity. In the hearts of others it only excited the desire to place Him at 
 the head of their temporal affairs. The foi-mer eventually obtained from Him all that could make 
 them blessed : the latter lost Him altogether. And thus are mankind divided in our own days ; 
 and this is still the fate which attends the true, and the self-interested, and nominal worshippers 
 of Christ. 
 
 259 
 
The Eighth Simdaj/ after Trinitj/. 
 
 
 GOD, whose never-failing provi- 
 dence orderetli all things both in 
 heaven and earth ; We hnmhly be- 
 seech thee to put away from us all 
 hurtful things, and to give us those 
 things which be profitable for us; 
 ^esus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 vtsi The Collect. — God's providence is the necessary result of His united omniscience, almighty 
 
 'w^ power, wisdom and love. We must disallow the existence of these attributes in the Supreme 
 Being, if we can suppose Him either wanting in the knowledge of that which is to come, or uncon- 
 cerned in the direction of its occurrence. But the acknowledgment of God's providence, as founded 
 upon His wisdom and power, naturally leads us to inquire whether He have so arranged the con- 
 nexion of things, and so ordered His government of mankind, as to place them conditionally within 
 the reach of good : that is, whether He have been pleased to give, by His own free will, the influence 
 of a cause, in the long series of His created agents, to the actions and dispositions of man. We 
 find, at length, that He has promised to hear and answer prayer, — that He will allow the suppli- 
 cation of the humble and trusting heart to move the mighty engines of His all-suflficient mercy. 
 Shall we not make use of this privilege to escape what is hurtful, and turn the tide of afi'airs till it 
 lead us to peace and salvation ? 
 
 '2G0 
 
THE EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 
 
 The Eputle. Rom. viii. 12. 
 
 RETHREN, we are debtors, not 
 to tlie flesh, to live after the flesh. 
 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall 
 die ; but if ye through the Spirit do 
 mortify the deeds of the body, ye 
 shall live. For as many as are led 
 by the Spirit of God, they are the 
 sons of God. For ye have not re- 
 ceived the spirit of bondage again to fear ; but ye have 
 received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, 
 Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, 
 that we are the children of God: and if children, then 
 heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ : if so be 
 that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified 
 together. 
 
 The Gospel St. IMatth. vii. 15. 
 
 EWARE of false prophets, which 
 come to you in sheep's clothing, but 
 inwardly they are ravening wolves. 
 Ye shall know them by their fruits ; 
 do men gather grapes of thorns, or 
 flgs of thistles ? Even so every good 
 tree bringeth forth good fruit; but 
 a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil 
 fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit ; neither 
 
 The Episti-e.— Reason and the Gospel speak with almost equal force In this divine exhortation. 
 We surelj' owe no debt of gratitude or obedience to those whose veiy nature it is to work us harm : 
 and if among all our enemies sin is the worst, to sin ought we to be least ready to render service. 
 But the consequence of refusing assent to this obvious lesson, will be of a more fearful kind tlian 
 any of the ordinary results of perverted zeal. Poverty and disgrace may attend our ser\ing a bad 
 or foolish earthly master ; but the service which we give to sin will be paid for by death ; the evil 
 wliich we do will return upon us in the shape of fearful tormentors ; tlie body which we have 
 pampered will be to us the body of death ; and the passion that has glowed in our hearts with 
 unlawful fervour, the worm that never dieth. The Spirit, on the other hand, which leads us to the 
 service of God and of Christ, and which prepares us for it by enabling nature to throw off the 
 encumbrances and defilements of sin, gives life, makes us the children of God, and, in the final 
 account, unites us in glory with Christ, To sin is to be ascribed whatever pain or anticipation of 
 ill we at present suffer. Let us cease from the service of so bad a master, and it will lose its power 
 
 '261 
 
THE EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree 
 that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast 
 into the lire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know 
 them. Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, 
 shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven ; but he that 
 doetli the will of my Father which is in heaven. 
 
 to torment us. Gratitude ought already to bind us to God ; but we have the additional motives of 
 the highest species of self-interest to obey him with a true and zealous obedience. His service is 
 itself perfect freedom ; and His reward is ever with Him. He calls us to obedience, but to make 
 us happy ; and the Spirit which He sends to mingle with ours, is a Spirit of liberty, love, and joy. 
 
 The Gospel. — Our Lor<l intended His disciples to perform an important part in the world, and 
 to execute the duties of human existence with a care and zeal corresponding to the holiness of 
 their profession. Some caution, therefore, against the deceitfuhiess of the world would have been 
 a timely safeguard had they stood in no greater danger than that which springs from the general 
 affairs of life. But they were to be exposed to perils of another kind. As the subjects of a dis- 
 pensation given especially for the overthrow of falsehood, it was foreseen that they would be as a 
 mark for the fiery shafts of deceit and error; — that the wiles of Satan would be employed against 
 them with unceasing activity, and that it would therefore become them to walk in the path of life, 
 as certainly knowing that they were surrounded by fierce and sleepless enemies. The warning 
 thus given by our Lord was soon proved to be necessary. Heresies arose, more dangerous to the 
 purity, than persecution to the safet\', of the Church. Scarcely had the first generation of Christ's 
 disciples passed away, when the enemy of salvation began the great experiment of setting up 
 his kingdom upon earth in the outv, ard form of the kingdom of heaven. He now pretended to be 
 zealous for free inquiry. His preachers were sent in the track of the Apostles and Evangelists of 
 Christ ; and while the servants of God, in the faithful discharge of their office, warned men of the 
 wrath to come, these emissaries of darkness prophesied only the smooth things which leave the 
 world contented with its state of error and condemnation. But successful as the ministers of evil 
 have ever been, it is not because they are impenetrable to observation. Our Lord's test is suf- 
 ficient to make them disclose both their nature and their purposes. The ialse prophet cau never 
 in his own case act with holiness, simplicity, and self-denial ; but it is only on teachers whose 
 conduct is thus characterised that mankind can consistently place confidence. Do the genuine 
 followers of Christ then, uniformly manifest a love of truth and virtue which overcomes every selfish 
 consideration ? And do others who come in His name, or with systems of their own, act, notwith- 
 standing their professions, in direct opposition to true honour and benevolence ? Which ought we 
 to believe ? With which should we cast in our lot P The warning given by our Lord respects, in 
 the first instance, the danger which attends us from the deceit and false pretensions of others. 
 But it refers, in the second place, to the deceitfuhiess and corruption of our own hearts. " Not 
 every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;" an abridgm.ent 
 of men's confidence in the mere profession of belief which cuts down, in many cases, the whole of 
 the scaffolding on which hope had rested. The trancpiillity enjoyed by superficial Christians 
 would be astonishing, were it not evident that they are too little acquainted with the religion which 
 they profess to be aware of its demands, or of the responsibilities vuider which it has placed them. 
 A prudent man will not remain contented in this state when made acquainted with its dangers. 
 The nature of the case, fairly brought before his mind, will convince him that, at least, some 
 inquiry ought to be instituted respecting what is meant by entering the kingdom of heaven, and 
 what is required besides addressing Christ as Lord. To a person so awakened, the words of our 
 Lord, "He that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven," will suggest fresh reasons for 
 examining what are the requirements and what the intentions of the Gospel. The will of God has 
 hitherto been an unknown or unacknowledged rule of life. It is now inquired into — viewed in its 
 various exemplifications; and being seen to surround on all sides the avenues to a happy existence 
 — to be, indeed, the one grand foundation of the kingdom of lieaven, is, if grace be accorded, 
 humbly and gladly obeyed. 
 
 2G2 
 
The Ninth Simdaj/ after Trinlli/. 
 
 tliroiigli Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 RANT to us, Lord, we beseecli thee, 
 the spirit to thiuk and do always 
 sucli things as he rightful ; that we, 
 who cannot do any thing that is good 
 without thee, may by thee be ena- 
 bled to live according to thy will; 
 Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — A healthy spirit, ever glad and active in the performance of good, is 
 surely the best of all possessions. To such a spirit, thinking what is right, and feeling the 
 will and power to do it, the very sense of existence is happiness, while of all beings it is the 
 most readily susceptible of hope. But this happy principle of life is neither self-formed nor self- 
 nourished. It is, in all cases where possessed, the gift of God ; and surely there is no blessing for 
 which we can pray more divine or more glorious than this. 
 
 The Epistle. — The Gospel brings to remembrance whatever the Almighty has done for the 
 good and the preservation of our race. All, indeed, that has at any time been effected by His 
 benevolence has belonged to the system of grace, purposed from the beginning, though not made 
 known to man. In the call of the people of Israel,— in their mysterious delivery from Egypt,— 
 their passage through the Red Sea, — and the cloud which accompanied them, a shadow and a 
 light at the same time— the outline of the Gospel is more than visible ; for a portion of its grace 
 was given to sanctify these things, and render them efficacious to the present deliverance of God s 
 
 263 
 
THE NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 Cor. x. 1. 
 
 RETHREN, I would not that ye 
 should he ignorant, how that all our 
 fathers were under the cloud, and 
 all passed through the sea ; and 
 were all baptized unto Moses in the 
 cloud, and in the sea; and did all 
 eat the same spiritual meat, and did 
 all drink the same spiritual drink: 
 (for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them ; 
 and that Rock was Christ.) But with many of them God 
 was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the 
 wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the 
 intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also 
 lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them ; 
 as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, 
 and rose up to j^lay. Neither let us commit fornication, 
 as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and 
 twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some 
 of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 
 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and 
 were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things 
 happened unto them for ensamples : and they are written 
 for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are 
 come. Wherelbre let him that thinketh he standeth take 
 heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you, 
 but such as is common to man : but God is faithful, who 
 will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; 
 but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, 
 that ye may be able to bear it. 
 
 people. And while we ought to he especially careful not to forget tlve heavenlj' mercy thus mani- 
 fested, so ought we to he equally anxious to resist any return of that spirit of disobedience 
 whereby so many were led to destruction, even when the divine goodness was beaming directly 
 upon them. This warning is necessary in all ages, but more particularly in those whicli the 
 Almighty favours with many privileges and advantages. \'ice, then, is peculiarly odious, and the 
 punishments prepared for it will doubtlessly be proiiortioned to its enormity. Christ, tempted and 
 resisted, though not yet known in the majesty of His mediatorial kingdom, punished rebellion 
 against holiness with the bite of the fieiy scorpion. But now He is visibly exalted. He has 
 publicly announced the nature of His rule, and foretold the penalties which shall attend dis- 
 
 204 
 
THK NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xvi. I. 
 
 ESUS said unto liis disciples, There 
 was a certain rich man which had a 
 steward ; and the same was accused 
 unto him that he had wasted his 
 goods. And he called him, and said 
 unto him, How is it that I hear this 
 of thee ? Give an account of thy 
 stewardship ; for thou mayest be no 
 longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, 
 What shall I do ? for my lord taketh away from me the 
 stewardship : I cannot dig, to beg I am ashamed. I 
 am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the 
 stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So 
 he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and 
 said unto the first. How much owest thou unto my lord ? 
 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said 
 unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write 
 fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest 
 thou ? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. 
 And he said unto him. Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 
 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he 
 had done wisely: for the children of this world are in 
 their generation wiser than the children of light. And I 
 say unto you. Make to yourselves friends of the mammon 
 of unrighteousness ; that when ye fail, they may receive 
 you into everlasting habitations. 
 
 obedience. Let us then place no confidence in any hope of escape from His wrath, except in that 
 which He teaches us to cherish when we repent of sin, and diligently cultivate all the graces of 
 holiness. 
 
 The Gosi'EL.— Our Lord has here stated a case which sets the conduct of professing Christians 
 in a melancholy light. The worldly and the fraudulent act with caution. They foresee danger, 
 and, according to their principles, provide against it. However much we may despise the in- 
 justice of some, the avarice of others, or the grosser vices of a third class, their prudence and per- 
 severance, viewed apart from the objects sought, must often excite our admiration. This was the 
 feeling which arose in the miud of the steward's master. While he punished in the severest 
 manner the frauds of which that false servant had been guilty, he could not refrain from expressing 
 his wonder at the prudence with which he had guarded himself against the coming misfortune. 
 Nothing was left undone which caution could dictate. Friends were sought, and their kindness 
 secured. Let us with equal care seek God's friendship, seeing that the world will not much longer 
 employ us. 
 
 '265 2 M 
 
The Tcnlli Snmlai/ after Triniiij. 
 
 ET tliy merciful ears, O Lord, be 
 open to the prayers of tliy humble 
 servants ; and that they" may obtain 
 their petitions make them to ask such 
 tilings as shall please thee ; througli 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 iF( "^"^ Collect. — It is an important part of the Christian's discipline to learn to ask 
 
 u aright. The admonition of St. James on this subject cannot be too often repeated : — " Ye 
 1^ . ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss." Prayer is an appointed means of grace ; and 
 '' whatever means God may have been pleased to set before us as channels of mercy, must 
 be employed according to their nature, which is holy, and consecrated to holiness. The supplica- 
 tions of the idle and vicious, of the proud and sensual, are not prayer,— the essential character of 
 which is, that it is a means of grace; and words without meaning, — desire without faith, — fear 
 without repentance, — form without spirit,— can never procure the favour of the Almighty. In 
 order, then, to pray with success, we must first seek the Spirit of holiness and wisdom ;— entreat 
 the Lord to make us acquainted with the true sources of happiness, and to fill our hearts with the 
 virtues of faith and obedient resignation. Thus prepared, we need not doubt but that God will 
 both hear and answer our petitions. 
 
 266 
 
THE TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 Cor. xii. 1. 
 
 ONCERNING spiritual gifts, bre- 
 tlireii, I would not have you igno- 
 rant. Ye know that ye were Gen- 
 tiles, carried away unto these dumh 
 idols, even as ye were led. Where- 
 fore I give you to understand, that 
 no man speaking by the Spirit of God 
 calleth Jesus accursed ; and that no 
 man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 
 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 
 And there are differences of administrations, but the same 
 Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is 
 the same God, who worketh all in all. But the manifes- 
 tation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 
 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom ; to 
 another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit ; to 
 another faith by the same Spirit ; to another the gifts 
 of healing by the same Spirit ; to another the working of 
 miracles ; to another prophecy ; to another discerning of 
 spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another 
 the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh 
 that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man 
 severally as he will. 
 
 The Epistle. — It is the great glovy of the Gospel that it has made men acqiiainled witli 
 spiritual gifts. In the old times of ignorance, objects of mere sense wholly occupied their atten- 
 tion. They made idols of whatever had an outward aspect of good : and were satisfied with wor- 
 shipping that which seemed for the instant, whether it had life or not, to be able to give pain or 
 pleasure. Christianity has taught mankind to look beyond the forms of things, and the senseless 
 matter of which they consist. It has led them to meditate upon the presence of that vivifying 
 Spirit which alone gives essential life and beauty, or any permanence, to the things which best 
 deserve our admiration. But the knowledge that there is a Universal Spirit, — a holy Spirit of life 
 and truth, — overthrows every species of worship but that of the one God from whom it proceeds. 
 His will and decrees thenceforth become the great subject of consideration to the thoughtful mind. 
 Animated by His Spirit, it rejoicingly accepts the offers of mercy made through a Mediator and 
 Redeemer, and beholds in every movement of the system which surrounds him a manifestation of 
 the Spirit, " dividing to every one severally as He will." Jesus Christ has, of all beings that ever 
 appeared upon the earth, most openly displayed the power of the Holy Ghost. To deny Him, there- 
 fore, is signally to resist the Spirit, and is an offence impossible to him who lives under the gracious 
 influences of that beneficent Guide into all truth. On the other hand, it is equally impossible for 
 the unaided and unpurified mind to confess the divine nature and sovereignty of Jesus. The Holy 
 
 267 2 M 2 
 
THE TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xix. 41. 
 
 ND when lie was come near, he 
 beheld the city, and wept over it, 
 saying, If thou hadst known, even 
 thou, at least in this thy day, the 
 things which belong unto thy peace ! 
 but now they are hid from thine 
 eyes. For the days shall come upon 
 thee, that thine enemies shall cast a 
 trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee 
 in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, 
 and thy children within thee ; and they shall not leave in 
 thee one stone upon another ; because thou knewest not 
 the time of thy visitation. And he went into the temple, 
 and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them 
 that bought, saying unto them, it is written, My house is 
 the house of prayer : but ye have made it a den of thieves. 
 And he taught daily in the t^ple. 
 
 Spirit converting the soul makes it susceptible of the love of God, and that love, communicated 
 through Christ, is the fountain whence spring the prayers and the confessions which honour the 
 Saviour's name. 
 
 The Gospel. — The mercy of God is over all His works ; but it manifests itself with a greater 
 degree of splendour in the dispensations of His providence than in the outward exercises of His 
 power over matter; and with a sublimer majesty in the defence of His people, than in the more 
 general government of the world at large. Resistance to the will of God is a violation of the first 
 law of being: opposition to His mercy is the violation of the first principle of good. Of both 
 these the Jews were signally guilty. The law was published among them with a clearness and 
 simplicity which would not allow of their excusing themselves on any plea of ignorance. God's 
 mercy was exercised in their favour with a perseverance which proved by the most wonderful of 
 arguments the long-suffering character of His love. By His Son He led them through the waste 
 howling wilderness, and established them, against all the power of the enemy, in a land flowing 
 with milk and honey. Jerusalem arose beneath the shadow of His righteousness and love ; gleams 
 of His glory surmounted its battlements, and His presence rested in the sanctuary as His abiding- 
 place. It might have been expected that the first or second instance of open rebellion would have 
 overwhelmed the city which thus owed all its prosperity and magnificence to God. But it was 
 spared : the season of mercy was prolonged ; and the offers of salvation were repeated, at last, 
 by the divinest Messenger that ever communicated between God and man. It refused to repent 
 even now : the day of its last visitation passed by ; and ruin pitched its unerring artillery in all the 
 borders of the land. Christ's prophecy was literally fulfilled in the course of the succeeding forty 
 years. The Roman armies, under the command of Titus, commenced a regular siege against the 
 devoted city, and after reducing it to the most horrible extremities, deluged its streets with the 
 blood of the inhabitants, and left scarcely a vestige of the Temple remaining. Would that our 
 fathers, might the reflecting Jew now say, — would that they had allowed it to be purified, and 
 again made a house of prayer, by the holy zeal of Jesus ! 
 
 268 
 
The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity. 
 
 f 
 
 GOD, who declarest tliy almighty 
 power most chiefly in shewmg mercy 
 and pity ; Mercifully grant unto us 
 such a measure of thy grace, that 
 we, running the way of thy com- 
 mandments, may obtain thy gracious 
 promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly 
 treasure ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 V, 
 
 The Collect. — It is tlie purpose of the Gospel to show God's power throus;;h the medium 
 of His mere}' ; and it is the happiness of tlie believer in the Gospel to acknowledge that he lias 
 discovered this, its object, in his own condition and experience. The grace which sanctifies and 
 enlightens urges us forward in the waj' of God's commandments as the way which leads to hap- 
 piness. Without this help, such a course would present innumerable difficulties ; and in no other 
 path could we find the peace which the divine promises afford, or the treasures laid up for us in 
 futurity. The gift of grace is the greatest of God's gifts ; for it embodies the applications of the 
 justifying merits of the Redeemer, and the quickening influence of the heavenly Spirit. It is the 
 necessary preliminary to all His other mercies ; laying the foundation for the living temple, aud 
 throwing up light and life from that foundation into every other part of the edifice. 
 
 269 
 
THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Eputle. 1 Cor. xv. 1. 
 
 RETHREN, I declare imto you 
 the Gospel wliicli I preached unto 
 you, which also ye have received, 
 and wherein ye stand : by which also 
 ye are saved, if ye keep in memory 
 what I preached unto you, unless 
 ye have believed in vain. For I 
 delivered unto you first of all, that 
 which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins, 
 according to the Scriptures ; and that he was buried ; 
 and that he rose again the third day, according to the 
 Scriptures ; and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the 
 twelve : after that, he was seen of above five hundred 
 brethren at once ; of whom the greater part remain unto 
 this present ; but some are fallen asleep : after that, he 
 was seen of James ; then of all the Apostles : and last of 
 all, he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 
 For I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be 
 called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of 
 God. But l)y the grace of God I am what I am : and his 
 grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain ; but 
 I laboured more abundantly than they all ; yet not I, but 
 the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether 
 it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. 
 
 The Episti.e. — The arguments which prove the resurrection of the dead are as various as the 
 questions which may he suggested by every variety of human mind and character. But the best 
 is that employed by St. Paul in this passage of his Epistle to the Corinthians. Christ was seen 
 after His death by those who were most interested in determining the truth of His pretensions. 
 By calling Him Master, they had been placed in a condition which obliged them to examine 
 every point of evidence with the scrupulous severity of common self-interest. If He were dis- 
 covered to be a deceiver, the penalty they would have had to pay in acknowledging their mistake 
 would have been what thousands have paid — a confession of error, and submission to the momen- 
 tary scorn or ridicule which attends the discovery of some gross instance of credulity. But if, 
 having learned the imposture of Christ, they were determined to persevere in preaching His 
 doctrines, and proclaiming Him the Son of God, then they were undertaking a task, the dangers 
 attending which were of the most awful kind, and the weight of which was altogether dispro- 
 portioned to the character of the persons engaging in the enterprise. The greater part of the five 
 hundred who had seen Christ after His resurrection were living when St. Paul wrote this p]pistle 
 to the Corinthian converts. It is hardly to be supposed that he would have ventured to speak thus 
 to a highly-cultivated and intelligent people, unless he had possessed ample means to establish his 
 
 270 
 
THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xviii. 9. 
 
 ESUS spake this parable unto cer- 
 tain wliicli trusted in themselves 
 that they were righteous, and de- 
 spised others : Two men went up 
 into the temple to pray; the one 
 a Pharisee, and the other a Publi- 
 can. The Pharisee stood and prayed 
 thus with himself, God, I thank thee, 
 that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, 
 adulterers, or even as this Publican : I fast twice in the 
 week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the Publi- 
 can, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his 
 eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God 
 be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went 
 down to his house justified rather than the other: for 
 every one that exalteth himself shall be abased ; and he 
 that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 
 
 assertion. But there is another part of the same argument, and it is not less interesting or less 
 powerful in many respects than the fonner. St. Paul himself had been led to preach the Gospel 
 from a proof of its truth, which left him nothing to doubt. His personal character and circum- 
 stances at the time of his conversion, and the course which he afterwards pursued, viewed together, 
 bring his simple statement, " And last of all he was seen of me also," into the direct line of the 
 argument, and appeal with irresistible force to candid and unprejudiced minds. 
 
 The Gospel. — Christ's treatment of the several classes of His countrj'meu affords a striking illus- 
 tration both of the grandeur of His character, and of the truth of His doctrines. The Pharisees at 
 this period were not only the most powerful, but the most popular of the sects into which the nation 
 was divided. But He allowed no occasion to pass in which He could rebuke them for those very 
 things by which they had gained their reputation. The publicans, on the other hand, were the 
 most despised of the people, and their unpopularity was founded in reasons which have at all times 
 been regarded as sufficient to justify popular hatred. Our Lord, however, did not shrink from 
 the task of proving that the sius of the latter repented of, would form a far less obstacle to their 
 justification before God, than would the ostentatious pretensions of the f bmier to a sanctity which 
 had neither the spirit nor the substance of true holiness. Sincere repentance obtains, through 
 Christ, forgiveness. The proud claims of man can never prevail with God. Self-confidence of 
 every kind is not merely rebuked in this parable ; — it is brought to the bar of judgment, and 
 solemnly condemned. Pride enters the heart through many channels ; but it manifests in all cases 
 the same nature, blinding the understanding, and perverting the affections. It is on this account 
 our Lord tells us that, '' Every one that exalteth himself shall be abased ; " there being no ex- 
 ception to the condemnation of a vice Avhich produces such fearful ravages on the happiness of 
 mankind, and which is in itself rebellion against the majesty of God, — a disowning of His truth, 
 and a rejection of His mercy. Humilitj', on the contrary, opens the heart to every grace ; — 
 teaches the soul to confess God's sovereignty and adore His goodness ; — nor leaves it to indulge, 
 iinrebuked, in any thought or practice prejudicial to the happiness of the world. 
 
 271 
 
The Ticelfth Sundaj/ after Tiinllij. 
 
 LMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 
 who art always more ready to hear 
 
 than we to pray, and art wont to 
 
 give more than either we desire, or 
 
 deserve ; Pour down upon us the 
 
 ^^ abundance of thy mercy; forgiving 
 
 ^' us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and 
 
 ■: giving us those good things which we are not worthy 
 
 ) to ask, but throuo^h the merits and mediation of Jesus 
 
 Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Coi.i-ect. — This beautiful prayer teaches us to make a confession which belongs to every 
 heart properly animated by the mingled graces of humility and love. We know God's unchange- 
 able goodness, yet our trust and thankfulness are ever on the ebb. Our wants are innumerable, 
 even when we think of those only which the Gospel permits us to lay before God ; yet how rarely 
 do we seek with proportionable earnestness for their relief at the mercy-seat of heaven ? God's 
 bounty is more active than our faith, or we should perish for want, both spiritual and natural. 
 
 272 
 
THE TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epiatle. 2 Cor. iii. 4. 
 
 ; UCH trust have we through Christ 
 to God-ward: not that we are suffi- 
 cient of ourselves to think any thing 
 as of ourselves ; but our sufficiency 
 is of God. Who also hath made us 
 able ministers of the New Testa- 
 ment ; not of the letter, but of the 
 Spirit : for the letter killeth, but the 
 Spirit givetli life. But if the ministration of death 
 written and engraven in stones was glorious, so that the 
 children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of 
 Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was 
 to be done away; how shall not the ministration of the 
 Spirit be rather glorious ? For if the ministration of 
 condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration 
 of righteousness exceed in glory. 
 
 from the multitude. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Mark vii. 31. 
 
 ESUS, departing from the coasts of 
 Tyre and Sidon, came unto the sea 
 of Galilee, through the midst of the 
 coasts of Decapolis. And they bring 
 unto him one that was deaf, and had 
 an impediment in his speech; and 
 they beseech him to put his hand 
 upon him. And he took him aside 
 and put his fingers into his ears, 
 
 The Epistle.— The great support of the first preachers of the Gospel consisted in their constant 
 reference to the present power of God. On surveying the wide fields of labour into which they 
 were sent, human feeling must have shrunk with terror from the prospect, at the simple recollec- 
 tion of the responsibility involved in such an undertaking. Much more must this have been the 
 case when the world was seen rising in active opposition against them, and arming itself with every 
 weapon of destruction. But their trust in God made them sufficient for the work. They became 
 able ministers of the New Covenant ;— they taught a religion illumined by the full light of the 
 divine Spirit, and of which every part was redolent of life, glory, and intelligence. Moses teach- 
 ing the law, and establishing a system of types and emblems, the one condemning, and the other 
 not fully understood, was surrounded with a beaming splendour : how much more, then, may the 
 Gospel lay claim to be regarded with admiration and obedient love ! 
 
 •273 2 i^ 
 
THE TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 and ho spit, and tonclied his tongnc ; and looking up to 
 heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is. 
 Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and 
 the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 
 And he charged them that they should tell no man : but 
 the more he charged them, so much the more a great 
 deal they published it ; and were beyond measure as- 
 tonished, saying. He hath done all things well; he 
 maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. 
 
 The Gospel. — Our Lord visited the extreme parts of the land in the journeys which He took, 
 going about to do good. The coasts of Tyre and Sidon stretched along the Mediterranean Sea, 
 foiTTiing the north-western limit of the ancient Canaan. Decapolis received its name from being 
 a district containing ten cities, and skirted the sea of Galilee. The appearance of Christ in these 
 neglected neighbourhoods fulfilled the prophecy — "The people that walked in darkness have seen 
 a great light : they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light 
 shined." — Isaiah ix. 2. In the miracle wrought on the occasion described, our Lord exercised 
 His power by the use of a simple and significant sign. This could not have been needed as a help 
 to His power ; for it was just as impossible for any one else to give such efficacy to the means 
 which He employed, as it was to perform the cure without the use of means. He probably took 
 this method on the present occasion for the purpose of rendering the miracle more intelligible to 
 the rude and simple people who surrounded Him, or to the person on whom it was wrought. The 
 reason why He charged those who witnessed it to tell no man, was, it may be conjectured, this : — 
 He knew that mere wonder would, in most cases, be excited by the relation ; and that among those 
 who listened with curiosity to the account, questionings and disputes, and, soon after, scornful 
 denials of the truth of the report would arise, which would prejudice His cause, and injure the 
 effect to be looked for from the labours of His Apostles. But as it was only in some cases He 
 gave the admonition, there were probably particular circumstances, occasioned by the place or the 
 time, which rendered it better that no excitement should be produced by His works. His object 
 rarely appears to have been to rouse the minds of multitudes by His miracles, but to convert and 
 assure those whose hearts were open to the persuasions of His Gospel. The testimony of the 
 multitude to the greatness of His works was gladly given. '' He hath done all things well; He 
 maketh both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak." But this was the exclamation of astonish- 
 ment rather than of the thankful faith and love which give evidence of conversion. The sight of 
 a miracle naturally excites wonder ; and when it has been evidently wrought from compassion, the 
 feeling of surprise becomes imbued with a corresponding sentiment of affection and veneration. 
 This, in all ages, would be the consequence of a display of power similar to that which Jesus now 
 exercised. The multitude has no interest to oppose to the expression of natural emotion. But 
 with all the miracles which our Lord performed, and at the sight of which the crowd gave loose 
 to so much wonder, few only were converted ; and the great work of establishing the Gospel was 
 referred to a period when miracles should have gradually ceased, and the power of God should be 
 made manifest not by His visible operations, but by His Spirit, working silently through the word 
 of truth, and in the hearts of willing hearers. Whoever will carefully consider the character of 
 Christianity — the history of its foundation and progress, will see reason to entertain the most 
 profound admiration of the wisdom by which it has been established. Sensible wonders first 
 proved the truth of its pretensions. Its Author brought it to the world with the power of heaven 
 about Him. But the very design of the religion was to provide mankind with the means of peace 
 and conversion. His blood alone could give the one — His Spirit alone could work the other. No 
 sooner, therefore, had He offered a sufficient degree of evidence of the inferior kind to secure the 
 belief ((f the few required for the publishing of His message, than He brought into operation the 
 grander and more essential powers of the system; working not visible miracles which himdreds 
 might see, but giving to every convert, for his own sake, the evidence which he might best feel 
 and understand to his everlastirig comfort. 
 
 271 
 
The Thirteenth Sundnij after Trinity. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY and merciful God, of 
 whose only gift it cometh that thy 
 faithful people do unto thee true and 
 laudable service ; Grant, we beseech 
 thee, that we may so faithfully serve 
 thee in this life, that we fail not 
 ^ ' finally to attain thy heavenly promises ; through the 
 ^\ merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 (' 
 
 The Coi-i,ect. — We acknowledge that it is our duty to serve God ; but His faithful 
 people do more : they regard it as their chief honour and pleasure to he able to perforin His will, 
 and to love the work about which He employs them. Yet when they compare their own happy 
 sentiments on this subject with the feelings of the world, a new cause for thankfulness is excited in 
 their minds. They know it is by the gift of God only that they are able thus to think and to do ; 
 and hence they ever pray with devout earnestness for the continuance and increase of that grace 
 which, helping them to do the will of their Father here, will surely lead them to His blessed 
 abode in heaven. 
 
 275 2 N 2 
 
THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epistle. Gal. iii. 16. 
 
 O Abraham and his seed were the 
 promises made. He saith not, And 
 to seeds, as of many; but as of one; 
 And to thy seed, which is Christ. 
 And this I say. That the covenant 
 that was confirmed before of God 
 in Christ, the Law, which was four 
 hundred and thirty years after, can- 
 not disannul, that it should make the promise of none 
 effect. For if the inheritance be of the Law, it is no 
 more of promise ; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 
 Wherefore then serveth the Law ? It was added because 
 of transgressions, till the seed should come, to whom the 
 promise was made ; and it was ordained by angels in the 
 hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator 
 of one ; but God is one. Is the Law then against the 
 promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a 
 law given which could have given life, verily righteous- 
 ness should have been by the Law. But the Scripture 
 hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith 
 of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 
 
 The Epistle. — This important exposition of the doctrine of justification claims our most atten- 
 tive study. It shows how ** the Gospel was preached beforehand unto Abraham ;" and thereby 
 connects the most ancient operations of Divine mercy with the full development of the plan of 
 grace in the sufferings and triumphs of the Saviour. The promises made to Abraham, accepted 
 through faith, were restricted to the race which should spring from the child given by promise, and 
 whose birth could be ascribed only to the power and blessing of God. But the seed of Abraham, 
 to whom the promises were made in a higher and more complete sense, was Christ; and the cove- 
 nant, confirmed in him above four hundred years before the Mosaic dispensation had its begin- 
 ning, could not be set aside by that comparatively late and limited institution. God's promise 
 stands sure whatever be the subsequent ordinances of His providence. In the introduction of the 
 law the system of grace was neither abrogated nor suspended : on the contrary, its necessity was 
 rendered more apparent ; its value more conspicuous to all who understood the law, and acknow- 
 ledged its authority. The plan of mediation was employed in its establishment. Moses stood 
 between God, whose unity was then solemnly declared, and the people. The law itself made 
 manifest the righteousness of the Almighty, but contravened none of His promises. Its perfect 
 holiness exposed men to condemnation because they had loved, and were still pursuing, the way of 
 sin. It was their corruption, and not the severity of the law, which originated the death to which 
 they thence became subject. It could not give them life, because they resisted the principle of life 
 in its Divine Author. The purpose, therefore, for which it was instituted, it fulfilled when it con- 
 cluded all under sin, that being convinced of their true situation, they might flee to the promised 
 grace offered in the covenant of faith. 
 
 276 
 
THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke x. 23. 
 
 LESSED are the eyes wliicli see the 
 things that ye see. For I tell you, 
 That many prophets and kings have 
 desired to see those things which ye 
 see, and have not seen them; and 
 to hear those things which ye hear, 
 and have not heard them. And be- 
 hold, a certain Lawyer stood up, and 
 tempted him, saying. Master, what shall I do to inherit 
 eternal life ? He said unto him. What is written in the 
 Law ? how readest thou ? And he answering said. Thou 
 shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with 
 all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy 
 mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto 
 him, Thou hast answered right ; this do, and thou shalt 
 live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, 
 And who is my neighbour ? And Jesus answering said, 
 A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and 
 fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, 
 and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 
 And by chance there came down a certain priest that 
 way, and, when he saw him, he passed by on the other 
 side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place. 
 
 The Gospel. — This is one of the most interesting of our Lord's discourses. He asserts the 
 worth of His religion by an appeal to the testimony of the greatest and wisest men of old times. 
 But in reasoning with the subtle disputant who had assailed Him, He no longer presses the con- 
 sideration of His own sublime doctrine. Instead of refuting His antagonist by referring to the 
 prophets, or unfolding the relations existing between the covenant with Abraham and other 
 righteous men, and the dispensation about to be established, He meets him on his own ground. 
 He takes the law for the support of His argument, and the law as cited by His opponent. "What 
 is written in tbe law ? How readest thou ? " The inquiry, followed by these His simple but trying 
 questions, was one which He had no unwillingness to answer, and upon which He could have 
 satisfied the mind of a more humble questionist with revelation, and promises pregnant with con- 
 solation as well as truth. " What shall I do to inherit eternal life ? " The Scribe asked this 
 under the mingled impression of the vast importance of the subject, and of its fitness to put the 
 pretensions of Jesus to the proper test. He seems to have been one of the most thoughtful of his 
 class; and to have desired to receive the truth, so far as the prejudices he had imbibed would 
 allow him to embrace it. But our Lord saw that he had no disposition to place his confidence in 
 the righteousness which the Gospel was to provide for him rather than in the righteousness which 
 he vainly supposed might be gained by obedience to the law. To the law, therefore, he directed 
 his attention. Neither of them disputed that it was contained under two general heads. " Thou 
 shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, 
 and with all thy mind ; and thy neighb nu as tliyself.'' Tliis was the answer of one who looked 
 
 277 
 
THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 came and looked on him, and passed by on the otlier side. 
 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he 
 was ; and, when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 
 and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in 
 oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought 
 him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow, 
 when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them 
 to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and 
 whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I 
 will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, 
 was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 
 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said 
 Jesus unto him. Go, and do thou likewise. 
 
 for justification through the law; and our Lord immediately rejoined, "This do, and thou shalt 
 live." But the ready assent afforded to his definition of the law, the acceptance of the interpre- 
 tation of its maxims which he had given, placed the Scribe in a difficulty not perceived till he was 
 too far advanced in the argument to retreat. "Willing to justify himself," he said, " And who is 
 my neighbour P" Our Lord, in answering this further question, made it manifest, that, whatever 
 might be thought respecting the power of the law to justify, it was not kept, even by those who 
 insisted most on the claim which, by obedience, might be laid to eternal life and happiness. The 
 case which he instanced was equally strong and simple. Had the Scribe taken the former part of 
 the answer which he had given at first for the subject of his second question, he would have been 
 answered in a similar manner, and would probably have found himself involved in a still greater 
 difficulty. The spiritual worship of God was then little known : the loving of Him with all the 
 heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, still less so. It may be conjectured that he foresaw the 
 danger which would attend his touching on such a subject ; and skilfully, therefore, turned the 
 discussion into a channel in which he might follow it without any near approach to doctrines of a 
 spiritual nature. " This do, and thou shalt live," said Jesus : but it was eviderrt that the perform- 
 ance of the duty, according to the requirements of the law, had never yet been realized, and, there- 
 fore, that the question, "What shall 1 do to inherit eternal life?" must be answered in another 
 way than that adopted by the Jews, or by the world at large. " This do, and thou shalt live," 
 when said under the law, and with only the knowledge of the law for our help, is a letter which 
 killeth ; said under the Gospel, it is a precept which may be obeyed, though not unto justification, 
 yet unto the praise and glory of God. If truth be of any value to mankind, the Gospel, considered 
 in the most general manner, must deserve to be regarded as a treasure of inestimable worth. The 
 principles it has established are principles of which the world knew nothing till taught them by 
 Jesus Christ. But it is not on its moral revelations or sanctions that the Gospel rests its chief claim 
 to notice : it unites with these appeals to the wisdom of mankind the full, clear views of future glory 
 and felicity \ — views as adapted to fill the heart with gladness, as the doctrines and principles them- 
 selves are calculated to exalt and satisf\ the most inquisitive understanding. The illustration of the 
 practical worth of true religion is nobly given in this parable. Christ had not yet made known the 
 peculiar worth of His own dispensation ; but He proved how necessarily every system which God 
 has given is consistent with justice, purity, and mercy. The conduct of the priest and Levite was 
 that, probably, which characterized the greater portion of the sacerdotal race at this period ; but our 
 Lord exposed Himself to the hatred of the whole class by His faithful and severe representation of 
 its want of the virtues which ought to have distinguished it. Despised as the Samaritans were, 
 they fulfilled, in the present instance, the law of God better than His own anointed servants. 
 They indulged in no quibbles respecting the meaning of the word neighbour : they had no desire 
 to confine its application to their own little community ; but, with a generous and spiritual inter- 
 pretation of the precept spoken of by Christ, were willing to regard all as belonging to them who 
 needed the exercise of their humanity. Let those who reject or injure the cause of the Gospel 
 consider what they are doing, when such was the early lesson of its Author. 
 
 278 
 
The Fourteenth Sundai/ after Trinitj/. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 o-ive unto us the increase of faitli, 
 hope, and charity: and, that we may 
 obtain that which thou dost promise, 
 make us to love that which thou dost 
 ■' ' command ; through Jesus Christ our 
 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 . The CoLi.ECT.-The possession of Christian grace is the best proof which we can our- 
 selves enioy that God has been pleased to vouchsafe us an entrance into the kingdom of 
 ■^^''"' heaven As we feel our faith, our hope, our charity, on the increase, we may indulge with 
 m-oportionably greater confidence, the happy expectation of approaching blessedness. It is in 
 ir'nviction o? this truth, that the believer ever prays that he may be enabled to ove, more and 
 more, the law of his God. That law, he feels, tends only to good, and is in Chnst the sole foun- 
 dat on of good. As he obeys it, he promotes both the welfare of others a"d h.s own eterna 
 rnterests. Hence the language of the Collect, and of every prayer which embodies the sentiment 
 of evangelical belief. The Gospel received is a fountain of prayer as well as a source of wisdom 
 and collation. It affords boJh motives and means ; it gives both the body oi the expression, 
 .md the Spirit which is its life. 
 
 •279 
 
THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 Ite Eputle. Gal, v. 16. 
 
 Say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye 
 shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 
 For the flesh lusteth against the 
 Spirit, and the Spirit against the 
 flesh ; and these are contrary the 
 one to the other ; so that ye cannot 
 do the things that ye would. But if 
 ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not 
 under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, 
 which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lascivi- 
 ousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, 
 wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunk- 
 enness, revellings, and such like : of the which I tell you 
 before, as I have also told you in time past. That they 
 who do sucli things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 
 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suflering, 
 gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against 
 such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have 
 crucified the flesh, with the aff'ections and lusts. 
 
 The Epistle. — By the entrance of sin into tlie world, the first and noblest principles of nature 
 were utterly subverted. Thence the good lost its value in the eyes of man, and evil became the 
 torch at which desire lit its lamp. Deformity took the place of pure immortal beauty, and the 
 servant was exalted into the place of sovereignty. In this general convulsion, the spirit, to which 
 humanity owed all its original power and glory, lost its grandeur and energy. It became the prey 
 of corruption ; and the mere animal nature, feeling the balance in its favour, rose in fierce triumph, 
 and claimed the dominion of the whole man. Thence began the conflict which every individual 
 of our race has felt to be carried on, with more or less intensity, in his own heart. For the most 
 part, evil gains the victory, and the vanquished slave of sin becomes subject to the law of death. 
 The consequence of this state of things is the multiplying of particular offences, and the increase 
 of the load which the child of sin and death has thenceforward to bear. There is but one means 
 of resistance: it is that offered in the New Covenant. God, for Christ's sake, will give the Holy 
 Spirit for our recovery. Under the influence of His grace, the soul recovers itself. The breath of 
 life again animates our nature. We see and feel the beauty of holiness once more ; and, urged 
 onwards, gladly fulfil the new law of our new being. Obeying God's will, — rejoicing in the mani- 
 festations and requirements of His holiness, — there is no law against us ; for we are hereby with 
 the law ; — borne along in the direction of its current ; — and tending by the wishes and aspirations 
 of our hearts, even like itself, to the glorifying of God's perfections. The sublimest doctrines of 
 Christianity have a searching tendency which renders them as practically applicable in the judg- 
 ment of conduct, as they are spiritually adapted to elevate the soul by noble displays of truth. 
 We have not the Gospel in our hearts if we have not its Spirit; and the proof that we have the 
 Spirit is one of a most experimental character — a proof made up entirely of holy thoughts, affec- 
 tionate dispositions, and an active willingness to do good. 
 
 280 
 
THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xvii. 11. 
 
 ND it came to pass, as Jesus went 
 to Jerusalem, that lie passed through 
 the midst of Samaria, and Galilee. 
 And as he entered into a cel'tain 
 village, there met him ten men that 
 were lepers, which stood afar off. 
 And they lifted up their voices, and 
 said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on 
 us. And when he saw them, he said unto them. Go, shew 
 yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, 
 as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, 
 when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a 
 loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his 
 feet, giving him thanks ; and he was a Samaritan. And 
 Jesus answering said. Were there not ten cleansed? but 
 where are the nine ? There are not found that returned 
 to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said 
 unto him, Arise, go thy way, thy faith hath made thee 
 whole. 
 
 The Gospel. — The journeys of our Lord afforded a constant succession of objects for the exercise 
 of His power and benevolence. Samaria lay in the direct road from Galilee to Jerusalem ; and 
 the path upon which He was now travelling was probably one of those poor and wild tracks which 
 the unfortunate lepers frequented, as exposing them least to insult. They knew Jesus, and stood 
 afar off in deep acknowledgment of His purity. This simple circumstance is worthy of notice, as 
 incidentally indicating the reverence which was felt for the character of Christ. Their prayer 
 consisted of but few words ; but it was the prayer of strong faith and necessity, and to such suppli- 
 cations Christ never refused an answer. The cure was instantaneously effected ; but it belonged 
 to the priests alone to pronounce that it had taken place ; and Christ in this, as in every other 
 particular, obeyed the law of righteousness with the minutest exactness. In the conduct of the 
 nine who returned not to give thanks, we see imaged the behaviour as well of many Christians as 
 of the world. Cured of the worst diseases of the mind, — improved in heart and temper by the 
 Gospel, — they not unfrequeutly forget the source of their habitual tranquillity, and power against 
 the incursions of vice. This is the case in various degrees of spiritual growth ; but it is not openly 
 seen, and therefore escapes detection. Mankind at large commit the sin in so gross a degree, that 
 the moral is applied without any difficulty to the mass, and appals the heart in its contemplation 
 of so fearful a spectacle. Men, in general, care little about those who bestow some desired good 
 when once the benefit is obtained. Their ingratitude, base in itself, is often ruinous to their 
 advancement in happiness. It has stopped the current of benevolence and kindly feeling which 
 otherwise might have provided them with a succession of comforts and advantages. The nine 
 lepers were cleansed, but the tenth, besides being cleansed, obtained a blessing for his faith. 
 
 •isi 
 
The Fifteenth Sunday/ after Trmitj/. 
 
 EEP, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy 
 Church with thy perpetual mercy : 
 and, because the frailty of man 
 without thee cannot but fall, keep 
 us ever by thy help from all things 
 hurtful, and lead us to all things 
 profitable to our salvation ; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — The Church owes its existence and strength to the grace of God ; and 
 then flourishes most wlien it hest emploj's the means of wisdom and holiness which He 
 bestows. An earnest empkiyment of confessions and litanies, with frequent exercises of conspi- 
 cuous charity, would do more for it than many other means more trusted in. The frailty of man 
 is seen in all his independent contrivances ; and however wisely they may have heen planned, still 
 without God's help we fall, and become exposed, in the loss of salvation, to every species of injury 
 and sorrow. Sin and folly united prompt both nations and individuals to seek their defence in the 
 wisdom of the world. It is with difficulty seen, that the blind can never be safe leaders of the 
 blind ; that it is absurd for the weak to rest on the weak for support ; and hence man is trusted to 
 when God is disbelieved. 
 
 282 
 
THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epistle. Gal. vi. 11. 
 
 E see liow large a letter I have 
 written unto you with mine own 
 hand. As many as desire to make 
 a fair shew in the flesh, they con- 
 strain you to be circumcised; only 
 lest they should suffer persecution 
 for the cross of Christ. For neither 
 they themselves who are circumcised 
 keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that 
 they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I 
 should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the 
 world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth 
 any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And 
 as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, 
 and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From hence- 
 forth let no man trouble me ; for I bear in my body the 
 marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. 
 
 The Guspel. St. JMattli. vi. 24. 
 
 O man can serve two masters : for 
 either he will hate the one, and love 
 the other ; or else he will hold to 
 the one, and despise the other. Ye 
 cannot serve God and Mammon. 
 Therefore I say unto you, Take no 
 thought for your life, what ye shall 
 eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet 
 for your body, what ye shall put on : Is not the life more 
 
 The Episti.e. — St. Paul had to contend in Galatia with a strong party who insisted on the 
 observance of the Mosaic rites. His arguments in reply were drawn both from the nature of the 
 Christian system, and the conduct of the persons themselves who contended against him. The 
 Gospel, he proved, was the substance of that revelation which had been only shadowed forth under 
 the law ; it was, he moreover shewed, the fulfilment of the covenant of faith and promise which 
 God had given to Abraham, and could not, therefore, be regarded as needing any support from 
 
 •283 2 o 2 
 
THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the 
 fowls of the air ; lor they sow not, neither do they reap, 
 nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth 
 them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of 
 you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 
 And why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider the lilies 
 of the field how they grow : they toil not, neither do they 
 spin : and yet I say unto you. That even Solomon in all 
 his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, 
 if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and 
 to-morrow is cast into the oven ; shall he not much more 
 clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no 
 thought, saying. What shall we eat ? or what shall we 
 drink ? or wherewithal shall we be clothed ? (for after all 
 these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly 
 Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 
 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous- 
 ness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take 
 therefore no thought for the morrow ; for the morrow 
 shall take thought for the things of itself: sufficient unto 
 the day is the evil thereof. 
 
 the mere legal rites of the Mosaic dispensation. If circumcision could give holiness — if the law 
 could bestow salvation, the Cross of Christ was rendered of no avail. But they who contended for 
 the law did not keep it, and universal experience proved that it was by faith and the converting 
 Spirit alone that men could be effectually brought to obedience and holiness. 
 
 The Gospel. — The rule laid down by our Lord is established by common sense, and mankind 
 may attribute most of the evils under which they suffer to its continual violation. But glaring as 
 is the folly of many who attempt to serve even two worldly parties not perfectly agreed in spirit or 
 pursuit, the madness of those is far more evident who think to serve God and Mammon success- 
 fully, and receive wages from both, or escape the vengeance of either. It is not the low and 
 sensual only who make the fatal mistake of endeavouring to serve both God and Mammon. The 
 anxious and mistrusting spirit, ever dreading the evils of the morrow, and deeming it necessary to 
 seek the world for protection against the incursions of distress, is guilty of this sin and folly in the 
 same degree as the more known offender. Our Lord here teaches us how to escape the danger 
 thus incurred. The lesson is given in the language of persuasion, the whole argument being one 
 of profound benevolence and love. God is the protector of all that trust in Him. The creatures 
 which, by a law of instinct, remain tranquil in the bosom of His mercy, are amply provided for. 
 Let man feel the same confidence, according to reason and intelligent love, and he too will be as 
 secure and happy under the providence of his heavenly Father. To obtain both this security and 
 the continuous supply of our necessities, no other sacrifice is required of us than that of the doubts 
 and anxieties which make up the greater portion of our daily burden. No stronger proof could be 
 given of the melancholy consequences of our separation from God, than the unwillingness of the 
 heart to place any confidence in His mercy. Infinite truth gives promises, and we doubt them; 
 infinite wisdom assures us that it will be our guide, and we prefer another ; infinite po%ver and 
 benevolence combine to bless us, and we close our ears to their invitations. 
 
 •284 
 
The Sixteenth Sundai/ after Trinity. 
 
 LORD, we beseech thee, let thy 
 contmual pity cleanse and defend 
 Church ; and, because it cannot 
 continue in safety without thy suc- 
 cour, preserve it evermore by thy 
 help and goodness; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ' The Collect.— The compassion of God towards the Church is shown in a twofold 
 
 \ operation, it purifies and protects. Both the safety and the gloiy of Chrisfs people de- 
 \' pend upon the Divine pity manifesting itself in these ways. Were not the Church cleansed 
 from day to day by heavenly grace, it would contract impurity from the world, and evils would 
 arise as sell-generated in its own bosom. No ordinances, however strictly observed,— no outward 
 defences, however numerous or judiciously arranged, could avail without this purifying grace. 
 But the language of the Collect carries us a step higher when beholding the Church's confidence 
 in God. It is not for the present pity only of our heavenly Father that it prays, but for the 
 constant influences of His help and most perfect goodness. The outward or apparent condition 
 of the Church may vaiy ; it may in one age abound in prosperity, and in the next be shaken to 
 its foundations by calamity : but the answer to such prayers as this secures its prospect of final and 
 everlasting happiness . 
 
 285 
 
THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TIIINITV. 
 
 Tlie Epistle. Eplies. iii. 13. 
 
 DESIRE that yc faint not at my tri- 
 bulations for you, which is your glory. 
 For this cause I bow my knees unto 
 the Father of our Lord Jesus Clnist, 
 of whom the whole family in heaven 
 and earth is named, that he would 
 grant you, according to the riches 
 of his glory, to be strengthened with 
 might by his Spirit in the inner man ; that Christ may 
 dwell in your hearts by faith ; that ye, being rooted and 
 grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all 
 saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and 
 height; and to know the love 'of Christ, which passeth 
 knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of 
 God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abund- 
 antly above all that we ask or think, according to the 
 power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the Church 
 by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 The Epistle. — St. Paul was willing to bear all things for the honour of Christ, and the good of 
 His people. The patience with which he persevered in the labours of an Apostle tended to the 
 conversion of many, who, but for the grace which thus manifested itself in him, would never have 
 known the Gospel. His constant exercise of sell-denial, his painful journeyings and watchings, 
 were parts of the devotion which he gladly paid to his beloved Master; and while he so willingly 
 bore tribulation himself, he was anxious that they who were indebted to him for conversion might 
 regard this liis service rather as a cause of triumph than of weak lamentation. The prayer which 
 he represents himself as putting up in their behalf exemplifies both the fervour of his own affection 
 and the sublimity of the Gospel. Never was the language of devotion employed with a grander 
 energy, or with more fulness of meaning ! It is the riches of God's glory which the Apostle takes 
 as the measure of his hopes when thinking of believers in the Gospel. The object of his prayer is 
 to obtain for them the strength of the Eternal Spirit as the strength of their own spirit,— as the 
 foundation of their being,— as the life of their life. Thus renovated and grounded in essential 
 hohness and power, they become capable of a yet higlier degree of glory than could be enjoyed 
 individually, and alone, by any created being. They are jirepared for union with the Son of G'od, 
 —for His indwelling in their hearts ; and for this their still progressive happiness the Apostle 
 prayed ; summing up liis petition in the fervent expression of desire, that they might be made sen- 
 sible of the vast blessings offered them, and be enabled to join liim in thankfulness to tlie Author 
 of their salvation. The glory for which the Gospel pre])ares us is an everlasting glory. Christ 
 would purchase for His people no perishable good ; God would not receive His children into the 
 mansions of heaven to part with them again. But if the blessing secured for them be one that 
 shall endure for ever, who can doubt that the song of thanksgiving ought to be licard in tlie 
 Church, by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, even world without end. 
 
 286 
 
THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke vii. 11, 
 
 ND it came to pass the day after, 
 that Jesus went into a city called 
 Nain ; and many of his disciples 
 went with him, and much people. 
 Now when he came nigh to the gate 
 of the city, behold, there was a dead 
 man carried out, the only son of his 
 mother, and she was a widow ; and 
 much people of the city was with her. And when the 
 Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto 
 her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier, (and 
 they that bare him stood still,) and he said, Young man, 
 I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, 
 and began to speak : and he delivered him to his mother. 
 And there came a fear on all, and they glorified God, 
 saying. That a great Prophet is risen up among us, and 
 that God hath visited his people. And this rumour of 
 him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all 
 the region round about. 
 
 The Gospel. — Nain was situated at a short distance from Capernaum, the place of our Lord's 
 most frequent sojourn. It is not improbable that He directed His steps towards this little city at the 
 present moment for the fore-planned purpose of performing the miracle here described. His mercy 
 was equal to His power. Omnipotence is the parent of love. God is all-loving because He is all- 
 powerful ; and He is all-powerl'ul because He is all-loving. And Christ declared His Sonship with 
 Jehovah not less by His actions than by His words ; — " God manifest in the tlesh" being the sub- 
 lime inscription written on every one of His miracles. The consideration of the great act of His 
 power and benevolence here described fills the heart with sentiments of the most tender gratitude. 
 A widowed mother — the long years of her affliction solaced by no other comfort than the love of 
 an only child — the early years of her solitude brightened by the hope that he would grow up to be 
 a man — her old age owing all its support to him — few objects in the world are more pathetic than 
 this; but how much sadder does the picture become when the solitary widow is seen suddenly 
 deprived of her sole stay and comfort, and the poor mourner follows to the grave the remains of the 
 only one who cared to watch over her infirmities ! Jesus performed an act of almighty power in 
 raising the son of the widow of Nain ; but He might have afforded an equal demonstration of His 
 omnipotence by raising any other dead man : the choice of the object was of the pure free mercy 
 which converted His power into a fountain of grace and life. The report of the miracle excited 
 for the time attention proportionable to its importance ; but it left no enduring impression on the 
 minds of the people, who, though they had exclaimed that a great prophet was risen among them, 
 and that God had visited them, yet speedily iell back into their old state of indifference and sen- 
 suality. This is one of the many illustrations afibrded of the truth, that the mere knowledge of 
 miracles being perfonned would not secure the conversion of mankind. 
 
 •287 
 
The Seventeenth Sunday/ after Trinitij. 
 
 
 mi ■ 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ORD, we pray tliee that tliy grace 
 may always prevent and follow us, 
 and make us continually to be given 
 to all good works ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ''^IJk\ '^"^ Collect. — Prayer, to be effectual, must be consistent with belief. The conformity 
 \r to this principle which may be traced in the Collects, and other parts of our Liturgy, is one 
 wit ^^ *^^^ ^^^^ proofs that can be given of its value and spirituality. Short as is the present 
 >M Collect, it strikingly illustrates this feature of the services. The doctrine of Scripture is, 
 ' '' that "We were dead in trespasses and sins:" that no man can come unto Christ except 
 the Father draw him ; and that we cannot say that " Jesus is the Christ, except by the Holy 
 Ghost." Hence, not able to begin the work of salvation ourselves, or to originate any of its stages, 
 we pray that Divine grace may prevent, that is, go before, or anticipate us in the work. The help 
 to begin being given, we must seek with eipial earnestness for power to finish the design ; — left 
 to ourselves, in either the one stage or the other, we perish. Prol'essors of Christianity, when not 
 wholly forgetful of their danger, are yet found exposing themselves to many evils from the neglect 
 of this precept. Satisfied with the conviction that God"s Spirit has been with them, they forget 
 that their happiness depends on their retaining Him. 
 
 •2'6H 
 
THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The J£pht!e. Eplies. iv. 1. 
 
 THEREFORE the prisoner of the 
 Lord beseech you, that ye walk 
 worthy of the vocation wherewith ye 
 are called, with all lowliness and 
 meekness, with long-suffering, for- 
 bearing one another in love ; endea- 
 vouring to keep the unity of the spirit 
 in the bond of peace. There is one 
 body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of 
 your calling ; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God 
 and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and 
 in you all. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xiv. 1. 
 
 T came to pass, as Jesus went into 
 the house of one of the chief Phari- 
 sees to eat bread on the sabbath-day, 
 that they watched him. And be- 
 hold, there was a certain man before 
 him which had the dropsy. And 
 Jesus answering spake unto the 
 Lawyers and Pharisees, saying. Is 
 it lawful to heal on the sabbath-day ? And they held 
 their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let 
 him go ; and answered them, saying, Which of you shall 
 have an ass, or an ox, fallen into a pit, and will not 
 straightway pull him out on the sabbath-day ? And they 
 could not answer him again to these things. And he put 
 
 The Epistle. — When St. Paul wrote his Epistle to the Ephesians, he was a prisoner at Rome. 
 His affectionate exhortations would come, under such circumstances, with a vast increase of force 
 to a believing and thoughtful people. And to what purpose did he employ his influence ? What 
 was the exhortation which he pressed upon them with the most earnest zeal ? it was this : that 
 they might show forth the purity of the Gospel in their lives ; — that, having embraced its saving 
 doctrines, they might walk worthy of their vocation, exhibiting in their conduct the power of their 
 Master's example as well as doctrine. The humility and meekness upon which he insists as so 
 necessary a proof of conformity to the Gospel, are themselves referred to another spiritual argu- 
 ment for support. What can pride have to do with a people who are bound together by the grace 
 of one Spirit ? How can i.nvy, jealousy, or any other cause of dissension, enter a society, the 
 members of which have one common hope — one common interest ? 
 
 289 2 p 
 
THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he 
 marked how they chose out the chief rooms, saying unto 
 them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, 
 sit not down in the highest room ; lest a more honourable 
 man than thou be bidden of him ; and he that bade thee 
 and him come and say to thee. Give this man place ; and 
 thou beffin with shame to take the lowest room. But 
 when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; 
 that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, 
 Friend, go up higher : then shalt thou have worship in 
 the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For 
 whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased ; and he that 
 humbleth himself shall be exalted. 
 
 The Gospel. — Our Lord lived constantly in the sight of the world, and of His enemies. He 
 literally came unto His own, — leaving nothing luidone, or unsaid, which might tend to awaken 
 them to a sense of their danger. The miracle which He now performed was wrought for the pur- 
 pose of convincing them, that they ought to regard Him as Lord even of the Sabbath. He had 
 before answered the question, "Who can forgive sin but God only.'"' by removing the disease 
 which, sin reinainiiig, it was believed could not be removed ; and when, on the Sabbath, He per- 
 formed a work which evinced the possession of a divine power, the conclusion of ingenuous minds 
 would have been, that He was indeed the Son of God, who had not broken, but had consecrated 
 the Sabbath by His mercy. Instead, however, of carrying on an argument in which the prejudices 
 of the hearers would allow no room for reason, he turned the stream of rebuke which they would 
 gladly have poured upon Him against themselves. The Sabbath could not be violated by acts 
 of benevolence ; but the law, and every precept of holiness was, without contradiction, opposed by 
 pride and vanity. Of this He now reminded tliem, and that with a mixture of gentleness and keen 
 severity which became a Teacher like Himself, who would not disturb the Sabbath feast by any 
 more terrifying discourse, but yet would not leave sin and folly unreproved. His lesson was one 
 which, rightly received, extends far beyond the cure of vanity in instances like that to which it 
 was tirst applied. The man who has been taught by wisdom, conscience, and the Gospel, to take 
 the lowest place at a feast, will not be easily tempted to foster pride on other occasions ; and will 
 be little likely to think of himself, when in the presence of God, as having merited, by aught he 
 has ever done, admission into the kingdom of heaven. It is greatly to be lamented that many of 
 the customs of society most fondly adhered to, are not only inconsistent with the spirit, but are 
 plainly opposed to the known precepts of the Gospel. The soiuid, manly sense on which civiliza- 
 tion in these days is supposed to be founded, ought long ago to have made vanity ridiculous, and 
 pride intolerable. Christianity must have effected this, had it been received where it is profess- 
 edly acknowledged ; but imperfectly as it is admitted, it yet convicts the greater part of mankind 
 of gross insincerity. Whatever excuses may be made respecting the difKculties attending divine 
 mysteries, — or however charity may be disposed to plead for human infiimity, yet for the obstinate 
 pride of our hearts resisting not a doctrine difficult to be understood, but a plain, clear precept of 
 religion, nothing can be pleaded, and the offijnders must be left to bear the whole burden of 
 approaching degradation. The consequences attending opposition to the Gospel will not be fully 
 known till the system is perfected in the final establishment of unmixed truth and good. It will 
 then be seen that a thousand evils have existed in the world, which a simple obedience to the pre- 
 cepts of Christ would have blighted in their first growth; and that, in these respects, the punish- 
 ment, despised because supposed to be far distant, was at the door of every offender. The precepts 
 of Christ have a far extending dominion over our fate and condition, but the height and depth of 
 His power prevent not its reaching the recesses in which folly and mortality offer to conceal us. 
 Pride will be punished with signal destruction at the day of judgment ; but it has a portion of its 
 proper reward even here ; and nations, individuals, and churches are every year reaping a sad 
 harvest of miseries, the seed of which they sowed in their moments of vanity and ostentation. 
 
 290 
 
The Eighteenth Sundnij after Trinity. 
 
 
 Sll! ^ 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ORD, we beseech tliee, grant thy 
 people grace to witlistand the temp- 
 ^ tations of the workl, the flesh, and 
 /^l the devil, and with pure hearts and 
 minds to follow thee the only God ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 The C01.1.ECT. — The more we know of the woild, of ourselves, and of the Gospel, the 
 \ more anxious shall we be to obtain an answer to this prayer. Temptation has a threefold 
 if' strength ; the world, the flesh, and the devil combine together as having one interest in 
 the ruin of our souls. To resist such enemies, how little has reason ever availed ? How poor a 
 support have the most learned found in their acquisitions, when the appeals of passion or the 
 violence of sorrow had to be resisted by an argument drawn only from books? But Divine grace 
 is always sufficient. The man who professes to have it without enjoying it. will find his boasting 
 vain ; but he to whom God has said, " I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee," has a strength 
 sufficient for the mightiest proofs of faith and holiness. Purity of heart and mind gives strength 
 such as can be derived from no other source ; and this strength is exhibited, first, in resistance to 
 the enemy, and then in the power of following the Saviour. 
 
 •291 - P 2 
 
THE EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Ephtle. 1 Cor. i. 4. 
 
 THANK my God always on your be- 
 half, ibr the grace of God vvliicli is 
 given you by Jesus Christ ; that in 
 ; every thing ye are enriched by him, 
 in all utterance, and in all know- 
 ledge ; even as the testimony of 
 - Christ was confirmed in you ; so 
 that ye come behind in no gift; 
 waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
 shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be 
 blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 The Gospel. St. IMattli. xxii. 34. 
 
 HEN the Pharisees had heard that 
 Jesus had put the Sadducees to 
 silence, they were gathered together. 
 Then one of them, who was a Law- 
 yer, asked him a question, tempting 
 him, and saying. Master, which is 
 the great commandment in the Law ? 
 Jesus said unto him. Thou shalt love 
 the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy 
 
 The Epistle. — Few better proofs of holiness can be given than thankfulness of heart for the 
 increasing faith of others. In this, our freedom from selfishness admits not of suspicion; and 
 while our affection for those to whom the sentiment refers is of the noblest kind, so also is the 
 cherishing of such a feeling one of the most acceptable oflferings which we can make to God. 
 The Apostle pours forth his thanks because the Colossians were enriched by Christ, " in all utter- 
 ance and in all knowledge ;"' that they were deficient in no gift ; and that they waited for the 
 coming of Christ to confirm tliem unto the end. And to these objects ought the disciples of the 
 Saviour, in every age, so to direct each other's attention, that they may have frequent occasion to 
 offer up a prayer of tlianksgiving similar to that of the Apostle. That such is not the case must 
 be attributed to the I'earl'ul disregard of which the majority of Christians are guilty in respect to 
 the essential doctrines of their religion. Forgetting its spiritual demands, they remain contented 
 with the knowledge of the letter ; and still, as if no (iospel existed, depend for justification on 
 their freedom from reproach in the world. Blinded by these inadequate notions of religion, they 
 feel little anxiety about growth in grace, or the increase of faith. To them the language of the 
 Apostle's prayer is a language to be interpreted only by the history of the past — not by the expe- 
 rience of tlie present, or the example of living men. They never suppose that it can be made 
 applicable to their own case; and their incredulity would be as great with regard to all others, 
 were not their indifference at all times equal to their disbelief. 
 
 292 
 
THE EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 soul, and with all tliy mind. This is the first and great 
 commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two com- 
 mandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. While 
 the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 
 saying, What think ye of Christ ? whose son is he ? They 
 say unto him. The son of David. He saith unto them, 
 How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying. 
 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 
 till I make thine enemies thy foot-stool ? If David then 
 call him Lord, how is he his Son ? And no man was able 
 to answer him a word ; neither durst any man from that 
 day forth ask him any more questions. 
 
 The Gospel. — Our Lord had no sooner silenced the Sadducees on the subject of the resurrec- 
 tion, than He engaged in another dispute with the Pharisees. The nature of the law properly 
 occupied the attention of the Scribes, and no question could have been asked on points coiniected 
 with its interpretation to which our Lord would have been unwilling to give an answer. The love 
 of God and of our neighbour embraces every particular of duty in its luminous circuit ; and Wisdom 
 is justified of her children when they adopt this interpretation, that love is the fulfilling of the 
 law. But Jesus would not allow the Pharisees to depart without obliging them to make a tacit 
 confession of their ignorance on a point which ought to have been long belbre determined according 
 to the light of the holy Spirit. The Messiah was to be the Son of David, yet David ages before 
 He appeared addressed Him as his Lord. How could this be ? No answer was fovuid to such a 
 question in the dogmas of the sects newly sprung up. However fond of mysticism many of them 
 had become, they were blind to the true mysteries of religion ; and illustrated what has so often 
 since been shown, that the love of mysticism, and the devout belief in a mysteiy, are as opposed 
 to each other as the murky obscurity of an imhealthy night, to the deep and impenetrable, yet 
 lustrous, darkness of the vaulted heavens. Had the Pharisees duly considered the expression of 
 the Psalmist, and compared it with other passages of corresponding import in the prophets, they 
 would not have been silenced by the question, but accepting it as a clue to the unravelling of many 
 hitherto hidden truths, would have rejoicingly acknowledged the Immanuel, " God in Christ 
 reconciling the world unto Himself." Our Lord had now been strictly questioned on the two 
 main branches of religion, as contemplated imder the most extensive meaning of the term. Tlie 
 practical part consists of duties divided between God and our neighbour; and the more carefully 
 we inquire into the foundation of these duties, or the more anxious we may be to find reasons for 
 their performance, the more clearly shall we discover that the answer given by Jesus was that 
 which the most practical of moralists might the most wisely give. He had answered well, there- 
 fore, in this part of the discussion, for a discussion it was, though desultory, carried on between 
 Him and the learned of His countrymen. The other branch of the subject was now to be taken 
 up ; and here He was the questionist. To the Jews had been committed the oracles of God. They 
 possessed the grand volume of prophecy, full and complete; and from its pages, rich in various 
 revelations, might be gathered whatever was necessary to the satisfactory answer of any just 
 inquiry. He had replied to the questions of His antagonists in a manner which left them no room 
 to complain ; and He had, therefore, an ample right to expect a fair and candid answer to His 
 own inquiry. This was not disputed ; but no reply was given, and thus, to the end, the half of the 
 subject debated upon remained without a fair examination. The Jews, however, felt they were 
 defeated in the argument, and, as is often the case in other disputes, to rid themselves of the danger 
 of being humbled by a confession of error, they resolved on the destruction of Him by whom they 
 had been silenced. If it may be implied that he speaks the truth who acts and sutlers as the 
 speakers of truth usually do, we have here a strong incidental proof that the Gospel is of God. 
 
 293 
 
The Nineteenth Sundai/ after Trinitjj. 
 
 GOD, forasmucli as without thee we 
 are not able to please thee ; Mer- 
 cifully grant, that thy Holy Spirit 
 may in all things direct and rule our 
 hearts ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — If God cannot be believed in till He is known, neither can He be wor- 
 shipped in a true and spiritual manner till we feel the comfort of His presence. Assured 
 V of His goodness, and perceiving the perfect beauty of the law by which He governs us, the 
 ', first desire of such a believer will be, that there may be nothing in him contrary to the 
 designs or to the nature of his God. To such a one the Holy Spirit is the chief good. The 
 principles of his being demand the nourishment which the world cannot give, and the rule of his 
 conduct being determined by the will of God, Divine grace is not less essential to his happiness 
 than food to the support of his natural existence. 
 
 The EeisTLE. — Consistency is the virtue of good and great minds ; and, while they possess it 
 themselves, they are desirous that it may be enjoyed by others, as the foundation of many excel- 
 lent qualities, and necessary to the due exemplitication of all. The Christian has been brought 
 from the kingdom of darkness to that of light and holiness. He cannot, therefore, without the 
 violation of every profession which he makes, continue to walk, like the world which he is supposed 
 to have left, in folly and sensuality. Christ, truly learned, is the body and soul of holiness to the 
 new man, " which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness." Hence for a ('hristiau 
 
 294 
 
THE NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Ephtle. Ephes. iv. 17. 
 
 HIS I say therefore, and testify in 
 the Lord, that ye henceforth walk 
 not as other Gentiles walk, in the 
 vanity of their mind ; having the un- 
 derstanding darkened, being alien- 
 ated from the life of God through 
 the ignorance that is in them, be- 
 cause of the blindness of their heart ; 
 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto 
 lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 
 But ye have not so learned Christ ; if so be that ye have 
 heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is 
 in Jesus : that ye put off, concerning the former conver- 
 sation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the 
 deceitful lusts ; and be renewed in the spirit of your 
 mind ; and that ye put on the new man, which after God 
 is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore, 
 putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neigh- 
 bour ; for we are members one of another. Be ye angry 
 and sin not : let not the sun go down upon your wrath : 
 neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal 
 no more ; but rather let him labour, working with his 
 hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give 
 to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication 
 proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to 
 the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the 
 hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, where- 
 by ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all 
 bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil- 
 sj)eaking, be put away Irom you, with all malice. And 
 
 to be consistent, — for one who believes the Gospel not to contradict himself, or violate the law 
 which even the world allows to be necessar}' to all dignity of character — he must be pure from 
 offence ; his conversation exhibiting purity and sincerity of heart, and his humility and forgiviug- 
 ness illustrating, as strongly as his professions, his love of Christ, and his admiration of His 
 character. To act in a different spirit is to destroy every hope that the Gospel gives. Tlie paths 
 of sin and folly can never lead to the gates of heaven : — the vanity of a darkened understanding 
 can never produce the graces without which no one shall see God ! 
 
 295 
 
THE NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one 
 another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. 
 
 TJie Gospel. 8t. Matth. ix. I. 
 
 ESUS entered into a ship, and 
 passed over, and came into his own 
 city. And behokl, they brought to 
 him a man sick of the j)alsy, lying 
 on a bed. And Jesus seeing their 
 faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, 
 Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be 
 forgiven thee. And behold, certain 
 of the scribes said within themselves. This man blas- 
 phemeth. And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said. 
 Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts ? For whether is 
 easier to say. Thy sins be forgiven thee ? or to say, Arise, 
 and walk ? But that ye may know that the Son of man 
 hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the 
 sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto 
 thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. 
 But when the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and glori- 
 fied God, who had given such power unto men. 
 
 The Gospel. — A vast body of instruction is conveyed in the account of this miracle. It was 
 the faith of those who brought the sick man that attracted the notice, and secured the assistance, 
 of Jesus. Helpless himself, the palsy-stricken sufferer owed the means of relief to his kind and 
 believing friends. Had they not brought him to the Saviour, he would have remained to the end 
 of his days the miserable subject of an incurable disease. Hence the thoughtful and affectionate 
 mind derives one of its happiest encouragements to labour for the salvation of others. We are 
 struck, in the next place, with the salutation which Christ addressed to the object of His com- 
 passion :— " Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee !" The mere word might have been 
 spoken by any one ; but the word of Christ was " with power," and the effect which followed its 
 utterance proved His right to employ it. We might have supposed that, however great the pre- 
 judices of the Scribes and Pharisees, they would scarcely have been excited by the benevolent 
 address of Jesus to one so poor and afflicted. He expressed feelings which were calculated to 
 awaken the most tender sympathies of the human heart. Siu liad brought him under the power 
 of disease. Every Jew believed that sickness was the immediate punishment of sin. Our Lord's 
 %vords, if not recognized as tliose of a Being possessed of almiglity power, might have been taken 
 as a prayer rather than as blasphemy. They were uttered with compassionate earnestness ; and, 
 however regarded, could not have provoked so angry a feeling had nut hate and jealousy watched 
 whatever He did or said. The answer given was as noble as it was complete. God only, it is true, 
 can forgive sins ; and the disease now contemplated as the effect of sin can only be removed by 
 the pardon of the guilt in whicli it originated. Behold, it is taken away ! and what ought to be 
 the inmiediate conclusion in the minds of the spectators ? 
 
 296 
 
The Twentieth Sunday after Trinilj/. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY and most 
 
 merciiiil God, of tliy 
 
 bountiful goodness keep 
 
 us, we beseech tliee, 
 
 from all tilings that may 
 
 hurt us ; that we, being 
 
 ready both in body and 
 
 soul, may cheerfully accomplish those 
 
 things that thou wouldest have done; 
 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 o 
 
 The Coi,i-ect. — It is our humble desire to be able to do God"s will, 
 but obstacles oppose us at eveiy step. At oue time anxieties of a 
 worldly character agitate and oppress our hearts — at another, thoughts 
 full of sadness, generated we know not whence, occupy the mind. 
 When free from sorrows which come and go according to the state of 
 our feelings, real calamities or dangers may be ready to assail us ! 
 and then our time and energies are wholly taken up with making an 
 imperfect defence against the inroads of temporal care. In this con- 
 dition, God's service goes unperformed. Well, then, may we pray 
 for that help which the goodness of God only can bestow, and which, 
 removing worldly anxiety, may leave us ready to do His will with 
 iiLe and jo\lul heaits. It is the part of a spiritual mind to lie desirous above all things of pur- 
 suing the first ends of existence. But these have been determined by the wisdom of God, and 
 the rules whereby they are to be sought form the sublime code of laws which He has given to 
 His people. It is not, however, in the strength of human resolution, or in the clear perception of 
 what is good and right, that we find the power which our will requires for putting its determina- 
 tions into practice. We may have long understood the truth and equity of Gods law, and have 
 learned to feel, that the paths of holiness are those of peace, and yet have made no progress in the 
 actual work of salvation, or in the realization of the views which we believe to be essential to our 
 happiness. The prayer which asks for freedom, '• froju all things that may hurt us," regards not 
 only the hinderances which come from without, but those also which have their chief nourishment 
 from our own hearts ; those which, being left there, are continually keeping us back, when, so far 
 as belief is concerned, we would willingly go forward. Let us be made '• ready both in body and 
 soul " to do God"s will, by the removal of inward weaknesses and distractions ; let the healthy 
 activity of our spiritual affections correspond to the determinations of reason, and we shall then find 
 ourselves carried forward by impulses far mightier in their force than any of those derived from 
 the early conclusions of our miuds. Man can do nothing long or well,, which he does not do cheer- 
 fully. To accomplish the things which God would have us perfomi, we need invigorating grace; 
 and the main cause at all times of our coldness in fulfilling His designs, is the want of that spirit 
 of love which can alone make duty and obedience joyful. 
 
 297 " -2 Q 
 
THE TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 
 
 The Epi}itle, Eplies. v. 15. 
 
 EE then that ye walk circumspectly, 
 not as ibols, but as wise, redeeming 
 the time, because the days are evil. 
 Wherefore be ye not unwise, hut 
 understanding what the will of the 
 Lord is. And be not drunk witli 
 wine, wherein is excess ; but l)e filled 
 with the Spirit; speaking to your- 
 selves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; sing- 
 ing and making melody in your heart to the Lord ; giving 
 thanks always I'or all things unto God and the Father, in 
 the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ ; submitting your- 
 selves one to another in the fear of God. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Mattli. xxii. 1. 
 
 ESUS said, The Kingdom of heaven 
 
 is like unto a certain king, who 
 
 made a marriage for his son ; and 
 
 sent forth his servants to call them 
 
 that were hidden to the wedding; 
 
 and they would not come. Again, 
 
 he sent forth other servants, saying. 
 
 Tell them which are bidden. Behold, 
 
 I have prepared my dinner ; my oxen and my fatlings are 
 
 killed, and all things are ready ; come unto the marriage. 
 
 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his 
 
 The Epistle. — The promises of the Gospel are calculated to inspire the mind with a happy 
 anticipatiuii of future glory. Not less adapted are the doctrines of grace to give confidence to the 
 mind when feeling itself recovering from the sorrows and degradation of sin. But while the know- 
 ledge of these things have produced in many souls a holy tranquillity — a gratitude to God which 
 manifested itself in acts of persevering piety — tlie result in others has heen an overweening con- 
 fidence, which, long indulged in, has led at length to all the evils of ibrgetfulness and negligence. 
 Against such a danger the Apostle here warns the followers of Christ. Circumspection is their 
 duty at all times. The perils which they see are not the only perils which they have to fear. In 
 every state, sohriety, the rejoicing which has its rise in the habitual praise of God, and humility, 
 are our best safeguards. They keep the mind watchful without leaving it to be depressed with 
 care, and raise it to heaven without allowing it to forget that it has many and powerful enemies 
 on earth. 
 
 298 
 
THE TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took 
 his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 
 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth; and he sent 
 forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burnt 
 up their city. Then saith he to his servants. The wedding 
 is ready, but they who were bidden were not worthy. Go 
 ye therefore into the high-ways, and as many as ye shall 
 find bid to the marriage. So those servants went out 
 into the high-ways, and gathered together all, as many as 
 they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was 
 furnished with guests. And when the king came in to 
 see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a 
 wedding-garment. And he saith unto him, Friend, how 
 camest thou in hither, not having a wedding-garment ? 
 And he was speechless. Then said the king to the ser- 
 vants. Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and 
 cast him into outer darkness : there shall be weeping and 
 gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are 
 chosen. 
 
 The Gospel. — ^This beautiful parable, though in its first and most literal application referring 
 to the rejection of Christ by the Jews, and the subsequent calling of the Gentiles, may properly be 
 regarded as admitting of a more general interpretation, and as applicable to the case both of other 
 nations and of individuals. When the Gospel is preached to a people, and they are furnished with 
 all the means of grace, according to the tenor of the New Covenant, they are placed, in many of 
 the most important respects, in the same situation as was the nation elected of old to be sacred to 
 God and to holiness. As the Almighty Father continues to raise up successive teachers of the 
 divine word, bestowing, from time to time, larger supplies of light, making mysteries clearer, and 
 the approaching completion of His promise more evident, the people so favoured are invited, by a 
 repetition of the original call, to partake in the marriage supper of the king's son. The actual 
 acceptance of this invitation can only be proved by a steady advancement in holiness, — by the 
 growth of national and social virtues,— by the increasing tendency of the laws to rest on the truth 
 of things, — and by the grander aims of both rulers and people to advance the interests of humanity, 
 and the cause of God. When these signs of progressive holiness are not to be discerned in a 
 nation, it is, at least, in a state of perilous doubt. We see it debating whether it shall throw itself 
 back into the arms of sin and barbarity, or retain in its possession the ark of God's law and the 
 mercy-seat. The application of the parable to individual cases is rendered direct and solemnly 
 impressive by the singling out of one dark-minded and thoughtless victim to the power of inicjuity. 
 It would be well for every Christian, living in and as the world, often to ask himself, "Had not 
 Christ His eye on me when He described this man?" In the plain announcement that " many 
 are called, but few are chosen," God's mercy, and the sin and folly of mankind, are placed in 
 striking contrast. Divine love, solicitous for the salvation of the world, summons multitude after 
 multitude to partake in the means of grace. The calling of the many is the pure eflfect of mercy ; 
 and, with its rejection, neither the justice nor any other attribute of the Almighty can be changed. 
 In this man only is concerned ; the grace which calls would choose, but the obstinate love of sm 
 sets at nought the riches of God's goodness. 
 
 299 2 Q 2 
 
The Twentij-firsl Sundai/ after Trinity. 
 
 ■^^^^^^^ 
 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 RANT, we beseech thee, merciful 
 Lord, to thy faithful people pardon 
 and peace, that they may be cleansed 
 from all their sins, and serve thee 
 with a quiet mind ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — We ask for many things in this sliort prayer without which our en- 
 deavours after good would be utterly vain and worthless. God's most faithful people have 
 need to pray for pardon. Of this they are the more deeply conscious the more they advance 
 in the knowledge of spiritual religion. The enjoyment of peace depends upon their feeling 
 that pardon has been obtained. In the same manner there are two other petitions linked 
 together : the one for the cleansing away of sin by grace and the blood of the atonement ; the other 
 depending on this, that they who are so purified may be able to perform the service of Christ with 
 tranquil minds and spirits. The value of the blessings thus sought for is unappreciated by the 
 world, and can never be known till their influence on the lieart have been deeply felt. But if in 
 any case we believe our fellow men, why should we doubt the testimony of those who bear 
 witness to the happy effects of holiness ? Why refuse to be persuaded by the best and wisest of 
 our race ? 
 
 300 
 
 'A 
 
THE TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Epistle. Ephes. vi. 10. 
 
 Y brethren, be strong in the Lord, 
 and in the power of his might. Put 
 on the whole armour of God, that 
 ye may be able to stand against the 
 wiles of the devil. For we wrestle 
 not against flesh and blood, but 
 against principalities, against powers, 
 against the rulers of the darkness 
 of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that 
 ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having 
 done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins 
 girt about with truth; and having on the breast-plate of 
 righteousness ; and your feet shod with the preparation 
 of the Gospel of peace ; above all, taking the shield of 
 faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery 
 darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation, 
 and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God : 
 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the 
 Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance, and 
 supplication for all saints ; and for me, that utterance 
 may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, 
 to make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I 
 am an ambassador in bonds ; that therein I may speak 
 boldly, as I ought to speak. 
 
 The Epistle. — This uoble specimen of Apostolic eloquence contains an exhortation which ought 
 to awaken us to a new sense of the advantages of Christ's religion. Poor and weak as we are by 
 nature, the glory of divine riches is offered us ; — the trembling heart is presented with an armour 
 brighter than the panoply of the most famous hero, and weapons are put into our hands of purer 
 temper than any forged in the brightest fires of genius. The exhortation involves an offer and a 
 promise : — " Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." The strength of the Lord 
 may be ours, if we are willing to make it our strength. " Put on the whole armour of God : " the 
 whole armour, with the sword and the shield, is at hand, if we are ready to clothe ourselves in it as 
 oin- defence. We are not, in this matter, however, simply to consider whether we choose to prepare 
 ourselves for a contest or not ; but whether we prefer meeting a powerful enemj- with or without 
 armour. He will certainly, in either case, come against us in the full strength of his wrath ; and 
 woe be to those who, in their folly, attempt to resist him in their unsheltered weakness ! In every 
 other struggle we are anxious to gain assistance, — to make ourselves as secure as the nature of the 
 contest will allow. How unreasonable, that in a strife where our very being is in jeopardy, we 
 should care so little about the means of safetv ! 
 
 301 
 
THE TVyENTV-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The GoiipeL St. John iv. 46. 
 
 HERE was a certain nobleman, 
 whose son was sick at Capernaum. 
 When he heard that Jesus was come 
 out of Judsea into Galilee, he went 
 unto him, and besought him that he 
 would come down and heal his son ; 
 for he was at the point of death. 
 Then said Jesus unto him. Except 
 ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The noble- 
 man saith unto him. Sir, come down ere my child die. 
 Jesus saith unto him. Go thy way, thy son liveth. And 
 the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto 
 him, and he went his way. And, as he was now going 
 down, his servants met him, and told him, saying. Thy 
 son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he 
 began to amend : and they said unto him, Yesterday at 
 the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew 
 that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto 
 him. Thy son liveth ; and himself believed, and his whole 
 house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, 
 when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee. 
 
 The Gospel. — There is great beauty iu this simple narrative. Jesus was well known at Caper- 
 naum ; and the nobleman here mentioned was probably one of the few who gave heed to His 
 words. His absence at Jerusalem prevented the afflicted father from appealing to His mercy at 
 the beginning of the child's illness ; and it is easy to imagine with how much of painful anxiety 
 His return must have been looked for by the nobleman. First one, and then another, physician has 
 failed in his attempt to stop the progress of the disorder. It increases every hour ; and the life of 
 the beloved child hangs upon a thread. Oh! where now is Jesus ? Has any one from Jerusalem 
 brought tidings of Him ? Is He on His way back: or does He still journey on, seeking the dis- 
 persed among the Gentiles ? In the midst of these anxious inquiries, tidings are brought that 
 Jesus had been seen on the road to Capernaum. Not a moment is to be lost. The child every 
 minute draws his breath with more difficulty. Would that Jesus were here by his bed-side to 
 pronounce the blessing which had so often availed to the recovering of the dying ! He comes not 
 with the speed which answers to the quick beating of the father's heart. Though near Capernaum, 
 He is not, it is supposed, near enough to render the desired relief. At the instant, therefore, when 
 all hope was departing but that which attached itself to the name of Jesus, the despairing parent 
 rushes forth, and takes the path which he was told would lead him to the humane and all-powerful 
 Prophet. His first words on meeting Jesus are those which Nature prompted: — "Come down 
 ere my child die." Jesus takes but time to allude to the unbelief which rendered miracles 
 necessary as a proof of His divinity, — allows the father to repeat the entreaty, and pronounces the 
 child cured. Blessed Lord ! — who that has those about whom he thinks with the deep anxiety of 
 love would not have Thee for his Friend and Saviour? 
 
 302 
 
TJie Ticenty-second Simdcu/ after Trinity/. 
 
 The Collect. 
 ORD, we beseech thee to keep thy 
 houshold the Church in continual 
 godliness ; that through thy protec- 
 tion it may be free from all adver- 
 sities, and devoutly given to serve 
 thee in good works, to the glory of 
 thy Name ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect — Godliness has the promise of both present and future good. The former 
 V goo<l consists in the means of grace, in the protection and manifestations of love which are 
 bestowed by the Divine Spirit, with such measures of natural enjojTnent as are best calcu- 
 lated to cherish confidence in God's mercy. The latter will be good, not in relation to the future, 
 but in itself, and in the perfect satisfaction which it is fitted to bestow at the moment of possession. 
 Kept in continual godliness, the Church of Christ can have nothing to fear ; for it has around it 
 the arm of God, and it rests on the foundation which can never be shaken. It has ample reason, 
 therefore, to pray that it may be preserved in the uniform practice of divine graces, seeing that on 
 this its holiness of state and action depends the hope of freedom from adversity, and the power to 
 glm-ify its great Founder and Benefactor. 
 
 The KpisTi.K. — Tlie Apostle here congratulates the Philippians on their steadfast adherence to 
 the faith which he had taught them. He takes, as the foundation of his joy, the comforting 
 principle, that " the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." He was confident that the 
 beneficent Being who had " begun a good work in them would perform it until the day of Jesus 
 Christ ; '' and this his trust was daily strengthened by the tidings brought him of the affectionate 
 vniion which existed among his converts ; of the tender regard paid to his exhortations; and their 
 general growth in zeal and holiness. His prayer for their increase in grace refers to all the main 
 
 303 
 
THE TWENTY SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 
 
 The Eputle. Phil. i. 3. 
 
 THANK my God upon every re- 
 membrance of you, (always in every 
 ])rayer ol' mine for you all making- 
 request with joy,) for your fellowship 
 in the Gospel from the first day 
 until now ; being confident of this 
 ^ very thing, that he who hath begun 
 a good work in you will perform it 
 until the day of Jesus Christ ; even as it is meet for me 
 to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, 
 inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and 
 confirmation of the Gospel, ye all are partakers of my 
 grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after 
 you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, 
 that your love may abound yet more and more in know- 
 ledge, and in all judgement: that ye may approve things 
 that are excellent, that ye may be sincere, and without 
 offence, till the day of Christ : being filled with the fruits 
 of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the 
 glory and praise of God. 
 
 The Goqiel. St. JMatth. xviii. 21. 
 
 ETER said unto Jesus, Lord, how 
 oft shall my brother sin against me, 
 and I forgive him ? till seven times .'* 
 Jesus saitli unto him, I say not unto 
 thee, until seven times ; but until 
 seventy times seven. Therefore is 
 the Kingdom of heaven likened unto 
 
 a certain 
 account of his servants. 
 
 king. 
 
 which would 
 
 And when he had be^un 
 
 take 
 to 
 
 qualifications of Evangelical faith. Love, without a corresponding degree of knowledge and judg- 
 ment, might incline to enthusiasm, productive of no fruit ; and sincerity and freedom from oflf'ence 
 are then hest secured when whatever is excellent obtains the clear and unaffected approval of an 
 understanding that is sound as well as sanctified. For these and all such things the Apostle prajs 
 in behalf of his converts. He asks for them as fruits of righteousness, — as springing from (^hrist's 
 life-giving Spirit, quickening the heart ; and as offerings to the glory of the heavenly Father. 
 
 304 
 
THE TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 reckon, one was bronglit unto him, which owed him ten 
 thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, 
 his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and 
 children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 
 The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, 
 saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee 
 all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with com- 
 passion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But 
 the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow- 
 servants, which owed him an hundred pence; and he laid 
 hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying. Pay 
 me that thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at 
 his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with 
 me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not ; but 
 went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the 
 debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, 
 they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord 
 all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called 
 him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee 
 all that debt, because thou desiredst me : shouldest not 
 thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even 
 as I had pity on thee ? And his lord was wroth, and 
 delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all 
 that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly 
 Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive 
 not every one his brother their trespasses. 
 
 The Gospel. — There is no greater instance of the folly as well as cruelty of mankind than the 
 indisposition which prevails in the human heart to forgive offences. Christianity is founded on a 
 basis which would not shake under the weight of civilization, were it, with its whole sj-stem of laws, 
 rights, and fashions, ten thousand times weightier than it is. Its blessed Author did not forget 
 the necessities of the world as it at present exists ; nor had He any desire to expose His people to 
 the wanton attacks of rapine and injustice, when no advantage could be gained thereby, either 
 to the Church or to His kingdom. We may be sure, therefore, that His precepts are practicable, 
 without any violation of good and wholesome rules of government, discipline, or self-protection. 
 This being acknowledged, the precept here inculcated must be received not only as demanding 
 obedience, but as one which may be safely followed. Provision is made by the law of God Him- 
 self for the punishment of offenders against personal securitj-, or the security of property. Their 
 acquittal comes not within the range of private authorit}' or judgment. Our Lord, therefore, it 
 may safely be presumed, did not intend to teach His disciples that they were indiscriminately to 
 pardon offences in such a manner as to allow of evil-doers escaping the just punishment of their 
 deeds. But by far the greater number of ofTeuces. or supj)osed offences, which produce so much 
 distress in society, and so much injury to religion, are such as it does come within the province of 
 individuals to pardon. The injury in these cases ends with the person ; and pertains not, like 
 
 305 2 R 
 
The Ticentjj -third Sunday after Trinity/. 
 
 GOD, our refuge and strength, who 
 art the author of all godliness ; Be 
 ready, we beseech thee, to hear the 
 de\ out prayers of thy Church ; and 
 grant that those things which we 
 ask faithfully we may obtain effect- 
 ually; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amoi. 
 
 . , those which the law takes up, to the state, or mankind in their collective capacity. And 
 (' wherever it is ourselves only that are concerned, be the offence ag;ainst some personal in- 
 terest, — against our pride or our vanity— there we must forgive until seventy times seven, 
 that is, as often as there may be occasion for the exercise of this act of brotherly mercy. The 
 argument which our Lord uses to establish His precept is one of great force and pathos. God 
 lias forgiven you, lie says to every one of us, and forgiven you more sins than you can number, 
 but for every one of which you deserved death :— will you, knowing this, refuse to forgive one 
 who has trespassed against vou with not a thousandth part of the ingratitude which signalizes 
 your offences against Heaven ? 
 
 The Collect.— The people of God seek Him in prayer because they know Him to be their 
 refuge and strength— their protection and shelter, that is, when calamity invades them ; and the 
 arm of an invincible power when, bound together in the unity of the Spirit, they go forth to 
 meet the enemy in open conflict. To ask with a sincere and believing heart is the surest of all 
 methods for obtaining an effectual answer to prayer. Faithfulness includes trust, devotion, and a 
 lioly resignation to God's will, making up the character of righteousness for which there is an 
 especial assurance, that it •' availeth much" in prayer. 
 
THE TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 The Ephtle. Phil. iii. 17. 
 
 RETHREN, be followers together 
 of me, and mark tliem which walk 
 so as ye have us for an ensample. 
 (For many walk, of whom I have 
 told you often, and now tell you 
 even w^eeping, that they are the ene- 
 mies of the cross of Christ ; whose 
 end is destruction, whose god is 
 their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind 
 earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven ; from 
 whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus 
 Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be 
 fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the 
 working wdiereby he is able even to subdue all things 
 unto himself. 
 
 TJie Gospel. St. Mattli. xxii. 15. 
 
 HEN went the Pharisees and took 
 counsel how they might entangle 
 him in his talk. And they sent out 
 unto him their disciples, wdth the 
 Herodians, saying, Master, we know 
 that thou art true, and teachest the 
 way of God in truth, neither carest 
 thou for any man : for thou re- 
 gardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, what 
 
 The Episti.e. — St. Paul knew that he had devoted himself both in heart and spirit to the 
 sen'ice of Christ. Nothing in him had remained unchanged by that divine grace to which he was 
 indebted for his conversion. The life which he led exemplified the power of that grace : it was 
 pure and simple, — abounding in labour, and characterized b}- a succession of the most painful 
 instances of self-denial. To him, therefore, it might well be allowed to saj', " Walk as yn have us 
 for an ensample ; " and this the more freely when it was everj-where known, that the persons with 
 whom he stood in coutrast were distinguished for their gross indulgence in the worst species of 
 selfishness and low sensuality. But the Apostle did not fail to give a stronger reason for this 
 appeal to his actions than that which might be found in their being contrasted favourably with 
 those of others. The glory of the men respecting whom he spoke " was in their shame ; " while 
 the avowed and known support of his own conduct was the communion which he held with Heaven, 
 and the constant hope that in due time he should behold the manifestation of his Saviour's glor)', 
 
 307 2 R 2 
 
THE TWENTY THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 thiiikest thou ? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, 
 or not ? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said. 
 Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? shew me the tribute- 
 money. And they brought unto him a peny. And lie 
 saitli unto them, Whose is this image and superscription ? 
 They say unto him Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, 
 Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are 
 Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 
 When they had heard these words they marvelled, and 
 left him, and went their way. 
 
 when his corruptible I'rame would be made susceptible of the eternal beauty which invests the 
 angels of God ; and he should perceive iu this his changed condition the working of Christ's power, 
 which is destined to subdue all things into conformity with His own glorious perfections. 
 
 The GosPEL.^Could the enemies of Christ have detected Him in the assertion of any error, the 
 conclusion would have been immediately, and legitimately, drawn, that He was not what He pre- 
 tended to be— the Messiah, and the Son of God. But on no occasion did the subtle disputants 
 employed against Him succeed in this attempt : He was always prepared with an answer wliich 
 refuted and shamed them. Foiled in their hopes of entangling Him in the meshes of some un- 
 considered argument, they next attempted to draw Him into the expression of sentiments which, 
 though true, and even laudable, might help them in exposing Him to the resentment of their rulers. 
 The situation in which the nation was then placed gave great promise of success to this plan of 
 proceeding. Jealousy is the natural quality of those who rule by right of conquest; and the 
 Romans had ample reason to dread the proud and artful character of the Jews. The question put 
 to Jesus would have been answered, it is probable, by any one else, so as to have involved the 
 crime of treason either against the Romans or against the liberties of the nation. But the divine 
 wisdom of our Lord enabled Him to avoid both these dangers. His answer could not oifend the 
 Romans, nor, properly considered, was it injurious to His own countrymen ; for they had long 
 submitted to the conquerors, and the tribute which they paid was become a tax, by the regular 
 discharge of which they secured their present repose and comparative prosperity. To have refused 
 to pay the tribute under these circumstances would have been both unwise and unjust. This, it is 
 evident, was acknowledged by a large portion of the nation ; and our Lord could incur no charge 
 of want of patriotism by saying with them, " Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's." 
 But He forcibly reminded them, at the same moment, and the precept must have been the more 
 felt by the contrast, that while they were disputing about Caesar, they were forgetting God ; and 
 thereby exposing themselves to a slavery which would be infinitely worse than that to which they 
 were now subjected. The feeling with which He regarded their inquiry, is forcibly shown in the 
 question, " Why tempt me, ye hypocrites?" Had they been scrupulous because strictly holy, or 
 anxious not to do wrong in this matter, because they had hitherto observed every law of their 
 religion with strict fidelity, they might have asked this or any other question of Christ, with the 
 certainty of receiving a kind and satisfactory reply. But they were notorious for having violated 
 the most important rules of sanctity, — for having committed ofi'ences which could be excused by 
 none of the sophistical arguments ordinarily urged in their defence. That the leaders of such a 
 people should in(juire what it was their duty to do in a nice question of political morality, was 
 only to afford fresh evidence of their hypocrisy ami hardness of heart. They no more desired to 
 know what they ought to do in this respect, than they were willing to do what was plainly their 
 duty in other things. Their simple object was to ruin a Teacher who spoke the truth too plainly, 
 and who, in the penetrating eye which He fixed on their hypocrisy, manifested that attribute of 
 divinity which they were least of all likely to endure. Late as was the horn, how many centuries 
 of sorrow might have been spared the nation, had these its leaders been willing to listen to the 
 words of Christ ! " Will a man rob God ?" was the question of one of their prophets. They had 
 robbed Him, and were now asking whether they might rob Caesar also. 
 
 308 
 
The Ticentj/-fourth Simdaj/ after Tiinilij. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LORD, we beseech tliee, absolve 
 thy people from their offences ? that 
 through thy bountiful goodness we 
 may all be delivered from the bands 
 of those sins, which by our frailty 
 we have committed: Grant this, O 
 
 heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our blessed 
 
 Lord and Saviour. Amen. 
 
 The Coli-ect.— Sin ueaves feltevs which press more fearfully ou the human soul than 
 any ever yet forged by men have atHicted the body. A prisoner who has lain so long in his dreary 
 dungeon that the senses are scarcely awake to the misery which oppresses hmi, :s surely not the 
 less certainly in captivity because he is hardly alive to his wretchedness. Mankind wear the 
 heavy chains of sin, and complain not because they are rendered insensible by its deadening 
 influence. As soon as Divine grace makes them awaie of their condition, then they begin to cry, 
 " Deliver us from the bands of our sins." But in proportion to the desire of escape, will 1 e the 
 readiness of the suppliant to employ the surest means of deliverance. He will spend little time 
 in speculation as to which is the best mode of proceeding, when one certain path to liberty is 
 opened for him by the bountiful goodness and the almighty power of God. 
 
 309 
 
THE TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 
 
 The Epi.stle. Col. i. 3. 
 
 E give thanks to God and the Father 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying 
 always for you, since we heard of 
 your faith in Christ Jesus, and of 
 the love which ye have to all the 
 saints ; for the hope which is laid 
 up for you in heaven, whereof ye 
 heard before in the word of the 
 truth of the Gospel ; which is come unto you, as it is in 
 all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in 
 you, since the day ye heard of it and knew the grace of 
 God in truth. As ye also learned of Epaphras, our dear 
 fellow-servant, who is for you a faithful minister of 
 Christ ; who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 
 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not 
 cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled 
 with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual 
 understanding ; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord 
 unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and 
 increasing in the knowledge of God ; strengthened with 
 all might, according to his glorious power, unto all pa- 
 tience and long-suffering with joyfulness ; giving thanks 
 unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers 
 of the inheritance of the saints in light. 
 
 The Epistle. — It is worthy of observation, that the Apostle has no sooner given thanks for the 
 Colossian converts, than he passes on to an expression of earnest prayer in their behalf. The cause 
 of his thankfulness was their faith in Christ Jesus ; their love to the Saints ; and the hope which, 
 seeing their fidelity to the Gospel, he knew was laid up for them in heaven. They had become 
 valuable in his eyes in proportion to their holiness of disposition ; and he asked for them of God 
 the things which were most precious to his own devout and comprehensive mind. The knowledge 
 of God's will, '■ in all wisdom and spiritual understanding," was the first blessing in his catalogue 
 of heavenly gifts ; the next was, that this knowledge might be seen working in them as a new 
 principle of life ; and canying them forward as the servants of Christ, proving more and more 
 the efficacy of his grace. A beautiful and fatherly prayer: such a one as enables us to see in the 
 divinely-polished mirror of Christian love the image of Christ himself. But the Apostle does not 
 end with supplication ; he adds thanksgiving to his prayer, and it may be observed, that any kind 
 of petition offered to God implies the duty of much and hearty thankfulness. It is an instance 
 of profound mercy that we are permitted to approach Him with our supplication — of still pro- 
 founder goodness, that He gives us the promise of an answer to every prayer offered up in a filial 
 and trusting spirit. 
 
 ^ 310 
 
THE TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINFIY 
 
 The Gu.spel. St. Mattli. ix. l8. 
 
 HILE Jesus spake these tilings unto 
 Jolm's disciples, behold, there came 
 a certain ruler, and worshipped him, 
 saying, My daughter is even now 
 dead; but come and lay thy hand 
 upon her, and she shall live. And 
 Jesus arose and followed him, and 
 so did his disciples. (And behold, 
 a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood 
 twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem 
 of his garment ; for she said within herself, If I may 
 but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus 
 turned him about, and, when he saw her, he said, 
 Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee 
 whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.) 
 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the 
 minstrels and the people making a noise, he said unto 
 them. Give place; for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. 
 And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people 
 were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and 
 the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into 
 all that land. 
 
 The Gospel.— Two miracles of our Lord are described in this short Gospel, and each is indi- 
 cative of those qualities of power and mercy which recommend Him so strongly to our hearts. 
 Heavily afflicted at the loss of his child, the ruler worshipped Jesus, and expressed a confidence 
 in His ability to raise the dead, which amounted to an act of great faith. Sorrow had thus suddenly 
 made him a worshipper of Jesus, and a believer. The poor trembling woman who sought a relief 
 for which she dare not ask, and found it, though her humility kept her silent, is the representative 
 of those who have long suffered the sorrows attending repentance, but have not yet come to tlie 
 Saviour. Let such take their lesson from her. If they dare not come, as known and observed 
 petitioners, to Christ, yet let them mingle with those who follow Him. He will heal and cleanse 
 them, and then openly declare that thej' are prepared by His grace to be numbered among His 
 people The raising of the daughter of J aims may be employed to confirm the same views. It 
 M'as not too late for faith and hope to seek Him. though all the world ridiculed the idea of now 
 desiring His assistance Had He not been sought, the slumber of the child would have been 
 that which is not broken. In His presence death is not death, but sleep ; it has changed its 
 nature, with ceasing to be an invincible tyrant at the word of Christ. The fame of this miracle 
 went abroad into all the land where it had been performed, but it concerned all countries and all 
 ages as well as the district and the point of time in which it was wrought. On the truth of 
 Christ's word depends every reasonable hope of everlasting lil'e, and of the happiness which may 
 render immortality acceptable. Whatever, therefore, added to the evidence of His divinitj-, added 
 to the felicity of mankind, if liopc be an element of good. 
 
 311 
 
The Ttccni}/-fiftli Sunday afler Trinihj. 
 
 s^^) 
 
 TIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, 
 the wills of thy faithful people; 
 that they, plenteously bringing forth 
 the fruit of good works, may of thee 
 be plenteously rewarded ; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, 
 
 The Coi.i.f.ct. — The evangelical year lias now neailj^ completed its circuit, and the 
 people of Gud begin again to meditate on tlie approach of those great events in which all 
 their hopes and triumphs had their dav/n. Impressed with a solemn sense of the wonderful 
 deliverance which has been wrought for them, they discover with sorrow that their devo- 
 tion is often cold when it should be most fervent, and their hearts still more frequently 
 inclined to refuse obedience to the Spirit to whom they are indebted for life itself. Hence they 
 pray that God would arouse them to greater activity, and enable them so to bring forth the fruits 
 of righteousness, that they may be acceptable to Him through, and in, Christ. These concluding 
 words, necessary, and full of meaning at the end of whatsoever prayer they may he placed, are 
 especially appropriate when following any expression which speaks of a reward for good works. 
 For such we may ask, through Christ, but only through Him ; for to Him we are v/holly indebted 
 for the grace which enabled us to do aright, and to Him belongs all the glory of our turning from 
 daikness unto light. 
 
 312 
 
THE TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 For the Epistle. Jer. xxiii, 5. 
 
 EHOLD, the clays come, saitli the 
 Lord, that I will raise unto David a 
 righteous Branch, and a King shall 
 reign, and prosj^er, and shall ex- 
 ecute judgement and justice in the 
 earth. In his days Judali shall be 
 saved, and Israel shall dwell safely : 
 and this is his Name whereby he 
 shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUS- 
 NESS. Therefore behold, the days come, saith the Lord, 
 that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which 
 brought up the children of Israel out of the land of 
 Egypt ; but. The Lord liveth, which brought up, and 
 which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north- 
 country, and from all countries whither I had driven 
 them ; and they shall dwell in their own land. 
 
 lite Gospel. St. John vi. 5. 
 
 HEN Jesus then lift up his eyes, 
 and saw a great company come unto 
 him, he saith unto Philip, Whence 
 shall we buy bread that these may 
 eat? (And this he said to prove 
 him; for he himself knew what he 
 would do.) Philip answered him. 
 Two hundred peny-worth of bread is 
 not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take 
 a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's 
 
 The Epistle. — ^^Ve thus resume the contemplation of that wonderful series of prophecies which 
 point with more particular exactness to the coming and the character of our Lord. The very 
 circumstance that such a class of writings exists is sufficient to direct the attention of ingenuous 
 minds to the general evidence of revelation. To foretell what will happen in the natural world at 
 a distant period, and in so far as it is dependent upon known laws, is in the power of only highly 
 enlightened intellects ; but how infinitely superior would those minds be which could calculate the 
 laws of moral action so as to foresee events in the progress of human history, supposing that such 
 events were governed by principles open to discovery ! The simple fact that occurrences have been 
 loretold. has but to be established to fill every thinking man with the spirit of inquiry. 
 
 313 2 s 
 
rriE TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. 
 
 l)rotlier, saitli unto liim, Tlicrc is a lad here, which hath 
 iive barley-loaves, and two small fishes ; but what are 
 they among so many ? And Jesus said, Make the men 
 sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So 
 the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And 
 Jesus took the loaves, and, when he had given thanks, he 
 distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that 
 were set down, and likewise of the fishes, as much as they 
 would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, 
 Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be 
 lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled 
 twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley- 
 loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had 
 eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle 
 that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet that 
 should come into the world. 
 
 ^ // there be any more Sundays before Advent- Sunday, the Service of some of those 
 Sundays that ivere omitted after the Epiphatiy shall be taken in to supply so many 
 as are here icanting. And if there be fewer, the overplus may be omitted: Provided 
 that this last Collect, Epistle, and Gospel shall always be used upon the Sunday next 
 before Advent. 
 
 The Gospel. — Again we are called upon to contemplate the wonderful exercise of Christ's power 
 in the feeding of a famishing multitude. As often as this subject is presented to the mind of a 
 believer, so often ought he to meditate not only on the astonishing character of the miracle, but on 
 his own wants and infirmities, — on the necessities of his nature, and the dangers of the situation in 
 which he is placed. However earnest we may be in our attention to the word preached, still we 
 faint unless Christ feed us, which He then does when, superadded to the letter of His revelations, 
 His cherishing grace is poured living into our hearts. It is by this after gift that He manifests 
 His power — His tenderness and care for His people. With the feeling in our souls that we owe 
 strength to the nourishment which He has bestowed, we shall be spiritually as eager to follow 
 Him as was the multitude, according to mere human desire, when they recollected how He had 
 replenished them in the wilderness. But we think too little of the power of Jesus Christ. He is 
 described as "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." His power was not such that it could be 
 influenced by time. He is, therefore, still exercising it according to the majesty of His nature ; 
 and were we not wanting in rectitude of heart, we should see and own its operations. There is a 
 sublimity in the power of Christ to save. " Whence should we have so much bread in the wilder- 
 ness, to feed so great a multitude ?" This is a natural question. The application of every benefit 
 which man can bestow is limited to few. His means are soon exhausted ; liis patience equally so : 
 and having been taught not to hope for good in this world, unless we are among the favoured few, 
 we carry our doubts even to the consideration of the goodness of Christ. The world presents itself 
 in the mass. Millions upon millions of human creatures press before us, and these are to be pro- 
 vided for by Christ. His power must be sufficient to order circumstances in their favour; — His 
 merits sufficient to satisfy for them; — His grace sufficient to convert them ; — His strength to raise 
 them ; — and His command of the means of good sufficient to supply all their wants: a mighty 
 demand on power, but not greater than Christ can answer. 
 
 <([ Rubric. — This rubric is not found in the original copy of the Liturgy ; and it still leaves room 
 for some difference of practice in the ordering of the Service. But the last Sunday in Epiphany 
 is properly regarded as furnishing the most appropriate introduction to the lessons of Advent. 
 
 314 
 
Saint Andreivs Daj/. 
 
 , )^ ^^"^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, who didst give 
 such grace unto tliy holy Apostle 
 Saint Andrew, that he readily obeyed 
 the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, 
 and followed him without delay; 
 Grant unto us all, that we, being 
 called by thy holy Word, may forthwith give up our- 
 selves obediently to fullil thy holy commandments; 
 tlirouo;!! the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, 
 
 The Collect.— It was the custom of the Christian Church in earliest days to commemorate 
 the labours and sufferings of the servants of God. The first preachers of the Gospel, as elder 
 brothers in the family of Christ, have all those claims upon our affection which belong to a well- 
 evidenced fidelity. They exposed themselves to every species of danger for the cause of holiness, 
 and counted not their lives dear unto them, that they might glorify God, and promote the ever- 
 lasting welfare of their race. But there are other reasons for the observance of the days conse- 
 crated to their memory. An attention to such periods of devotion breaks the appearance of too 
 strict a reckoning with God as to His right over a portion of our time; and yet further, it affords 
 the ministers of religion a fitting opportunity for speaking of many historical circumstances con- 
 nected with the foundation and progress of the Church. The Saints' days ceased to be kept at 
 the Revolution, but their observance was revived at the re-establishment of the former state of 
 things, and was made incumbent on churchmen by the Act of Unitormity. 
 
 31.-) " '^ s 2 
 
SAINT ANDREW'S DAY. 
 
 Tlie Epistie. Koiii. x. 9. 
 
 F tliou slialt confess with thy moiitli 
 the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in 
 thine heart that God hath raised 
 him from the dead, thou shalt be 
 saved. For with the heart man be- 
 lieveth unto righteousness, and with 
 the mouth confession is made unto 
 salvation. For the Scripture saith. 
 Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For 
 there is no diiFerence between the Jew and the Greek : 
 for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon 
 him. For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the 
 Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him, 
 in whom they have not believed? And how shall they 
 believe in him, of whom they have not heard ? And how 
 shall they hear without a preacher ? And how shall they 
 preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How 
 beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of 
 peace, and bring glad tidings of good things ! But they 
 have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Esaias saith. Lord, 
 who hath believed our report ? So then faith cometh by 
 hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. But I say, 
 Have they not heard ? Yes verily, their sound went into 
 all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. 
 But I say. Did not Israel know ? First Moses saith, I 
 will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, 
 and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is 
 very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me 
 not ; I was made manifest unto them that asked not 
 after me. But to Israel he saith. All day long I have 
 stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gain- 
 saying people. 
 
 The Episti.e. — This eloquent account of the necessity of the Gospel as a message to mankind, 
 making God known, and offering the means of grace, exhibits in a striking degree St. Paul's 
 mastery over the whole series of divine truth. He lays down the principles by which alone religion 
 can have a beginning; namely, belief, consequent on the communication of adecpiate knowledge ; 
 
 SI 6 
 
SAINT ANDREW'S DAY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Mattli. iv. 18. 
 
 ESUS, walking by tlie sea of Gali- 
 lee, saw two brethren, Simon called 
 Peter, and Andrew his brother, cast- 
 ing a net into the sea, (for they were 
 fishers ;) and he saith unto them, 
 Follow me ; and I will make you 
 fishers of men. And they straight- 
 way left their nets, and followed 
 him. And going on from thence he saw other two 
 brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, 
 in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets ; 
 and he called them. And they immediately left the ship 
 and their father, and followed him. 
 
 and willing and actual confession, as bringing into demonstrable life the existence of the internal 
 sentiment. Thus with the heart we apprehend the proffered means of righteousness ; and with 
 the mouth we make the confession which both places us on the path of labour and trial, and num- 
 bers us among the people whom God calls His own. But none of these principles can be imbibed 
 till stated on the authority of Divine revelation. Hence the necessity of the Gospel ; — hence the 
 happiness of those who gladly receive it ; —the misery of those respecting whom it is said, " All 
 day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." 
 
 The Gospel. — St. Andrew's Day stands the first in the calendar, he having been the first who 
 recognized Christ as the Messiah. He was originally one of the disciples of John the Baptist, and 
 from him received those intimations which induced him so readily and anxiously to follow Jesus 
 as a master. A year, however, intervened between his recognition of Christ and his taking the 
 office of the Apostleship. Traditionary history relates that Andrew, after the Ascension of our 
 Lord, went into Scythia, and other neighbouring countries. Having spent a considerable time in 
 teaching the Gospel to the people of these lands, he made his way to the shores of the Bosphorus, 
 and established a church at Byzantium. He then again passed into the regions where he had 
 before preached, and afterwards travelled into Arabia, in a city of which country, called Patrae, 
 he suffered martyrdom by crucifixion. His death, it is said, was singularly long and painful. He 
 hung upon the cross for two days; but no complaint escaped him, and he employed his hours of 
 agony in beseeching those who stood by to repent of their sins, and acknowledge Jesus as the Son 
 of God. The genuine preachers of righteousness have never refused to suffer for its sake. They 
 have been ready to encounter danger in its most appalling forms ; to bear burdens and fatigues 
 that would have been intolerable to the rest of mankind ; and to forego whatever pleasures or 
 advantages might interfere with the one great object in view. Let it be the history of Moses, 
 Isaiah, Daniel, or any other of the prophets ; — let it be the history of apostles, evangelists, martyrs, 
 or missionaries, that we read ; — we find, in all, the same proofs of mind elevated above the vanities 
 and falsehoods of the world ; — of feelings glowing with the love of God and man; — of desires and 
 intentions venerable under all aspects, and in all circumstances. It is this which gives so deep 
 an interest to the history of our religion; for that which most truly connects us with the past is 
 only to be found there, — the relationship, that is, which reigns among all the people of God, and 
 which is disturbed by neither time nor distance. St. Andrew followed Christ, at first without any 
 idea of the cross. He would have been little able, at that time, to bear the prospect of the death 
 to which he subsequently so patiently resigned himself. He gained his strength by continuuig to 
 follow Christ, and was thus found prepared when his testimony was needed. So let us pursue the 
 path of holiness, and we shall not be wanting in the hour of trial. 
 
 317 
 
Saint Thomas the Apostle. 
 
 moi 
 
 LMIGHTY and everliviiig God, 
 who for the more confirmation of the 
 faith didst suffer thy holy Apostle 
 Thomas to he douhtlul in thy Son's 
 resurrection ; Grant us so perfectly, 
 and without all douht, to helieve in 
 thy Son Jesus Christ, that our faith in thy sight may 
 never be reproved. Hear us, O Lord, through the 
 same Jesus Christ, to whom, with thee and the Holy 
 Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for ever- 
 e. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — Our prayers are, then, most lively and earnest when they spring from a 
 thorough conviction of our necessities. And then is a wakeful mind most sensible of its wants 
 and dangers when it reads in the great book of experience of what others have done amiss either 
 in neglect of duty, or in the mistaken pursuit of happiness. The example of St. Thomas warns 
 us against placing too much confidence in the determinations of our judgment. Had he been 
 more willing to hear than desirous of seeing — that is, more ready to trust to the appeals made to his 
 spiritual understanding, than anxious to bring all things to the test of his outward senses, he would 
 have obtained a blessing which is reserved for those who, though they do not sec. yet helieve. 
 
 31S 
 
SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE. 
 
 The Ephtle. Eplies. ii. 19. 
 
 OW therefore ye are no more 
 strangers and foreigners, but fel- 
 low-citizens with the saints, and of 
 the housliold of God ; and are built 
 upon the foundation of the Apostles 
 and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself 
 being the chief corner-stone ; in 
 whom all the building, fitly framed 
 together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord ; in 
 whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of 
 God, through the Spirit. 
 
 The Gospel St. John xx. 24. 
 
 HOMAS, one of the twelve, called 
 Didymus, was not with them when 
 Jesus came. The other disciples 
 therefore said unto him, We have 
 seen the Lord. But he said unto 
 them, Except I shall see in his 
 hands the print of the nails, and 
 put my finger into the print of the 
 nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 
 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and 
 Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being 
 shut, and stood in the midst, and said. Peace be unto you. 
 Then said he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and 
 
 The Epistle. — Many lessons of great force and interest may be learnt from the representation 
 of Christ's people under the image of one united and happy family. Doctrinally considered, it 
 illustrates the comprehensiveness of our Lord's humanity as the head of the recovered race ; and 
 the power of the Holy Spirit, as bestowing a common life of purity, love, and divine happiness. 
 To the creation of such a family there were opposed the force of ancient evil, the original sentence 
 against sin ; the fierce passions of mankind, and the fears and prejudices which had been generated 
 in the progress of the law. But mighty as was this antagonist power, the grace of God was 
 mightier. The middle wall fell down at the voice of mercy ; the handwriting against us was 
 nailed to the Cross ; strangers and foreigners were made fellow-citizens with the Saints ; and a 
 filial spirit was poured into all hearts. Then rose the Temple, resplendent with inward life and 
 glory, comprehended in Christ, filled by the constant sanctity of the Holy Ghost, and thence 
 made an acceptable habitation to the eternal Father. 
 
 319 
 
SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE. 
 
 behold my hands ; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust 
 it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. 
 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord, and 
 my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou 
 hast seen me, thou hast believed ; blessed are they that 
 have not seen, and yet have believed. And many other 
 signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, 
 which are not written in this book. But these are 
 written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, 
 the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life 
 through his Name. 
 
 The Gospei-. — Tlie disbelief of Thomas had its origin in the natural unwillingness of the mind 
 to form weighty decisions on the testimony of others. If Jesus were risen, a new world of thought 
 was open ; principles of action were changed ; the man who had called Him Lord was no longer 
 under the dominion of his own will ; everything was become new ; and a prospect opened itself to 
 the awe-struck imagination, overpowering, and even terrible, in its grandeur. Naturally con- 
 sidered, therefore, the incredulity of Thomas might be accounted for, and excused ; lut viewed in 
 connexion with all which had gone before, and which ought to have been employed as preparatives 
 of faith, it convicts him, on the one side, of negligence, and on the other, of a want of humility and 
 spiritual susceptibility. His repentance was earnest, and his confession of faith noble as that 
 which, made by St. Peter, obtained the especial blessing of Christ. But the words of his Master 
 taught him that he had forfeited a portion of the joy which would otherwise have fallen to his lot. 
 If tradition speak true, he laboured earnestly to recover the fulness of the blessing. By him the 
 Church was planted in Parthia and India, where, after many years of labour and suffering, he is 
 said to have died a martyr. The concluding words of the Evangelist ought to sink deep into our 
 hearts. " Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." In no age 
 of the world have mankind remained contented with the simple knowledge of their duty. An 
 innate sense of some connexion with unseen worlds urges them into the depths of inquiry ; and 
 while they profess themselves contented with present guides, they are instinctively agitating 
 questions respecting fate, futurity, and divine dispensations. But the very basis of Christ's reli- 
 gion is a revelation of God, of His nature and His will ; and hence it embraces every subject 
 which relates, in the highest degree, to the happiness of mankind. And this furnishes us with 
 helps for the distinguishing of true from false religion. The creations of human fancy, or the 
 result of partial traditions, embrace but a small section of that which is properly contemplated by 
 religion ; whereas that which is written to lead us through Christ to God, has a close relation to 
 whatever can interest the human heart. We claim this honour for the Gospel. It embraces in 
 its vast extent the elements of universal truth, and while unfolding the sublimest mysteries, esta- 
 blishes on an eternal basis every argument to duty. Systems are to be judged according to the 
 foundation on which they rest. This is equally true of theories of science, politics, and religion. 
 The specious appearance which the surface presents is not sufficient to inspire a wise man with 
 conviction. A house built upon the sand may be as beautiful in its architecture, and as rich in 
 ornament, as that built upon the rock. Inquiry is necessary for the individual ascertaining of 
 truth, however generally it may have been promulged. Most of the false systems of philosophy 
 and religion have gained their footing in the world by having a sufficiency of dazzling proba- 
 bilities to beautify the surface. But while the interests of our own souls, and of mankind at large, 
 require that we carefully examine the origin of systems, it is equally necessary that we ingenuously 
 admit fair and credible evidence; that having discovered somewhat that is true, we do not 
 neglect the principles whence it springs, or take the superstructure, and forget to own the value 
 of the foundation. The Gospel is given us that we may learn to believe. Let us study it, and 
 rejoice in the evidence which it affords, that He whom we call Master is the conqueror of sin and 
 death. 
 
 320 
 
The Conversion of Saint Paul. 
 
 
 ct. 
 
 GOD,wlio, tliroiigli 
 
 tlie preaching of 
 
 the blessed Apostle 
 
 Saint Paul, hast 
 
 caused the light 
 
 of the Gospel to 
 
 shine throughout 
 
 the world ; Grant, we beseech thee, that 
 
 we, having his wonderful conversion 
 
 in remembrance, may shew forth our 
 
 thankfulness unto thee for the same, 
 
 by following the holy doctrine which 
 
 he taught ; through Jesus Christ our 
 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Com-ect. — Never did the illumination of a human mind 
 by the light of God's Spirit do more good to the world at large 
 than did the conversion of St. Paul. Fired by zeal and prejudice, 
 he would have effected, even had his cause been right, but a very limited portion of good. His 
 proceedings could have led to no better result than the punishment of error. Its suppression 
 requires another and more comprehensive spirit — a spirit that can change and sanctifj', and not 
 that of wrath, which destroys the gold that the furnace is lit to purify. By his conversion, St. Paul 
 became imbued with the power which enabled him to lay the foundation of happiness for thou- 
 sands. Few, indeed, have been the events for which the nations of the world have so much cause 
 to be thankful, as for the calling of this teacher of truth to the Apostleship of Christ. It was 
 reserved for him to make known the full intentions of God as the Father of mankind at large. 
 The Gospel itself hud been well-nigh regarded as only intended to confer fresh privileges on those 
 who were chosen of old. To St. Paul was revealed the true mystery of grace. He was raised to 
 the third heaven — to the glorious regions of celestial truth, that he might surve}^, from that 
 sublime height, the vast family of mankind, struggling under the burden of a common calamity, 
 and now destined to be the subjects of a common salvation. The energy bestowed upon him by 
 the Divine Spirit, was shared equally between the contemplation of the mystery thus revealed, an<l 
 the publication of it to the world. Hence his power of describing those objects of spiritual 
 thought which faith has ever since been able to comprehend, as endowed with life and substance. 
 Hence the triumphant language in which he speaks of the final overthrow of sin, and of coming 
 days of restitution ; hence the experimental tendency of his sublimest appeals to men's con- 
 sciences ; and hence the labours in which his whole life was passed, the conversion of the world 
 being the only object for which he desired to live. St. Paul has given a transcript of his thoughts 
 as they grew in his soul under the light of the Holy Ghost. He speaks to us as one who cared 
 for us, and we feel him still to be the Apostle of the Gentiles. 
 
 3-21 2 T 
 
THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL. 
 
 Fur the Epititle. Acts ix. 1. 
 
 ND Saul, yet brcatliing out tlireat- 
 cniugs and slauglitcr against the 
 disciples of tlie Lord, went unto the 
 high priest, and desired of him 
 letters to Damascus to the syna- 
 gogues, that, if he found any of this 
 way, whether they were men or 
 women, he might bring them hound 
 unto Jerusalem. And, as he journeyed, he came near 
 Damascus, and suddenly there sliined round about him 
 a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth, and 
 heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why perse- 
 cutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou. Lord? 
 And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest : 
 it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he, 
 trembling and astonished, said. Lord, what wilt thou 
 have me to do ? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and 
 go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou 
 must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood 
 speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And 
 Saul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were 
 opened he saw no man ; but they led him by the hand, 
 and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days 
 without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. And there 
 was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias, and 
 to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said. 
 Behold, I am here. Lord. And the Lord said unto him. 
 Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and 
 enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of 
 Tarsus : for behold, he praycth, and hath seen in a vision 
 a man named Ananias, coming in, and putting his hand 
 on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias 
 answered. Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how 
 much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem ; and 
 here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all 
 
 .",•>•.> 
 
THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL. 
 
 tliat call on tliy Name. But the Lord said unto him, Go 
 thy way ; for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my 
 Name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children 
 of Israel : for I will shew him how great things he must 
 suffer for my Name's sake. And Ananias went his way, 
 and entered into the house ; and putting his hands on 
 him, said. Brother Saul, the Lord, (even Jesus that 
 appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest,) hath sent 
 me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled 
 with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from 
 his eyes as it had been scales ; and he received sight 
 forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And when he 
 had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul 
 certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. 
 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, 
 that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were 
 amazed, and said, Is not this he that destroyed them 
 which called on this Name in Jerusalem, and came hither 
 for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the 
 chief priests ? But Saul increased the more in strength, 
 and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, 
 proving that this is very Christ. 
 
 The Epistle. — St. PauFs conversion has been properly considered as affording a distinct branch 
 of Christian evidence. The state of mind in which he was found presented none of the pre- 
 paratives usually regarded as necessary to a general change of belief. He was not simply an 
 enthusiast in devotion to the Jewish religion ; he was well taught, and had a deep acquaintance 
 with the doctrines and traditions of the ancient faith. His affections, associations, and future 
 prospects, were all intimately connected with that faith. The religion of Christ, on the other 
 hand, afforded nothing, till carefully and dispassionately examined, which could satisfy feelings 
 thus engendered. To every hope of worldly advancement it was yet more distinctly opposed than 
 to views of doctrine or opinion ; and we must set aside all the rules whereby we are accustomed to 
 judge of men's conduct, if we ascribe the conversion of St. Paul to any other than a divine power. 
 The simple narrative of the conversion is nobly illustrated by the subsequent conduct of the 
 Apostle ; and a species of evidence is thereby afforded to which no parallel can be found except in 
 histories willingly acknowledged to be true. The supposition of fraud, enthusiasm, or folly, is 
 equally answered by the plain facts recorded of St. Paul's life. He laboured too earnestly and 
 painfully for the one case to be probable, and too long and too wisely for the other. The preach- 
 ing of St. Paul was not to popular assemblies. At no period of his labours did he come within a 
 sphere in which the excitements of enthusiasm could act ; and from the very nature of the case, 
 wealth or dignity could never be the reward expected by a Christian teacher in those early days. 
 That he was intensely convinced of the truth of the Gospel, — that his impressions were those of 
 a man who had seen and heard the Son of God — affords the only reasonable explanation of his 
 conduct. And taking this as the fair groundwork of inquiry, our next object is to examine whether 
 the writings and sentiments, — the general character and sentiments of this wonderful man, exhibit 
 aught which would lead us to believe him of a weak and credulous character ; or whether they do 
 
 323 2 T 2 
 
THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL 
 
 The Gospel. St. Matth. xix. 27. * 
 
 ETER answered and said nnto 
 Jesus, Behold, we have forsaken all, 
 and followed thee ; what shall we 
 have therefore ? And Jesus said 
 unto them, Verily I say unto you. 
 That ye which have followed me, in 
 the regeneration when the Son of 
 man shall sit in the throne of his 
 glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the 
 twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath for- 
 saken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, 
 or wife, or children, or lands, for my Name's sake, shall 
 receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 
 But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall 
 be first. 
 
 not present the features of a firm and masculine understanding, — such a one, in short, as we 
 universally believe to be best fitted for the examination of truth, and an honest profession of belief 
 in the truth when once fairly discovered. 
 
 The Gospel. — The Gospel is well chosen, as containing the assurance of our blessed Lord that 
 they who, like St. Paul, give up their worldly prospects for his service, shall not fail of a rich return 
 for this sacrifice to faith and love. Convinced by such lessons, the believer in the Gospel rejoices 
 in the opportunities which present themselves for exercising sell-denial. He knows that the path 
 upon which he follows Christ and His people must finally conduct to happiness and glory. Were 
 we as willing to believe God as we are ready to trust our fellow-creatures, the Gospel would place 
 us in a position, the most favourable of all others, for the encouragement of hope. Our means of 
 happiness are few and unsubstantial. Use them as we may, they produce but a poor return for 
 labour : the exchange is always against us ; and we find ourselves declining every day towards 
 utter bankruptcy. But how different would be our condition did we go to God, and make an offer 
 of what we possess for His service ! Our poorest show of wealth would then become respectable. 
 Given to Him, the least of our possessions would be means of wealth ; and as we went on, trusting 
 more and more to His Word, and at lengtli surrendering all to Him, we should find ourselves in 
 the way of acquiring riches, such as would afford us a more than hundred-fold profit for any thing 
 we might have given up. But instead of placing any confidence in God, and employing our 
 possessions to promote His honour, we grasp them as things of inestimable worth, while we know 
 it is impossible to retain them. Let the Holy Sj)irit, then, teach us to make a more profitable use 
 of what we call our own. Let Him instruct us how to bring them to God, — how to employ them 
 ill His honour, — how to wait for the season of return in pure faith and hope. It will then soon be 
 seen that we are not so badly provided for as appears ; and that he is truly rich who, however little 
 be may possess, is willing to give that little into the hands of God. 
 
 It was nut till the final review of the Liturgy that this day was named in the tables as one of the 
 stated festivals of the reformed Church. This is supposed to have arisen from the time of the 
 year when it occurs, and when the business of the Convocation formerly demanded the constant 
 attention of the clergy. But notwithstanding the omissiun of the day in the tables, the Collect, &c., 
 were supplied for its observance by those whose leisure permitted it. 
 
 324 
 
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, commonlj/ called. 
 The Purification of Saint Marj/ the Virgin, 
 
 \ clean hearts, 
 # I Lord. Amen 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY and everliving God, 
 we humbly beseech thy Majesty, 
 that, as thy only-begotten Son was 
 this day presented in the temple in 
 substance of our flesh, so we may be 
 presented unto thee with pure and 
 by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our 
 
 The Collect.— Christ, though partaking of flesh and blood, and in His whole nature like unto 
 His brethren, was without sin. This rendered Him glorious in the sight of angels, and acceptable 
 to His Father as now presented in all the attributes of humanity. To every one who has a just 
 sense of what is most excellent and beautiful, the prime object of desire will be, that the Holy 
 Spirit may so sanctify him, that he also, in Christ Jesus, may be presented perfect, and acceptable 
 unto God. 
 
 The Epistle.— The portion of Scripture, chosen for the Epistle, contains a description of the 
 coming of our Lord strikingly in contrast with the narrative of the Gospel. But the infant Jesus, 
 clothed as He was in meekness, was the Messenger of the Covenant of peace and glor}', and for 
 the establishment of which God's people had been looking from the earliest days. He came to 
 the Temple as its Lord, but veiling His glory in the gentlest form of mercy, and provided with the 
 means, not of awing or confounding, but of suflfering and redeeming. To those who rejoiced in 
 this His manifestation to take away sin. He became a Saviour ; they were purified, as silver and 
 gold are puritied in the fire, by His grace and love. But soon He puts aside the form that was 
 despised, and appears, as the enemies of His redeeming mercy wished Him at first to appear, as a 
 
 3-25 
 
THE PURIFICATION OF SAINT MARY. 
 
 For the Epistle. Mai. iii. 1. 
 
 EHOLD, I will send my messenger, 
 and lie shall prepare tlie way before 
 me : and the Lord, whom ye seek, 
 shall snddenly come to his temple ; 
 even the messenger of the covenant, 
 whom ye delight in ; l)ehold, he shall 
 come, saith the Lord of Hosts. But 
 who may abide the day of his coming? 
 and who shall stand when he appeareth ? for he is like a 
 refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap. And he shall sit as 
 a refiner and purifier of silver ; and he shall purify the 
 sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that 
 they may ofier unto the Lord an oifering in righteousness. 
 Then shall the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem be plea- 
 sant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former 
 years. And I will come near to you to judgement, and I 
 will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against 
 the adulterers, and against false-swearers, and against 
 those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, 
 and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from 
 his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. 
 
 according 
 
 Tlie Go.spel. St. Luke ii. 22. 
 
 ND when the days of her purifica- 
 tion, according to the Law of Moses, 
 were accomplished, they brought 
 him to Jerusalem, to present him 
 to the Lord ; (as it is written in the 
 Law of the Lord, Every male that 
 openeth the womb shall be called 
 holy to the Lord;) and to offer a 
 to that which is said in the Law of 
 
 conqueror and a judge. From tlie temple of His holiness He drives them as unworthy to stand in 
 His presence; and they perish under the lightning of that very glory which they were so anxious 
 to see displayed. 
 
 The Gospiu,. — Two important purposes were regarded in the Lcvitical law ; the one was, tlie 
 keeping of the nation separate from all the rest of the world ; the other, the inculcation of the 
 
 32(j 
 
THE PURIFICATION OF SAINT MARY 
 
 the Lord, A pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons. 
 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name 
 was Symeon; and the same man was just and devout, 
 waiting for the consolation of Israel : and the Holy Ghost 
 was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the 
 Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had 
 seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into 
 the temple ; and when the parents brought in the child 
 Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then 
 took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 
 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, accor- 
 ding to thy word : for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 
 which thou hast prepared before the face of all people : a 
 light to hghten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people 
 Israel. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those 
 things which were spoken of him. And Symeon blessed 
 them, and said unto Mary his mother. Behold, this child is 
 set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel ; and 
 for a sign which shall be spoken against ; (yea, a sword 
 shall pierce through thy own soul also ;) that the thoughts 
 of many hearts may be revealed. And there was one 
 Anna a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe 
 of Aser ; she was of a great age, and had lived with an 
 husband seven years from her virginity : and she was a 
 widow of about fourscore and four years ; which departed 
 not from the temple, but served God with fastings and 
 prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant 
 gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to 
 all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. And 
 when they had performed all things according to the law 
 of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city 
 Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong in 
 spirit, filled with wisdom ; and the grace of God was 
 upon him. 
 
 truth, that man is horn in sin ;— that sin is most hateful to God ;— and that no one can be accept- 
 able in His sight till it have been cleansed and purged away. Original sin was pointed at in the 
 rite of purification ; as actual offences were represented in the numerous daily and yearly sacrifices 
 offered up for the whole people. See Exodus xiii. 2, and Levit. xii. 
 
 This festival was originally observed in commemoration of Simeon's announcement that he had 
 
 327 
 
Saint Matthias's Da^. 
 
 
 T/te Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, wlio into the 
 place of tlie traitor Judas didst 
 choose thy faithful servant Mattliias 
 to be of the number of the twelve 
 Apostles; Grant that thy Church, 
 being alway preserved from false 
 Apostles, may be ordered and guided by faithful and 
 true pastors ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 seen the dawn of salvation. It was then called Hypapante, or, the Day of tlie Meeting. But the 
 earliest date assigned for its ohservance is about the middle of the sixth century. In conformity 
 with the taste and practice of the age, the simple language of the venerable Simeon was made 
 the ground for a gorgeous display of illuminations. Hence the name of Candlemas. Archbishop 
 Cranmer put an early stop to this superstitious mode of illustrating the Gospel. 
 
 The Cgi.i.ect. — How many there are who, willing to acknowledge the importance of truth, and 
 of the means of diffusing it among mankind, think as little about the part which they themselves 
 have to fulfil, as if they were wholly free from responsibility and duty '. The Church depending 
 for its parity on the grace bestowed by God, on the light given to its ministers, and on the preser- 
 vation of the Scriptures of truth, they are lamentably deficient in the exercise of their Christiun 
 calling who neglect to pray for the restoration, or the continuance and increase of those blessings. 
 
SAINT MATTHIASS DAY 
 
 For the Epistle. Acts i. 15. 
 
 N those days Peter stood up in the 
 midst of the disciples, and said, (the 
 number of the names together were 
 about an hundred and twenty,) Men 
 and brethren, this Scripture must 
 needs have been fulfilled, which the 
 Holy Ghost by the mouth of David 
 spake before concerning Judas, which 
 was guide to them that took Jesus : for he was numbered 
 with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now 
 this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity ; 
 and falling headlong he burst asunder in the midst, and 
 all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all 
 the dwellers at Jerusalem, insomuch as that field is called 
 in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say. The field 
 of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let 
 his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein ; 
 and. His bishoprick let another take. Wherefore, of these 
 men which have companied with us all the time that the 
 Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from 
 the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was 
 taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness 
 with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, 
 Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and 
 Matthias. And they prayed, and said. Thou, Lord, which 
 knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two 
 thou hast chosen ; that he may take part of this ministry 
 and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, 
 that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth 
 their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was 
 numbered with the eleven Apostles. 
 
 The Epistle. — The appointment of Matthias to the Apostleship was conducted with immediate 
 regard to the authority and promises of Christ. It was from Him alone the office derived its 
 power and dignitJ^ He alone could confer it ; and as yet the Holy Ghost had not descended upon 
 the Apostles, constituting the Church, and giving it to have life and wisdom within itself as the 
 body of Christ. When this mighty privilege had been bestowed, the Apostles and their successors 
 
 329 2 u 
 
SAINT MATTHIAS'S DAY 
 
 The Gospel. 8t. JMultli. xi. 25. 
 
 T that time Jesus answered and 
 said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord 
 of lieaven and earth, because thou 
 hast hid these tilings from the wise 
 and prudent, and hast revealed them 
 unto babes. Even so, Father, for 
 so it seemed good in thy sight. All 
 things are delivered unto me of my 
 Father : and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father ; 
 neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and 
 he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto 
 me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will 
 give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of 
 me ; for I am meek and lowly in heart : and ye shall find 
 rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my 
 burden is light. 
 
 ordained ministers of the divine word by imposition of hands. But it was not from them tliat 
 St. Paul received the Apostleship ; his appointment, like that of Matthias and the rest, called to 
 he Apostles, was immediately from Christ. The drawing of lots, as a mode of determining 
 matters not lying within the compass of human wisdom, was of ancient date. " The lot is cast into 
 the lap, hut the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord." The services of the priests were deter- 
 mined by lot ; and thus it is said of Zacharias (Luke i. 9), that, " according to the custom of the 
 priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord." (See also 
 1 Sam. xiv. 41.) But that an appeal to the lot can only be lawfully made under very remarkable 
 circumstances, and that nothing can be more dangerous when the hearts of men are not inspired 
 by the Spirit of holiness, we have a striking proof in the narrative which Josephus gives of the 
 choosing of a high-priest by lot, for it fell upon a miserable rustic, who knew not what the high- 
 priesthood meant. (Wars, h. iv. c. 3.) 
 
 The Gospel. — Little is known of the life of Matthias ; but there is no reason to suppose that he 
 possessed any greater natural endowments than the other Apostles. Our Lord's thanksgiving was 
 founded on this principle, that while those wlio enjoy the highest advantages for gaining know- 
 ledge, and despise those advantages, thereby missing the proffered mercy of Heaven, others, who 
 were never so outwardly favoured, thankfully receive, and are saved by, the grace of God. Poor 
 and humble,but little instructed in the wisdom of this world, and with no pretensions to distinction, 
 they owe everything to Divine mercy; and the followers of Christ gladly join their Master in 
 giving thanks to their heavenly Father, that, while He has hidden the mysteries of love from the 
 wise and prudent who reject them. He has made them known to the poorest and simplest of man- 
 kind. Matthias, says tradition, well fulfilled the object of his call by preaching the Gospel in 
 various provinces of the East, and finally establishing a cluuch in Cappadocia. He did not 
 carry on these labours without experiencing a full share of the troubles which fell to the lot of 
 Christ's other Apostles. The barbarian and the civilized were equally hostile to the preaching 
 of repentance and a life of holiness ; at home and abroad the disciples of Christ stood equally 
 exposed to danger. Matthias, it is said, ended his days in Galilee, where he died a martyr by the 
 command of the high-priest. A difference in the computation of time formerly occasioned some 
 dispute as to the day on which this feast should be observed : and in the Greek Church it is kept 
 in the autumn instead of the spring. 
 
 330 
 
The Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary. 
 
 E beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy 
 grace into our hearts ; that, as we 
 have known the incarnation of thy 
 Son Jesus Christ by the message of 
 an angel, so by his cross and passion 
 we may be brought unto the glory of 
 ^-^( his resurrection ; through the same Jesus Christ our 
 
 r,:ii 
 
 j-Jl, Lord. Amen 
 
 The Collect. — The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary was observed as a festival in the seventh 
 century, but cannot, it is said, be traced to a more remote origin. Our Churcli does not keep it in 
 relation to the Virgin Mary, but in respect to the great mystery of the incarnation. This is plainly 
 indicated by the language of the Collect, which teaches us to pray for a spiritual apprehension of 
 this first of wonders in the work of man's redemption. Every doctrine of the Gospel is so inti- 
 mately connected with the system, and is so necessary to its consistenc}-, that the difficulties of 
 faith are insurmountable when due attention is refused to the harmony of evangelical truths. The 
 incarnation of Christ was viewed by many heretics of early times with a strange and perverse 
 scepticism, and their errors in this involved them in others which led to their complete moral and 
 spiritual degradation. 
 
 331 2 u 2 
 
ANNUNCIATION OF THE VIRGIN MARY. 
 
 Fur the Epiatle. Isai. vii. 10. 
 
 OREOVER, tlic Lord spake again 
 unto Aliaz, saying, Ask thee a sign 
 of the Lord thy God; ask it either 
 in the depth, or in the heiglit above. 
 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, 
 neither will I tempt the Lord. And 
 he said. Hear ye now, O house of 
 David ; Is it a small thing for you 
 to weary men, but will ye weary my God also ? Therefore 
 the Lord himself shall give you a sign ; Behold, a Virgin 
 shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name 
 Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may 
 know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke \. 26. 
 
 ND in the sixth month the angel 
 
 Gabriel was sent from God unto 
 
 a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 
 
 to a Virgin espoused to a man whose 
 
 name was Joseph, of the house of 
 
 David ; and the Virgin's name was 
 
 Mary. And the angel came in unto 
 
 her, and said. Hail, thou that art 
 
 highly favoured, the Lord is with thee ; blessed art thou 
 
 among women. And when she saw him she was troul)led 
 
 at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salu- 
 
 The Epistle. — This remarkable prophecy had a literal interpretation in the circumstances which 
 occurred shortly after it was delivered. Before a sufficient space of time intervened to allow of a 
 virgin's marrying, bearing a son, and bringing him up to the age of youth, the hostile countries 
 which Ahaz dreaded were reduced to the most helpless state. But the Evangelist has taught us 
 that the lofty and mysterious language of the prophet had a grander meaning ; and that he referred 
 to the birth of One who, born of a virgin, should introduce a period of unfailing prosperity. And 
 every part of the prophecy was as literally fulfilled in its sublime and spiritual as in its more 
 immediate sense. Bishop Lowtlvs translation gives a clearer meaning to the last verse of the 
 passage than that of the authorized version : — '• Butter and honey shall he eat, when he shall know 
 to refuse what is evil, and to choose what is good."' That is. by the time he has acquired wisdom 
 and knowledge, days of prosperity shall have returned to the land. 
 
 332 
 
ANNUNCIATION OF THE VIRGIN MARY. 
 
 tation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear 
 not, Mary ; for thou hast found favour with God. And 
 behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth 
 a Son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be 
 great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest ; and 
 the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father 
 David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for 
 ever ; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then 
 said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I 
 know not a man ? And the angel answered and said 
 unto her. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the 
 power of the Highest shall overshadow thee : therefore 
 also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be 
 called the Son of God. And behold, thy cousin Eliza- 
 beth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age ; and 
 this is the sixth month with her who was called barren : 
 for with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary 
 said. Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be it unto me ac- 
 cording to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 
 
 The Gospel. — Gabriel was the angel whom God was pleased to employ when He announced to 
 Daniel the purpose of deliverance. He it was, too, who bore the message to Zacharias : — '■ I am 
 Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God ; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee 
 these glad tidings." As he was employed on these occasions, and on that of the Annunciation, he 
 is supposed to have been especially chosen as the messenger of God under the Covenant of the 
 Gospel. We may, perhaps, conjecture, without attempting at ambitious refinements, that some- 
 thing is implied in his name with reference to this his employment; for Gabriel means. The strength 
 of God, and the Gospel is especially described by the Apostle as " the power of God unto salvation, 
 to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile."' It is also worthy of observation, that the message 
 which the Virgin received is nothing less than a complete summary of the whole sublime history 
 of the kingdom of heaven. Pure humanity is assumed by the Word that was in the beginning, 
 and the revelation made of that mystery is immediately connected with the announcement, that 
 endless glory shall be the consequence. The whole of the announcement is in close correspondence 
 with the prophecy of Isaiah, and must have brought to Mary's mind the long-cherished hopes of 
 God's people with a rapture that would have been overwhelming but for the deep humility which 
 tempered and subdued it. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus,'' that is, Saviour. This taught her 
 tliat the miraculous event in which she was so intimately concerned had been ordained by the 
 Almighty for purposes of the sublimest mercy. But He was also to be called "The Son of the 
 Highest," and " The Son of God:" and thus, while she recurred to the ancient promises of a 
 Saviour, she could not fail to recollect that the long-foretold Son of the Virgin was to bear the 
 name of Immanuel, and, yet more, of •'Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty (iod, the everlasting 
 Father, the Prince of Peace." (Isaiah ix. 6.) W^hile awe-struck with the solemn mystery thus 
 about to be accomplished, the holy devotion of the Virgin exhibited itself in a simple assent to the 
 Divine will: — "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." The 
 solemnity of the message had silenced the voice of self-congratulation, and it was not till after 
 months of humble meditation that she learned to express herself in the language of one triumphing 
 in the election of God. 
 
 333 
 
Saint Mark's Daj/. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, 
 wlio hast instructed 
 thy holy Church with 
 the heavenly doc- 
 trine of thy Evan- 
 gelist Saint Mark ; 
 Give us grace, that, 
 being not like children carried away 
 with every blast of vain doctrine, we 
 may be established in the truth of thy 
 holy Gospel ; through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — The greatest of God's blessings are frequently 
 rendered useless by the folly and ingratitude of men. Next to 
 the primary instance of His goodness in redemption, is that of 
 His providential mercy in affording us so many means of con- 
 templating the workings of His grace. He has left us ignorant 
 of nothing that can contribute to make us wise and happy. 
 The history of redemption is given, so that we may cherish 
 faith by the observation of the sufficiency of the plan ; and the methods of sanctification are 
 unfolded, that we may never be left to sorrow or despair, when, feeling our own weakness and 
 corruption, we are anxious to obtain the assistance of the heavenly Comforter. But in proportion 
 to the advantages bestowed upon us, are we responsible for a wise and holy conduct. Man, left to 
 himself, may find an excuse, if he err, in the weakness of his nature and the darkness of his mind. 
 He may then plead, if he love truth better than error, that he had never an opportunity of contem- 
 plating the perfection of Divine things ; and that in yielding, from time to time, to the fascinations 
 of imaginary good, he obeyed a principle within him to which truth unknown could offer no oppo- 
 sition. Arguments of this kind cannot be offered in apology for the inconsistency of Christians. 
 The elements of right reason are embodied in every doctrine to which they professedly yield 
 assent. Their belief is established on foundations which can never be shaken ; and when they fail 
 in knowledge or holiness, their errors may generally be traced to culpable negligence, or to some 
 known vice. Whatever be our advancement in Christianity, or our confessed deficiency, it is 
 always expedient that we pray earnestly against the power of corruption — that we seek the 
 heavenly grace which may continually increase our strength, and so finally establish us in the 
 truth of the Gospel. Carried away like children "with every blast of vain doctrine," we derive 
 none of the comfort from our religion which it is calculated to bestow. A steady and confirmed 
 faith is essential to the proper understanding of its doctrines, and to the realization of even the 
 least of its promises. The proper basis of every Christian's hope is the existence of a covenant into 
 which God has been pleased to enter with him, and which is sealed by the blood of Christ. But 
 if this covenant be broken through the waywardness of his own heart, to what can he look for 
 either security or happiness ? 
 
 The Epistle. — The beautiful metaphor of St. Paid in which Christians are described as edified, 
 or built up, and not puffed up, is applicable with great force to the Church at large. When Christ 
 ascended on high, leadiiig captivity captive. He ''gave gifts unto men," which secured not only the 
 increase, but the perpetuity and glory of the Church. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and 
 teachers, were appointed, and endowed with a noble variety of graces. To them was committed 
 
 334 
 
SAINT MARKS DAY. 
 
 The Epistle. Eplies. iv. 7. 
 
 NTO every one of us is given grace, 
 according to the measure of the gil't 
 of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When 
 he ascended up on high, he led cap- 
 tivity captive, and gave gifts unto 
 men. (Now that he ascended, what 
 is it but tliat he also descended first 
 into the lower parts of the earth? 
 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far 
 above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he 
 gave some Apostles, and some Prophets, and some Evan- 
 gelists, and some Pastors and Teachers ; for the perfecting 
 of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying 
 of the body of Christ ; till we all come in the unity of the 
 faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a 
 perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness 
 of Christ ; that we henceforth be no more children, tossed 
 to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, 
 by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby 
 they lie in wait to deceive ; but speaking the truth in 
 love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the 
 head, even Christ : from whom the whole body fitly 
 joined together, and compacted by that which every joint 
 supplieth, according to the effectual working in the mea- 
 sure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the 
 edifying of itself in love. 
 
 the charge of diffusing the knowledge of truth and holiness ; and Divine Providence never left 
 them without an opportunity of executing the designs for which they were called forth. The 
 histories they wrote, — the discourses they delivered, — the record of their labours, sufferings, and 
 triumphs, — have become, by God's appointment, a treasure and nourishment to the Church in all 
 ages. St. Mark was long the companion of Paul and Barnabas, and subsequently accompanied 
 St. Peter to Rome. From the lips of that Apostle, it is supposed, he received many of the accounts 
 with which his Gospel is enriched ; and which, it is further conjectured, he published, at his 
 request, for the use of the Roman converts. After the death of St. Peter, he travelled into Eg3-pt, 
 where he preached the doctrines of Christ for several years, and at length, it is related, suffered 
 martyrdom. This latter statement is disputed by some authors, who say that he was spared to die 
 a natural death. We keep the day, not because of him, but in gratitude to God, who made him an 
 Evangelist, and that we may express our devout thankfulness for the Gospel, whereby we come 
 imto the knowledge of the Son of God. 
 
 335 
 
SAINT MARKS DAY 
 
 The Gospel. St. John xv. 1. 
 
 AM the true vine, and my Fatlier is 
 the husbandman. Every branch in 
 me that beareth not fruit he taketh 
 away; and every brancli that beareth 
 I'ruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring 
 forth more fruit. Now ye are clean 
 through the word which I have 
 spoken unto you. Abide in me, and 
 I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, 
 except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye 
 abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He 
 that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth 
 much fruit ; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man 
 abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is 
 withered ; and men gather them, and cast them into the 
 fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my 
 words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall 
 be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that 
 ye bear much fruit ; so shall ye be my disciples. As the 
 Father hath loved me, so have I loved you : continue ye 
 in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide 
 in my love ; even as I have kept my Father's command- 
 ments, and abide in his love. These things have I 
 spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and 
 that your joy might be full. 
 
 The Gospel. — By the doctrine of our union with Christ the mysteries of grace and the sub 
 limest of the heavenly promises, become clearly recognisable by the most humble of God's people 
 The means by which this union is effected and preserved demand our profoundest attention. As 
 to be found in Christ is absolutely necessary to oiu- enjoyment of any permanent good whatever, so 
 the provisions made for securing our union with Him are the objects on which, of all others, we 
 ought first to fix our thoughts when searching for the means of happiness. To the record of His 
 life and doctrine, as given by His chosen Apostles and Evangelists, He adds, for penitent and 
 believing hearts, the quickening influences of His Spirit : and thus that record becomes the Word 
 of life, and cleanses the soul. " Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto 
 you." This is the comforting declaration which Christ addresses to all faithful believers in His 
 Gospel. And thus purified, they become members of His mystical body, — their imion depending, 
 even unto the end, upon the life-giving power of that Word which spoke by St. Mark and the other 
 penmen of Scripture; for "These things," says Christ, ''have I spoken unto you, that my joy 
 might remain in you, and that vour joy miglit be full." 
 
 336 
 
Saint Philip and Saint James's Day. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, 
 
 whom truly to know 
 
 is everlasting life ; 
 
 Grant us perfectly to 
 
 know tliy Son Jesus 
 
 Christ to be the way, 
 
 the truth, and the life ; 
 
 that, following the steps of thy holy 
 
 Apostles, Saint Philip and Saint James, 
 
 we may stedfastly walk in the way that 
 
 leadeth to eternal life ; through the same 
 
 thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — The knowledge of Christ as '• the way, the truth, 
 and the life." is the best gift that we can ask of God. Perfectly to 
 know Him as such is to enter spiritually into the comprehension of 
 His goodness and His wisdom; to behold, with the eyes of the en- 
 lightened understanding, the riches of His gloiy ; and, by the per- 
 ceptions of the sanctified heart, the riches of His grace. Jesus 
 Christ thus known Himself, we follow with steadfast devotion those 
 who have faithfully served Him in the Gospel, tracing their steps as 
 our direction in the waj- that leadeth to eternal life. 
 
 The Epistle. — St. James, whose memory is here associated with that of St. Philip, was sur- 
 named the Less, and was the author of the Epistle known under his name. He is also called the 
 brother of our Lord, by which is generally understood that he was one of His cousins, his mother 
 being Marj^, the wife of Cleophas, or Alpheus (John xix. 'lb — Mark xv. 40). Soon after the death 
 of Christ he was chosen bishop of Jerusalem, and presided at what has been called the First 
 Council of the Church, the proceedings of which are recorded in Acts xv. He lived to extreme 
 old age, and was very generally venerated, even his enemies allowing liim the title of Justus ; but 
 was at last put to death by a faction, which could no longer endure his persevering preaching of 
 Jesus as the Son of God. By St. Philip was formerly understood St. Philip the deacon, and 
 chap. viii. of Acts was accordingly read as the second lesson in the morning service ; but at the 
 last revisal of the Liturgy, St. Philip the Apostle was considered to be more properly meant, and a 
 new lesson was appointed, taken out of chap. i. of St. John. 
 
 The Gospel. — This beautiful and consolatory portion of the Divine Word sheds forth the brightest 
 beams of heavenly love. When our blessed Lord contemplated the hour of His departure, He 
 viewed with equal pity and solicitude the situation of His followers. They believed in God; and 
 their hearts were already imbued with that incipient belief in His own divinity which strengthened 
 them sufficiently to bear and undertake much in His service. But their faith was not yet of the 
 kind which casts light upon the vastnesses of futurity, or enables the mind to apprehend the good- 
 
 337 ^ *^ X 
 
SAINT PHILIP AND SAINT JAMES'S DAY. 
 
 The Epistle. St. James i. 1. 
 
 AMES, a servant of God and of tlio 
 Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve 
 tribes which are scattered abroad, 
 greeting. My brethren, count it all 
 joy when ye fall into divers tempta- 
 tions ; knowing this, that the trying 
 of your faith worketh patience. But 
 let patience have her perfect work, 
 that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If 
 any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth 
 to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be 
 given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering ; 
 for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven 
 with the wind, and tossed. For let not that man think 
 that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double- 
 minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let the brother 
 of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted; but the rich 
 in that he is made low ; because as the flower of the grass 
 he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with 
 a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower 
 thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth : 
 so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Blessed 
 is the man that endureth temptation ; for when he is 
 tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord 
 hath promised to them that love him. 
 
 ness of God, leaving nothing undone for the perfect salvation of His people. They were, therefore, 
 unprepared for meeting the dreadful storm of suffering which was first to fall upon their Lord, and 
 then, by their close union with Him, on themselves. To overcome the force of terrors which were 
 so likely to how down the natural heart of man, He speaks to them of a higher degree, or rather 
 kind, of belief, than that to which they had hitherto attained ; and then, passing to the exhilarating 
 views connected with such a faith, tells them plainly of those blessed abodes in which the affliction 
 which was to endure for a moment was to be exchanged for an abundant weight of joy, and " the 
 riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." '' In my Father's house are many mansions ; 
 if it were not so. I would have told you : I go to prepare a place for you." Here is more than a 
 mere communication of the reality of another life, or of another world. Continued existence is, 
 under ordinary circumstances, regarded as in itself a good. But we usually forget what a com- 
 plicated thing existence is, or rather the existence of a person, with all the variety of properties and 
 appetites which make up his original nature ; and how much more so when regarded in any 
 advanced stage of existence, when he has recollections, symi)athies, and liabits, whicli are, as it 
 
 338 
 
SAINT PHILIP AND SAINT JAMESS DAY. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John xiv. 1. 
 
 ND Jesus said unto liis disciples, 
 Let not your heart be troubled ; 
 ye believe in God, believe also in 
 me. In my Father's house are 
 many mansions ; if it were not so, 
 I would have told you. I go to 
 prepare a place for you : and if I 
 go and prepare a place for you, I 
 will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where 
 I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, 
 and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we 
 know not whether thou goest, and how can we know the 
 way ? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and 
 the life : no man cometh unto the Father but by me. If 
 ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also ; 
 and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 
 Philip saith unto him. Lord, shew us the Father, and it 
 sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him. Have I been so long 
 time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip ? 
 He that hath seen me hath seen the Father ; and how 
 sayest thou then. Shew us the Father ? Believest thou not 
 that I am in the Father, and the Father in me ? The 
 words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but 
 the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Be- 
 lieve me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me ; 
 or else believe me for the very work's sake. Verily, 
 verily I say unto you. He that believeth on me, the 
 works that I do shall he do also ; and greater works than 
 these shall he do ; because I go unto my Father. And 
 whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name, that will I do, that 
 the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask 
 any thing in my Name, I will do it. 
 
 were, a second nature. Now it is not the promise of lasting existence merely which Cluist 
 bestows ; but of a life replenished with every good, the whole vast variety of interests and har- 
 monies being contemplated and provided for in the mansions of His Father's house. 
 
 3.39 2 X 2 
 
Saint Barnabas the Apostle, 
 
 MY 
 
 1 to thy 
 % Lord. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LORD God Almiglity, wlio didst 
 endue tliy holy Apostle Barnabas 
 with singular gifts of the Holy 
 Ghost; Leave us not, we beseech 
 thee, destitute of thy manifold gifts, 
 nor yet of grace to use them alway 
 honour and glory ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Amen. 
 
 vwVit^ 
 
 The Coli.kct.— This day, like that of St. Paul, was not oiij;iiially inserted in the table of higli 
 holy-days, although piopei- services for them existed, the reason in both cases being, that they 
 occurred when the business of the courts, or that of the harvest month, seemed to render the 
 keeping of a high-festival inexpedient. They were, however, inserted from the Scotch Liturgy 
 at the last review, and are now to be regarded as claiming attention equally with the other holy- 
 days. The Collect expresses a faithful acknowledgment of the power of that heavenly Spirit 
 which, while it endowed some with the graces of the Apostleship, works in all who are saved, till 
 it change them into the image of Christ. 
 
 310 
 
SAINT BARNABAS THE APOSTLE. 
 
 Fur the Epistle. Acts xi. 22. 
 
 IDINGS of these tilings came unto 
 the ears of the Churcli which was in 
 Jerusalem ; and they sent forth Bar- 
 nabas, that he should go as far as 
 Antioch. Who, when he came, and 
 had seen the grace of God, was 
 glad ; and exhorted them all, that 
 with purpose of heart they would 
 cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full 
 of the holy Ghost, and of faith: and much people was 
 added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to 
 Tarsus, for to seek Saul. And when he had found him, 
 he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that 
 a whole year they assembled themselves with the Church, 
 and taught much people : and the disciples were called 
 Christians first in Antioch. And in these days came 
 prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there 
 stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by 
 the Spirit, that there should be great dearth throughout 
 all the world; which came to pass in the days of Clau- 
 dius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to 
 his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren 
 which dwelt in Judaea. Which also they did, and sent it 
 to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. 
 
 The Episti.e. — St. Barnabas was born at Cyprus, but of the tribe of Levi. His early education 
 was intrusted to the celebrated Gamaliel, under whose care he became deeply imbued, like his 
 fellow-student St. Paul, with all the knowledge and all the prejudices current in his day. Like 
 St. Paul, too, he was originally a litter persecutor of the believers in Christ ; but the Holy Spirit 
 opened his understanding to the truth, and while he joyfully embraced the Gospel, he as readily 
 gave up the possessions which he inherited from his parents for the good of the Christian com- 
 munity. As consecrated with St Paul to the service of the Gentile world, he laboured long and 
 faithfully in the ministry for which he had been set apart. The accounts of his death are uncer- 
 tain, but the more generally received tradition is, that he was stoned to death by the Jews at 
 Salamis. It is not unworthy of observation, that the two men who were especially devoted to the 
 preaching of Jesus Christ among the polished Greeks, had been converted when in a state of 
 affluence ; and were fitted, as well by the places of their birth as by education, to know what were 
 the chief difficulties that stood in the way of Gentile conversions. But if means of good were 
 hereby secured, they only became means when taken and converted to use by the Holy Spirit : for 
 before He changed them they were as indissoluble bonds, effectually preventing Paul and Bar- 
 nabas, like others endowed with the same apparent advantages, from seeing or loving truth. 
 
 341 
 
SAINT BARNABAS THE APOSTLE. 
 
 ^^KS^f^i^ 
 
 The Gospel St. John xv. 12. 
 
 HIS is my commandment, That ye 
 love one another, as I have loved 
 you. Greater love hath no man 
 than this, that a man lay down his 
 life for his friends. Ye are my 
 friends, if ye do whatsoever I com- 
 mand you. Henceforth I oall you 
 not servants ; for the servant know- 
 eth not what his lord doetli : but I have called you 
 friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father 
 I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, 
 but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should 
 go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should 
 remain : that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in 
 my Name, he may give it you. 
 
 The Gospel. — The lesson of heavenly love was well learnt by Barnabas. It found in him 
 faculties sanctified and prepared for understanding it in all its applications. The first interpreta- 
 tion which he gave to the words of Christ led him to become a messenger of mercy to his fellow- 
 men ; and this office he performed with so much fidelity and earnestness, that to him was especially 
 given the title of a Son of Consolation. In the next degree of his illumination, he rejoicingly gave 
 up his wealth, and thus again fulfilled the commandment, "That ye love one another." There was 
 still another step in the practical spiritualizing of our Lord's saying, " Greater love hath no 
 man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends;" and again Barnabas, with glad 
 devotion, answered to the requirement ; for rather than shrink from making known to the bitterest 
 enemies of holiness the means of pardon and salvation, he exposed himself to the power of their 
 malice, and finally laid down his life a willing offering on the shrine of charity. By this he 
 manifested that lie was not merely a servant of Christ, but that the Saviour, by His Spirit, had 
 made him His friend, and that He had sealed to him the most comprehensive of His promises, 
 " That whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you." The interpreta- 
 tion which the first disciples of Christ gave to the words of their Master was that which proved its 
 truth by results corresponding to the mind of the Spirit. He had chosen and ordained them that 
 they might be profitable in sowing the seeds of righteousness in the world ; and keej)ing this 
 luialterably in view, they resigned themselves wholly to the performance of His will. But it was 
 not by a mere passive acquiescence that they manifested their obedience and fidelity. They 
 determined and acted as with minds suddenly set free, and intent on discovering how they might 
 best prove their love, and most effectually execute their task. " I call you not servants," were 
 words that had sunk deep into their hearts. They rejoiced in being the friends of their adorable 
 Lord ; and they strove to show that their affection responded to His, — not in words, thoughts, or 
 actions, separately considered, but in all, combined together by one common principle of love, and 
 proceeding from the inexhaustible fountain of grace which He had Himself opened for their sanc- 
 tification. They knew His will, and did it. But Christians, in all ages, are under the same law. 
 They are the friends of Christ, if truly converted by His Spirit ; and in this happy relation to the 
 Saviour of the AVorld, the proper impulses of their nature urge them uniformly forward in the 
 exercise of holiness and charity. His words have been interpreted as those of a Being whose will 
 it is that they should rise to glory by overcoming the powers of evil, and that in the strife they 
 should regard themselves as struggling for the honour of llini to whom they are indebted for both 
 life and hope. 
 
 342 
 
Sainl John Baptist's Dai/. 
 
 r-^^^^^ 
 
 LMIGHTY GOD, by whose pro- 
 vidence thy servant John Baptist 
 was wonderfully born, and sent to 
 prepare the way of thy Son our 
 Saviour, by preaching of repentance ; 
 Make us so to follow his doctrine 
 I and holy life, that we may truly repent according to 
 his preaching ; and after his example constantly 
 speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently 
 suffer for the truth's sake ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — The necessitj' of repentance, as a preparative to the actual reception of the 
 Gospel, renders John the Baptist's sermons necessary even to this present daj\ He announced 
 the coming of the Son of God by signs and declarations the most significant of evangelical purity. 
 Those who listened to his words could not fail to perceive, that if they were to receive the mighty 
 Being who was coming for their deliverance, they must acknowledge Him in the ways of severe 
 holiness. It is almost impossible that those long immersed in sin should, without violence to 
 themselves, be fit to follow Christ. John the Baptist's doctrine of repentance must be well under- 
 stood and practised — if not in the proposition, yet in the spirit — before we can die unto sin, humbly 
 submitting to bear the Cross, and fulfilling all the other parts of the covenant of regeneration. 
 
 343 
 
SAINT JOHN BAPTIST'S DAY 
 
 For the Epistle. Isai. xl. 1. 
 
 OMFORT ye, comfort ye my people, 
 saitli your God. Speak ye comfort- 
 ably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, 
 That her warfare is accomplished ; 
 that her iniquity is pardoned: for 
 she hath received of the Lord's hand 
 double for all her sins. The voice 
 of him that crieth in the wilderness. 
 Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the 
 desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be 
 exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, 
 and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough 
 places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be re- 
 vealed, and all flesh shall see it together : for the mouth 
 of the Lord hath spoken it. The voice said. Cry. And 
 he said, what shall I cry ? All flesh is grass, and all the 
 goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass 
 withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the 
 Lord bloweth upon it : surely the people is grass. The 
 grass withereth, the flower fadeth ; but the word of our 
 God shall stand for ever. O Zion, that bringest good 
 tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusa- 
 lem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with 
 strength ; lift it up, be not afraid : say unto the cities of 
 Judali, Behold your God. Behold, the Lord God will 
 come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him : 
 behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 
 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd ; he shall gather 
 the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, 
 and shall gently lead those that are with young. 
 
 The Epistle. — It was only by the foresight and anticipation of days of restitution that God's 
 people of old were enabled to support the many sorrows which belonged to their state. The 
 comfort bestowed on them in the opening of the future, is made to us derivable from the past, — in 
 the conversion of prophecy into evidence, and in the employment of their promises fulfilled, to 
 assure us that our promises are equally steadfast. Comfort was in every word that Isaiah addressed 
 to the people of God. He preached an early Gospel. The lovely visions of peace and joy which 
 rose at his word softened the stern majesty of the law ; and listening to him, the trembling crowds 
 
 344 
 
SAINT JOHN BAPTIST'S DAY 
 
 The Gospel St. Luke i. 57. 
 
 LISABETH's full time came that 
 she should be delivered ; and she 
 brought forth a son. And her neigh- 
 bours and her cousins heard how the 
 Lord had shewed great mercy upon 
 her; and they rejoiced with her. 
 And it came to pass, that on the 
 eighth day they came to circumcise 
 the child ; and they called him Zacharias, after the name 
 of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not 
 so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto 
 her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this 
 name. And they made signs to his father, how he would 
 have him called. And he asked for a writing-table, and 
 wrote, saying. His name is John. And they marvelled 
 all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his 
 tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. And 
 fear came on all that dwelt round about them; and all 
 these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill- 
 country of Judaea. And all they that had heard them 
 laid them up in their hearts, saying. What manner of 
 child shall this be ? And the hand of the Lord was with 
 him. And his father Zacharias was filled with the holy 
 Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God 
 of Israel : for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 
 and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the 
 house of his servant David; as he spake by the mouth 
 
 of penitents, that awaited in mute despair the expected judgments of Jehovah, learned to hope for 
 mercy, and in some degree anticipate the grace of redemption. It is a melancholy thing that we 
 should be so little able to place before our minds the real condition of mankind when exposed to 
 God's displeasure. The action of His wrath ought to be discoverable by us sooner than any other 
 source of evil whatever. But the heavens must be clothed with blackness, or the sword of vengeance 
 stretched visibly forth, before we can be persuaded that the sorrows which are beginning to trouble 
 us are messengers of Divine justice. It is not always that we even then look for aid to the mercy 
 of God ; but only a comparatively small portion of the perishing race is found rejoicing ui the 
 offers of salvation. To them, in whatever age, and in whatever land they live, the prophet of God 
 and of Christ speaks : he announces the approach of a Deliverer ;— urges them to listen to the 
 voice of His messenger, counselling repentance ; — and points to Zion, the Church, and the kmgdom 
 of heaven, as soon to rejoice, with all its children, in everlasting freedom ! 
 
 345 '2. Y 
 
SAINT JOHN BAPTIST'S DAY. 
 
 of his holy prophets, which have been since the world 
 began ; that we should be saved from our enemies, and 
 from the hand of all that hate us ; to perform the mercy 
 promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy cove- 
 nant; the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 
 that he would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out 
 of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 
 in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of 
 our life. And thou. Child, shalt be called the Prophet of 
 the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the 
 Lord to prepare his ways ; to give knowledge of salvation 
 unto his people, by the remission of their sins, through 
 the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day-spring 
 from on high hath visited us ; to give light to them that 
 sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our 
 feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and 
 waxed strong in spirit; and was in the deserts till the 
 
 day of his shewing unto Israel. 
 
 « 
 
 The Gospel. — The circumstances which attended the birth of John seem to have been ordered 
 by Divine Providence for two purposes : the first, that all things might have a solemnity pro- 
 portioned to the events about to take place ; that they might, in the eyes of angels, or simply in 
 accordance with Divine wisdom, be adapted to do honour to the new dispensation ; the second, 
 that the few who looked for redemption might be warned of its approach; and that John himself 
 should know, how he had been ordained unto the office of a messenger of the Most High, even 
 from his mother's womb. As it was said of our blessed Lord that He should be called Jesus, with 
 a particular reference to the meaning of the name, so was His forerunner, for the same reason, 
 named John, which means the grace of God; both names being common among the Jews, but 
 receiving a particular sanctity and certainty of interpretation from being thus prophetically given. 
 It is interesting to observe in the noble hymn of Zacharias the return of that illuminating Spirit 
 which since the times of Malachi had not spoken by the mouth of man. We seem again to hear 
 the enraptured strains of Isaiah ; and almost to feel as if the ancient prophet had been permitted to 
 revisit the earth, to utter his joyful announcement that the days which he had so long foreseen 
 were now at hand. Like the venerable Simeon, Zacharias penetrated into the depths of the vision 
 which presented itself to his gaze. To a few it was permitted thus to understand, at the beginning, 
 more than the disciples of the Gospel comprehended when it was first preached. But Simeon and 
 Zacharias were not to live to see the actual splendour of the risen Sun. It was allowed them, 
 therefore, to drink in joy at the newly-viusealed fountain of prophecy. They knew that the day- 
 spring from on high bad visited them, for they had long lamented over their sins, and those of the 
 nation ; and they felt, through the fresh influence of God's Spirit on their souls, that repentance 
 should find a hearing at the throne of grace, and that the perishing soul, conscious of its lost 
 condition, might lay hold of the Rock of ages, and escape the destruction which had otherwise 
 inevitably awaited it. The language of true faith was spoken by the lips of Zacharias. He 
 looked for salvation by the remission of sins. The world had almost forgotten that the justice of 
 God could not pardon while sins remained unremitted ; and thus the hope of the patriarchs that a 
 Redeemer would be given— a Saviour triumphing through the satisfactory atonement of His 
 merits, was gradually changed into the vain expectation of a deliverer who should give knowledge 
 of salvation, not in the way of remission of sins — not by satisfying God's justice, but by establish- 
 ing a kingdom in which the present effect of sin should be removed, leaving its eflf'ect on eternity 
 to be proved at the day of judgment. 
 
 346 
 
Saint Peters Dai/. 
 
 Tlie Collett. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who by thy Son 
 
 Jesus Christ didst give to thy Apos- 
 tle Saint Peter many excellent gifts, 
 and commandedst him earnestly to 
 feed thy flock; Make, we beseech 
 thee, all Bishops and Pastors dili- 
 gently to preach thy holy Word, and the people obe- 
 diently to follow the same, that they may receive the 
 crown of everlasting glory ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — Primitive example affords both a lesson and a noble encouragement to the 
 Church. We learn from it not only what we ought, but what it is possible for us to do. The 
 first preachers of the Gospel were called by Christ, sanctified by Christ, sent by Christ, and by 
 Him were continually supported and illuminated. Their word and conduct answered to the 
 blessed origin of their ministry. They were wise and holy, patient, laborious, and lull of zeal. 
 And such, it is intended in the dispensation of the Gospel, Chrisfs ministers should always be ; and 
 such they will be in proportion as the Church faithfully and perseveringly prays that God's grace 
 may prevent and follow them, making them by its influence the devoted ministers of His mercy. 
 
 The Epistle. — The dangers to which our Lord's disciples were exposed are those which truth 
 and virtue have ever had to encounter at the hands of corrupt power. But the resistance which 
 they made was peculiar to themselves. The ordinary passions which indignation inspires were in 
 their case subdued. No arms were supplied them either by their own excited feelings or by the 
 fury of a party. Their simple means of defence were found in the deep tranquillity of settled con- 
 victions, — in the essential power of truth and wisdom, bestowed from above. And when the perils 
 
 347 -2 Y 2 
 
SAINT PETER'S DAY. 
 
 For the Epistle. Acts xii. 1. 
 
 BOUT that time Herod the king 
 stretched forth his hands to vex 
 certain of the Chnrch. And he 
 killed James the brother of John 
 with the sword. And, because he 
 saw it pleased the Jews, he pro- 
 ceeded further to take Peter also. 
 (Then were the days of unleavened 
 bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put 
 him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions 
 of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter to bring 
 him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in 
 prison ; but prayer was made without ceasing of the 
 Church unto God for him. And when Herod would 
 have brought him forth, the same night Peter was 
 sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains ; 
 and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And 
 behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a 
 light sinned in the prison; and he smote Peter on the 
 side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And 
 his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said 
 unto him. Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals ; and 
 so he did. And he saith unto him. Cast thy garment 
 about thee, and follow me. And he went out and 
 followed him ; and wist not that it was true which was 
 done by the angel ; but thought he saw a vision. When 
 they were past the first and the second ward, they came 
 unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city, which 
 
 that surrounded them seemed to have broken the defences which could thus be set up, they were 
 protected by an interference, the power of which was mighty enough to silence the wrath of hell ; 
 but it wrought so silently, and with such a complete independence of external helps, that they 
 remained as before, with no other distinction among mankind than that which was bestowed by 
 purity, humility, and the most gentle wisdom of heart and spirit. The incident here recorded of 
 St. Peter furnishes a beautiful illustration of the circumstances in which the Apostles were placed. 
 Subject continually to the wanton cruelties of tyranny, they patiently yielded to its inflictions, 
 resisting in no other way than by still speaking, in the name of Christ, of the pardon of sins, and 
 everlasting life. Thrown into a dungeon, St. Peter peacefully awaited the I'urther dictates of his 
 heavenly Master. His condition at the moment appeared as low as it could be ; but He was then 
 on the very confines of heaven. Heaven extended itself, like an increasing sea, to the darkness of 
 the dungeon. " A light shined in the prison " and an angel became his deliverer. 
 
 348 
 
SAINT PETER'S DAY. 
 
 opened to them of his own accord; and they went out, 
 and passed on through one street, and forthwith the 
 angel departed from him. And when Peter was come 
 to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the 
 Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of 
 the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the 
 people of the Jews. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Matth. xvi. 13. 
 
 HEN Jesus came into the coasts of 
 Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disci- 
 ples, saying. Whom do men say that 
 I, the Son of man, am ? And they 
 said, Some say that thou art John 
 the Baptist, some Elias, and others 
 Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 
 He saith unto them. But whom say 
 And Simon Peter answered and said, 
 
 And Jesus 
 
 answered and said unto him. Blessed art thou, Simon 
 Bar-jona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto 
 thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also 
 unto thee. That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will 
 build my Church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
 against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the 
 kingdom of heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on 
 earth shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou 
 shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 
 
 ye that I am? 
 
 Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. 
 
 The Gospel. — Qui- blessed Lord did not press the understandings of His Apostles with verbal 
 arguments of His divinity, or explications of the mystery of grace. To their desire for knowledge 
 He answered with affectionate readiness ; but He did not anticipate their willingness, or power, to 
 bear the burden of those truths, which can only steadily rest on the foundation of a heavenly 
 Spirit. Hence His rebukes when they had not advanced proportionably to the gradual instruction 
 which He gave them ; and hence His questionings, to try the amount of knowledge which at a 
 certain period they possessed. The truth most necessary to their present state was that which 
 respected His Messiahship and divinity. His miracles and discourses had all a primary regard to 
 the proof of this, that He was the Christ, and the Son of God. The instructions which He had 
 given were already sufficient to establish this great truth ; but it seems to have been apprehended 
 more completely, more intensely and joyfully, by some of the Apostles than by others. St. Peter 
 was the foremost of those who saw with greatest clearness the character of his adorable Master ; 
 and now that lie was examined as to the point, he proclaimed that he knew Him, both in His office 
 and in His nature, to be what the prophets had foretold the Saviour must needs be who was to 
 
 ;i49 
 
Saint James the Apomt/e. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 RANT, O merciful God, that as 
 thine holy Apostle Saint James, 
 leaving his father and all that he 
 had, without delay was obedient unto 
 the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, 
 and followed him ; so we, forsaking 
 all worldly and carnal affections, may be evermore 
 ready to follow thy holy commandments; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 come into the world. For this confession of belief. St. Peter received a signal blessing. His name 
 was changed, and he received an appellation which thenceforward connected his declaration of 
 faith with that by which the Church at large stands secure against the assaults of Satan. Under 
 whatever light we regard the blessing, it cannot be disconnected with the faith to which it was 
 given. The person of Peter could not be made a rock for the everlasting Church of Christ : the 
 words of Peter could have no mystic value in them : the doctrine alone was the object regarded by 
 Christ; — that doctrine which has brought successive generations to the mercy-seat of Heaven : — 
 and by the manifold applications of which to the purposes of justice and of love, things are bound 
 and loosed on earth, even as they are, according to the eternal laws and decrees of God, in heaven, 
 St. Peter, after his release from prison, as above related, is supposed to have travelled into the 
 countries named in the introduction to his first epistle. It is known, however, on better authorit}'. 
 that he took up his final abode at Rome, where he died a martyr in the reign of Nero. Being 
 subjected to the punishment of crucifixion, he entreated that he might be allowed to siiifer with 
 his head downwards, regarding it as unfit that he should hang upon the cross, hallowed by his 
 dying Lord, without some deep expression of humility. 
 
 350 
 
SAINT JAMES THE APOSTLE. 
 
 For the Epistle. Acts xi. 27, and part of Chap. xii. 
 
 N those days came prophets from 
 Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there 
 stood up one of them named Agabus, 
 and signified by the Spirit, that there 
 should be great dearth throughout all 
 the world; which came to pass in 
 the days of Claudius Caesar. Then 
 the disciples, every man according 
 to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren 
 which dwelt in Judaea. Which also they did, and sent it 
 to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. Now 
 about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands 
 to vex certain of the Church. And he killed James the 
 brother of John with the sword. And because he saw 
 it pleased the Jews, he proceeded furtlier to take Peter 
 also. 
 
 The Goapel St. Matth. xx. 20. 
 
 HEN came to him the mother of 
 Zebedee's children with her sons, 
 worshipping him, and desiring a 
 certain thing of him. And he said 
 unto her. What wilt thou ? She 
 saith unto him, Grant that these my 
 two sons may sit, the one on thy 
 right hand, and the other on the left, 
 in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said. Ye know 
 
 The Collect. — The love of the world opposes, at eveiy point, the love of God. This principle, 
 so hostile to that of holiness, springs from the corruption of our nature, and is cherished by our 
 passions under a profound ignorance of the value or the worthlessness of the objects which solicit 
 our attention. In this state of things we shrink with terror at the thought of leaving the world for 
 God. Yet it is by this of act of faith that not only Apostles, but all followers of Christ, must begin 
 their course. There are the strongest of all reasons, therefore, to induce us to adopt the language 
 of this Collect, and pray that grace may set us free from the entanglements of a sensual life, and 
 raise our aifections to those nobler objects which can never lose either their beauty or their value. 
 
 The Epistle. — James, surnamed the Great, to distinguish him from the other James, and pro- 
 bably on account of his age, shared with his brother John and with St. Peter the peculiar regard 
 and confidence of our Lord. Like his brother also he received the high-sounding title of Boanerges, 
 or a son of thunder. Why this latter appellation was given him it is not easy to determine. The 
 
 351 
 
SAINT JAMES THE APOSTLE. 
 
 not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I 
 shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I 
 am baptized with ? They say unto him, We are able. 
 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, 
 and be baptized with the baptism that I am liaptized 
 with : but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not 
 mine to give ; but it shall be given to them for whom it 
 is prepared of my Father. And when the ten heard 
 it, they were moved with indignation against the two 
 brethren. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye 
 know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion 
 over them, and they that are great exercise authority 
 upon them. But it shall not be so among you : but 
 whosoever will be great among you, let him be your 
 minister ; and whosoever will be chief among you, let 
 him be your servant : even as the Son of man came not 
 to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life 
 a ransom for many. 
 
 most probable conjecture is, that it was bestowed in reference to the power and sublimity with 
 which both he and John demonstrated Christ to be the Messiah, and the appointed Judge of the 
 world. The traditions respecting this Apostle deserve little credit. It is said that soon after our 
 Lord's ascension he went into Spain, and even laid the foundations of a church in this country. 
 But the mention of these circumstances rests on a very slight basis, and all that we know for cer- 
 tainty of him is to be gathered from the notice here given of his death by the writer of the Acts. 
 
 The Gospel. — The incident recorded in this Gospel shows that even the words of our Lord, 
 personally addressed to His followers, had not prevailed over worldly pride and ambition. The 
 time was yet to come when He should put forth the power of His mercy, and afford a means for 
 the changing of the heart, not necessarily connected with His preliminary addresses. Heaven 
 had still to be propitiated, and its glories therefore were not revealed ; while the human mind knew 
 little of the abstract beauty of a pure morality, or of the rewards which belong to virtue, inde- 
 pendently of the world or its opinions. Nothing, consequently, remained for the disciples of 
 Christ, when calculating the probable results of their fidelity, but the hope that, when He restored 
 the kingdom unto Israel, they might be admitted to exalted situations in His government ; — that, 
 acknowledged as His friends and brothers, they might share His riches and be made glorious by 
 His triumphs. The errors which sprung from thoughts of this kind took too firm a hold of the 
 hearts of the disciples to be dissipated by exhortation ; but though not to be conquered by aught 
 but the Spirit of regeneration, they were kept in subjection by the wisdom of Christ. Pride, 
 ambition, avarice, were by turns convicted of folly ; and in only one awful instance among Christ's 
 chosen followers did the power of evil overcome the benign influence of His rebuke. Judas fell; 
 but the sons of Zebedee learned to regard humility as of higher worth than the splendour of 
 thrones ; Peter, who denied his Master, wept till he was forgiven ; and Thomas, who at first dis- 
 believed His resurrection, was one of the most ready to suffer in the assertion of its truth. Judas 
 could perish though he had heard the word of Christ and seen His miracles. The other Apostles 
 erred, but did not finally fall. Blessed be they who feel themselves constantly strengthened and 
 guided by the Holy Ghost ! 
 
 352 
 
Saint Bartholomew the Apostle. 
 
 ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 who didst give to tliine Apostle Bar- 
 tholomew grace tridy to believe and 
 to preach thy Word ; Grant, we be- 
 seech thee, nnto thy Church, to love 
 that word which he believed, and 
 
 both to preach and receive the same ; through Jesus 
 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — As no man can saj' that Jesus is the Christ, that is, the anointed Saviour of the 
 world, except by the Divine Spirit, so can no one without the help of His grace believe or preach 
 His Gospel. The zeal, therefore, which urged Apostles forward till they filled the world with the 
 knowledge of a Saviour, was the immediate gift of God. Without His grace they would soon have 
 ceased to regard the Gospel as of worth sufficient to claim the sacrifice of life in its cause ; and 
 what respect for its doctrines less than this would have availed in the conflict which they had to 
 wage ? But in every period the religion ol" Christ, as existing in the heart of man, depends for ifs 
 power on the grace of the Spirit, To believe, or love, or preach the Gospel, we are always eij^ually 
 dependent on the gift of God. 
 
 353 2 z 
 
SAINT BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSJLE. 
 
 For the Epistle. Acts v. 12. 
 
 Y tlie hands of the Apostles were 
 many signs and wonders wrought 
 among the people : (and they were 
 all with one accord in Solomon's 
 porch : and of the rest durst no man 
 join himself to them: but the people 
 magnified them : and believers were 
 the more added to the Lord, multi- 
 tudes both of men and women :) insomuch that they 
 brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on 
 beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter 
 passing by might overshadow some of them. There 
 came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto 
 Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were 
 vexed with unclean spirits; and they were healed every 
 one. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke xxii. 24. 
 
 ND there was also a strife among: 
 them, which of them should be ac- 
 counted the greatest. And he said 
 unto them. The kings of the Gen- 
 tiles exercise lordship over them ; 
 and they that exercise authority 
 upon them are called benefactors. 
 But ye shall not be so : but he that 
 is greatest among you, let him be as the younger ; and he 
 
 The Epistle. — Bartholomew is generally believed to have been the same person as Nathaniel. 
 This opinion is grounded on the circumstance that Nathaniel is named by St. John only, while, on the 
 other hand, Bartholomew is not once mentioned by that Evangelist. It has been suggested, more- 
 over, that the piety and other qualifications of Nathaniel, together with his early call as a follower 
 of Christ, seem to have fitted him for the Apostleship in so high a degree, that it would be difficult 
 to account for his not being named wlien Matthias was chosen, if he was not already an Apostle. 
 Most of the old writers arc of this opinion. Augustine objects to the notion on the principle, 
 that Nathaniel's reputed learning would have unfitted him for the office, the other Apostles having 
 been chosen from among unlettered men, that human actpiircments might have no share in the 
 establishing of the Gospel. To this it is answered, that if such an argument were valid, neither 
 St. Philip nor St. Paul, who were both learned, would have been elected to the Apostleship. 
 
 354 
 
SAINT BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE. 
 
 that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is 
 greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth ? is not 
 he that sitteth at meat ? but I am among you as he that 
 serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in 
 my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as 
 my Father hath appointed unto me ; that ye may eat and 
 drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones 
 judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 
 
 The Gospel. — Jesus, in His address to Nathaniel, spoke as one to whom the secrets of the 
 heart are at all times open. It was by the same penetrating wisdom that He knew how to rebuke 
 His disciples when pride and other worldly passions were working in their bosoms. An ambitious 
 desire to be accounted greatest is generally the prevailing vice among some of the members of every 
 society ; and, yielding to this fatal disposition, they uot only sacrifice their own peace, the principles 
 of brotherly union, and whatever there may be of a beneficial tendency in their system, but incite in 
 the minds of others a corresponding degree of hate, jealousy, and revenge. The head of any 
 community, therefore, has great reason to dread the ruin of his designs, when pride and selfishness 
 begin to manifest themselves among his people. Our Lord would have proved His wisdom by 
 the lessous which He gave His disciples on this point had He been watching over only their 
 worldly interests. But, considered in respect to holiness, the desire to be greatest is incompatible 
 with every principle which religion has made known to us. Humility softens, pride hardens, the 
 heart: humility subdues selfishness — pride is the worship of self : humility worships at the foot of 
 the Cross — pride mounts the throne, and counts the Cross a shame. The Gospel for this day is 
 said to have been chosen because it is supposed to represent our Lord's reproof of a dispute which 
 had arisen in consequence of Bartholomew's superior worldly rank. But as this is mere conjec- 
 ture, the reader will do well to add to the lessons the day the account of Nathaniel's call in the 
 first chapter of St. John. This eminent servant of God, after preaching the Gospel iu the East, 
 died, it is reported, by a most cruel martyrdom, having been first flayed alive, and then crucified, 
 like St. Peter, with his head downwards. The promise with which our Lord encouraged His 
 Apostles belongs to all, of whom it may be spiritually said, that they have continued with Him in 
 His temptations. " I am crucified with Christ," was said by St. Paul, while the grand support 
 of his heart was the contemplation of Christ's glory. And again, " If we have been planted toge- 
 ther in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection ; knowing 
 this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that hence- 
 forth we should not serve sin."' — Rom. vi. 5, 6. And, " It is a faithful saying : For if we be dead 
 with Him, we shall also live with Him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him." — 2 Tim. ii. 
 11, 12. By the proper application of these Apostolic sayings, we shall learn how Christians in 
 all ages may be partakers with Christ in His sufferings, and prove their fidelity by continuing 
 with Him till, through temptation, they arrive at peace and glory. For them, as well as for the 
 Apostles, He has appointed a kingdom; and though there may be a peculiar degree of eminence 
 reserved for some, and the thrones of those who are to judge the twelve tribes of Israel be set 
 higher than the rest, yet there is this honour and blessing promised to all who suffer with Christ, 
 they shall eat and drink at His table, in His kingdom. The words of our Lord are to be inter- 
 preted according to what we know of His Divine and perfect love, and of the nature of the happy 
 realms over which He reigns. To eat and drink at His table implies a blessed state of commu- 
 nion, continual enjoyment of converse, with the most exalted and the most benign of beings. It 
 implies, moreover, a full participation in the boundless good of celestial regions ; nor can that 
 good, on any principle of right reason, be regarded as less desirable because the present imper- 
 fection of our nature does not allow us to perceive in what manner it will fill our spirits with a com- 
 plete and intense satisfaction. The highest degree of happiness after which we sigh even in this 
 world, presents but a vague and indefinite prospect. We can with difficulty analyze our feelings, 
 but we look confidently to enjoyment when the hour of possession shall arrive. In this instance 
 we rest upon the most uncertain of promises. In that of religion we have the word of God for 
 security, 
 
 35.5 2 z "i 
 
Saint MaUheic the Apostle. 
 
 ;)cr 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, 
 who by tliy blessed 
 3 Son didst call Mat- 
 thew from the receipt 
 of custom to be an 
 Apostle and Evange- 
 list; Grant us grace 
 to forsake all covetous desires, and inor- 
 ' dinate love of riches, and to follow the 
 same thy Son Jesus Christ, who liveth 
 and reigneth with thee and the Holy 
 Ghost, one God, world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — The call of God is in all cases a call to houonr 
 11 and prosperity, whatever be our situation when it reaches us. Worldly- 
 affairs can never deserve the chief attention of an immortal being, 
 because, however great the success attending them, it can but bestow 
 that which is transitory, and in itself unfitted to satisfy the higher 
 faculties of the soul. A call to holiness, therefore, necessarilj^ im- 
 proves our condition, inasmuch as it puts us in a capacity for gaining substantial blessings — a 
 happiness and a glory as permanent as the desire which prompts us to their pursuit. St. Matthew 
 was signally favoured in being not only called to the Apostleship, but made a medium for com- 
 municating to mankind, throughout all generations, the knowledge of Christ and his doctrines. It 
 is not, however, to those only who are thus conspicuously employed in the service of God that His 
 call brings honour and salvation. On all who hear it, and cherish it in obedient hearts, it confers 
 a sure title to the joys of heaven. With good reason, therefore, may we pray that the Divine 
 Message may reach our hearts, and set us free to pursue in spirit the path on which Christ has 
 summoned us to follow Him. But while we acknowledge the expediency of obeying this truth, we 
 ought with equal readiness to adopt the essential preparative of forsaking all covetous desires, and 
 inordinate love of riches. Desire, fixed upon any one object whatever which is not intimately 
 connected with the interests of eternity, necessarily narrows the mind, fills it with prejudices, and 
 exposes it perpetually to the tyranny of the lowest and the meanest of the passions. In such a 
 condition of feeling, it is impossible that we should discern the beauty which sheds its lustre over 
 the doctrines of Christ. The heart has hardened itself against such influences : the spirit refuses 
 to be enlightened by light that comes pure from heaven. Yet such, luihappily, is the state of most 
 men. Nominal Christianity satisfies them. They remain unchanged in nature while professing 
 to believe in a regenerating Spirit ; — worldly, while acknowledging that the world is at enmity 
 with God ;— and entirely occupied with the things which are seen, while they verbally own that 
 they are perishable, and not worthy to be compared with the invisible riches of God's kingdom. 
 To emancipate ourselves IVoiu the trammels which keep the world in bondage, we must act both 
 with more wisdom and with more sincerity. 
 
 35G 
 
SAINT MATTHEW THE APOSTLE 
 
 The Epiatle. 2 Cor. iv. 1. 
 
 HEREFORE seeing we have this 
 ministry, as we have received mercy, 
 we faint not ; but have renounced 
 the hidden things of dishonesty, not 
 walking in craftiness, nor handling 
 the Word of God deceitfully, but by 
 manifestation of the truth commend- 
 ing ourselves to every man's con- 
 science in the sight of God. But if our Gospel be hid, it 
 is hid to them that are lost : in whom the God of this 
 world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, 
 lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the 
 image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach 
 not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves 
 your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded 
 the light to shine out of darkness, hath sinned in our 
 hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of 
 God, in the face of Jesus Christ. 
 
 The Epistle.— An occasional withdrawing from the world is necessary to Christians of eveiy 
 class, and especially to those whose office it is to attend upon the service of the sanctuary. But 
 while this is the lesson of Scripture and reason respecting a literal and outward separation from 
 the multitude, its instruction in reference to our spiritual separation is given in a language far 
 more definite and exclusive. By this we are taught, that as light is opposite to darkness, so is 
 God to Mammon and Christ to Belial : that, as the world is ever on the side of the latter, faith- 
 ful and consistent believers are prevented, both by their state and their regenerate nature, from 
 holding communion with its people ; and that, as they have been invested with singular respon- 
 sibilities, so they can only fulfil them by altogether renouncing " the hidden things of dishonesty," 
 manifesting the power of that divine light which has shone not only on the page of the revelation 
 which they read, but in their hearts and in their spirits. This light is the effulgence of truth, the 
 proper light of the soul, and is therefore traced to " the knowledge of the glory of God," revealing 
 Himself to humanity in the perfect humanity of His Son. To open a path to forgiveness without 
 compromising the justice of God ;— to justify sinners without violating the dignity of the law ; — to 
 deliver from liell without favouring corruption ;— to confer life on those who had been condemned 
 to die, and yet leave to the Judge of all His credit for equity, and an undiminished authority — 
 these were the objects secured by Christ's atonement. Yet more: to enable men to love the law 
 as well as obey it; — to change, purify, and exalt their nature; — to bestow upon them the means 
 and assurance of everlasting life ; — to make them citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem — these were 
 the other blessings secured when Christ sealed the instrument of our redemption. Let us consider, 
 for an instant, the condition of those who, living in a civilized country, despise equally the com- 
 forts and the decencies of civilization ; or of those who, placed within the reach of abundant and 
 valuable knowledge, obstinately prefer a gross and most miserable ignorance. We shall then be 
 able to form some faint notion of the state of those who refuse to admit the light, or accept the 
 privileges, derivable from a religion like that of Christ ; and how truly it may be said, that, " If the 
 Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." 
 
 357 
 
SAINT MATTHEW THE APOSTLE. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Matth. ix. 9. 
 
 ND as Jesus passed forth from 
 thence, lie saw a man named Mat- 
 thew, sitting at the receipt of cus- 
 tom : and he saith unto him, Follow 
 me. And he arose, and followed 
 him. And it came to pass, as Jesus 
 sat at meat in the house, behold, 
 many Publicans and sinners came, 
 and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the 
 Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples. Why eatetli 
 your Master with Publicans and sinners ? But when 
 Jesus heard that, he said unto them. They that be whole 
 need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go 
 ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and 
 not sacrifice ; for I am not come to call the righteous^ 
 but sinners to repentance. 
 
 The Gospel. — Matthew was one of the persons employed to collect the money paid on mer- 
 chandise carried across the lake of Galilee. The term publican originally pertained only to the 
 honourable and wealthy Romans who farmed the public revenues. By degrees it was applied to 
 agents in the conquered provinces, who, agreeing to return a certain sum to the treasury of Rome, 
 practised the worst arts of extortion to secure their own aggrandizement. Matthew belonged to 
 the class of publicans either by a faiiher extension of the meaning of the term, or by having a 
 share in the collecting of the taxes in general, as well as holding the office which took liim to the 
 borders of the lake. Lightfoot quotes some curious questions and remarks of the Jewish Rabbi on 
 the character of publicans. " When," said they, " are publicans to be reckoned for thieves P 
 When he is a Gentile, or when of himself he takes that office upon him, or when, being deputed 
 by the king, he doth not exact the set sum, but exacts according to his own will." " Therefore," 
 it is added, " the father of Rabbi Zeira is to be reputed for a rare person, who, being a publican 
 for thirteen years, did not make the burdens of the taxes heavier, but rather eased them." Again, 
 " When the king laid a tax to be exacted of the Jews, of each according to his estate, these pub- 
 licans being deputed to proportion the thing, became respecters of persons, burdening some and 
 indulging others, and so became plunderers." Those who redeemed the taxes, and then collected 
 them as their own, were called the greater publicans. Thus it is said, *' Sometimes there is a 
 greater publican, to whom it is very grievous to stand at the bridge all the day long. He, there- 
 fore, substitutes an inferior or lesser publican." Matthew was evidently a man of some wealth. 
 The Pharisees, who were generally persons of importance, resorted to his house, and he possessed the 
 means of entertaining an assembly more numerous than would have met round the board of an 
 inferior host. His ready obedience to the call of Christ affords a noble proof of the faith and 
 devotion which occupied his soul. A lucrative employment, a well -stored house, and numerous 
 friends, were all left when he became a follower of Him who had not where to lay His head. Tlie 
 command of our blessed Lord, " Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations," dispersed the main body 
 of His chosen servants, immediately after His ascension, into various region_s of the earth. St. Mat- 
 thew, it is said, selected Ethiopia as the scene of his labours; and, like so many others of his 
 companions in the work of evangelizing the world, he closed a career fruitful in benefits and 
 dangers by martyrdom. 
 
 358 
 
Saint Michael and all Ansccls. 
 
 'y Collect. 
 
 Everlasting 
 God, wlio 
 hast ordain- 
 ed and con- 
 stituted the 
 services of 
 Angels and 
 men in a wonderful order; 
 Mercifully grant, that as thy 
 holy Angels alway do thee ser- 
 vice in heaven, so by thy ap- 
 pointment they may succour and 
 defend us on earth ; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, 
 
 The Collect. — It has pleased our Almighty Father to afford us only such glimpses of the eco- 
 nomy of Heaven as may interest our hearts, and fill us with assurances of good, while curiosity is 
 left to rebuke itself for all its vain efforts to become wise above that which is written. From the 
 slight intimations given us in Scripture of the nature and employments of angels, we learn that 
 I they are not invested in the grossness of flesh and blood, but that they are pure, spiritual, and 
 incorruptible ; that their most glorious employment consists in hymning the praises of the eternal 
 Father ; and that at His dictation, sympathizing by their own benevolent nature with our fallen 
 race, they often perform works of mercy for us, acting unseen as our guides and guardians through 
 the dark labyrinths of the world. As therefore it is consistent with our state to pray that God 
 would make the elements of the natural universe instrumental to our good, it is equally so that we 
 should entreat Him to appoint the bright ranks of the intelligent beings that form His hosts in 
 heaven to succour us in our earthly turmoil. A lesson of deep interest is taught us by the con- 
 sideration of this subject. The angels are in communion with the people of God. They are sent 
 forth to minister to them ; and, though invisible, doubtlessly perform many an act of holy friend- 
 ship, warding off danger, or pouring around the objects of their care the sweet and wholesome 
 influences of heavenly peace. The services which the angels offer to God are those of intense and 
 perfect love, which becomes a necessary principle in the nature of any being in proportion to his 
 wisdom, purity, and excellency of spiritual constitution. And it is from this essential character of 
 the blessed angels, and from our knowledge of their employment in the presence of God, that we 
 are enabled to understand how they become ministering spirits unto us. God's love is the source 
 of whatever good, or expectation of good, we can enjoy ; and under the mighty impulse which it 
 gives, the angels waft themselves into regions of trouble and distress which otherwise they had 
 never visited. 
 
 359 
 
SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS. 
 
 For the Epistle. R 
 
 ev. xii. i. 
 
 
 HERE was war in heaven : Michael 
 and his angels fonght against the 
 dragon, and the dragon ibuglit and 
 his angels; and prevailed not, nei- 
 ther was their place found any more 
 in heaven. And the great dragon 
 was cast out, that old serpent, called 
 the devil and Satan, which decciveth 
 the whole world ; he was cast out into the earth, and his 
 angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud 
 voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and 
 strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of 
 his Christ : for the accuser of our In-ethren is cast down, 
 which accused them before our God day and night. 
 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and 
 by the word of their testimony ; and they loved not their 
 lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and 
 ye that dwell in them. Wo to the inhabiters of the earth, 
 and of the sea: for the devil is come down unto you, 
 having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but 
 a short time. 
 
 The Episti.e. — To Michael onlj' is applied, in any part of Scripture, the title of Archangel. 
 The word does not occur in the Old Testament, and in the New is found in only two places. The 
 most learned theologians agree in interpreting it as belonging exclusively to the Son of God. 
 Michael is described by Daniel as coming to the assistance of Gabriel, and by St. Jude as con- 
 tending with the devil about the body of Moses, in which passage only the name and the title, or 
 Michael and Archangel, are found united. Bishop Horsley speaks with great severity of the 
 opinions which have been entertained by many respecting the different orders of angels. '• It has 
 been," says he, " for a long time a fashion in the church to speak very frequently and familiarly of 
 archangels, as if they were an order of beings with which we are perfectly well acquainted. Some 
 say there are seven of them. Upon what solid ground that assertion stands I know not." The 
 passage selected for the Epistle was evidently chosen on account of its containing an allusion to 
 the sublime prowess of the ai'changel in the war of heaven against hell. It is supposed by many 
 commentators that the struggle between heathenism and Christianity in the primitive times is to 
 be understood by this war. But the grandeur of the language, and the general structure of tlie 
 prophecy, seem to point to a yet fiercer and more conclusive conflict. 
 
 The Gospel. — The last verse of the Gospel furnishes the principal theme for our meditation on 
 this festival. It is disputed by commentators whether the angels spoken of by our Lord are to be 
 considered as severally the guardian angels of individuals, or as constituting the protection gene- 
 rally of God's regenerate people. The former opinion is most commonly adopted, as that whicli best 
 answers to the notions which the ancient Jews entertained on the subject, and to the belief of the 
 early Christians. Scripture testimony is adduced in favour of this opinion. The Apostles suj,- 
 posed, when they were told of Peter's return from prison, tliat it was " his angel ;" and some of the 
 
 360 
 
SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS. 
 
 The Go.spel. St. IMattli. xviii. L 
 
 T the same time came the disciples 
 unto Jesus, saying, Who is the great- 
 est in the Kingdom of heaven ? And 
 Jesus called a little child unto him, 
 and set him in the midst of them, 
 and said, Verily I say unto you, 
 Except ye be converted, and become 
 as little children, ye shall not enter 
 into the Kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall 
 humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in 
 the Kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one 
 such little child in my Name, receiveth me. But whoso 
 shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, 
 it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about 
 his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the 
 sea. Wo unto the world because of offences : for it must 
 needs be that offences come : but wo to that man by 
 whom the offence cometli. Wherefore if thy hand or thy 
 foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee : 
 it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, 
 rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into 
 everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it 
 out, and cast it from thee : it is better for thee to enter 
 into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be 
 cast into hell-fire. Take heed that ye despise not one of 
 these little ones ; for I say unto you. That in heaven 
 their angels do always behold the face of my Father which 
 is in heaven. 
 
 ancient fathers supported the notion that every individual has both a had and a good angel attend- 
 ing on him. From an expression in St. Paul's Epistle to the Colossians, it seems that angels were 
 regarded at the beginning of the Christian church with too high a veneration. " Let no man 
 beguile you," says he, " of your reward in a voluntary humilitj% and worshipping of angels." But 
 this warning, it appears, did not prevent the spreading of the error alluded to. Several of the 
 heretics of primitive times were charged with the folly of paying divine honour to angels, and the 
 council of Laodicea makes express mention of the error as a forsaking of God and oi Christ. While 
 we meditate, then, upon the nature and offices of angels, let us not forget that there is but one 
 God, and that He alone is to be worshipped ; and that there is but one Mediator between God and 
 men, who can alone render our prayers acceptable at the throne of grace. 
 
 361 3 A 
 
Saint Luke the Evcuigelist. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, 
 who calledst Luke 
 the Physician, whose 
 praise is in the Gos- 
 
 I ' (- P^^' ^^ ^^ ^^^ Evan- 
 iV^M gelist, and Physi- 
 cian of the soul ; 
 May it please thee, that, by the wliol- 
 some medicines of the doctrine deli- 
 vered by him, all the diseases of our 
 souls may be healed ; through the 
 merits ol' thy Son Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — It was once the boast of philosophy to render the human heart capable of be- 
 coming indifferent to the attacks of pain, and so far as the body and time are considered, it might 
 properly regard as a triumph every successful opposition to the power of affliction. But though it 
 be no small advantage to be able to deceive ourselves when the body only is in pain, it is destruc- 
 tion to the whole being to become insensible to the diseases which prey upon the soul. Let us 
 awake to a due feeling of our spiritual weakness and corruption— let us learn that a death of the 
 most terrible kind must speedily follow this state of infirmity, and then we shall not be indifferent 
 to any advice that is offered us by the Physician of Souls. He comes from the Father of Spirits, 
 and he brings medicines sufficient to heal all our sicknesses. May we not despise the remedy by 
 a voluntary blindness to the disease ! Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, who wrote in the early part 
 of the fourth century, says, " Luke, who was of Antioch, and by profession a physician, for the 
 most part a companion of Paul, who had likewise more than a slight acquaintance with the rest 
 of the Apostles, has left us in two books, divinely inspired, evidence of the art of healing souls, 
 which he had learned from them. One of these is the Gospel, which he professeth to have written 
 as they delivered it to him, who from the beginning were eye-witnesses and ministers of the word : 
 with all whom, he says likewise, he had been perfectly acquainted from the very first. The other 
 is the Acts of the Apostles, which he composed now, not from what he had received by the report 
 of others, but from what lie had seen with his own eyes. And it is said, that Paul was wont to 
 refer to the Gospel according to him, whenever in his Epistles, speaking as it were of some Gospel 
 of his own, he saj's, ' According to my Gospel.' " The pious study of the narrative given by 
 St. Luke will, indeed, prove the means of cure to the worst disorders with which man, in his 
 highest nature, can be affected. And this, not only by the importance of the facts recorded, or by 
 their forming for us a line of light — a safe and manifest path to the knowledge of doctrine, but by 
 their having a certain power to impress the mind with a sense of God's goodness, and thereby 
 furnish it with principles and emotions fitted to resist effectually the base suggestions and poi- 
 sonous influences of evil. In this we find a remedy to the diseases which have so long paralysed 
 heart, blinded the understanding, and taken from our moral natiue in general whatever is most 
 gracious and beneficial. 
 
 362 
 
SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELIST. 
 
 The Epistle. 2 Tim. iv. 5. 
 
 ATCH thou in all things, endure 
 afflictions, do the work of an Evan- 
 gelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 
 For I am now ready to l^e offered, 
 and the time of my departure is at 
 hand. I have fought a good fight, 
 I have finished my course, I have 
 kept the faith. Henceforth there is 
 laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, 
 the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day : and not 
 to me only, but unto all them also that love his appear- 
 ing. Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me : for 
 Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present 
 world, and is departed unto Thcssalonica ; Crescens to 
 Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. 
 Take Mark and l)ring him with thee : for he is profitable 
 to me for the ministry. And Tychicus have I sent to 
 Ephesus. The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, 
 when thou comest, bring with thee; and the books, but 
 especially the parchments. Alexander the copper-smith 
 did me much evil : the Lord reward him according to his 
 works. Of whom be thou ware also, for he hath greatly 
 withstood our words. 
 
 The Epistle. — The occurrence of the name of Luke in this Epistle is sufficient to justify its 
 being selected for the service of the da)' set apart to commemorate his labours. But the simple 
 manner in which lie is mentioned does not render the memorial which it conveys less forcible or 
 pathetic. " Only Luke is with me." These words were penned when one of the noblest advocates 
 that had ever been raised up to support the cause of truth and holiness stood exposed to the last 
 eflbrts of tyranny for his destruction. Luke, as we find from the Acts of the Apostles, a narrative 
 written by himself, had been the companion of St. Paul through a large portion of his perilous 
 journeys ; and now he was the sole attendant on that devoted servant of God in the season of ap- 
 proaching martyrdom. There must have been much of noble constancy and fortitude in the 
 character of St. Luke to keep him thus watchful of the Apostle's comfort in this trial of faith. We 
 may even conjecture that the Lord Himself, ever mindful of the state of His servants, ordered it 
 that so devoted a minister of His Gospel as St. Paul might not be left without the consolations of 
 friendship, and that of the highest and purest kind. The testimony, therefore, borne to the cha- 
 racter of Luke, in this short and incidental expression of the Apostle's Epistle, is sufficient to 
 recommend his memory to the affection of the wise and holy of all ages. May we be as faitliful to 
 Christ and His people as was this primitive Evangelist, who has taught us so many and such 
 valuable truths ! 
 
 363 3 A 2 
 
SAINT LUKP. THE EVANGELIST 
 
 The Go.spel. St. Luke x. 1. 
 
 HE Lord appointed other seventy 
 also, and sent tliem two and two 
 before liis face into every city and 
 place whither he himself would come. 
 Therefore said he unto them, The har- 
 vest truly is great, but the lal)ourers 
 are few ; pray ye therefore the Lord 
 of the harvest, that he would send 
 forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways ; behold, 
 I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither 
 purse, nor scrip, nor shoes, and salute no man by the way. 
 And into w^hatsoever house ye enter, lirst say. Peace be 
 to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your 
 peace shall rest upon it : if not, it shall turn to you again. 
 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such 
 things as they give : for the labourer is worthy of his 
 hire. 
 
 The Gospei,. — St. Luke is supposed to have been one of the seventy disciples, and as mention is 
 made of Luke the beloved physician, he is said to have practised medicine, besides which tradition 
 ascribes to him no small proficiency in the art of painting. If he was a native of Antioch, a place 
 celebrated for its luxury and refinement, it is not impossible that this tradition may be true 
 though it rests on a basis which can claim but little credit. After leaving St. Paul, he is supposed 
 to have travelled into Egj'pt, and subsequently through several parts of Greece, at last ending a 
 life spent in labours in every way profitable to the Church by martyrdom. Jerome, as quoted by 
 Dr. Lardner, says, '• Luke, a physician of Antioch, not unskilful in the Greek language, a disciple 
 of the Apostle Paul, and the constant companion of his travels, wrote a Gospel, and another 
 excellent volume, entitled the Acts of the Apostles. It is supposed that Luke did not learn his 
 Gospel from the Apostle Paul only, who had not conversed with the Lord in the flesh, but also 
 from other Apostles. Therefore he wrote the Gospel from the information of others: but the Acts 
 he composed from his own knowledge." Theophylact, another of the fathers, says, '' There are four 
 Evangelists, two of which, Matthew and John, were of the choir of the twelve Apostles: the other 
 two, Mark and Luke, were of the number of the Seventy. Mark was a disciple and companion of 
 Peter, Luke of Paul. Luke wrote fifteen years after Christ's ascension." Most of what is here 
 said, and almost all the popular traditions respecting St. Luke, are rejected by Lardner as very 
 suspicious. He doubts the account given of his being a Syrian, and a native of Antioch. "' We 
 do not," he saj's, " find it in Irenseus, nor Clement of Alexandria, nor Tertullian, nor Origen, nor 
 in any other writer before Eusebius, Probably, therefore, it is not founded on any general or well- 
 attested tradition ; V)ut was the invention of some conjectural writer, who, having first imagined, 
 out of his own head, that Luke was originally a Gentile, at length determined that he was con- 
 verted by Paul at Antioch. But all this was taken up without any good ground, or sufficient 
 authority ; and Luke may have been a believer before either Paul or Barnabas went to Antioch."' 
 So little is the confidence which can be placed on any information merely traditional. 
 
 ^64 
 
Saint Simon and Saint Jade, Apostles. 
 
 ''S.'.r I. i / 
 
 
 , ^ , in. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who hast built 
 tliy Church upon the foundation of 
 the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus 
 Christ himself being the head corner- 
 stone; Grant us so to be joined 
 together in unity of spirit by their 
 
 doctrine, that we may be made an holy temple 
 \ acceptable unto thee ; through Jesus Christ our 
 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — God was pleased at the beginning, and has ever since exercised a similar mercj^ 
 to raise up a sufficient number of hol}^ men to communicate the truth to all who were willing to 
 receive it. Jesus Christ was the appointed corner-stone of the living temple. Apostles and pro- 
 phets were filled with the spirit of holiness that they might lay the foundation in words of living 
 and substantial power. If on this foundation we are ourselves to be built up. the unity of the Spirit 
 must bind us together in one common bond of harmony with all God's people. By this alone can 
 we become a holy temple, acceptable to the Lord, through the Saviour Christ. 
 
 36.5 
 
SAINT SIMON AND SAINT JUDE. 
 
 The Ep'iatle. St. Jude 1. 
 
 UDE, the servant of Jesus Christ, 
 and brother of James, to them that 
 are sanctiiied by God the Father, 
 and preserved in Jesus Christ, and 
 called : Mercy unto you, and peace, 
 and love be multiplied. Beloved, 
 when I gave all diligence to write 
 unto you of the common salvation, it 
 was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you, 
 that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was 
 once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain 
 men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained 
 to this condemnation : ungodly men, turning the grace of 
 our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord 
 God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put 
 you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that 
 the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of 
 Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And 
 the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their 
 own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains 
 under darkness unto the judgement of the great day. 
 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities al)out them 
 in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and 
 going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, 
 suiTering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also 
 these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, 
 and speak evil of dignities. 
 
 The Epistle. — Jude, surnamed ThaddiEus, or Lebbseus, was the brother of James the Less. He 
 attached himself to Christ at an early period of the Saviour's labours, and continued faithful unto 
 the end. If tradition can be depended upon, he remained in Palestine some time after our Lord's 
 ascension. Having finished his task in the provinces nearer home, he is said to have travelled 
 into Arabia, and then into Syria and Mesopotamia, continuing to preach the word of God. as at 
 first delivered to the saints. It has been reported by some writers that he died a martyr in Persia; 
 but the more general belief is that he spent his last days at Edessa, where he was allowed to end 
 his life in the uninterrupted preaching of the Gospel. It is reported, on the authority of Jerome, 
 that it was Jude who was sent to preach the Gospel to Agbarus, king of Osroene ; but Eusebius 
 says that Thomas sent to Edessa Thaddoeus, one of Christ's seventy disciples, to preach the Gospel 
 there. 
 
 3G6 
 
SAINT SIMON AND SAINT JUDE. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John xv. 17. 
 
 HESE things I command you, that 
 ye love one another. If the world 
 hate you, ye know that it hated me 
 before it hated you. If ye were of 
 the world, the world would love his 
 own : but because ye are not of the 
 world, but I have chosen you out of 
 the world, therefore the world liateth 
 you. Remember the word that I said unto you. The ser- 
 vant is not greater than his lord : if they have persecuted 
 me, they will also persecute you ; if they have kept my 
 saying, they will keep your's also. But all these things will 
 they do unto you for my Name's sake, because they know 
 not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken 
 unto them, they had not had sin : but now they have no 
 cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father 
 also. If I had not done among them the works which 
 none other man did, they had not had sin ; but now have 
 they both seen, and hated both me and my Father. But 
 this Cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that 
 is written in their law. They hated me without a cause. 
 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto 
 you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which pro- 
 ceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. And ye 
 also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me 
 from the beginning. 
 
 The Gospel. — Simon was surnamed the Canaanite, or Zelotes, to distinguish him from Simon 
 Peter. The former of these names has the same meaning in Hebrew which the latt«r has in Greek, 
 and was the characteristic title of tliose who belonged to the sect of the Zealots. When the other 
 Apostles left Jerusalem, Simon, it is said, went to Egypt, and thence into Libya. How long he 
 continued there we have no certain means of learning ; but tradition reports that on his leaving 
 those parts he came to Britain, where, after preaching the Gospel for some time, he was put to 
 death by crucifixion. Thus did our Lord's words, " If they have persecuted me, they will also 
 persecute you," find a fulfilment in the case of all who devoted themselves to the early preaching 
 of His Gospel. Surely we ought frequently to ask ourselves whether the perfect freedom we enjoy 
 while professing the Gospel, may not spring as much from the laxity of our principles and our 
 morals, as from the favourable circumstances in which we are apparently placed. 
 
 367 
 
All Saints' Dmj. 
 
 Vi 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who liast knit 
 together thine elect in one commu- 
 nion and fellowship, in the mystical 
 body of thy Son Christ our Lord ; 
 Grant us grace so to follow thy 
 blessed Saints in all virtuous and 
 godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable 
 joys, which thou hast prepared for them that un- 
 feignedly love thee ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 The Collect. — Any strong and deep-seated feeling, shared by many in common, is a sure bond 
 of union, so long as its intensity remains undiminished. Hopes and opinions form severally a foun- 
 dation for society, the permanency of which depends more upon the sympathies thus engendered, 
 than upon law itself. But while the family of God is the noblest of all societies, so is it esta- 
 blished on the best and most permanent of these binding and concentrating principles. One 
 spirit and one faith animate the souls of its members ; if one suffer, all partake in his sufferings; 
 if any rejoice, all rejoice. The triumph of a part over particular temptations, is the triumph of the 
 whole body against the common enemj', sin ; and thus he who is made fit. by Divine grace, to 
 become a member of this happy communion, is carried forward by the power of love to the posses- 
 sion of everlasting joy. 
 
 368 
 
ALL SAINTS DAY. 
 
 For the Epiatle. Rev. vii. 2. 
 
 ND I saw another angel ascending 
 from tlie east, having the seal of 
 the living God ; and he cried with a 
 loud voice to the four angels, to 
 whom it was given to hurt the earth, 
 and the sea, saying. Hurt not the 
 earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, 
 till we have sealed the servants of 
 our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of 
 them which were sealed ; and there were sealed an hun- 
 dred and forty and four thousand, of all the tribes of the 
 children of Israel. 
 
 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Nephthali were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Symeon were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Isachar were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. 
 
 After this I beliekl, and lo, a great multitude, which 
 
 The Epistle. — This sublime representation of the gathering together of the redeemed at the 
 last day, is equally animating to the heart and profitable to the soul. Death has been obliged to 
 shrink even from his own peculiar territory — the grave ; and sin is pursued to its remotest 
 hiding-places. The universal world has heard the message of salvation; the Spirit of life and 
 holiness has poured its light into the dark souls of men ; and everywhere the earth teems with the 
 promise of an everlasting spring. God waits till the converting power of love has completed its 
 promise, and now the word goes forth ; the regenerate children of Jehovah are signed with the 
 name which Christ has imparted, and await in deep tranquillity the final signal that shall set 
 them free from earth and from time. Happy and exhilarating is the prospect before us. The 
 powers of mmiber are tried to the uttermost to express how many will be saved ; and yet how 
 solemn the reflection — how replete with warnings which take a deeper tone from the exceeding 
 diffusiveness of Divine mercy, that not one in the vast multitudes here represented as delivered 
 irom destruction has been saved, unless sanctified and made wholly conformable to the image of 
 Christ ! 
 
 369 3 B 
 
ALL SAINTS' DAY. 
 
 no man could num1)cr, of all nations, and kindreds, and 
 people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before 
 the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their 
 hands ; and cried with a loud voice, saying. Salvation to 
 our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
 Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, 
 and about the elders, and the four beasts, and fell before 
 the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, 
 Amen ; Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanks- 
 giving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our 
 God for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 The Gospel St. ]\Iattli. v. 1. 
 
 ESUS, seeing the multitudes, went 
 up into a mountain ; and when he 
 was set, his disciples came unto him. 
 And he opened his mouth, and taught 
 them, saying, Blessed are the poor 
 in spirit : for their's is the kingdom 
 of heaven. Blessed are they that 
 mourn : for they shall be comforted. 
 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 
 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righte- 
 ousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the mer- 
 ciful : for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure 
 in heart : for they shall see God. Blessed are the peace- 
 makers : for they shall be called the children of God. 
 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' 
 
 The Gospel.— The beatitudes form a fitting subject for the daily contemplation of those who 
 seek to become members of the household of God. Our Lord opened the principles of His system 
 with a tender and benignant spirit. He might have stated them in the stern manner of a law- 
 giver, leaving men to determine by their fears merely whether they would venture to disobey Him. 
 But He mercifully shews, in the first place, that each of the principles to which He claimed 
 obedience was in itself a good ; for the beatitudes might be read, and would be found true, without 
 the addition which He has made to them of a positive and evangelical blessing. And, in the 
 second place, He has given a promise to those who fulfil them, which shall add infinitely to 
 the happiness naturally derivable from laws so essential to the good of creatures situated as we 
 now are. The poor in sjiirit are happy in themselves ; but they have also an immensity of glory in 
 reserve. 
 
 370 
 
ALL SAINTS DAY. 
 
 sake : for tlieir's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are 
 ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and 
 shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my 
 sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad ; for great is your 
 reward in heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets 
 which were before you. 
 
 371 
 
 3 H 2 
 
% So viany as intend to be partakers of the holy Communion shall signify their 
 names to the Curate, at least some time the day before. 
 
 ^ And if any of those be an open and notorious evil liver, or have done any wrong 
 to his neighbours by word or deed, so that the Co7igregation be thereby offended ; 
 the Curate, having knowledge thereof, shall call him and advertise him, that in 
 any wise he presume not to come to the Lord's Table, until he hath openly 
 declared himself to have truly repented and amended his former naughty life, 
 that the Congregation may thereby be satisfied, which before were offended; 
 and that he hath recompensed the parties, to whom he hath done wrong ; or at 
 least declare himself to be in full purpose so to do, as soon as he conveniently 
 may. 
 
 ^ The same order shall the Curate use with those betwixt whom he perceiveth 
 malice and hatred to reign ; not suffering them to be partakers of the Lord's 
 Table, until he know them to be reconciled. And if one of the parties so at 
 variance be content to forgive from the bottom of his heart all that the other 
 hath trespassed against him, and to make amends for that he himself hath 
 offended; and the other party will not be persuaded to a godly unity, but 
 remain still in his frowardness and malice : the Minister in thai case ought 
 to admit the penife7it person to the holy Communion, and not him that is obsti- 
 nate. Provided that every Minister so repelling any, as is specified in this, or 
 the next precedent paragraph of this Kubrick, shall be obliged to give an 
 account of the same to the Ordinary within fourteen days after at the farthest. 
 And the Ordinary shall proceed against the offending Person according to the 
 Canon. 
 
 % The Table, at the Communion-time, having a fair white linen cloth upon it, 
 shall stand in the Body of the Church, or in the Chancel, where Morning and 
 Evening Prayer are appointed to he said. And the Priest standing at the 
 North-side of the Table shall say the Lord's Prayer, with the Collect follow- 
 inq, the people kneeling. 
 375 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 UR Father wliicli art in heaven. 
 Hallowed be thy Name. Thy 
 kingdom come. Thy will he 
 done in earth, As it is in hea- 
 ven. Give ns this day our daily 
 bread. And forgive ns onr tres- 
 passes, As we forgive them that 
 trespass against ns. And lead 
 ns not into temptation ; But de- 
 liver ns from evil. Amen. 
 
 The Collect, 
 
 LMIGHTY God, unto whom all 
 hearts be open, all desires known, 
 and from whom no secrets are hid ; 
 Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts 
 by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, 
 that we may perfectly love thee, and 
 worthily magnify thy holy Name; 
 through Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest, turning to the people, rehearse distincAly all the TEN 
 COMMANDMENTS; and the people still kneeling shall, after evenj Com- 
 mayuhnent, ask God mercy for their transgression thereof for the time past, and 
 grace to keep the same for the time to come, as followeth. 
 
 Minister. 
 OD spake these words, and said ; I 
 am the Lord thy God: Thou slialt 
 have none other gods but me. 
 
 People. Lord, have mercy upon 
 us, and incline our hearts to keep 
 this law. 
 
 Minister. Thou shalt not make to 
 thyself any graven image, nor the 
 likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the 
 earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. Thou 
 shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them : for I the 
 Lord thy God am a jealous God, and visit the sins of the 
 376 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth genera- 
 tion of them that hate me, and shew mercy unto thousands 
 in them that love me, and keep my commandments. 
 
 People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our 
 hearts to keep this law. 
 
 Minister. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord 
 thy God in vain : for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, 
 that taketh his Name in vain. 
 
 People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our 
 hearts to keep this law. 
 
 Minister. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath- 
 day. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou 
 hast to do ; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the 
 Lord thy God. In it thou shalt do no manner of work, 
 thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, thy man-servant, 
 and thy maid-servant, thy cattle, and the stranger that is 
 within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven 
 and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the 
 seventh day : wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, 
 and hallowed it. 
 
 People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our 
 hearts to keep this law. 
 
 Minister. Honour thy father and thy mother ; that thy 
 days may be long in the land, which the Lord thy God 
 giveth thee. 
 
 People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our 
 hearts to keep this law. 
 
 Minister. Thou shalt do no murder. 
 
 People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our 
 hearts to keep this law. 
 
 Minister. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
 
 People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our 
 hearts to keep this law. 
 
 Minister. Thou shalt not steal. 
 
 People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our 
 hearts to keep this law. 
 
 Minister. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
 neighbour. 
 
 3// o t 
 
THE COMMUNION 
 
 People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our 
 hearts to keep this law. 
 
 Minister. Thou slialt not covet thy neighbour's house, 
 thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his servant, 
 nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that 
 is his. 
 
 People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and write all these 
 thy laws in our hearts, we beseech thee. 
 
 % Then shall follow one of these two Collects for the Queen, the Priest standing 
 
 as before, and saying. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 LMIGHTY God, whose kingdom 
 is everlasting, and power infinite ; 
 Have mercy upon the whole Church ; 
 and so rule the heart of thy chosen 
 Servant VICTORIA, our Queen and 
 Governour, that she (knowing whose 
 minister she is) may above all things 
 seek thy honour and glory : and that 
 we, and all her subjects (duly considering whose authority 
 she hath) may faithfully serve, honour, and humbly obey 
 her, in thee, and for thee, according to thy blessed Word 
 and ordinance ; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with 
 thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth ever one 
 God, world without end. Amen. 
 
 Or, 
 
 LMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 we are taught by thy holy Word, 
 that the hearts of Kings are in thy 
 rule and governance, and that thou 
 dost dispose and turn them as it 
 seemeth best to thy godly wisdom : 
 We humbly beseech thee so to dis- 
 pose and govern the heart of VIC- 
 TORIA thy Servant, our Queen and Governour, that, in 
 all her thoughts, words, and works, she may ever seek 
 378 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 thy honour and glory, and study to preserve thy people 
 committed to her charge, in wealth, peace, and godliness: 
 Grant this, O merciful Father, for thy dear Son's sake, 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, 
 
 % Then shall be said the Collect of the Day. And immediately after the Collect 
 the Priest shall read the Epistle, saying. The Epistle, [or, The portion of Scrip- 
 ture appointed for the Epistle] is written in the — Chapter of — beginning at 
 the — Verse. And the Epistle ended, he shall say, Here endeth the Epistle. 
 Then shall he read the Gospel (the people all standing up), saying, The holy 
 Gospel is written in the — Chapter of — beginning at the — Verse. And the 
 Gospel ended, shall be sung or said the Creed following, the people still stand- 
 ing, as before. 
 
 ^^-^^^y^ 
 
 BELIEVE 
 
 in one God 
 
 the Father 
 
 Almighty, 
 
 Maker of 
 
 heaven and 
 
 earth. And 
 
 of all things 
 
 visible and invisible : 
 
 And in one Lord Jesus Christ, 
 the only begotten Son of God, 
 Begotten of his Father before 
 all worlds, God of God, Light 
 of Light, Very God of very 
 God, Begotten, not made, Being of one substance with 
 the Father ; By whom all things were made. Who for us 
 men, and for our salvation came down from heaven, And 
 was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, 
 And was made man. And was crucified also for us under 
 Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the 
 third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, And 
 ascended into heaven. And sitteth on the right hand of 
 the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge 
 both the quick and the dead : Whose kingdom shall have 
 no end. 
 
 And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord and Giver 
 
 379 
 
 3 r 2 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 of life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, 
 Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped 
 and glorified. Who spake by the Prophets. And I believe 
 one Catholick and Apostolick Church. I acknowledge 
 one Baptism for the remission of sins, And I look for the 
 Resurrection of the dead, And the life of the world to 
 come. Amen. 
 
 380 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 % Then the Curate shall declare unto the people what Holy-days, or Fasting-days, are 
 in the Week following to be observed. And then also {if occasion be) shall notice be 
 given of the Communion ; and Briefs, Citations, and Excommunications read. And 
 nothing shall be proclaimed or published in the Church, during the time of Divine 
 Service, but by the Minister : nor by him any thing, but what is prescribed in the 
 Rules of this Book, or enjoined by the Queen, or by the Ordinary of the place, 
 
 ^ The7i shall follow the Sermon, or one of the Homilies already set forth, or hereafter 
 to be set forth, by authority. 
 
 •f[ Then shall the Priest return to the Lord's Table, and begin the Offertory, saying 
 one or more of these Sentences following, as he thinketh most convenient m his 
 disc7'etion. 
 
 LET your light so shine before men, that they may see your 
 good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 
 St. Matth. V. 
 
 Lay not up for yourselves treasure upon the earth ; -where the 
 rust and moth doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and 
 steal : but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven ; where neither 
 rust nor moth doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through 
 and steal. St. Matth. vi. 
 
 Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do 
 unto them ; for this is the Law and the Prophets. St. Matth. vii. 
 
 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
 Kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the Avill of my Father w^liich 
 is in heaven. St. Matth. vii. 
 
 Zacchseus stood forth, and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the 
 half of my goods I give to the poor ; and if I have done any wrong 
 to any man, I restore four-fold. St. Luke xix. 
 
 Who goeth a warfare at any time of his own cost ? Who planteth 
 a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof ? Or who feedeth a 
 flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? 1 Cor. ix. 
 
 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if 
 we shall reap your worldly things ? 1 Cor. ix. 
 
 Do ye not know, that they who minister about holy things live of 
 the sacrifice ; and they wdio wait at the altar are partakers with the 
 altar ? Even so hath the Lord also ordained, that they who preach 
 the Gospel should live of the Gospel. 1 Cor. ix. 
 
 He that soweth little shall reap little ; and he that soweth plen- 
 teously shall reap plenteously. Let every man do according as he is 
 disposed in his heart, not grudgingly, or of necessity ; for God loveth 
 a cheerful giver. 2 Cor. ix. 
 
 Let him that is taught in the Word minister unto him that 
 teacheth, in all good things. Be not deceived, God is not mocked : 
 for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap. Gal, vi. 
 381 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 While we have time, let us do good unto all men ; and specially 
 unto them that are of the houshold of faith. Gal. vi. 
 
 Godliness is great riches, if a man be content with that he hath ; 
 for we brought nothing into the world, neither may we carry any 
 thing out. 1 Tim. vi. 
 
 Charge them who are rich in this world, that they be ready to 
 give, and glad to distribute ; laying up in store for themselves a good 
 foundation against the time to come, that they may attain eternal life. 
 1 Tim. vi. 
 
 God is not unrighteous, that he will forget your works, and laliour 
 that proceedeth of love ; which love ye have shewed for his Name's 
 sake, who have ministered unto the saints, and yet do minister. 
 Heb. vi. 
 
 To do good, and to distribute, forget not ; for with such sacrifices 
 God is well pleased. Heb. xiii. 
 
 Whoso hath this w^orld's good, and seeth his brother have need, 
 and shuttetli up his compassion from him, how dAvelleth the love of 
 God in him ? 1 St. John iii. 
 
 Give alms of thy goods, and never turn thy face from any poor 
 man ; and then the face of the Lord shall not be turned away from 
 thee. Tob. iv. 
 
 Be merciful after thy power. If thou hast much, give plenteously : 
 if thou hast little, do thy diligence gladly to give of that little : for 
 so gatherest thou thyself a good reward in the day of necessity. 
 Tob. iv. 
 
 He tliat hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord : and look, 
 what he layeth out, it shall be paid him again. Prov. xix. 
 
 Blessed be the man that provideth for the sick and needy : the 
 Lord shall deliver him in the time of trouble. Paal. xli. 
 
 % Whilst these Sentences are in reading, the Deacons, Church-wardens, or other fit 
 person appointed for that purpose, shall receive the Alms for the Poor, and other 
 devotions of the people, in a decent bason to be pi'ovided by the Parish for that 
 purpose ; and reverently bring it to the Priest, who shall humbly present and place 
 it upo?i the holy Table. 
 
 % And ivhen there is a Communion, the Priest shall then place upon the Table so much 
 Bread and Wine, as he shall think sufficient. 
 
 After which done, the Priest shall say. 
 
 Let us pray for the whole state of Christ's Church militant here in 
 
 earth. 
 
 ALMIGHTY and everliving God, Avho by thy holy Apostle 
 hast taught us to make prayers, and supplications, and to 
 give thanks, for all men ; We humbly beseech thee most mercifully 
 382 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 [to accept our alms and oblations, and^ to receive these our 
 
 prayers, Avhich we offer unto thy Divine Ma- 
 
 If there he no alms or . bescechin^ thee to inspire continually the 
 
 oblations, then shall the J i /^i i • i i • • c • 
 
 words [of accepting our Universal Church with the spirit oi truth, unity, 
 alms aud oblations] be ^^^^ coucord I And grant, that all they that do 
 
 left mt unsaid. iii-i»t -i 
 
 confess thy holy Name may agree in the truth 
 of thy holy Word, and live in unity, and godly love. A^^e beseech 
 thee also to save and defend all Christian Kings, Princes, and 
 Governours; and specially thy servant VICTORIA our Queen; 
 that under her we may be godly and quietly governed : And grant 
 unto her whole Council, and to all that are put in authority under 
 her, that they may truly and indifferently minister justice, to the 
 punishment of wickedness and vice, and to the maintenance of thy 
 true religion, and virtue. Give grace, O heavenly Father, to all 
 Bishops and Curates, that they may both by their life and doctrine 
 set forth thy true and lively AVord, and rightly and duly administer 
 thy holy Sacraments: And to all thy people give thy heavenly 
 grace ; and especially to this congregation here present ; that, Avith 
 meek heart and due reverence, they may hear, and receive thy holy 
 Word ; truly serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the days 
 of their life. And we most humbly beseech thee of thy goodness, 
 O Lord, to comfort and succour all them, who in this transitory life 
 are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity. And 
 we also bless thy holy Name for all thy servants departed this life 
 in thy faith and fear ; beseeching thee to give us grace so to follow 
 their good examples, that with them we may be partakers of thy 
 heavenly kingdom : Grant this, O Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, 
 our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. 
 
 ^ When the Minister giveth learning for the celebration of the holy Communion, {which 
 he shall always do itpon the Sunday, or some Holy-day, immediately preceding,) 
 after the Sermon or Homily ended, he shall read this Exhortation folloiving. 
 
 DEARLY beloved, on day next I purpose, through 
 God's assistance, to administer to all such as shall be reli- 
 giously and devoutly disposed the most comfortable Sacrament of the 
 Body and Blood of Christ ; to be by them received in remembrance 
 of his meritorious Cross and Passion ; whereby alone we obtain 
 remission of our sins, and are made partakers of the Kingdom of 
 heaven. AVherefore it is our duty to render most humble and hearty 
 thanks to Almighty God our heavenly Father, for that he hath given 
 his Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, not only to die for us, but also to 
 383 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 be our spiritual food and sustenance in that holy Sacrament. Which 
 being so divine and comfortable a thing to them who receive it 
 worthily, and so dangerous to them that will presume to receive it 
 unworthily ; my duty is to exhort you in the mean season to con- 
 sider the dignity of that holy mystery, and the great peril of the 
 unworthy receiving thereof; and so to search and examine yom- own 
 consciences, (and that not lightly, and after the manner of dis- 
 semblers with God ; but so) that ye may come holy and clean to 
 such a heavenly Feast, in the marriage-garment required by God in 
 holy Scripture, and be received as worthy partakers of that holy 
 Table. 
 
 The way and means thereto is ; First, to examine your lives and 
 conversations by the rule of God's commandments ; and whereinso- 
 ever ye shall perceive yourselves to have offended, either by will, 
 word, or deed, there to bewail your own sinfulness, and to confess 
 yourselves to Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life. 
 And if ye shall perceive your offences to be such as are not only 
 against God, but also against your neighbours ; then ye shall 
 reconcile yourselves unto them ; being ready to make restitution and 
 satisfaction, according to the uttermost of your powers, for all 
 injuries and wrongs done by you to any other ; and being likewise 
 ready to forgive others that have offended you, as ye would have 
 forgiveness of your offences at God's hand : for otherwise the 
 receiving of the holy Comnmnion doth nothing else but increase 
 your damnation. Therefore if any of you be a blasphemer of ^od, 
 an hinderer or slanderer of his Word, an adulterer, or be in malice, 
 or envy, or in any other grievous crime, repent you of your sins, 
 or else come not to that holy Table ; lest, after the taking of that 
 holy Sacrament, the devil enter into you, as he entered into Judas, 
 and fill you full of all iniquities, and bring you to destruction both 
 of body and soul. 
 
 And because it is requisite, that no man should come to the holy 
 Communion, but with a full trust in God's mercy, and with a quiet 
 conscience ; therefore if there be any of you, who by this means 
 cannot quiet his own conscience herein, but requireth further com- 
 fort or counsel, let him come to me, or to some other discreet and 
 learned Minister of God's Word, and open his grief; that by the 
 ministry of God's holy Word he may receive the benefit of absolu- 
 tion, together with ghostly counsel and advice, to the quieting of his 
 conscience, and avoiding of all scruple and doubtfulness. 
 384 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 % Or, in case he shall see the people negligent to come to the holy Communion, instead 
 of the former y he shall use this Exhortation. 
 
 DEARLY beloved brethren, on I intend, by God's 
 grace, to celebrate the Lord's Supper : unto which, in God's 
 behalf, I bid you all that are here present ; and beseech you, for the 
 Lord Jesus Christ's sake, that ye Avill not refuse to come thereto, 
 being so lovingly called and bidden by God himself. Ye know how 
 grievous and unkind a thing it is, when a man hath prepared a rich 
 feast, decked his table with all kind of provision, so that there 
 lacketh nothing but the guests to sit down ; and yet they who are 
 called (without any cause) most unthankfully refuse to come. 
 Which of you in such a case would not be moved ? Who would 
 not think a great injury and wrong done unto him ? Wherefore, 
 most dearly beloved in Christ, take ye good heed, lest ye, with- 
 drawing yourselves from this holy Supper, provoke God's indig- 
 nation against you. It is an easy matter for a man to say, I will not 
 communicate because I am otherwise hindered with Avorldly business. 
 But such excuses are not so easily accepted and allowed before God. 
 If any man say I am a grievous sinner, and therefore am afraid to 
 come: wherefore then do ye not repent and amend? When God 
 calletli you, are ye not ashamed to say ye will not come ? When ye 
 should return to God, will ye excuse yourselves, and say ye are not 
 ready ? Consider earnestly with yourselves how little such feigned 
 excuses will avail before God. They that refused the feast in the 
 Gospel, because they had bought a farm, or would try their yokes of 
 oxen, or because they were married, were not so excused, but 
 counted unworthy of the heavenly feast. I, for my part, shall be 
 ready ; and, according to mine Office, I bid you in the Name of God, 
 I call you in Christ's behalf, I exhort you, as ye love your own 
 salvation, that ye will be partakers of this holy Communion. And 
 as the Son of God did vouchsafe to yield up his soul by death upon 
 the Cross for your salvation ; so it is your duty to receive the 
 Communion in remembrance of the sacrifice of his death, as he 
 himself hath commanded : which if ye shall neglect to do, consider 
 with yourselves how great injury ye do unto God, and how sore 
 punishment hangeth over your heads for the same ; when ye wilfully 
 abstain from the Lord's Table, and separate from your brethren, who 
 come to feed on the banquet of that most heavenly food. These 
 things if ye earnestly consider, ye will by God's grace return to 
 a better mind : for the obtaining whereof we shall not cease to make 
 our humble petitions unto Almighty God our heavenly Father. 
 385 3d 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 % At the time of the celebration of tlie Communion, the Communicants being conve- 
 niently placed for the receiving of the holy Sacrament, the Priest shall say this 
 Exhortation. 
 
 DEARLY beloved in the Lord, ye that mind to come to the 
 holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour 
 Christ, must consider how Saint Paul exhorteth all ])ersons dili- 
 gently to try and examine themselves, before they presume to eat of 
 that Bread, and drink of that Cup. For as the benefit is great, if 
 with a true penitent heart and lively faith we receive that holy 
 Sacrament ; (for then we spiritually eat the flesh of Christ, and 
 drink his blood ; then we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us ; we are 
 one Avith Christ, and Christ with us ;) so is the danger great, if we 
 receive the same unworthily. For then Ave are guilty of tlie Body 
 and Blood of Christ our Saviour; Ave eat and drink our OAvn 
 damnation, not considering the Lord's Body ; aa'c kindle God's 
 wrath against us ; we provoke him to plague us Avith divers diseases, 
 386 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 and sundry kinds of death. Judge therefore yourselves, brethren, 
 that ye be not judged of the Lord ; repent you truly for your sins 
 past ; have a lively and stedfast faith in Christ our Saviour ; amend 
 your lives and be in perfect charity with all men ; so shall ye be 
 meet partakers of those holy mysteries. And above all things ye 
 must give most humble and hearty thanks to God, the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghost, for the redemption of the world by the 
 death and passion of our Saviour Christ, both God and man ; Avho 
 did humble himself, even to the death upon the Cross, for us, 
 miserable sinners, who lay in darkness and the shadow of death ; 
 that he might make us the children of God, and exalt us to ever- 
 lasting life. And to the end that we should alway remember the 
 exceeding great love of our IMaster, and only Saviour, Jesus Christ, 
 thus dying for us, and the innumerable benefits which by his precious 
 blood- shedding he hath obtained to us ; he hath instituted and 
 ordained holy mysteries, as pledges of his love, and for a continual 
 remembrance of his death, to our great and endless comfort. To 
 him therefore, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, let us give (as 
 we are most bounden) continual thanks ; submitting ourselves 
 wholly to his holy will and pleasure, and studying to serve him in 
 true holiness and righteousness all the days of our life. Amen. 
 
 % Then shall the Priest say to them that come to receive the holy Communion, 
 
 YE that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are 
 in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead 
 a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from 
 henceforth in his holy ways ; Draw near with faith, and take this 
 holy Sacrament to your comfort ; and make your humble confession 
 to Almighty God, meekly kneeling upon your knees. 
 
 •H Then shall this general Confession be made, in the name of all those that are minded 
 to receive the holy Communio7i, by one of the Ministers ; both he and all the people 
 kneeling humbly upon their knees, and saying, 
 
 AL]\nGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, INIaker of 
 all things. Judge of all men ; We acknowledge and bewail 
 our manifold sins and wickedness. Which we from time to time, 
 most grievously have committed, By thought, word, and deed. 
 Against thy Divine Majesty, Provoking most justly thy wrath and 
 indignation against us. We do earnestly repent, And are heartily 
 sorry for these our misdoings ; The remembrance of them is grievous 
 unto us ; The burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, 
 Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father ; For thy Son our Lord 
 387 * 3 D 2 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 Jesus Christ's sake, Forgive us all that is past ; And grant that we 
 may ever hereafter Serve and please thee In newness of life, To the 
 honour and glory of thy Name ; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 % Then shall the Priest (or the Bishop, being present,) stand up, and turning himself 
 to the people, pronounce this Absolution. 
 
 ALIMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, who of his great 
 mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all them that 
 with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him ; Have mercy 
 upon you ; pardon and deliver you from all your sins ; confirm and 
 strengthen you in all goodness ; and bring you to everlasting life ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest say. 
 
 Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all that 
 
 truly turn to him. 
 
 COME unto me all that travail and are heavy laden, and I will 
 refresh you. St. Matth. xi. 28. 
 So God loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to 
 the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have 
 everlasting life. St. John iii. 16. 
 
 Hear also what St. Paul saith. 
 This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received. That 
 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Tim. i. 15. 
 
 Hear also what St. John saith. 
 If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus 
 Christ the righteous ; and he is the propitiation for our sins. 
 1 >S'^. John ii. 1. 
 
 % After which the Priest shall proceed, saying. 
 
 Lift up your hearts. 
 
 Answer. We lift them up unto the Lord. 
 Priest. Let us give thanks unto our Lord God. 
 Answer. It is meet and right so to do. 
 
 o 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest turn to the Lords Table, and say, 
 
 IT is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that Ave should at 
 ^ , rrr , '^H tiuics, and in all places, give thanks unto 
 
 These words [Holy ' . 
 
 Y&ihex]musi be omitted on thcc, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Ever- 
 
 Trinity-Sunday. lasting God. 
 
 388 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 % Here shall follow the Proper Preface, according to the time, if there be any specially 
 appointed : or else iminediately shall follow, 
 
 THEREFORE with Angels and Archangels, and with all the 
 company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name ; 
 evermore praising thee, and saying, Holy, holy, holy. Lord God of 
 hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory : Glory be to thee, O 
 Lord most High. Amen. 
 
 Prcfper Prefaces. 
 Upon Christmas-day, and seven days after. 
 
 BECAUSE thou didst give Jesus Christ thine only Son to be 
 born as at this time for us ; who, by the operation of the 
 Holy Ghost, was made very man of the substance of the Virgin 
 Mary his mother ; and that without spot of sin, to make us clean 
 from all sin. Therefore with Angels, S)C. 
 
 Upon Easter-day, and seven days after. 
 
 BUT chiefly are we bound to praise thee for the glorious Resur- 
 rection of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord : for he is the very 
 Paschal Lamb, which was offered for us, and hath taken away the 
 sin of the world ; who by his death hath destroyed death, and by his 
 rising to life again hath restored to us everlasting life. Therefore 
 with Angels, S^c. 
 
 Upon Ascension-day, and seven days after. 
 
 THROUGH thy most dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ our 
 Lord ; who after his most glorious Resurrection manifestly 
 appeared to all his Apostles, and in their sight ascended up into hea- 
 ven to prepare a place for us ; that where he is, thither we might also 
 ascend, and reign with him in glory. Therefore with Angels, 4'^- 
 
 Upon Whit-sunday, a7id six days after. 
 
 THROUGPI Jesus Christ our Lord ; according to whose most 
 true promise, the Holy Ghost came down as at this time from 
 heaven with a sudden great sound, as it had been a mighty wind, in 
 the likeness of fieiy tongues, lighting upon the Apostles, to teach 
 them, and to lead them to all truth ; giving them both the gift of 
 divers languages, and also boldness with fervent zeal constantly to 
 preach the Gospel unto all nations ; whereby Ave have been brought 
 out of darkness and error into the clear light and true knowledge of 
 thee, and of thy Son Jesus Christ. Therefore with Angels, S^c. 
 389 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 Upon the Feast o/* Trinity only. 
 
 WHO art one God, one Lord ; not one only Person, but three 
 Persons in one Substance. For that Avhich we believe of 
 the glory of the Father, the same we believe of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost, without any difference or inequality. Therefore ^^dth 
 Angels, 8)C. 
 
 % After each of which Pre/aces shall immediately be sung or said, • 
 
 THEREFORE with Angels and Archangels, and with all the 
 company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name ; 
 evermore praising thee, and saying, Holy, holy, holy. Lord God of 
 hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory : Glory be to thee, O 
 Lord most High. Amen. 
 
 % The?i shall the Priest, kneeling down at the Lord's Table, say in the name of all 
 them that shcdl receive the Communion this Prayer following. 
 
 WE do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful 
 Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy mani- 
 fold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather 
 up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord, 
 whose property is always to have mercy : Grant us therefore, gra- 
 cious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to 
 drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his 
 body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and 
 that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen. 
 
 % When the Priest, standing before the Table, hath so ordered the Bread and Wine, 
 that he may with the more readiness and decency break the Bread before the people, 
 and take thj Cup into his hands, he shall say the Prayer of Consecration, as 
 followeth. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, who of thy tender 
 mercy didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death 
 upon the cross for our redemption; who made there (by his one 
 oblation of himself once offered) a full, perfect, and sufficient sacri- 
 fice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world ; and 
 did institute, and in his holy Gospel command us to continue, a 
 perpetual memory of that his precious death, until his coming again ; 
 Hear us, O merciful Father, we most humbly beseech thee ; and 
 grant that Ave receiving these thy creatures of bread and wine, 
 according to thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ's holy institution, in 
 remembrance of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most 
 390 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 * Here the Pi'iest is to 
 take the Paten into his 
 hands : 
 
 f j4nd here to break the 
 Bread : 
 
 \ And here to lay his 
 hand upon all the Bread. 
 
 ^ Here he is to take the 
 Cup into his hand : 
 
 II And here to lay his 
 hand upon every vessel (be 
 it Chalice or Flagon^ in 
 which there is any l-Vine 
 to be consecrated. 
 
 blessed Body and Blood : who, in the same night that he was betrayed, 
 * took Bread ; and, when he had given thanks, 
 -{-he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 
 Take, eat, |this is my body which is given for 
 you : Do this in remembrance of me. Like- 
 Avise after supper he §took the Cup ; and, when 
 he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying. 
 Drink ye all of this; for this ||is my Blood of 
 the New Testament, which is shed for you and 
 for many for the remission of sins : Do this, as 
 
 oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me. Amen. 
 
 ^ The7i shall the Mmister first receive the Communion in both kinds hirtiseJf, and then 
 proceed to deliver the same to the Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, in like manner, {if 
 any be present,) and after that to the people also in order, into their hands, all meekly 
 kneeling. And, when he delivereth the Bread to any one, he shall say, 
 
 THE Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, 
 preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life. Take and 
 eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him 
 in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving. 
 
 % And the Minister that delivereth the Cup to any one shall say, 
 
 THE Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for thee, 
 preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life. Drink this 
 in remembrance that Christ's Blood was shed for thee, and be 
 thankful. 
 
 5[ If the consecrated Bread or Wine be all spent before all have communicated, the 
 Priest is to consecrate more according to the Form before prescribed ; beginning at 
 [Our Saviour Christ in the same night, ^c-lfor the blessing of the Bread; and at 
 [Likewise after Supper, ^^c^for the blessing of the Cup. 
 
 ^ When all have communicated, the Minister shall return to the Lord's Table, and 
 reverently place upon it lohat remaineth of the consecrated Elements, covering the 
 same with a fair linen cloth. 
 
 % Then shall the Priest say the Lord's Prayer, the people repeating after him every 
 
 Petition, 
 
 UR Father, which art in heaven, 
 Hallowed be thy Name. Thy king- 
 dom come. Thy will be done in 
 earth. As it is in heaven. Give us 
 this day our daily bread. And for- 
 give us our trespasses. As we forgive 
 them that trespass against us. And 
 lead us not into temptation ; But de- 
 liver us from evil : For thine is the 
 kingdom. The power, and the glory. 
 For ever and ever. Amen. 
 391 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 % After shall be said asfolloweth. 
 
 OLORD and heavenly Father, we thy humble servants entirely 
 desire thy fatherly goodness mercifully to accept this our 
 sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving ; most luuubly beseeching thee 
 to grant, that by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and 
 through faith in his blood, we and all thy whole Church may obtain 
 remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his passion. And 
 here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls 
 and bodies to be a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice unto thee ; 
 humbly beseeching thee, that all we, who are partakers of this holy 
 Communion, may be fulfilled Avith thy grace and heavenly bene- 
 diction. And although we be unwortliy, through our manifold sins, 
 to offer unto thee any sacrifice, yet we beseech thee to accept this our 
 bounden duty and service ; not weighing our merits, but pardoning 
 our offences, through Jesus Christ our Lord ; by whom, and with 
 whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be unto 
 thee, O Father Almighty, world without end. Amen. 
 
 Or tins. 
 
 ALMIGHTY and everliving God, we most heartily thank thee, 
 for that thou dost vouchsafe to feed us, who have duly received 
 these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious 
 Body and Blood of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ ; and dost 
 assure us thereby of thy favour and goodness towards us ; and that 
 we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son, 
 which is the blessed company of all faithful people ; and are also 
 heirs through hope of thy everlasting kingdom, by the merits of the 
 most precious death and passion of thy dear Son, And we most 
 humbly beseech thee, O heavenly Father, so to assist us Avitli thy 
 grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such 
 good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all 
 honour and glory, world without end. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall be said or sung, 
 
 GLORY be to God on high, and in earth peace, good Avill 
 towards men. We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship 
 thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, O 
 Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. 
 
 O Lord, the only-begotten Son Jesu Christ ; O Lord God, 
 Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of 
 392 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins 
 of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest aAvay the 
 sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right 
 hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us. 
 
 For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord; thou only, 
 O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God 
 the Father, Amen. 
 
 % Then the Priest, (or Bishop if he be present) shall let thetn depart with this Blessing. 
 
 THE peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your 
 hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of 
 his Son Jesus Christ our Lord : and the blessing of God Almighty, 
 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you and 
 remain with you always. Amen. 
 
 51 Collects to be said after the Offertory, when there is no Communion, every such day 
 one or more ; and the same may be said also, as often as occasion shall serve, after 
 the Collects either of Morning or Evening Prayer, Communion, or Litany, by the 
 discretion of the Minister. 
 
 ASSIST us mercifully, O Lord, in these our supplications and 
 prayers, and dispose the way of thy servants towards the 
 attainment of everlasting salvation ; that, among all the changes and 
 chances of this mortal life, they may ever be defended by thy most 
 gracious and ready help ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 OALINHGHTY Lord, and everlasting God, vouchsafe, Ave be- 
 seech thee, to direct, sanctify, and govern both our hearts and 
 bodies, in the ways of thy laws, and in the works of thy command- 
 ments ; that through thy most mighty protection, both here and ever, 
 we may be preserved in body and soul ; through our Lord and 
 Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 GRANT, we beseech thee. Almighty God, that the words, Avhich 
 we have heard this day with our outward ears, may through 
 thy grace be so grafted inwardly in our hearts, that they may bring 
 forth in us the fruit of good living, to the honour and praise of thy 
 Name ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 PREVENT us, O Lord, in all our doings Avith thy most 
 gracious favour, and further us Avith thy continual help ; that 
 in all our Avorks begun, continued, and ended in thee, ^\e may glorify 
 thy holy Name, and finally by thy mercy ol)tain everlasting life ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 393 3 E 
 
THK COMMUNION. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, the fountuin of all wisdom, who knowest 
 our necessities before we ask, and our ignorance in asking ; 
 We beseech thee to have compassion upon our infirmities ; and those 
 things, which for our umvorthiness Ave dare not, and for our blind- 
 ness we cannot ask, vouchsafe to give us, for the worthiness of thy 
 Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who hast promised to hear the petitions of 
 them that ask in thy Son's Name ; We beseech thee merci- 
 fully to incline thine ears to us that have made now our prayers and 
 supplications unto thee ; and grant, that those things, which we have 
 faithfully asked according to thy will, may effectually Ije obtained, to 
 the relief of our necessity, and to the setting forth of thy glory ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 *^ Upon the Sundays and other Holy-days {if there be no Communion) sJiall be said all 
 that is appointed at the Communion, until the end of the general Prayer [For the 
 whole state of Christ's Church miUtant here in earth], together with one or more of 
 these Collects last before rehearsed, concluding with the Blessing. 
 
 ^ And there shall bp no celebration of the Lord's Supper, except there be a convenient 
 number to communicate loith the Priest, according to his discretion. 
 
 ^ And if there be not abov^e twenty perso7is in the Parish nf discretion to receive the 
 Communion ; yet there shall be no Communion, except four {or three at the least) 
 communicate icith the Priest. 
 
 5f And in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches, and. Colleges, where there are many 
 Priests and Deacons, they shall all receive the Communion with the Priest every 
 Sunday at the least, except they have a reasonable cause to the contrary. 
 
 % And to take avMy all occasion of dissension, and superstition, lohich any person hath 
 or might have concerning the Bread and Wine, it shall suffice that the Bread be such 
 as is usual to be eaten ; but the best and purest Wheat Bread that conveniently may 
 be gotten. 
 
 ^ And if any of the Bread and Wine remain unconsecrated, the Curate shall have it 
 to his own use : but if any remain of that which was consecrated, it shall not be 
 carried out of the Church, but the Priest and such other of the Communicants as he 
 shall then call unto him, shall, immediately after the Blessing, reverently eat and 
 drink the same. 
 
 % The Bread and Wine for the Communion shall be provided by the Curate and the 
 Church- wardens at the charges of the Parish. 
 
 •[ And 7iote, that every Parishioner shall communicate at the least three ti?nes in the 
 year, of which Easier to be one. And yearly at Easter every Parishioner shall reckon 
 with the Parson. Vicar, or Curate, or his or their Dey.uty or Deputies ; and pay to 
 them or him all Ecclesiastical Duties, accustomably due, then atid at that time 
 to be paid. 
 
 % After the Divine Service ended, the money given at the Offertory shall be disposed 
 of to such pious and charitable uses, as the Minister and Church-wardens shall think 
 Jit. Wherein if they disagree, it shall be disposed of as the Ordinary shall appoint. 
 
 394 
 
THE COMMUNION. 
 
 WHEREAS it is ordained in this Office for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, 
 that the Communicants should receive the same kneeling; (which order is well 
 meant, for a signification of our humble and grateful acknowledgment of the benefits 
 of Christ iherein given to all worthy Receivers, and for the avoidmg of such profanation 
 and disorder in the holy Communion, as might otherwise ensue:) yet, lest the same 
 kneeling should by any persons, either out of ignorance and infirmity, or out of malice 
 and obstinacy, be misconstrued and depraved ; It is hereby dtclared. That thereby no 
 adoration is intended, or ought to he done, either unto the Sacramental Bread or Wine 
 there bodily received, or unto any Corporal Presence of Christ's natural Flesh and 
 Blood. For the Sacramental Bread and Wine remain still in their very natural sub- 
 stances, and therefore may not be adored ; (;for that were Idolatry, to be abhorred of 
 all faithful Christians:) and the natural Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ are in 
 Heaven, and not here ; it being against the truth of Clu'ist's natural Body to be at one 
 time in more places than one." 
 
 NOTES 
 
 ON THE ORDER OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE 
 
 LORD'S SUPPER, or HOLY COMMUNION. 
 
 Ri/brics. 
 The Lord's Supper was instituted under the most affecting circumstances, and appeals to every 
 feeling which ought to animate the believer's heart. But it is not a memorial only ; it is a Sacra- 
 ment, and as such seals tlie promises of grace ; and, when rightly received, exhibits them as ful- 
 filled. It is a melancholy instance of the inconsistency of the world, tliat so many of tliose who 
 hope to be saved by the Cross of Christ should reject His body and blood. But we may trace 
 this separation of the different parts of Christianity — the dismembering of the system — to the 
 gradual decrease of inquiry into tlie essentials of the profession. The acknowledgment of the 
 Gospel became a safe and easy matte" for the world after the fourth century ; but entering into 
 communion with Christ remained as hard or impossible as ever to a worldly spirit. A compromise, 
 therefore, began to he made. Men adopted the Creed without the faith, and bowed to the image 
 while they avoided the Divine reality ; and this because the image had no voice for the con- 
 science, while the reality was not a furm, but a living and sanctifying Word. But ages passed 
 away before the professors of Christianity became blind to tlie impuitance or necessity of the 
 Communion, The least spiritual of mankind dare not look for peace without the Sacraments, and 
 thus the Church in elder times could scarcely inflict a heavier penalty than formally prohibiting 
 their approach to the Lord's table. To recover the privilege of joining the congregation in tliis 
 act of comforting and sublime worship tlie severest penance was willingly endured, and a humility 
 evinced which, whether really spiritual or not, proved the deep sense that was entertained of the 
 value of the sacred feast. It is greatly to be lamented that Christians should ever have been led 
 to separate things so essentially united as a profession of faith in tlie atonement, and the com- 
 munion of the body and blood of Christ. But melancholy as is the prospect thus presented, it is 
 less afflicting than that in which the table of the Lord is seen surrounded by mere furmalists, or by 
 those whose sins are known to be unrepeiited of and unconfessed. Our Church, taking into con- 
 sideration the state of the world in botli these respects, has wisely provided for the due warning of 
 the negligent, the encouragement of the humble, and the instruction of the ignorant ; but it has 
 also given power to its ministers to repress the presumption of impenitent sinners, and to refuse to 
 all such as are wanting in faith or holiness the seal of Communion with Christ. 
 
 The first of the above Rubrics was inserted to enable the minister to consider the character and 
 preparation of those who offer themselves, and also that he might know how to provide a proper 
 quantity of bread and wine for the occasion. The next is founded on the direct command of our 
 Lord (Matth. v. 23, 24), and cannot be violated without a resistance to the spirit of love and holiness, 
 approaching to sin of the most deadly character. But while due authority is thus given to the 
 minister, the people are with equal care protected against any capricicusncss or improper severity 
 of judgment. The character of the Church may be rightly considered through the medium of 
 directions like this. In the first book of the Reformed Church, the third Rubric simply stated 
 that " The priest, standing liumblv before the middle of the altar, shall sav the Lord's Prayer." 
 
 395 ' "3 E 2 
 
NOTES ON THE COMMUNION. 
 
 The word altar haviii}^ excited the suspicious of the more zealous Protestants, who were cautioned 
 as to this point by Bisliop Hooper, it was chanj^ed, by a wise, gentle, and charitable spirit, into 
 that of table, wliich certainly better expresses the real intention of the board spread for a feast where 
 Christ is present. The officiatinfi; priest is directed to take the north side of the table because it is 
 the right hand, and the white cloth for the covering of the table is a becoming decency to which no 
 reasonable objection could be made, were it even not supported by the general custom of antiquity. 
 
 '' ^ Then shall the Priest, ttirning to the people,'^ SfC. 
 
 An address to the Almighty Father in the words of the Saviour Himself, followed by a prayer 
 for perfect holiness of heart and spirit, and the delivery of the divine law, from an introduction to 
 the service of the Communion, as full and edifying as could by any means be devised by human 
 wisdom. For some time after the establishment of the Reformation, the Morning Prayers, the 
 Litany, and Communion, were separate services. Wliile the Litany was being read, preparations 
 were made for the Communion, and, a short time intervening between the several services, the 
 people came to each with fresh and ready attention. Custom, for there is no other authority 
 for our departure from the original practice, at length led to the blending of all in one. But amid 
 all the disadvantages resulting from this change of plan, this good has followed, one part of the 
 Communion Service is every Sabbath and Holy-day read to the whole congregation, and the 
 people are thereby reminded of their duty, and warned, though indirectly, yet in the most solemn 
 manner, to prepare for participating in the heavenly mysteries. St. Jerome says that the Lord's 
 Prayer was taught the Apostles especially for use in the Communion. The prayer for sancti- 
 fication is equally needed for those who would keep God's commandments, and those who desire to 
 feed on the bread of life ; and the delivery of the law, which is peculiar to the Communion Service 
 of our Church, is highly acceptable to people who desire not only to be roused to the better per- 
 formance of their duty, but to be reminded of their sins and imperfections, a deep sense of which 
 so strongly urges the soul to seek for mercy through the righteousness of Christ. The priest is 
 directed to turn towards the people, and deliver the law standing, in token of the authority by 
 which he speaks ; while the congregation by kneeling expresses the awe and humility proper for 
 those who acknowledge the invisible presence of the great Lawgiver Himself. 
 
 Prayer for the Queen. 
 While it was the constant custom of the Ancient Churches, as already mentioned, to pray for 
 the sovereign in their general public services, so also were particular petitions offered up for 
 princes in the service of the Communion. These were sometimes introduced into the prayer before 
 the oblation, and at others in those which followed. 
 
 '' ^ Then shall be said the Collect^'' Si^c, 
 
 By repeating the Collect of the day, and the reading of the corresponding Epistle and Gospel, 
 the congregation is reminded of whatever is interesting and affecting in the season of the year. 
 Their devotions are thus rendered more intense and direct, their faith gathering fresh strength 
 from the word of God, and the open display of His power and goodness. The year is said by old 
 authors to be divided into two parts, the former being employed in the consideration of our Lord's 
 life, His sufferings, and triumphs ; the latter in the application of His lessons and examples to our 
 own edification. The Epistle is read first as the word, though inspired, spoken by man, and 
 therefore, as proper to introduce the Lord speaking in His own person. Anciently, the people 
 always stood when any part of Scripture was read ; but this practice lieing found oppressive, it has 
 since been confined to the reading of the Gospel in the Communion Service. The introduction 
 of an Epistle and Gospel before the administration of the Eucharist is of very ancient use, and 
 that both in the Greek and Latin t^hurches. The " glory " also before the Gospel is of similar 
 antiquity, and was mentioned particularly in the first book of King Edward. 
 
 ISote to the Nicene Creed. 
 A confession of faith may rightly be required of all persons who wish to become partakers in the 
 most solemn of Divine mysteries. It has been in every age demanded of those who desire to be 
 admitted to baptism, when capable of making such a confession ; and the same reasons may to a 
 great extent be urged fur a similar practice in the administration of this Sacrament, which, received 
 without faith, can only lead to the condemnation of the unbelieving and presumptuous intruder. 
 The Nicene Creed was drawn by the General Council held at Nice, a city of Bithynia, in the 
 year 325, as far as the words " Holy Ghost." Soon after this a heresy began to be prevalent 
 respecting the personality of the Holy Spirit, and the Council of Constantinople, held in 3S1 
 
 396 
 
NOTES ON THE COMMUNION. 
 
 added what follows, with the exception of the words describing the procession of the Spirit from 
 the Son as well as the Father, which were introduced in 447 by the bishops of Spain. This last 
 addition was not acknowledged in the Latin church till the tenth centuiy, and has never been 
 admitted by the Greek church. 
 
 " ^ While these Sentences are in reading," &,•€. 
 
 The celebration of an ordinance which is to unite us with the Saviour of the world ought 
 surely to be attended not only with holy thoughts and purposes, but with whatever exercises of 
 holiness are possible in the house of God. Happily for us, Charity may there perform many parts 
 of her work ; and our alms, as well as our prayers, may ascend as a memorial before God. From 
 the earliest ages His people have been accustomed to present offerings on His altar — first, in 
 acknowledgment of His sovereignty, and, secondlj^, as testifying their love and gratitude. The 
 one sufficient oblation and satisfaction has been made for us by Christ. Every attempt to con- 
 ciliate or appease eternal justice by any other offering is now worse than vain ; it is an abomination 
 in the sight of God. But we are " created in Christ Jesus unto good works," and whatever we do 
 towards His people He will be pleased to receive as homage paid to Himself. These sentences, 
 therefore, exhorting us, in the words of the Holy Spirit, to deeds of charity, are admirably calcu- 
 lated to awaken the mind to a just sense of duty when preparing for the Communion. If, " with- 
 out charity," we are "nothing worth" at any time, how little prepared can we be without it to 
 unite ourselves to Him who so proved His charity to mankind, that while they were yet sinners 
 He slied His blood for their redemption ! An anthem formerly occupied the time now employed 
 in reading these sentences. Few serious-minded Christians can fail of seeing that we gain much 
 by the change. 
 
 In the Rubric which immediately follows, the priest is directed to place on the table at this part 
 of the service the bread and wine, to which may then properly be applied, it is supposed, the term 
 Ob/ation as used in the accompanying prayer. A more particular direction was given on this 
 point in the first edition of the Liturgy, and a small side-table was placed by the altar, on which 
 the bread and wine stood till the priest took them, and with his own hands presented them as an 
 oblation. This practice was done away with as superstitious, as well as the mingling of the wine 
 with water, mentioned in the original Rubric. But so m-ach of it was afterwards restored as 
 enjoins the priest himself to place the bread and wine on the table, and not to leave it to be 
 done by the attendants. 
 
 Note to Prayer for Church Militant. 
 
 As the forgiveness of our enemies, and a loving readiness to assist those around us, form an 
 essential part of our preparation for the Communion, so in this noble prayer we exercise our love, 
 in Jesus Christ, towards all mankind, and more especially in supplicating the Divine blessing on 
 that vast body of our fellow-beings who are seeking pardon and salvation at the same mercy-seat. 
 We pray for the universal reign of truth, unity, and concord : thus putting aside our own pride and 
 jealousies, and striving for the infiueuce of the same grace in others. Having in this manner 
 manifested the charity which ought, if not perfected before, to be rapidly gaining its full growth 
 and stature as the service proceeds, the duty which we owe to our own Church and country, and 
 to those with whom we are now bound in the nearest bonds «f brotherhood, engages our thoughts, 
 and we put up hearty prayers for a blessing on the sovereign, on the ministers of the law and of 
 religion, and on our fellow-worshippers. The next division of the prayer, which formerly alluded 
 more particularly to the dead, brings our hearts into communion with the saints which are above ; 
 and, while we rejoice in their joy, we learn to pray with more earnestness than ever that our souls 
 may be illuminated with the light whereby they walked, and at last obtained an abundant entrance 
 into the kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 " ^ li'hen the Minister,'^ S^-c. 
 
 This affectionate address of the minister to the congregation ought to be received with earnest 
 and thoughtful attention. It is an invitation to a feast, to be present at which is essentially the 
 liighest honour to which man, in his present state, can aspire. This feast, moreover, has been 
 made at an expense, awfully, and most incomparably, greater than that which it can cost to spread 
 any other table. The tree of life in heaven furnishes the repast of Angels, and they rejoice ever- 
 lastingly in the fulness of Divine beneficence. Neither toil nor suffering ministers to their enjoy- 
 ment ; but love, in the almighty energy of its power, supplies them with perpetual delights. That 
 which is the source of being is felt and known also to be the source of joy and happiness. Our 
 earthly feasts cost labour, and the life of many things ; and somewhat of melancholy thought would 
 attend most festivals, were the mind to dwell long upon the means whereby they have been pro- 
 duced. But how has this divine feast, to which we are invited in the house of God, been prepared ? 
 
 397 
 
NOTES ON THE COMMUNION. 
 
 Who here hasjuiid the cost,— who performed the labour, — who suffered to supply the nourishment ? 
 The bread and wine could not be placed before us till the Son of God humbled Himself to the 
 form of a servant, and the death of the Cross. It is as His own body and blood that they become 
 available to the satisfying of every desire of our nature, and endowing us with immortality. " Man 
 did eat angels' food," it was said by those who lived under the Law. Under the Gospel he eats a 
 yet nobler food, and becomes one with the Ruler of angels. It would be strange for us, under 
 any circumstances, to reject an invitation to such a feast as this — to a table provided with such 
 food. But how inconceivable is it thatwe should disregard it when there is no other means of life, 
 and when our sinful and corrupt state ought rather to lead us to expect an everlasting banishment 
 from God than a call to the guest-chamber of His Son ! The former only of the exhortations was 
 published in the Liturgy of 1549; but the addition made is of great value, and communicants 
 would do well if they very seriously considered both these addresses in their private exercises of 
 devotion. Let it be always remembered, that frequent communion is the duty of every servant of 
 God. In early times it was as usual to receive the Eucharist weekly as to keep a weekly Sabbath. 
 For some time it was administered twice and thrice a-week, and, in some places, every day. When 
 the disinclination tu communicate became more and more visible, a law was passed obliging 
 persons to attend three times a-year, those who neglected to come being threatened with excom- 
 munication. But a law is at best a weak support for piety ; and in the Council of Lateran, held at 
 the close of the twelfth centuiy, once a-year was admitted to be sufficient to avoid the threatened 
 penalty. The great body of professing Christians considered that it was enough to obey the law, 
 and thus the most important of sacred ordinances, the most comforting and salutary, fell into 
 general neglect. A vast change followed the Reformation. The people were roused to a clearer 
 understanding of the nature of their duty in this respect ; and, though it is still the case that but a 
 small proportion of those who call themselves believers act consistently with their duty in respect 
 to the Communion, the warnings and invitations of the Church are, it may be hoped, daily working 
 a healthful and blessed improvement. The second exhortation was added in 1552, and was at 
 first read just before the celebration of the Communion, it being then the custom for persons not 
 receiving it to remain in the church. 
 
 '• ^ Jt the time of the celebration^^ 8fv. 
 This address, which was formerly read in conjunction with the preceding exhortation, is not less 
 necessary than either of the others ; for it would be far better for an unprepared person to refrain 
 from receiving the Sacrament, though he had come for the purpose of doing so, than to venture on 
 partaking of such a mystery in an unsanctified state of mind. Many persons are deterred by the 
 expression which warns us lest " we eat and drink our own damnation ;" and great pains are taken 
 to lower the awful force of these words. But we apprehend that no really humble, spiritual penitent, 
 deeply affected with a sense of his own unworthiness, and of the perfections of Christ, is likely to 
 be kept from the table by this warning. And as for those who have not repented of their sins, or 
 who are destitute of the graces of a renewed mind, we know not what will be the weight of their 
 punishment, if they tread the blood of the Covenant under foot, comit it as an unholy thing, 
 and put Christ to open shame, by coming with light and corrupt hearts to this most holy mystery. 
 
 " ^ Then shall the Priest say." 
 This short address of invitation is intended to strengthen the resolution and confirm the hopes 
 of those who, humble and penitent, and trusting to no merit of their own, but only to the righteous- 
 ness of Christ, stand meekly listening lor this call to His heavenly feast. The requisites of 
 preparation are briefly but fully stated : — repentance, charity, the purpose of a new life and faith. 
 He who has these may gladly accept the call, though as yet he be but a babe either in strength or 
 knowledge. 
 
 Note to the Confession, Absolution, and Sentences. 
 
 Confession has alwaj-s formed a part of the worship of Christians. Various circumstances will 
 naturally lead to different modes oi e.\.ercising this duty. The glory of God and the consolation of 
 the sinner are both concerned in its performance. Sometimes peace is found in a very particular 
 disburdening of the heart, and in the private acknowledgment of offences. At others, the 
 conscience is satisfied with the feeling of S:Orrow which accompanies the general confession of sin, 
 and regards the sincere affliction of the soul, reviewing and weeping over the past, as giving a 
 particularity to the confession better than language that can be heard. But an ojien general con- 
 fession in the Church is a necessary part of Christian duty, and is neither supplied nor rendered 
 valueless by confession of any other kind. And while this is the case in all our services, so must 
 it be especially requisite in that of the Communion, — by which we hope to cast away both our sins 
 
 398 
 
NOTES ON THE COMMUNION. 
 
 and our sinfulness, and to clothe ourselves with the righteousness of Christ. To a sincere acknow- 
 ledgment of guilt, accompanied by a lively faith, forgiveness is distinctly promised in the Covenant 
 of the Gospel. The sentence of remission is intrusted to Christ's ministers. It is their happy 
 privilege to pronounce it in favour of all who have faithfully confessed their sins, and are now 
 seeking a nearer intercourse with Christ. And the absolution thus pronounced is followed by the 
 most comfortable and encouraging assurances, given by the Saviour Himself and His Apostles, 
 that, poor and miserable as we are, we shall be acceptable at His table. Well, therefore, may we 
 answer the priest's exhortation, " Lift up your hearts," and pour them out in thankfulness and love. 
 
 '• ^ Theti shal/ the Priest turn to the Lord's Table, and sayp 
 In the earlier Liturgies a much larger space was allowed for thanksgiving in the Communion 
 than in our present office. The word Eucharist, by which the whole service is frequently called, 
 signifies a thanksgiving, thankfulness being the proper sentiment of every penitent who looks for 
 pardon through the merits of Christ. It is probable that the compilers of our Liturgy, regarding 
 the feeling of devout gratitude as implied in the act of communion, did not think it necessary to 
 insert distinct prayers of thanksgiving. The doxology, however, used in ancient times, and which 
 was called the great doxology, or the Trisagium, is retained, and brings the whole family of heaven 
 to join in the celebration of Divine mercy. In the proper prefaces, we are led, as in other parts of 
 the service, to particularize our recollection of God's goodness, and so deepen the impressions which 
 it ought to make upon our hearts, 
 
 " ^ Then shall the Priest, kneeli/ig." 
 Prepared by these acts of a humble and spiritual devotion, the minister and the congregation 
 now come, as it were, into the very presence of Christ, and expect, with thankful hearts, their share 
 in the great and solemn feast. But the nearer they approach the mystery, the more deeply do 
 they feel impressed with the feeling of their unworthiness to partake in the rite. They know that 
 they have no claim even to the crumbs which fall from the table of the Lord. All they can do, 
 therefore, is to trust solely to the mercy which has brought them to the banquet, and to pray that 
 they may indeed be partakers of the precious food thus spread before them. 
 
 " ^ H'hen the Priest, standing be/ore," Sfc. 
 The whole of this truly evangelical service is emulative of primitive simplicity. In the doc- 
 trines connected with the Communion, the growing spirit of corruption found, from an early 
 period, the readiest field for its exercise. The minds of people were open to strong appeals on the 
 subject. Their hearts, whether warmed by true piety or inflamed by superstition, could easily be 
 persuaded to adopt any means which, it was said, would increase the glory or the efficacy of the 
 Sacrament. Thus imperceptibly the primitive rite became overburdened with human additions, 
 and the holy influences and Divine consolations to be sought from communion with Christ were 
 vainly expected from the use of multiplied signs and emblems. Wisely throwing off the load of 
 these traditionary usages, our reformers have left to the Church all that is assuredly Apostolic, and 
 all that can be required by those who are in a fit state to partake of the ordinance to render it 
 truly and permanently impressive. Whatever may be said in favour of ceremonies in other parts 
 of religious worship, in this most solemn of all its divisions their use can hardly be supported on 
 like grounds. A desire to come to the communion of Christ's body and blood implies great 
 advancement in seriousness ; spirituality is the first requisite in a communicant, and this must be 
 at a low ebb indeed, if, in the solemn moments spent at the table, attention requires to be kept 
 awake by the use of signs or ceremonies. The present form of Consecration is that given us by 
 Christ Himself ; and that which it is evident, from St. Paul's account, the Apostles desired the 
 churches which they founded simply and religiously to adopt. Let the Divine mystery be still 
 conveyed to our spirits in the living words of the Saviour. Let us believe that the bread and the 
 wine consecrated by Him, and received by faith, do verily become to us His body and His blood. 
 Nothing can add to the efficacy of Christ's words, and nothing can give faith but the vivifying 
 grace of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 '' ^ Then shall the Minister first receive," 8)'c. 
 The mode of delivering the bread and wine here directed was that which prevailed in the pri- 
 mitive Church, and only ceased when religion began to be changed into superstition, and piety 
 to manifest itself rather in signs of mysterious dread than in the happy feelings of genuine devotion 
 and love. When the doctrine of transubstantiatiou became established, many new observances 
 were introduced as necessary to the reverential celebration of the ordinance. It was then thought 
 improper that the people should touch the bread with their hands ; it was, therefore, put into 
 
 399 
 
NOTES ON THE COMMUNION. 
 
 their mouths by the priest, and this custom was retained for some time after the reformation of 
 the English church. At other times it was received in small plates provided for the purpose. The 
 wine was regarded with similar awe ; and this led to the people's being denied the cup altogether. 
 In administering the bread and wine, the minister anciently said nothing more than " The body 
 of Christ" and •' The blood of Christ," the people answering "Amen." The words "Preserve 
 thy body and soul unto everlasting life" were added by Gregory the Great. This form was 
 retained in the tirst book of King Edward ; but it was moditied in the second as favouring the 
 doctrine of transuhstantiation. By this change, however, there appeared to be a departure from 
 all primitive example, and the form at present used was adopted to the satisfaction of all parties. 
 
 Nute lo the Post-Comnmnion. 
 
 It was customary in the ancient Church for the deacons immediately after the Communion to 
 exhort the people to return thanks for the benefits of which they had partaken. He then desired 
 them to rise and commend themselves to God by Jesus Christ ; upon which the bishop offered up 
 the prayer of thanksgiving, and solemnly pronounced the blessing. A short prayer was then 
 offered up by the deacon, and the people were dismissed with the words, " Peace be with you ! " 
 Our own Post Communion answers sufficiently to this ancient example. It consists of those sup- 
 plications for grace, and those earnest praises, which every worthy communicant will be most 
 ready to pour forth i'rom the abundance of his heart. The Gloria in excehis, or, '' Glory be to God 
 on high" has been used in the Christian Church from the earliest ages ; and is considered as an- 
 swering to the hymn of praise which was sung by our Lord and His Apostles at the Paschal 
 Feast. 
 
 The Rubrics here added are well adapted to secure the order and decency so necessary to the 
 proper administration of this blessed ordinance. Due attention has been paid throughout to 
 the feelings of those who may fear either the intrusion of superstition on the one hand, or the 
 appearance of neglect on the other. The protestation respecting kneeling results from the same 
 cautious spirit, and affords another interesting illustration of the tenderness and moderation of 
 our Apostolic Church. 
 
 400 
 
^^^ps p^^^^^^^g^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 
THE MINISTRATION OF 
 
 PUBLICK BAPTISM OF INFANTS, 
 
 TO BE USED IN THE CHURCH. 
 
 ^ The people are to be admonished, that it is most convenient that Baptism should not be administered 
 but upon Sundaijs, and other Holy-days, when the most number of people come together ; as ivell 
 for that the Congregation there present may testify the receiving of them that be newly baptized 
 into the number of Christ's Church ; ai also because in the Baptism of Infants every Man present 
 may be put in remembrance of his own profession made to God in his Baptism. For which cause 
 also it is expedient that Baptism be ministered in the vulgar tongue. Nevertheless, (if necessity so 
 require,') Children may be baptized upon any other day. 
 
 % And note, that there shall be for every Male-child to be baptized two Godfathers and one God- 
 mother ; and for every Female, one Godfather and two Godmothers. 
 
 ^ When there are Children to be baptized, the Parents shall give knowledge theretrf over night or in 
 the morning b'fore the beginning of Marning Prayer, to the Curate. And then the Godfathers and 
 Godmothers, and the people with the Children, must be ready at the Font, either itnmed'.ately after 
 the last lesson at Morning Prayer, or else immediately after the last I^^son at Evening Prayer, 
 as the Curate by his discretion shall appoint. And the Priest coming to the Font, {which is then to 
 he filed trith pure Hater,) and standing there, shall say, 
 
 403 3 F 2 
 
PUBLICK BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 riATH tliis Child been already baptized, or no? 
 
 ^ If they answer, No: Thm shall the Priest proceed as followeth. 
 
 DEARLY beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin; 
 and that our Saviour Christ saith. None can enter into the kingdom 
 of God, except he be regenerate and born anew of Water and of the holy 
 Ghost ; I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, that of his bounteous mercy he will grant to this Child that thing 
 which by nature he cannot have ; that he may be baptized with Water and 
 the holy Ghost, and received into Christ's holy Church, and be made a lively 
 member of the same. 
 
 •f[ Then shall the Priest say, 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who of thy great mercy didst save 
 Noah and his family in the ark from perishing by water ; and also 
 didst safely lead the children of Israel thy people through the Red Sea, 
 figuring thereby thy holy Baptism ; and by the Baptism of thy well -beloved 
 Son Jesus Christ, in the river Jordan, didst sanctify Water to the mystical 
 washing away of sin ; We beseech thee, for thine infinite mercies, that thou 
 wilt mercifully look upon this Child; wash Aim and sanctify him with the 
 holy Ghost ; that he, being delivered from thy wrath, may be received into 
 the ark of Christ's Church ; and being stedfast in faith, joyful through hope, 
 and rooted in charity, may so pass the waves of this troublesome world, that 
 finally he may come to the land of everlasting life, there to reign with thee 
 world without end ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 4 LMIGHTY and immortal God, the aid of all that need, the helper 
 -i~^ of all that flee to thee for succour, the life of them that believe, and 
 the resurrection of the dead ; We call upon thee for this Infant, that he, 
 coming to thy holy Baptism, may receive remission of his sins by spiritual 
 regeneration. Receive him, O Lord, as thou hast promised by thy well- 
 beloved Son, saying, Ask, and ye shall have ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, 
 and it shall be opened unto you : So give now unto us that ask ; let us that 
 seek find ; open the gate unto us that knock ; that this Infant may enjoy the 
 everlasting benediction of thy heavenly washing, and may come to the eternal 
 kingdom which thou hast promised by Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 5[ The)i shall the people stand up, and the Priest sha/l say, 
 
 Hear the words of the Gospel, written by Saint Mark, in the tenth Chapter, 
 
 at the thirteenth Verse. 
 ^r^HEY brought young children to Christ, that he should touch them; 
 A and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus 
 saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them. Suffer the little children 
 to come unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the kingdom of God. 
 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a 
 little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, 
 put his hands upon them, and blessed them. 
 401 
 
PUBLICK BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 
 *![ After the Gospel is read, the Minister shall make this brief Exhortation upon the words of the 
 
 Gospel. 
 
 BELOVED^ ye bear in this Gospel the words of our Saviour Christ, 
 that he commanded the children to be brought unto him ; how he 
 blamed those that would have kept them from him ; how he exhorteth all 
 men to follow their innocency. Ye perceive how by his outward gesture 
 and deed he declared his good will toward them ; for he embraced them in 
 his arms^ he laid his hands upon them, and blessed them. Doubt ye not 
 therefore, but earnestly believe, that he will likewise favourably receive this 
 present Infant ; that he will embrace him with the arms of his mercy ; that 
 he will give unto him the blessing of eternal life, and make him partaker of 
 his everlasting kingdom. Wherefore we being thus persuaded of the good 
 will of our heavenly Father towards this Infant, declared by his Son Jesus 
 Christ ; and nothing doubting but that he favourably alloweth this charitable 
 work of our's in bringing this Infant to his holy Baptism ; let us faithfully 
 and devoutly give thanks unto him, and say, 
 A LMIGHTY and everlasting God, heavenly Father, we give thee 
 -^^ humble thanks, for that thou hast vouchsafed to call us to the know- 
 ledge of thy grace, and faith in thee : Increase this knowledge, and confirm 
 this faith in us evermore. Give thy holy Spirit to this Infant, that he may 
 be born again, and be made an heir of everlasting salvation ; through our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, 
 now and for ever. Amen. 
 
 ^ l^hen shall the Priest speak unto the Godfathers and Godmothers on this wise. 
 
 DEARLY beloved, ye have brought this Child here to be baptized, ye 
 have prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ would vouchsafe to receive 
 him, to release him of his sins, to sanctify him with the holy Ghost, to give 
 him the kingdom of heaven, and everlasting life. Ye have heard also that 
 our Lord Jesus Christ hath promised in his Gospel to grant all these things 
 that ye have prayed for : which promise he, for his part, will most surely 
 keep and perform. Wherefore, after this promise made by Christ, this 
 Infant must also faithfully, for his part, promise by you that are his sureties, 
 (until he come of age to take it upon himself) that he will renounce the devil 
 and all his works, and constantly believe God's holy Word, and obediently 
 keep his commandments. 
 
 I demand therefore, 
 
 DOST thou, in the name of this Child, renounce the devil and all his 
 works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires 
 of the same, and the carnal desires of the flesh, so that thou wilt not follow, 
 nor be led by them ? 
 
 Answer. I renounce them all. 
 
 Minister. 
 
 DOST thou believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and 
 earth ? 
 And in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son our Lord .'' And that he was 
 conceived by the Holy Ghost ; born of the Virgin Mary ; that he suffered 
 405 
 
PUBLICK BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 
 under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried ; that he went down 
 into hell, and also did rise again the third day ; that he ascended into heaven, 
 and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; and from thence 
 shall come again at the end of the world, to judge the quick and the dead? 
 
 And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholick Church; 
 the Communion of Saints ; the Remission of sins ; the Resurrection of the 
 flesh; and everlasting life after death? 
 
 Ansiver. All this I stedfastly believe. 
 
 Minister. 
 
 WILT thou be baptized in this faith? 
 Answer. That is my desire. 
 
 Minister. 
 
 WILT thou then obediently keep God's holy will and commandments, 
 and walk in the same all the days of thy life ? 
 Answer. I will. 
 
 ^ TAen shall the Priest sn//, 
 
 MERCIFUL God grant that the old Adam in this Child may be so 
 buried, that the new man may be raised up in Jiim. Amen. 
 
 Grant that all carnal affections may die in him, and that all things belong- 
 ing to the Spirit may live and grow in him. Amen. 
 
 Grant that he may have power and strength to have victory, and to triumph, 
 against the devil, the world, and the flesh. Amen. 
 
 Grant that whosoever is here dedicated to thee by our office and ministry 
 may also be endued with heavenly virtues, and everlastingly rewarded, 
 through thy mercy, O blessed Lord God, who dost live, and govern all 
 things, world without end. Amen. 
 
 ALMIGHTY, everliving God, whose most dearly beloved Son Jesus 
 Christ, for the forgiveness of our sins, did shed out of his inost 
 precious side both water and blood ; and gave commandment to his disciples, 
 that they should go teach all nations, and baptize them In the Name of the 
 Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; Regard, we beseech thee, the suppli- 
 cations of thy congregation ; sanctify this Water to the mystical washing away 
 of sin ; and grant that this Child, now to be baptized therein, may receive the 
 fulness of thy grace, and ever remain in the number of thy faithful and elect 
 children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 5[ Then the Priest shall take the Child into his hands, and shall say to the Godfathers and Godmothers, 
 
 Name this Child. 
 
 ^ And then naming it after them (Jf they shall certify him that the Child may well endure it) he shall 
 dip it in the Water discreetly and warily, sayiny, 
 
 I baptize thee In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 
 • Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 ^ But if they certify that the Child is weak, it shall siifjlce to pour Water upon it, saying the foresaid 
 
 words, 
 
 I baptize thee In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 
 • Holy Gliost. Amen. 
 406 
 
 N 
 
PUBLICK BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 
 ^ Then the Priest shall say, 
 
 WE receive this Child into the congregation of Christ's flock^ *and do 
 sign him with the sign of the Cross, in token that 
 * Here the Priest jjereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith 
 
 shall make a Cross upon r r^^ ■ r ^ i r ii r i i i • 
 
 the Child's forehead. ^^ Chnst crucihed, and inaniullj to tight under his 
 
 banner, against sin, the world, and the devil ; and to 
 continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto his life's end. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Pi iest say, 
 
 SEEING now, dearly beloved brethren, that this Child is regenerate, 
 and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give thanks unto 
 Almighty God for these benefits ; and with one accord make our prayers 
 unto him, that this Child may lead the rest of his life according to this 
 beginning. 
 
 •[[ Then shall be said, all kneeling ; 
 
 OUR Father which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy Name. Thy king- 
 dom come. Thy will be done in earth. As it is in heaven. Give us 
 this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them 
 that trespass against us- And lead us not into temptation ; But deliver us 
 from evil. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest say, 
 
 WE yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath pleased 
 thee to regenerate this Infant with thy holy Spirit, to receive him 
 for thine own Child by adoption, and to incorporate him into thy holy 
 Church. And humbly we beseech thee to grant, that he, being dead unto 
 sin, and living unto righteousness, and being buried with Christ in his death, 
 may crucify the old man, and utterly abolish the whole body of sin ; and 
 that, as he is made partaker of the death of thy Son, he may also be partaker 
 of his resurrection ; so that finally, with the residue of thy holy Church, he 
 may be an inheritor of thine everlasting kingdom ; through Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^ Then all standing up, the Priest shall say to the Godfathers and Godmothers this Exhortation 
 
 following. 
 
 FORASMUCH as this Child hath promised by you his sureties to re- 
 nounce the devil and all his works, to believe in God. and to serve 
 him ; ye must remember, that it is your parts and duties to see that this 
 Infant be taught, so soon as he shall be able to learn, what a solemn vow, 
 promise, and profession, he hath here made by you. And that he may know 
 these things the better, ye shall call upon him to hear Sermons ; and chiefly 
 ye shall provide, that he may learn the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the 
 Ten Commandments, in the vulgar tongue, and all other things which a 
 Christian ought to know and believe to his soul's health; and that this Child 
 may be virtuously brought up to lead a godly and a christian life ; remem- 
 bering always, that Baptism doth represent unto us our profession ; which is, 
 to follow the example of our Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto him ; 
 that, as he died, and rose again for us, so should we, who are baptized, die 
 ■407 
 
PUBLICK BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 
 from sin, and rise again unto righteousness ; continually mortifying all our 
 evil and corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness 
 of living. 
 
 ^ Then shall he add and say, 
 
 YE are to take care that this Child be brought to the Bishop to be con- 
 firmed by him, so soon as he can say the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, 
 and the Ten Commandments, in the vulgar tongue, and be further instructed 
 in the Church- Catechism set forth for that purpose. 
 
 IT is certain by God's Word, that Children which are baptized, dying before they comn.it 
 actnal sin, are undoubtedly saved. 
 
 To take away all scruple concerning the use of the sign of the Cross in Baptism ; the true 
 explication thereof, and the just reasons for the retaining of it, may be seen in the xxxth Canon, 
 first published in the Year MDCIV. 
 
 NOTES ON PUBLICK BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 
 Baptism is the Sacrament which introduces us into covenant with God through, and in, Christ. 
 As a rite, though not as a sacrament, it was known from the earliest ages. Under certain forms 
 it existed in the time of the patriarchs (Gen. xxxv. 2), and it was among the means of sancti- 
 fication employed by Moses when the people were about to approach the holy Mount. Some of 
 the most solemn incidents of sacred history were typical of baptism, as the flood (1 Pet. iii. 21) 
 and the passage through the Red Sea, and under the cloud in the wilderness (1 Cor. x. 1 — 3). 
 The Jewish writer Maimonides says, " By three things Israel entered into covenant — namely, by 
 circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice." Lightfoot says that a tradition exists which states, that in 
 the times of David and Solomon, when vast numbers of the heathen were converted to Judaism, 
 baptism was the only rite of admission used. Another states, that a person is not a proselyte till 
 he is both circumcised and baptized. Still further, it was generally believed that the converts in 
 the time of the Messiah would be so numerous that they must be admitted by baptism, and not by 
 circumcision, " a tradition," it is observed, " which proved true, but not for the reason assigned." 
 The Messiah was, indeed, looked for as one that should cleanse His people by a baptism the most 
 eminently efficacious. This was the interpretation given to the words of Ezekiel (xxxvi. 25), 
 " Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean." The forerunner of our Lord, 
 therefore, in adopting baptism as a sign of purification by repentance, used a rite to which the 
 Jews were well accustomed. Their question was, by what authority he did it, the privilege of 
 performing such an ordinance being properly confined to those who had a Divine commission. 
 The baptism which he gave was not a sacrament. It was reserved for the Author of life and 
 salvation to give to the cleansing waters a sacramental efficacy. His blessing and promise have 
 made them, as the passage of the Red Sea, a way from bondage to liberty ; or, as the waters of the 
 Flood, from an old world steeped in corruption to a new world of holiness and hope. The authors 
 of antiquity speak of this Sacrament under the most striking and pathetic terms, sometimes calling 
 it " the laver of regeneration" — " the sacrament of grace, or absolution" — " the garment of immor- 
 tality" — " unction and illumination." 
 
 The R/^brics. 
 The Rubrics at the head of this service are less attended to than is consistent with due respect to 
 the ordinances of the Church. Attention to the first would tend greatly to the benefit of con- 
 gregations at large, and ought to be rendered as due to the great authority and vast importance of 
 the rite. In former ages there were two seasons for public baptism — Easter and AVhitsuntide, and, 
 in the Greek Church, the Epiphany was added. But the increase of the Church, and the con- 
 sequent change in the number of infants and adults baptized, liave rendered it expedient that any 
 season of public worship should be allowed as a proper time for admitting believers, or their 
 children, into covenant with Christ. 
 
 It was the custom of the Church in earliest times for persons coming to baptism to have witnesses, 
 or sponsors. A similar practice had prevailed among the Jews ; and, when the nature of the custom 
 is properly understood, and attended to with a conscientious spirit, it is calculated to produce great 
 
 408 
 
NOTES ON PUBLICK BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 
 practical advantages. In the case of children, we may conceive the existence of a will, and tliat 
 will, whenever hrought into action, must dispose them to seek the good of their being. The 
 promises made for them at baptism are given in the full understanding that the highest of blessings 
 are thereby secured to them for ever. There can be no doubt, it may be fairly argued, that a being 
 unprejudiced, unperverted, undarkened by sin, would not refuse to enter into covenant with a God 
 and Saviour who, in return for the greatest benefits, requires but obedience to laws in themselves 
 essential}}' good. In the ancient Church, parents were allowed to be godfathers and godmothers; 
 but a canon of our own prohibits this, in order that children may have the advantage of instructors 
 who are not already obliged by nature to provide for their religious education. The children to 
 be baptized are directed to be brought to the font, which is so called from its answering to the 
 fountain, or streams of running water, in which the disciples of Christ were at first made partakers 
 of this divine ordinance. The length of our service only can have led to the violation of the other 
 part of this Rubric. 
 
 Note to end of Praijer after the Gospe/. 
 
 As baptism is a sacrament of admission, it is by its very nature to be administered but once. 
 (Ephes. iv. 5.) Sins committed after baptism are not to be washed away by a repetition of this 
 sacrament, but only by the bloud of Christ, repentance and faith seeking mercy through his atoning 
 merits. The exhortation and prayers following carry our thoughts at once both to the origin and 
 the spiritual efficacy of baptism. After the first of the prayers, the Rubric, as originally pub- 
 lished, directed the priest to ask the name of the child, and to cross its breast and forehead, with 
 words similar to those used now at a later part of the service. At the conclusion of the second prayer, 
 the evil spirit was exorcised in a set form, which commenced with these words, " I command thee, 
 unclean spirit, hi the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, that thou come 
 out and depart from these children." The Gospel, Exhortation, and Prayer v/hich follow, are so 
 full of plain instruction, that the most simple worshipper may learn therefrom much of his duty 
 and his privileges. Nor is it possible that the greatest monarch on the earth could ask or 
 obtain for his child more noble gifts than those which the poorest of Clixisfs people may here seek 
 for his. 
 
 " % Then shall the Priest:' 
 
 The address to the godfathers and godmothers, with the accompanying inquiry into their faith, 
 is founded on the first principles of the Christian covenant. We are taught that the promise is to us 
 and to our children,— that is, to us as believers, and to our ofispring as children of believers* and 
 St. Paul tells the Corinthians (1 Cor. vii. 14) that, were it not for the faith of at least one of the 
 parents, the children would be unclean. It is highly necessary, therefore, that they who bring 
 children to be baptized should themselves be in communion with Christ ; and hence this inquiry 
 into their faith ; and the excellent provision of the 29th Canon, already alluded to, that persons 
 ought not to be received as sponsors till they have received the Communion. There is also another, 
 and equally obvious reason, for this examination : — Persons surely cannot be fit to take upon 
 themselves the charge of instructing others when they themselves are ignorant of the elements of 
 their faith and duty. It is much to be lamented that the ministers of the Church should have 
 ever yielded to the careless or presumptuous spirit of the world, and so allowed this valuable part 
 of the service to become in most cases nothing better than a form. In the first edition of the 
 Liturgy, these questions were directed to the child. The last of the four was not added till the 
 reign of Charles II. How earnest ought the Amen to be which follows the supplications of the 
 priest, when, at the end of this brief examination, he asks for the power and blessing of the 
 Spirit on the child ! 
 
 Prayer of Consecration, 8^-c. 
 
 The Consecration Prayer was placed originally at the end of the Office, there being formerly 
 four times of the year for consecrating the water in the font, and no form of the kind being used 
 in the baptismal service itself. In the second edition the form of consecration was left out, or the 
 prayer so altered that it had no longer the nature of a form. At the last review these words were 
 restored, " Sanctify this water to the mystical washing away of sin." 
 
 The giving of a name at baptism is derived from the ancient .Fewish custom of naming children 
 at the time of their circumcision. It is a custom likely to be highly useful when its origin and 
 design are recollected. We are called by a new name because engrafted into a new family, brought 
 into new relationships, and made responsible for new duties. In one of the decrees of the Nicene 
 Council it is especially recommended that the names of Apostles, or Saints, be chosen in pre- 
 ference to any others ; and in the thirteenth century, a Synod lield in England ordered that, if an 
 
 4C9 3 G 
 
NOTES ON PUBLICK BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 
 improper name bad been tijiven at baptism, it sbould be c-banged wlien tbe person came to be 
 confirmed. 
 
 '' ^ An<l then naming it, he s/ui/l ilip,^^ k^'c. 
 
 Immersion was the ancient mode of administering baptism, but even in the earliest times the 
 manner of administration was not thought so essential to the service that it would lose its value by- 
 being modified according to circumstances. There were cases in which sufficient water could not 
 be obtained for the immersion of the whole body, and others in which sickness prevented its being 
 done. The mystical signification of baptism, moreover, may be regarded as preserved under both 
 the forms of administration. In immersion, the dying unto sin, and being buried, and rising 
 again is more significantly shown ; but by the sprinkling of the water we signify the sprinkling 
 of the blood of Christ, and, as some think, the throwing of earth upon our bodies at burial. In the 
 first edition of the Liturgy, the Rubric directed that the priest should dip the child in the water, 
 and that three times — first on the right side, then on the left, and lastly with its face downwards. 
 As this was thought to savour of superstition, one immersion only was directed in subsequent 
 alterations of the service ; and many of the reformers regarding sprinkling as fully answering the 
 design of baptism, it soon became common to use only that mode of administration. But, what- 
 ever custom has done in this matter, our Church has abided by the j)rimitive example ; and though 
 she allow the liberty of choice to scrupulous persons, yet, evidently by the wording of the Rubric, 
 would lead us to follow the rule which has the argument both of antiquity and impressiveness ou 
 its side. The words used are those of Christ Himself, and the person over whom they are used is 
 thereby baptized not merely in the name, but i?ito the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 " ^ Then shaf/ the Priest say." 
 
 Among the ancient practices retained in the original Liturgy of King Edward was that of 
 placing a white robe on the newly-bapti7ed person at this part of the service. This was done with 
 a form of words, declaring it to be as a sign of the innocency acquired in baptism ; and imme- 
 diately after the priest poured ointment on the person's head. The simply signing with the sign 
 of the Cross was afterwards regarded as sufficient to declare the state and duties of the newly 
 baptized. This is so plain and significant a sign that antiquity need scarcely be pleaded in 
 favour of its being retained. But, unwilling to let it be supposed that any superstitious notions 
 are connected with this use of the Cross, our Church declares expressly in the 3Uth Canon, that it 
 is a thing indifferent, except as established by the constitutions of the Church. The short ex- 
 hortation, the Lord's Prayer, and that which follows, were not added till the second edition of the 
 Liturgy was prepared. In the concluding address, godfathers and godmothers, and all who are 
 responsible for the Christian education of children, are taught an invaluable lesson of diligence 
 and caution. Would that it were laid up in the hearts both of those who ought to teach, and of 
 those who have been taught ! 
 
 410 
 
THE MINISTRATION OF 
 
 PRIVATE BAPTISM OF CHILDREN 
 
 IN HOUSES. 
 
 ^ The Curates of every Parish sha/l often admonish the people, that they deftr not the Baptism of 
 thrir Children longer than the frst or second Sunday next after their birth, or other Holy-day 
 falling between, unless upon a great and reasonable cause, to be approved by the Curate. 
 
 ^ And also they shall warn them, that without like great cause and necessity they procure not their 
 children to be baptized at home in their houses. But when need shall cumpel them so to dn, then 
 Baptism shall be administered on this fashion : 
 
 ^ First, let the Minister of the Parish (or. in his absence, any other lauful Minister that can he 
 procured) ivith them that are present call upon God, and sai/ the Lord's Prai/er. and so many if the 
 Collects appointed to be said before in the Form of Publick Baptism, as the time and present 
 exigence will suffer. And then, the Child being named by some one that is present, the Minister 
 shall pour Hater upon it., saying these words ; 
 
 N 
 
 I baptize thee In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 • Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 % Then, all kneeling down, the Minister shall give thanks unto God, and say, 
 
 ATyTE yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath pleased 
 ▼ T thee to regenerate this Infant with thy holy Spirit, to receive him 
 for thine own Child by adoption, and to incorporate him into thy holy 
 Church. And we humbly beseech thee to grant, that as he is now made 
 partaker of the death of thy Son, so he may be also of his resurrection ; and 
 that finally, with the residue of thy Saints, he may inherit thine everlasting 
 kingdom ; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ And let them not doubt, but that the Child so baptized is lawfully and sufficiently baptized, and 
 ought not to be baptized again. Yet nevertheless, if the Child, which is after this sort baptized, do 
 afterward live, it is expedient that it be brought into the Church, to the intent that, if the Minister 
 of the same Pirtsh did himself baptize that Child, the Congregation may be certified of the true 
 Form of Baptism, by him privately before used : In which case he shall say thus, 
 
 I CERTIFY you, that according to the due and prescribed Order of the 
 Church, at such a time, and at such a place, before divers witnesses I 
 baptized this Child. 
 
 ^ But if the Child were baptized by any other lawful Minister, then the Minister of the Parish, 
 where the Child was borri or christened, shall examine and try whether the Child be lawfully 
 baptized, or no. In which case, if those that bring any Child to the Church do answer, that the 
 same Child is already baptized, then shall the Minister examine them further, saying, 
 
 T) Y whom was this Child baptized i' 
 
 -L' Who was present when this Child was baptized? 
 
 Because some things essential to this Sacrament may happen to be omitted 
 through fear or haste, in such times of extremity ; therefore I demand further 
 of you. 
 
 With what matter was this Child baptized? 
 
 With what words was this Child l^aptized .'' 
 
 411 3 c; 2 
 
PRIVATE BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 
 ^ And if the Minister shall Jind by the answers of such as bring the Child, that all things were done 
 as they ought to be ; then shall nut he christen the Child again, but shall receive him as one of the 
 Jlock uf true christian people, saying thus, 
 
 I CERTIFY you, that in this case all is well done, and accordlnfr unto 
 due order, concerning the l^aptizing of this Child ; who beins^ born in 
 original sin, and in the Avratli of God, is now, by the laver of Regeneration in 
 Baptism, received into the number of the children of God, and heirs of ever- 
 lasting life : for our Lord Jesus Christ doth not deny his grace and mercy 
 unto such Infants, but most lovingly doth call them unto him, as the holy 
 Gospel doth witness to our comfort on this wise. 
 
 St. Mark X. 13. 
 
 THEY brought young children to Christ, that he should touch them; 
 and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus 
 saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them. Suffer the little children 
 to come unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the kingdom of God. 
 Verily I say unto you. Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a 
 little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, 
 put his hands upon them, and blessed them. 
 
 ^ /Ifter the Gospel is read, the Blinister shall make this brief Exhortation upon the words of the 
 
 Gospel. 
 
 BELOVED, ye hear in this Gospel the words of our Saviour Christ, 
 that he commanded the children to be brought unto him ; how he 
 blamed those that would have kept them from him ; how he exhorted all 
 men to follow their innocency. Ye perceive how by this outward gesture 
 and deed he declared his good will toward them ; for he embraced them in 
 his arms, he laid his hands upon them, and blessed them. Doubt ye not 
 therefore, but earnestly believe, that he hath likewise favourably received 
 tlds present Infant ; that he hath embraced h'lm with the arms of his mercy ; 
 and (as he hath promised in his holy Word) will give unto him the blessing 
 of eternal life, and make him partaker of his everlasting kingdom. Where- 
 fore, we being thus persuaded of the good will of our heavenly Father, 
 declared by his Son Jesus Christ, towards this Infant, let us faithfully and 
 devoutly give thanks unto him, and say the Prayer which the Lord himself 
 taught us : 
 
 OUR Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy Name. Thy king- 
 dom come. Thy will be done in earth. As it is in heaven. Give us 
 this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive them 
 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us 
 from evil. Amen. 
 
 ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, heavenly Father, we give thee 
 humble thanks, that thou hast vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge 
 of thy grace, and faith in thee; Increase this knowledge, and confirm this 
 faith in us evermore. Give thy holy Spirit to this Infant, that he being born 
 again, and being made an heir of everlasting salvation, through our Lord 
 412 
 
PRIVATE BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 
 Jesus Christ, may continue tliy servant, and attain thy promise ; through the 
 same our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee and 
 the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. 
 
 ff Then shali the Priest demand the Name of the Child; which being by the Godfathers and God- 
 mothers pronounced, the Minister shall say, 
 
 DOST thou, in the name of this Child, renounce the devil and all his 
 works, the vain pomp and glory of this world, with all covetous 
 desires of the same, and the carnal desires of the flesh, so that thou wilt not 
 follow, nor be led by them ? 
 Answer. I renounce them all. 
 
 Minister. 
 
 DOST thou believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven 
 and earth ? 
 
 And in Jesus Christ his only-begotten Son our Lord? And that he was 
 conceived by the Holy Ghost ; born of the Virgin Mary ; that he suffered 
 under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried ; that he went down 
 into hell, and also did rise again the third day ; that he ascended into heaven, 
 and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty ; and from thence 
 shall come again at the end of the world, to judge the quick and the dead? 
 
 And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost ; the holy Catholick Church ; 
 the Communion of Saints ; the Remission of sins ; the Resurrection of the 
 flesh ; and everlasting life after death ? 
 
 Answer. All this I stedfastly believe. 
 
 Minister. 
 
 WILT thou then obediently keep God's holy will and commandments, 
 and walk in the same all the days of thy life ? 
 Answer. I will. 
 
 ^ Then the Priest shall say, 
 
 WE receive this Child into the congregation of Christ's flock, *and do 
 sign him with the sign of the Cross, in token that 
 * Here the Priest i^f^^eaiiter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith 
 
 shall make a Cross itpon i i • 
 
 the Chihts forehead. of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his 
 
 banner, against sin, the world, and the devil ; and to 
 continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto his life's end. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest say, 
 
 SEEING now, dearly beloved brethren, that this Child is by Baptism 
 regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give 
 thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits ; and with one accord make 
 our prayers unto him, that he may lead the rest of his life according to this 
 beginning. 
 
 f[ Then shall the Priest say, 
 
 WE yield thee most hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath 
 pleased thee to regenerate this Infant with thy holy Spirit, to receive 
 hiin for thine own Child by adoption, and to incorporate him into thy holy 
 413 
 
PRIVATE BAPTISM OI INFANTS. 
 
 Church. And humbly we beseech thee to grant, that he being dead unto 
 sin, and living unto righteousness, and being buried with Christ in his death, 
 may crucify the old man, and utterly al^olish the whole body of sin ; and that, 
 as he is made partaker of the death of thy Son, he may also be partaker of 
 his resurrection ; so that finally, with the residue of thy holy Church, he may 
 be an inheritor of thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 1[ Then, nil siatidiiig up, the Minister shall make this Exhortation to the Godfathers and 
 
 Godmothers. 
 
 FORASMUCH as this Child hath promised by you his sureties to re- 
 nounce the devil and all his works, to believe in God, and to serve him ; 
 ye must remember, that it is your parts and duties to see that this Infant be 
 taught, so soon as he shall be able to learn, what a solemn vow, promise, and 
 profession he hath made by you. And that he may know these things the 
 better, ye shall call upon him to hear Sermons ; and chiefly ye shall provide, 
 that he may learn the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Command- 
 ments, in the vulgar tongue, and all other things which a Christian ought to 
 know and believe to his soul's health ; and that this Child may be virtuously 
 brought up to lead a godly and a christian life ; remembering alway, that 
 Baptism doth represent unto us our profession ; which is, to follow the 
 example of our Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto him ; that, as he 
 died, and rose again for us, so should we, who are baptized, die from sin, and 
 rise again unto righteousness; continually mortifying all our evil and corrupt 
 affections, and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living. 
 
 5[ But if they which bring the Infant to th? Church do make such uncertain answers to the Priest's 
 questions, as that it cannot appear that the Child was baptized with Water, lu the Name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, (which are essential parts of Baptism,) then let 
 the Priest baptize it in the firm before appointed for Publink Baptism of Infants; saving that at 
 the dipping of the Child in the Font, he shall use this form of words. 
 
 F thou art not already baptized, N. I baptize thee In the Name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 I 
 
 NOTE ON PRIVATE BAPTISM OF INFANTS. 
 
 As baptism is the divinely-appointed means of admission into covenant with Christ, no Christian 
 parent will hazard his child's losing the benefit of such an ordinance. Our Church, therefore, with 
 a corresponding tenderness, gives great liberty, as to the administration of this sacrament. In 
 former times, a dangerous laxity prevailed ; persons who had no pretensions to the ministerial 
 office, and even midwives, being allowed to baptize. To prevent the continuance of such an 
 abuse, the Convocation which assembled in 1575 directed that none but " a lawful minister or 
 deacon, called to be present for that purpose," should administer the rite. Liberty, however, is 
 given by the Rubric to "any lawful minister that can be procured;" and thus there is little danger 
 that any infant can be left to die without baptism, except through the neglect of the parents. But the 
 child, having been baptized in private, is to be brought, as soon as may be, into the Church, there 
 to be acknowledged as a member of God's family, and to become responsible for the fulfilment of 
 its part in the heavenly covenant. 
 
 414 
 
THE MINISTRATION OF 
 
 BAPTISM TO SUCH AS ARE OF RIPER YEARS, 
 
 AND ABLE TO ANSWER FOR THEMSELVES. 
 
 ^ li'hen any such persons, as are of riper years, are to be baptized, timely nutice shall be given to the 
 Bisho/>, or u'hm/i he skull appoint for that purpose, a week before at the least, by the Parents, or 
 some other discreet persons; that so due cure may be taken for their Examina.ion. whether they 
 be sufficiently instructed in the Principles of the Christian Religion; and that they may be exhorted 
 to prepare themselves with Prayers and Fasting for the receiving of this holy Sncramenl. 
 
 •[f Jnd if they shall be found fit, then the Godfathers and Godmothers {the people being assembled upon 
 the Sunday or Holy-day appointed) shall be ready to present them at the Font immediately after 
 the second Lesson, either at Morning or Evening Prayer, as the Curate in his discretion shall 
 think ft. 
 
 ^ And standing there. Ihe Priest shall ask, vhelher any of the persons here presented be baptized, or 
 no: if they shall answer, No : then shall the Priest say thus, 
 
 DEARLY beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin, 
 (and that which is born of the flesh is flesh,) and they that are in the 
 flesh cannot please God, but live in sin, committing many actual trans- 
 gressions ; and that our Saviour Christ saith. None can enter into the king- 
 dom of God, except he be regenerate and born anew of Water and of the 
 holy Ghost ; I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, that of his bounteous goodness he will grant to these jjerscms 
 that which by nature they cannot have ; that they may be baptized with Water 
 and the holy Ghost, and received into Christ's holy Church, and be made 
 lively members of the same. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Pries' say. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 (•f[ Jnd here all the Congregation shall kneel.) 
 
 ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who of thy great mercy didst save 
 Noah and his family in the ark from perishing by water ; and also 
 didst safely lead the children of Israel thy people through the Red Sea, 
 figuring thereby thy holy Baptism ; and by the Baptism of thy well -beloved 
 Son Jesus Christ, in the River Jordan, didst sanctify the element of water 
 to the mystical washing away of sin ; We beseech thee, for thine infinite 
 mercies, that thou wilt mercifully look upon these thy servants ; wash them, 
 and sanctify them with the holy Ghost, that they, being delivered from thy 
 wrath, may be received into the ark of Christ's Church ; and being stedfast 
 in faith, joyful through hope, and rooted in charity, may so pass the waves of 
 this troublesome world, that finally they may come to the land of everlasting 
 life, there to reign with thee world without end ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 4 LMIGHTY and immortal God, the aid of all that need, the helper of 
 
 -^^ all that flee to thee for succour, the life of them that believe, and the 
 
 resurrection of the dead ; We call upon thee for these persons, that they, 
 
 coming to thy holy Baptism, may receive remission of their sins bv spiritual 
 
 415 
 
PUBLICK BAPTISM OF SUCH 
 
 regeneration. Receive them, O Lord, as thou hast promised by thy well- 
 beloved Son, saying, Ask, and ye shall receive ; seek, and ye shall find ; 
 knock, and it shall be opened unto you : So give now unto us that ask ; let 
 us that seek find ; open the gate unto us that knock ; that these persons may 
 enjoy the everlasting benediction of thy heavenly washing, and may come to 
 the eternal kingdom which thou hast promised by Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the people stand up, and the Priest shall say, 
 
 Hear the words of the Gospel, written by Saint John, in the third Chapter, 
 beginning at the first Verse. 
 
 THERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the 
 Jews. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, 
 we know that thou art a teacher come from God ; for no man can do these 
 miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said 
 unto him. Verily, verily I say unto thee. Except a man be born again, he 
 cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus salth unto him. How can a 
 man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his 
 mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered. Verily, verily I say unto 
 thee. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into 
 the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that 
 which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee. Ye 
 must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest 
 the sound thereof; but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it 
 goeth : so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 
 
 ^ After which he shall say this Exhortation following. 
 
 BELOVED, ye hear in this Gospel the express words of our Saviour 
 Christ, that except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot 
 enter into the kingdom of God. Whereby ye may perceive the great 
 necessity of this Sacrament, where it may be had. Likewise, immediately 
 before his ascension into heaven, (as we read in the last Chapter of Saint 
 Mark's Gospel,) he gave command to his disciples, saying. Go ye into all the 
 world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is 
 baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Which 
 also sheweth unto us the great benefit we reap thereby. For which cause 
 Saint Peter the Apostle, when upon his first preaching of the Gospel many 
 were pricked at the heart, and said to him and the rest of the Apostles, Men 
 and brethren, what shall we do ? replied and said unto them. Repent, and be 
 baptized every one of you for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the 
 gift of the Holy Ghost, For the promise is to you and your children, and 
 to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And 
 with many other words exhorted he them, saying, Save yourselves from this 
 untoward generation. For (as the same Apostle testifieth in another place) 
 even Baptism doth also now save us, (not the putting away of the filth of the 
 flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards (jiod,) by the resurrection 
 of Jesus Christ. Doubt ye not therefore, but earnestly believe, that he will 
 416 
 
AS ARE OF RIPER YEARS. 
 
 favourably receive these present jyersons, truly repenting, and coming unto 
 him by faith ; that he will grant them remission of their sins, and bestow upon 
 them the holy Ghost ; that he will give thera the blessing of eternal life, and 
 make them partalcers of his everlasting kingdom. 
 
 Wherefore we being thus persuaded of the good will of our heavenly 
 Father towards these persons, declared by his Son Jesus Christ ; let us faith- 
 fully and devoutly give thanks to him, and say, 
 
 ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, heavenly Father, we give thee 
 humble thanks, for that thou hast vouchsafed to call us to the 
 knowledge of thy grace, and faith in thee : Increase this knowledge, and 
 confirm tliis faith in us evermore. Give thy holy Spirit to these persons, that 
 they may be born again, and be made heirs of everlasting salvation ; through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy 
 Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then the Priest shall speak to the persons to be baptized on this wise : 
 
 WELL-beloved, who are come hither desiring to receive holy Baptism, 
 ye have heard how the congregation hath prayed, that our Lord 
 Jesus Christ would vouchsafe to receive you and bless you, to release you of 
 your sins, to give you the kingdom of heaven, and everlasting life. Ye have 
 heard also, that our Lord Jesus Christ hath promised in his holy Word to 
 grant all those things that we have prayed for ; which promise he, for his 
 part, will most surely keep and perform. 
 
 Wherefore, after this promise made by Christ, ye must also faithfully, for 
 your part, promise in the presence of these your Witnesses, and this whole 
 congregation, that ye will renounce the devil and all his works, and con- 
 stantly believe God's holy word, and obediently keep his commandments. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest demand of each of the persons to be baptized, severally, these Questions 
 
 following : 
 
 Question. 
 
 DOST thou renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and 
 glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the 
 carnal desires of the flesh, so that thou wilt not follow, nor be led by them? 
 Answer. I renounce them all. 
 
 Questimi. 
 
 DOST thou believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and 
 earth ? 
 And in .Tesus Christ his only-begotten Son our Lord ? And that he was 
 conceived by the Holy Ghost ; born of the Virgin Mary ; that he suffered 
 under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried ; that he went down into 
 hell, and also did rise again the third day ; that he ascended into heaven, and 
 sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty ; and from thence shall 
 come again at the end of the world, to judge the quick and the dead ? 
 
 And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost ; the holy Catholick Church ; 
 the Communion of Saints ; the Remission of sins ; the Resurrection of the 
 flesh ; and everlasting life after death ? 
 Anstver. All this I stedfastly believe. 
 
 417 3 II 
 
PUBLICK BAPTISM OF SUCH 
 
 Question. 
 I LT thou be baptized in this faith ? 
 Answer. That is my desire. 
 
 Quesfum. 
 ILT thou then obediently keep God's holy will and commandments, 
 and walk in the same all the days of thy life ? 
 Answer. I will endeavour so to do, God being my helper. 
 
 w 
 w 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest say, 
 
 MERCIFUL God, grant that the old Adam in these persons may be 
 so buried, that the new man may be raised up in them. Amen. 
 
 Grant that all carnal affections may die in them, and that all things be- 
 longing to the Spirit may live and grow in them. Amen. 
 
 Grant that they may have power and strength to have victory, and to 
 triumph, against the devil, the world, and the flesh. Amen. 
 
 Grant that they, being here dedicated to thee by our office and ministry, 
 may also be endued with heavenly virtues, and everlastingly rewarded, 
 through thy mercy, O blessed Lord God, who dost live, and govern all 
 things, world without end. Amen. 
 
 ALMIGHTY, everliving God, whose most dearly beloved Son Jesus 
 Christ, for the forgiveness of our sins, did shed out of his most 
 precious side both water and blood, and gave commandment to his disciples, 
 that they should go teach all nations, and baptize them In the Name of the 
 Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; Regard, we beseech thee, the suppli- 
 cations of this congregation; sanctify this Water to the mystical washing 
 away of sin; and grant that the persons now to be baptized therein may 
 receive the fulness of thy grace, and ever remain in the number of thy faithful 
 and elect children, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest take each Person to be. baptized by the right hand, and jilacing him conve- 
 niently by the Font, according to his discretion, shall ask the Godfathers and Godmothers the 
 Name ; and then shall dip him in the water, or pour water upon him, saying, 
 
 I baptize thee In the Name of the Father, and of the Son^ and of the 
 • Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest say, 
 
 E receive this person into the congregation of Christ's flock; *and do 
 sign him with the sign of the Cross, in token that 
 , „ , ^'^ ^ '■'*'* hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith 
 
 shall make a Cross tipon r~i • • i r i r i 
 
 the person's forehead. ^f Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his 
 
 banner, against sin, the world, and the devil ; and to 
 continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto his life's end. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest say, 
 
 SEEING now, dearly beloved brethren, that these persons are regenerate, 
 and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give thanks unto 
 Almighty God for these benefits, and with one accord make our prayers 
 unto him, that they may lead the rest of their life according to this 
 beginning. 
 
 418 
 
 N 
 W 
 
AS ARE OF RIPER YEARS. 
 
 ^ Then shall be said the Lord's Prayer, all kneeling. 
 
 OUR Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy Name. Thy king- 
 dom come. Thy will be done in earth. As it is in heaven. Give us 
 this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive them 
 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation ; But deliver us 
 from evil. Amen. 
 
 WE yield thee humble thanks, O heavenly Father, that thou hast vouch- 
 safed to call us to the knowledge of thy grace, and faith in thee ; 
 Increase this knowledge, and confirm this faith in us evermore. Give thy 
 holy Spirit to these j)ersons ; that, being now born again, and made heirs of 
 everlasting salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, they may continue thy 
 servants, and attain thy promises ; through the same Lord Jesus Christ thy 
 Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, 
 everlastingly. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then, all standing up, the Priest shall use this Exhortation following ; speaking to the Godfathers 
 
 and Godmother s first . 
 
 FORASMUCH as these jyersons have promised in your presence to re- 
 nounce the devil and all his works, to believe in God, and to serve 
 him ; ye must remember, that it is your part and duty to put them in mind, 
 what a solemn vow, promise, and profession they have now made before this 
 congregation, and especially before you their chosen witnesses. And ye are 
 also to call upon them to use all diligence to be rightly instructed in God's 
 holy Word ; that so they may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and live godly, righteously, and soberly in this present 
 world. 
 
 (^ And then, speaking to the new baptized persons, he shall proceed, and say.) 
 
 AND as for you, who have now by Baptism put on Christ, it is your part 
 and duty also, being made the children of God and of the light, by 
 faith in Jesus Christ, to walk answerably to your Christian calling, and as 
 becometh the children of light ; rernembering always that Baptism repre- 
 senteth unto us our profession ; which is, to follow the example of our 
 Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto him ; that as he died, and rose 
 again for us ; so should we, who are baptized, die from sin, and rise again 
 unto righteousness ; continually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections, 
 and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living. 
 
 ^ // is expedient that every person, thus baptized, should be confirmed by the Bi'hop so soon after his 
 Baptism as conveniently vtay be ; that so he may be admitted to the holy Communion. 
 
 ^ If any persons not baptized in their infancy shall be brought to be baptized before they come to 
 years of discretion to answer for themselves ; U may suffice to use the Office for Publick Baptism of 
 Infants, or (in case of extreme danger) the Office for Private Baptism ; only changing the word 
 [Infant] for [Child or Person] as occasion reqtiireth. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The Office for the Baptism of such as are of Riper Years did not exist in any of the early editions 
 of the Liturgy, and was only introduced when large numbers of persons who had been brought up 
 as Quakers or Anabaptists began to return into the bosom of the Church. This was chietiy the 
 case after the Restoration, and the Office was, therefore, added at the last review. The few points 
 in which it differs from the preceding services are merely such as difference of age renders 
 evidently necessary or expedient. 
 
 41'J 3 H 2 
 
A CATECHISM, 
 
 THAT IS TO SAV, 
 
 AN INSTRUCTION TO BE LEARNED OF EVERY PERSON, BEFORE HE BE 
 BROUGHT TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE BISHOP. 
 
 Question. 
 
 WHAT is your Name / 
 yinswcr. N. or M. 
 Question. Who gave you this Name? 
 
 Answer. My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Baptism; wherein I 
 was made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the 
 kingdom of heaven. 
 
 Question. What did your Godfathers and Godmothers then for you ? 
 Answer. They did promise and vow three things in my name. First, 
 that I shouhl renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanity of 
 this wicked world, and nil the sinful lusts of the flesh. Secondly, that I 
 4-20 
 
A CATECHISM. 
 
 should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith. And thirdly, that I 
 should keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all 
 the days of my life. 
 
 Question. Dost thou not think that thou art bound to believe, and to do, 
 as they have promised for thee ? 
 
 Answer. Yes verily; and by God's help so I will. And I heartily thank 
 our heavenly Father, that he hath called me to this state of salvation, through 
 Jesus Christ our Saviour. And I pray unto God to give me his grace, that 
 I may continue in the same unto ray life's end. 
 
 Catechist. 
 Rehearse the Articles of thy Belief. 
 
 Answer. 
 
 I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth : 
 And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived liy the 
 Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was 
 crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell ; The third day he rose 
 again from the dead. He ascended into heaven. And sittcth at the right hand 
 of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick 
 and the dead. 
 
 I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholick Church; The Com- 
 munion of Saints ; The Forgiveness of sins ; the Resurrection of the Body ; 
 And the Life everlasting. Amen. 
 
 Question. What dost thou chiefly learn in these Articles of thy Belief? 
 
 Answer. First, I learn to believe in God the Father, who hath made me, 
 and all the world. 
 
 Secondly, in God the Son, who hath redeemed me, and all mankind. 
 
 Thirdly, in God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me, and all the elect 
 people of God. 
 
 Question. 
 
 You said, that your Godfathers and Godmothers did promise for you, that 
 you should keep God's Commandments. Tell me how many there be ? 
 
 Answer. Ten. 
 
 Question. Which be they ? 
 
 Answer. 
 
 TH E same which God spake in the twentieth Chapter of Exodus, saying, 
 I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, 
 out of the house of bondage. 
 
 L Thou shalt have none other gods but me. 
 
 H. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the likeness 
 of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water 
 under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them : 
 for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, and visit the sins of the fathers 
 upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate 
 me, and shew mercy unto thousands in them that love nie, and keep my 
 commandments. 
 421 
 
A CATECHISM. 
 
 III. Thou shall not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain; for 
 the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain. 
 
 IV. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. Six days shaltthou 
 labour, and do all that thou hast to do ; but the seventh day is the Sabbath 
 of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt do no manner of work, thou, and thy 
 son, and thy daughter, thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, thy cattle, and 
 the stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven 
 and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day ; where- 
 fore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it. 
 
 V. Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the 
 land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 
 
 VI. Thou shalt do no murder. 
 
 VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
 
 VIII. Thou shalt not steal. 
 
 IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 
 
 X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy 
 neighbour's wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor 
 any thing that is his. 
 
 Question. 
 
 What dost thou chiefly learn by these Commandments ? 
 
 Answer. I learn two things : my duty towards God, and my duty towards 
 my Neighbour. 
 
 Question. What is thy duty towards God ? 
 
 Answer. My duty towards God, is to believe in him, to fear him, and to 
 love him with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my soul, and with all 
 my strength ; to worship him, to give him thanks, to put my whole trust in 
 him, to call upon him, to honour his holy Name and his Word, and to serve 
 him truly all the days of my life. 
 
 Question. What is thy duty towards thy Neighbour ? 
 
 Ansiver. My duty towards my Neighbour, is to love him as myself, and 
 to tlo to all men, as I would they should do unto me : To love, honour, and 
 succour my father and mother : To honour and obey the King, and all that 
 are put in authority under him : To submit myself to all my governours, 
 teachers, spiritual pastors and masters : To order myself lowly and reverently 
 to all my betters : To hurt no body by word nor deed : To be true and just 
 in all my dealing : To bear no malice nor hatred in my heart : To keep my 
 hands from picking and stealing, and my tongue from evil-speaking, lying, 
 and slandering : To keep my body in temperance, soberness, and chastity : 
 Not to covet nor desire other men's goods ; but to learn and labour truly to 
 get mine own living, and to do my duty in that state of life, unto which it 
 shall please God to call me. 
 
 Catcchist. 
 
 My good Child, know this, that thou art not able to do these things of 
 thyself, nor to walk in the Commandments of God, and to serve him, without 
 his special grace ; which thou must learn at all times to call for by diligent 
 prayer. Let me hear therefore, if thou canst sav the Lord's Prayer. 
 422 
 
A CATECHISM. 
 
 Answer. 
 
 OUR Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy Name. Thy king- 
 dom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. Give us 
 this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them 
 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation ; But deliver us 
 from evil. Amen. 
 
 Question. What desirest thou of God in this Prayer ? 
 
 Answer. I desire my Lord God our heavenly Father, who is the giver of 
 all goodness, to send his grace unto me, and to all people ; that we may 
 worship him, serve him, and obey him, as we ought to do. And I pray unto 
 God, that he will send us all things that be needful both for our souls and 
 bodies ; and that he will be merciful unto us, and forgive us our sins ; and 
 that it will please him to save and defend us in all dangers ghostly and 
 bodily ; and that he will keep us from all sin and wickedness, and from our 
 ghostly enemy, and from everlasting death. And this I trust he will do of 
 his mercy and goodness, through our Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore I 
 say. Amen, So be it. 
 
 Question. 
 
 HOW many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in his Church ? 
 Answer. Two only, as generally necessary to salvation, that is to say. 
 Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord. 
 
 Question. What meanest thou by this word Sacrament ? 
 
 Answer. I mean an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual 
 grace given unto us, ordained hj Christ himself, as a means whereby we 
 receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof. 
 
 Question. How many parts are there in a Sacrament ? 
 
 Answer. Two ; the outward visible sign, and the inward spiritual grace. 
 
 Question. What is the outward visible sign or form in Baptism ? 
 
 Answer. Water ; wherein the person is baptized In the Name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Question. What is the inward and spiritual grace ? 
 
 Answer. A death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness : for being 
 by nature born in sin, and the children of wrath, we are hereby made the 
 children of grace. 
 
 Question. What is required of persons to be baptized ? 
 
 Answer. Repentance, whereby they forsake sin ; and Faith, whereby they 
 stedfastly believe the promises of God made to them in that Sacrament. 
 
 Question. Why then are Infants baptized, when by reason of their tender 
 age they cannot perform them? 
 
 Answer. Because they promise them both by their Sureties ; which pro- 
 mise, when they come to age, themselves are bound to perform. 
 
 Question. Why was the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper ordained ? 
 
 Answer. For the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of 
 Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby. 
 
 Question. What is the outward part or sign of the Lord's Supper ? 
 423 
 
A CATECHISM. 
 
 Answer. Bread and Wine, which the Lord liath commanded to be re- 
 ceived. 
 
 Question. What is the inward part, or thing slfi^nified ? 
 
 Answer. The Body and Blood of Christ, which are verily and indeed 
 taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper. 
 
 Question. What are the benefits whereof we are partakers therel)y ? 
 
 Answer. The strengthening and refreshing of our souls by the Body and 
 Blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the Bread and Wine. 
 
 Question. What is required of them who come to the Lord's Supper ? 
 
 Answer. To examine themselves, whether they repent them truly of their 
 former sins, stedfastly purposing to lead a new life ; have a lively faith in 
 God's mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death; 
 and be in charity with all men. 
 
 •[[ T/ie Curate of every Parish shall dilifjenlly upon Sundays and Holy-days, after the second Lesson 
 at Evening Prayer, openly in the Church instruct and examine so many Children of his Parish 
 sent unto him, as he shall think convenient, in some part of this Catechism. 
 
 •[[ And all Fathers, Mothers, Masters, and Dames., shall cause their Children, Servants, and Appren- 
 tices, (u'hich have not learned their Catechism.) to come to the Church at the time appointed, and 
 obediently to hear, and be ordered by the Curate, until such lime as they have learned all that is 
 here appointed for them to learn. 
 
 ^ So soon as Children are come to a competent age, and can say. in their Mother Tongue, the Creed, 
 the Lord^s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments ; and also can answer to the other Questions of this 
 short Catechism ; they shall be brought to the Bishop, And every one shall have a Godfather, or a 
 Godmother, as a fVttness of their Confirmation. 
 
 % And whensoever the Bishop shall give knowledge for Children to be brought unto him for their 
 Confirmation, the Curate of every Parish shall either bring, or send tn writing, with his hand 
 subscribed thereunto, the names of all such persons within his Parish, as he shall think ft to be 
 prese?ited to the Bishop to be confirmed. And, if the Bishop approve of them, he shall confirm 
 them in manner following . 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The knowledge of religion is not to be acquired without an attention proportioned to the import- 
 ance of the subject. In all ages, therefore, it has been a prime duty with conscientious ministers 
 of the Gospel to excite the people to a careful study of the principles of their faith. The primitive 
 churches had a class of teachers employed entirely in imparting the elements of knowledge to the 
 ignorant or inexperienced. They obtained the name of Catechists ; and the candidates for baptism, 
 whom they chiefly instructed, were called Catechumens. The celebrated Origen was made a 
 catechist in the Church of Alexandria in the eighteenth year of his age, and consequently before 
 he could hold the sacred office of deacon, or priest ; but Chrysostom, it is said, was a catechist at 
 Antioch when he enjoyed the rank of Presbyter. In a comparison made by an ancient writer, in 
 which the Church is represented under the figure of a ship ; the bishop is compared to the pilot, 
 the Presbyters are spoken of as the mariners, the deacons as the chief rowers, and the catechists 
 as the persons employed in receiving passengers into the vessel. The catechumens, or candidates 
 for baptism, were admitted to the advantages of Christian instruction, with a solemnity which 
 proved to them the value of the privilege. Their probation continued in ordinary circumstances 
 for two years ; and as they were commonly persons of mature age, it is easy to perceive how 
 large a portion of religious knowledge they must have enjoyed before they were admitted into the 
 Church of Christ, or made partakers of its ordinances. The general profession of Christianit}', 
 and the consequent prevalence of infant baptism, led to the gradual discontinuance of this careful 
 and direct method of instruction ; but few circumstances have conduced more to the injury of 
 religious feeling than its having been taken for granted by the Church and its members, 
 that the system of strict catechizing might be safely dispensed with. Such a provision, 
 seemingly, was made by the founders of the Reformation for the general instruction of the people, 
 that if the Church of this and other countries liad continued to act according to their spirit, the 
 
 424 
 
NOTE ON CATECHISM. 
 
 people would not have been left so long in a state of dangerous ignorance. Our own Catechism is 
 among the shortest devised, but it abounds in the instruction most necessary to a person anxious 
 to know the principles of Scripture truth. It was not compiled merely for the use of children, nor 
 is it intended to supply the place of a more explanatory instruction, which it was expected every 
 minister would give his people, drawing his topics from the Catechism itself, and dilating on its 
 questions and answers till the whole of its several heads became familiar to his hearers. In the 
 primitive times the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer, were all that the 
 catechumens were obliged to commit to memoiy. These also formed the substance of our own 
 Catechism at the commencement of the Reformation. In the reign of James I. the part concerning 
 the Sacraments was added by Bishop Overal at the request of the king and the other prelates. 
 
 The Rubrics at the end of the Catechism teach both ministers and people their duty in respect 
 to the instruction of the ignorant. Different circumstances may necessarily occasion some variety 
 as to the times of public catechizing. But it is plain, not only from these Rubrics, but from the 
 59th Canon, that our Church requires its frequent repetition, and considers it as an essential part 
 of its institutions. Such vast benefits have been found to result from a diligent attention to this 
 mode of instruction, that every faithful and consistent Christian must earnestly desire to see the 
 time arrive when it shall again be practised with all the earnestness and wisdom which its import- 
 ance demands. No churchman ought to be ignorant that it is expressly enjoined in the Canon 
 mentioned above, that the clergyman of every parish " shall, for half an hour or more, examine 
 and instruct the youth and ignorant persons of his parish in the Ten Commandments, the Articles 
 of the Belief, and in the Lord's Prayer ; and shall diligently hear, instruct, and teach them the 
 Catechism set forth in the Book of Common Prayer." To this it is added, " And all fathers, 
 mothers, masters, and mistresses, shall cause their children, ser\'ants, and apprentices, which have 
 not learned the Catechism, to come to the Church at the time appointed, obediently to hear, and to 
 be ordered by the minister, until they have learned the same. And if any minister neglect his 
 duty herein, let him be sharply reproved upon the first complaint, and true notice thereof given to 
 the bishop, or ordinary of the place." Again, " And likewise if any of the said fathers, mothers, 
 masters, or mistresses, children, servants, or apprentices, shall neglect their duties, as the one sort 
 in not causing them to come, and the other in refusing to learn, as aforesaid ; let them be suspended 
 by their ordinaries, if they be not children, and if they so persist by the space of a month, then let 
 them be excommunicated." The practice of catechising in schools is highly to be applauded and 
 valued ; but a dangerous error is committed if it be supposed to lessen the necessity of catechising 
 in churches, whereby a greater degree of seriousness is secured, and the more advanced in age 
 are assisted in acquiring a knowledge of the Gospel and of their duty. 
 
 425 
 
 3i 
 
THE ORDER OF 
 
 CONFIRMATION, 
 
 OR LAYING ON OF HANDS UPON THOSE THAT ARE BAPTIZED AND COME 
 TO YEARS OF DISCRETION. 
 
 % Upon the ilay appointed, all that are to be then Confirmed, being placed, and standing in order, 
 before the Bishop ; he {or some other Minister appointed by him) shall read this Fre/ace following. 
 
 TO the end that Confirmation may be ministered to the more edifying of 
 such as shall receive it, the Church hath thoug:ht good to order. That 
 none hereafter shall be Confirmed but such as can say the Creed, the Lord's 
 Prayer, and the Ten Commandments ; and can also answer to such other 
 Questions, as in the short Catechism are contained : which order is very 
 convenient to be observed ; to the end, that children, Ijeing now come to the 
 years of discretion, and having learned what their Godfathers and God- 
 mothers promised for them in Baptism, they may themselves, with their own 
 426 
 
THE ORDER OF CONFIRMATION. 
 
 mouth and consent, openly before the Church, ratify and confirm the same ; 
 and also promise, that by the grace of God they will evermore endeavour 
 themselves faithfully to observe such things, as they, by their own confession, 
 have assented unto 
 
 ^ Then shall the Bishop say, 
 
 DO ye here, in the presence of God, and of this congregation, renew the 
 solemn promise and vow that was made in your name at your Baptism ; 
 ratifying and confirming the same in your own persons, and acknowledging 
 yourselves bound to believe, and to do, all those things, which your God- 
 fathers and Godmothers then undertook for you ? 
 
 ^ And every one shall audibly answer, 
 
 I do. 
 
 Tlie Bishop. 
 
 OUR help is in the name of the Lord ; 
 Answer. Who hath made heaven and earth. 
 Bishop. Blessed be the name of the Lord ; 
 Answer. Henceforth, world without end. 
 Bishop. Lord, hear our prayers. 
 Answer. And let our cry come unto thee. 
 
 The Bishop. Let us pray. 
 
 ALMIGHTY and everliving God, who hast vouchsafed to regenerate 
 these thy servants by Water and the holy Ghost, and hast given unto 
 them forgiveness of all their sins ; Strengthen them, we beseech thee, O 
 Lord, with the holy Ghost the Comforter, and daily increase in them thy 
 manifold gifts of grace ; the spirit of wisdom and understanding ; the spirit 
 of counsel and ghostly strength ; the spirit of knowledge and true godliness ; 
 and fill them, O Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear, now and for ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^ Then all of them in order kneeling before the Bishop, he shall lay his hand upon the head of every 
 
 one severally, saying, 
 
 DEFEND, O Lord, this thy Child [or this thy Servant^ with thy heavenly 
 grace, that he may continue thine for ever; and daily increase in thy 
 holy Spirit more and more, until he come unto thy everlasting kingdom. 
 Amen. 
 
 % Then shall the Bishop say, 
 
 The Lord be with you. 
 Answer. And with thy spirit. 
 
 ^ And (all kneeling down) the Biahop shall add. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 OL^R Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom 
 come. Thy will be done in earth. As it is in heaven. Give us this 
 day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses. As w-e forgive them 
 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us 
 from evil. Amen. 
 
 427 .5 I 2 
 
THE ORDER OF CONFIRMATION. 
 
 And this Collect. 
 
 ALINIIGHTY and everliving God, who makest us both to will and to do 
 those things that be good and acceptable unto thy divine Majesty ; We 
 make our humble supplications unto tlioe for these thy servants, upon whom 
 (after the example of thy holy Apostles) we have now laid our hands, to 
 certify them (by this sign) of thy favour and gracious goodness towards them. 
 Let thy fatherly hand, we beseech thee, ever be over them ; let thy Holy 
 Spirit ever be with them ; and so lead them in the knowledge and obedience 
 of thy Word, that in the end they may obtain everlasting life ; through our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, 
 ever one God, world without end. Amen. 
 
 ALMIGHTY Lord, and everlasting God, vouchsafe, we beseech thee, 
 to direct, sanctify, and govern, both our hearts and bodies, in the ways 
 of thy laws, and in the works of thy commandments ; that, through thy most 
 mighty protection both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and 
 soul ; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then the Bishop shall bless them, saying thus, 
 
 THE Blessing of God aA^lmighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
 Ghost, be upon you, and remain with you for ever. Amen 
 
 •[[ And there shall none be admitted to the holy Communion, until such time as he be conjirmed, or. be 
 ready and desirous to be corijirmed. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 Confirmation in the primitive Church was usually administered immediately after baptism, and 
 consisted in the bishop's giving his blessing to the newly-baptized persons, which was accom- 
 panied by a second anointing, by imposition of hands, and signing with the Cross. Even infants 
 were thus confirmed in ancient times, and the rite was evidently regarded in no other light than 
 as an appendage to baptism. It continued to be viewed in this manner for many hundred years, 
 audduiing this period — that is, till about the close of the eighth century, even the Communion was 
 administered to children of the tenderest age. As the circumstances of the Church have changed, 
 it has been thought expedient to regard this rite not simply as a confirmation of the blessing given at 
 baptism, but as a confirmation of faith to which the person receiving it becomes himself a party. 
 Hence it is properly deferred till he is of an age to understand the principles of his faith, and the 
 duties for which he becomes responsible by the profession of belief. 
 
 Imposition of hands is a part of the rite for which there is the plain authority of Apostolic 
 example. St. Paul speaks of the " laying on of hands" in immediate connexion with the doctrine 
 of baptism. (Heb. vi. 3.) When Peter and John had preached to the Samaritans, " they laid 
 their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."' (Acts viii. 14.) In the same manner 
 St. Paul laid his hands on the disciples at Ephesus ; and innumerable allusions to this rite, in 
 accounts of the early Church, plainly show that it continued to be regarded as a custom which 
 ought to be observed in conformity with these primitive sanctions. But however venerable it may 
 be as an Apostolic and significant form of blessing, it possesses not the characteristics which are 
 deemed necessary to constitute a Sacrament. Our Church, therefore, while it retains Confirmation 
 as a useful and important ceremony, numbers it not with the Sacraments ; and insists upon its 
 being received, not as resting on a direct command of Christ, but as an ordinance of the Church, 
 acting by the example of the Apostles, and of Apostolic men and churches in the purest times of 
 the Gospel. 
 
 The short address with which the service commences was not inserted till the last review in 1661. 
 Before that, there was a Rubric which spoke of Confirmation as a means of grace and strength to 
 
 428 
 
NOTE ON THE ORDER OF CONFIRMATION. 
 
 be bestowed on children when about to enter the world ; but not with any clearness of its nature 
 as an ordinance for the declaration of faith. The accompanying question was also introduced at 
 the last review, the original service having commenced with the succeeding ejaculations, taken from 
 the Psalms. (Psalms cxxiv. 8 ; cxiii. 2 ; cii. 1.) The prayer which follows is founded on Isaiah 
 xi. 2, and was used in the most ancient churches. To those who come rightly prepared for the 
 ordinance, it will afford inexpressible satisfaction, as will the blessing and the confirmatory sign of 
 their being admitted, in the assembly of the faithful, to all the enjoyments of Church Communion. 
 The imposition of hands was almost universally confined to bishops in the early churches. Some 
 cases appear to have occurred in which Presbyters performed the ceremony ; but it seems to have 
 been either under remarkable circumstances, or with certain limitations, that they were permitted 
 to exercise this highest of the functions of the Church. According to the first book of King 
 Edward, the imposition of hands "was to be accompanied with the sign of the Cross;" and the 
 words of the prayer were somewhat different, referring both to this practice and to that of anoint- 
 ing, which had only lately been discontinued. The salutation of " Peace be with you," in tlie 
 original service, followed the imposition of hands. This at the last review was changed into the 
 present form ; and at the same time the Lord's Prayer was introduced, which had not before a 
 place in the Office. The concluding Collect from the Communion Service was added at the 
 Restoration. 
 
 It is greatly to be hoped that this edifying and impressive ordinance may be regarded with 
 more seriousness than it seems to have been in our Chm-ch during late years. A much longer 
 preparation than is usually given is necessary to effect this important object — more reading, more 
 catechising, more thought, and more prayer. 
 
 429 
 
THE FORM OF 
 
 SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY. 
 
 
 ^ Firsl the Banns of all that are to be married together must be published in the Church three 
 several Sundays, during the time of Morriing Service, or of Evening Service, {if there be no 
 Morning Service,) immediately after the second Lesson ; the Curate saying after the accustomed 
 manner, 
 
 I PUBLISH the Banns of Marriage between M. of and A^. of . 
 If any of you know cause, or just impediment, why these two persons 
 should not be joined together in holy Matrimony, ye are to declare it. This 
 is the first [second, or third^ time of asking. 
 
 ^ Atid if the persons that are to be married dwell in divers Parishes, the Baniu must be asked in 
 both Parishes; and the Curate of the one Parish shall not solemnize Matrimony betwixt them, 
 without a Certificate of the Banns being thrice asked, from the Curate of the other Parish. 
 
 ^ At the day and time appointed for solemnization of Matrimony, the persons to be married s/utll 
 come into the body of the Church with their friends and neighbours : and there standing together, 
 the Man on the right hand, and the Woman on the left, the Priest shall say, 
 
 430 
 
SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY. 
 
 DEARLY beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, 
 and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this 
 Woman in holy Matrimony ; which is an honourable estate, instituted of 
 God in the time of man's innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union 
 that is betwixt Christ and his Church ; which holy estate Christ adorned 
 and beautified with his presence, and first miracle that he wrought, in Cana 
 of Galilee ; and is commended of Saint Paul to be honourable among all 
 men : and therefore is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand, un- 
 advisedly, lightly, or wantonly, to satisfy men's carnal lusts and appetites, 
 like brute beasts that have no understanding ; but reverently, discreetly, 
 advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God ; duly considering the causes for 
 which Matrimony was ordained. 
 
 First, It was ordained for the procreation of children, to be brought up in 
 the fear and nurture of the Lord, and to the praise of his holy Name. 
 
 Secondly, It was ordained for a remedy against sin, and to avoid forni- 
 cation ; that such persons as have not the gift of continency might marry, 
 and keep themselves undefiled members of Christ's body. 
 
 Thirdly, It was ordained for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that 
 the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity. Into 
 which holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. There- 
 fore if any man can shew any just cause, why they may not lawfully be 
 joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace. 
 
 5[ And also, speaking nnto the persons that shall be married, he shall say, 
 
 I REQUIRE and charge you both, as ye will answer at the dreadful day 
 of judgement when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, that if 
 either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined 
 together in Matrimony, ye do now confess it. For be ye well assured, that 
 so many as are coupled together otherwise than God's Word doth allow are 
 not joined together by God ; neither is their Matrimony lawful. 
 
 ^ At which day of Muri-iage. if any man do al ledge and declare any impediment, why they may not he 
 coupled together in Ulalrimony, by God's Law, or the Laws of /his Realm ; a/id ivill be bounds and 
 sufficient su>-eties with him, to the parties ; or else put in a Caution {to the fuH value of such 
 charges as the persons to be married do thereby sustai)i) to prove his allegation ; then the solemni- 
 zation must he deferr-ed, until suck time as the truth be tried. 
 
 ^ /fno impediment be ailedged, then shall the Curate say unto the Man, 
 
 M. ^TTILT thou have this Woman to thy wedded wife, to live together 
 T T after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt 
 thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health ; 
 and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall 
 live ? 
 
 ^ The Man shall answer, 
 
 I will. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest say unto the Woman, 
 
 N. AII^LT thou have this Man to thy wedded husband, to live together 
 ▼ ▼ after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt 
 thou obey him, and serve him, love, honour, and keep him in sickness and 
 '431 
 
SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY. 
 
 in health ; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye 
 both shall live ? 
 
 % The IVoman shall answer, 
 
 I will. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Minister saij. 
 
 Who giveth this Woman to be married to this Man ? 
 
 ^ Then shall they give their truth to each other m this manner. The Minister, receiving the IVoman 
 at her father^s or friend s hands, shall cause the Man with his right hand to take the JVoman by 
 her right hand, and to say after htm as fulloweth. 
 
 1M. take thee A^. to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day 
 forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in 
 health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy 
 ordinance ; and thereto I plight thee my troth. 
 
 ^ Then shall they loose their hands ; and the Woman, with her right hand taking the Man by his 
 right hand, shall likewise say after the Minister, 
 
 IN. take thee M. to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this 
 day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and 
 in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to 
 God's holy ordinance ; and thereto I give thee my troth. 
 
 ^ Then shall they again loose their hands ; and the Man shall give unto the IVoman a Ring, laying 
 the same upon the book with the accustomed duty to the Priest and Clerk. And the Priest, taking 
 the Ring, shal/ deliver it unto the Man, to put it upon the fourth finger of the M'oman's left hand. 
 And the Man holding the Ring there, and taught by the Priest, shall say, 
 
 WITH this Ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all 
 my worldly goods I thee endow : In the Name of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then the Man leaving the Ring upon the fourth finger of the Woman's left hand, they shall both 
 kneel down ; and the Minister shall say, 
 
 Let US pray. 
 
 ETERNAL God, Creator and Preserver of all mankmd. Giver of all 
 spiritual grace, the Author of everlasting life; Send thy blessing 
 upon these thy servants, this man and this woman, Avhom we bless in thy 
 Name; that, as Isaac and Rebecca lived faithfully together, so these persons 
 may surely perform and keep the vow and covenant betwixt them made, 
 (whereof this ring given and received is a token and pledge,) and may ever 
 remain in perfect love and peace together, and live according to thy laws ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 % Then shall the Priest join their right hands together, and say. 
 
 Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Minister speak unto the people. 
 
 FORASMUCH as M. and N. have consented together in holy wedlock, 
 and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto 
 have given and pledged their troth either to other, and have declared the same 
 43-2 
 
SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY. 
 
 by giving and receiving of a Ring, and by joining of hands, I pronounce that 
 they be Man and Wife together. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, 
 and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 ^ And the Minister shall add this Blessing. 
 
 /''^ OD the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless, preserve, and 
 vTT keep you ; the Lord mercifully with his favour look upon you ; and so 
 fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that ye may so live together 
 in this life, that in the world to come ye may have life everlasting. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then the Minister or Clerks, going to the Lord^s Table, shall say or sing this Psalm following . 
 
 Beati omnes. Psal. cxxviii. 
 
 BLESSED are all they that fear the Lord : and walk in his ways. 
 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands : O well is thee, and 
 happy shalt thou be. 
 
 Thy wife shall be as the fruitful vine : upon the walls of thine house ; 
 
 Thy children like the olive-branches : round about thy table. 
 
 Lo, thus shall the man be blessed : that feareth the Lord. 
 
 The Lord from out of Sion shall so bless thee : that thou shalt see Jerusa- 
 lem in prosperity all thy life long ; 
 
 Yea, that thou shalt see thy children's children : and peace upon Israel. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 •[[ Or this Psalm. 
 
 Deus miser eatur. Psal. Ixvii. 
 
 GOD be merciful unto us, and bless us : and shew us the light of his 
 countenance, and be merciful unto us. 
 
 That thy way may be known upon earth : thy saving health among all 
 nations. 
 
 Let the people praise thee, O God : yea, let all the people praise thee. 
 
 O let the nations rejoice and be glad : for thou shalt judge the folk righ- 
 teously, and govern the nations upon earth. 
 
 Let the people praise thee, O God : yea, let all the people praise thee. 
 
 Then shall the earth bring forth her increase : and God, even our own 
 God, shall give us his blessing. 
 
 God shall bless us : and all the ends of the world shall fear him. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen, 
 
 ^ The Psahi ended, and the Man and the IVoman kneeling before the Lord's Table, the Priest 
 standing al the Table, and turning his face towards them, shall sag, 
 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 Answer. Christ, have mercy upon us. 
 Minister. Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 433 3 K 
 
SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY. 
 
 OUR Father, which art in heaven, Halh)we(l be thy Name. Thy king- 
 dom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. Give us 
 this day our daily bread. And forg-ive us our trespasses. As we forgive them 
 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation ; But deliver us 
 from evil. Amen. 
 
 Minhter. O Lord, save thy servant, and thy handmaid ; 
 
 Answpr. Who put their trust in thee. 
 
 Minister. O Lord, send them help from thy holy place ; 
 
 Answer. And evermore defend them. 
 
 Minister. Be unto them a tower of strength. 
 
 Answer. From the face of their enemy. 
 
 Minister. O Lord, hear our prayer. 
 
 Answer. And let our cry come unto thee. 
 
 Minister. 
 
 OGOD of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, bless these thy ser- 
 vants, and sow the seed of eternal life in their hearts ; that whatsoever 
 in thy holy Word they shall profitably learn, they may in deed fulfil the 
 same. Look, O Lord, mercifully upon them from heaven, and bless them. 
 And as thou didst send thy blessing upon Abraham and Sarah, to their great 
 comfort, so vouchsafe to send thy blessing upon these thy servants ; that they 
 obeying thy will, and alway being in safety under thy protection, may abide 
 in thy love unto their lives' end ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ This Prayer next following shall he omitied, where the JVoman is past child-bearing. 
 
 MERCIFUL Lord, and heavenly Father, by whose gracious gift man- 
 kind is increased ; We beseech thee, assist with thy blessing these 
 two persons, that they may both be fruitful in procreation of children, and 
 also live together so long in godly love and honesty, that they may see their 
 children christianly and virtuously brought up, to thy praise and honour ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 OGOD, who by thy mighty power hast made all things of nothing; who 
 also (after other things set in order) didst appoint, that out of man 
 (created after thine own image and similitude) woman should take her be- 
 ginning ; and, knitting them together, didst teach that it should never be 
 lawful to put asunder those whom thou by Matrimony hadst made one : O 
 God, who hast consecrated the state of Matrimony to such an excellent 
 mystery, that in it is signified and represented the spiritual marriage and 
 unity betwixt Christ and his Church ; Look mercifully upon these thy 
 servants, that both this man may love his wife, according to thy Word, 
 (as Christ did love his spouse the Church, who gave himself for it, loving 
 and cherishing it even as his own flesh,) and also that this woman may be 
 loving and amiable, faithful and obedient to her husband ; and in all quiet •• 
 434 
 
SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY. 
 
 ness, sobriety, and peace, be a follower of holy and godly matrons. O Lord, 
 bless them both, and grant them to inherit thy everlasting kingdom ; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 5[ T/ien shall the Priest saij. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who at the beginning did create our first parents, 
 Adam and Eve, and did sanctify and join them together in marriage ; 
 Pour upon you the riches of his grace, sanctify and bless you, that ye may 
 please him both in body and soul, and live together in holy love unto your 
 lives' end. Amen. 
 
 ^ Jfttr which, if tht re be no Sermon declaring the duties of Man and If'ife, the Minister shall read 
 
 as followeth. 
 
 ALL ye that are married, or that intend to take the holy estate of Matri- 
 mony upon you, hear what the holy Scripture doth say as touching the 
 duty of husbands towards their wives, and wives towards their husbands. 
 
 Saint Paul, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, the fifth Cliapter, doth give 
 this commandment to all married men; Husbands, love your wives, even as 
 Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify 
 and cleanse it with the washing of water, by the Word ; that he might 
 present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any 
 such thing ; but that it should be holy, and without blemish. So ought 
 men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth 
 himself: for no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and 
 cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church : for we are members of his 
 body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his 
 father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife ; and they two shall be 
 one flesh. This is a great mystery ; but I speak concerning Christ and the 
 Church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife, 
 even as himself. 
 
 Likewise the same Saint Paul, writing to the Colossians, speaketh thus to 
 all men that are married ; Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter 
 against them. 
 
 Hear also what Saint Peter, the Apostle of Christ, who was himself a 
 married man, saith unto them that are married ; Ye husbands, dwell with 
 your wives according to knowledge; giving honour unto the wile, as unto 
 the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your 
 prayers be not hindered. 
 
 Hitherto ye have heard the duty of the husband toward the wife. Now 
 likewise, ye wives, hear and learn your duties toward your husbands, even as 
 it is plainly set forth in holy Scripture. 
 
 Saint Paul, in the aforenamed Epistle to the Ephesians, teacheth you 
 
 thus ; Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 
 
 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the 
 
 Church : and he is the Saviour of the body. Therefore as the Church is 
 
 43.5 .3 K 2 
 
SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY. 
 
 subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 
 And again he saith, Let the wife see that she reverence her husband. 
 
 And in his Epistle to the Colossians, Saint Paul giveth you this short 
 lesson ; Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the 
 Lord. 
 
 Saint Peter also doth instruct you very well, thus saying ; Ye wives, be in 
 subjection to your own husbands ; that, if any obey not the Word, they also 
 may without the Word be won by the conversation of the wives ; while they 
 behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning, let it 
 not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or 
 of putting on of apparel ; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that 
 which is not corruptible ; even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, 
 which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the 
 old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being 
 in subjection unto their own husbands ; even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, 
 calling him lord ; whose daughters ye are as long as ye do well, and are not 
 afraid with any amazement. 
 
 ^ // IS convenif)7t that the new-mm-ried pprsons sho>ild receive the holy Communion at the time of 
 their Marriage, or at the Jir-il opportunity after their Marringe. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 As the Gospel itself has respect to all the relations of life, so the Church, by which it is preached 
 to the world, and which ought to watch over its members with parental care, has authority to 
 confirm with Divine sanctions the unions which nature and reason have previously justified. In 
 all ages of the world, and in coiaitries where scarcely any other restraint upon the lowest passions 
 of men exist, religion has been appealed to as necessary to the confirmation of conjugal vows. 
 But under every system established by the law of God, this has been a subject of particular atten- 
 tion ; and the Gospel, as the most directly intended to secure the interests of holiness and the 
 happiness of mankind, has led to a proportionable degree of care in this matter, so important to 
 the welfare of our race. The early Christians made it a law, that when parties had proposed 
 to become imited in marriage, they should acquaint the ministers of the Church with their design. 
 Thus Ignatius says, "that it becomes those who marry, and those who are given in marriage, to 
 enter upon this state with the consent of the bishop, that the marriage may be according to God, 
 and not according to unholiness." And, " How can I describe," says Tertullian, " the happiness 
 of that marriage which the Church allows and the oblation confirms ? Which angels proclaim as 
 signed and the Father as ratified ?" This intimation, which the early Church required respecting 
 intended marriages, answers to the notice, and the publication of banns, at present demanded in 
 our own : both being alike justified by prudence and religion. The whole of the service is now 
 performed at the altar ; but formerly the joining of hands, and the chief part of the ceremony, took 
 place at the entrance of the church. 
 
 The exhortations respecting the due consideration of the objects for which marriage was ordained, 
 and the danger of entering upon it while there is some known impediment to its just celebration, form 
 a becoming introduction to the ceremony; and, together with the questions and answers following, 
 occupy the place of the ancient service of espousals. This in former times was performed some 
 weeks or months, and sometimes two years, before the marriage. Tlie ceremonies observed were 
 similar to those which now enter into our complete service, and the breach of the engagement was 
 visited with heavy censures and penalties. But the experience of antiquity was not sufficiently in 
 favour of this custom to preserve it long in the Christian Church. Tiie two services, therefore, 
 became blended into one; and it is a melancholy trifling with happiness and religion, when the 
 
 436 
 
NOTE ON SOLEMNIZATION OF MATRIMONY. 
 
 serious nature of the admonitions, and of the inquiry which precede the actual marriage, is not 
 duly weighed. Peace of heart — all the prospects of the present life, and, perhaps, those of eternity, 
 may be depending on the religious feeling with which the promises here set down are made. The 
 Church is in this instance the especial guardian of both private and public happiness — of the 
 rights of both sexes — of the affections of the heart — and of the noblest ends of existence. 
 
 " ^ Then shall the Minister say, Who giveth," 8f-c. 
 
 It is here, strictly speaking, that the rite of marriage commences ; and it has been the general 
 custom of all ages for the woman to be given away by her father, or some one representing 
 him. According to the spiritual nature of the service, the woman is received by the minister of 
 the Church, and by him bestowed on the man, who in accepting her declares both his inalienable 
 right to her as a possession, and the fluty which that claim involves. The man in like manner 
 resigns himself to the Church, and is then given to the woman, who also receives him as her own, 
 and professes her knowledge of the principles on which she is " to have and to hold him."' 
 
 The giving of a ring at marriage prevailed among the ancient heathens, as well as Jews and 
 Christians. It is supposed to have originally signified the dowry which the husband had engaged 
 to pay, and, as rings had usually a seal upon them, it is also supposed to have indicated the admis- 
 sion of the wife to a full participation of the husband's rights and property. Several allegorical 
 meanings have been subsequently added, but these appear to have been the first intentions of the 
 use of the ring in marriage. The fourth finger is named in the Rubric, because it was formerly 
 supposed that a vein ran from that finger to the heart, a notion now sufficiently exploded, but not 
 without a moral which it would be always well to retain. By the words with which the giving of 
 the ring is accompanied, the man enters into a most solemn covenant. " With my body I thee 
 worship," that is, honour, for which word the former, considered ambiguous even at that time, was 
 to have been changed at the Restoration. " And with all my worldly goods I thee endow." In 
 former times, the husband at these words presented the wife with gold and silver, but the giving 
 of the ring may be considered as sufficiently significant of the investing of her with a claim on his 
 property. The whole of this solemn contract is sealed by an appeal to the adorable and Almighty 
 Trinitj', by a devout prayer for the heavenly blessing, and a solemn proclamation to the Church, 
 and to the world at large, that the union is completed. 
 
 Custom has led to an abridgment of the service equally injudicious and unjustifiable. Till late 
 times, the newly-married persons received the Communion before the close of the service, but now 
 the sei-vice itself is scarcely allowed to be finished. It ought to be deeply impressed on the minds 
 of parties about to enter into an engagement which God's blessing alone can render permanently 
 prosperous, that the more earnestly they seek His favour, the better they secure their happiness 
 both in this world and the next. 
 
 437 
 
THE ORDER FOR 
 
 THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. 
 
 
 % fl hen a/iy person is sick, notice shii// be give.t fhere-i/ to the Miiiister of the I'ansh; vjho, coming 
 into the sick person's house, shall say, 
 
 Jl EACE be to this bouse, and to all that dwell in it. 
 
 ^ IVhen he Cometh into the sick vian's presence he shall say, kneeling down, 
 
 "O EM EMBER not, Lord, our iniquities, nor the iniquities of our fore- 
 -^*^ fatbers : Spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou bast 
 redeemed with thy most precious blood, and be not angry with us for ever. 
 Answer. Spare us, good Lord. 
 
 •] Then the Alinister shall say, 
 
 Let us pray. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Christ, have mercy upon vs. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 438 
 
THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. 
 
 OUR Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy Name. Thy king- 
 dom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. Give us 
 this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them 
 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us 
 from e\i\. Amen. 
 
 Minister. O Lord, save thy servant ; 
 
 Answer. Which putteth hia trust in thee. 
 
 Minister. Send him help from thy holy place ; 
 
 Answer. And evermore mightily defend hivti. 
 
 Minister. Let the enemy have no advantage of him 
 
 Answer. Nor the wicked approach to hurt him. 
 
 Minister. Be unto him, O Lord, a strong tower. 
 
 Answer. From the face of his enemy. 
 
 Minister. O Lord, hear our prayers. 
 
 Answer. And let our cry come unto thee. 
 
 Minister. 
 
 OLORD, look do^\^l from heaven, behold, visit, and relieve this thy 
 servant. Look upon him with the eyes of thy mercy, give him comfort 
 and sure confidence in thee, defend him from the danger of the enemy, and 
 keep him in perpetual peace and safety; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 HEAR us. Almighty and most merciful God and Saviour ; extend thy 
 accustomed goodness to this thy servant who is grieved with sickness. 
 Sanctify, we beseech thee, this thy fatherly correction to him ; that the sense 
 of his weakness may add strength to his faith, and seriousness to his repent- 
 ance : That, if it shall be thy good pleasure to restore him to his former 
 health, he may lead the residue of his life in thy fear, and to thy glory : or 
 else, give him grace so to take thy visitation, that, after this painful life ended, 
 he may dwell with thee in life everlasting ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Minister exhort the sick person after this form, or oth>-r like. 
 
 DEARLY beloved, know this, that Almighty God is the Lord of life and 
 death, and of all things to them pertaining, as youth, strength, health, 
 age, weakness, and sickness. Wherefore, whatsoever your sickness is, know 
 you certainly, that it is God's visitation. And for what cause soever this 
 sickness is sent unto you ; whether it be to try your patience for the example 
 of others, and that vour faith may be found in the day of the Lord laudable, 
 glorious, and honourable, to the increase of glory and endless felicity; or 
 else it be sent unto you to correct and amend in you whatsoever doth offend 
 the eyes of your heavenly Father ; know you certainly, that if you truly 
 repent you of your sins, and bear your sickness patiently, trusting in God s 
 mercy, for his dear Son .lesus Christ's sake, and render unto him humble 
 thanks for his fatherly visitation, submitting yourself wholly unto his will, it 
 shall turn to your profit, and help you forward in the right way that leadeth 
 unto everlasting life. 
 439 
 
THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. 
 
 ^1 If the person visited be very stck, then the Curate may end his exhortation in this plane, or e/se 
 
 proceed, 
 
 TAKE therefore in good part the chastisement of the Lord : For (as Saint 
 Paul saith in the twelfth Chapter to the Hebrews) whom the Lord 
 loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye 
 endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons ; for what son is he 
 whom tlie Father chasteneth not ? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof 
 all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we have 
 had fathers of our flesh, which corrected us, and we gave them reverence : 
 shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live ? 
 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure ; but he 
 for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. These words, good 
 brother, are written in holy Scripture for our comfort and instruction ; that 
 we should patiently, and with thanksgiving, bear our heavenly Father's 
 correction, whensoever by any manner of adversity it shall please his gracious 
 goodness to visit us. And there should be no greater comfort to Christian 
 persons, than to be made like unto Christ, by suffering patiently adversities, 
 troubles, and sicknesses. For he himself went not up to joy, but first he 
 suffered pain ; he entered not into his glory before he was crucified. So 
 truly our way to eternal joy is to suffer here with Christ; and our door to 
 enter into eternal life is gladly to die with Christ; that we may rise again 
 from death, and dwell with him in everlasting life. Now therefore, taking 
 your sickness, which is thus profitable for you, patiently, I exhort you in the 
 Name of God, to remember the profession which you made unto God in 
 your Baptism. And forasmuch as after this life there is an account to be 
 given unto the righteous Judge, by whom all must be judged, without respect 
 of persons, I require you to examine yourself and your estate, both toward 
 God and man ; so that accusing and condemning yourself for your own faults, 
 you may find mercy at our heavenly Father's hand for Christ's sake, and not 
 be accused and condemned in that fearful judgement. Therefore 1 shall 
 rehearse to you the Articles of our Faith, that you may know whether you 
 do believe as a Christian man should, or no. 
 
 •[j Here the Minister shall rehearse the Articles of the Faith, saying thus, 
 
 DOST thou believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven 
 and earth ? 
 
 And in Jesus Christ his only-begotten Son our Lord? And that he was 
 conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary ; that he suffered 
 under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried ; that he went down 
 into hell, and also did rise again the third day ; that he ascended into heaven, 
 and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty ; and from thence 
 shall come again at the end of the world, to judge the quick and the dead ? 
 
 And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholick Church ; 
 the Communion of Saints ; the Remission of sins ; the Resurrection of the 
 flesh ; and everlasting life after death ? 
 
 ^ The sick person shall answer. 
 
 All this I stedfastly believe. 
 440 
 
THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. 
 
 ^ Theii shall the Minister examine whether he repent him truly of his sins, and be in charity with 
 all the world; exhorting him to foryive, from the bultum of his heart, all persons that have 
 ojf'etided him ; and if he hath qffendfd any other, to ask them forgiveness ; and where he hath done 
 injury or wrong to any man, that he make amends to the uttermost of his power. And if he hath 
 not before disposed of his goods, let him then be admonished to make his fi'ill, and to declare his 
 Debts, what he oweth. and what is owing unto him ; for the better discharging of his conscience, 
 and the quietness of his Executors. But 77ien should often be put in remembrance to take order 
 for the settling of their temporal estates, whilst they are in health. 
 
 ^ These words before rehearsed may be said before the Minister begin his Prayer, as he shall see 
 cause. 
 
 ^ The Minister should not omit earnestly to move such sick persons as are of ability to be liberal to 
 the poor. 
 
 ^ Here shall the sick person be moved to make a special Confession of his sins, if he feel his con- 
 science troubled with any weighty matter. After which Confession, the Priest shall absolve him 
 {if he humbly and heartily desire it) after this sort. 
 
 OUR Lord Jesus Christ, who hath left power to his Church to absolve all 
 sinners who truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgive 
 thee thine offences : And by his authority committed to me, I absolve thee 
 from all thy sins. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 ^ And then the Priest shall say the Collect following. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 OMOST merciful God, who, according to the multitude of thy mercies, 
 dost so put away the sins of those who truly repent, that thou remera- 
 berest them no more ; Open thine eye of mercy upon this thy servant, who 
 most earnestly desireth pardon and forgiveness. Renew in him, most loving 
 Father, whatsoever hath been decayed by the fraud and malice of the devil, 
 or by his own carnal will and frailness ; preserve and continue this sick 
 member in the unity of the Church ; consider his contrition, accept his tears, 
 asswage his pain, as shall seem to thee most expedient for him. And foras- 
 much as he putteth his full trust only in thy mercy, impute not unto him his 
 former sins, but strengthen him with thy blessed Spirit ; and when thou art 
 pleased to take him hence, take him unto thy favour, through the merits of 
 thy most dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 •[[ TTien shall the Minister say this Psalm. 
 
 In te, Domine, speravi. Psal. Ixxi. 
 
 IN thee, O Lord, have I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion : 
 but rid me, and deliver me in thy righteousness ; incline thine ear unto 
 me, and save me. 
 
 Be thou my strong hold, whereunto I may alway resort : thou hast promised 
 to help me ; for thou art my house of defence, and my castle. 
 
 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the ungodly : out of the hand 
 of the unrighteous and cruel man. 
 
 For thou, O Lord God, art the thing that I long for : thou art my hope, 
 even from my youth. 
 
 Through thee have I been holden up ever since I was born : thou art he 
 that took me out of my mother's womb ; my praise shall alway be of thee. 
 
 I am become as it were a monster unto many : but my sure trust is in 
 thee. 
 
 441 3l 
 
THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. 
 
 let my mouth bo filled with thy praise : that I may sina^ of thy glory 
 and honour all the day long. 
 
 Cast me not away in the time of age : forsake me not when my strength 
 faileth me. 
 
 For mine enemies speak against me, and they that lay wait for my soul 
 take their counsel together, saying : God hath forsaken him, persecute him, 
 and take him ; for there is n<me to deliver him. 
 
 Go not far from me, O God : my God, haste thee to help me. 
 
 Let them be confounded and perish that are against my soul : let them be 
 covered with shame and dislumour that seek to do me evil. 
 
 As for me, I will patiently abide alway : and will praise thee more and 
 more. 
 
 My mouth shall daily speak of thy righteousness and salvation : for I 
 know no end thereof. 
 
 1 will go forth in the strength of the Lord God : and will make mention 
 of thy righteousness (mly. 
 
 Thou, O God, hast taught me from my youth up imtil now : therefore will 
 I tell of thy wondrous works. 
 
 Forsake me not, O God, in mine old age, when I am gray-headed : until 
 I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to all them 
 that are yet for to come. 
 
 Thy righteousness, O God, is very high, and great things are they that 
 thou hast done : O God, who is like unto thee .'' 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^ Addmg this. 
 
 SAVIOUR of the world, who by thy Cross and precious Blood hast 
 redeemed us. Save us, and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord. 
 
 ^ The7i shall the Minister say., 
 
 THE Almighty Lord, who is a most strong tower to all them that put 
 their trust in him, to whom all things in heaven, in earth, and under 
 the earth, do bow and obey, be now and evermore thy defence ; and make 
 thee know and feel, that there is none other name under heaven given to 
 man, in whom, and through whom, thou mayest receive health and salvation, 
 but only the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 ^ A7id after that shall say, 
 
 UNTO God's gracious mercy and protection we commit thee. The 
 Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine 
 upon thee, and be gracious unto thoe. The Lord lift up his countenance 
 upon thee, and give thee peace, both now and evermore. Amen. 
 
 A Prayer for a sick child. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, and merciful Father, to wh(mi alone belong the 
 issues of life and death ; Look down from heaven, we humbly beseech 
 thee, with the eyes of mercy upon this cliild now lying upon the bed ot 
 442 
 
THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. 
 
 sickness : \lsit him, O Lord, with thy salvation ; deliver him in thy good 
 appointed time from his bodily pain, and save his soul for thy mercies' sake : 
 That, if it shall be thy pleasure to prolong his days here on earth, he may 
 live to thee, and be an instrument of thy glory, by serving thee faithfully, 
 and doing good in his generation ; or else receive him into those heavenly 
 habitations, where the souls of them that sleep in the Lord Jesus enjoy per- 
 petual rest and felicity. Grant this, O Lord, for thy mercies' sake, in the 
 same thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and 
 the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 
 
 A Prayer for a sick persmi, u-hen there ajypeareth small hoj)e ofrecav>ery. 
 
 FATHER of mercies, and God of all comfort, our only help in time 
 of need ; We fly unto thee for succour in behalf of this thy servant, 
 here lying under thy hand in great weakness of body. Look graciously upon 
 him, O Lord ; and the more the outward man decay eth, strengthen him, we 
 beseech thee, so much the more continually with thy grace and holy Spirit 
 in the inner man. Give him unfeigned repentance for all the errors of his 
 life past, and stedfast faith in thy Son Jesus ; that his sins may be done away 
 by thy mercy, and his pardon sealed in heaven, before he go hence, and lie 
 no more seen. We know, O Lord, that there is no word impossible with 
 thee , and that, if thou wilt, thou canst even yet raise him up, and grant him 
 a longer continuance amongst us : Yet, forasmuch as in all appearance the 
 time of his dissolution draweth near, so fit and prepare him, we beseech thee, 
 against the hour of death, that after his departure hence in peace, and in thy 
 favour, his soul may be received into thine everlasting kingdom, through the 
 merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thine only Son, our Lord and Saviour. 
 Amen. 
 
 A commendatory Prayer for a sick person at the point of departure. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the spirits of just men made 
 perfect, after they are delivered from their earthly prisons ; We 
 humbly commend the soul of this thy servant, our dear brother, into thy 
 hands, as into the hands of a faithful Creator, and most merciful Savnour ; 
 most humbly beseeching thee, that it may be precious in thy sight. Wash 
 it, we pray thee, in the blood of that immaculate Lamb, that was slain to 
 take away the sins of the world ; that whatsoever defilements it may have 
 contracted in the midst of this miserable and naughty world, through the 
 lusts of the flesh, or the wiles of Satan, being purged and done away, it may- 
 be presented pure and without spot before thee. And teach us who survive, 
 in this and other like daily spectacles of mortality, to see how frail and un- 
 certain our own condition is ; and so to number our days, that we may 
 seriously apply our hearts to that holy and heavenly wisdom, whilst we live 
 here, which may in the end bring us to life everlasting, through the merits 
 of Jesus Christ thine only Son our Lord. Amen. 
 
 443 3 L 2 
 
THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. 
 
 A Prayer for persoas truuhled in mind or in conscience. 
 
 BLESSED Lord, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comforts; 
 We beseech thee, look down in pity and compassion upon this thy 
 afflicted servant. Thou writest Litter tliinji^s against him. and makest him to 
 possess his former iniquities ; thy wrath lieth hard upon him, and his soul is 
 full of trouble : But, O merciful God, who hast written thy holy Word for 
 our learnincr, that we, through patience and comfort of thy holy Scriptures, 
 might have hope ; give him a right understanding of himself, and of thy 
 threats and promises ; that he may neither cast away his confidence in thee, 
 nor place it any where but in thee. Give him strength against all his temp- 
 tations, and heal all }iis distempers. Break not the bruised reed, nor quench 
 the smoking flax. Shut not up thy tender mercies in displeasure ; but make 
 him to hear of joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may 
 rejoice. Deliver him from fear of the enemy, and lift up the light of thy 
 countenance upon him, and give him peace, through the merits and mediation 
 of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 THE COMMUNION OF THE SICK. 
 
 *|| Forasmuch as all mortal men he subject to many sudden perils, diseases, and sicknesses, and ever 
 uncertain what time they shall depart out of this life ; therefore, to the intent they may be always 
 in a readiness to die, whensoever it shall please Almijhiy God to call them, the Curates shall 
 diligently from time to time (but especially in the time of pestilence, or other infectious sic/tness) 
 eahort their Parishioners to the often receiving of the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of 
 o'lr Saviour Christ, when it shall be piiblick/y administered in the Church ; that so doing, they may, 
 in case of sudden visitation, have the less cause to be disquieted for lack of the same. But if the 
 sick person be ?iot able to come to the Church, and yet is desirous to receive the Communion in his 
 house ; then he must give timely iiotice to the Curate, signifying also how many there are to com- 
 municate with him, {which shall be three, or two at the least.) and having a C07ivenient place in the 
 sick minis house, with all thini/s necessary so prepared, thai the Curate may reverenili/ minister, 
 he shall there celebrate the holy Communion, beginning with the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, here 
 folloiving. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY, everliving God, Maker of mankind, who dost correct those 
 whom thou dost love, and chastise every one whom thou dost receive ; 
 We beseech thee to have mercy upon this thy servant visited with thine hand, 
 and to grant that he may take his sickness patiently, and recover his bodily 
 health, (if it be thy gracious will;) and whensoever his soul shall depart 
 from the body, it may be without spot presented unto thee ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Epistle. Heb. xii. 5. 
 
 MY son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou 
 art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth ; and 
 scourgeth every son whom he receive th. 
 
 The Gospel. St. John v. 24. 
 
 VERILY, verily I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth 
 on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into 
 condemnation ; but is passed from death unto life. 
 444 
 
THE COMMUNION OF THE SICK. 
 
 ^ After which the Priest shall proceed according to the form before prescribed for the holy Com- 
 munion, beginning at these words [Ye that do truly, Sfc.'\ 
 
 •[[ At the time of the distribution of the holy Sacrament , the Priest shall frst receive the Communion 
 himself and after minister unto them that are appointed iu communicate with the sick, and last of 
 all to the sick person. 
 
 ^ But if a man, either by reason of extremity of sickness, or for want of learning in due time to the 
 Curate, or for lack of company to receive with him, or by any other just imprdiment, do not 
 receive the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood, the Curate shall instruct him, that if he do truly 
 repent him of his sins, and stedfastly believe that Jesus Christ hath suffered death upon the Cross 
 for him. and shed his Bluodfor his redemption, earnestly remembering the benrfits he hath thereby, 
 and giving him hearty thanks therefore, he doth eat atid drink the Body and Blood of our Saviour 
 Christ profitably to his SouPs health, although he do not receive the Sacrament with his moulh, 
 
 ^ IVhen the sick person is visited, and receiveth the holy Commitnion all at one time, then the Priest, 
 for more expedition, shall cut off the form of the Visitation at the Psalm [In thee, O Lord, have I 
 put my trust, (^c] and go straight to the Communion. 
 
 ^ In the time of the Plague. Sweat, or suck other like contagious times of sickness or diseases, when 
 none of the Parish or neighbours can be gotten to communicate with the sick in their houses, for 
 fear of the infection, upon special request of the diseased, the Minister may only communicate with 
 him. 
 
 NOTE ON THE ORDER FOR THE VISITATION OF THE SICK AND THE 
 COMMUNION OF THE SICK. 
 
 If religion be professed with any degree of earnestness, its supports and consolations will naturally 
 be sought for in seasons of calamity. The love of God is a fountain of health — His name is a 
 strong tower ; and when the heart is fainting under the weight of bodily afflictions, to what source 
 of comfort can it turn, with so confident an expectation of relief, as to the mercy of the Almighty 
 Father ! There are, moreover, the positive invitations of Jesus Christ. Himself a man of sorrows, 
 and acquainted with grief, He says, " Come unto me all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and 
 I will refresh you." The appellation of the Holy Spirit as the Comforter has a signification of 
 wide extent, and the balm of His grace is sufficient to give ease, whatever be the nature of the 
 sorrows under which we grieve. 
 
 It is the direction of St. James that if any be sick he should call for the elders of the Church. 
 In all ages it has been regarded by thoughtful persons as no less a privilege than a duty to obey 
 this injunction. The visitation of the sick, thereibre, is an important part of ministerial engage- 
 ments, and the present office was provided by the compilers of the Liturgy as an aid to the per- 
 formance of this important duty. Though considered by many as defective, it is not wanting in 
 the chief characters which should distinguish such a service. Our reformers, however, wisely 
 judging that particular cases might occur in which the minister had better be left to his own dis- 
 cretion, gave liberty to those who are licensed preachers to follow such a method as they may deem 
 best suited to the condition of the person visited. 
 
 In the first edition of the Liturgy the 143rd Psalm was inserted before the supplications, but 
 was left out in the next. The prayers and exhortations breathe a most devout and affectionate 
 spirit, and the rehearsal of the Apostles' Creed, that pure summary of evangelical truth, fixes the 
 mind on the firm foundations of heavenly knowledge. " Without faith it is impossible to please 
 God ;" " By grace are ye saved through faith ;" and, " Being justified by faith, we have peace 
 with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." If the sick person, therefore, can with earnestness 
 and sincerity declare his faith in the Gospel, the way is open to the throne of grace, and all the 
 blessings which attend Divine peace. 
 
 The declaration of faith is followed by an inquirj' highly necessary in most instances to the 
 comfort of the sick mans mind, and to the efficacy of his prayers, but the manner of conducting 
 which must depend greatly upon the circumstances, character, and disposition of the individual. 
 It is to consist, however, of particulars to which every man, whatever be his condition, is bound to 
 give heed, if he would make due preparation for appearing at the throne of Christ. A particular 
 confession of sins is often of great use, and, if the heart, after it has thus disburthened itself, seeks 
 fur further consolation, the minister is authorized to pronounce its absolution, and to declare it free 
 from the penalties of its transgressions. As the form here inserted is expressed in strong and 
 direct language, it is a question whether anything more be meant than an absolution from those 
 offences which the church has power to punish, and the penalties of which, therefore, it may 
 remit. That it ought to be viewed in this manner seems indicated by the prayer which follows, 
 
 445 
 
NOTE ON THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. 
 
 in wliicli tlie jienitent still entreats God to jiaidoii liim, us one who can only be actually absolved 
 from his iniquities by the Majesty of Heaven. The expression, however, •' I absolve thee from 
 all thy sins," is so comprehensive that it can scarcely be reconciled with this interpretation. 
 The subject is, therelbre, one of doubt and difficulty, but the interpretation must, at all events, 
 be that given to the words in which our Lord told His disciples that, what they should bind or 
 unloose on earth, should be bound or unloosed in heaven. (Matth. xvi. 19.) 
 
 This form of absolution was originally directed to be used in all private confessions, but in the 
 review of the first edition of the Liturgy the order was moditied, and a sentence was inserted in 
 the Rubric, intimating that the absolution was only to be pronounced when the sick person 
 '•humbly and heartily desired it." The 71st Psalm is found in offices for the \^isitation of the 
 Sick wherever used. In the first edition of the Liturgy the Rubric directed that the sick person 
 might he anointed with oil if he desired. As this was an observance which, though ancient, had 
 led to many superstitions, and could only be traced to the particular customs of eastern countries, 
 it was discontinued, as many other trifling usages had been, at the instigation of the Swiss 
 Reformer, Martin Bucer. 
 
 The administration of the Communion in private houses is only allowed from a great sense of 
 the importance of the Sacrament to the liealth of men's souls. Sickness alone authorizes this 
 departure from the general directions of the canons. The jiermission to receive it, therefore, 
 ought to be regarded as a privilege. At the same time, let no one suppose that, if the heart be not 
 sanctified by repentance and faith, the ordinance will avail to salvation. 
 
 140 
 
THE ORDER FOR 
 
 THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 
 
 ^ Here is to be noted., that tlv Office ensuing in not to he used for any that die unhu/iltzed. or e.rumi- 
 municate, or have laid violent hands upon theinselces. 
 
 ^ The Priest and C/erks meeting the Corpse at the entrance of the Chiirch-yiird, and going before it, 
 either into the Church., or towards the Grave, shit// sag, or smg, 
 
 I AM the resurrection and the hfe, saith the Lord : he that believeth in 
 me, though he were dead, yet shall he live : and whosoever liveth and 
 believeth in me shall never die. St. John xi. 25, 26. 
 
 IK NOW that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter 
 day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this 
 body, yet in my flesh shall I see God : whom I shall see for myself, and 
 mine eyes shall behold, and not another. Job xix. 25, 26, 27. 
 
 WE brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing 
 out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the 
 name of the Lord. 1 Tim. vi. 7. Job i. 21. 
 447 
 
AT THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 
 
 '^I Afltr Ihcy are come into the Church, shall he read one or both of these Psalms followintj . 
 
 D'lxi, Custudiam. Psal. xxxlx. 
 
 1SAID, I will take heed to my ways : that T offend not in my tonjjue. 
 I will keep my mouth as it were with a bridle : while the ungodly is in 
 my sight. 
 
 I held my tongue and spake nothing : I kept silence, yea, even from good 
 words ; but it was pain and grief to me. 
 
 My heart was hot within me, and while I was thus musing the fire kindled : 
 and at the last I spake with my tongue ; 
 
 Lord, let me know mine end, and the number of my days : that I may be 
 certified how long I have to live. 
 
 Behold, thou hast made my days as it were a span long : and mine age is 
 even as nothing in respect of thee ; and verily every man living is altogether 
 vanity. 
 
 For man walketh in a vain shadow, and disquieteth himself in vain : he 
 heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them. 
 
 And now. Lord, what is my hope : truly my hope is even in thee. 
 
 Deliver me from all mine offences : and make me not a rebuke unto the 
 foolish. 
 
 I became dumb, and opened not my mouth : for it was thy doing. 
 
 Take thy plague away from me : I am even consumed by means of thy 
 heavy hand. 
 
 When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for sin, thou makest his beauty 
 to consume away, like as it were a moth fretting a garment : every man there- 
 fore is but vanity. 
 
 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and with thine ears consider my calling : hold 
 not thy peace at my tears. 
 
 For I am a stranger with thee : and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. 
 
 O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength : before I go hence, 
 and be no more seen. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, Js now, and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 D amine, refugium. Psal. xc. 
 
 LORD, thou hast been our refuge : from one generation to another. 
 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the 
 world were made : thou art God from everlasting, and world without end. 
 
 Thou turnest man to destruction : agaiti thou saycst, Come again, ye 
 children of men. 
 
 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday : seeing that is past 
 as a watch in the night. 
 
 As soon as thou scatterest them, they are even as a sleep : and fade away 
 suddenly like the grass. 
 
 In the morning it is green, and groweth up : but in the evening it is cut 
 down, dried up, and withered. 
 448 
 
AT THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 
 
 For we consume away in thy displeasure : and are afraid at thy wrathful 
 indig'nation. 
 
 Thou hast set our misdeeds before thee : and our secret sins in the light 
 of thy countenance. 
 
 For when thou art angry all our days are gone : we bring our years to an 
 end, as it were a tale that is told. 
 
 The days of our age are threescore years and ten ; and though men be so 
 strong, that they come to fourscore years : yet is their strength then but 
 labour and sorrow ; so soon passeth it away, and we are gone. 
 
 But who regardeth the power of thy wrath : for even thereafter as a man 
 feareth, so is thy displeasure. 
 
 O teach us to number our days : that we may apply our hearts unto 
 wisdom. 
 
 Turn thee again, O Lord, at the last : and be gracious unto thy servants. 
 
 O satisfy us with thy mercy, and that soon : so shall we rejoice and be 
 glad all the days of our life. 
 
 Comfort us again now after the time that thou hast plagued us : and for 
 the years wherein we have suffered adversity. 
 
 Shew thy servants thy work : and their children thy glory. 
 
 And the glorious Majesty of the Lord our God be upon us : prosper thou 
 the work of our hands upon us, O prosper thou our handy- work. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : woi'ld without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall follow the Lesson taken out of the ffleenth Chapter of the firmer Ep'stle of Saint Pant 
 
 to the Corinthians. 
 
 1 Cor. XV. 20. 
 
 NOW is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fiuits of them 
 that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the 
 resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall 
 all be made alive. But every man in his own order : Christ the first-fruits ; 
 afterward they that are Christ's, at his coming. Then cometh the end, 
 when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father ; 
 when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. For he 
 must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that 
 shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But 
 when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, 
 which did pvit all things under him. And when all things shall l)e subdued 
 unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all 
 things under him, that God may be all in all. Else what shall they do which 
 are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all ? Whv are they then 
 baptized for the dead ? and why stand we in jeopardy every hour ? I protest 
 by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, 1 die daily. If 
 after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus. what advan- 
 tageth it me, if the dead rise not ? Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we 
 die. Be not deceived ; evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake 
 449 3 M 
 
AT THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 
 
 to righteousness, and sin not ; for some have not the knowledge of God. I 
 speak this to your shame. But some man will say, How are the dead raised 
 up.'' and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest 
 is not quickened, except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest 
 not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of 
 some other grain : But God giveth It a body, as it hath pleased him, and to 
 every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh; but there is one 
 kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of 
 birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial ; but the glory 
 of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is 
 one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the 
 stars ; for one star difFereth from another star in glory. So also is the resur- 
 rection of the dead : It is sown in corruption ; it is raised in incorruption : It 
 is sown in dishonour ; it is raised in glory : It is sown in weakness ; it is 
 raised in power : It is sown a natural body ; it is raised a spiritual body. 
 There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written. 
 The first man Adam was made a living soul ; the last Adam was made a 
 quickening spirit. Howbeit, that was not first which is spiritual, but that 
 which is natural ; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the 
 earth, earthy : the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, 
 such are they that are earthy : and as is the heavenly, such are they also that 
 are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also 
 bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood 
 cannot inherit the kingdom of God ; neither doth corruption inherit incor- 
 ruption. Behold I shew you a mystery : We shall not all sleep, but we shall 
 all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, 
 (for the trumpet shall sound,) and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and 
 we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and 
 this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have 
 put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality ; then shall 
 be brought to pass the saying that is written. Death is swallowed up in 
 victory. O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy victory ? The 
 sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to 
 God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, Therefore, 
 my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the 
 work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in 
 the Lord. 
 
 ^ If'hen Ihey come to the Grave, while the Corpse is made ready to be laid into the earth, the Priest 
 shut/ say, or the Priest and Clerks shall sing : 
 
 MAN that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of 
 misery. He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower ; he fleeth as 
 it were a shadow, and never continucth in one stay. 
 
 In the midst of life we are in death ; of whom may we seek for succour, 
 but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased ? 
 
 Yet, O Lord God most holy, O Lord most mighty, O holy and most 
 merciful Saviour, deliver us not into the bitter pains of eternal death. 
 450 
 
AT THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 
 
 Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts ; shut not thy merciful ears 
 to our prayer ; but spare us. Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy 
 and merciful Saviour, thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer us not, at our 
 last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee. 
 
 5[ Then while the earth nhall be cast tipon the Budij by some standing by, the Priest shall say. 
 
 FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to 
 take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we there- 
 fore commit his body to the ground ; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to 
 dust ; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be like 
 unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able 
 to subdue all things to himself. 
 
 ^ ITien shall be said or stmg, 
 
 1 HEARD a voice from heaven, saying unto me. Write, From henceforth 
 blessed are the dead which die in the Lord : even so saith the Spirit; 
 for they rest from their labours. 
 
 ^ Then the Priest shall say. 
 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Christ, have mercy upon us. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 OUR Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy Name. Thy king- 
 dom come. Thy will be done in earth. As it is in heaven. Give us 
 this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive them 
 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation ; But deliver us 
 from evil. Amen. 
 
 Priest. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the spirits of them that depart 
 hence in the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful, after they 
 are delivered from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and felicity ; We give 
 thee hearty thanks, for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our brother 
 out of the miseries of this sinful world ; beseeching thee, that it may please 
 thee, of thy gracious goodness, shortly to accomplish the number of thine 
 elect, and to hasten thy kingdom ; that we, with all those that are departed 
 in the true faith of thy holy Name, may have our perfect consummation 
 and bliss, both in body and soul, in thy eternal and everlasting glory ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 MERCIFUL God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the 
 resurrection and the life ; in whom whosoever believeth shall live, 
 though he die; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in him, shall not die 
 eternally; who also hath taught us, by his holy Apostle Saint Paul, not to 
 451 3 M 2 
 
AT THK BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 
 
 be sorry, as men without hope, for them that sleep in him ; VVc meekly 
 beseech thee, O Father, to raise us from the death of sin unto the life of 
 rig'hteousness ; that, when we shall depart this life, we may rest in him, as 
 our hope is this our brotJier doth ; and that, at the ji^eneral Resurrecti(m in 
 the last day, we may be found acceptable in thy sight; and receive that 
 blessing, which thy well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love 
 and fear thee, saying, Come, ye blessed children of my Father, receive the 
 kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world : Grant this, we 
 beseech thee, O merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and 
 Redeemer. Amen. 
 
 THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the lov^e of God, and the fel- 
 lowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 Funeral rites have formed a part of the religious services of all ages and nations. Nature and 
 religion unite in prompting mankind to pay this respect to the remains of the dead. Among the 
 ancient heathens, funeral ceremonies were performed with the most costly splendour. The Jews 
 paid the most solemn respect to the departed, committing the bodj' to the tomb with long pro- 
 cessions and every display of sorrow. To he deprived of sepulture was regarded as the height of 
 misfortune (Psalm Ixxix. 2 ; Jer. xxxvi. 30), and to see it performed with becoming pomp and 
 solemnity a mark of the greatest affection. (Gen. xxiii. 3, 4, 7.) The respect paid to the body 
 of our crucified Lord was imitated by the early Christians in the care with which they sought 
 the remains of martyred saints, and committed them to the grave, assembling around the place 
 of sepulture in considerable numbers, and uniting in solemn prayer and praise to the Author of 
 their faith. In the services first used, the principal feature was psalmody. To this was usually- 
 added a discourse referring to the life and character of the deceased, the reading of some appro- 
 priate portion of Scripture, and occasionally the Communion. Other observances were gradually 
 introduced, and with them many superstitions. The office of our own Church is decent, edifying, 
 and pathetic. The only objections which can be made to it owe their whole force to the dege- 
 neracy of the times. When Christians paid due regard to the holiness of their calling, and 
 discipline came to the assistance of example, every word of this service had its applicability and 
 pathos. But now that so many hear the name, who are known to live in open enmity to God, and 
 vi^hose deaths are unattended with any sign of spiritual repentance, the indiscriminate or unmodified 
 use of this service has often been considered by thoughtful-minded men as of doubtful propriety. 
 The prohibitions of the Rubric are a defence against the more obvious inconsistencies: but now 
 that excommunication is almost unknown as a part of Church discipline, the persons who, when 
 this office was compiled, would have been regarded as separated from Communion, and, therefore, 
 not entitled to the privileges and honours which it bestows, are confounded with the most spiritual, 
 and spoken of in the same language. These objections, however, rest chiefly on two or three short 
 passages iu the service ; and as the expressions alluded to are only rendered objectionable by the 
 decline of discipline, the real value and excellence of the office itself admit of no dispute. 
 
 As faith is the victory which overcometh sorrows of every kind, as well as the world, the 
 triumphs of Jesus Christ over death are announced at the beginning of the service. The expec- 
 tation of His approach has been the comfort of lioly men in all ages; and they who now own His 
 sway, feel when they hear His words that it is not for them to sorrow as men without hope. The 
 Psalms which follow are pathetic and supplicatory. In the first edition of the Liturgy, the 1 16th, 
 13!)th, and 14Gth were used. They were left out in the next edition, and no others inserted till tlie 
 Restoration. The sublime dLscomse of St. Paul on the mystery of the resurrection is so animating — 
 so noble in its appeals to both faith and reason, that it can hardly fail to inspire the most sorrowful 
 heart with hope. 
 
 In the first edition of the Liturgy, supplications for the dead followed the hsson, and similar 
 prayers were inserted in other parts of the service, but they were expunged in the revised edition. 
 
 Originally the whole of the service was performed in the open air; but as this olten subjected 
 
 452 
 
NOTE ON THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 
 
 the persons attending to great inconvenience, it was thought better to have the former part read in 
 the church. The service at the grave begins veiy appropriately with admonitions to the mourners 
 to remember the universal mortality of man. These are followed by a solemn consigning of the 
 body to its parent earth, and that by a simple usage of very ancient origin. But this also is 
 accompanied with a declaration of fervent hope ; and the prayers which succeed teach the hearts 
 of all present to place their trust in the power of Christ — to look forward to the days of refresh- 
 ment and restoration — to keep themselves in the purifying communion of the Holy Spirit, that 
 they may surely follow their dej arted brother to the blessed abodes which they trust he has 
 already entered. 
 
 Thus there is a tone of earnest joy in the whole of this beautiful and sublime service. Thanks 
 are rendered to God for His having removed the departed from this world of sin and sorrow. The 
 heart is awakened to the voice from heaven, declaring the blessedness of them that die in the 
 Lord; and it responds to the call by praying that the Almighty may shortly accomplish, or com- 
 plete, the number of His chosen people, and hasten the longed-for glories of His kingdom. This 
 cheerful spirit characterised all the ancient funeral services. "Precious," it was remembered, 
 "in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints;" and St. Chrysostom therefore says, "What 
 mean our hymns ? Do we not glorify God, and give Him thanks, that He hath crowned him that 
 is departed, — that He hath delivered him from trouble, — that He hath set him free from all fear ? " 
 But how evident it is, that, if we would thus convert the day of sorrow into a season of triumph, 
 and express ourselves in the language of thankfulness and hope, it ought to be our constant effort 
 to secure the diflfusion of pure Christianity, — to imbue those we love with its living truths, — to 
 drink deep of its truths ourselves ; so that, whether we mourn, or are mourned over, the movements 
 of natural grief may speedily give way, —not to the distractions of the world, nor to a presumptuous 
 and ill-founded expectation of safety, but to the conscious possession of Divine peace. 
 
 453 
 
THE 
 
 THANKSGIVING OF WOMEN AFTER CHILD-BIRTH, 
 
 COMMONLY CALLED, 
 
 THE CHURCHING OF WOMEN. 
 
 ^ The JVomnn^ at the usual time after her Delivertf, shaU come into the Ckiirrh decenl/ij appnrel/ed, 
 and there shall kneel doun in some convettienl place, as hath been accnslomed, or as the Ordinary 
 shall direct : And then the Priest shall say unto her, 
 
 FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God of his goodness to give 
 you safe deliverance, and hath preserved you in the great danger of 
 Child-birth; you shall therefore give hearty thanks unto God, and say, 
 
 (^ Then shall the Priest say the cxvi/A Psalm,') 
 
 Dilexi quoniam. 
 
 A M well pleased : that the Lord hath heard the voice of my prayer ; 
 That he hath incJined his ear unto me : therefore will I call upon him 
 as long as I live. 
 
 The snares of death compassed me round about : and the pains of hell gat 
 hold upon me. 
 
 I found trouble and heaviness, and I called upon the Name of the Lord : 
 O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. 
 
 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous : yea, our God is merciful. 
 
 The Lord preserveth the simple : I was in misery, and he helped me. 
 
 Turn again then unto thy rest, O my soul : for the Lord hath rewarded 
 thee. 
 
 And why ? thou hast delivered my soul from death : mine eyes from tears, 
 and my feet from falling. 
 
 I will walk before, the Lord : in the land of the living. 
 
 I believed, and therefore will I speak ; but I was sore troubled : I said in 
 my haste, All men are liars. 
 
 What reward shall I give unto the Lord : for all the benefits that he hath 
 done unto me ? 
 
 I will receive the cup of salvation : and call upon the Name of the Lord. 
 
 I will pay my vows now in the presence of all his people : in the courts of 
 the Lord's house, even in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, ^^c. 
 
 As it was in the beginning, <^c. 
 
 Or, Psal. cxxvii. Nisi Dominus. 
 
 EXCEPT the Lord build the house : their labour is but lost that 
 build it. 
 Except the Lord keep the city : the watchman waketh but in vain. 
 It is but lost labour that ye haste to rise up early, and so late take rest, 
 and cat the bread of carefulness : for so he giveth his beloved sleep. 
 454 
 
THE CHURCHING OF WOMEN. 
 
 Lo, children and the fruit of the womb : are an heritage and gift that 
 Cometh of the Lord. 
 
 Like as the arrows in the hand of the giant : even so are the young children. 
 
 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them : they shall not be 
 ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, <^-c. 
 
 As it was in the beginning, <^'C. 
 
 ^ Then the Priest shall say, 
 
 Let us pray. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Christ, have mercy upon us. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 OLTR Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom 
 come. Thy will be done in earth. As it is in heaven. Give us this 
 day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them 
 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us 
 from evil : For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory. For ever 
 and ever. Amen. 
 
 Minister. O Lord, save this woman thy servant ; 
 Answer. Who putteth her trust in thee. 
 Minister. Be thou to her a strong tower ; 
 Answer. From the face of her enemy. 
 Minister. Lord, hear our prayer. 
 Answer. And let our cry come unto thee. 
 
 Minister. Let us pray. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, we give thee humble thanks for that thou hast 
 vouchsafed to deliver this woman thy servant from the great pain and 
 peril of Child-birth; Grant, we beseech thee, most merciful Father, that 
 she, through thy help, may both faithfully live, and walk according to thy 
 will, in this life present ; and also may be partaker of everlasting glory in 
 the life to come ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ The IVoman, that cometh to give her Thanks, must offer accustomed Offerings ; and, if there be a 
 Cummuniun, it is convenient that she receive the holy Communion, 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 This Office is commonly regarded as answering to the rite of purification in the ceremonies of the 
 Law. But such a view of it is neither correct nor necessary. It is simply a service of thanks- 
 giving, and contains no allusion to any of the analogies even which might be discovered between 
 the two rites. The Greek Church favoured the notion of its answering to the Jewish ordinance by 
 appointing the woman to appear in the Church the fortieth day after her delivery. It was called 
 "The Purification" in the old English service-books before tlie Reformation; and in the first 
 edition of the Liturgy the office was entitled '* The Order of the Purification of Women." 
 
 The arguments for the devout perfonnance of this service are obvious to the least thoughtful 
 minds. If we owe deliverance from danger — the recovery of health and strength after sickness — 
 
 455 
 
NOTE ON THE CHURCHING OF WOMEN. 
 
 to God's mercy, it is to His house we ought to direct our steps with the first efforts of our strength, 
 and tliere make our offerings of praise in tlie presence of His Cluu-ch. The only sacrifice He asks 
 is this. He is full of tenderness; and He rejoices in the thanksgivings of the daughters of His 
 people. The Church is edified by their example of gratitude. It derives a new theme of thank- 
 fulness from their deliverance, thus openly ascribed to Divine mercy, and it blesses and sanctifies 
 them with its prayers. Private churchings are the invention of modern times, and manifest both 
 ignorance of the nature of the service, and want of Christian piety and earnestness. 
 
 In the first edition of the Liturgy, the woman was directed to appear covered with a white veil, 
 and to kneel '■ in some convenient place, nigh unto the Quire door ;'' or " nigh unto the place where 
 the Table standeth." The short address to her is weighty, and well calculated to direct attention 
 to the duty which she owes to God. In the last edition of the Liturgy the present Psalms were 
 introduced in place of the 121st and 128th, which had for many ages formed part of the service. 
 The supplications, or short Litany, following, and the concluding prayer, are such as every humble 
 and thankful mind may gladly join in at the throne of grace. 
 
 According to ancient custom the woman was directed by the Rubric, in the first edition of the 
 Liturgy, to " offer her chrisom, and other accustomed offerings," at the close of the service. The 
 chrisom was the white garment put upon the infant at baptism, and for this purpose was laid up 
 in the Church to be ready for the christening. When the use of the chrisom ceased, which it did 
 soon after the publication of the Liturgy, the Rubric was altered to the form in which it now 
 stands. 
 
 45('> 
 
A COMMINATION, 
 
 OR DENOUNCING OF GOD'S ANGER AND JUDGEMENTS AGAINST SINNERS, 
 
 WITH CERTAIN PRAYERS, TO BE USED ON THE FIRST DAY OF LENT, AND AT 
 OTHER TIMES, AS THE ORDINARY SHALL APPOINT. 
 
 ^ After Morning Prayer, the Ltlany ended according to the accustomed manner, the Priest shall, \n 
 
 the Rending-Pew or Pii/pit, say, 
 
 BRETHREN, in the Primitive Church there was a godly discipline, 
 that, at the beginning of Lent, such persons as stood convicted of 
 notorious sin were put to open penance, and punished in this world, that 
 their souls might be saved in the day of the Lord ; and that others, admo- 
 nished by their example, might be the more afraid to offend. 
 
 Instead whereof, (until the said discipline may be restored again, which is 
 much to be wished,) it is thought good, that at this time (in the presence of 
 you all) should be read the general sentences of God's cursing against impe- 
 nitent sinners, gathered out of the seven and twentieth Chapter of Deute- 
 ronomy, and other places of Scripture ; and that ye should answer to every 
 Sentence, Amen : To the intent that, being admonished of the great indig- 
 nation of God against sinners, ye may the rather be moved to earnest and 
 true repentance ; and may walk more warily in these dangerous days ; fleeing 
 from such vices, for which ye affirm with your own mouths the curse of God 
 to be due. 
 
 CURSED is the man that maketh any carved or molten image, to 
 worship it. 
 
 ^ And the people shall answer and say, Amen. 
 
 Minister. Cursed is he that curseth his father or mother. 
 
 Ansiver. Amen. 
 
 Minister. Cursed is he that removeth his neighbour s land-mark. 
 
 Answer. Amen. 
 
 Minister. Cursed is he that maketh the blind to go out of his way. 
 
 Answer. Amen. 
 
 Minister. Cursed is he that perverteth the judgement of the stranger, the 
 fatherless, and widow. 
 
 Answer. Amen. 
 
 Minister. Cursed is he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. 
 
 Answer. Amen. 
 
 Minister. Cursed is he that lieth with his neighbour's wife. 
 
 Answer. Amen. 
 
 Minister. Cursed is he that taketh reward to slay the innocent. 
 
 Answer. Amen. 
 
 Minister. Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, and taketh man for 
 his defence, and in his heart goeth from the Lord. 
 
 Answer. Amen. 
 
 457 3 N 
 
A COMMINATION. 
 
 Minister. Cursed arc the unmerciful, fornicators, and adulterers, covetous 
 persons, idolaters, slanderers^ drunkards, and extortioners. 
 Answer. Amen. 
 
 Minister. 
 
 NOW seeing that all they are accursed (as the prophet David beareth 
 witness) who do err and go astray from the commandments of God ; 
 let us (remembering the dreadful judgement hanging over our heads, and 
 always ready to fall upon us) return unto our Lord God, with all contrition 
 and meekness of heart ; bewailing and lamenting our sinful life, acknow- 
 ledging and confessing our offences, and seeking to bring forth worthy fruits 
 of penance. For now is the ax put unto the root of the trees, so that every 
 tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God : he shall pour 
 down rain upon the sinners, snares, fire and brimstone, storm and tempest ; 
 this shall be their portion to drink. For lo, the Lord is come out of his 
 place to visit the wickedness of such as dwell upon the earth. But who 
 may abide the day of his coming ? Who shall be able to endure when he 
 appeareth ? His fan is in his hand, and he will purge his floor, and gather 
 his wheat into the b.arn ; but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. 
 The day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night : and when men shall 
 say. Peace, and all things are safe, then shall sudden destruction come upon 
 them, as sorrow cometh upon a woman travailing with child, and they shall 
 not escape. Then shall appear the wrath of God in the day of vengeance, 
 which obstinate sinners, through the stubbornness of their heart, have heaped 
 unto themselves ; which despised the goodness, patience, and long-sufferance 
 of God, when he calleth them continually to repentance. Then shall they 
 call upon me, (saitli the Lord,) but I will not hear ; they shall seek me 
 early, but they shall not find me ; and that, because they hated knowledge, 
 and received not the fear of the Lord, but abhorred my counsel, and despised 
 my correction. Then shall it be too late to knock when the door shall be 
 shut ; and too late to cry for mercy when it is the time of justice. O ter- 
 rible voice of most just judgement, which shall be pronounced upon them, 
 when it shall be said unto them. Go, ye cursed, into the fire everlasting, 
 which is prepared for the devil and his angels. Therefore, brethren, take 
 we heed betime, while the day of salvation lasteth ; for the night cometh, 
 when none can work. But let us, while we have the light, believe in the 
 light, and walk as children of the light; that we be not cast into utter 
 darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Let us not abuse the 
 goodness of God, who calleth us mercifully to amendment, and of his endless 
 pity promiseth us forgiveness of that which is past, if with a perfect and true 
 heart we return unto him. For though our sins be as red as scarlet, they 
 shall be made white as snow ; and though they be like purple, yet they shall 
 be made white as wool. Turn ye (saith the Lord) from all your wicked- 
 ness, and your sin shall not be your destruction : Cast away from you all 
 your ungodliness that ye have done : Make you new hearts, and a new 
 spirit: Wherefore will ye die, O ye house of Israel, seeing that I have no 
 458 
 
A COMMINATION. 
 
 pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God ? Turn ve 
 then, and ye shall live. Although we have sinned, yet have we an Advocate 
 with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ; and he is the propitiation for 
 our sins. For he was wounded for our offences, and smitten for our wicked- 
 ness. Let us therefore return unto him, who is the merciful receiver of all 
 true penitent sinners ; assuring ourselves that he is ready to receive us, and 
 most willing to pardon us, if we come unto him with faithful repentance ; if 
 we submit ourselves unto him, and from henceforth walk in his ways ; if we 
 will take his easy yoke, and light burden upon us, to follow him in lowliness, 
 patience, and charity, and be ordered by the governance of his Holy Spirit; 
 seeking always his glory, and serving him duly in our vocation with thanks- 
 giving : This if we do, Christ will deliver us from the curse of the law, and 
 from the extreme malediction which shall light upon them that shall be set 
 on the left hand ; and he will set us on his right hand, and give us the 
 gracious benediction of his Father, commanding us to take possession of his 
 glorious kingdom : Unto which he vouchsafe to bring us all, for his infinite 
 mercy. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall they all kneel upon their ktiers. and the Prfst and C/erks kneeling {in the place 
 where they are accustomed to gay the Litany) shall say this Psalm. 
 
 Miserere mei, Deus. Psal. li. 
 
 HAVE mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness : according to 
 the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences. 
 
 Wash me throughly from my wickedness : and cleanse me from my sin. 
 
 For I acknowledge my faults : and my sin is ever before me. 
 
 Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight : that thou 
 mightest be justified in thy saving, and clear when thou art judged. 
 
 Behold, I was shapen in wickedness : and in sin hath my mother con- 
 ceived me. 
 
 But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts : and shalt make me to 
 understand wisdom secretly. 
 
 Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean : thou shalt wash 
 me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 
 
 Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness : that the bones which thou 
 hast broken may rejoice. 
 
 Turn thy face away from my sins : and put out all my misdeeds. 
 
 Make me a clean heart, O God : and renew a right spirit within me. 
 
 Cast me not away from thy presence : and take not thy holy Spirit 
 from me. 
 
 O give me the comfort of thy help again : and stablish me with thy free 
 Spirit. 
 
 Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked : and sinners shall be con- 
 verted unto thee. 
 
 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou that art the God of my 
 health : and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness. 
 
 Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord : and my mouth shall shew thy praise. 
 459 3 N 2 
 
A COMMINATION. 
 
 For thou (lesirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee : l)ut thou dolij^lit- 
 est not in burnt-offerino;s. 
 
 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit : a broken and contrite heart, O 
 God, shalt thou not despise. 
 
 O be favourable and gracious unto Sion : build thou the walls of Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the 
 burnt- offerings and oblations : then shall they offer young bullocks upon 
 thine altar. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, Sfc. 
 
 Answer. As it was in the beginning, Sfc. 
 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Christ, have mercy upon ns. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 OUR Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy Name. Thy king- 
 dom come. Thy will be done in earth. As it is in heaven. Give us 
 this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them 
 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us 
 from evil. Amen. 
 
 Minister. O Lord, save thy servants ; 
 Answer. That put their trust in thee. 
 Minister. Send unto them help from above. 
 Answer. And evermore mightily defend them. 
 Minister. Help us, O God our Saviour. 
 
 Answer. And for the glory of thy Name deliver us ; be merciful to us 
 sinners, for thy Name's sake. 
 
 Minister. O Lord, hear our prayer. 
 Answer. And let our cry come unto thee. 
 
 Minister. Let us pray. 
 
 OLORD, we beseech thee, mercifully hear our prayers, and spare all 
 those who confess their sins unto thee ; that they, whose consciences 
 by sin are accused, by thy merciful pardon may be absolved ; through Christ 
 our Lord. Amen. 
 
 OMOST mighty God, and merciful Father, who hast compassion upon 
 all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made ; who wouldest not 
 the death of a sinner, but that he should rather turn from his sin, and be 
 saved ; Mercifully forgive us our trespasses ; receive and comfort us, who are 
 grieved and wearied with the burden of our sins. Thy property is always to 
 have mercy ; to thee only it appertaineth to forgive sins. Spare us there- 
 fore, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed ; enter not 
 into judgement with thy servants, who are vile earth, and miserable sinners; 
 but so turn thine anger from us, who meekly acknowledge our vilencss, and 
 truly repent us of our faults, and so make haste to help us in this world, 
 460 
 
A COMMINATION. 
 
 that we may ever live with thee in the world to come ; through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen. 
 
 % Then shall the people say this that followelh, after the Minister. 
 
 TURN thou us, O good Lord, and so shall we be turned. Be favour- 
 able, O Lord, Be favourable to thy people. Who turn to thee in 
 weeping, fasting, and praying. For thou art a merciful God, Full of com- 
 passion. Long-suffering, and of great pity. Thou sparest when we deserve 
 punishment. And in thy wrath thinkest upon mercy. Spare thy people, 
 good Lord, spare them. And let not thine heritage be brought to confusion. 
 Hear us, O Lord, for thy mercy is great. And after the multitude of thy 
 mercies look upon us ; Through the merits and mediation of thy blessed 
 Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then the Minister alone shall say, 
 
 THE Lord bless us, and keep us ; the Lord lift up the light of his coun- 
 tenance upon us, and give us peace, now and for evermore. Amen. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The discipline of the early Church was founded on the most necessary and obvious principles 
 of Christian purity. A society had been formed which owed its existence to the call of the 
 Gospel, and the power of the Holy Spirit. It was the proper duty of this society to endeavour to 
 impart its knowledge and maxims to the world at large, and to draw within its bosom as many 
 as were prepared to obey the Spirit which gave it life. But as those who joined it would be 
 distinguished by various degrees of strength and holiness, and as the very imperfection of human 
 nature itself would still leave them open to temptation, the Church was obliged, from the first, to 
 institute a system of discipline, which should enable it to reprove the careless, to correct the 
 erring, and expel the obstinate offender from its communion. 
 
 Such was the value set upon the blessings of Church communion in former times, that the 
 chastisements inflicted for sin were usually submitted to with deep humility. The penitent 
 thankfully accepted the offer of restoration on any terms ; and thus the Church was enabled to 
 repress the wantonness of error, and by a salutary severity preserve to its children the invaluable 
 advantages of a holy, consistent, and tranquil character. As sin is a scandal to the Christian 
 profession, it was rightly judged that he who had dislionoured the Cliurch, ought in the presence 
 of the Church to confess his error. In the early ages penitents were admitted publicly to their 
 course of penance on the first day of Lent. They appeared barefoot, and clothed in sackcloth, at 
 the door of the Church. There they were received by the clergy, who gave them directions respect- 
 ing their duty in their present state of humiliation, and as to what was demanded of them by the 
 Church. They were then brought into the aisle, where the seven penitential psalms were repeated ; 
 and the bishop, having laid his hands upon them, sprinkled them with water, and put ashes on 
 their heads, directed them to be expelled the Church, as Adam was driven out of paradise. 
 
 With the decline of primitive simplicity and earnestness, these things degenerated into useless 
 forms, or were changed for indulgences which might be purchased by all who could command 
 sufficient money for the purpose. The corruption of the world at large favoured every step in the 
 decline of discipline ; and our reformers saw how vain it would be to attempt the restoration of a 
 system which could only have force under the almost universal revival of faith, and evangelical 
 piety. But, not to leave sinners unwarned by the solemn denunciations of the Church, they 
 introduced this form of Commination, desiring thereby to inspire that terror of the divine law 
 which may be followed by a saving repentance. 
 
 The use of this form was originally confined to Ash -Wednesday , but according to the present Rubric 
 it may be read at any time appointed by the Ordinary. In pronouncing the curses ot the law upon 
 
 4(51 
 
NOTE ON COMMINATION. 
 
 the offenders named in the denunciations, the Church does nothinj; more tlian declare their state. 
 It does not pray that the sinner may be cursed, but merely states that he is so. Nor do the people 
 confirm a curse when they say '' Amen," but simply acknowledj^e the truth of what has been 
 stated, and which must be true, if both the Law and the Gospel be not false. The foUowinj^ 
 address, with the accompanying prayer, is strikingly pathetic, as well as most edifying. It brings 
 to the alarmed and penitent sinner the mercilul tidings, the good message, that the way to peace 
 is open to him, and that, however dark and multiplied his offences, however fearful the denunciations 
 against them, they will all be pardoned, if lie humble himself before the throne of grace. This 
 service, therefore, which at the first view seems to delight only in the awful severity of the law, 
 is in reality a ministration of mercy, and one in which they who utter the sentences of heavenly 
 wrath are taking a part, as confessing sinners entreating for mercy, and not as judges of their 
 fellow-men. The concluding blessing, which is taken from Numbers vi. 24, was not added till the 
 last Review. 
 
 462 
 
cQ 
 
 a.ft. 
 
 
 w 
 
INTRODUCTORY NOTE 
 
 PSALMS OF DAVID. 
 
 The use of these divine compositions in the service of the Church is as old as the Church itself. 
 Christians found them a sort of liturgy ready formed for their purpose, admirably adapted to 
 their condition, and for the expression of their innermost sentiments and desires. Abounding in 
 spiritual delineations of the state of believers in all periods of the Church, they afforded them 
 comfort under the bitterest persecutions, and when times of tranquillity arrived, furnished them 
 with songs of thanksgiving, which they gladly interwove with those of confession for sin, of prayers 
 for grace, necessaiy in every period to the propriety of Christian worship. The Psalms were 
 especially recommended to the first believers by the quotations made from them by Christ. They 
 could, moreover, easily be committed to memory, and while they had the seal of inspiration, the 
 authority of the law, the illumination of prophecy, upon them, they were the portion of Scripture 
 with which a familiar acquaintance might most readily be obtained. Hence they form.ed the prin- 
 cipal part of the ancient services, which, however much modified in subsequent periods, still retained 
 the Psalms as the most important feature of public worship. 
 
 It was by the example of the purest times, therefore, that the compilers of our Liturgy acted, 
 when they established the daily use of the Psalms in the reformed Church. The most spiritual 
 minds rejoice at their introduction, as a means of keeping alive the elevated piety of an apostolic 
 era ; and those of a humbler degree of faith, when once awakened to inquiry, see that they are able 
 to gather from them the most edifying precepts, examples the most affecting, and the most en- 
 couraging promises. 
 
 The translation used in the Liturgy is that of Tj-ndal and Miles Coverdale, as published in the 
 Great English Bible. This version was revised by Archbishop Cranmer ; and though of a more ancient 
 date than that of the received translation of the Scriptures, is considered valuable for its elegance 
 and general correctness. As in former times, the Psalms are to be repeated in alternate verses by 
 the minister and the people. St. Ambrose, when comparing the Church to the sea, observes that, 
 " from the responsories of the Psalms, and singing of men, women, virgins, and children, there 
 results an harmonious noise, like the waves of the ocean." The ecclesiastical historian Theodoret 
 says, that this mode of repeating the Psalms was introduced in the reign of the Emperor Con- 
 stantine ; but the earlier historian, Eusebius, traces it to the age of the apostolic fathers. In the 
 Greek Church the " Gloria " was repeated at the end of the last psalm only. The Roman Church 
 followed this custom, but in the other churches of the West it gradually became usual to repeat it 
 at the close of every psalm. Anciently a great number of psalms were repeated in succession, and 
 afterwards so many were appointed for each canonical hour. It was always left, however, to the 
 bishop to name any particular psalm for remarkable occasions, and thus psalmody was made a part 
 not only of the ordinary, but of everj^, service of the Church. The coldness with which this im- 
 portant portion of public worship is at present performed, can only be attributed to a want of due 
 consideration respecting the nature and meaning of the Psalms themselves. It is to be hoped, 
 therefore, that in a day of reviving piety, the members of our national Church will endeavour to 
 obtain that acquaintance with the interpretation of the Psalms, which will enable them thereby 
 to make to their heavenly Father an acceptable offering of prayer and thanksgiving. The reader 
 should likewise always bear in mind, that while he is praising God in the Psalms, he is also con- 
 templating prophecies fulfilled in Christ and the Church; and that as it is with mankind and the 
 world, viewed in close relation to God's designs, that he has here to do, he will have the most 
 necessary of all helps to the understanding of this part of revelation. 
 
 465 3 o 
 
THE FIRST DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. i. Beatus vir, qui non ahiit, Sj-c. 
 
 LESSED is the man that hath not walked 
 in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in 
 the way of sinners : and hath not sat in the 
 seat of the scornful. 
 
 2 But his delight is in the law of the 
 Lord : and in his law will he exercise him- 
 self day and night. 
 8 And he shall be like a tree planted by the water-side : that 
 will bring forth his fruit in due season. 
 
 4 His leaf also shall not wither : and look, whatsoever he 
 doeth, it shall prosper. 
 
 PsAi.M I. — This psalm may be regarded as an introduction to the whole hook. It descrihes the 
 blessedness of a holy life, and the miserable consequences of sin. This it does in the most striking 
 and picturesque language, showing, first the negative, and then the positive virtues of the heirs 
 of salvation. They take no part with the wicked, even in thought; — the_v are not found on the 
 broad path with them; — they frequent not their assemblies, — they judge not where they judge. 
 While they thus avoid every occasion of sin, their hearts are cheered and strengthened by the 
 contemjilation of heavenly truth. This occupies all the channels and faculties of their souls; and 
 thus their habitu:il state of being is that of genial thoughtfulness. In answer to their mental 
 condition, is that of their general conduct. As their delight is in the law, so are they constantly 
 exercised in the fulfilment of its precepts. The permanence and results of their existence 
 correspond to the glory of the rule which they follow ; while the ungodly, with all their possessions 
 and boasted means of pleasure, are swept away into everlasting darkness. 
 
 4(36 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 1. 
 
 5 As for the ungodly, it is not so with them : but they are like 
 the chaff, which the wind scattereth away from the face of the earth. 
 
 6 Therefore the ungodly shall not be able to stand in the judge- 
 ment : neither the sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 
 
 7 But the Lord knoAveth the way of the righteous : and the way 
 of the ungodly shall perish. 
 
 Psal. ii. Qiiare fremuerunt gentes? 
 
 HY do the heathen so furiously rage toge- 
 ther : and why do the people imagine a 
 vain thing ? 
 
 2 The kings of the earth stand up, and 
 the rulers take counsel together : against 
 the Lord, and against his Anointed. 
 
 3 Let us break their bonds asunder : 
 and cast away their cords from us. 
 
 4 He that dwelleth in heaven shall 
 laugh them to scorn : the Lord shall have them in derision. 
 
 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath : and vex them in 
 his sore displeasure. 
 
 6 Yet have I set my King : upon my holy hill of Sion. 
 
 7 I will preach the law, Avhereof the Lord hath said unto me : 
 Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 
 
 8 Desire of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inhe- 
 ritance : and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession. 
 
 9 Thou shalt bruise them with a rod of iron : and break them in 
 pieces like a potter's vessel. 
 
 10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings : be learned, ye that are 
 judges of the earth. 
 
 1 1 Serve the Lord in fear : and rejoice unto him with reverence. 
 
 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and so ye perish from the 
 right way : if his wrath be kindled, (yea, but a little,) blessed are all 
 they that put their trust in him. 
 
 Psalm ii. — The application of Uiis psalm (in Acts iv, 25; xiii. 33; and Heb. i. 5.) to Jesus 
 Christ plainly declares its prophetic character. In its literal sense, it represents David on the 
 throne of Israel, proclaiming his trust in the power which placed him there, and in the strength of 
 that faith defying the rage of his innumerable enemies. Its spiritual meaning sets Christ before 
 us, — ruling in His kingdom— enthroned in the midst of His Church, on the Ziou of the heavenly 
 Jerusalem, but still exposed to the vain threats of the kings and nations of the earth. It is by the 
 eternal decree of the Almighty that He reigns. Their blasphemous efforts, therefore, are vain. 
 Persevered in, they can but end in the destruction of the offenders. Hence the concluding 
 exhortation to the kings and judges of the earth ; — hence the persuasive call to the world at large, 
 " Kiss the Son, lest He be angiy ;" that is — seek His peace and favour as your appointed Lord, 
 and your all-sufficient Redeemer ! 
 
 467 3 o 2 
 
Day 1. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Psal. iii. Domine, quid miiUiplicati? 
 
 ORD, how are they increased that trouble 
 iiie : many are they that rise against me. 
 
 2 JMany one there be that say of my 
 soul : There is no help for him in his God. 
 
 3 But thou, O Lord, art my defender : 
 thou art my worship, and the lifter up of 
 my head. 
 
 4 I did call upon the Lord Avith my 
 voice : and he heard me out of his holy hill. 
 
 5 I laid me down and slept, and rose up again : for the Lord sus- 
 tained me. 
 
 6 I will not be afraid for ten thousands of the people : that have 
 set themselves against me round about. 
 
 7 Up, Lord, and help me, O my God : for thou smitest all mine 
 enemies upon the cheek-bone ; thou hast broken the teeth of the 
 ungodly. 
 
 8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord : and thy blessing is upon 
 thy people. 
 
 Psal. iv. Cum invocarem. 
 
 EAR me when I call, O God of my righ- 
 teousness : thou hast set me at liberty when 
 I was in trouble ; have mercy upon me, and 
 hearken unto my prayer. 
 
 2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye 
 blaspheme mine honour : and have such 
 pleasure in vanity, and seek after leasing? 
 
 3 Know this also, that the Lord hath 
 chosen to himself the man that is godly : 
 
 when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me. 
 
 PsAi.M III. — This psalm, which is generally supposed to have been composed by David when he 
 fled from his rebellious son, is spiritually descriptive of the Church when under persecution, 
 or of the individual believer, hated and oppressed in the world for his fidelity to God. The 
 number of his enemies daily increases, but his faith enlarges with his dangers. The name of the 
 Lord is his strong tower, and he rests secure in the midst of his most desperate foes. Nor does 
 he look for safety only from the arm of his Saviour : he knows that the time will come when 
 salvation and blessing shall crown the people of the Lord with everlasting glory. 
 
 Psalm iv. — The injustice of the world has ever made it the enemy of truth and holiness. 
 Despised because they reprove its vices, and oppressed because they seem to ofTer an easy conquest, 
 the faithful servants of God have in all ages stood exposed to its persevering malevolence. But 
 they appeal from its cruelty and unjust decisions to Him whose most gracious title is that of the 
 Justifier of His people. The Lord is their righteousness, — the free source of their holiness; a 
 willing listener to their prayers, — a present help in the hour of danger, and the fountain of life. 
 
 468 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 1. 
 
 4 Stand in awe, and sin not : commune with your own heart, and 
 in your chamber, and be still. 
 
 5 Offer the sacrifice of righteousness : and put your trust in the 
 Lord. 
 
 6 There be many that say : Who will shew us any good ? 
 
 7 Lord, lift thou up : the light of thy countenance upon us. 
 
 8 Thou hast put gladness in my heart : since the time that their 
 corn, and wine, and oil, increased. 
 
 9 I will lay me down in peace, and take my rest : for it is thou. 
 Lord, only, that makest me dwell in safety. 
 
 Psal. V. Verba mea auribus. 
 
 ONDER my words, O Lord : consider my 
 meditation. 
 
 2 O hearken thou unto the voice of my 
 calling, my King, and my God : for unto 
 thee will I make my prayer. 
 
 3 ]My voice shalt thou hear betimes, O 
 Lord : early in the morning will I direct 
 my prayer unto thee, and will look up, 
 
 4 For thou art the God that hast no 
 pleasure in wickedness : neither shall any evil dwell with thee. 
 
 5 Such as be foolish shall not stand in thy sight : for thou hatest 
 all them that work vanity. 
 
 6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing : the Lord will 
 abhor both the blood-thirsty and deceitful man. 
 
 7 But as for me, I will come into thine house, even upon the 
 multitude of thy mercy : and in thy fear will I worship toward thy 
 holy temple. 
 
 8 Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, because of mine ene- 
 mies : make thy way plain before my face. 
 
 9 For there is no faithfulness in his mouth : their inward parts 
 are very wickedness. 
 
 10 Their throat is an open sepulchre : they flatter with their 
 tongue. 
 
 PsAi.M V. — This psalm, it is conjectured, was used by pious priests and Levites when worshipping 
 in the inner court of the temple. It beautifully expresses those sentiments of earnest delight which 
 fill the souls of believers when holding communion with God. The prayer of faith is mingled 
 ■with the voice of adoration ; and here, as in almost every one of these divine compositions, the 
 hostility of the world is spoken of, and comfort is sought in heavenly mercy, as the only sutficieut 
 safeguard against the enemy. 
 
 409 
 
Day\. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 11 Destroy thou them, O God; let thein perish through tlieir 
 own inuiginations : cast them out in the multitude of their ungod- 
 liness ; for they have rebelled against thee. 
 
 12 And let all them that put their trust in thee rejoice : they 
 shall ever be giving of thanks, because thou defendest them ; they 
 that love thy Name shall be joyful in thee ; 
 
 13 For thou, Lord, wilt give thy blessing unto the righteous : 
 and with thy favourable kindness wilt thou defend him as with a 
 shield. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. vi. Domine, ne in furore. 
 
 \ ) LORD, rebuke me not in thine indigna- 
 tion : neither chasten me in thy displeasure. 
 
 2 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I 
 am weak : O Lord, heal me, for my bones 
 are vexed. 
 
 3 ]My soul also is sore troubled : but, 
 Lord, how long wilt thou punish me ? 
 
 4 Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my 
 soul : O save me for thy mercy's sake. 
 
 5 For in death no man remembereth 
 thee : and who will give thee thanks in 
 the pit ? 
 
 6 I am weary of my groaning; every 
 night wash I my bed : and water my couch with my tears. 
 
 7 My beauty is gone for very trouble : and worn away because of 
 all mine enemies. 
 
 8 Away from me, all ye that \YOi'k vanity : for the Lord hath 
 heard the voice of my weeping. 
 
 9 The Lord hath heard my petition : the Lord Avill receive my 
 prayer. 
 
 10 All mine enemies shall be confounded, and sore vexed : they 
 shall be turned back, and put to shame suddenly. 
 
 PsAi.M VI. — The language of this psahn is that of deep affliction and repentance. It was 
 probably composed by David when bowed down by sickness, or when his heart was stricken by the 
 sorrow of recollected sins. Tlie agony of his soul, in itself awful, taught him to tremble at the 
 prospect of a still more dreadful punishment. He cries, therefore, for mercy, and in the depths 
 of his grief and suffering feels that his prayer is heard. 
 
 470 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 1. 
 
 Psal. vii. Domine, Deus ineus. 
 
 LORD my God, in thee have I put my 
 trust : save me from all them that perse- 
 cute me, and deUver me ; 
 
 2 Lest he devour my soul, like a lion, 
 and tear it in pieces . while there is none 
 to help. 
 
 3 O Lord my God, if I have done any 
 such thing : or if there be any wickedness 
 in my hands ; 
 
 4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that dealt friendly with me : 
 yea, I have delivered him that without any cause is mine enemy ; 
 
 5 Then let mine enemy persecute my soul, and take me : yea, let 
 him tread my life down upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the 
 dust. 
 
 6 Stand up, O Lord, in thy wrath, and lift up thyself, because of 
 the indignation of mine enemies : arise up for me in the judgement 
 that thou hast commanded. 
 
 7 And so shall the congregation of the people come about thee : 
 for their sakes therefore lift up thyself again. 
 
 8 The Lord shall judge the people ; give sentence with me, O 
 Lord : according to my righteousness, and according to the inno- 
 cency that is in me. 
 
 9 O let the wickedness of the ungodly come to an end : but guide 
 thou the just. 
 
 10 For the righteous God : trieth the very hearts and reins. 
 
 1 1 My help cometh of (jod : who preserveth them that are true 
 of heart. 
 
 12 God is a righteous Judge, strong, and patient : and God is 
 provoked every day. 
 
 13 If a man will not turn, he will whet his sword : he hath bent 
 his bow, and made it ready. 
 
 14 He hath prepared for him the instruments of death : he or- 
 daineth his arrows against the persecutors. 
 
 PsAi.M VII.— This psalm is supposed to have been composed by David when he fled from Saul, 
 or from Absalom. He still cries for help to God, and declares his innocence of any crime against 
 his cruel persecutors. If they repent not, the Divine anger is imprecated ; and, by a noble stroke 
 of inspired poetry, the unjust and daring sinner is represented as digging a pit for the faithful, 
 while God, unseen, in the everlasting recesses of heaven, is whetting His sword and bendmg His 
 bow to sweep away the ungodly from the earth. How forcible is the whole of this psalm when 
 applied to the persecutions of our Lord ! 
 
 171 
 
Day 1. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 and is fallen himself 
 
 15 Behold, he travaileth with mischief : he hath conceived sorrow, 
 and brouiiht forth iino;odliness. 
 
 16 He hath graven and digged up a pit 
 into the destruction that he made for other. 
 
 17 For his travail shall come upon his own head : and his wick- 
 edness shall fall on his own pate. 
 
 18 I will give thanks unto the Lord, according to his righteous- 
 ness : and I will praise the Name of the Lord most High. 
 
 Psal. viii. Domine, Dominus noster. 
 
 LORD our Governour, how excellent is 
 thy Name in all the world : thou that hast 
 set thy glory above the heavens ! 
 
 2 Out of the mouth of very babes and 
 sucklings hast thou ordained strength, be- 
 cause of thine enemies : that thou mightest 
 still the enemy, and the avenger. 
 
 3 For I will consider thy heavens, even 
 the works of thy fingers : the moon and 
 
 the stars, which thou hast ordained. 
 
 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him : and the son of 
 man, that thou visitest him ? 
 
 5 Thou madest him lower than the angels : to crown him with 
 glory and worship. 
 
 6 Thou makest him to have dominion of the works of thy hands : 
 and thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet ; 
 
 7 All sheep and oxen : yea, and the beasts of the field ; 
 
 8 The fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea : and whatsoever 
 walketh through the paths of the seas. 
 
 9 O Lord our Governour : how excellent is thy Name in all the 
 world ! 
 
 Psalm viii. — This psalm, which is one of those appointed for Ascension Day, is quoted in 
 Hebrews ii. 6, as prophetically describing the triumph of liumanity in the glorification of Christ. 
 The Majesty of God is contemplated till the soul shrinks from the ever-increasing brightness of 
 the scene ; it begins to doubt the possibility of its being an object of regard to a Deity so awful 
 in the sublimity of His power, — so far apart from this low and miserable world. Neither nature 
 nor the law answers the doubt. The grace given to the Psalmist, in the exercise of his prophetic 
 office, could alone enable him to catch a glimpse of the mystery of godliness and love. In Adam 
 the race is earthy, and cannot look beyond the visible heavens. In Christ it is spiritual and 
 divine : only for a little time to be lower than the angels, and after its day of trial to be crowned 
 with glory and honour. Hence it is, that " the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the 
 manifestation of the sons of God." Till then, nature must remain subject to vanity, to sin, and death ; 
 but when the second hccad of the race shall proclaim His design finished, the universe will recover 
 its primal beauty, and glory and worship shall be the meed of all who are found in the Saviour. 
 
 472 
 
THE SRCOND HAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 
 
 _ ^ ,. ^, -^^^ - i- 
 
 Psal, ix. Confitehor tibi. 
 
 WILL give thanks unto thee, O Lord, 
 with my whole heart : I will speak of all 
 thy marvellous works. 
 
 2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee : 
 yea, my songs will I make of thy Name, 
 O thou most Highest. 
 
 3 While mine enemies are driven back : 
 ^' they shall fall and perish at thy presence. 
 
 id 4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause : thou art 
 
 ^j set in the throne that judgest right. 
 
 5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, and destroyed the un- 
 godly : thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. 
 
 6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end : even 
 
 PsAi.M IX. — The prayers of God's people are never unanswered, nor are their enemies at any 
 time allowed to prevail against them, except for the jjurposes of final good. Their souls are in His 
 hand — their cause is His ; and, when they triumph, they know it is hy His power and goodness 
 that their adversaries have been obliged to retreat. The present and immediate success is but a 
 sign of the Almighty's prevailing love. They learn from the particular instance the force of the 
 everlasting rule. Hence their rejoicing in Him ; — their grand and lofty faith that "destructions are 
 come to a perpetual end," — and their comforting assurance that the Lord will ever be a " defence 
 for the oppressed, even a refuge in due time of trouble." But thanksgiving and songs of triumph 
 must ever, in this state of things, be mingled with the consciousness that times of danger and ditii- 
 culty will return. The Psalmist, therefore, sets an example to the Church, and to every believer 
 in Christ, to seek the Lord with prayers for mercy, even in tlie midst of success and happiness. 
 
 473 3p 
 
Bay 2. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 as the cities which thou hast destroyed ; their memorial is perished 
 with them. 
 
 7 But the Lord shall endure for ever : he hath also prepared his 
 seat for judgement. 
 
 8 For he shall judge the w^orld in righteousness : and minister 
 true judgement unto the people. 
 
 9 The Lord also will Ije a defence for tlie oppressed : even a 
 refuge in due time of trouble. 
 
 10 And they that know thy Name will put their trust in thee : 
 for thou. Lord, hast never failed them that seek thee. 
 
 110 praise the Lord which dwelleth in Sion : shew the people 
 of his doings. 
 
 12 For, when he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth 
 them : and forgetteth not the complaint of the poor. 
 
 13 Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider the trouble which I 
 suffer of them that hate me : thou that liftest me up from the gates 
 of death. 
 
 14 That I may shew all thy praises within the ports of the 
 daughter of Sion : I will rejoice in thy salvation. 
 
 15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made : in the 
 same net which they hid privily, is then* foot taken. 
 
 16 The Lord is known to execute judgement : the ungodly is 
 trapped in the work of his own hands. 
 
 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell : and all the people that 
 forget God. 
 
 18 For the poor shall not alway be forgotten : the patient abiding 
 of the meek shall not perish for ever. 
 
 19 Up, Lord, and let not man have the upper hand : let the 
 heathen be judged in thy sight. 
 
 20 Put them in fear, O Lord : that the heathen may know them- 
 selves to be but men. 
 
 Psal. X. Ut quid, Domine? 
 
 HY standest thou so far off, O Lord 
 
 and 
 
 Iiidest thy face in the needful time of 
 trouble ? 
 
 2 The ungodly for his own lust doth per- 
 secute the poor : let them be taken in the 
 crafty wiliness that they have imagined. 
 
 3 For the ungodly hath made boast of 
 his own heart's desire : and speaketh good 
 of tlie covetous, whom God abhorreth. 
 
 474 
 
-^ 
 
 THE PSALMS. Day 2. 
 
 ]L 4 The ungodly is so proud, that he careth not for God : neither is 
 God in all his thoughts. 
 
 5 His ways are alway grievous : thy judgements are far above 
 out of his sight, and therefore defieth he all his enemies. 
 
 6 For he hath said in his heart, Tush, 1 shall never be cast 
 down : there shall no harm happen unto me. 
 
 7 His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and fraud : under his 
 tongue is ungodliness and vanity. 
 
 8 He sitteth lurking in the thievish corners of the streets : and 
 privily in his lurking dens doth he murder the innocent ; his eyes are 
 set against the poor, 
 
 9 For he lieth waiting secretly, even as a lion lurketh he in his 
 den : that he may ravish the poor. 
 
 10 He doth ravish the poor : when he getteth him into his net. 
 
 1 1 He falleth down, and humbleth himself : that the congregation 
 of the poor may fall into the hands of his captains. 
 
 12 He hath said in his heart, Tush, God hath forgotten : he 
 hideth away his face, and he will never see it. 
 
 13 Arise, O Lord God, and lift up thine hand : forget not the poor. 
 
 14 Wherefore should the wicked blaspheme God : while he doth 
 say in his heart, Tush, thou God carest not for it. 
 
 15 Surely thou hast seen it : for thou beholdest ungodliness and 
 wrong. 
 
 16 That thou may est take the matter into thine hand : the poor 
 committeth himself unto thee ; for thou art the helper of the friend- 
 less. 
 
 17 Break thou the power of the ungodly and malicious : take 
 aAvay his ungodliness, and thou shalt find none. 
 
 18 The Lord is King for ever and ever : and the heathen are 
 perished out of the land. 
 
 19 Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the poor : thou preparest 
 their heart, and thine ear hearkeneth thereto ; 
 
 20 To help the fatherless and poor unto their right : that the man 
 of the earth be no more exalted against them. 
 
 Psalm x. — How pathetic a moral is conveyed even by the arrangement of the Psaims, the song 
 of triumph being so quickly succeeded by lamentations, confessions of sin, and prayers for jiity ! 
 Every hour of darkness that we suffer is dark because God turns away His face, or veils it in 
 displeasure. The most fruitful season of happiness would become barren if deprived of the Divine 
 blessing ; what then must be the condition of man under the most afflicting misfortunes if deprived 
 of all consolation from the Father of mercies ? The prosperity of the wicked fills the mind with 
 doubt and perplexity, till it begin to rest with confidence on the justice, wisdom, and benevolence 
 of God. It then appeals to Him for help ; it declares its wants and apprehensions, and in its very 
 prayer feels that the heavenly Father hath prejjared the way for its consolation and final safety. 
 
 4/5 y P '^ 
 
Dmj2. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Psal. xi. In Domino confidn. 
 
 N the Lord put I my trust : how say ye 
 then to my soul, that she should flee as a 
 bird unto the hill? 
 
 2 For lo, the ungodly bend their bow, 
 and make ready their arrows within the 
 quiver : that they may privily shoot at them 
 which are true of heart. 
 
 3 For the foundations will be cast down : 
 and what hath the righteous done ? 
 
 4 The Lord is in his holy temple : the Lord's seat is in heaven. 
 
 5 His eyes consider the poor : and his eye-lids try the children of 
 men. 
 
 6 The Lord alloweth the righteous : but the ungodly, and him 
 that delighteth in wickedness doth his soul abhor. 
 
 7 Upon the ungodly he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, 
 storm and tempest : this shall be their portion to drink. 
 
 8 For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness : his countenance 
 will behold the thing that is just. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xii. Salvum mefac. 
 
 ELP me, Lord, for there is not one godly 
 man left : for the faithful are minished 
 from among: the children of men. 
 
 2 They talk of vanity every one with his 
 neighbour : they do but flatter with their 
 lips, and dissemble in their double heart. 
 
 3 The Lord shall root out all deceitful 
 lips : and the tongue that speaketh proud 
 things ; 
 
 4 Which have said, With our tongue 
 will we prevail : we are they that ought to 
 speak, Avho is lord over us ? 
 
 5 Now for the comfortless troubles' sake 
 of the needy : and because of the deep sighing of the poor. 
 
 Psalm xi. — It is the privilege of God's people to know that He hears their prayers. However 
 the world may be agitated, they have always a place of refuge, and the light of divine love sheds 
 
 476 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Dayl, 
 
 6 I will up, saitli the Lord : and will help every one from him 
 that swelleth against him, and ^vill set him at rest. 
 
 7 The words of the Lord are pure words : even as the silver, 
 which from the earth is tried, and purified seven times in the fire. 
 
 8 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord : thou shalt preserve him from 
 this generation for ever. 
 
 9 The ungodly walk on every side : when they are exalted, the 
 children of men are put to rebuke. 
 
 Psal. xiii. Usque quo, Domine 9 
 
 OW long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, 
 for ever : how long wilt thou hide thy face 
 from me ? 
 
 2 How long shall I seek counsel in my 
 soul, and be so vexed in my heart : how 
 long shall mine enemies triumph over me ? 
 
 3 Consider, and hear me, O Lord my 
 God : lighten mine eyes, that I sleep not 
 in death. 
 
 4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him : for if I be 
 cast down, they that trouble me will rejoice at it. 
 
 5 But my trust is in thy mercy : and my heart is joyful in thy 
 salvation. 
 
 6 I will sing of the Lord, because he hath dealt so lovingly with 
 me : yea, I Avill praise the Name of the Lord most Highest. 
 
 its radiance on their path when vexed with the fiercest storms. Everything is changing around 
 them. The wicked gain a momentary ascendancy ; it is impossible by the very nature of things 
 that they should keep it ; confusion attends their downfall, and the perpetual alternations of the 
 scene fill the natural heart with dismay ; but in all these changes " the foundation of God standeth 
 sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His." 2 Tim. ii. 19. 
 
 Psalm xii.— The depravity of the world presents a melancholy prospect to the believer, whether 
 he consider the fate of mankind, the state of the Church, or the glory of God's name. Anxious 
 for the conversion of the wicked, and ever praying that the great designs of salvation may be 
 speedily fulfilled, he cries to God for help, in the deeply-felt conviction that He alone can stem 
 the floods of iniquity, and snatch perishing souls from the overwhelming torrent. 
 
 PsAi.M XIII.— Affliction, when the result of sin and folly, convinces the heart, if not dead to 
 reflection, of God's severe displeasure. When repentance follows, and the soul humbles itself 
 under the burden of its sorrows, it is taught to feel that, so long as God refuses His wonted mercj% 
 and hides His face from it in anger, it cannot cease to be miserable. It matters not from what 
 cause the suffering arises, whether irom circumstances apparently natural, or from the persecution 
 of enemies. God's returning mercy alone can bring peace again to the heart. Happy thej-, then, 
 who, having deeply lamented their sins, and cried for help, are able to say, " We will be joyful, 
 O Lord, in thy salvation, for we have trusted in thy mercy." 
 
 477 
 
Day 2. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Psal. 
 
 Dixit 
 
 insipiens. 
 
 HE fool liatli said in his heart : There is 
 no God. 
 
 2 They are corrupt, and become abomi- 
 nable in their doings : there is none that 
 doeth good, no not one. 
 
 3 The Lord looked down from heaven 
 upon the children of men : to see if there 
 were any that would understand, and seek 
 after God. 
 
 4 But they are all gone out of the way, they, are altogether be- 
 come abominable : there is none that doeth good, no not one, 
 
 5 Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues have they 
 deceived : the poison of asps is under their lips. 
 
 6 Their mouth is full of cursing: and bitterness : their feet are 
 swift to shed blood. 
 
 7 Destruction and unhappiness is in their ways, and the way of 
 peace have they not known : there is no fear of God before their 
 eyes. 
 
 8 Have they no knowledge, that they are all such workers of mis- 
 chief : eating up my people as it were bread, and call not upon the 
 Lord? 
 
 9 There were they brought in great fear, even where no fear was : 
 for God is in the generation of the righteous. 
 
 10 As for you, ye have made a mock at the counsel of the poor : 
 because he putteth his trust in the Lord. 
 
 1 1 Who shall give salvation unto Israel out of Sion ? When the 
 Lord turneth the captivity of his people : then shall Jacob rejoice, 
 and Israel shall be glad. 
 
 Psalm xiv. — St. Paul has taught us to apply this melancholy description of the wicked in the 
 days of David to the state of mankind at large when the Gospel was first published to the world. 
 Universal ignorance and vice are but the necessary consequences of iniiversal depravity. The 
 former can never cease till the latter is eradicated, and this can only be effected in proportion as 
 the Divine Spirit of the Gospel is diffused and obeyed. Folly and iniquity must at length inevit- 
 ably yield to the sentence passed upon them; but the power that subdues them may be either 
 that of grace, or of justice. Whatever to them the consequences of the divine government, the 
 righteous shall regain their liberty, God will turn their captivity, and they shall rejoice in His 
 goodness for evermore. The 5th, 6th, and 7th verses are not in the original Hebrew, but were 
 introduced into the old version from some copies of the Septuagiut, and on the authority of 
 Rom. iii. 13—18. 
 
 478 
 
THE THIRD DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Domine, quis habifabii ? 
 
 ORD, who shall dwell in thy tal)ernacle : 
 or who shall rest upon thy holy hill ? 
 
 2 Even he, that leadeth an uncorrupt 
 life : and doetli the thing which is right, 
 and speaketh the truth from his heart. 
 
 3 He that hath used no deceit in his 
 tongue, nor done evil to his neighbour : and 
 
 hath not slandered his neighbour. 
 
 4 He that setteth not by himself, but is lowly in his own eyes : 
 and maketh much of them that fear the Lord, 
 
 Psalm xv. — The house of God on earth is His Church ; His tabernacle, the innermost circle of 
 His faithful people. Peace which passeth understanding fills the souls of those admitted to the 
 spiritual Zion; but how inconceivably glorious must be the state of those to whom an entrance is 
 abundantly ministered into the courts of heaven, into the habitations prepared by Christ for His 
 disciples in His Fathers house ! The conditions of character necessary to this state of blessedness 
 are those which God"s law universally demands, and upon the principles of which all moral and 
 spiritual good must eternally depend. Were it possible for the proud and the deceitful to prosper 
 finally, it would he impossible for the virtuous to call God, Almighty. 
 
 47*J 
 
Day 3. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 5 He that sweareth unto his neighbour, and disappointeth him 
 
 not 
 
 though it were to his own hindrance. 
 
 6 He that hath not given his money upon usury : nor taken reward 
 against the innocent. 
 
 shall never fall. 
 
 7 Whoso doeth these things 
 
 Psal. xvi. Conserva me, Domine. 
 
 RESERVE me, O God : for in thee have 
 I put my trust. 
 
 2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the 
 Lord : Thou art my God, my goods are 
 nothing unto thee. 
 
 3 All my delight is upon the saints, that 
 are in the earth : and upon such as excel in 
 virtue. 
 
 4 But they that run after another 
 god : shall have great trouble. 
 
 5 Their drink-offerings of blood will I not oifer : neither make 
 mention of their names within my lips. 
 
 6 The Lord himself is the portion o:^nine inheritance, and of my 
 cup : thou shalt maintain my lot. 
 
 7 The lot is fallen unto me in a fair ground : yea, I have a goodly 
 heritage. 
 
 8 I will thank the Lord for giving me warning : my reins also 
 chasten me in the night-season. 
 
 9 I have set God always before me : for he is on my right hand, 
 therefore I shall not fall. 
 
 10 Wherefore my heart was glad, and my glory rejoiced : my 
 flesh also shall rest in hope. 
 
 1 1 For why ? thou shalt not leave my soul in hell : neither shalt 
 thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. 
 
 12 Thou shalt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is the 
 fulness of joy : and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore. 
 
 Psalm xvi. — Trust in God is allowed to form a claim upon His mercy. This is beautifully 
 demonstrated in most of the Psalms, and in other prayers of God's people. Even in their worst 
 afflictions, they know Him as a benefactor and a Saviour. They rejoice in Him, and in His 
 word: bless Him for His warnings, — for the privileges and graces witlr which He has enriched 
 them ; and, beholding the horrible crimes of the world, separate themselves wholly from its 
 assemblies. The concluding verses of the psalm are a prophecy, which has been fulfilled in the 
 everlasting triumph of Christ Himself, and of His mystical body, over sin and death. (Acts ii. 24, 
 xiii. 35.) 
 
 480 
 
THE PSALMS. Day d. 
 
 Psal. xvii. Exaudi, Domine. 
 
 EAR the right, O Lord, consider my coiii- 
 phunt : and hearken unto my prayer, that 
 goeth not out of feigned lips. 
 
 2 Let my sentence come forth from thy 
 presence : and let thine eyes look upon the 
 thing that is equal. 
 
 3 Thou hast proved and visited mine 
 heart in the night-season ; thou hast tried 
 me, and shalt find no wickedness in me : 
 
 for I am utterly purposed that my mouth shall not offend. 
 
 4 Because of men's works, that are done against the words of thy 
 lips : I have kept me from the ways of the destroyer. 
 
 5 O hold thou up my goings in thy paths : that my footsteps slip not. 
 
 6 I have called upon thee, O God, for thou shalt hear me : incline 
 thine ear to me, and hearken unto my words. 
 
 7 Shew thy marvellous loving-kindness, thou that art the Saviour 
 of them which put their trust in thee : from such as resist thy right 
 hand. 
 
 8 Keep me as the apple of an eye : hide me under the shadow of 
 thy wings, 
 
 9 From the ungodly that trouble me : mine enemies compass me 
 round about to take a'v^'ay my soul. 
 
 10 They are inclosed in their own fat : and their mouth speaketli 
 proud things. 
 
 1 1 They lie waiting in our way on every side : turning their eyes 
 down to the ground ; 
 
 12 Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey : and as it were a 
 lion's whelp, lurking in secret places. 
 
 13 Up, Lord, disappoint him, and cast him down : deliver my 
 soul from the ungodly, which is a sword of thine ; 
 
 14 From the men of thy hand^ O Lord, from the men, I say, and 
 from the evil world : which have their portion in this life, ^vhose 
 bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure. 
 
 1 5 They have children at their desire : and leave the rest of their 
 substance for their babes. 
 
 16 But as for me, I will behold thy presence in righteousness : 
 and when I awake up after thy likeness, I shall be satisfied Avith it. 
 
 Psalm xvii. — " The just shall live by faith : " this has been known to the children of God in all 
 ages ; and David would have been the last to dispute a doctrine so necessary to the hopes which 
 he cherished. When he speaks, therefore, iu this and other psalms, respecting his freedom from 
 
 481 3 Q 
 
Day 3. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xviii. DUigam te, Domine. 
 
 WILL love thee, O Lord, my strength ; 
 the Lord is my stony rock, and my defence : 
 my Saviour, my God, and my might, in 
 whom I will trust, my Ijuckler, the horn 
 also of my salvation, and my refuge. 
 
 2 I Avill call upon the Lord, which is 
 worthy to be praised : so shall I be safe 
 from mine enemies. 
 
 3 The sorrows of death compassed me : 
 and the overflowings of ungodliness made 
 me afraid. 
 
 4 The pains of hell came about me : the 
 snares of death overtook me. 
 
 5 In my trouble I will call upon the Lord : and complain unto 
 my God. 
 
 6 So shall he hear my voice out of his holy temple : and my com- 
 plaint shall come before him, it shall enter even into his ears. 
 
 7 The earth trembled and quaked : the very foundations also of 
 the hills shook, and were removed, because he was wroth. 
 
 8 There went a smoke out in his presence : and a consuming fire 
 out of his mouth, so that coals were kindled at it. 
 
 9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down : and it was dark 
 under his feet. 
 
 10 He rode upon the cherubims, and did fly : he came flying 
 upon the wings of the wind. 
 
 wickedness, he either alkides to his conduct towards those by whom he was persecuted, or employs 
 the language of one who had been sanctified by God's free Spirit, and justified by God's free grace. 
 The character of the wicked, their injustice, violence, and treachery, are powerfully described in 
 this psalm. From hosts of such enemies, with Satan at their head, who should set the righteous 
 free but He who experienced their malice, and overcame by the power of His perfect holiness ? 
 
 PsAi.M XVIII. — This magnificent psalm was composed by David when lie saw himself victorious 
 over Saul and all his other enemies. ('2 Sam. xxii. 1.) The recollection of the Divine goodness, as 
 manifested in his deliverance, mingled with the contemplation of the power which gave it such 
 might against the legions of darkness. Hence love and gratitude breathe the sublime spirit of 
 awe ; and the wonders of the Almighty's reign bear away the mind for a moment from the par- 
 ticular instance of His mercy. But the Psalmist returns to the consideration of his own deliver- 
 ance, as if he had received a new and wonderful lesson of humility from the elevation of his soul 
 in that heavenly contemplation. He beholds his helplessness ; he ascribes the holiness which he 
 enjoys to the same Source as his prosperity, and in this faith he looks forward to still further 
 triumphs and increasing glory. But it was nut to David that the language of the psalm could be 
 most literally applied. It is in the history of Christ and His Church that we see its proper appli- 
 cation ; and when the people of God now sing it, it has a force and clearness of meaning which it 
 could never have under the Law. (Rom. xv. "J.) 
 
 482 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 3. 
 
 1 1 He made darkness liis secret place : his pavilion round about 
 him with dark water, and thick clouds to cover him. 
 
 12 At the brightness of his presence liis clouds removed : hail- 
 stones, and coals of fire. 
 
 13 The Lord also thundered out of heaven, and the Higliest gave 
 his thunder : hail-stones, and coals of fire. 
 
 14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered tliem : he cast forth 
 lightnings, and destroyed them. 
 
 15 The springs of waters were seen, and the foundations of the 
 round world were discovered, at thy chiding, O Lord : at the blasting 
 of the breath of thy displeasure. 
 
 16 He shall send down from on high to fetch me : and shall take 
 me out of many waters. 
 
 17 He shall deliver me from my strongest enemy, and from them 
 which hate me : for they are too mighty for me. 
 
 18 They prevented me in the day of my trouble : but tlie Lord 
 was my upholder. 
 
 19 He brought me forth also into a place of liberty : he brought 
 me forth, even because he had a favour unto me. 
 
 20 The Lord shall reward me after my righteous dealing : accord- 
 ing to the cleanness of my hands shall he recompense me. 
 
 21 Because I have kept the ways of the Lord : and have not 
 forsaken my God, as the wacked doth. 
 
 22 For I have an eye unto all his la^vs : and will not cast out his 
 commandments from me. 
 
 23 I was also uncorrupt before him : and eschew^ed mine own 
 wickedness. 
 
 24 Therefore shall the Lord reward me after my righteous 
 dealing : and according unto the cleanness of my hands in his eye- 
 sight. 
 
 25 With the holy thou slialt be holy : and with a perfect, man 
 thou shalt be perfect. 
 
 26 With the clean thou shalt be clean : and with the froward thou 
 shalt learn frowardness. 
 
 27 For thou shalt save the people that are in adversity : and shalt 
 bring down the high looks of the proud. 
 
 28 Thou also shalt light my candle : the Lord my God shall make 
 my darkness to be light. 
 
 29 For in thee I shall discomfit an host of men : and with the 
 help of my God I shall leap over the wall. 
 
 30 The way of God is an undefiled way : the word of the Lord 
 
 483 3 Q 2 
 
Day 3. THE PSALMS. 
 
 also is tried in the fire ; lie is the defender of all them that put their 
 trust in him. 
 
 31 For who is God, but the Lord : or Avho hath any strength, 
 except our God ? 
 
 32 It is God, that girdeth me with strength of war : and maketh 
 my way perfect. 
 
 33 He maketh my feet like harts' feet : and setteth me up on liigh. 
 
 34 He teacheth mine hands to fight : and mine arms shall break 
 even a bow of steel. 
 
 35 Thou hast given me the defence of thy salvation : thy right hand 
 also shall hold me up, and thy loving correction shall make me great. 
 
 36 Thou shalt make room enough under me for to go : that my 
 footsteps shall not slide. 
 
 37 I will follow upon mine enemies, and overtake them : neither 
 will I turn again till I have destroyed them. 
 
 38 I will smite them, that they shall not be able to stand : but fall 
 under my feet. 
 
 39 Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle : thou shalt 
 tlu'ow down mine enemies under me. 
 
 40 Thou hast made mine enemies also to turn their backs upon 
 me : and I shall destroy them that hate me. 
 
 41 They shall cry, but there shall be none to help them : yea, even 
 unto the Lord shall they cry, but he shall not hear them. 
 
 42 I will beat them as small as the dust before the wind : I will 
 cast them out as the clay in the streets. 
 
 43 Thou shalt deliver me from the strivings of the people : and 
 thou shalt make me the head of the heathen. 
 
 44 A people whom I have not known : shall serve me. 
 
 45 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me : but the 
 strange children shall dissemble with me. 
 
 46 The strange children shall fail : and be afraid out of their prisons. 
 
 47 The Lord liveth, and blessed be my strong helper : and praised 
 be the God of my salvation. 
 
 48 Even the God that seeth that I be avenged : and subdueth the 
 people unto me. 
 
 49 It is he that delivereth me from my cruel enemies, and setteth me 
 up above mine adversaries : thou shalt rid me from the wicked man. 
 
 50 For this cause will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among 
 the Gentiles : and sing praises unto thy Name. 
 
 51 Great prosperity giveth he unto his King : and sheweth loving- 
 kindness unto David his Anointed, and unto his seed for evermore. 
 
 484 
 
THE FOURTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xi\ Ctt'li enarrunt. 
 
 HE heavens declare the glory of God : and 
 the firmament sheweth his handy-work. 
 
 2 One day telleth another : and one 
 night certifieth another. 
 
 3 There is neither speech nor language : 
 but their voices are heard among them. 
 
 4 Their sound is gone out into all lands : 
 and their words into the ends of the world. 
 
 5 In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun : which cometh 
 forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a giant to 
 run his course. 
 
 Psalm xix. — The contemplative mind is here conducted to the two great volumes of Divine 
 wisdom, the one of natme, the other of the law ; each being a revelation of God's power and 
 goodness, while both are bound up in the circling bands of heavenly grace. It is a happy thing 
 for the heart to be enabled to hear the heavens declaring the glory of God, — to find that the 
 circling days have a voice, and that the sun is instinct with wisdom. But only half is done, and 
 that the inferior part, when the mind confines itself to the revelations of nature. Nothing is there 
 said respecting the soul which observes ; but the law of God. that is, the declaration of His will, 
 — the unsealed volume of His decrees. " converts the soul."' and "giveth wisdom unto the simple."' 
 It is this, therefore, which every understanding mind will chiefly seek. Filled with the heavenly 
 intelligence which it gives, it becomes humble and disposed to prayer ; it asks continually for the 
 grace that cleanses, and for the holiness which may render every thought of the heart acceptable 
 in the sight of God. 
 
 485 
 
Day 4. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 6 It goeth forth from the uttermost part of the heaven, and runneth 
 about unto the end of it again : and there is nothing hid from the 
 heat thereof. 
 
 7 The law of the Lord is an undefiled law, converting the soul : 
 the testimony of the Lord is sure, and giveth wisdom unto the 
 simple. 
 
 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, and rejoice the heart : the 
 commandment of the Lord is pure, and giveth light unto the eyes. 
 
 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, and endureth for ever : the judge- 
 ments of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 
 
 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine 
 gold : sweeter also than honey, and the honey-comb. 
 
 1 1 Moreover, by them is thy servant taught : and in keeping of 
 them there is great reward. 
 
 12 Who can tell how oft he offendeth : O cleanse thou me from 
 my secret faults. 
 
 13 Keep thy servant also from presumptuous sins, lest they get 
 the dominion over me : so shall I be undefiled, and innocent from 
 the great offence. 
 
 14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart : 
 be alway acceptable in thy sight, 
 
 15 O Lord : my strength, and my redeemer. 
 
 Psal. XX. Exaudiat te Dominus. 
 
 HE Lord hear thee in the day of trouble : 
 the Name of the God of Jacob defend thee ; 
 
 2 Send thee help from the sanctuary : 
 and strengthen thee out of Sion ; 
 
 3 Remember all thy offerings : and ac- 
 cept thy burnt-sacrifice ; 
 
 4 Grant thee thy heart's desire : and 
 fulfil all thy mind. 
 
 5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and 
 triumph in the Name of the Lord our God : the Lord perform all 
 thy petitions. 
 
 Psalm xx. — This was a prayer of Israel's faithful people for the success of their persecuted 
 king. Spiritually considered, it is the prayer of the Church for the coming of Christ's kingdom, 
 by His victories over all the opposing powers of the world and of liell. There is a sentiment of 
 assurance intermixed with the supplications of this psalm. Ages back the believer might say, — 
 " Now know I that the Lord helpeth His anointed." How much more may he thus exclaim in 
 these latter times of the Gospel ! 
 
 486 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 4. 
 
 6 Now know I, that the Lord helpeth his Anointed, and will hear 
 him from his holy heaven : even with the wholesome strength of his 
 right hand. 
 
 7 Some put their trust in chariots, and some in horses : but we 
 will remember the Name of the Lord our God. 
 
 8 They are brought doAvn, and fallen : but we are risen, and stand 
 upright. 
 
 9 Save, Lord, and hear us, O King of heaven : when Ave call 
 upon thee. 
 
 Psal. xxi. Domine, in virtute tua. 
 
 HE King shall rejoice in thy strength, O 
 Lord : exceeding glad shall he be of thy 
 salvation. 
 
 2 Thou hast given him his heart's de- 
 sire : and hast not denied him the request 
 of his lips. 
 
 3 For thou shalt prevent him with the 
 blessings of goodness : and shalt set a crown 
 of pure gold upon his head. 
 
 4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest him a long life : even for 
 ever and ever. 
 
 5 His honour is great in thy salvation : glory and great worship 
 shalt thou lay upon him. 
 
 6 For thou shalt give him everlasting felicity : and make him glad 
 with the joy of thy countenance. 
 
 7 And why ? because the King putteth his trust in the Lord : 
 and in the mercy of the most Highest he shall not miscarry. 
 
 8 All thine enemies shall feel thy hand : thy right hand shall find 
 out tliem that hate thee. 
 
 9 Thou shalt make them like a fiery oven in time of thy Avrath : 
 the Lord shall destroy them in his displeasure, and the fire shall 
 consume them. 
 
 10 Their fruit shalt thou root out of the earth : and their seed 
 from among the children of men. 
 
 Psalm xxi. — God upholds the ministers of His righteousness through all their struggles, and 
 at length brings them to glory. As this is true of His dealings with the humblest of His servants, 
 much more evidently is it so in respect to His own beloved Son, whose whole object it ever was to 
 do His will, and by combined obedience and suffering to become the Author of eternal salvation to 
 all penitent sinners. The language of the Psalmist therefore may be closely applied to Christ in 
 His capacity of Redeemer, and head of the Church. It is by the power of the Father and of 
 the Holy Spirit that He has triumphed. He exercised all the virtues of resignation towards eternal 
 justice, and His honour became great in the Almiglity's salvation. 
 
 487 
 
Day 4. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 1 1 For they intended mischief against thee : and imagined such a 
 device as they are not able to perform. 
 
 12 Therefore slialt thou put them to flight : and the strings of thy 
 bow shalt thou make ready against the face of them. 
 
 13 Be thou exalted. Lord, in thine own streng-th : so will we sing, 
 and praise thy power. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xxii. Deus, Deus mens. 
 
 Y God, my God, look upon me ; why hast 
 thou forsaken me : and art so far from my 
 health, and from the words of my complaint ? 
 
 2 O my God, I cry in the day-time, but 
 thou hearest not : and in the night-season 
 also I take no rest. 
 
 3 And thou continuest holy : O thou 
 worship of Israel. 
 
 4 Our fathers hoped in thee : they trusted 
 in thee, and thou didst deliver them. 
 
 5 They called upon thee, and were 
 holpen : they put their trust in thee, and 
 were not confounded. 
 
 6 But as for me, I am a worm, and no man : a very scorn of men, 
 and the outcast of the people. 
 
 7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn : they shoot out their 
 lips, and shake their heads, saying, 
 
 8 He trusted in God, that he would deliver him : let him deliver 
 him, if he will have him. 
 
 9 But thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb : thou 
 wast my hope, when I hanged yet upon my mother's breasts. 
 
 Psalm xxii. — There is so awful a solemnity in this psalm that it fills the mind with a feeling of 
 mysterious melancholy, — with a sense of the Cross and passion. Our blessed Lord's own appli- 
 cation of it to Himself has consecrated it to the services of Christian meditation in all ages. The 
 wonderful fulfilment of the minute prophecies which it contains renders it as valuable as evidence 
 as it is fitted by its pathos to move and deepen the affections. On reading the 1 7th chapter of 
 St. John, with the account of the Agony and the Crucifixion in the other Gospels, we perceive at 
 once the unity of spirit in which the language of the psalm was conceived, and in which Christ 
 poured out His soul an offering for the sins of His people. Rendered capable of suffering by the 
 very perfection of His humanity, He employed the language of humanity to express His sorrows. 
 There is no particular alluded to in the psalm, or which is required to perfect affliction, which He 
 did not endure. Woe be to the heart that can feel no sympathy with a sufTering Redeemer ! 
 
 488 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 4. 
 
 ] I have been left unto thee ever since I was born : thou art my 
 God even from my mother's womb. 
 
 1 1 O go not from me, for troul^le is hard at hand : and there is 
 none to help me. 
 
 12 JNIany oxen are come about me : fat bulls of Basan close me 
 in on every side. 
 
 13 They gape upon me with their mouths : as it were a ramping 
 and a roaring lion. 
 
 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint : 
 my heart also in the midst of my body is even like melting wax. 
 
 15 JMy strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue 
 cleaveth to my gums : and thou shalt bring me into the dust of death. 
 
 16 For many dogs are come about me : and the council of the 
 wicked layeth siege against me. 
 
 17 They pierced my hands and my feet ; I may tell all my bones : 
 they stand staring and looking upon me. 
 
 18 They part my garments among them : and cast lots upon my 
 vesture. 
 
 19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord : thou art my succour, 
 haste thee to help me. 
 
 20 Deliver my soul from the sMOrd : my darling from the power 
 of the dog. 
 
 21 Save me from the lion's mouth : thou hast heard me also from 
 among the horns of the unicorns. 
 
 22 I will declare thy Name unto my brethren : in the midst of the 
 congregation will I praise thee. 
 
 23 O praise the Lord, ye that fear him : magnify him, all ye of 
 the seed of Jacob, and fear him, all ye seed of Israel ; 
 
 24 For he hath not despised, nor abhorred, the low estate of the 
 poor : he hath not hid his face from him, but when he called unto 
 him he heard him. 
 
 25 INIy praise is of thee in the great congregation : my vows will 
 I perform in the sight of them that fear him. 
 
 26 The poor shall eat, and be satisfied : they that seek after the 
 Lord shall praise him ; your heart shall live for ever. 
 
 27 All the ends of the world shall remember themselves, and be 
 turned unto the Lord : and all the kindreds of the nations shall wor- 
 ship before him. 
 
 28 For the kingdom is the Lord's ; and he is the Governour 
 among the people. 
 
 29 All such as be fat upon earth : have eaten, and worshipped. 
 
 489 3 R 
 
Day 4. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 30 All they that go clown into the dust shall kneel before him : 
 and no man hath quickened his own soul. 
 
 31 My seed shall serve him : they shall be counted unto the Lord 
 for a generation. 
 
 32 They shall come, and the heavens shall declare his righteous- 
 ness : unto a people that shall be born, whom the Lord hath made. 
 
 Psal. xxiii. Dominus regit me. 
 
 HE Lord is my shepherd : therefore can 
 I lack nothing. 
 
 2 He shall feed me in a green pasture : 
 and lead me forth beside the waters of 
 comfort. 
 
 3 He shall convert my soul : and bring 
 me forth in the paths of righteousness, for 
 his Name's sake. 
 
 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley 
 of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou art with me ; thy 
 rod and thy staff comfort me. 
 
 5 Thou shalt prepare a table before me against them that trouble 
 me : thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full. 
 
 6 But thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me all the days 
 of my life : and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. 
 
 Psalm xxiii. — How refreshing is this short, but exquisitely beautiful psalm, after the melan- 
 choly strains of that which precede it ! The Lord is indeed the Shepherd of His people. He has 
 given His life for the sheep. The food wherewith He feeds them is heavenly, and the waters of 
 which they drink are waters of life as well as of comfort. He meets them at the moment when 
 they are about to enter the valley of the shadow of death ; and keeping with them till they are 
 safely through, conducts them to the home which He has prepared for them in His Father's 
 house. Who would not wish to be able to adopt the language and sentiments of this psalm ? The 
 least obseiTant of mankind discover the dissatisfaction of the worldly with the world which they 
 worship. It is not the unfortunate and the care-worn only that are miserable in the turmoil of 
 life. The most independent, the richest, and the most powerful, share alike with the poorest in the 
 discomfitures of a mere eartldy existence. Perseverance in a course of worldlj' ambition or folly, 
 or even too close an occupation of the mind in the ordinary pursuits of life, leaves us, at the last, 
 a prey to every species of uneasy feeling. We rebuke ourselves for our want of penetration and 
 wisdom ; and hate every thing around us, because it is incapable, by its very nature, of bestowing 
 the pleasure which we expected to derive from its possession. How different the state of the mau 
 who can use, as the language of his heart, the words of this psalm ! — who feels that the Lord is 
 liis Sliepherd ; — that it is He who spreads his table, and fills his cup; — that, when his strength 
 fails him. He will be his support ; — and that, at the last, He will anoint him with the gladness of 
 His own Spirit ! To such a man, no place will be so abounding in comfort as the sanctuary of 
 God, — no employment so redolent of satisfaction as the worship of His name. While with the 
 Psalmist, therefore, he rejoices to say, "Thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me all the 
 days of my life," — with the Psalmist also he will say, " I will dwell in the house of the Lord for 
 ever." 
 
 490 
 
THK FIFTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal XXIV. Domini eU terra. 
 
 HE earth is the Lord's, and all that therein 
 is : the compass of the world, and they that 
 dwell therein. 
 
 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas : 
 and prepared it upon the floods. 
 
 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the 
 Lord : or who shall rise up in his holy place ? 
 
 4 Even he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart : and that 
 hath not lift up his mind unto vanity, nor sworn to deceive his 
 neighbour. 
 
 5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord 
 ousness from the God of his salvation. 
 
 and righte- 
 
 PsALM XXIV. — This psalm is supposed to be one of those which were used when the Ark of God 
 was carried in solemn procession up Mount Zion. (1 Chron. xv.) Priests and Levites, and the 
 fathers of Israel, joined in the lofty chorus ; exhorting each other to holiness, and magnifjing the 
 righteousness of Jehovah. Tlie Church of Christ lias adopted it as noblj' commemorating His ascen- 
 sion into heaven. Viewed in this light, it has an echo in the heart of every one who knows the 
 value of redemption, or rejoices in the hope of everlasting life. The King of Glory is the Saviour 
 of the world, and the gates of heaven opening to Him, are open also to all who have been washed 
 in His blood. 
 
 491 3 R 2 
 
Day 5. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 6 This is the generation of them that seek him : even of them that 
 seek thy face, O Jacol). 
 
 7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting 
 doors : and the King of glory shall come in. 
 
 8 Who is the King of glory : it is the Lord strong and mighty, 
 even the Lord mighty in battle. 
 
 9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting 
 doors : and the King of glory shall come in. 
 
 10 Who is the King of glory : even the Lord of hosts, he is the 
 King of glory. 
 
 Psal, XXV. Ad te, Domine, levavi 
 
 NTO thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul ; 
 my God, I have put my trust in thee : O 
 let me not be confounded, neither let mine 
 enemies triumph over me. 
 
 2 For all they that hope in thee shall 
 not be ashamed : but such as transgress 
 vrithout a cause shall be put to confusion. 
 
 3 Shew me thy ways, O Lord : and 
 teach me thy paths. 
 
 4 Lead me forth in thy truth, and learn me : for thou art the God 
 of my salvation ; in thee hath been my hope all the day long. 
 
 5 Call to remembrance, O Lord, tliy tender mercies : and thy 
 loving-kindnesses, which have been ever of old. 
 
 6 O remember not the sins and offences of my youth : but accord- 
 ing to thy mercy think thou upon me, O Lord, for thy goodness. 
 
 7 Gracious and righteous is the Lord : therefore will he teach 
 sinners in the way. 
 
 8 Them that are meek shall he guide in judgement : and such as 
 are gentle, them shall he learn his way. 
 
 Psalm xxv. — The style of this psalm adapts it to the use of the Church, and of its members, in 
 all periods of their course. Satan is unwearied in his efforts to destroy them, and the season of 
 tranquillity, therefore, is not without its difficulties and dangers. From these, and from the more 
 apparent perils of persecution and distress, the grace of God is the only sufficient protection. For 
 this, then, they pray ; they supplicate Him for knowledge and salvation, and in the assurance of 
 His love tread the paths of life with joy. But the liappiness of the Christian is not secured by a 
 few casual and long intermitted efforts. Repentance, faith, the experience of mercy, with corre- 
 sponding gratitude, blend together in the work of softening and sanctifying the heart. " Call to 
 remembrance, O Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy loving kindnesses, which have been ever of 
 old." This is the prayer of the children of God. They know that He will be merciful unto them 
 for His Name's sake ; and, in their desolateness, they turn unto Him with a hope which of itself 
 almost conquers sorrow. 
 
 492 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 5. 
 
 9 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth : unto such as 
 keep his covenant, and his testimonies. 
 
 10 For thy Name's sake, O Lord : be merciful unto my sin, for 
 it is great. 
 
 1 1 What man is he, that feareth the Lord : him shall he teach in 
 the way that he shall choose. 
 
 12 His soul shall dwell at ease : and his seed shall inherit the land. 
 
 13 The secret of the Lord is among them that fear him : and he 
 will shew them his covenant. 
 
 14 Mine eyes are ever looking unto the Lord : for he shall pluck 
 my feet out of the net. 
 
 15 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me : for I am deso- 
 late, and in misery. 
 
 16 The sorrows of my heart are enlarged : O bring thou me out 
 of my troubles. 
 
 17 Look upon my adversity and misery : and forgive me all my sin. 
 
 18 Consider mine enemies, how many they are : and they bear a 
 tyrannous hate against me. 
 
 19 O keep my soul, and deliver me : let me not be confounded, for 
 I have put my trust in thee. 
 
 20 Let perfectness and righteous dealing wait upon me : for my 
 hope hath been in thee. 
 
 21 Deliver Israel, O God : out of all his troubles. 
 
 Psal. xxv^i. Judica me, Domhie. 
 
 E thou my Judge, O Lord, for I have 
 Avalked innocently : my trust hath been also 
 in the Lord, therefore shall I not iall. 
 
 2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me : 
 try out my reins and my heart. 
 
 3 For thy loving-kindness is ever before 
 mine eyes : and I will walk in thy truth. 
 
 4 I have not dwelt with vain persons : 
 
 neither will I have fellowship with the deceitful. 
 
 Psalm xxvi. — The consciousness of integrity affords the mind equal comfort and support in its 
 appeal from man to God ; but should the same comfort be sought by an appeal from the righteous- 
 ness of God to human merits, discomfiture here, aud misery hereafter, can be the only result. " If 
 we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."' This is so 
 evident on a comparison of the Divine law with the corruptions and infirmities of mankind, that 
 the blinding influences of sin are never more clearly seen than when we endeavour to plead our 
 innocence before the judgment seat of God. '• The natural man receiveth not the things of the 
 Spirit of God," and " they that are in the flesh cannot please God." So that if there be either 
 
 493 
 
Day 5. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 5 I have hated the congregation of the wicked : and will not sit 
 among the ungodly. 
 
 6 I Avill wash my hands in innocency, O Lord : and so will I go 
 to thine altar ; 
 
 7 That I may shew the voice of thanksgiving : and tell of all 
 thy wondrous works. 
 
 8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house : and the place 
 where thine honour dAvelleth. 
 
 9 O shut not up my soul with the sinners : nor my life with the 
 blood-thirsty ; 
 
 10 In whose hands is wickedness : and their riglit hand is full of 
 gifts. 
 
 1 1 But as for me, I will walk innocently : O deliver me, and be 
 merciful unto me. 
 
 12 My foot standeth right : I will praise the Lord in the con- 
 gregations. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. 
 
 Dominus illuminatio. 
 
 HE Lord is my light, and my salvation ; 
 whom then shall I fear : the Lord is the 
 strength of my life ; of Avhom then shall I 
 be afraid? 
 
 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies, 
 and my foes, came upon me to eat up my 
 flesh : they stumbled and fell, 
 
 3 Though an host of men were laid 
 against me, yet shall not my heart be afraid : 
 and though there rose up war against me, 
 yet will I put my trust in him. 
 
 4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, 
 which I will require : even that I may 
 
 dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the 
 fair beauty of the Lord, and to visit his temple. 
 
 rigliteousness or holiness in us, it must be the gift of God Himself, His mercy finding an atone- 
 ment for our sins, and His Spirit supplying the fountains of sanctification. David, therefore, speaks 
 of his innocency, as one who had not committed the offences laid to his charge by the world ; and 
 of his love of holiness, — of his delight in the law of God, as one who had been converted and 
 purified by the grace which He had given him. 
 
 494 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 5. 
 
 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his tabernacle : 
 yea, in the secret place of his dwelling shall he hide me, and set me 
 up upon a rock of stone. 
 
 6 And now shall he lift up mine head : above mine enemies round 
 about me. 
 
 7 Therefore will I offer in his dwelling an oblation with great 
 gladness : I will sing, and speak praises unto the Lord. 
 
 8 Hearken unto my voice, O Lord, when I cry unto thee : have 
 mercy upon me, and hear me. 
 
 9 My heart hath talked of thee, Seek ye my face : Thy face. Lord, 
 will I seek. 
 
 10 O hide not thou thy face from me : nor cast thy servant away 
 in displeasure. 
 
 1 1 Thou hast been my succour : leave me not, neither forsake me, 
 O God of my salvation. 
 
 1 2 When my father and my mother forsake me : the Lord taketh 
 me up. 
 
 13 Teach me thy way, O Lord : and lead me in the right way, 
 because of mine enemies. 
 
 14 Deliver me not over into the will of mine adversaries : for 
 there are false witnesses risen up against me, and such as speak 
 wrong. 
 
 15 1 should utterly have fainted : but that I believe verily to see 
 the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 
 
 16 tarry thou the Lord's leisure : be strong, and he shall com- 
 fort thine heart ; and put thou thy trust in the Lord. 
 
 PsAi.M XXVII. — Most men acknowledge the Almighty power of God ; but it is His children 
 only that feel His power to be thuir salvation and their glory. The first verse of this psalm is full 
 of spiritual beauty, and breathes more of the Gospel than of the law. It is the apprehension of 
 God in this manner which sheds so blessed a calm over the soul of the believer. What are a 
 host of enemies to him, if he be sure that God is for him ? What cares he for the world, or that all 
 doors be shut against him, if the sanctuary of his Lord and his Saviour be ever open to receive 
 him ? In the silent communings of his heart, he has listened to the voice of God and obeyed it. 
 The experience of life confirms the wisdom of his solitary thoughts ; and he is strengthened for 
 all the trials and all the duties of life. Exhortations founded on the long experience of holy men, 
 impress thoughtful minds with the most serious convictions of what is due to religion. The cha- 
 racters with which we become acquainted in Scripture, manifest, under every variety of circum- 
 stance, the power of the Divine Spirit. But the value of example must always greatly depend 
 upon similarity of condition; and hence the inestimable worth of a history which exhibits human 
 nature itself, with all its modifications, governed by a power which can give beauty and sanctity 
 to the least promising of its attributes. It was in the fulness of an experience, gained by constant 
 observation of God's providence, that the Psalmist uttered the admonition, containing so much of 
 comfort and of wisdom, " O tarry thou the Lord's leisure: be strong, and He shall comfort thine 
 heart ; and put thou thy trust in the Lord." The patience of which he speaks has been ever 
 found by the people of God a harbinger of peace and happiness. As soon as they have been 
 really satisfied of the goodness of the Lord, they have begun to see the dawning of the day of 
 redemption. 
 
 495 
 
Day 5. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Psal. xxviii. Ad te, Domine. 
 
 NTO thee will I cry, O Lord my strengtli : 
 think no scorn of nie ; lest, if thou make as 
 though thou hearest not, I become like 
 them that go down into the pit. 
 
 2 Hear the voice of my humble petitions, 
 when I cry unto thee : when I hold up my 
 hands towards the mercy-seat of thy holy 
 temple. 
 
 3 O pluck me not away, neither destroy 
 me with the ungodly and wicked doers : which speak friendly to their 
 neighbours, but imagine mischief in their hearts. 
 
 4 Reward them according to their deeds : and according to the 
 Avickedness of their own inventions. 
 
 5 Recompense them after the work of their hands : pay them that 
 they have deserved. 
 
 6 For they regard not in their mind the works of the Lord, nor 
 the operation of his hands : therefore shall he break them down, and 
 not build them up. 
 
 7 Praised be the Lord : for he hath heard the voice of my humble 
 petitions. 
 
 8 The Lord is my strength, and my shield ; my heart hath trusted 
 in him, and I am helped : therefore my heart danceth for joy, and 
 in my song will I praise him. 
 
 9 The Lord is my strength 
 his Anointed. 
 
 10 O save thy people, and give thy blessing unto thine inherit- 
 ance : feed them, and set them up for ever. 
 
 and he is the wholesome defence of 
 
 Psalm xxviii. — The continued exercise of faith is as necessary to the increase of holiness as to 
 the success of our prayers. Thus, when God withdraws for a season the light of His countenance, 
 it is the part of the believer still to trust in His promises, and to look for the cause in his sins or 
 deficiencies, rather than in any change of purpose with the good and gracious God. The prayer of 
 faith is therefore eminently efficacious to the afflicted soul ; and few have ever mourned over lost 
 hopes with any degree of earnestness, who have not, in the midst of their entreaties, felt a stirring 
 at the heart, which inclixied them to exclaim, " Blessed be the Lord, because he has heard the 
 voice of my supplications." This psalm is supposed by some to have been composed by David 
 when in exile. If he was the author of it, we find him rejoicing, as Daniel in later times, in 
 stretching forth his hands towards the distant mercy-seat. But it is more probable that the psalm 
 was written during the Babylonish captivity, and formed one of the plaintive melodies with which 
 the more spiritual of the exiles delighted to soothe their sorrows. Happy are the people of Christ ! 
 Though they may have many trials, they can never be subject to those which so often afflicted the 
 pious Israelite. The mercy-seat of the Saviour is to be found everywhere. They dwell in His 
 presence, and they enjoy the revelations of His living oracles, though banished to the uttermost 
 parts of the earth. 
 
 496 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 5, 
 
 Psal. xxix. Afferte Domino. 
 
 RING imto the Lord, O ye mighty, In-ing 
 young rams unto the Lord : ascribe unto 
 the Lord worship and strength. 
 
 2 Give the Lord the honour due unto 
 his Name : worship the Lord with holy 
 worship. 
 
 3 It is the Lord, that commandeth the 
 Avaters : it is the glorious God, that maketh 
 the thunder. 
 
 4 It is the Lord, that ruleth the sea ; the voice of the Lord is 
 mighty in operation : the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice. 
 
 5 The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedar-trees : yea, the Lord 
 breaketh the cedars of Libanus. 
 
 6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf : Libanus also, and 
 Sirion, like a young unicorn. 
 
 7 The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire ; the voice of 
 the Lord shaketh the wilderness : yea, the Lord shaketh the wilder- 
 ness of Cades. 
 
 8 The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to bring forth young, 
 and discovereth the thick bushes : in his temple doth every man 
 speak of his honour. 
 
 9 The Lord sitteth above the water-flood : and the Lord remaineth 
 a King for ever. 
 
 10 The Lord shall give strength unto his people : the Lord shall 
 give his people the blessing of peace. 
 
 Psalm xxix. — This noble and triumphant song ascribes to the Almighty the honours of uni- 
 versal lordship. But it is in the beauty of holiness that He is to be worshipped, even when 
 praised for His dominion over the visible creation. The God of nature can only be rightly 
 honoured as a God of truth and love ; the most unlimited power having no beauty or excellence 
 in itself, but owing all its sublimity and splendour to the spiritual attributes which direct its ope- 
 rations, making for everlasting the invincible means of good. To such a Being as this the purest 
 worship is due : — a worship that shall express our sense of His power ; for '' It is the Lord that 
 commandeth the waters : it is the glorious God that maketh the thunder:" — a worship that shall 
 declare our knowledge of His universal mercy ; for " The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds 
 to bring forth young, and discovereth the thick bushes:" — a worship that shall speak of His 
 sovereignty over a peculiar people, and of the greatness of the wisdom which He exercises in their • 
 behalf J for " The Lord sitteth above the water-flood : and the Lord remaineth a King for ever ! 
 The Lord shall give strength unto His people : the Lord shall give His people the blessing of 
 peace." The precept, therefore, " Give the Lord the honour due unto His Name : worship the 
 Lord with holy worship," requires us to meditate on the mingling wonders of His goodness and 
 His power; — on the operations of His providence, and the manifestations of His grace — purifying, 
 comforting, and enlightening, whenever it is bestowed. 
 
 497 
 
THE SIXTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 ^^'^^)^^&f^-- 
 
 Psal. 
 
 Exaltaho te, Domine. 
 
 WILL magnify thee, O Lord, for thou 
 hast set me up : and not made my foes to 
 triumph over me. 
 
 2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee : 
 and thou hast healed me. 
 
 3 Thou, Lord, hast ])rought my soul 
 out of hell : thou hast kept my life from 
 
 them that go down to the pit. 
 
 4 Sing praises unto the Lord, O ye saints of his : and give 
 thanks unto him for a remembrance of his holiness. 
 
 Psalm xxx — The goodness of God may be traced iu all His works ; but it is never more 
 distinctly seen than in His answers to His people. They cry unto Him for help, and their 
 afflictions are removed, or their hearts rendered stronger to bear them. It is not to any fortuitous 
 circumstance that they can attribute the peace which constantly succeeds the exercise of earnest 
 and patient devotion. Their humility suppresses the excitement of enthusiasm ; but as they 
 find themselves aided in their sorrows if they seek God, but perplexed with unexpected troubles, 
 in the midst of prosperity, when they neglect His service, they gladly conclude that He is the 
 sure and ever-active cause of good, and that, in His wonderful mercy, He allows Himself to be 
 moved by the prayers of the penitent ; so that when they plead with Him, He pardons and turns 
 their heaviness into joy, and girds them with gladness. The Psalmist alludes to deliverances from 
 the severest kind of affliction when he speaks of his soul being brought out of hell, — that is, in 
 Scripture language, out of the grave, the dark and gloomy abyss of helplessness. 
 
 498 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day C). 
 
 5 For his wrath endureth but the twinkling of an eye, and in his 
 pleasure is life : heaviness may endure for a night, but joy cometh 
 in the morning. 
 
 6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be removed : thou, 
 Lord, of thy goodness hast made my hill so strong. 
 
 7 Thou didst turn thy face from me : and I was troubled. 
 
 8 Then cried I unto thee, O Lord : and gat me to my Lord right 
 huml)ly. 
 
 9 What profit is there in my blood : when I go down to the pit ? 
 
 10 Shall the dust give thanks unto thee : or shall it declare thy 
 truth ? 
 
 1 1 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me : Lord, be thou my 
 helper. 
 
 12 Thou hast turned my heaviness into joy : thou hast put off my 
 sackcloth, and girded me with gladness. 
 
 13 Therefore shall every good man sing of thy praise without 
 ceasing : O my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. 
 
 Psal. xxxi. In te, Domine, speravi. 
 
 N thee, O Lord, have I put my trust : let 
 me never be put to confusion, deliver me in 
 thy righteousness. 
 
 2 Bow down thine ear to me : make 
 haste to deliver me. 
 
 3 And be thou my strong rock, and house 
 of defence : that thou mayest save me. 
 
 4 For thou art my strong rock, and 
 my castle : be thou also my guide, and 
 
 lead me for thy Name's sake. 
 
 5 Draw me out of the net, that they have laid privily for me 
 thou art my strength. 
 
 for 
 
 Psalm xxxi. — Faith and experience have an equal share in strengthening the heart of the 
 believer. The one brought him to God in the first instance, the other has given to it all the 
 sweetness of love. ''Into Thy hands I commend my spirit," were words uttered by our Saviour on 
 the cross ; and hence we are authorised in spiritually interpreting the description of David's sorrows 
 and triumphs as applying to those of Christ. But this can only be done by our constantly bearing 
 in mind, not only the humanity of the Redeemer, but His responsibility as the representative 
 sacrifice for sin. " My strength faileth me because of mine iniquity," might be said by David 
 with a most melancholy recollection of his guilt ; but when the same words are referred to Christ, 
 they must be coupled with those of Isaiah, — '• He was wounded for our transgressions, He was 
 bruised for our iniquities." •' He bare the sins of many." 
 
 499 3 s 2 
 
Day 6. THE PSALMS. 
 
 6 Into thy hands I commend my spirit : for thou hast redeemed 
 me, O Lord, thou God of truth. 
 
 7 I have hated them that hold of superstitious vanities : and my 
 trust hath been in the Lord. 
 
 8 I will be glad, and rejoice in thy mercy : for thou hast consi- 
 dered my trouble, and hast knoAvn my soul in adversities. 
 
 9 Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy : but hast 
 set my feet in a large room. 
 
 10 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble : and mine 
 eye is consumed for very heaviness ; yea, my soul and my body. 
 
 1 1 For my life is waxen old with heaviness : and my years with 
 mourning. 
 
 12 My strength faileth me, because of mine iniquity : and my 
 bones are consumed. 
 
 13 I became a reproof among all mine enemies, but especially 
 among my neighbours : and they of mine acquaintance were afraid 
 of me ; and they that did see me without conveyed themselves 
 from me. 
 
 14 1 am clean forgotten, as a dead man out of mind : I am become 
 like a broken vessel. 
 
 15 For I have heard the blasphemy of the multitude : and fear is 
 on every side, while they conspire together against me, and take 
 their counsel to take away my life. 
 
 16 But my hope hath been in thee, O Lord : I have said. Thou 
 art my God. 
 
 17 ]My time is in thy hand ; deliver me from the hand of mine 
 enemies : and from them that persecute me. 
 
 18 Shew thy servant the light of thy countenance : and save me 
 for thy mercy's sake. 
 
 19 Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon 
 thee : let the ungodly be put to confusion, and be put to silence in 
 the grave. 
 
 20 Let the lying lips be put to silence : which cruelly, disdain- 
 fully, and despitefully, speak against the righteous. 
 
 21 O how plentiful is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for 
 them that fear thee : and that thou hast prepared for them that put 
 their trust in thee, even before the sons of men ! 
 
 22 Thou shalt hide them privily by thine own presence from the 
 provoking of all men : thou shalt keep them secretly in thy tabernacle 
 from the strife of tongues. 
 
 500 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 6. 
 
 23 Thanks be to the Lord : for he hath shewed me marvellous 
 great kindness in a strong city. 
 
 24 And when I made haste, I said : I am cast out of the sight of 
 thine eyes. 
 
 25 Nevertheless, thou heardest the voice of my prayer : when I 
 cried unto thee. 
 
 26 O love the Lord, all ye his saints : for the Lord preserveth 
 them that are faithful, and plenteously rewardeth the proud doer. 
 
 27 Be strong, and he shall establish your heart : all ye that put 
 your trust in the Lord. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xxxii. Beati, quorum. 
 
 
 LESSED is he whose unrighteousness is 
 forgiven 
 
 and whose sin is covered. 
 
 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the 
 Lord imputeth no sin : and in whose spirit 
 there is no guile. 
 
 3 For while I held my tongue : my 
 bones consumed away through my daily 
 complaining. 
 
 4 For thy hand is heavy upon me day 
 and night : and my moisture is like the 
 drought in summer. 
 
 5 I will acknowledge my sin unto thee : 
 ~ """^ ^ " and mine unrighteousness have I not hid. 
 
 6 I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord : and so thou for- 
 gavest the wickedness of my sin. 
 
 7 For this shall every one that is godly make his prayer unto 
 
 Psalm xxxii.— Sin in the lieait is a burden and disease which will never allow of its enjoying 
 repose. It blights whatever comes near it : and the faculties of the soul lie dormant beneath its 
 influence, while by its touch the lower passions of our nature are converted into the most active of 
 tormentors. The state of a man, with sin infecting all the issues of his being, is as degrading as 
 it is afflictive ; and when the light of heaven has awakened him to a sense of his real condition, 
 and he beholds the peace and felicity of those who have escaped the tyranny of sin, how can he 
 help exclaiming, "Blessed is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven, and whose sin is covered!" 
 Confession is the first work of a repentant heart. Till this is performed, it feels its misery daily 
 increasing. " While I held my tongue my bones consumed away through my daily complaining :" 
 But sin acknowledged, the humble appeal having been made to the Almighty's mercy, the imme- 
 diate retrospect is one of joy and thankfulness — "I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord ; and 
 so thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin." God thenceforward is a place of refuge to the soul ; 
 and His blessings surround it on every side. 
 
 501 
 
Day 6. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 thee, in a time when thou mayest be found : but in the great water- 
 floods they shall not come nigh him. 
 
 8 Thou art a place to hide me in, thou shalt preserve me from 
 trouble : thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. 
 
 9 1 will inform thee, and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt 
 go : and I will guide thee with mine eye. 
 
 10 Be ye not like to horse and mule, which have no understand- 
 ing : whose mouths must be held with bit and bridle, lest they fall 
 upon thee. 
 
 1 1 Great plagues remain for the ungodly : but whoso putteth his 
 trust in the Lord, mercy embraceth him on every side. 
 
 12 Be glad, O ye righteous, and rejoice in the Lord : and be joyful, 
 all ye that are true of heart. 
 
 Psal. xxxiii. Exultate, justi. 
 
 EJOICE in the Lord, O ye righteous : for 
 it becometh well the just to be thankful. 
 
 2 Praise the Lord with harp : sing 
 praises unto him with the lute, and instru- 
 ment of ten strings. 
 
 3 Sing unto the Lord a new song : sing 
 praises lustily unto him with a good courage. 
 
 4 For the word of the Lord is true : and 
 all his works are faithful. 
 
 5 He loveth righteousness and judgement : the earth is full of the 
 goodness of the Lord. 
 
 6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made ; and all the 
 hosts of them by the breath of his mouth. 
 
 7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together, as it were upon an 
 heap : and layeth up the deep, as in a treasure-house. 
 
 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord : stand in awe of him, all ye that 
 dwell in the world. 
 
 9 For he spake, and it was done : he commanded, and it stood fast. 
 
 10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought : and 
 
 Psalm xxxiii. — As sin shuts us out from the vision of God, so holiness reveals Him to us. The 
 knowledge of His nature when thus contemplated fills the heart with satisfaction and delight ; and 
 it is then its best employment to pour out itself in songs of thanksgiving. God being known in 
 the perfection of His power, justice and mercy, the soul looks around the various provinces of the 
 universe for exemplifications of His attributes in operation. This it sees in the heavens, made by 
 His word ; in the earth, and in the waters ; and yet more clearly in those workings of providence 
 whereby the power of the wicked is brought to nought, and the counsels of wisdom and mercy 
 established for ever. The soul which thus rejoices in the Lord can wholly put its trust in Him. 
 
 502 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 6. 
 
 inaketh the devices of the people to be of none effect, and casteth out 
 the counsels of princes. 
 
 11 The counsel of the Lord shall endure for ever : and the 
 thoughts of his heart from generation to generation. 
 
 12 Blessed are the people, whose God is the Lord Jehovah : and 
 blessed are the folk, that he hath chosen to him to be his inheritance. 
 
 13 The Lord looked down from heaven, and beheld all the chil- 
 dren of men : from the habitation of his dwelling he considereth all 
 them that dwell on the earth. 
 
 14 He fashioneth all the hearts of them : and understandeth all 
 their works. 
 
 1 5 There is no king that can be saved by the multitude of an host : 
 neither is any mighty man delivered by much strength. 
 
 16 A horse is counted but a vain thing to save a man : neither 
 shall he deliver any man by his great strength. 
 
 17 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him : and 
 upon them that put their trust in his mercy ; 
 
 18 To deliver their soul from death : and to feed them in the time 
 of dearth. 
 
 19 Our soul hath patiently tarried for the Lord : for he is our 
 help, and our shield. 
 
 20 For our heart shall rejoice in him : because we have hoped in 
 his holy Name. 
 
 21 Let thy merciful kindness, O Lord, be upon us : like as we 
 do put our trust in thee. 
 
 Psal. xxxiv. Benedicam Domino. 
 
 ^i v^ WILL alway give thanks unto the Lord : 
 
 his praise shall ever be in my mouth. 
 
 2 My soul shall make her boast in the 
 Lord : the humble shall hear thereof, and 
 
 be glad. 
 
 3 O praise the Lord with me : and let 
 us magnify his Name together. 
 
 4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me : 
 yea, he delivered me out of all my fear. 
 
 5 They had an eye unto him, and were lightened : and their faces 
 were not ashamed. 
 
 6 Lo, the poor crieth, and the Lord heareth him : yea, and saveth 
 him out of all his troubles. 
 
 503 
 
Day^. THE PSALMS 
 
 7 The angel of the Lord tarrieth round ahout them that fear him : 
 and delivereth them. 
 
 8 O taste, and see, how gracious the Lord is : blessed is the man 
 that trusteth in him. 
 
 9 O fear the Lord, ye that are his saints : for they that fear him 
 lack nothing. 
 
 10 The lions do lack, and suffer hunger : but they who seek the 
 Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good. 
 
 1 1 Come, ye children, and hearken unto me : I will teach you 
 the fear of the Lord. 
 
 12 What man is he that lusteth to live : and would fain see good 
 days? 
 
 13 Keep thy tongue from evil : and thy lips, that they speak no 
 guile. 
 
 14 Eschew evil, and do good : seek peace, and ensue it. 
 
 15 The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous : and his ears are 
 open unto their prayers. 
 
 16 The countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil : to 
 root out the remembrance of them from the earth. 
 
 17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth them : and delivereth 
 them out of all their troubles. 
 
 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart : and 
 will save such as be of an humble spirit. 
 
 19 Great are the troubles of the righteous : but the Lord delivereth 
 him out of all. 
 
 20 He keepeth all his bones : so that not one of them is broken. 
 
 21 But misfortune shall slay the ungodly : and they that hate the 
 righteous shall be desolate. 
 
 22 The Lord delivereth the souls of his servants : and all they 
 that put their trust in him shall not be destitute. 
 
 Psalm xxxiv. — The deliverances which God effects for us are so wonderful, that we remember 
 but the smaller part of His mercies when the mind rests in the consideration of natural blessings. 
 For these the gratitude and services of a life would be but a poor return ; but what ought to be our 
 efforts to acknowledge the goodness of the Creator when redemption has been added to creation, 
 and the gift of the eternal Spirit to the natural endowments of reason ! Yet great as is the 
 argument to be hence advanced, it admits of being rendered stronger by the appeal to individual 
 observation. " I sought the Lord, and He heard me." The man who can say this has " the 
 witness in himself ;" and it is his noblest pleasure to have the praises of the Lord ever in his 
 mouth, as the recollection of His goodness is ever filling the depths of his soul. From the experi- 
 mental knowledge of these things, the psalmist draws a practical lesson of corresponding im- 
 portance. The holy alone can enjoy the blessing of the Lord ; His countenance is against those 
 who do evil, and they will cry in vain for deliverance when the day of their trial comes. 
 
 504 
 
THE SEVENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 LEAD thou my cause, O Lord, with them 
 that strive with me : and fight thou against 
 them that fight against me. 
 
 2 Lay hand upon the shield and buckler : 
 and stand up to help me. 
 
 3 Bring forth the spear, and stop the 
 way against them that persecute me : say 
 
 unto my soul, I am thy salvation. 
 
 4 Let them be confounded, and put to shame, that seek after my 
 soul : let them be turned back, and brought to confusion, that imagine 
 mischief for me. 
 
 PsAi.M XXXV. — It is to the righteous power of God that believers look in all their dangers and 
 afflictions. The present psalm, like the twenty-second, exhibits the Representative of the Church, 
 in His hour of trial, struggling with the power of evil, — with the world in all its wrath and perverse- 
 ness, — with the false witnesses which it summons, — with the cruelty and ingratitude which cha- 
 racterise its ruling spirit. Mighty as is the strength of evil, it is altogether helpless when brought 
 into direct collision with the grace of God. This is an article in the creed of every one who is 
 willing to suffer in His cause. Hence the prayer that He would judge the wicked ; — tliat He 
 would consider their pride and baseness, and prevent their finally gaining that triumph which 
 seems promised them by the subtlety or daring ini(iuity that marks their course. 
 
 505 3 T 
 
Day 7. THE PSALMS. 
 
 5 Let them be as the dust before the wind : and the angel of the 
 Lord scattering them. 
 
 6 Let their way be dark and slippery : and let the angel of the 
 Lord persecute them, 
 
 7 For they have privily laid their net to destroy me without a 
 cause : yea, even without a cause have they made a pit for my soul. 
 
 8 Let a sudden destruction come upon him unawares, and his net, 
 that he hath laid privily, catch himself : that he may fall into his 
 own mischief. 
 
 9 And, my soul, be joyful in the Lord : it shall rejoice in his 
 salvation, 
 
 10 All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, Avho 
 deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him : yea, the 
 poor, and him that is in misery, from him that spoileth him ? 
 
 1 1 False witnesses did rise up : tkey laid to my charge things 
 that I knew not. 
 
 12 They rewarded me evil for good : to the great discomfort of 
 my soul, 
 
 13 Nevertheless, when they were sick, I put on sackcloth, and 
 humbled my soul with fasting : and my prayer shall turn into mine 
 own bosom. 
 
 14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend, or my 
 brother : 1 went heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. 
 
 15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves 
 together : yea, the very abjects came together against me unawares, 
 making mouths at me, and ceased not. 
 
 16 With the flatterers were busy mockers : who gnashed upon 
 me with their teeth. 
 
 17 Lord, how long wilt thou look upon this : O deliver my soul 
 from the calamities which they bring on me, and my darling from 
 the lions. 
 
 18 So will I give thee thanks in the great congregation : I will 
 praise thee among much people. 
 
 19 O let not them that are mine enemies triumph over me un- 
 godly : neither let them wink Avith their eyes that hate me Avithout 
 a cause. 
 
 20 And why ? their communing is not for peace : but they imagine 
 deceitful Avords against them that are quiet in the land. 
 
 21 They gaped upon me Avith their mouths, and said : Fie on 
 thee, fie on thee, Ave saw it AA^th our eyes. 
 
 506 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 7. 
 
 22 This thou hast seen, O Lord : hold not thy tongue then, go 
 not far from me, O Lord. 
 
 23 Awake, and stand up to judge my quarrel : avenge thou my 
 cause, my God, and my Lord. 
 
 24 Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness : 
 and let them not triumph over me. 
 
 25 Let them not say in their hearts. There, there, so would we 
 have it : neither let them say. We have devoured him. 
 
 26 Let them be put to confusion and shame together, that rejoice 
 at my trouble : let them be clothed with rebuke and dishonour, that 
 boast themselves against me. 
 
 27 Let them be glad and rejoice, that favour my righteous 
 dealing : yea, let them say alway. Blessed be the Lord, Avho hath 
 pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. 
 
 28 And as for my tongue, it shall be talking of thy righteous- 
 ness ; and of thy praise all the day long. 
 
 Psal. 
 
 Dixit injusfus. 
 
 "^^i 
 
 Y heart sheweth me the wickedness of the 
 ungodly : that there is no fear of God before 
 his eyes. 
 
 2 For he flattereth himself in his own 
 sight : until his abominable sin be found 
 out. 
 
 3 The words of his mouth are unrio-ht- 
 eous, and full of deceit : he hath left off to 
 behave himself wisely, and to do good. 
 
 4 He imagineth mischief upon his bed, and hath set himself in no 
 good way : neither doth he abhor any thing that is evil. 
 
 5 Thy mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the heavens : and thy faith- 
 fulness unto the clouds. 
 
 6 Thy righteousness standeth like the strong mountains : thy 
 judgements are like the great deep. 
 
 PsAi.M XXXVI. — The contemplation of tlie world — the knowledge of the real nature of sin — 
 would be sufficient to teach any mind, not resisting the Spirit of God, the necessity of holiness as 
 a means of good. Still more evident must it be, tliat the observation of the state of mankind is 
 sufficient to demonstrate the enmity of the world to God ; and that every wicked man is wanting 
 in the discretion which might warn him in time to escape eternal ruin. This melancholy view of 
 the state of the enemies of God teaches His children to rejoice more and more in the blessed 
 security which they enjoy. In His light they see light, and from the fulness of His love they 
 " drink of pleasures as out of a river." Well, therefore, may they pray for the continuance of His 
 favour, and cherish the grace which preserves them from the power of the ungodly ! 
 
 507 3 T 2 
 
Day 7 . 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 7 Thou, Lord, slialt save both man and beast ; How excellent is 
 thy mercy, O God : and the children of men shall put their trust 
 under the shadow of thy wings. 
 
 8 They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house : and 
 thou shalt give them drink of thy pleasures, as out of the river. 
 
 9 For with thee is the well of life : and in thy light shall we see 
 light. 
 
 10 O continue forth thy loving-kindness unto them that know 
 thee : and thy righteousness unto them that are true of heart. 
 
 11 O let not the foot of pride come against me : and let not the 
 hand of the ungodly cast me down. 
 
 12 There are they fallen, all that work wickedness : they are cast 
 down, and shall not be able to stand. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xxxvii. Noli cemulari. 
 
 RET not thyself because of the ungodly : 
 neither be thou envious against the evil 
 doers. 
 
 2 For they shall soon be cut down like 
 the grass : and be withered even as the 
 green herb. 
 
 3 Put thou thy trust in the Lord, and be 
 doing good : dwell in the land, and verily 
 thou shalt be fed. 
 
 4 Delight thou in the Lord : and he shall 
 give thee thy heart's desire. 
 
 5 Connnit thy way unto the Lord, and 
 put thy trust in him : and he shall bring it 
 to pass. 
 
 6 He shall make thy righteousness as clear as the light : and thy 
 just dealing as the noon-day. 
 
 PsAi.M XXXVII. — It is on the eternal distinctions between right and wrong — the true and the 
 false — that the mind, enlightened by the Divine Spirit, may most confideiitly insist in its con- 
 troversy with the wiirld. The proudest triumphs of wickedness can be but for a season. Were it 
 possible that they should establish themselves in the j)Ossession of pleasure, it would also be 
 possible that things should change their nature, or assume properties which contradict their 
 fundamental essence; that discord should remain discord, but have the beauty of harmony; and 
 that darkness should still be darkness but yet bestow light. The circumstances under which 
 
 508 
 
THE PSALMS. Day!. 
 
 7 Hold thee still in the Lord, and abide patiently upon him : but 
 grieve not thyself at him, whose way doth prosper, against the man 
 that doeth after evil counsels. 
 
 8 Leave off from wrath, and let go displeasure : fret not thyself, 
 else shalt thou be moved to do evil. 
 
 9 Wicked doers shall be rooted out : and they that patiently abide 
 the Lord, those shall inherit the land. 
 
 10 Yet a little while, and the ungodly shall be clean gone : thou 
 shalt look after his place, and he shall be away. 
 
 1 1 But the meek-spirited shall possess the earth : and shall be 
 refreshed in the multitude of peace. 
 
 12 The ungodly seeketh counsel against the just : and gnasheth 
 upon him with his teeth. 
 
 13 The Lord shall laugh him to scorn : for he hath seen that his 
 day is coming. 
 
 14 The ungodly have drawn out the sword, and have bent their 
 bow : to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as are of a 
 right conversation. 
 
 15 Their sword shall go through their own heart : and their bow 
 shall be broken. 
 
 16 A small thing that the righteous hath : is better than great 
 riches of the ungodly. 
 
 17 For the arms of the ungodly shall be broken : and the Lord 
 upholdeth the righteous. 
 
 18 The Lord knoweth the days of the godly : and their inheritance 
 shall endure for ever. 
 
 19 They shall not be confounded in the perilous time : and in the 
 days of dearth they shall have enough. 
 
 20 As for the ungodly, they shall perish ; and the enemies of the 
 Lord shall consume as the fat of lambs : yea, even as the smoke, 
 shall they consume away. 
 
 21 The ungodly borrow^eth, and payeth not again : but the right- 
 eous is merciful, and liberal. 
 
 22 Such as are blessed of God shall possess the land : and they 
 that are cursed of him shall be rooted out. 
 
 mankind have been placed by the common fall have rendered the temporary prevalence of evil one 
 of the necessary conditions of their state. Hence the continual struggle between the higher and 
 the lower faculties of man ; and the painful trials to which, in this world, those who are endowed 
 by Heaven with the principles of good are perpetually exposed. But the conflict has its appointed 
 end ; and the outer darkness must finally swallow up whatever now exalts itself against the 
 sovereignty of good. 
 
 509 
 
Day 7. THE PSALMS. 
 
 23 The Lord ordereth a good man's going : and maketh his way 
 acceptable to himself. 
 
 24 Though he fall, he shall not be cast away : for the Lord up- 
 holdeth him with his hand. 
 
 25 I have been young, and now am old : and yet saw I never the 
 righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread. 
 
 26 The righteous is ever merciful, and lendeth : and his seed is 
 blessed. 
 
 27 Flee from evil, and do the thing that is good : and dwell for 
 evermore. 
 
 28 For the Lord loveth the thing that is right : he forsaketh not 
 his that be godly, but they are preserved for ever. 
 
 29 The unrighteous shall be punished : as for the seed of the 
 ungodly, it shall be rooted out. 
 
 30 The righteous shall inherit the land : and dwell therein for 
 ever. 
 
 31 The mouth of the righteous is exercised in wisdom : and his 
 tongue will be talking of judgement. 
 
 32 The law of his God is in his heart : and his goings shall not 
 slide. 
 
 33 The ungodly seeth the righteous : and seeketh occasion to 
 slay him. 
 
 34 The Lord will not leave him in his hand : nor condemn liim 
 when he is judged. 
 
 35 Hope thou in the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall pro- 
 mote thee, that thou shalt possess the land : when the ungodly shall 
 perish, thou shalt see it. 
 
 36 I myself have seen the ungodly in great power : and flourish- 
 ing like a green bay-tree. 
 
 37 I went by, and lo, he was gone : I sought him, but his place 
 could no where be found. 
 
 38 Keep innocency, and take heed unto the thing that is right : 
 for that shall bring a man peace at the last. 
 
 39 As for the transgressors, they shall perish together : and the 
 end of the ungodly is, they shall be rooted out at the last. 
 
 40 But the salvation of the righteous cometh of the Lord : who 
 is also their strength in the time of trouble. 
 
 41 And the Lord shall stand by them, and save them : he shall 
 deliver them from the ungodly, and shall save them, because they 
 put their trust in him. 
 
 510 
 
THE EIGHTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xxx\dii. Domine, ne in furore. 
 
 UT me not to rebuke, O Lord, in thine 
 anger : neither chasten me in thy heavy 
 displeasure. 
 
 2 For thine arrows stick fast in me : and 
 thy hand presseth me sore. 
 
 3 There is no health in my flesh, because 
 of thy displeasure : neither is there any rest 
 
 l/j in my bones, by reason of my sin. 
 
 4 For my Avickednesses are gone over my head : and are 
 /l|j like a sore burden, too heavy for me to bear. 
 ^' 5 My wounds stink, and are corrupt : through my foolishness. 
 6 I am l)rouglit into so great trouble and misery : that I go 
 mourning all the day long. 
 
 Psalm xxxviii. — Repentance, in its saddest hour of confession, can find no stronger language 
 than that here employed bj^ the Psalmist. We feel awe-struck at the spectacle which a heart 
 presents thus unfolding the secrets of its corruption. Yet, melancholy as the contemplation is wheu 
 the sinfulness of our nature forms the sole object of our thoughts, if we continue to pursue the 
 same train of reflection as the Psalmist, feelings of consolation arise from our verj' sadness ; for 
 the merciful Spirit of God comes to our aid : we are taught that there is a fountain opened for the 
 washing away of sins ; and that, sad as our case is, we may still be enriched with the glories of a 
 Divine inheritance. 
 
 511 
 
Day 8. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 7 For my loins are filled with a sore disease : and there is no 
 whole part in my body. 
 
 8 I am feeble, and sore smitten : I have roared for the very dis- 
 qiiietness of my heart. 
 
 9 Lord, thou knowest all my desire : and my groaning is not hid 
 from thee. 
 
 10 ]My heart panteth, my strength hath failed me : and the sight 
 of mine eyes is gone from me. 
 
 11 My lovers and my neighbours did stand looking upon my 
 trouble : and my kinsmen stood afar off. 
 
 12 They also that sought after my life laid snares for me : and 
 they that went about to do me evil talked of wickedness, and imagined 
 deceit all the day long. 
 
 1 3 As for me, I was like a deaf man, and heard not : and as one 
 that is dumb, who doth not open his mouth. 
 
 14 I became even as a man that heareth not : and in whose mouth 
 are no reproofs. 
 
 15 For in thee, O Lord, have I put my trust : thou shalt answer 
 for me, O Lord my God. 
 
 16 I have required that they, even mine enemies, should not 
 triumph over me : for when my foot slipped, they rejoiced greatly 
 against me. 
 
 17 And I, truly, am set in the plague : and my heaviness is ever 
 in my sight. 
 
 18 For I will confess my wickedness : and be sorry for my sin. 
 
 19 But mine enemies live, and are mighty : and they that hate me 
 wrongfully are many in number. 
 
 20 They also that reward evil for good are against me : because I 
 follow the thing that good is. 
 
 21 Forsake me not, O Lord my God : be not thou far from me. 
 
 22 Haste thee to help me : O Lord God of my salvation. 
 
 Psal. xxxix. Dixi, custodiam. 
 
 SAID, I will take heed to my ways : that 
 I offend not in my tongue. 
 
 2 I will keep my mouth as it were with a 
 bridle : while the ungodly is in my sight. 
 
 3 I held my tongue, and spake nothing : 
 I kept silence, yea, even from good words ; 
 but it was pain and grief to me. 
 
 4 My heart was hot within me, and while 
 512 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 8. 
 
 I was thus musing the fire kindled : and at the last I spake with my 
 tongue ; 
 
 5 Lord, let me know mine end, and the number of my days : that 
 I may be certified how long I have to live. 
 
 6 Behold, thou hast made my days as it were a span long : and 
 mine age is even as nothing in respect of thee ; and verily every man 
 living is altogether vanity. 
 
 7 For man walketh in a vain shadow, and disquieteth himself 
 in vain : he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them. 
 
 8 And now, Lord, what is my hope : truly my hope is even in thee. 
 
 9 Deliver me from all mine offences : and make me not a rebuke 
 unto the foolish. 
 
 10 1 became dumb, and opened not my mouth : for it was thy 
 doing. 
 
 1 1 Take thy plague away from me : I am even consumed by the 
 means of thy heavy hand. 
 
 12 When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for sin, thou makest 
 his beauty to consume aAvay, like as it were a moth fretting a gar- 
 ment : every man therefore is but vanity. 
 
 13 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and with thine ears consider my 
 calling : hold not thy peace at my tears, 
 
 14 For I am a stranger with thee : and a sojourner, as all my 
 fathers were. 
 
 15 O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength : before 
 I go hence, and be no more seen. 
 
 Psal. xl. Expectans expectavi 
 
 WAITED patiently for the Lord : and he 
 inclined unto me, and heard my calling. 
 
 2 He brought me also out of the horri- 
 ble pit, out of the mire and clay : and set 
 my feet upon the rock, and ordered my 
 goings. 
 
 3 And he hath put a new song in my 
 mouth : even a thanksgiving unto our God. 
 
 Psalm xxxix. — The consciousness of our own infirmities and sins should never fail to teach us 
 the necessity of a humble mind. It is in the frequent recollection of our weakness that we find 
 the best reasons for perseverance in the use of tlie means of grace. By the same exercise also we 
 learn to avoid all the provocations to pride, and whatever other dispositions may be contrary to the 
 state of one who has to " work out his salvation with fear and trembling." The sacrifice of 
 temper which this may require will be more than repaid by the consolations that will follow; for 
 the Lord will not refuse to hear the mournings of a heart thus subdued ; nor will He leave it to 
 itself, or alone with its sorrows, but will come unto it with the comforts of the heavenly Spii'it. 
 
 513 3 u 
 
Day 8. THE PSALMS. 
 
 4 Many shall see it, and fear : and shall put their trust in the Lord. 
 
 5 Blessed is the man that hath set his ho})e in the Lord : and 
 turned not unto the proud, and to such as go aljout with lies. 
 
 6 O Lord my God, great are the wondrous works which thou hast 
 done, like as be also thy thoughts wliich are to us-ward : and yet 
 there is no man that ordereth them unto thee. 
 
 7 If I should declare them, and speak of them : they should be 
 more than I am able to express. 
 
 8 Sacrifice, and meat-offering, thou wouldest not : but mine ears 
 hast thou opened. 
 
 9 Burnt-offerings, and sacrifice for sin, hast thou not required : 
 then said I, Lo, I come, 
 
 10 In the volume of the book it is written of me, that I should 
 fulfil thy will, O my God : I am content to do it ; yea, thy law is 
 within my heart. 
 
 11 I have declared thy righteousness in the great congregation : 
 lo, I will not refrain my lips, O Lord, and that thou knowest, 
 
 12 1 have not hid thy righteousness within my heart : my talk hath 
 been of thy truth, and of thy salvation. 
 
 13 I have not kept back thy loving mercy and truth : from the 
 great congregation. 
 
 14 Withdraw not thou thy mercy from me, O Lord : let thy 
 loving-kindness and thy truth alway preserve me. 
 
 15 For innumerable troubles are come about me; my sins have 
 taken such hold upon me that I am not able to look up : yea, they are 
 more in number than the hairs of my head, and my heart hath failed me. 
 
 16 O Lord, let it be thy pleasure to deliver me : make haste, 
 O Lord, to help me. 
 
 17 Let them be ashamed, and confounded together, that seek 
 after my soul to destroy it : let them be driven backward, and put to 
 rebuke, that wish me evil. 
 
 Psalm xl. — This noble psalm has been interpreted prophetically by St. Paul himself. (Heb. x. 
 7, 9.) The believer, in applying it to his own case even, finds it beautifully descriptive of his 
 experiences and his desires. He has waited patiently for the Lord, and been blessed by His 
 answer to prayer. A new song has been put into his mouth, and he feels that his state is one of 
 peace and blessedness. The anointed Saviour was to enter into glory through much tribulation. 
 His sorrows were to be proofs of His willingness to endure the full weight of the burden which sin 
 had imposed upon mankind. He waited patiently for the hour of deliverance ; — it came, and 
 brought Him glory: and that which was pre-eminently true in Christ is true also in His people. 
 Let them do God's work, or suffer in His cause, and He will not fail to hear and deliver them. 
 The application of the psalm to Christ, made by the Apostle, teaches us, first, the inefficacy of the 
 sacrifices of the Law ; for the Son of God alone could offer up a sufficient atonement, and, therefore, 
 a body was prepared Him: and, secondly, the necessity of obedience, implied in the expression, 
 " Mine ears hast thou opened." St. Paul lias taken only the more striking parts of the psalm, and 
 has quoted it simply as a general illustration of his argument. 
 
 514 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 DayS. 
 that say 
 
 18 Let them be desolate, and rewarded with shame 
 unto me, Fie upon thee, fie upon thee. 
 
 19 Let all those that seek thee be joyful and glad in thee : and 
 let such as love thy salvation say alway, The Lord be praised. 
 
 20 As for me, I am poor and needy : but the Lord careth for me. 
 
 21 Thou art my helper and redeemer : make no long tarrying, 
 O my God. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xh. Beatus qui intelligit. 
 
 LESSED is he that considereth the poor 
 and needy : the Lord shall deliver him in 
 the time of trouble. 
 
 2 The Lord preserve him, and keep him 
 alive, that he may be blessed upon earth : 
 and deliver not thou him into the will of 
 his enemies. 
 
 3 The Lord comfort him, when he lieth 
 sick upon his bed : make thou all his bed 
 in his sickness. 
 
 4 I said. Lord, be merciful unto me : 
 heal my soul, for I have sinned against 
 thee. 
 
 5 Mine enemies speak evil of me : When 
 shall he die, and his name perish ? 
 
 6 And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity : and his heart 
 conceiveth falshood within himself, and when he cometh forth he 
 telleth it. 
 
 7 All mine enemies whisper together against me : even against 
 me do they imagine this evil. 
 
 8 Let the sentence of guiltiness proceed against him : and now 
 that he lieth, let him rise up no more. 
 
 PsAi.M XLi. — If we admire benevolence wherever practised with zeal and sincerity, why should 
 we not admire it in Christ P And ii'to the consideration of His mercy to others we add that of His 
 goodness in our own case, the fruits to be looked for are love, praise, and obedience. A man who 
 had spent his life in doing good, and at last been persecuted and betrayed by those whom he had 
 most benefited, would be an object of our sincerest sympathy. As such, our blessed Redeemer is 
 pointed out to us in this psalm ; for the ninth verse He applied to His own sorrows, when, at the 
 Last Supper, he that had lifted up his heel against Him was eating of the bread which He had 
 blessed. (John xiii. 18.) 
 
 515 3 u 2 
 
Day 8. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 9 Yea, even mine own familiar friend, whom I trusted : who did 
 also eat of my bread, hath laid great wait for me. 
 
 10 But be thou merciful unto me, O Lord : raise thou me up 
 again, and I shall reward them. 
 
 1 1 By this I know thou favourest me : that mine enemy doth 
 not triumph against me. 
 
 12 And when I am in my health, thou upholdest me : and shalt 
 set me before thy face for ever. 
 
 13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 Psal. xUi. Quemadmodum. 
 
 IKE as the hart desireth the water-brooks : 
 so longeth my soul after thee, O God. 
 
 2 My soul is athirst for God, yea, even 
 for the living God : when shall I come to 
 appear before the presence of God ? 
 
 3 My tears have been my meat day and 
 night : while they daily say unto me, Where 
 is now thy God ? 
 
 4 Now when I think thereupon, I pour 
 out my heart by myself : for I went with the multitude, and brought 
 them forth into the house of God ; 
 
 5 In the voice of praise and thanksgiving : among such as keep 
 holy-day. 
 
 6 Why art thou so full. of heaviness, O my soul : and why art 
 thou so disquieted within me ? 
 
 7 Put thy trust in God : for I Avill yet give him thanks for the 
 help of his countenance. 
 
 PsAi.M xLii. — This pathetic psahn is supposed to have been composed by David when he fled 
 from Absalom, and took refuge in the country beyond Jordan. Sorrow-stricken by the ingratitude 
 of his child, and exposed, as he was, to all the dangers and hardships of exile, his deepest sense of 
 affliction arose from the loss of those spiritual comforts which he enjoyed when worshipping in the 
 house of God with his faithful and loving people. The images with which he describes his 
 feelings are the most beautiful and natural that could be chosen. They were presented to him by 
 the objects which arose on his path as he traversed the solitudes of the wilderness. Grief had 
 penetrated his soul, and rendered it alive to every circumstance that could increase the sentiment 
 of sadness. But trust in Divine mercy overcame every other feeling, and shed a ray of light over 
 the darkness and the water-floods. Many as were the sources of affliction, he could question 
 liimself as to the reasonableness of his grief. " Why art thou so full of heaviness, O my soul : 
 and why art thou so disquieted within me.^" The answer brought peace: — " O put thy trust in 
 God, for I will yet thank Him, which is the help of my countenance, and my God." The sorrows 
 of David, as here described, typified the persecutions of the Church, and the distresses which its 
 members have, from time to time, had to endure at the hands of the world. These afflictions may 
 weigh heavily upon them, but they can never break their spirits, or deprive them of their consola- 
 tions, so long as they can look, with the Psalmist, for the fulfilment of God's promises. 
 
 516 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 8. 
 
 8 ]\Iy God, my soul is vexed within me : therefore will I remem- 
 ber thee concerning the land of Jordan, and the little hill of Hermon. 
 
 9 One deep calleth another, because of the noise of the water- 
 pipes : all thy waves and storms are gone over me. 
 
 10 The Lord hath granted his loving-kindness in the day-time : 
 and in the night-season did I sing of him, and made my prayer unto 
 the God of my life. 
 
 Ill will say unto the God of my strength. Why hast thou for- 
 gotten me : why go I thus heavily, Avhile the enemy oppresseth me ? 
 
 12 ]\Iy bones are smitten asunder as with a sword : while mine 
 enemies that trouble me cast me in the teeth ; 
 
 13 Namely, while they say daily unto me : Where is now thy 
 God ? 
 
 14 Why art thou so vexed, O my soul : and why art thou so 
 disquieted within me ? 
 
 15 O put thy trust in God : for I will yet thank him, which is 
 the help of my countenance, and my God. 
 
 Psal. xHii. Judica me, Deus. 
 
 IVE sentence with me, O God, and defend 
 my cause against the ungodly people : O 
 deliver me from the deceitful and wicked 
 man. 
 
 2 For thou art the God of my strength, 
 why hast thou put me from thee : and why 
 go T so heavily, while the enemy oppresseth 
 me ? 
 
 3 O send out thy light and thy truth, 
 that they may lead me : and bring me unto thy holy hiU, and to thy 
 dw^elling. 
 
 4 And that I may go unto the altar of God, even unto the God 
 of my joy and gladness : and upon the harp will I give thanks unto 
 thee, O God, my God. 
 
 5 Why art thou so heavy, O my soul : and why art thou so dis- 
 quieted within me ? 
 
 6 O put thy trust in God : for I will yet give him thanks, which 
 is the help of my countenance, and my God. 
 
 Psalm xliii. — The sentiment of this psalm is the same as that of the fonner. But in the third 
 verse a petition is added, which expresses the most anxious desire of believers in all ages. Wherever 
 they may be, the light and truth which their heavenly Father gives can alone lead them to His 
 sanctuary and His dwelling. 
 
 517 
 
THK NINTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xliv. Deus, auribus. 
 
 E have heard with our ears, O God, our 
 fathers have told us : ^vhat thou hast done 
 in their time of okl ; 
 
 2 How thou hast driven out the heathen 
 with thy hand, and planted them in : how 
 thou hast destroyed the nations, and cast 
 them out. 
 
 3 For they gat not the land in possession through their own 
 sword : neither was it their own arm that helped them ; 
 
 4 But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy 
 countenance : because thou hadst a favour unto them. 
 
 Psalm xhv. — This psalm is an address of the assembled Church of the people of God united to- 
 gether in a time of trial. They sing praises to their Maker for past instances of mercy, and declare 
 their faith in His power still to deliver them from the oppressions of the enemy. But the Lord, 
 either for the special purposes of His providence, or for the correcting of sin and error, secretly 
 creeping in among them, has been pleased to withdraw, for a while, the invincible defences of His 
 power. They are left to themselves : the adversary heaps daily scorn upon them, and they seem 
 ready to perish. But there is still remaining one sign of the Divine favour ; that which is least 
 likely to be recognised, but which in reality is the best and surest of all. " Though all this be 
 come upon us, yet do we not forget thee, nor behave ourselves frowardly in thy covenant." The 
 grace, which yet kept them in covenant with God, was equally a seal on the promises that He 
 would never forsake them, and in itself an actual blessing, a means of comfort and of glory. 
 
 518 
 
THE PSALMS. Day^. 
 
 5 Thou art my King, O God : send help unto Jacob. 
 
 6 Through thee will we overthrow our enemies : and in thy Name 
 will we tread them under, that rise up against us. 
 
 7 For I will not trust in my bow : it is not my sword that shall 
 help me ; 
 
 8 But it is thou that savest us from our enemies : and puttest 
 them to confusion that hate us. 
 
 9 We make our boast of God all day long : and Avill praise thy 
 Name for ever. 
 
 10 But now thou art far off, and puttest us to confusion : and 
 goest not forth with our armies. 
 
 1 1 Thou makest us to turn our backs upon our enemies : so that 
 they which hate us spoil our goods. 
 
 12 Thou lettest us be eaten up like sheep : and hast scattered us 
 among the heathen. 
 
 13 Thou sellest thy people for nought : and takest no money for 
 them. 
 
 14 Thou makest us to be rebuked of our neighbours : to 
 be laughed to scorn, and had in derision of them that are round 
 about us. 
 
 15 Thou makest us to be a by- word among the heathen : and 
 that the people shake their heads at us. 
 
 16 ]\Iy confusion is daily before me : and the shame of my face 
 hath covered me ; 
 
 17 For the voice of the slanderer and blasphemer : for the enemy 
 and avenger. 
 
 18 And though all this be come upon us, yet do we not forget 
 thee : nor behave ourselves frowardly in thy covenant. 
 
 19 Our heart is not turned back ; neither our steps gone out of 
 thy way ; 
 
 20 No, not when thou hast smitten us into the place of dragons : 
 and covered us with the shadow of death. 
 
 21 If we have forgotten the Name of our God, and holden up our 
 hands to any strange god : shall not God search it out? for he 
 knoweth the very secrets of the heart. 
 
 22 For thy sake also are we killed all the day long : and are 
 counted as sheep appointed to be slain. 
 
 23 Up, Lord, why sleepest thou : awake, and be not absent from 
 us for ever. 
 
 24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face : and forgettest our misery 
 and troulile ? 
 
 519 
 
Day 9. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 25 For our soul is brought low, even unto the dust : our belly 
 cleaveth unto the ground. 
 
 26 Arise, and help us : and deliver us for thy mercy's sake. 
 
 Psal. xlv. EructavU cor meum. 
 
 Y heart is inditing of a good matter : I 
 speak of the things which I have made 
 unto the King. 
 
 2 ]My tongue is the pen : of a ready 
 writer. 
 
 3 Thou art fairer than the children of 
 men : full of grace are thy lips, because 
 God hath blessed thee for ever. 
 
 4 Gird thee with thy sword upon thy 
 thigh, O thou most Mighty : according to thy worship and renown. 
 
 5 Good luck have thou with thine honour : ride on, because of 
 the word of truth, of meekness, and righteousness ; and thy right 
 hand shall teach thee terrible things. 
 
 6 Thy arrows are very sharp, and the people shall be subdued 
 unto thee 
 
 7 Thy seat, O God, endureth for ever 
 dom is a right sceptre. 
 
 8 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity : wherefore 
 God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above 
 thy fellows. 
 
 9 All thy garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia : out of the 
 ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. 
 
 10 Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women : upon 
 thy right hand did stand the queen in a vesture of gold, wrought 
 about with divers colours. 
 
 11 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, incline thine ear : forget 
 also thine own people, and thy father's house. 
 
 even in the midst among the King's enemies. 
 
 the sceptre of thy king- 
 
 PsALM xi,v. — This psalm is said to have been composed in honour of Solomon's marriage with 
 the daughter of Pharaoh. It is applied, in the literal sense, therefore, to the glory of the youthful 
 sovereign, and of his consort. But prophetically and spiritually it describes the majesty of 
 Christ as the King of heaven, and His marriage with the Church. Many of the expressions in 
 the psalm are far too sublime to be interpreted in any other sense. It may, therefore, be conjec- 
 tured that in this, as in other instances, the writer purposely described the events immediately 
 occurring in language which, according to the spirit of the times, might be at once understood as 
 prophetical, and as intended to carry the thoughts of those who heard it from the present to the 
 future, — from the literal to the spiritual, — from the earthly to the heavenly. See Heb. i. 8, 9, 
 where the sublimer parts of the psalm are directly interpreted as referring to Christ, 
 
 520 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 9. 
 
 12 So shall the King have pleasure in thy beauty : for he is thy 
 Lord God, and worship thou him. 
 
 13 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift : like as 
 the rich also among the people shall make their supplication before 
 thee. 
 
 14 The King's daughter is all glorious within : her clothing is 
 of Avrought gold. 
 
 15 She shall be brought unto the King in raiment of needle- 
 work : the virgins that be her fellows shall bear her company, and 
 shall be brought unto thee. 
 
 16 With joy and gladness shall they be l)rought : and shall enter 
 into the King's palace. 
 
 17 Instead of thy fathers thou slialt have children : whom thou 
 mayest make princes in all lands. 
 
 18 I will remember thy Name from one generation to another : 
 therefore shall the people give thanks unto thee, world without end. 
 
 Psal. xlvi. Devs nosfer refugium. 
 
 OD is our hope and strength : a very pre- 
 sent help in trouble. 
 
 2 Therefore will we not fear, though the 
 earth be moved : and though the hills be 
 carried into the midst of the sea. 
 
 3 Though the waters thereof rage and 
 swell : and though the mountains shake 
 at the tempest of the same. 
 
 4 The rivers of the flood thereof shall 
 make glad the city of God : the holy place of the tabernacle of the 
 most Highest. 
 
 5 God is in the midst of her, therefore shall she not be removed : 
 God shall help her, and that right early. 
 
 6 The heathen make much ado, and the kingdoms are moved : 
 but God hath shewed his voice, and the earth shall melt away. 
 
 PsAi.M xi.vi. — In the forty-fifth psalm the people of God pray to Him for help aj^ainst their 
 enemies; but they lament the withdrawal of His favour as the great cause of their calamities. In 
 this psalm also they speak of their troubles ; but it is with a cheerful and triumphant voice. What 
 is it which gives such a difTerent tone to expressions uttered under circumstances in all, but one 
 respect, the same. In the one instance God was not present with His people. " But now thou 
 art far off; and puttest us to confusion, and goest not forth with our armies." In the otlier they 
 could exclaim, " The Lord of hosts is with us : the God of Jacob is our refuge." And this it is 
 which must ever make a vast distinction between the positive amount of sorrows suffered by the 
 servants of God at different periods. He may be pleased to try them with many outward reverses, 
 but if they be careful to keep true to His Spirit, they will but rarely suffer the grief which bows 
 down and breaks the heart. 
 
 521 3x 
 
Day 9. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 7 The Lord of hosts is with us : the God of Jacob is our refuoe. 
 
 8 O come hither, and l>ehold the works of the Lord : wliat 
 destruction he hath brought uj)on the earth. 
 
 9 He maketh wars to cease in all the world : he lireaketli the 
 bow, and knappeth the spear in sunder, and burneth the chariots in 
 the fire. 
 
 10 Be still then, and know that I am God : I will be exalted 
 among the heathen, and I will be exalted in the earth. 
 
 11 The Lord of hosts is with us : the God of Jacob is our 
 refuge. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xlvii. Omnes gentes, plaudite. 
 
 CLAP your hands together, all ye people 
 O sing unto God with the voice of melody. 
 
 2 
 
 For the Lord is high and to be feared 
 
 he is the great King upon all the earth. 
 
 3 He shall subdue the people under us : 
 and the nations under our feet. 
 
 4 He shall choose out an heritage for 
 us : even the worship of Jacob, whom he 
 loved. 
 
 5 God is gone up with a merry noise : 
 and the Lord with the sound of the trump. 
 
 6 O sing praises, sing praises unto our 
 God : O sing praises, sing praises unto 
 our King. 
 
 7 For God is the King of all the earth : sing ye praises with 
 understanding. 
 
 8 God reigneth over the heathen : God sitteth upon his holy seat. 
 
 9 The princes of the people are joined unto the people of the God 
 of Abraham : for God, which is very high exalted, doth defend the 
 earth, as it were vv^ith a shield. 
 
 Psalm xlvii. — This psalm is supposed to have been written in celebration of the removal of the 
 ark into the temple ; but it might, with equal probability, be composed on any other occasion of 
 triumph or festivity. It is considered by some commentators as having been composed, with the 
 46th and the 48th. immediately after Cyrus had terminated, by his proclamation, the Babylonian 
 captivity. Our Church uses it on Ascension Day ; and by ascribing the glory of which it speaks 
 to the triumphant Saviour, teaches us its true interpretation. His victory gives joy to all the 
 tribes of the earth ; it has deprived every enemy that can assail us of his strength ; and by it the 
 remotest nations of the world will at length be gathered together, and united to the first that He 
 chose and blessed. 
 
 522 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 9. 
 
 Psal. xlviii. Magnus Dominus. 
 
 REAT is the Lord, and highly to be 
 praised : in the city of our God, even upon 
 his holy hill. 
 
 2 The hill of Sion is a fair place, and 
 the joy of the whole earth : upon the north- 
 side lieth the city of the great King ; God is 
 Avell known in her palaces as a sure refuge. 
 
 3 For lo, the kings of the earth : are 
 gathered, and gone by together, 
 
 4 They mai*velled to see such things : they were astonished, and 
 suddenly cast down. 
 
 5 Fear came there upon them, and sorrow : as upon a woman in 
 her travail. 
 
 6 Thou shalt break the ships of the sea : through the east-wind. 
 
 7 Like as we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord 
 of hosts, in the city of our God : God upholdeth the same for ever. 
 
 8 We wait for thy loving-kindness, O God : in the midst of thy 
 temple. 
 
 9 O God, according to thy Name, so is thy praise unto the 
 world's end : thy right hand is full of righteousness. 
 
 10 Let the mount Sion rejoice, and the daughter of Judah be 
 glad : because of thy judgements. 
 
 11 Walk about Sion, and go round about her : and tell the 
 towers thereof. 
 
 12 Mark well her bulwarks, set up her houses : that ye may tell 
 them that come after. 
 
 13 For this God is our God for ever and ever : he shall be our 
 guide unto death. 
 
 Psalm xlviii. — The Church God, established on the rock that can never be moved, excites 
 equally the wonder and the envy of the world. It presents an aspect of tranquillity and hope that 
 speaks to all hearts. The moral lustre which surrounds it now is noble and attractive in itself; but 
 it is felt to be the forerunner of a continually increasing grandeur, power, happiness, and sublime 
 good. Hating it for its happiness, but refusing to accept of a share of its blessings on the terms 
 on which it enjoys them itself, the powers of the world press around it as besiegers ; but convinced 
 of its indestructible stability, they pass away terrified at their guilty folly and presumption. 
 
 Psalm xlix. — The Psalmist here assumes the lofty style of a preacher of righteousness. This 
 he was authorised to do bj' the anointing of the heavenly Spirit ; and love to mankind and the 
 experience which he had had of the power of holiness, prompted his discourse. His lesson teaches 
 us to question the wisdom of our hearts when we place auj' confideuce in the possessions of the 
 world. It proves their worthlessness, by reminding us that they cannot help to redeem our souls 
 from the penalties of sin. Even friendship itself cannot do this. And thus the mass of mankind, 
 vainly trusting to their goods, sink at last in utter helplessness, and lie in the depths of the grave 
 like slaughtered sheep. Happy they who, with the Psalmist, have received from the heavenly 
 Spirit a revelation of the true sources of life and glory ! The counsel which he gives is prophecy 
 as well as precept. By the energy of the grace that wrought within him, he foresaw and forefelt 
 the day in which Death should be obliged to resign his empire to the Lord of Life. 
 
 523 3 X •> 
 
Day 9. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Psal. xlix. Audite hac, omnes. 
 
 HEAR ye this, all ye people : ponder it with 
 your ears, all ye that dwell in the world ; 
 
 2 High and low, rich and poor : one 
 with another. 
 
 3 ]My mouth shall speak of wisdom : and 
 my heart shall muse of understandini*'. 
 
 4 I will incline mine ear to the parable : 
 and shew my dark speech upon the harp. 
 
 5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of wickedness : and when 
 the Avickedness of my heels compasseth me round about ? 
 
 6 There be some that put their trust in their goods : and boast 
 themselves in the multitude of their riches. 
 
 7 But no man may deliver his brother : nor make agreement unto 
 God for him ; 
 
 8 For it cost more to redeem their souls : so that he must let that 
 alone for ever ; 
 
 9 Yea, though he live long : and see not the grave. 
 
 10 For he seeth that wise men also die, and perish together : as 
 well as the ignorant and foolish, and leave their riches for other. 
 
 1 1 And yet they think that their houses shall continue for ever : 
 and that their d^velling-places shall endure from one generation to 
 another ; and call the lands after their own names. 
 
 12 Nevertheless, man will not abide in honour : seeing he may 
 be compared unto the beasts that perish ; this is the way of them. 
 
 13 This is their foolishness : and their posterity praise their saying. 
 
 14 They lie in the hell like sheep, death gnaweth upon them, and 
 the righteous shall have domination over them in the morning : their 
 beauty sliall consume in the sepulchre out of their dwelling. 
 
 1 5 But God hath delivered my soul from the place of hell : for he 
 shall receive me. 
 
 16 Be not thou afraid, though one be made rich : or if the glory 
 of his house be increased ; 
 
 17 For he shall carry nothing iiwsLy with him when he dietli : 
 neither shall his pomp follow him, 
 
 18 For while he lived, he counted himself an happy man : and so 
 long as thou doest well unto thyself, men wdll speak good of thee. 
 
 and shall never 
 
 19 He shall follow the generation of his fathers 
 
 see light. 
 
 20 INIan bein^ in honour hath no understandino- 
 unto the beasts that perish. 
 524 
 
 but is compared 
 
THE TENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. 1. Dciis deorum. 
 
 HE Lord, even the most mighty God, hath 
 spoken : and called the world, from the 
 rising up of the sun, unto the going down 
 thereof, 
 
 2 Out of Sion hath God appeared : in 
 perfect beauty. 
 
 3 Our God shall come, and shall not 
 keep silence : there shall go before him a consuming lire, and a 
 mighty tempest shall be stirred up round about him. 
 
 PsALii L. — The Almighty is represented in this psalm as calling His creatures into His presence, 
 and declaring, as well by His voice as by the numerous signs of His presence, the spiritual nature 
 of His law, and of the obedience thereto which is alone acceptable in His sight. It is easy to 
 offer the sacrifice of bulls and of goats ; but it is the pure heart which God loves to receive, and 
 it is that which man is least willing or least prepared to give. The pretensions to holiness, so 
 frequent in the world, but increase its guilt in the sight of God. This has been shown by St. Paul, 
 who has alluded to the words of the Psalmist (Rom. ii. 19 — 23). The warning given is one of 
 such importance, that it behoves every professor of religion to weigh it seriously in his heart. 
 '' O consider this, ye that forget God ! "' Consider it — ye that boldly despise His laws ! His power 
 was sufficient to drive a host of mighty angels from their ancient dwelling-places, and shall He 
 not be able to punish the inhabitants of the earth? Consider — ye that hope to conceal the 
 iniquities of your hearts, — the licentiousness of your lives, — from the decisions of His justice, that 
 every thought is manifest in His sight, and that His eye is too pure to suffer the pollutions of sin 
 to remain unpurged by fire, even though it be to the destruction of the sinner ! 
 
 525 
 
Day 10. THE PSALMS. 
 
 4 He shall call the heaven from above : and the earth, that he 
 may judge his people. 
 
 5 Gather my saints together unto me : those that have made a 
 covenant with me with sacrifice. 
 
 6 And the heaven shall declare his righteousness : for God is 
 Judge himself 
 
 7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak : I myself will testify 
 against thee, O Israel ; for I am God, even thy God. 
 
 8 I Avill not reprove thee because of thy sacrifices, or for thy 
 burnt-offerings : because they Avere not alway before me. 
 
 9 I will take no bullock out of thine house : nor he-goat out of 
 thy folds. 
 
 10 For all the beasts of the forest are mine : and so are the cattle 
 upon a thousand hills. 
 
 Ill know all the fowls upon the mountains : and the wild beasts 
 of the field are in my sight. 
 
 12 If I be hungry, I will not tell thee : for the whole world is 
 mine, and all that is therein. 
 
 13 Thinkest thou that I will eat bulls' flesh : and drink the blood 
 of goats ? 
 
 14 Offer unto God thanksgiving : and pay thy vows unto the 
 most Highest. 
 
 15 And call upon me in the time of trouble : so will I hear thee, 
 and thou shalt praise me. 
 
 16 But unto the ungodly said God : Why dost thou preach my 
 laws, and takest my covenant in thy mouth ; 
 
 17 Whereas thou hatest to be reformed : and hast cast my words 
 behind thee ? 
 
 18 When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst unto him : and 
 hast been partaker with the adulterers. 
 
 19 Thou hast let thy mouth speak wickedness : and with thy 
 tongue thou hast set forth deceit. 
 
 20 Thou satest, and spakest against thy brother : yea, and hast 
 slandered thine own mother's son. 
 
 21 These things hast thou done, and I held my tongue, and thou 
 thoughtest wickedly, that I am even such a one as thyself : but I 
 will re})rove thee, and set before thee the things that thou hast done. 
 
 22 O consider this, ye that forget God : lest I pluck you away, 
 and there be none to deliver you. 
 
 23 Whoso offereth me thanks and praise, he honoureth me : and 
 to him that ordereth his conversation right will I shew the salvation 
 of God. 
 
 526 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 10. 
 
 Psal. li. Miserere met, Deus. 
 
 AVE mercy upon me, O God, after thy 
 great goodness : according to the multitude 
 of thy mercies do away mine offences. 
 
 2 Wash me throughly from my wicked- 
 ness : and cleanse me from my sin. 
 
 3 For I acknowledge my faults : and 
 my sin is ever before me. 
 
 4 Against thee only have I sinned, and 
 done this evil in thy sight : that thou 
 
 mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged. 
 
 5 Behold, I was shapen in wickedness : and in sin hath my 
 mother conceived me. 
 
 6 But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts : and shalt 
 make me to understand wisdom secretly. 
 
 7 Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean : thou 
 shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 
 
 8 Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness : that the bones 
 Avliich thou hast broken may rejoice. 
 
 9 Turn thy face from my sins : and put out all my misdeeds. 
 
 10 Make me a clean heart, O God : and renew a right spirit 
 within me. 
 
 1 1 Cast me not away from thy presence : and take not thy holy 
 Spirit from me. 
 
 12 O give me the comfort of thy help again : and stablish me 
 with thy free Spirit. 
 
 Psalm li. — It is highly interesting and profitable to trace in the writings published under the 
 Law, the veiled, or not yet clearly developed, features of the Gospel. In the present psalm, the 
 acknowledgment of original sin is full and distinct: — " I was shapen in wickedness." On this is 
 founded those confessions of infirmity, — of the tendencies to evil (otherwise unaccountable), — of 
 melancholy resistances to offers of grace, and the benign influences of the Divine Spirit, which 
 most men are willing to make when they begin to consider narrowly the movements of their hearts. 
 God's law throws a startling light upon the wastes and stormy seas of human nature. When once 
 it has made itself known to the understanding, the mind in vain strives to escape from a conscious- 
 ness of danger. The law remains unchangeable, like its Author; and the soul, to be at peace, 
 must be purified by the spirit of the law's holiness. " Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I 
 shall be clean ; " — that is, I shall be cleansed from my otherwise incurable disease when Thou dost 
 sprinkle me with the blood of the atoning sacrifice, and wash me with the waters of purification : 
 — Christ's blood the one, and Christ's baptism the other. But the types of the law were not 
 sufficiently clear for minds yearning after the assurance of Divine peace. The very Gospel itself, 
 therefore, seems anticipated in the prayer of the Psalmist ; for leaving every shadow and figure, 
 he hastens to the sublime realitj', and exclaims, " Make me a clean heart, and renew a right sj)irit 
 within me." This was said by David when suifering under the most appalling sense of his natural 
 weakness and corruption, 
 
 527 
 
Day 10. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 13 Then shall I toacli thy ways unto the wicked : and sinners 
 shall l)e converted unto thee. 
 
 14 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, tliou that art the 
 God of my health : and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness. 
 
 15 Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord : and my mouth shall shew 
 thy praise. 
 
 16 For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee : but 
 thou delightest not in ])urnt-offerings. 
 
 17 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit : a broken and contrite 
 heart, O God, shalt thou not despise. 
 
 18 O be favourable and gracious unto Sion : build thou the walls 
 of Jerusalem. 
 
 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, 
 with the burnt-offerings and oblations : then shall they offer young 
 bullocks upon thine altar. 
 
 Psal. lii. Quid gloriaris? 
 
 HY boastest thou thyself, thou tyrant : that 
 thou canst do mischief; 
 
 2 Whereas the goodness of God : en- 
 dureth yet daily ? 
 
 3 Thy tongue imagineth wickedness : and 
 with lies thou cuttest like a sharp razor. 
 
 4 Thou hast loved unrighteousness more 
 
 than goodness : and to talk of lies more 
 than righteousness. 
 
 5 Thou hast loved to speak all words that may do hurt : O thou 
 false tongue. 
 
 6 Therefore shall God destroy thee for ever : he shall take thee, 
 and pluck thee out of thy dwelling, and root thee out of the land of 
 the living. 
 
 7 The righteous also shall see this, and fear : and shall laugh 
 him to scorn ; 
 
 8 Lo, this is the man that took not God for Iiis strength : but 
 trusted unto the nmltitude of his riches, and strengthened himself in 
 his wickedness. 
 
 j^^'-i- 
 
 PsAT.M 1,11.^ — This psalm, it is supposed, was composed immediately after the events recorded in 
 1 Sam. xxii., when Doeg, at the command of Saul, slew the priests of the Lord. It expresses the 
 indignation of a virtuous mind at the sight of cruelty and injustice, and its nohle confidence in the 
 goodness of God, which shall inevitahly, at the last, destroy the wicked, however fierce and mighty 
 in their power, and enrich the meek with blessings and eternal glory, though now obliged to suffer 
 for awhile the oppression of tlie world. 
 
 528 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 10. 
 
 9 As for me, I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God 
 my trust is in the tender mercy of God for ever and ever. 
 
 10 1 will always give thanks unto thee for that thou hast done 
 and I will hope in thy Name, for thy saints like it well. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. liii. Dixit insipiens. 
 
 HE foolish body hath said in his heaii; : 
 There is no God. 
 
 2 Corrupt are they, and become abo- 
 minable in their wickedness : there is none 
 that doeth good. 
 
 3 God looked down from heaven upon 
 the children of men : to see if there were 
 any, that would understand, and seek after 
 God. 
 
 4 But they are all gone out of the way, 
 they are altogether become abominable : 
 there is also none that doeth good, no not 
 one. 
 
 5 Are not they without understanding 
 that work wickedness : eating up my people as if they would eat 
 bread ? they have not called upon God. 
 
 6 They Avere afraid where no fear was : for God hath broken the 
 bones of him that besieged thee ; thou hast put them to confusion, 
 because God hath despised them. 
 
 7 Oh, that the salvation were given unto Israel out of Sion : Oh, 
 that the Lord would deliver his people out of captivity I 
 
 8 Then should Jacob rejoice : and Israel should be right glad. 
 
 Psalm i.iii. — The only material difference between this psalm and the fourteenth is found in 
 verse 6, and in the omission of the passage cited by St. Paul, Rom. iii. 13. 
 
 Psalm liv. — The subject of this psalm is said to have been derived from the occurrences 
 described in 1 Sam. xxiii. 19. David persecuted, at the same time, by those who used open force, 
 and by those whose only hope was in their treacherj-, saw himself wonderfully delivered from both 
 by the answer which God rendered to his earnest prayers. 
 
 Psalm lv. — This psalm is supposed to be one of those composed by David when he fled from 
 before Absalom. In his hour of trial he had none ou earth to comfort him, God, therefore, was 
 his sole refuge; and he poured out his heart as one who felt that, unless his supplications were 
 heard, he must be wholly overwhelmed. The recollection of sins committed in the day of 
 prosperity against this his only friend, doubtlessly prevented him from enjoying that deep calm 
 
 529 3 V 
 
Day 10. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Psal. liv. Dens, in nomine. 
 
 AVE me, O God, for thy Name's sake : 
 and avenge me in thy strength. 
 
 2 Hear my prayer, O God : and hearken 
 unto the words of my mouth. 
 
 3 For strangers are risen up against me : 
 and tyrants, which have not God before 
 their eyes, seek after my soul. 
 
 4 Behold, God is my helper : the Lord 
 is with them that uphold my soul. 
 
 5 He shall reward evil unto mine enemies : destroy thou them in 
 thy truth. 
 
 6 An offering of a free heart will I give thee, and praise thy 
 Name, O Lord : because it is so comfortable. 
 
 7 For he hath delivered me out of all my trouble : and mine eye 
 hath seen his desire upon mine enemies. 
 
 Psal. Iv. Exaudi, Deus. 
 
 EAR my prayer, O God : and hide not 
 thyself from my petition. 
 
 2 Take heed unto me, and hear me : how 
 I mourn in my prayer, and am vexed. 
 
 3 The enemy crieth so, and the ungodly 
 Cometh on so fast : for they are minded to 
 do me some mischief; so maliciously are 
 they set against me. 
 
 4 My heart is disquieted within me : and 
 the fear of death is fallen upon me. 
 
 5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me : and an horrible 
 dread hath overwhehued me. 
 
 6 And I said, O that I had wings like a dove : for then would 
 I flee away, and l)e at rest. 
 
 ^iL^ 
 
 which would otherwise Iiave filled his soul. " My heart is disquieted within me, and the fear of 
 death is fallen upon me." Conscious repentance alone subdued the incursions of despair, and the 
 known mercy of God restored comfort to the spirit. The treachery of Ahithophel, alluded to in 
 verses 12 — 15, was strikingly typical of that of Judas. David's assurance that the Lord would 
 deliver him was fully realized ; the glory of Christ was vindicated against the treachery of Judas ; 
 and in the triumphs of David and Christ every child of God sees prefigured his own happy 
 deliverance from the power of the adversary. 
 
 530 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 10. 
 
 7 Lo, then Avoiild I get me away far off : and remain in the 
 wilderness. 
 
 8 I would make haste to escape : because of the stormy wind and 
 tempest. 
 
 9 Destroy their tongues, O Lord, and divide them : for I have 
 spied unrighteousness and strife in the city. 
 
 10 Day and night they go about within the walls thereof : mis- 
 chief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. 
 
 1 1 Wickedness is therein : deceit and guile go not out of their 
 streets. 
 
 12 For it is not an open enemy, that hath done me this dishonour : 
 for then I could have borne it. 
 
 13 Neither was it mine adversary, that did magnify himself 
 against me : for then peradventure I would have hid myself from 
 him. 
 
 14 But it was even thou, my companion : my guide, and mine 
 own familiar friend. 
 
 15 We took sweet counsel together : and walked in the house of 
 God as friends. 
 
 16 Let death come hastily upon them, and let them go down quick 
 into hell : for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. 
 
 17 As for me, I will call upon God : and the Lord shall save me. 
 
 18 In the evening, and morning, and at noon-day will I pray, and 
 that instantly : and he shall hear my voice. 
 
 19 It is he that hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle 
 that was against me : for there were many Avith me. 
 
 20 Yea, even God, that endureth for ever, shall hear me, and 
 bring them down : for they will not turn, nor fear God. 
 
 21 He laid his hands upon such as be at peace with him : and he 
 brake his covenant. 
 
 22 The words of his mouth were softer than butter, having war 
 in his heart : his Avords were smoother than oil, and yet be they very 
 swords. 
 
 23 O cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall nourish thee : 
 and shall not suffer the righteous to fall for ever. 
 
 24 And as for them : thou, O God, shalt bring them into the pit 
 of destruction. 
 
 25 The Ijlood-thirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half 
 their days : nevertheless, my trust shall he in thee, O Lord, 
 
 531 3 Y 2 
 
THE ELEVENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 do 
 
 Psal. Ivi. Miserere mei, Deus. 
 
 E merciful unto me, O God, for man goeth 
 about to devour me : he is daily fighting, 
 and troubling me. 
 
 2 Mine enemies are daily in hand to 
 swallow me up : for they be many that 
 fight against me, O thou most Highest. 
 
 3 Nevertheless, though I am sometime 
 afraid : yet put I my trust in thee. 
 
 4 I will praise God, because of his word : I have put my 
 trust in God, and will not fear what flesh can do unto me. 
 
 5 They daily mistake my words : all that they imagine is to 
 me evil. 
 
 PsAi.M Lvi. — This is another of the psalms said to have been composed by David, when he was 
 continually in danger of being destroyed by Saul or the Philistines. The iormer hated him with a 
 maddening jealousy, perverting his words, and misrepresenting the intention of liis most virtuous 
 designs ; the latter sought him with a common enmity against holiness, and were resolved to 
 destroy him because he was a servant of God. But the Lord saw his liumility, — heard his prayers ; 
 and compassionating his griefs, so revealed to him the designs of His providence, that he could 
 exclaim, even in the midst of his troubles, that his soul was delivered from death, and his feet 
 from falling. 
 
 532 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 11. 
 
 6 They hold all together, and keep themselves close : and mark 
 my steps, when they lay wait for my soul. 
 
 7 Shall they escape for their wickedness : thou, O God, in thy 
 displeasure shalt cast them down. 
 
 8 Thou tellest my flittings ; put my tears into thy bottle : are not 
 these things noted in thy book ? 
 
 9 Whensoever I call upon thee, then shall mine enemies be put 
 to flight : this I know ; for God is on my side. 
 
 10 In God's word will I rejoice : in the Lord's word will I 
 comfort me. 
 
 1 1 Yea, in God have I put my trust : I will not be afraid Avhat 
 man can do unto me. 
 
 12 Unto thee, O God, will I pay my vows : unto thee will I give 
 thanks. 
 
 13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, and my feet from 
 falling : that I may walk before God in the light of the living. 
 
 Psal. Ini. Miserere mei, Deus. 
 
 E merciful unto me, O God, be merciful 
 unto me, for my soul trusteth in thee : and 
 under the shadow of thy wings shall be my 
 refuge, until this tyranny be over-past. 
 
 2 I will call unto the most high God : 
 even unto the God that shall perform the 
 cause which I have in hand. 
 
 3 He shall send from heaven : and save 
 me from the reproof of him that would eat me up. 
 
 4 God shall send forth his mercy and truth : my soul is among 
 lions. 
 
 5 And I lie even among the children of men, that are set on fire : 
 whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. 
 
 6 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens : and thy glory above 
 all the earth. 
 
 PsAi.M Lvii. — David was probably in the cave of Engedi when he composed this pathetic psalm. 
 The firm and loving trust of a being in his God is, under any circumstances, a sublime and 
 animating subject of contemplation. But the grandeur of the subject is greatly increased when 
 the believer is, at the moment, exposed to the severest trials, and all the energies of faith, and 
 whatever graces he may possess, have to be exerted to the uttermost. Such was David's case when 
 he uttered the petitions contained in this psalm. His example ought to animate us to fresh 
 exertions in the work of righteousness. Full of peace and satisfaction, the saints of old went on 
 their way rejoicing, though the pit and the snare were ever before them. How sadly deficient 
 must they be in faith who cannot rejoice in the blessings of the Almighty's love, when there is 
 scarcely any drawback to the comforts and the tranquillity which it bestows ! 
 
 533 
 
Day 11. THE PSALMS. 
 
 7 They have laid a net for my feet, and pressed down my soul : 
 they have digged a pit before me, and are fallen into the midst of it 
 themselves. 
 
 8 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed : I will sing, and 
 give praise. 
 
 9 Awake up, my glory ; awake, lute and harp : I myself will 
 awake right early. 
 
 10 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people : and 
 I will sing unto thee among the nations. 
 
 1 1 For the greatness of thy mercy reacheth unto the heavens : 
 and thy truth unto the clouds. 
 
 12 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens : and thy glory 
 above all the earth. 
 
 Psal. Iviii. SI vere utique. 
 
 RE your minds set upon righteousness, 
 O ye congregation : and do ye judge the 
 •^ ij^l^ ' thing that is right, O ye sons of men ? 
 
 2 Yea, ye imagine mischief in your heart 
 
 upon the earth : and your hands deal with 
 
 wickedness. 
 
 r-^ % v4 ^ "^'^^^ ungodly are froward, even from 
 
 - ^^=«.^W^ their mother's womb : as soon as they are 
 
 born, they go astray, and speak lies. 
 
 4 They are as venomous as the poison of a serpent : even like the 
 deaf adder that stoppeth her ears ; 
 
 5 Which refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer : charm he 
 never so wisely. 
 
 6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouths ; smite the jaw- 
 bones of the lions, O Lord : let them fall away like water that 
 runneth apace ; and when they shoot their arrows let them be rooted 
 out. 
 
 7 Let them consume away like a snail, and be like the untimely 
 fruit of a woman : and let them not see the sun. 
 
 Psalm lviii. — Saul and his ministers are still supposed to be the theme of the Psalmist's 
 complaints. David spoke from a full knowledge of their enormous wickedness,— but not merely of 
 them. As he alludes prophetically to the Church when he speaks of the righteous of his own 
 times, so does he allude to the wicked of all ages when he describes the baseness of a Doeg or a 
 Ahithophel. The very prayer which he offers up for their destruction is also prophetical and 
 general, rather than a particular imprecation of vengeance on individuals. He knew that God 
 would at length oblige all men to own that His judgments are right, and that there is a reward for 
 His persecuted people. 
 
 534 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 11, 
 
 8 Or ever your pots be made hot with thorns : so let indignation 
 vex him, even as a thing that is raw. 
 
 9 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance : he 
 shall Avash his footsteps in the blood of the ungodly. 
 
 10 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the 
 righteous : doubtless there is a God that judgeth the earth. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. lix. Eripe me de inimicis. 
 
 ELIVER me from mine enemies, O God : 
 defend me from them that rise up against 
 me. 
 
 2 O deliver me from the wicked doers : 
 and save me from the blood-thirsty men. 
 
 3 For lo, they lie waiting for my soul : 
 the mighty men are gathered against me, 
 without any offence or fault of me, O Lord. 
 
 4 They run and prepare themselves with- 
 out my fault : arise thou therefore to help 
 me, and behold. 
 
 5 Stand up, O Lord God of hosts, thou 
 God of Israel, to visit all the heathen : 
 
 and be not merciful unto them that offend of malicious wickedness. 
 
 6 They go to and fro in the evening : they grin like a dog, and 
 run about through the city. 
 
 7 Behold, they speak with their mouth, and swords are in their 
 lips : for who doth hear ? 
 
 8 But thou, O Lord, shalt have them in derision : and thou shalt 
 laugh all the heathen to scorn. 
 
 9 My strength will I ascribe unto thee 
 my refuge. 
 
 for thou art the God of 
 
 Psalm lix. — It is conjectured that this psalm was composed by David on the occasion described 
 1 Sam. xix. 11, that is, when Saul " Sent messengers unto David's house to watch him, and to slay 
 him in the morning." But it applies equally to any of those occasions on which the enemies of 
 God's people, unable to effect their purposes immediately, lie in wait for their victims with a steru 
 and gloomy patience which shows how implacable is their revenge, — how insatiable their thirst for 
 blood. Against no class of mankind have such cruelties been exercised as those which it has often 
 fallen to the lot of God's faithful worshippers to suffer. The world is the executioner of Satan's 
 will ; and it is against it, in this character, that the Psalmist prays. 
 
 535 
 
Day 11. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 10 God sheweth me his goodness plenteously : and God shall 
 let me see my desire upon mine enemies. 
 
 11 Slay them not, lest my people forget it : but scatter them 
 abroad among the people, and put them down, O Lord, our defence. 
 
 12 For the sin of their mouth, and for the words of their lips, 
 they shall be taken in their pride : and why ? their preaching is of 
 cursing and lies. 
 
 13 Consume them in thy wrath, consume them, that they may 
 perish : and know that it is God that ruleth in Jacob, and unto the 
 ends of the world. 
 
 14 And in the evening they will return : grin like a dog, and 
 will go about the city. 
 
 15 They will run here and there for meat : and grudge if they 
 be not satisfied. 
 
 16 As for me, I will sing of thy power, and will praise thy mercy 
 betimes in the morning : for thou hast been my defence and refuge 
 in the day of my trouble. 
 
 17 Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing : for thou, O God, art 
 my refuge, and my merciful God. 
 
 Psal. Ix. Deus, repuUsti nos. 
 
 GOD, thou hast cast us out, and scattered 
 us abroad : thou hast also been displeased ; 
 O turn thee unto us again. 
 
 2 Thou hast moved the land, and divided 
 it : heal the sores thereof, for it shaketh. 
 
 3 Thou hast shewed thy people heavy 
 things : thou hast given us a drink of 
 deadly wine. 
 
 4 Thou hast given a token for such as 
 that they may triumph because of the truth. 
 
 fear thee 
 
 Psalm lx. — This is supposed by some to be one of those national songs in which David cele- 
 brated his triumphs over the enemies of his throne, and brought first one people, and then another, 
 to acknowledge his righteous rule. (See 2 Sam. v. and viii.) Others attribute it to the reign of 
 Jehoshaphat, and suppose that it refers to the season when he was preparing to reduce the rebellious 
 Edomites. The Psalmist describes Ephraim and Judah according to their particular characteristics, 
 the one abounding in men of war, the other enjoying the privilege spoken of in Genesis xlix. 10. 
 — "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh 
 come." By Gilead is to be understood the tribes of Gad and Reuben ; and the expressions 
 applied to Moab and Edom indicate the contempt which they would reap as the fruit of their 
 hostility to God and His people. Philistia is exhorted to rejoice as being set free from the ravages 
 of idolatry and wickedness. This gladdening anticipation of approaching conquests is properly 
 the Christian's enjoyment at all periods. He knows that, sooner or later, all the kingdoms of the 
 earth will become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ. 
 
 536 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 11. 
 
 5 Therefore were thy beloved delivered : help me with thy right 
 hand, and hear me. 
 
 6 God hath spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice, and divide 
 Sichem : and mete out the valley of Succoth. 
 
 7 Gilead is mine, and IManasses is mine : Ephraim also is the 
 strength of my head ; Judah is my law-giver ; 
 
 8 JMoab is my wash-pot ; over Edom will I cast out my shoe : 
 Philistia, be thou glad of me. 
 
 9 Who will lead me into the strong city : who will bring me 
 into Edom? 
 
 10 Hast not thou cast us out, O God : wilt not thou, O God, go 
 out with our hosts ? 
 
 1 1 O be thou our help in trouble : for vain is the help of man. 
 
 12 Through God will we do great acts : for it is he that shall 
 tread down our enemies. 
 
 Psal. Ixi. Exaudi, Deus. 
 
 EAR my crying, O God : give ear unto 
 my prayer. 
 
 2 From the ends of the earth will I call 
 upon thee : when my lieart is in heaviness. 
 
 3 O set me up upon the rock that is 
 higher than I : for thou hast been my 
 hope, and a strong tower for me against 
 the enemy. 
 
 4 I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever : 
 and my trust shall be under the covering of thy wings. 
 
 5 For thou, O Lord, hast heard my desires : and hast given an 
 heritage unto those that fear thy Name. 
 
 6 Thou shalt grant the King a long life 
 endure throughout all generations. 
 
 7 He shall dwell before God for ever : O prepare thy loving 
 mercy and faithfubiess, that they may preserve him. 
 
 8 So will I alway sing praise unto thy Name : that I may daily 
 perform my vows. 
 
 Psalm lxi. — This is another of the psalms said to have been composed by David in his flight 
 from Absalom. Wherever he was, or however his heart might be oppressed with heaviness, he 
 could find comfort in God. The rock of salvation was nigh at hand because God was with him. 
 His presence was the tabernacle in which he could still dwell, though far from Jerusalem ; and 
 His blessing an everlasting heritage of which no enemy could deprive him. The whole is 
 eminently true of Christ, contemplated as tlie King of the spiritual Israel, and struggling against 
 the powers of darkness. 
 
 537 3z 
 
 that his years may 
 
THE TWELFTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. Ixii. Nonne Deo ? 
 
 P Y soul truly waiteth still upon God : for 
 4 of him cometli my salvation. 
 
 2 He verily is my strength and my sal- 
 vation : he is my defence, so that I shall 
 not greatly fall. 
 
 3 How long will ye imagine mischief 
 against every man : ve shall be slain all the 
 
 &k sort of you ; yea, as a tottering wall shall ye be, and like a 
 
 ^1 broken hedg-e. 
 
 iM ... 
 
 ^t^, 4 Their device is only how to put him out whom God will 
 
 exalt : their delight is in lies ; they give good words with their 
 
 mouth, but curse with their heart. 
 
 5 Nevertheless, my soul, wait thou still upon God : for my hope 
 
 is in him. 
 
 Psalm i.xii. — Trust in God is still tlie happy theme of the Psalmist ; and it is that upon which 
 we have the greatest of all reasons to wish to be able to fix our thoughts. The heart finds in the 
 knowledge of Divine love a source of perpetual delight. Doubts are resolved in the fervent 
 assurance of the power of good ; and temptations to wrong are resisted by the conviction that this 
 power belongs to God alone, and is but the exercise of His beneficent will. 
 
 538 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 12. 
 
 6 He truly is my strength and my salvation : he is my defence, 
 so that I shall not fall. 
 
 7 In God is my health, and my glory : the rock of my might, and 
 in God is my trust. 
 
 8 O put your trust in him alway, ye people : pour out your hearts 
 before him, for God is our hope. 
 
 9 As for the children of men, they are but vanity : the children 
 of men are deceitful upon the Aveights, they are altogether lighter 
 than vanity itself. 
 
 10 O trust not in wrong and robbery, give not yourselves unto 
 vanity : if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. 
 
 1 1 God spake once, and twice I have also heard the same : that 
 power belongeth unto God ; 
 
 12 And that thou. Lord, art merciful : for thou rewardest every 
 
 man according to his work. 
 
 Psal. Ixiii. Deus, Deus mens. 
 
 early will I seek 
 
 GOD, thou art my God 
 thee. 
 
 2 My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh 
 also lono-eth after thee : in a barren and 
 dry land where no water is. 
 
 3 Thus have I looked for thee in holi- 
 ness : that I might behold thy power and 
 glory. 
 
 4 For thy loving-kindness is better than 
 the life itself : my lips shall praise thee. 
 
 5 As long as I live will I magnify thee on this manner : and lift 
 up my hands in thy Name. 
 
 6 My soul shall be satisfied, even as it were with marrow and 
 fatness : when my mouth praiseth thee with joyful lips. 
 
 7 Have I not remembered thee in my bed : and thought upon 
 thee when I was waking ? 
 
 Psalm lxiii. — To know God is not the same thing as to have Him dwelling in the soul by 
 the Holy Spirit. David knew God at all times, or he could not have sought Him with such 
 earnest prayers and crying, and that even in seasons of direst temptation. But he desired to 
 feel the inexpressible consolations of His presence; — to experience the gracious power of His 
 mighty working in the heart ; — to feel that He was enlightened with the light of His living truth, 
 and changed and reanimated by His Spirit. Hence the beautiful and passionate expressions, 
 — " O God ! thou art my God : early will I seek thee ! My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh 
 also longeth after thee : in a barren and dry land where no water is ! " and "Thy loving-kindness 
 is better than life itself!" How sad must be our state when, instead of being able thus to address 
 God, we feel that we scarcely care to know Him ! 
 
 539 3 z 2 
 
Day 12. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 8 Because thou hast been my helper : therefore under the shadow 
 of thy wings will I rejoice. 
 
 9 ]\Iy soul hangeth upon thee : thy right hand hath upholden 
 me. 
 
 10 These also that seek the hurt of my soul : they shall go under 
 the earth. 
 
 1 1 Let them fall upon the edge of the sword : that they may be 
 a portion for foxes. 
 
 12 But the King shall rejoice in God ; all they also that swear 
 by him shall be commended : for the mouth of them that speak lies 
 shall be stopped. 
 
 Psal. Ixiv. Exaudi, Deus. 
 
 EAR my voice, O God, in my prayer : 
 preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 
 
 2 Hide me from the gathering together 
 of the froward : and from the insurrection 
 of wicked doers ; 
 
 3 Who have whet their tongue like a 
 sword : and shoot out their arrows, even 
 bitter w^ords ; 
 
 4 That they may privily shoot at him 
 that is perfect : suddenly do they hit him, and fear not. 
 
 5 They encourage themselves in mischief : and commune among 
 themselves how they may lay snares, and say, that no man shall see 
 them. 
 
 6 They imagine wickedness, and practise it : that they keep 
 secret among themselves, every man in the deep of his heart. 
 
 7 But God shall suddenly shoot at them with a swift arrow : that 
 they shall be wounded. 
 
 8 Yea, their own tongues shall make them fall : insomuch that 
 whoso seeth them shall laugh them to scorn. 
 
 9 And all men that see it shall say, This hath God done : for 
 they shall perceive that it is his Avork. 
 
 10 The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord, and put his trust in 
 him : and all they that are true of heart shall be glad. 
 
 PsAi.M i.xiv. — The Psalmist here comphiins not so much of open vli)lence, and of the dangers 
 resulting from the persecutions of the powerful, as of the distresses borne by an upright mind when 
 assailed by base and venomous falsehood. In this species of calamity, the God of truth must ever 
 be the best and readiest refuge. 
 
 540 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 12. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. Ixv. Te decet hymnus. 
 
 HOU, O God, art praised in Sion : and 
 unto thee shall the vow be performed in 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 2 Thou that hearest the prayer : unto 
 thee shall all flesh come. 
 
 3 My misdeeds prevail against me : O 
 be thou merciful unto our sins. 
 
 4 Blessed is the man, whom thou choosest, 
 and receivest unto thee : he shall dwell 
 in thy court, and shall be satisfied with the 
 
 ^^ pleasures of thy house, even of thy holy 
 temple. 
 
 5 Thou shalt shew us wonderful things 
 in thy righteousness, O God of our salvation : thou that art the hope 
 of all the ends of the earth, and of them that remain in the broad sea. 
 
 6 Who in his strength setteth fast the mountains : and is girded 
 about with power. 
 
 7 Who stilleth the raging of the sea : and the noise of his waves, 
 and the madness of the people. 
 
 8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts of the earth shall be 
 afraid at thy tokens : thou that makest the outgoings of the morning 
 and evening to praise thee. 
 
 9 Thou visitest the earth, and blessest it : thou makest it very 
 plenteous. 
 
 10 The river of God is full of water : thou preparest their corn, 
 for so thou providest for the earth. 
 
 1 1 Thou waterest her furrows, thou sendest rain into the little 
 valleys thereof: thou makest it soft with the drops of rain, and 
 blessest the increase of it. 
 
 Psalm lxv. — This psalm was evidently composed in a period of gladness and festivitj-, and was 
 sung at the Feast of Tabernacles ; yet it begins with a confession of sin and helplessness. The 
 heart of the worshipper was thereby lightened of a burden, under the pressure of which it could have 
 responded to no song of praise. Nothing can be more refreshing than the contemplation of nature 
 as the domain of the God of grace. Viewed as under His continual governance, every gleam 
 of sunshine conveys tidings of mercy to the heart. The fruitful seasons — the operations of the 
 elements — the streams and dews that do the work of Heaven — are signs that every child of God is 
 taught, from the very infancy of his new life, to study and interpret. 
 
 541 
 
Day 12. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 12 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness : and thy clouds 
 drop fatness. 
 
 13 They shall drop upon the dwellings of the wilderness : and the 
 little hills shall rejoice on every side. 
 
 14 The folds shall be full of sheep : the valleys also shall stand 
 so thick with corn, that they shall laugh and sing. 
 
 Psal. Ixvi. Jubilate Den. 
 
 BE joyful in God, all ye lands : sing 
 praises unto the honour of his Name, make 
 his praise to be glorious. 
 
 2 Say unto God, O how wonderful art 
 thou in thy works : through the greatness 
 of thy power shall thine enemies be found 
 liars unto thee. 
 
 3 For all the world shall worship thee : 
 sing of thee, and praise thy Name. 
 
 4 O come hither, and behold the works of God : how wonderful 
 he is in his doing toward the children of men. 
 
 5 He turned the sea into dry land : so that they w^nt through 
 the water on foot ; there did we rejoice thereof. 
 
 6 He ruleth with his power for ever ; his eyes behold the people . 
 and such as will not believe shall not be able to exalt themselves. 
 
 7 O praise our God, ye people : and make the voice of his praise 
 to be heard ; 
 
 8 Who holdeth our soul in life : and sufFereth not our feet to 
 slip. 
 
 9 For thou, O God, hast proved us : thou also hast tried us, like 
 as silver is tried. 
 
 10 Thou broughtest us into the snare : and laidest trouble upon 
 our loins. 
 
 PsAi.M Lxvi. — The various nations of the eartli are here called upon to join in the praises of 
 the Universal and Almij^hty Father, As an argument for their obeying the summons, they are 
 reminded of His wonderlul doings. On His hand rests the whole weight of the universe; and at 
 His will the most wonderful of its laws become suspended. The providence of this Eternal Ruler 
 bows everything to its purposes ; and while nations are moved to and fro at His bidding, not one 
 of the innumerable creatures that exist escapes His separate notice, or is left without His par- 
 ticularizing mercy. Called to worship such a God, what people, or who, would refuse to go into 
 His house, and offer Him the grateful sacrifice of their hearts '^ The hour, we may hope, is coming 
 when the psalm will have its noblest interpretation in the prophetical conversion of all the nations 
 of the earth. 
 
 542 
 
THE PSALMS Day 12. 
 
 11 Thou sufFeredst men to ride over our heads : we went through 
 fire and water, and thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. 
 
 12 I will go into thine house with burnt-offerings : and will pay 
 thee my vows, which I promised with my lips, and spake with my 
 mouth, when I was in trouble. 
 
 13 I will offer unto thee fat burnt-sacrifices, with the incense of 
 rams : I will offer bullocks and goats. 
 
 14 come hither, and hearken, all ye that fear God : and I will 
 tell you what he hath done for my soul. 
 
 15 I called unto him with my mouth : and gave him praises 
 with my tongue. 
 
 16 If I incline unto wickedness with mine heart : the Lord will 
 not hear me. 
 
 17 But God hath heard me : and considered the voice of my 
 prayer. 
 
 18 Praised be God Avho hath not cast out my prayer : nor turned 
 his mercy from me. 
 
 Psal. Ixvil. Deus misereatur. 
 
 OD be merciful unto us, and bless us : 
 and shew us the light of his countenance, 
 and be merciful unto us ; 
 
 2 That thy way may be known upon 
 earth : thy saving health among all nations. 
 
 3 Let the people praise thee, O God : 
 yea, let all the people praise thee. 
 
 4 O let the nations rejoice and be glad : 
 for thou shalt judge the folk righteously, 
 
 and govern the nations upon earth. 
 
 5 Let the people praise thee, O God : let all the people praise 
 thee. 
 
 6 Then shall the earth bring forth her increase : and God, even 
 our own God, shall give us his blessing. 
 
 7 God shall bless us : and all the ends of the world shall fear 
 him. 
 
 Psalm lxvii. — This short but beautiful psalm was one of those used at the Feast of Tabernacles, 
 and directed the hearts and thoughts of the worshippers to the times of refreshing when God should 
 be everywhere worshipped, and the reign of the long-desired Messiah established in peace and 
 blessedness. For the evangelical interpretation of this and similar psalms, St. Paul has given us a 
 sublime example in Rom. viii. 18 — 23, where the emancipation of universal nature is represented 
 as awaiting that of the human soul. 
 
 543 
 
THE THIRTEENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 # 
 
 '< 
 
 3 
 them 
 
 Psal. Ixviii. Eocurgat Deus. 
 
 ET God arise, and let his enemies be scat- 
 tered : let them also that hate him flee 
 before him. 
 
 2 Like as the smoke vanisheth, so shalt 
 thou drive them away : and like as Avax 
 melteth at the fire, so let the ungodly perish 
 at the presence of God. 
 
 But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God : let 
 
 also be merry and joyful. 
 
 Psalm lxviii. — The language of this psalm is equally mysterious and sublime. On whatever 
 occasion it was composed, whether on the removal of the ark to Mount Sion, or when the people 
 were looking for approaching deliverance from captivity, it is one of those magnificent songs of 
 national joy which can only be equalled by the other hymns of God's own chosen people. The 
 praise here rendered Him has respect to His incommunicable glory as Jah, or Jehovah, the self- 
 existent Eternal One ; but it represents Him in all the gentle operations of tenderness and love, as 
 well as in the manifestations of power. Israel conquered under His banners ; and its triumphs and 
 its laws were proclaimed by multitudes of heralds to the surrounding nations. Though its people 
 had lien among the pots, that is, in the clay-pits of Egypt, they were henceforth to be resplendent 
 in glory. Captivity was carried captive by the power and Majesty of God, and, endowed by Him 
 with the most precious gifts of wisdom, was to rule over His enemies with a sceptre of His own 
 bestowing. St. Paul has taught us to apply the whole prophetically to the triumphs of Christ, and 
 the consequent deliverance of His people from the worse than Egyptian bondage — the servitude 
 of sin and the world. (See Ephes. iv. y.) 
 
 544 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 13. 
 
 4 O sing unto God, and sing praises unto his Name : magnify 
 him that rideth upon the heavens, as it were upon an horse ; praise 
 him in his Name JAH, and rejoice before him. 
 
 5 He is a Father of the fatherless, and defendeth the cause of the 
 widows : even God in his holy habitation. 
 
 6 He is the God that maketh men to be of one mind in an house, 
 and bringeth the prisoners out of captivity : but letteth the runagates 
 continue in scarceness. 
 
 7 O God, when thou wentest forth before the people : when thou 
 wentest through the wilderness, 
 
 8 The earth shook, and the heavens dropped at the presence of 
 God : even as Sinai also was moved at the presence of God, who is 
 the God of Israel. 
 
 9 Thou, O God, sentest a gracious rain upon thine inheritance : 
 and refreshedst it when it was weary. 
 
 10 Thy congregation shall dwell therein : for thou, O God, hast 
 of thy goodness prepared for the poor. 
 
 11 The Lord gave the word : great was the company of the 
 preachers. 
 
 12 Kings with their armies did flee, and were discomfited : and 
 they of the houshold divided the spoil. 
 
 13 Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the 
 wings of a dove : that is covered with silver wings, and her feathers 
 like gold. 
 
 14 When the Almighty scattered kings for their sake : then were 
 they as white as snow in Salmon. 
 
 15 As the hill of Basan, so is God's hill : even an high hill, as 
 the hill of Basan. 
 
 16 Why hop ye so, ye high hills ? this is God's hill, in the which 
 it pleaseth him to dwell : yea, the Lord will abide in it for ever. 
 
 17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of 
 angels : and the Lord is among them, as in the holy place of Sinai. 
 
 18 Thou art gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive, and 
 received gifts for men : yea, even for thine enemies, that the Lord 
 God might dwell among them. 
 
 19 Praised be the Lord daily : even the God who helpeth us, and 
 poureth his benefits upon us. 
 
 20 He is our God, even the God of whom cometh salvation : God 
 is the Lord, ])y whom we escape death. 
 
 21 God shall wound the head of his enemies : and the hairy scalp 
 of such a one as goeth on still in his wickedness. 
 
 545 4 A 
 
Day 13. THE PSALMS. 
 
 22 The Lord hath said, I will bring my people again, as I did 
 from Basan : mine own will I bring again, as I did sometime from 
 the deep of the sea. 
 
 23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies : 
 and that the tongue of thy dogs may be red through the same. 
 
 24 It is well seen, O God, how thou goest : how thou, my God 
 and King, goest in the sanctuary. 
 
 25 The singers go before, the minstrels follow after : in the midst 
 are the damsels playing with the timbrels. 
 
 26 Give thanks, O Israel, unto God the Lord in the congrega- 
 tions : from the ground of the heart. 
 
 27 There is little Benjamin their ruler, and the princes of Judah 
 their counsel : the princes of Zabulon, and the princes of Nephthali. 
 
 28 Thy God hath sent forth strength for thee : stablish the thing, 
 O God, that thou hast wrought in us, 
 
 29 For thy temple's sake at Jerusalem : so shall kings bring 
 presents unto thee. 
 
 30 When the company of the spear-men, and multitude of the 
 mighty are scattered abroad among the beasts of the people, so that 
 they humbly bring pieces of silver : and when he hath scattered the 
 people that delight in war ; 
 
 31 Then shall the princes come out of Egypt : the JMorians' land 
 shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. 
 
 32 Sing unto God, O ye kingdoms of the earth : O sing praises 
 unto the Lord ; 
 
 33 Who sitteth in the heavens over all from the beginning : lo, 
 he doth send out his voice, yea, and that a mighty voice. 
 
 34 Ascribe ye the power to God over Israel : his worship, and 
 strength is in the clouds. 
 
 35 O God, wonderful art thou in thy holy places : even the God 
 of Israel ; he will give strength and power unto his people ; blessed 
 be God. 
 
 Psalm lxix. — This psalm is of the same character as the twenty-second, and is descriptive of 
 the sufferings of our Lord. The most pathetic complaints made by a being conscious of individual 
 bin became far more sad when used by One who did no sin, and in whose mouth there was no guile. 
 If David could complain because things were laid to his charge which he had never done, yet 
 he could not plead that he had not committed many other offences — he could not pretend that he 
 was free from corruption: but Christ bad never felt the tainting touch of sin, and, when accused 
 of wrong, could plead a perfect and unchangeable righteousness. It is a subject of melancholy 
 reflection that the sorrows described by the Psalmist, both in his own case and prophetically in 
 respect to Christ, are such as arise only from the world's hatred to holiness. " They hate me 
 without a cause," is the sad exclamation of the servant of God ; and when passing from the view 
 of what pertains to himself, and looking for reasons to explain their emnity in things beyond him, 
 he makes the yet more distressing discovery, that it is only because he loves and serves God with 
 
 546 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 13. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 
 
 Psal. Ixix. Salvum me fac. 
 
 AVE me, O God : for the waters are 
 come in, even unto my soul. 
 
 2 I stick fast in the deep mire, where no 
 ground is : I am come into deep waters, so 
 that the floods run over me. 
 ' 3 I am weary of crying ; my throat is 
 
 dry : my sight faileth me for waiting so 
 long upon my God. 
 
 4 They that hate me without a cause are 
 more than the hairs of my head : they that 
 are mine enemies, and would destroy me 
 guiltless, are mighty. 
 
 5 I paid them the things that I never 
 took : God, thou knowest my simpleness, and my faults are not hid 
 from thee. 
 
 6 Let not them that trust in thee, O Lord God of hosts, be 
 ashamed for my cause : let not those that seek thee be confounded 
 through me, O Lord God of Israel. 
 
 7 And why ? for thy sake have I suffered reproof : shame hath 
 covered my face. 
 
 8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren : even an alien unto 
 my mother's children. 
 
 9 For the zeal of thine house hath even eaten me : and the 
 rebukes of them that rebuked thee are fallen upon me. 
 
 10 I wept, and chastened myself with fasting : and that was 
 turned to my reproof. 
 
 11 I put on sackcloth also : and they jested upon me. 
 
 12 They that sit in the gate speak against me : and the drunk- 
 ards make songs upon me. 
 
 13 But, Lord, I make my prayer unto thee : in an acceptable 
 time. 
 
 an untiring spirit that the}-^ desire his death. " The zeal of thine house hath even eaten me : " that 
 is, " the cause of all my afflictions is the fervent zeal with which I am seeking to promote the 
 spiritual worship of God." The applications of this psalm to Christ are frequent, and clearly 
 indicate its prophetical character. (See John i. 11, ix. 29, viii. 48. John ii. 17. Rom. xv. 3. 
 Matth. xxvii. 34. Acts i. 20.) It is allowed by several learned commentators that the impreca- 
 tions from verse 23 to verse 29, and those in other psalms, may be properly translated as predictions 
 rather than as curses, 
 
 547 4 A -2 
 
Day 13. THE PSALMS. 
 
 14 Hear me, O God, in the multitude of thy mercy : even in the 
 truth of thy salvation. 
 
 15 Take me out of the mire, tliat I sink not : O let me be 
 delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. 
 
 16 Let not the water-flood drown me, neither let the deep 
 swallow me up : and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. 
 
 17 Hear me, O Lord, for thy loving-kindness is comfortable : 
 turn thee imto me according to the multitude of thy mercies. 
 
 18 And hide not thy face from thy servant, for I am in trouble : 
 O haste thee and hear me. 
 
 19 Draw nigh unto my soul, and save it : O deliver me, because 
 of mine enemies. 
 
 20 Thou hast known my reproof, my shame, and my dishonour : 
 mine adversaries are all in thy sight. 
 
 21 Thy rebuke hath broken my heart ; I am full of heaviness : I 
 looked for some to have pity on me, but there was no man, neither 
 found I any to comfort me. 
 
 22 They gave me gall to eat : and when I was thirsty they gave 
 me vinegar to drink. 
 
 23 Let their table be made a snare to take themselves withal : 
 and let the things that should have been for their wealth be unto 
 them an occasion of falling. 
 
 24 Let their eyes be blinded, that they see not : and ever bow 
 thou down their backs. 
 
 25 Pour out thine indignation upon them : and let thy wrathful 
 displeasure take hold of them. 
 
 26 Let their habitation be void : and no man to dwell in their 
 tents. 
 
 27 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten : and they 
 talk how they may vex them whom thou hast wounded. 
 
 28 Let them fall from one wickedness to another : and not come 
 into thy righteousness. 
 
 29 Let them be wiped out of the book of the living : and not be 
 written among the righteous. 
 
 30 As for me, when I am poor and in heaviness : thy help, 
 O God, shall lift me up. 
 
 31 I will praise the Name of God with a song : and magnify it 
 with thanksgiving. 
 
 32 This also shall please the Lord : better than a bullock that 
 hath horns and hoofs. 
 
 548 
 
THE PSALMS Day 13. 
 
 33 The humble shall consider this, and be glad : seek ye after 
 God, and your soul shall live. 
 
 34 For the Lord heareth the poor : and despiseth not his pri- 
 soners. 
 
 35 Let heaven and earth praise him : the sea, and all that moveth 
 therein. 
 
 36 For God will save Sion, and build the cities of Judah : that 
 men may dwell there, and have it in possession. 
 
 37 The posterity also of his servants shall inherit it : and they 
 that love his Name shall dwell therein. 
 
 Psal. Ixx. Deus in adjutorium. 
 
 ASTE thee, O God, to deliver me : make 
 haste to help me, O Lord. 
 
 2 Let them be ashamed and confounded 
 that seek after my soul : let them be turned 
 backward and put to confusion that wish 
 me evil. 
 
 3 Let them for their reward be soon 
 brought to shame : that ciy over me. There, 
 there. 
 
 4 But let all those that seek thee be joyful and glad in thee : and 
 let all such as delight in thy salvation say alway. The Lord be 
 praised. 
 
 5 As for me, I am poor and in misery : haste thee unto me, 
 O God. 
 
 6 Thou art my helper, and my redeemer : O Lord, make no long 
 tarrying. 
 
 Psalm lxx. — This psalm, with slight variations, forms the conclusion of the fortieth psalm. 
 It is a prayer for deliverance from no ordinary enemies. Literally, the life of the supplicant was 
 sought : spiritually? the soul is the prey desired ; and God, in either case, is the only sufficient 
 help. The anxiety expressed by the Psalmist may be traced in the language of the world when 
 there is any prospect of temporal danger. It is then instinctively felt that the Almighty could 
 afford protection ; and in the first moment of surprise, the heart pours out repeated cries for mercy. 
 " Haste thee. O God, to deliver me ! " may be heard from lips which in calm and prosperity never 
 breathed a prayer ; and, for the instant, the supplicant might be mistaken for one who had learned 
 to cling with all his heart to God. But even in matters of worldly anxietj-, this impulse, which 
 suddenly raises the thoughts to heaven, soon looses its force : the mind speedily resumes its 
 ordinary habit of resting on the visible only, and God and His power are virtually forgotten. If 
 this be the case in the season of earthly calamity, how little reason have we to look for signs of any 
 deep or influential regard to God when the soul only is concerned, or those interests only are in 
 view which relate to a future, and to a world unknown ! The soul itself is forgotten ; and it can be 
 no wonder, therefore, if God be not sought to save it, 
 
 549 
 
THE FOURTEENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 *iyr'?*vL^ 
 
 mw^'f^^^m 
 
 ' J 
 
 2#£3 ^.^w-- 
 
 Psal. Ixxi. In fe, Domine, speravi. 
 
 N thee, O Lord, have I put my trust, let 
 me never be put to confusion : but rid 
 me, and deliver me, in thy righteousness ; 
 incline thine ear unto me, and save me. 
 
 2 Be thou my strong hold, whereunto I 
 may alway resort : thou hast promised to 
 help me, for thou art my house of defence, 
 and my castle. 
 
 Psalm lxxi. — David composed this psalm in his old age, and even then did he still experience 
 the sad effects of the sins which he had committed in the earlier part of his reign. Repentance 
 had not saved him from the temporal chastisements of error. The cup of life was embittered by 
 sin to the last drop of the draught. But, though the sanctifying influence of godly sorrow had not 
 saved him from suffering, it had secured him the blessed consolations of inward peace. Afflicted 
 by the ingratitude of those from whom he had a right to expect the tenderest love, and kept in 
 perpetual fear of the loss of his dignity and life, he had yet pleasures in reserve which satisfied his 
 soul, and of which the world could not deprive him. His only anxiety now was to obtain more 
 divine grace, and plainer indications of the Almighty's presence. He needed such mercies for the 
 support of his faith ; but even in this respect he breathed forth the true spirit of humility : — " As 
 for me, I will patiently abide alway ; and will praise thee more and more." The Lord did not 
 forsake him in his old age. Happy they who, though, like David, punished for the sins of their 
 youth, can find, like him, as they approach the grave, a firm assurance of support in the graces of 
 a humbled but believing soul ! 
 
 550 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 14. 
 
 3 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the ungodly : out 
 of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 
 
 4 For thou, O Lord God, art the thing that I long for : thou art 
 my hope, even from my youth. 
 
 5 Through thee have I been holden up ever since I was born : 
 thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb ; my praise shall 
 be always of thee. 
 
 6 I am become as it were a monster unto many : but my sure 
 trust is in thee. 
 
 7 O let my mouth be filled with thy praise : that I may sing of 
 thy glory and honour all the day long. 
 
 8 Cast me not away in the time of age : forsake me not when 
 my strength faileth me. 
 
 9 For mine enemies speak against me, and they that lay wait for 
 my soul take their counsel together, saying : God hath forsaken 
 him ; persecute him, and take him, for there is none to deliver him. 
 
 10 Go not far from me, O God : my God, haste thee to help me. 
 
 1 1 Let them be confounded and perish that are against my soul ; 
 let them be covered with shame and dishonour that seek to do me 
 evil. 
 
 12 As for me, I will patiently abide alway : and will praise thee 
 more and more. 
 
 13 My mouth shall daily speak of thy righteousness and salva- 
 tion : for I know no end thereof. 
 
 14 I will go forth in the strength of the Lord God : and will 
 make mention of thy righteousness only. 
 
 15 Thou, O God, hast taught me from my youth up until now : 
 therefore Avill I tell of thy wondrous works. 
 
 16 Forsake me not, O God, in mine old age, when I am gray- 
 headed : until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and 
 thy power to all them that are yet for to come. 
 
 17 Thy righteousness, O God, is very high : and great things 
 are they that thou hast done ; O God, who is like unto thee ? 
 
 18 O what great troubles and adversities hast thou shewed me ! 
 and yet didst thou turn and refresh me : yea, and broughtest me 
 from the deep of the earth again. 
 
 19 Thou hast brought me to great honour : and comforted me on 
 every side. 
 
 20 Therefore will I praise thee and thy faithfulness, O God, 
 playing upon an instrument of musick : unto thee will I sing upon 
 the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. 
 
 551 
 
Day 14. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 21 My lips will be fain when I sing unto thee : and so will niy 
 soul whom thou hast delivered. 
 
 22 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day 
 long : for they are confounded and brought unto shame that seek to 
 do me evil. 
 
 Psal. Ixxii. Deus, judicium. 
 
 King's 
 
 IVE the King thy judgements, O God 
 and thy righteousness unto the 
 son. 
 
 2 Then shall he judge thy people ac- 
 cording unto right : and defend the poor. 
 
 3 The mountains also shall bring peace : 
 and the little hills righteousness unto the 
 people. 
 
 4 He shall keep the simple folk Ijy their 
 right : defend the children of the poor, and punish the wrong doer. 
 
 5 They shall fear thee, as long as the sun and moon endureth : 
 from one generation to another. 
 
 6 He shall come down like the rain into a fleece of wool : even 
 as the drops that water the earth. 
 
 7 In his time shall the righteous flourish : yea, and abundance of 
 peace, so long as the moon endureth. 
 
 8 His dominion shall be also from the one sea to the other : and 
 from the flood unto the world's end. 
 
 9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall kneel before him : his 
 enemies shall lick the dust. 
 
 Psalm i.xxii. — Solomon having ascended the throne of Israel, David composed this psalm as a 
 prayer for the prosperity of his reign. The same person is meant by the king, and the king's son ; 
 the youthful monarch, it has been observed, having been the first of Israel's rulers who was the son 
 of a king as well as a king himself. Parental affection, and the common use of Oriental imagery, 
 might be sufficient, in the first instance, to account for the language employed ; but the closer 
 interpretation of the expressions used carries us to the contemplation of the reign of the Messiah, 
 to which, like the prophecies of Isaiah, they more manifestly refer. The prospect presented in 
 the psalm is the illustration of the sublime mystery of a renovation of all things by the power of 
 righteousness. History teaches us the melancholy fact, that at no period hitherto known has the 
 idea of the Psalmist been realized ; and philosophy teaches us, with equal certainty, that we ought 
 not to look for its realization till some vital change have taken place in the general constitution of 
 the human character. If the happiness, therefore, is to be hoped for, the change must also be 
 expected, and this change, it is evident, can only be produced by some mighty spiritual agency. 
 Here, then, we ariivc at some notion respecting the necessity of a system like that of the Gospel ; 
 and, on examining that which has really been proposed to us by the Redeemer of the World, we 
 find it embodying every element that can tend to the working out of the hoped-for blessings. 
 (See, in respect to Solomon s glory, 2 Cliron. ix., 1 Kings x. 22 ; and, for the prophetical illustra- 
 tion of the psalm, Isaiah xxiv. xlix. Ix., and Zech. ix. D, 10.) 
 
 552 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 14. 
 
 10 The kings of Tharsis and of the isles shall give presents : the 
 kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts. 
 
 1 1 AU kings shall fall down before him : all nations shall do him 
 service. 
 
 12 For he shall deliver the poor Avhen he crieth : the needy also, 
 and him that hath no helper. 
 
 13 He shall be favourable to the simple and needy : and shall 
 preserve the souls of the poor. 
 
 14 He shall deliver their souls from falshood and wrong : and 
 dear shall their blood be in his sight. 
 
 15 He shall live, and unto him shall be given of the gold of 
 Arabia : prayer shall be made ever unto him, and daily shall he be 
 praised. 
 
 16 There shall be an heap of corn in the earth, high upon the 
 hills : his fruit shall shake like Libanus, and shall be green in the 
 city like grass upon the earth. 
 
 17 His Name shall endure for ever; his Name shall remain 
 under the sun among the posterities : which shall be blessed through 
 him ; and all the heathen shall praise him. 
 
 18 Blessed be the Lord God, even the God of Israel : which 
 only doeth wondrous things ; 
 
 19 And blessed be the Name of his Majesty for ever : and all the 
 earth shall be filled Avith his IMajesty. Amen, Amen. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. Ixxiii. Quam bonus Israel! 
 
 RULY God is loving unto Israel 
 
 even 
 
 unto such as are of a clean heart. 
 
 2 Nevertheless, my feet were almost 
 gone : my treadings had well-nigh slipt. 
 
 3 And why? I was grieved at the 
 wicked : I do also see the ungodly in such 
 prosperity. 
 
 4 For they are in no peril of death : but 
 are lusty and strong. 
 
 5 They come in no misfortune like other 
 folk : neither are they plagued like other 
 men. 
 
 553 4 n 
 
Day 14. THE PSALMS. 
 
 6 And this is the cause that they are so holden with pride : and 
 overwhelmed Avith cruelty. 
 
 7 Their eyes swell with fatness : and they do even Avhat they lust. 
 
 8 They corrui)t other, and speak of wicked blasphemy : their 
 talkiniij is against the most High. 
 
 9 For they stretch forth their mouth unto the heaven : and their 
 tono-ue a'oeth through the world. 
 
 10 Therefore fall the people unto them : and thereout suck they 
 no small advantage. 
 
 1 1 Tush, say they, how should God perceive it : is there know- 
 ledge in the most High ? 
 
 12 Lo, these are the ungodly, these prosper in the world, and 
 these have riches in possession : and I said. Then have I cleansed 
 my heart in vain, and washed mine hands in innocency. 
 
 13 All the day long have I been punished : and chastened every 
 mornina:- 
 
 14 Yea, and I had almost said even as they : but lo, then I should 
 have condemned the generation of thy children. 
 
 1 5 Then thought I to understand this : but it was too hard for me, 
 
 16 Until I went into the sanctuary of God : then understood I the 
 end of these men ; 
 
 17 Namely, how thou dost set them in slippery places : and 
 castest them down, and destroyest them. 
 
 18 Oh, how suddenly do they consume : perish, and come to a 
 fearful end ! 
 
 19 Yea, even like as a dream when one awaketh : so shalt thou 
 make their image to vanish out of the city. 
 
 20 Thus my heart was grieved : and it went even through my 
 reins. 
 
 21 So foolish was I, and ignorant : even as it were a beast 
 before thee. 
 
 Psalm i.xxiii. — God is pleased to try the faith of His people in many ways. The most difficult 
 of their trials, perhaps, is that alluded to in the present psalm. They see the wicked succeeding in 
 their projects, amassing wealth, and obtaining the praises of the world. For an instant, they feel 
 inclined to question the providence, the justice, or the wisdom of God ; but, in most cases, it 
 re<iuires but a short time to convince them of the error of their doubt. The prosperity of the 
 wicked vanishes like a dream ; and it is then seen, or it may have been discovered before by 
 earnest meditation on God's ways with men, that they are only allowed to triumph for a season, 
 that their final discomfiture may be the more signal and appalling. Yet natural as is the 
 feeling alluded to, and (juickly as it was overcome, in the mind of tlie Psalmist, by united faith 
 and reason, he regarded the very admission of the doubt as an indication of gross and wicked 
 folly. Holiness has respect to the movements of the mind as well as to the dispositions of the 
 heart, and true spiritual repentance views the wrong tendencies of both with an equal degree of 
 sorrow. 
 
 554 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 14. 
 
 22 Nevertheless, I am alway by thee : for thou hast holden me 
 by my right hand. 
 
 23 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel : and after that receive 
 me with glory. 
 
 24 Whom have I in heaven but thee : and there is none upon 
 earth that I desire in comparison of thee. 
 
 25 ]\Iy flesh and my heart faileth : but God is the strength of 
 my heart, and my portion for ever. 
 
 26 For lo, they that forsake thee shall perish : thou hast destroyed 
 all them that commit fornication against thee. 
 
 27 But it is good for me to hold me fast by God, to put my trust 
 in the Lord God : and to speak of all thy works in the gates of the 
 daughter of Sion. 
 
 Psal. Ixxiv. Ut quid, Deus ? 
 
 GOD, wherefore art thou absent from us 
 so long : why is thy wrath so hot against 
 the sheep of thy pasture ? 
 
 2 O think upon thy congregation : whom 
 thou hast purchased, and redeemed of old. 
 
 3 Think upon the tribe of thine inherit- 
 ance : and mount Sion, wherein thou hast 
 dwelt. 
 
 4 Lift up thy feet, that thou mayest 
 utterly destroy every enemy : which hath done evil in thy sanctuary. 
 
 PsAi.M Lxxiv. — This pathetic psalm is supposed to have been composed when Jerusalem was 
 entered and laid waste by the armies of Babylon. It describes with melancholy force the ravages 
 of the barbarous enemy. No friend appeared to solace the unfortunate sufferers. Tlie voice of 
 God and of prophecy was mute. But one consolation was open to the desolate people. They 
 could remember how God in old time delivered them from the power of the Egyptian king — how 
 they had been led through the wilderness, and enabled to overcome the many nations by whom 
 they were opposed. To this God they could still appeal, and the knowledge of His past mercies 
 taught them to look with hope to a future deliverance. The alternate struggles and triumphs of 
 the chosen nation were not more various than those which have been endured by the Christian 
 Church. This would be evident to most persons were it nut that, in the one case, a nation was 
 identical with the Church; whereas, in the other, the Church exists scattered through many 
 nations, assuming nowhere so distinct a form that the rise or fall of any one of the nations in which 
 it so exists could be taken as a certain index of the state of the Church itself. In contemplating 
 the sorrows of Israel, we have a clearly defined and palpable object before us: in endeavouring to 
 trace those of the Church of Christ, no slight effort is required to gather together the particulars, 
 the combination of which is to bring the Church, in its lite and unity, clearly into view. But when 
 this is done, there is scarcely a passage in the devotions of the Old Testament fathers which may 
 not be applied, with a slight accommodation, to the illustration of evangelical history. Thus, as 
 in the present psalm, the record of God's early dealings with His people was the ground of hope 
 that He would never forsake them ; so, in the prayers of Christians, does the experience of His 
 frequent interference in their favour make itself manifest as the foundation of their trust in a 
 iinal salvation. 
 
 555 4 B 2 
 
Day 14. THE PSALMS. 
 
 5 Thine adversaries roar in the midst of thy congregations : and 
 set up their banners for tokens. 
 
 6 He that hewed timber afore out of the thick trees : was known 
 to bring it to an excellent work. 
 
 7 But now they break down all the carved work thereof : with 
 axes and hammers. 
 
 8 They have set fire upon thy holy places : and have defiled the 
 dwelling-place of thy Name, even unto the ground. 
 
 9 Yea, they said in their hearts, Let us make havock of them 
 altogether : thus have they burnt up all the houses of God in the 
 land. 
 
 10 We see not our tokens, there is not one prophet more : no, 
 not one is there among us, that understandeth any more. 
 
 110 God, how long shall the adversary do this dishonour : how 
 long shall the enemy blaspheme thy Name, for ever ? 
 
 12 Wliy withdrawest thou thy hand : why pluckest thou not thy 
 right hand out of thy bosom to consume the enemy ? 
 
 13 For God is my King of old : the help that is done upon the 
 earth he doeth it himself 
 
 14 Thou didst divide the sea through thy power : thou brakest 
 the heads of the dragons in the waters. 
 
 15 Thou smotest the heads of Leviathan in pieces : and gavest 
 him to be meat for the people in the wilderness. 
 
 16 Thou broughtest out fountains and waters out of the hard 
 rocks : thou driedst up mighty waters. 
 
 17 The day is thine, and the night is thine : thou hast prepared 
 the light and the sun. 
 
 18 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth : thou hast made 
 summer and winter. 
 
 19 Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy hath rebuked : and 
 how the foolish people hath blasphemed thy Name. 
 
 20 O deliver not the soul of thy turtle-dove unto the multitude of 
 the enemies : and forget not the congregation of the poor for ever. 
 
 21 Look upon the covenant : for all the earth is full of darkness, 
 and cruel habitations. 
 
 22 O let not the simple go away ashamed : but let the poor and 
 needy give praise unto thy Name. 
 
 23 Arise, O God, maintain thine own cause : remember how the 
 foolish man blasphemeth thee daily, 
 
 24 Forget not the voice of thine enemies : the presumption of 
 them that hate thee increaseth ever more and more. 
 
 556 
 
THE FIFTEENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 ,i"^lPl^^|^pfe^^ 
 
 Psal. Ixxv. Conjitehimur tihi. 
 
 NTO thee, O God, do we give thanks : 
 yea, unto thee do we give thanks. 
 
 2 Thy Name also is so nigh : and that 
 do thy wondrous works declare. 
 
 3 When I receive the congregation : I 
 shall judge according unto right. 
 
 4 The earth is weak, and all the inha- 
 biters thereof : I bear up the pillars of it. 
 
 5 I said unto the fools. Deal not so madly : and to the 
 ungodly. Set not up your horn. 
 '^ 6 Set not up your horn on high : and speak not Avith a 
 
 stiff neck. 
 
 7 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the 
 west : nor yet from the south. 
 
 PsAi.M i.xxv. — It appears that this psalm was written to be sung in parts, the first two verses 
 being used as a chorus, and the rest as expressing the answer of Israel, or the Messiah, when 
 triumphant over the enemies of the chosen people. Commentators suppose that it was composed 
 in the time of the Babylonish captivity. 
 
 557 
 
Day 15. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 8 And why ? God is the Judge : he putteth down one, and 
 setteth up another, 
 
 9 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is 
 red : it is full mixed, and he poureth out of the same. 
 
 10 As for the dregs thereof : all the ungodly of the earth shall 
 drink them, and suck them out. 
 
 1 1 But I will talk of the God of Jacob : and praise him for ever. 
 
 12 All the horns of the ungodly also will I break : and the horns 
 of the righteous shall be exalted. 
 
 Psal. Ixxvi. Notus in Judcna. 
 
 N Jewry is God known : his Name is 
 
 great in Israel. 
 5* 2 At Salem is his tabernacle : and his 
 
 1^^ dwelling in Sion. 
 M 3 There brake he the arrows of the bow : 
 
 the shield, the sword, and the battle. 
 
 4 Thou art of more honour and might : 
 than the hills of the robbers. 
 
 5 The proud are robbed, they have slept 
 and all the men whose hands were mighty have found 
 
 both the chariot and horse 
 and who may stand in thy 
 
 the 
 
 their sleep 
 nothing. 
 
 6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob 
 are fallen. 
 
 7 Thou, even thou art to be feared 
 sight when thou art angry ? 
 
 8 Thou didst cause thy judgement to be heard from heaven 
 earth trembled, and was still, 
 
 9 When God arose to judgement : and to help all the meek upon 
 earth. 
 
 10 The fierceness of man shall turn to thy praise : and the 
 fierceness of them shalt thou refrain. 
 
 11 Promise unto the Lord your God, and keep it, all ye that are 
 round about him : bring presents unto him that ought to be feared. 
 
 12 He shall refrain the spirit of princes : and is A^onderful 
 among the kings of the earth. 
 
 PsAi.M i-xxvi. — From the general character of this psalm it is conjectured to have been written 
 immediately after the miraculous overthrow of the army of Sennacherih. Animating as such 
 strains must have been to the delivered nation, they speak still more forcibly when, interpreted of 
 the defeat of our spiritual enemies, they remind the believer of his victories in Christ. 
 
 558 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Bay 15. 
 
 Psal. Ixxvli. Voce mea ad Dominum. 
 
 WILL cry unto God with my voice : even 
 unto God will I cry Avith my voice, and he 
 shall hearken unto me. 
 
 2 In the time of my trouble I sought the 
 Lord : my sore ran, and ceased not in the 
 night-season ; my soul refused comfort. 
 
 3 When I am in heaviness, I will think 
 upon God : when my heart is vexed, I will 
 complain. 
 
 I am so feeble, that I cannot 
 
 and the years that are past, 
 and in the night I commune 
 
 4 Thou boldest mine eyes waking 
 speak. 
 
 5 I have considered the days of old 
 
 6 I call to remembrance my song 
 with mine own heart, and search out my spirits 
 
 7 Will the Lord absent himself for ever : and will he be no more 
 intreated ? 
 
 8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever : and is his promise come 
 utterly to an end for evermore ? 
 
 9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious : and will he shut up his 
 loving-kindness in displeasure ? 
 
 10 And I said. It is mine own infirmity : but I will remember 
 the years of the right hand of the most Highest. 
 
 Ill will remember the works of the Lord : and call to mind 
 thy wonders of old time. 
 
 12 I will think also of all thy works : and my talking shall be 
 of thy doings. 
 
 13 Thy Avay, O God, is holy : who is so great a God as our 
 God? 
 
 14 Thou art the God that doeth Avonders : and hast declared thy 
 power among the people. 
 
 15 Thou hast mightily delivered thy people : even the sons of 
 Jacob and Joseph. 
 
 16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters see thee, and were 
 afraid : the depths also were troubled. 
 
 PsAi-M i.xxvii. — This is another of the psalms said to have been composed during the Captivity. 
 It was the plaintive song of one of the faithful men in whom the Holy Spirit kept alive a devout 
 love oF God, and a tender recollection of the clouded glories of Zion. To such a one, sadness of 
 heart is but as the forerunner of a deeper and holier kind of thought. " When I am in heaviness 
 I will think upon God." Faith and hope simultaneously revive when the heart thus turns to God, 
 and the series of past wonders reflects a radiant promise of glory on the clouds in the horizon 
 
 559 
 
Day 15. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 17 The clouds poured out water, the air thundered : and thine 
 arrows went abroad. 
 
 18 The voice of thy thunder was heard round about : the light- 
 nings shone upon the ground ; the earth was moved, and sliook 
 withal. 
 
 19 Thy Avay is in the sea, and thy paths in the great waters : 
 and thy footsteps are not known. 
 
 20 Thou leddest thy people like sheep : by the hand of Moses 
 and Aaron. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. Ixxviii. Attendite, papule. 
 
 =^ EAR my law, O my people : incline your 
 
 ears unto the words of my mouth. 
 
 2 I will open my mouth in a parable : 
 I will declare hard sentences of old ; 
 
 3 Which we have heard and known : 
 and such as our fathers have told us ; 
 
 4 That we should not hide them from 
 the children of the generations to come : 
 but to shew the honour of the Lord, his 
 mighty and wonderful works that he hath 
 done. 
 
 5 He made a covenant with Jacob, and 
 gave Israel a law : which he commanded 
 
 our forefathers to teach their children ; 
 
 6 That their posterity might know it : and the children which 
 were yet unborn , 
 
 Psvi-M Lxxviii. — This noble historical psalm presents in rapid succession those dealings of God 
 with His people whereby they were brought from the infancy of the chosen family to the highest 
 state of wealth and honour. The second verse of the psalm is applied by St. Matthew (xiii. 3')) to 
 our Lord ; and the word parable is, therefore, to be taken in the widest signification, that is, as 
 describing not only narratives invented to illustrate moral doctrine, but those also of real events 
 when applied by way of type, example, or spiritual application. In every passage, therefore, of this 
 psalm, the meditative mind of the believer may find some typical trace of the Gospel. St. Paul 
 himself has taught us this method of studying that which at first seems only history. Thus he 
 shows (1 Cor. X. 1 — 4) that the people of God were, from the first, baptized into Christ, and did 
 eat of Christ; and in Hebrews iii. and iv. that faith was then, as now, the means of safety, — the 
 want of it, a sure forerunner of disgrace and death. By thus connecting history with prophecy, 
 and bringing the light of the Gospel to illustrate the progress of the Law, we make, according 
 to the apostolic precept, all things written aforetime conduce to our increase in evangelical 
 knowledge. 
 
 560 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 15. 
 
 7 To the intent that when they came up : they might show their 
 children the same ; 
 
 8 That they might put their trust in God : and not to forget the 
 works of God, but to keep his commandments ; 
 
 9 And not to be as their forefathers, a faithless and stubborn 
 generation : a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose 
 spirit cleaveth not stedfastly unto God ; 
 
 10 Like as the children of Ephraim : who being harnessed, and 
 carrying bows, turned themselves back in the day of battle. 
 
 11 They kept not the covenant of God : and would not walk in his law; 
 
 12 But forgat what he had done : and the wonderful works that 
 he had shewed for them. 
 
 13 Marvellous things did he in the sight of our forefathers, in the 
 land of Egypt : even in the field of Zoan. 
 
 14 He divided the sea, and let them go through : he made the 
 waters to stand on an heap. 
 
 A general view of the course of Divine Providence may fill the mind with wonder, and elevate 
 it in the same manner as the contemplation of Nature, when displayiug, in the most striking 
 manner, the operation of her beneficent laws. But while wonder may be thus excited, it requires 
 a far closer and more minute observation of the ways of God to awaken the feelings of love and 
 thankfulness, which have their principles deeper in the heart, and require the more lively and 
 impressive workings of thought to bring them into action. The Psalmist begins his song with au 
 allusion to the original covenant between God and His people. On tliis rested the whole super- 
 structure of the nation : from this it derived the rights which exalted it above all others in tlie 
 world ; and by this it became responsible for the preservation of that knowledge out of which were 
 to arise the grand safeguards of civilization for the world at large. To forget this covenant was 
 to abandon the charter of the nation's happiness, and therefore the Psalmist reminds his people, 
 with paternal earnestness, to keep it in their memories by constant and solemn exercises of medi- 
 tation. The covenant itself forming a basis for the excursive range of thought, proposed by the 
 Psalmist, he next leads his fellow worshippers to the contemplation of the events by which God 
 proved the stedfastness of His promises, and the hateful folly of those who broke a covenant so 
 sealed and confirmed on the part of the Most High. Doubt and rebellion were the companions 
 of Israel in the journey which was to lead him, by the mercies of God, to everlasting peace. 
 Neither loving-kindness nor chastisements expelled the spirit of pride that dwelt within the heart 
 of the people, and the Psalmist, in depicting their conduct at this early period of their national 
 existence, seems describing prophetically their character and conduct to the end. The repeated 
 mercies of God are strikingly contrasted with their obstinate iniquity. It was a theme which the 
 devout spirit of the Psalmist dwelt on with a melancholy interest. He knew that the glory of 
 Israel still depended on the penitent, humble, and thankful spirit which the recollection of these 
 things might happily inspire. He appealed to the testimony of ages — to all that was recorded in 
 the venerable annals of the nation — against whatever tended to darken the souls of the people. 
 There was also another argument to obedience. It was derived from the manifestation afforded of 
 God's determining will in the election of Judah. The one nation had been selected by tlie free 
 and omnipotent wisdom of Jehovah from all other nations, to be the depository of His revelations ; 
 and the one tribe was chosen from all the rest to bring into efi'ect the sublime determinations of 
 His mercy. Here was unlimited power, and an inscrutable Providence which made the questioning 
 wisdom of men foolishness. The designs of God could only be known to this extent, that they 
 were all intended to establish holiness ; and the awful mysteries in which they were, in every other 
 respect wrapped, taught this one grand lesson to the human soul, that upon tlie single object which 
 the Lord of heaven and earth had been pleased to make known, the whole of man's moral and 
 spiritual energies ought to be perpetually and entirely employed. 
 
 561 4 c 
 
Day 15. THE PSALMS. 
 
 15 In the day-time also lie led them with a cloud : and all the 
 night through with a light of fire. 
 
 16 He clave the hard rocks in the wilderness : and gave them 
 drink thereof, as it had been out of the great depth. 
 
 17 He brought waters out of the stony rock : so that it gushed 
 out like the rivers. 
 
 18 Yet for all this they sinned more against him : and provoked 
 the most Highest in the wilderness. 
 
 19 They tempted God in their hearts : and required meat for 
 their lust. 
 
 20 They spake against God also, saying : Shall God prepare a 
 table in the wilderness ? 
 
 21 He smote the stony rock indeed, that the water gushed out, 
 and the streams flowed withal : but can he give bread also, or 
 provide flesh for his people 1 
 
 22 When the Lord heard this, he was wroth : so the fire was 
 kindled in Jacob, and there came up heavy displeasure against Israel ; 
 
 23 Because they believed not in God : and put not their trust 
 in his help. 
 
 24 So he commanded the clouds above : and opened the doors of 
 heaven. 
 
 25 He rained down manna also upon them for to eat : and gave 
 them food from heaven. 
 
 26 So man did eat angels' food : for he sent them meat enough. 
 
 27 He caused the east-wind to blow under heaven : and through 
 his power he brought in the south-west-wind. 
 
 28 He rained flesh upon them as thick as dust : and feathered 
 fowls like as the sand of the sea. 
 
 29 He let it fall among theh* tents : even round about their 
 habitation. 
 
 30 So they did eat, and were well filled ; for he gave them their 
 own desire : they were not disappointed of their lust. 
 
 31 But while the meat was yet in their mouths, the heavy wrath 
 of God came upon them, and slew the wealthiest of them : yea, and 
 smote down the chosen men that were in Israel. 
 
 32 But for all this they sinned yet more : and believed not his 
 Av^ondrous works. 
 
 33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity ; and their years 
 in trouble. 
 
 34 When he slew them, they sought him : and turned them early, 
 and enquired after God. 
 
 562 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 15. 
 
 35 And they remembered that God was their strength : and that 
 the high God was their redeemer. 
 
 36 Nevertheless, they did but flatter him with their mouth : and 
 dissembled with him in their tongue. 
 
 37 For their heart was not whole with him : neither continued 
 they stedfast in his covenant. 
 
 38 But he was so merciful, that he forgave their misdeeds : and 
 destroyed them not. 
 
 39 Yea, many a time turned he his wrath away : and would not 
 suffer his whole displeasure to arise. 
 
 40 For he considered that they were but flesh : and that they 
 were even a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. 
 
 41 Many a time did they provoke him in the wilderness : and 
 grieved him in the desert. 
 
 42 They turned back, and tempted God : and moved the Holy 
 One in Israel. 
 
 43 They thought not of his hand : and of the day when he deli- 
 vered them from the hand of the enemy ; 
 
 44 How he had wrought his miracles in Egypt : and his wonders 
 in the field of Zoan. 
 
 45 He turned their waters into blood : so that they might not drink 
 of the rivers. 
 
 46 He sent lice among them, and devoured them up : and frogs 
 to destroy them. 
 
 47 He gave their fruit unto the caterpillar : and their labour unto 
 the grasshopper. 
 
 48 He destroyed theii- vines with hailstones : and their mulberry- 
 trees with the frost. 
 
 49 He smote their cattle also with hailstones : and their flocks 
 with hot thunderbolts. 
 
 50 He cast upon them the furiousness of his wrath, anger, dis- 
 pleasure, and trouble : and sent evil angels among them. 
 
 51 He made a way to his indignation, and spared not their soul 
 from death : but gave their life over to the pestilence ; 
 
 52 And smote all the first-born in Egypt : the most principal and 
 mightiest in the dwellings of Ham. 
 
 53 But as for his own people, he led them forth like sheep : and 
 carried them in the wilderness like a flock. 
 
 54 He brought them out safely, that they should not fear : and 
 overwhelmed their enemies with the sea. 
 
 563 4 c 2 
 
Day 15. THE PSALMS. 
 
 55 And brought them within the borders of his sanctuary : even 
 to his mountain which he purchased with his right hand. 
 
 56 He cast out the heathen also before them : caused tlieir land 
 to be divided among them for an heritage, and made the tribes of 
 Israel to dwell in their tents. 
 
 57 So they tempted, and displeased the most high God : and kept 
 not his testimonies ; 
 
 58 But turned their backs, and fell away like their forefathers : 
 starting aside like a broken bow. 
 
 59 For they grieved him with their hill-altars : and provoked him 
 to displeasure with their images. 
 
 60 When God heard this, he was wroth : and took sore dis- 
 pleasure at Israel. 
 
 61 So that he forsook the tabernacle in Silo : even the tent that 
 he had pitched among men. 
 
 62 He delivered tlieir power into captivity : and their beauty into 
 the enemy's hand. 
 
 63 He gave his people over also unto the sword : and was wroth 
 with his inheritance. 
 
 64 The fire consumed their young men : and their maidens were 
 not given to marriage. 
 
 65 Their priests were slain with the sword : and there were no 
 widows to make lamentation. 
 
 66 So the Lord aAvaked as one out of sleep : and like a giant 
 refreshed with wine. 
 
 67 He smote his enemies in the hinder parts : and put them to a 
 perpetual shame. 
 
 68 He refused the tabernacle of Joseph : and chose not the tribe 
 of Ephraim ; 
 
 69 But chose the tribe of Judah : even the hill of Sion which he 
 loved. 
 
 70 And there he built his temple on high : and laid the foundation 
 of it like the ground which he hath made continually. 
 
 71 He chose David also his servant : and took him away from the 
 sheep-folds. 
 
 72 As he was following the ewes great with young ones he 
 took him : that he might feed Jacob his people, and Israel his 
 inheritance. 
 
 73 So he fed them with a faithful and true heart : and ruled them 
 prudently with all his power. 
 
 564 
 
THE SIXTEENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 --^^x^'^'--<A/}c>... '^ y%^ 
 
 J- 
 
 n 
 
 if 
 
 ^ 
 
 Psal. Ixxix. Deus, venerunt. 
 
 GOD, the heathen are come into thine in- 
 heritance : thy holy temple have they defiled, 
 and made Jerusalem an heap of stones. 
 
 2 The dead bodies of thy servants have 
 they given to be meat unto the fowls of the 
 air : and the flesh of thy saints unto the 
 beasts of the land. 
 3 Their blood have they shed like water on every side of Jeru- 
 salem : and there was no man to bury them. 
 
 Psalm lxxix. — The prophet Jeremiah has spoken in the same language as this psalm, and it 
 was therefore probably composed in the melancholy season which immediately preceded the 
 Captivity. (Jer. x. 25., 2 Chron. xxxiii. 11., and 1 Mac. vii. 17.) No calamities can be greater 
 than those which God's people have to endure when driven from His presence. Their former 
 grandeur was of a nobler kind than the proudest glories of the world ; and the loss of such an 
 exaltation throws the sufferers into a state of misery from which nothing can give relief but the 
 Power which originally exalted them. The sorrows spoken of in the psalm were literally endured 
 by the Jews at the time of the Babylonish captivity, and still more lamentably so at the final 
 destruction of Jerusalem, But terrible as is the view of a people afflicted as they were, subjected 
 to all the miseries of exile and servitude, the mind may derive from the contemplation of their 
 afflictions, considered as types of a spiritual ruin and desolation, still more awful warnings against 
 sin. The Church of Christ apostatizing, as it would be a more fearful instance of man's depravity, 
 so would it, in all ways, be productive of more terrible woes. 
 
 565 
 
Day 16. THE PSALMS. 
 
 4 We are become an open shame to our enemies : a very scorn 
 and derision unto them that are round about us. 
 
 5 Lord, how long wilt thou be angry : shall thy jealousy burn 
 like fire for ever ? 
 
 6 Pour out thine indignation upon the heathen that have not 
 known thee : and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy 
 Name. 
 
 7 For they have devoured Jacob : and laid waste his dwelling- 
 place. 
 
 8 O remember not our old sins, but have mercy upon us, and that 
 soon : for we are come to great misery. 
 
 9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy Name : 
 O deliver us and be merciful unto our sins, for thy Name's sake. 
 
 10 Wherefore do the heathen say : Where is now their God ? 
 
 11 O let the vengeance of thy servants' blood that is shed : be 
 openly shewed upon the heathen in our sight. 
 
 12 O let the sorrowful sighing of the prisoners come before thee : 
 according to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that are 
 appointed to die. 
 
 13 And for the blasphemy wherewith our neighbours have blas- 
 phemed thee : reward thou them, O Lord, seven-fold into their 
 bosom. 
 
 1 4 So we, that are thy people, and sheep of thy pasture, shall give 
 thee thanks for ever : and will alway be shewing forth thy praise 
 from generation to generation. 
 
 Psal. Ixxx. Qui regis Israel. 
 
 EAR, O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that 
 leadest Joseph like a sheep : shew thyself 
 also, thou that sittest upon the cherubims. 
 
 2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Ma- 
 nasses : stir up thy strength, and come, and 
 help us. 
 
 3 Turn us again, O God : shew the light 
 of thy countenance, and we shall be whole. 
 
 4 O Lord God of hosts : how long wilt 
 thou be angry with thy people that prayeth ? 
 
 PsAi.M i.xxx. — This psalm, like the preceding, is also supposed by some to have been written 
 about the time of the Captivity, but others ascribe it to an earlier period. Ephraim, Benjamin, 
 and Manasses, are named as a part for the whole, and as more immediately connected with Joseph. 
 The writer describes with exquisite pathos the sorrows of Israel. Under the figure of a vine, a 
 
 566 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 16. 
 
 5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears : and givest them 
 plenteousness of tears to drink. 
 
 6 Thou hast made us a very strife unto our neighbours : and our 
 enemies laugh us to scorn. 
 
 7 Turn us again, thou God of hosts : shew the light of thy counte- 
 nance, and we shall be whole. 
 
 8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt : thou hast cast out 
 the heathen, and planted it. 
 
 9 Thou madest room for it : and when it had taken root it filled 
 the land. 
 
 10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it : and the boughs 
 thereof were like the goodly cedar-trees. 
 
 1 1 She stretched out her branches unto the sea : and her boughs 
 unto the river. 
 
 12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedge : that all they 
 that go by pluck off her grapes ? 
 
 13 The wild boar out of the wood doth root it up : and the wild 
 beasts of the field devour it. 
 
 14 Turn thee again, thou God of hosts, look down from heaven : 
 behold, and visit this vine ; 
 
 1 5 And the place of the vineyard that thy right hand hath planted : 
 and the branch that thou madest so strong for thyself. 
 
 16 It is burnt with fire, and cut down : and they shall perish at 
 the rebuke of thy countenance. 
 
 17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand : and upon 
 the son of man, whom thou madest so strong for thine own self. 
 
 18 And so will not we go back from thee : O let us live, and we 
 shall call upon thy Name. 
 
 19 Tm-n us again, O Lord God of hosts : shew the light of thy 
 countenance, and we shall be whole. 
 
 favourite metaphor with the prophets (See Isaiah v.; Ezek. xv., xvii., and xix., and employed by 
 our blessed Lord Himself), he sets before us the glory of the nation when it flourished under the 
 fostering care and the continual blessings of God. The melancholy reverse is shown with equal 
 force ; and the people of Christ find in the whole a striking commentary on their Lord's words : — 
 "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered ; and men gather them, 
 and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." (John xv. 6.) 
 
 Psalm lxxxi. — From the expression in the fifth verse, "this he ordained in Joseph for a 
 testimony," it is supposed that the present psalm was composed at a very early period, that is, 
 bei'ore Judah was chosen as the chief of the tribes, and while the tabernacle was still in Ephraim. 
 It is evidently a song for some great festival, and was probably used at the Feast of Trumpets 
 (See Num. xxix. 1 ; Levit. xxiii. 25.) and at the Feast of Tabernacles. The deliverance of Israel, 
 from his low condition iu Egypt, was contemplated by spiritual minds with mingled triumph and 
 humility. He owed all his power to God ; but this was his glory so long as he continued faithful. 
 He did not wish to forget liow he had once laboured as a slave in the clay-pits of Egypt, because 
 
 507 
 
Day 16. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Psal. Ixxxi. Exultate Deo. 
 
 ING we merrily unto God our strength : 
 make a cheerful noise unto the God of 
 Jacob. 
 
 2 Take the psalm, bring hither the 
 tabret : the merry harp with the lute. 
 
 3 Blow up the trumpet in the new- 
 moon : even in the time appointed, and 
 upon our solemn feast-day. 
 
 4 For this was made a statute for Israel : 
 and a law of the God of Jacob. 
 
 5 This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony : when he came 
 out of the land of Egypt, and had heard a strange language. 
 
 6 I eased his shoulder from the burden : and his hands were 
 delivered from making the pots. 
 
 7 Thou calledst upon me in troubles, and I delivered thee : and 
 heard thee what time as the storm fell upon thee. 
 
 8 I proved thee also : at the waters of strife. 
 
 9 Hear, O my people, and I will assure thee, O Israel : if thou 
 wilt hearken unto me, 
 
 10 There shall no strange god be in thee : neither shalt thou 
 worship any other god. 
 
 Ill am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of 
 Egypt : open thy mouth wide, and I shall fill it. 
 
 12 But my people would not hear my voice : and Israel would 
 not obey me. 
 
 13 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lusts : and let them 
 follow their own imaginations, 
 
 14 that my people would have hearkened unto me : for if Israel 
 had walked in my ways, 
 
 15 1 should soon have put down their enemies : and turned my 
 hand against their adversaries. 
 
 16 The haters of the Lord should have been found liars : but their 
 time should have endured for ever. 
 
 17 He should have fed them also with the finest wheat-flour : and 
 with honey out of the stony rock should I have satisfied thee. 
 
 the greater his original misery, the greater the mercy of God in raising him to so much honour. 
 By the same reasoning the Christian learus to exalt the glory of his Saviours mercy. He 
 remembers what he once was — the slave of sin — the bondman of death ; and the freedom which 
 he now enjoys is rendered of greater value by this its contrast with his former state. 
 
 568 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 16. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. Ixxxii. Deus stetit. 
 
 OD standetli in the congregation of princes : 
 he is a Judge among gods. 
 
 2 How long will ye give wrong judge- 
 ment : and accept the persons of the un- 
 godly ? 
 
 3 Defend the poor and fatherless : see 
 that such as are in need and necessity have 
 
 right. 
 
 save 
 
 4 Deliver the out-cast and poor 
 them from the hand of the ungodly. 
 
 5 They will not be learned nor under- 
 stand, but walk on still in darkness : all the 
 foundations of the earth are out of course. 
 
 6 I have said, Ye are gods : and ye are all the children of the 
 most Highest. 
 
 7 But ye shall die like men : and fall like one of the princes. 
 
 8 Arise, O God, and judge thou the earth : for thou shalt take 
 all heathen to thine inheritance. 
 
 Psal. Ixxxiii. Deus, qiiis simills? 
 
 OLD not thy tongue, O God, keep not 
 still silence : refrain not thyself, O God. 
 
 2 For lo, thine enemies make a mur- 
 muring : and they that hate thee have lift 
 up their head. 
 
 3 They have imagined craftily against 
 thy people : and taken counsel against thy 
 secret ones. 
 
 4 They have said, Come, and let us root 
 them out, that they be no more a people : and that the name of 
 Israel may be no more in remembrance. 
 
 Psalm lxxxii. — It is the security of mankind at large, and more especially of the righteous, 
 that God exercises a supreme judgment over the affairs of men. For their sins, He allows them 
 sometimes to be bowed down by the oppression of the wicked ; but He always reasserts the 
 rightfulness of His original decrees ; and whether they be princes, or the meanest of the people, 
 that break the rules of justice, He shows by the vengeance which He at leugtli takes, that " He 
 standeth in the congregation of princes:"' that '-He is a judge among gods." Our blessed Lord 
 alludes to the expressions used in this psalm — John x. 31 — .36. 
 
 569 4 D 
 
Day 16. THE PSALMS. 
 
 5 For they have cast their heads together with one consent : and 
 are confederate against thee ; 
 
 6 The tabernacles of the Edomites, and the Ismaelites : the 
 Moabites, and Hagarens ; 
 
 7 Gebal, and Amnion, and Anialek : the Philistines, with them 
 that dwell at Tyre. 
 
 8 Assur also is joined with them : and have holpen the children 
 of Lot. 
 
 9 But do thou to them as unto the Madianites : unto Sisera, and 
 unto Jabin at the brook of Kison ; 
 
 10 Who perished at Endor : and became as the dung of the 
 earth. 
 
 1 1 Make them and their princes like Oreb and Zeb : yea, make 
 all their princes like as Zeba and Salmana ; 
 
 12 Who say. Let us take to ourselves : the houses of God in 
 possession. 
 
 13 O my God, make them like unto a wheel : and as the stubble 
 before the wind ; 
 
 14 Like as the fire that burneth up the wood : and as the flame 
 that consumeth the mountains. 
 
 15 Persecute them even so with thy tempest : and make them 
 afraid with thy storm. 
 
 16 Make their faces ashamed, O Lord : that they may seek thy 
 Name. 
 
 17 Let them be confounded and vexed ever more and more : let 
 them be put to shame, and perish. 
 
 1 8 And they shall know that thou, whose Name is Jehovah : art 
 only the most Highest over all the earth. 
 
 Psalm lxxxiii. — It is conjectured that this psalm was composed on the occasion of the victory 
 which Jehoshaphat gained over the nations banded against him, as recorded in 2 Chron. xx. As 
 a song of triumph, it is bold and elevated ; and the picturesque language in which it speaks brings 
 before us the proud array of the enemies of Israel, with all the barbaric pomp of ancient days. 
 The host which had to be encountered was composed not only of the people who hated Israel from 
 the beginning, but of the Assyrians also, whose power was sufficient of itself to overthrow any 
 nation not especially protected by the arm of God. The enemy of Israel was the enemy of God ; 
 and thus it must ever be. Divine Providence has graciously prevented mankind from working 
 their will in the destruction of all knowledge, and the establishment of one universal despotism for 
 the power of evil. This has been effected by the constant existence of a people who, through all 
 times and all revolutions, have obtained the privilege of knowing God and God's will, by the 
 communications of His Spirit. The author of evil has viewed the people thus elected, to be a 
 barrier against his conquests, with unceasing hatred. Inspired by him, the world has done the 
 same ; and in all its struggles to overcome the power of God's righteousness, it has made the 
 fiercest assaults on the chosen ministers uf His word. It is not for themselves only, therefore, that 
 God's people pray : they know that, should the enemy be allowed finally to prevail against them, 
 the hope of the human race would be lost for ever. (For the allusions to the Midianites, &c., 
 see Judges vii. and viii.) 
 
 570 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 16. 
 
 Psal. Ixxxiv. Quam dilecta! 
 
 HO^y amiable are thy dwellings : thou 
 Lord of hosts ! 
 
 2 ]\Iy soul hath a desire and longing to 
 enter into the courts of the Lord : my heart 
 and my flesh rejoice in the living God. 
 
 3 Yea, the sparrow hath found her an 
 house, and the swallow a nest where she 
 may lay her young : even thy altars, O 
 Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 
 
 4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house : they A\'ill be alway 
 praising thee. 
 
 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee : in whose heart 
 are thy ways. 
 
 6 Who going through the vale of misery use it for a Avell : and the 
 pools are filled Avith water. 
 
 7 They will go from strength to strength : and unto the God of 
 gods appeareth every one of them in Sion. 
 
 8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer : hearken, O God of 
 Jacob. 
 
 9 Behold, O God our defender : and look upon the face of thine 
 Anointed. 
 
 10 For one day in thy courts : is better than a thousand. 
 
 Ill had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God : than 
 to dAvell in the tents of ungodliness. 
 
 1 2 For the Lord God is a light and defence : the Lord will give 
 grace and worship, and no good thing shall he withhold from them 
 that live a godly life. 
 
 13 Lord God of hosts : blessed is the man that putteth his trust 
 in thee. 
 
 Psalm lxxxiv. — This beautiful psalm describes the feelings of every child of God wlien pre- 
 vented from enjoying, in His tabernacle, the wonted comforts of devotion. The promised presence 
 of His Spirit, — the assurance of an answer to prayer offered up in His house, — pours around its 
 courts a visible beauty, and the heart of the worshipper therein is filleJ with inexpressible tran- 
 quillity and delight. Longing to renew his blessed enjoyments in the service of the Lord's temple, 
 the poor and weary exile has no sooner been set free than he begins his journey towards the 
 sanctuary. The vale of misery, or, as it is in the original, the vale of Baca, lies on his way. To 
 others it is a sad and desert path, like the valley of the shadow of death ; but to him it offers 
 fountains of life : the wells of salvation are imexpectedly opened to him ; and refreshed, even in 
 that melancholy valley, he passes on with renewed strength till he reach the object of all his wishes,, 
 the house of God, — here a tabernacle — in heaven a mansion. 
 
 571 4 D 2 
 
Day 16. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Psal. Ixxxv. Benedixlsti, Domine. 
 
 ORD, thou art become gracious unto thy 
 hmd : thou hast turned a^^'ay the captivity 
 of Jacob. 
 
 2 Thou hast forgiven the offence of thy 
 people : and covered all their sins. 
 
 3 Thou hast taken away all thy displea- 
 sure : and turned thyself from thy wrathful 
 
 indignation. 
 
 and 
 
 4 Turn us then, O God our Saviour 
 let thine anger cease from us. 
 
 5 Wilt thou be displeased at us for ever : and wilt thou stretch 
 out thy ^vrath from one generation to another ? 
 
 6 Wilt thou not turn again, and quicken us : that thy people may 
 rejoice in thee ? 
 
 7 Shew us thy mercy, O Lord : and grant us thy salvation. 
 
 8 I will hearken what the Lord God will say concerning me : for 
 he shall speak peace unto his people, and to his saints, that they turn 
 not again. 
 
 9 For his salvation is nigh them that fear him : that glory may 
 dwell in our land. 
 
 10 IMercy and truth are met together : righteousness and peace 
 have kissed each other. 
 
 1 1 Truth shall flourish out of the earth : and righteousness hath 
 looked down from heaven. 
 
 12 Yea, the Lord shall shew loving-kindness : and our land shall 
 give her increase. 
 
 13 Righteousness shall go before him 
 going in the way. 
 
 and he shall direct his 
 
 Psalm lxxxv. — This psalm appears to have been composed at a time when God had already 
 delivered His people from the oppression oi" proud and insulting^ enemies, but still left them with 
 sufficient to endure to oblige them to entreat His further compassion and assistance. " Thou art 
 become gracious unto thy land," was the expression of thankful hearts, relieved of a load of miserj'. 
 " Turn us, O God our Saviour, and let thine anger cease from us," was the expression of the same 
 hearts, anxious for a complete deliverance from danger, and trembling lest the anger of the 
 Almighty Father might not yet have ceased. A sublime declaration of faith follows this prayer. 
 The Psalmist saw in the workings of God's providence what tlie Christian knows by the working 
 of His grace, and by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that the attributes of God, — those which demand 
 the most severe justice, and those which rejoice in the profoundest love,— are by His own plans 
 completely and eternally reconciled. 
 
 572 
 
THE SEVENTEENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 
 P&al. Ixxxvi. Inclina, Domine. 
 
 OW down thine ear, O Lord, and hear 
 
 nie : for I am poor, and in misery. 
 
 2 Preserve thou my soul, for I am holy : 
 
 my God, save thy servant that putteth his 
 
 trust in thee. 
 y '\. 3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord : for I 
 
 Avill call daily upon thee. 
 \f 4 Comfort the soul of thy servant : for unto thee, O Lord, 
 K do I lift up my soul. 
 
 ;') 5 For thou, Lord, art good and gracious : and of great 
 
 ■^ mercy unto all them that call upon thee. 
 
 Psalm lxxxvi.— At whatever period this psalm was composed, whether, as some suppose, in 
 the time of tlie captivity, or by David himself, it expresses the sentiments of a soul conscious of 
 God's mercy and righteousness in the midst of His severest judgments. " Godly sorrow worketh 
 repentance, not to be repented of," says the Apostle ; and the Psalmist illustrates this sentiment by 
 the humility,— the tenderness of spirit,— the faithful acknowledgments of Divine compassion, that 
 breathe through this beautiful hymn. The prayers of God's children may often be deeply melan- 
 choly ; but they always exhibit an under current of hope. " Preserve thou my soul, for I am 
 holy," that is, consecrated unto thee.— sanctified by thy grace: "a living sacrifice." one of those 
 who, having been redeemed by thee, shall not be plucked out of thy hand. This source of con- 
 fidence keeps the heart stedfast in the hope of mercy : and atiiictions are borne with meek resig- 
 nation to the Divine will. 
 
 573 
 
Day 17. THE PSALMS. 
 
 6 Give ear, Lord, unto my prayer : and ponder the voice of my 
 humble desires. 
 
 7 In the time of my trouble I will call upon thee : for thou 
 hearest me. 
 
 8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord : there is 
 not one tliat can do as thou doest. 
 
 9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship thee, 
 O Lord, and shall glorify thy Name. 
 
 10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things : thou art God 
 alone. 
 
 1 1 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and I will walk in thy trutli : 
 O knit my heart unto thee, that I may fear thy Name. 
 
 12 1 will thank thee, O Lord my God, ^vith all my heart : and 
 Avill praise thy Name for evermore. 
 
 13 For great is thy mercy toward me : and thou hast delivered 
 my soul from the nethermost hell. 
 
 14 God, the proud are risen against me : and the congrega- 
 tions of naughty men have sought after my soul, and have not set 
 thee before their eyes. 
 
 15 But thou, O Lord God, art full of compassion and mercy : 
 long-suffering, plenteous in goodness and truth. 
 
 16 turn thee then unto me, and have mercy upon me : give thy 
 strength unto thy servant, and help the son of thine handmaid. 
 
 17 Shew some token upon me for good, that they who hate me 
 may see it, and be ashamed : because thou. Lord, hast holpen me, 
 and comforted me. 
 
 Psal. Ixxxvil. Fundamenta ejus. 
 
 ER foundations are upon the holy hills : 
 the Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than 
 all the dwellings of Jacob. 
 
 2 Very excellent things are spoken of 
 thee : thou city of God. 
 
 3 I will think upon Rahab and Babylon 
 with them that know me. 
 
 4 Behold ye the Philistines also : and 
 they of '1 yre, with the JNIorians ; lo, there was he l)orn. 
 
 Psalm i.xxxvii. — This romarkable psalm describes in figurative language the stability of the 
 Church, — its grandeur, — the prospect of its continual enlargement, — and the glory which it shall 
 finally derive from the blessing of the Most High. By Rahab is meant Egypt, which, with Babylon 
 and all other heathen nations— once the bitterest enemies of the Church — shall be seen gathering 
 
 574 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 17. 
 
 5 And of Sion it shall be reported that he was born in her : and 
 the most High shall stablish her. 
 
 6 The Lord shall rehearse it when he writeth up the people : that 
 he was born there. 
 
 7 The singers also and trumpeters shall he rehearse ; All my 
 fresh springs shall be in thee. 
 
 Psal. Ixxxviii, Domine Deus. 
 
 LORD God of my salvation, I have cried 
 day and night before thee : O let my prayer 
 enter into thy presence, incline thine ear 
 unto my calling. 
 
 2 For my soul is full of trouble : and 
 my life draweth nigh unto hell. 
 
 3 I am counted as one of them that go 
 down into the pit : and I have been even 
 as a man that hath no strength. 
 
 4 Free among the dead, like unto them that are wounded, and lie 
 in the grave : who are out of remembrance, and are cut away from 
 thy hand. 
 
 5 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit : in a place of darkness, and 
 in the deep. 
 
 6 Thine indignation lieth hard upon me : and thou hast vexed me 
 with all thy storms. 
 
 7 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me : and made 
 me to be aldiorred of them. 
 
 8 I am so fast in prison : that I cannot get forth. 
 
 around Zion, and exclaiming, as they rejoice in the tidings of a Saviour, " Lo, there was He born !" 
 This their song shall be answered by fresh assurances on the pirt of the Almighty Father, that 
 they shall find salvation in Zion, — that the fresh springs of life are in its courts. 
 
 Psalm i.xxxviii. — This solemn and affecting psalm corresponds with the 22nd and 59th. 
 Whether composed by David, or by some sorrowing believer during the captivity, it is conceived 
 in language which the Church regards as that of the Redeemer, when pouring out His soul in 
 agony beiore His Father. He supplicated for mercy as the representative of sinners ; — He spoke 
 as one upon whom the whole burden of the world's sorrows had to rest. His life was quickly 
 drawing viigh unto hell, — the invisible dwelling-place of the dead ; and He was free among them, 
 that is, coimted as belonging to them, as a denizen of the world which has nothing to do with this. 
 No expression seems omitted which may best describe the affliction of a soul wholly bowed down, 
 though not overwhelmed, with grief; and yet when we reflect on the Saviour's sufferings, — the 
 mental terrors, — the bodily agonies,— the wounds inflicted on His tender spirit by man's sin and 
 ingratitude, — we feel that no language can convey to the mind an adequate conception of His 
 griefs. His prayer against death, and for deliverance from all His other sorrows, was heard in 
 such a sense that both He was delivered and the world with Him. He a captive, for a season, 
 led captivity captive. 
 
 575 
 
Day 17. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 9 My sight faileth for very trouble : Lord, I have called daily 
 upon thee, I have stretched forth my hands unto thee. 
 
 10 Dost thou shew wonders among the dead : or shall the dead 
 rise up again, and praise thee? 
 
 11 Shall thy loving-kindness be shewed in the grave : or thy 
 faithfulness in destruction ? 
 
 12 Shall thy wondrous works be known in the dark : and thy 
 righteousness in the land where all things are forgotten ? 
 
 13 Unto thee have I cried, O Lord : and early shall my prayer 
 come before thee. 
 
 14 Lord, why abhorrest thou my soul : and hidest thou thy face 
 from me? 
 
 15 1 am in misery, and like unto him that is at the point to die : 
 even from my youth up thy terrors have I suffered with a troubled 
 mind. 
 
 16 Thy wrathful displeasure goeth over me : and the fear of thee 
 hath undone me. 
 
 17 They came round about me daily like water : and compassed 
 me together on every side. 
 
 18 My lovers and friends hast thou put away from me : and hid 
 mine acquaintance out of my sight. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. Ixxxix. Miser icordias Domini. 
 
 Y song shall be alway of the loving-kind- 
 ness of the Lord : with my mouth will I 
 ever be shewing thy truth from one gene- 
 ration to another. 
 
 2 For I have said, Mercy shall be set up 
 for ever : thy truth shalt thou stablish in the 
 heavens. 
 
 3 I have made a covenant with my chosen : 
 I have sworn unto David my servant ; 
 
 4 Thy seed will I stablish for ever : and 
 set up thy throne from one generation to 
 another. 
 
 5 O Lord, the very heavens shall praise 
 thy wondrous works : and thy truth in 
 
 the congregation of the saints. 
 576 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 17. 
 
 6 For who is he among the clouds : that shall be compared unto 
 the Lord ? 
 
 7 And what is he among the gods : that shall be like unto the 
 Lord ? 
 
 8 God is very greatly to be feared in the council of the saints : 
 and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him. 
 
 9 O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee : thy truth, most 
 mighty Lord, is on every side. 
 
 10 Thou rulest the raging of the sea : thou stillest the waves 
 thereof when they arise. 
 
 1 1 Thou hast subdued Egypt, and destroyed it : thou hast scat- 
 tered thine enemies abroad with thy mighty arm. 
 
 12 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine : thou hast laid 
 the foundation of the round world, and all that therein is. 
 
 13 Thou hast made the north and the south : Tabor and Hermon 
 shall rejoice in thy Name. 
 
 14 Thou hast a mighty arm : strong is thy hand, and high is thy 
 right hand. 
 
 15 Righteousness and equity are the habitation of thy seat : mercy 
 and truth shall go before thy face. 
 
 16 Blessed is the people, O Lord, that can rejoice in thee : they 
 shall walk in the light of thy countenance. 
 
 17 Their delight shall be daily in thy Name : and in thy righteous- 
 ness shall they make their boast. 
 
 18 For thou art the glory of their strength : and in thy loving- 
 kindness thou shalt lift up our horns. 
 
 19 For the Lord is our defence : the Holy One of Israel is our 
 King. 
 
 20 Thou spakest sometime in visions unto thy saints, and saidst : 
 I have laid help upon one that is mighty ; I have exalted one chosen 
 out of the people. 
 
 21 I have found David my servant : with my holy oil have I 
 anointed him. 
 
 22 My hand shall hold him fast : and my arm shall strengthen 
 him. 
 
 23 The enemy shall not be able to do him violence : the son of 
 Avickedness shall not hurt him. 
 
 24 I will smite down his foes before his face : and plague them 
 that hate him. 
 
 25 ]\Iy truth also and my mercy shall be with him : and in my 
 Name shall his horn be exalted. 
 
 577 4 E 
 
Day 17. THE PSALMS. 
 
 26 I will set his dominion also in the sea : and his riirht hand in 
 the floods. 
 
 27 He shall call nie, Thou art my Father : my God, and my 
 strong salvation. 
 
 28 And I will make him my first-born : higher than the kings 
 of the earth. 
 
 29 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore : and my covenant 
 shall stand fast with him. 
 
 30 His seed also will I make to endure for ever : and his throne 
 as the days of heaven. 
 
 31 But if his children forsake my laAV : and walk not in my 
 judgements ; 
 
 32 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments : 
 I will visit their offences with the rod, and their sin with scourges. 
 
 33 Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from 
 him : nor suffer my truth to fail. 
 
 34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone 
 out of my lips : I have sworn once by my holiness, that I will not 
 fail David. 
 
 35 His seed shall endure for ever : and his seat is like as the sun 
 before me. 
 
 36 He shall stand fast for evermore as the moon : and as the 
 faithful witness in heaven. 
 
 37 But thou hast abhorred and forsaken thine Anointed : and 
 art displeased at him. 
 
 38 Thou hast broken the covenant of thy servant : and cast his 
 crown to the ground. 
 
 39 Thou hast overthrown all his hedges : and broken down his 
 strong holds. 
 
 40 All they that go by spoil him : and he is become a reproach 
 to his neiii'hbours. 
 
 41 Thou hast set up the right hand of his enemies : and made 
 all his adversaries to rejoice. 
 
 42 Thou hast taken away the edge of his sword : and givest him 
 not victory in the battle. 
 
 43 Thou hast put out his glory : and cast his throne down to the 
 ground. 
 
 44 The days of his youth hast thou shortened : and covered him 
 with dishonour. 
 
 45 Lord, how long wilt tliou hide thyself, for ever : and shall 
 thy wrath burn like fire ? 
 
 .578 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 17. 
 
 46 O remember how short my time is : wherefore hast thou 
 made all men for nought ? 
 
 47 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death : and shall 
 he deliver his soul from the hand of hell ? 
 
 48 Lord, where are thy old loving-kindnesses : which thou swarest 
 unto David in thy truth ? 
 
 49 Remember, Lord, the rebuke that thy servants have : and 
 how I do bear in my bosom the rebukes of many people ; 
 
 50 Wherewith thine enemies have blasphemed thee, and slandered 
 the footsteps of thine Anointed : Praised be the Lord for evermore. 
 Amen, and Amen. 
 
 Psalm lxxxix. — It is uncertain when this psalm was composed. Some writers conjecture that 
 it was the lamentation of the Jews after the defeat of Joslah, the commencement of tliat series of 
 calamities under which they so long suffered. Others suppose that it was composed hy Isaiah, at 
 the time when Rezin and Pekah were preparing to attack Jerusalem. By whomever written, it 
 expresses that feeling of confidence in God's power and readiness to deliver His people, mingled 
 with that intense terror at the contemplation of His judgments, which forms a remarkable feature 
 of all the psalms composed in times of calamity. The present psalm affords a striking specimen 
 of the intimate communion which the saints of old held with their God. Praise, the most 
 devout, is ascribed to the Lord, and the Lord's voice is heard answering the thanksgivings and 
 prayers of His people, either in new revelations of His will, or in records of past mercies. •' I 
 have made a covenant with my chosen," is the announcement from heaven. To this the Psalmist 
 replies in the language of holy gratitude, " O Lord, the very heavens shall praise thy wondrous 
 works." " I have found David my servant," is again heard from the Divine oracle ; and the 
 heavenly voice continues to proclaim the glory of God's mercy, till it is met by the sad complaints 
 of the humbled believer, who, not denying the goodness of the Lord, only speaks of the sorrows, 
 which he tacitly acknowledges to be the result of his own errors and disobedience. The prayer 
 for compassion is founded on the consideration of man's weakness and mortality. God is so 
 glorious and perfect a Being, that it seems wonderful He should have given existence to a creature 
 so poor and miserable, and so conscious of his misery, as man. And this feeling would be perma- 
 nent in every mind, were it not for the views which revelation opens, and which explain the 
 mysteries of Divine power, so as to show that the strength of God " is made perfect in weakness." 
 When sin has deprived us of His favour, and we sink under the burden of our sorrows and infir- 
 mities, the reality of our entire depen dence upon His mercy is brought home to the heart with 
 arguments of irresistible force ; and were there no provision for our recovery, or should we fail 
 of rightly seeking the means of grace, man, in our instance, would have been '■ made for nought," 
 But the purposes of God stand last. " All men," or the race, have brighter prospects ; and, not- 
 withstanding the sorrows to which they may be subject, may rest secure that the Divine attributes 
 are interested in their final recovery and victory over evil. Hence the prayer, '• O remember how 
 short my time is : wherefore hast thou made all men for nought ?" when offered in the spirit of 
 humility and faith, is an appeal to the mercy of God that will not remain luianswered. " Come 
 and let us reason together, saith the Lord :" by this invitation man is permitted to use the language 
 of argument with God : he may plead with Him that the perfection of His wisdom and mercy is 
 concerned in the deliverance of the race Irom everlasting ruin ; and the reasoning thus employed 
 partaking of all the characters of a yearning faith in God's goodness, will be allowed to prevail, 
 and illustrate the heavenly sentence that " the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the 
 violent take it by storm." But in this the groundwork of hope, — the means of power, — the sub- 
 stance of the argument, — are derived entirely from the relation in which the supplicant stands to 
 God by covenant. " Lord, where are thy old luving-kindnesses ; which thou swarest unto David 
 in thy truth ?"' Sorrow, when prompting the heart to cry for mercy, must either be able to fasten 
 its claim upon some previous assurance, some mercifully-allowed right ; or it must labour to create 
 such a right, by seeking for admission into that state of reconciliation in which the Divine promises 
 are imparted, and fulfilled by the free Spirit of love. 
 
 579 4 E 2 
 
THK EIGHTEENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xc. Domine, refiigium. 
 
 ORD, thou hast been our refuge : from one 
 generation to another. 
 
 2 Before the mountains were brought 
 forth, or ever the earth and the Vv^orld were 
 made : thou art God from everlasting, and 
 world without end. 
 
 3 Thou turnest man to destruction : 
 again thou say est, Come again, ye children of men. 
 
 4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday : seeing 
 that is past as a watch in the night. 
 
 5 As soon as thou scatterest them they are even as a sleep : and 
 fade away suddenly like the grass. 
 
 6 In the morning it is green, and groweth up : but in the evening 
 it is cut down, dried up, and withered. 
 
 Psalm xc. — This psalm, which is entitled, a pvayer of Moses, is supposed to have been composed 
 either after the event recorded in Numbers xiv., or alter some other of the occurrences which 
 awakened in the souls of God's servants of old, convictions of the vanity of human life, and of 
 the desolateness even of the people of the Lord, if left for a season without His grace to comfort 
 and support them. 
 
 580 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 18. 
 
 7 For we consume away in thy displeasure : and are afraid at thy 
 Avrathful indignation. 
 
 8 Thou hast set our misdeeds before thee : and our secret sins in 
 the light of thy countenance. 
 
 9 For when thou art angry all our days are gone : we bring our 
 years to an end, as it were a tale that is told. 
 
 10 The days of our age are threescore years and ten ; and though 
 men be so strong that they come to fourscore years : yet is their 
 strength then but labour and sorrow ; so soon passeth it away, and 
 we are gone. 
 
 1 1 But who regardeth the power of thy wrath : for even thereafter 
 as a man feareth, so is thy displeasure. 
 
 12 teach us to number our days : that we may apply our hearts 
 unto wisdom. 
 
 13 Turn thee again, O Lord, at the last : and be gracious unto 
 thy servants. 
 
 14 O satisfy us with thy mercy, and that soon : so shall we rejoice 
 and be glad all the days of our life. 
 
 15 Comfort us again now after the time that thou hast plagued 
 us : and for the years wherein we have suffered adversity. 
 
 16 Shew thy servants thy work : and their children thy glory. 
 
 17 And the glorious Majesty of the Lord our God be upon us : 
 prosper thou the work of our hands upon us, O prosper thou our 
 handy-work. 
 
 Psal. xcl. Qui habitat. 
 
 HOSO dwelleth under the defence of the 
 most High : shall abide under the shadow 
 of the Almighty. 
 
 2 I will say unto the Lord, Thou art 
 my hope, and my strong hold : my God, in 
 him will I trust. 
 
 3 For he shall deliver thee from the 
 snare of the hunter : and from the noisome 
 pestilence. 
 
 4 He shall defend thee under his wings, and thou shalt be safe 
 under his feathers : his faithfulness and truth shall be thy shield and 
 buckler. 
 
 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for any terror by night : nor for the 
 arrow that flieth by day ; 
 
 581 
 
Day 18. THE PSALMS. 
 
 6 For the pestilence that walketh in darkness : nor for the sick- 
 ness that destroyeth in the noon-day. 
 
 7 A thousand shall fall beside thee, and ten thousand at thy right 
 hand : but it shall not come ni^h thee. 
 
 8 Yea, with thine eyes shalt thou behold : and see the reward of 
 the ungodly. 
 
 9 For thou. Lord, art my hope : thou hast set thine house of 
 defence very high. 
 
 10 There shall no evil happen unto thee : neither shall any 
 plague come nigh thy dwelling. 
 
 1 1 For he shall give his angels charge over thee : to keep thee 
 in all thy ways. 
 
 12 They shall bear thee in their hands : that thou hurt not thy 
 foot against a stone. 
 
 13 Thou shalt go upon the lion and adder : the young lion and 
 the dragon shalt thou tread under thy feet. 
 
 14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver 
 him : I will set him up, because he hath known my Name. 
 
 15 He shall call upon me, and I will hear him : yea, I am with 
 him in trouble ; I will deliver him, and bring him to honour. 
 
 16 With long life will I satisfy him : and shew him my salvation. 
 
 Psalm xci. — As in the preceding psalm, the first speaker is represented as holding communion 
 with God, and Teceiving blessed assurance of His protection. In the former part of the psalm, 
 the answer seems given by those appointed to minister the consolation ; but in the latter, the Lord 
 Himself is heard replying, " Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him." 
 The highest spiritual interpretation given to this psalm supposes that the Messiah and His 
 Almighty Father are the speakers. But though this view be adopted, still it is applicable to every 
 true believer in Christ, through whom we have access to the throne of grace by the one sanctifying 
 and eternal Spirit. That which God promised to Christ, and fulfilled in Him, He promises and 
 fulfils in His people. The prophecies of this psalm were repeated in substance by the Saviour 
 Himself to His disciples. They were fulfilled in their preservation amid countless dangers ; the 
 followers of Christ still enjoy their fulfilment; and in the end they will behold His salvation fully 
 established in the eternal glories of the heavenly kingdom. Viewing the Divine promises thus 
 set forth with a particular application to our individual state, they are eminently calculated to 
 strengthen the heart, and establish it in the steady pursuit of the highest species of good. 
 Assured that God is engaged to preserve us from harm, the anxieties which will perplex the 
 strongest minds not thus supported, assail us in vain. The whole power o! the soul can, therefore, 
 be employed in the direction of its original purpose; and the energy of its hope will bear it 
 sublimely over the loftiest waves of worldly turmoil. In the ordinary pursuits of lil'e, this will 
 bestow the surest means of success ; and, in the business of salvation, who can ever hope to 
 succeed without it ? Every man, when he becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ, stands immediately 
 exposed to the efforts of Satan for his ruin. The opposition of the adversary may be manifested 
 in a vast variety of ways ; but it is always carried on with no less a design than that of the 
 utter destruction of the soul. At one time the raging lion, at another the venomous adder, may 
 represent the enemy, or the evils to be met ; and against either the one or the other there is no 
 sufficient defence but the power of God, brought into action, on our side, by the prayer of faith. 
 But it is not safety only, it is honour and salvation for which we strive ; and these, too, are 
 attainable by the very means which are absolutely necessary for our defence. 
 
 582 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 18. 
 
 Psal. xcii. Bonum est confiteri. 
 
 T is a good thing to give thanks unto the 
 Lord : and to sing praises unto thy Name, 
 O most Highest ; 
 
 2 To tell of thy loving-kindness early in 
 the morning : and of thy truth in the night- 
 season ; 
 
 3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and 
 upon the lute : upon a loud instrument, and 
 upon the harp. 
 
 4 For thou. Lord, hast made me glad through thy works : and I 
 Avill rejoice in giving praise for the operations of thy hands. 
 
 5 O Lord, how glorious are thy works : thy thoughts are very 
 deep. 
 
 6 An unwise man doth not well consider this : and a fool doth 
 not understand it. 
 
 7 When the ungodly are green as the grass, and when all the 
 workers of wickedness do flourish : then .shall they be destroyed for 
 ever ; but thou. Lord, art the most Highest for evermore. 
 
 8 For lo, thine enemies, O Lord, lo, thine enemies shall perish : 
 and all the workers of wickedness shall be destroyed. 
 
 9 But mine horn shall be exalted like the horn of an unicorn : for 
 I am anointed with fresh oil. 
 
 10 INIine eye also shall see his lust of mine enemies : and mine 
 ear shall hear his desu-e of the wicked that arise up against me. 
 
 11 The righteous shall flourish like a palm-tree : and shall spread 
 abroad like a cedar in Libanus. 
 
 12 Such as are planted in the house of the Lord : shall flourish in 
 the courts of the house of our God. 
 
 13 They also shall bring forth more fruit in their age : and shall 
 be fat and well-liking. 
 
 14 That they may shew how true the Lord my strength is : and 
 that there is no unrighteousness in him. 
 
 Psalm xcii. — A psalm of thanksgiving awakens pleasurable emotions in the spiritual mind. It 
 recalls the memory of former ages, when the hand of God was seen more visibly stretched forth 
 from heaven to guide and bless His people. The recollection of former mercies and triumphs 
 unites itself with the hope of coming glories. Praise nurtures faith, and faith is the elder sister 
 of both hope and charity. This psalm is entitled ' A Song for the Sabbath Day : ' happy are the 
 people who can thus sing praises unto the righteousness and mercy of their God ! 
 
 583 
 
Day 18. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xciii. Dominus regnavit. 
 
 >, HE Lord is King, and hath put on glorious 
 
 apparel : the Lord hath put on his apparel, 
 ^,- and girded himself with strength. 
 
 2 He hath made the round world so sure : 
 that it cannot be moved. 
 
 3 Ever since the world began hath thy 
 seat been prepared : thou art from ever- 
 lasting. 
 
 4 The floods are risen, O Lord, the floods 
 have lift up thek voice : the floods lift up 
 their waves. 
 
 5 The waves of the sea are mighty, 
 and rage horribly : but yet the Lord, who 
 
 dwelleth on high, is mightier. 
 
 6 Thy testimonies, () Lord, are very sure : holiness becometh thine 
 house for ever. 
 
 Psal. xciv. Deus uUionem. 
 
 veny-eance be- 
 
 LORD God, to whom 
 longeth : thou God, 
 belongeth, shew thyself. 
 
 2 Arise, thou Judge of the world : 
 reward the proud after their deserving. 
 
 to whom vengeance 
 
 and 
 
 3 Lord, how long shall the ungodly : 
 how long shall the ungodly triumph ? 
 
 4 How long shall all wicked doers speak 
 so disdainfully : and make such proud boasting ? 
 
 5 They smite down thy people, O Lord : and trouble thine 
 heritage. 
 
 Psalm xciii. — This and the seven following psalms are regarded by the Jews themselves as 
 clearly predicting the times of the Messiah. The present describes the Deliverer of the World, 
 not as preparing to empty Himself of His glory, but in His Majesty as the Ruler of the Universe, 
 and as making ready to reveal Himself to the nations whose pride He was to subdue, showing 
 Himself mightier than the raging waves of their rebellious fury. It was the Messiah in His glory 
 that Israel loved to contemplate. Now it is Christ on His Cross that the true believers in His 
 power to^save must delight to view. They know His greatness ; but His dominion would be to them 
 only a source of terror, were it not for the knowledge that He has suffered to make them secure 
 under the guardianship of His love. 
 
 584 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 18. 
 
 6 They murder the widow, and the stranger : and put the father- 
 less to death. 
 
 7 And yet they say, Tush, the Lord shall not see : neither shall 
 the God of Jacol) regard it. 
 
 8 Take heed, ye unwise among the people : O ye fools, when will 
 ye understand ? 
 
 9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear : or he that made the 
 eye, shall he not see 1 
 
 10 Or he that nurtureth the heathen : it is he that teacheth man 
 knowledge, shall not he punish ? 
 
 1 1 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man : that they are but vain. 
 
 12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord : and teachest 
 him in thy law ; 
 
 13 That thou mayest give him patience in time of adversity : until 
 the pit be digged up for the ungodly. 
 
 14 For the Lord will not fail his people : neither will he forsake 
 his inheritance ; 
 
 15 Until righteousness turn again unto judgement : all such as 
 are true in heart shall follow it. 
 
 16 Who will rise up with me against the wicked : or who will 
 take my part against the evil-doers ? 
 
 17 If the Lord had not helped me : it had not failed but my soul 
 had been put to silence. 
 
 18 But when I said, ]\Iy foot hath slipt : thy mercy, O Lord, held 
 me up. 
 
 19 In the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart : thy 
 comforts have refreshed my soul. 
 
 20 Wilt thou have any thing to do with the stool of wickedness : 
 which imagineth mischief as a law ? 
 
 21 They gather them together against the soul of the righteous : 
 and condemn the innocent blood. 
 
 22 But the Lord is my refuge : and my God is the strength of 
 my confidence. 
 
 23 He shall recompense them their wickedness, and destroy them 
 in their own malice : yea, the Lord our God shall destroy them. 
 
 Psalm xciv. — When the people of God are filled with terror at approaching desolation, they 
 find that His mercy is tlieir sole resource. Tliey then recognise Him as a Saviour and Redeemer; 
 and, appealing from the injustice of the world to His sovereign truth, prepare a way for escape. 
 An instinct of the human heart would incline it to seek the help of any mighty being in the hour 
 of calamity ; but tlie believer has revelation, calls, and boundless promises to encourage him. He 
 sighs for the hour when salvation shall be proclaimed ; — he warns the impenitent of the destruction 
 with which they will be overwhelmed when God comes to judge the world : his own trials teach 
 him wisdom ; and he looks from the present scene of trouble to the days when wickedness shall 
 have been utterly rooted out. and, with it, sin and death driven for ever from the eartli. 
 
 585 4 1 
 
THE NINETFIENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 
 ^^Mm^%m^ 
 
 ^z ' ^■^ (^^ y f — 1 «-■' .t 
 
 f> 
 
 Psal. xcv. Venite, exultemus. 
 
 COME, let us sing unto the Lord : let us 
 heartily rejoice in the strength of our sal- 
 vation, 
 
 2 Let us come before his presence ^vith 
 thanksgiving : and shew ourselves glad in 
 him with psalms. 
 
 3 For the Lord is a great God : and a 
 great King above all gods. 
 
 4 In his hand are all the corners of the earth : and tlie 
 : strength of the hills is his also. 
 
 5 The sea is his, and he made it : and his hands prepared 
 the dry land. 
 
 Psalm xcv. — This psalm, which is cited by St. Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews, iii. and iv., 
 is considered as forming the introduction to a prophetic song, consisting of five parts, tliis and the 
 four psalms following, describing, it is supposed, successive periods of the Messiah's reign. The 
 people of God are here exhorted to gloril'y the power whereby the heavens and earth are ruled, 
 and which has prepared salvation for believers to the end of the world. It is an appeal equally 
 solemn and pathetic, founded at once on past experience, and on tlie view of mercies which, even 
 in their earliest development, fill the soul with wonder and delight. The hour is marked when 
 the realization of these things is possible : the warning given (see Exod. xvii. 7) cannot be dis- 
 puted. Thousands perished when an inforiur salvation was despised. How many more will there 
 not be lamenting the folly of despising Divine grace, when the accounts of Christianity are 
 summed up, and the world is reminded of this often-rejected admonition ! 
 
 586 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day la 
 
 6 O come, let us worship and fall down : and kneel before the 
 Lord our Maker. 
 
 7 For he is the Lord our God : and we are the people of his 
 pasture, and the sheep of his hand. 
 
 8 To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts : as in 
 the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness ; 
 
 9 When your fathers tempted me : proved me, and saw my 
 works. 
 
 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said : 
 It is a people that do err in their hearts, for they have not known my 
 ways ; 
 
 1 1 Unto whom I sware in my wrath : that they should not enter 
 into my rest. 
 
 Psal. xcvi. Cantate Domino. 
 
 SING unto the Lord a new song 
 
 smg 
 
 unto the Lord, all the whole earth. 
 
 2 Sing unto the Lord, and praise his 
 Name : be telling of his salvation from day 
 to day. 
 
 3 Declare his honour unto the heathen : 
 and his wonders unto all people. 
 
 4 For the Lord is great, and cannot 
 worthily be praised : he is more to be feared than all gods. 
 
 5 As for all the gods of the heathen, they are but idols : but it is 
 the Lord that made the heavens. 
 
 6 Glory and worship are before him : power and honour are in 
 his sanctuary. 
 
 7 Ascribe unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people : ascribe 
 unto the Lord worship and power, 
 
 8 Ascribe unto the Lord the honour due unto his Name : bring 
 presents, and come into his courts. 
 
 9 O w^orship the Lord in the beauty of holiness . let the whole 
 earth stand in awe of him. 
 
 Psalm xcvi. — This noble hymn has been regarded from the earliest times as referring to the 
 reign of Christ. The Jews themselves have never looked for such times of rejoicing as here 
 described, but through the conquering glories of Messiah. A new song is sung as He goes forth 
 through the world, " travelling in the greatness of His strength." The heathen hear His name of 
 Lord and Saviour pronounced from a thousand messengers of mercy, and His power is shown by 
 the successive overthrow of dynasties of false gods, and the breaking up of the whole reign of 
 wickedness. Truth now pours forth its unveiled beams. Holiness is discovered as a fountain of 
 light, shedding beauty on everything that comes near it; and the universe, in all its provinces, 
 owns, with triumphant joy, the presence of its Lord. 
 
 587 4 K -2 
 
Day 19. THE PSALMS. 
 
 10 Tell it out among the heathen that the Lord is King : and 
 that it is he w\\o hath made the round world so fast that it cannot be 
 moved ; and how that he shall judge the people righteously. 
 
 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad : let the sea 
 make a noise, and all that therein is. 
 
 12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it : then shall all the 
 trees of the Avood rejoice before the Lord. 
 
 13 For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth : and \A'ith 
 righteousness to judge the world, and the people with his truth. 
 
 Psal. xcvii. Dominus regnavit. 
 
 HE Lord is King, the earth may be glad 
 thereof : yea, the multitude of the isles may 
 be glad thereof. 
 
 2 Clouds and darkness are round about 
 him : righteousness and judgement are the 
 habitation of his seat. 
 
 3 There shall go a fire before him : and 
 burn up his enemies on every side. 
 
 4 His lightnings gave shine unto the 
 world : the earth saw it, and was afraid. 
 
 5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord : at the 
 presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 
 
 6 The heavens have declared his righteousness : and all the people 
 have seen his glory. 
 
 7 Confounded be all they that worship carved images, and that 
 delight in vain gods : worship him, all ye gods. 
 
 8 Sion heard of it, and rejoiced : and the daughters of Judah were 
 glad, because of thy judgements, O Lord. 
 
 Psalm xcvii. — The hour is arrived, says the Psalmist, when the triumph of the Lord is com- 
 plete. He has won the victory, as He fought the fight, not by a sudden exercise of His almighty 
 power, but by the operation of those Divine laws to which He gave, from the first, a living, 
 benignant, and unconquerable energy. He now manifests Himself in His sovereignty. It is not 
 to Him a new possession ; for how should the Creator of all things fail to be a king : — how should 
 He need to gain dominion by conquest, if considered only in His own nature and decrees ? But 
 He has determined every event according to the nature and capacity of His creatures to observe 
 them. For their benetit, He has become a King by successive triumphs over the resistance of 
 evil. The manifestations of His power have been various, in order that they might be observed 
 and understood. "The Lord is King; the earth may be glad thereof:" and " Sion heard it, and 
 rejoiced:" are sentences pregnant with meaning; for what can he a greater subject of admiration 
 to the world than the victory of good over evil. — of truth over falsehood, — of life over death ? 
 And this is the conquest of God in Christ over Satan in the world, which is the incarnation of the 
 spirit of evil. 
 
 588 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 19. 
 
 9 For thou, Lord, art higher than all that are in the earth : thou 
 art exalted far ahove all gods. 
 
 10 O ye that love the Lord, see that ye hate the thing which is 
 evil : the Lord preserveth the souls of his saints ; he shall deliver 
 them from the hand of the ungodly. 
 
 11 There is sprung up a light for the righteous : and joyful 
 gladness for such as are true-hearted. 
 
 12 Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous : and give thanks for a 
 remembrance of his holiness. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. xcviii. Cantate Domino. 
 
 SING unto the Lord a new song : for he 
 hath done marvellous things. 
 
 2 With his own right hand, and with 
 his holy arm : hath he gottten himself the 
 victory. 
 
 3 The Lord declared his salvation : his 
 righteousness hath he openly shewed in the 
 sight of the heathen. 
 
 4 He hath remembered his mercy and 
 truth toward the house of Israel : and all 
 the ends of the world have seen the sal- 
 vation of our God. 
 
 5 Shew yourselves joyful unto the Lord, 
 all ye lands : sing, rejoice, and give thanks. 
 
 6 Praise the Lord upon the liarp : sing to the harp with a psalm 
 of thanksgiving. 
 
 7 With trumpets also, and shawms : O shew yourselves joyful 
 
 the round 
 
 before the Lord the King 
 
 8 Let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is 
 world, and they that dwell therein. 
 
 Psalm xcviii. — There is a recurrence in this psahn to the victory of Divine power and justice, 
 concentrated in the person of the Messiah, over the malice of Satan. The exhortation, " Sing 
 unto the Lord a new song," is repeated ; and who can meditate on the mysteries of godliness, 
 as they are gradually opened to view, without feeling inspired by new thoughts, — new emotions, 
 — new principles ? All nature — the sea — the tlouds — the everlasting hills — every province of 
 humanity — is interested in the sublime mystery of God's fighting and conquering for the salvation 
 of fallen man. Melancholy is the state of tlie heart which, when God remembereth mercy, cannot 
 remember God ! 
 
 589 
 
Day 10. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 9 Let the floods clap their hands, and let the hills be joyful 
 together before the Lord : for he is come to judge the earth. 
 
 10 With righteousness shall he judge the world 
 with equity. 
 
 Psal. xcix. Dominiis regnavlt. 
 
 and the people 
 
 ^~^S£S '?- 
 
 HE Lord is King, be the people never so 
 impatient : he sitteth between the cheru- 
 bims, be the earth never so unquiet. 
 
 2 The Lord is great in Sion : and high 
 above all people. 
 
 3 They shall give thanks unto thy Name : 
 which is great, wonderful, and holy. 
 
 4 The King's power loveth judgement; 
 thou hast prepared equity : thou hast exe- 
 cuted judgement and righteousness in Jacob. 
 
 5 O magnify the Lord our God : and fall down before his foot- 
 stool, for he is holy. 
 
 6 JMoses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among such 
 as call upon his Name : these called upon the Lord, and he heard 
 them. 
 
 7 He spake unto them out of the cloudy pillar : for they kept his 
 testimonies, and the law that he gave them. 
 
 8 Thou heardest them, O Lord our God : thou forgavest them, O 
 God, and punishedst their own inventions. 
 
 9 O magnify the Lord our God, and worship him upon his holy 
 hill : for the Lord our God is holy. 
 
 Psal. c. Jubilate Deo. 
 
 BE joyful in the Lord, all ye lands : serve 
 the Lord with gladness, and come before 
 his presence with a song. 
 
 2 Be ye sure that the Lord he is God : 
 it is he that hath made us, and not we our- 
 selves ; we are his people, and the sheep of 
 his pasture. 
 
 3 O go your way into his gates with 
 
 PsAi.M XCIX. — It is plain, from the character of this psalm, that the first object contemplated 
 was the triumph of Jehovah in the establishment of His throne amid His people Israel. The 
 nations of the earth opposed His electing grace, because they hated the holiness on which it 
 acted. But sin is weak when contrasted with holiness, in proportion as it is mighty when striving 
 
 590 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 19. 
 
 thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise : be thankful unto him, 
 and speak good of his Name. 
 
 4 For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting : and his truth 
 endureth from generation to generation. 
 
 Psal. ci. Misericordiam et judicium. 
 
 -/^a^-^f^^^^tA- Y song shall be of mercy and judgement : 
 
 unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. 
 
 2 O let me have understanding : in the 
 way of godliness. 
 
 3 When wilt thou come unto me : I \vill 
 walk in my house with a perfect heart. 
 
 4 I will take no wicked thing in hand ; 
 I hate the sins of unfaithfulness : there shall 
 no such cleave unto me. 
 
 5 A froward heart shall depart from me : I will not knoAv a 
 wicked person. 
 
 6 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour : him will I destroy. 
 
 7 Whoso hath also a proud look and high stomach : I will not 
 suffer him. 
 
 8 Mine eyes look upon such as are faithful in the land : that they 
 may dwell with me. 
 
 9 Whoso leadeth a godly life : he shall be my servant. 
 
 10 There shall no deceitful person dwell in my house : he that 
 telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. 
 
 Ill shall soon destroy all the ungodly that are in the land : that 
 I may root out all wicked doers from the city of the Lord. 
 
 with corrupted natures. The Lord gained a great and glorious victory, putting forth no other 
 power than that which is the inseparable attribute of truth. By this He confounded the adver- 
 saries of His mercy, and Israel saw his throne established upon Zion. This was a type of the 
 triumphs of Messiah when establishing, according to the designs of the Father, a more universal 
 dominion, and bringing to perfection those wonderful plans, the outline only of which was traced 
 in these early dispensations. 
 
 PsAi.M c. — The reign of Christ commenced — the blessed results of His mercy seen in full 
 operation — the Psalmist exhorts every nation of the earth, — every being that can rejoice in the 
 beams of Divine love, to give praise unto the Almighty Saviour of the race ; — to glorify the 
 Lord, whose inscrutable plans have thus terminated in the everlasting happiness of His creatures ! 
 
 Ps.vi.M CI. — This psalm is said to have been the composition of David when he ascended the 
 throne. Whether David himself or any other monarch used it on such an occasion, it is conceived 
 in language especially fitted for those whose circumstances in life may give them influence, whether 
 great or small, over their fellow-creatures. It is not kings only who are inaugurated : there is 
 scarcely a being in the world who does not exercise an influence which has been solemnly given 
 him by the Lord of all the earth, and which he is bound to use according to the principle spoken 
 of in this psalm. 
 
 591 
 
THE TWENTIETH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 
 
 3' 
 
 Psal. cii. D amine, exaiidi 
 
 EAR my prayer, O Lord : and let my cry- 
 ing come unto thee. 
 
 2 Hide not thy face from me in the time 
 of my trouble : incline thine ear unto me 
 when I call ; O hear me, and that right 
 soon. 
 
 3 For my days are consumed away like 
 smoke : and my bones are burnt up as it Avere a lire-brand. 
 
 4 iVIy heart is smitten down, and withered like grass : so 
 ^- that I forget to eat my bread. 
 
 5 For the voice of my groaning : my bones will scarce 
 cleave to my flesh. 
 
 PsAi.M CII. — The lanfijuage of this psalm has led to the conchision that it was composed by one 
 of the captives in Babylon. Whenever written, it suits the sutluring.lieart at all times, if its grief 
 arise from the persecution of unrighteous enemies. But in this, as in other psalms of a similar 
 character, it is the chosen nation which may be supposed to pour forth its complaints ; or, at 
 least, that portion of it which had not bowed the knee to Baal, and therefore composed the true 
 Church of God. St. Paul (Heb. i. 10) gives an awfully sublime interpretation to the latter part 
 of the psalm, representing it as the address of the Father to the Son, '• Thou, Lord, in the begin- 
 ning :" here the suffering people, in whose name the Psalmist speaks, uses these words as expressive 
 of confidence in the power of the Messiah ; and the Apostle appears to have extracted them as the 
 
 592 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 20. 
 
 6 I am become like a pelican in the wilderness : and like an owl 
 that is in the desert. 
 
 7 I have Avatched, and am even as it were a sparrow : that sitteth 
 alone upon the house-top. 
 
 8 Mine enemies revile me all the day long : and they that are 
 mad upon me are sworn together against me. 
 
 9 For I have eaten ashes as it were bread : and mingled my 
 drink with weeping ; 
 
 10 And that because of thine indignation and wrath : for thou 
 hast taken me up, and cast me down. 
 
 1 1 My days are gone like a shadow : and I am withered like grass. 
 
 12 But thou, O Lord, slialt endure for ever : and thy remem- 
 brance throughout all generations. 
 
 13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Sion : for it is time 
 that thou have mercy upon her, yea, the time is come. 
 
 14 And why? thy servants think upon her stones : and it pitieth 
 them to see her in the dust. 
 
 15 The heathen shall fear thy Name, O Lord : and all the kings 
 of the earth thy Majesty ; 
 
 16 When the Lord shall build up Sion : and when his glory shall 
 appear ; 
 
 17 When he turneth him unto the prayer of the poor destitute : 
 and despiseth not their desire. 
 
 18 This shall be written for those that come after : and the people 
 which shall be born shall praise the Lord. 
 
 19 For he hath looked down from his sanctuary : out of the heaven 
 did the Lord behold the earth ; 
 
 20 That he might hear the mournings of such as are in captivity : 
 and deliver the children appointed unto death ; 
 
 21 That they may declare the Name of the Lord in Sion : and 
 his worship at Jerusalem ; 
 
 22 When the people are gathered together : and the kingdoms 
 also, to serve the Lord. 
 
 23 He brought down my strength in my journey : and shortened 
 my days. 
 
 well-known language of the Holy Spirit iu ancient days, when revealing the mysteries of the 
 Messiah's glory, and teaching the Church how it might appeal to Him in the force of the Father's 
 promises. The only support of the people of God, under circumstances like those represented in 
 this psalm, is the assurance that Christ remaiueth the same " to-day, yesterday, and for ever." 
 His power and love are equally invincible, and while faith instructs the Church to hold by Him as 
 the rock that cannot be shaken, it will be enabled to endure, without harm to its vital principles, 
 or to its prospects of felicity, the worst calamities that the world can inflict. 
 
 593 4 G 
 
Day 20. THE PSALMS. 
 
 24 But I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of mine 
 age : as for thy years, they endure throughout all generations. 
 
 25 Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the 
 earth : and the heavens are the work of thy hands. 
 
 26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure : they all shall wax 
 old as doth a garment ; 
 
 27 And as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be 
 changed : but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 
 
 28 The children of thy servants shall continue : and their seed 
 shall stand fast in thy sight. 
 
 Psal. ciil. Benedic, anima mea. 
 
 RAISE the Lord, O my soul : and all 
 that is within me praise his holy Name. 
 
 2 Praise the Lord, O my soul ; and for- 
 get not all his benefits ; 
 
 3 Who forgiveth all thy sin : and heal- 
 eth all thine infirmities ; 
 
 4 Who saveth thy life from destruction : 
 and crowneth thee with mercy and loving- 
 kindness ; 
 
 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things : making thee young 
 and lusty as an eagle. 
 
 6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement : for all them 
 that are oppressed with wrong. 
 
 7 He shewed his ways unto Moses : his works unto the children 
 of Israel. 
 
 8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy : long-suffering, and 
 of great goodness. 
 
 9 He will not alway be chiding : neither keepeth he his anger for 
 ever. 
 
 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins : nor rewarded us 
 according to our wickedness. 
 
 PsAi.M cm. — It is not determined whether this psalm was composed by David, or by some one 
 who lived at the time of the captivity. By whomsoever written, it was evidently the product of a 
 more hopeful season than that which led to the melancholy complaints of the preceding psalm. It 
 is indeed a beautiful and interesting feature in the Book of God, that the saddest scenes which 
 history can present to the mind are continually illuminated by some ray of light, which, breaking 
 through the clouds of sorrow, gives promise of returning peace. " Grief may endure for a night, 
 but joy Cometh in the morning." This is ever the language of believers. David, in his deepest 
 afflictions, could look for a resurrection to life and happiness ; and the captives in Babylon could 
 turn towards Zion in the confidence that the day of return was coming. 
 
 5y4 
 
THE PSALMS. I>a?/ 20. 
 
 1 1 For look how high the heaven is in comparison of the earth : 
 so great is his mercy also toward them that fear him. 
 
 12 Look hoAv wide also the east is from the west : so far hath he 
 set our sins from us. 
 
 13 Yea, like as a father pitieth his own children : even so is the 
 Lord merciful unto them that fear him. 
 
 1 4 For he knoweth whereof Ave are made : he remembereth that 
 we are but dust. 
 
 15 The days of man are but as grass : for he flourisheth as a 
 flower of the held. 
 
 16 For as soon as the wind goeth over it, it is gone : and the 
 place thereof shall know it no more. 
 
 17 But the merciful goodness of the Lord endureth for ever and 
 ever upon them that fear him : and his righteousness upon children's 
 children ; 
 
 18 Even upon such as keep his covenant : and think upon his 
 commandments to do them. 
 
 19 The Lord hath prepared his seat in heaven : and his kingdom 
 ruleth over all. 
 
 20 O praise the Lord, ye angels of his, ye that excel in strength : 
 ye that fulfil his conmiandment, and hearken unto the voice of his 
 words. 
 
 21 O praise the Lord, all ye his hosts : ye servants of his that do 
 his pleasure. 
 
 22 O speak good of the Lord, all ye works of his, in all places of 
 his dominion : praise thou the Lord, O my soul. 
 
 Psalm civ. — This noble psalm is beautifully expressive of that fulness of love and gratitude 
 which characterises a heart truly awake to the goodness of the Almighty. Reason teaches a 
 thoughtful man that he ought to render praises to the Creator, and establishes it as a principle 
 of duty to the understanding long before the heart feels a corresponding sentiment, and owns its 
 power. Hence the address of the Psalmist to his own internal being — '• Praise the Lord, O m.y 
 soul!" which is a language that every man will readily use who knows that he ought to love 
 God above all things, but cannot adore Him as he feels he should. The glory of God and the 
 mercy of God are the twofold theme of the Psalmist's meditation. He iirst contemplates the 
 Almighty Himself — "Thou deckest thyself with light;" but this, noble as it is, is surpassed by 
 the language of the evangelist, which describes God as essential light and essential love. '' God 
 is light!" — " God is love! " He then traces His attributes in the beings to which He has given 
 existence. His angels, or messengers, are spirits ; His ministers are flaming fire. The earth is 
 built up on everlasting foundations ; and the might of the waters, which nought else can resist, 
 yields to His simplest word. Every creature to which He has given life owes its sustenance to His 
 protecting mercy. The provision is made with paternal care. It is suited to the necessity of the 
 creature with an exact attention to its character ; it is bestowed with a bounteous hand ; and the 
 result of this care for the wants of each individual class is universal beauty and universal good. 
 The face of this loving Father turned away, all becomes sad and desolate ; trouble first and then 
 death invades the scene. Let His mercy revive, and again all becomes joy and delight ; and thus 
 the contemplative mind beholds in the revolutions of the present system a type of that which will 
 
 595 4 G 2 
 
Day 20. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. civ. Benedic, anima mea. 
 
 RAISE the Lord, O my soul : O Lord my 
 God, thou art become exceeding glorious ; 
 
 ^ tin' 
 
 thou art clothed with majesty and honour. 
 
 2 Thou deckest thyself with light as it 
 were with a garment : and spreadest out 
 the heavens like a curtain. 
 
 3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers 
 in the waters : and maketh the clouds his 
 chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the 
 wind. 
 
 4 He maketh his angels spirits : and his 
 ministers a flaming fire. 
 
 5 He laid the foundations of the earth : 
 that it never should move at any time. 
 
 6 Thou coveredst it with the deep like as Avith a garment : the 
 Avaters stand in the hills. 
 
 7 At thy re1)uke they flee : at the voice of thy thunder they are 
 afraid. 
 
 8 They go up as high as the hills, and doAvn to the valleys beneath : 
 even unto the place which thou hast appointed for them. 
 
 9 Thou hast set them their bounds which they shall not pass : 
 neither turn a^ain to cover the earth. 
 
 10 He sendeth the springs into the rivers : Avhich run among the 
 hills. 
 
 1 1 All beasts of the field drink thereof : and the wild asses quench 
 their thirst. 
 
 12 Beside them shall the fowls of the air have their habitation : 
 and sing among the branches. 
 
 13 He Avatereth the hills from above : the earth is filled Avith the 
 fruit of thy Avorks. 
 
 14 He bringeth forth grass for the cattle : and green herb for the 
 service of men ; 
 
 15 That he may bring food out of the earth, and Avine that maketh 
 glad the heart of man : and oil to make him a cheerful countenance, 
 and bread to strengthen man's heart. 
 
 take jilace at tlie final judgment, when sinners will be consumed, and the souls of the righteous 
 admitted into a changeless and everlasting glory. It is supposed that this psalm was composed 
 before the establishment of Israel under Moses. 
 
 596 
 
THE PSALMS. Day20. 
 
 1 6 The trees of the Lord also are full of sap : even the cedars of 
 Libanus which he hath planted ; 
 
 17 Wherein the birds make their nests : and the fir-trees are a 
 dwelling for the stork. 
 
 18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats : and so are the 
 stony rocks for the conies. 
 
 19 He appointed the moon for certain seasons : and the sun 
 knoweth his going doAvn. 
 
 20 Thou makest darkness that it may be night : wherein all the 
 beasts of the forest do move. 
 
 21 The lions roaring after their prey : do seek their meat from 
 God. 
 
 22 The sun ariseth, and they get them away together : and lay 
 them down in their dens. 
 
 23 Man goeth forth to his work, and to his laljour : until the 
 evening. 
 
 24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works : in wisdom hast thou 
 made them all ; the earth is full of thy riches. 
 
 25 So is the great and wide sea also : wdierein are things creeping 
 innumerable, both small and great beasts. 
 
 26 There go the ships, and there is that Leviathan : whom thou 
 hast made to take his pastime therein. 
 
 27 These wait all upon thee : that thou mayest give them meat 
 in due season. 
 
 28 When thou givest it them they gather it ; and when thou 
 openest thy hand they are filled with good. 
 
 29 When thou hidest thy face they are troubled : when thou 
 takest away their l3reath they die, and are turned again to their dust. 
 
 30 When thou lettest thy breath go forth they shall be made : and 
 thou shalt renew the face of the earth. 
 
 31 The glorious IMajesty of the Lord shall endure for ever : the 
 Lord shall rejoice in his works. 
 
 32 The earth shall tremble at the look of him : if he do but touch 
 the hills, they shall smoke. 
 
 33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live : I will praise my 
 God while I have my being. 
 
 34 And so shall my words please him : my joy shall be in the 
 Lord. 
 
 35 As for sinners, they shall be consumed out of the earth, and 
 the ungodly shall come to an end : praise thou the Lord, O my soul, 
 praise the Lord. 
 
 597 
 
THE TWKNTY-FIRST DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 
 Psal cv. Confitemini Domino. 
 
 GIVE thanks unto the Lord, and call upon 
 his Name : tell the people what things he 
 hath done. 
 
 2 O let your songs be of him, and praise 
 him : and let your talking be of all his 
 wondrous works. 
 
 3 Rejoice in his holy Name : let the 
 heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. 
 
 4 Seek the Lord and his strength : seek his face evermore. 
 
 i k. 
 
 I -^ 
 
 Pf-Ai-M CV. — If it be a happy exercise of miiul to praise God as the beneficent Lord of Nature, 
 it is yet more so to acknowledj^e, with a wise perception of His plans, the wisdom of His j)rovidence. 
 David composed this psahn, at least as far as the fifteenth verse, when he placed the ark of God 
 in tlie midst of the tabernacle on Mount Sion (1 Chron. xvi.); and it was afterwards used as a 
 Passover hymn. The history of Israel afii)rded the most convincing proofs of the presence of God 
 among His people ; and this subject was the best fitted of all others to interest the nation when 
 called upon to glorify the Lord in the beauty of holiness. From the calling of Abraham to the 
 setting up of the tabernacle on Sion, the out-stretched hand of the Lord, or the secret workings of 
 His grace, had continued to effect for Israel the most wonderful series of deliverances and triumplis. 
 That which was done for the people of old has been done for the (Church of Christ. Established, 
 like the chosen nation, on a covenant, it has been carried forward by tlie protecting power of God, 
 
 598 
 
THE PSALMS. Day2\. 
 
 5 Remember the marvellous works that he hath done : his 
 Avonders, and the judgements of his mouth, 
 
 6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant : ye children of Jacob his 
 chosen. 
 
 7 He is the Lord our God : his judgements are in all the world. 
 
 8 He hath been alway mindful of his covenant and promise : that 
 he made to a thousand generations ; 
 
 9 Even the covenant that he made with Abraham : and the oath 
 that he sware unto Isaac ; 
 
 10 And appointed the same unto Jacob for a law : and to Israel 
 for an everlasting testament ; 
 
 1 1 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan : the lot of 
 your inheritance ; 
 
 12 When there were yet but a fcAV of them : and they strangers 
 in the land ; 
 
 13 What time as they went from one nation to another : from one 
 kingdom to another people ; 
 
 14 He suffered no man to do them wrong : but reproved even 
 kings for their sakes ; 
 
 15 Touch not mine Anointed : and do my prophets no harm. 
 
 16 IMoreover, he called for a dearth upon the land : and destroyed 
 all the provision of bread. 
 
 17 But he had sent a man before them : even Joseph, who was 
 sold to be a bond- servant ; 
 
 18 Whose feet they hurt in the stocks : the iron entered into his 
 soul ; 
 
 19 Until the time came that his cause was known : the word of 
 the Lord tried him. 
 
 20 The king sent, and delivered him : the prince of the people 
 let him go free. 
 
 21 He made him lord also of his house : and ruler of all his sub- 
 stance ; 
 
 22 That he might inform his princes after his will : and teach his 
 senators wisdom. 
 
 23 Israel also came into Egypt : and Jacob was a stranger in the 
 land of Ham. 
 
 increasing in extent, and acquiring, from age to age, fresh importance as the minister of Divine 
 mercy to the world at Uirge. The ark and tlie mercy-seat are now to be sought in the opened 
 sanctuary of Heaven itself. Contemplating them placed there as they once were on Sion, the 
 people of Christ rejoice to think of the events whereby they have been brought to their present 
 happy condition, — a condition full of promise, abounding in privileges, and introductory to one of 
 changeless perfection. 
 
 599 
 
Day2\. THE PSALMS. 
 
 24 And he increased his people exceedingly : and made them 
 stronger than their enemies ; 
 
 25 Whose heart turned so, that they hated his people : and dealt 
 untruly with his servants. 
 
 26 Then sent he ]Moses his servant : and Aaron whom he had 
 chosen. 
 
 27 And these shewed his tokens among them : and wonders in 
 the land of Ham. 
 
 28 He sent darkness, and it was dark : and they were not obedient 
 unto his word. 
 
 29 He turned their waters into blood : and slew their fish. 
 
 30 Their land brought forth frogs : yea, even in their king's 
 chambers. 
 
 31 He spake the word, and there came all manner of flies : and 
 lice in all their quarters. 
 
 32 He gave them hail-stones for rain : and flames of fire in their 
 land. 
 
 33 He smote their vines also and fig-trees : and destroyed the 
 trees that were in their coasts. 
 
 34 He spake the word, and the grasshoppers came, and cater- 
 pillars innumerable : and did eat up all the grass in their land, and 
 devoured the fruit of their ground. 
 
 35 He smote all the first-born in their land : even the chief of 
 all their strength. 
 
 36 He brought them forth also with silver and gold : there was 
 not one feeble person among their tribes. 
 
 37 Egypt was glad at their departing : for they were afraid of 
 them. 
 
 38 He spread out a cloud to be a covering : and fire to give light 
 in the night-season. 
 
 39 At their desire he brought quails : and he filled them with the 
 bread of heaven. 
 
 40 He opened the rock of stone, and the waters flowed out : so 
 that rivers ran in the dry places. 
 
 41 For why? he remembered his holy promise : and Abraham 
 his servant. 
 
 42 And he brought forth his people with joy : and his chosen 
 with gladness ; 
 
 43 And gave them the lands of the heathen : and they took the 
 labours of the peo})le in possession ; 
 
 44 That they might keep his statutes : and observe his laws. 
 
 600 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 21. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. cvi. Confitemini Domino. 
 
 
 ■^ *= 
 
 GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he is 
 gracious : and his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 2 Who can express the noble acts of the 
 Lord : or shew forth all his praise ? 
 
 3 Blessed are they that alway keep 
 judgement : and do righteous jiess. 
 
 4 Remember me, O Lord, according to 
 the favour that thou bearest unto thy peo- 
 ple : O visit me with thy salvation ; 
 
 5 That I may see the felicity of thy 
 chosen : and rejoice in the gladness of thy 
 people, and give thanks with thine inherit- 
 ance. 
 
 6 We have sinned with our fathers : we 
 have done amiss, and dealt wickedly. 
 
 7 Our fathers regarded not thy wonders in Egypt, neither kept 
 they thy great goodness in remembrance : but were disobedient at 
 the sea, even at the Red sea. 
 
 8 Nevertheless, he helped them for his Name's sake : that he 
 might make his power to be known. 
 
 9 He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up : so he led 
 them through the deep, as through a wilderness. 
 
 10 And he saved them from the adversary's hand : and delivered 
 them from the hand of the enemy. 
 
 11 As for those that troubled them, the waters overwhelmed 
 them : there was not one of them left. 
 
 12 Then believed they his words : and sang praise unto him. 
 
 13 But within a while they forgat his works : and would not 
 abide his counsel. 
 
 14 But lust came upon them in the wilderness : and they tempted 
 God in the desert. 
 
 15 And he gave them their desire : and sent leanness withal into 
 their soul. 
 
 16 They angered Moses also in the tents : and Aaron the saint of 
 the Lord. 
 
 17 So the earth opened, and swallowed up Dathan : and covered 
 the congregation of Abiram. 
 
 601 4 H 
 
Day2\. THE PSALMS. 
 
 18 And the fire was kindled in their company : tlie flame l)urnt 
 up the ungodly. 
 
 19 They made a calf in Horeb : and worshipped the molten 
 image. 
 
 20 Thus they turned their glory : into the similitude of a calf that 
 eateth hay. 
 
 21 And they forgat God their Saviour : who had done so great 
 things in Egypt ; 
 
 22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham : and fearful things by 
 the Red sea. 
 
 23 So he said, he would have destroyed them, had not Moses his 
 chosen stood before him in the gap : to turn away his wrathful 
 indignation, lest he should destroy them. 
 
 24 Yea, they thought scorn of that pleasant land : and gave no 
 credence unto his word ; 
 
 25 But murmured in their tents : and hearkened not unto the 
 voice of the Lord. 
 
 26 Then lift he up his hand against them : to overthrow them in 
 the wilderness ; 
 
 27 To cast out their seed among the nations : and to scatter them 
 in the lands. 
 
 28 They joined themselves unto Baalpeor : and ate the ojQPerings 
 of the dead. 
 
 29 Thus they provoked him to anger with their own inventions : 
 and the plague was great among them. 
 
 30 Then stood up Phinees and prayed : and so the plague 
 ceased. 
 
 31 And that was counted unto him for righteousness : among all 
 posterities for evermore. 
 
 32 They angered him also at the waters of strife : so that he 
 punished IMoses for their sakes ; 
 
 33 Because they provoked his spirit : so that he spake unadvisedly 
 with his lips. 
 
 34 Neither destroyed they the heathen : as the Lord commanded 
 them ; 
 
 35 But were mingled amonc; the heathen : and learned their 
 w^orks. 
 
 36 Insomuch that they Avorship})ed their idols, which turned to 
 their own decay : yea, they offered their sons and their daughters 
 unto devils ; 
 
 37 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of 
 
 602 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 21. 
 
 their daughters : whom they offered unto the idols of Canaan ; and 
 the land was defiled Avith blood. 
 
 38 Thus were they stained with their own works : and went a 
 whorine; with their own inventions. 
 
 39 Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his 
 people : insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance. 
 
 40 And he gave them over into the hand of the heathen : and 
 they that hated them were lords over them. 
 
 41 Their enemies oppressed them : and had them in subjection. 
 
 42 IMany a time did he deliver them : but they rebelled against 
 him with their own inventions, and were brought down in their 
 wickedness. 
 
 43 Nevertheless, when he saw their adversity : he heard their 
 complaint. 
 
 44 He thought upon his covenant, and pitied them, according 
 unto the multitude of his mercies : yea, he made all those that led 
 them away captive to pity tliem. 
 
 45 Deliver us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the 
 heathen : that we may give thanks unto thy holy Name, and make 
 our boast of thy praise. 
 
 46 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and world 
 without end : and let all the people say. Amen. 
 
 Psalm cvi. — This psalm is supposed to have been composed during the captivity of the ten 
 tribes. It is penitential, and expressive of that sincere humility which evidently inspires the heart 
 when, in the hour of suffering, it can delight to acknowledge both the righteousness and the good- 
 ness of God. A humility of this kind fosters hope better than the proudest spirit ; and thus the 
 psalm begins with an expression of sure confidence in the enduring nature of Divine mercy, and 
 with a prayer for favour and salvation, conceived in language which evinces the presence of a filial 
 feeling, — the only state of mind or heart which gives true fervour to supplication. The instances 
 of ingratitude towards God are numberless. This is acknowledged by the least spiritual ; and to 
 the more faithful they present a spectacle which drives them back upon themselves, bowed down 
 with grief at such a proof of the depravity of our common nature. The long- suffering of God in 
 these earlier strivings of His people taught the captive tribes still to look for mercy. They found 
 it ; but, presuming on the mercy of God to the insulting of His holiness and His justice, they at 
 length fell, never to rise again, except through the efficacy of a covenant which put an end to 
 that under which they had reigned and sinned, — triumphed and fallen. So manifest is the good- 
 ness of God in His dealings with Israel, that every nation might properly exclaim, " Blessed be 
 the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and world without end ! " The mercy exercised towards 
 the one had an intimate connexion with the prospects of the rest. Had the Almighty not treated 
 Israel with so much compassion, the world at large would have been as great a sufferer as the 
 chosen nation itself. The grace and knowledge of which it was the depository were given intrust 
 for mankind at large ; and had they been taken away before the Gentiles were prepared to receive 
 the intended mercy themselves, the world would have been deprived of all hope of regeneration, 
 and would soon have exhibited melancholy proofs of lifelessness and utter desolation. Thus the 
 fatherly goodness with which the Almighty fostered Israel was mercy to mankind at large ; and 
 to the latest day of the world's existence will the believer exclaim, " Blessed be the Lord God of 
 Israel from everlasting, and world without end !" 
 
 603 4 H -2 
 
THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 
 Psal. cvii. Confitemini Domino. 
 
 GIVE tlianks unto the Lord, for he is 
 gracious : and his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 2 Let them give thanks whom the Lord 
 hath redeemed : and delivered from the 
 hand of the enemy ; 
 
 3 And gathered them out of the lands, 
 from the east, and from the west : from 
 
 the north, and from the south. 
 
 4 They went astray in the Avilderness out of the w^ay : and found 
 no city to dwell in ; 
 
 5 Hungry and thirsty 
 
 their soul fainted in them. 
 
 Psalm cvii. — As the preceding psalm was composed during the captivity of the ten tribes, and 
 probably when the hope of deliverance was dawning, so was this written, it is conjectured, as a 
 song of triumph, commemorating the long-looked for restoration. It is always delightful to con- 
 template mankind recovering peace and prosperity after a severe season of affliction ; but the 
 circumstances under which the people of Israel were placed rendered their restoration a subject of 
 deeper interest to the mind. Their reverses sprung not from the operation of causes ordinarily in 
 action. They were placed under the immediate influence of Gud's Spirit, and under the more 
 direct power of His providence. This was done not out of especial regard to them, considered 
 independently of the great purposes of mercy, but that the working of those mighty elements of 
 love might be distinctly seen, out of which the Almighty Father was willing to create a system for 
 the salvation of the whole world. The rise and fall of Israel was an index whereby to study the 
 C04 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 22. 
 
 6 So they cried unto the Lord in their trouble : and he delivered 
 them from their distress. 
 
 7 He led them forth by the right way : that they might go to the 
 city where they dwelt. 
 
 8 O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness : 
 and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men ! 
 
 9 For he satisfieth the empty soul : and filleth the hungry soul 
 with goodness. 
 
 10 Such as sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death : being 
 fast bound in misery and iron ; 
 
 11 Because they rebelled against the words of the Lord : and 
 lightly regarded the counsel of the most Highest ; 
 
 12 He also brought down their heart through heaviness : they 
 fell down, and there was none to help them 
 
 13 So when they cried unto the Lord in their trouble : he deli- 
 vered them out of their distress. 
 
 14 For he brought them out of darkness, and out of the shadow of 
 death : and brake their bonds in sunder. 
 
 15 that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness : 
 and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men ! 
 
 16 For he hath broken the gates of brass : and smitten the bars 
 of iron in sunder. 
 
 17 Foolish men are plagued for their offence : and because of 
 their wickedness. 
 
 18 Their soul abhorred all manner of meat : and they were even 
 hard at death's door. 
 
 19 So when they cried unto the Lord in then* trouble : he delivered 
 them out of their distress. 
 
 20 He sent his word, and healed them : and they were saved from 
 their destruction. 
 
 21 O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness : 
 and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men ! 
 
 22 That they would offer unto him the sacrifice of thanksgiving : 
 and tell out his works with gladness ! 
 
 23 They that go down to the sea in ships : and occupy their 
 business in great waters ; 
 
 consequences, to be expected in all ages, from the manner in which Divine grace is employed. 
 " Whoso is wise," says the Psalmist, " will ponder these things, and they shall understand the 
 loving-kindness of the Lord."' The present psalm is a noble lesson of gratitude to the souls of 
 God's people. They have deliverances of which to sing. Their present freedom is a state that 
 has succeeded to bondage ; and the blessings which it bestows are to be preserved by an unceasing 
 communion with God in the way of faith and obedience. 
 
 605 
 
Day 22. THE PSALMS. 
 
 24 These men see the works of the Lord : and his wonders in the 
 deep. 
 
 25 For at his word the stormy wind ariseth : which lifteth up the 
 waves thereof. 
 
 26 They are carried up to the heaven, and down again to the 
 deep : their soul melteth away because of the trouble. 
 
 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man : and 
 are at their wit's end. 
 
 28 So when they cry unto the Lord in their trouble : he delivereth 
 them out of their distress. 
 
 29 For he maketh the storm to cease : so that the waves thereof 
 are still. 
 
 30 Then are they glad, because they are at rest : and so he 
 bringeth them unto the haven where they would be. 
 
 31 O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his good- 
 ness : and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of 
 
 men 
 
 32 That they would exalt him also in the congregation of the 
 people : and praise him in the seat of the elders ! 
 
 33 Who turneth the floods into a wilderness : and drieth up the 
 water-springs. 
 
 34 A fruitful land maketh he barren : for the wickedness of them 
 that dAvell therein, 
 
 35 Again, he maketh the wilderness a standing water : and 
 water- springs of a dry ground. 
 
 36 And there he setteth the hungry : that they may build them a 
 city to dwell in ; 
 
 37 That they may sow their land, and plant vineyards : to yield 
 them fruits of increase. 
 
 38 He blesseth them, so that they multiply exceedingly : and 
 sufFereth not their cattle to decrease. 
 
 39 And again, when they are minished, and brought low : 
 through oppression, through any plague, or trouble ; 
 
 40 Though he suffer them to be evil intreated through tyrants : 
 and let them wander out of the way in the wilderness ; 
 
 41 Yet helpeth he the poor out of misery : and maketh him 
 housholds like a flock of sheep. 
 
 42 The righteous will consider this, and rejoice : and the mouth 
 of all wickedness shall be stopped. 
 
 43 Whoso is wise will ponder these things : and they shall 
 understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. 
 
 606 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 22. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. cviii. Paratum cor meum. 
 
 GOD, my heart is ready, my heart is ready : 
 I will sing and give praise with the best 
 member that I have. 
 
 2 Awake, thou lute, and harp : I myself 
 will awake right early. 
 
 3 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, 
 among the people : I will sing praises unto 
 thee among the nations. 
 
 4 For thy mercy is greater than the 
 heavens : and thy truth reacheth unto the 
 clouds. 
 
 5 Set up thyself, O God, above the 
 heavens : and thy glory above all the earth. 
 
 6 That thy beloved may be delivered : 
 let thy right hand save them, and hear thou me. 
 
 7 God hath spoken in his holiness : I will rejoice therefore, and 
 divide Sichem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. 
 
 8 Gilead is mine, and Manasses is mine : Ephraim also is the 
 strength of my head. 
 
 9 Judah is my law-giver, Moab is my wash-pot : over Edom will 
 I cast out my shoe ; upon Philistia will I triumph. 
 
 10 Who will lead me into the strong city : and who will bring me 
 into Edom ? 
 
 11 Hast not thou forsaken us, O God : and wilt not thou, O God, 
 go forth with our hosts ? 
 
 12 O help us against the enemy : for vain is the help of man. 
 
 13 Through God we shall do great acts : and it is he that shall 
 tread down our enemies. 
 
 Psalm cviii. — This psalm is formed from the 57th and the 60th. The beginning of the latter 
 psalm, in its original position, referred to a period of great trouble ; but the object of the Psalmist, 
 ill the present, was to glorify God for many and wonderful mercies. He speaks of his own victories, 
 but by those victories he prophetically learned to view the triumphs of Messiah. The ninth verse 
 is somewhat different to the corresponding passage in the 60th psalm. There the Psalmist sa3'^s, 
 " Philistia, be thou glad of me," which has apparently a contrary sense to that here employed. It 
 is supposed that in the former case the Psalmist spoke in the language of scornful irony ; while 
 in the present he openly declares his confidence in the power which God had given him to beat 
 down the proudest of his foes. The most interesting feature in the composition is derived from 
 the mingled assurance and humility with which he was inspired. He had no trust in himself, or 
 in man, but his faith in God filled him with heroic virtue. 
 
 607 
 
Day 22. 
 
 THE PSALMS 
 
 Psal. cix. Deus laudum. 
 
 OLD not thy tongue, O God of my praise : 
 for the mouth of the ungodly, yea, the 
 mouth of the deceitful is opened upon me. 
 
 2 And they have spoken against me with 
 false tongues : they compassed me about also 
 with words of hatred, and fought against me 
 without a cause. 
 
 3 For the love that I had unto them, lo, 
 they take now my contrary part : but I give myself unto prayer. 
 
 4 Thus have they rewarded me evil for good : and hatred for my 
 good will. 
 
 5 Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him : and let Satan 
 stand at his right hand. 
 
 6 When sentence is given upon him, let him be condemned : and 
 let his prayer be turned into sin. 
 
 7 Let his days be few : and let another take his office. 
 
 8 Let his children be fatherless : and his wife a widow. 
 
 9 Let his children be vagabonds, and beg their bread : let them 
 seek it also out of desolate places. 
 
 10 Let the extortioner consume all that he hath : and let the 
 stranger spoil his labour. 
 
 1 1 Let there be no man to pity him : nor to have compassion upon 
 his fatherless children. 
 
 12 Let his posterity be destroyed : and in the next generation let 
 his name be clean put out. 
 
 13 Let the wickedness of his fathers be had in remembrance in 
 the sight of the Lord : and let not the sin of his mother be done 
 away. 
 
 14 Let them alway be before the Lord : that he may root out the 
 memorial of them from off the earth ; 
 
 15 And that, because his mind was not to do good : but persecuted 
 the poor helpless man, that he might slay him that was vexed at 
 the heart. 
 
 16 His delight was in cursing, and it shall happen unto him : he 
 loved not blessing, therefore shall it be far from him. 
 
 17 He clothed himself with cursing, like as with a raiment : and it 
 shall come into his l)Owels like water, and like oil into his l)ones. 
 
 18 Let it be unto him as the cloke that he hath upon him : and as 
 the girdle that he is alway girded withal. 
 
 G08 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 22. 
 
 19 Let it thus happen from the Lord unto mine enemies : and to 
 those that speak evil against my soul. 
 
 20 But deal thou with me, O Lord God, according unto thy 
 Name : for sweet is thy mercy. 
 
 21 O deliver me, for I am helpless and poor : and my heart is 
 wounded within me. 
 
 22 I go hence like the shadow that departeth : and am driven 
 away as the grasshopper. 
 
 23 My knees are weak through fasting : my flesh is dried up for 
 want of fatness. 
 
 24 I became also a reproach unto them : they that looked upon 
 me shaked their heads. 
 
 25 Help me, O Lord my God : O save me according to thy 
 mercy ; 
 
 26 And they shall know, how that this is thy hand : and that 
 thou. Lord, hast done it. 
 
 27 Though they curse, yet bless thou : and let them be con- 
 founded that rise up against me ; but let thy servant rejoice. 
 
 28 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame : and let them 
 cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a cloke. 
 
 29 As for me, I will give great thanks unto the Lord with my 
 mouth : and praise him among the multitude ; 
 
 30 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor : to save his 
 soul from unrighteous judges. 
 
 Ps.\i-M cix. — It is evident that this psalm was composed at some period of great suffering^ 
 most probably by David, at the time when he was in hourly danger of falling inider the hand of 
 Saul. The passages translated as imprecations might, as in other instances, be rendered with 
 equal propriety in the future tense, so as to make them prophecies rather than curses. But, in 
 whichever way taken, the psalm is considered as representing the sorrows of Christ rather than 
 those of David. Viewed in this light, every expression acquires additional force. The afflictions 
 of the Saviour were in all respects more terrible, and more real, than those of David. His 
 enemies manifested a malice unexampled even in the annals of human wickedness ; and the 
 means of sorrow seem to have been employed to the uttermost, that nothing might be left undone 
 which could try the heart and spirit of the Saviour. The willing perpetrators of these cruelties 
 were the enemies of humanity. All nature is interested in the defeat of the power under the 
 impulse of which they acted ; the day of peace and joy cannot arrive till they are finally cast 
 down ; and the punishment which will then attend them will in every point answer to the awful 
 prophecies of this psalm. The Christian, in thinking upon his own trials, will find them lightened 
 when faith and love dispose him to view them but as a part of the sufferings which the enemy of 
 holiness still hopes to inflict on the body of Christ. In the Church and its members Satan beholds 
 the Saviour still present on the earth. He rages against them as he did against the Lord Himself; 
 and to suffer with them for the sake of God, is to secure a share in the Redeemer's glory. 
 
 609 
 
THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 .C^< 
 
 ..Tw^'-^^^gmr 
 
 ri' 
 
 Psal. ex. Dixit Dominus. 
 
 HE Lord said unto my Lord : Sit thou on 
 my right hand, until I make thine enemies 
 thy footstool. 
 
 2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy 
 power out of Sion : be thou ruler, even in 
 the midst among thine enemies. 
 
 3 In the day of thy power shall the 
 people offer thee free-will offerings with an holy Avorship : the dew 
 of thy birth is of the womb of the morning. 
 
 4 The Lord sware, and will not repent : Thou art a Priest for 
 ever after the order of Melchisedech. 
 
 PsAi.M ex. — Onr Lord Himself alhidod to this psalm in proof of His divinity (Matth. xxii. 43). 
 The Jews appear to have acknowledged that the ])erson addressed by the Father was the Messiah ; 
 and as it was David who spoke of Him as His Lord, hoth the pre-existence and the divinity of the 
 Saviour Avere plainly demonstrated. St. Peter cites it as a prophecy of our Lord's ascension 
 (Acts ii. 34), and St. Paul in a similar manner (1 Cor. xv. 25 ; Heb. v. 0). Short as is the psalm, 
 it is full of Divine mysteries. Alter it has alluded in so clear a manner to the godhead of Christ, 
 
 610 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 23. 
 
 5 The Lord upon thy right hand : shall wound even kings in the 
 day of his Avrath. 
 
 6 He shall judge among the heathen; he shall fill the places 
 with the dead bodies : and smite in sunder the heads over divers 
 countries. 
 
 7 He shall drink of the brook in the way : therefore shall he lift 
 up his head. 
 
 Psal. cxi. Confitebor tibi. 
 
 WILL give thanks unto the Lord with my 
 whole heart : secretly among the faithful, 
 and in the congregation. 
 
 2 The works of the Lord are great : 
 sought out of all them that have pleasure 
 therein. 
 
 3 His work is worthy to be praised, and 
 had in honour : and his righteousness en- 
 dureth for ever. 
 
 4 The merciful and gracious Lord hath so done his marvellous 
 works : that they ought to be had in remembrance. 
 
 5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him : he shall ever be 
 mindful of his covenant. 
 
 6 He hath shewed his people the power of his works : that he 
 may give them the heritage of the heathen. 
 
 7 The works of his hands are verity and judgement : all his 
 commandments are true. 
 
 ^E^# 
 
 it speaks of His sovereignty, acquired by suffering, exercised in the midst of His enemies, but at 
 length willingly acknowledged by the world at large. Commentators have doubted concerning 
 the interpretation of the sentence, *• The dew of thy birth is of the womb of the morning." By some 
 it is supposed to refer to the eternal generation of Christ from the Father ; by others, to the rise, 
 increase, and spiritual graces of His people. The next verse speaks of His priesthood, in which so 
 many of those mysteries are involved that concern His offices of a Redeemer and a Mediator ; 
 while, from the nature of that priesthood, it being after the order of Mekhisedech. who was king 
 and priest too, His royalty and dominion are again brought to view. In the combined attributes 
 of these characters. He goes forth to conquer, His holiness and love subduing the willing hearts of 
 those who look for salvation ; and the power of His arm, by successive providential or miraculous 
 interferences, obliguig the mightiest of His enemies to bow their heads. He drank of the brook 
 in the way, humble and meek, and, therefore, is He exalted ; or, by another interpretation, He 
 refreshed Himself with living waters, and then went on to conquer gloriously. 
 
 Psalm cxi. — This sweet and soothing hymn expresses the feelings of a devout heart when, free 
 from pressing troubles, it is at liberty to meditate calmly on the perfection of God's works. His 
 mercy supplies the wants of His people by the must wonderful provisions ; and they are delivered 
 from their enemies by exercises of sovereign power no less awful than marvellous. ^^ hatever He 
 does is an illustration of His perfections ; and the fear of the Lord, nurtured by the consideration 
 of His wondrous acts, is both the beginning, and the grandest exercise, of wisdom. 
 
 611 4 I 2 
 
Day 2.- 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 8 They stand fast for ever and ever : and are done in truth and 
 equity. 
 
 9 He sent redemption unto his people : he hath commanded his 
 covenant for ever ; holy and reverend is his Name. 
 
 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom : a good 
 understanding have all they that do thereafter; the praise of it 
 endureth for ever. 
 
 Psal. cxii. Beatus vir. 
 
 L^ 
 
 -1 
 
 LESSED is the man that feareth the 
 Lord : he hath great delight in his com- 
 mandments. 
 
 2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth : 
 the generation of the faithful shall be 
 blessed. 
 
 3 Riches and plenteousness shall be in 
 his house : and his righteousness endureth 
 for ever. 
 
 4 Unto the godly there ariseth up light in the darkness : he is 
 merciful, loving, and righteous. 
 
 5 A good man is merciful, and lendeth : and will guide his words 
 with discretion. 
 
 6 For he shall never be moved : and the righteous shall be had in 
 everlasting remembrance. 
 
 7 He will not be afraid of any evil tidings : for his heart standeth 
 fast, and believeth in the Lord. 
 
 8 His heart is established, and will not shrink : until he see his 
 desire upon his enemies. 
 
 9 He hath dispersed abroad, and given to the poor : and his 
 righteousness remaineth for ever ; his horn shall be exalted with 
 honour. 
 
 10 The ungodly shall see it, and it shall grieve him : he shall 
 gnash with his teeth, and consume away ; the desire of the ungodly 
 shall perish. 
 
 PsAi.M CXII. — The happy condition of the righteous, as contrasted with that of the wicked, is 
 
 heautiCully described in this psalm. The love of God's commandments is itself a delight, furnish- 
 ing the mind with a succession of the most soothing thoughts, and filling the heart with peace. 
 To this habitual comfort are added assurances of future good. The noblest species of prosperity 
 may be looked for ; and out of the very darkness which will sometimes mark the course of human 
 life, new light shall spring, as if it had been hoarded up in the cloud, to make the next day richer 
 in hope and happiness. Evil tidings, therefore, terrify not the righteous. He knows in whom he 
 has trusted ; and, fulfilling in tranquil steadfastness the duties of faith and mercy, he at length 
 enters into everlasting peace. 
 
 612 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 23. 
 
 high 
 
 Psal. cxiii. Laudate, pueri. 
 
 RAISE the Lord, ye servants : O praise 
 the Name of the Lord. 
 
 2 Blessed be the Name of the Lord : 
 from this time forth for evermore. 
 
 3 The Lord's Name is praised : from 
 the rising up of the sun unto the going 
 down of the same. 
 
 4 The Lord is high above all heathen : 
 and his glory above the heavens. 
 
 5 Who is like unto the Lord our God, that hath his dwelling so 
 and yet humbleth himself to behold the things that are in 
 
 heaven and earth ? 
 
 6 He taketh up the simple out of the dust : and lifteth the poor 
 out of the mire ; 
 
 7 That he may set him with the princes : even with the princes of 
 his people. 
 
 8 He maketh the barren woman to keep house : and to be a 
 joyful mother of children. 
 
 Psalm cxiii. — The name of the Lord claims the homage of His creatures from one end of the 
 earth to the otlier, and throughout all generations. This is a lesson taught by reason as well as 
 revelation ; but the Psalmist adds an argument which awakens the heart to join in the sublime 
 chorus : — God is merciful as He is mighty. The poorest of His creatures is enriched by His 
 goodness ; and the most desolate can secure in the hour of oppression the hosts of heaven for 
 his help. Revelation under the Law, as well as under the Gospel, affords us the most comforting 
 view of the Divine attributes. Power and majesty are the qualities of Deify upon which the mind 
 most naturally fixes its attention. There is nothing more awful than the name of God, and to 
 appease His wrath, or conciliate His favour, by demonstrations of the terror with which His 
 judgments are regarded, has always been the first object with mankind in listening to religion. 
 Had we been left without a revelation, there is the greatest reason for believing that the feeling of 
 dread in respect to God would have always continued too strong for the cherishing of any senti- 
 ment of love, or filial reverence. The Law was established to prove the sovereignty of God, and 
 the grandeur of its ordinances — the severity of its penalties — the mysterious solemnity of its 
 types and prophecies — impressed the hearts of those who were subject to its dictates with fear and 
 trembling at the mention of the name Jehovah. " Ye are not come unto the Mount," says the 
 Apostle, in contrasting the Law with the Gospel, "that might be touched, and that burned with 
 fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest ; and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of 
 words ; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any 
 more ; for they could not endure that which was commanded, and if so much as a beast touch the 
 mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart : and so terrible was the sight, that 
 Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake." (Heb. xii. 18 — '21.) But awful as were the impres- 
 sions thus left on the mind by the severity of the Law, the dispensation which it introduced was a 
 medium of Divine mercy to mankind, and God was revealed not only as a mighty Sovereign, ready 
 to defend His people by the exercise of His irresistible power, but as a loving Father : " They shall 
 be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. vi. IS.) ; and, " Thus saith the high 
 and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy ; I dwell in the high and holy p/ace, 
 with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to 
 revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah Ivii. 15.) In the feeling with which passages like 
 these were penned, the Psalmist spoke, and in this manner the Gospel was, as it were, '' preached 
 beforehand" unto all God's people. 
 
 613 
 
Day 23. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. cxiv. In exitu Israel. 
 
 HEN Israel came out of Egypt : and the 
 house of Jacob from among the strange 
 people, 
 
 2 Judah was his sanctuary : and Israel 
 his dominion. 
 
 3 The sea saw that, and tied : Jordan 
 was driven back. 
 
 4 The mountains skipped like rams : 
 and the little hills like young sheep. 
 
 5 What aileth thee, O thou sea, that 
 thou fleddest : and thou Jordan, that thou 
 wast driven back ? 
 
 6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like 
 rams : and ye little hills, like young sheep ? 
 
 7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord : at the 
 
 presence of the God of Jacob ; 
 
 8 Who turned the hard 
 stone into a springing well 
 
 8 Who turned the hard rock into a standing water 
 
 and the flint- 
 
 5 
 
 not. 
 
 Psal. cxv. Non nobis, Domine. 
 
 li'liSsw«. OT unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto 
 thy Name give the praise : for thy loving 
 mercy, and for thy truth's sake. 
 
 2 Wherefore shall the heathen say : 
 Where is now their God ? 
 
 3 As for our God, he is in heaven : he 
 hath done whatsoever pleased him. 
 
 4 Their idols are silver and gold : even 
 the work of men's hands. 
 
 They have mouths, and speak not : eyes have they, and see 
 
 Psalm cxiv. — This hymn, which is numbered among those used at the Passover, describes the 
 feeling of joy which the chosen people continued to experience at the recollection of their first 
 great deliverance from Egypt. It was probably composed alter the captivity in Babylon, their 
 return from which was another instance of the power of God exercised in their favour; but in the 
 former it was like a rushing mighty wind, — in the latter like tlie secret breath of the air, working 
 its purposes untraced. 
 
 614 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 2^. 
 
 6 They have ears, and hear not : noses have they, and smell 
 not. 
 
 7 They have hands, and handle not ; feet have they, and walk 
 not : neither speak they through their throat. 
 
 8 They that make them are like unto them : and so are all such 
 as put their trust in them. 
 
 9 But thou, house of Israel, trust thou in the Lord : he is their 
 succour and defence. 
 
 10 Ye house of Aaron, put your trust in the Lord : he is their 
 helper and defender. 
 
 11 Ye that fear the Lord, put your trust in the Lord : he is their 
 helper and defender. 
 
 12 The Lord hath been mindful of us, and he shall bless us : even 
 he shall bless the house of Israel, he shall bless the house of Aaron. 
 
 13 He shall bless them that fear the Lord : both small and 
 great, 
 
 14 The Lord shall increase you more and more : you and your 
 children. 
 
 15 Ye are the blessed of the Lord : who made heaven and earth, 
 
 16 All the whole heavens are the Lord's : the earth hath he 
 given to the children of men. 
 
 17 The dead praise not thee, O Lord : neither all they that go 
 down into silence. 
 
 18 But we will praise the Lord : from this time forth for ever- 
 more. Praise the Lord. 
 
 Psalm cxv. — It is uncertain on what occasion this psalm was composed. Some commentators 
 ascribe it to Moses, when on the shores of the Red Sea ; others attribute it to David, and some sup- 
 pose it to have been written on the miraculous defeat of the army of Sennacherib. But it is not ne- 
 cessary, for its practical application, that we should know on what occasion it was written. To human 
 strength or wisdom can be ascribed none of the more important deliverances of the people of God, 
 or of mankind at large, from the calamities which threatened them with destruction. The worship 
 of the mighty Being to whom they are indebted for whatever of good or freedom they enjoy, is a 
 duty eminently consistent with the principles of our nature. In the grand contests for power 
 which Satan has prompted the world to undertake, the Majesty of God's authority has been nobly 
 vindicated against the ministers of fraud and darkness. With the sublime instances thus afforded 
 of the superiority of the Almighty to Satan, the world, and its gods, how melancholy is the 
 blindness of mankind when they strive to set up their idols on the throne of the Almighty '. " The 
 dead praise not thee, O Lord," says the Psalmist. This is as true spiritually as it is literally ; and 
 when the heart is full of grief and apprehension, lest it should not be properly alive to the claims 
 of holiness, it may rightly use these words in its prayer for grace. God will not refuse to listen to 
 the humble argument of the soul bowed down with sorrow because it cannot serve Him as it feels 
 it ought, " The dead cannot praise thee, O Lord ;"' and Thou alone canst give life and light: 
 bestow Thou, then, the quickening Spirit : say to me awake, and pour into the depths of my re- 
 animated being the fulness of Thy grace. Then shall 1 be enabled to rise and serve Thee : then 
 shalt Thou hear from my lips the joyful song of gratitude, and I will praise Thee for evermore as 
 my Saviour and my God. 
 
 615 
 
THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 
 
 ■^j 
 
 
 !-A. 
 
 Psal. cxvi D'llexi, quoniam. 
 
 AIM well pleased : that the Lord hath 
 heard the voice of my prayer ; 
 
 2 That he hath inclined his ear unto 
 me : therefore will I call upon him as long 
 as I live. 
 
 3 The snares of death compassed me round 
 about : and the pains of hell gat hold upon me. 
 
 4 I shall find trouble and heaviness, and I will call upon the 
 Name of the Lord : O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. 
 
 5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous : yea, our God is merciful. 
 
 Psalm cxvi. — ^The recovery of Hezekiah may have furnished, it is supposed, the subject of this 
 psalm. It is evidently the thanksgiving of a soul humbled by chastisement, and ascribing its 
 recovery from overwhelming sorrow to Divine mercy. The language used is that of the deepest 
 conviction — of the most earnest recognition of the goodness of God in all His ways. Trouble 
 and sorrow had effected the purpose for which they were sent. The Lord had heard the prayers 
 which they prompted, and His loving-kindness had poured consolation into the heart. Peace 
 followed this correcting but fatherly disciplining of the heart. A moment before it had rejected 
 every offer of counsel or sympathy, — now it was meek and submissive as a child. It bowed 
 beneath the hand which had both chastened and healed it, and it was filled with a holy anxiety to 
 glorify its Benefactor by taking the cup of salvation ; that is, by adopting as the only means of 
 good the whole system of God's laws and ordinances as combined with the workings of His grace. 
 St. Paul has alluded to this psalm (2 Cor. iv. 1 3). 
 
 616 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 24. 
 
 6 The Lord preserveth the simple : I was in misery, and he 
 helped me. 
 
 7 Turn again then unto thy rest, O my soul : for the Lord hath 
 rewarded thee. 
 
 8 And why ? thou hast delivered my soul from death : mine eyes 
 from tears, and my feet from falling. 
 
 9 I will walk before the Lord : in the land of the living. 
 
 10 I believed, and therefore will I speak ; but I was sore 
 troubled : I said in my haste, All men are liars. 
 
 1 1 What reward shall I give unto the Lord : for all the benefits 
 that he hath done unto me ? 
 
 12 1 will receive the cup of salvation : and call upon the Name of 
 the Lord. 
 
 13 I will pay my vows now in the presence of all his people : 
 right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 
 
 14 Behold, O Lord, how that I am thy servant : I am thy 
 servant, and the son of thine handmaid ; thou hast broken my bonds 
 in sunder. 
 
 15 1 will offer to tliee the sacrifice of thanksgiving : and will call 
 upon the Name of the Lord. 
 
 16 I will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the sight of all his 
 people : in the courts of the Lord's house, even in the midst of thee, 
 O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. 
 
 Psal. cxvii. Laudate Dominum. 
 
 PRAISE the Lord, all ye heathen : praise 
 him, all ye nations. 
 
 2 For his merciful kindness is ever more 
 and more towards us : and the truth of the 
 Lord endureth for ever. Praise the Lord. 
 
 PsAi.M CXVII. — This psalm is considered as an introduction 
 to that which follows. It summons the nations of the earth 
 to join in the praises to be rendered to God for His ever- 
 increasing mercy. 
 Psalm cxviii. — It is generally supposed that this psalm was composed by David, either on the 
 occasion of His inauguration, or on that of some of his great victories. The arrangement of its 
 different parts favours the opinion that it was originally sung in chorus, the various changes being 
 marked by the change of persons. Our blessed Lord Himself (Matth. xxi. 42 ; see also Acts iv. 1 1, 
 Ephes. ii. 20, 1 Pet. ii. 4), by (quoting the twenty-second verse, has taught us to apply the psalm 
 to His own grand conquests over the world and Satan. David, therefore, is to be regarded as 
 speaking typically in his own person of Christ, and of his victories as prophetic emblems of 
 those of the Messiah. The multitudes that preceded Jesus on His last entrance into Jerusalem 
 took up the words of this psalm, and hailed Him, in the language of the conquering David, as the 
 
 G17 4k 
 
Day 24. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Psal. cxviii. Canfitemini Domino. 
 
 GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he is 
 gracious : because his mercy endureth for 
 ever. 
 
 2 Let Israel now confess, that he is 
 gracious : and that his mercy endureth for 
 ever. 
 
 3 Let the house of Aaron now confess : 
 that his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 4 Yea, let them now that fear the Lord 
 confess : that his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 5 I called upon the Lord in trouble : and the Lord heard me at 
 large. 
 
 6 The Lord is on my side : I will not fear what man doetli unto me. 
 
 7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me : therefore 
 shall I see my desire upon mine enemies. 
 
 8 It is better to trust in the Lord : than to put any confidence 
 in man. 
 
 9 It is better to trust in the Lord : than to put any confidence 
 in princes. 
 
 10 All nations compassed me round about : but in the Name of 
 the Lord will I destroy them. 
 
 11 They kept me in on every side, they kept me in, I say, on 
 every side : but in the Name of the Lord will I destroy them. 
 
 12 They came about me like bees, and are extinct even as the fire 
 among the thorns : for in the Name of the Lord I will destroy them. 
 
 13 Thou hast thrust sore at me, that I might fall : but the Lord 
 was my help. 
 
 14 The Lord is my strength, and my song : and is become my 
 salvation. 
 
 15 The voice of joy and health is in the dwellings of the righteous : 
 the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to pass. 
 
 16 The right hand of the Lord hath the pre-eminence : the right 
 hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to pass. 
 
 Deliverer of their race (Matth. xxi. 9). From such expressions as " This is the gate of the Lord ; 
 the righteous shall enter into it," the psalm appears to have been sung in a procession towards 
 the Temple ; and, carrying on the spiritual interpretation of the language, Christ is thereby to be 
 contemplated as approaching, after His victory over sin and death, the gates of His everlasting 
 mansions, angels awaiting Him there to sing His glories through the whole expanse of heaven. 
 But, lofty as are the notes of triumph, the voice of supplication mingles with them. Messiah has 
 yet to go forth conquering and to conquer. He has entered into His glory, but the nations have 
 still to be subdued to the power of His righteous sceptre. 
 
 618 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 24. 
 
 17 I shall not die, but live : and declare the works of the Lord. 
 
 18 The Lord hath chastened and corrected me : but he hath not 
 given me over unto death. 
 
 19 Open me the gates of righteousness : that I may go into them, 
 and give thanks unto the Lord. 
 
 20 This is the gate of the Lord : the righteous shall enter into it. 
 
 21 I will thank thee, for thou hast heard me : and art become my 
 salvation. 
 
 22 The same stone which the builders refused : is become the 
 head-stone in the corner. 
 
 23 This is the Lord's doing : and it is marvellous in our eyes. 
 
 24 This is the day which the Lord hath made : we will rejoice 
 and be glad in it. 
 
 25 Help me now, O Lord : O Lord, send us now prosperity. 
 
 26 Blessed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord : we have 
 wished you good luck, ye that are of the house of the Lord. 
 
 27 God is the Lord who hath shewed us light : bind the sacrifice 
 with cords, yea, even unto the horns of the altar. 
 
 28 Thou art my God, and I will thank thee : thou art my God, 
 and I will praise thee. 
 
 29 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious : and his 
 mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. cxix. Beati immaculati. 
 
 LESSED are those that are undefiled in 
 the way : and walk in the law of the Lord. 
 
 2 Blessed are they that keep his testi- 
 monies : and seek him Avith their whole 
 heart. 
 
 3 For they who do no wickedness : walk 
 % \ in his ways. 
 
 4 Thou hast charged : that we shall 
 diligently keep thy commandments. 
 
 5 O that my ways were made so direct : 
 that I might keep thy statutes I 
 
 6 So shall I not be confounded : while I 
 have respect unto all thy commandments. 
 
 G19 4 K 2 
 
Day 24. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 7 I will thank thee with an unfeigned heart : when I shall have 
 learned the judgements of thy righteousness. 
 
 8 I will keep thy ceremonies : O forsake me not utterly. 
 
 In quo corriget ? 
 
 HEREWITHAL shall a young man 
 cleanse his Avay : even hy ruling himself 
 after thy word. 
 
 10 With my whole heart have I sought 
 thee : O let me not go wrong out of thy 
 commandments. 
 
 11 Thy words have I hid within my 
 heart : that I should not sin against thee. 
 
 12 Blessed art thou, O Lord : O teach me thy statutes. 
 
 13 With my lips have I been telling : of all the judgements of 
 thy mouth. 
 
 14 I have had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies : as 
 in all manner of riches. 
 
 15 I will talk of thy commandments : and have respect unto thy 
 ways. 
 
 16 My delight shall be in thy statutes : and I will not forget thy 
 word. 
 
 Ps.\LM cxix. — So many precepts of holiness, blended with devotional thoughts, are contained in 
 this noble psalm, that it has often been called an epitome of the whole psalter, and as such has 
 been regarded with singular reverence by those who best know the value of the more experimental 
 portions of the Divine word. In the original each division is marked by a letter of the Hebrew 
 alphabet, and every verse in that division begins with the initial letter at the head of the section. 
 This arrangement is supposed to have been adopted for the sake of assisting the memory ; but it 
 was also otherwise conformable to the character of Hebrew poetry. The commencement, like that 
 of the first psalm, sets forth the fundamental and ruling principle of all religion, of all law, and all 
 happiness,— obedience, that is, to the will of God. And this obedience is to have its beginning in 
 the heart ; it is to be nurtured by prayer,— to be enlivened by thanksgiving,— and strengthened by 
 holy resolutions. 
 
 " IVherewithal shall," 8fc. — There is something very delightful in the Psalmist's recurrence to 
 remembered piety and obedience. Certain as the holiest servant of the Almighty is, that there 
 is no good in him but that which he has received from the free grace of God, no sentiment is 
 sweeter to the soul than the hope that that grace has not been bestowed in vain. " With my whole 
 heart have I sought thee," joined to the prayer for further help, expresses the true feeling of a 
 mind deeply convinced of the value of Divine peace. 
 
 " do well," 8fc. — The mercies of God, considered as means of present enjoyment, are not 
 undervalued even by the world ; and there is no blessing asked of Him with so much sincerity of 
 prayer as the continuance of life. But, alas ! — how few, like the Psalmist, connect the desire of a 
 lengthened career on earth with that of glorifying God ! To the spiritual mind, the world is as a 
 strange land, presenting vast tracts of desert, and abounding with enemies. The wondrous things 
 of the Law are the only consolation of the soul during its sojourn in this hostile country. By them 
 it is both guided and comforted. 
 
 "My soul cleavelh," 8^c. — The life-giving power of God's grace is known by the believer in his 
 saddest state of trial. His soul, cleaving unto the dust, still rejoices in the promise that the Spirit 
 
 620 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 24. 
 
 may 
 
 Retrlbue servo tuo. 
 
 DO well unto tliy servant : that I 
 live, and keep thy word. 
 
 18 Open thou mine eyes : that I may 
 see the wondrous things of thy law. 
 
 19 I am a stranger upon earth : O hide 
 not thy commandments from me. 
 
 20 JMy soul breaketh out for the very 
 fervent desire : that it hath alway unto thy 
 judgements. 
 
 21 Thou hast rebuked the proud : and cursed are they that do err 
 from thy commandments. 
 
 22 O turn from me shame and rebuke : for I have kept thy testi- 
 monies. 
 
 23 Princes also did sit and speak against me : but thy servant is 
 occupied in thy statutes. 
 
 24 For thy testimonies are my delight : and my counsellors. 
 
 ness 
 29 
 
 AdhcEsit pammento. 
 
 Y soul cleaveth to the dust : O quicken 
 thou me, according to thy word. 
 
 26 I have acknowledged my ways, and 
 thou heardest me : O teach me thy statutes. 
 
 27 JMake me to understand the way of 
 thy commandments : and so shall I talk of 
 thy wondrous works. 
 
 28 JMy soul melteth away for very heavi- 
 comfort thou me according unto thy word. 
 
 Take from me the way of lying : and cause thou me to make 
 much of thy law. 
 
 30 I have chosen the way of truth : and thy judgements have I 
 laid before me. 
 
 311 have stuck unto thy testimonies : O Lord, confound me not. 
 
 32 I will run the way of thy commandments : when thou hast set 
 my heart at liberty. 
 
 of Life shall quicken it. "Take from me the way of lying" is its earnest prayer; for truth is the 
 essence of everything that is holy, and of everything that is lovely. The way of lying is the 
 pathway marked out by the father of evil,— sin, in all its varieties, being but some modification of 
 falsehood. Riches have a false value — honour a false form — sensuality a false mirth ; but the law 
 of God shows things in their proper relations, and as they exist in themselves ; and the heart set at 
 liberty by the Spirit of grace turns from the pursuit of the imperfect to that of the perfect good, or 
 from obedience to the law of death to the ennobling freedom of sanctifying love. 
 
 621 
 
THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Legem pone. 
 
 EACH me, O Lord, the way of thy 
 statutes : and I shall keep it unto the end. 
 
 34 Give me understanding, and I shall 
 keep thy law : yea, I shall keep it with my 
 whole heart. 
 
 35 Make me to go in the path of thy 
 commandments : for therein is my desire. 
 
 36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies : and not to covetousness. 
 
 37 O turn away mine eyes, lest they behold vanity : and quicken 
 thou me in thy way. 
 
 38 O stablish thy word in thy servant : that I may fear thee. 
 
 39 Take away the rebuke that I am afraid of : for thy judgements 
 are good. 
 
 40 Behold, my delight is in thy commandments : O quicken me 
 in thy righteousness. 
 
 " Teac'i meT ^*c. — This is so earnest a prayer for Divine grace that the believer may adopt its 
 language in every stage of his progress. The more he knows of Divine mysteries, the more anxious 
 will he be for the light of the heavenly Spirit, and for its continual influence on his heart. With- 
 out an understanding given him from above, he could not have seen the excellency of the law; with- 
 out grace bestowed from the same source, he feels that he could not obey it. As the mind grows 
 in wisdom, so ought the affections to become purer and more elevated. The desire to perfect this 
 sublime object of true religion gives fervour to the prayer of faith ; the fear of missing it inspires 
 a corresponding humility. 
 
 622 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 25. 
 
 Et veniat super me. 
 
 ET thy loving mercy come also unto me, 
 O Lord : even thy salvation, according unto 
 thy word. 
 
 42 So shall I make answer unto my 
 blasphemers : for my trust is in thy word. 
 
 43 O take not the word of thy truth 
 utterly out of my mouth : for my hope is in 
 thy judgements. 
 
 44 So shall I alway keep thy law : yea, for ever and ever. 
 
 45 And I will walk at liberty : for I seek thy commandments. 
 
 46 I will speak of thy testimonies also, even before kings : and 
 will not be ashamed. 
 
 47 And my delight shall be in thy commandments : which I have 
 loved. 
 
 48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I 
 have loved : and my study shall be in thy statutes. 
 
 Memor esto serv'i tui. 
 
 THINK upon thy servant, as concerning 
 thy word : wherein thou hast caused me to 
 put my trust. 
 
 50 The same is my comfort in my trou- 
 ble : for thy word hath quickened me. 
 
 51 The proud have had me exceedingly 
 in derision : yet have I not shrinked from 
 thy law. 
 
 52 For I remembered thine everhxsting 
 judgements, O Lord : and received comfort. 
 
 53 I am horribly afraid : for the ungodly that forsake thy law. 
 
 " Let thy loving," ^-c— The best source of confidence that any being can enjoy is the mercy of 
 its Creator. " If God be for us, who can be against us .?" is a question which the common reason 
 of mankind immediately answers. But to bring the favour of God upon the path or current of our 
 lives is that for which worldly understandings strive in vain. Divine mercy acts on the affairs, as 
 well as on the souls, of men, through the medium of dispensations accepted, venerated, and 
 obeyed. Thus operating, it bestows strength for the greatest trials ; and the powers of the world 
 hear with awe the testimonies of God's servants to the truth of His promises and His judgments. 
 
 " think upon,"' .^-c.— One of the noblest privileges of the child of Gud is spoken of in this 
 -psalm. Oppressed by the injustice of the world, the heart rejoices in the knowledge that it may 
 appeal to God ; and that, while it is scorned by the proud and licentious multitude, it is justified 
 by the wisdom, and guided by the Spirit, of the Most High. 
 
 623 
 
Day 25. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 54 Thy statutes have been my songs : in the house of my 
 pilgrimage- 
 
 55 I have thought upon thy Name, O Lord, in the night-season : 
 and have kept thy law. 
 
 56 This I had : because I kept thy commandments. 
 
 Portio mea, Domine. 
 
 lave 
 
 HOU art my portion, O Lord : I I 
 promised to keep thy law. 
 
 58 I made my humble petition in thy 
 presence with my whole heart : O be 
 merciful unto me, according to thy word. 
 
 59 I called mine own ways to remem- 
 brance : and turned my feet unto thy testi- 
 monies. 
 
 60 I made haste, and prolonged not the 
 time : to keep thy commandments. 
 
 61 The congregations of the ungodly have robbed me : but I have 
 not forgotten thy law. 
 
 62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee 
 thy righteous judgements. 
 
 63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee 
 commandments. 
 
 64 The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy 
 statutes. 
 
 Bonitatem feclsti. 
 
 LORD, thou hast dealt graciously with thy 
 servant : according unto thy word. 
 
 66 O learn me true understanding and 
 knowledge : for I have believed thy com- 
 mandments. 
 
 67 Before I was troubled, I went wrong : 
 but now have I kept thy word. 
 
 68 Thou art good and gracious : O 
 teach me thy statutes. 
 
 " Thou art my,^' 8fc. — The goodness of God is so perfect, that with Him for our portion we cannot 
 fail of happiness. But a proper sense of our unworthiuess will teach us that it is only with the 
 most earnest humility that we ought to look for mercy. Faith, cherished by prayer and confession, 
 brings the soul into that state in which it is susceptible to all the movements of Divine grace. 
 Thence it derives it consolation, and thence its permanent trust in the fulfilment of the designs of 
 mercy. 
 
 624 
 
 because of 
 and keep thy 
 O teach me thy 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 25. 
 
 69 The proud have imagined a lie against me : but I will keep 
 thy commandments with my whole heart. 
 
 70 Their heart is as fat as bra\\n : but my delight hath l^een in 
 thy law. 
 
 71 It is good for me that I have been in trouble : that I may 
 learn thy statutes. 
 
 72 The law of thy mouth is dearer unto me : than thousands of 
 gold and silver. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Manus tuco feccrunt me. 
 
 HY hands have made me and fashioned 
 me : O give me understanding, that I may 
 learn thy commandments. 
 
 74 They that fear thee will be glad when 
 they see me : because I have put my trust 
 in thy word. 
 
 75 I know, O Lord, that thy judgements 
 are right : and that thou of very faithful- 
 ness hast caused me to be troubled. 
 
 76 O let thy merciful kindness be my 
 comfort : according to thy word unto thy 
 servant. 
 
 77 O let thy loving mercies come unto 
 me, that I may live : for thy law is my 
 delight. 
 
 78 Let the proud be confounded, for they go Avickedly about to 
 destroy me : but I will be occupied in thy commandments. 
 
 £^^, 
 
 " Lord, thot/," i^-c— Affliction is a teacher of wisdom. It explains to lis the real nature of our 
 condition here, and, convincing us of our helplessness, first sends us to God for aid, and then teaches 
 us to acknowledge the source whence our comforts and consolations have arisen. " Before I was 
 troubled I went wrong,"' is the language of many a saint in heaven. Blessed are they whose natural 
 sorrow has been converted into "the godly sorrow, which worketh repentance unto salvation." 
 
 " TTiy hands," 8;c. The knowledge that God is the author of our being, affords the trembling 
 heart a powerful motive for trusting in His mercy. If the wise and benevolent Author of the Universe 
 gave us the nature which inclines us to desire life, and its varied gratifications, we have reason to 
 hope that whatever wish is truly consistent with this disposition of our being will be fulfilled. 
 But we have wandered so far from the real path of nature, as well as grace, that we can scarcely 
 claim the fulfilment of any part of the original covenant with man. All we can do is to pray that 
 God would effect that for us by His mercy which we most earnestly desire, but which we can only 
 hope for through grace. 
 
 G-2.5 4 L 
 
Day 25. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 79 Let such as fear thee, and have known thy testimonies : l)e 
 turned unto me. 
 
 80 O let my heart be sound in thy statutes : that I be not 
 ashamed. 
 
 Defecit anima mea. 
 
 Y soul hath longed for thy salvation : and 
 I have a good hope because of thy word. 
 
 82 Mine eyes long sore for thy word : 
 saying, O when wilt thou comfort me ? 
 
 83 For I am become like a bottle in the 
 smoke : yet do I not forget thy statutes. 
 
 84 How many are the days of thy ser- 
 vant : wdien Avilt thou be avenged of them 
 that persecute me ? 
 
 85 The proud have digged pits for me : which are not after thy 
 law. 
 
 86 All thy commandments are true : they persecute me falsly ; 
 O be thou my help. 
 
 87 They had almost made an end of me upon earth : but I forsook 
 not thy commandments. 
 
 88 O quicken me after thy loving-kindness : and so shall I keep 
 the testimonies of thy mouth. 
 
 In (Sternum, Domine. 
 
 endureth for ever in 
 
 LORD, thy word 
 heaven. 
 
 90 Thy truth also remaineth from one 
 generation to another : thou hast laid the 
 foundation of the earth, and it abideth. 
 
 91 They continue this day according to 
 thine ordinance : for all things serve thee. 
 
 92 If my delight had not been in thy 
 law : I should have perished in my trouble. 
 
 93 I w^ill never forget thy commandments : for with them thou 
 hast quickened me. 
 
 " My soul hath,"" 8fc. — It is a blessed proof that the soul hath imbibed a new principle of life, 
 when it begins to hunger and thirst after righteousness. The desire of salvation is happily answered 
 by the promises of the Gospel, and the cpiickening graces of the Holy Spirit. These enable the 
 soul to resist all the temptations of Satan, and to endure patiently the injuries of the world. 
 
 626 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 25. 
 
 94 I am thine, O save me : for I have sought thy command- 
 ments. 
 
 95 The ungodly laid wait for me to destroy me : but I will 
 consider thy testimonies. 
 
 96 I see that all things come to an end : but thy commandment is 
 exceeding broad. 
 
 Quomodo dilexi ! 
 
 ORD, what love have I unto thy law : all 
 the day long is my study in it. 
 
 98 Thou through thy commandments hast 
 made me wiser than mine enemies : for they 
 are ever with me. 
 
 99 I have more understanding than my 
 teachers : for thy testimonies are my study. 
 
 100 I am wiser than the aged : because 
 I keep thy commandments. 
 
 101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way : that I may 
 keep thy word. 
 
 102 I have not shrunk from thy judgements : for thou teachest 
 
 me. 
 
 103 O how sweet are thy words unto my throat : yea, sweeter 
 than honey unto my mouth. 
 
 104 Through thy commandments I get understanding : therefore 
 I hate all evil ways. 
 
 " Lord, thy," 8(c. — The stedfast perfection of God's word, compared with the ever-changing 
 temper of the world, is a theme full of comfort to the spiritual mind. However agitated h)^ present 
 afflictions, it escapes from the storm into the deep tranquillity of holy meditation. God has assured 
 His people that they shall finally triumph over every enemy, and on His word they rest in unfailing 
 peace. Nothing can speak plainer on the advantages of religious meditation than this psalm. 
 " If my delight had not been in thy law, I should have perished in my trouble." As the world is 
 generally the source of our distresses, it is surely not wise to suppose that it will be ready to afford 
 us relief in the season of sorrow or anxiety. However promising its appearance in the day of 
 prosperity, or however willing it may prove itself to sympathize with the brief distress which is 
 likely to leave us as it found us, it knows of no remedy for the deeper afflictions of the soul, and 
 has little or no sympathy with misfortunes that waste and humble till the pride of the human 
 heart is altogether fled. As this is the case, how happy are they who, when troubles come, need 
 not turn to the world for succour, but, looking to their God, can find in the promises of His word 
 an unfailing fountain of consolations. 
 
 " Lord, what love^'' ^-c. — An experimental acquaintance with the Divine law presents it to the 
 mind as an inexhaustible source of delight and wisdom. A mind well instructed in the word of God 
 is superior both in light and strength to the most accomplished intellects that want this sanctifying 
 culture. But it is not a knowledge even of Divine things that will thus elevate the soul, unless 
 brought forth in practice. The Psalmist speaks of that love of truth which actuates the whole 
 beiug, leaving neither the reason nor the affections unoccupied by its influence. 
 
 6-27 
 
 4 L -1 
 
THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Lucerna pedlbus meis. 
 
 HY word is a lantern unto my feet : and a 
 light unto my paths. 
 
 106 I have sworn, and am stedfastly 
 purposed : to keep thy righteous judge- 
 ments. 
 C ' 107 I am troubled above measure : 
 
 quicken me, O Lord, according to thy 
 word. 
 
 108 Let the free-will offerings of my mouth please thee, O Lord : 
 and teach me thy judgements. 
 
 109 My soul is alway in my hand : yet do I not forget thy law. 
 
 110 The ungodly have laid a snare for me : but yet I swerved 
 not from thy commandments. 
 
 111 Thy testimonies have I claimed as mine heritage for ever : 
 and why ? they are the very joy of my heart. 
 
 112 I have applied my heart to fulfil thy statutes alway : even 
 unto the end. 
 
 " 7"% word is,''' 8;c. — The clouds wliich either our own infirmities or the powers of the world 
 raise to obscure our prospects, speedily give way before the penetrating rays of God's Word. Let 
 enemies beset us with snares, the light of heavenly wisdom is sufficient to direct our steps ; — let 
 trouble perplex us with a thousand doubts and anxieties, the same blessed beacon will guide us to 
 the haven of our rest. 
 
 628 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 26. 
 
 Iniquos odio habui. 
 
 HATE them that imagine evil things : 
 but thy laAV do I love. 
 
 114 Thou art my defence and shield : 
 and my trust is in thy word. 
 
 1 15 Away from me, ye wicked : I will 
 keep the commandments of my God. 
 
 116 O stablish me according to thy 
 word, that I may live : and let me not be 
 disappointed of my hope. 
 
 1 17 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe : yea, my delight shall 
 be ever in thy statutes. 
 
 118 Thou hast trodden down all them that depart from thy 
 statutes : for they imagine but deceit. 
 
 119 Thou puttest away all the ungodly of the earth like dross : 
 therefore I love thy testimonies. 
 
 120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee : and I am afraid of thy 
 judgements. 
 
 Feci judicium. 
 
 DEAL with the thing that is lawful and 
 right 
 
 O give me not over unto mine 
 
 oppressors. 
 
 122 Make thou thy servant to delight in 
 that which is good : that the proud do me 
 no wrong. 
 
 123 INIine eyes are Avasted away with 
 looking for thy health : and for the word of 
 thy righteousness. 
 
 124 O deal with thy servant according unto thy loving mercy : 
 and teach me thy statutes. 
 
 " / hate them;' ^-c— A deep and vital conviction of the goodness of God cannot fail to render 
 the heart anxious respecting the promotion of His glory. The enemies of His law will be con- 
 sidered as hostile to whatever is worthy of the highest regard ; and in the terror with which the 
 mind contemplates the state and character of these enemies of God it will find a solemn lesson, 
 the most affecting, perhaps, that it can receive, warning it against every sin that might tend to 
 bring it into the same condition. 
 
 " / deal with," ^-c— Perseverance in holiness under trials and discouragements is a grand and 
 convincing proof of the power of faith. When the eye is wasted with looking for health, and still 
 the soul remains faithful to its vows, the truth of God"s promises is glorified in the noblest manner. 
 He has assured the believer of the sufficiency of His grace, and of the purposes of His love, to 
 bring to glory those whom He hath justified. This is enough for a firm and spiritual faith. It 
 perseveres even under the privation of spiritual comforts. 
 
 629 
 
Day 26. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 125 I am thy servant, O grant me understanding : that I may 
 know thy testimonies. 
 
 126 It is time for thee, Lord, to lay to thine hand : for they have 
 destroyed thy law. 
 
 127 For I love thy commandments : above gold and precious 
 stone. 
 
 128 Therefore hold I straight all thy commandments : and all false 
 ways I utterly abhor. 
 
 Mirabilia. 
 
 HY testimonies are wonderful : therefore 
 doth my soul keep them. 
 
 130 When thy word goeth forth : it 
 giveth light and understanding unto the 
 simple. 
 
 131 I opened my mouth, and drew in 
 my breath : for my delight was in thy 
 commandments. 
 
 132 O look thou upon me, and be mer- 
 ciful unto me : as thou usest to do unto those that love thy Name. 
 
 133 Order my steps in thy word : and so shall no wickedness 
 have dominion over me. 
 
 134 O deliver me from the wrongful dealings of men : and so 
 shall I keep thy commandments. 
 
 135 Shew the light of thy countenance upon thy servant : and 
 teach me thy statutes. 
 
 136 Mine eyes gush out with water : because men keep not 
 thy law. 
 
 Justus es, Domine. 
 
 IGHTEOUS art thou, O Lord : and true 
 is thy judgement. 
 
 138 The testimonies that thou hast com- 
 manded : are exceeding righteous and true. 
 
 139 My zeal hath even consumed me : 
 because mine enemies have forgotten thy 
 words. 
 
 140 Thy word is tried to the uttermost : 
 and thy servant loveth it. 
 
 141 I am small, and of no reputation : yet do I not forget thy 
 commandments. 
 630 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Dmj 2(\. 
 
 142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness : and thy 
 law is the truth. 
 
 143 Trouble and heaviness have taken hold upon nie : yet is my 
 delight in thy commandments. 
 
 144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting : O grant 
 me understanding, and I shall live. 
 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Clamavi in toto corde meo. 
 
 CALL with my whole heart : hear me, 
 O Lord, I will keep thy statutes. 
 
 146 Yea, even unto tliee do I call : help 
 me, and I shall keep thy testimonies. 
 
 147 Early in the morning do I cry unto 
 thee : for in thy word is my trust. 
 
 1 48 Mine eyes prevent the night-watches : 
 that I might be occupied in thy words. 
 
 149 Hear my voice, O Lord, according 
 unto thy loving-kindness : quicken me, 
 according as thou art wont. 
 
 150 They draw nigh that of malice per- 
 secute me : and are far from thy law. 
 
 151 Be thou nigh at hand, O Lord : for 
 all thy commandments are true. 
 
 152 As concerning thy testimonies, I have knoAvn long since : 
 that thou hast grounded them for ever. 
 
 '• Thi/ testimonies,'' 8fc. — The beauty of holiness, the surpassing excellency of God's law, is 
 powerfully set forth in the sentiments here expressed. It is the privilege of sanctified minds to be 
 able to perceive its glory ; and the emanations of its light, strengthening their faculties, and 
 throwing a radiance on the whole system of things around them, become to them a fountain of 
 satisfaction, valuable above all the treasures of the earth. 
 
 " Righteous,'" Sfc. — The righteousness and purity of the Divine testimonies inspire the heart with 
 a wisdom altogether new. Led by them to contemplate the decrees and works of God as perfectly 
 good, it consents with a willing obedience to whatever it may be called upon to endure. The 
 promotion of holiness is its first grand care. To further this, it readily encounters every danger, 
 and sacrifices every selfish wish. '' My zeal hath consumed me" (Psalm Ixix. 9, John ii. 17) was 
 the expression of God's faithful servant David. It was, in a far higher sense, applicable to Christ ; 
 and in Him, and by His Spirit, it is the symbol of His people in all ages and countries. 
 
 " / ca/l with," ^-c— Affliction prompts the heart to seek for help ; but, anxious as it may render 
 us to attain the necessary aid, it can prompt no consolatory prayer, — no feeling of hope or trust, — 
 unless the love of God have previously wrought upon our souls. Then, as in this psalm, the sup- 
 plications which we pour forth will have a tone of gratitude and filial affection. The lovmg- 
 kindness of the Lord will be appealed to ; and the voice of praise, and the prayer founded on the 
 study of the heavenly oracles, will anticipate the dawn of day. 
 
 631 
 
Day 26. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Vide humilitatem. 
 
 CONSIDER mine adversity, and deliver 
 nie : for I do not forget thy law. 
 
 154 Avenge thou my cause, and deliver 
 me : quicken ine, according to thy A\'ord. 
 
 155 Health is far from the ungodly : for 
 they regard not thy statutes. 
 
 156 Great is thy mercy, O Lord : quicken 
 me, as thou art wont. 
 
 157 Many there are that trouble me, and 
 persecute me : yet do I not swerve from thy testimonies. 
 
 158 It grieveth me when I see the transgressors : because they 
 keep not thy law. 
 
 159 Consider, O Lord, how I love thy commandments : 
 O quicken me, according to thy loving-kindness. 
 
 160 Thy word is true from everlasting : all the judgements of thy 
 righteousness endure for evermore. 
 
 Principes persecuti sunt. 
 
 RINCES have persecuted me without a 
 cause : but my heart standeth in awe of 
 thy word. 
 
 162 I am as glad of thy word : as one 
 that findeth great spoils. 
 
 163 As for lies, I hate and abhor them : 
 but thy law do I love. 
 
 1 64 Seven times a day do I praise thee 
 because of thy righteous judgements. 
 
 165 Great is the peace that they have who love thy law : and they 
 are not offended at it. 
 
 " consider," 8fc. — The sorrows of the righteous are transient. Deeply as they may penetrate 
 the soul, it is known that they will have an end ; and that the gloom of the present will be suc- 
 ceeded by an endless futurity of glory. The ungodly, on the contrary, cut asunder the very roots 
 of life and happiness. Their momentary prosperity but adds a greater gloom to their approaching 
 destruction ; and, in the contrast which their lot thus presents to the reflecting mind, it sees one of 
 the most powerful of arguments for continued obedience to the Divine law. 
 
 " P?-inces have," Sfc. — That which was true of David, when persecuted by Saul and his other 
 enemies, was true also, in a more extensive and painful manner, of the Redeemer. A worldly 
 man, if exposed to any trouble on account of religion, speedily satisfies his conscience that perse- 
 verance in such a course is not necessary. Piety, weak and ungrounded iu spiritual dispositions, 
 yields with almost equal facility. But the true child of God, however persecuted, however oppressed 
 with grief on account of his holy devotion to the law of his heavenly Father, still urges forward, 
 and makes the dangers with which he is encompassed a reason for more earnest prayer. 
 
 632 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 26. 
 
 166 Lord, I have looked for thy saving health : and done after 
 thy commandments. 
 
 167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies : and loved them ex- 
 ceedingly. 
 
 168 I have kept thy commandments and testimonies : for all my 
 ways are before thee. 
 
 Appropinquet deprecatio. 
 
 ET my complaint come before thee, O Lord : 
 give me understanding, according to thy 
 word. 
 
 170 Let my supplication come before 
 thee : deliver me, according to thy word. 
 
 171 My lips shall speak of thy praise : 
 when thou hast taught me thy statutes. 
 
 172 Yea, my tongue shall sing of thy 
 word : for all thy commandments are righteous. 
 
 173 Let thine hand help me : for I have chosen thy com- 
 mandments. 
 
 174 I have longed for thy saving health, O Lord : and in thy 
 law is my delight. 
 
 175 O let my soul live, and it shall praise thee : and thy judge- 
 ments shall help me. 
 
 176 I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost : O seek thy 
 servant, for I do not forget thy commandments. 
 
 " Let my compiaint," 8fc. — A sentiment of deep humility pervades the whole of this Divine psalm. 
 Mercy is sought for, and not a reward claimed. A believer in justification by human merits, 
 could use scarcely a single expression in the psalm without many modifications. Confidence 
 iu human wisdom, or in any means of improvement but those offered by the Holy Spirit, would 
 equally prevent the fair adoption of its language. The goodness of God, working freely in the 
 fulness of compassion, — the corruption of the human heart needing a vital regeneration, — the 
 wickedness of the world, despising the means of grace, and the sorrows of God's people, looking 
 for deliverance through the progress of the Almighty's inscrutable designs, — these are the subjects 
 of the Psalmist's contemplation ; and he will have advanced far both in wisdom and holiness 
 whose mind can occupy itself in similar meditations, mingling thought with prayer, and both 
 prayer and thought with the sighs and tears of a contrite spirit. It is said that this psalm was 
 regarded by the ancients with so much reverence that they committed it to memory, rejoicing in 
 the possession of so admirable a formulary for the exercises of self-examination, and a pure, 
 devotional faith. " The Book of Psalms," said the great leader of the Reformation, " is an epitome 
 of the Bible, and the 119th psalm is an epitome of all the rest." Scripture, in every part, is a 
 condensation of a vast series of truths ; and it is one of the characteristics of a rightly-ordered 
 Christian mind that it delights, above all things, in unfolding the great moral and spiritual 
 mysteries which lie wrapped up in the succinct language of inspiration. The ll'Jth psalm, taken 
 up by a mind like this, presents an infinite variety of subjects out of which may be drawn the 
 noblest lessons of practice; and, illustrated by the Gospel, an outline of doctrines the most 
 necessary to the comforting and the strengthening of the soul. 
 
 633 4 M 
 
THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER 
 
 
 Psal. cxx. Ad Dominum. 
 
 HEN I was in trouble I called upon the 
 Lord : and he heard nie. 
 
 2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying 
 lips : and from a deceitful tongue. 
 
 3 What reward shall be given or done 
 unto thee, thou Itilse tongue : even mighty 
 and sharp arrows, with hot burning coals. 
 
 4 Wo is me, that I am constrained to dwell with Mesech : and to 
 have my habitation among the tents of Kedar. 
 
 5 My soul hath long dwelt among them : that are enemies unto 
 peace. 
 
 6 I labour for peace, but when I speak unto them thereof : they 
 make them ready to battle. 
 
 Psalm cxx. — It is the comfort of the righteous to know that the Lord will not fail to deliver 
 him at last, whatever be the power or number of his enemies. The greatest of the troubles with 
 which the child of God has to contend, arises from his being surrounded by those who hate the 
 Divine law, and the peace which it would establish. Mesech and Kedar. the one the son of 
 Japheth, and spoken of by Ezukiel xxvii. 13, and the other the son of the wild Ishmael (Gen. xxv. 
 13), here personate the powers of the world, setting themselves in battle array against the 
 believer. This is the first of the fifteen psalms which are called the Songs of Degrees. Thej' 
 are supposed to have been sung on the steps before the great gate of the Temple. 
 
 634 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 27. 
 
 Psal, cxxi. Levavi oculos. 
 
 WILL lift up mine eyes unto the hills : 
 from whence cometh my help. 
 
 2 My help cometh even from the Lord : 
 who hath made heaven and earth. 
 
 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be 
 moved : and he that keepeth thee will 
 not sleep. 
 
 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel : shall 
 neither slumber nor sleep. 
 
 5 The Lord himself is thy keeper : the Lord is thy defence upon 
 thy right hand ; 
 
 6 So that the sun shall not burn thee by day : neither the moon 
 by night. 
 
 7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil : yea, it is even he 
 that shall keep thy soul. 
 
 8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in : 
 from this time forth for evermore. 
 
 Psal. cxxii. Lcstatus 
 
 sum. 
 
 WAS glad when they said unto me : We 
 d^ will go into the house of the Lord. 
 
 2 Our feet shall stand in thy gates : 
 O Jerusalem. 
 
 3 Jerusalem is built as a city : that is 
 at unity in itself. 
 
 4 For thither the tribes go up, even the 
 tribes of the Lord : to testify unto Israel, 
 to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord. 
 
 5 For there is the seat of judgement 
 of David. 
 
 even the seat of the house 
 
 Psalm cxxi. — God on His everlasting throne receives the prayers of His people, and thence 
 pours down upon them the abundance of His blessing. The experience of countless generations 
 of His worshippers has proved the readiness with which He hears and answers prayer. God sent 
 help from Sion, when worshijiped there by His faithful people : — how much more will He bestow 
 grace on those who offer up their prayers, through Christ, before the throne of Heaven ! This 
 psalm was probably sung in chorus by the worshippers and the priests. 
 
 Psalm cxxii. — It is supposed from the nature of this psalm that it was sung by companies 
 of people going up to Jerusalem at the periods appointed for the great public festivals. It is 
 beautifully expressive of the delight which the nation took in tlie service of God — of the reverence 
 which it felt for His sanctuary — and the fervent desire which it had, that the city so blessed and 
 sanctified might ever flourish as the palace of the Great King. 
 
 635 4 M 2 
 
Day 27. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 6 O pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shall prosper that 
 love thee. 
 
 7 Peace be within thy walls : and plenteousness within thy 
 palaces. 
 
 8 For my brethren and companions' sakes : I will wish thee 
 prosperity. 
 
 9 Yea, because of the house of the Lord our God : I will seek to 
 do thee good. 
 
 Psal. cxxiii. Ad te levavi oculos meos. 
 
 NTO thee lift I up mine eyes : O thou 
 that dwellest in the heavens. 
 
 2 Behold, even as the eyes of servants 
 look unto the hand of their masters, and 
 as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of 
 her mistress : even so our eyes wait upon 
 the Lord our God, until he have mercy 
 upon us. 
 
 3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have 
 mercy upon us : for we are utterly despised. 
 
 4 Our soul is filled Avith the scornful reproof of the wealthy : and 
 with the despitefulness of the proud. 
 
 Psal. cxxiv. Nisi quia Dominus. 
 
 F the Lord himself had not been on our 
 side, now may Israel say : if the Lord 
 himself had not been on our side, when 
 men rose up against us ; 
 
 2 They had swallowed us up quick : 
 when they were so wrathfuUy displeased 
 at us. 
 
 3 Yea, the waters had drowned us : and 
 the stream had gone over our soul. 
 
 4 The deep waters of the proud : had gone even over our soul. 
 
 Psalm cxxiii. — This short psalm was evidently written in a period of great distress, probably 
 during the Captivity. 
 
 Psalm cxxiv. — As the preceding psalm was composed in a season of trouble, so this was written 
 in commemoration of deliverance. The hour of prosperity, as well as that of adversity, is reflected 
 in the clear mirror of these divine compositions. " If any be merry among you, let him sing 
 psalms." How strange that cheerfulness should so rarely be expressed according to the apostolic 
 precept ! 
 
 636 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 27. 
 
 5 But praised be the Lord : who hath not given us over for a 
 prey unto their teeth. 
 
 6 Our soul is escaped even as a bird out of the snare of the 
 fowler : the snare is broken, and we are delivered. 
 
 7 Our help standeth in the Name of the Lord : who hath made 
 heaven and earth. 
 
 Psal. 
 
 cxxv. 
 
 Qui confidunt. 
 
 HEY that put their trust in the Lord shall 
 be even as the mount Sion : which may 
 not be removed, but standeth fast for ever. 
 
 2 The hills stand about Jerusalem : even 
 so standeth the Lord round about his people, 
 from this time forth for evermore. 
 
 3 For the rod of the ungodly cometh not 
 into the lot of the righteous : lest the right- 
 eous put their hand unto wickedness. 
 
 4 Do well, O Lord : unto those that are good and true of heart. 
 
 5 As for such as turn back unto their own wickedness : the Lord 
 shall lead them forth with the evil-doers ; but peace shall be upon 
 Israel. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. cxxii. In convertendo. 
 
 HEN the Lord turned again the captivity 
 of Sion : then were we like unto them that 
 dream. 
 
 2 Then was our mouth filled with laugh- 
 ter : and our tongue with joy. 
 
 3 Then said they among the heathen : 
 The Lord hath done great things for them. 
 
 4 Yea, the Lord hath done great things 
 for us already : whereof we rejoice. 
 
 5 Turn our captivity, O Lord : as the 
 rivers in the south. 
 
 6 They that sow in tears : shall reap in 
 
 joy. 
 
 PsAi.M CXXV. — This psalm is supposed to refer to the final establishment of God's people under 
 the reign of Messiah. By the rod of the ungodly is meant their power, or sceptre ; and it is here 
 stated, according to the comforting faith of the just in all ages, that the righteous shall uot. for 
 any length of time, be exposed to their oppressions. 
 
 637 
 
Day 27. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 7 He tliat now goeth on his way weeping, and bearetli forth good 
 seed : shall doubtless come again with joy, and bring his sheaves 
 with him. 
 
 Psal. cxxvii. Nisi Dominus. 
 
 their 
 
 the 
 
 XCEPT the Lord build the house : 
 labour is but lost that build it. 
 
 2 Except the Lord keep the city 
 watchman Avaketh but in vain. 
 
 3 It is but lost labour that ye haste to 
 rise up early, and so late take rest, and eat 
 the bread of carefulness : for so he giveth 
 his beloved sleep. 
 
 4 Lo, children and the fruit of the 
 womb : are an heritage and gift that cometh of the Lord. 
 
 5 Like as the arrows in the hand of the giant : even so are the 
 young children. 
 
 6 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them : they shall 
 not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate. 
 
 Psal. cxxviii. Beati omnes. 
 
 LESS ED are all they that fear the Lord : 
 and walk in his ways. 
 
 2 For thou shalt eat the labours of thine 
 hands : O well is thee, and happy shalt 
 thou be. 
 
 3 Thy wife shall be as the fruitful vine . 
 upon the walls of thine house. 
 
 4 Thy children like the olive-branches : 
 round about thy table. 
 
 Lo, thus shall the man be blessed : that feareth the Lord. 
 
 Psalm cxxvi. — This is supposed to have been one of the psalms sung by the Jews on their 
 return from Babylon. It strikingly describes the feelings of a people just escaped from bondage, 
 and finding in their present happiness an assurance of God's constant favour and protection. As 
 the rivers in the south flowed with streams replenished by copious rains, so did the returning 
 captives look to see their bands continually increasing. 
 
 Psalm cxxvii. Solomon is said to have been the author of this psalm. The sentiments which 
 it expresses will be gladly repeated by the thankful heart. Security and haj)piness of every kind 
 are the gift of God. Whatever we effect for ourselves is but a shadow, — a form to mock us for an 
 instant, and then leave us desolate. The gifts of God are realities ; and His people are enriched 
 by His blessings without having to endure any of that heart-breaking care which unpityingly 
 denies to the worldly and the ambitious the enjoyment of repose. 
 
 638 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 6 The Lord from out of Sion shall so bless thee 
 see Jerusalem in prosperity all thy life long. 
 
 7 Yea, that thou shalt see thy children's children 
 upon Israel. 
 
 Psal. cxxix. Sa>pe expugnaverunt 
 
 Day 27. 
 that thou shalt 
 
 and peace 
 
 ANY a time have they fought against me 
 from my youth up : may Israel now say, 
 
 2 Yea, many a time have they vexed me 
 from my youth up : but they have not 
 prevailed against me. 
 
 3 The plowers plowed upon my back : 
 and made long furrows. 
 
 4 But the righteous Lord : hath hewn 
 the snares of the ungodly in pieces. 
 
 5 Let them be confounded and turned backward : as many as 
 have evil will at Sion. 
 
 6 Let them be even as the grass growing upon the house-tops : 
 which withereth afore it be plucked up ; 
 
 7 Whereof the mower filleth not his hand : neither he that bindeth 
 up the sheaves his bosom. 
 
 8 So that they who go by say not so much as, The Lord prosper 
 you : Ave wish you good luck in the Name of the Lord. 
 
 Psal. cxxx. De profundis. 
 
 UT of the deep have I called unto thee, 
 O Lord : Lord, hear my voice. 
 
 2 O let thine ears consider well ; the 
 voice of my complaint. 
 
 3 If thou. Lord, wilt be extreme to 
 mark what is done amiss : O Lord, who 
 may abide it ? 
 
 4 For there is mercy with thee : there- 
 fore shalt thou be feared. 
 
 Psalm cxxviii. — This psalm is said to have been used when the people brought to the Temple 
 the first-fruits of their harvests. It speaks of blessings still dear to the human heart, and which, 
 if it would enjoy them lastingly, it must look for as blessings from out of Sion. 
 
 Psalm cxxix. — It is supposed that this psalm was written shortly after the return from Babylon, 
 and probably by Ezra. Tlie bitter hatred with which the unfortunate exiles were treated by tlie 
 surrounding people, will account for the language employed by the Psalmist. God"s mercy and 
 man's injustice form a frequent theme with the actors iu the great events of old. 
 
 639 
 
Day 27. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 5 I look for the Lord ; my soul doth wait for him : in his word is 
 my trust. 
 
 6 JVIy soul fleeth unto the Lord : before the morning watch, I say, 
 before the morning watch. 
 
 7 O Israel, trust in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy : 
 and with him is plenteous redemption. 
 
 8 And he shall redeem Israel : from all his sins. 
 
 Psal. cxxxi. Domine, non est. 
 
 ORD, I am not high-minded : I have no 
 proud looks. 
 
 2 I do not exercise myself in great mat- 
 ters : which are too high for me. 
 
 3 But I refrain my soul, and keep it low, 
 like as a child that is weaned from his 
 mother : yea, my soul is even as a weaned 
 child. 
 
 4 O Israel, trust in the Lord : from 
 this time forth for evermore. 
 
 "»'*'. .j^ 
 
 Psalm cxxx. — This beautiful and pathetic psalm is supposed to have been composed by David 
 in some season of deep affliction, arising from his own sins ; or by one of the captives in Babylon, 
 looking for relief through prayer and confession. It is couched in the language which the truly 
 penitent heart may ever use to its consolation and relief. 
 
 PsAMi CXXXI. — This short psalm is attributed to David, and expresses that humility which may 
 be regarded as the natural result of penitence, and the necessary groundwork of faith. The first 
 sign of conversion exhibited by a heart truly awakened to the terrors of sin is self-abasement. In 
 its ordinary state it sought but for that which might flatter its pride, and remove from its thoughts 
 whatever could in anywise tend to the lessening of its confidence in the promises of the world. It 
 found a dignity in pride ; — a lofty satisfaction in the risings of the spirit towards a superiority not 
 yet attainable. Disappointment produced anger and bitterness of feeling : success encouraged the 
 mind to a further striving after power ; and in the perpetual effort, thought, straining itself to the 
 utmost, missed the rewards of both wisdom and virtue. The converted heart discovers its mistake. 
 It sees plainly that "pride was not made for man ;" and that, while aiming at the heavens, it is 
 only digging a pit for itself in the depths of affliction. The recollection of sin gives a humbling 
 voice to the past ; the dread of again falling inspires the future with the same lesson ; and the 
 heart now finds as much consolation in the acknowledgment of its weakness — of its misery and 
 wants — as it before did in the vaunting of its pretensions, or in the display of its most shining 
 powers. " I refrain my soul, and keep it low, like as a child that is weaned from his mother : yea, 
 my soul is even as a weaned child." This is the humble and tender expression of every sanctified 
 heart. Knowledge of God and of itself is the true root of its humility ; and it feels profoundly 
 that should it now exercise itself in great matters, it would not be in that state in which the 
 discipline of repentance, or the work of faith, could be prosperously carried on. Shrinking, there- 
 fore, from everything which might tempt it into the encouragement of a haughty or confident 
 spirit, it keeps its eye steadfastly fixed on the sad proofs of its own weakness, and on the 
 wonderful mercy and condescension of God. The honours for which it sighs are those of heaven 
 and eternity ; but it knows that none of them can be obtained except through the free and most 
 undeserved grace of God. 
 
 640 
 
THE TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 
 Psal. cxxxii. Memento, Domine. 
 ORD, remember David : and all 
 
 hit 
 
 trouble ; 
 
 2 How he sware unto the Lord : and 
 vowed a vow unto the Almighty God of 
 Jacob ; 
 
 3 I w ill not come within the tabernacle 
 of mine house : nor climb up into my bed ; 
 
 4 I will not suffer mine eyes to sleep, nor mine eye-lids to 
 slumber : neither the temples of my head to take any rest ; 
 
 5 Until I find out a place for the temple of the Lord : an 
 habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. 
 
 PsAi.M CXXXII. — This is supposed to have been composed in commemoration of the removal of 
 the ark from tlie Tabernacle into the Temple built by Solomon. (See '1 Sam. vii. 2 Chron. xvii.) 
 It is highly interesting when considered in this light, as it brings before us not only the images of 
 those lofty figurative circumstances which marked the progress of events in early days, but the 
 sentiments which embodied themselves in the faith of those who lived under the ancient dispensa- 
 tion. The si\th verse is obscure, but seems to refer to the district where David had his birth, aud 
 to which tradition probably pointed as the cradle of that Sovereign Power which should, spiritually, 
 be established for ever. It is conjectured that the priests and Levites sung this psalm in chorus 
 as they carried the ark up the steps of the Temple. 
 
 641 4 N 
 
Day 28. THE PSALMS. 
 
 6 Lo, we heard of the same at Ephrata : and found it in the 
 wood. 
 
 7 We will go into his tabernacle : and fall low on our knees 
 before his footstool. 
 
 8 Arise, O Lord, into thy resting-place : thou, and the ark of thy 
 strength. 
 
 9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness : and let thy 
 saints sing with joy fulness. 
 
 10 For thy servant David's sake : turn not away the presence of 
 thine Anointed. 
 
 1 1 The Lord hath made a faithful oath unto David : and he shall 
 not shrink from it ; 
 
 12 Of the fruit of thy body : shall I set upon thy seat. 
 
 13 If thy children will keep my covenant, and my testimonies that 
 I shall learn them : their children also shall sit upon thy seat for 
 evermore. 
 
 14 For the Lord hath chosen Sion to be an habitation for 
 himself : he hath longed for her. 
 
 1 5 This shall be my rest for ever : here will I dwell, for I have a 
 delight therein. 
 
 16 1 will bless her victuals with increase : and will satisfy her 
 poor with bread. 
 
 17 I will deck her priests with health : and her saints shall rejoice 
 and sing. 
 
 18 There shall I make the horn of David to flourish : I have 
 ordained a lantern for mine Anointed. 
 
 19 As for his enemies, I shall clothe them Avith shame : but upon 
 himself shall his crown flourish. 
 
 Psal. cxxxiii. Ecce, qiiam honuml 
 
 EHOLD, how good and joyful a thing it 
 is : brethren, to dwell together in unity ! 
 
 2 It is like the precious ointment upon 
 the head, that ran doAvn unto the beard : 
 even unto Aaron's beard, and went down 
 to the skirts of his clothing. 
 
 3 Like as the dew of Hermon : which 
 fell upon the hill of Sion. 
 
 4 For there the Lord promised his 
 blessing : and life for evermore. 
 
 642 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 28. 
 
 Psal . cxxxiv. Ecce nunc. 
 
 EHOLD now, praise the Lord : all ye 
 servants of the Lord ; 
 
 2 Ye that by night stand in the house of 
 the Lord : even in the courts of the house 
 of our God. 
 
 3 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary : 
 and praise the Lord. 
 
 4 The Lord that made heaven and earth : 
 give thee blessing out of Sion. 
 
 Psal. cxxxv. Laudate Nomen. 
 
 PRAISE the Lord, laud ye the Name of 
 the Lord : praise it, O ye servants of the 
 Lord ; 
 
 2 Ye that stand in the house of the 
 Lord : in the courts of the house of our 
 God. 
 
 3 O praise the Lord, for the Lord is 
 gracious : O sing praises unto his Name, 
 for it is lovely. 
 
 4 For why? the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself : and 
 Israel for his own possession. 
 
 5 For I know that the Lord is great : and that our Lord is above 
 all gods. 
 
 Psalm cxxxiii. — This is a beautiful little hymn, and, if applicable under the Law, how much 
 more so under the Gospel ! The former allowed much to the hardness of men's hearts ; the latter 
 teaches that love is the fulfilling of the Law (Rom. xiii. 10) ; and that he that hateth his brother 
 is in darkness, and is a murderer (1 John ii. 9, iii. 13); the whole combined iu the one new com- 
 mandment of the Saviour, that we love one another as He loved us (John xv. 12). Hermon was a 
 lofty range of mountains in the neighbourhood of the lake of Galilee, and it is poetically represented 
 as shedding its dews on the less fertile hills about Jerusalem. 
 
 Psalm cxxxiv. — The priests, in their courses, continued the worship of God in the Temple 
 without intermission. This short psalm is supposed to have been the song of those who, having 
 fulfilled their own service, left their brethren, with a mingled blessing and exhortation, to keep the 
 solemn watches of the night. The Church of God never allows the voice of praise to be silent. 
 Some of its children are always awake, though the heaviness of sorrow, or the temptations of the 
 world, or the natural infirmity of nature, may have wrapped the greater number in sleep. But it 
 is a happy reflection that, whatever be the state of the Church below, the Church above is ever 
 ready to keep the watches of the night as well as of the day. No voice grows weaiy there with 
 the hymn of thanksgiving ; and the thoughtful hearts of God's worshippers below, when sensible 
 of their own imperfections, rejoice to know that the Almighty Father has those who can serve 
 Him so well. They seem to catch new ardour from the wakeful joys of heaven, and the spirit 
 instinctively prays that the glory of those saints above may perpetually increase. 
 
 643 4 N 2 
 
/%28. THE PSALMS. 
 
 6 Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in 
 earth : and in the sea, and in all deep places. 
 
 7 He bringeth forth the clouds from the ends of the world : and 
 sendeth forth lightnings with the rain, bringing the winds out of his 
 treasures. 
 
 8 He smote the first-born of Egypt : Ijoth of man and beast. 
 
 9 He hath sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O thou 
 land of Egypt : upon Pharaoh, and all his servants. 
 
 1 He smote divers nations : and slew mighty kings ; 
 
 11 Sehon king of the Amorites, and Og the king of Basan : and 
 all the kingdoms of Canaan ; 
 
 12 And gave their land to be an heritage : even an heritage unto 
 Israel his people. 
 
 13 Thy Name, O Lord, endureth for ever : so doth thy memorial, 
 O Lord, from one generation to another. 
 
 14 For the Lord will avenge his people : and be gracious unto 
 his servants. 
 
 15 As for the images of the heathen, they are but silver and 
 gold : the work of men's hands. 
 
 16 They have mouths, and speak not : eyes have they, but they 
 see not. 
 
 17 They have ears, and yet they hear not : neither is there any 
 breath in their mouths. 
 
 18 They that make them are like unto them : and so are all they 
 that put their trust in them. 
 
 19 Praise the Lord, ye house of Israel : praise the Lord, ye house 
 of Aaron. 
 
 20 Praise the Lord, ye house of Levi : ye that fear the Lord, 
 praise the Lord. 
 
 21 Praised be the Lord out of Sion : who dwelleth at Jerusalem. 
 
 Psalm cxxxv. — This psalm, like the preceding, is regarded as one of the hymns sung by the 
 courses of the priests and Levites. The reasons are urged which ought to act most powerfully on 
 the heart when called to the worship of God. His name is lovely in holiness, majesty, and love. 
 He has manifested the perfection of all His attributes in the preservation of His people ; and when 
 His nature and His doings are compared with the idols which the world has worshipped, how 
 valuable must the grace be considered whereby we have been enabled to know and adore His 
 power ! This psalm is reckoned among those used at the Feast of Pentecost. It is capable of 
 interesting spiritual applications. The determinations of heavenly wisdom are not to he coimter- 
 acted by the power of the creature. " Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and 
 in the earth ; and in the sea, and in all deep places." The Church of Christ gladly listens to the 
 exhortations of the Psalmist. As the true house of Israel, it knows that from its courts and people 
 praises should be heard sufficient to rouse the world to attention. If Israel be silent, what can be 
 expected from the multitudes who have never seen the worth of holiness P But if only one people 
 be entirely devoted to God, we may hopefully look for the conversion of the rest. 
 
 644 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 28. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. cxxxvi. Confitemini. 
 
 GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he is 
 gracious : and his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 2 O give thanks unto the God of all 
 gods : for his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 3 O thank the Lord of all lords : for his 
 mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 4 Who only doeth great wonders : for 
 his mercy endureth for ever, 
 
 5 Who by his excellent wisdom made 
 the heavens : for his mercy endureth for 
 ever. 
 
 6 Who laid out the earth above the 
 waters : for his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 7 Who hath made great lights : for his mercy endureth for ever ; 
 
 8 The sun to rule the day : for his mercy endureth for ever ; 
 
 9 The moon and the stars to govern the night : for his mercy 
 endureth for ever. 
 
 10 Who smote Egypt with their first-born : for his mercy 
 endureth for ever ; 
 
 11 And brought out Israel from among them : for his mercy 
 endureth for ever ; 
 
 12 With a mighty hand, and stretched out arm : for his mercy 
 endureth for ever. 
 
 13 Who divided the Red sea in two parts : for his mercy 
 endureth for ever ; 
 
 14 And made Israel to go through the midst of it : for his mercy 
 endureth for ever. 
 
 15 But as for Pharaoh and his host, he overthrew them in the 
 Red sea : for his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 Psalm cxxxvi. — This triumphant song of praise is supposed to have been written after tlie 
 Babylonish Captivity, and to have been employed on the same occasions as the preceding. Israel 
 commemorated the glory of God as it manifested itself in the overthrow of the heathen nations 
 which opposed His designs. The enemies presented to the mind of the Chiistian are sin and 
 death in their own distinct and awful forms. Against these had the Captain of his salvation to 
 strive. Over these, by the power of love and holiness. He triumphed ; and when the believer 
 thinks of this, and of the innumerable instances of the working of Divine grace in the conversion 
 of sinners, and in the establishment of the Church, he rejoices to adopt the language of this psalm, 
 giving it a loftier meaning than could ever have been attached to it by the devoutest worshipper 
 under the Law. 
 
 G45 
 
Day 28. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 1 6 Who led his people through the wilderness : for his mercy 
 endureth for ever. 
 
 17 Who smote great kings : for his mercy endureth for ever; 
 
 18 Yea, and slew mighty kings : for his mercy endureth for ever; 
 
 19 Selion king of the Amorites : for his mercy endureth for ever; 
 
 20 And Og the king of Basan : for his mercy endureth for ever ; 
 
 21 And gave away their land for an heritage : for his mercy 
 endureth for ever ; 
 
 22 Even for an heritage unto Israel his servant : for his mercy 
 endureth for ever. 
 
 23 Who remembered us when we were in trouble : for his mercy 
 endureth for ever ; 
 
 24 And hath delivered us from our enemies : for his mercy en- 
 dureth for ever, 
 
 25 Who giveth food to all flesh : for his mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven : for his mercy en- 
 dureth for ever. 
 
 27 O give thanks unto the Lord of lords : for his mercy endureth 
 for ever. 
 
 Psal. cxxxvii. Super flumina. 
 
 Y the waters of Babylon we sat down and 
 wept : when we remembered thee, O Sion. 
 
 2 As for our harps, we hanged them 
 up : upon the trees that are therein. 
 
 3 For they that led us away captive re- 
 quired of us then a song, and melody, in our 
 heaviness : Sing us one of the songs of Sion. 
 
 4 How shall we sing the Lord's 
 in a strange land ? ♦ 
 
 song 
 
 5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem : let my right hand forget her 
 cunning. 
 
 Psalm cxxxvii. — It is evident that this melancholy but beautiful psalm was written by one of 
 the sorrowing captives in Babylon. The fame of Israel's songs had made its way among the 
 heathen nations ; but the true beauty of those divine hymns was derived from a source of which 
 the heathen were utterly ignorant, and, as they were ignorant of the source of their excellency, so 
 was it little probable that they could be sensible to the real sweetness of the melody. " How shall 
 we sing the Lord's song in a strange land.^" Not only was the heart of the singer too faint to 
 speak in the language of former days, but the ear was dull of hearing for which the song was 
 asked. The Euphrates, or the river Chebar (Kzek. iii. Ifi), may be understood " by the waters of 
 Babylon." The prophecy against Babylon was fulfilled at the taking of the city by Cyrus, King 
 of Persia, and in the events which immediately followed, so that at last nothing remained but its 
 walls, in the midst of which the kings of Persia are said to have kept wild beasts for hunting 
 (Isaiah xiii. 21). 
 
 646 
 
THE PSALMS. Day 28. 
 
 6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of 
 my mouth : yea, if I prefer not Jerusalem in my mirth. 
 
 7 Remember the children of Edom, O Lord, in the day of Jeru- 
 salem : hoAV they said, Down with it, down with it, even to the 
 ground. 
 
 8 O daughter of Babylon, wasted with misery : yea, happy shall 
 he be that rewardeth thee, as thou hast served us. 
 
 9 Blessed shall he be that taketh thy children : and throweth 
 them against the stones. 
 
 Psal. cxxxviii. Confitebor tihi. 
 
 WILL give thanks unto thee, O Lord, 
 with my whole heart : even before the gods 
 will I sing praise unto thee. 
 
 2 I will worship toward thy holy tem- 
 ple, and praise thy Name, because of thy 
 loving-kindness and truth : for thou hast 
 magnified thy Name, and thy Word, above 
 all things. 
 
 3 When I called upon thee, thou heardest 
 me : and enduedst my soul with much strength. 
 
 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord : for they 
 have heard the w^ords of thy mouth. 
 
 5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord : that great is the 
 glory of the Lord. 
 
 6 For though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the 
 lowly : as for the proud, he beholdeth them afar off. 
 
 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, yet shalt thou refresh 
 me : thou shalt stretch forth thy hand upon the furiousness of mine 
 enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. 
 
 8 The Lord shall make good his loving-kindness toward me : yea, 
 thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever ; despise not then the works of 
 thine own hands. 
 
 PsAi.M CXXXVIII. — By some commentators this psalm is said to have been composed after the 
 Captivity ; by others it is ascribed to David, who is supposed to have written it on his ascending 
 the throne after the death of Saul. It is a song of praise which every servant of God may adopt 
 when, recollecting his deliverance from spiritual enemies or worldly troubles, he turns towards that 
 mercy-seat whence the help descended. In the day of trial he found the mercy of God working 
 salvation ; he was refreshed by His grace — enlightened by His Spirit. How assured then must 
 he be that the rest succeeding his toils will be indescribably glorious ! 
 
 G47 
 
THE TWENTY. NINTH DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 h^hf^^B% 
 
 tongue 
 
 Psal. cxxxix. Domine, probasti 
 
 LORD, thou hast searched nie out, and 
 known nie : thou knowest my down-sitting, 
 and mine up-rising ; thou understandest my 
 thoughts long before. 
 
 2 Thou art about my path, and about my 
 bed : and spiest out all my ways. 
 
 3 For lo, there is not a Avord in my 
 but thou, O Lord, knowest it altogether. 
 
 Psalm cxxxix. — This is one of the sublimest and most beautiful of the psalms. It leads us to 
 the contemplation of the power and wisdom of God as exercised particularly in the creation of man, 
 and in endowing him with those wonderful qualities of both mind and body which liave rendered 
 him tlie marvel of the universe. The choicest production of the skilful artificer is that whicli he 
 takes the greatest care to preserve ; and the love and mercy of God towards man correspond to the 
 first act of His wisdom in His creation. But while mankind at large have the evidence of this 
 truth in the common bounty of Divine Providence, the faithful worshippers of the heavenly Father 
 experience manifestations of His mercy so deep and full, that they recognise His presence in all 
 the circumstances of their lives, and feel that to His constant love they are indebted for those 
 happy sensations of peace which keep their hearts serene and tranquil in the midst of danger. 
 This fervent assurance of God's presence and love producing a proportionable gratitude in the soul, 
 fidelity, zeal, and devotion, are the glorious fruits ; and it becomes its joy as well as its duty to 
 conform itself, in all its ways and dispositions, to the Divine will. 
 
 648 
 
THE PSALMS. /My 29. 
 
 4 Thou hast fashioned me behind and before : and laid thine hand 
 upon me. 
 
 5 Such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent for me : I 
 cannot attain unto it. 
 
 6 Whither shall I go then from thy Spirit : or whither shall I go 
 then from thy presence ? 
 
 7 If I climb up into heaven, thou art there : if I go down to hell, 
 thou art there also. 
 
 8 If I take the wings of the morning : and remain in the utter- 
 most parts of the sea ; 
 
 9 Even there also shall thy hand lead me : and thy right hand 
 shall hold me. 
 
 10 If I say, Perad venture the darkness shall cover me : then shall 
 my night be turned to day. 
 
 1 1 Yea, the darkness is no darkness with thee, but the night is as 
 clear as .the day : the darkness and light to thee are both alike. 
 
 12 For my reins are thine : thou hast covered me in my mother's 
 womb. 
 
 13 1 will give thanks unto thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully 
 made : marvellous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right 
 well. 
 
 14 My bones are not hid from thee : though I be made secretly, 
 and fashioned beneath in the earth. 
 
 15 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect : and in 
 thy book Avere all my members written ; 
 
 16 Which day by day were fashioned : when as yet there was 
 none of them. 
 
 17 How dear are thy counsels unto me, O God : O how great is 
 the sum of them ! 
 
 18 If I tell them, they are more in number than the sand : when 
 I wake up I am present with thee. 
 
 19 Wilt thou not slay the wicked, O God : depart from me, 
 ye blood-thirsty men. 
 
 20 For they speak unrighteously against thee : and thine enemies 
 take thy Name in vain. 
 
 21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee : and am not 
 I grieved with those that rise up against thee ? 
 
 22 Yea, I hate them right sore : even as though they were mine 
 enemies. 
 
 23 Try me, O God, and seek the ground of my heart : prove me, 
 and examine my thoughts. 
 
 649 4 o 
 
Day 29. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 24 Look well if tliere be any way of Avickedness in me : and lead 
 me in the way everlasting. 
 
 N\ \\v\\[r 
 
 Psal. cxl. Eripe me, Domine. 
 
 ELIVER me, O Lord, from the evil 
 man : and preserve me from the wicked 
 man. 
 
 2 Who imagine mischief in their hearts : 
 and stir up strife all the day long. 
 
 3 They have sharpened their tongues 
 like a serpent : adder's poison is under their 
 lips. 
 
 4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of 
 the ungodly : preserve me from the wicked men, who are purposed 
 to overthrow my goings. 
 
 5 The proud have laid a snare for me, and spread a net abroad 
 with cords : yea, and set traps in my way. 
 
 6 I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God : hear the voice of my 
 prayers, O Lord. 
 
 7 O Lord God, thou strength of my health : thou hast covered 
 my head in the day of battle. 
 
 8 Let not the ungodly have his desire, O Lord : let not his 
 miscliievous imagination prosper, lest they be too proud. 
 
 9 Let the mischief of their own lips fall upon the head of them : 
 that compass me about. 
 
 10 Let hot burning coals Ml upon them : let them be cast into 
 the fire, and into the pit, that tliey never rise up again. 
 
 11 A man full of words shall not prosper upon the earth : evil 
 shall hunt the wicked person to overthrow him. 
 
 12 Sure I am that the Lord will avenge the poor : and maintain 
 the cause of tlie helpless. 
 
 13 The righteous also shall give thanks unto thy Name : and the 
 just shall continue in thy sight. 
 
 PsAr.M CXI.. — The world, miable to reach Christ Himself, is occupied, in the seasons of its 
 pride, with assailini]^ Ilis faithful and devoted people. But the difficulties with which they have 
 thereby to contend, ohlij^infi; them to a more dilij^ent cultivation of spiritual power, lead, in reality, 
 to the more complete discomfiture of the adversary. This psalm was probably composed by David 
 in a season of j^reat distress. He afforded throuirhout his life a memorable example of the tendency 
 of affliction to discipline the heart to thouj2;htfulness. His prayers thence became as earnest as 
 they were frequent; and his final tran(iuillity may he regarded as an evidence to every future 
 generati(m of lielievers of the power of prayer. 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 29. 
 
 Psal. c.\li. Domine, clamavL 
 
 ORD, I call upon thee, haste thee unto 
 nie : and consider my voice when I cry 
 unto thee. 
 
 2 Let my prayer be set forth in thy sight 
 as the incense : and let the lifting up of my 
 hands be an evening sacrifice. 
 
 3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my 
 mouth : and keep the door of my lips. 
 
 4 O let not mine heart be inclined to 
 any evil thing : let me not be occupied in ungodly works Avith the 
 men that work wickedness, lest I eat of such things as please 
 them. 
 
 5 Let the righteous rather smite me friendly : and reprove me. 
 
 6 But let not their precious balms break my head : yea, I -will 
 pray yet against their Avickedness. 
 
 7 Let their judges be overthrown in stony places : that they may 
 hear my words, for they are sweet. 
 
 8 Our bones lie scattered before the pit : like as Avhen one 
 breaketh and heweth wood upon the earth. 
 
 9 But mine eyes look unto thee, O Lord God : in thee is my 
 trust, O cast not out my soul. 
 
 10 Keep me from the snare that they have laid for me : and from 
 the traps of the wicked doers 
 
 1 1 Let the ungodly fall into their own nets together : and let me 
 ever escape them. 
 
 Psalm cxli. — This is another of the psahiis ascribed to David when under j)ersecution. He 
 wisely determined that, in order to be secure from the attacks of the wicked, he must himself be 
 free from wickedness. To this end he souglit Divine grace for the purifying of his heart ; — for tliis 
 he prayed that his conversation might be ordered aright, and that he might at all times enjoy the 
 edifying counsels of the holy. In the 6th and 7th verses there is some obscurity ; but it seems 
 to be explained on the supposition that David, when speaking of the precious balms of those with 
 whom he had to do, alluded to the flattery of the wicked, and its destructive influence; and 
 that, in speaking of the overthrow of their judges, he referred to the defeat that might attend his 
 enemies, and to the sentiments of justice and compassion with which he had opposed their base 
 and persevering malice. The mortalitj' of mankind could scarcely be represented in imagery more 
 striking or powerful than that employed in this psalm. " Our bones lie scattered before the pit ; 
 like as when one breaketh and heweth wood upon the earth." The conduct of the world appears 
 more than ever base and ruinous when considered at the same time with the fleeting nature of 
 man's existence. Not a vestige of those triumphs which successful wickedness has gained over 
 patient virtue can long remain. Alreadj- may the proud, the selfish, the luxurious sensualist see 
 the hour when his bones shall lie whitening on the earth, like branches of trees long cut down and 
 withered. With these images familiar to the mind, still to pursue a course of life abhorrent from 
 reason and holiness, is a melancholy proof that sin can take the meaning out of every argument 
 that wisdom would suggest for man's conversion. 
 
 G51 4 o 2 
 
Day 29. 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 % 
 
 Psal. cxlii. Voce mea ad Dominvm. 
 
 CRIED unto the Lord with my voice : 
 yea, even unto the Lord did I make my 
 J supplication. 
 
 2 I poured out my complaints before 
 him : and shewed him of my trouble. 
 
 3 When my spirit was in heaviness thou 
 knewest my path : in the way wherein 
 I walked have they privily laid a snare 
 for me. 
 
 4 I looked also upon my right hand : 
 and saw there was no man that would 
 knoAV me. 
 
 5 I had no place to flee unto : and no 
 man cared for my soul. 
 
 6 I cried unto thee, O Lord, and said : Thou art my hope, and 
 my portion in the land of the living. 
 
 7 Consider my complaint : for I am brought very low. 
 
 8 O deliver me from my persecutors : for they are too strong 
 for me. 
 
 9 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks unto thy 
 Name : which thing if thou wilt grant me, then shall the righteous 
 resort unto my company. 
 
 Psalm cxlii. — This is said to have been composed by David when in the cave of Engedi. It 
 may be adopted by every believer who, conscious of his own weakness and misery, feels that God 
 alone, by His meicy and His Spirit, can deliver him from the bondai^e of corruption — from the 
 dangers and temptations of tliis present evil world. The remembrance of the comforts derived 
 from heavenly grace in many former trials teaches the heart to repose with hope on the continued 
 support of the same Divine Power. God has delivered ; He will still deliver : and when the soul 
 has been thoroughly cleansed from its sin, and can rejoice in its freedom, then will it enjoy the 
 privilege of being admitted for ever into the body of the Church — into the communion of saints. 
 This, like other psalms of a similar character, may be regarded spiritually as proceeding from 
 Christ. The world, with all the terrors of which it is master when assailing the righteous, rose 
 against Christ the instant He announced His mission. John spoke of repentance; but Christ 
 spoke of a cross. Repentance is not such a hateful word as death, or the cross. Sin feels that 
 it may live again, however bruised by grief or remorse; but it knows that, once really on the 
 cross, it dies never to revive. Hence the hatred of the world to Christ; and hence the sorrows 
 which, according to the nature and the office which He had assumed, pressed upon His 
 soul. But when His "Spirit was in heaviness" the Almighty Father knew His path,— rejoiced 
 ill His successive victories over sin; — poured down upon Him the fulness of heavenly grace; 
 — sent ministering angels to soothe Him in His hour of extreme agony; — and, at the close of His 
 wondrous work, opened the glorious heavens to receive Him in the character of man's Deliverer 
 and Lord ! 
 
 65'2 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 29. 
 
 Psal. cxliii. Domine, exaudi. 
 
 EAR my prayer, O Lord, and consider my 
 desire : hearken unto me for thy truth and 
 righteousness' sake. 
 
 2 And enter not into judgement with 
 thy servant : for in thy sight shall no man 
 living he justified. 
 
 3 For the enemy hath persecuted my 
 soul ; he hath smitten my life down to the 
 ground : he hath laid me in the darkness, 
 
 as the men that have been long dead. 
 
 4 Therefore is my spirit vexed within me : and my heart within 
 me is desolate. 
 
 5 Yet do I remember the time past ; 1 muse upon all thy works : 
 yea, I exercise myself in the works of thy hands. 
 
 6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee : my soul gaspeth unto thee 
 as a thirsty land. 
 
 7 Hear me, O Lord, and that soon, for my spirit waxeth faint : 
 hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down 
 into the pit. 
 
 8 O let me hear thy loving-kindness betimes in the morning, for 
 in thee is my trust : shew thou me the way that I should Avalk in, 
 for I lift up my soul unto thee. 
 
 9 Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies : for I flee unto thee 
 to hide me. 
 
 10 Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee, for thou art 
 my God : let thy loving Spirit lead me forth into the land of 
 righteousness. 
 
 11 Quicken me, O Lord, for thy Name's sake : and for thy 
 righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. 
 
 12 And of thy goodness slay mine enemies : and destroy all them 
 that vex my soul ; for I am thy servant. 
 
 Psalm cxmii. — Confession gives force to prayer in this beautiful and pathetic psalm. The 
 recollection of sins — the consciousness of present tendencies to evil — forbids the prayer for help till 
 an acknowledgment has been made of the utter absence of desert. This done, the fainting spirit 
 addresses the Father of mercies in the truest language of faith. It acknowledges His loving- 
 kindness, and the benignant power of His grace ; — it looks to their operation as tlie sole means of 
 happiness and freedom; — and in the trust that they will be bestowed in answer to prayer, it 
 anticipates the dawning of the day to accomplish this grand part of the work of salvation. 
 
 653 
 
THE TIIIUTIKTII DAY. 
 
 MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 Bened'idus Dominus. 
 
 "rr" 
 
 LESS ED be the Lord my strength : -vvho 
 teacheth my hands to war, and my lingers 
 to fight ; 
 
 2 ]My hope and my fortress, my castle 
 and deliverer, my defender in whom I 
 trust : who subdueth my people that is 
 under me. 
 
 3 Lord, what is man, that thou hast such respect unto him : or the 
 son of man, that thou so regardest him ? 
 
 4 IMan is like a thing of nought : his time passeth away like a 
 shadow. 
 
 Psalm cxliv. — In the retrospect of a life spent in the service of God, how matij- ciicumstances 
 recur to the mind wliich impress it with the deepest sense of God's undeserved mercy ! AVhat is 
 man that He shouhl treat him with so much compassion? AVhat is the greatest saint tliat he 
 should receive such blessings from the Almighty ? When the hour of peril again returns, the suul, 
 strengthened by such meditations, lifts up itself to God, and asks, in the humble trust of a thankful 
 faith, for the assistance of which it stands in need. Do mighty and revengeful foes assail it ? — it 
 ajipeals to the power and inevitable justice of the Most High. Does secret sin with subtle venom 
 endanger the life of the spirit r" — it prays for renovating grace. In all respects the Lord is its hope 
 and its fortress — a stiength that never fails ! 
 
 654 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 30. 
 
 5 Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down : touch the 
 mountains, and they shall smoke. 
 
 6 Cast forth thy lightning, and tear them : shoot out thine arrows, 
 and consume them. 
 
 7 Send down thine hand from above : deliver me, and take me 
 out of the great waters, from the hand of strange children ; 
 
 8 Whose mouth talketh of vanity : and their right hand is a right 
 hand of wickedness. 
 
 9 I will sing a new song unto thee, O God : and sing praises unto 
 thee upon a ten-stringed lute. 
 
 10 Thou hast given victory unto kings : and hast delivered David 
 thy servant from the peril of the sAVord. 
 
 1 1 Save me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children : 
 whose mouth talketh of vanity, and their right hand is a right hand 
 of iniquity. 
 
 12 That our sons may grow up as the young plants : and that our 
 daughters may be as the polished corners of the temple. 
 
 13 That our garners may be full and plenteous with all manner of 
 store : that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in 
 our streets. 
 
 14 That our oxen may be strong to labour, that there be no 
 decay : no leading into captivity, and no complaining in our streets 
 
 15 Happy are the people that are in such a case : yea, blessed 
 are the people who have the Lord for their God. 
 
 Psal. cxlv. Exaltaho te, Deus. 
 
 WILL magnify thee, O God, my King : 
 and I will praise thy Name for ever and 
 ever. 
 
 2 Every day will I give thanks unto 
 thee : and praise thy Name for ever and 
 ever. 
 
 3 Great is the Lord, and marvellous, 
 worthy to be praised : there is no end of 
 his greatness. 
 
 PsAi.M CXLV. — It was a common saying among the Jews of old that "he could not fail to be 
 a child of God who would repeat this psalm three times everj' day." If this saying was taken 
 according to its literal meaning only, it was as likely to do harm as good, the frequent repetition 
 of the most holy form of words being often used to satisfy the mind with a mere show of holiness, 
 and thereby take it from the more inward exercise of devotion. But if by the repetition three 
 
 655 
 
Day so. THE PSALMS. 
 
 4 One generation shall praise thy works unto another : and 
 declare thy power, 
 
 5 As for me, I will be talking of thy worship : thy glory, thy 
 praise, and wondrous works ; 
 
 6 So that men shall speak of the might of thy marvellous acts : 
 and I will also tell of thy greatness. 
 
 7 The memorial of thine abundant kindness shall be shewed : 
 and men shall sing of thy righteousness. 
 
 8 The Lord is gracious, and merciful : long-suffering, and of 
 great goodness. 
 
 9 The Lord is loving unto every man : and his mercy is over all 
 his works. 
 
 10 All thy works praise thee, O Lord : and thy saints give 
 thanks unto thee. 
 
 1 1 They shew the glory of thy kingdom : and talk of thy power ; 
 
 12 That thy power, thy glory, and mightiness of thy kingdom : 
 might l)e known unto men. 
 
 13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom : and thy dominion 
 endureth throughout all ages. 
 
 14 The Lord upholdeth all such as fall : and lifteth up all those 
 that are down. 
 
 15 The eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord : and thou givest 
 them their meat in due season. 
 
 16 Thou openest thine hand : and fiUest all things living with 
 plenteousness. 
 
 17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways : and holy in all his 
 works. 
 
 18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him : yea, all 
 such as call upon him faithfully. 
 
 19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him : he also will 
 hear their cry, and will help them. 
 
 20 The Lord preserveth all them that love him : but scattereth 
 abroad all the ungodly. 
 
 21 ]My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord : and let all 
 flesh give thanks unto his holy Name for ever and ever. 
 
 times a-<lay was meant a true spiritual consideration of the matter contained in this psalm, then 
 the saying would have much of truth in it, and the hearts of believers might derive no small 
 comfort from employing the precept in respect not only to the present psalm, hut other similar 
 portions oF the Divine word. The power and goodness of God, exhibited to the mind in the 
 language of the Holy Spirit, and then hallowed in the prayer of faith, thereby become supports to 
 tlie whole fabric of our spiritual nature, and fill us with the richest treasures of holy thought. 
 
 656 
 
THE PSALMS. 
 
 Day 30. 
 
 Psal. cxlvi. Lauda, anima meet. 
 
 RAISE the Lord, O my soul ; Avhile I 
 live will I praise the Lord : yea, as long as 
 I have any being, I will sing praises unto 
 my God. 
 
 2 O put not your trust in princes, nor 
 in any child of man : for there is no help 
 in them. 
 
 3 For when the breath of man goeth 
 forth he shall turn again to his earth : and 
 
 then all his thoughts perish. 
 
 4 Blessed is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help : and 
 whose hope is in the Lord his God ; 
 
 5 Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is : 
 who keepeth his promise for ever ; 
 
 6 Who helpeth them to right that suffer wrong : Avho feedeth the 
 hungry. 
 
 7 The Lord looseth men out of prison : the Lord giveth sight to 
 the blind. 
 
 8 The Lord helpeth them that are fallen : the Lord careth for the 
 righteous. 
 
 9 The Lord careth for the strangers ; he defendeth the fatherless 
 and widow : as for the way of the ungodly, he turneth it upside down. 
 
 10 The Lord thy God, O Sion, shall be King for evermore : 
 and throughout all generations. 
 
 Psalm cxlvi. — This psalm is supposed to have been composed on the return of the captives 
 from Babylon, and some authors conjecture that it formed, with those that follow, the thanksgiving 
 hymn sung at the dedication of the second temple. Its cheerful language will find an echo in 
 every heart that knows the mercy of God in Christ. 
 
 Psalm cxlvh. — This is also ascribed to the captives returned from Babylon. The 2nd, 13th, 
 and 14th verses seem clearly to allude to the dithculties with which they had to contend in rebuild- 
 ing Jerusalem, but which were so wonderfully overcome by the protecting arm of God. Nations 
 distressed and humbled for their sins, but appealing to the mercy of the Almighty — families 
 deprived for a season of peace and prosperity — individuals lying under the chastening hand of 
 their heavenly Father — Churches tried by persecution — all may gather hope from this beautiful 
 psalm in the hour of their affliction ; and all may learn from it how to praise God when His mercy 
 has restored them to their former happiness. 
 
 Psalm cxlviii. — The numberless ranks of created beings are now called upon by the Psalmist to 
 join him in singing the praises of the One Universal Lord. A common life — a common essence — 
 animates the souls of all intelligent creatures ; and a common bond of strength and harmony unites 
 them in an order indescribably sublime and glorious with all that surrounds them. As every being 
 then partakes with every other, according to its nature, in the one sovereign blessing of God's love, 
 so will all, in their proper state of perfection, rejoice to unite in the everlasting chorus which 
 ascribes glory and dominion to the Lord. 
 
 657 4 p 
 
Day 30. 
 
 THE PSALMS 
 
 EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 Psal. cxlvii. Laudate Dominum. 
 
 PRAISE the Lord, for it is a good thing 
 to sing praises unto our God : yea, a joyful 
 jind pleasant thing it is to be thankful. 
 
 2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem : 
 and gather together the out-casts of Israel. 
 
 3 He healeth those that are broken in 
 heart : and giveth medicine to heal their 
 sickness. 
 
 4 He telleth the number of the stars : 
 and calleth them all by their names. 
 
 5 Great is our Lord, and great is his 
 power : yea, and his wisdom is infinite. 
 
 6 The Lord setteth up the meek : and 
 bringeth the ungodly down to the ground. 
 
 7 O sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving : sing praises upon the 
 harp unto our God ; 
 
 8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, and prepareth rain for 
 the earth : and maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains, and 
 herb for the use of men ; 
 
 9 Who giveth fodder unto the cattle : and feedeth the young 
 ravens that call upon him. 
 
 10 He hath no pleasure in the strength of an horse : neither 
 delighteth he in any man's legs. 
 
 11 But the Lord's delight is in them that fear him : and put their 
 trust in his mercy. 
 
 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem : praise thy God, O Sion. 
 
 13 For he hath made fast the bars of thy gates : and hath blessed 
 thy children within thee. 
 
 14 He maketh peace in thy borders : and filleth thee Avith the 
 flour of wheat. 
 
 15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth : and his word 
 runneth very swiftly, 
 
 16 He giveth snow like wool : and scattereth the hoar-frost like 
 ashes. 
 
 17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels : who is able to abide 
 his frost? 
 
 658 
 
THE PSALMS Daym. 
 
 18 He sendeth out his word, and meltetli them : he bloweth with 
 his wind, and the waters flow. 
 
 19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob : his statutes and ordinances 
 unto Israel. 
 
 20 He hath not dealt so with any nation : neither have the heathen 
 knowledge of his laws. 
 
 Psal. cxlviii. Laudate Dominum. 
 
 PRAISE the Lord of heaven : praise him 
 
 ^ 
 
 \\ = in the height. 
 
 2 Praise him, all ye angels of his : praise 
 him, all his host. 
 
 3 Praise him, sun and moon : praise him, 
 all ye stars and light. 
 
 4 Praise him, all ye heavens : and ye 
 Avaters that are above the heavens. 
 
 5 Let them praise the Name of the 
 Lord : for he spake the Avord, and they were made ; he commanded, 
 and they were created. 
 
 6 He hath made them fast for ever and ever : he hath given them 
 a law which shall not be broken. 
 
 7 Praise the Lord upon earth : ye dragons, and all deeps ; 
 
 8 Fire and hail, snow and vapours : wind and storm, fulHUing his 
 word ; 
 
 9 JVIountains and all hills : fruitful trees and all cedars ; 
 
 10 Beasts and all cattle : worms and feathered fowls ; 
 
 11 Kings of the earth and all people : princes and all judges of 
 the world ; 
 
 12 Young men and maidens, old men and children, praise the 
 Name of the Lord : for his Name only is excellent, and his praise 
 above heaven and earth. 
 
 13 He shall exalt the horn of his people ; all his saints shall 
 praise him : even the children of Israel, even the people that serveth 
 him. 
 
 Psalm cxi.ix.— This psalm, connected probably with the former, refers either to victories 
 already gained, or to some expected triumph nigh at hand. The Jews themselves interpreted it as 
 properly applying to the days of the Mtssiah, in the irresistible progress and tinal establishment 
 of whose kingdom this and all other prophetic psahns will have their glorious fulfilment. 
 
 Psalm cl.— The last words of this divine Book are those of praise. It is thus that the Church 
 will sum up its prayers when the days uf refreshing come. Delivered from the power of the 
 adversary - exalted to a state of joy and perfection— it will delight to hymn the praises of Jehovali 
 
 659 4 F 2 
 
Dan •■^^■ 
 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 Psal. cxlix. Cantate Domino. 
 
 SING unto the Lord a new song : let the 
 congregation ot" saints praise him. 
 
 2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made 
 
 him : and let the children of Sion be joyliil 
 
 in their King. 
 
 I 3 Let them praise his Name in the dance : 
 
 »(j\ -^ ^, , li'lill let them sing praises unto him with tabret 
 
 4 For the Lord hath pleasure in his 
 people : and helpeth the meek-hearted. 
 
 5 Let the saints be joyful with glory : let them rejoice in their 
 beds. 
 
 6 Let the praises of God be in their mouth : and a two-edged 
 sword in their hands ; 
 
 7 To be avenged of the heathen : and to rebuke the people ; 
 
 8 To bind their kings in chains : and their nobles with links of 
 iron. 
 
 9 That they may be avenged of them, as it is written : Such honour 
 have all his saints. 
 
 Psal. cl. Laudate Dominum. 
 
 PRAISE God in his holiness : praise him 
 in the firmament of his power. 
 
 2 Praise him in his noble acts : praise 
 him according to his excellent greatness. 
 
 3 Praise him in the sound of the trumpet : 
 praise him upon the lute and harp. 
 
 4 Praise him in the cymbals and dances : 
 praise him upon the strings and pipe. 
 
 5 Praise him upon the well-tuned cym- 
 : praise him upon the loud cymbals. 
 Let every thing that hath breath : praise the Lord. 
 
 bals 
 6 
 
 throiif^h the hii^'lit eternity of its existence. The recollection of past trials will give greater sweet- 
 ness to every note of its harmonious harps ;— the vision of God in His unveiled Majesty will hring 
 to mind the many occasions on which it sought with tears for the mauilestations of His mercy ; 
 — and the perfect happiness of every being that the eye can see. on this side of the outer darkness, 
 will animate the loftiest of intelligences with boundless love, as they exclaim—" Let everything 
 that hath breath praise the Lord !" 
 
 ()60 
 
tx.M,MmM^iM^tMm^^4^MJk 
 
FORMS OF PRAYER 
 
 USED AT SEA. 
 
 ^ The Morning and Evening Service to be used daily at Sea shall be the same which is appointed in 
 
 the Book of Common Prayer, 
 
 % These two following Prayers are to be 
 also used in Her Majesty s Navy every 
 day. 
 
 ETERNAL Lord God, who alone 
 spreadest out the heavens, and 
 rulest the raging of the sea ; who hast 
 compassed the waters with bounds until 
 day and night come to an end ; Be 
 pleased to receive into thy Almighty 
 and most gracious protection the persons 
 of us thy servants, and the Fleet in 
 which we serve. Preserve us from the 
 dangers of the sea, and from the violence 
 of the enemy ; that we may be a safe- 
 guard unto our most gracious Sovereign 
 Lady, Queen VICTORIA, and her Do- 
 minions, and a security for such as pass 
 on the seas upon their lawful occasions; 
 that the inhabitants of our Island may 
 in peace and quietness serve thee our 
 God ; and that we may return in safety 
 to enjoy the blessings of the land, with 
 the fruits of our labours, and with a 
 thankful remembrance of thy mercies to 
 praise and glorify thy holy Name; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 PREVENT us, Lord, in all our 
 doings, with thy most gracious 
 favour, and further us with thy continual 
 help ; that in all our works begun, con- 
 tinued, and ended in thee, we may glo- 
 rify thy holy Name, and finally by thy 
 mercy obtain everlasting life; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ Prayers to be used in Storms at Sea. 
 
 OMOST powerful and glorious Lord 
 God, at whose command the winds 
 blow, and lift up the waves of the sea, 
 and who stillest the rage thereof; We 
 thy creatures, but miserable sinners, do 
 in this our great distress cry unto thee 
 for help : Save, Lord, or else we perish. 
 663 
 
 We confess, when we have been safe, 
 and seen all things quiet about us, we 
 have forgot thee our God, and refused to 
 hearken to the still voice of thy word, 
 and to obey thy commandments : But 
 now we see, how terrible thou art in all 
 thy works of wonder ; the great God to 
 be feared above all : And therefore w'e 
 adore thy Divine Majesty, acknowledging 
 thy power, and imploring thy goodness. 
 Help, Lord, and save us for thy mercy's 
 sake in Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 Or this. 
 
 OMOST glorious and gracious Lord 
 God, who dwellest in heaven, but 
 beholdest all things below ; Look down, 
 we beseech thee, and hear us, calling out 
 of the depth of misery, and out of the 
 jaws of this death, which is ready now 
 to swallow us up : Save, Lord, or else 
 we perish. The living, the living, shall 
 praise thee. O send thy word of com- 
 mand to rebuke the raging winds, and 
 the roaring sea ; that we, being delivered 
 from this distress, may live to serve thee, 
 and to glorify thy Name all the days of 
 our life. Hear, Lord, and save us, for 
 the infinite merits of our blessed Saviour, 
 thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 % The Prayer to be said before a Fight at 
 Sea against any Enemy. 
 
 OMOST powerful and glorious Lord 
 God, the Lord of hosts, that rulest 
 and commandest all things ; Thou sittest 
 in the throne judging right, and there- 
 fore we make our address to thy Divine 
 Majesty in this our necessity, that thou 
 wouldest take the cause into thine own 
 hand, and judge between us and our 
 enemies. Stir up thy strength, O Lord, 
 and come and help us ; for thou givest 
 not alway the battle to the strong, but 
 canst save by many or by few. O let 
 not our sins now cry against us for 
 
FORMS OF PRAYER TO BE USED AT SEA. 
 
 vengeance; but hear us thy poor ser- 
 vants begging mercy, and imploring thy 
 help, and that thou vv^ouldest be a de- 
 fence unto us against the face of the 
 enemy. Make it appear that thou art 
 our Saviour and mighty Deliverer, through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 % Short Prayers for single persons, that 
 cannot meet to join in Prayer loith others, 
 by reason of the Fight, or Storm, 
 
 General Prayers. 
 
 LORD, be merciful to us sinners, and 
 save us for thy mercy's sake. 
 Thou art the great God, that hast 
 made and rulest all things : O deliver 
 us for thy Name's sake 
 
 Thou art the great God to be feared 
 above all : O save us, that we may praise 
 thee. 
 
 Special Prayers with respect to the 
 Enemy. 
 
 THOU, O Lord, art just and powerful : 
 O defend our cause against the 
 face of the enemy. 
 
 O God, thou art a strong tower of 
 defence to all that flee unto thee : save 
 us from the violence of the enemy. 
 
 Lord of hosts, fight for us, that we 
 may glorify thee. 
 
 O suffer us not to sink under the 
 weight of our sins, or the violence of 
 the enemy. 
 
 O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us 
 for thy Name's sake. 
 
 Short Prayers in respect of a Storm. 
 
 THOU, O Lord, that stillest the 
 raging of the sea, hear, hear us, 
 and save us, that we perish not. 
 
 O blessed Saviour, that didst save thy 
 disciples ready to perish in a storm, hear 
 us, and save us, we beseech thee. 
 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Christ, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 O Lord, hear us. 
 
 O Christ, hear us. 
 
 God the Father, God the Son, God 
 the Holy Ghost, have mercy upon us, 
 save us now and evermore. Amen. 
 
 OUR Father, which art in heaven. 
 Hallowed be thy Name. Thy 
 kingdom come. Thy will be done in 
 earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this 
 day our daily bread. And forgive us 
 664 
 
 our trespasses, As we forgive them that 
 trespass against us. And lead us not 
 into temptation ; But deliver us from 
 evil : For thine is the kingdom, The 
 power, and the glory, For ever and ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^ Ji'hen there shall be bnminent danger, as 
 many as tan be spared from necessary service 
 in the Ship shall he called tugether. and make 
 an humble Confession of their sin to God: In 
 which every one ought seriously to reflect 
 upon those particular sins of which his con- 
 science shall accuse him ; saying, as followeth. 
 
 The Confession. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, 
 Judge of all men ; We acknowledge and 
 bewail our manifold sins and wickedness. 
 Which we, from time to time, most griev- 
 ously have committed, By thought, word, 
 and deed. Against thy Divine Majesty, 
 Provoking most justly thy wrath and 
 indignation against us. We do earnestly 
 repent. And are heartily sorry for these 
 our misdoings ; The remembrance of 
 them is grievous unto us ; The burden of 
 them is intolerable. Have mercy upon 
 us, Have mercy upon us, most merciful 
 Father ; For thy Son our Lord Jesus 
 Christ's sake. Forgive us all that is past ; 
 And grant that we may ever hereafter 
 Serve and please thee Li newness of life, 
 To the honour and glory of thy Name ; 
 Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest, if there be any in the 
 Ship, pronounce this Absolution. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God our heavenly Fa- 
 ther, who of his great mercy hath 
 promised forgiveness of sins to all them 
 that with hearty repentance and true 
 faith turn unto him ; Have mercy upon 
 you; pardon and deliver you from all 
 your sins ; confirm and strengthen you in 
 all goodness, and bring you to everlasting 
 life ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 Thanksgiving after a Storm. 
 
 Jubilate Deo. Psal. Ixvi. 
 
 OBE joyful in God, all ye lands : 
 sing pi-aises unto the honour of his 
 Name, make his praise to be glorious. 
 
 Say unto God, O how wonderful art 
 thou in thy works : through the great- 
 ness of thy power shall thine enemies be 
 found liars unto thee. 
 
FORMS OF PRAYER TO BE USED AT SEA. 
 
 For all the world shall worship thee : 
 sing of thee, and praise thy Name. 
 
 O come hither, and behold the works 
 of God : how wonderful he is in his doing 
 toward the children of men. 
 
 He turned the sea into dry land : so 
 that they went through the water on foot ; 
 there did we rejoice thereof 
 
 He ruleth with his power for ever; 
 his eyes behold the people : and such as 
 will not believe shall not be able to exalt 
 themselves. 
 
 praise our God, ye people : and 
 make the voice of his praise to be heard ; 
 
 Who holdeth our soul in life : and 
 suffereth not our feet to slip. 
 
 For thou, O God, hast proved us : 
 thou also hast tried us, like as silver is 
 tried. 
 
 Thou broughtest us into the snare : 
 and laidest trouble upon our loins. 
 
 Thou sufFeredst men to ride over our 
 heads : we went through fire and water, 
 and thou broughtest us out into a wealthy 
 place. 
 
 1 will go into thine house with burnt- 
 offerings : and will pay thee my vows, 
 which I promised with my lips, and 
 spake with my mouth, when I was in 
 trouble. 
 
 I will offer unto thee fat burnt-sacri- 
 fices, with the incense of rams : I will 
 offer bullocks and goats. 
 
 come hither, and hearken, all ye 
 that fear God : and I will tell you what 
 he hath done for my soul. 
 
 1 called unto him with my mouth : and 
 gave him praises with my tongue. 
 
 If I incline unto wickedness with mine 
 heart : the Lord will not hear me. 
 
 But God hath heard me : and con- 
 sidered the voice of my prayer. 
 
 Praised be God who hath not cast out 
 my prayer : nor turned his mercy from 
 me. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the 
 Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, 
 and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 
 
 Confitemini Domino. Psal. cvii. 
 
 GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he 
 is gracious : and his mercy en- 
 dureth for ever. 
 
 Let them give thanks whom the Lord 
 hath redeemed : and delivered from the 
 hand of the enemy ; 
 665 
 
 And gathered them out of the lands, 
 from the east, and from the west : from 
 the north, and from the south. 
 
 They went astray in the wilderness 
 out of the way : and found no city to 
 dwell in ; 
 
 Hungry and thirsty : their soul fainted 
 in them. 
 
 So they cried unto the Lord in their 
 trouble : and he delivered them from 
 their distress. 
 
 He led them forth by the right way : 
 that they might go to the city where they 
 dwelt. 
 
 O that men would therefore praise the 
 Lord for his goodness : and declare the 
 wonders that he doeth for the children 
 of men ! 
 
 For he satisfieth the empty soul : and 
 filleth the hungry soul with goodness. 
 
 Such as sit in darkness, and in the 
 shadow of death : being fast bound in 
 misery and iron ; 
 
 Because they rebelled against the words 
 of the Lord : and lightly regarded the 
 counsel of the most Highest; 
 
 He also brought down their heart 
 through heaviness : they fell down, and 
 there was none to help them. 
 
 So when they cried unto the Lord in 
 their trouble : he delivered them out of 
 their distress. 
 
 For he brought them out of darkness, 
 and out of the shadow of death : and 
 brake their bonds in sunder. 
 
 O that men would therefore praise the 
 Lord for his goodness : and declare the 
 wonders that he doeth for the children 
 of men ! 
 
 For he hath broken the gates of brass : 
 and smitten the bars of iron in sunder. 
 
 Foolish men are plagued for their 
 offence : and because of their wickedness. 
 
 Their soul abhorred all manner of 
 meat : and they were even hard at death's 
 door. 
 
 So when they cried unto the I^ord in 
 their trouble : he delivered them out of 
 their distress. 
 
 He sent his word, and healed them : and 
 they were saved from their destruction. 
 
 O that men would therefore praise the 
 Lord for his goodness : and declare the 
 wonders that he doeth for the children 
 of men ! 
 
 That thev would offer unto him the 
 sacrifice of thanksgiving : and tell out 
 his works with gladness ! 
 
 4 Q 
 
FORMS OF PRAYER TO BE USED AT SEA. 
 
 They that go down to the sea in 
 ships : and occupy their business in 
 great waters ; 
 
 These men see the works of the Lord : 
 and his wonders in the deep. 
 
 For at his word the stormy wind 
 ariselh : which lifteth up the waves 
 thereof. 
 
 They are carried up to tlie heaven, and 
 down again to the deep ; their soul melt- 
 eth away because of the trouble. 
 
 They reel to and fro, and stagger like 
 a drunken man : and are at their wit's 
 end. 
 
 So when they cry unto the Lord in 
 their trouble : he delivereth them out of 
 their distress. 
 
 For he maketh the storm to cease : so 
 that the waves thereof are still. 
 
 Then are they glad, because they are 
 at rest : and so he bringeth them unto 
 the haven where they would be. 
 
 O that men would therefore praise the 
 Lord for his goodness : and declare the 
 wonders that he doeth for the children of 
 men ! 
 
 That they would exalt him also in tlie 
 congregation of the people : and praise 
 him in the seat of the elders ! 
 
 Who turneth the floods into a wilder- 
 ness : and drieth up the water-springs. 
 
 A fruitful land maketh he barren : 
 for the wickedness of them that dwell 
 therein. 
 
 Again, he maketh the wilderness a 
 standing water : and water-springs of a 
 dry ground. 
 
 And there he setteth the hungry : that 
 they may build them a city to dwell in ; 
 
 That they may sow their land, and 
 plant vineyards ; to yield them fruits of 
 increase. 
 
 He blesseth them, so that they mul- 
 tiply exceedingly : and suffereth not their 
 cattle to decrease. 
 
 And again, when they are minished, 
 and brought low : through oppression, 
 tlirough any plague, or trouble; 
 
 Though he sutler them to be evil in- 
 treated through tyrants : and let them 
 wander out of the way in the wilderness ; 
 
 Yet helpeth he the poor out of misery : 
 and maketh him housholds like a fiock 
 of sheep. 
 
 The righteous will consider this, and 
 rejoice : and the mouth of all wicked- 
 ness shall be stopped. 
 
 Whoso is wise will ponder these things : 
 666 
 
 and they shall understand the loving- 
 kindness of the Lord. 
 
 Gh)ry be to the Father, and to the Son : 
 and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, 
 and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 Collects nf Thanksgiving. 
 
 OMOST blessed and glorious Lord 
 God, who art of infinite goodness 
 and mercy ; We thy poor creatures, 
 whom thou hast made and preserved, 
 holding our souls in life, and now rescu- 
 ing us out of the jaws of death, luunbly 
 present ourselves again before thy Divine 
 ALijesty, to offer a sacrifice of praise and 
 thanksgiving, for that thou heardest us 
 when we called in our trouble, and didst 
 not cast out our prayer, which we made 
 before thee in our great distress : Even 
 when we gave all for lost, our ship, our 
 goods, o\ir lives, then didst thou merci- 
 fully look upon us, and wonderluUy com- 
 mand a deliverance ; for which we, now 
 being in safety, do give all praise and 
 glory to thy holy Name ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Or this : 
 
 MOST mighty and gracious good 
 God, thy mercy is over all thy 
 works, but in special manner hath been 
 extended toward us, whom thou hast so 
 powerfully and wonderfully defended. 
 Thou hast shewed us terrible things, and 
 wonders in the deep, that we might see 
 how powerful and gracious a God thou 
 art; how able and ready to help them 
 that trust in thee. Thou hast shewed us 
 how both winds and seas obey thy com- 
 mand ; that we may learn, even from 
 them, hereafter to obey thy voice, and 
 to do thy will. We therefore bless and 
 glorify thy Name, for this thy mercy in 
 saving us, when we were ready to perish. 
 And, we beseech thee, make us as truly 
 sensible now of thy mercy, as we were 
 then of the danger : And give us hearts 
 always ready to express our thankfulness, 
 not only by words, but also by our lives, 
 in being more obedient to thy holy com- 
 mandments. Continue, we beseech thee, 
 this thy goodness to us; that we, whom 
 thou hast saved, may serve thee in holi- 
 ness and righteousness all the days of 
 our life ; through Jesus Christ our Lord 
 and Saviour. Amen. 
 
FORMS OF PRAYER TO BE USED AT SEA. 
 
 An Hymn of Praise and Thanksgiving 
 after a dangerous Tempest. 
 
 OCOME, let us give thanks unto the 
 Lord, for he is gracious : and his 
 mercy endureth for ever. 
 
 Great is the Lord, and greatly to he 
 praised ; let the redeemed of the Lord 
 say so : whom he hath delivered from 
 the merciless rage of the sea. 
 
 The Lord is gracious and full of com- 
 passion : slow to anger, and of great 
 mercy. 
 
 He hath not dealt with us according 
 to our sins : neither rewarded us accord- 
 ing to our iniquities. 
 
 But as the heaven is high above the 
 earth : so great hath been his mercy 
 towards us. 
 
 We found trouble and heaviness : we 
 were even at death's door. 
 
 The waters of the sea had well-nigh 
 covered us : the proud waters had well- 
 nigh gone over our soul. 
 
 The sea roared : and the stormy wind 
 lifted up the waves thereof. 
 
 We were carried up as it were to 
 heaven, and then down again into the 
 deep : our soul melted within us, be- 
 cause of trouble ; 
 
 Then cried we unto thee, Lord : and 
 thou didst deliver us out of our distress. 
 
 Blessed be thy Name, who didst not 
 despise the prayer of thy servants : but 
 didst hear our cry, and hast saved us. 
 
 Thou didst send forth thy command- 
 ment : and the windy storm ceased, and 
 was turned into a calm. 
 
 O let us therefore praise the Lord for 
 his goodness : and declare the wonders 
 that he hath done, and still doeth for the 
 children of men. 
 
 Praised be the Lord daily : even the 
 Lord that helpeth us, and poureth his 
 benefits upon us. 
 
 He is our God, even the God of whom 
 Cometh salvation : God is the Lord by 
 whom we have escaped death. 
 
 Thou, Lord, hast made us glad through 
 the operation of thy hands : and we will 
 triumph in thy praise. 
 
 Blessed be the Lord God : even the 
 Lord God, who only doeth wondrous 
 things ; 
 
 And blessed be the Name of his Ma- 
 jesty for ever : and let every one of us 
 say, Amen, Amen. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the 
 Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 G67 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, 
 and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 2 Cor. xiii. 
 
 THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and the love of God, and the fel- 
 lowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us 
 all evermore. Amen. 
 
 After Victory or Deliverance from an 
 Enemy. 
 
 A Psalm or Hymn of Praise and Thanks- 
 giving after Victory. 
 
 IF the Lord had not been on our side, 
 now may we say : if the Lord him- 
 self had not been on our side, when men 
 rose up against us ; 
 
 They had swallowed us up quick : 
 when they were so wrathfully displeased 
 at us. 
 
 Yea, the waters had drowned us, and 
 the stream had gone over our soul : the 
 deep waters of the proud had gone over 
 our soul. 
 
 But praised be the Lord : who hath 
 not given vis over as a prey unto them. 
 
 The Lord hath wrought : a mighty 
 salvation for us. 
 
 We gat not this by our own sword, 
 neither was it our own arm that saved 
 us : but thy right hand, and thine arm, 
 and the light of thy countenance, because 
 thou hadst a favour unto us. 
 
 The Lord hath appeared for us : the 
 Lord hath covered our heads, and made 
 us to stand in the day of battle. 
 
 The Lord hath appeared for us : the 
 Lord hath overthrown our enemies, and 
 dashed in pieces those that rose up 
 against us. 
 
 Therefore not unto us, O Lord, not 
 unto us : but unto thy Name be given 
 the glory. 
 
 The Lord hath done great things for 
 us : the Lord hath done great things for 
 us, for which we rejoice. 
 
 Our help standeth in the Name of 
 the Lord : who hath made heaven and 
 earth. 
 
 Blessed be the Name of the Lord : 
 from this time forth for evermore. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the 
 Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, 
 and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 4 Q 2 
 
FORMS OF PRAYER TO BE USED AT SEA. 
 
 % After this Hymn may be sung the Te 
 Deum. 
 
 ^ TJten this Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, the Sovereign 
 Commander of all the world, in 
 whose hand is power and might which 
 none is able to withstand ; We bless and 
 magnify thy great and glorious Name 
 for this happy Victory, the whole glory 
 whereof we do ascribe to thee, who art 
 the only giver of Victory. And, we be- 
 seech thee, give us grace to improve this 
 great mercy to thy glory, the advance- 
 ment of thy Gospel, the honour of our 
 Sovereign, and, as much as in us lieth, to 
 the good of all mankind. And, we be- 
 seech thee, give us such a sense of this 
 great mercy, as may engage us to a true 
 thankfulness, such as may appear in our 
 lives by an humble, holy, and obedient 
 walking before thee all our days, through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord ; to whom with 
 thee and the Holy Spirit, as for all thy 
 mercies, so in particular for this Victory 
 
 and Deliverance, be all glory and honour, 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 2 Cor. xiii. 
 
 THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and the love of God, and the fel- 
 lowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us 
 all evermore. Amen. 
 
 At the Burial nf their Dead at Sea. 
 
 ^ The Office m the Common Prayer-book may he 
 used ; only instead of these words [We there- 
 fore commit his body to the ground, earth 
 to earth, Sfc-I say, 
 
 WE therefore commit his body to the 
 deep, to be turned into corruption, 
 looking for the resurrection of the body, 
 (when the Sea shall give up her dead,) 
 and the life of the world to come, through 
 our Tiord Jesus Christ ; who at his com- 
 ing shall change our vile body, that it 
 may be like his glorious body, according 
 to the mighty working, whereby he is 
 able to subdue all things to himself. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 Particular attention was paid in the ancient Latin Church to the religious instruction of 
 mariners. They were provided with an office to be read daily, and known under the name of the 
 Missa Nautica. This is said to have been similar to the short service called Missa Catechumenorum, 
 and contained only such prayers as might be offered up without too long an interruption to the 
 business of the ship. The present Forms did not form a part of our Liturgy till the last review 
 They consist of prayers admirably adapted for the solemn occasions to which they refer. The 
 first two are appointed to be used daily, together with the regular forms of Morning and Evening 
 Prayer; and the whole collection affords a proof of the pious anxiety of those engaged in the review 
 of the Liturgy to leave no class of men, into whatever situation they might be thrown, without an 
 appropriate guide to devotion. 
 
 668 
 
FORM AND MANNER OF MAKING, ORDAINING, 
 AND CONSECRATING 
 
 BISHOPS, PRIESTS, AND DEACONS, 
 
 AnCORDINO TO THE OBDER OF 
 
 ®6e Winm OTSurcfi of lEnglan^ anb Jrelantr. 
 
 / 
 
 m 
 
 THE PREFACE. 
 
 Tis evident unto all men diligently reading the holy Scripture and ancient 
 Authors, that from the Apostles' time there have been these Orders 
 of Ministers in Christ's Church ; Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. JVhich 
 Offices were evermore had in such reverend Estimation, that no man might 
 presume to execute any of them, except he icere first called, tried, examined, 
 and ktioiim to have such qualities as are requisite for the sa?ne ; and also by 
 publick Prayer, with Imposition of Hands, were approved and admitted 
 thereunto by lawful Authority. And therefore, to the intent that these Orders 
 may be continued, and reverently used and esteemed, in the United Church of 
 England and Ireland ; no inan shcdl be accounted or taken to be a lawful 
 Bishop, Priest, or Deacon in the United Church of England and Ireland, 
 or suffered to execute any of the said Functions, except he be called, tried, 
 examined, and admitted thereunto, according to the Form hereafter follow- 
 ing, or hath had formerly Episcopal Consecration, or Ordination. 
 
 And none shall be admitted a Deacon, except he he Twenty-three years of 
 age, unless he have a Faculty. And every man which is to be admitted a 
 Priest, shall be full Four-an'd-twenty years old. And every man which is to 
 be ordained or consecrated Bishop shall be fully Thirty years of age. 
 
 And the Bishop, knowing either by himself, or by sitfficient testimony, 
 any Person to be a man of virtuous conversation, and icithout c?-ime ; and, 
 after examination and trial, finding him learned in the Latin Tongue, and 
 sufficiently instructed in holy Scripture, may at the times appointed in the 
 Canon, or else, on urgent occasion, upon some other Sunday or Holy-day, 
 tn the face of the Church, admit him a Deacon, in stick manner and form 
 as hereafter followeth. 
 669 
 
THE 
 
 FORM AND MANNER 
 
 MAKING OF DEACONS. 
 
 ^ JVhen the dai/ appointed by the Bishop is come, after Morning Prayer is etided, there shnU he a 
 Sermon or Exhortation, dectarinq the Diitij and Office of such as come to be admitted Dracotis ; 
 how necessary that Order is in the Church of Christ, and also, how the people ought to esteem them 
 in their Office. 
 
 ^ First the Archdeacon, or his Deputy, shall 
 present unto the Bishop (sitting in his chair 
 near to the holy Table") such as desire to be 
 ordained Deacons, (each of them being decently 
 habited,) saying these words, 
 
 REVEREND Father in God, I pre- 
 sent unto you these persons pre- 
 sent, to be admitted Deacons. 
 The Bishop. 
 
 TAKE heed that the persons, whom 
 ye present unto us, be apt and 
 meet, for their learning and godly con- 
 versation, to exercise their Ministry didy, 
 to the honour of God, and the edifying 
 of his Church. 
 
 % The Archdeacon shall answer, 
 
 I HAVE enquired of them, and also 
 examined them, and think them so 
 to be. 
 
 <([ Then the Bishop shall say unto the people : 
 
 BRETHREN, if there be any of you 
 who knoweth any Impediment, or 
 notable Crime, in any of these persons 
 presented to be ordered Deacons, for 
 the which he ought not to be admitted 
 to that Office, let him come forth in the 
 Name of God, and shew what the Crime 
 or Impediment is. 
 
 ^ And if any great Crime or Impediment be ob 
 jecled, the Bishop shall surcease from Order- 
 ing that person, until such time as the party 
 accused shall be found clear of that Crime. 
 
 % Then the Bishop (commending such as shall be 
 found meet to be Ordered to the Prayers if the 
 congregation) shall, with the Clergy and people 
 present, sing or say the Litany, with the 
 Prayers as follow eth. 
 
 The Litany and Suffrages. 
 
 OGOD the Father, of heaven : have 
 mercy upon us miserable sinners. 
 O God the Father, of heaven : have 
 mercy upon us miserable sinners. 
 670 
 
 God the Son, Redeemer of the 
 world : have mercy upon us miserable 
 sinners. 
 
 O God the Son, Redeemer of the 
 world : have mercij upon us miserable 
 sinners. 
 
 O God the Holy Ghost, proceeding 
 from the Father and the Son : have mercy 
 upon us miserable sinners. 
 
 O God the Holy Ghost, froceeding 
 from the Father and the Son : have 
 mercy upon us miserable sinners. 
 
 O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, 
 three Persons and one God : have mercy 
 upon us miserable sinners. 
 
 O holy, blessed, and glorious Trirdty, 
 three Persons and one God : have mercy 
 upon us miserable sinners. 
 
 Remember not. Lord, our offences, 
 nor the offences of our forefathers ; nei- 
 ther take thou vengeance of our sins : 
 spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, 
 whom thou hast redeemed with tliy most 
 precious blood, and be not angry with us 
 for ever. 
 
 Spare us, good Lord. 
 
 From all evil and mischief; from sin, 
 from the crafts and assaults of the devil ; 
 from thy wrath, and from everlasting 
 damnation, 
 
 Good Lord, deliver its. 
 
 From all blindness of heart ; from 
 pride, vain-glory, and hypocrisy ; from 
 envy, hatred, and malice, and all un- 
 charitableness, 
 
 Good Lord, deliver its. 
 
 From fornication, and all other deadly 
 sin ; and from all the deceits of the world, 
 the flesh, and the devil. 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 
 From lightning and tempest ; from 
 plague, pestilence, and famine ; from 
 
THE ORDERING OF DEACONS. 
 
 battle and murder, and from sudden 
 death, 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 
 From all sedition, privy conspiracy, 
 and rebellion ; from all false doctrine, 
 heresy, and schism ; from hardness of 
 heart, and contempt of thy Word and 
 Commandment, 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 
 By the mystery of thy holy Incar- 
 nation ; by thy holy Nativity and Cir- 
 cumcision ; by thy Baptism, Fasting, 
 and Temptation, 
 
 Good Lord, deliver %is. 
 
 By thine Agony and bloody Sweat ; by 
 thy Cross and Passion ; by thy precious 
 Death and Burial ; by thy glorious Re- 
 surrection and Ascension ; and by the 
 coming of the Holy Ghost, 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 
 In all time of our tribulation ; in all 
 time of our wealth ; in the hour of death, 
 and in the day of judgement, 
 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 
 We sinners do beseech thee to hear 
 us, Lord God ; and that it may please 
 thee to rule and govern thy holy Church 
 universal in the right way ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to keep and 
 strengthen in the true worshipping of 
 thee, in righteousness and holiness of 
 life, thy Servant VICTORIA our most 
 gracious Queen and Governour ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to rule her 
 heart in thy faith, fear, and love, and 
 that she may evermore have affiance in 
 thee, and ever seek thy honour and 
 glory ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to be her 
 defender, and keeper, giving her the 
 victory over all her enemies ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to bless and 
 preserve Adelaide, the Queen Dowager, 
 and all the Royal Family ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to illuminate 
 all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, with 
 true knowledge and vniderstanding of thy 
 Word ; and that both by their preaching 
 
 and living they may set it forth, and 
 shew it accordingly ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to bless these 
 thy servants, now to be admitted to the 
 Order of Deacons, [or Priests,] and to 
 pour thy grace upon them ; that they 
 may duly execute their office, to the edify- 
 ing of thy Church, and the glory of thy 
 holy Name ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to endue the 
 Lords of the Council, and all the No- 
 bility, with grace, wisdom, and under- 
 standing ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to bless 
 and keep the Magistrates, giving them 
 grace to execute justice, and to maintain 
 truth ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to bless and 
 keep all thy people ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to give to all 
 nations unity, peace, and concord ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to give us an 
 heart to love and dread thee, and dili- 
 gently to live after thy commandments; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to give to all 
 thy people increase of grace to hear 
 meekly thy Word, and to receive it 
 with pure affection, and to bring forth 
 the fruits of the Spirit ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us^ good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to bring into 
 the way of truth all such as have erred, 
 and are deceived; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to strengthen 
 such as do stand; and to comfort and 
 help the weak-hearted ; and to raise up 
 them that fall ; and finally to beat down 
 Satan under our feet ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to succour, 
 
THE ORDERING OF DEACONS. 
 
 help, and comfort, all that are in danger, 
 necessity, and tribulation ; 
 
 Wc beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to preserve 
 all that travel by land or by water, all 
 women labouring of child, all sick per- 
 sons, and young children ; and to shew 
 thy pity upon all prisoners and captives ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to defend, 
 and provide for, the fatherless children 
 and widows, and all that are desolate and 
 oppressed ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to have mercy 
 upon all men ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to forgive our 
 enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and 
 to turn their hearts ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to give and 
 preserve to our use the kindly fr\iits of 
 the earth, so as in due time we may 
 enjoy them ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 That it may please thee to give us 
 true repentance ; to forgive us all our 
 sins, negligences, and ignorances; and 
 to endue us with the grace of thy Holy 
 Spirit to amend our lives according to 
 thy holy Word ; 
 
 We beseech thee to hear us, good 
 Lord. 
 
 Son of God : we beseech thee to hear 
 us. 
 
 Son of God : we beseech thee to hear 
 us. 
 
 O Lamb of God ; that takest away 
 the sins of the world ; 
 
 Grant us thy peace. 
 
 O Lamb of God : that takest away 
 the sins of the world ; 
 
 Hare viercy upon us. 
 O Christ, hear us. 
 O Christ, hear us. 
 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Christ, have mercy upon us. 
 Christ, have mercy upon us. 
 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 672 
 
 ^ Then shall the Priest, and the people with him, 
 say the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 OUR Father, which art in heaven. 
 Hallowed be thy Name. Thy 
 kingdom come. Thy will be done in 
 earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this 
 day our daily bread. And forgive us 
 our trespasses, As we forgive them that 
 trespass against us. And lead us not 
 into temptation ; But deliver us from 
 evil. Amen. 
 
 Priest. O Lord, deal not with us after 
 our sins. 
 
 Ansioer, Neither reward us after our 
 iniquities. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 OGOD, merciful Father, that de- 
 spisest not the sighing of a con- 
 trite heart, nor the desire of such as be 
 sorrowful ; Mercifully assist our prayers 
 that we make before thee in all our 
 troubles and adversities, whensoever they 
 oppress us ; and graciously hear us, that 
 those evils, which the craft and subtilty 
 of the devil or man worketh against us 
 be brought to nought; and by the provi- 
 dence of thy goodness they may be dis- 
 persed ; that we thy servants, being 
 hurt by no persecutions, may evermore 
 give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver 
 us, for thy Naine^s sake. 
 
 OGOD, we have heard with our ears, 
 and our fathers have declared unto 
 us, the noble works that thou didst in 
 their days, and in the old time before 
 them. 
 
 O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver 
 us for thine honour. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the 
 Son : and to the Holy Ghost. 
 
 A)isivcr. As it was in the beginning, 
 is now, and ever shall be : Avorld without 
 end. Amen. 
 
 From our enemies defend us, O Christ. 
 
 Graciously look upon our afflictions. 
 
 Pitifully behold the sorrows of our 
 hearts. 
 
 Mercifully forgive the sins of thy 
 people. 
 
 Favourably with mercy hear our 
 prayers. 
 
 So7i of David, have mercy upon 
 us. 
 
 Both now and ever vouchsafe to hear 
 us, O Christ. 
 
THE ORDERING OF DEACONS. 
 
 Graciously hear us, O Christ; gra- 
 ciously hear us, O Lord Christ. 
 
 Priest. O Lord, let thy mercy be 
 shewed upon us ; 
 
 Answer. As we do put our trust in 
 thee. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 WE humbly beseech thee, Father, 
 mercifully to look upon our in- 
 firmities ; and for the glory of thy Name 
 turn from us all those evils that we 
 most righteously have deserved j and 
 grant, that in all our troubles we may 
 put our whole trust and confidence in 
 thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in 
 holiness and pureness of living, to thy 
 honour and glory ; through our only 
 Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our 
 Lord, Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall be sung or said the Service for the 
 Coiiimiinion, with the Collect, Epistle, and 
 Gospel, as foltoweth. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who by thy Divine 
 Providence hast appointed divers 
 Orders of Ministers in thy Church, and 
 didst inspire thine Apostles to choose 
 into the Order of Deacons the first Martyr 
 Saint Stephen, with others; Mercifully 
 behold these thy servants now called to 
 the like Office and Administration ; re- 
 plenish them so with the truth of thy 
 Doctrine, and adorn them with inno- 
 cency of life, that, both by word and 
 good example, they may faithfully serve 
 thee in this Office, to the glory of thy 
 Name, and the edification of thy Church ; 
 through the merits of our Saviour Jesus 
 Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee 
 and the Holy Ghost, now and for ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 Tim. iii. 8. 
 
 LIKEWISE must the Deacons be 
 grave, not double tongued, not 
 given to much wine, not greedy of filthy 
 lucre, holding the mystery of the faith in 
 a pure conscience. And let these also 
 first be proved ; then let them use the 
 Office of a Deacon, being found blame- 
 less. Even so must their wives be grave, 
 not slanderers, sober, faithful in all tilings. 
 Let the Deacons be the husbands of one 
 wife, ruling their children and their own 
 houses well. For they that have used 
 the Office of a Deacon well purchase to 
 themselves a good degree, and great 
 G73' 
 
 boldness in the faith which is in Christ 
 Jesus. 
 
 Or else this, out of tlie sixth of the Acts of the 
 Apostles. 
 
 Acts vi. 2. 
 
 THEN the twelve called the multitude 
 of the discijjles unto them, and said. 
 It is not reason that we should leave the 
 Word of God, and serve tables. Where- 
 fore, brethren, look ye out among you 
 seven men of honest report, full of the 
 holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may 
 appoint over this business. But we will 
 give ourselves continually to prayer, and 
 to the ministry of the Word. And the 
 saying pleased the whole multitude. And 
 they chose Stephen, a man full of faith, 
 and of the holy Ghost, and Philip, and 
 Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and 
 Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of 
 Antioch ; whom they set before the 
 Apostles ; and, when they had prayed, 
 they laid their hands on them. And the 
 Word of God increased, and the number 
 of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem 
 greatly, and a great company of the 
 Priests were obedient to the faith. 
 
 ^ And before the Gospel, the Bishop, sitting in 
 his chair, shall cause the Oath of the Qtieeu s 
 Supremacy, and against the power and aif 
 ihurity if all foreign Potentatfs. to be minis- 
 iered unto every one of them that are tu be 
 Ordered. 
 
 The Oath of the Queen's Sovereignty. 
 
 I A. B. do swear, that I do from my 
 heart abhor, detest, and abjure, as 
 impious and heretical, that damnable 
 Doctrine and Position, That Princes ex- 
 communicated or de])rived by the Pope, 
 or any authority of the See of Rome, 
 may be deposed or murdered by their 
 Subjects, or any other whatsoever. And 
 I do declare, that no foreign Prince, Per- 
 son, Prelate, State, or Potentate, hath, or 
 ought to have, any .Jurisdiction, Power, 
 Superiority, Pre-eminence, or Authority, 
 Ecclesiastical or Spiritual, within this 
 Realm. So help me God. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Bishop examine every one of 
 them that are to be Ordered, in the presence 
 of the people, after this manner following. 
 
 DO you trust that you are inwardly 
 moved by the Holy Ghost to take 
 upon you this Office and Ministration, 
 to serve Gt)d for the promoting of his 
 glory, and the edifying of his people? 
 Answer. I trust so. 
 
 4 R 
 
THE ORDERINCx OF DEACONS. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 DO you think that you are truly called, 
 according to the will of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and the due order of this 
 Realm, to the Ministry of the Church ? 
 Ansioer. I think so. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 DO you unfeignedly believe all the 
 Canonical Scriptures of the Old 
 and New Testament? 
 
 Ansioer. I do believe them. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 WILL you diligently read the same 
 unto the people assembled in 
 the Church where you shall be appointed 
 to serve? 
 
 Ansioer. I will. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 IT appertaineth to the Office of a 
 Deacon, in the Church where he 
 shall be appointed to serve, to assist the 
 Priest in Divine Service, and specially 
 ■when he ministereth the holy Commu- 
 nion, and to help him in the distribution 
 thereof, and to read holy Scriptures and 
 Homilies in the Church ; and to instruct 
 the youth in the Catechism ; in the ab- 
 sence of the Priest to baptize infants, and 
 to preach, if he be admitted thereto by 
 the Bishop. And furthermore, it is his 
 Office, where provision is so made, to 
 search for the sick, poor, and impotent 
 people of the Parish, to intimate their 
 estates, names, and places where they 
 dwell, unto the Curate, that by his ex- 
 hortation they may be relieved with the 
 alms of the Parishioners, or others. Will 
 you do this gladly and willingly ? 
 
 Answer. I will so do, bv the help of 
 God. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 WILL you apply all your diligence 
 to frame and fashion your own 
 lives, and the lives of your families, ac- 
 cording to the Doctrine of Christ ; and 
 to make both yourselves and them, as 
 much as in you licth, wholesome examples 
 of the flock of Christ? 
 
 Answer. I will so do, the Lord being 
 my helper. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 WILL you reverently obey your Or- 
 dinary, and other chief Ministers 
 of the Church, and them to whom the 
 charge and u-overnment over you is com- 
 G74 
 
 mitted, following with a glad mind and 
 will their godly admonitions ? 
 
 Answer. I will endeavour myself, the 
 Lord being my helper. 
 
 ^ Then the Bishop laying his Hands severally 
 tipr.n the Head of every one of them, humhhj 
 kneeling before him, shall say, 
 
 TAKE thou Authority to execute the 
 Office of a Deacon in the Church 
 of God committed unto thee ; In the 
 Name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Bishop deliver to every one of 
 them the New Testament, saying, 
 
 TAKE thou Authority to read the 
 Gospel in the Church of God, and 
 to preach the same, if thou be thereto 
 licensed by the Bishop himself. 
 
 ^ Then one of them, appointed hy the Bishop, 
 shall read the Gospel, 
 
 St. Luke xii. 35. 
 
 LET your loins be girded about, and 
 your lights burning ; and ye your- 
 selves like unto men that wait for their 
 Lord, when he will return from the 
 wedding; that, when he coraeth and 
 knocketh, they may open unto him im- 
 mediately. Blessed are those servants, 
 whom the Lord when he cometh shall 
 find watching. Verily I say unto you, 
 that he shall gird himself, and make 
 them to sit down to meat, and will come 
 forth and serve them. And if he shall 
 come in the second watch, or come in 
 the third watch, and find them so, 
 blessed are those servants. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Bishop proceed in the Com- 
 munion, and all that are Ordered shall tarry, 
 and receive the holy Communion the same day 
 with the Bishop. 
 
 ^ The Communion ended, after the last Collect, 
 and immediately before the Benediction, shall 
 be said these Collects following. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, giver of all good 
 things, who of thy great goodness 
 hast vouchsafed to acce])t and take these 
 thv servants unto the Office of Deacons 
 in thy Church; Make them, we beseech 
 thee, O Lord, to be modest, humble, and 
 constant in their Ministration, to have a 
 ready will to observe all spiritual Disci- 
 pline ; that they having always the testi- 
 mony of a good conscience, and con- 
 tinuing ever stable and strong in thy 
 Son Christ, may so well behave them- 
 
THE ORDERING OF PRIESTS. 
 
 selves in this inferior Office, that they 
 may he found worthy to be called unto 
 the higher Ministries in thy Church; 
 through the same thy Son our Saviour 
 Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and 
 honour world without end. Amen. 
 
 PREVENT us, Lord, in all our 
 doings, with thy most gracious 
 favour, and further us with thy continual 
 help ; that in all our works begvm, con- 
 tinued, and ended in thee, we may glorify 
 
 ^ ^nd hfre it must be declared unto the Deacon, that he tniisf conlimie in thai Office of a Deacon the 
 space of a whole year (except for reasonable causes it shall otherwise seem good unio the Bishop) to 
 the intent he mai/ be perfect, and well expert in the things appertaining to the Ecclesiastical Admi- 
 nistratintt. In executing irhereof if he be foiinil faithful and diligent, he may be admitted by his 
 Diocesan to the Order of Priesthood, at the times appuinted in the Canon ; or else, on urgent occa- 
 sion, up'jn sDuie other Sunday, or Holy-day, in the face of the Church, in such manner and form as 
 hereafter followeth. 
 
 thy holy Name, and finally by thy mercy 
 obtain everlasting life ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 THE peace of God, which passeth all 
 understanding, keep your hearts 
 and minds in the knowledge and love of 
 God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our 
 Lord : And the Blessing of God Almighty, 
 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
 be amongst you, and remain with you 
 always. Amen. 
 
 THE FORM AND MANNER 
 
 ORDERING OF PRIESTS. 
 
 \ 
 
 ^ When the day appointed by the Bishop is come, after Morning Prayer is ended, there shall be a 
 Sermon or Exhortation, declaring the Duty and Office of such as come to be admitted Priests ; hou> 
 necessary that Order is in the Church of Christ, and also how the people ought to esteem them in 
 their Office. 
 
 ^ First, the Archdeacott, or, in his absence^ one 
 appointeil in his stead, shall present unto the 
 Bishop {sitting in his chair near to the holy 
 Table ) all them that shall receive the Order of 
 Priesthood that day {each of them being de- 
 cently habited) and say, 
 
 REVEREND Father in God, I pre- 
 sent unto you these persons pre- 
 sent, to he admitted to the Order of 
 Priesthood. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 TAKE heed that the persons, whom 
 ye present unto us, be apt and 
 meet, fur their learning and godly con- 
 versation, to exercise their Ministry duly, 
 to the honour of God, and the edifying 
 of his Church. 
 
 ^ The Archdeacon shall answer, 
 
 I HAVE enquired of them, and also 
 examiired them, and think them so 
 to be. 
 
 ^ Then the Bishop shall say unto the people ; 
 
 GOOD people, these are they whom 
 we purpose, God willing, to receive 
 this day unto the holy Office of Piiest- 
 675 
 
 hood : For after due examination we 
 find not to the contrary, but that they he 
 lawfully called to their Function and 
 Ministry, and that they be persons meet 
 for the same. But yet if there be any 
 of you, who knoweth any Impediment, 
 or notable Crime, in any of them, for the 
 which he ought not to be received into 
 this holy Ministry, let him come forth in 
 the Name of God, and shew what the 
 Crime or Impediment is. 
 
 ^ And if any great Crime or Impediment be ob- 
 jected, the Bishop shall surcease from Order- 
 ing that person, until such time as the parly 
 accused shall be found clear of that Crime. 
 
 ^ Then the Bishop (commending such as shall be 
 found meet to be Ordered to the Prayers of the 
 congregation) shall, with the Clergy and peo- 
 ple present, sing or say the Litany, with the 
 Prayers, as is before appointed in the Form 
 of Ordering Deacons ; save only, that, in the 
 proper Suffrage there added, the irord [ Dea- 
 cons] shall be omitted, and the word [Priests] 
 inserted instead of it. 
 
 •|[ Then shall be sung or said the Service for the 
 Communion, with the Collect, Epistle, and 
 Gospel, as flloweth. 
 
 4 R 2 
 
THE ORDERING OF PRIESTS. 
 
 The Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, giver of all good 
 things, who by thy Holy Spirit 
 hast appointed divers Orders of Ministers 
 in the Church ; Mercifully behold these 
 thy servants now called to the Office of 
 Priesthood ; and replenish them so with 
 the truth of thy doctrine, and adorn them 
 with innocency of life, that, both by 
 word and good example, they may faith- 
 fully serve thee in this Office, to the 
 glory of thy Name, and tlie edification 
 of thy Cliurch; through the merits of 
 our Saviour Jesus Christ, who liveth and 
 reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 The Epistle. Ephes. iv. 7. 
 
 UNTO every one of us is given gTace, 
 according to the measure of the 
 gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith. 
 When he ascended up on high, he led 
 captivity captive, and gave gifts unto 
 men. (Now that he ascended, what is 
 it but that he also descended first into 
 the lower parts of the earth ? He that 
 descended, is the same also that ascended 
 up far above all heavens, that he might 
 fill all things.) And he gave some 
 Apostles, and some Prophets, and some 
 Evangelists, and some Pastors and 
 Teachers; for the perfecting of the 
 Saints, for the work of the Ministry, for 
 the edifying of the Body of Christ ; till 
 we all come in the unity of the faith, 
 and of the knowledge of the Son of God, 
 unto a perfect man, unto the measure of 
 the stature of the fulness of Christ. 
 
 5[ Aftej- this shtill be read far the Gospel part of 
 the ninth Chapter of Saint Matthew, asful- 
 loivelh. 
 
 St. Matth. ix. 36. 
 
 WHEN Jesus saw the multitudes, 
 he was moved with compassion 
 on them, because they fainted, and were 
 scattered abroad as sheep having no shep- 
 herd. Then saiih he unto his disciples, 
 The harvest truly is plenteous, but the 
 labourers are few. Pray ye therefore 
 the Lord of the harvest, that he will 
 send forth labourers into his harvest. 
 
 ^ Or else this that fo/lowelh, out of the tenth 
 Chapter of Saint John. 
 
 St. John X. 1. 
 
 VERILY, verily I say unto you, He 
 that entereth not by the door into 
 the sheep-fold, but climbeth up some 
 676 
 
 other way, the same is a thief and a 
 robber. But he that entereth in by the 
 door is the Shepherd of the sheep. To 
 him the porter openeth, and the sheep 
 hear his voice ; and he calleth his own 
 sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 
 And when he putteth forth his own sheep 
 he goeth before them, and the sheep 
 follow him ; for they know his voice. 
 And a stranger will they not follow, but 
 will flee from him ; for they know not 
 the voice of strangers. This parable 
 spake Jesus unto them, but they under- 
 stood not what things they were which 
 he spake unto them. Then said Jesus 
 unto them again. Verily, verily I say 
 unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 
 All that ever came before me are thieves 
 and robbers ; but the sheep did not hear 
 them. I am the door ; by me if any 
 man enter in, he shall be saved, and 
 shall go in and out, and find pasture. 
 The thief cometh not but for to steal, and 
 to kill, and to destroy : I am come that 
 they might have life, and that they 
 might have it more abundantly. I am 
 the good Shepherd : the good Shepherd 
 giveth his life for the sheep. But he 
 that is an hireling, and not the Shep- 
 herd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth 
 the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, 
 and fleeth ; and the wolf catcheth them, 
 and scattereth the sheep. The hireling 
 fleeth, because he is an hireling, and 
 careth not for the sheep. I am the good 
 Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am 
 known of mine. As the Father knoweth 
 me, even so know I the Father; and I 
 lay down my life for the sheep. And 
 other sheep I have, which are not of this 
 fold : them also I must bring, and they 
 shall hear my voice ; and there shall be 
 one fold, and one Shepherd. 
 
 ^ Then the Bishop, sitting in his chair, shall 
 minister unto every one of them the Oath con- 
 cerning the Queen's Supremacy, as it is before 
 set forth in the Form for the Ordering of 
 Deacons. 
 
 ^ Ami that done, he shall say unto them as here- 
 after fuUoweth, 
 
 '\7"0U have heard. Brethren, as well in 
 JL your private examination, as in the 
 exhortation which was now made to you, 
 and in the holy Lessons taken out of the 
 Gospel, and the writings of the Apostles, 
 of what dignity, and of how great import- 
 ance this Office is, whereunto ye are 
 called. And now again we exhort you, 
 
THE ORDERING OF PRIESTS. 
 
 in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 that you have in remembrance, into how 
 high a Dignity, and to how weighty an 
 Office and Charge ye are called : that is 
 to say, to be Messengers, Watchmen, 
 and Stewards of the Lord ; to teach, and 
 to premonish, to feed and provide for the 
 Lord's family ; to seek for Christ's sheep 
 that are dispersed abroad, and fur his 
 children who are in the midst of this 
 naughty world, that they may be saved 
 through Christ for ever. 
 
 Have always therefore printed in your 
 remembrance, how great a treasure is 
 committed to your charge. For they are 
 the sheep of Christ, which he bought 
 with his death, and for whom he shed his 
 blood. The Church and Congregation 
 whom you must serve, is his Spouse, and 
 his Body. And if it shall happen the 
 same Church, or any Member thereof, to 
 take any hurt or hindrance by reason of 
 your negligence, ye know the greatness 
 of the fault, and also the horrible punish- 
 ment that will ensue. Wherefore con- 
 sider with yourselves the end of your 
 Ministry towards the children of God, 
 towards the Spouse and Body of Christ; 
 and see that you iiever cease your labour, 
 your care and diligence, until you have 
 done all that lieth in you, according to 
 your bounden duty, to bring all such as 
 are or shall be committed to your charge, 
 unto that agreement in the faith and 
 knov.ledge of God, and to that ripeness 
 and perfectness of age in Christ, that 
 there be no place left among you, either 
 for error in religion, or for viciousness 
 in hfe. 
 
 Forasmuch then as your Office is both 
 of so great excellency, and of so great 
 difficulty, ye see with how great care and 
 study ye ought to apply yourselves, as 
 well that ye may shew yourselves dutiful 
 and thankful unto that Lord, who hath 
 placed you in so high a Dignity ; as also 
 to beware, that neither you yourselves 
 offend, nor be occasion that others oflFend. 
 Howbeit, ye cannot have a mind and will 
 thereto of yourselves ; for that will and 
 ability is given of God alone : therefore 
 ye ought, and have need, to pray ear- 
 nestly for his holy Spirit. And seeing 
 that you cannot by any other means 
 compass the doing of so weighty a work, 
 pertaining to the salvation of man, but 
 with doctrine and exhortation taken out 
 of the holv Scriptures, and with a life 
 \M7 
 
 agreeable to the same; consider how 
 studious ye ought to be in reading and 
 learning the Scriptures, and in framing 
 the manners both of yourselves, and of 
 them that specially pertain unto you, 
 according to the rule of the same Scrip- 
 tures : and for this self-same cause, how 
 ye ought to forsake and set aside (as 
 much as you may) all worldly cares and 
 studies. 
 
 We have good hope that you have well 
 weighed and pondered these things with 
 yourselves long before this time ; and 
 that you have clearly determined, by 
 God's grace, to give yourselves wholly to 
 this Office, whereunto it hath pleased 
 God to call you : so that, as much as 
 lieth in you, you will apply yourselves 
 wholly to this one thing, and draw all 
 your cares and studies this way ; and 
 that you will continually pray to God the 
 Father, by the Mediation of our only 
 Saviour Jesus Christ, fur the heavenly 
 assistance of the Holy Ghost; that, by 
 daily reading and vveighing of the Scrip- 
 tures, ye may wax riper and stronger in 
 your Ministry ; and that ye may so en- 
 deavour yourselves, from time to time, to 
 sanctify the lives of you and yours, and 
 to fashion them after the Rule and 
 Doctrine of Christ, that j-e may be whole- 
 some and godly examples and patterns 
 for the people to follow. 
 
 And now, that this present Congrega- 
 tion of Christ here assembled may also 
 understand your minds and wills in these 
 things, and that this your promise may 
 the more move you to do your duties, ye 
 shall answer plainly to these things, 
 which we, in the Name of God, and of 
 his Church, shall demand of you touch- 
 ing the same. 
 
 DO you think in your heart, that you 
 be truly called, according to the 
 will of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
 order of this United Church of England 
 and Ireland., to the Order and Ministry 
 of Priesthood? 
 
 Answer. I think it. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 ARE you persuaded that the holy 
 Scriptures contain sufficiently all 
 Doctrine required of necessity for eternal 
 salvation through faith in Jesus Christ ? 
 and are vou determined, out of the said 
 Scriptures to instruct the people com- 
 
THE ORDERING OF PRIESTS. 
 
 mittecl to your charge, and to teach no- 
 thing, as requh-ed of necessity to eternal 
 salvation, but that which you shall be 
 persuaded may be concluded and proved 
 by the Scripture ? 
 
 Answer. I am so persuaded, and have 
 so determined by God's grace. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 WILL you then give your faithful 
 diligence always so to minister 
 the Doctrine and Sacraments, and the 
 Discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath 
 commanded, and as this Church and 
 Realm hath received the same, according 
 to the Commandments of God ; so that 
 you may teach the people committed to 
 your Cure and Charge with all diligence 
 to keep and observe the same? 
 
 Ansioer. I will so do, by the help of 
 the Lord. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 WILL you be ready, with all faithful 
 diligence, to Ijanish and drive 
 away all erroneous and strange doctrines 
 contrary to God's word ; and to use both 
 publick and private monitions and ex- 
 hortations, as well to the sick as to the 
 whole, within your Cures, as need shall 
 require, and occasion shall be given ? 
 
 Anstver. I will, the Lord being my 
 helper. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 WILL yuu be diligent in Prayers, 
 and in reading of the holy Scrip- 
 tures, and in such studies as help to the 
 knowledge of the same, laying aside the 
 study of the world and the flesh ? 
 
 Ansire?'. I will endeavour myself so 
 to do, the Lord being my helper. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 WILL you be diligent to frame and 
 fashion your own selves, and 
 your families, according to the Doctrine 
 of Christ ; and to make both yourselves 
 and them, as much as in you lieth, 
 wholesome examples and patterns to the 
 flock of Christ ? 
 
 Ansiver. I will apply myself thereto, 
 the Lord being my helper. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 WILL you maintain and set for- 
 wards, as much as lieth in you, 
 quietness, peace, and love, among all 
 Christian people, and especially among 
 them that are or shall be committed to 
 your charge ? 
 678 
 
 Annoer. I will so do, the Lord being 
 my helper. 
 
 The Bishop. 
 
 WILL you reverently obey your Or- 
 dinary, and other chief Ministers, 
 unto whom is committed the charge and 
 government over you; following with a 
 glad mind and will their godly admo- 
 nitions, and submitting yourselves to 
 their godly judgements ? 
 
 Answer. I will so do, the Lord being 
 my helper. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Bishop, standing up, say, 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who hath given 
 you this will to do all these things ; 
 Grant also unto you strength and power 
 to perform the same ; that he may accom- 
 plish his work which he hath begun in 
 you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^ After this, the Congregation shall be desired, 
 secretly in their Prayers, to make their humble 
 sitpplieatinns to God for all these things: for 
 the which Prayers there shall be silence kept 
 for a space. 
 
 ^ After which shall be sung or said by the Bishop 
 {the persons to be Ordained Priests all kneel- 
 ing') Veni, Creator Spiritus ; the Bishup be- 
 ginning, and the Priests, and others that are 
 present, answering by verses, as fulloweth. 
 
 COME, Holy Ghost, our souls in- 
 spire. 
 And lighten with celestial fire. 
 Thou the anointing Spirit art. 
 Who dost thy seven-fold gifts impart. 
 
 Thy blessed Unction from abuve. 
 Is comfort, life, and fire of love. 
 Enable with perpetual light 
 The dulness of our blinded sight. 
 
 Anoint and cheer our soiled face 
 With the abundance of thy grace. 
 Keep far our foes, give peace at home : 
 Where thou art guide, no ill can come. 
 
 Teach us to know the Father, Son, 
 And thee, of both, to be but One. 
 That, through the ages all along. 
 This may be our endless song ; 
 
 Praise to thy eternal merit, 
 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
 
 Or this : 
 
 COME, Holy Ghost, eternal God, 
 Proceeding from above, 
 Both from the Father and the So)i, 
 The God of peace and love ; 
 
THE ORDERING OF PRIESTS. 
 
 Visit our minds, into our hearts 
 Thy heavenly grace inspire ; 
 
 That truth and godliness ice may 
 Pursue ivith full desire. 
 
 Thou art the very Comforter 
 
 In grief and all distress; 
 The heavenly gift of God most high, 
 
 No tongue can it express ; 
 
 The fountain and the living spring 
 
 Of joy celestial; 
 The fire so bright, the love so sweet. 
 
 The Unction spiritual. 
 
 Thou in thy gifts art manifold, 
 
 By them Christ's Church doth stand : 
 
 In faithful hearts thou wrifst thy laiv, 
 Thejinger of God's hand. 
 
 According to thy promise, Lord, 
 Thou givest speech with grace ; 
 
 That thro^ thy help GocPs praises may 
 Resound in every place. 
 
 O Holy Ghost, into our minds 
 Send down thy heav'nly light; 
 
 Kindle our hearts with fervent zeal. 
 To serve God day and night. 
 
 Our weakness strengthen and confirm, 
 (For, Lord, thou know'st us frail ;) 
 
 That neither devil, world, nor flesh. 
 Against us may prevail. 
 
 Put back our enemy far from us. 
 
 And help us to obtain 
 Peace in our hearts with God and 7nan, 
 
 (The best, the truest gain ;) 
 
 And grant that thou being, O Lord, 
 
 Our leader and our guide, 
 We may escape the snares of sin. 
 
 And never from thee slide. 
 
 Such measures of thy powerful grace 
 Grant, Lord, to us, we pray ; 
 
 That thou may^st be our Comforter 
 At the last dreadful day. 
 
 Of strife and of dissention 
 Dissolve, O Lord, the bands, 
 
 And knit the knots of peace and love 
 Throughout all Christian lands. 
 
 Grant us the grace that we may know 
 
 The Father of all might. 
 That we of his beloved Son 
 
 May gain the blissful sight ; 
 
 And that we may with perfect faith 
 
 Ever acknowledge thee. 
 The Spirit of Father, and of Son, 
 
 One God iii Persons Three. 
 679 
 
 To God the Father laud and praise. 
 
 And to his blessed Son, 
 And to the Holy Spirit of grace. 
 
 Co-equal Three in One. 
 
 And pray we, that our only Lord 
 Would please his Spirit to send 
 
 On all that shall profess his Name, 
 From hence to the world's end. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^ Th'it dotie, the Bishop shall proy in thus wise, 
 and say, 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, and heavenly 
 Father, who, of thine infinite love 
 and goodness towards us, hast given to 
 us thy only and most dearly beloved Son 
 Jesus Christ, to be our Redeemer, and 
 the Author of everlasting life ; who, after 
 he had made perfect our redemption by 
 his death, and was ascended into heaven, 
 sent abroad into the world his Apostles, 
 Prophets, Evangelists, Doctors, and 
 Pastors ; by whose labour and ministry 
 he gathered together a great flock in all 
 the parts of the w^orld, to set forth the 
 eternal praise of thy holy Name : For 
 these so great benefits of thy eternal 
 goodness, and for that thou hast vouch- 
 safed to call these thy servants here pre- 
 sent to the same Office and Ministry ap- 
 pointed for the salvation of mankind, 
 we render unto thee most hearty thanks, 
 we praise and worship thee ; and we 
 humbly beseech thee, by the same thy 
 blessed Son, to grant unto all, which 
 either here or elsewhere call upon thy 
 holy Name, that we may continue to 
 shew ourselves thankful unto thee for 
 these and all other thy benefits; and 
 that we may daily increase and go for- 
 wards in the knowledge and faith of thee 
 and thy Son, by the Holy Spirit. So 
 that as well by these thy Ministers, as 
 by them over whom they shall be ap- 
 pointed thy ^Ministers, thy holy Name 
 may be for ever glorified, and thy blessed 
 kingdom enlarged ; through the same thy 
 Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth 
 and reigneth with thee in the unity of 
 the same Holy Spirit, world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^ fVhen this Prayer is dune, the Bishop with the 
 Priests present shall lay their /lan'/s severally 
 7/pon the head of every one that receiveth the 
 Order of Priesthood ; the Receivers hn/tibly 
 kneeling upon their hiees, and the Bishop 
 saying. 
 
TMK CONSECRATION OF BISHOPS. 
 
 RECEIVE the holy Ghost for the 
 Office and Work of a Priest in the 
 Church of God, now committed unto 
 thee by the Imposition of our hands. 
 "Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are 
 forgiven ; and whose sins thou dost 
 retain, they are retained. And be thou 
 a faithful dispenser of the Word of God, 
 and of his holy Sacraments ; In the Name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then the Bishop shall deliver to every one of 
 them kneeling, the Bible into his hand, saying, 
 
 TAKE thou Authority to preach the 
 Word of God, and to minister the 
 holy Sacraments in the Congregation, 
 where thou shalt be lawfully appointed 
 thereunto. 
 
 % When this is done, the Nicene Creed shall be 
 sung or said; and the Bishop shall after that 
 go on in the Service of the Coimnitnion, which 
 alt they that receive Orders shall take toge- 
 ther, and remain in the same place where 
 Hands were laid upon them, until such time 
 as they have received the Communion. 
 
 ^ The Communion being dune, after the last Col- 
 lect, and immediately before the Benediction, 
 shall be said these Collects. 
 
 MOST merciful Father, we beseech 
 thee to send upon these thy ser- 
 
 ^ And if on the same day the Order of Deacons be given to some, and the Order of Priesthood to 
 others; the Deacons shall be first presented, and then the t'riexts ; and it shall suffice that the 
 Litany be once said for both. The Collects shall both be used ; first, that for Deacons, then that 
 for Priests. The Epistle shall be Ephes. iv. 7 — 13, as before in this Ofjice. Immediately after 
 which, they that are to be made Deacons shall tahe the Oath of Supremacy, be examined, and 
 Ordained, as is above prescribed. Then one of them having read the Gnspel (which shall be either 
 out of St. Matth. ix. 36 — 38, as before in this Office ; or else, St. Luke xii. 35 — 38, as before in 
 the Form for the Ordering of Deacons,) they that are to />e made Priests shall likewise take the 
 Oath of Supremacy, be examined, and Ordained, as is in this Office before appointed. 
 
 vants thy heavenly blessing; that they 
 may be clothed with righteousness, and 
 that thy Word spoken by their mouths 
 may have such success, that it may never 
 be spoken in vain. Grant also, that we 
 may have grace to hear and receive what 
 they shall deliver out of thy most holy 
 Word, or agreeable to the same, as the 
 means of our salvation ; that in all our 
 words and deeds we may seek thy glory, 
 and the increase of thy kiugiiom ; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 PREVENT us, O Lord, in all our 
 doings, with thy most gracious 
 favour, and further us with thy continual 
 help ; that in all our works begun, con- 
 tinued, and ended in thee, we may glorify 
 thy holy Name, and finally by thy mercy 
 obtain everlasting life ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 THE peace of God, which passeth all 
 understanding, keep your hearts 
 and minds in the knowledge and love of 
 God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our 
 Lord : And the blessing of God Almighty, 
 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
 be amongst you, and remain with you 
 always. Amen. 
 
 THE FORM OF ORDAINING OR CONSECRATING 
 
 ARCHBISHOP OR BISHOP; 
 
 WHICH IS ALWAYS TO BE PERFORMED UPON SIME SUNDAY OB HOLY-DAY. 
 
 •[[ me7i all things are duly prepared in the 
 Church, and set in order, after Morning 
 Prayer is ended, the Archbishop {or some 
 other Bishop appointed ) shall begin the Com- 
 mtinion Service ; in which this shall be 
 The Collect. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who by thy Son 
 Jesus Christ didst give to thy 
 holy Apostles many excellent gifts, and 
 didst charge them to feed thy flock ; Give 
 grace, we beseech thee, to all Bishops, 
 the Pastors of thy Church, that they 
 GSO 
 
 may diligently preach thy Word, and 
 duly administer the godly Discipline 
 thereof ; and grant to the people, that 
 they may obediently follow the same ; 
 that all may receive the crown of ever- 
 lasting glory ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ And another Bishop shall read the Epistle. 
 1 Tim. iii. 1. 
 
 THIS is a true saying, If a man desire 
 the Office of a Bishop, he desireth 
 
THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOPS. 
 
 a good work. A Bishop then must be 
 blameless, tbe husband of one wife, 
 vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given 
 to hospitality, apt to teach ; not given to 
 wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy 
 lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not 
 covetous ; one that ruleth well his own 
 house, having his children in subjection 
 with all gravity ; (For if a man know 
 not how to rule his own house, how shall 
 he take care of the Church of God ?) Not 
 a novice, lest being lifted up with pride 
 he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 
 Moreover, he must have a good report 
 of them which are without ; lest he fall 
 into reproach, and the snare of the devil. 
 
 Or this : 
 For the Epistle. Acts xx. 1 7. 
 
 FROM Miletus Paul sent to Ephesus, 
 and called the elders of the Church. 
 And when they were come to him, he 
 said unto them, Ye know, from the first 
 day that I came into Asia, after what 
 manner I have been with you at all sea- 
 sons, serving the Lord with all humility 
 of mind, and with many tears and temp- 
 tations which befel me by the lying in 
 wait of the Jews : And how I kept back 
 nothing that was profitable unto you, 
 but have shewed you, and have taught 
 you publickly, and from house to house, 
 testifying both to the Jews, and also to 
 the Greeks, repentance toward God, and 
 faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And 
 now behold, I go bound in the spirit 
 unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things 
 that shall befal me there; save that the 
 Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, 
 saying. That bonds and afHictions abide 
 me. But none of these things move me, 
 neither count 1 my life dear unto myself, 
 so that I might finish my course with 
 joy, and the ministry which I have re- 
 ceived of the Lord Jesus, to testify the 
 Gospel of the grace of God. And now 
 behold, I know that ye all, among whom 
 I have gone preaching the kingdom of 
 God, shall see my face no more. Where- 
 fore I take you to record this day, that I 
 am pure from the blood of all men. For 
 I have not shunned to declare unto you 
 all the counsel of God. Take heed there- 
 fore unto yourselves, and to all the flock 
 over the which the Holy Ghost hath 
 made you Overseers, to feed the Church 
 of God, which he hath purchased with 
 his own blood. For I know this, that 
 681 
 
 after my departing shall grievous wolves 
 enter in among you, not sparing the 
 flock. Also of your own selves shall 
 men arise speaking perverse things, to 
 draw away disciples after them. There- 
 fore watch, and remember, that by the 
 space of three years, I ceased not to warn 
 every one night and day with tears. And 
 now, brethren, I commend you to God, 
 and to the word of his grace, which is 
 able to build you up, and to give you an 
 inheritance among all them which are 
 sanctified. I have coveted no man's 
 silver, or gold, or apparel ; yea, ye your- 
 selves know, that these hands have mi- 
 nistered unto my necessities, and to them 
 that were with me. I have shewed you 
 all things, how that so labouring ye ought 
 to support the weak ; and to remember 
 the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said. 
 It is more blessed to give than to receive. 
 
 ^ Then another Bishop shall read the Gospel. 
 St. John xxi. 15. 
 
 JESUS saith to Simon Peter, Simon, 
 son of Jonas, lovest thou me more 
 than these? He saith unto him. Yea, 
 Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. 
 He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He 
 saith to him again the second time, Simon, 
 son of Jonas, lovest thou me ? He saith 
 unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that 
 I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed 
 my sheep. He saith unto him the third 
 time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou 
 me ? Peter was grieved because he said 
 unto him the third time, Lovest thou me ? 
 And he said unto him. Lord, thou know est 
 all things ; thou knowest that I love thee. 
 Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 
 
 Or else this. St. John xx. 19. 
 
 THE same day at evening, being the 
 first day of the week, when the 
 doors were shut where the disciples were 
 assembled for fear of the Jews, came 
 Jesus, and stood in the midst, and saith 
 unto them. Peace be unto you. And 
 when he had so said, he shewed unto 
 them his hands and his side. Then 
 were the disciples glad when they saw 
 the Lord. Then saith Jesus to them 
 again. Peace be unto you : as my Father 
 hath sent me, even so send I you. And 
 when he had said this, he breathed on 
 them, and saith unto them. Receive ye 
 the holy Ghost. Whosesoever sins ye 
 remit, they are remitted unto them ; and 
 4s 
 
THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOPS. 
 
 whosesoever sins ye retain, they are re- 
 tained. 
 
 Or this. St. Matth. xxviii. 1 8. 
 
 JESUS came and spake unto them, 
 saying, All power is given unto me 
 in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore 
 and teach all nations, baptizing them In 
 the Name of the Father, and of the Son, 
 and of the Holy Ghost ; teaching them 
 to observe all things whatsoever I have 
 commanded you : and lo, I am with you 
 alvvay, even unto the end of the world. 
 
 ^ After Ihe Gospe/, and the Nicene Creed and 
 the Sermon are ended, thf Elected Bishop 
 {vested with his Rochet) shall be presented by 
 two Bis/mps unto the Archbishop of that pro- 
 vince (or to some other Bishop appointed by 
 lawful commission) Ihe Archbishop sitting in 
 his chair near the hnly Table, and the Bishops 
 that present him saying, 
 
 MOST Reverend Father in God, we 
 present unto you this godly and 
 well-learned man to be Ordained and 
 Consecrated Bishop. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Archbishop demand the Queen's 
 Mandate for the Consecration, and cause it to 
 be read. And the Oath touching the acknow- 
 ledgment of the Queen s Supremacy, shall be 
 ministered to the persons elected, as it is set 
 down before in the form for the Ordering of 
 Deacons. And then shall also be ministered 
 vnto them the Oath of due Obedience to the 
 Archbishop, as followeth. 
 
 The Oath nf due Obedie?ice to the Arch- 
 bishoj). 
 
 IN the Name of God. Amen. I N. 
 chosen Bishop of the Church and 
 See of A'^. do profess and promise all due 
 reverence and obedience to the Arch- 
 bishop and to the Metropolitical Church 
 of N. and to their Successors : So help 
 me God, through Jesus Christ. 
 
 ^ This Oath shall not be made at the Consecration 
 of an Archbishop. 
 
 ^ Then the Archbishop shall 7nove the Congre- 
 gation present to pray, saying thus to them : 
 
 BRETHREN, it is written in the 
 Gospel of Saint Luke, that our 
 Saviour Christ continued the whole night 
 in prayer, before he did choose and send 
 forth his twelve Apostles. It is written 
 also in the Acts of the Apostles, That 
 the Disciples who were at Antioch did 
 fast and pray, before they laid hands on 
 Paul and Barnabas, and sent them forth. 
 Let us therefore, following the example 
 of our Saviour Christ, and his Apostles, 
 682 
 
 first fall to prayer, before we admit, and 
 send forth this person presented unto us, 
 to the work whereunto we trust the Holy 
 Ghost hath called him. 
 
 ^ And then shall he said the Litany, as before in 
 the Form of Ordering Deacons, save only, 
 that after this place That it may please thee 
 to illuminate all Bishops, 8fc. the proper 
 Suffrage there following shall be omitted, and 
 this inserted instead of it ; 
 
 THAT it may please thee to bless this 
 our Brother elected, and to send 
 thy grace upon him, that he may duly 
 execute the Office whereunto he is called, 
 to the edifying of thy Church, and to the 
 honour, praise and glory of thy Name; 
 
 Answer. We beseech thee to hear us, 
 good Lord. 
 
 ^ Then shall be said this Prayer following. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, giver of all good 
 things, who by thy Holy Spirit 
 hast appointed divers Orders of Ministers 
 in thy Church ; Mercifully behold this 
 thy servant now called to the Work and 
 Ministry of a Bishop ; and replenish 
 him so with the truth of thy doctrine, 
 and adorn him with innocency of life, 
 that, both by word and deed, he may 
 faithfully serve thee in this Office, to the 
 glory of thy Name, and the edifying and 
 well-governing of thy Church ; through 
 the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ, 
 who liveth and reigneth with thee and 
 the Holy Ghost, world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 ^ Then the Archbishop, sitting in his chair, shall 
 say to him that is to be Consecrated, 
 
 BROTHER, forasmuch as the holy 
 Scripture and the ancient Canons 
 command, that we should not be hasty 
 in laying on hands, and admitting any 
 person to Government in the Church of 
 Christ, which he hath purchased with no 
 less price than the effusion of his own 
 blood ; before I admit you to this Admi- 
 nistration, I will examine you in certain 
 Articles, to the end that the Congrega- 
 tion present may have a trial, and bear 
 witness, how you be minded to behave 
 yourself in the Church of God. 
 
 ARE you persuaded that you be truly 
 called to this Ministration, accord- 
 ing to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and the order of this Realm ? 
 Ansiver. I am so persuaded. 
 
THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOPS. 
 
 The Archbishop. 
 
 ARE you persuaded that the holy 
 Scriptures contain sufficiently all 
 doctrine required of necessity for eternal 
 salvation through faith in Jesus Christ ? 
 And are you determined out of the same 
 holy Scriptures to instruct the people 
 committed to your charge ; and to teach 
 or maintain nothing as required of ne- 
 cessity to eternal salvation, but that which 
 you shall be persuaded may be concluded 
 and proved by the same ? 
 
 Ansxoer. I am so persuaded, and de- 
 termined, by God's grace. 
 
 The Archbishop. 
 
 WILL you then faithfully exercise 
 yourself in the same holy Scrip- 
 tures, and call upon God by prayer, for 
 the true understanding of the same ; so 
 as you may be able by them to teach 
 and exhort with wholesome Doctrine, 
 and to withstand and convince the gain- 
 sayers ? 
 
 Answer. I will so do, by the help of 
 God. 
 
 The Archbishop. 
 
 ARE you ready, with all faithful dili- 
 gence, to banish and drive away 
 all erroneous and strange doctrine con- 
 trary to God's AVord ; and both privately 
 and openly to call upon and encourage 
 others to the same ? 
 
 Answer. I am ready, the Lord being 
 my helper. 
 
 The Archbishop. 
 
 WILL you deny all ungodliness and 
 worldly lusts, and live soberly, 
 righteously, and godly, in this present 
 world ; that you may shew yourself in 
 all things an example of good works unto 
 others, that the adversary may be ashamed, 
 having nothing to say against you ? 
 
 Answer. 1 will so do, the Lord being 
 my helper. 
 
 The Archbishop. 
 
 WILL you maintain and set forward, 
 as much as shall lie in you, 
 quietness, love, and peace among all 
 men ; and such as be unquiet, disobe- 
 dient, and criminous, within your Diocese, 
 correct and punish, according to such 
 authority as you have by God's Word, 
 and as to you shall be committed by the 
 Ordinance of this Realm ? 
 
 Answer. I will so do, by the help of 
 God. 
 
 683 
 
 The Archbishop. 
 
 WILL you be faithful in Ordaining, 
 sending, or laying hands upon 
 others ? 
 
 Answer. I will so be, by the help of 
 God. 
 
 The Archbishop. 
 
 WILL you shew yourself gentle, and 
 be merciful for Christ's sake to 
 poor and needy people, and to all strangers 
 destitute of help ? 
 
 Answer. I will so shew myself, by 
 God's help. 
 
 ^ Then the Archbishop standing up shall saij, 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Fa- 
 ther, who hath given you a good 
 will to do all these things, Grant also 
 unto you strength and power to perform 
 the same ; that, he accomplishing in 
 you the good work which he hath begun, 
 you may be found perfect and irrepre- 
 hensible at the latter day ; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall the Bishop elect put on the rest of 
 the Episcopal habit ; and kneeling down. Veni, 
 Creator Spiritus. shall be sung or said over 
 him, the Archbishop begitming, and the Bishops, 
 with others that are present, answering by 
 verses, as followeth. 
 
 COME, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire. 
 And lighten xoith celestial fire. 
 Thou the anointing Spirit art, 
 Who dost thy seven-fold gifts impart. 
 Thy blessed Unction from above. 
 Is comfort, life, and fire of love. 
 Enable with perpetual light 
 The dulness of our blinded sight. 
 Anoint and cheer our soiled face 
 With the abundance of thy grace. 
 Keep far our foes, give peace at home : 
 Where thou art guide, no ill can come. 
 Teach us to know the Father, Son, 
 And thee, of both, to he hut One. 
 That, through the ages all along. 
 This may be our endless song ; 
 Praise to thy eternal merit. 
 Father, Son, and Holy Spiiit. 
 
 Or this : 
 
 i^OME, Holy Ghost, eternal God, S^-c. 
 
 As before in the Form for Ordering Priests. 
 ^ That ended, the Archbishop shall say, 
 
 Lord, hear our prayer. 
 Ansiver. iVnd let our cry come unto 
 thee. 
 
 4 s 2 
 
THE CONSECRATION OF BISHOPS. 
 
 Let us prav. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, and most merciful 
 Father, who of thine infinite good- 
 ness hast given thine only and dearly 
 beloved son Jesus Clirist, to be our Re- 
 deemer, and the Author of everlasting 
 life ; -vvho, after that he had made perfect 
 our Redemption by his death, and was 
 ascended into heaven, poured down his 
 gifts abundantly u])on men, making some 
 Apostles, some Prophets, some Evan- 
 gelists, some Pastors and Doctors, to the 
 edifying and making perfect his Church ; 
 Grant, we beseech thee, to this thy ser- 
 vant such grace, that he may evermore 
 be ready to spread abroad thy Gospel, 
 the glad tidings of reconciliation with 
 thee ; and use the authority given him, 
 not to destruction, but to salvation ; not 
 to hurt, but to help : so that as a wise 
 and faithful servant, giving to thy family 
 their portion in due season, he may at 
 last be received into everlasting joy ; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord, who, 
 with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and 
 reigneth, one God, world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 W[ Then the Archbishop and Bishops present sha/J 
 lay their hands iipun the head of the elected 
 Bishop kneeling before them upon his knees, 
 the Archbishop saying, 
 
 "OECEIVE the holy Ghost, for the 
 JLV Office and Work of a Bishop in 
 the Church of God, now committed unto 
 thee by the Imposition of our hands: In 
 the Name of the Father, and of the Son, 
 and of the Holy Ghost. Amen And 
 remember that thou stir up the grace of 
 God which is given thee by this Impo- 
 sition of our hands ; for God hath not 
 given us the spirit of fear, but of power, 
 and love, and soberness. 
 
 ^ Then the Archbishop shall deliver him the 
 Bible, saying, 
 
 GIVE heed unto reading, exhortation, 
 and doctrine. Think upon the 
 thmgs contained in this Book. Be dili- 
 gent in them, that the increase coming 
 thereby may be manifest mito all men. 
 Take heed unto thyself, and to doctrine, 
 and be diligent in doing them : for by 
 
 so doing thou shalt both save thyself and 
 them that hear thee. Be to the flock of 
 Christ a shepherd, not a wolf ; feed them, 
 devour them not. Hold up the weak, 
 heal the sick, bind up the broken, bring 
 again the out-casts, seek the lost. Be 
 so merciful, that you be not too remiss ; 
 so minister discipline, that you forget 
 not mercy ; that when the chief Shep- 
 herd shall appear you may receive the 
 never-fading crown of glory; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 
 
 •J[ Then the Archbishop shall proceed in the 
 Communion- Service ; with who7n the new 
 Consfcralfd Bishop {with others) shall also 
 conimiinicale. 
 
 •f[ And for the last Collect, immediately before the 
 Benediction, shall be said these Prayers. 
 
 MOST merciful Father, we beseech 
 thee to send down upon this thy 
 servant thy heavenly blessing ; and so 
 endue him with thy holy Spirit, that he, 
 preaching thy Word, may not only be 
 earnest to reprove, beseech, and rebuke 
 with all patience and doctrine ; but also 
 may be to such as believe a wholesome 
 example, in word, in conversation, in 
 love, in faith, in chastity, and in purity ; 
 that, faithfully fulfilling his course, at 
 the latter day he may receive the crown 
 of righteousness laid up by the Lord the 
 righteous Judge, who liveth and reigneth 
 one God with the Father and the Holy 
 Ghost, world without end. Amen. 
 
 PREVENT us, Lord, in all our 
 doings, with thy most gracious 
 favour, and further us with thy continual 
 help; that in all our works begun, con- 
 tinued, and ended in thee, we may glorify 
 thy holy Name, and finally by thy mercy 
 obtain everlasting life ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen 
 
 THE peace of God, which passeth all 
 understanding, keep your hearts 
 and minds in the knowledge and love of 
 God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our 
 Lord : And the blessing of God Almighty, 
 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost 
 be amongst you, and remain with you 
 always. Amen. 
 
 NOTE ON THE ORDINATION SERVICES. 
 The office of ministering before God, and teaching His word, has in all ages been regarded as one 
 of peculiar sanctity. A distinction between the clergy and laity is clearly alluded to in the writings 
 of the earliest Christian fathers. Imposition of hands and prayer formed the ordination service of 
 the primitive times. The origin of several orders of clergy may be traced to a period equally 
 
 684 
 
NOTE ON THE ORDINATION SERVICES. 
 
 remote. TertuUian, alluding to the practice of heretics, says, " With them, one man is a bishop 
 to-day, and another is their bishop to-morrow: he who to-day is a deacon becomes to-morrow a 
 reader ; and he who is a priest to-day, may in the same manner be to-morrow a layman." The 
 same writer says, "Let them show the origin of their churches ; let them trace the succession of 
 their bishops ; and thus connect the individual who first lield the office, either with some apostle 
 or some apostolic man, who always remained in communion with the Church. It is thus that the 
 apostolic Churches show their origin. That of Smyrna traces its bishops in an unbroken line from 
 Polvcarp, who was placed there by St John: that of Rome from Clemens, who was placed there 
 by St. Peter: and every other Church can point out the individual to whom the superintendence 
 oi' its doctrine and discipline was first committed by some one of the Apostles." 
 
 Allusions are made in several ancient authors to the ceremonies gradually introduced into the 
 ordination of the clergy. Thus it is said that, " When a bishop is ordained, two bishops shall hold 
 the Book of the Gospels over his head, and whilst one pronounces the blessing, all the rest of the 
 bishops that are present shall lay their hands upon his head.'" Part of one of the prayers used has 
 also been handed down. This is, " Grant to him, O Lord Almighty, by thy Christ, the com- 
 munication of the Holy Spirit ; — that he may have power to remit sins according to thy command- 
 ment, and to confer orders according to thy appointment, and to loose every bond according to the 
 power which Thou gavest to the Apostles ; — that he may please thee in meekness and a pure heart, 
 constantly blameless, and without rebuke ; — and may offer unto thee that pure, unbloody sacrifice 
 which Thou by Christ hast appointed to be the mystery of the new covenant, lor a sweet-smelling 
 savour, through Jesus Christ thy only Son, our God and Saviour, by whom be glory, honour, and 
 worship to Thee in the Holy Spirit, now and for ever." The bishop having been consecrated, was 
 led to his chair, and received from his brethren the kiss of peace. He then delivered a discourse, 
 called the Sermo Etithronistictis ; and soon after his ordination he sent a letter to the bishops of 
 other provinces of the Church, declaring his faith and communion. Several rules were instituted 
 respecting the ordination of priests and deacons, some of which are still retained as liighly necessary 
 to the proper government of the Church Thus the candidates for orders were obliged to take an 
 oath against simony — to subscribe the articles of faith — to prove the sufficiency of their learning, 
 and their communion with the Church by baptism and a holy lite. It was required also that they 
 should have a distinct appointment to some Church, and that they should regard themselves as 
 peculiarly subject to the bishop of the province. In the primitive times, no particular season was 
 set apart for ordinations, nor was even Sunday the onlj' day on which they took place ; but the 
 liour of morning service appears to have been the only time of the day allowed for the purpose. 
 Priests were ordained by bishops, but presbyters also placed their liands on their heads, and the 
 kiss of peace was given as in the case of episcopal consecration. At the ordination of deacons 
 the bishop alone placed his hands on the heads of the persons ordained, and they were not 
 admitted to the performance of the higher mysteries of the Communion, or to give absolution. 
 
 The Ordination Services of our Church follow, as closely as possible, the example of the earliest 
 with which we are acquainted. No practice is introduced for which there is not the authority of 
 the apostolic times, and while they are grave and simple, they are equallv impressive. It would be 
 well if eveiy^ person about to offer himself for the ministry were to make them his especial stud}-, 
 with earnest prayer; and then to draw from them rules of self-examination, and laws tor his future 
 conduct. 
 
 685 
 
Si 
 
 A FORM 
 
 OF 
 
 PRAYER WITH THANKSGIVING, 
 
 To be used yearly upon the Fifth Day of Nwember, 
 
 For the happy dehverance of King JAMES I. and the three Estates of ENG- 
 LAND, horn the most traiterous and bloody-intended Massacre by Gun- 
 powder: And also for the happy Arrival of his Majesty King WILLIAM on 
 this Day, for the Deliverance of our Church and Nation. 
 
 ^ T/ie minister of every Parish shall give warning to his Parishioners pitblickly in the 
 Church at Morning Prayer, the Sunday before, for the due Obaervalion of the said 
 Day. And after 31ormng Prayer, or Preaching, upon the said Fifth Day of Novem- 
 ber, shall read publickly, distinctly, and plainly, the Act of Parliament, made in the 
 third Year of King James the First, for the Observation of it. 
 
 •^ The Service shall be the same with the usual Office for Huly-days in all things ; except 
 where it is hereafter otherwise appointed. 
 
 ^ If this Day shall happen to be Sunday, only the Collect proper for that Sunday shall be 
 added to this Office in its place. 
 
 ^ Morning Prayer shall begin with these 
 Sentences. 
 
 THE Lord is full of compassion, 
 and mercy : long-suffering, 
 and of great goodness, Psal. ciii. 8. 
 He will not alvvay be chiding : 
 neither kcei)eth he his anger for 
 ever. Ver. 9. 
 
 He hath not dealt with us after 
 our sins : nor rewarded us according 
 to our wickedness. Ver. 10. 
 686 
 
 ^ Instead of Venite exultemus shall this 
 Hymn following be used; one I'erse by 
 the Priest, and another by the Clerk and 
 people. 
 
 OGive thanks unto the Lord, for 
 he is gracious : and his mercy 
 endureth for ever. Psal. cvii. L 
 
 Let them give thanks, whom the 
 
 Lord hath redeemed : and delivered 
 
 from the hand of the enemy. Ver. 2. 
 
 Many a time have they fought 
 
GUNPOWDER TREASON. 
 
 against me from my youth up : may 
 Israel now say. Psal. cxxix. 1. 
 
 Yea, many a time have they vexed me 
 from my youth up : but they have not 
 prevailed against me. Ver. 2. 
 
 They have privily laid their net to 
 destroy me without a cause : yea, even 
 without a cause have they made a pit for 
 my soul. Psal. xxxv. 1. 
 
 They have laid a net for my feet, and 
 pressed down my soul : they have digged 
 a pit before me, and are fallen into the 
 midst of it themselves. Psal. Ivii. 7. 
 
 Great is our Lord, and great is his 
 power : yea, and his wisdom is infinite. 
 Psal. cxlvii. 5. 
 
 The Lord setteth up the meek : and 
 bringeth the ungodly down to the ground. 
 Ver 6. 
 
 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy 
 right hand : and upon the son of man 
 whom thou madest so strong for thine 
 own self. Psal. Ixxx. 17. 
 
 And so will not we go back from thee : 
 O let us live, and we shall call upon 
 thy Name. Ver. 18. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the 
 Son : and to the Holy Ghost. 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, 
 and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 Proper Psalms. Ixiv, cxxiv, cxxv. 
 
 Proper Lessons. 
 
 The First, 2 Sam. xxii. 
 
 Te Deum. 
 
 The Second, Acts xxiii. 
 Jubilate. 
 
 5f In the Suffrages after the Creed these shall 
 be inserted and used/or the Queen. 
 
 Priest. O Lord, save the Queen ; 
 
 People. Who putteth her trust in thee. 
 
 Priest. Send her help from thy holy 
 place. 
 
 People. And evermore mightily defend 
 her. 
 
 Priest. Let her enemies have no ad- 
 vantage against her. 
 
 People. Let not the wicked approach 
 to hurt her. 
 
 % Instead of the first Collect at Morning Prayer 
 shall these two be used. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who hast in all 
 ages shewed thy Power and Mercy 
 in the miraculous and gracious deliver- 
 ances of thy Church, and in the protec- 
 tion of righteous and religious Kings and 
 687 
 
 States professing thy holy and eternal 
 truth, from the wicked conspiracies, and 
 malicious practices of all the enemies 
 thereof: We yield thee our unfeigned 
 thanks and praise, for the wonderful and 
 mighty Deliverance of our gracious Sove- 
 reign King James the First, the Queen, 
 the Prince, and all the Royal Branches, 
 with the Nobility, Clergy, and Commons 
 of England, then assembled in Parlia- 
 ment, by Popish treachery appointed as 
 sheep to the slaughter, in a most bar- 
 barous and savage manner, beyond the 
 examples of former ages. From this 
 unnatural Conspiracy, not our merit, but 
 thy mercy ; not our foresight, but thy 
 providence delivered us : And therefore 
 not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but 
 unto thy Name be ascribed all honour 
 and glory, in all Churches of the saints, 
 from generation to generation ; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ACCEPT also, most gracious God, of 
 our unfeigned thanks for filling 
 our hearts again with joy and gladness, 
 after the time that thou hadst afflicted us, 
 and putting a new song into our mouths, 
 by bringing His Majesty King William, 
 upon this day, for the Deliverance of 
 our Church and Nation from Popish 
 Tyranny and arbitrary powder. We adore 
 the wisdom and justice of thy Providence, 
 which so timely interposed in our extreme 
 danger, and disappointed all the designs 
 of our enemies. We beseech thee, give 
 us such a lively and lasting sense of what 
 thou didst then, and hast since that time 
 done for us, that we may not grow secure 
 and careless in our obedience, by pre- 
 suming upon thy great and undeserved 
 goodness ; but that it may lead us to 
 repentance, and move us to be the more 
 diligent and zealous in all the duties of 
 our Religion, which thou hast in a mar- 
 vellous manner preserved to us. Let 
 truth and justice, brotherly kindness and 
 charity, devotion and piety, concord and 
 unity, with all other virtues, so flourish 
 among us, that they may be the stability 
 of our times, and make this Church a 
 praise in the earth. All which we humbly 
 beg fur the sake of our blessed Lord and 
 Saviour. Amen. 
 
 5[ In the end of the Litany (which shall always 
 this Day be used) after the Collect [We 
 humbly beseech thee, O Father, Sfc.^ shall 
 this be said which followeth. 
 
GUNPOWDER TREASON. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God and heavenly Fa- 
 ther, who of thy gracious Provi- 
 dence, and tender mercy towards us, 
 didst prevent the maUce and imagina- 
 tions of our enemies, by discovering and 
 confounding their horrible and wicked 
 Enterprize, plotted and intended this 
 day to liave been executed against the 
 King, and the whole State of England, 
 for the subversion of the Government 
 and Religion established among us ; and 
 didst likewise upon this day wonderfully 
 conduct thy servant King William, and 
 bring him safely into England, to pre- 
 serve us from the attempts of our enemies 
 to bereave us of our Religion and Laws : 
 We most humbly praise and magnify 
 thy most glorious Name for thy unspeak- 
 able goodness towards us, expressed in 
 both these acts of thy mercy. We con- 
 fess it has been of thy mercy alone, that 
 we are not consumed : For our sins have 
 cried to heaven against us ; and our 
 iniquities justly called for vengeance 
 upon us. But thou hast not dealt with 
 us after our sins, nor rewarded us after 
 our iniquities ; nor given us over, as we 
 deserved, to be a prey to our enemies; 
 but hast in mercy delivered us from their 
 malice, and preserved us from death and 
 destruction. Let the consideration of 
 this thy repeated goodness, Lord, work 
 in us true repentance, that iniquity may 
 not be our ruin. And increase in us 
 more and more a lively faith and love, 
 fruitful in all holy obedience ; that thou 
 mayest still continue thy favour, with 
 the light of thy Gospel, to us and our 
 posterity for evermore ; and that for thy 
 dear Son's sake, Jesus Christ our only 
 Mediator and Advocate. Amen. 
 
 ^ Instead of the Prayer [In time of War and 
 Tumults] shall be used this Prayer following. 
 
 OLORD, who didst this day discover 
 the snares of death that were laid 
 for us, and didst wonderfully deliver us 
 from the same ; Be thou still our mighty 
 Protector, and scatter our enemies that 
 delight in blood : hifatuate and defeat 
 their counsels, abate their pride, asswage 
 their malice, and confound their devices. 
 Strengthen the hands of our gracious 
 Sovereign Queen VICTORIA, and all 
 that are put in authority under her, with 
 judgement and justice to cut off all such 
 workers of inicjuity, as turn Religion into 
 Rebellion, and Faith into Faction ; that 
 688 
 
 they may never prevail against us, or 
 triumph in the ruin of thy Church among 
 us : but that our gracious Sovereign, and 
 her Realms, being preserved in thy true 
 Religion, and by thy merciful goodness 
 protected in the same, we may all duly 
 serve thee, and give thee thanks in thy 
 holy congregation ; through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ^ In the Communion Service, instead (f the 
 Cdllfcl for the Day, shall this which followclh 
 be used 
 
 ETERNAL God, and our most mighty 
 Protector, we thy unworthy ser- 
 vants do humbly present ourselves before 
 thy Majesty, acknowledging thy power, 
 wisdom, and goodness, in preserving the 
 King, and the Three Estates of the 
 Realm of England assembled in Par- 
 liament, from the destruction this day 
 intended against them. Make us, we 
 beseech thee, truly thankful for this, and 
 for all other thy great mercies towards 
 us ; particularly for making this day 
 again memorable, by a fresh instance 
 of thy loving-kindness towards us. We 
 bless thee for giving his late Majesty 
 King William a safe arrival here, and 
 for making all opposition fall before him, 
 till he became our King and Goveniour. 
 We beseech thee to protect and defend 
 our Sovereign Queen VICTORIA, and 
 all the Royal Family, from all treasons and 
 conspiracies ; Preserve her in thy faith, 
 fear, and love ; Prosper her Reign with 
 long happiness here on earth ; and crown 
 her with everlasting glory hereafter; 
 through Jesus Christ our only Saviour 
 and Redeemer. Amen. 
 
 The Epistle. Rom. xiii. \. 
 
 LET every soul be subject unto the 
 higher powers ; for there is no 
 power, but of God : the powers that be 
 are ordained of God. Whosoever there- 
 fore resisteth the power resisteth the 
 ordinance of God ; and they that resist 
 shall receive to themselves damnation. 
 For rulers are not a terror to good works, 
 but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be 
 afraid of the power? do that which is 
 good, and thou shalt have praise of the 
 same : for he is the minister of God to 
 thee for good. But if thou do that which 
 is evil, be afraid ; for he beareth not the 
 sword in vain : for he is the minister of 
 God, a revenger to execute wrath upon 
 
GUNPOWDER TREASON. 
 
 him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must 
 needs be subject, not only for wrath, but 
 also for conscience sake. For for this 
 cause pay ye tribute also ; for they are 
 God's ministers, attending continually 
 upon this very thing. Render therefore 
 to all their dues ; tribute to whom tribute 
 is due, custom to whom custom, fear to 
 whom fear, honour to whom honour. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Luke ix. 5 1 . 
 
 AND it came to pass, when the time 
 was come that he should be re- 
 ceived up, he stedfastly set his face to 
 go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers 
 before his face ; and they went and 
 entered into a village of the Samaritans, 
 to make ready for him : And they did 
 not receive him, because his face was as 
 though he would go to Jerusalem. And 
 when his disciples James and John saw 
 this, they said. Lord, wilt thou that we 
 command fire to come down from heaven, 
 and consume them, even as Elias did ? 
 But he turned and rebuked them, and 
 said, Ye know not what manner of spirit 
 ye are of: For the Son of man is not 
 come to destroy men's lives, but to 
 save them. And they went to another 
 village. 
 
 5[ After the Crenl. if there he no Sermon, shall 
 be read one of the six Homilies against Re- 
 bellion. 
 
 % This sentence is to be read at the Offertory. 
 
 WHATSOEVER ye would that men 
 should do to you, do ye even so 
 to them ; for this is the Law and the 
 Prophets. St. Mallh. vii. 12. 
 
 % After the Prayer for the Church militant this 
 following Prayer is to be used. 
 
 OGOD, whose Name is excellent in 
 all the earth, and thy glory above 
 the heavens; who on this day didst mi- 
 raculously preserve our Church and State 
 from the secret contrivance and hellish 
 malice of Popish conspirators ; and on 
 this day also didst begin to give us a 
 mighty deliverance from the open tyranny 
 and oppression of the same cruel and 
 blood-thirsty enemies : We bless and 
 adore thy glorious ^Majesty, as for the 
 former, so for this thy late marvellous 
 loving-kindness to our Church and Nation, 
 in the preservation of our Religion and 
 Liberties. And we humbly pray, that 
 the devout sense of this thy repeated 
 mercy may renew and increase in us a 
 spirit of love and thankfulness to thee its 
 only Author ; a spirit of peaceable sub- 
 mission and obedience to our gracious 
 Sovereign Lady, Queen VICTORIA ; 
 and a spirit of fervent zeal for our holy 
 Religion which thou hast so wonderfully 
 rescued, and established, a blessing to 
 us and our posterity. And this we beg 
 for Jesus Christ his sake. Amen. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 An event so important as the deliverance of the nation from a conspiracy which was intended to 
 destroy both its religion and its liberties, is not likely to pass from men's memories; and if it be 
 remembered, it ought surely to excite an unfailing gratitude, and a disposition ever ready to set 
 forth the praises of that wise and merciful Providence to which we owe our safet)-. Tlie establish- 
 ment of the national liberties under William III., who arrived on the same day of the year as that 
 on which the plot was discovered, appeared to the heads of the Church as an event which might 
 properly be commemorated with the discovery of the conspiracy. Some few alterations were 
 accordingly made to suit the service to this twol'old object. The rubric, " Instead of Venite," &c.,, 
 and the following sentences, were added in the second year of William and Mary. At the same 
 time the prayer beginning '-Accept also, most gracious God, &c. " was inserted, and that beginning 
 " Almighty God and heavenly Father," &c., received several alterations. A clause was also added 
 to the collect used at the Communion Service, •• Make us, we beseech thee, truly thankfid for tliis, 
 and for all other thy great mercies towards us," &c., and the prayer to be used after that for the 
 Church Militant was altogether new. Some alteration was likewise made as to the portions of 
 Scripture read. The 3!ith psalm was at first appointed ; but in the revisal of the OrKce at the 
 Revolution this was disused, and the IL'oth was selected instead of the l_'9th. The present 
 Gospel was also first inserted at this alteration of the service, that before read being Matth. xxvii. 
 1 — 10. " Be it therefore enacted," says the Act passed in reference to this Senice, '• by tlie King's 
 most excellent Majesty, the Lords spiritual and temporal, and the Commons, in this present Par- 
 liament assembled, and by the authority of the same, tliat all and singular ministers, in every 
 cathedral and parish-church, or other usual places for Common Piayer within this realm, and the 
 dominions of tire same, shall always upon the fifth day of November say Morning Prayer, and 
 give unto Almighty God thanks for this most happy deliverance: and that all and eveiy person 
 and persons, inhabiting within this realm of England, and dominions of the same, shall always 
 upon that day diligently and faithfully resort to the parish-church, or chapel, accustomed, or to 
 some usual church, or chapel, where the said morning preaching, or other service of God shall be 
 used, and then and there to abide orderly and sol>erly during the time of the same prayers, preach- 
 ing, or other service of God, there to be used or administered. And because all and everv person 
 
 689 4 T ' 
 
A FORM OF PRAYER WITH FASTING, 
 
 To be used yearly 07i the Thirtieth of January, 
 
 BeinjT the Day of the Martyrdom of the Blessed King Charles the First; to implore the 
 mercy of God, that neither the Guilt of that sacred and innocent Blood, nor those other 
 sins, hy which God was provoked to deliver up both us and our King into the hands of 
 cruel and unreasonable men, may at any time hereafter be visited upon us or our 
 posterity. 
 
 ^ If this Day shall happen to be Sunday, this Form of Prayer shall be itsed and the Fast kept the 
 next Day folluivinfj. j4nd upon the Lorrts Day next before the Day to be kept, at Morning 
 Prayer, immediately after the Nicene Creed, notice shall be given for the due observation of the 
 said Day. 
 
 ^ The Service of the Day shall he the same ivith the usual Office for Holy-days in all things ; except 
 where it is in this Office otherwise appointed. 
 
 THE ORDER FOR MORNING PRAYER. 
 
 •[[ He that ministereth shall begin with one or 
 more of these Sentences. 
 
 TO the Lord our God belong mercies 
 and forgivenesses, though we have 
 rebelled against him : neither have we 
 obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, 
 to walk in his laws which he set before 
 us. Dan. ix. 9, 10. 
 
 Correct us, O Lord, but with judge- 
 ment : not in tliine anger, lest thou bring 
 us to nothing. Jer. x. 24. 
 
 Enter not into judgement with thy ser- 
 vants, O Lord : for in thy sight shall no 
 man living be justified. Psal. cxliii. 2. 
 
 ^ Instead nfVeiute exultemus the Hymn follow- 
 ing shall be said or sung ; one Verse by the 
 Priest, another by the Clerk and people. 
 
 RIGHTEOUS art thou, O Lord : 
 and just are thy judgements ! 
 Psal. cxix. 137. 
 
 Thou art just, O Lord, in all that is 
 brought upon us : for thou hast done 
 right, but wo have done wickedly. Neh. 
 ix. 3.S. 
 
 Nevertheless, our feet were almost 
 gone : our treadings had well-nigh slipped. 
 Psal- Ixxiii. 2. 
 
 For why ? we were grieved at the 
 wicked : we did also see the ungodly 
 in such ■prosperity. Ver. 3. 
 
 The people stood up, and the rulers 
 took counsel together : against the Lord, 
 and against his Anointed. Psal. ii. 2. 
 
 They cast their heads together ivith 
 one consent : and loere confederate 
 against him. Psal. Ixxxiii. 5. 
 
 He heard the blasphemy of the mul- 
 titude, and fear was on every side : while 
 they conspired together against him, to 
 take away his life. Psal. xxxi. 15. 
 
 They spoke against him with false 
 tongues, and compassed him about with 
 %vords of hatred : and fought against 
 him ivithout a cause. Psal. cix. 2. 
 
 Yea, his own familiar friends, whom 
 he trusted : they that eat of his bread 
 laid great wait for him. Psal. xli. 9. 
 
 They rewarded him evil for good : 
 to the great discovfort of his soul. 
 Psal. XXXV. 12. 
 
 They took their counsel together, say- 
 ing, God hath forsaken him : persecute 
 him, and take him, for there is none to 
 deliver him. Psal. Ixxi. 9. 
 
 The breath of our nostrils, the Anointed 
 of the Lord icas taken in their pits : of 
 whom we said. Under his shadow we 
 shall be safe. Lam. iv. 20. 
 
 The adversary and the enemy entered 
 into the gates of Jerusalem : saying. 
 
 may be put in mind of his duty, and be then better prepared to the said holy service, be it enacted 
 by the authority aforesaid, that every minister shall give warning to his parishioners publicly, in 
 the church at Mornin;^ Prayer, the Sunday before every such fifth day of November, lor tlie due 
 observation of the same day: and that after Morning Prayer, or preaching, upon the same fifth 
 day of November, tliey read publicly, distinctly, and plainly, this present Act."' Thoughtful and 
 devout minds will not fail to emjiloy days like this in meditating on the goodness of God, manifested 
 so remarkably in the various deliverances of His Clhurch. They will strive in all ways to glorify 
 His mercy, and tliis they will do without failing to recollect the great law of charity taught them 
 by Jesus Christ. Let prayer and contemplation occupy the heart, and it will bring forth the 
 genuine fruits of righteousness, a pure faith and gentle and placable dispositions. 
 
 690 
 
KING CHARLES THE MARTYR. 
 
 When shall he die, and his name perish ? 
 Ver. 12. Psal. xli. 5. 
 
 Let the sentence of guiltiness proceed 
 against him : and now that he lieth, let 
 him rise up no more. Ver. 8. 
 
 False witnesses also did rise up against 
 him : they laid to his charge things that 
 he knew not. Psal. xxxv. 11. 
 
 For the sins of the people, and the 
 iniquities of the priests : they shed the 
 blood of the just in the midst of Jeru- 
 salem. Lam. iv. 13. 
 
 O my soul, come not thou into their 
 secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, 
 be not thou united : for in their anger 
 they slew a man ; Ge7i. xlix. 6. 
 
 Even the man of thy right hand : the 
 Son of man, whom thou hadst made so 
 strong for thine own self . Psal. Ixxx. 1*7. 
 
 La the sight of the unwise he seemed 
 to die : and his departure was taken for 
 misery. Wisd. iii. 2. 
 
 They fools counted his life madness, 
 and his end to be without honour : but 
 he is in pjeace. Wisd. v. 4. & iii. 3. 
 
 For though he was punished in the 
 sight of men : yet was his hope full of 
 immortality. Wisd. iii. 4. 
 
 How is he numbered loith the children 
 of God : and his lot is among the saints ! 
 Wisd. V. 5. 
 
 But, O Lord God, to whom vengeance 
 belongeth, thou God, to whom vengeance 
 belongeth : be favourable and gracious 
 unto Sion, Psal. xciv. 1. & li. 18. 
 
 Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people, 
 lohom thou hast redeemed : and lay not 
 innocent blood to our charge. Deut. xxi. 8. 
 
 O shut not up our souls with sinners : 
 nor our lives with the blood-thirsty. 
 Psal. xxvi. 9. 
 
 Deliver us from blood-guiltiness, 
 God, thou that art the God of our sal- 
 vation : and our tongues shall sing of 
 thy righteousness. Psal. li. 14. 
 
 For thou art the God that hast no 
 pleasure in wickedness : neither shall any 
 evil dwell with thee. F*sal. v. 4. 
 
 Thou will, destroy them that speak 
 leasing : the Lord abhors both the blood- 
 thirsty and deceitful man. Ver. 6. 
 
 O how suddenly do they consume : 
 perish, and come to a fearful end ! Psal. 
 Ixxiii. 18. 
 
 Yea, even like as a dream, when one 
 awaketh : so didst thou make their 
 image to vanish out of the city. Ver. 19. 
 
 Great and marvellous are thy works, 
 691 
 
 O Lord God Almighty : just and true are 
 thy ways, O King of saints. Rev. xv. 3. 
 Righteous art thou, O Lord : and just 
 are thy judgements. Psal. cxix. 13T. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the 
 Son : and to the holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, 
 and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 Proper Psalms, ix, x, xi. 
 
 Proper Lessons. 
 
 The First, 2 Sam. i. 
 
 The Second, St. Matth. xxvii. 
 
 ^ Instead of the first Collect at Morning Prayer 
 shall thei^e two which next follow be used. 
 
 OMOST mighty God, terrible in thy 
 judgements, and wonderful in thy 
 doings toward the children of men ; who 
 in thy heavy displeasure didst suffer 
 the life of our gracious Sovereign King 
 Charles the First, to be (as this day) 
 taken away by the hands of cruel and 
 bloody men : We thy sinful creatures 
 here assembled before thee, do, in the 
 behalf of all the people of this land, 
 humbly confess, that they were the 
 crying sins of this Nation, which brought 
 down this heavy judgement upon us. 
 But, O gracious God, when thou makest 
 inquisition for blood, lay not the guilt 
 of this innocent blood, (the shedding 
 whereof nothing but the blood of thy 
 Son can expiate,) lay it not to the charge 
 of the people of this land ; nor let it 
 ever be required of us, or our posterity. 
 Be merciful, Lord, be merciful unto 
 thy people, whom thou hast redeemed ; 
 and be not angry with us for ever : But 
 pardon us for thy mercies' sake, through 
 the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 BLESSED Lord, in whose sight the 
 death of thy saints is precious; We 
 magnify thy Name for thine abundant 
 grace bestowed upon our martyred Sove- 
 reign ; by which he was enabled so 
 cheerfully to follow the steps of his 
 blessed Master and Saviour, in a con- 
 stant meek suffering of all barbarous 
 indignities, and at last resisting unto 
 blood ; and even then, according to the 
 same pattern, praying fur his murderers. 
 Let his memory, O Lord, be ever blessed 
 among us ; that we may follow the 
 example of his courage and constancy, 
 his meekness and patience, and great 
 4t 2 
 
KING CHARLES THE MARTYR. 
 
 charity. And grant, that this our land 
 may he freed from the vengeance of his 
 righteous hlood, and thy mercy ghjrified 
 in tlie forgiveness of our sins : and all 
 for Jesus Christ his sake, our only Medi- 
 ator and Advocate. Amen. 
 
 ^ In the end of the LitaJiy {which shall always 
 on this Day be vseii) immrdialehj after the 
 Collect [We humbly beseech thee, O Father. 
 .^■c.] the three Collects next following are to 
 be read. 
 
 OLORD, we beseech thee mercifully 
 hear our prayers, and spare all 
 those who confess their sins unto thee ; 
 that they whose consciences by sin are 
 accused, by thy merciful pardon may 
 be absolved ; through Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 OMOST mighty God, and merciful 
 Father, who hast compassion upon 
 all men, and hatest nothing that thou 
 hast made ; who wouldest not the death 
 of a sinner, but that he should rather 
 turn from his sin, and be saved : Merci- 
 fully forgive us our trespasses ; receive 
 and comfort us, who are grieved and 
 wearied with the burden of our sins. 
 Thy property is always to have mercy ; 
 to thee only it appertaineth to forgive 
 sins. Spare us therefore, good Lord, 
 spare thy people, whom thou hast re- 
 deemed ; enter not into judgement with 
 thy servants, who are vile earth and 
 miserable sinners : but so turn thine 
 anger from us, who meekly acknowledge 
 our vileness, and truly repent us of our 
 faults ; and so make haste to help us in 
 this world, that we may ever live with 
 thee in the world to come ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 TURN thou us, good Lord, and so 
 shall we be turned. Be favourable, 
 O Lord, be favourable to thy people, 
 Who turn to thee in weeping, fasting, 
 and praying. For thou art a merciful 
 God, Full of compassion, Long-suffering, 
 and of great pity. Thou sparest when 
 we deserve punishment. And in thy 
 wrath thinkest upon mercy. Spare thy 
 people, good Lord, spare them, And let 
 not thine heritage be brought to con- 
 fusion. Hear us, Lord, for thy 
 mercy is great, And after the multitude 
 of thy mercies look upon us, Through the 
 merits and mediation of thy blessed Son 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 692 
 
 ft' 
 
 •f[ In the Comrmminn Service, after the Prayer 
 for the Quern [Ahnighty Gud, wliose kiiif^- 
 dom is everlasting, (J^v.] instead of the Collect 
 for the Day shall these two be used. 
 
 O most mighty God, S^c.\As in Ike Mnrn- 
 Blessed Lord, c^r. J inrj Prayers. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 St. Pet. ii. 13. 
 UBMIT yourselves to every ordi- 
 Kj nance of man for the Lord's sake ; 
 whether it be to the King, as supreme ; 
 or unto governours, as unto them that are 
 sent by him, for the punishment of evil- 
 doers, and for the praise of them that do 
 well. For so is the wdl of God, that 
 with well-doing ye may put to silence the 
 ignorance of foolish men : as free, and 
 not using your liberty for a cloke of 
 maliciousness, but as the servants of 
 God. Honour all men. Love the brother- 
 hood. Fear God. Honour the King. 
 Servants, be subject to your masters with 
 all fear, not only to the good and gentle, 
 but also to the froward. For this is 
 thank-worthy, if a man for conscience 
 toward God endure grief, suffering wrong- 
 fully. For what glory is it, if when ye 
 be buffeted for your faults ye shall take 
 it patiently ? but if when ye do well, and 
 suffer for it, ye take it patiently : this is 
 acceptable with God. For even hereunto 
 were ye called : because Christ also suf- 
 fered for us, leaving us an example, that ye 
 should follow his steps; who did no sin, 
 neither was guile found in his mouth. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Matth. xxi. 33. 
 
 THERE was a certain housholder 
 which planted a vineyard, and 
 hedged it round about, and digged a 
 wine- press in it, and built a tower, and 
 let it out to husbandmen, and went into 
 a far country. And when the time of 
 the fruit drew near, he sent his servants 
 to the husbandmen, that they might 
 receive the fruits of it. And the hus- 
 bandmen took his servants, and beat one, 
 and killed another, and stoned another. 
 Again he sent other servants, more than 
 the first : and they did unto them like- 
 wise. But last of all he sent unto them 
 his son, saying. They will reverence my 
 son. But when the husbandmen saw 
 the son, they said among themselves, 
 This is the heir, come, let us kill him, 
 and let us seize on his inheritance. And 
 they caught him, and cast him out of the 
 vineyard, and slew him. When the lord 
 therefore of the vineyard cometh, what 
 
KING CHARLES THE MARTYR. 
 
 will he do unto those husbandmen ? They 
 say unto him, He will miserably destroy 
 those wicked men, and will let out his 
 vineyard unto other husbandmen, which 
 shall render him the fruits in their 
 
 •[[ After the Nicene Creed, shall he read, instead 
 of the Sermon for that Day, the first and 
 second parts of the Homily agninst Disobe- 
 dience and wilful Rebellion, set forth by 
 Authority : or the Minister who officiates shall 
 f reach a Sermoji of his own composing upon 
 the same argument. 
 
 ^ In the Offertory shdl this Sentence be read. 
 
 WHATSOEVER ye would that men 
 should do unto you, even so do 
 unto them ; for this is the Law and the 
 Prophets. St. Matth. vii. 12. 
 
 ^ After the Prayer [For the whole state of 
 Christ's Church, Sfc.^ these two Collects fol- 
 lowing shall be used. 
 
 OLORD, our heavenly Father, who 
 didst not punish us as our sins 
 have deserved, but hast in the midst of 
 judgement remembered mercy ; We ac- 
 knowledge it thine especial favour, that, 
 though for our many and great provo- 
 cations, thou didst suffer thine anointed 
 blessed King Charles the First (as on 
 this day) to fall into the hands of violent 
 and blood-thirsty men, and barbarously 
 to be murdered by them, yet thou didst 
 
 not leave us for ever, as sheep without a 
 shepherd ; but by thy gracious providence 
 didst miraculously preserve the undoubted 
 Heir of his Crowns, our then gracious 
 Sovereign King Charles the Second, from 
 his bloody enemies, hiding him under 
 the shadow of thy wings, until their 
 tyranny was overpast ; and didst bring 
 him back, in thy good appointed time, to 
 sit upon the throne of his Father ; and 
 together with the Royal Family didst 
 restore to us our ancient Government in 
 Church and State. For these thy great 
 and unspeakable mercies we render to 
 thee our most humble and unfeigned 
 thanks ; beseeching thee, still to con- 
 tinue thy gracious protection over the 
 whole Royal Family, and to grant to our 
 gracious Sovereign Queen VICTORIA, 
 a long and a happy Reign over us : So 
 we that are thy people will give thee 
 thanks for ever, and will alway be shew- 
 ing forth thy praise from generation to 
 generation ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord and Saviour. Amen. 
 
 AND grant, Lord, we beseech thee, 
 that the course of this world may 
 be so peaceably ordered by thy govern- 
 ance, that thy Church may joyfully serve 
 thee in all godly quietness ; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 THE ORDER FOR EVENING PRAYER. 
 
 ^ The Hymn appointed to he used at Morning 
 Prayer instead of Venite exultemus shall 
 here also be used before the Proper Psalms. 
 
 Righteous art thou, O Lord, i^-c. 
 
 Proper Psalms. Ixxix, xciv, Ixxxv, 
 
 Proper Lessons. 
 
 The First, Jer. xii. or Dan. ix. to v. 22. 
 
 The Second, Hebr. xi. ver. 32. 
 and xii. to ver. 7. 
 
 ^ Instead of the first Collect at Evening Prayer 
 shall these two which next follow be used. 
 
 ALMIGHTY Lord God, who by 
 thy wisdom not only guidest and 
 orderest all things most suitably to thine 
 own justice ; but also performest thy 
 pleasure in such a manner, that we can- 
 not but acknowledge thee to be righteous 
 in all thy ways, and holy in all thy 
 works: We thv sinful people do here 
 693' 
 
 fall down before thee, confessing that 
 thy judgements were right, in permitting 
 cruel men, sons of Belial, (as on this 
 day) to imbrue their hands in the blood 
 of thine Anointed ; we having drawn 
 down the same upon ourselves, by the 
 great and long provocations of our sins 
 against thee. For which we do therefore 
 here humble ourselves before thee ; be- 
 seeching thee to deliver this Nation from 
 blood-guiltiness, (that of this day espe- 
 cially,) and to turn from us and our pos- 
 terity all those judgements which we by 
 our sins have worthily deserved : Grant 
 this, for the all-sufficient merits of thy 
 Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 BLESSED God, just and powerful, 
 who didst permit thy dear Servant, 
 our dread Sovereign King Charles the 
 First, to be (as upon this day) given up 
 
KING CHARLES THE MARTYR. 
 
 to the violent outrages of wicked men, 
 to be despitefully used, and at the last 
 murdered by them : Though we cannot 
 reflect upon so foul an act, but with 
 horror and astonishment ; yet do we most 
 gratefully commemorate the glories of 
 tliy grace, which then shined forth in 
 thine Anointed ; whom thou wast pleased, 
 even at the hour of death, to endue with 
 an eminent measure of exemplary pa- 
 tience, meekness, and charity, before the 
 face of his cruel enemies. And albeit 
 thou didst suffer them to proceed to such 
 an height of violence, as to kill him, and 
 to take possession of his Throne ; yet 
 didst thou in great mercy preserve his 
 Son, whose right it was, and at length 
 by a wonderful providence bring him 
 back, and set him thereon, to restore thy 
 true Religion, and to settle peace amongst 
 us : For these thy great mercies we glo- 
 rify thy Name, through Jesus Christ our 
 blessed Saviour. Amen. 
 
 5[ Immediately after the Collect [Lighten our 
 darkness, (^c.J shall these three next follow- 
 ing be used. 
 
 O Lord, we beseech, <^t. 
 O most mighty God, 8fc. 
 Turn thou us, ^^c. 
 
 As before at 
 Morning 
 Prayer. 
 
 ^ Immediately before the Prayer of Saint Cliry- 
 sostom shall this Collect which next fulloweth 
 be used. 
 
 ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, 
 whose righteousness is like the 
 strong mountains, and thy judgements 
 like the great deep ; and who, by that 
 barbarous murder (as on this day) com- 
 mitted upon the sacred Person of thine 
 Anointed, has taught us, that neither the 
 greatest of Kings, nor the best of men, 
 are more secure from violence than from 
 natural death: Teach us also hereby so 
 to number our days, that we may apply 
 our hearts unto wisdom. And grant, that 
 neither the splendor of anything that is 
 great, nor the conceit of anything that 
 is good in us, may withdraw our eyes 
 from looking upon ourselves as sinful 
 dust and ashes ; but that, according to 
 the example of this thy blessed Martyr, 
 we may press forward to the prize of the 
 high calling that is before us, in faith 
 and patience, humility and meekness, 
 mortification and self-denial, charity and 
 constant perseverance unto the end : 
 And all this for thy Son our Lord Jesus 
 Christ his sake ; to whom with thee and 
 the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 It is useful for a nation to recollect calamities into which it may have been precipitated by a blind 
 and furious zeal. Humiliation leads to caution ; and the counsels of a people are far more likely 
 to be both wise and just, and not requiring an after repentance, when inider the influence of 
 experience. The present Office was compiled in consequence of an Act of Parliament passed in 
 the twelfth year of Charles II., by which it was ordered, "That every thirtieth of January, unless 
 it falls out to be upon the Lord's day, and then the next day ibllowing. shall be for ever hereafter set 
 apart to be kept and observed in all the churches and chapels" of the kingdom, '' as an anniversary 
 day of fasting and humiliation, to implore the mercy of God. that neither the guilt of that sacred 
 and innocent blood, nor those other sins by which God was provoked to deliver up both us and 
 our King into the hands of unreasonable men, may at any time hereafter be visited on us or our 
 posterity." Several alterations were made in the service in the reign of James II. The hymn at tlie 
 beginning was inserted instead of the 95th psalm, and the psalms for the evening were changed, 
 the .38th, 64th, and 143rd, being those formerly selected. The 85th was chosen in reference to 
 tlie Restoration. It is recorded, as an interesting circumstance, that when Bishop Juxon, who 
 attended the King in his last moments, read the second lesson, as ordinarily appointed for the 
 thirtieth of January, the afiHicted monarch inquired whether he had not chosen it for him, as 
 particularly applicable to the circumstances iu which he was placed. On the Bishop's replying 
 that it hapjiened to be the proper lesson for the day, Charles was greatly affected, and expressed 
 himself as deriving much comfort from being so led, in the hour of trial, to the contemplation of 
 his Saviour's sufferings. The Service is solemn and pathetic, and, independently of the particular 
 event to which it refers, is well adapted to foster a spirit of sober and religious loyalty — the best 
 safeguard of a nation's happiness. It deserves, liowever, to be remarked, tliat none of the services 
 jilaced in this part of the Liturgy have received the stamp of authority from Parliament ; the 
 t>bservation of tlie days having been appointed, but the Offices being inserted in the Prayer Book 
 by the sole authoritj- of the Sovereign. 
 
 694 
 
A FORM OF PRAYER WITH THANKSGIVING 
 
 TO ALMIGHTY GOD, 
 
 For having put an end to the Great Rebellion, by the Restitution of the King and Royal 
 Family, and the Restoration of the Government after many years' interruption ; which 
 unspeakable Mercies were wonderfully completed upon the Twenty-ninth of May, in 
 the Year 1660. And in Memory thereof that Day in every Year is by Act of Parlia- 
 ment appointed to be for ever kept holy. 
 
 •[[ The Act of Parliament made in the Twelfth, and confirmed in the Thirteenth Year of King Charles 
 the Second, for the Observalion of the Twenty-ninth Day of May yearly, as a Day of Publick 
 Thanksgiving, is to he read ptiblickly in all Churches at Morning Prayer, imnifdiatcly after the 
 Nicene Creed, on the Lord's Day next before every such Twenly-ninth of May, and notice to be 
 given fur the due Observation of the said Day. 
 
 ^ The Service shall be the same with the usual Ofjice for Holy-days ; except where it is in this Office 
 otherwise appointed. 
 
 ^ If this Day shall happen to be Ascension-day, or Whit-sunday, the Collects of this Office are to 
 be added to the Offices of those Festivals in their proper places: If it he Monday or Tuesday in 
 Whitsun-week, or Trinity -Sunday, the Proper Psalms appointed fur this Day, instead of those 
 of ordinary Course, shall be also used, and the Collects added as before ; and in all these cases the 
 rest of this Office shall he omitted: But if it sha/l happen to be any other Sunday, this whole 
 Office shall be used, as it followeth, entirely. And what Festival soever shall happnt to fall upon 
 this solemn Day of Thanksgiving, the following Hymn, appointed instead of Venite exultemus, 
 shall be constantly used. 
 
 *\ Morning Prayer shall begin with these Sen- 
 tences. 
 
 TO the Lord our God belong mercies 
 and forgivenesses, though we have 
 rebelled against him : neither have we 
 obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, 
 to walk in his laws which he set before 
 us. Dan. ix. 9, 10. 
 
 It is of the Lord's mercies that we 
 were not consumed : because his com- 
 passions fail not. Lam. iii. 22. 
 
 ^ Instead of Venite exultemus shall be sung or 
 said this Hymn following ; one I'erse by the 
 Priest, and another by the Clerk and people. 
 
 MY song shall be alway of the loving- 
 kindness of the Lord : with my 
 mouth will I ever be shewing forth his 
 truth from one generation to another. 
 Psal. Ixxxix. 1. 
 
 The merciful and aracinus Lord hath 
 so done his marvellous works : that they 
 ought to he had in remembrance. Psal. 
 cxi. 4. 
 
 Who can express the noble acts of 
 the Lord : or shew forth all his praise ? 
 Psal. cvi. 2. 
 
 The loorks of the Lord are great : 
 sought out of all them that have pleasure 
 therein. Psal. cxi. 2. 
 
 The Lord setteth up the meek : and 
 695 
 
 bringeth the ungodly down to the ground. 
 Psal. cxlvii. 6. 
 
 The Lord executeth righteousness and 
 judgement : for all them that are op- 
 pressed with xorong. Psal. ciii. 6 
 
 For he will not alway be chiding : 
 neither keepeth he his anger for ever. 
 Ver. 9. 
 
 He hath not dealt with us after our 
 sins : nor rewarded us according to 
 our wickedness. Ver, 10. 
 
 For look how high the heaven is in 
 comparison of the earth : so great is his 
 mercy toward them that fear him. Ver. 
 11. 
 
 Yea, like as a father pitieth his ow7i 
 children : even so is the Lord merciful 
 t/nto them that fear him. Ver. 13. 
 
 Thou. O God, hast proved us : thou 
 also hast tried us, even as silver is tried, 
 Psal. Ixvi. 9. 
 
 Thou sujferedst men to ride over our 
 heads, we went through fire and water : 
 hut thou hast brought us out into a 
 wealthy place. Ver. 11. 
 
 O how great troubles and adversities 
 hast thou shewed us I and yet didst thou 
 turn and refresh us : yea, and broughtest 
 us from the deep of the earth again. 
 Psal. Ixxi. 18. 
 
 Thou didst retncmhcr us in our low 
 
THE RESTORATION OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 
 
 estate, and redeem us from our enemies : 
 for thij mercy endureth for ever. Psal. 
 cxxxvi. 23, 24. 
 
 Lord, thou art become gracious unto 
 thy laud : thou hast turned away the 
 caj)tivity of Jacob. Psal. Ixxxv. 1. 
 
 God hath shelved us his goodness 
 plenteously : and God hath let us see 
 our desire upon our enemies. Psal. 
 lix. 10. 
 
 They are brought down and fallen : 
 but we are risen and stand upright. 
 Psal. XX. 8. 
 
 There are they fallen, all that ivork 
 wickedness : they are cast down, and 
 shall not he able to stand. Psal. xxxvi. 
 12. 
 
 The Lord hath been mindful of us, 
 and he shall bless us : even he shall 
 bless the house of Israel, he shall bless 
 the house of Aaron. Psal. cxv. 12. 
 
 He shall bless them that fear the 
 Lord : both small and great. Ver. 13. 
 
 O that men would therefore praise the 
 Lord for his goodness : and declare the 
 wonders that he doeth for the children 
 of men ! Psal. cvii. 21. 
 
 That they loould offer unto him the 
 sacrifice of thanksgiving : and tell out 
 his works with gladness ! Ver. 22. 
 
 And not hide them from the children 
 of the generations to come : but shew 
 the honour of the Lord, his mighty and 
 wonderful works that he hath done ! 
 Psal. Ixxviii. 4. 
 
 That our posterity may also know 
 them, and the children that are yet un- 
 born : and not be as their forefathers a 
 faithless and stubborn generation. Ver. 
 6, 9. 
 
 Give thanks, Israel, unto God the 
 Lord in the congregations : from the 
 ground of the heart. Psal. Ixviii. 26. 
 
 Praised be the Lord daily : even the 
 God who helpeth us, and poureth his 
 btnejits upon us. Ver. 19. 
 
 O let the wickedness of the wicked 
 come to an end : but establish thou the 
 righteous. Psal. vii. 9. 
 
 Let all those that seek thee be joyful 
 and glad in thee : and let all such as 
 love thy salvation say alivay, The Lord 
 be praised. Psal. xl. 19. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the 
 Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is now, 
 and ever shall be : world without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 696 
 
 Proper Psalms, cxxiv, cxxvi, 
 cxxix, cxviii. 
 
 Proper Lessons. 
 
 The First, 2 Sam. xix. ver. 9. or 
 
 Numb. xvi. 
 
 Te Df'um. 
 
 The Second, The Epistle of St. Jude. 
 
 Jubilate Deo. 
 
 ^ The Suffrages next after the Creed sha/l stand 
 thus. 
 
 Priest. O Lord, shew thy mercy 
 upon us. 
 
 Answer. And grant us thy salvation. 
 
 Priest. Lord, save the Queen. 
 
 Answer. Who putteth her trust in 
 thee. 
 
 Priest. Send her help from thy holy 
 place. 
 
 Answer. And evermore mightily de- 
 fend her. 
 
 Priest. Let her enemies have no ad- 
 vantage against her. 
 
 Answer. Let not the wicked approach 
 to hurt her. 
 
 Priest. Endue thy Ministers with 
 righteousness. 
 
 Answer. A nd make thy chosen people 
 joyful. 
 
 Priest. Give peace in our time, O 
 Lord. 
 
 Answer. Because there is none other 
 that Jighteth for us, but only thou, O 
 God. 
 
 Priest. Be unto us, Lord, a strong 
 tower, 
 
 Answer. From the face of our enemies. 
 
 Priest. O Lord, hear our prayers. 
 
 Answer. A7id let our cry come unto 
 thee. 
 
 ^ Instea'l of the Jirst Collect at Morning Prayer 
 ihall these two which follow be used. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who art a strong 
 tower of defence unto thy servants 
 against the face of their enemies ; We 
 yield thee praise and thanksgiving for 
 the wonderful deliverance of these King- 
 domsfrom THE GREAT REBELLION, 
 and all the Miseries and Oppressions 
 consequent thereupon, inider which thev 
 had so long groaned. We acknowledge 
 it thy goodness, that we were not utterly 
 delivered over as a prey unto them ; be- 
 seeching thee still to continue such thy 
 mercies towards us, that all the world 
 may know that thou art our Saviour and 
 mighty Deliverer ; through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen. 
 
THE RESTORATION OF THE ROYAL FAMILY 
 
 OLORD God of our salvation, who 
 hast been exceedingly gracious 
 unto this land, and by thy miraculous 
 providence didst deliver us out of our 
 miserable confusions ; by restoring to 
 us, and to his own just and undoubted 
 Rights, our then most gracious Sovereign 
 Lord, King Charles the Second, notwith- 
 standing all the power and malice of his 
 enemies; and, by placing him on the 
 Throne of these Kingdoms, didst restore 
 also unto us the publick and free pro- 
 fession of thy true Religion and Worship, 
 together with our former Peace and Pros- 
 perity, to the great comfort and joy of 
 our hearts : We are here now before 
 thee, wdth all due thankfulness, to ac- 
 knowledge thine unspeakable goodness 
 herein, as upon this day shewed unto 
 us, and to offer unto thee our sacrifice 
 of praise for the same ; humbly beseech- 
 ing thee to accept this our unfeigned, 
 though unworthy oblation of ourselves ; 
 vowing all holy obedience in thought, 
 word and work, unto thy Divine ISIajesty ; 
 and promising all loyal and dutiful Alle- 
 giance to thine Anointed Servant now 
 set over us, and to her Heirs after her ; 
 whom we beseech thee to bless with all 
 increase of grace, honour and happiness, 
 in this world, and to crowai her W'ith 
 immortality and glory in the world to 
 come, for Jesus Christ his sake our only 
 Lord and Saviour. Amen. 
 
 ^ In the end of the Litanij (which shall always 
 this Day be used) after the Collect [We 
 humbly beseech thee. O Father, Sfc] shall 
 this be said which next follow eth. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who hast in all 
 ages shewed forth thy power and 
 mercy in the miraculous and gracious 
 deliverances of thy Church, and in the 
 protection of righteous and religious 
 Kings and States, professing thy holy 
 and eternal truth, from the malicious 
 Conspiracies and wicked Practices of all 
 their enemies ; we yield unto thee our 
 unfeigned thanks and praise, as for thy 
 many other great and pubhck mercies, 
 so especially for that signal and won- 
 derful Deliverance, by thv wise and good 
 Providence as upon this Day completed, 
 and vouchsafed to our then most gracious 
 Sovereign King Charles the Second, and 
 all the Royal Family, and in them, to 
 this whole Church and State, and all 
 orders and degrees of men in both, from 
 the unnatural Rebellion, Usurpation, and 
 697 
 
 Tyranny of ungodly and cruel men, and 
 from the sad confusions and ruin there- 
 upon ensuing. From all these, O gra- 
 cious and merciful Lord God, not our 
 merit, but thy mercy ; not our foresight, 
 but thy Providence ; not our own arm, 
 but thy right hand, and thine arm, did 
 rescue and deliver us. And therefore, 
 not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but 
 unto thy Name be ascribed all Honour, 
 and Glory, and Praise, with most humble 
 and hearty thanks, in all Churches of the 
 Saints : Even so blessed be the Lord our 
 God, who alone doeth wondrous things, 
 and blessed be the Name of his Majesty 
 for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord 
 and only Saviour. Amen. 
 
 ^ In the Communion S'-rvice, immediately before 
 the reading of the Epistle, shall these tivo 
 Collects be used, instead of the Collect for the 
 Queen and the Collect vf the Day. 
 
 O Almighty God, ^-c. l As before 
 Lord God of our sal- > at Morning 
 vation, S)C. J Prayer. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 St. Pet. ii. 11. 
 EARLY beloved, I beseech you as 
 strangers and pilgrims, abstain 
 from fleshly lusts, which war against the 
 soul ; having your conversation honest 
 among the Gentiles : that, whereas they 
 speak against you as evil-doers, they 
 may, by your good works which thev 
 shall behold, glorify God in the day of 
 visitation. Submit yourselves to every 
 ordinance of man for the Lord's sake ; 
 whether it be to the King, as supreme; 
 or unto Governours, as unto them that 
 are sent by him for the punishment of 
 evil-doers, and for the praise of them 
 that do well. For so is the will of 
 God, that with well-doing ye may put 
 to silence the ignorance of foolish men : 
 as free, and not using your liberty for a 
 cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants 
 of God. Honour all men. Love the 
 brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the 
 King, 
 
 The Gospel. St. Matt. xxii. 16. 
 
 AND they sent out unto him their 
 disciples, with the Herodians, say- 
 ing. Master, we know that tliou art true, 
 and teachest the way of God in truth, 
 neither carest thou for any man ; for 
 thou regardest not the person of men. 
 Tell us therefore. What thinkest thou? 
 i Is it lawful to give tribute unto Ctesar, 
 4 u 
 
THE RESTORATION OF THE ROYAL FAMILY 
 
 or not? But Jesus perceived their wick- 
 edness, and said, Why tempt ye me, yc 
 hypocrites ? Shew me the tribute-money. 
 And they hronghtunto him a peny. And 
 he saith unto them, Whose is this image 
 and superscription ? They say unto him, 
 Caesar's. Tlien saith he unto them, 
 Render therefore unto Caesar the things 
 which are Caesar's; and unto God the 
 things that are God's. When they had 
 heard these words, they marvelled, and 
 left him, and went their way. 
 
 ^ hi the Offertory shall this Sentence be read. 
 
 NOT every one that saith unto me. 
 Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
 kingdom of heaven : but he that doeth 
 the will of my Father which is in heaven. 
 St. Matt. vii. 21. 
 
 ^ After the Prayer [For the whole state of 
 Christ's Church, ^c] this Collect following 
 shall be used. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God and heavenly Fa- 
 ther, who, of thine infinite and 
 unspeakable goodness towards us, didst 
 in a most extraordinary and wonderful 
 manner disappoint and overthrow the 
 wicked designs of those traiterous, heady, 
 and high-minded men, who, under the 
 pretence of Religion and thy most holy 
 Name, had contrived, and well-nigh 
 effected the utter destruction of this 
 Church and Kingdom : As we do this 
 day most heartily and devoutly adore and 
 
 magnify thy glorious Name for this thine 
 infinite goodness already vouchsafed to 
 us ; so do we most humbly beseech thee 
 to continue thy grace and favour towards 
 us, that no such dismal calamity may ever 
 again fall upon us. Infatuate and defeat 
 all the secret counsels of deceitful and 
 wicked men against us : Abate their pride, 
 asswage their malice, and confound their 
 devices. Strengthen the hands of our 
 gracious Sovereign Queen VICTORIA, 
 and all that are put in authority under 
 her, with judgement and justice to cut 
 off all such workers of iniquity, as turn 
 Religion into Rebellion, and Faith into 
 Faction ; that they may never again pre- 
 vail against us, nor triumph in the ruin 
 of the Monarchy and thy Church among 
 us. Protect and defend our Sovereign 
 Lady the Queen, with the whole Royal 
 Family, from all Treasons and Con- 
 spiracies. Be unto her an helmet of 
 salvation, and a strong tower of defence 
 against the face of all her enemies ; 
 clothe them with shame and confusion, 
 but upon Herself, and her Posterity let 
 the Crown for ever flourish. So we thy 
 people, and the sheep of thy pasture, 
 will give thee thanks for ever, and will 
 always be shewing forth thy praise from 
 generation to generation ; through Jesus 
 Christ our only Saviuur and Redeemer, to 
 whom, with thee, O Father, and the Holy 
 Ghost, be glory in the Church throughout 
 all ages, world without end. Amen. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 This Office claims attention on the principle, that any event which may be regarded as con- 
 tributing fundamentally to the good of a nation ought to be kept in grateful remembrance as the 
 result of Divine mercy. Like the other offices of a similar nature, this received some alteration in 
 tlie reign of James II. Tlie hymn immediately following the sentences was then added in place 
 of another, supposed to be less suitable to the occasion. New psalms were also introduced, the 
 20th, '21st, 8.')th, and llSth, having been originally selected. Both the psalms and lessons are con- 
 sidered as calculated to impress the minds of the people with religious feeling in contemplating 
 the events refened to ; and in all cases it is a ])roiitable exercise to trace tlie analogies which 
 aj)pear to exist between the workings of Providence in remote and later times. But this ought 
 always to be dune with care, otherwise the sacredness of Scripture will nut be treated with respect ; 
 and then it would have been far better to confine the thoughts to the immediate subject of reflection 
 than to seek for its parallel in sacred history. 
 
 G98 
 
A FORM OF PRAYER WITH THANKSGIVING 
 
 TO ALMIGHTY GOD; 
 
 To be used in all Churches and Chapels within this Realm, every Year, upon the 
 Twentieth Day of June; being the Day on which Her Majesty began Her happy 
 Reign. 
 
 ^ The Service shall be the same with the usual Office for Ho'if-days in all things ; except where it is 
 
 in this Office otherwise appointed. 
 
 ^ If this Day shall happen to be Sunday, this whole Office shall be used, as it followeth, entirely. 
 
 ^ Morning Prayer shall begin with these Sen- 
 tences. 
 
 I EXHORT that first of all, Suppli- 
 cations, Prayers, Intercessions, and 
 giving of Thanks, be made for all men ; 
 for Kings, and for all that are in Autho- 
 rity ; that we may lead a quiet and peace- 
 able life, in all godliness and honesty : 
 For this is good and acceptable unto God 
 our Saviour. 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2, 3. 
 
 If we say that we have no sin, we 
 deceive ourselves, and the truth is not 
 in us ; but, if we confess our sins, he is 
 faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 
 and to cleanse us from all unrighteous- 
 ness. 1 St. John i. 8, 9. 
 
 ^ Instead ofVenite exultemus the Hymn follow- 
 ing shall be said or sung; one f'erse by the 
 Priest, and another by the Clerk and people. 
 
 OLORD our Governour : how ex- 
 cellent is thy Name in all the 
 world ! Psal. viii. 1. 
 
 Lord, ichat is man, that thou hast 
 such respect unto him : or the son of 
 man, that thou so regarclest him ? Psal. 
 cxliv. 3. 
 
 The merciful and gracious Lord hath 
 so done his marvellous works : that they 
 ought to be had in remembrance. Psal. 
 cxi. 4. 
 
 O that men loould therefore praise 
 the Lord for his goodness : and dec/ are 
 the wonders that he doeih for the chil- 
 dren of men ! Psal. cvii. 21. 
 
 Behold, O God our defender : and 
 look upon the face of thine Anointed. 
 Psal. Ixxxiv. 9. 
 
 O hold thou up her goings in thy 
 paths : that her footsteps slip not. 
 Psal. xvii. 5. 
 
 Grant the Queen along life : and make 
 her glad with the joy of thy countenance. 
 Psal. Ixi. 6. & xxi. 6. 
 
 Let her dxoell before thee for ever : 
 O prepare thy loving mercy and faith- 
 
 fidness, that they may preserve her. 
 ■Psal. Ixi. 7. 
 
 In her time let the righteous flourish : 
 and let peace be in all our borders. 
 Psal. Ixxii. T. & cxlvii. 14. 
 
 As for her enemies, clothe them with 
 shame : hut upon Jeer self let her crown 
 flourish. Psal. cxxxii. 19. 
 
 Blessed be the Lord God, even the 
 God of Israel : which only doeth won- 
 drous things. Psal. Ixxii. 18. 
 
 And blessed be the Name of his Ma- 
 jesty for ever : and all the earth shall 
 be filled with his Majesty. Amen, 
 Amen. Ver. 19. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the 
 Son : and to the Holy Ghost ; 
 
 As it was in the beginning, is noiv, 
 and ever shall be : ivorld without end. 
 Amen. 
 
 Proper Psalms, xx, xxi, ci. 
 Proper Lessons. 
 
 The First, Joshua i, to the end of the ninth 
 
 Verse. 
 
 Te Deum. 
 
 The Second, Rom. xiii. 
 Jubilate Den. 
 
 ^ The Suffrages neat after the Creed shall stand 
 thus. 
 
 Priest. O Lord, shew thy mercy upon 
 us. 
 
 Answer. And grant us thy salvation. 
 
 Priest. Lord, save the Queen ; 
 
 Answer. JFho putteth her trust in 
 thee. 
 
 Priest. Send her help from thy holy 
 place. 
 
 Answer. Aiid evermore mightily de- 
 fend her. 
 
 Priest. Let her enemies have no 
 advantage against her. 
 
 Answer. Let not the wicked approach 
 to hurt her. 
 
 4 u 2 
 
A FORM OF PRAYER 
 
 Priest. Endue thy Ministers with 
 righteousness. 
 
 Answer. And make thy chosen people 
 joyful. 
 
 Priest. O Lord, save thy people. 
 
 A nswer. A >ul hless thine inheritance. 
 
 Priest. Give peace in our time, O 
 Lord. 
 
 Answer. Because there is none other 
 that fighteth for us, but only thou, God. 
 
 Priest. Be unto us, O Lord, a strong 
 tower ; 
 
 Answer. From the face of our ene- 
 mies. 
 
 Priest. O Lord, hear our prayer ; 
 
 Answer. And let our cry come unto 
 thee. 
 
 ^ Instead of the first Collect at Morning Prayer 
 shall be used this following Collect of Thanks- 
 giving for Her Mojestfs Accession to the 
 Throne. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, who rulest over 
 all the kingdoms of the World, 
 and disposest of them according to thy 
 good pleasure ; We yield thee unfeigned 
 thanks, for that thou wast pleased, as on 
 this day, to place thy Servant our Sove- 
 reign Lady, Queen VICTORIA upon 
 the Throne of this Realm. Let thy wis- 
 dom he her guide, and let thine arm 
 strengthen her ; let justice, truth, and 
 holiness, let peace and love, and all 
 those virtues that adorn the Christian 
 Profession, flourish in her days ; direct 
 all her counsels and endeavours to thy 
 glory, and the welfare of her people ; 
 and give us grace to ohey her cheerfully 
 and willingly for conscience sake ; that 
 neither our sinful passions, nor our pri- 
 vate interests, may disappoint her cares 
 for the publick good ; let her always 
 possess the hearts of her people, that 
 they may never be wanting in honour to 
 lier Person, and dutiful submission to 
 her Authority ; let her Reign be long 
 and prosperous, and crown her with im- 
 mortality in the life to come ; through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 <|[ In the end of the Litany (which shall always 
 be used upon this Dai/) after the Collect [We 
 humbly beseech thee, O Father, i^-c] shall 
 the following Prayer, for the Queen and Royal 
 Family, be used. 
 
 OLORD our God, who upholdest and 
 governest all things in heaven and 
 earth ; receive our humble prayers, with 
 our hearty thanksgivings, for our Sove- 
 reign Lady VICTORIA, as on this day, 
 700 
 
 set over us by thy grace and providence 
 to be our Queen ; and so together with 
 her bless Adelaide, the Queen Dowager, 
 and all the Royal Family ; that they all, 
 ever trusting in thy goodness, protected 
 by thy power, and crowned with thy 
 gracious and endless favour, may con- 
 tinue before thee in health, peace, joy, 
 and honour, and may live long and 
 happy lives upon earth, and after death 
 obtain everlasting life and glory in the 
 kingdom of heaven, by the Merits and 
 Mediation of Christ Jesus our Saviour, 
 who with the Father and the Holy 
 Spirit, liveth and reigneth ever one God, 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 ^ Then shall follow this Collect, for God's pro- 
 tection of the Queen against all her etiemies. 
 
 MOST gracious God, who hast set thy 
 servant VICTORIA our Queen 
 upon the Throne of her Ancestors, we 
 most humbly beseech thee to protect her 
 on the same from all the dangers to which 
 she may be exposed ; Hide her from the 
 gathering together of the froward, and 
 from the insurrection of wicked doers ; 
 Do thou weaken the hands, blast the 
 designs, and defeat the enterprizes of all 
 her enemies, that no secret conspiracies, 
 nor open violences, may disquiet her 
 Reign ; but that, being safely kept under 
 the shadow of thy wing, and supported 
 by thy power, she may triumph over all 
 opposition ; that so the world may ac- 
 knowledge thee to be her defender and 
 mighty deliverer in all difficulties and 
 adversities ; through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amc7i. 
 
 ^ Then the Prayer for the High Court of 
 Parliament (if silting). 
 
 ^ In the Communion Service, im7nediately before 
 the reading of the Epistle, instead of the 
 Collect for the Queen, and that of the Day, 
 shall be used this Prayer for the Queen, as 
 supreme Governour of this Church. 
 
 BLESSED Lord, who hast called 
 Christian Princes to the defence 
 of thy Faith, and hast made it their duty 
 to promote the spiritual welfare, together 
 with the temporal interest of their peo- 
 ple ; We acknowledge with humble and 
 thankful hearts thy great goodness to us, 
 in setting thy Servant our most gracious 
 Queen over this Church and Nation ; 
 Give her, we beseech thee, all those 
 heavenly graces that are requisite for so 
 high a trust ; JjCt the work of thee her 
 God prosper in her hands ; Let her eyes 
 
FOR THE TWENTIETH OF JUNE. 
 
 behold the success of her designs for the 
 service of thy true Religion established 
 amongst us ; And make her a blessed 
 instrument of protecting and advancing 
 thy Truth, wherever it is persecuted and 
 oppressed; Let Hypocrisy and Profane- 
 ness, Superstition and Idolatry, fly before 
 her face ; Let not Heresies and false 
 Doctrines disturb the peace of the Church, 
 nor Schisms and causeless Divisions 
 weaken it ; But grant us to be of one 
 heart and one mind in serving thee our 
 God, and obeying her according to thy 
 will : And tliat these blessings may be 
 continued to after-ages, let there never 
 be one wanting in her house to succeed 
 her in the government of this United 
 Kingdom, that our posterity may see 
 her children's children, and peace upon 
 Israel. So we that are thy people, and 
 sheep of thy pasture, shall give thee 
 thanks for ever, and will always be 
 shewing forth thy praise from generation 
 to generation. Amen. 
 
 The Epistle. 1 St. Pet. ii. 11. 
 
 DEARLY beloved, I beseech you as 
 strangers and pilgrims, abstain 
 from fleshly lusts, which war against the 
 soul ; having your conversation honest 
 among the Gentiles : that, whereas they 
 speak against you as evil-doers, they 
 may by your good works which they 
 shall behold, glorify God in the day of 
 visitation. Submit yourselves to every 
 ordinance of man for the Lord's sake ; 
 whether it be to the King, as suyjreme ; 
 or unto governours, as unto them that 
 are sent by him for the punishment of 
 evil-doers, and for the praise of them that 
 do well. For so is the will of God, that 
 with well-doing ye may put to silence the 
 ignorance of foolish men : as free, and 
 not using your liberty for a cloke of 
 maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 
 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. 
 Fear God. Honour the King. 
 
 The Gospel. St. Matth. xxii. 16. 
 
 AND they sent out unto him their 
 disciples, with the Herodians, say- 
 ing, Master, we know that thou art true, 
 and teachest the way of God in truth, 
 neither carest thou for any man : for thou 
 regardest not the person of men. Tell 
 us therefore. What thinkest thou ? Is it 
 lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or 
 not? But Jesus perceived their wicked- 
 701 
 
 ness, and said. Why tempt ye me, ye 
 hypocrites ? shew me the tribute-money. 
 And they brought unto him a peny. And 
 he saith unto them. Whose is this image 
 and superscription ? They say unto him, 
 Caesar's. Then saith he unto them. 
 Render therefore unto Caesar the things 
 which are Caesar's ; and unto God the 
 things that are God's. When they had 
 heard these words, they marvelled, and 
 left him, and went their way. 
 
 % After the Nicene Creed shall follow the 
 Sermon. 
 
 5[ In the Offertory shall this Sentence be read: 
 
 LET your light so shine before men, 
 that they may see your good works, 
 and glorify your Father which is in 
 heaven. St. Matth. v. 16. 
 
 ^ After the Prayer [For the whole state of 
 Christ's Church, 4"c-,] these Collects following 
 shall be used. 
 
 A Prayer for Unity. 
 
 OGOD the Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, our only Saviour, the 
 Prince of Peace ', Give us grace seri- 
 ously to lay to heart the great dangers we 
 are in by our unhappy divisions. Take 
 away all hatred and prejudice, and what- 
 soever else may hinder us from godly 
 Union and Concord : that, as there is 
 but one Body, and one Spirit, and one 
 Hope of our Calling, one Lord, one 
 Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father 
 of us all, so we may henceforth be all of 
 one heart, and of one soul, united in one 
 holy bond of Truth and Peace, of Faith 
 and Charity, and may with one mind and 
 one mouth glorify thee ; through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 GRANT, Lord, we beseech thee, 
 that the course of this world may 
 be so peaceably ordered by thy govern- 
 ance, that thy Church may joyfully serve 
 thee in all godly quietness through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty 
 God, that the words, which we 
 have heard this day with our outward 
 ears, may through thy grace be so grafted 
 inwardly in our hearts, that they may 
 bring forth in us the fruit of good living, 
 to the honour and praise of thy Name; 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, the fountain of all 
 wisdom, who knowest our neces- 
 
PRAYER FOR THE TWENTIETH OF JUNE. 
 
 sities before we ask. and our ignorance 
 in asking ; We beseech tliec to have 
 compassion upon our infirmities ; and 
 those things, whicii for our unworthiness 
 ■\ve dare not, and for our blindness we 
 cannot ask, vouchsafe to give us for the 
 worthiness of thy Son Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 THE peace of God which passeth all 
 understanding, keep your hearts 
 and minds in the knowledge and love of 
 God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our 
 Lord : And the blessing of God Almighty, 
 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
 be amongst you, and remain with you 
 always. Amen. 
 
 " VICTORIA R. 
 " /^^^^ Will and Pleasure is, That these Four Forms of Prayer and Service, made 
 " V^^ for the Fifth of November, the Thirtieth of January, the Twenty-ninth of 
 " May, and the Twentieth of June, be forthwith printed and published, and annexed 
 " to the Book of Common Prayer and Liturgy of the United Church of England and 
 " Ireland, to be used yearly on the said Days, in all Cathedral and Collegiate 
 " Churches and Chapels ; in all Chapels of Colleges and Halls within Our Uni- 
 " versities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, and of Our Colleges of Eton and 
 " Winchester, and in all Parish-Churches and Chapels within those parts of Our 
 " United Kingdom called England and Ireland. 
 
 " Given at Our Court at Kensington the Twenty-first Day of 
 " June, 1837, in the First Year of our Reign. 
 " By Her Majesty's Command, 
 
 *' J. RUSSELL." 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The observation of the day on which the reigning Sovereign ascended the throne is of very ancient 
 date. It originated in that general sentiment of religion which taught society to combine the 
 recollection of all important events with the worship of Him by whom "kings reign and jn-inces 
 decree judgment." Tlie custom was kept up in the English Church till interrupted by the ruin of 
 the monarchy under Charles I., when, as is stated in the canon, "it received a long and doleful 
 interruption, upon occasion of his murder, which changed the day on which King Charles II. 
 succeeded to the crown into a day of sorrow and fasting.'' On the accession of James II. the 
 custom was renewed. In the reign of William III. it was again allowed to fall into disuse, but 
 was revived on the accession of Queen Anne. Tlie service which had been drawn up by the 
 bishops in the reign of James II. was adopted as the groundwork of the Office, but several 
 minor alterations were made to suit the different character of the times. In the review of the 
 Liturgy, the first lesson as used in the office of King James was restored, that in the reign of 
 Queen Anne being Proverbs viii., from verse 13 to the end. 
 
 702 
 
PRAYERS 
 
 LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND. 
 
 ^ A Prayer for the Chief Govern our or Governours of Irehmd, lo be used after the Prayer for the 
 Royal Family in the Morning and Evening Service: or, when the Litany is used, after the Prayer, 
 [We humbly beseech thee, S^-c] 
 
 ^ No Chief Governour is to be prayed for until he be sworn. 
 
 ^ ff'hen there is a Lord Lieutenant, and also a Lord Deputy, or Lords Justices, then both shall be 
 
 prayed for. 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, from whom all 
 power is derived, We humbly be- 
 seech thee to bless thy Servant the Lord 
 Lieutenant of Ireland, and grant that he 
 may use the Sword which our Sovereign 
 Lady the Queen hath committed into his 
 hand, with justice, and mercy, according 
 to thy blessed Will, for the protection of 
 this People, and the true Religion esta- 
 blished amongst us : Enlighten him with 
 thy Grace, preserve him by thy Provi- 
 dence, and encompass him with thy Fa- 
 vour. Bless, we beseech thee, the whole 
 Council, direct their Consultations to the 
 advancement of thy Glory, the good of 
 thy Church, the honour of lier sacred 
 Majesty, and the safety and welfare of 
 this Kingdom : Grant this, O merciful 
 Father, for Jesus Christ his sake, our 
 only Saviour and Redeemer. Amen. 
 
 Or, 
 
 ALMIGHTY God, in whose hands all 
 earthly power doth consist. We 
 
 humbly beseech thee to bless [ ] 
 
 Lord Lieutenant General, and General 
 Governour of Ireland : And grant that the 
 Sword which our dread Sovereign Lady 
 the Queen hath committed into liis hand, 
 lie may wield in thy faith and fear, and 
 use according to thy blessed Will and 
 Word : Let thy Grace enlighten him, thy 
 Goodness confirm /(/m,and thy Providence 
 protect him. Bless, we beseech thee, the 
 whole Council, direct their Consultations 
 to the advancement of thy Glory, the good 
 of thy Church, the honour of her sacred 
 Majesty, and the safety and welfare of 
 this Kingdom. Grant this, O merciful 
 Father, for Jesus Christ his sake, our 
 only Saviour and Redeemer. Amen. 
 
 703 
 
ARTICLES 
 
 AGREED UPON UY 
 
 THE ARCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS OF BOTH PROVINCES, 
 AND THE WHOLE CLERGY, 
 
 In the Convocation holden at London in the Year 1562, for the avoiding of Diversities of 
 Opinions, and for the establishing of Consent touching true Rehgion : Reprinted by 
 His Majesty's Commandment, with his Royal Declaration prefixed thereunto. 
 
 B' 
 
 HIS MAJESTY'S DECLARATION. 
 
 \EING by God's Ordinance, according to Our just Title, Defender of the Faith, and 
 Supreme Governour of the Church, within these Our Dominions, We hold it most 
 agreeable to this Our Kingly Office, and Our own. religious Zeal, to conserve and 
 maintain the Church committed to Our Charge, in Unity of true Religion, and in the 
 Bond of Peace ; and not to suffer unnecessary Disputations, Alter catio?is, or Questions 
 to be raised, tchich may nourish Faction both i?i the Church and Commonwealth. We 
 have therefore, upon mature Deliberation, and with the Advice of so many of Our 
 Bishops as might conveniently be called together, thought fit to make this Declaration 
 following : 
 
 That the Articles of the Church of England {which have been allowed and authorized 
 heretofore, and which Our Clergy generally have subscribed unto) do contain the true 
 Doctrine of the Church of England agreeable to God's Word: which We do therefore 
 ratify and confirm, requiring all Our loving subjects to continue in the uniform 
 Profession thereof, and prohibiting the least difference from the said Articles ; which 
 to that End We command to be new printed, and this Our Declaration to be published 
 therewith. 
 
 That We are Supreme Governour of the Church of England : And that if any Dif- 
 ference arise about the External Policy, concerning the Injunctions, Canons, and other 
 Constitutions whatsoever thereto belonging, the Clergy in their Convocation is to order 
 and settle them, having first obtained leave under Our Broad Seal so to do : and We 
 approving their said Ordinances and Constitutio?is ; providing that none be made 
 contrary to the Laws and Customs of the Land. 
 
 That out of Our Princely Care that the Churchmen may do the Work ivhich is proper 
 unto them, the Bishops and Clergy, from time to time in Convocation, upon their 
 humble Desire, shall have Licence under Our Broad Seal to deliberate of, and to do all 
 such Things, as, being made plain by them, and assented unto by Us, shall concern the 
 settled Continuance of the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church 0/ England now esta- 
 blished ; from which W^e will not endure any varying or departing in the least Degree. 
 
 That for the present, though some differences have been ill raised, yet We take comfort 
 in this, that all Clergymen within Our Realm have always most icillingly subscribed to 
 the Articles established ; ivhich is an argument to Us, that they all agree in the true, 
 usual, literal meaning of the said Articles ; and that even in those curious points, in 
 which the present differences lie, men of all sorts take the Articles of the Church of 
 England to be for them ; which is an argument again, that none of them intend ayiy 
 desertion of the Articles established. 
 
 That therefore in these both curious and unhappy differences, which have for so many 
 hundred years, in different times and places, exercised the Church of Christ, We will, 
 that cdl further curious search be laid aside, and these disputes shut up in God's promises, 
 as they be generally set forth to us in the holy Scriptures, and the general meaning of 
 the Articles of the Church of England according to them. And that no man hereafter 
 shall either print, or preach, to draw the Article aside any ivay, but shall submit to it in 
 the plain and full meaning thereof: and shall not put his own sense or comment to be 
 the meaning of the Article, but shall take it in the literal and grammatical sense. 
 
 That if any publick Reader in either of Our Universities, or any Head or Master of a 
 College, or any other person respectively in either of them, shall affix any new sense 
 to any Article, or sJiall publickly read, determine, or hold any publick Disputation, or 
 suffer any such to be held either way, in either the Universities or Colleges respectively ; 
 or if any Divine in the Universities shall preach or print any thing either icay, other 
 than is already established in Convocation ivith Our Royal Assent; he, or they the 
 Offenders, shall be liable to Our displeasure, and the Church's censure in Our 
 Commission Ecclesiastical, as well as a?iy other : And We will see there shall be due 
 Execution upon them. 
 704 
 
ARTICLES OF RELIGION. 
 
 I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. 
 
 THERE is but one living and true 
 God, everlasting, without body, 
 parts, or passions ; of infinite power, 
 wisdom, and goodness ; the Maker, and 
 Preserver of all things both visible and 
 invisible. And in unity of this Godhead 
 there be three Persons, of one substance, 
 power, and eternity ; the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghost. 
 
 II. Of the Word or Son of God, tvhirh 
 
 zvas made very Mem. 
 
 THE Son, which is the Word of the 
 Father, begotten from everlasting 
 of the Father, the very and eternal God, 
 and of one substance with the Father, 
 took Man's nature in the womb of the 
 blessed Virgin, of her substance : so that 
 two whole and perfect Natures, that is to 
 say, the Godhead and Manhood, were 
 joined together in one Person, never to 
 be divided, whereof is one Christ, very 
 God, and very Man ; who truly suffered, 
 was crucified, dead and buried, to re- 
 concile his Father to us, and to be a 
 sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but 
 also for actual sins of men. 
 
 III. Of the going down of Christ into 
 
 Hell. 
 
 AS Christ died for us, and was buried, 
 so also is it to be believed, that 
 he went down into Hell. 
 
 IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ. 
 
 CHRIST did truly rise again from 
 death, and took again his body, 
 with flesh, bones, and all things apper- 
 taining to the perfection of Man's nature ; 
 wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and 
 there sitteth, until he return to judge all 
 Men at the last day. 
 
 V. Of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 THE Holy Ghost, proceeding from the 
 Father and the Son, is of one sub- 
 stance, majesty, and glory, with the Fa- 
 ther and the Son, very and eternal God. 
 
 VI. Of the Sufficiency of the holy Scrip- 
 tures for salvation. 
 
 HOLY Scripture containeth all things 
 necessary to salvation : so that 
 whatsoever is not read therein, nor may 
 be proved thereby, is not to be required 
 705 
 
 of any man, that it should be believed as 
 an article of the Faith, or be thought 
 requisite or necessary to salvation. In 
 the name of the holy Scripture we do 
 understand those canonical Books of the 
 Old and New Testament, of whose autho- 
 rity was never any doubt in the Church. 
 
 Of the Names and Number of the 
 Canonical Boohs. 
 
 QENESIS, 
 
 Exodus, 
 Leviticus, 
 Numbers, 
 Deuteronomy, 
 Joshua, 
 Judges, 
 Ruth, 
 
 The First Book of Samuel, 
 The Second Book of Samuel, 
 The First Book of Kings, 
 The Second Book of Kings, 
 The First Book of Chronicles, 
 The Second Book of Chronicles, 
 The First Book of Esdras, 
 The Second Book of Esdras, 
 The Book of Esther, 
 The Book of Job, 
 The Psalms, 
 The Proverbs, 
 Ecclesiastes or Preacher, 
 Cantica, or Songs of Solomon, 
 Four Prophets the greater. 
 Twelve Prophets the less. 
 
 And the other Books (as Hierome 
 saith) the Chiu-ch doth read for example 
 of life and instruction of manners ; but 
 yet doth it not apply them to establish 
 any doctrine ; such are these following : 
 
 The Third Book of Esdras, 
 
 The Fourth Book of Esdras, 
 
 The Book of Tobias, 
 
 The Book of Judith, 
 
 The rest of the Book of Esther, 
 
 The Book of Wisdom, 
 
 Jesus the Son of Sirach, 
 
 Baruch the Prophet, 
 
 The So7ig of the 2'hree Children, 
 
 The Story of Susanna, 
 
 Of Bel and the Dragon, 
 
 The Prayer of Manasses, 
 
 The First Book of Maccabees, 
 
 The Second Book of Maccabees. 
 
 All the Books of the New Testament, 
 4 X 
 
ARTICLES OF RELIGION. 
 
 as they are commonly received, we do 
 receive, and account them Canonical. 
 
 VII. Of the Old Testament. 
 
 THE Old Testament is not contrary 
 to the New : for both in the Old 
 and New Testament everlasting life is 
 offered to Mankind by Christ, who is the 
 only Mediator between God and Man, 
 being both God and Man. Wherefore 
 they are not to be heard, which feign that 
 the old Fathers did look only for transitory 
 promises. Although the Law given from 
 God by Moses, as touching Ceremonies 
 and Rites, do not bind Christian men, 
 nor the Civil precepts thereof ought of 
 necessity to be received in any common- 
 wealth ; yet notwithstanding, no Christian 
 man whatsoever is free from the obedi- 
 ence of the Commandments which are 
 called Moral. 
 
 VIII. Of the Three Creeds. 
 
 THE Three Creeds, Nicene Creed, 
 Athanasius's Creed, and that which 
 is commonly called the Apostles'' Creed, 
 ought thoroughly to be received and 
 believed : for they may be proved by 
 most certain warrants of holy Scripture. 
 
 IX. Of Original or Birth-sin. 
 
 ORIGINAL Sin standeth not in the 
 following of Adam, (as the Pela- 
 gians do vainly talk ;) but it is the fault 
 and corruption of the Nature of every 
 man, that naturally is ingendered of the 
 offspring of Adam ; whereby man is very 
 far gone from original righteousness, and 
 is of his own nature inclined to evil, so 
 that the flesh lusteth always contrary to 
 the spirit ; and therefore in every person 
 born into this world, it deserveth God's 
 wrath and damnation. And this infec- 
 tion of nature doth remain, yea in them 
 that are regenerated; whereby the lust 
 of the flesh, called in the Greek, <^p6vr)fia 
 aapKOQ, which some do expound the wis- 
 dom, some sensuality, some the affection, 
 some the desire, of the flesh, is not subject 
 to the Law of God. And although there 
 is no condemnation for them that believe 
 and are baptized, yet the Apostle doth 
 confess, that concupiscence and lust hath 
 of itself the nature of sin. 
 
 X. Of Free- frill. 
 
 THE condition of Man after the fall of 
 Adam is such, that he cannot turn 
 706 
 
 and prepare himself, by his own natural 
 strength and good works, to faith, and 
 calling upon God : W^herefore we have 
 no power to do good works pleasant and 
 acceptable to God, without the grace of 
 God by Christ preventing us, that we 
 may have a good will, and working with 
 us, when we have that good will. 
 
 XI. Of the Justification of Man. 
 
 WE are accounted righteous before 
 God, only for the merit of our 
 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, 
 and not for our own works or deservings : 
 Wherefore, that we are justified by Faith 
 only is a most wholesome Doctrine, and 
 very full of comfort, as , more largely is 
 expressed in the Homily of Justification. 
 
 XII. Of Good Works. 
 
 ALBEIT that Good Works, which 
 are the fruits of Faith, and follow 
 after Justification, cannot put away our 
 sins, and endure the severity of God's 
 Judgement ; yet are they pleasing and 
 acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring 
 out necessarily of a true and lively Faith ; 
 insomuch that by them a lively Faith 
 may be as evidently known as a tree 
 discerned by the fruit. 
 
 XIII. Of Works before Justification. 
 
 WORKS done before the grace of 
 Christ, and the Inspiration of 
 his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, for- 
 asmuch as they spring not of faith in 
 Jesus Christ, neither do they make men 
 meet to receive grace, or (as the School- 
 authors say) deserve grace of congruity : 
 yea rather, for that they are not done as 
 God hath willed and commanded them 
 to be done, we doubt not but they have 
 the nature of sin. 
 
 XIV. Of Works of Supererogation. 
 
 VOLUNTARY Works besides, over 
 and above, God's Commandments, 
 which they call Works of Supererogation, 
 cannot be taught without arrogancy and 
 impiety : for l)y them men do declare, 
 that they do not only render unto God 
 as much as they are bound to do, but that 
 they do more for his sake, than of bounden 
 duty is required : whereas Clirist saith 
 plainly. When ye have done all that are 
 commanded to you, say. We are unpro- 
 fitable servants. 
 
ARTICLES OF RELIGION. 
 
 XV. Of Christ alone without Sin. 
 
 CHRIST in the truth of our nature 
 was made hke unto us in all things, 
 sin only except, from which he was 
 clearly void, hoth in his flesh, and in his 
 spirit. He came to be the Lamb with- 
 out spot, who, by sacrifice of himself 
 once made, should take away th§ sins of 
 the world, and sin, as Saint John saith, 
 was not in him. But all we the rest, 
 although baptized, and born again in 
 Christ, yet offend in many things; and 
 if we say we have no sin, we deceive 
 ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
 
 XVI. Of Sin after Baptism. 
 
 NOT every deadly sin willingly com- 
 mitted after Baptism is sin against 
 the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable. 
 Wherefore the grant of repentance is 
 not to be denied to such as fall into sin 
 after Baptism. After we have received 
 the Holy Ghost, we may depart from 
 grace given, and fall into sin, and by the 
 grace of God we may arise again, and 
 amend our lives. And therefore they 
 are to be condemned, which say, they 
 can no more sin as long as they live 
 here, or deny the place of forgiveness to 
 such as truly repent. 
 
 XVII. Of Predestination and Election. 
 
 PREDESTINATION to Life is the 
 everlasting purpose of God, whereby 
 (before the foundations of the world were 
 laid) he hath constantly decreed by his 
 counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse 
 and damnation those whom he hath chosen 
 in Christ out of mankind, and to bring 
 them by Christ to everlasting salvation, 
 as vessels made to honour. Wherefore, 
 they which be endued with so excellent 
 a benefit of God be called according to 
 God's purpose by his Spirit working in 
 due season : they through Grace obey 
 the calling : they be justified freely : they 
 be made sons of God by adoption : they 
 be made like the image of his only- 
 begotten Son Jesus Christ : they walk 
 religiously in good works, and at length, 
 by God's mercy, they attain to everlasting 
 felicity. 
 
 As the godly consideration of Predes- 
 tination, and our Election in Christ, is 
 full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable 
 comfort to godly persons, and such as 
 feel in themselves the working of the 
 Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of 
 707 
 
 the flesh, and their earthly members, 
 and drawing up their mind to high and 
 heavenly things, as well because it doth 
 greatly establish and confirm their faith 
 of eternal Salvation to be enjoyed through 
 Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle 
 their love towards God: So, for curious 
 and carnal persons, lacking the Spirit of 
 Christ, to have continually before their 
 eyes the sentence of God's Predestination, 
 is a most dangerous downfal, whereby 
 the Devil doth thrust them either into 
 desperation, or into wretchlessness of 
 most unclean living, no less perilous than 
 desperation. 
 
 Furthermore, we must receive God's 
 promises in such wise, as they be gene- 
 rally set forth to us in holy Scripture : 
 and, in our doings, that Will of God is 
 to be followed, which we have expressly 
 declared unto us in the Word of God. 
 
 XVIII. Of obtaining eternal Salvation 
 only by the Name of Christ. 
 
 THEY also are to be had accursed 
 that presume to say, That every 
 man shall be saved by the Law or Sect 
 which he professeth, so that he be dili- 
 gent to frame his life according to that 
 Law, and the light of Nature. For holy 
 Scripture doth set out unto us only the 
 Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must 
 be saved. 
 
 XIX. Of the Church. 
 
 THE visible Church of Christ is a 
 congregation of faithful men, in 
 the which the ' pure Word of God is 
 preached, and the Sacraments be duly 
 ministered according to Christ's ordi- 
 nance in all those thnigs that of necessity 
 are requisite to the same. 
 
 As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexan- 
 dria, and Antioch, have erred; so also 
 the Church of Rome hath erred, not only 
 in their living and manner of Ceremonies, 
 but also in matters of Faith. 
 
 XX, Of the Authority of the Church. 
 
 THE Church hath power to decree 
 Rites or Ceremonies, and authority 
 in Controversies of Faith : And yet it is 
 not lawful for the Church to ordain any 
 thing that is contrary to God's Word 
 written, neither may it so expound one 
 place of Scripture, that it be repugnant 
 to another. Wherefore, although the 
 Church be a witness and a keeper of 
 4x2 
 
ARTICLES OF RELIGION. 
 
 holy Writ, yet, as it ought not to decree 
 any tiling against the same, so besides 
 the same ought it not to enforce any 
 thing to be believed for necessity of Sal- 
 vation. 
 
 XXI. Of the Authority of General 
 Councils. 
 
 GENERAL Councils may not be 
 gathered together without the com- 
 mandment and will of Princes. And 
 when they be gathered together, (foras- 
 much as they be an assembly of men, 
 whereof all be not governed with the 
 Spirit and Word of God,) they may err, 
 and sometimes have erred, even in things 
 pertaining unto God. Wherefore things 
 ordained by them as necessary to salva- 
 tion have neither strength nor authority, 
 unless it may be declared that they be 
 taken out of holy Scripture. 
 
 XXII. Of Purgatory, 
 
 THE Romish Doctrine concerning 
 Purgatory, Pardons, Worshipping 
 and Adoration, as well of Images as of 
 Reliques, and also invocation of Saints, 
 is a fond thing vainly invented, and 
 grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, 
 but rather repugnant to the Word of God. 
 
 XXIII. Of Ministering in the Congre- 
 
 gation. 
 
 IT is not lawful for any man to take 
 upon him the office of publick preach- 
 ing, or ministering the Sacraments in the 
 Congregation, before he be lawfully called, 
 and sent to execute the same. And those 
 we ought to judge lawfully called and 
 sent, which be chosen and called to this 
 work by men who have publick authority 
 given unto them in the Congregation, to 
 call and send Ministers into the Lord's 
 vineyard. 
 
 XXIV. Of speaking in the Congregation 
 in such a tongue as the people under- 
 standeth. 
 
 IT is a thing plainly repugnant to the 
 Word of God, and the custom of the 
 Primitive Church, to have publick Prayer 
 in the Church, or to minister the Sacra- 
 ments in a tongue not understanded of 
 the people. 
 
 XXV. Of the Sacraments. 
 
 OACRAMENTS ordained of Christ 
 O be not only badges or tokens of 
 
 708 
 
 Christian men's profession, but rather 
 they be certain sure witnesses, and effect- 
 ual signs of grace, and God's good will 
 towards us, by the which he doth work 
 invisibly in us, and doth not oidy quicken, 
 but also strengthen and confirm our Faith 
 in him. 
 
 There are two Sacraments ordained of 
 Christ our Lord in the Gospel, that is to 
 say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord. 
 
 Those five commonly called Sacra- 
 ments, that is to say. Confirmation, 
 Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and ex- 
 treme Unction, are not to be counted for 
 Sacraments of the Gospel, being such as 
 have grown partly of the corrupt follow- 
 ing of the Apostles, partly are states of 
 life allowed in the Scriptures ; but yet 
 have not like nature of Sacraments with 
 Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, for that 
 they have not any visible sign or cere- 
 mony ordained of God. 
 
 The Sacraments were not ordained of 
 Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried 
 about, but that we should duly use them. 
 And in such only as worthily receive the 
 same they have a wholesome effect or 
 operation : but they that receive them 
 unworthily purchase to themselves dam- 
 nation, as Saint Paul saith. 
 
 XXVI. Of the Unworthiness of the Minis- 
 ters, which hinders not the effect of the 
 Sacrament. 
 
 ALTHOUGH in the visible Church 
 the evil be ever mingled with the 
 good, and sometimes the evil have chief 
 authority in the Ministration of the Word 
 and Sacraments, yet forasmuch as they 
 do not the same in their own name, but 
 in Christ's, and do minister by his com- 
 mission and authority, we may use their 
 Ministry, both in hearing the Word 
 of God, and in receiving of the Sacra- 
 ments. Neither is the effect of Christ's 
 ordinance taken away by their wicked- 
 ness, nor the grace of God's gifts dimi- 
 nished from such as by faith and rightly 
 do receive the Sacraments ministered 
 unto them ; which be efiectual, because 
 of Christ's institution and promise, al- 
 though they be ministered by evil men. 
 
 Nevertheless, it appertaineth to the 
 discipline of the Church, that enquiry be 
 made of evil Ministers, and that they be 
 accused by those that have knowledge of 
 their offences ; and finally being found 
 guilty, by just judgement he deposed. 
 
ARTICLES OF RELIGION. 
 
 XXVII. Of Baptism. 
 
 BAPTISM is not only a sign of pro- 
 fession, and mark of difference, 
 whereby Christian men are discerned 
 from others that be not christened, but it 
 is also a sign of Regeneration or new 
 Birth, whereby, as by an insti'ument, 
 they that receive Baptism rightly are 
 grafted into the Church ; the promises 
 of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption 
 to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, 
 are visibly signed and sealed ; Faith is 
 confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue 
 of prayer unto God. The Baptism of 
 young Children is in any wise to be re- 
 tained in the Church, as most agreeable 
 with the institution of Christ. 
 
 XXVIII. Of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 THE Supper of the Lord is not only 
 a sign of the love that Christians 
 ought to have among themselves one to 
 another ; but rather is a Sacrament of 
 our Redemption by Christ's death : inso- 
 much that to such as rightly, worthily, 
 and with faith, receive the same, the 
 Bread which we break is a partaking of 
 the Body of Christ ; and likewise the 
 Cup of Blessing is a partaking of the 
 Blood of Christ. 
 
 Transubstantiation (or the change of 
 the substance of Bread and Wine) in the 
 Supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by 
 holy Writ ; but is repugnant to the plain 
 words of Scripture, overthroweth the 
 nature of a Sacrament, and hath given 
 occasion to many superstitions. 
 
 The Body of Christ is given, taken, 
 and eaten, in the Supper, only after an 
 heavenly and spiritual manner. And 
 the mean whereby the Body of Christ is 
 received and eaten in the Supper is Faith. 
 
 The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper 
 was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, 
 carried about, lifted up, or w^orshipped. 
 
 XXIX. Of the Wicked which eat not the 
 Body of Christ in the use of the Lord's 
 Supper. 
 
 THE Wicked, and such as be void of 
 a lively faith, although they do 
 carnally and visibly press with their teeth 
 (as Saint Augustine saith) the Sacrament 
 of the Body and Blood of Christ, yet in 
 no wise are they partakers of Christ : but 
 rather, to their condemnation, do eat and 
 drink the sign or Sacrament of so great 
 a thing. 
 
 709 
 
 XXX. Of both kinds. 
 
 THE Cup of the Lord is not to be 
 denied to the Lay-people : for both 
 the parts of the Lord's Sacrament, by 
 Christ's ordinance and commandment, 
 ought to be ministered to all Christian 
 men alike. 
 
 XXXI. Of the one Oblation of Christ 
 finished upon the Cross. 
 
 THE Offering of Christ once made is 
 that perfect redemption, propitia- 
 tion, and satisfaction, for all the sins of 
 the whole world, both original and actual; 
 and there is none other satisfaction for 
 sin, but that alone. Wherefore the sacri- 
 fices of Masses, in the which it was 
 commonly said, that the Priest did offier 
 Christ for the quick and the dead, to 
 have remission of pain or guilt, were Ijlas- 
 phemous fables, and dangerous deceits. 
 
 XXXII. Of the Marriage of Priests. 
 
 BISHOPS, Priests, and Deacons, are 
 not commanded by God's Law, 
 either to vow the estate of single life, or 
 to abstain from marriage : therefore it is 
 lawfid for them, as for all other Christian 
 men, to marry at their own discretion, as 
 they shall judge the same to serve better 
 to godliness. 
 
 XXXIII. Of excommunicate Persons, hoic 
 they are to be avoided. 
 
 THAT person which by open denun- 
 ciation of the Church is rightly cut 
 off from the unity of the Church, and 
 excommunicated, ought to be taken of 
 the whole multitude of the faithful, as 
 an Heathen and Publican, until he be 
 openly reconciled by penance, and re- 
 ceived into the Church by a Judge that 
 hath authority thereunto. 
 
 XXXIV. Of the Traditions of the Church. 
 
 IT is not necessary that Traditions 
 and Ceremonies be in all places one, 
 and utterly like; for at all times they 
 have been divers, and may be changed 
 according to the diversities of countries, 
 times, and men's manners, so that nothing 
 be ordained against God's Word. Who- 
 soever through his private judgement, 
 willingly and purposely, doth openly 
 break the traditions and ceremonies of 
 the Church, which be not repugnant to 
 the Word of God, and be ordained 
 and approved by common authority, ought 
 
ARTICLES OF RELIGION 
 
 to be rebuked openly, (that others may 
 fear to do the like,) as he that ofFendetli 
 against the common order of the Church, 
 and hurteth the authority of the Magis- 
 trate, and woundeth tlie consciences of 
 the weak brethren. 
 
 Every particular or national Church 
 hath authority to ordain, change, and 
 abolish, ceremonies or rites of the Church 
 ordained only by man's authority, so that 
 all things be done to edifying. 
 
 XXXV. Of the Homilies. 
 
 THE second Book of Homilies, the 
 several titles whereof we have 
 joined under this Article, doth contain 
 a godly and wholesome Doctrine, and 
 necessary for these times, as doth the 
 former Book of Homilies, which were set 
 forth in the time of Edward the Sixth ; 
 and therefore we judge them to be read 
 in Churches by the Ministers, diligently 
 and distinctly, that they may be under- 
 standed of the people. 
 
 Of the Names of the Homilies. 
 
 1 (^P the right. Use of the Church. 
 
 2 Against peril of Idolatry. 
 
 3 Of repairing and keeping clean of 
 
 Churches. 
 
 4 Of good Works: first of Fasting. 
 
 5 Against Gluttony and Drunkenness. 
 
 6 Against Excess of Apparel. 
 
 7 Of Prayer. 
 
 8 Of the Place and Time of Prayer. 
 
 9 That Common Prayers and Sacra- 
 
 ments ought to be ministered in a 
 known tongue. 
 
 10 Of the reverend estimation of God's 
 
 Word. 
 
 11 Of Alms-doing. 
 
 12 Of the Nativity of Christ. 
 
 13 Of the Passion of Christ. 
 
 14 Of the Resurrection of Christ. 
 
 15 Of the worthy receiving of the Sacra- 
 
 ment of the Body and Blood of 
 Christ. 
 
 16 Of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 17 For the Rogation-days. 
 
 18 Of the state of Matrimony . 
 
 19 Of Repentance. 
 
 20 Against Idleness. 
 
 21 Against Rebellion. 
 
 XXXVI. Of Consecration of Bishops and 
 
 Ministers. 
 
 THE Book of Consecration of Arch- 
 bishops and Bishops, and Ordering 
 710 
 
 of Priests and Deacons, lately set forth 
 in the time of Edward the Sixth, and 
 confirmed at the same time by authority 
 of Parliament, doth contain all things ne- 
 cessary to such Consecration and Order- 
 ing : neither hath it any thing, that of 
 itself is superstitious and ungodly. And 
 therefore whosoever are consecrated or 
 ordered according to the Rites of that 
 Book, since the second year of the fore- 
 named King Edward unto this time, or 
 hereafter shall be consecrated or ordered 
 according to the same Rites ; we decree 
 all such to be rightly, orderly, and law- 
 fully consecrated and ordered. 
 
 XXXVII. Of the Civil Magistrates. 
 
 THE Queen's Majesty hath the chief 
 power in this realm of England., 
 and other her Dominions, unto whom 
 the chief Government of all Estates of 
 this Realm, whether they be Ecclesi- 
 astical or Civil, in all causes doth apper- 
 tain, and is not, nor ought to be, subject 
 to any foreign Jurisdiction. 
 
 Where we attribute to the Queen's 
 Majesty the chief government, by which 
 Titles we understand the minds of some 
 slanderous folks to be offended ; we give 
 not to our Princes the ministering either 
 of God's Word, or of the Sacraments, the 
 which thing the Injunctions also lately 
 set forth by Elizabeth our Queen do 
 most plainly testify ; but that only prero- 
 gative, which we see to have been given 
 always to all godly Princes in holy 
 Scriptures by God himself; that is, that 
 they should rule all states and degrees 
 committed to their charge by God, 
 whether they be Ecclesiastical or Tem- 
 poral, and restrain with the civil sword 
 the stubborn and evil-doers. 
 
 The Bishop of Rome hath no juris- 
 diction in this Realm of England. 
 
 The Laws of the Realm may punish 
 Christian men with death, for heinous 
 and grievous offences. 
 
 It is lawful for Christian men, at the 
 commandment of the Magistrate, to wear 
 weapons, and serve in the wars. 
 
 XXXVIII. Of Christian men's Goods, 
 which are not common. 
 
 THE Riches and Goods of Christians 
 are not common, as touching the 
 right, title, and possession of the same, 
 as certain Anabaptists do falsely boast. 
 Notwithstanding, everyman ought, of such 
 
ARTICLES OF RELIGION. 
 
 things as he possesseth, liberally to give 
 alms to the poor, according to his ability. 
 
 A^ 
 
 XXXIX. Of a Christian man's Oath. 
 
 S we confess that vain and rash 
 
 Swearing is forbidden Christian 
 
 by our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 
 James his Apostle, so we judge, that 
 Christian Religion doth not prohibit, but 
 that a man may swear when the Magis- 
 trate requireth, in a cause of faith and 
 charity, so it be done according to the 
 Prophet's teaching, injustice, judgement, 
 and truth. 
 
 THE RATIFICATION. 
 
 'T^HIS Book of Articles before rehearsed, is again approved, and allowed to be holden 
 -*■ and executed within the Realm, by the assent and consent of our Sovereign Lady 
 ELIZABETH, by the grace of God, of England, France, and Ireland, Queen, Defender 
 of the Faith, &c. Which Articles were deliberately read, and confirmed again by the 
 subscription of the hands of the Archbishops and Bishops of the Upper-house, and by 
 the subscription of the whole Clergy of the Nether- house in their Convocation, in the 
 Year of our Lord 1571. 
 
 NOTE. 
 Articles of Religion were published, by order of Henry VIII., in the year 1536. They were of 
 that mixed character which it might be expected a summary of faith would assume in the then 
 unsettled state of the Church. In 1552 Edward VI. issued a series of Articles, forty -two in 
 number, and which had been drawn up and signed by the two Houses of Convocation. They 
 afforded a full and clear view of the tenets of the Reformed Church of England. These Articles 
 were set aside in the reign of Mary ; but in the year 1562 Queen Elizabeth confirmed the Thirty- 
 Nine Articles as agreed upon " by the Archbishops and Bishops of both provinces, and the whole 
 Clergy, in the Convocation holden at London." As they were published only in Latin, the mass 
 of the people could derive from them no additional information respecting the doctrines of their 
 Church. When they were revised, therefore, in 1571, the Convocation signed an English, as well 
 as the Latin, copy of the Articles. Cranmer and Ridley are said to have been chiefly concerned 
 in framing the original sketch of the Articles ; but Bishop Burnet expressly observes, that most 
 of the bishops and eminent divines of the day were consulted on the subject, and invited to give 
 their assistance in drawing up this grand statement of doctrine for the national Church. 
 
 II 
 
A TABLE OF THE ARTICLES. 
 
 1 . f^F Faith in the holy Trinity. 
 
 2. Of Christ the Son of God. 
 
 3. Of his going down into Hell. 
 
 4. Of his Resurrection. 
 
 5. Of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 6. Of the Sufficiency of the Scripture. 
 
 7. Of the Old Testament. 
 
 8. Of the Three Creeds. 
 
 9. Of Original or Birth-sin. 
 
 10. Of Free-will. 
 
 11. Of Justification. 
 
 12. Of good Works. 
 
 13. Of Works before Justification. 
 1 -I . Of Works of Supererogation. 
 
 15. Of Christ alone without Sin. 
 
 16. Of Sin after Baptism. 
 
 17. Of Predestination and Election. 
 
 18. Of obtaihing Salvation by Christ. 
 
 19. Of the Church. 
 
 20. Of the Authority of the Church. 
 
 21 . Of the Authority of General Councils. 
 
 22. Of Purgatory. 
 
 23. Of Ministering in the Congregation. 
 
 24. Of Speaking in the Congregation. 
 
 25. Of the Sacraments. 
 
 26. Of the Unworthiness of Ministers. 
 
 27. Of Baptism. 
 
 28. Of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 29. Of the Wicked which eat not the Body 
 
 ' of Christ. 
 
 30. Of both kinds. 
 
 31. Of Christ's one Oblation. 
 
 32. Of the Marriage of Priests. 
 
 33. Of Excommunicate Persons. 
 
 34. Of the Traditions of the Church. 
 
 35. Of the Homilies. 
 
 36. 0/ Consecrating of Ministers. 
 
 37. Of Civil Magistrates. 
 
 38. Of Christian men's Goods. 
 
 39. Q/a Christian man^s Oath. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 London: Priiitoil by William Ci.owks and Sons, Stamruid Slieet. 
 
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