central and saving truth. By virtue of the Incarnation, the Word made Flesh, now exalted into the heavens, extends to His Church the benefits of His Redemption through the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper; the one that of the new birth, once administered, the other that of perpetual renewal. Thus the Sacraments are "the extension of the Incarnation," and the Church's system is essentially and preeminently sacramental in its character. Through this system she looks for a normal and healthful growth in grace in the individual Christian, through supernatural channels inspiring and supplementing conscientious Christian endeavour.

She views with disfavour all unnatural and spasmodic methods, or public recitals of personal religious experience. She looks sympathetically upon all innocent and healthful recreations and amusements; and aims at the steadfast development, through the energizing influence of the Holy Spirit, of man's threefold personality of body, soul and spirit, in the essential attributes of Christian character. She has no narrowly prescribed code of personal or social action, but points rather to the principles which should animate and guide the conduct of life. If her loyal children dwell lovingly on her time-honoured customs and venerable usages, and love to speak of her as their Mother, it is not that she is a thing of ritual ceremonial, a relic of the past fettered by tradition. It is because she is the ever-living Bride of Christ, the heir of all the ages; and out of her treasury she constantly brings forth "things new and old.”

V.

BEFORE THE DAILY SERVICE.

“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. * * * And in these our doings we condemn no other nations, nor prescribe anything but to our own people only."—" Of Ceremonies," in the Prayer Book of the Church of England.

PREFIXED to every copy of the Prayer Book is an

official CERTIFICATION that it agrees with the Standard (which is a certain Volume and not an edition), and this Standard is in the permanent care of a Custodian appointed by the General Church. The TABLE OF CONTENTS names each Office and subdivision of the Book, with a distinct treatment of the later Offices therein. RATIFICATION follows, which solemnly sets forth the entire Book as "The Liturgy of this Church ;" this being the joint legislative act of "the Bishops, the Clergy and the Laity," in Convention assembled.

The

The PREFACE succeeds, as inserted in 1789, and is a carefully stated résumé of the reasons which impelled to the original American revision. The absolute necessity that "the substance of the Faith be kept entire" is first premised; followed by the statement that ritual, involving both doctrine and discipline, may, where it does not touch the former, be altered according to edification. It recites certain former revisions, made in the interests of

"unity, reverence and devotion;" professes ourselves "indebted, under God, for our first foundation and a long continuance of nursing care and protection," to the Church of England; and protests that we are "far from intending to depart therefrom in any essential point of doctrine, discipline or worship;" though here happily freed from the manifold evils of a State Church, and American in every thought and purpose of influence and endeavour.

The general directions which follow, under the heading CONCERNING the serviCE OF THE CHURCH, detail certain important matters of constant liturgical observance, which will be more naturally considered as the parts of the Service here referred to are reached. They should be carefully read, however, in this connection. It may be here said that the Lectionary (or Tables of Lessons for the year), and the Psalter (or special responsive readings from the Psalms) are stated, in the directions and tables here and in those of the CALENDAR which immediately follow, to be of binding obligation within the terms specified. All contingencies of ordinary public worship are expressly and carefully provided for in this regard, and provision made as well for private reading at morning and evening every day in the year.

Any additional Services which may be held after these conditions are satisfied, are entirely within the discretion of the Minister, "from this Book," subject to the direction of the Bishop (or " Ordinary,” a term signifying one who possesses the inherent right). And, for special occasions, for which "no Service or Prayer" has been provided, the Bishop is given authority to set forth binding forms. The use of Hymns and Anthems does not rest on quite the

same legislative basis as that of the Prayer Book proper; but the Hymnal is within authoritative limitations, and its contents are the choice of a truly conservative reverence. It embraces a wide range of lofty poetic and literary excellence, heightened by true spiritual devotion. It follows the lines of the liturgy, and emphasizes the separation between distinct Services, or parts of the same.

Following the extended tables of the Lectionary come the rules and tables which set forth the divisions of the Christian Year. These also will be more intelligently treated if left until the consideration of the Communion Office, with its Collects, Epistles and Gospels for every Sunday and Holy-day. The occasion for these minute tables is that the majority of the Festivals and Fasts here recited are movable in their character; most of them depending for their exact date upon the time of Easter, which changes, within the range of a month, from year to year, as did the Jewish Passover, of which it is the continuation. These changes are caused (following God's command in the Book of Exodus) by the variation in the time of the full moon of the month of March; and the astronomical terms "Epact," "Cycle," "Golden Number," "Dominical (or Sunday) Letter," are those employed to designate certain scientific features of the subject.

We are now brought face to face with the ORDER (or ordinance) FOR DAILY MORNING PRAYER. In the First Book, and familiarly in the English Church as well as in our own, the terms Matins and Evensong are interchangeable for Morning and Evening Prayer; the first of these being a condensation of the ancient English Services of Matins, Lauds and Prime, for the early hours of the day.

In Cathedrals and College Chapels, as well as in many city Churches, where the essential conditions exist, a daily Service is the express custom as well as the Church's prescriptive rule. At any Service the worshipper should at once kneel on reaching his place, and offer a silent prayer for strength and guidance while in the House of God. The first Collect in the Communion Office, known as the Collect for Purity, is suggested. The hearty use of a form is an excellent preventive, with both Minister and people, for wandering thoughts, which are very largely a matter of mere habit. A reverent sense of fitness will prevent unnecessary or irrelevant conversation at any time while in Church, either before or after a Service. If the comer is belated beyond the beginning of the Service, a pause should be made in the Vestibule, until the next change of posture on the part of the congregation or other fit opportunity shall render his entrance as nearly unnoticed as may be. Tardiness at Church, unless absolutely unavoidable, is an affront to the majesty of Him whom we worship, and is also largely a matter of habit.

What features greet one strange to our worship? In many of the older Churches in America, built when a better usage was not known or where other methods were and still are impracticable, the Choir is in a gallery over the entrance, which tends to make it a sort of rival to the other end of the sacred building. There should be but one end of a Church, toward which attention is paid and whence the Service is directed; and the music there should not be left to be led by hired singers or in an uncongregational fashion, if it may be avoided. It is one of the greatest charms of the Service that the worship is very largely