Sect. sufficient manifestation of three Persons, and but one God. The Collect is plainly adapted to this day, as it is Trinity- XXV. Sunday; though this too is the same as in the office of Sarum. SECT. XXVI. Of the Sundays from Trinity-Sunday to Advent. IN the annual course of the Gospels for Sundays and The GosHoly-days, the chief matter and substance of the four pels for the Evangelists is collected in such order as the Church thinks ter Trinity. most convenient to make the deepest impression upon the congregation. The whole time from Advent to TrinitySunday is chiefly taken up in commemorating the principal acts of providence in the great work of our Redemption; and therefore such portions of Scripture are appointed to be read, as are thought most suitable to the several solemnities, and most likely to enlighten our understanding, and confirm our faith in the mysteries we celebrate. But from Trinity-Sunday to Advent, the Gospels are not chosen as peculiarly proper to this or that Sunday, (for that could only be observed in the greater festivals,) but such passages are selected out of the Evangelists, as are proper for our meditation at all times, and may singularly conduce to the making us good Christians: such as are the holy doctrine, deeds, and miracles of the blessed Jesus, who always went about doing good, and whom the Church always proposes to our imitation. §. 2. The Epistles tend to the same end, being frequent The Epiexhortations to an uninterrupted practice of all Christian stles for the Sundays afvirtues they are all of them taken out of St. Paul's epi: ter Trinity stles, and observe the very order both of epistles and chap- in general. ters in which they stand in the New Testament, except those for the five first Sundays, that for the eighteenth, and the last for the twenty-fifth. Those for the five first Sundays are all (except that for For the five the fourth) taken out of St. John and St. Peter; for first Sunwhich reason they are placed first, that they might not days. afterwards interrupt the order of those taken out of St. Paul. For the variation of the Epistle for the eighteenth Sun- For the day, another reason may be given, which is this: It was eighteenth Sunday. an ancient custom of the Church in the Ember-weeks, to have proper services on the Wednesdays and Fridays, but especially on the Saturdays; when, after a long continuance in prayer and fasting, they performed the solemnities Vacant called. Chap. V. of the Ordination either late on Saturday evening, (which was then always looked upon as part of the Lord's day,) or else early on the morning following; for which reason, and because they might be wearied with their prayers and fasting on the Saturdays, the Sundays following had no public services, but were called Dominicæ vacantes, i. e. Sundays, vacant Sundays. But afterwards, when they thought it whence so not convenient to let a Sunday pass without any solemn service, they dispatched the Ordination sooner on Saturdays, and performed the solemn service of the Church as at other times on the Sundays. But these Sundays having no particular service of their own, for some time borrowed of some other days, till they had proper ones fixed pertinent to the occasion. So that this eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, often happening to be one of these vacant Sundays, had at the same time a particular Epistle and Gospel allotted to it, in some measure suitable to the solemnity of the time. For the Epistle hints at the necessity there is of spiritual teachers, and mentions such qualifications as are specially requisite to those that are ordained, as the being enriched with all utterance and in all knowledge, and being behind in no good gift. The Gospel treats of our Saviour's silencing the most learned of the Jews by his questions and answers; thereby also shewing how his ministers ought to be qualified, viz. able to speak a word in due season, to give a reason of their faith, and to convince, or at least to confute, all those that are of heterodox opinions. For the twenty day. The last Sunday, whose Epistle varies from the order of the rest, is the twenty-fifth, for which the reason is manififth Sun fest: for this Sunday being looked upon as a kind of preparation or forerunner to Advent, as Advent is to Christmas, an Epistle was chosen, not according to the former method, but such a one as so clearly foretold the coming of our Saviour, that it was afterwards applied to him by the common people, as appears by an instance mentioned in the Gospel for the same day; for when they saw the miracle that Jesus did, they said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world. And it was probably for the sake of this text, that this portion of Scripture (which has before been appointed for the Gospel on the fourth Sunday in Lent) is here repeated; viz. because they thought this inference of the multitude a fit preparation for the approaching season of Advent: for which reason, in the rubric following this Gospel, we see it is ordered, (according to an old rule of Micrologus, an ancient ri tualist,) that if there are either more or fewer Sundays between Trinity-Sunday and Advent, the services must be so ordered, that this last Collect, Epistle, and Gospel be always used upon the Sunday next before Advent*; i. e. if there be fewer Sundays, the overplus is to be omitted: but if there be more, the service of some of those Sundays, that were omitted after the Epiphany, are to be taken in to supply so many as are wanting: but which of those services the rubric does not say. And for that reason there is generally a diversity in the practice; some reading, on those occasions, the services next in course to what had been used at the Epiphany before; and others, at the same time, reading the last or two last, accordingly as one or both of them are wanting. The last of these practices I think to be preferable: partly upon the account, that when there is an overplus of Sundays after Trinity one year, there is generally a pretty full number after Epiphany the next: so that if any of the services for the early Sundays after Epiphany are taken in to supply those that are wanting after Trinity, the same services will come in turn to be read again pretty soon: but the chief reason why I think the latter services should be used, is, because the service that is appointed for the last Sunday after Epiphany, is a more suitable preparation for the season that is approaching, and makes way for the service for the last Sunday after Trinity, as that does for the services appointed for Advent." Sect. XXVI. §. 3. All the Collects for these Sundays, together with The Colthe Epistles and Gospels, are taken out of the Sacramen- lects. tary of St. Gregory, excepting that some of the Collects were a little corrected and smoothed at the last review. I do not think it necessary to trouble the reader with the variations that only amend the expression: but those that *There was nothing of this rubric in the Common Prayer Book of 1549. And in all the other old books, except the Scotch, it was only this. If there be any more Sundays before Advent-Sunday, to supply the same shall be taken the service of some of those Sundays that were omitted between the Epiphany and Septuagesima. To this, in the Scotch Liturgy, was added farther as follows: but the same shall follow the twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity. And if there be fewer Sundays than twenty-five before Advent, then shall the twentythird or twenty-fourth, or both, be omitted: so that the twenty-fifth shall never either alter or be left out, but be always used immediately before Advent-Sunday, to which the Epistle and Gospel of that do expressly relate. Chap. V. make any alteration in the sense, he may desire perhaps to have in the margin*. Book. SECT. XXVII. Of the Immoveable Feasts in general. Whyplaced THESE festivals are all of them fixed to set days, and by themselves in the SO could not be conveniently placed among those Common we have already treated of, because (they having all of Prayer them, except those from Christmas-day to Epiphany, a dependence upon Easter, which varies every year) they happen sometimes sooner, and sometimes later. So that if the moveable and immoveable had been placed together, it must of necessity have caused a confusion of the order which they ought to be placed in; for prevention of which, the fixed holy-days are placed by themselves, in the same order in which they stand in the calendar. To what end ap pointed. §. 2. They are most of them set apart in commemoration of the Apostles and first Martyrs; concerning the reason and manner of which solemnity, I have already * In all former Common Prayer Books, the Collects for the following Sundays were expressed as follows. For the second Sunday: Lord, make us to have a perpetual fear and love of thy holy name: for thou never failest to help and govern them whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast love: grant this, &c. In that for the third, the words, and comforted in all danger and adversities, were added in the last review. The Collect for the eighth began thus: God, whose providence is never deceived, we humbly beseech thee, &c. as in our present Liturgy. In that for the ninth, that we, which cannot be without thee, may by thee be able to live, &c. In that for the eleventh, Give unto us abundantly thy grace, that we running to thy promises, may be made partakers, &c. On the twelfth it ended thus: and giving us that, that our prayer dare not presume to ask, through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the Collect for the fifteenth, the words, from all things hurtful, were added in 1661. In the sixteenth, the word Congregation was changed for Church. The beginning of the eighteenth was thus: Lord, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to avoid the infections of the Devil, and with pure hearts, &c. In the nineteenth, Grant that the working of thy mercy may in all things, &c. In the twentieth, instead of may cheerfully, it was formerly may with free hearts, &c. And In the twenty-fourth, instead of absolve, it was formerly assoil. Sect. spoken in general, page 187, &c. which may suffice without descending to particulars: so that now I shall only XXVII. make a few observations on some of them, which may not perhaps seem wholly impertinent. SECT. XXVIII. Particular Observations on some of the drew's day, why ob CONCERNING St. Andrew we may observe, that as Saint Anhe was the first that found the Messiah 7, and the first that brought others to him38, so the Church, for his served first. greater honour, commemorates him first in her anniversary course of holy-days, and places his festival at the beginning of Advent, as the most proper to bring the news of our Saviour's coming. commemo rated next. §. 2. St. Thomas's day seems to be placed next, not St. Thobecause he was the second that believed Jesus to be the mas, why Messiah, but the last that believed his Resurrection: which con though he was at first the most doubtful, yet he had afterwards the greatest evidence of its truth; which the Church recommends to our meditation at this season, as a fit preparative to our Lord's Nativity. For unless we believe with St. Thomas, that the same Jesus, whose birth we immediately afterwards commemorate, is the very Christ, our Lord and our God; neither his Birth, Death, nor Resurrection will avail us any thing. memorated by his Con §. 3. St. Paul is not commemorated, as the other St. Paul, Apostles are, by his death or Martyrdom; but by his why comConversion; because as it was wonderful in itself, so it was highly beneficial to the Church of Christ. For while version. other Apostles had their particular provinces, he had the care of all the churches; and by his indefatigable labours contributed very much to the propagation of the Gospel throughout the world. Annuncia §. 4. Whereas some churches keep four holy-days in The Purifimemory of the blessed Virgin, viz. the Nativity, the An- cation and nunciation, the Purification, and the Assumption; our tion. Church keeps only two, viz. the Annunciation and Purification; which, though they may have some relation to the blessed Virgin, do yet more peculiarly belong to our Saviour. The Annunciation hath a peculiar respect to his Incarnation, who being the eternal Word of the Father, was at this time made flesh: the Purification is principally observed in memory of our Lord's being made |