CHURCH ORDINANCES.

COLLECT OF THE CHURCH.

O Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people which call upon 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; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE BIBLE.

Apostolical injunctions.-This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy.Take heed unto thyself and to the doctrine; continue in them.-I give thee charge in the sight of God,-and before Christ Jesus,- -that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.- -Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost, which dwelleth in us.And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.-Epistles to Timothy.

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting. -Titus i.

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the

traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle.-2 Thess. ii.

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.-1 Cor. xi. Our Lord's declaration.-Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.-St. Matthew iii.

THE PRAYER-BOOK.

Introduction to the Liturgy.-"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: each "in the Parish-Church or Chapel where he ministereth."

Rubrics of the Church.-During the prayers, the people are to be "all devoutly kneeling :" and to

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answer at the end of them, Amen." They are to give all the responses, repeat the Creeds with the Minister, and "say the Lord's prayer with a loud voice."

"Upon these feasts,

thirteen in number,

"shall be said—the Creed of St. Athanasius." A particular prayer "is to be said every day in the Ember Weeks."

After the Nicene Creed, "the Curate shall declare unto the people what Holy-days, or Fastingdays, are in the week following to be observed."

"In Cathedrals and Collegiate Churches, and Colleges, where there are many Priests and Dea

cons, they shall all receive the Communion with the Priest every Sunday at the least, except they have a reasonable cause to the contrary."

"It is most convenient that Baptism should not be administered but upon Sundays and other Holy-days, when the most number of people come together; as well for that the congregation there present may testify the receiving of them that be newly baptized into the number of Christ's Church; as 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." Children, privately baptized, must be received publicly into the Church afterwards.

"The Curate of every Parish shall diligently 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 the Church-Catechism."

Special Church Services are appointed, not only for every Lord's day and the days of His birth and death, but also for those of His Circumcision, Manifestation to the Gentiles, and Ascension; for the days of the Purification and Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin; for sixteen Saint's days, the days of All Saints, and of St. Michael and all Angels, and of the Holy Innocents; for AshWednesday, every day in Passion week, Easter Monday and Tuesday, and Whit Monday and

Tuesday also for King Charles' Martyrdom, the Restoration, the Accession, and the Papists' Conspiracy.

Articles of the Church." The Church hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies." Art. xx. "Whosoever through his private judgment, 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 to be openly rebuked, as he that offendeth against the common order of the Church." Art. xxxiv.

Confession of the Church.-We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and there is no health in us.

Prayer of the Church.-But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults.-Turn thou us, O good Lord, and so shall we be turned. -O be favorable and gracious unto Sion, build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Hope of the Church.—As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. For there is none other that fighteth for us, but only thou, O God.

O 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 Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thine honour.

DUTY OF OBSERVANCE.

"He that is faithful, as he ought, and steadfast, doth not even require any reason or cause of those things which are commanded him, but is content with the ordinance alone; but he that is weaker, when he also learns the cause, then both retains what is said with more care, and obeys with much readiness."-St. Chrysost. Hom. on 1 Cor. xi. 2.

The chief of many questions, which the return of this day sets before us, is, whether we are keeping the ordinances of the Church. If we look into our Prayer-books, we shall be obliged to confess that we are very commonly neglecting them. How rarely are our Baptisms and Catechisings public! How sadly are both our Fastdays and Festivals slighted! Of the four Ember seasons, even the institution is unknown to many, and of our Lord's Ascension hardly any account is now taken. With the disuse of Saint's days, the Communion of Saints has ceased to be understood; and with the neglect of St. Michael's day, the true relation, which the Holy Angels bear to us, is lost sight of.

That which is however the most serious part of our neglect, relates to the Holy Sacraments. Of these, Baptism is not strictly believed by some to be a Sacrament at all; for they hold it to be a rite, having an outward sign, but conveying no inward grace. If they be parents, they hardly dare hope, that their baptized, children have already