festivals we commemorate the Unity in Trinity, and in this the Trinity in Unity.

On the two proper Lessons from Genesis we may observe, that the first particularly notices a plurality, and the other a trinity of persons in the Godhead. The second Lesson at Morning Prayer, contains one of the most express proofs of this mystery, that is to be found in the New Testament. The Son is baptized, the Holy Spirit visibly descends upon him, and the Father from Heaven declares, "This is "This is my beloved "Son in whom I am well pleased." As the second at Morning Prayer, shews that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons, so the second at Evening was intended to prove that they are united in essence; that these three are one *.

The Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, retained from the Missal of Sarum †, are suitable to the day, whether it be considered as Trinity Sunday, or the Octave of the feast of Pentecost.

OF THE SUNDAYS AFTER TRINITY AND BEFORE ADVENT.

THE remarks upon the preceding festivals, and their respective Offices, have swelled this part of the

* The authenticity of this verse has long been suspected: see Professor Porson's letters, and Dr. H. Marsh's answer to Archdeacon Travis. The Bishop of Lincoln has avowed his opinion that the verse is not genuine. On the other hand, there are not wanting learned and excellent Divines who still maintain its authenticity.

+ Other modern Missals have portions of Scripture different from these, but all have the sanie Collect, which is found in a Sacramentary ascribed to ALCUIN, how truly I do not enquire.

VOL. II.

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work to so considerable a size, that I think it advisable to suppress all particular observations, on the Offices of the Sundays that follow. And they are the less necessary for we have already commemorated the great mysteries of our Redemption, from the Nativity of our Lord to his Ascension into Heaven, and the effusion of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles: And the appropriate Offices for the Sundays after Trinity require no special explication.

The Gospels for these Sundays, present us in general with some striking doctrine, parable, address, or miracle of our Lord. All the Epistles from the fourth are taken from St. Paul, and in the order in which his writings are arranged in the New Testament. If between these Epistles and Gospels we do not find that harmony, and exquisite adaptation, which some have fondly fancied to be here discoverable, and which are evidently apparent in the greater festivals, and on other occasions, still no one can point out any thing like dissonance or disagreement.

The Epistles and Gospels, which after Trinity Sunday we combine, were in general at this period of the ecclesiastical year joined together. In proof of this, appeal may be made, not only to the Missal of Sarum, but also to the most ancient Lectionaries.

All our Collects, Epistles, and Gospels, for every Sunday, from Easter to the twenty-fifth after Trinity, are retained from the Missal of Sarum, with only three or four exceptions. The Epistle of Sarum for Easter Day, is taken from the seventh and eighth verses of the fifth chapter of the first Epistle

to

to the Corinthians; and that for the fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, from Gal. v. 25. and vi. to verse 11. thus ending where ours begins. The old Collects for the first and second Sundays after Easter were rejected. Our extracts from Scripture are often longer; but they are so far the same, that we always read what was in England formerly read for the Gospel and Epistle, and occasionally somewhat more. A few of the Collects for these Sundays were a little altered in 1661, as has been shewn in the table of Collects in this Volume: but these variations are too inconsiderable to form an exception against the general position.

Between the Missal of Sarum, which our Reformers in this instance so scrupulously followed, and the Roman and Gallican Missals, there is a very extraordinary difference. From the third or fourth Sunday after Trinity to the twenty-third, they never read the same Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, on the same day that we read them; still they read them all. To exemplify what I mean: their practice is on the fifth Sunday after Pentecost to read our Collect and Gospel for the sixth Sunday after Trinity, and our Epistle for the fifth. On the sixth they read our Collect and Gospel for the seventh, and our Epistle for the sixth. On the seventh our Collect and Gospel for the eighth, and our Epistle for

This is in general much more observable in the Epistles than in the Gospels. Many of these Lections have likewise been lengthened by the Gallican Church since the time of our Refurmation.

the seventh, and thus they regularly proceed to the twenty-third Sunday. This uniform disagreement, which at my first discovery of it by collating their respective books, appeared curious and singular, entitles none of these respective Churches, nor the Compilers of their Offices, either to censure or to praise. Our arrangement they must admit to be more ancient, and we on our part must acknowledge theirs to have become more general: and which of the two is preferable, who will decide ?

The Parisian Missal appoints for the 24th, 25th, and 26th Sundays after Pentecost, the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels, which are in our Book appointed for the 3d, 4th, and 5th Sundays after the Epiphany *.

The Collect for the last Sunday both in the Roman (which has Offices for but 24) and in the Gallican (which has 28) is the same with ours for the 25th, or last.

The passage for the Epistle from Jeremiah, which was anciently read on this last Sunday, and which we retain, they have transferred to Advent, thinking it more suitable to that season, which commemorates the coming of the promised Messiah, so clearly announced by the Prophet. Their Epistle is Colos. i. 9. The ancient Gospel for the last Sunday when there were twenty-five or more, was that which we always use on the Sunday next before Advent: but this having been read for the Gospel on the fourth Sun

* Our Liturgy and the Roman Missal do in effect the same thing. Their Rubric here enters into a more circumstantial detail than ours.

day

day in Lent (as it is likewise by us) they selected a passage from St. Matthew*, which treats of the end of the world, and of Christ's coming to judg

ment.

This Gospel is commonly called the end of the world; and some Ritualists, who reckon from Advent, pretend, that it denotes the end of the eccle siastical year to be arrived.

Having taken a concise Review of that part of the Communion Office, which comprehends the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels, to be used on the Sundays and other Holidays, I proceed to consider the Communion Office proper, or that which in the Book of Offices, is entitled,

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER, OR HOLY COMMUNION.

OF THE TITLE OF THIS OFFICE.

Of the form directed by Parliament to be drawn up in 1547, the title was, "The Order of the Com"munion." In EDWARD'S first Book, 1549, this Office is styled, "The Supper of the Lord, and the "Holy Communion, commonly called the Mass." At the Review of this Book in 1552, the words "commonly called the Mass" were expunged, and the title thrown into the form in which it still remains; "The Order for the Administration of the "Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion."

Of the various names given by ecclesiastical wri

Matthew xxiv. 15 to 36.

ters