must mean? The "hundred" is sup- trinsic value which it had when first isposed to have been originally a group sued from the royal mint, it is the sovor settlement of one hundred free fami-ereign's prerogative to recall it, and lies of Saxon colonists. If this was so issue it anew, with the royal image we have at once an explanation of the stamped on it afresh, bright and sharp, strange disproportion between the area weighty and full, as at first. Now to a of the "hundred" in the southern and process such as this the true mint-masin the more northern counties-the av-ters of language, and all of us may be erage number of square miles in a such, will often submit the words which "hundred" of Sussex or Kent being they use. Where use and custom have three or four and twenty; of Lancashire more than three hundred. The Saxon population would naturally be far the densest in the earlier settlements of the east and south, while more to west and north their tenure would be one rather of conquest than of colonization, and the free families much fewer and more scattered.* But further you have noticed, I dare say, the exceptional fact that the county of Sussex, besides the division into hundreds, is divided also into “rapes"; thus the " rape' of Bramber, and so on. Now this "rape" is a memorial of the violent transfer of landed property by William the Conqueror, the lands being rudely plotted out for division by the rope" or rape," which was a favorite way with these Norman intruders; and thus we keep in this word a memento to the present day in our language of the rough and ready processes adopted by the men of other times. †

worn away their significance, we too may recall and issue them afresh. With how many it has thus fared for example, with one which will be often in your mouths. You speak of the "lessons" of the day; but what is lessons" here for most of us save a lazy synonym for the morning and evening chapters appointed to be read in church? But realize what the Church intended in calling these chapters by this name; namely, that they should be the daily instruction of her children; listen to them yourselves as such; lead your scholars to regard them as such, and in this use of "lessons" what a lesson for every one of us there may be ! "Bible" itself, while we not irreverently use it, may yet be no more to us than the sign by which we designate the written Word of God. Keep in mind that it properly means the book, and nothing more; that once it could be employed of any book (in Chaucer it is 257. Let us a little consider, in con- so), and what matter of thought and clusion, how we may usefully bring our reflection lies in this our present restrictymologies and other notices of words tion of "bible" to one book, to the to bear on the religious teaching which exclusion of all others! So strong has we would impart in our schools. To been the sense of Holy Scripture being do this with much profit we must often the Book, the worthiest and best, that deal with words as the Queen does with one which explained all other books, the gold and silver coin of the realm. standing up in their midst like When this has been current long, and Joseph's kingly sheaf, to which all the by often passing from man to man, with other sheaves did obeisance-that this perhaps occasional clipping in dishonest name of " Bible" or " Book" has been hands, has lost not only the clear bright-restrained to it alone: just as Scripness, the well-defined sharpness of out-ture'' means no more than “ writing"; line, but much of the weight and in- but this inspired Writing has been acknowledged so far above all other writings, that this name also it has obtained as exclusively its own.

Kemble, The Saxons in Engiand, vol. i. p. 240 Stubbs, Constitutional History of England, p. 98.

Isaac Taylor, Names and Places, 2d edit. pp. 192, 365. Compare the use of oxoivioua in the Septuagint, as at Deut. xxxii. 9.

atonement''

and above, not “sire"-name, or name every one will connect a distinct image received from the father, as some ex-with the word, such as will always come plain, but "sur''-name (super nomen). to his help when he would realize what There was never, that is, a time when its precise meaning may be. That every baptized man had not a Christian which was done for Lazarus naturally, name, the recognition of his personal the Lord exclaiming, "Loose him, and standing before God; while the sur- let him go," the same is done spiritualname, the name expressing his relation, ly for us when we receive the absonot to the kingdom of God, but to lution" of our sins. a worldly society, is of much later growth, superadded to the other, as the word itself declares. What a lesson at once in the growing up of a human society, and in the contrast between it and the heavenly Society of the Church, might be appended to this explanation! There was a period when only a few had surnames; had, that is, any significance in the order of things temporal; while the Christian name from the first was common to every man. All this might be brought usefully to bear on your exposition of the first words in the Catechism.

66

Lose

260. Tell them that means "at-one-ment"-the setting at one of those who were at twain before, namely God and man, and they will attach to atonement'' a definite meaning, which perhaps in no way else it would have possessed for them; and from this you may muster the passages in Scripture which describe the sinner's state as one of separation, estrangement, alienation from God, the Christian's state as one in which he walks together with God, because the two have been set at one." Or you have to deal with the following, "to redeem, 259. There are long Latin words," Redeemer," "redemption." which, desire as we may to use all not yourselves in vague generalities, but plainness of speech, we cannot do with- fasten on the central point of these, out, nor find their adequate substitutes that they imply a "buying," and not in other parts of our language; words this merely, but a buying back"; which must always remain the vehicles and then connect with them, so exof much of that truth by which we plained, the whole circle of Scriptures live. Now in explaining these, make which rest on this image, which speak it your rule always to start, where you of sin as a slavery, of sinners as bondscan, from the derivation, and to turn men of Satan, of Christ's blood as a to that as often as you can. Thus you ransom, of the Christian as one restored wish to explain 66 revelation." How to his liberty. much will be gained if you can attach 261. Many words more suggest themsome distinct image to the word, one to selves; I will not urge more than one ;, which your scholars, as often as they but that one, because in it is a lesson hear it, may mentally recur. Nor is more for ourselves than for others, and this difficult. God's "revelation" of with such I would fain bring these lecHimself is a drawing back of the veil tures to a close. How solemn a truth or curtain which concealed Him from we express naming our work in this men; not man finding out God, but world our vocation," or, which is the God discovering Himself to man; all same in homelier Anglo-Saxon, our which is contained in the word. 66 Or calling. What a calming, elevatyou wish to explain "absolution." ing, ennobling view of the tasks apMany will know that it has something pointed us in this world, this word to do with the pardon of sins; but how gives us. We did not come to our much more accurately will they know work by accident; we did not choose this, when they know that "to ab- it for ourselves; but, in the midst of solve" means to loosen from'; God's much which may wear the appearance "absolution" of men being his releas- of accident and self-choosing, came to ing of them from the bands of those it by God's leading and appointment. sins with which they were bound. Here How will this consideration help us to

appreciate justly the dignity of our when we are tempted to lose heart, and work, though it were far humbler work to doubt whether we shall carry through even in the eyes of men, than that of our work with any blessing or profit to any one of us here present! What an ourselves or to others! It is our VOassistance in calming unsettled thoughts cation," not our choosing but our and desires, such as would make us wish" calling"; and He who "called'' us to be something else than that which to it, will, if only we will ask Him, fit we are! What a source of confidence, us for it, and strengthen us in it.