Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after December 13th, fall the quarterly Ember-days preceding a time of Ordination.

CHRISTMAS is the time of Christ's first appearing, as Michaelmas means the time for commemorating St. Michael and All Angels. The precise date of the Nativity is perhaps uncertain, but immemorial custom establishes the validity of the assignment. Before the last quarter of the fourth century the East observed it in conjunction with the Epiphany, and December 25th was at that time settled upon by the Western Church. It is the great Feast of the Incarnation, of Christ's gracious Assumption of our nature, and hence of man's new-birth. Gracious as are the world's social amenities and the family joys of this season of good-will, the opening notes of the angels' song, "Glory to God in the highest " for His best gift, in Himself tabernacling "in substance of our flesh," should never become obscured, nor outward acts of devotion become relaxed at this hallowed time. Nor should home pleasures dwarf the claims of the poor, the suffering, the sorrowing. The Church's adornment adds to flowers the wintry decorations of "the fir tree, the pine tree and the box together to beautify His sanctuary, and to make the place of His feet glorious." These adornments are retained through this and often through the Epiphany Season. An additional Collect, Epistle and Gospel is provided for permissive use at the earlier Celebration of the Holy Communion, in case two are held on this Day, as is common in large Parishes.

Lagging last before Christ's coming, on December 21st is the Festival of St. Thomas the Doubter, with its prayer that

"our faith in God's sight may never be reproved." And following closely after Him, the first three consecutive days (December 26th, 27th and 28th) are those which appear in their juxtaposition as Dominical, the Days of St. Stephen the First Martyr, St. John the Beloved Disciple, and the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem. They are in this position because of Martyrdom, Love and Innocence; the first a martyr for Christ's sake both in will and deed, the second in will though not in deed, the third in deed but not in will. The latter Day is peculiarly appropriate for the Children's Parish Festival at this Season. With refer

ence to the three Days, Bacon says, "as prosperity was the blessing of the Old Testament, so adversity early signalized the New." There is sometimes but one Sunday between Christmas and Epiphany, at which time the Christmas Collect is repeated; and it is also added to any other Service until the Circumcision. The teaching of this Sunday is "the adoption of sons," and that of the Circumcision, which concurs with New Year's Day, and is the Octave of Christmas (Jewish circumcision occurring on the eighth day after birth), is Self-examination. If a second Sunday occur in the Christmas season, or if the Circumcision falls on Sunday, it takes the latter Service; and the teaching of the whole Season is the Humanity of Our Lord, and His subjection to the infirmities of our nature.

With EPIPHANY, the ancient Twelfth Day (January 6th), the Christmas Season closes. The two Days have a close connection, and there is a tradition that Our Lord was baptized on an anniversary of the latter, which commemorates His first Epiphany (or Manifestation) to the Wise Men of the Gentile world. This renders the Season

fitting for offerings to Foreign Missions, and still more so, as during its season (January 25th) usually occurs St. Paul's Day (that of his miraculous Conversion-not of his death), which keeps prominently in mind the Calling of the Gentiles through this great Apostle. In the Greek Church Epiphany is given great emphasis as the "Day of Lights," and a vast array of them signalizes Christ as the Light of the World. How many and who the Magi or Wise Men were, whence they came and when, we are not told. Tradition has surrounded them with much of beautiful legend, and associates them as typical representatives of the three great primitive races of the earth, the descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth, offering tribute to the Universal Prophet, Priest and King.

The whole Epiphany Season sets forth Our Lord's Divinity, and recites many of His Theophanies (or Manifestations of the God-head), as they are still called by the Greek Church. On the First Sunday is shown His obedience in sacred things, and on the following ones consecutively, His power as Creator at His first miracle; as Healer; in time of danger; as Ruler of His Church; and lastly, His final Epiphany and the object of them all. The Services for the Fifth and Sixth Sundays are often not reached in the yearly round, and the latter was not added until 1662. On the fortieth day after Christmas (February 2d), is the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. It has been better known by its second title as the Purification of St. Mary the Virgin, and its teaching is Purity and Obedience. But it may well be doubted whether the Dominical side of its name as well as of its teaching should not take precedence. An old-time familiar name for the

day is Candlemas, from the processions of candles with which it was formerly observed. It once marked the close of the Christmas Season; and the emblem of the Star is that most generally associated with this earlier half of the historical section of the Year.

F

XV.

THE CHRISTIAN YEAR.

"O Almighty God, Who hast knit together Thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the Mystical Body of Thy Son Christ Our Lord; grant us grace so to follow Thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which Thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love Thee."-The Collect for All Saints' Day.

ROM the Sunday following the Epiphany Season we no longer reckon from a Christmas standpoint, but the mind is led forward in anticipation to Easter, from which we are now removed by nine weeks, or nearly seventy days; hence the old Latin numeral Septuagesima, or seventieth. The succeeding Sundays are styled Sexagesima and Quinquagesima, or sixtieth and fiftieth, from a like manner of reckoning, in the latter case exact. Nothing corresponds to them in the Eastern Church. Possibly each may have anciently begun Lent when different rules obtained; and the early shadows of that Season now begin to fall. The first of these Sundays dwells on man's Guilt, the second on Trust in God, and the last on the crowning grace of Charity. With Shrove Tuesday, the second day following Quinquagesima, ends the Carnival (or "farewell to flesh") of papal countries, and Lent is ushered in with Ash Wednesday, which ranges in different years from February 4th to March 10th.