rily intended for our Saviour's Refurrection, to which we find it applied both by St. Matthew and St. Luke's. Sect. XVII. ftle, and §. 5. The firft Leffons for the morning and evening fer- The Lefvice contain an account of the paffover, and of the Ifrael- fons, Colites' deliverance out of Egypt, both very suitable to the left, Epiday: for by their Paffover Chrift our Paffover was prefi- Gofpel. gured; and the deliverance of the Ifraelites out of Egypt, and the drowning of Pharaoh and his hoft in the Red-Sea, was a type of our deliverance from death and fin, which is done away by our being baptized with water into Chrift. The Gospel and the fecond Leffon for the evening give us the full evidence of Chrift's Refurrection; and the Epiftle and the fecond Leffon for the morning teach us what use we must make of it. 86 The Collect, Epiftle, and Gospel are all very old: in the first book of King Edward they are appointed for the firft Communion; for I have obferved 6, that upon the great feafts they had then two Communions, and a diftinct fervice at each. For the fecond Communion they had the fame Collect which we now use upon the first Sunday after Eafter. The Epiftle for that fervice was I Cor. v. 6. to ver. 9. the Gospel was Mark xvi. to ver. 9. SECT. XVIII. Of the Monday and Tuesday in Eafter-Week. tween Eaf ter and merly ob. AMONG the primitive Chriftians this Queen of Feafts, The whole as thofe fathers called it, was fo highly esteemed, that time beit was folemnized fifty days together, even from Eafter to Whitfuntide"; and this fo ftrictly in the Spanish church, Whitfunthat even the Rogations were amongst them deferred by tide foran order of council till Whitfuntide was over 88; during lerved. which whole time baptifm was conferred, all fafts were fufpended and counted unlawful, they prayed ftanding, (as they were wont to do every Lord's day in token of joy,) thereby making every one of thofe days in a manner equal to Sunday. As devotion abated, this feaft was fhortened; yet long after Tertullian, even to Gratian's time and downwards, the whole weeks of Eafter and Whitfuntide were reckoned as holy-days 9. And in our own church, though she hath appointed Epistles and Gof Chap. V. pels for the Monday and Tuesday only of this week, which contain full evidences of our Saviour's Refurrection*; yet the makes provifion for the folemn obfervation of the whole week, by appointing a Preface fuitable to the seafon for eight days together in the office of Communion. Eafter obferved. §. 2. The occafion of this week's folemnity was prinweek, why cipally intended for the expreffing our joy for our Lord's fo folemnly Refurrection. But among the ancients there was another peculiar reafon for the more folemn obfervation of this week. For except in cafes of neceffity they administered Baptifm at no other times than Eafter and Whitfuntide; at Eafter, in memory of Chrift's Death and Refurrection, (correfpondent to which are the two parts of the Chriftian life, represented in baptifm dying unto fin, and rifing again unto newness of life;) and at Whitfuntide, in memory of the Apoftles being then baptized with the Holy Ghoft and with fire, and of their having themselves at that time baptized three thoufand fouls 90; this communication of the Holy Ghost to the Apostles being in fome measure reprefented and conveyed by baptifm. After thefe times, they made it part of their feftivity the week following to congratulate the access of a new Chriftian progeny: the newbaptized coming each day to church in white garments, with lights before them, in token that they had now laid afide their works of darkness, and were become the children of light, and had made a refolution to lead a new, innocent, and unfpotted life". At church, thanksgivings and prayers were made for them, and those that were at years of difcretion (for in thofe times many fuch came in from heathenifm) were inftructed in the principles and ways of Chriftianity: but afterwards, when moft of the baptized were infants, and fo not capable of fuch folemnities, this cuftom was altered, and baptism administered at all times of the year, as at the beginning of Chriftianity. §. 3. The firft Leffon for Monday morning 2 treats The Leffons. 93 92 * Formerly three days were appointed as holy-days at Eafter and Whitfuntide 93, and then it is probable that the Wednesday also had an Epiftle and Gospel. 90 Acts ii. 41. 91 Ambr. de Initiand. c. 7. tom. iv. col. 348. 92 Exod. xvi. 93 See Archbishop Iflep's Conftitution in Mr. Johnson's Ecclefiaftical Laws, and his note upon it, A. D. 1362, 3. about about God's fending the Ifraelites Manna or Bread from Sect. heaven, which was a type of our bleffed Saviour, who XVIII. was the bread of life that came down from heaven, of which whofoever eateth hath eternal life. The firft Leffon for Monday evening 94 contains the hiftory of the vanquishing the Amalekites, by the holding up of Mofes's hands; by which posture he put himself into the form of a crofs, and exactly typified the victory which Chriftians obtain over their fpiritual enemies by the cross of Chrift. The fmiting alfo of the rock, out of which came water, (mentioned in the fame chapter,) is another type of our Saviour: for as the water flowing from the rock quenched the Ifraelites' thirst; fo our Saviour, fmitten upon the crofs, gave forth that living water, of which whofoever drinketh Shall never thirsts. The fecond Leffons 9% contain full teftiinonies of our Saviour's Refurrection; that for the morning giving an hiftorical account of it; the other for the evening containing a relation of a lame man being restored to his feet, through faith in the name of Chrift, which was an undeniable proof that he was then alive. The firft Leffon for Tuesday morning" contains the Ten Commandments, which were communicated to the people from God by the miniftry of Mofes, wherein he prefigured our Saviour, who was to be a prophet like unto him, i. e. who was to bring down a new law from heaven, and more perfectly to reveal the divine will to man. The first Leffon at evening 99 reprefents Mofes interceding with God for the children of Ifrael, for whom (rather than God fhould impute to them their fins) he defited even to die, and be blotted out of the book of life; thereby alfo typifying Chrift, who died and was made a curfe for us. The fecond Leffon for the morning2 is a farther evidence of our Saviour's Refurrection; and that for the evening's proves, by his Refurrection, the neceffity of ours. The Epiftles and Gofpels for thefe days are the fame as in old offices: but the Collect for Tuefday, till the last review, was what we now ufe on the Sunday after, being the fame that in King Edward's firft Common PrayerBook was appointed for the fecond Communion on Eafterday. 94 Exod. xvii. 95 1 Cor. x. 4. 96 Matt. xxviii. and Acts iii, 97 Exodus xx. 98 Deut. xviii. 15. 99 Exod. xxxii. 1 Gal. iii. 13. 2 Luke xxiv. to ver. 13. SECT. Chap. V. SECT. XIX. Of the Sundays after Easter. Low-Sun- UPON the Octave, or firft Sunday after Eafter-day, it called. was a custom of the ancients to repeat fome part of the folemnity which was used upon Eafter-day: from day, why fo Dominica in Albis. whence this Sunday took the name of Low-Sunday, being celebrated as a feaft, though of a lower degree than Why called Eafter-day itself. In Latin it is called Dominica in Albis, or rather poft Albas, (fc. depofitas,) as fome ritualists call it, i. e. the Sunday of putting off the Chryfoms; because those that were baptized on Eafter-eve, on this day laid afide those white robes or chryfoms which were put upon them at their baptifm, and which were now laid up in the churches, that they might be produced as evidences against them, if they fhould afterwards violate or deny that faith which they had profeffed in their baptifm. And we may ftill obferve, that the Epiftle feems to be the remains of fuch a folemnity: for it contains an exhortation to new-baptized perfons, that are born of God, to labour to overcome the world, which at their baptifin they had refolved to do. Both that and the Gofpel were used very anciently upon this day : but in all the old books, except the first of King Edward, the Collect for Eafter-day was ordered to be repeated; but at the laft review, the Collect prescribed in that firft book was again inferted on this day; it being the fame which was originally appointed for the fecond Communion on Eafter-day itself, which was then also used on the Tuesday following. The Col ter Eafter. §. 2. As for the other Sundays after Eafter, we have allects, Epifles, and ready obferved, that they were all spent in joyful commeGospels for morations of our Saviour's Refurrection, and the promise the other of the Comforter; and accordingly we find, that both Sundays af- thofe grand occafions of joy and exultation are the principal fubjects of all the Gofpels from Easter to Whitfuntide. But, left our joy fhould grow presumptuous and luxuriant, (joy being always apt to exceed,) the Epiftles for the fame time exhort us to the practice of fuch duties as are anfwerable to the profeffion of Chriftians; admonishing us to believe in Chrift, to rife from the death of fin, to be patient, loving, meek, charitable, &c. having our bleffed Lord himfelf for our example, and the promise of his Spirit for our strength, comfort, and guide. The Collect for the fecond Sunday was made new in 1549, and that for the fourth was corrected in the begin ning of it at the laft review: but the other Collects are Sect. XIX. very old, as are all the Epiftles and Gofpels, which are very fuitable to the feafon; efpecially the Gofpel for the fifth Sunday, which feems to be allotted to that day upon two accounts: first, because it foretels our Saviour's Afcenfion, which the church commemorates on the Thursday following; and, fecondly, because it is applicable to the Rogations, which were performed on the three following days, of which therefore we shall fubjoin a fhort account. SECT. XX. Of the Rogation-days. ABOUT the middle of the fifth century, Mamercus, RogationBishop of Vienne, upon the profpect of fome parti- days, when cular calamities that threatened his diocefe, appointed firft obthat extraordinary prayers and fupplications fhould be offered up with fafting to God, for averting thofe impendent evils, upon the three days immediately preceding the day of our Lord's Afcenfion; from which fupplications (which the Greeks call Litanies, but the Latins Rogations) And why so thefe days have ever fince been called Rogation-days. For called. fome few years after, this example was followed by Sidonius Bishop of Clermont, (though he indeed hints that Mamercus was rather the restorer, than the inventor of the Rogations,) and in the beginning of the fixth century the first council of Orleans appointed that they should be yearly obferved". ftitution. §. 2. In these fafts the church had a regard, not only The defign to prepare our minds to celebrate our Saviour's Afcenfion of their inafter a devout manner; but also, by fervent and prayer humiliation, to appeafe God's wrath, and deprecate his displeasure, that fo he might avert thofe judgments which the fins of the nation deserved; that he might be pleased to bless the fruits with which the earth is at this time covered, and not pour upon us those fcourges of his wrath, peftilence and war, which ordinarily begin in this season. §. 3. At the Reformation, when all proceffions were Why contiabolished by reason of the abuse of them, yet for retaining nued at the * The old beginning of it was, Almighty God, which doft make the minds of all faithful men to be of one will, Grant, &c. Aviti Archiepifcopi Vien. A. D. 490. Homil. in Bibliotheca SS. l'atrum. Parif. 1575. tom. vii. col. 338. And from him Greg. Turonenfis, 1. 2. c. 34. apud Hiftor. Francor. Scrip tores, Parif. 1636. tom. i. p. 289. A. 6 Concil. Aurel. Can. 27. tom. iv. Reformation. the |
