that where the words are not those of the Catholic Church, the words substituted are not, generally speaking, those of an individual, but those of Scripture. Such is the case in the Exhortation at the Commination Service, and in the new Collects. Those that are altered are formed upon the Epistle and Gospel for the day. By this circumstance, while Scripture is made the basis, the mould and form is still according to a traditionary and Catholic system'. And there is another point of view in which this adherence is valuable, that an unity and harmony of spirit is thus in some measure preserved with other Churches, both ancient and modern. Surely such an agreement, though it might appear to be but in things external and formal, yet cannot but be pleasing to Him who is the lover of concord: "who maketh men "to be of one mind in an house," and who has made it the very condition of His blessings, that "two or three shall agree together "touching any thing that they shall ask." This may appear but a slight matter, as it refers only to the language, but it is the peculiar blessing of the day of Pentecost, that the children of the SPIRIT should speak but one tongue, while the curse of Babel still abides on the world. And surely it is no unpleasing nor uninspiring thought, that on the same day the sons of the SPIRIT should be putting up the same spiritual supplications, though separated by nations and tongues; yea, though time and death should rise between, yet that we should in a manner be made one in CHRIST that we should be joined in spirit, and use daily the same words which our forefathers have used for a thousand years, and which, if it be not our own fault, our children's children shall continue to use.

5. The Collects for Advent.

But to return to the point alluded to, viz. the provision made against the evils of the latter days, let us take up the first Collects. It so happens that it is in this season of Advent, that the

1 The newly made Collects being formed on the subject of the Epistle and Gospel for the day, is also a proof that this connection or reference had been observed in the ancient service, although such allusions are not always so strictly preserved in the translation.

chief alterations in the Sunday services have been made. Nor does there appear any reason, humanly speaking, why the former ones should have been rejected; they are not in themselves at all objectionable'. And now if the advance of time and the approach of the last days would naturally have required any change, it would be at this period of the sacred year :-a change, however, which it was not for man to provide, but for Him who may be thus forming His Church as a providential witness against undeveloped errors, and rendering it instrumental in the preparations for that Day, which is known to neither man nor angel, but to Himself alone.

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The first Collect is entirely new in this place and instead of the words of" rejoicing according to the flesh for the coming of 'Thy only-begotten Son," in that form which Mr. Palmer quotes as resembling it, it takes up in prayer the language of the Epistle, "that we may cast off the works of darkness, and put upon us "the armour of light;" seizing this point from the ancient Epistle, which speaks of "the night being far spent." By this we are reminded at once of the position described above, as the one in which we are placed, as those who amidst the corruptions of the latter days, the eating and drinking foretold, are looking out for the second Advent. In this prayer the Gospel also is combined with the Epistle, as furnishing the lesson of humility from the first coming, in order to carry on our thoughts to the second coming, "to judge both the quick and dead." All that is new in Advent appears to represent that voice which speaks in the Revelation" Remember how thou hast received and heard, ❝and hold fast, and repent. If thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief.” (iii. 3.) Surely the two following Collects do

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1 The Collect for the first Sunday in Advent in the Sarum and Roman Missals is not unlike our own for the fourth. That for the second is, "Stir up, O

LORD, our hearts to prepare the ways of Thine only begotten Son, that through "His coming we may be made meet to serve Thee with purified minds, through".. That for the third Sunday in Advent in the Latin form, was, as retained in the Books of Edward, "LORD, we beseech Thee, give ear to our prayers, and by Thy gracious visitation lighten the darkness of our heart, by our LORD JESUS "CHRIST." The fourth was the same which we now have, excepting for the changes alluded to. The Collects for the last Sunday in Trinity and the two first Sundays in Advent, begun with the same word, " Excita," "stir up."

no less so. Being for the most part new, they adopt the language of the Epistles and Gospel, and in so doing, bring forth, providentially, the two great witnesses to "make ready and pre

pare the way," the Scriptures and the Church (as if saying, "Remember how thou hast received and heard"). For both of them flowing from the ancient Epistles, render the admonition they contain, not one of man's device, but Catholic and Divine. Nor was this combination of the twofold testimony introduced by the same persons or at the same time. The second Collect is found in the Books of King Edward; the third was only inserted at the last Review: both of them derive force from the dangers with which the truth has been assailed in the two quarters in which these are calculated to support it; the one from the suppression of Scripture, the other from the extensive rejection which has since prevailed of" the ministers and stewards of God's mysteries." The last of the two Collects referred to, not only takes up these words from the Epistle, but corroborates its testimony from the Gospel of the day, also by the example of the Baptist sent before to prepare the coming, and inserts the striking words of " turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom

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of the just;" in doing which, CHRIST's ministers are now to resemble the great Forerunner. The ancient Collect, indeed, for the second week in Advent, spoke of "preparing the way," but this of the mode of doing so, viz. by the twofold witness.

But the next Sunday, the fourth in Advent, instead of taking up, as on the former occasions, the language of the Epistle, which speaks of "rejoicing alway," because" the LORD is at hand," retains the old Collect, which forcibly describes our position before alluded to, as sore let and hindered, through our sins and "wickedness." And it is to be noticed, that, as the preceding Collect inserted in the translation the expression of " turning the "hearts of the disobedient," so this in rendering the old form has introduced the words "in running the race that is set before us." This took place at the last Review, the former expression being "may speedily deliver us through the satisfaction of Thy Son our "LORD."-Few words, indeed, thus introduced, but the insertion of them implies a peculiarity, and that peculiarity is the lesson of

obedience. And, indeed, while on this subject, it may be observed, that the Collect for the last week after Trinity had in like manner turned to Advent, as the end of that obedience which the Sundays after Trinity had inculcated; for it alters the words "the remedies of Thy goodness" in the old form, into " may

of Thee be plenteously rewarded,"-apparently to turn the thoughts to the approaching Advent.

6. Other new Collects.

It is

To dwell at present on the more important alterations. a circumstance quite in harmony with those just spoken of, and goes to establish the same point which may be observed throughout, that the Collects which are partly or entirely new, and as such appear to rise, as it were, accidentally out of the Epistle and Gospel, maintain and infuse into our religion some great and fundamental principle which has been signally endangered. This is so much the case, that there appears hardly any instance of change without this result; so that wherever the ancient line of the Church system appears broken, it would seem as if this had been in order to throw out a pier or bulwark in a direction in which the weight of the storm, though unforeseen by man, was likely to bear most heavily. Ever as we proceed in the inquiry, let us remember that it be with reverence- "No heart can think upon these things worthily, and who is able to conceive His ways?" (Ecclus. xvi. 20.)

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In passing through the Collects, the next which we find to be new is the beautiful Collect for Charity1 on the last Sunday before Lent; which, though it is only the subject of the Epistle converted into Prayer, and therefore undesigned, yet one can scarcely fail to regard as a pillar of warning set up before the opening of Lent, against the abuse of fasting by the Romanists to the loss of Charity. And this is the more remarkable, as the Collect in the Sarum Missal, occurring with the same Epistle and

1 The Collect in the Sarum Missal (with the same Epistle and Gospel) for which this is substituted, is as follows, not, it will be seen, in itself objectionable: "Hear, we beseech Thee, O LORD, our Prayers with thy mercy, and loosing 66 us from the chains of our sins, keep us from all adversity; through...."

Gospel for which this is substituted, is not in itself objectionable. But as if in preparation for a still greater danger to ensue, from the Puritans soon to follow, and the scoffers of the last days, on the next Sunday, the first in Lent, there is inserted into the old form, and that too from the Gospel for the day, the example of Him, "who for our sakes fasted forty days and forty nights.' Surely this is as if the witness were thus putting the subject of fasting on the very highest grounds, and appealing to us by a petition which it puts into our mouths, the most solemn that can be expressed, that we fail not to follow that example; and the more solemn, because addressed to our LORD Himself1.

Not less important is that on Christmas day. The doctrine which is expressed in that Collect being on a subject which has assumed lately a controversial character, the Collect has become familiarly known to us, as a point of appeal in our defence of that Catholic truth as the doctrine of our Church. But it is not known that these words which imply Baptismal Regeneration are not found in either of the Latin forms to which Mr. Palmer has traced that prayer, so that it appears in the light of an accidental introduction. The words in one of these forms are, "that as He is the Author to us of Divine generation, so He "may be the giver of immortality:" in the other, "that they "who are redeemed by Thy grace may be safe in Thine adop"tion." Neither of which, it will be seen, contains the doctrine in question, viz. of our "being regenerate and made children by "adoption." The two ancient forms might be used with propriety even by those who deny this doctrine.

But in no case is the alteration more worthy of notice, than that which has taken place on Easter Even. Were one to be asked, what was the great cardinal doctrine which the popular tide has been most set against, both under the name of religion, and from the prevailing spirit of the world, especially since the changes of 1688, we must say, I think, that it is the true doctrine of the Cross, of our being baptized into CHRIST's death, being dead, and buried, and crucified with Him. The pains taken to

1 Both of these prayers are in the First Book of Edward.