ཁསཔ)R the great affair of salvation. In such moments the hardest heart may sometimes be overcome by the sense of approaching death, or by the force of some solemn remonstrance; and many a man, who has unex pectedly recovered from a sick bed, has had to bless God all his life after, for sending him such a warning of the dreadful danger of con tinuing in sin. Many a man, who has spent his life without the fear of God, has been spared long enough, in his last illness, to make his peace with his offended Redeemer; and, though short the season for preparation, has gone into his presence with an humble hope of mercy in the atonement of Christ, and has received the Sacrament on his death-bed, and felt that his devout service was accepted. But be cautious, I earnestly entreat you, how you put off to the future that reformation which is required of Do not deceive yourselves you now. with the hope that a death-bed repentance will set all right, and cancel the heavy debt of sin for which you will assuredly be called to account. The resolution to put off repentance is a dreadful defiance of God. He has mercifully shown favour to some, by affording them time and help, even at their latter end, to regain his pardon but can e presume to reckon that we shall be so spared? See how few are spared. See how many are cut off in the midst of their sins, especially in our profession ;-our companions are continually summoned away from us at a sudden warning. Those ignorant men who would make you the Lord converts whom he pleases, without any exertions of their own, and would persuade you this conversion is effected in a moment, even at your last hour, fatally deceive you. ed, True it is, that salvation is the free gift of God, and conferred through the merits of Christ alone. But it is given to the faithful, and we know from Scripture, as well as from our own experience, it requires our most earnest exertions to overcome sin, and to recover his favour; and if we do all we can, then only, we are taught to believe, he will graciously accept us. But, at the close of a careless life, we have little hope of doing this, when our minds are clouded with age and infirmities, and our bodies tortured with pain. We cannot expect forgiveness, unless we sincerely repent and return to God, while he gives us the opportunity, as well as the means, of working out our salvation, through Christ. we can a on us The next service is for the Burial of the Dead. Though almost all nations of the world have some sort of ceremony in disposing of the remains of the deceased, there have not been wanting some people to object to burial service, as unnecessary. They say, what satisfaction can it afford to those who are no longer conscious of the respect we pay them. I much doubt, for my own part, even if this be true. Scripture does not, I think, forbid us to believe that the spirits of the departed, especially those of good men, have still some knowledge, some interest, in those they leave behind them; and it is at least a gratifying thought, an innocent persuasion, that the spirits of those whom we loved on earth (though they may not be capable of revisiting us), still watch over us with a fond anxiety, and participate in our happiness. ✨ The office for the Burial of the Dead is, perhaps, the most beautiful service in our Church. It is universally admired. Even if it affords no consolation to the deceased, it offers admirable instruction to the living. It is hardly possible to attend a funeral, without being struck with the solemnity of this awful rite. The 15th chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians, which forms a part of it, gives the fullest information contained in Scripture, as to the Resurrection of all men in the last day; a subject which every man must be curious to eva examine. For who does not wish to ask, as the Apostle says, How are the dead raised up, and with what body do they come " When the ser vice is over, we retire from the place with our thoughts full of anxiety for our own fate, in that state of mind which I think is always best suited to forming new resolutions of amendment. I would recommend you never to fail no the burial of your shipmates; not only as T a mark of brotherly regard to a companion, but as an excellent lesson to ourselves, to prepare for that awful state whither he has gone before us. No Mesd 94 The office which is called the Churching of Women, succeeds the Burial Service. It is appointed as a thanksgiving after child-birth, and is directed to take place at Church, in the presence of the whole congregation, that they may join together in prayer and thanksgiving, for the woman's deliverance from that danger which is the penalty of Eve, the mother of the human race, for her disobedience of God's first command. The last ceremony is the Commination; a word signifying the threatening of God's anger against hardened and impenitent sinners. It is gathered out of the 27th chapter of Deuteronomy, aners. other parts of Scripture, and is appointed to be read at certain times, especially on Ash-Wednesday, the first day of Lent; which is a season. particularly devoted to fasting and prayer for our sins, as directed by the Church. Let any hardened sinner read over this service; and, unless he is so abandoned as to deny the existence of a God, he e must tremble for his danger. Let him remember God is patient, but he will assuredly bring him to judgment, and then "who shall abide bis * coming. the hands of the living God! It is a fearful thing, indeed, for such a man abide We now into You will notice that we have two versions of the Psalms; the one in the Bible, and this in the Prayer Book, both translated from the Hebrew language, in which they were composed. That in the Bible is considered as coming nearest to the original; but this in the Prayer Book having been translated into English a considerable time before the other, it was thought best not to change it when the last improved, translation of the Bible was made, as the people 1 were become used to it. There is no material difference between them. The Psalms are so divided as to be read through every though few have the opportunity of hearing them daily read in public, I would recommend all devout persons s to read constantly fly the F Psalms for the day, as an excellent practice of devotion. very month; and, A pious mano can . I hardly compose for himself any terms so expressive of his own thankfulness and reverence to God, as those which the holy David and the other authors of the Psalms present to him in these beautiful com positions. They are a treasure of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. A good man will apply to himself, as he goes along, those selfupbraidings for his offences, those heartfelt acknowledgments of his gratitude, those warm expressions of devout confidence in God's mercy and protection. Though David describes his own feelings, and be wails his own offences, every serious person will employ his words to confess and lament his own. Every true penitent will be cut to the heart by those expressions of conscious guilt and ingratitude, which will appear to him exactly suited to his own confessions, though written by another. Many of the Psalms are prophetical, especially those regarding the coming of Christ. David (perhaps without being fully aware of his own prophecies) declared many circumstances of our blessed Saviour's life and passion, in describing those relating to himself. Some few of the Psalms may seem, to inexperienced readers, as too eagerly calling down God's vengeance upon the enemies of David, when it may appear he should rather have been occupied in the obtaining mercy for himself: but learned men consider these, not so much requests for the interposition of God's anger, as prophecies of the dreadful judgments which were to befal those wicked people by whom he was persecuted, and whom he became the instrument of God's vengeance in punishing for their transgressions. After the Psalms we find the occasional services of the Church placed together in the following order: Prayers to be used at Sea. King Charles the Martyr. The King's Accession. The prayers to be used at sea were added to the Liturgy upon the last review of it, in 1661. If you look to the title you will see the Morning and Evening Service is directed to be used daily at Sea, with the addition of the two first of the prayers in this form. The rest are for special occasions; for deliverance from danger, or from the enemy; accompanied with confessions and thanksgivings excellently suited to such circumstances. I fear none of us show a due regard to the means of serving God, by our devotions, in the manner which is here offered us. As we do not meet together for social prayer except 'on a Sunday, and not always then, few of us endeavour to supply this neglect by our private devotions, for which these prayers are so well suited. Even in the hour of danger, we are too apt to forget upon whose providence we depend for help; whose arm preserves us in battle; who it is bids the raging winds be still, and brings us to the haven where we would be. A pious man is too often despised and scoffed at for expressing his confidence in God, instead of trusting to his own strength alone. Too many would be ashamed to pray for his help in the moment of imminent danger, and strive rather to drive out of their minds the thoughts of eternity, at a time when they are threatened with instant destruction;-but look a little further, and consider, if they had perished, what would such men then have given for a few hours of that precious life, to enable them to implore God's mercy for their sins. Think with what anguish and remorse they would look back upon this world from that unknown region where the spirits of the dead await their eternal sentence, and then let us confess the folly, the madness of trifling with God's displeasure, in the moment we may be suddenly called into his presence. It is with such reflections I would persuade you again to read over this Form of Prayer with attention, earnestly hoping that you will accept the assistance offered you in these prayers, and ever remember your dependence upon that merciful Providence, who at this moment sustains you. The form of Prayer and Thanksgiving for Gunpowder Treason, contains also that for the Revolution, brought about by King William the Third, in 1688. It is appointed to be read every year on the fifth of November, the day on which these two events happened; the one, when a conspiracy to blow up the House of Parliament was providentially discovered, in the reign of King James the First; the other, when his son, King James the Second, on attempting to re-establish the Popish religion, was driven from the throne, and King William secured the liberties of the nation, and the Protestant religion, to our country. The next is the form of Prayer, with Fasting, appointed for the 30th of January in each year, being the day on which King Charles the First was deposed and murdered, in the year 1648, during the great Rebellion in England. The form of prayer and thanksgiving for the anniversary of the Restoration of his son, King Charles the Second, to the throne, in 1660, next follows. Many sensible and pious persons are of opinion, that these services might now be discontinued without prejudice to religion; and that they only tend to keep up the remembrance of former injuries and party feelings, which had better have been buried in forgetfulness. But it is presumed, that there are good reasons for retaining them; and especially when it is considered that any alteration in our Liturgy might give occasion to innovations highly injurious to the purity and excellence of these venerable institutions. The last form of prayer is that appointed for the Accession of his present Majesty to the throne. This is a very proper subject of prayer to God. His blessings upon our Sovereign, and upon the Councils of his Government, are a common benefit to all his faithful subjects. That such prayers and supplications from a people on behalf of their Monarch are not ineffectual, we are assured, upon the authority of Scripture; that they have been effectual in our favour, the peculiar blessings we have enjoyed under the fatherly care of our late venerable Sovereign sufficiently prove, and demand our heartfelt gratitude. If you read over the prayers contained in this service, you will perceive that the nation has enjoyed those very benefits which are there so eloquently entreated. His people's prayer that his reign might be long and prosperous has been most fully accomplished; and when at length, bowed with years and infirmities, our beloved Monarch came, like a shock of corn to the ground, in due season, amidst the general mourning at his decease many remembered with satisfaction how often they had offered up, in the conclusion of that prayer, a devout petition that he might be crowned with immortality in the life to come ab Isionemmen d The last division in the Prayer Book which remains to be noticed is the version of the Psalms, set to metre for the purpose of singing. This is a very ancient practice, indeed older than the time when most of these Psalms were composed. We read in the Book of Moses a beautiful Psalm of praise which he composed, and which was so lemnly sung in an assembly of all Israel. In various other passages of the Old Testament we find notices of the same pious custom. The Psalms were accompanied with music; and David himself is repre sented as assisting in the solemn thanksgivings which were publicly offered up to God. Psalmody was practised in the earliest times of Christianity, and has been followed in all the Christian Churches and, when reverently performed, is a great help to that warm and animated devotion which delights in praise and thanksgiving to the Almighty. heHaving now reached the end of the Book of Common Prayer, I propose, in my next Lecture, to make some observations on the three Creeds, or Articles of Belief, which are used in our Liturgy; request ing, meanwhile, you will read over and compare them together, that your memory may go along with me in those parts which seem to require some explanation. EDITOR L. THE rise of the Mahometan Religion remarkably concurred with the commencement of the Papal Usurpation. About the year 606 the Bishop of Rome obtained a decree from the tyrant Phocas, under which he assumed to himself supreme authority over the whole Christian Church; and within two years after (A. D..608) Mahomet, the cele brated Impostor of Arabia, claimed to be publicly received as a prophet sent from God. The long train of evils which these two ambitious enterprizes en❤ tailed upon the world, have furnished the most important topics of history; and while genuine Christianity was making its way by sa gradual and sometimes almost imperceptible progress, the contentions of religious faction, mingled with the most desperate struggles for temporal power, filled the earth with violence. On some future occasion we may possibly present our readers with an historical sketch of the Roman Catholic Church: at present we request their indulgence while we lay before them a few particulars relative to the Mahometan superstition. |