profit more and more in the knowledge of GoD, and be the more inflamed with the love of His true religion.

"But these many years past, this godly and decent order of the ancient Fathers hath been so altered, broken, and neglected, by planting in uncertain Stories and Legends, with multitude of Responds, Verses, vain Repetitions, Commemorations, and Synodals; that commonly when any book of the Bible was begun, after three or four chapters were read out, all the rest were unread. And in this sort the book of Isaiah was begun in Advent, and the book of Genesis in Septuagesima; but they were only begun, and never read through. After like sort were other books of Holy Scripture used. And furthermore, notwithstanding that the ancient Fathers have divided the Psalms into seven portions, whereof every one was called a Nocturn, now of late time a few of them have been daily said, and the rest utterly omitted. Moreover, the number and hardness of the rules called the Pie, and the manifold changings of the service, was the cause, that, to turn the book only was so hard and intricate a matter, that many times there was more business to find out what should be read, than to read it when it was found out.

“These inconveniences therefore considered, here is set forth such an Order, whereby the same shall be redressed. And for a readiness in this matter, here is drawn out a Calendar for that purpose, which is plain and easy to be understood; wherein (so much as may be) the reading of Holy Scripture is so set forth, that all things shall be done in order, without breaking one piece from another. For this cause be cut off Anthems, Responds, Invitatories, and such like things as did break the continual course of the reading of the Scripture."

It remains but to enumerate the selections from the Breviary which follow. First has been drawn out, an Analysis of the Weekly Service, as well for Sunday as other days. This is followed by an ordinary Sunday Service at length, as it runs when unaffected by the occurrence of special feast or season, in order to ground the reader, who chooses to pursue the subject, in the course of daily worship as a whole. With the same object a Week-day Service has also been drawn out. Two por

tions of extraordinary Services are then added, one from the Service for the Transfiguration, the other for the Festival of St. Laurence, with a view of supplying specimens of a more elevated and impressive character. Next follows a design for a Service for March 21st, the day on which Bishop Ken was taken from the Church below, and another for a Service of thanksgiving and commemoration for the anniversaries of the days of death of friends or relations. These have been added, to suggest to individual Christians a means of carrying out in private the principle and spirit of those inestimable forms of devotion which are contained in our authorized PrayerBook. The series is closed with an abstract of the Services for every day in Advent, fitting on to sections 2 and 3, which contain respectively the types of the Sunday and Week-day Service. Except by means of some such extended portion, it is impossible for the reader to understand the general structure, and appreciate the harmony of the Breviary.

Lastly, the writer of these pages feels he shall have to ask indulgence for such chance mistakes, in the detail of the following Services, as are sure to occur when an intricate system is drawn out and set in order, with no other knowledge of it than is supplied by the necessarily insufficient directions of a Rubric.

§ 1. Analysis of the Seven Daily Services of the Church Catholic, as preserved in the Breviary.

EVERY Service but Compline is commenced with privately saying the Lord's Prayer, and the Ave Mary, to which the Creed is added before Matins and Prime. In like manner, after Compline, all three are repeated. Every other Service ends with the Lord's Prayer in private, unless another Service immediately follows. Concerning the introduction of the Ave Mary, vid. supra, p. 11. This use of the Lord's Prayer in private before the beginning of the Service seems to have led the compilers of King Edward's First Book to open with the Lord's Prayer, only, said aloud, not in private; but a pious custom has brought in again the private prayer, as before, though without prescribing any particular form. The compilers of King Edward's Second Book prefixed to the Lord's Prayer, the Sentences, and an Exhortation, Confession, and Absolution of their own. After these follows, "O Lord, open thou our lips," &c. which stands first in the Breviary Service.

1. "MATINS, or Night Service (after One, A.M.)

Introduction.

Verse. O Lord, open Thou my lips.

Resp. And my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.
(Each person to sign his lips with the Cross.)

Verse. O God, make speed to save me.

Resp. O Lord, make haste to help me.

(Each person to sign himself from the forehead to the breast.) Glory be to the Father, &c.

As it was, &c. Amen.”

(Ordinarily added) Hallelujah. (i. e. Praise ye the Lord.)

Psalm 95.—" O come let us sing," &c. with a verse called an Invitatory, "Let us worship the Lord: our Maker," divided into two parts, the whole being used before the 1st, 3rd, and 8th verse, and at the end, and again after the Gloria Patri, and the latter part after the 4th and 9th, and between the Gloria and the whole. This Invitatory varies with the season, but its general character is always preserved; e. g. in Advent, "O come VOL. III. -75.

C

let us worship: the Lord, the King to come;" or "the Lord is at hand: O come let us worship;" again in Lent, “It is not to you lost labour that ye haste to rise up early: for the Lord hath promised a crown to those who wait for Him." At Pentecost, "Hallelujah, the Spirit of the Lord hath filled the round world: O come let us worship, Hallelujah.”

A Hymn follows according to the day, and terminates the Introduction; then follow Psalms and Lessons, in one or three Nocturns, according as the Service is for Weekday or Sunday.

On Sunday, Eighteen Psalms with Nine Lessons; viz.

Psalms 1, 2, 3. 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. A passage from Scripture, in three parts-(according to the time of the Year.)

A

Psalms 16, 17, 18.

passage from some Father of the Church, in three parts.

Psalms 19, 20, 21.

A comment on some passage of the Gospel, in three parts.

On Weekdays, Twelve Psalms with Three Lessons, viz.

On Monday.

Psalms 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38.
A passage in three parts from Scripture or the Fathers.

On Tuesday.

Psalms 39, 40, 41, 42. 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50. 52.
A passage in three parts, &c. as on Monday.

On Wednesday.

Psalms 53. 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62. 64. 66. 68.
A passage, &c.

On Thursday.

Psalms 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80.

A passage, &c.

On Friday.

Psalms 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89. 94. 96, 97.

A passage, &c.

On Saturday.

Psalms 98, 99, 100, or 92. (according to the day) 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109.

A passage, &c.

Those on every day of the week follows the
Te Deum Laudamus.

This noble Hymn follows in this place with especial propriety, on Sundays and other Festivals; viz. after the reading the words of Prophets and Apostles, and the writings and histories of Saints and Martyrs, all of whom are commemorated in it. On all days it impressively winds up the Service which precedes.

LAUDS ;-(appended to the Matins towards the first twilight.) Verse "O God, make speed, &c.

Resp. O Lord, make haste," &c.

Glory be, &c.

As it was, &c. Amen. Hallelujah.

Then five Psalms, viz. on

Sunday.

Psalms 93. 100. 63 and 67.

The Song of the Three Children.

Psalm 148-150.

Monday.

Psalms 51. 5. 63. Song of Isaiah. (Is. xii.) Psalm 148.

Psalms 51. 43. 63.

148.

Tuesday.

Song of Hezekiah. (Is. xxxviii.) Psalm

Wednesday.

Psalms 51. 65. 63. Song of Hannah. (1 Sam. ii.) Psalm 148.