ceed to the Psalms for the day. After the Psalms comes the first lesson, which is taken from the Old Testament, the same as in the morning.

The Magnificat, and Cantate Domino, two fine hymns, one of which is to be used after the first lesson at Evening prayer, are both of them taken from holy writ. The first is the song of the Blessed Virgin, and is called the Magnificat, from the words beginning My soul doth magnify the Lord,' &c. As the Virgin expressed her jcy when she reflected on the promises of the Old Testament, which she perceived were about to be fulfilled; so we, having seen their actual completion, may properly rejoice with her in the same words.

The other hymn, which is less frequently used, is the 98th psalm, composed on account of some of David's victories, and is properly repeated when the first lesson treats of some great temporal deliverance. It was first introduced in Edward the Sixth's prayer book.

As the second lesson at Morning prayer is taken from the Gospels, or the Acts of the Apostles, so that for Evening service is taken in order from the Epistles, by which means the regular frequenters of the house of God have an opportunity of hearing the New Testament, in its two principal parts, read at one and the same time; and thus faith and practice are more expressly set before them in conjunction, than if the whole book were gone through from beginning to end.

The second lesson being finished, the song of Simon, called Nunc dimittis, follows, from the words, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,' &c. The author of this pious effusion is supposed to be the same person called by the Jews, Simeon the Just, son to the famous rabbi Hillel, a man of abilities and integrity, who opposed the prevailing idea of the Messiah's temporal kingdom. This hymn has been properly received into the ser,

vice of all Christian Churches in the world; for all Christians ought to feel the same emotions as Simeon did, when he met Christ in the Temple.

The other hymn is the 67th psalm, containing a prayer of David for the coming of the Gospel. The first is generally read. The Apostles' creed, the Lord's prayer, and the versicles before and after it, occupy the same place here as in the morning service.

The prayer for all conditions of men, was added at the last review of our liturgy, and is ordered by the Rubric to be used at such times when the Litany is not appointed to be read,' in consequence of which, it is always read at Evening prayers, and in the morning on days when the Litany is omitted. This comprehensive prayer is said to be the composition either of Bishop Gunning or Bishop Sanderson. It appears to have been originally much longer, containing petitions for the king, the clergy, &c. which accounts for the word finally in the beginning of the last clause of a prayer of such moderate limits. When the prayers of the congregation are desired for any person, the petition is to be introduced here; and when thanks are to be returned for blessings received, they are to be named in the following prayer.

The Prayer of St. Chrysostom, and the Benediction, close the order of Evening Prayer, which, though considerably shorter than that used in the morning, is equally adapted to the season of the day, and unquestionably admirable in its arrange ment and composition.

LETTER XV.

Feasts-Fasts-Vigils of the Church of England.

MY ESTEEMED Children,

As I have no doubt you have derived pleasure and instruction from the preceding illustrations of the service of our church, I will now proceed to give you an account of its Festivals and Fasts, institutions of which you ought not to be ignorant.

Christians observe the first day of the week instead of Saturday, the seventh day, as being that on which our Lord and Master rose from the dead. And in our Church, every Sunday throughout the year has its proper collects, lessons, and gospels, most of which are of great antiquity, both in their composition and selection. The greater part of the collects now in use for Sundays and holidays, are to be found in the Sacramental service of Pope Gregory, who corrected the offices in the year 600; and the epistles and gospels, with few exceptions, are believed to have been put into the Christian Service by St. Jerome.

Besides Sundays, on which we are weekly called upon to celebrate the goodness and mercies of God, manifested to us in the redemption, particular days are set apart by our church for a more especial commemoration of distinguished acts and passages of our Saviour's life. Of this kind are his Nativity, Circumcision, Manifestation to the Gentiles, and Presentation in the Temple; his Fasting, Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension; the sending of the Holy Ghost, and the Manifestation of the holy Trinity.

As we celebrate the mercies of God on Sundays, and the mysteries of our redemption on the nine soJemn festivals, so the Christian Church, in the first

ages, set apart particular days for commemorating the Apostles who had spread the gospel, and the Martyrs, who had laid down their lives in its defence. These celebrations were generally on the days of the deaths of those holy men, when they were known. In process of time, however, when the religion of Christ became corrupted by the inventions of men, and a zeal for the tenets of the church of Rome was regarded as a superior claim to canonization over holiness of life and Christian charity, the festivals increased to such a degree, as not only to be burdensome in their observance, but censurable in their object. Accordingly, at the reformation, the saints of a later date, or more doubtful character, were gradually expunged, till no holidays were retained in the calendar, as days of obligation to be observed, except such as were dedicated to the memory of the Apostles and Evangelists, and to such other commemorations as Christian piety required, for which suitable offices have been composed. The festivals now retained in our Church are enjoined, by the Act of Uniformity, to be observed with due reverence; and it is ordered that persons shall resort to their parish churches on holy-days as well as on Sundays.

Vigils or Watchings were religious exercises, which the primitive Christians imposed on themselves, by passing great part of the night that preceded certain holy days, in acts of devotion. The origin of this has been ascribed to different causes, arising as well from religion as from personal safety; but when the night watchings were discontinued, that of fasting was retained; so that a Vigil and a Fast now mean the same thing.

Our Church assigns Vigils to the following festivals: the Nativity of our Lord, the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin, Easter-day, Ascension-day, Pentecost, St. Matthias, St. John the Baptist, St. Peter,

St. James, St. Bartholomew, St. Matthew, St. Simon and Jude, St. Andrew, St. Thomas, and All Saints. The general reason why the other holydays have no Vigils, appears to be because they fall within seasons of joy, which were thought improper to be mixed with days of fasting and humiliation. Some exceptions, however, will be perceived to this remark: but such are founded on obvious causes. All Sundays being festivals, if any Vigil happens on that day, it is directed to be kept on the Saturday.

From the earliest histories of mankind that have descended to us, we find that fasting has been considered as proper means for appeasing the wrath of the Deity. Our Saviour mentions Fasting, with Almsgiving and Prayer; and before he entered on his own ministry, he kept a fast himself of forty days and forty nights. After the resurrection, the apostles not only recommended, but practised, fasting themselves; and the primitive Christians were very particular in these observances. They kept Wednesdays and Fridays weekly; because on the former Christ was betrayed, and on the latter he suffered they also observed the fast of Lent, by way of preparation to the feast of Easter, and certain other occasions on which abstinence appeared a pious duty; refraining from all food till the public service was over, and then making a temperate meal on herbs, pulse, and bread. The church of Rome makes a distinction between days of Fasting and days of Abstinence; on the former, taking but one meal in twenty-four hours; on the latter, indulging in a collation at night, but strictly abstain from flesh and wine. Our Church makes no difference of this kind, but recommends an entire abstinence from all manner of food, till the time of fasting is over, that is till the religious service of the day has been performed.

The times of Fasting and Abstinence appointed