Having thus estimated the value of primitive liturgies in general, Mr. Palmer proceeds to ascertain the substance and order of the most important; directing the attention of the students to such points as appear most deserving of notice. The liturgies which he has examined for this purpose, are those which bear the names of Mark, James, Basil, Chrysostom, and other fathers, and were in use in the Churches of Antioch, Cæsarea, Constantinople, Alexandria, Ephesus, Rome, Milan, Africa, Gaul, Spain, and Britain and Ireland, from the apostolic æra downwards. From the concluding remarks on that of Alexandria, the method pursued in the inquiry will readily appear:

I have, then, shewn that a certain form of liturgy prevailed throughout the patriarchate of Alexandria in the fifth century, from a comparison of the liturgies used by two bodies of men who have held no communion since that time. I have compared the liturgy thus ascertained with the writings of the Egyptian fathers of the fifth, fourth, and third centuries; and so far as 1 can discover from thence, the same order appears to have prevailed from the earliest period. I have also remarked, that the Ethiopians have probably had the same liturgy, as to order, since the fourth century, when they derived it from Alexandria; and I find that order agreeing with the Alexandrian of the fifth century, already ascertained. In conclusion, then, we can ascertain with considerable certainty the words and expressions of the Alexandrian liturgy before the council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451; and we can trace back its substance and order to a period of far greater antiquity. In fact, there is nothing unreasonable in supposing that the main order and substance of the Alexandrian liturgy, as used in the fifth century, may have been as old as the apostolic age, and derived originally from the instructions and appointment of the blessed Evangelist Mark.-Vol. I. p. 104.

Previous to the illustration of the particular formularies of the Church of England, by means of the originals, which are to be found in their primitive prototypes, we have an interesting account of the antiquity, service, and offices of the canonical hours of prayer; and to each particular formulary is prefixed a brief and comprehensive notice of its import and position. Remarks in reply to objections, are sometimes incidentally introduced; and others of special historical value, as well as of judicious argument, in connexion with the forms and discipline of the Church of England; some of which, we shall proceed to extract. The following regards the Absolution in the Communion Service :

The Benediction or absolution of the penitent faithful has always been committed to the Bishops and Presbyters in the Christian Church. No instance can be assigned from antiquity, in which the Deacons and Ministers of Christ's Church were permitted, during the liturgy, to give the benediction.

The benediction or absolution of those who have confessed their sins, is always, in the present case, according to the rule of the English Church, performed by the Bishop, if he be present, and if he is not present, by the Presbyter. There was scarcely any ancient liturgy which did not contain a benediction of the people before communion. In the liturgy of Cæsarea, about the year 370, the Deacon proclaimed to the people, "Incline your heads to the Lord," and then the Bishop blessed them..... .. In the ancient Alexandrian liturgy we find the benediction before communion termed the absolution, and approaching to the form and substance of our own.

The absolution which occurs at this place had long been used in the English liturgy at the very beginning of the service. But it is certainly much more consistent with the primitive customs to reserve this benediction, as we do now, to a considerably later period. In the ancient liturgy of the monophysites of Antioch, a benediction occurs in this part of the liturgy, namely, after an exhortation of the deacon, and before the osculum pacis, and the form of sursum corda. The ancient Western liturgy, published by Illyricus, contains a confession of the priest, and prayers of the people for him, just at this place, as I have observed. We are not, therefore, without several precedents in antiquity both for the substance and the position of our absolution. The following extract from the ancient liturgies of the English Church will shew the source from which our absolution is derived.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of his great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all them that with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him; Have mercy upon you; pardon and deliver you from all your sins; confirm and strengthen you in all goodness; and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Miscreatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et dimittat vobis omnia peccata vestra: liberet vos ab omni malo, conservet et confirmet in bono, et ad vitam perdu

cat æternam.

In the liturgy of the orthodox of Jerusalem, a prayer of perhaps the seventh or eighth century contains the following petitions, which are not dissimilar: Καὶ νῦν δεόμεθά σου, κύριε ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, τελείας φιλανθρωπίας ἀξίωσον ἡμᾶς· ὀρθοτόμησον τὴν ὁδὸν ἡμῶν· ῥίζωσον ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ φόβῳ σου, καὶ τῆς ἐπουρανίου βασιλείας ἀξίωσον, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν.—Vol. II. pp. 107, 108, 109.

Of the subjoined observations respecting the baptismal offices, the former are curious, and the latter highly valuable :

SIGNING WITH THE CROSS.s.-We learn from Tertullian that the Christians were accustomed to sign their foreheads with the sign of the cross in all the actions of their lives; and it may well be supposed that such a custom would be also employed in religious offices and prayers. Accordingly we find that this sign was made in some part of almost every Christian office. Omitting, however, all consideration of the use of this sign in the liturgy, and other parts of divine service, let us notice briefly the accounts which we have of the sign of the cross, as used in the rites of baptism. The sign of the cross was made on those persons who in primitive times were admitted to the class of catechumens, and it was often repeated during the course of their instruction. The candidates for baptism in the Eastern Church about the fourth century were three times signed in the forehead, before the water was consecrated, and baptism administered. In many Churches, also, the water was consecrated with the sign of the cross, and prayer. It is manifest from this, that in primitive times the sign of the cross was not only made on the forehead of the elect at the time of baptism, but was used very often in other ways. It does not seem that any of the most ancient rituals appointed the sign of the cross to be made on the forehead of the person exactly at the time which the English ritual directs. The position of this consignation may therefore be regarded as originally peculiar to the Churches of the British empire, though the act itself is probably not more recent than the apostolical age. The form of words with which the priest is directed to administer this rite in the English ritual is not devoid of resemblance to forms used in several ancient rituals on similar occasions.

ENGLAND. We receive this child into the congregation of Christ's flock, and do sign him with the sign of the

BOBIO. Accipe signum crucis tam in fronte quam in corde. Semper esto fidelis. Templum Dei ingredere--Cole

cross, in token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner against sin, the world, and the Devil; and to continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto his life's end. Amen.

SARUM. Trado tibi signaculum Domini nostri Jesu Christi-ut in fide catholica permaneas, et habeas vitam æternam, et vivas in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.

Deum Patrem omnipotentem, et Jesum Christum filium ejus, qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos, et sæculum per ignem, cum Spiritu Sancto

in sæcula sæculorum.

CONSTANTINople.

Σημειωθήτω ο

σταυρὸς τοῦ μονογενούς σου υἱοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτοῦ, εἰς τὸ φεύγειν τὴν ματαιότητα τοῦ κόσ μου, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν πονηρὰν ἐπιβουλὴν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ἀκολουθεῖν δὲ τοῖς προστάγμασί σου.— Vol. ii. pp. 190, 191.

THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRIVATE BAPTISM.-The Catholic Church has always been accustomed to admit the private baptism of persons who are unable from sickness to receive that sacrament in public. In such cases of necessity, baptism was administered with very few forms, and often consisted of nothing more than the affusion of water on the person baptized, with a repetition of the words of baptism. It is unnecessary for me to enter on the discussion relative to the proper ministers of baptism, which has been treated with his usual learning by Bingham, in his Scholastical History of Lay-Baptism. The Church of England has not encouraged the practice of baptizing children by the hands of laymen or women, even in urgent cases. But it cannot, with reason, be apprehended that infants, who depart before baptism can be administered, are without the benefits of that sacrament. Because the catholic Church has always held that the wish to receive baptism is sufficient in a case of necessity; and if the Church, who hath the power of administering this sacrament, be prevented by the visitation of God from fulfilling her intentions, her desire and wish are sufficient to remove apprehension. It is needless to make any lengthened observations on the practice of the Church of England in the administration of baptism in private. The rubric informs us, that we should "not doubt but that the child so baptized is lawfully and sufficiently baptized, and ought not to be baptized again." This is also a rubric in the manual of the Church of Salisbury.—Vol. II. pp. 194, 195, 196.

The Communion of the Sick is thus defended :

The English ritual, in conformity with the universal practice of the Catholic Church, has directed the holy communion to be administered to the sick. It is of course unnecessary to defend or justify this practice to those who have a right faith with regard to that sacrament; but it may be objected to the English ritual, that the custom of the Christian Church has been to reserve the sacraments of Christ's body and blood from the public liturgy, and not to consecrate them in private. It is true, that this reservation has been the most usual, and, perhaps, the most ancient practice of the Church; but there are many instances in antiquity of the celebration of the eucharist in private for the sick. Thus Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, caused the eucharist to be celebrated in his own chamber, not many hours before his death. Gregory Nazianzen informs us, that his father communicated in his own chamber, and that his sister had an altar at home; and Ambrose is said to have administered the sacrament in a private house at Rome. The English Church is therefore justified in directing the eucharist to be consecrated in private houses, for the benefit of the sick; and she has taken care, in the rubric immediately preceding the office, that the sacrament should be decorously and reverently administered. "Having a convenient place in the sick man's house, with all things necessary so prepared that the curate may reverently minister, he shall there celebrate the holy communion." In case "a man, either by reason of extremity of sickness, or for want of warning in due time to the Curate, or for lack of company to receive with him, or by any other just impediment, do not receive the sacrament

of Christ's body and blood," the minister is to comfort him in the following manner, which has long been customary in the English Church:

The Curate shall instruct him, that if he do truly repent him of his sins, and steadfastly believe that Jesus Christ hath suffered death upon the cross for him, and shed his blood for his redemption, earnestly remembering the benefits he hath thereby, and giving him hearty thanks therefore, he doth eat and drink the body and blood of our Saviour Christ profitably to his soul's health, although he do not receive the sacrament with his mouth.

Deinde communicetur infirmus, nisi prius communicatus fuerit, et nisi de vomitu, vel alia irreverentia, probabiliter timeatur: in quo casu, dicat sacerdos infirmo: Frater, in hoc casu sufficit tibi vera fides, et bona voluntas; tantum crede, et manducasti.

Vol. ii. pp. 222, 230, 232.

To the passages above selected, others of equal interest might easily be added; but we must be careful of exceeding our allotted limits. In conclusion, however, we would recommend the Appendix on "Ecclesiastical Vestures" to the notice of the reader. It is valuable, as exhibiting their high antiquity, from which an argument may readily be framed against the Wesleyans and others, who make the surplice the chief ground of their separation from the National Church. The entire work, which is rather to be considered as supplementary to the Commentaries of Wheatly, Shepherd, and others, than as superseding them, will be found an indispensable addition to every clerical library and the liberality of the University of Oxford could not have been more profitably exerted than in undertaking its publication.

ART. I.-1. The Bible Society Question, in its Principle and its Details, considered. By the Rev. SAMUEL CHARLES WILKS, M. A. 8vo. Pp. 144. London: Cochran and Key; and J. Hatchard and Son.

1832.

2. The Bible Society: its Constitution impartially considered. By a CLERICAL MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY. 8vo. Pp. 26. London: Cochran and Key; Hatchard and Son; Holdsworth and Ball; Seeley and Sons; and Duncan. 1832.

3. Reply to a Letter from the Rev. A. Brandram, M.A. By T. PELL PLATT, ESQ. F.A.S., Honorary Librarian to the British and Foreign Bible Society. 8vo. Pp. 24. London: Seeley and Sons. 1831. 4. Facts respecting certain Versions of the Holy Scripture published by the British and Foreign Bible Society. By T. PELL PLATT, ESQ. F.A.S. 8vo. Pp. 40. London: Hatchard and Son; Seeley and Sons; Cochran and Key; and Holdsworth and Ball. 1831. 5. Sundry Tracts.

(Continued from page 334.)

Ir is a trite argument with the advocates of the Bible Society, that the favour of Providence has been so conspicuously displayed on

their behalf, that any attempt to controvert or canvass any part of their constitution or proceedings is a manifest "Geopaxia." That good has been wrought by means of the Bible Society, we would not deny; and that such good is the work of a benevolent Providence, is equally unquestionable. But between this admission and an express providential approval of the Society we are too dim-sighted to perceive the connexion. The Cæsars, we apprehend, who, under a beneficent providence, spread civilization, and broke up the spiritual soil for the reception of Christianity from Taprobana to Thule, were not the special objects of Divine approval; and, though the friends of the Bible Society must not suspect us of intending any comparison further than what results suggest, we must say we do not see any reason of especial Divine approbation in one case which would not be equally applicable in the other. Truly, the Bible Society, like any thing else in the hand of God, may become a blessing to the world; but this fact (if such it were) is quite foreign to the question of its constitution and conduct, and of its claims on the support of Churchmen or others. St. Paul rejoiced that Christ was preached of "envy and strife ;"* and no doubt it was Providence that turned those unholy passions into the channel of blessing; but it would be strange logic to conclude hence that "envy and strife" are eminently the objects of Divine approval.†

We mention this vaunt of the Bible Society, because we are of opinion that in their haste to represent Providence "endorsing" them universally, they have omitted to notice one particular, wherein, indeed, something like a providential restraint is traceable. It was not the managers of the Bible Society, but a distinguished individual of the Church of England, who preserved this country from the infliction of a new translation of the Bible, got up under the superintendence of the Composition Pendulum Committee. The same restrictive hand which preserved the integrity of our venerable Bible has been visible abroad; not that old translations have been there respected; for they have been treated with the most unceremonious disregard : but, on the whole, we will readily admit that the character of their foreign versions, exceptionable as it has been shewn, in many instances, to be, is yet, so far as appears, extraordinarily pure, when it is recollected that in every standing committee, there must be at least fifteen natives of the United Kingdom who are not members of the Church of England, and who may be any thing besides; six foreigners, who may also draw their creed from any region between the torrid zone of popery and the poles of neology inclusive; and an indefinite

Mr. Cunningham's new simile, in his speech at the last meeting of the Bible Society.