reality and warmth into the services of domestic religion, and to deepen that spirit of reverence which should ever be uppermost in the mind in all our approaches to the throne of grace. And here it may be proper to add, that while in the selections which compose the following series of Prayers, the Compiler has been careful to exclude every thing which might justly give offence to seriously disposed yet over-sensitive persons, he has, at the same time, not scrupled to draw from whatever sources were best available for his purpose, so long only as those sources themselves were in the main authorised and catholic; an essential point in securing devotions for God's service at once chastened and fervent, but which commonly degenerate into cold stiffness or irreverent familiarity when derived from the unauthorised productions of a mere individual mind. ix Rules TO KNOW WHEN THE MOVEABLE FEASTS AND HOLY DAYS BEGIN. EAS ASTER-DAY (on which the rest depend) is always the First Sunday after the Full Moon which happens upon, or next after the Twenty-first day of March; and if the Full Moon happens upon a Sunday, Easter-day is the Sunday after. Advent-Sunday is always the nearest Sunday to the Feast of Saint Andrew, whether before or after. X A Table of Feasts RESERVED IN THE CALENDAR OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER. Martyr. 13 Translation of K. Edward the Confessor. 17 Ethelreda, Virgin. 18 St. Luke, Evangelist. 25 Crispin, Martyr. 28 St. Simon & St. Jude, Apostles. Feasts in November. 1 All Saints'-day. 6 Leonard, Confessor. 11 St. Martin, Bishop and Confessor. 13 Britius, Bishop. 15 Machutus, Bishop. 17 Hugh, Bishop. 20 Edmund, King and Martyr. 22 Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr. 23 St. Clement, Bishop and Martyr. 25 Catharine, Virgin and Martyr. 30 St. Andrew, Apostle. Feasts in December. 6 Nicholas, Bishop. 8 Conception of the B. V. Mary. 13 Lucy, Virgin and Martyr. 16 O Sapientia. 21 St. Thomas, Apostle. 25 Christmas-day. 26 St. Stephen, Martyr. 27 St. John, Evangelist. 28 IIoly Innocents'-day. 31 Silvester, Bishop. All Sundays in the Year. Monday and Tuesday in Whitsun-Week. A TABLE OF THE VIGILS, FASTS, AND DAYS OF ABSTINENCE TO BE OBSERVED IN THE YEAR. Note, That if any of these Feast-days fall upon a Monday, then the Vigil or Fastday shall be kept upon the Saturday, and not upon the Sunday next before it. DAYS OF FASTING OR ABSTINENCE. I. The Forty Days of Lent. II. The Ember-days at the Four Seasons, being the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after The First Sunday in Lent. December 13. III. The Three Rogation-days, being the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, before Holy Thursday, or the Ascension of our Lord. IV. All the Fridays in the Year, except Christmas-day. EXTERNAL acts of piety and devotion, and the frequent returns of them, are necessary to keep up a sense of religion, which the affairs of the world will otherwise wear out of men's hearts. And the frequent returns, whether of public devotions or of any thing else to introduce religion into men's serious thoughts, will have an influence upon them in proportion as they are susceptible of religion, and not given over to a reprobate mind. For this reason, besides others, the service of the Church ought to be celebrated as often as you can have a congregation to attend it. But since the body of the people, especially in country places, cannot be brought to attend it oftener than one day in a week, and since this is in no sort enough to keep up in them a due sense of religion, it were greatly to be wished they could be persuaded to any thing which might, in some measure, supply the want of more frequent public devotions, or serve the like purposes. Family prayers, regularly kept up in every house, would have a great and good effect. BISHOP BUTLER'S Charge to his Clergy in 1751. |