CHAP. VI. such particular chapters are selected as are judged most edifying to all that are present."

The Canticles.

The au

the Te Deum.

The Benedicite.

In certain cases, such as Easter day, the history of which is found in Scripture, proper lessons are appointed.

In the first two liturgies, chapters were read in succession, without any assignment of proper lessons for the Sunday, but in 1559 proper lessons were appointed to be read as the first throughout the year.

In 1549, the proper Psalms and lessons were attached to the respective feasts and days, to which they were appropriated under the title of "introits. collects, epistles, and gospels, with proper Psalms and lessons for divers feasts and days;" but in 1552 these were transferred to the commencement of the Calendar, with an omission of the introits.

Of the Canticles, the first is the Te Deum. The authorship of this hymn has been ascribed to various persons, to Ambrose and Augustine jointly; to Abonidus; Nicetius of Trèves, and Hilary of Poictiers. The Roman Breviary designates it as "the canticle of Ambrose and Augustine," according to the tradition that it was used at the baptism of the latter, and sung alternately by the two saints. It seems that in this, as in many other matters, the Breviary has decided the point against evidence which goes to show that it was composed in the Gallican Church.* Cæsarius, Bishop of Arles, in the fifth century, mentions the Te Deum Laudamus in his rule, and so does Aurelian who succeeded him in the episcopate.† This is the most ancient allusion to the Te Deum, and it has been concluded by some that it was composed by Hilary of Arles, in the fifth century. Comber divides it into three parts, the first nine verses being an act of praise, the ten succeeding an act of faith, and the remainder an act of supplication.

The Benedicite is said to have been the song of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It was added to the third chapter of Daniel in the Greek, and appears now in that position in the Douay Bible. It is not found in the Hebrew Bible, nor was it received as canonical by the Jewish Church. It is of great antiquity, and was used in the primitive Church. It is per

*The Benedictine editors of the works of Hilary of Poictiers ascribed it to Hilary.

† Palmer's Orig. Liturg. p. 227, vol. i. ut supra.

fectly Scriptural, and may be regarded as a paraphrase of the THE Be148th Psalm. It can be substituted for the Te Deum at the NEDICTUS. option of the minister. According to the book of 1549, it was to be used only in Lent, to which perhaps it is better adapted than the joyful strains of the other hymn.

dictus.

The Benedictus is the inspired song of Zacharias. It was The Beneanciently entitled, "The Song of the Prophet Zacharias," and is undoubtedly prophetic in its character. It well expresses the gratitude of the Christian for the mercies of God vouchsafed in the Gospel of His Son, and appropriately follows the second lesson.

For this, however, may be substituted the Jubilate, the 100th Psalm. This, as well as the Benedictus, had been sung in the ancient offices of the Church. The rubric directs that the Benedictus shall be said after the second lesson, "except "when that shall happen to be read for the chapter of the day, "or for the Gospel on St. John Baptist's day."

Romanize.

It is deeply to be regretted that an attempt is now being made by pro- Attempt to fessing members of the Church of England, to revive the gross superstitions of the Roman Calendar. We allude to the Calendar published by "the English Church Union" for the year 1864, which contains about 120 pages of closely printed matter, giving the lives of Saints, with examples of their austerities and miracles.

We have given a quotation above from Archbishop Wake,* in which he exhibits the mythical character of the story of St. George, but this Calender refers to him as "the glorious martyr," and adds: "St. Gregory of Tours (who lived in the sixth century) relates that he had known of many miracles done by St. George's relics."

We have given a quotation from Dr. Nicholls,† in which he refers to the lying legends of St. Andrew's worshipping the cross. But this is also given in the Calendar of the Union as follows:-" Being come within sight of the cross, he saluted it, exclaiming, Hail, precious cross, that has been consecrated by the body of my Lord, and with his limbs as with rich jewels. I come to thee, exulting and glad; receive me with joy into thy arms. O good cross, that hast received beauty from our Lord's limbs, I have ardently loved thee. Long have I desired and sought thee . . .. he was fastened to the cross whereon he hung two days, teaching and instructing the people all the time."

The following account is given of St. Benedict: "Even in this solitary life, St. Benedict underwent many temptations and assaults of the evil

CHAP. VI one; and he relates that on one occasion, the recollection of a beautiful woman whom he had seen at Rome took such possession of his imagination, that he was on the point of quitting the wilderness, and betaking himself to her society. In the height of these distracting desires, St. Benedict rushed from his cave, and flung himself into a thicket of briars and nettles in which he rolled himself until the blood flowed. Upon this, the foul fiend left off his attack, and St. Benedict was never again assailed by the temptation. They still show in the monastery of St. Subiaco, the rose bushes which have been propagated from the very briars which aided the glorious victory of the young hermit. The shepherds of the wild region at first mistook St. Benedict for a wild beast, all covered as he was with skins, but when they came to know him, they held him in the highest veneration." Referring to an attempt made to poison Benedict, the Calendar says: "When the cup which contained it was presented to him, he made the sign of the cross over it, according to custom, and it was immediately shivered to pieces as if a stone had fallen into it." The Calendar refers to the rules of his order in a tone of approval.

The following idolatrous description is given of the Virgin Mary :"The Blessed Virgin is generally represented in a red tunic and a blue mantle, these colours signifying celestial love and truth; more rarely she wears red and green, the colours of love and hope. Blue and white are also colours appropriated to the B. V. M. She should always wear a white veil; on the right shoulder of her mantle, or in front of her veil is. embroidered a star, in allusion to her title, Stella Maris,' the Latin interpretation of her Jewish name, Miriam. Her blue tunic is often richly embroidered with gold and gems, or lined with ermine, or stuff of various colours, in accordance with the words of the Psalmist, The King's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the King in raiment of needlework. In the devotional effigies which represent the B. V. M. as the impersonification of the spouse of Christ, the Catholic Church, she wears a splendid crown. After the crucifixion our Lady usually appears in violet or grey. She frequently appears with the sun above her head, and the moon, clear as the sun; and Revelation xii. 1-a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars."

66

Under the head of "the exaltation of the cross," the following passage occurs: Often have the praises of the holy cross been sung in hymns of triumph, such as the vexilla regis and the Pange Linqua. The vexilla regis contains the following verse :—

"Hail, holy cross,

Only Hope, hail.

Give an increase of grace to the pious.

And blot out the crimes of the guilty."

Yet this idolatrous hymn is referred to with approval. These are only specimens of the gross superstition and idolatry of the book.

It has been said in defence of the Union, that the above miracles are only given as traditions of the Church; but this is precisely the plea urged by the Church of Rome for the miracles of the Breviary.

SUMMARY.

The Lord's prayer is to be repeated by the minister in an SUMMARY. audible voice as distinguished from Romish mutterings. This

prayer is truly the Lord's. The versicles are composed almost in the words of Scripture. The doxology is apostolic in its doctrine, though not derived, as a form, from the Apostles. The Psalms were sung in the temple, and were also used in the public services of the primitive Church. In medieval times, they were mutilated, but the Reformers provided for their consecutive use every month. Antiphonal reading or singing of them was introduced at an early date. The reading of Scripture was regularly performed in the Jewish and primitive Churches. In medieval times the public reading of Scripture, and that in a dead language, became a mere form. The Reformers restored the Bible to its proper position in the public services. The Canticles, with the exception of Te Deum and Benedicite, are inspired compositions. Both of the exceptions are perfectly in harmony with Scripture.

CHAPTER VII.

THE CREEDS.

CHAP. VII. IT is admitted by Wheatly, Procter, and others, that the Creed "commonly called the Apostles," was not composed by those whose names it bears. If it were an apostolic composition it would be of equal authority with Scripture.

Mholis"

art

Bingham, in reference to the tradition that all of the twelve articles in the Creed were composed by the twelve Apostles, gives reasons for the rejection of such a notion.

"But now there is an insuperable difficulty lies against this tradition, which is this, that there are two or three articles here mentioned, which are known not to have been in this creed for three or four ages at least. For Ruffinus himself tells us, the descent into hell was neither in the Roman Creed, which is that we call the Apostles' Creed, nor yet in any creed of the Eastern Churches, only the sense of it might be said to be couched in the other expression, he was buried. Bishop Usher and Bishop Pearson have demonstrated the truth of this observation by a particular induction from all the antient creeds, and showed this article to be wanting in them all for four hundred years, except the Creed of Aquileia, which Ruffinus expounds, and the Creed of the Council of Ariminum, mentioned in Socrates. Others have made the same observation upon the article concerning the Communion of Saints, which is not to be found either in the Creed of Aquileia, or any antient Greek or Latin Creed for above the space of four hundred years. Nor is the article of the Life Everlasting expressly mentioned in many Creeds, but only inclusively contained in the Resurrection of the Body, which is the concluding article in many antient creeds. These are plain demonstrations, without any other argument, that the Creed as it stands in the present form, could not be composed in the manner as is pretended by the Apostles. The silence of the Acts of the Apostles about any such composition is a collateral evidence against it. The silence of the Ecclesiastical writers for above three whole centuries is a farther confirmation.

The variety of Creeds in so many different forms, used by the ancients yet extant in their writings, some with omissions, others with additions, and all in a different phrase, are no less evident proofs that one universal form had not been pitched upon and prescribed to the whole Church by the Apostles. For then it is scarce to be imagined that any Church should have received any other form in the least tittle varying from it. These reasons do now generally satisfy learned men, that no such precise form was composed according to that pretended tradition, by all the Apostles."*