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time of divine worship during the week, should be left to the discretion of the minister; and further, that such services should be considerably shorter than those which are appointed for the days expressly set apart for religious purposes? The nature and extent of the abridgement might be left to the discretion of each clergyman; or if such a latitude were considered liable to abuse, the particular service might be expressly enjoined. It might, for instance, be appointed that the Morning or Evening Prayers should be the same as those for Sunday, omitting the Introductory Exhortation, the Absolution, the Psalms, and all the Prayers following the Collect for the day, with the exception of the Thanksgiving and the Benediction. The Versicles immediately preceding the Collects, it has already been remarked, with some verbal alterations, might be properly considered as a compendium of the omitted prayers. As the frequency of Weekday Services would necessarily vary, the choice of the Lessons might entirely be left to the officiating clergyman.

CHAPTER IV.

OCCASIONAL SERVICES.

The Baptismal Service-Catechism-Order of ConfirmationMarriage Service-Churching of Women-Visitation of the Sick-Funeral Service-Commination Service-Services referring to Political Events-Additional Services-RubricsAlterations proposed by the Commissioners in 1689.

It is generally conceded that a Church has authority in matters of discipline. With the cause of religion to influence her decisions, and the rules of decency and order to guide her movements, she may assign to her members whatever outward observances and internal regulations she may judge conducive to their greater edification. It is only necessary that such peculiar enactments, as she may consider desirable to be established in what may be called her domestic government, should be of such a descrip

tion, that if they be not actually supported by the express declarations of Holy Writ, they may at least be incapable of being disproved by that sacred standard. So that, due regard being had to the union and sympathy existing between the head and the members, she may use a sound and scriptural discretion in the maintaining or discontinuing any mere ceremonial, or other formal specifications. Unity in essential doctrines ought to exist throughout the Christian world; but unity in discipline, however it may be occasionally desirable, is far from being either a necessary or practicable attainment. Hence then it appears that the creed of a Church, and the arrangements for her domestic government are widely different considerations; a distinction which should be especially held in view in the revision of the occasional offices of our Church. Some parts of them we must bear in mind. are expressly enjoined by the Scriptures, and are therefore in their very nature unalterable; whereas others, being appointed for the sole purpose of communicating an

additional decency and efficiency to its ministrations, may, from a variety of circumstances, occasionally demand a considerable alteration.

THE BAPTISMAL SERVICE.

Some emendations appear desirable in this Service, both with respect to the office itself, and the time of its administration. Public Baptism is directed by our Church, to be performed at the font immediately after the last Lesson of the Morning and Evening Prayers. The reasons assigned for this regulation, are that "the congregation may testify the receiving of the newly baptized children into the number of Christ's Church, and also that every one present may be put in remembrance of his own profession made to God in his baptism." This direction, and the reasons for its appointment, admirable as they appear in theory, are found to lose much of their weight when actually reduced to practice.

In small parishes, indeed, where the rite of Baptism is very rarely administered, the

injunction might be invariably and even beneficially enforced; but in populous districts, a rigid adherence to the Rubric would be attended with the most serious inconveniences. In many of our large churches, the office would be neither heard nor seen by the great bulk of the congregation; and the inconvenient interruption which would almost invariably occur in our public services, could not fail to produce a wearisome effect upon the worshippers. The Baptism of an infant is doubtless regarded by its own parents as an interesting event, and if they are pious persons, as a most solemn one; but it would be unreasonable to expect that similar feelings should pervade a large congregation, the majority of whom had not the slightest knowledge of the parties concerned. Surely then it is desirable that a Rubric which, from the necessity of the case, is almost universally disregarded, should be expunged, and a discretionary power be vested in the minister respecting the time for the performance of this office. The presence of a large and pro

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