had been perverted. For the more ancient Church had fo adapted the Pfalm to the Sunday or holiday, that it either contained fomething prophetical of the evangelical history that was to be read, or was fome other way appropriate to the day, or the fervice for the day. But in the modern Miffals, only the first verse is inferted, and no more was recited; and the first verfe alone could in general contain little to the purpose. This defect the Reformers fupplied, both by felecting appropriate Pfalms for each holiday; and ordering the whole Pfalm to be faid or fung, agreeably to the practice of antiquity.

It has been ufually faid, that the Introit was inftituted by CŒLESTINE, Bishop of Rome, A.D. 423. But not to notice here, that the inftitutes of one Pope are frequently afcribed to another, who regulated or improved them, AMBROSE, who was Bishop of Milan, A.D. 375, mentions it: and DuRANTUS remarks, that fome verfes used in the Introits differ from JEROM's verfion, or what is commonly called the Vulgate. Hence he concludes, and with the appearance of probability, that the Introit was introduced before the days of COLESTINE and JEROM, though the former made fome regulations in this part of the office.

The Introit is in EDWARD's first book printed at length, and ftands immediately before the Collect for the day. After every Introit, the Doxology, Gloria Patri, is ordered to be repeated.

Το

To account for the rejection of the Introit by the revifers of the book, various reafons, or rather conlectures, have been offered. As none of these ap

pears to me either fatisfactory or probable, I shall not further notice them, but content myself with drawing up from our first book of Common Prayer, and prefenting to the reader the following table, which contains

ALL THE INTROITS USED AT THE COMMUNION IN THE FIRST ENGLISH LITURGY.

The import of the word Collect, with an account of the time of the compofition of the Collects used on Sundays and Holidays in our Church, has been already given, when in the Morning Prayer we had occasion to speak of the first Collect, or the Collect for the day.

Long before the divifion of the facred Books into chapters and verses, which is a modern invention, and unknown to antiquity, it was cuftomary, both in the Greek and Latin Churches, to read, at the celebration of the Eucharift, fome of the plaineft and most instructive portions of the New Testament. With respect to the different portions which we read, they are fo judiciously selected, that it would be difficult to find other paffages more interefting, and more pertinent to the occafion and the season. The Epiftles either enforce the practice of Christian virtue, or contain manifeftations of divine mercy, or affurances of pardon and forgivenefs. The Holy Gospel relates either fome remarkable narrative of the life or death of Chrift; fome eminent miracle, important parable, or fome ftriking part of his divine difcourses. The Epiftles convey. inftruction in the mysteries of our falvation; but the Gospel prefents us with the example of Jefus, to the imitation of which all other knowledge is but fubfervient *.

* Ephef. iv. 13.

OF

OF THE

SEASON OF ADVENT,

ITS ORIGIN AND INSTITUTION.

ADVENT, a term equivalent to coming, is the name given to the feafon immediately preceding Christmas Day, which ecclefiaftical ufage has prefcribed as a time of folemn preparation, by exercifes of piety for the Advent, or coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift. The Offices of the Church direct our meditation to a double or twofold Advent, to our Lord's coming in the flesh, and to his coming to judgment. "The end propofed by the Church, "in fetting these two appearances of Chrift toge"ther before us, at this time, is, to beget in our "minds proper difpofitions to celebrate the one, "and expect the other; that fo, with joy and "thankfulness, we may now go to Bethlehem, "and fee this thing which is come to pafs, which "the Lord hath made known unto us; even the "Son of God come to vifit us in great humility; " and thence, with faith unfeigned, and hope im"moveable, afcend in heart and mind to meet the "fame Son of God in the air, coming in glorious "majefty, to judge the quick and dead *.

My more immediate bufinefs at prefent is to enquire into the original appointment of this holy

season; and I conceive no apology will be necef fary for paffing by without examination the opinion of fuch Roman Ritualifts, as pretend that St. Peter himself was the inftitutor of Advent. It feems reasonable to believe, however, that the obfervance of it is nearly coeval with the feast of the Nativity itself; if we limit the meaning of fuch obfervance to prayer, fafting, almfgiving, and fuch devotional exercifes, as were calculated to prepare the faithful for the worthy celebration of this great festival. Still it is not easy to fhew what were the regulations of the Church respecting Advent for the first four or five centuries of the Chriftian era; nor do we indeed know that any regulations had then been made, concerning either the particular rites, or the length of time for which they were to be obferved, And it is not unworthy of remark, that the term Advent itself does not appear to have been employed to denote this feafon, before the feventh or eighth century.

EGBERT bishop of York, who lived in the eighth century, attributes the inftitution of Advent to the church of Rome; and he thinks that a fast was appointed to be kept three days in the week preceding the festival of the Nativity, in order to afford the people an opportunity of preparing themfelves for the Communion on that day. But this will not convince thofe, who confider how easy it was for EGBERT to mistake for the Advent-faft the three Ember days in December. The Ember days for the four seasons were inftituted at Rome, about

the