people, so he would through them infuse his Spirit into his servant, then by himself elected to be a bishop, that he might faithfully feed his flock, and ever fulfil his ministry without blame, and without turning aside; well-pleasing to his God in his meekness of spirit and purity of heart.

With these more spiritual petitions are intermingled others, in which the germs of high ecclesiastical pretensions too liable to abuse must be discerned-" that he may receive the power given to the apostles to remit sins, and to loosen every bond; and to offer up the pure and bloodless sacrifice, ordained by Christ as the mystery of the New Testament."

3. After this prayer one of the bishops places the host, Ovola (the name and the idea seem already to have been introduced) into the bands of his thus ordained brother, who is then early in the morning service to be installed in his throne, and to receive from all the other prelates the holy kiss.

4. After the reading of lessons from the Law, the Prophets, the Gospels, and apostolical Acts and Epistles, the newly ordained bishop pronounces the blessing, and then delivers a hortatory address to the people.

5. The deacon then prepares to proceed to the dismissal of the catechumens, and all those not admitted to communion; but before they depart prayer is made for and with them; "that God may reveal to them the Gospel of his Christ; illuminate and instruct them in Divine knowledge; instil a pure and holy fear of his name; and open the ears of their hearts, that they may study his law day and night, and be confirmed in all piety: that he would unite them to his holy flock by vouchsafing the laver of regeneration, the garment of incorruption, and the true life; giving no place to the adversary against them, but cleansing them from every defilement of flesh and spirit; that he would dwell in and accompany them by Jesus Christ, and bless their going out and coming in, and direct to their good all that should befal them; and, lastly, that he would render them, by the initiation of baptism for the remission of sins, fit now to be admitted to his holy mysteries, and permanently to abide with the saints." The service then thus proceeds:

Deacon:-" Rise, ye catechumens, and pray for the peace of God through Christ." People:-" O Lord, have mercy upon us." Deacon: "For a peaceable and sinless day, and all the time of your life; for a Christian end; for the mercy and kindness of God; for the remission of sins. Present yourselves to the only unbegotten God through his Christ. Bow and receive the blessing." The people after each clause repeat, “O Lord, have mercy;" and the newly ordained bishop then pronounces the blessing: "O God Almighty, unbegotten and inaccessible, the only true God, the God and Father of Christ the only begotten Son, the God of the Paraclete, the Lord of all,-Thou hast appointed thy disciples teachers for the instruction of piety; look on these thy servants, now being instructed in the Gospel of thy Son. Give them a new heart, and renew a right spirit within them, that they may know and do thy will with their whole heart, and with a willing soul. Vouchsafe to them thy holy initiation, and unite them to thy holy church; and make them partakers of thy Divine mysteries, through Jesus Christ our hope, who died for them; through whom be glory and adoration CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 39.

T

to thee in the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen." Then the Deacon pronounces, " Depart, ye catechumens, in peace."

6. The Deacon then in like manner leads the prayers of the people in behalf of the energumens, or those possessed with evil spirits, and the new bishop blesses them, and invokes the Lord by all his displays of miraculous power, and especially by his triumphs over the powers of hell, to deliver these sufferers: "O only begotten God, Son of the mighty Father, whose glance draineth the abyss, who touchest the mountains and they smoke, rescue these, the works of thine own hands, from the influence of the alien spirit; for thine is the glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit." "* This class is then dismissed.

7. Those on the very eve of baptismal illumination, styled the wrisoμεvoi (a class more advanced than the mere catechumens) are then in their turn presented as the objects of general prayer, and of the episcopal benediction. These forms agree entirely in spirit, and almost in words, with those before employed in the case of the catechumens. After they have received their dismissal, the class of Penitents succeeds.

8. These are invited "to pray for themselves, and all as brethren to join in earnest supplications in their behalf, that their God may guide them in the way of penitence and peace; deliver them from the net of Satan, and beat him down under their feet; that he may remove them from every evil word, work, and thought; may pardon every transgression, voluntary or involuntary; and blot out the hand-writing that is against them, cleansing them from every defilement, and restoring them to his holy fold; all are reminded, that in the sight of him who knoweth our frame none can boast that he has a clean heart, or pronounce himself free from sin; all therefore should earnestly pray in faith of the assurance, that there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth; that these may be truly converted from sin to righteousness: that God who loves mankind would restore to them the joy of his salvation, and confirm them with his ruling spirit, that their steps should no more slide."

The whole congregation unite in the supplicatory address, "O Lord, have mercy; save them also, and raise them by thy mercy;" and the penitents are exhorted "to rise again to God through Christ, and bow and receive the blessing" which the bishop confers, placing his hand on their heads, and praying, "that the God who accepted the penitence of the Ninevites, and who willeth not the death of a sinner, but that he should turn from his sins and live, who with a father's bowels embraceth the returning prodigal, would now thus receive the penitence of the present suppliants."

The deacon then dismisses the penitents, and invites the remaining congregation of those styled the faithful, including apparently not only the communicants but their children also, to kneel in earnest prayer.

These expressions must surely diminish, if not destroy, the suspicion of Arianism, as infesting this compilation. The attributes and the title of Deity are bere ascribed, in the highest manner, to the Son.

It cannot be necessary here to enter

into the very difficult question of the cases of demoniacal possession, said to have existed in the primitive ages of the Church. We are assured in the Acts of the Apostles of their continuance through the Apostolical period.

9. The form which follows agrees with that which we term the bidding of prayer, inviting the supplications of the congregation for the whole church, and all its ministers and members, specifying all those various classes for whom we offer intercession in our own litany, of which we are here closely reminded.* Such general intercessory forms will be found again repeated in the Avapopa, or Canon of the Eucharistic service.

10. The bishop then prays "that God would be pleased to look upon this his flock, and guard and guide them, that they might be holy in body and soul, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; that he would help his people, whom he had redeemed with the precious blood of Christ; that he, from whose hands none could snatch his sheep, would be a sure wall of defence to them, and sanctify them with his truth, for his word is truth; that he would deliver them from disease and infirmity, from injury and fraud, from the arrow that flieth by day, and the trouble which walketh in darkness; and that he would vouchsafe unto them eternal life through Jesus Christ." The service then thus proceeds :

Deacon:- Let us give heed." Bishop:-The peace of God be with you all." People:-" And with thy Spirit." Deacon:-" Salute each other with an holy kiss."

Then the elergy salute the bishop, the laity each other, the men the men, and the women the women. The children are said to be still present, and standing round the elevated extremity of the chancel (ẞnua). A subdeacon then presents water to the priests (Iɛpevo), that they may wash their hands in token of the purity which becomes the souls consecrated to God.

The form of dismissal of all those not permitted to attend the Eucharist, is then again, in a fuller and general form, repeated by the deacon "Let none remain of the catechumens, none of the hearers, none of the faithless, none of the heterodox; go forth, ye who are admitted only to the previous prayers. Let the mothers take their children; let no one in enmity with another, no one in hypocrisy, remain; with fear and trembling let us stand to make the offering."

The repetition of the form of dismissal in this place appears to have been needed, because before only particular classes, viz. the catechumens, candidates for baptism, the energumens and penitents, who had been dismissed; whereas now, all who felt themselves unpre pared, are required to depart. The children also had remained up to this time, but were now ordered to be removed; it is clear, therefore, that the custom of infant communion, the great blot of the ancient church from the close of the third century, did not prevail among the framers of this liturgy, which in this certainly seems to retain the spirit of a still earlier and less corrupted age.

The Canon of the Eucharist follows, and of this I propose to submit to you a similar abstract on the following month, should the extracts I have tendered appear to you likely to supply matter of interesting or useful information to your readers.

There is one class specified with the fulness of appropriate intercession, which is only barely mentioned in our own Litany: "Let us remember in our

SCRUTATOR.

prayers the young children of the church, that the Lord may cause them to grow up in his fear, and bring them to the measure of their age."

DEFENCE OF THE ROMANIST TEACHERS OF THE

HIBERNIAN SOCIETY.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

As a constant reader of your excellent Periodical, and being aware of its well-deserved and widely extended influence, I beg leave to express my fear of injury without sufficient cause (in my opinion) to that most valuable Institution, the London Hibernian School Society, by a note in your Number for last month. You truly observe, that "those Romanists, who, for a morsel of bread, contravene the rules of their own church by becoming Scriptural teachers, are not men in whom we should place much confidence, even if we did not object to the appointment upon principle." I admit there may be some such teachers. But, from all that I know (and I have had considerable opportunities of knowing), I feel it my duty to testify, that I believe they are exceptions; and that we are by no means warranted to conclude, that all Romanists who become Scriptural teachers, must necessarily do so "for a morsel of bread," in opposition to their conscience. I should have hoped that the number of Irish teachers, through the medium of their native tongue, who have openly asserted their right to read the word of God, and signed a declaration to that effect, ought to have shielded them from the imputation of insincerity. But they have not only thus asserted their right, but they have proved their sincerity by the endurance of persecution, in a way which is not to be accounted for by the trifling salaries which they receive. I myself know a Romanist, who teaches gratuitously (being in circumstances, though humble, which enable him to afford it), and yet he performs his undertaking zealously and perseveringly; and I am persuaded he is prepared, by Divine grace, to maintain his right as from God, and in conformity to his conscience, in the face of all subordinate authority whatever. In fact, the sacerdotal powers in my neighbourhood (though their influence continues very great) appear to be so conscious of the growing emancipation of the minds of the people, in respect of the reading of the word of God, that they venture but with carefully measured steps on enforcing prohibitions; and it is matter of notoriety and long experience, that there are numerous unconnected schools, taught by Romanists on their own account, in which the authorized version of the Holy Scriptures has been freely used; and, in less favoured situations, persecution (as before mentioned) has been endured. I apprehend, indeed, that the National system in Ireland may strengthen the haters of light, and that it has done so already; but I trust it serves to manifest, at the same time, an increasing desire for "the sincere milk of the word," and an increasing number of willing instruments in a labour of love, the object of which is, that the word "may have free course, and be glorified." I hope, Mr. Editor, that I do not trespass on your dislike of controversy in this case, by this simple statement of facts. As such, I conceive that I am bound to give it any attestation in my power, and that of course my communication ought not to be anonymous.

I have now only to request you will have the goodness to permit

me to say Valeat quantum, among your numerous readers; and believe me, with great respect and love for the Christian Observer ab initio, Most faithfully yours,

January 5, 1841.

WM. NAPPER,

Rector of Tamlaght O'Crilly,
in the Diocese of Derry.

*** We cheerfully insert the above. Our meaning, more fully expressed, was, that a Romanist layman could not, holding consistently the principles of his church, be a Scripture teacher against the prohibition or monition of his priest. How is he to obtain absolution, if he persist in his contumacy; and how, as a sincere Romanist, can he feel himself safe without it? The good layman mentioned by our correspondent, who " is prepared by Divine grace to maintain his right as from God, and in conformity to his conscience, in the face of all subordinate authority whatever," has in fact adopted the fundamental principle of Protestantism; for Rome allows of no such right of private judgment: no such appeal—especially by the laity-from the "subordinate authority" of the church to the word of God. It is not for us to reconcile the anomaly, for such it still appears to us; but we cordially expunge the phrase "for a morsel of bread;" and only repeat our remark in general terms, that we cannot understand how any Romanist layman can feel justified in addicting himself to, or gaining a livelihood by, an occupation which his spiritual guides tell him is unlawful, We are glad to find that there are happy inconsistencies; but as a rule great caution should be exercised, where persons offer themselves for any stipendiary occupation which is denounced by the authorities of their own religious persuasion as inconsistent with its duties. We write only in explanation, and not as wishing to weaken the quantum valeat of our correspondent's interesting statement.

ON MORAL AND CHRISTIAN MILITARY TRAINING. [We observe, stitched under our cover last month, "An Address to all nations, from the Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace;" and the month before," An address to Ministers of the Gospel, and to all professors of Christianity," upon the same subject, from the able pen of Mr. J. J. Gurney. These papers maintain the unlawfulness of war under whatever circumstances; a doctrine which, it appears to us, would forbid the employment of policemen, and other ministers of justice, who to put down wrong doers must use force, if necessary; and that force, where resistance is offered, may proceed to violence, and even to bloodshed; for if not, a gang of ruffians might arm and resist them with impunity, and slay them, if it suited their purpose; and then proceed to plunder and murder her Majesty's peaceable subjects. There needs only to change the blue coat for a red one, and the midnight robber for a foreign enemy, to apply the principle to war; so far as it is waged solely in justifiable selfdefence, not for pride, passion, revenge, ambition, or cupidity; for no farther than this, no farther than as soldiers are the policemen, the peacepreservers, of nations, is it vindicable.

A writer in our pages lately exhibited "the true portraiture of war" in a series of appalling narratives, leaving the impression, that though he did not deny that there are circumstances which justify taking up arms in self