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all such sins as are of the like heinous nature, are to be reckoned in with these here mentioned by him:

Fifthly; Even lesser sins, whether of omission or commission, when through sloth and a stupid negligence they become habitual, and are indulged without remorse, or any serious and hearty endeavours to avoid them: For sloth is a mortal sin; and our Saviour Himself has told us the doom of that servant who neglected to improve the talent committed to him: Nay,

Sixthly; Even a single act of sin, however otherwise it may seem venial in its own nature, yet if committed deliberately and premeditately, with the full consent of the will, becomes mortal: For pride and contempt of the Divine authority, or an obstinate impenitence, even in the smallest sins, so aggravates their guilt, as to turn them into the heinous crime of rebellion: And, in a word, every sin becomes mortal to him who doth not seriously endeavour to shun every sin.

Such as have in any of these instances defiled their Baptism, are by no means fit to Communicate in this high and holy Mystery, till they have undergone a Repentance suited to the nature of their crime.

Now, that Repentance which is necessary in the case of mortal sins, is very different from that which is required for such as are only venial : For our venial sins are pardoned upon our daily humble confession of such of them in particular as may be any way observed by us, and of the rest in general; nor is it necessarily required that we should never more commit them, but only that we should seriously endeavour against them : For it is hardly possible to keep ourselves wholly free from them, while we are in this state of frailty; and there are very few, if any, even of the best of men, who do not more or less continue in them, even to the time of their death, without losing thereby the Divine favour, or hazarding their eternal salvation. But in the case of mortal sins, their Repentance must be laborious, and accurately and thoroughly practical; that is, they must not only confess them to God with broken and contrite hearts, humble themselves in His sight, acknowledging that they have made themselves justly obnoxious to His Divine wrath, and with earnest supplications implore His mercy and pardon; but they must also undergo a long and severe course of Penitential mortification, exercising themselves in frequent fastings, and other austerities, abstaining even from lawful and innocent pleasures; to which must be added alms-giving, and other the like acts of mercy and bounty (now-a-days, alas! too much neglected and despised): they must redeem their sins with alms, and their iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor,' as far as their circumstances will in any way possibly allow and if they have in any way injured their neighbour, they must give him all reasonable satisfaction, and make restitution to him to the utmost of their power: and they must continue under these penitential mortifications till they have wrought up their minds to a fixed hatred of

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NOTE
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NOTE sin, and a true love of God, and of that virtue which is according to godliness, and perfectly shaken off the habit of the sin or sins which they have been so unhappy as to fall into, and of all mortal sin whatsoever; so as not only never more to commit them, but to be free from all affection for or desire after them, and put on firm and stedfast purposes of obedience, and greater zeal in the exercise of all the duties of Christianity, especially those that are opposite to the sins they have been guilty of. And moreover, they ought to apply to a pious and judicious Priest, and Confess their sin, and lay open the state of their soul to him; that they may be assisted by his counsel and advice, and sacerdotal intercession for them; and when they have gone through such a course of Penance as he shall direct, may be received again to peace by the Imposition of his Hands, and prayer to God for Absolution; and thus being regularly admitted to the participation of this holy Sacrament, wherein they solemnly renew their covenant with God, may have the pardon of their sins sealed to them by the Body and Blood of Christ, and so be restored again to their former station, and to the favour of God, which they had forfeited. And this they ought to do, even though the sins they have committed be known only to God and their own conscience: For if they be public, the Priest ought to repel them till he hath represented their case to the Bishop, that he may prescribe such public Penance as he shall judge proper, if he hath not already provided for it by Ecclesiastical Canons."-Some Particular Instructions concerning the Christian Covenant, p. 28, &c.

NOTE XXXI.

A. Orders are a Mystery, in which the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the Bishop's hands ordains them that be rightly chosen to minister Sacraments, and to feed the flock of Christ.-Orthodox Catechism, p. 67.

I. On this subject see at length the Ordinal of the Church of England, in the Preface to which, among other things, it is said that;—

"It is evident unto all men diligently reading the holy Scripture and ancient Authors, that from the Apostles' time there have been these Orders of Ministers in Christ's Church, Bishops, Priests, and Deacons... And therefore, to the intent that these Orders may be continued. . no man shall be accounted or taken to be a lawful Bishop, Priest, or Deacon in the Church of England, or suffered to execute any of the said Functions, except he be called, tried, examined and admitted thereunto, according to the Form hereafter following, or hath had formerly Episcopal Ordination."

And in the Ordinal itself, the Bishop Ordains a Deacon (who must be

XXXI.

over twenty-three years of age) by Imposition of hands and prayer "in the NOTE Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And a Priest he ordains in like manner, saying these words; "Receive the Holy Ghost for the Office and work of a Priest in the Church of God now committed to thee by the Imposition of our hands: Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained. And be thou a faithful dispenser of the word of God, and of His holy Sacraments; &c." But a Bishop is ordained by three or more other Bishops, the Archbishop or chief Consecrator saying as follows; "Receive the Holy Ghost for the Office and work of a Bishop in the Church of God, now committed unto thee by the Imposition of our hands; In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And remember that thou stir up the grace of God, which is given thee by this Imposition of our hands: For God hath not given us, &c.”

II. In the Office of Institution of the Anglo-American Church there is a prayer or Collect beginning thus: "O holy Jesus, who hast purchased to Thyself an universal Church; and hast promised to be with the Ministers of Apostolic succession to the end of the world; &c."

III. Bishop Taylor, to give one such example only, writes thus:"Certainly he could upon no pretence have challenged the appellation of Christian, who had dared either himself to invade the holy rites within the cancels, VTOS TOû BhuaTos, or had denied the power of celebrating this dreadful Mystery (of the Eucharist) to belong only to Sacerdotal ministration. For either it is said to be but common bread and wine; and then, if that were true, indeed any body may minister it: but they that say so are blasphemous; they count the Body of the Lord and the 'Blood of the Covenant or New Testament,' a profane or common thing;, they discern not the Lord's Body; they know not that the Bread which is broken is the communication of the Lord's Body: But if it be a holy, separate, divine, and mysterious thing, who can make it, (ministerially, I mean) and consecrate or sublime it from common or ordinary bread, but a consecrate, separate, and sublimed Person?..... Certainly there is not in the world a greater degree of power, than to remit and retain sins, and to consecrate the Sacramental Symbols into the Mysteriousness of Christ's Body and Blood; nor a greater honour, than that God in heaven should ratify what the Priest does on earth, and should admit him to handle the Sacrifice of the world, and to present the same, which in heaven is presented by the Eternal Jesus."-Clerus Domini, The Divine Institution and Necessity of the Office Ministerial, written by command of King Charles I. § v.

IV. Thorndike, in the place quoted above under Note XXII, shewing that Orders are truly a Mystery or Sacrament conferring grace, argues ;— "If the profession of Christianity infer the grace of Baptism, shall not

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NOTE the profession of that Christianity which the estate of the Clergy in general, or that particular degree to which every man is ordained, importeth, infer the grace, which the discharge of it requireth?"

V. From the Scottish Catechism of Aberdeen:

"The Church is called in the Creed Apostolic, 1. Because it preserves the Doctrine of the Apostles; and 2. Because its Pastors are the successors of the Apostles. For they appointed the Bishops to succeed them in the government of the Church. Q. What is the Office of a Bishop? A. To govern the Clergy and people, to ordain the Clergy, to administer the Sacraments, and perform all holy offices. Q. Are there any other Orders of Clergy than the Bishops? A. Yes; under the Bishops there are Priests and Deacons? Q. What is the Priests' office? A. To govern the people committed to their charge, to administer Baptism and the holy Eucharist, and perform other holy Offices. Q. Can they do these things as well as the Bishops? A. Yes; but then it is in dependence upon, and subordination to their Bishops. Q. Can Priests ordain others? A. No; it is only the Bishops, who have power to ordain others. Q. What is the Office of a Deacon? A. To be a servant to the Bishops and Priests in their functions, and to take care of the poor. Q. Was not the Christian Priesthood typified or prefigured by the Jewish? A. Yes; the Bishop is the Christian High Priest, and the Presbyters and Deacons answer to the Priests and Levites. Q. Whom does the Christian High Priest represent? A. Jesus Christ, the invisible Bishop and Head of the whole Church. Q. Ought not then every Christian to be subject to his Bishop? A. Yes; as to the visible Head, or High Priest in his own Diocese.” (p. 18.) And again : "Q. Who can consecrate the Eucharist? A. None but a Bishop or Priest."-P. 38. Passages to the same effect are to be found in the Scottish Catechism of Bishop Jolly, p. 32, 33, 34. 56, 57. And in the Catechism of the Diocese of Brechin, § ii. p. 60, 67.

VI. On the subject of this Note see also Notes 11, xvii, and xxi.

NOTE XXXII.

Q. What is Matrimony? A. Matrimony is a Mystery (i. e. Sacrament) &c.-Orthodox Catechism, p. 68.

I. The Order for the solemnization of Matrimony in the English Ritual contains a Prayer, in which occur the following words:

"O God, who hast consecrated the state of Matrimony to such an excellent Mystery, that in it is signified and represented the spiritual marriage and unity betwixt Christ and His Church; &c.:" In like manner the Book of Homilies also more than once speaks of "the Sacrament of Matrimony.”

II. Thorndike, as quoted above under Note XXII, has the following:"As for Marriage, the solemnity of the Blessing, the Ring, the Sacrament of the Eucharist, with which, according to the custom of the whole Church, it ought to be ministered, will easily make it a Sacrament."

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NOTE XXXIII.

A. Virginity is better than wedlock, if any have the gift to keep it undefiled. (And again :) He that giveth his virgin in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.-Orthodox Catechism, p. 68.

I. So in the Ritual of the Church of England, in the Order for the solemnization of Matrimony, one cause for the institution of that ordinance is said to have been "as a remedy against sin; that such persons as have not the gift of continency, might marry:" Where the word 'gift' plainly marks that Virginity is superior.

II. Accordingly, Bishop Andrewes in his Private Devotions, after the "Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, and Martyrs," gives thanks to God for "the Ascetics," and for "the Beauty of Virgins." And in prayer he mentions first "those who are in Virginity, and purity, and Ascetic life;" and then "those also, who live in honourable marriage."

III. Bishop Montague has the following passage :—

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"Touching Evangelical Counsels, I know no doctrine of our English Church against them. I do believe there are, and ever were, Evangelical Counsels, such as St. Paul mentioneth in his 'Consilium autem do' (concerning Virginity); such as our Saviour pointed at and directed unto in His Qui potest capere capiať' (on the same subject). If any man, not knowing or not considering the state of the question, hath otherwise written, or preached, or taught, what is that to me, or to the doctrine of the Church of England? His ignorance, or fancy, or misapplying, is not the doctrine of antiquity, which with universal consent held Evangelical Counsels; nor of our Church, in which our Gamaliel hath told us that 'many vows may be freely made and performed to God, which are not commanded by God.' 'We allow,' says Bishop Morton, the distinction between precepts and counsels.""-Montague's Appeal, p. 215.

IV. To the same effect Bishop Jeremy Taylor :

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Virginity is a life of Angels, the enamel of the soul, the huge advantage of religion, the great opportunity for the retirement of devotion; and being empty of cares, it is full of prayers; being unmingled with the world,

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