hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption." Psalm xvi. 10. The Apostle applies this to our Lord, "He being a prophet, and seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."

The first thought of most persons leads them to suppose, that the word hell, in these places as well as in the creed, signifies what it does in common speech, the place where the wicked are tormented. And it has been imagined that Christ went to triumph over the devil there; and some add, to rescue part of the souls which he held under confinement, by preaching as St. Peter says he did, to the spirits that were in prison.* But the place of torment is never determinately expressed in scripture by the word Hades, which both the scripture and the creed use in this article; though unhappily our translators, perhaps for want of a good English word, have used the Saxon word Hell for both, instead of rendering it in this place, what it strictly signifies, the invisible state or region. We do not read of our Saviour's triumphing over the devil any where but on the cross. And "the spirits in prison" to whom St. Peter saith Christ by the spirit preached, he saith also where those, which were disobedient, when the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah." And therefore Christ's preaching to them by his spirit probably means, his exciting them by his spirit which strove with thems for a time. But not hearkening to him then, they are now in prison, reserved for the sentence of the last day.

The most common meaning, among the Heathens, Jews and first Christians, of the word Hades, here translated hell, was in general the invisible world, one part or another of which, the souls of the deceased, whether good or bad, inhabit. How the soul of our Saviour was employed in this abode, and for what reasons he continued there during this time, "that he might be *1 Pet. iii. 19. †Col. ii. 14, 15. 1 Pet. iii. 20.

§ Gen. vi. 3.

like unto his brethren in all things," we are not told, and need not guess. But probably this article was made part of the creed, in order to assert and prove, contrary to the opinions of the Apollinarians, that he had really a human soul separated from his body. Whatever may be the reasons, we can very conscientiously express our belief that he descended into hell, or hades, or the place of departed spirits, as the rubric prefixed to the creed in the American Book of Common Prayer permits.

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CHAPTER XVI.

Festivals and Fasts.

In the Jewish Church many festivals were observed, according to the command of God himself, such as the feast of the passover, of weeks, and of tabernacles. Our Saviour also kept a feast instituted by that Church, viz. the feast of dedication.

The primitive Christians were wont once a year to meet at the graves of the martyrs, there solemnly to recite their sufferings and triumphs, to commend their virtues, to bless God for their holy lives and pious deaths, and to encourage each other to follow their examples.

Since it is a duty to be grateful, and to give thanks to God for the blessings we receive from him, it must be not only lawful but commendable, to appoint and observe days for the particular remembrance of such blessings and to give thanks for them. It has a further use too in calling our attention, in proper order, to the various topics of Christian doctrine and practice. What is left to be done at any time is in danger of being done at no time. For this reason, as well as others, the Church has appointed a course of festivals and fasts, commemorative of certain events, and involving peculiar doctrines, and duties; that every minister might not be left to the temptation to confine his discourses to a few favorite topics, but should feel it his duty to range the whole field of doctrinal and moral instruction. Thus she commences with her advent Sundays, which call upon us to prepare the way of the Lord, to fit ourselves to rejoice in the glad tidings of his birth, and live in constant expectation and readiness for that awful day, when He shall come in the clouds of Heaven to judge the quick and dead. She calls us to follow him from his birth, through his period of infancy, and his fasting and temp

tations in the wilderness, to the consummation of the mysterious plan of redemption, by his death upon the cross. Having followed him in his humiliation and self denial, and felt the sympathy of his sacred sorrows, we come out of this dark night, to behold him rising, like the sun of the universe, from his ocean tomb, scattering the shades of darkness, and displaying to us the charter of our immortality. In his resurrection and ascension, he opens to us the gates of Heaven, and shewing us the glories of that holy city, commands us to set our affection on things above. We are next called to view him as the Prince of Israel, giving repentance and remission of sins, and in the services of Whitsunday, to seek those sanctifying graces and comforting influences, which he shed so abundantly on the Pentecostal day. In all these and the following seasons, the great and fundamental truths of Christianity are necessarily brought before our view, and the lessons, and collects, and sermons are suited to bear their varied and correspondent share in the means of grace; "that the man of God may be perfect and thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

The Jewish fasts were very numerous; our Lord himself fasted, and recommended the same practice to his disciples. The ancient Christians observed their fasts with great rigour, and on the first day of Lent were wont to sprinkle ashes upon their heads in token of their sorrow and humiliation. Hence it received the name of Ash-Wednesday. Our Church, following these examples, recommends various fasts; as appears in the prefatory part of the Prayer Book.

The use of fasting is not considered by the Church in the light of penance, as though God took any pleasure in, or would be propitiated by, our afflicting curselves by fasting, or lacerating our flesh. She exhorts us to "rend our hearts and not our garments." But fasting is highly useful, as it gives us a habit of self-denial, and an aptitude to deny ourselves in unlawful matters; it tends to shew us our dependence on God, to teach us humility, and makes us sympathize with our poorer brethren, who often have to fast from necessity. It lessens the fuel of