APPENDIX IV.

The Church's Enlargement of the Ten Commandments.

(SEE THE CHURCH CATECHISM.)

Q. What dost thou chiefly learn by these Commandments?

A. I learn two things: my duty towards God, and my duty towards my neighbour.

Q. What is thy duty towards God?

A. My duty towards God, is to believe in him, to fear him, and to love him with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my soul, and with all my strength; to worship him, to give him thanks, to put my whole trust in him, to call upon him, to honour his holy Name and his Word, and to serve him truly all the days of my life.

Q. What is thy duty towards thy Neighbour?

A. My duty towards my Neighbour, is to love him as myself, and to do to all men, as I would they should do unto me: To love, honour, and succour my father and mother: To honour and obey the Queen, and all that are put in authority under her: To submit myself to all my governors, teachers, spiritual pastors and masters: To order myself lowly and reverently to all my betters: To hurt no body by word nor deed: To be true and just in all my dealing: To bear no malice nor hatred in my heart: To keep my hands from picking and stealing, and my tongue from evil speaking, lying, and slandering: To keep my body in temperance, soberness, and chastity: Not to covet nor desire other men's goods; but to learn and labour truly to get mine own living, and to do my duty in that state of life, unto which it shall please God to call me.

THIS

APPENDIX V.

Notes on the Illustrations.

No. 1. The Mountain Ascent.

HIS illustration is intended to set forth the whole Office at a glance. The idea is taken from the Mount of Transfiguration. Our Lord "took [His disciples] up into an high mountain, and was transfigured before them;" even so, in the Holy Eucharist, the devout believer goes up into an high mountain to be with JESUS, the dear Master is transfigured before him, and presently (like those disciples of old) he comes down into the work-a-day world again; and men ought to be able to take account of him that he has been with JESUS.

This illustration represents the central height being reached after the passage of two other heights, and the descent again is broken by two slight ascentsfive peaks in all.

(a) The ascent of the first height embraces the "preparatory portion" of the Office. The Church constantly reminds us that the three requisites for a worthy communion are "repentance, faith, and charity;" this "preparatory portion" accordingly embodies acts of repentance, faith, and charity. (i.) The Act of Repentance is found in the recitation of the "Ten Commandments," and in the previous "Collect," wherein we invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit, that He may show to us wherein we have broken the righteous

Law of God. (ii.) The Act of Faith is the Creed. (iii.) The Act of Charity is the bestowal of alms, and the offering of intercessions in the "Prayer for . . . the Church Militant." Besides these acts of repentance, faith, and charity, this "preparatory portion" also embodies the "Collect, Epistle, and Gospel," and the Sermon. The meaning which I would attach to their introduction here is, that our Communions are little worth unless we carry up to our Master some special plan, or prayer, or intercession. If we have even come to the Church without some particular sin, or sorrow, or joy, or undertaking to talk to Him about, here, at all events, are some suitable thoughts suggested. This "preparatory portion" reaches its climax in the "First Oblation"-the presentation of the Bread and the Wine, our alms, followed by the "Great Intercession." (See Illustration No. 2.)

(b) The attainment of the first peak is followed by a descent-the Church's second caution to us not to approach these Holy Mysteries without thought and reverence. The "Exhortation" calls us from the offering of joyous oblations, etc., to consider again. whether we have a true repentance, whether we are in love and charity with our neighbour. If so, she bids us with faith make our "Confession," humbly kneeling on our knees. With deep abasement we now make our solemn general "Confession" (and should also silently confess again the sins which we found to be in ourselves during the examination by the rule of God's Law); then follows the "Word of Pardon" from God's Bishop or Priest, and, still further, the word of the Master Himself, and of His servants SS. John and Paul, declaring that the great good God hates no man, but that out of His infinite love He sent His Son to save! and whom?

The sinner!

And now He is in Heaven, the true Priest, the Advocate with the Father, ever offering for us the one true Victim, Himself, the Propitiation for our sins. Well may we now raise our heads as joyous, forgiven Sons of God; obey the invitation of the Celebrant, "Lift up your hearts," our joy rising and swelling until we reach that glorious height where, truly yet invisibly, we join with angels and archangels, and all the company of the faithful departed, in that ancient, glorious song, "Holy, Holy," etc. (See Illustration No. 3.)

(c) Again on the very threshold of THE PRESENCE, the Church strikes another note of caution-puts the most solemn words into our mouths as to our unworthiness to approach the Holy Table-the "Prayer of Humble Access." Then at length we reach the mountain top, the cloud covers us! Of that Presence we cannot speak! We are caught up into Heaven; we join with Him, the Lamb before the Throne, in pleading the one Sacrifice once offered! He, our Saviour, is made known to us in the " Breaking of the Bread!" He is with us in His living, loving Spiritual Presence: "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." (See Illustration No. 4.)

(d) The first and foremost thought in our English Office is that of the Feast upon the Sacrifice, and the Union with our Risen Lord; but the thought of the pleading of the Sacrifice runs throughout the whole Service, commencing at the Oblation of the Bread and Wine (in "Prayer for the Church Militant"), brought before us in the "perpetual memory," which we are to continue until His coming again. ("Prayer of Consecration.") In this fourth portion of the Service it comes out with still greater distinctness; for " we desire God's fatherly goodness to accept our

sacrifice of raise and thanksgiving" (i.e. this Holy Eucharist), a id to grant "that by the merits and death of Thy Son Jesus Christ, we and all Thy whole Church may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of His Passion." Finally, in the "Gloria in Excelsis" the "Lamb of God" (i.e. our LORD in His character of Priest and Victim) is again set before us, and we join with all the host of Heaven in adoring cry to Him (by whose sacrifice the Gates and Books of Heaven are opened to us), "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain," "Thou, O Christ," etc. (See Illustration No. 5.)

(e) After the brightness of the heavenly vision, we descend by degrees to our toiling, suffering, and, alas! sinning life. Before, however, we sing our "Nunc Dimittis," and leave the Church and the Master's Sacramental Presence,

"We, lowly kneeling, wait His word of peace."

¶ The subjects of the five pictures which illustrate the mountain peaks are taken, the first two from the Old Testament, the central from the Gospels; and the last two are studies partly from the Gospels, and partly from the book of the Revelation. The idea is to show how Jewish type and prophecy find their truth and perfection in the Central Act of this World's History, the Cross of Calvary; and the latter two are attempts to teach that our great High Priest is still performing His Merciful Office of pleading the Onceoffered Sacrifice, cleansing His people with His precious Blood, and pouring down upon them His High Priestly Blessing.

G