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CHURCH has named the three Sundays preceding the Great Fast, and the first Sunday in Lent, respectively, Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima, and Quadragesima, as being about the seventieth, sixtieth, fiftieth, and fortieth day before EASTER. Quinquagesima is, in fact, precisely the fiftieth. In early times, many of the more devout brethren commenced the LENTEN FAST, from the first of these Sundays.

37. EVES OR VIGILS; ORIGIN of the names and of their INSTITUTION. Eves or Vigils refer to a usage of the early Christians, who passed the night before certain Festivals in devotion; and these watchings (in Latin Vigilio), were doubtless a continuation of those religious exercises, which, in the times of persecution, they were prevented from performing by day. These were at length abused, and therefore discontinued; but the Fasts were retained, though the night service was abolished, and the name of Vigils, however it may be now deemed inappropriate, is still applied to them.

38. REASONS Why Eves or Vigils do not precede certain Festivals observed in the

Episcopal Church. Those Festivals, which occur immediately after CHRISTMAS, and between EASTER and WHITSUNDAY, have no Eves attached to them, because fasting is deemed inconsistent with those Seasons of rejoicing; and there are a few others, which, for less obvious reasons, are also without them.

39. THE EMBER-DAYS and the probable origin of the name. The Ember-Days are the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the first Sunday in Lent; Whitsunday, the fourteenth day of September, and the thirteenth day of December. Different derivations have been assigned to the word “Embers," some tracing it to the Saxon word ymbren, signifying "a circuit," because they are periodically observed; others to a German word, which implies abstinence. prefer, however, to derive it from the AngloSaxon amyrian, ashes, corresponding to the Danish emmer, and Lowland Scotch Emmers, and meaning" ashes," because these days are appointed to be kept as fasts, and ashes, as a sign of humiliation and mourning, were constantly associated with fasting.

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40. REASON of the appointment of the EMBER-DAYS-Date of the Ember-Prayers.The reason of the appointment of the EmberDays is derived from the fact that the Sundays following are the regular seasons for the Ordination of the Clergy; and on such occasions fasting was practised in the Early Church from the time of the Apostles, as is shown in Acts xiii. 3. The Ember-Prayers were added at the last English review of the Prayer-Book; and are so appropriate that, as is observed by a high authority, "it were to be wished that ordinations never took place at times, when Bishops and Candidates may equally fail of the Divine Blessing, for which, at the appointed time, they are offered up.'

41.

ROGATION-DAYS-ORIGIN of the name Purpose of their observance. The ROGATION OF PRAYING-DAYS, so called from the Latin verb rogare, to entreat, are the three days immediately preceding the Festival of our LORD'S Ascension; and their object is, not only to prepare the mind by abstinence, and other exercises of devotion for the due observance of that solemnity,

but to implore God's mercy to bless the fruits, with which the earth is at this season covered, and to avert the miseries of pestilence and famine. (See the Homily appointed to be used on the Rogation-Days.)

42. TIME and Circumstances of the original institution of Rogation-Days. - On the prospect of some particular calamities, which threatened his Diocese, Mamercus, Bishop of Vienne in Gaul (the ancient capital of the Allobroges, where also the Council was held in 1311, by which the Order of the Templars was finally dissolved), about the middle of the fifth century, appointed the ROGATION-DAYS to be kept with suitable prayers and public processions: and thence arose the custom of the perambulation of parishes, which is still continued in England, and some other countries, at this period.

43. No SPECIAL SERVICE appointed for ROGATION-DAYS.-There is not any special Service appointed for the ROGATIon-Days, which are only recommended by the Church to be kept as private Fasts. Bishop Sparrow however (Bishop of Norwich, who died in 1685), states, that 103d and 104th Psalms

were formerly read during the perambulation of the Parish in England; and the LITANY and the SUFFRAGES, followed by the HOMILY of THANKSGIVING, on returning to the Church.

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