. His dominion shall be from the one sea to the other: r. And from the flood to the world's end.-Psalm lxxii. Lectio from the Sacred Gospel according to John. LECTIO VII. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Et reliqua. Homily of S. Augustin, the Bishop. John had received the ministration of baptism in the waters of repentance; not being himself the Lord, but in order to prepare the way for him. And there was no further occasion to prepare the way when the Lord had become known, for to those who know him, he is himself the way. Therefore the baptism of John was not of long continuance. But in what way was the Lord manifested?-in 'humility: as if it had been for this purpose that John had received the ministration of baptism, in order that in the same the Lord himself might be baptized. And was it necessary that the Lord should be baptized at all? Such a question will answer itself. Was it necessary for the Lord to be born? Was it necessary for the Lord to be crucified? Was it necessary for the Lord to die? Was it necessary for the Lord to be buried? If, therefore, he took upon himself so great humility for us, should he not submit to baptism also? And of what advantage was it that he submitted to the baptism of a servant?-that you may not disdain the baptism of the Lord. r. John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. v. My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities, * which taketh away the sin, &c.-John i.; Isaiah liii. LECTIO VIII. Behold, upon the Lord, when he was baptized, the dove descended. And there appeared the True and Holy Trinity, which is one God. For, as we read, the Lord ascended out of the water, the Spirit descended like a dove, and immediately a voice followed, "This is my beloved Son." Here the Trinity appears fully manifested. The Father in the voice; the Son in man; the Holy Ghost in the dove. In that Trinity were the disciples sent "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;" and sent by Him of whom it was said, "He it is that baptizeth." He hath kept this power to himself in such a way as to transfer it to none of his ministers, although through the means of those ministers he has deigned to baptize. It is through this power that the unity of the church stands, which is signified in that dove of which it is said, "My dove is one. For if the power of baptism was transferred from the Lord to the minister, then there would be as many baptisms as there are ministers, and the unity of baptism would no longer remain. r. He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. * v. Behold my Servant, I have put my Spirit upon Him. The same is He, &c.—John i.; Isaiah xlii. LECTIO IX. John recognised the appropriate meaning of this appearing of the dove, for it had been said unto him, He upon whom thou seest the Spirit descending like a dove, and abiding upon him. He it is who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. John had already known that He who was to baptize with the Holy Ghost was the Lord. He had thus described him to those who had come to be baptized of him before the Lord had come to the river. What, therefore, was the lesson which he learnt from the appearing of the dove, but that in Christ himself existed, in a high and peculiar sense, the real and true baptism. So that although his ministers who should baptize should be many, and they might be righteous or unrighteous, yet that the sanctifying power of baptism was given by no one but Him on whom the dove descended, and of whom it was said, He it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. Though it be Peter that administers, yet it is He that baptizes; though it be Paul that administers baptism, yet it is Christ that baptizes; though it be Judas that administers, yet it is Christ that baptizes. r. I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.. and bare record that this is the Son of God. I saw, v. He shewed him his glory, and made him to hear his voice. * I saw, and bare record, &c.-John i. ; Fccles. xlv. In the Lauds the following Hymn and Prayer occurs. — Emergit undis, et Deo Instar Columbæ, vertici Christi dicata corpore Castis fit, expers sordium, O Christe, sacri gurgitis He rises from the wave, and now He prays-that prayer is said, E'en like a hovering dove: the word Lo, washed within that hallowing tide, A people newly born! And to their prayers the opening Heaven! Emblem of unstain'd Purity, Descends the mystic Dove, O Saviour, who hast shed thy blood We have been wash'd within the Fountain, (The Doxology as before.) THE PRAYER. O God, whose only begotten Son was manifested in the substance of our flesh, grant, we beseech Thee, that as we have seen Him outwardly made like unto us, so we may, through him, be inwardly formed anew into his similitude, through Him that liveth and reigneth with Thee. Amen. The rest of the Lauds, the Hours, and second Vespers are here omitted. The five Antiphones in the Lauds are from the Gospel; those for the second Vespers from the Epistles; whereas those for the first Vespers were from the Old Testament, which serves as an instance of the progressive nature of the service, as was remarked in the last number respecting the Hymns. This Octave, together with the preceding Festival, is very similar in substance in the Roman Breviary, the Collects being the same, and the Lectios from the same sources, but the words of the latter are altered in the Parisian. The question may be asked by those who are unacquainted with the original, how far, in rendering these services, omissions have been found necessary on account of doctrinal error? Of course it must be remembered that the selections which have been made have been from services which are Catholic, and not Romish, and, therefore, in which we are not so likely to meet with these objectionable passages as in the latter. It is right to premise this, when the translator states that all he can call to mind as having omitted for these reasons, in what has appeared in the Magazine, was one stanza in a hymn for the Festival of all Saints, which spoke of the Blessed Virgin, and the Collects for the Commune Justorum and Sanctarum Mulierum, in which the merits and intercession of the deceased are mentioned. SACRED POETRY. AUGUSTIN'S CITY OF GOD. THROUGHOUT the older word, story and rite; Rises the Eternal City of our God. The morning, with her disenchanting rod, Lifting the skirts of the o'erhanging gloom : Bright shapes come forth, gold, pinnacle, and dome : THE CHURCH IN TROUBLE. THE scene is darken'd, but to bring more ncar, These clouds above (O gloom than joy more dear!) Which clouds and light had made for wandering eyes Afar there was a pale and liquid light, Where in the opening north a mountain band Were brought so wildly near, they seemed to stand Looking upon us, brought upon our sight Strangely distinct in distance, and between, Lyra Apostolica. Γνοῖεν δ', ὡς δὴ δηρὸν ἐγὼ πολέμοιο πέπαυμαι. NO. XXVII. 1. ERE yet I left home's youthful shrine, I went afar; the world unrolled I stored the marvels which she told, Her pleasures quaffed, I sought awhile So ever sear, so ever cloy Earth's favours as they fade; His Eden's sacred shade. 2. "When thou goest through the fire, I will be with thee." O HOLY LORD! who with the children three Help! in those trial-hours which, save to Thee, Nor let these quivering eyes and sickening heart Thou, who didst once Thy life from Mary's breast Oh might her smile, severely sweet, but rest Till I am Thine with my whole soul; and fear, 3. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." THERE is not on the earth a soul so base But may attain a place In covenanted grace; So that forthwith his prayer of faith obtains Release from his guilt-stains, And first-fruits of the second birth, which rise From gift to gift, and reach at length the eternal prize. All may save self; but minds that heavenward tower Gifts on the world to shower. And this is not at once;-by fastings gained, By pureness, righteous deeds, and toils of love, 4. THEY do but grope in learning's pedant round, Stirring or still on man's scant trial-ground; As if such shapes and moods, which come and go, CORRESPONDENCE. The Editor begs to remind his readers that he is not responsible for the opinions LETTERS ON THE CHURCH OF THE FATHERS. NO. XIV. I OBSERVED in the close of my last paper that Antony believed himself to be subjected to sensible and visible conflicts with evil spirits. It is far from my desire to rescue him from the imputation of enthusiasm ; the very drift of my account of him being to shew how enthusiasm is sobered and refined by being submitted to the discipline of the church, instead of being allowed to run wild externally to it. If he were not an enthusiast, or in danger of being such, we should lose one chief instruction his life conveys. This admission, however, does not settle the question to which the narrative of his spiritual conflicts gives rise; so I shall first make some extracts descriptive of them, and then comment upon them. The following is the account of his visit to the tombs :— "Thus bracing himself after the pattern of Elias, he set off to the tombs which were some distance from his neighbourhood; and giving directions to an acquaintance to bring him a supply of bread after some days' interval, he entered into one of them, suffered himself to be shut in, and remained there by himself. This the enemy not enduring, yea, rather dreading, lest before long he should engross the desert also with his holy exercise, assaulted him one night with a host of spirits, and so lashed him, that he lay speechless on the ground from the pain, which, he declared, was far more severe than from strokes which man could inflict. But, by God's good Providence, who does not overlook those who hope in him, on the next day his acquaintance came with the bread; and, on opening the door, saw him lying on the ground as if dead. Whereupon he carried him to the village church, and laid him on the ground; and many of his relations and the villagers took their places by the body, as if he were already dead. However, about midnight his senses returned, and, collecting himself, he observed that they were all asleep except his aforesaid acquaintance; whereupon, he beckoned him to his side, and prevailed upon him, without waking any of them, to carry him back again to the tombs. "When he was shut in, as before, by himself, being unable to stand from his wounds, he lay down and began to pray. Then he cried out loudly,' Here am I, Antony; I do not shun your blows. Though ye add to them, yet nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ.' And then he began to sing, Though a host should encamp against me, yet shall not my heart be afraid.'. The devil has no trouble in devising diverse shapes of evil. During the night, therefore, bis servants made so great a tumult, that the whole place seemed to be shaken, and, as if the four walls of the building had been broken down, they seemed to rush in, in the form |