sure, there is an advantage, arising from the recollection of great and good men. The heart expands with delight, with something of exultation over the memorials of such characters. The remembrance of their success excites hope, the honour paid to their memory kindles emulation, the reward to which they have attained encourages perseverance. Can this practice, then, so rational, so beneficial, in secular matters, be criminal, or even useless when applied to religion? Can it be inconsistent with the spirit of the Gospel, to remember with affection and profit those who have toiled, and suffered in the cause of Christ, those who have nobly borne testimony to their religion, and sealed their testimony with their blood? surely not! our understandings and our hearts at once concur in approving this practice. The Scriptures no where either in letter, or in spirit prohibit it; the primitive church positively sanctions it. In the earliest ages we find the Christians celebrating the anniversary of their martyrs' death. In reference to its being the commencement of their immortal life, they call it their birth day.

⚫ Vossius extracts from Eusebius the following account given by persons of the Church of Smyrna respecting the primitive objects of commemorating the death of their martyrs. "Postea, ossa ejus potiora lapillis pretiosis, auroque puriora

On these anniversaries they assembled; they, called to mind the conflicts in which these holy sufferers had triumphantly engaged; and by meditation on their victories they prepared themselves to sustain similar conflicts, whensoever the cause of their Master should require this trial of their constancy. In process of time, this useful and edifying practice became abused. The affectionate regard, and veneration for the martyrs, gradually degenerated into superstitious sentiments and ob

collecta a nobis istic loci reposuimus, ubi consentaneum erat. Ubi sane nobis aliquando in unum coactis, Dominus præstabit, ut ejus martyrii natalem cum exultatione, et gaudio, quantum fieri potest, maximo recolamus: idque cum ad athletarum istorum memoriam, tum ad eorum exercitationem, et præparationem, qui postea certamen ejusmodi sunt subituri."-Voss. Thes. Theol. p. 177.

E. G. Note of the Rhemish Testament. "Read a marvellous narration in St. Augustine of one stone, that hitting the martyr in the elbow, rebounded backe to a faithfull man, that stood neere, who keeping, and carrying it with him, was by revelation warned to leave it at Ancona in Italie: whereupon a church, or memorie of S. Steven was there erected, and many miracles done after the said martyr's body was found out, and not before." Aug. tom. 10. Ser. 38 de diversis in edit. Paris.

Fulke's quaint reply, half indignant, half facetious, is truly characteristic of the times in which he wrote, when the courtesies of controversy were less observed than they now are. It may amuse the reader.

"Such narrations we may read good store in the Legenda Aurea, Sermones Discipuli, the festival and such other popish bookes, stuffed with fables, and bables, like to the counterfect

servances. And at length that adoration was offered them, which is due only to the Supreme Being. It became idolatry, and not only was the practice itself entirely perverted, but also an enormous and disgusting abuse of it arose, in the admission of multitudes into the college of saints and martyrs, who had no pretensions whatsoever to this distinction.

These were evils too glaring to escape the sagacity and care of our Reformers. All Protestants were agreed upon one point, that the abuse was great. But the question was, how it should be remedied. Some, in their horror and detestation, were for abolishing the practice entirely, and not suffering a " rag of Popery," as they termed it, to remain. The compilers of our Liturgy more temperately and more soundly concluded, that the abuse of a good institution was a reason for restoring it to its primitive purity, but not for entirely superseding it. They cleared away the rubbish with which it had been encumbered. They reduced the number of saints and mar

Augustine, the author of these Sermons. There was too much counterfect stuffe printed before under the name of Augustine. You need not have added more from Paris, but that you hate the trueth and delight in lies, fables, and forgeries."-Fulke's Rhemish Test. p. 359.

• Vide Shepherd on Common Prayer.

tyrs to a very few, and retained only those, whose title to this distinction was unquestionable, and had been acknowledged by the Church, in its earliest and purest ages. They abolished all the frivolous and idolatrous pageantries, which, in a long course of time, and prevalence of superstition, had been gradually accumulated. They explained the true and rational ends to which these commemorations were to be directed. The edification of the Church, the encouragement of Christians to follow such examples of fortitude and virtue were the only legitimate objects, which they acknowledged in these festivals. And that their decision in this, as well as in other points of reformation, was guided by sound judgment, by zeal tempered with discretion, we have no contemptible proof in the invectives and hostility with which they were assailed by two opposite parties. The one party charged them with doing too much, the other with doing too little. The Papists on the one hand, detested and persecuted the Established Church, as the great protector and successful champion of the Protestant cause; the Puritans, on the other hand, reviled them for not sweeping away, with indiscriminate rage, every institution which had been defiled by Popish veneration.

Do not these opposite opinions very strongly indicate that our reformers wisely chose the middle way; deviating on neither side; avoiding every superstition; and at the same time preserving, and restoring to its original purity, every good and scriptural observance ?

Thus restored, thus placed in its proper light, the celebration of St. Stephen's martyrdom is appointed for this day. Be it our care to co-operate with the design of our Church in this appointment; só to meditate upon the example and fate of St. Stephen, that we may minister to edification, to the encouragement of sober piety; and to the awakening of holy emulation.

The account of Stephen's career is very brief; but at the same time it abounds with incidents which distinguish him as a most zealous and efficient disciple of Jesus. The unexampled rapidity with which the Gospel spread, necessarily caused a vast accession of labour to the Apostles. The encreased number of converts on the one hand, imperatively and incessantly demanded their attention, to arrange and regulate the affairs of the infant church. On the other hand, multitudes were pressing to hear the word of God, and claimed the utmost exertions of the Apostles to preach and baptize.