believe that the Soul is but departing, and it is charitably done to offer up our Prayers: And therefore when it proves otherwife, our * Prayer hall turn into our own Bofom; and like as that Peace, which the Disciples wifhed to an unworthy Houfe, returned to the Difciples again; fo, though our Prayers at that Time may be of no Service to the Soul, yet they will be of no Differvice to us. They will return to us again, but it will be no Fault to have misplaced them,

35

66

PRAYERS upon this OCCASION from Bishop TAYLOR.

I.

Holy and moft Gracious JESU, we humbly recommend the Soul of thy "Servant into thy Hands, thy most merciful "Hands: Let thy bleffed Angels ftand in Miniftry about thy Servant, and defend "him from the Violence and Malice of all his ghoftly Enemies: And drive far from him "all the Spirits of Darkness. Amen.

II.

ORD, receive the Soul of this thy Servant: Enter not into Judgment with "him: Spare him whom thou haft redeemed

* Pfalm xxxiv. 14.

"" with

1

"with thy most precious Blood: And deliver "him, for whose fake thou didst suffer Death, "from all Evil and Mischief, from the Crafts "and Affaults of the Devil, from the Fear of "Death, and from everlasting Death. Amen.

66

III.

LORD, impute not unto him the Follies

of his Youth, nor any of the Errors "and Miscarriages of his Life: But strengthen "him in his Agony, and carry him fafely "6 through his last Diftrefs. Let not his Faith waver, nor his Hope fail, nor his Charity be "difordered: Let him die in Peace, and reft "in Hope, and rife in Glory. Amen.

IV.

ORD, we know and believe affuredly, that whatsoever is under thy Cuftody, "cannot be taken out of thy Hands, nor by "all the Violences of Hell robbed of thy Pro"tection: Preferve the Work of thy Hands, "refcue him from all Evil, and let his Por"tion be with the Patriarchs and Prophets, "with the Apostles and Martyrs, and all thy

holy Saints, in the Arms of CHRIST, in the "Bofom of Felicity, and in the Kingdom of "God for ever. Amen.

V.

66

V.

SAVIOUR of the World, who by thy Crofs, and precious Blood haft re"deemed us, fave, and help this thy departing Servant, we beseech thee, O LORD. Amen.

66

66

O

VI.

Almighty LORD, who art a most strong Tower to all them that put their Trust "in thee; to whom all Things in Heaven, in "Earth, and under the Earth, do bow and "obey; be now and evermore his Defence; ❝ and make him to know and feel, by a pow"erful Senfe of thy Goodness, that there is no "other Name under Heaven given to Man, in "whom and through whom we may receive "Health and Salvation, but only the Name "of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. Amen.

VII.

"LORD, unto thy gracious Mercy and

Protection we commit him. O GOD "the Father, bless him and keep him. O GOD "the Son, make thy Face to fhine upon him, "and be gracious unto him. O GOD the Ho

ly Ghoft, lift up thy Countenance upon him, "and give him thy Peace, both now and everAmen.

more.

OB

OBSERVATIONS

ON

CHAPTER L

UR Author feems of Opinion, that the Ce

Ο remony of tolling a Bell at the Time of

Death, is as antient as the Ufe of Bells. This is fomewhat improbable. It has rather been an AfterInvention of Superftition. Thus praying for the Dying was improved upon into praying for the Dead. Bells must have been first used as Signals to convene the People to their public Devotions.

Mr. Bourne has overlooked a Paffage in Durand's Ritual, that would have been much to his Purposet:-"When any one is dying, fays that "Ritualift,

The fubfequent Etymology of this Word has the Sanction of the learned Sir Henry Spelman: Bell is derived from Pelvis, a Bafon: for before the Invention of Bells, not only founding Brafs, but Bafons alfo were used instead of them. (Housewives to this Day try the Soundness of their Earthen or China Vases by ringing them with a Finger). Vide Lye's Junii Etymolog. in verbo. Mr Wheatley, in his Illustration of the Liturgy, apologizes for our retaining this Ceremony." Our Church (favs he) in Imita “tion of the Saints in former Ages, calls in the Minifter and "others, who are at hand, to affift their Brother in his last Ex"tremity. In order to this she directs that when any one is passing "out of this Life, a Bell fhould be tolled, &c." It is called from thence the Pafing Bell.

86

+"Verùm aliquo moriente, Campanæ debent pulfari: ut Po"pulus hoc audiens, oret pro illo. Pro muliere quidem bis, pro eo quòd ipfa invenit Afperitatem. Primò enim fecit hominem ❝ alienum à Deo, quare fecunda dies non habuit Benedictionem. "Pro Viro verò ter pulfatur, quia primò inventa eft in Homine "Trinitas: Primò enim formatus eft Adam de terra, deinde mu

66

"Ritualift, Bells must be tolled, that the People may put up their Prayers Let this be done "twice for a Woman and thrice for a Man:" (The fuperftitious Reafons he affigns for these Numbers are too contemptible for Tranflation) "If for a Clergyman, as many Times as he had "Orders, and at the Conclufion a Peal on all the "Bells, to distinguish the Quality of the Perfon "for whom the People are to put up their Prayers. "A Bell too muft be rung while we are conduct

ing the Corpfe to Church, and during the bring❝ing it out of the Church to the Grave." I think this a curious and pertinent Quotation. It feems to account for a Custom still preserved in the North, of making numeral Diftinctions at the Conclufion of this Ceremony-nine Knells for a Man, fix for a Woman, and three for a Child, which are without Doubt the Veftiges of this antient Injunction of Popery.

The Quotation our Author gives us from Bede* is very appofite, as is that from Caffalion's occafional

“lier ex Adam, poftea Homo creatus eft ab Utroque, et ita eft ibi "Trinitas. (!!!) Si autem Clericus fit, tot vicibus compulfatur, quot ordines habuit ipfe. Ad ultimum verò compulfari debet cum omnibus Campanis, ut ita fciat populus pro quo fit oran"dum. Debet etiam compulfari quando ducimus ad Ecclefiam, et quando de Ecclefia ad Tumulum deportatur."

66

Vide Durandi Rationale, p. 21.13. Durand flourished about the End of the 12th Century. In Ray's Collection of old English Proverbs I find the following Couplet :

When thou dost hear a Toll, or Knell,

Then think upon thy paffing Bell.

* I have examined this Paffage in King Alfred's Saxon Verfion of Bede: In rendering Campana, I find he has ufed Cluggan, which properly fignifies a Clock (Bellan is in the Margin). Clock is the old German Name for a Bell, and hence the French call one