Part 8 (2/2)

Epiphany, Sundays after--The Epiphany is continued in the Sundays following, the nu dependent on the time Easter is kept There may be one ”Sunday after Epiphany” or there s of these Sundays are all illustrative of the fact that the Eternal Word was iven to that forovernment in which Bishops are the Chief Pastors with Priests and Deacons under the overseer; _Bishop_ being the Anglicized form of the Greek word

Much controversy has been held in regard to Church government, as if the form was a matter of uncertainty, or not clearly revealed

The question can only be decided by first regarding Christianity as an institution, as the Kingdo whether this Institution, founded by our Lord, has been characterized always by the saovernoverned by Bishops, and that for 1500 years after Christ no Christian people recognized any other Ministry but that of Bishops, Priests and Deacons Since the Reformation the controversy has coregationalist, have been advanced

But even now the question of Church government may be considered as a matter of fact rather than of theory If we take the whole Christian world of to-day, we find that the number of Christians is in round numbers _five hundred millions_ Of this number only _one hundred million_ are non-Episcopal, so that we may conclude from the universal acceptance of Episcopacy before the Refore preponderance of adherents to this forovernment at this present time,--from these facts we may safely conclude that Episcopacy is in accordance with the mind of the Master This, at least, is the conclusion of the best scholarshi+p of the day, both Episcopal and non-Episcopal For example, a non-Episcopal divine has set forth his conclusions in the following statement: ”The Apostles embodied the Episcopal element into the constitution of the Church, and from their days to the time of the Reformation, or for fifteen hundred years, there was no other forovernment anywhere to be found Wheresoever there were Christians there were also Bishops; and often where Christians differed in other points of doctrine or custom, and made schisms and divisions in the Church, yet did they all re Bishops” So {100} also, the historian Gibbon gives his conclusion as follows: ”'No Church without a Bishop' has been a _fact_ well as a maxim since the time of Tertullian and Irenaeus; after we have passed over the difficulties of the first century, we find the _Episcopal governenius of the Swiss and German reformers” (See MINISTRY, THE)

Episcopate--The office of a Bishop The ternity of a Bishop, but itwhich any particular Bishop exercises his office in presiding over a Diocese Again, _Episcopate_ is the collective name for the whole body of Bishops of the Christian Church, lists of which have been carefully preserved fro The Episcopate of the American Church includes all the Bishops from Bishop Seabury, our first Bishop, down to the Bishop as last consecrated

Epistle, The--The portion of Holy Scripture read before the Gospel in the Coenerally taken froh sometimes from the Acts of the Apostles or from one of the books of the Prophets of the Old Testament It is well to note that the Collect, Epistle and Gospel e of the day for which they are appointed

Epistle Side--The south or right side of the Altar from which the Epistle is read When the Priest celebrates alone, he first reads the Epistle at the south side and then passes to the north side where he reads the Gospel {101}

Epistoler--The minister who reads the Epistle for the day and acts as sub-deacon at the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist

Eschatology--That departs,”--the Advent of Christ, Death and the State of the Departed, the judgment to come and the final award

Espousal--That portion of the Marriage Service in which the contracting parties answer ”I will” to the questions, ”N wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife” and ”N wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband” This seems to be the remains of the old form of _espousals_, which was different and distinct froe, and which was often perfor sie of Mother Church upon it In the Greek Church at the present time there are still two different offices, viz: the one of espousals and the other of h formerly on different days

Eucharist--Derived fro of thanks”

It is the name universally applied to the HOLY COMMUNION (which see)

Eucharistic Lights--(See ALTAR LIGHTS)

Eucharistic Vest the Holy Eucharist to nity of the service and as symbolical of the Passion of our Lord which is therein commemorated

They are as follows: the Amice, Alb, Girdle, Stole, Maniple and Chasuble worn by the celebrant, and the Dalmatic {102} and Tunicle, worn by the Deacon and sub-Deacon; each of which is described under the heading, VESTMENTS (which see) From ancient sources we learn that it was the universal custom of the Church to wear distinctive vestments at the celebration of the Holy Communion to mark it as the only service ordained by Christ Hihest act of Christian Worshi+p This is evidenced by the fact that the seven historical churches which have possessed a continuous life since the Nicene era, viz: the Latin, Greek, Syrian, Coptic, Arian--all use the Eucharistic Vestments When we consider that these historic churches have not been in communion with one another for over a thousand years, we cannot but conclude that any point on which they are agreed o back to the middle of the Fifth Century and must be part of their united traditions from a still earlier date Fro no coree in the use of distinctive vestments for the Holy Eucharist, we learn that their use is not, as is sometimes supposed, an imitation of Rome but is a Catholic and Primitive custom The Eucharistic Vestland and A their Catholic heritage

Evangelical--Belonging to, or consistent with, the Holy Gospels, derived froelical Canticles--The na in the Church service which are taken {103} fronificat and Nunc Diiven to the writers of the four Gospels

Eve, or Even--The day before a Festival, as Christned to be a preparation for the due observance of the Festival it precedes By rubric it is provided that the Collect appointed for any Sunday or other FeastService of the day before

Even Song--The nalish Prayer Book to the Order for Daily Evening Prayer and is frequently used in the Anificant one, indicating that the Evening Oblation chorally rendered is evidently the e Our beautiful Evening Prayer thus rendered is certainlythan the ”Song Services,” or ”Vesper Services” of the various denoarded as ”Romish” and are very popular Yet in so is attempted, at once the cry of ”Romanism”

is raised, and yet from Holy Scripture we learn that music is a divinely ordained element in the public worshi+p of God and the service thus rendered is an approach to the worshi+p of Heaven (See INTONE; PLAIN SONG also PSALTER)

Exaest provides that ”There shall be assigned to every Candidate for Priest's Orders three separate examinations” These examinations are made by the {104} Bishop in the presence of two or more Priests

The three exa subjects:

I The Books of Holy Scripture, in English, Greek and Hebrew

II The Evidences of Christianity, Christian Ethics and Dogy

III Church History, Ecclesiastical Polity, the Book of Common Prayer, the Constitution and Canons of the Church and those of the Diocese to which the candidate belongs