So much has been said lately of the necessity of our carrying out _all_ the Rubric and Services of our Book of Common Prayer, that I must be allowed to make a brief allusion to it. No doubt, it is very desirable that we should do so; but I conceive, the lengthened omission of many of the injunctions of our Church, which has been suffered tacitly to take place, now renders their restoration exceedingly difficult, if not impossible. I am sure it would indeed be futile, and nearly impracticable, in most of our rural parishes, many with a widely-scattered population, consisting of the humblest rank of agricultural labourers. For instance, it is enjoined in our Rubric, that we should have _daily_ service; and this, in towns and populous places, is highly proper, and ought, without doubt, to be carried into practice; but with many of us, whose flocks depend on the fullest measure of daily labour they are able to perform for their daily bread, it is not possible or reasonable to expect them to sacrifice their existence, and that of their families, to attend daily service in a Church, and that Church often remote from their place of employment. To such a case as this, the maxim of “_Necessitas non habet legem_” is manifestly applicable. But, my Reverend Brethren, do not let us shelter _our_ laxity of ministration under _one_ tangible and reasonable excuse: if we are unable to do _all_ we are enjoined, let us at least show our zeal and sincerity in our holy calling, by doing what _is_ in our power. I do maintain, then, that we ought to celebrate divine service in our Churches, upon each of the days on which we commemorate the leading events of the history of our Blessed Lord; not only His Nativity, Crucifixion, and Resurrection, but His Circumcision, His Manifestation to the Gentiles, and His glorious Ascension. I think, too, it is especially incumbent on us to pay a stricter regard to the solemn season of Lent than is generally done; that we should open our Churches for divine service on Ash Wednesday, and every Wednesday and Friday during that penitential Fast, which our Church most piously and reverently sets apart for self-examination and humiliation. I am quite confident it is not only practicable to obtain congregations on those days, but that the opportunity offered to our people of publicly worshipping God upon them, will be hailed with gratification and thankfulness; not, perhaps, generally at first, but yet progressively and encouragingly. I can instance one parish, not very remote from our own neighbourhood, where this has been essayed during the season of Lent now just concluded; a small and purely rural parish, and one offering, perhaps, as few features of encouragement to re-establish such a practice as any of us could name: the average congregations on the week days (exclusive of children) has been thirty-five, which, for the first renewal of the practice, I think will be allowed is a very