of the appointed intervals for the awful _systole_ and _diastole_ of the Church's heart--of the appointed times of her inbreathing and expiration of the _afflatus_ of the Divine Spirit--of the laws regulating the frequency of her mysterious nourishment? What know we, I say, of these things, but what we learn from the wondrous Twelve, who taught us all we know of the kingdom of God? [2] See Mabillon, referred to in Introduction to vol. ii. of 'The Principles of Divine Service.'--P. 79, note _z_. [3] See the 'Churchman's Diary' (Masters). Another return makes the number only 328. See the 'Kalendar of the English Church.' What may be the exact injury of such intermittent celebration of the Divine Mysteries--of such scanty and self-chosen measures of obedience to the commands of Christ,--I pretend not by these analogies to decide. But surely it may well be that continuous and unbroken weekly Eucharist is as a ring of magic power, if I may use the comparison, binding in and rendering safe the Church's mysterious life; and that _any_ rupture in that continuity is exceedingly dangerous to her. Or if it be contended, as not unnaturally it may, that this particular circumstance of _frequency_, and of _weekly_ recurrence may, notwithstanding the apostolic testimony to its importance, be subject to variation, then I would desire to put the matter from another point of view. One way of judging of the degree of importance to be attached by us to any given religious element or feature, is to observe what degree of divine care Almighty God has bestowed in inculcating it upon the world. Thus, the Unity of God, and again the necessity of sacrifice to atone for sin, or procure admission to His favour, were attested throughout the whole pre-evangelic history by special training, imparted, in the one instance, to the Jews, in the other to all mankind.