INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING FORMS OF Instruction.---A great part of mankind spend their lives chiefly on the seas, and of course are prevented from attending public worship in Churches, but every ship has a sufficient number of people in it to form a congregation, and there certainly ought to be a minister in every ship to perform divine service. This is the case in many ships, particularly those which belong to his Majesty's Navy, called Men of War. The minister on board a ship is called the Chaplain, and these forms of prayer are to be added to the daily service of the Church, as different occasions require. But it is too common a thing for those who go to sea, to be indifferent in respect to religious duties, which is very strange, because they certainly are exposed to greater dangers than people on land, and they have besides more frequent opportunities of observing the wonderful ways of Providence. When a violent storm arises, indeed, and there is danger of a shipwreck, the sailors in their fright will fall upon their knees and cry for mercy; but too often, as soon as the danger is over, they return to their old courses, and profane caths are substituted for prayers; and they forget to return thanks to God for their happy deliverance. Read these forms of prayer over by yourselves, at your leisure, and you will see upon the ocean, how very suitable they are to those who live and if any amongst you are intended for a sea-faring life, learn them by heart, that when you are called to prayers by the Chaplain, you may be able to join with the congregation at times, when you cannot perhaps get at your Prayer Book, or that you may be always furnished with words to pray at your posts, when circumstances will not admit of the ship's company being assembled. in Questions.---Does not the same God rule over the seas as over the land? [Ans. Yes.] Have not those, who are on board ships, souls to be saved, as well as those on land? [Ans. Yes.] Should those who go to sea turn their backs on God and religion?[ns. No.] Can their utmost skill preserve them from being lost, when violent storms, and tempests drive their ships about in the midst of rocks? [Ans. No.] What alone can preserve them? [Ans. The Providence of God.] If it should please God that they should perish at sea, what will become of their souls; if they have led wicked ungodly lives? [Ans. They will be miserable for ever.] Do not you see, then, that it is necessary for those who go to sea to be religious, as well as those who live on land? [Ans. Yes.] INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING THE THANKS- NOVEMBER. Let the Children find the Office for the day in their Common Prayer Books, then read the Title to them, viz. A Form of Prayer, &c. Instruction.---The horrid piot called Gunpowder Treason, is said to have been contrived by a gentleman of the name of Catesby, with the design of destroying, by one blow, the three Estates of England, namely, the King, the Lords, and Commons, together with the whole Royal Family. A few other persons were let into the secret; and Guy Fawkes, at that time an officer in the Spanish service, was fixed upon as a proper person to put the plot in execution. A vault was hired, which had been used for coals under the House of Lords. Into this place thirty-six barrels of gunpowder were conveyed, and the whole were covered with faggots and billets the doors of the cellar were then boldly thrown open, and any body allowed to go in, as if it contained nothing dangerous. The King, the Queen, and Prince Henry, were all expected to be present at the opening of the Parliament the Duke, the King's youngest son, would have been absent on account of his tender age, but it was designed to seize and murder him; and to seize also the Princess Elizabeth, a little infant, and proclaim her Queen. ز This dreadful secret, though known to above twenty per- sons, had been kept upwards of a year and a half; but about ten days before the meeting of Parliament, Lord Monteagle, a Roman Catholic Nobleman, received a letter, warning him not to go to the Parliament House. Lord Monteagle knew not what to make of this letter, so he carried it to the Secretary of State, who laid it before the king, and the King was of opinion, from an expression in it, that there was some dangerous plot to be executed by means of gunpowder; and it was thought advisable to search all the vaults beneath the Houses of Parliament. This was done, the very day before the Parliament was to meet, when Guy Fawkes was observed standing in a dark corner. About midnight a Justice of the Peace was sent with proper attendants, and Fawkes was taken just as he had finished his operations; and on turning over the faggots, the powder was discovered. The matches, and every thing proper for setting fire to the train, were found in Fawkes's pocket, and the hardened villain expressed his regret, that his design of firing the powder was defeated; but shortly after, upon being threatened with a dreadful punishment called the Rack, he made a full discovery of the other conspirators, the two principal of whom were killed by the populace, and others were tried and executed. If this horrid plot had taken place, besides the deaths of so many people, the most dreadful consequences would have ensued to the nation, for both Church and State would have been totally overthrown; and the sad effects would most probably have been severely felt even by ourselves at this time; it is therefore very proper to observe the 5th of November as a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing. The custom of carrying about the effigy of Guy Fawkes, is meant to keep up the hatred which is justly due to the memory of such villainy; but it is extremely wrong to make a day set apart for such a purpose, a day of riot and mischief. True English-hearted boys will, when they consider what Guy Fawkes was, behave in a different manner. They will, perhaps, dress up a figure, aud carry it about with every mark of contempt, to shew that they would scorn such actions as Fawkes was guilty of; but when they are permitted to make a bonfire, they will only jump and huzza around it with innocent merriment, instead of flinging squibs and crackers to frighten and hurt other people. Questions.---What is the fifth day of November kept in memory of [Ans. Gunpowder Treason.] In what King's reign was it discovered? [Ans. King James the First.] Who were to have been destroyed by it? [Ans. The three Estates of the Kingdom.] What are they? [Ans. The King, Lords, and Commons.] Would not the nation have been in sad confusion, if it had taken place? [Ans. Yes.] What sin were those people guilty of who formed this plot? [Ans. Privy Conspiracy and Treason.] Was it not carried on very secretly for a long while? [Ans. Yes.] Did not God bring it to light in a very wonderful manner? [Ans. Yes.] Should not the remembrance of such a national deliverance be kept up? [Ans. Yes.] What became of Fawkes, and the other conspirators? [Ans. They were executed. Who saw the very hearts of these wicked men, and knew all their horrid designs from the beginning? Ans., God.] Can any thing, however secretly contrived or carried on, be hid from the all-searching eye of God? [Ans. No.] Is not the memory of such a villain as Fawkes hateful? [Ans. Yes.] What is done every year to shew contempt and hatred to his memory? [Ans. He is carried about in effigy.] Should you like to have such hatred shewn to your memory after your death? [Ans. No.] Should you ever suffer yourself then to be drawn into secret conspiracy? [Ans. No.] Is the throwing about squibs and crackers to frighten and hurt other people, a proper way of rejoicing for a great national deliverance? [Ans. Ño.] Instruction.---Whilst boys are running about the streets with their Guy Fawkeses, such religious people, as have time to do it, go to church, and join devoutly in the office of the day. Charity children usually make a part of the congregation on this occasion, and they should give attention to the prayers and thanksgivings, for young as they are, they are greatly interested in the prosperity of the nation ; besides their parents and friends are likely to be drawn in and made the tools of wicked men, when they put their privy conspiracies into execution. Within the last few years, many foreign nations have been thrown into the utmost confusion and misery, from the common people being set against their Kings and Governors, and excited to open rebellion by secret conspirators; and it has been entirely owing to the good providence of God, that our nation has been preserved; for deep conspiracies were formed for its overthrow, but it pleased the Almighty to bring them to light in due time, to prevent the horrors and bloodshed that would have ensued, if his mercy had not preserved us. Even in a part of our own King's dominions, Ireland, numbers of deluded people were drawn in, by flattering words and great promises, to take up arms against their lawful Sovereign, and to invite the French to come and join them ; but here again the good Providence of God interposed, and Ireland was at length preserved also, but not before many lives were unhappily lost. Questions.---What do religious people, who have time, do on the fifth of November? [Ans. Go to church] What children usually go to church on this day? [Ans. Charity children.] Can children live happy and comfortable when a nation is up in arms, and one part of the people are fighting against another? [Ans. No.] Is it not a sad thing for children, when their parents or other friends are killed fighting against their own countrymen? [Ans. Yes.] Does it not bring great distress upon families, when the fathers of them are taken up and condemned to death as rebels? [Ans. Yes.] Should not children pray that none belonging to them may be drawn into privy conspiracies and open rebellion? [Ans. Yes.] What return should the children of this nation make to God, for his great mercy in preserving it, when secret conspirators would have brought miseries upon it? [Ans. Their praises and thanksgivings. Read the Sentences. Questions---Do not these texts of Scripture particularly suit the present times? [Ans. Yes.] Has not the Lord shewn great compassion, mercy, long suffering, and goodness toward us? [Ans. Yes.] Have we been dealt with according to our sins, and rewarded according to our wickedness? [Ans. No.]. Read the Rubrick, then the hymn with the Children, viz. O give thanks unto the Lord, &c. Questions.---Is not this hymn also well suited to the day? [Ans. Yes.] Read from the end of the hymn to the end of the First Collect. Instruction.---Though it is a long time since the Gunpowder Plot was discovered, we should return our thanks to God for preserving King James, and those who were to have been destroyed with him; because the Church and nation would not have been in such a happy state as they now are, if God had not preserved them at that time; for if they had been overthrown, it would, in all probability, have required many years to bring the nation into good order again; nor might it ever have been what it now is, the happiest nation in the world, with the purest church upon earth. |