Читать книгу Celebrating the Seasons - Robert Atwell - Страница 9

We begin our ecclesiastical year with the glorious annunciation of his birth by angelical embassage. There being hereunto added his blessed nativity itself, the mystery of his legal circumcision, the testification of his true incarnation by the purification of her which brought him into the world, his resurrection, his ascension into heaven, the admirable sending down of his Spirit upon his chosen, and (which consequently ensued) the notice of that incomprehensible Trinity thereby given to the Church of God; again forasmuch as we know that Christ hath not only been manifested great in himself, but great in other of his saints also, the days of whose departure out of the world are to the Church of Christ as the birth and coronation days of kings and emperors, therefore especial choice being made of the very flower of all occasions in this kind, there are annual selected times to meditate of Christ glorified in them which had the honour to suffer for his sake, before they had age and ability to know him; glorified in them which knowing him as Stephen had the sight of that before death whereinto so acceptable death did lead; glorified in those sages of the East that came from far to adore him and were conducted by strange light; glorified in the second Elias of the world sent before him to prepare his way; glorified in every of those apostles whom it pleased him to use as founders of his kingdom here; glorified in the angels as in Michael; glorified in all those happy souls that are already possessed of heaven.

Richard Hooker

The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity