giving His
final instructions concerning His Church, and to this instruction
is to be traced many of the Church's usages and practices set forth
in the Acts of the Apostles which otherwise are inexplicable--for
example--the choice of St. Matthias in the place of the traitor
Judas--thus indicating the perpetuity of the Apostolate; the
observance of the first day of the week instead of the seventh; the
ordaining of Deacons thus indicating "divers orders" in His Church;
the Rite of Confirmation; Frequent Communion, Infant Baptism and
many other things to be noted in the {114} Acts of the Apostles,
which have become inherent features of the Church; how else are
they to be accounted for and explained but as being among "the things
pertaining to the Kingdom of God" of which the Master spake during
these Great Forty Days? If not, then how came about their universal
acceptance and continuance even unto this present day?

Fourth Sunday in Lent.--The Sundays in Lent are numbered. First,
Second, Third, etc., through the six Sundays. But the last three
Sundays are so striking in their teaching that additional names are
given to them in order to emphasize that special teaching. Thus
the 6th Sunday is called Palm Sunday; the 5th, Passion Sunday. So,
also, the Fourth Sunday in Lent has its special name or names. Thus
it is called _Mid Lent Sunday_ because the middle of Lent has been
reached. It is also called _Refreshment Sunday_ from the Gospel for
the Day which gives the account of our Lord feeding the multitude
in the wilderness, and thereby indicating a more joyous note in the
service for this day than belongs to the other Sundays in Lent. An
old English name for this Sunday is _Mothering Sunday_. Mid Lent
was considered somewhat of a holiday on which servants and children
absent from home were permitted by their employers to visit their
mothers. The name, doubtless, had its origin from the ancient custom
of making pilgrimages to the Mother Church or Cathedral of the
Diocese. (See LENT, SUNDAYS IN.)

Fraction.--The name given to the manual act of breaking the Bread
by the Priest during the Consecration in the Holy Communion,
according to the {115} rubric which directs, "And here to break the
Bread." (See MANUAL ACTS.)

Free and Open Churches.--These words express the idea embodied in a
movement in the American Church that has been making for many years
to make the House of Prayer what it was originally, viz. _free_ for
all p