proved by all sober, peaceable, and truly conscientious Sons of the Church of England. CONCERNING THE SERVICE. (7.) [Being a Preface to the English Book of Common Prayer, as first set forth in the reign of K. Edward VI.] THERE was never any thing by the wit of man so well devised, or so sure established, which in continuance of time hath not been disputed: As, among other things, it may plainly appear by the Common Prayers in the Church, commonly called Divine Service. The first original and ground whereof (8.) if a man would search out by the ancient Fathers, he shall find, that the same was not ordained but of a good purpose, and for a great advancement of godliness. For they so ordered the matter, that all the whole Bible, (or the greatest part thereof) should be read over once every year; intending thereby, that the Clergy, and especially such as were Ministers in the congregation, should (by often reading, and meditation in God's word) be stirred up to godliness themselves, and be more able to exhort others by wholesome Doctrine, and to confute them that were adversaries to the truth; and further, that the people (by prayers drawn up by Mr. Baxter, by appointment of the Presbyterian commissioners, in the “Reformation of the Liturgy" published together with the 66 Petition for Peace," London, 1661. Dr. Nicholls. (7.) This preface was composed by the original compilers of the Common Prayer; only the two last paragraphs are not in the 1st Book of Ed. VI. Dr. Nicholls. (8.) These words are to shew, that the Latin service, which had been of late years defiled by the mixture of a great many foul and popish errors, did however retain in it many ancient forms, received in the Church in the best times; and that some parts thereof are still to be found in the writings of the ancient Fathers, who mention many of these offices in their books. Dr. Nicholls. (9.) The Scriptures are ordered to be read in the Roman service in so confused a method, that, if they were not read in an unknown tongue, the people could not receive any benefit therefrom. For there are not more than three or four verses to be read at one time; and then follows a response or short anthem to be sung; and then three or four verses of the same chapter again; and then another response: after this rate breaking the chapter into ten or twelve lessons; sometimes mixing parts of another chap. ter; at other times some of Saint Austin's or Saint Ambrose's Homilies, or passages out of worse books. Dr. Nicholls. (10.) These legendary stories are chiefly read upon the saints' days but every day in the year being dedicated to some odd saint or other, there is hardle a day free from having some of these idle tales mixed in the service thereof. And indeed there is such an incongruous mixture of Scripture and monkish fiction together, as is calculated to daily hearing of holy Scripture read in the Church) might continually profit more and more in the knowledge of God, and be the more inflamed with the love of his true Religion. But these many years past, this godly and decent order of the ancient Fathers hath been so altered, (9.) broken, and neglected, by planting in uncertain Stories, and Legends, (10.) with multitude of Responds, (11,) Verses, (12.) vain Repetitions, Commemorations, (13.) and Synodals, (14.) that commonly when any Book of the Bible was begun, after three or four Chapters were read out, all the rest were unread. Aud in this sort the Book of Isaiah was begun in Advent, and the Book of Genesis in Septuagesi ma; but they were only begun, and never read through: After like sort were other Books of holy Scripture used. And moreover, whereas St. Paul would have such language spoken to the people in the Church, as they might understand, and have profit by hearing the same: The Service in this Church of England these many years hath been read in Latin to the people, which they understand not; so that they have heard with their ears only, and their heart spirit, aud mind, have not been edified thereby. And furthermore, notwithstanding that the ancient. Fathers have divided the Psalms into seven portions, whereof one was called a Nocturn : (15.) Now of late time a few of them have been daily make all wise and conscientious Christians to nauseate and abominate their service. This is remarkable, not only in the lessons upon their modern saints' days, concerning whom one would expect nothing else but such stories; but even upon the festivals of the Apostles themselves. Dr. Nicholls. (11.) A respond is a short anthem, brought into the middle of a chapter, which is interrupted by it: and, when the respond is done, the chapter proceeds. This is called the short response. The long responses are used at the close of a lesson. Dr. Nicholls. (12.) Either the verses, which follow after the respond in the Roman Breviary: or else those hymns which are proper to every Sunday and holy-day; which are many of them a despicable parcel of monkish Latin verses, composed in the most illiterate ages of Christianity: only some few of them, being taken from parts of a better character, are pretty tolerable. Dr Nicholls. (13.) These were the recital of the names of famous martyrs and confessors, patriarchs, bishops, kings, great orthodox writers, munificent benefactors; which recitation at the altar took up much time: and these names were anciently wont to be read out of Diptychs, or folded tables; and tedious quarrels have been anciently, about dispunging some names out of the Diptychs, which have run into schisms. Bp. Sparrow. (14.) These were synodical constitutions, or the canons made by provincial synods, which were wont to be read in the parish churches on Sundays, to the great waste of time. Bp. Sparrow, Dr. Nicholls. (15.) So called from the ancient Christians rising in the night to perform them. Dr. Burn said and the rest completely omitted. Moreover, the number and hardness of the Rules called the Pie, (16.) and the manifold changings of the Service, was the cause, that to turn the Book only was so hard and intricate a matter, that many times there was more business to find out what should be read, than to read it when it was found out. These inconveniencies therefore considered, here is set forth such an Order, whereby the same shall be redressed. And for a readiness in this matter, here is drawn out a Calendar for that purpose, which is plain and easy to be understood; wherein (so much as may be) the reading of the Holy Scripture is so set forth, that all things shall be done in order, without breaking one piece from another. For this cause be cut off Anthems, Responds, Invitatories, (17.) and such like things as did break the continual course of the reading of the Scrip ture. Yet, because there is no remedy, but that of necessity, there must be some Rules; therefore certain Rules are here set forth; which, as they are few in number, so they are plain and easy (16.) "The Pie," is a table or rule in the old Roman offices, shewing in a technical way how to find out the service which is to be read upon each day: which consisting of numerous particulars, by the intermixing of the several offices, which sometimes fall in together to be read, makes it difficult to be understood. As to the meaning of the name; what was called "The Pie" by the Clergy before the Reformation, was called by the Greeks IIiva, or the index for that word signifying metaphorically a painted table or picture; and the indexes, or tables of books, being formed into square figures resembling pictures, or painted tables, hung up in a frame; these likewise were called Пívaxes, (Pinakes ;) or, being marked only with the first letter of the word, It's, or "Pies." This was probably the origin of the term. But these tables being generally made with initial letters of red, and likewise some other remarkable letters or words thereof being of the same colour, it was thought that table was called "Pie" from the party-coloured letters, whereof it did consist. But upon this account, when they put it into Latin, they called it Pica. Thus in former times some of the friars, from their party-coloured habits, were called "Pies." Afterwards, when printing came into use, those letters, which were of a moderate size, not so big as the large text hand in manucripts, but were of the size only of those in the comments and tables, were called Pica letters. Nicholls. (17.) Some text of Scripture, adapted and chosen for the occasion of the day, and used before the "Venite," which also is called the invitatory psalm. Dr. Burn. (18.) By the latter words are understood the Apocrypha; which books our Church elsewhere declares that she doth use, "for example of life, and instruction of manners, but yet doth not apply them to establish any doctrine." Article vi. And this practice of the Church of Englana is agreeable to that of the ancient Church. Dr. Nicholls. to be understood. So that here you have an Order for Prayer, and for the reading of the holy Scripture, much agreeable to the mind and purpose of the old Fathers, and a great deal Inore profitable and commodious, than that which of late was used. It is more profitable, because here are left out many things, whereof some are untrue, some uncertain, some vain and super. stitious; and nothing is ordained to be read but the very pure Word of God, the holy Scriptures, or that which is agreeable to the same; (18.) and that in such a Language and Order as is most easy and plain for the understanding both of the Readers and Hearers. It is also more commodious, both for the shortness thereof, and for the plainness of the Order, and for that the Rules be few and easy. And whereas heretofore there hath been great diversity in saying and singing in Churches within this Realm; some following Salisbury Use, (19.) some Hereford Use, and some the Use of Bangor, some of York, some of Lincoln ; now from henceforth all the whole Realm shall have but one Use. And forasmuch as nothing can be so plainly (19.) No wonder the use of Sarum, York, Lincoln, Hereford, Bangor, is mentioned. For the Missals and Breviaries of the Roman Church were of diverse models in several countries and several dioceses. The Tridentine Council first endeavoured to bring them all into one shape: yet that order was not obeyed till the year 1568, under Pope Pius the Fifth; yea, is not observed to this day; the Spaniards in some places keeping the Mozarabick form, the Præmonstratenses another, and sundry besides. Nay, that Church hath altered the Breviaries of Pius V : and new corrections have come forth under Clement VIII, in the year 1598: and what hath been done since, I know not. But why the use of those five churches? Perhaps that was accidental, that the diversities of them were more signal than others. Some historians mention Osmundus, the Bishop of Salisbury, and Chancellor, for the compiler of the use of Sarum, about 1070, or after; yet since we read of no use of Canterbury, Winton, Ely, perhaps those places observed the true Roman Breviaries, and the other five mentioned were discrepant dialects from the original Breviary. However, they are called uses and customs, not appointments from provincial Synods. Bp. Sparrow. Lindwood, speaking of "the use of Sarum," says, that almost the whole province of Canterbury followeth this use and adds, as one reason of it, that the Bishop of Sarum is precentor in the college of Bishops; and at those times, when the Archbishop of Canterbury solemnly performeth divine service in the presence of the college o Bishops, he ought to govern the quire by usage and ancient custom In the northern parts was generally observed, "the use of" the Archiepiscopal church of "York;" in South Wales, "the use of Hereford;" in North Wales, "the use of Bangor ;" and in other places, the use of some of the principal sees, as particularly that " of Lincoln." The rule, laid down for church music in England almost 1000 years ago, was that they should observe a plain set forth, but doubts may arise in the use and practice of the same; to appease all such diversity (if any arise) and for the resolution of all doubts, concerning the manner how to understand, do, and execute, the things contained in this Book; the parties that so doubt, or diversly take any thing, shall always resort to the Bishop of the Diocese, who by his discretion shall take order for the quieting and appeasing of the same; so that the same order be not contrary to any thing contained in this book. (20.) And if the Bishop of the Diocese be in doubt, then he may send for the resolution thereof to the Archbishop. THOUGH it be appointed, that all things shall be read and sung in the Church in the and devout melody, according to the custom of the Church. And the rule prescribed by Queen Elizabeth in her Injunctions was, that there should be a modest and distinct song, so used in all parts of the common prayer of the Church, that the same may be as plainly understood, as if it were read without singing. Of the want of which grave, serious, and intelligible way, the reformatio legum had complained before.—And whether some regulations may not now be necessary, to render church music truly useful to the ends of devotion, and to guard against indecent levities, seemeth, as Bishop Gibson says, to require some consideration. Dr. Burn. (20.) It appears from this, that in all points, where the rubrics are plain and express, the ordinary has no authority to release any minister from that obedience which he owes the Church in what she commands in her Rubrics. For, though the ordinary is allowed to interpret and determine the sense of the Rubric in all doubtful cases; yet it is with this proviso, that he shall not order or determine any thing" that is contrary to what is contained in the service book :" that is, in points that are clearly expressed, the ordinary is as much prohibited from making innovations, as the meanest parochial minister. Archdeacon Sharp. (21.) See the 24th Article, and the note there. The pretence of the Papists to lock up the Scriptures, and to have the Common Prayer of the Church in an unknown tongue, are two of the most impudent crimes of all those many which that religion abounds with.-Therefore, that a stop might be put to this unreasonable tyranny of the Church of Rome over men's souls, Archbishop Cranmer 5 English Tongue, to the end that the congregation may be thereby edified; (21.) yet it is not meant, but that when men say Morning and Evening Prayer privately, they may say the same in any language that they do understand. And all Priests and Deacons are to say daily the Morning and Evening Prayer either privately or openly, (22.) not being let by sickness or some other urgent cause. And the Curate that ministereth in every Parish, Church or Chapel, being at home, and not being otherwise reasonably hindered, shall say the same in the Parish-Church or Chapel where he ministereth, and shall cause a Bell to be tolled thereunto a convenient time before he begin, that the people may come to hear God's Word, and to pray with him. so dealt with Henry VIII, that first the Lord's Prayer, Creed, and Decalogue, should be published in English, in the year of our Lord, 1536; after this a translation of the Bible came out in 1540: the order of the Communion, in the beginning of King Edward the Sixth's reign, March 8, 1548: and the first Common Prayer Book, 1549. Dr. Nicholls. The Latin services, as they had been used in England before, continued in all King Henry the Eighth's reign without any alteration; save some rasures of collects for the Pope, and for the office of Thomas Becket, and of some other saints, whose days were by the King's Injunctions no more to be observed: but those rasures or deletions were so few, that the old mass books, breviaries, and other rituals, did still serve without new impression. Dr. Burn. (22.) By the rules of the Roman Church, even before the Reformation and the Council of Trent, the clergy were obliged to recite the "canonical hours," or the offices of the several hours of day and night, which are in the breviary, either publicly in a Church or Chapel, or privately by themselves. Wherefore our reformers chose that the ministers of the Church should be as diligent in using the English Liturgy, as the papists were the Latin: and though they thought it right that the mumbling over of the prayers in private should be laid aside, they would not exonerate the clergy from the constant repetition of the public devotions; and therefore they changed the private recital of the Morning and Evening service, which was before performed by each clergyman alone by himself, into family prayer, when a congregation could not be procured at Church. Dr. Nicholls. THE ORDER HOW THE PSALTER IS APPOINTED TO BE READ.(1 THE Psalter shall be read through once every Month, as it is there appointed, both for Morning and Evening Prayer. But in February it shall be read only to the Twentyeighth or Twenty-ninth day of the Month. And whereas, January, March, May, July, August, October, and December, have One and Thirty Days a-piece; it is ordered, that the same Psalms shall be read the last day of the said Months, which were read the day before; so that the Psalter may begin again the First day of the next Month ensuing. And whereas the CXIX Psalm is divided into XXII Portions, and is over long to be read at one time; it is so ordered, that at one time shall not be read above four or five of the said Portions. The Minister, instead of reading from the Psalter as divided for Daily Morning and Evening Prayer, may read one of the Selections set out by this Church. (2.) And, on Days of Fasting and Thanksgiving, appointed either by the Civil or by the Ecclesiastical Authority, the Minister may appoint such Psalms as he shall think fit in his discretion, unless any shall have been appointed by the Ecclesiastical Authority, in a Service set out for the Occasion; which, in that case, shall be used, and no other. (1.) The Psalter follows the divisions of the original Hebrew, which differ from those of the Latin version which was in use at the time the translation was made. And instead of the common translation in our Bible, we use that of the great English Bible, which was translated by Tyndal and Coverdale, and revised by Archbishop Cranmer. It was made in a time of less learning indeed, and perhaps with less exactness than the latter; yet it has this advantage, that by rendering the Hebrew words with greater latitude, it gives the sense of them more intelligibly. And by frequent repetition it has become so familiar, that any change, unless it were greatly for the better, would be hardly desirable. T. C. B. (2.) It has been objected to the reading of the Psalter according to the daily course, that, as the Psalms are of a miscellaneous nature, we must sometimes bring together those of a joyful and those of a melancholy import, without a due discrimination and farther that some of the Psalms are not of a character suited to the devotions of a christian congregation. The last of these objections will be noticed at large, when we come to the Commentary on the Psalter. But in reply to them both, it may now be briefly remarked, that for the prin cipal stated Fasts and Festivals of the Church, appropriate Psalms are appointed; that it is leit to the discretion of the minister to choose appropriate ones for occasional Fasts and Thanksgivings, when they shall not have been appointed by ecclesiastical authority; and that the minister may at any time use one of the Selections set out by the Church, instead of the Psalms for the day. The writer of this note has never felt the force of these objections very strongly, and accordingly has seldom resorted to the Selections except for a third service, when the Psalms for the day have already been used, and sometimes on the evenings of the thirteenth and twenty-second days of the months, when some passages in the stated Psalms are most likely to be misapplied by those who do not fully understand their import. In relation to the Selections of Psalms, the following Note is taken from Bishop White's "Memoirs of the Church." T. C. B. THE ORDER HOW THE REST OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE IS APPOINTED TO BE READ. THE Old Testament is appointed for the First Lessons at Morning and Evening Prayer; so that the most part thereof will be read "very Year once, as in the Calendar is appointed. (1.) The New Testament is appointed for the Second Lessons at Morning and Evening Prayer. And to know what Lessons shall be read every Day, look for the Day of the Month in the Calendar following and there ye shall find the Chapters that shall be read for the Lessons, both at Morning and Evening Prayer; except only the Moveable Feasts, which are not in the Calendar; and the Immoveable, where there is a Blank left in the Column of Lessons; the proper Lessons for all which Days are to be found in the Table of proper Lessons. (2.) And, on days of Fasting and Thanksgiving, the same Rule is to obtain, as in reading the Psalms. And the same discretion of choice is allowed, on occasions of Ecclesiastical Conventions, and those of charitable Collections. And note, That whensoever Proper Psalms or Lessons are appointed, then the Psalms and Lessons of ordinary course appointed in the Psalter and Calendar, if they be different, shall be omitted for that Time. Note Also, That the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, appointed for the Sunday, (3.) shall serve all the Week after, where it is not in this Book otherwise ordered. (1.) The two Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer, were formerly called "Mattins and Evensong." The word Calender is derived from Calenda, the first day of the Roman month. Our Calendar consists of seven columns. The first shews the days of the month in their numerical order: the second contains the letters of the Alphabet, affixed to the several days of every week: the four last contain the course of Lessons for Morning and Evening Prayer for ordinary days throughout the year: and the intermediate, or third column, contains the notice of those holy-days, the observance of which the revisers of our Liturgy have thought good for the Church. T. C. B. (2.) It is well known to what uncertainties the Clergy are left in the use of this "Table of proper Lessons," and in the appointment of Epistles and Gospels, when Sundays and holy-days coincide. The consequence is, that they differ in their practice, and use the service appropriate to that festival, to which in their private opinion they give the preference. Some there are who choose to intermix them, using the collects appointed to each, and preferring the first Lesson that is taken out of a canonical book, if the other first Lesson happens to be appointed in Apocrypha. Other rubrics might be specified, where the directions are defective, or not sufficiently clear and express. Upon all which it may be observed in general, that where the rubrics are defective, or capable of two senses, or of doubtful interpretation, there is no stating a minister's obligation to observe them: nor is uniformity in practice to be expected; because every minister must be allowed a liberty of judgment, and consequently of practice, in cases, not sufficiently clear, or capable of various constructions, so as he make no breach upon those rubrics that are plain and express. In this case, the clergy take differ ent ways: and they may safely and honestly do so, for there is no room to say that any of them do wrong, since there is not evidence enough, which of those ways are right. Something may perhaps be pleaded for all. But then, whatsoever is pleaded, as it is only upon the foot of private sentiments, we remain still at liberty to follow our own judgment and discretion in those points, till they, who have authority, do settle a rule for us concerning them. And if, in the meantime, any of us have real scruples upon those points, our proper recourse is to the Ordinary of the diocese for satisfaction: because his determination in all doubtful cases, as stated in the Preface, "concerning the service of the Church," is authoritative, safe, and legal; and is granted us as a supply for all the deficiencies we meet with in the letter of the rubric. Archdeacon Sharp. (3.) One day in seven seems from the very beginning to have been sanctified by God, Gen. ii. 3, and commanded to be set apart for the exercise of religious duties. All the mysteries of it perhaps are beyond our comprehension : but to be sure one design of it was, that men, by thus sanctifying the seventh day, after they had spent six in labour, might shew themselves to be worshippers of that God only, who rested the seventh day, after he had finished the heavens and the earth in six. The reasons why the Jews were commanded to observe the seventh day, or Saturday, in particular for their sabbath, were peculiar and proper to themselves: it was on this day God had delivered them from their Egyptian bondage, and overwhelmed Pharaoh and his host in the red Sea so that no day could be more properly set apart to celebrate the mercies and goodness of God, than that, on which he himself chose to confer upon them the greatest blessing they enjoyed. |