CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 University of 
 Vermont Library 
 
Cornell University Library 
 BX5145.A3 S54 
 
 Critical and practical elucidation 
 
 of th 
 
 olin 
 
 3 1924 029 446 253 
 
The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029446253 
 
CRITICAL AND PRACTICAL 
 
 ELUCIDATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 MORNING AND EVENING 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 
 
 BY JOHN SHEPHERD, M. A. 
 
 LATE OF QUEEN'S COLLEGE, OXFORD, 
 CURATE OF PADDINGTON*. 
 
 SECOND EDITION, Enlarged and Improved. 
 
 Turpe eft wire id, in quo quotidie iierfatur, ignorare. Durand. 
 
 IVe fbould be very folicitous rightly to apprehend the fenfe and fitnefs of 
 nuhat nve fay and do in God's Worjb'tp. Abp. Secker. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR F. AND C. RIVINGTON, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD, 
 
 AND 
 
 R. FAULDER, NEW BOND STREET. 
 
 t798. 
 
sx 
 
 A 3*5^ 
 
 33Z0 7 3r3 
 
RIGHT HONOURABLE AND RIGHT REVEREND 
 
 Dr. B E I L B Y P O R T E U S, 
 
 LORD BISHOP OF LONDON, 
 
 THE 
 
 SECOND EDITION 
 or a 
 
 CRITICAL AND PRACTICAL 
 
 ELUCIDATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER 
 
 or THK 
 
 CHURCH OF ENGLAND, 
 
 is 
 
 MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED 
 BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 «3F THE- ORIGIN, AND PROGRESSIVE FORMATION OF THE 
 ENGLISH LITURGY. 
 
 A HE excellence of our Liturgy, in general, and in particular* 
 that its forms- are equally removed from fuperftition and' 
 laxity, is generally confeffed. For this moderation, to which 
 it owes no fmall fhare of its praife, we are principally in- 
 debted to the Reformation : the firfb feeds of which were fown 
 by our countryman Wickliffe, in the reign of Edward III. 
 Wickliffe faw and expofed the errors and corruptions of the 
 church of Rome ; yet little was done by his followers, in 
 this country at leaft, towards a reform of abufes, till the 
 reign of Henry VIII., whofe difpute with the Roman Pon- 
 tiff, it is well known, terminated in his feparation from the 
 papal jurifdi£Kon. No fooner was the fupremacy of the 
 Pope difolaimed, than the friends of reformation, at the head, 
 of whom were Cranmer, Archbifhop of Canterbury, tfnd 
 Cromwell, the King's Secretary, began to take meafures 
 for its effiabliflirriehtr 
 
 There had been publifhed in Englifli, a fmall treatife, cpn- 
 taining inftru&ions and devotions, well adapted- to remove 
 the ignorance and fuperftition of the age '*. This little 
 volume was afterward entitled '£be King's Primer, either to. 
 
 give 
 
 *' A: great vsOi^ty of little trafts on the fub}ect of religion were 
 either' printed 1 in England, or imported from the Continent, between' 
 the years 1515 and 1532. The induftry and hazard with which they 
 were diflSminjit'ed 1 , and the avidity with which they -were read, almoft 
 exceed- belief. Among thofe that ventured their lives'-by the imports-' 
 tion of prohibited books, I (hall notice only Bayfield, who>nadr b'een'a 
 
 ' a monk 
 
II INTRODUCTION. 
 
 give it the greater fan£tion, or from its being re-publifhed by- 
 royal authority, or, what is moft probable, from the King's 
 compofing, or altering fome part of it. 
 
 At what period the Primer was firft publifhed, I have 
 "not been able to afcertain. In the lift of books difallowed by 
 royal proclamation in 1529, that is, about fix years before 
 the papal fupremacy was transferred to the King, " the 
 Primer in Englilh" is mentioned ; and I fufpe£t that it might 
 have been in circulation, about two, or perhaps nearly three 
 years. Had the Primer been publicly known in 1526, the 
 time, as far as I have difcovered, when books written againft 
 Popifh innovations were firft ordered to be fupprefled, it is 
 not likely that fo bfrenfive a book, as the Primer in Englilh, 
 would have been left unnoticed *. 
 
 In 1535, the year" in which the Pope excommunicated 
 Henry, with his adherents, and affected to deprive the monarch 
 of his crown, appeared an edition of the King's Primer in 
 quarto, with confiderable alterations and additions. In this 
 book are various tracts -f, which feem to have been written 
 by different authors, and were now probably firft collected 
 into one volume. Collier affirms, that the whole was drawn 
 
 monk of St. Edmund's Bury. In 1530, he landed two cargoes of 
 
 trafts ; one at London, and the other inEffex; and, in 1531, a third 
 
 in Norfolkj for which he was foon after burnt at Smithfield. In 1519, 
 
 Tjy one fingle proclamation, befide a variety of Englilh books, upwards 
 
 of eighty Latin treatifes were prohibited? Thefe had principally been 
 
 written by IVickliffe, Luther, Zumglius, Bucer, MelanShon, and other 
 
 divines, chiefly natives of Germany. In the proclamation they are 
 
 entitled, Libri fe8$ five faSionis Lutherianj: j Boots af the Lutheran 
 
 faclion, or feil. 
 
 . * The titles of the books prohibited in 1516, may be found in Fox, 
 
 ASs, &c. p. <)i% j and in Stryfe, Mem. Vol. I. p. 165. 
 
 f Several of, the trails now admitted into the larger Primers, have 
 
 the fame titles with thefe that were interdifled a few years before, and 
 
 I fufpeft the grafts were the fame. For inftance, the dialogue between 
 
 fathet and fin, forbidden in 1516, fanftioned by the King's Primer of 
 
 1535, and declared in 154.1 to be heretical, was, I apprehend, one and 
 
 the fame traft, 
 
 J ■ 
 
 up 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ill 
 
 up by a {ingle hand, but he refts his proof upon the evidence 
 arifing from the " admonition to the reader." This, no 
 doubt, was either written, or adopted by the editor of the, 
 volume, Dr. Marfhall. Again there appears to me intrinfic 
 proof that all the tracts were not the production of the fame 
 pen. One, for inftance, blends according to the old Romijh 
 mode, the firft commandment with the fecond, whilft ano- 
 ther makes a clear distinction between them. Strype thinks 
 the Archbifhop compofed fome of the tjacts, and revifed 
 others * ; and his opinion is probably right. 
 
 Of the contents of a book lb remarkable, and at the fame 
 time fo little known, as the Primer is, it may at leaft gratify 
 curiofity to fee a brief enumeration, or abftract. 
 
 The larger editions, after the admonition to the reader and 
 the preface, begin with an expofition of the commandments, 
 another of the creed, and a confejjion, wherein all are directed 
 to examine their lives by the rules of the commandments. . 
 Thefe are followed by two pious, and judicious tracts, en- 
 titled Directions concerning Prayer, and an Expojition of the 
 Lord's Pf-ayer ; a caution concerning the ufe of Ave Maria, or 
 the angel's falutation, with a Prayer to our Creator, — Prayers , 
 for Bijhops and Rulers, for Hufiands and Wives, &c. or an 
 office for all Jlates, — a tract on good works, — and an exhorta- 
 tion to expeiJ the crofs, and to bear it patiently. Then follow 
 mattlns, lauds, evenfong, &c. After thefe (land the feven 
 penitential pfalms, and the Litany, different copies-of which, 
 " in different editions, vary almoft as much from each pther, 
 as fome of them do from our prefent form. After the Litany , 
 js a contemplation en pfalm Li. ; a Prayer to pur Saviour ; the ' 
 hUflory of Chrifl's .paffion taken from the Gofpels, and divided 
 into ten fections ; a praEtical difcourfe on the "pajfton ; injiruc- 
 t ions for children ; a catechetical dialogue between a father 
 and fon ; prayers againjl blindnefs and hardnefs of heart : 
 feveral prayers and thankfgivings from Scripture, and the 
 
 * Mem. Vol. I. p. 217. 
 
 a 2 Dirigfi 
 
Dirige., or pffice far the .fouls, of the t , dead ? wjjji agr^cjJS. 
 prefixed,' whicft'niveighs againft the practice, qf misapplying 
 to the dead, parages ufed fey 'the Wing to excite the qom- 
 faflion of ''friends. " We have rung and fung, mumbled, 
 and murmured, and piteoufly pewled a. 'certain fort qf pfalrus, 
 which, make no more for the purpofe than Te Deum, or. 
 Gloria in excel/is. In the Dirige', there is nqthing taken out 
 of Scripture tjiat makes any more mention of fouls departed, 
 than dqth the' 'tale of Rabin Hood*" Then follow commerw 
 Jaiions, &C? In fome copies the Collects, EpiftMes and Gof- 
 pels throughout the year are added, and in others expqfitions 
 of them! In the fmaller volumes, many of the articles, 
 already enumerated are omitted. But in both the fmaller. 
 and larger editions, feveral of the trades, interfperfed among 
 the prayers,* and devotional offices, and in particular, the. 
 Preface, or Admonition to the Reader, with the Dialogue, 
 are diredtly levelled againft abuses' and fuperftitiqnsj which, 
 then prevailed f, / 
 
 ~ The publication of , the Primer then was one of the firft 
 fteps towards the reformation of doctrine and wprftup.: and, 
 the great variety of editions, through whick it; palled in a ( 
 yery few years, is a clear proof that a very unufual number 
 of copies muft have been djffeminated through the kingdom. $, 
 When we furthef. recoiled that the royal authority, which 
 at this time prohibited the reading of the Englifjj Bible, and 
 
 * Preface to the Dirige. 
 
 ■J- After the fall of Cromwell, fome of thefe treatifes were interdillect, 
 and even deemed heretical. See Bonner's Injunctions of 154.^, and 
 Strype's Mem. in 1535. ' 
 
 .j J. The Popifh party appear to have been no lefis'afUve in difperfing, 
 Primers favourably to their caufe. The King's Injunftion of May 6, 
 I.{4<1 authorifing a Primer printed, by_Graftqn s in> r the. fame year, men- 
 tions ".the ad'verfity (oppofition) of Primer books now abroad, whereof 
 are alinoft innumerable forts;" and commands " one uniform order to 
 be taught ito children, and ufed for ordinary prayers by all, that were 
 not learned in the Latin tongue." 
 
 many 
 
iNT'RO$U 1 CT l Iofc'. V 
 
 in'a'ny devotional books *, repeatedly enjoined the daily ufe 
 pf the King's Primer, either in public, or p'rivate, we may 
 reafoTiably conclude that the book was very popular, and 
 extremely beneficial to the caufe of Reformation. 
 
 In 'the year following', that is, in 1536, Articles of Reli- 
 gion were agreed upon in convocation +, and ordered by the 
 king to fee publi'flie'd. From the royal Declaration prefixed^ 
 we learn that the defign of the Articles was to prevent, 
 diverjity of opinion both in matters of faith and. worjhip, and 
 to. ejiattijh unity and concord in the church of England. By 
 the'fe articles, the Holy Scriptures, and the three Creeds, are 
 cbriftituted the ftaridard of faith and doctrine. The founda^. 
 iion of Chriftian belief, ajid the terms of the covenant oif 
 grace, are ftated, and explained. Out of the feven .Romifh. 
 Sacraments, of four no notice, whatever is.taken. ,Baptifrrii 
 Penance, and the Eucharift, are thc-orily three rnehtioned. 
 The direct worfllip of Saints and Angels, or the " honour- 
 ing theni with the honour due orily lintb God," is exprefsly 
 prohibited, yet the " praying to them to, pray for us, ^nd 
 with us," is declared to be " very laudable." Abufes con- 
 cerning images J, and the doctrine, of purgatory^ are cor- 
 rected, and the reafdn»of obferving various rites and cere- 
 monies J, is explained. But though many of the errors of 
 
 Popery 
 
 * The Proclamation iffiied in 1535, calling in feditious booh, was- 
 principally meant to fupprefs Popijh books of devotion, and fuch as 
 favoured the pretentions of the Biihop of Rome. StrypeY Mem. 
 Vol. I. p. 221. 
 
 f In the convocation held this year, the clergy likevvife drew tip a 
 petition; which was preferited to the king, praying, " that he would 
 jracioillly indulge unto his fubjefts of the laity, the reading df the 
 Bible 111 the Englifh tongue, and that' a new tranflation may be made , 
 for the p'urpofe." Heylin, Church of England jullified.' 
 
 j The article relating to Images, arid' that to Rites and" Ceremonies^ 
 are as follows. — 
 
 " OF IMACES. 
 
 " As' touching images, truth it is, that the fame hare been faid' in 
 tlie Old Tejlamenl , for the great abufes of them to have Keen" fo'me time 
 
 1 3 deitroysd 
 
VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Popery are thus corre&ed, the old notions, concerning auri- 
 cular confeilion, facerdotal abfolution, or the power of the 
 
 prieft 
 
 deitroyed and put down ; and, in the New Teftament, they have been 
 alfo allowed, as good authors do declare ; wherefore we will, that all 
 btfhops and preachers ihall irvftruft and teach our people committed by 
 us unto their fpiritual charge, how they ought and may ufe them j and 
 firft, that there may be attributed unto them, that they be reprefenters 
 -of virtue and good example ; and that they alfo be, by occafion, the 
 kindlers and ftirrers of mens' minds, and make men oft to remember 
 and lament their fins and offences ; efpecially the Images- of Chrifi and 
 our Lady; and that therefore it is meet; they fhould ftand in the churches, , 
 and none otherwife to be efteemed : and to the intent the rude people 
 mould not from henceforth take fuch fuperftition, as in time paft it is 
 thought that the fame hath ufed to do ; we will, that our bifhops and 
 preachers diligently ihall teach them, and, according to this doftrine, 
 reform their abufes, for elfe there might fortune idolatry to enfue, 
 which God forbid : and as for incenfing of them, and kneeling and 
 offering unto them, with other like worshippings ; although the fame 
 hath entered by devotion, and fallen into cuftom, yet the people ought 
 to be diligently taught, that they in no wife do it, nor think it meet 
 to be done, to the fame Images, but only to be done to God and his 
 honour : although it be done before the Images, whether it be of Chrift, 
 of the Crofs, or of our Lady, or of any other Saint befide." 
 
 " OF RITES AND CEREMONIES. 
 
 «* As concerning the Rites and Ceremonies of Chrift\ church, as to 
 have fuch veftments in doing God's fervice, as be and have been moft 
 part ufed r as fprinkjing of holy water, to put us in remembrance of 
 our baptifm, and of the blood of Chrift, fprinkled for our redemption 
 upon the crofs; giving of holy bread, to put us in remembrance of the 
 facrament of the altar ; that all chriftened men be one body myftical of 
 Chrift, as the bread is made of many grains, and yet but one loaf; 
 and tp put us in remembrance of our receiving of the holy facrament 
 and bbdy of Chrift, the which we ought to receive in right charity ; 
 which, in the beginning of CbriJTs church, men did more often receive 
 than they ufe now a days to do : bearing of candles on Candlemas-day, 
 in memory of Chrift, the fpiritual light j of whom Simeon did prophefy, 
 as is read in the church that day : giving of a/hes on AJh-WedneJday ' 
 to put in remembrance every chrittian man, in the beginning of Lent 
 and Penance, that he is but earth and allies, and thereto, fhall return 
 which is right necefl'ary to be uttered from henceforth in our mother 
 
 tongue, 
 
INTRODUCTION* VH 
 
 prieft\to abfolve, the corporal prefence, and fome other points 
 of inferior importance are retained*. 
 
 The noble author j - of the Life of Henry VIII. affitms, 
 that from fome records it would appear, that the articles 
 were devifed by Henry himfelf, and that Cromwell afterward 
 recommended them to the Convocation. But it is more 
 probable that Cranmer- was employed in drawing them up, 
 for fome of them are evidently written in Cranmer's manner. 
 To confirm pofitions laid down in the Articles, reafons are 
 given, and quotations from Scripture are occafionally added. 
 The practice of confirming, or confuting religious opinions 
 by texts of Scripture, inftead of bringing quotations from 
 fchoolmen, and popifh canons, was principally introduced, 
 into England at leaft, by Cranmer J. In his letters to Henry, 
 in his fpeedh at the opening of the Convocation under 
 Edwatd, in his difputations with the bilhop of Winchefter, 
 and on many other occafions, we find him infifting on the 
 
 tongue, always on the fame day : bearing of palms on Balm- Sunday, in 
 memory of receiving of Chrijl into Jerufalem, a little before his death, 
 that we have the fame defire to receive him in our hearts : creeping to 
 the crofs, and humbling ourfelves^to Chrijl on Geod-Friday, before the 
 crofs ; and offering there unto Chrijl before the fame, arid killing of it 
 in memory of our redemption, by Chrijl made upon the crofs : fetting 
 up of the fepulchre of Chrijl, whofe body, after his death, was buried : 
 the hallowing of the font, and other like benedictions by the minifters 
 of Cbrijl , s church ; and all other like laudable cuftoms, rites and cere» 
 monies, be not to be condemned and caft away, but to be ufed and con- 
 tinued as things good and laudable, to put us in remembrance of thofe 
 fpiritual things that they do fignify ; not fuffering them to be forgotten, 
 or to be put in oblivion '; but renewing them in our memories, from 
 time to time ; but none of thefe ceremonies hath power to remit finsj 
 but only to ftir and lift up our minds unto God, by whom only our fins 
 be forgiven." 
 
 * Of thefe Articles of Religion, copious abftrafts are given in 
 Strype's Cranmer, b. I. c. xi. Burnet, Vol. I. p. aij*- .See ajfe 
 Fuller, b. v. and Collier, Vol. II. p. jzz. 
 
 t Lord Herbert. 
 
 J Strype's Cranmer. 
 
 a 4 necefllty 
 
VIII INTRODUCTION. 
 
 neceffity of keeping dofe to the rules and do&rihes delivereJ 
 in the. Scriptures*. His feiitiments on the propriety o£ 
 affigning reafons 'for neceflary •alterations will appear .from; 
 what he fugge&sin reply to a letter from the king, relating 
 to the abolition of fonie fuper,ftitious triages. Of the letter,. 
 and .part of the reply, I fhall in the notes give an extract in 
 -$ie words of the refpe&ive writers,, after defirlng the reader 
 to remember, that they were composed A. D. 154.5 t- 
 
 Soon. 
 
 * Collier, and Archbifliop Parker's- Brit. Antiq. 
 f Heiiry writes to the Archbifliop, " Forafmuch as yovr, as well in. 
 your own name, and in the name of the bifhops of Worcester and Chi- 
 chefter, and other our chaplains and learned men, whom we appointed 
 with you to penile certain books of ferruks., which- we delivered unto 
 you-; m<jved us that the VigiL, and ringing u£ bells. all- the night long- 
 upon AU-haflpnu day at night, and the covering of imager in the.- 
 ehurches, in the time of Lent; with the lifting up of the veil that 
 covereth the croft upon Pabn-Sunday, with the kneeling to the crofs the* 
 lame time, might be aboliflied, and put away for the iuperftltion, and. 
 other enormities and abufts of the' fame. Fisft, forafmuch as all the 
 Vigils of our Lady, and the Apoftles, and alL other Vigils, whieh in ther 
 beginning of the church were godly ufed ; yet for the manifold fuper- 
 
 . ftition and abufes which afterwards did grow by means of the fame,, 
 they be many years pad taken away, throughout all Chriftendem ; and 
 there remaineth nothing but the name of Vigil in riie Calendar ; the. 
 tiling clearly aboliflied and put away, faving only upon AlLbaUow day 
 at night, upon which night is kept Vigil; watching and ringing o£ 
 bells all night long, Foralmuch as that Vigil is abuied, as other Vigils 
 were ; our pleafure is as you require, that the faid Vigil (hall be aboliflied 
 as the other be, and that there fhall be no watching or ringing but as be 
 commonly ufed upon other holy days at night. Wfc be contented and 
 |>leafed alfo, that the images- in the thurches (hall- not be covered, as- 
 hath been accuftomad in times paft, nor no veil upon the crofs, nor 
 kneeKng thereto upon Valm-Sunday, nor any other time. And foraf- 
 jnuch as you make no mention of creeping to the crofs, which is x. 
 
 ..greater abufe than any other, for there you (ay, Ctuccm Ham adoramus 
 DamiuA, and, the Ordinal '.faith, fruedant clerici ad crucem \ adorandanf 
 nudis pedibus ; and after fblloweth, in the fame Ordinal, pwatur <rux 
 ante aliquod altare, ubi a 1 ppulo adorctur : which, hy your awn bmk 
 called a necejfary doSlrine, is againft the J'econd commandnmit. There- 
 fore our pleafure is, that tlie faid creeping to the crofs (hall likewife 
 
 eeafe- 
 
INTRODUCTION. IX 
 
 Soon after the publication of the Articles, in 1636, In- 
 junftims were fet forth, which, as well as the Injunctions 
 afterward promulgated from time to time, require all- perfons 
 to adhere to the Boai of Articles : and tlve univerfal-'C')a*mour 
 raifed among the Papifts againffc thefe Articles, fews, that 
 the eftablifliment of them was apprehended to be an impor- 
 tant acquiiitiom to the caufe of the Reformation. 
 
 If in the Sook of Articles, as well as in the Primers, wft 
 fcmetimes, find Popilh errors, intermixed with the genuine 
 doctrines <of Scripture, we fhould recoiled: that thefe errors 
 were not of a nature to be corrected in a moment. Thtt 
 darknefs arifing from the united power of Stcpeijtition and 
 Ignorance^ required not only a morning, but a meridian fan 
 to dMpel it. Though Cranmer, and a few others, might 
 difcern the enormous growth of the tares among the wheat, 
 they likewife faw that the harvefl: of the reformation was 
 
 ceafe from henceforth, and be aboliflied, with other the abufefc before 
 rehearfed: and this, we will and ftraitly command you to "fignifyl to all 
 the prelates and biftiops of your province of Canterbury ; charging 
 them in our name to fee the fame executed, every one in his diocefe 
 accordingly." 
 
 To make thi» order practicable, and rightly underftood, Cranmer 
 obferved to the King ; 
 
 " Neverthelefs, in my opinion, when fuch things be altered or taken 
 away, there mould be fet forth fome doclrine therewith, which mould 
 declare the caufe of the abolifhings or alterations, for to fatisfy the 
 conferences of your people : for if the honouring of the croft, as 
 creeping and kneeling thereto, be taken away, it /hall feem to many 
 that be ignorant, that the honour of Chrift is taken away, unlefs fome 
 good teaching be fet forth withal to inftruft them fufficiently therein ; 
 .which if your Majefty command the bifhops of Woncefter and Chichffter, 
 with other your Grace's other chaplains to make, the people lhall obey 
 your Majefly's commandment willingly, giving thanks to your Majefty 
 if they know the truth, which elfe they would obey with murmurations 
 and grudgings. And it lhall be a fatisfaftion to all other nations, when 
 they fliall fee your Majefty do nothing but by the authority of God's 
 word, and to the fetting forth of God's honour, and not the diminilhing 
 thereof, &«." 
 
 not 
 
X INTRODUCTION. 
 
 not fully ripe ; the proper feafon was not yet come " fof 
 gathering the tares, and binding them in bundles to burn 
 them *." 
 
 The Injunctions publifhed in 1536, which I have al- 
 ready flightly noticed, were, as well as the Primers and 
 Articles, extremely favourable to the interefts of the re- 
 formers. Thefe Injunctions, though probably compofed by 
 Cranmer, were publifhed in the King's name by Crom- 
 well, who, fince Henry's being declared fupreme head of 
 the church, had been appointed Keeper of the Privy Seal, 
 and the King's Vicar-general, or Vicegerent, in all ecclefi- 
 aftical affairs. The Injunctions require " the clergy fre- 
 quently to publifli to the people that the power of the Bifhop 
 of Rome is ufurped ; and has no foundation either in the 
 word of God, or the law of the land. The clergy are to 
 declare the Articles lately publifhed, and to explain which 
 are articles of faith, and which relate to ceremonies and 
 ecclefiaftical polity. They are not to extol images or relics 
 for gain, but to teach the people to keep God's command- 
 ments. Inflead of recommending pilgrimages, they were to 
 inform the people that they ferved God more acceptably by 
 attending to the proper bufinefs of their refpective ftations ; 
 and that the money fpent in pilgrimages would be better em- 
 ployed in charity to the poor. — They were to exhort the 
 people to teach their children the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, 
 and the Commandments, in the vulgar tongue, and further, 
 to inftrudt them in the principles of religion. The incum- 
 bents of the greater livings were required, for every hundred 
 pounds a year they received, to give an exhibition to a poor 
 fcholar, either at a grammar-fchool, or the univerfity : and 
 all were obliged" to appropriate a fifth part of their annual 
 income, where fo large a proportion was neceflary, to the 
 repair of their parfonage, or vicarage houfes, and afterwards 
 to keep them in a decent ftate of repair. In particular, the 
 
 .» Matt, xiii. 3, 
 
 clergy 
 
INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 clergy themfelves were to be diligent in teaching the people : 
 not to frequent games and public houfes unneceffarily ; but 
 to apply to the ftudy of Holy Scripture ; to frame their lives 
 accordingly, and to be examples to others to live well *." 
 
 Thefe are the principal heads of the Injunctions, the whole 
 of which gave great offence to a corrupt clergy, and to many 
 of the laity attached to the ancient religion. The Injunction 
 laft mentioned increafed the labours of the fecular clergy, 
 and impofed thofe decent reftraints, which few of them had 
 been accuftomed to obferve. One Injunction burthened them 
 with additional expences, which however their lawful reve- 
 nues enabled them eafily to fupply,/ whilft another, by 
 abolifhing a lucrative branch of ecclefiaftical commerce, cut 
 off a very fertile fource of their opulence. The- Injunctions' 
 concerning relics, pilgrimages, and the education of young 
 perfons in the principles of Christianity, ordained that as a 
 duty, for which, as a crime, proteftants had lately been 
 puniihed with death, unlefs they purchafed a pardon by re- 
 cantation, or at leaft by lilence -f-. Hence the king, who 
 profeffed to maintain the old religion, was fufpe£ted of here- 
 tical innovation. The abolition of the fmaller monafteries 
 fiad already alienated the affections of a great part of the re- 
 gular clergy. In their outcries againft the government, they 
 
 * The preamble "(hews, that thefe injunctions were addrefled to deans, 
 parfons, 'vicars, &c. Cromwell, as vicegerent, was invelted by dele- 
 gation with the King's whole power^ in ecclefiaitical affairs, and of 
 courfe with authority over the bifliops. Yet, probably out of refpect 
 for their order, he here exercifes no aft of vicegerency over them. 
 
 -f- Bur. P. i. h. iii. p. 2j6. Perhaps the punifhment inflifted on 
 the Lollards was not entirely in conlequence of the practices and opi- 
 nions here enumerated. Some of them maintained, that allegiance and 
 obedience might and ought to be withdrawn from the king, or fupreme 
 magistrate, under circumftances, which it is not necefTary to particula- 
 rize. It is enough to fay, that fome of the Lollards appear to have 
 fupported portions, which no civil government whatever, regardful of 
 its own fafety, can allow to be propagated with impunity. Lollards, 
 Wickliffites, Hujjites, Bohemian Brethren, &c, are title?, by which 
 proteftants were generally meant. 
 i were 
 
tfll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 were fiow joined by a numerous body of the feculkr 'clergy, 
 or parochial prtefts : and both parties, who were ready 
 enough to admit Henry's {upreiftatff, when it was 'eXercifecf 
 in their own favour, complained "that the Irijim&'ions we're 
 not fah&ioned hy the Convocation 5 for It is, ftidedd, worthy 
 of obfervation, that the promulgating of theft Injunctions, 
 was the firft a& of pure fupreVnacy, which 'the king haJ 
 exertifed. The fuperior abbots, likewife, from 'the fate of 
 the frrialler mori'afteries, forefeeing that their own eftablifh- 
 merlts and immunities might hereafter be invaded, fbunded 
 the alarm, though Ms openly, and the credulous multitude 
 were led to believe, that " it was better 1 to live under the 
 Turk than the King's Vicegerent." In mort, the King's 
 Injunctions *, and Cromwell's- activity in promoting the 
 fefchnatiorij and' fuppremhg the rhonafteri'es, gave rife this 
 year td three rebellions, all of which were principally fomented 
 By the clergy attached to the ancient fuperftkion. In the' 
 firft, . a ' Pribr df Barkings in Lincblnftiire, ditguifed as a 
 cobler f , arid conducted 'by a 1 monk, contrived' to raife a 
 tumultuary army of 20,060 then f. 
 
 In the Convocation held this fear, a vote was pafled, 
 through the influence of Cranmer, Latimer, arid fbme other 
 bifhops who were flip'pbfed to deliver the fentiments of the 
 King, for publiihing a new tranflation of the Scriptures. This 
 Was thought an ihip&rtant victory gained by the reformers. 
 
 The next year, 1537 §, the Archbifhop, with Latimer, 
 and the commifJioners, compiled another ihort treatife, which 
 
 * The fecular priefts, according to Hume, found themfelves reduced, 
 by the Injunctions, to 0. grievous fcrvitude. By what article of the 
 Injunctions were they fo reduced ? 
 
 t His real name was Dr. Mackerel : the title of Captain Cobler was 
 aflumed on the occafion. 
 
 % Fuller, Burnet, Collier, Strype, Heylln, Hume. 
 
 f This is the date generally atcribed to the inflifiitkn. Collier 
 however, who cites no authority, fays it was fubUJbed this year, bat 
 was draw« up three years before, aAd in convocation. In thefe two laft 
 alTertkms, he is probably taiftaien. 
 
 9 was 
 
INTI^BUGXIiOljri. XIII 
 
 w^s afterwards rey^we^ bj, the. Kjng.^j a,r)d ratjg^d by gar- 
 liamentv, . This w^as, the cqlgbrgffd. " Bifhop'^Book f," or 
 <" the godly and p,iQu,s. inf^itufion of a, Chriftjan man." Itr 
 wa?. deligned-asa rqle of- religions belief and . morals ; a? a 
 guide both to the clergy arid peopje. It., contained; an, expo- 
 fition of. the Creed^ the .feyenfiacramenti, the ten. GmtficpuU. 
 mints-, the, Lord's Prayer^ the,. Ay? Afaripj with a difco\irfeaih 
 "Jujiijufi^ian, a^d another :qjj Purgatory-' • Thefe fubje£ks arej : 
 treated at very cpnfiderable, lerigth, and in a mode extremely 
 different from what had been u(ed un,der the ancient fuperftir ; 
 tion. In particular, the expofition of the Lord's Prayer, is; 
 excellent, in itfelf, and unexceptionable in point of dodfcine. 
 The. fame may be faid in general of- tli£ expofition of the> 
 Creed, or^ eypry article of which there is a copious p^raphrafe, 
 with praflucal inferences fubjoined.. Bilhgp Burnet, fpeaking 
 of thi$ explanation of the Creed, declares ** v he. mull ac- 
 knowledge, tha$ after all r the,- -pj apical, bppks, which in. his : , 
 day, had been written, he i fcun4 '.greaj: edification in/readingr 
 that ( oyer an§ over again." What the bifhpp, has .further 
 remarked of the ftyle. of. the -expedition, of the Creed» is, in, 
 general true of all (he other tradi-s of the.infliitutionj "> it is 
 ftrong, nervous, and well fitted for the weakeft capacities J." . i 
 
 .,M^,, ■ '■ .•.:'.• ■«'! ' ^-. 
 
 * Ifenry, at .his; l^jiiire, correfted.awlaugroented.it; and fubmitted 
 his, animjidverGons tq Cranijie^'? ; j^dS™^-" The Archljijhpp^ made, 
 annotations on fuch of the royal corrections as he.thqught irhprpper, 
 efpecially where the King's alterations were favourable to the old cor- 
 ruptions. In his letter to Cromwell, which accompanied his remarks, 
 he fays, "- I truft the King's Highnefs will pardon my prefumption 
 that. I .have been fo fcrupulous, making a great matter of -every little 
 fault, or rather where ,$here is no fault at all. Which. I do.thatbecaufe . 
 the tjopk will ; be Jet, fqrfh.b^ his Grace's judgment, I would, have no- 
 thing- therein th^t Momus could reprehend. In divers, t places I have, 
 made'anhotations, which places ^leverthelefs I dislike , not." Strype's 
 Cran. 
 
 •J- The commiflioners who compofed it were principally Bijhops. 
 
 f r '.■ I ' "'* T ill,-- ■- I 
 
 % Vol, I. p. 488. 
 
 A* 
 
XIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 As 'copies of the inftitution are extremely rare, I fhall 
 prefent the reader with an abftra£t of a few of fuch parts, as 
 appear the moft Angular and chara&eriftic. 
 
 The expofition of the Creed maintains ChrifPs local de- 
 fcent into Hell : and by Hell is meant not the Hebrew Sheol, 
 the Greek Hades, or the Latin In/eri, but the place of the 
 damned. By this defcent, in his ftate . of feparation, he 
 triumphed over the kingdom of Darknefs, refcued thofe that 
 died in the favour of God, and in the expe&ation of the 
 promifed Mefliah, and thus reverfed the fentence of condem* 
 nation pronounced on Adam. 
 
 Under the article, Holy Catholic Church, the church of 
 Rome is declared to be only a part of the Catholic Church, 
 and its bilhop, to have no jurifdiction in the churches of 
 England, France, Spain, or of any other foreign realm. 
 The Catholic Church is defcribed, as a body comprehending 
 all aflemblies of men over the whole world, who receive the 
 faith of Chrift, hold unity of love, and rightly ufe the Sa*cra- 
 ments *. To the Catholic Church are confined remiflion of 
 fins, and eternal falvation. Againft Heretics, and Infidels 
 of every age, and under every circumftance, a fevere fentence 
 is pronounced. 
 
 After the Creed, each of the /even Sacraments is explained. 
 Among thefe a diftindlion is made. To Baptifm, the Eucha- 
 rift, and Penance, a preference is given on account of their 
 being inftituted by Chrift, and made neceflary to falvation. 
 i The ten Commandments are divided, as they now remain in 
 our catechifm, and office of communion, into four of the 
 firft, and fix of the fecond table. In the expofition of the 
 fecond Commandment, bowing to images is forbidden. 
 
 Ave Maria is pronounced not to be a prayer, for there is 
 no fupplication m it, but it is fubjoined to the Lord's Prayer 
 in the nature of a hymn. 
 
 Jujiificstion is declared to be granted through the merits 
 of our' Saviour, and no good works performed by us can pro- 
 
 * See our xxth article. 
 
 4 cure 
 
INTRODUCTION. XV 
 
 cure God's favour. Still Juftification depends upon condi- 
 ditions that we are to perform, fuch as truft in God, and 
 obedience to the commands of Chrift. 
 
 The article on Purgatory maintains the antiquity of pray- 
 ing for the dead, but protefts againft the efficacy of papal 
 pardons, &c. in delivering fouls from penal fuffering. 
 
 In the fame year, (1537) to Cfanmer's inexpreffiblefatis- 
 fadtion/*, appeared a new edition of a tranflation of the Holy 
 Bible into Englifli. A copy of it was prefented to the King, 
 by Cromwell, at the requeft of the Archbifhop, and royal 
 injunftions were iflued, commanding " all incumbents to 
 provide one of thefe Bibles, and to fet it up publicly in the * 
 church, and to encourage all perfons to read it, as being the- 
 true lively word of God, what every Chriftian ought to be- 
 lieve, embrace and follow, if he expected to be faved." 
 
 Thefe Injunctions likewife required the parfon, on every 
 Sunday and holiday, to repeat out of the Lord's Prayer, or 
 Creed, a fentence in Englijh, till the people had learnt the 
 whole by heart. On thefe heads, the clergy were to examine 
 the people, at confeflion, in Lent; and according to their 
 proficiency, to admit them, or refufe to admit them, to the 
 facrament at Eafter. The people were directed not to knoll 
 Aves after the fervice, as they had been accuftomed to do, on 
 the fuppofition that repeating Aves' obtained pardon, and ab- 
 folution from the Pope. In procejjions, it had been cuftomary 
 to fay, Ora pro nobis, that is, pray for us, to fuch a multi- 
 tude of faints, that the people had no time to addrefs the 
 
 * The tidings of the licenfing of it," he faid, " did him more good; 
 than the gift of 10,000 pounds. This book was printed with marginal 
 notes, and explanations that gave great offence to the popifli party. 
 From one of thefe notes, on the words, What new doBrine is this? 
 (Mark 1. 17.) we may afcertain the year in which this part of the 
 volume was prepared for the prefs. The note is, " that what was 
 then new, after xv. c. xxxvi years, is yet new. When will it then 
 be old?" The note was intended to counteract , the reproach caft upon 
 the reformed religion, which the Papifts called, the ne-iu uffiart religion, 
 the new-fangled dottrine, the new learning, &c. , 
 
 Almighty 
 
#V1 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Almighty, ajid fay, PctrcentH^Di/mine', £iktra<nos, Dominei 
 that is, Spare us, Lordi, Lord deiiiier us. They were now 
 taught that it was better, to : omit the a&UeiTcs to the faints,. 
 and to repeat the fupplicstiws. made, to God. 
 
 Of the Bible abovemeittioned> no more than fifteen hun- 
 dred copies* were printed;, the Injunctions to read it, and 
 fet it up, in churches, could not therefore be univerfadly 
 obeyed. To fupply the deficiency, a proclamation was ifiued 
 in May, 1541, immediately after the publication of the 
 £ng}ifh BjbJ#,.to.whifih Cranmer prefixed a,- preface,, com- 
 manding all .curates and parifhioners, who, were not furnifhed 
 with the firft authq>ri&d> edition,. 4t to. provide themfelves, 
 before All-hallow tide next- following^' and to caufe the 
 book to be conveniently ptaeed in>tbteLr refpe#:ive church**. 
 All brfb'ops. aad ordinaries wece'ftridUy' required to fee that 
 the commando was put in execution, 
 
 Xhe proclamation was accompanied with inftru&ions- to 
 the clergy^ whichstheywere ordered, to .puMifh in their, feveral 
 churches. The> purport of the itifku^tions was " to aflure 
 the people of the King's goad, affection for them, in fufferingj 
 them to. have the benefit of fo- heavenly a treafure ; and, to. 
 dteecf. them, to read, the boqfecto their greater comfort, th* 
 
 * Thfcfe 1 500 .copies, Grafton prjnted.at.the.expence of £.500. He 
 fhon^had occafion to appjy to Croytiuell for the.-fuppreffion, of a iurrep- 
 tifjous .editipn, by fome Dutchmen, in a.fmaller type, " which elfe," 
 he.faid, " would tend to his ujldo'irig." The letter of Grafton to 
 Cromwell \s a cufiofity ; and were not the-coft' of paper, and printing,' 
 increafed in a rat jo of which poor Grafton had no. conception, I mould 
 here amufe the reader by presenting him with a copy of it* Still' it 
 Ihould be remembered, that £.500^ tiiou-xh embarked on fuch a bottom, 
 by. a King's printer, who was patronized %y- the Vicegerent, and thw 
 Archbifliopj was a confiderable tarn, when royal munificence granted 
 to -Aftham a penfion of £.10 a year. Mr.- Hume would reduce this 
 number two thirds. He affirms that' but' '500 were printed— ch. 33. 
 A: D. 154.2. He likewifc confounds the Bible, publiihed in 1537, 
 iWth Cranmer's, which appeared in 154.1.- His account of ths dates 
 and contents of the inftitutiim; and- erudition-, is ecjually ineorreil, and 
 malevolent. 
 
 reforma- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XVII 
 
 reformation of their lives, and the peace and quiet of the 
 church *." 
 
 But in the enfuing year, thefe conceflions were entirely 
 revoked. Henry affecled to have difcovered, that " the 
 reading of the Old and New Teftaments tended to feduce 
 the people, and to raife fedition." It was therefore enacted 
 by parliament f, on whom the King contrived to throw the 
 odium of a proceeding fo contrary to his late Injunclions-, 
 Proclamation, and InJlruElions, " that Tyndal's translation 
 fhould be abolifhed, and others be purged, by cutting or 
 blotting out all preambles, and annotations ; that the Bible 
 ftiould not be read openly in any church, but by the leave 
 of the King, nor privately by any women, apprentices, 
 artificers," &c. ; ' 
 
 After Cromwell's influence with the King began to decline, 
 was pafFed the act of the fix articles. Henry, in a procla- 
 mation ifllied in the beginning of May, 1539, gave to the 
 protectants no obfcure intimation of what he meant this a£t 
 to effect:. It ftated, that " his Majefty, like a godlike and 
 catholic prince, knowing and confidering his kingly office 
 ■and charge, had refolved to reduce his people to uniformity 
 in religion, and to extinguifh all diverfities of opinion, by 
 terrible laws to be made by his parliament." At the intro- 
 duction of the bill, the Lord Chancellor informed the peers, 
 that the King himfelf, with the lords fpiritiial, had paid 
 great attention to the drawing up of thefe articles. Crom- 
 well, lord privy feal, did not rife to fpeak, knowing that 
 
 * Heylin's church of England juftified. 
 
 1" 34-> 35) Henry AJIII. c. 1. This a£r, dees not appear to have been 
 fo implicitly obeyed as Henry expeSed. A fpirit of free inquiry in 
 matters of" religion had arifen among our proteftant forefathers. The 
 King, therefore, about three or four years after, in order to give energy 
 to a penal ftatute, followed it up with a royal proclamation. Henry's 
 Parliament'had at this time refigned its civil, as we'll -as its religious 
 liberties, to the Monarch, and by a pofitive r ftafute, had given to a 
 joyaJ proclamation, the force of a law. 
 
 b the 
 
XVin iftTKODtrC'TION'. 
 
 the King was determined that the bill fhould pafs. Cran> 
 mer, however, combated ks- principles througfrevery ftage. 
 Of the arguments,, which he employed, we have no record - y 
 but from Henry's defiring afterward to be favoured with a 
 eopy of their outline, we may conjecture that they were 
 worthy of the well-earned- reputation of the Archbifhop. 
 The bill in fliort met with fuch vigorous" opposition, that it 
 muft inevitably have been thrown out,, had not Henry him- 
 &lf entered the houfe, and peremptorily commanded the 
 lords to pafs it. At the third reading, the Archbifhop was- 
 iequefted by the King to retire, but he did not leave the 
 aflembly till he had given his vote againfl the bill's paffing 
 into a law. 
 
 Henry knew the integrity of Cranmer, and was too gene- 
 rous to be difpleafed with him for oppofing a meafure, which, 
 though not defenfible in itfelf, was thought neceflary for 
 political purpofes. After the act was pafled, the King fent 
 for him- to confole him under this mortification, and to allure 
 him of his favour. He likewife directed Cromwell, with 
 the dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, to dine with the Arch- 
 bifhop at Lambeth, and to acquaint him with the high regard 
 the King had for him. At this dinner an unfortunate, and, 
 as I conceive, an unpremeditated quarrel took place between 
 the Lord Cromwell and the Duke of Norfolk. Though it 
 was fuppreffed at the time by the interference of the Arch- 
 bifhop, it continued to rankle in the breaft of Norfolk, whofe 
 vengeance feems to have been appeafed only by the deftruc- 
 tion of his adverfary *. 
 
 The 
 
 * Thif quarrel furniAies an additional reafon for the future enmity 
 of the Duke of Norfolk towards Cromwell. In the convention at 
 cable, a comparifon was made between the principles and manners of 
 Cranmer and Woolfeyj with a view to compliment the Archbifhop ar 
 the expence of the Cardinal ; in the courfe of which, Norfolk among 
 other opprobrious accufations, taxed Cromwell with having confented, 
 in cafe Woolfey mould obtain the pontifical chair, to become his 
 Admiral. This eliarge Cromwell not only denied, but retorted, de- 
 > staring. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XIJC 
 
 The A& of the Six Articles, Proteftant writers have en- 
 titled the bloody Bill, and the whip with fix thongs. It 
 obliged the Archbifhop to difmifs his wife * 4 who was fent 
 to her friends in Germany; It compelled honeft Latimer to 
 refign his bifhopric, which he exchanged for a prifon. The 
 penalty for denying the firji of the fix articles, the corporal 
 prefence in the Eucharift, was death by fire, with the for- 
 feiture of all real and perfonal eftates. Whoever wrote t 
 preached, or fpoke againft it, was to be burnt without the 
 privilege of abjuration. Such a feverity had. not hitherto 
 been exercifed in England, and a proceeding fo fanguinary 
 has rarely difgraced the Inquifition. Rigerous as this adfc 
 was, it ftill afforded one confolation to the reformers. Their 
 lives and property were not left at the mercy of the clergy j 
 and of the ecclefiaftical courts. Their trial, as Burnet f 
 has remarked, was by a jury J, where they might expect more 
 candid and liberal treatment. 
 
 And, indeed, while Cromwell lived, though he was un- 
 able to preferve all, yet few periftied by this law. But after 
 
 daring, that as feeretary to Woolfey, he knew that Norfolk had agreed 
 to accept thia office, and fpecifying the preeife fum which he had ftipu- 
 lated to receive as the terms of his acceptance of it. And it feems. 
 probable that Norfolk was awarerthat this difhonourable engagement 
 could be effectually concealed only by Cromwell's death, (Parker's 
 Antiq. Brit. Fox, Burnet, &c.) 
 
 * She was the niece of Oiiander, a celebrated proteftant divine of 
 Nuremberg, with whom Cranmer became acquainted while he was em>. 
 ployed on the embafly to the Emperor on the fubjeft of Henry's firft 
 divorce. During his attendance on the Emperor's court, Cranmer had 
 an opportunity of fatisfying many of .the council and learned Germans, 
 of the illegality of the marriage. It was probably at his inftigation, 
 that Ofiander wrote a tieatife on inceftuous Marriages, the object of 
 which was to prove Henry's marriage with Catharine unlawful. 
 
 ■f- Book I. part III. page 260. 
 
 % That is, by commiffloners nominated by the King, of whom the 
 Archbifhop or Bilhop of the diocefe was to be one, 
 
 k 2 H 
 
XX INTRODUCTION. 4 
 
 he was pdt to death *, and Gardiner and Norfolk were in- 
 veiled with the direction of the King's councils, a furious 
 perfecution was carried on againft the Proteftants under this 
 a£t, and the land was defiled with their blood \, But " the 
 blood of the martyrs is the feed of the church •" and it is 
 the obfervation of the firft Englifh infidel of notoriety %, that 
 
 " the 
 
 * He was arretted at the council-board by Norfolk, in June, 1540, 
 on an accufation of high treafon ; and the houfe of peers thought proper, 
 without trial, examination or evidence, to condemn to death, the man, 
 whom a few days before they had declared worthy to be Vicar-general 
 of the univerfe. That Cromwell was a heretic, (i.e. a proteftant) had 
 protected heretics from punilhment, written to fheriffs to fet them at 
 liberty, checked informers, favoured the new preachers, and procured 
 many heretical books to be tranflated into Englifh, were the principal 
 of the crimes enumerated in the aft of attainder, of which his enemies 
 could prove him guilty. The ftoiy about his treafonable nvords, and 
 the dagger, is ridiculous } and were it true, Cromwell was entitled to 
 a fituation, not in the Tower, but in the hofpital of St. Mary of 
 Eethlem, which was purchased about this period, for the reception of 
 lunatics. From the well known capricioufnefs of Henry, Cromwell 
 was prepared for a diminution of the royal favour ; but the plot of 
 Gardiner and Norfolk was conducted with fuch fecrecy, that the temped 
 by which he was overwhelmed, burft unexpectedly upon him. 
 
 After his arreft, Cromwell was forfaken by all his friends, except 
 Cranmer, who had the honefty and boldnefs to reprefent to the King, 
 the innocence and fidelity of a fallen favourite. Cromwell was executed 
 in July, 154-0, and Henry is faid to have expreffed remorfe for this aft 
 of flagrant injuftice. (Hume, Burnet, Collier, Herbert, &c.) The 
 following are the words of Parker, the fecond proteftant Archbifhop 
 of Canterbury. Cromwellus pontificioram odiis capitis aecufatus, fine ' 
 fui defenfione primus przter exemplum condemnatus eft. Quo non fuit 
 ant religione erga Deum, ant fidelitate in Regem, aut pruttentia in 
 Rempublicam, aut in bene meritos gratitudine, aut in omnes pretate, 
 charitate, ac benevolentia majore tunc in Anglia qulfqnam. (Antiq. 
 Brit. p. 334. Ed. Han. 1605.) 
 
 f The horrid maflacre committed from day to day under this aft, 
 was more particularly confined within the precin&s of the diocefe of 
 London, of which fee, Bonner, or as he is frequently called, the blood) 
 Butcher, was then Bilhop. 
 
 % Lord Herbert, of Cherbury, author of the Life of Henry VIII., 
 aljd of a work entitled, De njeriUUe, &c. The objea of the latter was 
 
 M- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXI 
 
 M the perfecution of the Protectants did but advance their 
 religion ; and it was thought that they had fome afliftance 
 from above, it being impoflible otherwife that they fliould fo 
 rejoice in the midft of their torments, and triumph over the 
 tnoft cruel death." 
 
 In 1543, about fix years after its firft publication, the 
 Bijhop's Book, or the Injiitution of a Chrijiian Man, under- 
 went a review, by a Committee of Divines appointed by the 
 King. At this review, feveral alterations, and many con- 
 fiderable additions were made. The book, thus reformed 
 and enlarged, was approved of by a majority in both houfes 
 of ^parliament, and publiflied by the King's authority, under 
 the title of A necejfary DoSirine and Erudition for any Chrif- 
 tian Man. Of the Injiitution, I have already given an ab- 
 ftrait. The account of the Erudition, I fhall confine prin- 
 cipally to thofe points in which it differs from the Jnjiitution. 
 
 To the Erudition are prefixed two prefaces ; one by the 
 Csmpilers, and another by the King. The former fets forth 
 the care with which tne Commiffioners had examined the 
 Holy Scriptures, and the writings of the ancient Doctors, from 
 which, it fays, they had collected the prefent Expofition of 
 Chriftian faith. His Majefty ftates, that fince he had allowed 
 the publication of the Scriptures in Englifli, fome, by wreft- 
 ing the holy text, had occasioned difputes and diverfity of 
 opinions : that therefore feveral ranks were prohibited by the . 
 legiflature from reading the Bible : and that to recover the 
 people to orthodoxy and unity, he had fet forth this fummary 
 r of religion. The preface then proceeds to the fubjedt of the 
 Erudition, enumerates the articles it contains, and aljigns 
 reafons for the mode of their arrangement, 
 
 to (hew the fufficiency pf natural religipn, and to difcredit all revela- 
 tion. Yet the author folemnly tells us, that the book was publiflied 
 in confequence of his receiving a fomething, which he took for an extra- 
 ordinary revelation, and for the truth of which, however improbable^ 
 we have only his own unfupported affeition. 
 
 b x The 
 
XXlI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The Erudition begins with the article of Faith, it being; 
 thought proper that the exposition of Chriftian belief fhoukj 
 be preceded by a declaration of the meaning of faith in 
 general. That is declared to be faving faith, which is pro-; 
 fefled by Chriftians at baptifm, (viz.) " fuch a belief, as 
 begets fubmiffion to the will of God, and hath Hope, Love, 
 and Obedience to God's commandments joined to it. This 
 was Abraham's faith. — We may not think that we are jujlified 
 by Faith, as it is a, virtue feparate from Hope, Charity, Fear 
 of God, and Repentance. It (faith that juftifies) contains 
 obedience to the whole doctrine and religion of Chrift." — 
 To prevent too much reliance on bare belief, or confident 
 perfuafion, and to preferve men from the extremes of pre- 
 sumption, and defpair, the authors declare, that " for the 
 definition of faith which feme propofed, as if it was a cer- 
 tainty that one was predejlinated, they found nothing of 
 this in either the Scriptures or Dodcors, and they thought it 
 could not be known." It is added, " though God never 
 foils in his promifes to men, yet fuch is the frailty of men, 
 that they often fail in their promifes to G°d, and thus forfeit 
 their right to the promifes, which are all made on conditions 
 that depend on us *." 
 
 Befide the treatife on Faith, we find in the Erudition two 
 other diftind: difcourfes, on free will, and good works. In 
 the InJHtuthn, none of thefe three fubje&s is exprefsly treated 
 o£ nor indeed mentioned, except incidentally; we mufr, 
 therefore, in thefe articles, confider the Erudition as a fupple, 
 rnent to the Injlitution. 
 
 In the expofition of the Creed, under the article of 
 ChriJTs defcent into Hell, the defign of his going thither is 
 handled more briefly, and in more general terms : yet in 
 both books the word is ufed to fignify the place t>f torment. 
 
 » This treatife on Faith wa* compofed by Dr. Redman, one of the 
 compilers of our Englifh Liturgy, and one of the moft learned and 
 judicious divines of the age. 
 
 In 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXIII 
 
 In the article of our Saviour's Jitting at the fight hand of the 
 Father, both books mention his interceflion, but the latter adds 
 a caution, that though the interceflion of faints, and of the 
 church militant, may be ferviceable, yet this' is only by virtue 
 of the mediation of Chrift. — Under the head Cathdic Church, 
 the Erudition refines upon the former volume. In conftifutes 
 kings, heads of particular churches, and gives them fuper- 
 intendance in the appointment of bifhops, — On Communion 
 of Saints, the Erudition is lefs full and explicit againft the 
 Pope's power to difpenfe the treasures of the church, thaii 
 the Injlitution is, which likewife, on the lafl: article of the 
 Creed, declares good men made happy, not fo much for 
 their own good works, as through the mercy of God, and 
 the atonement of Chrilt. On this the Erudition is here 
 filent. 
 
 t 
 
 Under the article Sacrament of the Altar, the Erudition 
 evidently maintains tranjubjlantiation, Which the Injiiiuiibn 
 did nott But the A& of the fix Articles had been paffed, 
 and Cromwell was executed. If Cranmer was not no\iv 
 compelled to bend to the law, if he now ventured to fpeak 
 either againft trarifiibftantiation, or the fufficiency of receiving 
 only in one kind, he was out-voted. 
 
 Under the fifth commandment, in both books fufficient 
 ftrefs is laid upon the duty of unlimited pajftve obedience in 
 the fubjecT:, in all cafes, without exception. 
 
 Between the two books, I fhall notice in particular only 
 one more difference. The latter does not give to Baptifm, 
 the Eucharift, and Penance, the decided preference, which-., 
 had been given by the former ; and it may be obferved, in 
 general, that the Erudition inclines , to the doctrine of the 
 fix Articles, and, on contro vernal points, occafionally favours 
 the Romanifts, more than the Injlitution had done *. 
 
 Towards 
 
 * I long wondered at Strype's faying, (Mem. VoJ. I. page 381) that 
 the Erudition was fo changed, that it may feem to be another book, 
 lather than a new edition of the Injlitution ; but it is evident that he 
 
 b 4 miltook 
 
XXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Towards the clofe of this, reign, fome lnjunttionsy which 
 appear not unfavourable to the principles of the reforrria-. 
 tion, were publiflied ; fuch are the orders about; putting down 
 images, &c. and more efpecially we may notice the direc- 
 tion, which invefts the officiating minifter with a difcretionary 
 power of omitting the mention of the faints in the public 
 fervice. The feverities of the AcT; of the fix Articles were 
 alfo foftened by moderation in its execution. The Englifb. 
 Bible was again Jet up in churches, and, on Sundays, and 
 holidays, the Curate was directed to read to the people a 
 chapter of the New Teftament. In 1544, about the time 
 of the King's expedition againft Boulogne, Cranmer drew up 
 a Litany in the Englifh tongue. , This Litany, or procejjion, 
 as it was then termed, was appointed to be fung in the choir, 
 on every fourth, and fixth day in the week, that the people 
 might " in becoming harmony, and with one voice, holily, 
 ajid pioufly, not only with their lips, but with purity of 
 heart^ adore the Almighty God of Hofts, the foje giver of 
 all victory *." Prayers, and fuffrages in Englijh, on account. 
 of immoderate rains, and on other occafions, were like wife 
 ordered to be read throughout all the churches, more fre- 
 quently than had formerly been done. In promoting this 
 practice, Cranmer is fuppofed to have had the principal merit. 
 About this period, Gardiner had the afcendency at court, and 
 the Popifh party carried all before it. Still the Archbiihop 
 hoped that the people, by underftanding only a fmall part of 
 their prayers, might in time be defirous to have the whole, 
 fervice rendered intelligible. 
 
 mjftook the Articles of 1536, mentioned in the fifth page of this In- 
 troduftion, for the Inftitution. The Inftitution he fancied was printed 
 in the Addenda to Burnet's firft volume, page. 305. But that is a copy 
 of the Articles, given by Fuller, book v. page 213. and by Collier, 
 Vol. 11. page iaz. The Articles of 1536, and the Inftitution of 1537, 
 are indeed very different books : as different, as two didaftic treatifes 
 on fimilar fubje&s, by the fame perfons, can be fuppofed to be. 
 
 • Archbiihop Cranmer's Letter to the Bifhops, and the Order of the 
 Council, 
 
 Thefe, 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXV 
 
 Thefe are the principal advantages,, fo far at leaft as the 
 I/iturgy and public worfhip are concerned, that Cranmer, 
 Cromwell, and the friends of reformation, were enabled to 
 gain in the time of Henry : and it muft be acknowledged, 
 that they appear inconfiderable, and almoft contemptible, 
 when compared with the great work that was accomplifhed 
 in the fliort reign of his fucceffpr. But Cranmer had to 
 contend with one of the ftrongeft popular prejudices, and 
 was fupported by only a fmall number of adherents. They 
 were indeed honeft, and confcientious ; and feveral of them 
 were learned ; yet amidft the weaknefs and imprudence of 
 the greater part, a few only are known to have rendered any 
 ejfentia! fervice to the caufe in which they had engaged. 
 When to the imbecility of Cranmer's inftruments, we fee- 
 oppofed the addrefs and influence of Gardiner, the treachery 
 of Bonner, the defertion of others, the rancour'too common 
 both to the leaders and followers of the popifh party, toge- 
 ther with the notorious proftitution of the courtiers in 
 general, we may form fome conception, how arduous muft 
 have been the poft, held by the Archbifhop, from the fall of 
 Cromwell to the death of Henry. The. conduct of this 
 violent and capricious. monarch, and the fervile oblecjuiouf- 
 nefs of his parliaments, fhew, that by virtue of his new 
 title, fupreme head of the church, he was fuppofed to poflefs, 
 or at leaft permitted to exercife, the fame enormous powers, 
 that had been formerly ufurped by the Roman Pontiffs. 
 Though, principally for political purpofes, he renounced the 
 jurifdi&ion of the fee of Rome, he remained attached to the 
 greater part of its worft errors * ; and, to the contemplative 
 mind, it muft ever afford matter of furprife, that in this 
 reign, fo much, rather than fo little, was effected in favoui! 
 of the reformation, 
 
 f He feverely perfecuted thofe who diflented from it: and died, 
 though excommunicate, in that faith and doctrine, which he had, as it 
 were fucked in with his mother's milk, and of which he fhewed himielf 
 Co ftrenuous a champion againft Luther. (See Pref. to Heylin's 
 Reform.) 
 
 % On 
 
XXVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 On the acceilion of Edward VI. a more favourable pro- 
 (pe& was opened to the reformers. The young monarch 
 having been educated in the principles of proteftantifm, and 
 few members of the regency retaining much attachment to 
 the interefts of popery, there no longer exifted in govern- 
 ment any material obftacle to the progrefs of the reformation; 
 and meafures as active and vigorous, as circumftances would 
 *dmit, Were accordingly purfued for its eftablifhment ». 
 
 In 
 
 * Somerfet, Lord Protector, and many of the courtiers ; as well as 
 Cranmer, a few of the biihops, and other proteftants, were induftrious 
 in promoting the reformation, but from motives totally different from 
 theirs. The object of Cranmer was to rectify abufes in the public 
 worfhip ; that of the .courtiers, to enrich themfelves with the fpoils of 
 the church. The members of parliament, who differed in their reli- 
 gious Sentiments, agreed in the principle " of (Inking in with the 
 juncture, and taking care of themfelves." Some of the members of the 
 Houfe of Commons, who had fupported the doctrines of the late reign, 
 and were ftill cordially affected to them, became apprehehfive that the 
 sear approximation of thefe doctrines to thofe of the Romifli church, 
 might eventually terminate in an union with the Pope : and fuch a 
 coalition they forefaw might endanger their quiet poffeffion of the 
 » goodly patrimony" lately pillaged from the church. Others, who 
 wifijed to improve, or repair their fortunes, would naturally vote for 
 any reform, likely to he fubfervient to their own views. The aits of 
 Edwards parliament concerning religion, wear a ftrange and motley 
 aspect. In fome inftanees it is but too evident, that the fpoliation of 
 ecclefiaftical eftates, and the enrichment of particular families, were, 
 both by the regency and parliament, more attended to, than either 
 «' the good of thrift's church, or the glory of God." However feli- 
 citous Cranmer might be to correa abufes practifed by the priefts, be- 
 longing to the colleges, free-chapels, and chauntries, he Shewed himfelf 
 a Strenuous oppofer of the abolition of thefe rich foundations, durino- 
 the minority or 1 the king : but his counfel was over-ruled, and in the 
 fpaceofa very few years, ninety-two colleges, (the universities of Ox- 
 ford and Cambridge were fpared) and two thoufand, three hundred, and 
 feventy-four chauntries and free-cbapels, were devoured by the greater 
 harpies of the court. Many of the inferior lords, and others, who had 
 difguifed their private aims, under pretence of doing good to the public, 
 preferred their complaints, upon the attainder of the Protector, in the 
 hope of Sharing a part of the offices or property engroffed by him, that 
 
 they 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXVII 
 
 In order to qualify the clergy * to inflrucl: the people in 
 the principles of religion, and the terms of falvation, accord- 
 ing to the gofp'el, the Archbifhop, probably with the occa- 
 sional affiftance of Rjdley and of Latimer, cempofed thofe 
 twelve difcourfes tfyat now ftand in the former part of the 
 book of Homilies f. To diffufe the knowledge of Holy 
 Scripture, the Paraphrafe of Erafmus on the Gofpels and 
 A&s of the Apoftles, was tranflated into Englifh, and 
 printed ; his Paraphrafe on the Epiftles not being yet pub- 
 Jifhed. For the inftru&ion of children and young perfons, 
 the Archbifliop publiflied a catechifm in Englifh %. He alfo 
 wrote this year in Englifli, an elaborate difcourfe on the 
 Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, of which he afterward pub- 
 liflied a very elegant Latin tranflation §. 
 
 The command that the Homilies fliould be read in churches 
 by fuch priefts as could not preach, was the only innovation 
 at firft made in the public worfliip : and, for a conliderable 
 time, all the rites and ceremonies continued nearly the fame 
 as in the former reign. The King, the Primate, and the 
 
 they had not had their equal dividend, when the lands of the colleges, 
 kc. nuere given up fir a prey. (Our eccleliaftical Hiftorians in general, 
 Heylin in particular.) 
 
 * Heylin, Burnet, Fuller, Collier, Strype. 
 
 •f- The Homilies were immediately tranflated into Latin, and were 
 highly gratifying to the foreign proteftants. Bucer, in a congratulatory 
 letter to the church of England, written in this year, extols the Homi- 
 lies, and indirectly admonirties the governors of the church of the pro- 
 priety of proceeding further in the reformation, and in particular of 
 -what related to the facraments, " The foundations," he fays, " were 
 fp rightly and judicioufly laid in England, that nothing could be wanting 
 towards building found doctrine and difcipline." 
 
 J This he tranflated from a Lutheran work in Latin, written in 
 Germany : and though he made fome additions accommodated to the 
 Englifli church, yet he adhered fo far to. his original, as to retain fome 
 things that feemed not perfectly in unifon with his own fentiments, as 
 they appear in his other works. 
 
 $ This work received its laft poliih in prifon. It is rare, and 
 Valuable. 
 
 Pro- 
 
XXVIII INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Protector, with the other members of the regency, were 
 determined upon a thorough reform of abufes in religion : 
 and were employed in deliberating upon the fafeft, and moft 
 efficacious means of carrying their defigns into effect. It 
 was judged expedient not to avow their intentions too 
 openly, till towards the approach of the meeting of a par- 
 liament and a convocation. In September, 1547, about nine 
 months after the King's acceflion, and about two before the 
 meeting of parliament, an order was iflued for holding a 
 royal vifitation throughout England, and for fufpending, in the 
 interim, the ordinary powers of the bifhops. At this time 
 a proclamation by the King, even during his minority, was 
 equivalent to a ftatute. The object of the vifitation was t6 
 regulate the affairs of religion, and of the church. The 
 realm was divided into fix diftri&s, or circuits, to vifit each 
 of which a commiffion^was appointed, confuting of two, or 
 more gentlemen, a civilian, a regiftrar, and at Jeaft one of 
 the ableft divines and preachers that could be found, who was 
 to inftrudT: the people, and facilitate the work of the com- 
 miflioners. Thefe vifitors, though principally laymen, were 
 armed with ftrong extenfive powers, being authorifed to vifit 
 both the clergy and the laity, to examine licences, faculties, 
 endowments, and titles ; to enquire into the practices of the 
 fpiritual courts, and even to infpect every part of the epifco- 
 palian function. They carried with them books of the Homi- 
 lies, one of which was left with each parifh prieft to be read 
 to the people, that they might not forget, or be diverted 
 from, what they had been taught by the preacher, who 
 accompanied the commiflion. They likewife took with 
 them and delivered, copies of the Royal Injunaions, and of 
 the Articles to be enquired of at the King's vifitation. 
 
 As the Injunctions are to be met with in Fox's Monu, 
 ments, and Sparrow's Collection; and abftra&s of them at leaft 
 in Fuller, Heylin, Burnet, Collier, and Strype, I fhall con- 
 tent myfelf with giving, without much regard to the order 
 jn which they ftand, the heads of a few of thofe that feem 
 
 w 
 
INTRODUCTION 1 . XXIX 
 
 to have been more particularly intended to correct the pre- 
 judices of the age, and to reduce the public worlhip nearer 
 to the rriodeTof the primitive church. 
 
 The Injunctions command " all ecclefiaftics to obferve 
 
 the laws for the abolition of the Pope's pretended power, 
 
 and for the confirmation of the King's fupremasy ; and to 
 
 inftruct the people cin thofe heads four times a year. — They 
 
 are to diffuade them from undertaking pilgrimages, wor- 
 
 fliipping images, extolling relics, &c. to exhort them to the 
 
 exercife of Faith, Mercy, and Charity.— Images abufed by 
 
 ifferings, &c. were to be taken down ; no candles burnt 
 
 before any image ; and no more than two lights to be placed 
 
 upon the altar only, which are intended to fhew, that Chrift 
 
 is the true light of the world. The word papa {pope) and 
 
 the name and fervice of Thomas Becket, were to be expunged 
 
 from the church books. All Jhrines, coverings of Jbriner y 
 
 candlejlicks, trindals or rolls of wax, pictures, &c. with 
 
 every monument of feigned miracles, were to be deftroyed. 
 
 The people were to be inftructed to do the fame in their 
 
 private houfes, and cautioned againft the fuperftition of 
 
 fprinkling beds with holy water, of ringing holy bells, and 
 
 of bleffing with holy candles, to drive away devils, dreams, 
 
 or phantafies/' 
 
 On the other hand, the Injunctions require the Bible of 
 the larger volume in Englifh, and the tranflation of the 
 Paraphrafe of the Gofpels by Erafmus, to be placed in the 
 church, in a convenient place, for the reading of the people ; 
 " and on every Sunday, when there is no fermon, the Lord's 
 Prayer, the Apoftles Greed, and the Ten Commandments in 
 the vulgar tongue, are to be audibly recited from the pulpit. 
 In Lent, the clergy were to examine, whether fuch as came to 
 confeffion could repeat the Lord's Prayer, &c. and if they were 
 not perfect in them, to admonifh them to learn thefe necef- 
 fary things more perfectly, before they prefumed to come 
 to God's board. One chapter of the New Teftament was 
 to be read at mattins, and another out of the Old Teftament 
 a^ evening fong. In the office of the mafs, or facrament of 
 
 the 
 
XXX iNTKOCUCTibtfrf 
 
 the altar, the epiftle and gofpel were to be read in ftigfifby 
 and not in Latin,. and from fuch convenient place as the 
 people might hear. Proceffions about the church, and church-i 
 yard, were forbidden, and the priefts and quire, kneeling in the 
 midft of the church, were to fing, or fay, plainly and dif- 
 tin&ly, the Litany fet forth in Englijh, with all the fuffrages 
 following, adding nothing thereto. — On holidays, three out 
 of the nine leffons appointed in the Breviary at mattins were 
 to be omitted, with the refponds j and at even fong, the re- 
 fponds, with all the memories, were to be left out.— No 
 perfon was to violate any ceremony of the church, nor to 
 alter any part of the fervice, otherwife than fpecified in thefe 
 Injunctions. 
 
 With the Injunctions were printed, Articles of Vifitation, 
 which were likewife diftributed by the commiffioners through 
 their refpeaive diftrias. Thefe are addrefled firft to bifliops* 
 archdeacons, and ecclefiaftical officers j — fecondly, to parfons, 
 vicars and curates ;— and, thirdly, to the lay-people. So far as 
 the two latter claffes are concerned, they do not very materi- 
 ally differ from Cranmer's Articles of Vifitation, iffued in 
 the enfuing year, and reprinted by Sparrow. Both principally 
 confift of interrogatories formed upon the principles laid down 
 in the Royal Injunaions. — From the articles of the royal vifi-> 
 tatioity I here abridge and throw together a few of thofe ad- 
 drefled to the parochial clergy. 
 
 " Have you juftly, truly, and without diffimulation, 
 preached againft the pretended power of the Bifhop of Rome, 
 and declared that the King's authority is moil fupreme, under 
 God, in this realm? — Do miflued images, flirines, fhoes, 
 offerings, trindals of wax, or other monuments of idolatry,, 
 fuperftition or hypocrify, remain in churches,, or elfewhere ? 
 
 Have you , on Sundays and holidays, taught your parifhion- 
 
 ers, and efpeeially the youth, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer *, 
 
 and 
 
 *• Latimer, who was now releafed from prifon, and preached at St. 
 Paul's Crofs, January i, 1547-8, the better to imprint the Lord's Prayer 
 
 upon 
 
~ INTRODUCTION. XXXI 
 
 and the ten Commandments, and expounded the fame ? — 
 Have you provided and difpofed, in a convenient place, the 
 Englifh Bible ; and moved the people to hear and read the 
 Scripture in Englifh, and to pray in a known tongue ? — 
 Have you, in Lent, required your parifhioners in their con- 
 feffion, to recite in Englifh the Lord's Prayer, the Articles 
 of Faith, and the ten Commandments, and declared that 
 they ought to know, and underftand them, before they re- 
 ceive the facrament of the altar I — 'Have you preached, 
 purely and fincerely, the word of God, and the faith of 
 Chrift, exhorting your parifhioners to works commanded 
 by Scripture, and not to works devifed by men's phantafies 1" 
 To prepare the way for the royal vilitation, and the recep- 
 tion of the Injunctions ; and in order to eftablifli a precedent 
 for the reft of the kingdom, the compline^ or the laft evening 
 office, had been performed in Englifh at the Chapel Royal ; 
 and in the cathedral church of St. Paul the Litany was fung 
 in Englifh, between the choir and the high altar, the fingers 
 kneeling, half of them on one fide, and half on the other. 
 On the fame day, in the communion office, the epiftie and 
 gofpel were read, in the Englifh tongue. The image of 
 Chrift, commonly called the rood, with other images in St. 
 Paul's ; and, indeed, all the images in the London churches 
 were removed. The fentiments of the court being thus un- 
 derftood, and the figns of the times being fufficiently difcern- 
 ibk, many of the clergy publicly retracted their late opi- 
 nions, and in their fermons exprefled their forrow for their 
 miftakes. Some of thefe retractations were, no doubt, fin- 
 cere j but others, as was proved by the event, proceeded 
 from temporizing motives. In fhort, the vifitation was 
 
 upon the memory of the people, repeated it, efpecially in the country, 
 both before, and after bis fennon. Strypeadds, that, " when any poor 
 people came to him to afk an alms, he would oppofe them with the 
 .Lord's Prayer, and bad them fay it; and would caufe his . fervants 
 fometimes to require them to, fay it. Many would tell him, they 
 could fay the Latin Pater Nofier ; and others, that they could fay their 
 Old Peter Nofier, but not th« Ne-vi, meaning the Lord's Player in 
 Ergli/h" (Mem. 154.7.) 
 
 9 acceptable 
 
XXXtl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 acceptable to many of the clergy, and to the laity in general *. 
 By fome of the clergy, it was diflilced, and efpeciafiy by Bon- 
 ner, biftiop of London, and Gardiner of Winchefter. Gar- 
 diner, who by Henry's will, had no place in the regency, 
 was the chief champion, that openly flood forward in the ro- 
 man catholic calife, in oppofition to the adminiftration. 
 
 Before the return of the commiflioners, Edward's firft 
 parliament was affembled. It repealed the ftatute of 'the Six 
 Articles, as well as various ftatutes concerning do&rine, and 
 matters of religion. It enacted that every perfon, depraving, 
 defpifing, or contemning the facrament of the altar, fhould 
 be fined and imprifoned at the King's pleafure. In particu- 
 lar it decreed, that this facrament fhould, agreeably to the una- 
 nimous refolve of the Convocation, be received by the laity 
 in both kinds, " according to the truth of Scripture, and the 
 moft approved antiquity," and it directed a new office to be 
 compofed for the purpofe -J-. This, with the royal procla- 
 mation 
 
 * Old, who was a preacher, and a vifitor of what may be termed the 
 Midland Circuit, informs us, that " the fimple vulgar fort were glad; 
 and conformably willing to hear the pure word of God, and obediently 
 tojreceivc the King's Injunctions." 
 
 ■f This office peculiarly required reformation. It has always been 
 tfteemed the mod important part of the Liturgy of the Chriftian church, 
 or rather, it alone was the Liturgy. (Renaudot. Lit. Orient, torn. I. 
 p. 169,) That it now abounded with idle fuperftition, the Miffal of 
 Sarum, or any other of the age, will teftify. But the divines appointed 
 to draw up a new form did not rejeft every thing that was exception- 
 able. In fa6t, they did little more than change the mafs into a com- 
 munion, or rather annex the communion to the mafs. From the tenor 
 of the royal proclamation, prefixed to the order of the communion, it is 
 evident that a farther reformation of this and other offices, was in- 
 tended. " We would not," fays the King, " have our lubje&s la 
 much to diilike our judgment, fo much to miftruft our zeal, as though 
 we either could not difcern what were to be done, or would not do all 
 things in dm time. God be praifed, we know both what by his word 
 is meet to be redreffed, and have an earned: mind, by the advice of our 
 Privy Council, with all diligence and convenient fpeed fo to fet forth 
 the fame, as it may moft ftand with God's glory, and edifying and 
 
 quteraefs 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXIII 
 
 mation prefixed, was publifhed early in March, 1547-8. On 
 the 13th of the fame month, copies of the, office, together 
 
 with 
 
 quietnefs of our people." The proclamation requires the people to fubmit 
 to this order, for this reafon, " that We may be encouraged from time 
 to time further to travel for the reformation, and fetting forth, fuch 
 godly orders, as may be moft to God's glory, the edifying of our fub- 
 jefts, and for the advancement of true religion."— Cranmer", who had 
 now the fole direftion of affairs purely ecclefiaftical, forefaw the danger 
 that might attend violent changes. To enfure the fuccefs of the refor- 
 mation, he thought it advifable to proceed by gradual advances, and 
 by movements as imperceptible as poffible. On no other principle can 
 we account for the motley hue of this office, in which the niafs- in /.«#■», 
 as ufed before, was continued to the end of the Canon, and the prieft's 
 receiving the facrament, " without the varying of any rite, or cere- 
 mony," except that he was to confecrate more wine than formerly, and 
 " not drink it up all himfelf, but fake one only fup, or draught, ' and 
 leave the reft upon the altar."- — The Communion began with the exhor- 
 tation, Dearly beloved in the Lord, ye coming to his holy, Communion, 
 mujt conjider, Sec. The Exhortation, which is nearly the fame with 
 that in our prefent office, is followed by, You that do truly and earnejlly, 
 &c. the Confeffion, and the Abfolution. The lait: begins, " Our bleffed 
 Lord, who hath left power to his church to abfolve penitent finners 
 from their fink, a"nd to reftore to the grace of the heavenly'Father fuch 
 as truly believe in Chrift, have mercy," &c. Then comes, Hear vobat 
 comfortable words, &c. . The laft fentence from 1 John >i. 1, *. is. im- 
 mediately followed by, We do not f>refume to come to this thy table, Sec. 
 which the prieft, who had already, received the facrament, was to fay 
 only in the name of the people. After this, the Confecration having 
 already taken place in the Latin Mafs, faid before the Communion, 
 comes the form to be ufed at the diftribution of the elements, which is 
 fucceeded by the final bldfing. ■ 
 
 In this order of the Communion, when the priejl doth deliver the Sacra- 
 ment of the Body of Chrift, he fliall fay to every one, " The Body of 
 our Lord Jefus Chrift, which was given for thee, preferve thy Body unto 
 everlafting life." And delivering the Sacrament of the Blood, and giving 
 every one to drink once, andno more, he Jhall fay, " T'.ie Blood of .our 
 Lord Jeius Chrift, which was ftied for thee, preferve thy Soul unto 
 everlafting life." Thefe forms were thought to give an undue prefer- 
 ence to the chalice. The Body, it was faid, could preferve only, the 
 - Body, whereas the Blood might preferve the Soul. Cranmer took care 
 to have this rectified. Accordingly, in the firft book of Edward, the 
 
 d words 
 
XXXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 with letters of inftruftion from the council, were fent to 
 the bifhops, to be circulated through their refpeftive diocefes, 
 that the form might be underftood by the clergy, explained 
 to the people, and univerfally adopted at the approaching 
 feftival of Eafter. 
 
 It was eagerly adopted by many of the clergy, and ad- 
 mitted by others, who ftill were diflattsfied that auricular 
 confeflion mould be left to the discretion of each individual. 
 By fome, who were attached to the old office of the mafs, it 
 was totally rejected. At this time, notwithftanding the 
 King's Injunctions, the flatute concerning the Communion, 
 and various royal proclamations, there remained great diver- 
 iity both of faith and worfhip. Several of the popifh bifhops, 
 particularly Gardiner of Winchefter, and Bonner of London, 
 Were dilatory in the execution of the late a£t of parliament, 
 as well as of the royal mandates. To thefe, many of the 
 parochial clergy like wife laboured to excite oppofition ; and, 
 in their fermons, endeavoured to imprefs the people with an 
 idea that the King meant to lay Jirange and heavy impofis 
 upon his fubjefls, and to ex aft half a crown for every funeral^ 
 haptifin, or marriage. On this account all preaching, except 
 under licence obtained either from the Protector, or Arch- 
 bifhop, was fufpended. But this expedient did not com- 
 pletely anfwer the purpofe ; for fome, even of the licenfed 
 preachers, declaimed as violently, as their unlicenfed brethren 
 had lately done, againft what they termed the King's pro- 
 ceedings ; and it was the common practice of men pf every 
 defcription, who were either inimical to the adminiftration, 
 or averfe to the reform made in religion, to pretend that the 
 
 Words " thy body and foul," were united, and inferted in both the 
 forms ; as they are at this day. Yet in the prayer, immediately pre- 
 ceding the Prayer of Confecration, and beginning, " We do not pre- 
 sume to come to this thy table," we retain a remnaat of the lame dif- 
 tinftion. We there pray " that our fmful Bodies may be clean by 
 Chrift's Body, and our Souls warned by his molt precious Blood."— This 
 order of the Communion is publilhed in Sparrow's Colleftion, and at the 
 end of VEfirange'% Alliance. 
 
 erder 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXV 
 
 eider fir the Communion, together with other regulations, 
 was the a£t of perfons about the King, and not of the King 
 himfelf. 
 
 Whilft fome thus refufed to comply with the regulations 
 eftablifhed by law, " numbers," as it is ftated in a royal 
 proclamation, " were not content to follow authority, ac 
 cording to the bounden duty of fubje&s, but over-ran it, and 
 by their rafhnefs became the greateft hinderers of what they 
 would feem moft hotly to fet forward." After what has 
 been faid, it is hardly neceflary to add, that the office of the 
 Communion, and all the other offices, were very differently 
 performed in different parochial and cathedral churches. 
 
 Thefe and other irregularities, Cranmer, and the council 
 thought it advifable for a fhort time quietly to tolerate, and 
 " the King abftained from punifhing" what he ftyled the 
 " frailty and weaknefe of his fubje&s, proceeding from 
 a good zeal." But the principles of the reformation having 
 evidently taken firm poffeffion of men's minds in England, 
 the regency determined that uniformity of worfhip ihould 
 likewife be eftablifhed throughout the realm. For it is de- 
 ferring of notice, that hitherto there had not been in Eng- 
 land any one fervice eftablifhed by public authority for the 
 general ufe of the church. In the fouthern parts of the 
 Hland, the offices according to the ufe of Sarum, and in the 
 northern, thofe of York, were generally followed. In South 
 Wales the offices of Hereford were adopted, and in North. 
 Wales thofe of Bangor. The diocefe of Lincoln had offices 
 peculiar to itfelf, and in fome places were ufed offices dif- 
 ferent from all the preceding *. 
 
 It fhould likewife be obferved, that previoufly to the re- 
 formation, the prefcribed fervice of the church was performed 
 only in Latin \ ; and that even the pureft Liturgies confifted 
 
 * It would appear, that more was left to the difcretion of the clergy 
 in this refpeft, than is commonly imagined. 
 
 f Yet a few of the clergy about this time performed the offices in 
 general in Englilh, 
 
 d 2 »f 
 
XXXVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of found, and .primitive forms of prayer, debafed by a ftrange 
 mixture of fuperftitious tenets and idle ceremonies. 
 
 To prevent in future diverfity of practice, to enable the 
 people at large to underftand the public fervice, and more 
 efpecially to fupprefs popery, and to introduce a purer for- 
 mulary of worihip, the King and Council refolved that one 
 public Liturgy fhould be compofed in Englifh, by commit 
 fioners felefted from the clergy, and that it fhould be ratified 
 by parliament. In puifuance of this refolution, the Arch- 
 bifhop of Canterbury, Ridley, afterwards bifliop of London, 
 and other eminent divines, were nominated*, to draw up, 
 in Englijh, a book of offices for the general ufe of the 
 church. 
 
 The commiflioners met in May, 1548. Having agreed 
 to change nothing for the fake of change, but merely to en- 
 deavour, as far as circumftances would admit, to bring every 
 thing back to the ftandard of the purer ages of the Gofpel, 
 by abolifhing the erroneous doctrines, and in particular the 
 
 * The commiflion is, probably, not upon record ; and in the ftatute 
 the Archbifliop only is named. The other commiflioners are there 
 called moji learned and difcreet Bi/hops, and other learned men of the 
 realm. Fuller, whofe account is generally followed by fubfequent 
 writers, gives us a lift of twelve more. But in this, as well as in other 
 inftances, Fuller's authority is fomewhat questionable ; it is certain 
 that three of the bifhops whom he mentions protefted againft the bill 
 for authorifing the book ; and fome of the divines, whom he names, 
 are known to have been equally unfriendly to it. If their names were 
 on the commiflion, it is not natural to I'uppofe, that they afforded 
 Cranmer and Ridley much aififtance. The work probably paffed through 
 the hands of only a few. The common account is, that the commif- 
 fioners were, befide the Primate, fix Bifliops, and fix Divines. The 
 bifhops were, Day of Chichefter, Goodrich of Ely, Skip of Hereford, 
 Holbeck of Lincoln, Ridley of Rochefter, and Thirlhy of Weftminftef. 
 The divines were, May, Dean or' St. Paul's, Taylor, Dean of Lincoln, 
 Heins, Dean of Exeter, Robertfon, afterward Dean of Durham, Redman, 
 Matter of Trinity Colleger Cambridge, and Cox, Almoner to the 
 King. - t 
 
 unnecefiary 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXVII 
 
 unneceffary ceremonies, which Popery had introduced, they 
 proceeded to examine the Breviaries, Miffals, and Rituals *, 
 together with the books of other, offices at that time in ufe. 
 Thefe they compared with ancient Liturgies, and the writings 
 of the fathers. Whatever they found conibnant to the doc- 
 trine of Scripture, and the worihip of early chrritian churches,' 
 they generally retained, and frequently improved. But they 
 rejected the numerous corruptions, and fuperftirious innova- 
 tions that had been gradually brought in during the lattes 
 ages. 
 
 The compilers, it is generally faid, began with the Morn- 
 ing Prayer. I do not know that any one, either of our 
 ritualifts, or commentators on the Liturgy, has defcribed the 
 office of Mattins, or Morning Prayer f, as this fervice was 
 performed in the church of England prior to the reformation. 
 A general, and fummary account of it may therefore gratify 
 curiofity, where eafy accefs cannot be had to the books in 
 which it is ordained. Such an account will illuftrate, the 
 principles upon which the leaders of our reformation pro- 
 ceeded : and a comparifon of ancient mattins, with the mat- 
 tins in Edward's firft book, will prove, that the object of 
 the compilers of our Liturgy, was, according to their own 
 account, " neither to pleafe thofe who were fo addicted to 
 their old cuftoms, that they thought it a great matter of 
 confcience to depart from a piece of the leaft of their cere- 
 monies," nor, " on the other hand, thofe who would inno- 
 vate all things, and liked nothing that was not new %." 
 They attempted " not fo much to fatisfy either of thefe 
 parties, as to pleafe God, and profit them both §." 
 
 » A general account of the contents of thefe books, and of their 
 difference from each other, is given in p. 275 of the Elucidation in the 
 note. 
 
 •f Thefe words are fynonimous ; mattins is indeed a little obfolete, 
 but in the tables of lejfons for Sundays and holidays, and of pfalms for 
 certain days, it is ftill employed to denote Morning Prayer. In thefe 
 tables Evenfong likewife ftands for Evening Prayer. 
 
 J Difcourfe on Ceremonies. § Ibid. 
 
 d 3 Mattins, 
 
XXXVIII INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Mattins, at this time, began with the Lord's Prayer, Hail 
 Mary, and the Creed, which were faid with a low voice, or 
 privately, by the prieft and people, all kneeling. Then, all 
 ftanding up, the four verficles, which in our office follow 
 the Lord's Prayer, are faid with a loud voice by the prieft, 
 and people alternately. When the prieft pronounces the 
 firft verficle, " O Lord, open thou my lips," he is direfted 
 by the rubric, with his thumb to fign bis mouth with the 
 fign. of the crofs ; and at the third verficle, " O God, make 
 fpeed to fave me," he is, with his right hand, to crofs him- 
 felf from his forehead to his breaft in one direction, and in a 
 tranfverfe line from the left fhoulder to the right. After the 
 verficles, follow Gloria Patri, and in general, Allelujah. 
 Between Allelujah, and the invitatory pfalm, or Venite 
 exultemus, comes the Invitatory, which varies according to 
 tha'feafon, or the day. After Venite, follows a metrical 
 hymn. Then pfalms are recited, and lefions read. In this 
 part of the fervice there is a considerable variety on different 
 days : but, to enter a little farther into particulars, I fhall 
 felect the office of Mattins appointed for Chriftmas Day. 
 
 Excepting the Invitatory, which is changeable, till the 
 end of Venite exultemus, the order of Mattins is every day 
 the fame. On Chriftmas Day an appropriate metrical hymn 
 follows Venite. After the hymn, pfalms 2, 18, 44 are re- 
 cited. At_the end of each are Antiphons, or Anthems : and 
 after the laft, the Lord's Prayer, a precatory Abfolution, and 
 a Benediction are faid. The three following lefions from 
 Ifaiah are then read, ch. ix to ver. 7. ch. lx to ver. 8, and 
 ch. in to ver. 7. At the end of each leflbn are added. Re- 
 iponfes, and Gloria Patri is fometimes fung. 
 
 In the fecpnd No£mrn*, Pfalms 47, 71, and 84 are re- 
 cited, with their refpedtive Anthems. After the laft, a Re- 
 
 * The firft Nofturn was fometimes performed at nine, the fecorni at 
 midnight, and the third at three ; but they were more generally unitedi 
 and faid in the morning. 
 
 fponfe, 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXIX 
 
 fporae, an Abfolutidn, and a Benedi&ion, different from thofe 
 in the firft No&urn, are faid. The Lord's Prayer aifo is 
 again repeated. Then follow three leflbns, the fourth, fifth, 
 and fixth, all taken from an Homily of Leo the Great on the. 
 Nativity * ; Thefe are nearly of the fame length with the. 
 former leflbns from Ifaiah, and each is followed by Refponfes, 
 Verficles, &c. as before. 
 
 In the third Nodturn are recited Pfalms 88, 95, 97, with 
 appropriate Anthems, &c. Thefe are fucceeded by what is 
 called the reading of the Gofpel according to St. Luke. 
 The mode of reading will appear extraordinary. In the 
 three laft leffons, the reader only indicates the Gofpels for 
 -the day f. — The ferarth leffbn atMattins, or the firft in the 
 third No<£turn, begins with Luke, ch. 11, ver. 1. but only 
 one verfe is here read, and after it et reliqua is added. This 
 verfe is followed by an extract from one of Gregory's Homi- 
 lies, preached on this Gofpel on Chriftmas Day. The ex- 
 tract, which properly conftitutes the leflbn, is followed by a 
 Refponfe, &c. The eighth leflbn begins with the recital of 
 the 15th verfe of Luke il, to which et reliqua is added as 
 before. This is followed by a portion of a Homily by 
 
 * I here follow the Roman Breviary. In the Portttory, or Breviary 
 of Sarum, printed in Mary's reign, the fourth Leftion is taken- from 
 Pqffidorus »n the Nativity. 
 
 f This- was peculiar to Chriftmas Day, on which there were three 
 different epiftles and gofpels read in the three feparate maffes performed 
 this day. The firft was at midnight, the fecond at the dawn, arid thfe 
 third at mid-day. In Edward's firft book, the Eucharift was twice 
 celebrated on this day. In the fecond communion the Introiti Cbll'eft, 
 Epiftle, and Gofpel, were different from thofe of the firft. (For a 
 more diftinft account, I refer to the fecond volume of this work, if the 
 lower of finifhing that volume be allowed.) In Edward's fecond'hook, 
 die f.tft communion was omitted. There were lifcewife two communions 
 on E "ter Day. The two latter Anthems now ufed inftead of Venife at 
 . Morning Prayer on this day, were then faid or fung in the morning 
 afore Mattyns, and AUduiah followed each. 
 
 d 4 Ambrofe^ 
 
XL ' INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Ambrvfe *; with Refponfes, &c. The ninth leflbn is ver. i of 
 ch. T. of St. John's Gofpel, with an appropriate portion of 
 aiid-bf'tfu/iin's*' Homilies. Then is feid Te Deum, Do- 
 nrfniis vobifcurtlj' &€. and Mattins conclude with the collect 
 of the dey'f. ' -' • 
 
 By competing this incomplete account with the Morning 
 Prayer in Edward's firft: book, we may in general difcover 
 what our' reformers either retained^ or omitted, what they 
 tranfpofeld, altered, or added. In the courfe of the Elucida- 
 tion, I have noticed 'the greater part, or at leaft the moft 
 matetftil, of 'thefe variations, in their refpedtive places. 
 
 To return to the compilers : After finffliing the Morning 
 and 'Evening' Prayer they proceeded to the other parts of the 
 Liturgy.' • When . the whole was completed, the book was 
 prefented by Cranmer to the young King, who received it 
 •with' the 'higheft marks of fatisfaction. In the latter part of 
 this year, 154S, and the fecond of Edward, " the book of 
 the Common Prayer, and Adminiftration of the Sacraments, 
 and other rites and ceremonies of the church, after the ufe 
 of the : -church of England J," received its civil fan&ion from 
 the parliament, which enacted, " that the faid form of 
 Common Prayer, and no other fliould, after the feaft of 
 Pentecoft next following, be ufed in all his Majefty's domi- 
 nions." , At. the ehfuing Eafter, it has been afferted§, that 
 
 fome 
 
 , * In the office of Sarum, by an extrail from one of the Homilies of 
 Bede. . 
 
 f Dr. Bennet, who has calculated " what quantity of our feveral 
 offices , is taken from Popilh Liturgies," (under which appellation I 
 'prefume'we muft include the offices of Sarum, and of the Gallican 
 church, as well as of the Romifh,) informs us, that, fetting afide what- 
 ever is 'borrowed from the Scripture, the Apocrypha, or the fathers of 
 the firft four centuries, " there remains in the Morning Prayer about 
 one fourteenth part." The accuracy of all his calculations I undertake 
 not to warrant. 
 
 % The title of the book. 
 
 § By Heylin, in his Ecclefia Reftaurata. But as he feldom produces 
 evidence, or cites the authority that he followed, I refer to him with 
 
 fome 
 
INTRODUCTION. XLI 
 
 fame began to officiate by this book : but the affertion muft 
 be erroneous, for no copy, of the book was printed till after 
 Eafter. On Whitfunday, 1 549, the new offices were adopted 
 by the cathedral church of St. Paul *, in obedience to the 
 ftatute, and as a precedent to the reft of the kingdom. 
 
 The firft copy of the book was printed by Grafton, in a 
 handfome folio, in May, 1549. On the 16th of June ap- 
 peared another elegant edition by Whitchurch ; and on the 
 8th of March following, a third was publifhed, with no 
 material variation f. 
 
 feme diffidence, though I believe what he fays to be in general well 
 founded. 
 
 * This, I apprehend, was done by order of the dean, Dr. May,, one 
 of the compilers. Bonner, the bifhop, continued to permit the old 
 ma/fes to be performed in the private chapels of the cathedral. For 
 this and other offences he was fummoned in June to appear before the 
 council in Auguft. 
 
 ■f- I have examined copies of four editions, and find that in one of 
 the two latter, the Litany is placed between the offices of Communion 
 and Baptifm, as in the two former ; and that in the other, which is 
 paged, there is no Litany. In all, the difcourfa on ceremonies is at 
 the end of the volume. Three of the copies to which I allude are 
 depofited in the Britifli Mufeum. The other, that by Whitchurch, is 
 penes me, through the kindnefs of a friend. 
 
 The price of Grafton's copy of Edward's firft book, as fettled by 
 the Lord Proteftor' and the Council, was, tnuo /hillings and ttuo-pence 
 unbound, and three Jhillings and eight-pence hound in pafle, or hoards, 
 covered 'with cahjes leather. A copy bequeathed by the honourable 
 Arthur Onflow to the Britifli Mufeum, appears to have been once fold 
 for one pound fixteen Jhillings. The price of the edition by Whit- 
 church, is tivo /hillings and two pence unbound, and four /hillings bound. 
 
 The price of the fecond book, a very beautiful edition by Grafton, 
 was in quires tivo /hillings and fix-pence, bound in parchment, or 
 forell, three /hillings and four-pence, and in leather, paper boards, 
 or clafps, four /hillings, and not above. It is likewife ordered, that the 
 next edition, leaving out the offices of the Ordination and Confecration 
 of Priefts and Bifhops, (hall be fold for tiuo /hillings in /beets, for t<wo 
 /billings and eight-pence in parchment, and three Jhillings and four-pence 
 in leather, 
 
 The Pfalms are not printed in either of Edward's books, of courfe 
 •they who read the veHes with the minifter muft have brought with them 
 cither a Bible, or Pfalter. 
 
 It 
 
XLII INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It has already been obferved, that the principle of Crammer 
 was to proceed gradually, and with moderation*. The 
 firft book of Edward retained many things, which might 
 properly enough have been omitted. But the Archbifhop 
 was cautious of going too far at once, and of rejecting too 
 much of what the people had been accuftomed to hear 
 and fee. Yet foon after the publication of this book, we 
 find him coniulting fuch of the foreign protectant divines as 
 were moft celebrated for their learning and moderation, on 
 the fubjefts of ecclefiaftical difcipline, and of a farther re- 
 form in the Book of Common Prayer. But in particular, 
 Bucer \, a German, and Martyr, a Florentine, who were 
 now through Cranmer's recommendation, _profeflbrs of divi- 
 nity, the former in Cambridge^ the latter in Oxford", were, 
 at his foecial requeft, engaged in reviling the Liturgy. The 
 alterations they propofed were in general approved by the 
 Archbifhop, and afterwards adopted by the divines appointed 
 to review the former book.J. 
 
 This 
 
 * During the whole reign of Edward, he met with continual oppo- 
 fition from, Gardiner, and the leaders of the popifli party. Gardiner 
 controverted the doctrines contained in the Homilies, attempted to re- 
 fute Cranmer's treatife on the- Sacrament, and wrote various polemical 
 trails againft him. Tumults, and infunreftions, were likewife excited 
 by the Romanifts. 
 
 f Bucer did not come to England To foon as was expected by the 
 Archbifhop, and was therefore more eameftly folicited, by the Arch- 
 bifhop's Secretary. In June 1549, he wrote from Canterbury to Martyr, 
 then at Oxford. 
 
 J How far Bucer's animadverfions were adopted may be discovered 
 by comparing them with the firft and fecond books of Edward. (Buceri 
 Scripta Anglicana, and Burnet, part ii. pages 1 55, 6.)> The annota- 
 tions of Martyr, made from Cbeke's incomplete Latin Verfion, are not 
 indeed very considerable ; but fo far as they went, they accorded with 
 the more copious animadverfions of Bucer, for whofe ufe, we are iiu 
 fbrmed, the Latin tranilation by Aleffe, a Scotfinan, was primarily de- 
 figned. (Burnet, ibid. Strype.) Bucer's cenfures were communicated 
 to Martyr, who informed the Archbifhop that his opinion agreed with 
 Buctr's. Martyr at this time was. at-- Lambeth} where, during the in- 
 tervals 
 
INTRODUCTION. XLIH 
 
 This public revifion of the Liturgy, to the improvement 
 of which the judicious remarks made by Bucer and Martyr 
 had effentially contributed, was undertaken in 1551, that is, 
 about two years after its firft publication. The forms of 
 the Liturgy were now generally followed, and the prejudices 
 againft it arifing from former habits, had confiderably abated., 
 This was therefore judged by Cranmer to he a convenient 
 feafon for the introduction of thofe various improvements, 
 which he had already digefted in private with his friends. 
 Who were the commimoners appointed to review the baok^ 
 we are not with certainty informed : but from the filence of 
 contemporary writers it has been fuppofed that they were 
 
 tervals allowed him from the duties of his prpfeflbrfhip at Oxford, he, 
 was engaged in framing, under the direction of the Archbiihop, a 
 fyftem of ecclefiaftical difcipline for the Church of England. This 
 work was completed, but never eftablilhed. It was likewii'e about this 
 time, that Cranmer communicated to Martyr, (whether the communis 
 cation was made perfonally, as is molt probable, or through Sir John 
 Cheke, their common friend, is immaterial,) that " the biftiops, at a 
 conference about the communion office, had agreed that many things 
 mould be changed;" and added, " that if they would not do it, the 
 King was reiblved to do it by himfelf and his parliament without 
 them." (Martyr's Letter to Bucer in Parker's MSS. Compare the 
 communion offices of the two books.— See Strype's Cranmer, p. 210, 
 and 252. Collier, vol. II. p. 296, with his Reafons, Gfr. for reftoring 
 the communion of the firft book, Burnet, and molt of the writers on 
 ecclefiaftical tranfaftions about the year 1550.) The remarks of the 
 ftern Nonjuror Collier on Buser's Animadverfions are written, neither 
 with that ftrhSt regard to hiftoric truth, nor that candor and impar- 
 tiality, which would have become the author of an Ecclefiaftical Hijlorjt 
 of Great Britain, and the compiler of a Communion Office. Bucer was 
 acceffary to the removal of a few forms and ufages, which were re- 
 tained in the Communion Office of Edward's firft Book. In defence of 
 thefe, and with a view to get them re-eftahjilhed, Collier has written 
 feveral controverfiai tra&s.f-Collier's Communion Office, both in the 
 arrangement of its parts, and in the turn of particular fentences, is 
 often either the prototype, or copy of that ufed in the prefent Epifcor 
 palian Church of Scotland. Thefe two agree in various particulars, in 
 which both differ materially from Edward's . offices, from Elizabeth's, 
 from the-Scotifli of 1636, and from our ; preient form. 
 
 the 
 
XLIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the fame by whom it was originally compiled. The Articles 
 of Religion *, firft drawn up in this year, it is commonly 
 agreed, were framed principally by Cranmer, Ridley and 
 Latimer: and it is raoft probable that the corrections and 
 additions in the Second Book of Common Prayer, were 
 chiefly made by them. The New Service, for that Was the 
 name now given to this improved Book of Common Prayer, 
 was authorifed by Parliament in the beginning of. April, 
 1552, and appointed to be every where ufed from the feaft 
 of All Saints following. On that day, Ridley, who upon 
 Bonner's removal, had, in April 1550, been promoted to 
 the fee of London, celebrated divine fervice according to the 
 new regulations, in the cathedral church of St. Paul ; and 
 in the forenoon preached a fermon in the choir. The New 
 Service was likewife performed on this day in moft of the 
 churches in London and Weftminfter. In the afternoon, 
 Ridley delivered from St. Paul's Crofs fj before the Lord 
 
 Mayor, 
 
 *' Thefe were nearly the fame with our prefent Articles. 
 
 ■f This appears to have originally been a common crofs, erefted near 
 the old cathedral church. In 144-9 it was rebuilt, but long before this 
 era it had been converted into a pulpit-crofs. The pulpit was made of 
 wood, and the afcent was by fteps of ftone. Around the crofs were 
 covered galleries, for the reception of the King, Lord Mayor, Alder- 
 men, Nobility, and other perfons of diltin&ion ; but by far the greateft 
 part of the audience ftood expofed to the open air. To this place, in 
 the reigns of Henry, Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth, the court and the 
 city flocked to hear fermons. The preacher, who frequently came from 
 either Oxford or Cambridge, was fupplied by the Court of Aldermen, 
 with a comfortable lodging, and other neceffaries, for five days. Volun- 
 tary contributions were likewife made by the nobility and citizens, to 
 defray the expences of his journey, and for his further fupport. From 
 St. Paul's Crofs, the divines in Henry's reign declaimed againft the 
 authority of the Pope ; in Edward's, fupported the reformation ; in 
 Mary's, defended the old doctrines, and modes of wormip ; and, in 
 Elizabeth's, preached againft the papal fupremacy, and vindicated the 
 principles upon which the reformation had proceeded. This pulpit was 
 employed for other purpofes befide that of religious inftruftion ; for at 
 St. Paul's Crofs, laws were promulgated, or to fpeak more corre&ly, 
 
 the 
 
INTRODUCTION. XLV 
 
 Mayor, Aldermen, Citizens, and a numerous audience, a very 
 long * and interefting difcourfe, in which he ftated, explained 
 and vindicated, the alterations that had been made in the 
 Liturgy. 
 
 The improvements made at the review confided of Addi- 
 tions and Alterations. The moft cqnfiderable Additions are 
 the following. The Sentences, Exhortation, Confeffion, and 
 Abfolution, were now firff. appointed to be read in the be- 
 ginning of Morning and Evening Prayer. The Lutheran 
 churches of Germany already had their confeffion and abfo- 
 lution. The Verjicles after the Lord's Prayer were put in the 
 plural number, and Jlleluiah, appointed in the former book 
 to be faid from Eafter to Trinity Sunday, was omitted. 
 Some hymns, after the leflbns, fome occafional prayers at the 
 end of the Litany, and various rubrics were added. The 
 Litany itfelf was now appointed to be ufed on Sunday, as 
 well as on Wednefday and Friday. The people were ob- 
 ferved to approach the Lord's Table without due folemnity 
 and preparation : the Ten Commandments were therefore 
 appointed to be read after the collett in the beginning of the 
 communion fervice, and a fhort petition to follow each, as a 
 means, till difcipline could be reftored, of preparing the con- 
 gregation, to partake worthily of the holy facrament. The 
 
 the royal pleafure was announced, papal bulls published) finners anathe- 
 matized, royal contrails of marriage notified, fallen favourites calum- 
 niated, benediftions given, oaths adminiftered, and recantations read 
 both by proteftants and papifts. Before this Crofs the fafcinating and 
 unfortunate Jane Shore did penance for her only crime, and begged that 
 mercy man denied her here. Of the appropriation of St. Paul's Crofs to 
 fome of thefe purpofes, we read in the annals -of 1259, and we are 
 told that the laft fermon delivered from it, was preached before James I. 
 on Mid-lent Sunday, in 1620. In 1643, the Crofs was demolished by 
 order of the" Parliament. The order was executed by Pennington, then 
 Lord Mayor, and afterward a convifted regicide. 
 
 * The afternoon fermon probably began foon after one : and from the 
 sircumftance's being particularly recorded, I conclude it was remark- 
 able, that on the firfl of November the Lord Mayor And Alderman <ivent 
 borne by torch-light. 
 
 9 words 
 
XLVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 words militant here on earthy were annexed to the preface of 
 the Prayer for the whole Jlate of ChriJPs Church j and a new 
 Exhortation was compofed, to be ufed when the people were 
 negligent in coming to the holy Communion. A rubric con- 
 cerning kneeling was fubjoined to the communion. This 
 rubric was expunged by Elizabeth, but with fome flight 
 variation was reinftated after the reftoration. The offices of 
 Ordination likewife, which had been drawn up in 1549, 
 were, with fome few mutations, annexed to the book. 
 
 The moft material Alterations were the removal of a few 
 ceremonies and ufages retained in the firft book, fome of 
 which appear to have been at leaft fuperfluous. Such in the 
 office of Baptifm were, the Sign of the Crofs made on the 
 Child's breaft ; the Exorcifm, or the form of Adjuration^ 
 eommanding the unclean and curfed Spirit to depart ; the two 
 laft interrogatories, the repetition of immerfion three times, 
 Jfr/l dipping the tight fide, then the left, then the face toward 
 the font; the putting upon the Child his (or her) white 
 Vejlure, commonly called the Chrifom, with the addrefs to 
 the Child on the occafiOn ; and the anointing of the Child, 
 with the prayer for the unclion of the holy Spirit. Such like- 
 wife were the ufe of oil, with the fign of the crofs, in confir- 
 mation, and extreme unction at the vifitation of the iick. In 
 the churching of women, the rubric concerning the Cbrifom 
 was omitted, and the former title, purification of women, was 
 altered. Prayers for the dead, both in the communion and 
 burial offices, were expunged. 
 
 The order of the Communion Office in general was ma*, 
 terially altered ; and the arrangement of fome parts of it was 
 tranfpofed. In the title, the words commonly called the mafs 
 were expunged ; and the conclusion of the prayer for the 
 whole Jlate of GhrWs Church, in which praife and thanks 
 were given for the wonderful grace declared in the blelfed 
 Virgin, and all the faints, was partly omitted,- and partly 
 altered. In the Prayer of Confecration, the petition for the 
 faneMcation of the elements was probably thought capable 
 
 of 
 
INTRODUCTION. XLVII 
 
 of a conftru&ion favourable to the notion of the real pre- 
 fence ; and on this account, the words, Hear us, we befeecb 
 thee, O merciful Father ; and with thy holy Spirit and Word 
 vouchfafe to blefs and fanflify thefe thy gifts and creatures ef 
 bread and wine, that they, may be unto us the Body and Blood 
 ef thy mo/I dearly beloved Son, Jefus Chri/l, who, in the J ami 
 night, &c. were changed into, Hear us, O merciful Father, 
 we mojl humbly befeech thee, and grant that we receiving theft 
 thy creatures of bread, and wine, according to thy Son our 
 Saviour Jefus Chrifl's holy infi'ttution, in remembrance of his 
 death and pajfton, may be partakers of his mofl bleffed body and 
 blood, who, in the fame, &c. The croflings made over the 
 elements, at the repetition of the words blefs and fan£fify t 
 were laid afide. The rubric, enjoining the indicative form 
 of abfolution to he ufed in private confeffions, was left out, 
 as was alfo that directing a little pure, and clean water to be 
 put to the wine in the chalice *. 
 
 Between the two books there is another remarkable difFer- 
 ence, which deferves particular notice. In the firft book, the 
 words fpoken by the prieft at the delivery of the bread, are, 
 The body of our Lord Jefus Chrifl which was given for thee, 
 preferve thy body and foul unto everlajling life. In the fecond 
 book the words are, Take and eat this in remembrance that 
 Chri/l died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart by faith 
 with thankfgiving. ' Again, when the cup is prefented, the 
 form in the firft book is, The blood of our Lord Jefus Chrifi 
 which was Jhed for thee, preferve thy body and foul unto ever- 
 lajling life : but in the fecond, Drink this in remembrance 
 that Chrijfs blood was jhed for thee, and be thankful. 
 
 In very ancient Liturgies, there was a fmall portion of a 
 pfalm, or fome other part of fcripture, appropriate to the 
 fervice of the day, prefixed; to the collect, before the epiftle 
 
 * The mixing of water with the wine is a very ancient, as well as 
 a very general practice. But this being a human inftitution, our church, 
 which in common with others, has " the power of decreeing rites and 
 ceremonies" for itfelf, omitted it.— -xx Art. of Religion. 
 
 4. and 
 
XLVTII INTRODUCTION". 
 
 and gofpel. This being fung by the choir, at the time of 
 the prieft's entrance within the rails of the altar, was in 
 fome churches called the Ingrefs, (Ingreflus) but more coot- 
 monly, the Introit (Introitus) *. This part of the fervice, 
 being perfectly unexceptionable, and when properly per- 
 formed, highly affe&ing, was retained in the firft book : 
 why it was rejected in the fecond, it is not eafy to aflign 
 either the true, or a good reafon. The want however of 
 the Introit may be confidered, as in fome degree fupplied in 
 parifh churches by a portion of a metrical pfalmf, fung 
 
 * In the Liturgy, afcribed to Ambrofe, and ttfed at Milan, it is 
 called Ingrejj'us : but in the Salijbury, Gallican, and Roman miffals, In- 
 troitus. Durantus fays, Introitus dicitur, quod a choro cinitur, facer- 
 dote introeunte ad altare. (de rit.) 
 
 Introitus miflse quem chorus ante canit. (Ibid.) 
 
 f At the time of this review, Sternbold, a groom of the privy 
 chamber, had tranflated thirty-feven of the pfalms into Englifh metre, 
 which he let to mufic, and fung to his organ. Edward, it is faid, was 
 delighted with the mufic, and this occafioned the publication, of thefe 
 pfalms, which were dedicated to the King. The fuccefs of Sternbold 
 encouraged Hopkins, who was likewife a gentleman of the privy chamber, 
 and others, to attempt, as Heylin fays, the execution of the reft in the 
 fame way. This metrical verfion, firft allowed in private devotion, was 
 gradually introduced into the church ; having been probably admitted 
 under the fanftion of a claufe of the firft Aft for Uniformity, which 
 makes it la-juful for all men in churches, and chapels, openly to ufe any 
 pjalm, or prayer, taken out of the Bible, at any due time, not letting or 
 omitting thereby the Jervice, or any part thereof, mentioned in the faid 
 book of Common Prayer, &c. This conjecture is fupported by the title 
 of thefe pfalms, fet forth and allowed to be fung in all churches before 
 and after morning and evening prayer, and alfo before and after fermons. 
 The general opinion however is, that they were admitted rather by con- 
 nivance, than by legal authority. When in the next century the puri- 
 tannical party gained ftrength and confidence, Te Deum, Benediclus, 
 Magnificat, and Nunc Dimittis, were in moft churches excluded, and 
 thefe finging pfalms introduced in their places. But fome modern dif- 
 ciples of the old puritans have, in a great meafure, rejefted the two- 
 authorifed metrical verfions of the pfalms, both iefore and after prayers* 
 cn.i fermons, in favour of compositions commonly inferior, and often 
 of i very unhailowed caft. 
 
 before 
 
iNTRODUCTIOlSf. XLIX 
 
 before the communion^ and in cathedrals by a pfalm, or 
 anthem. 
 
 By thefe, and a few other Additions and Alterations, all 
 of which it would be too tedious to fpecify, our public offices 
 •were brought nearly to their prefent ftate. In fubfequent 
 reviews, as in the courfe of the narrative, we (hall have 
 occafion to obferve, the Liturgy received fome farther im- 
 provements. But they were not of fufficient moment to 
 affe£r. the leading features of the work. If we except fome 
 additional prayers, and occafional forms that have fince been 
 inferted, the difference between Edward's Second Book, and 
 the prefent, confifts principally in verbal, or rubrical varia- 
 tions, moft of which were made for the fake of removing 
 ambiguities. 
 
 When we coiifider the purity and excellence of this 
 Liturgy, and its favourable reception, we are naturally led, 
 to reflect upon the fatisfacliion and pleafure, with which its 
 Venerable authors muft have contemplated the fuccefsful iflue 
 of their labours ; and to indulge a fecret wifh that they had 
 been permitted to enjoy upon earth a protracted fenfe of fo 
 fublime a gratification. — But fcarce was this falutary work 
 completed, when the premature death of Edward made way 
 for the elevation of Mary to the throne, and the re-eftablifh- 
 ment of popery in this kingdom. 
 
 Though we muft lament the fate of fiich men, as Cranmer, 
 Ridley, and Latimer, and execrate the memory of Mary for 
 bringing to the ftake, prelates, to whom the reformation is 
 fo effentially indebted, yet we have reafon to rejoice, that her 
 reign was not of fufficient duration to deftroy the fruits of 
 their pious induftry, and to reftore the fuperftition, and 
 tyranny of the church of Rome, which were now fo juftly 
 dreaded and abhorred. 
 
 At the acceffion of Elizabeth the hopes of the nation began 
 to revive. This princefs difplayed confummate prudence in 
 the means employed to re-eftablifti the proteftant doctrines' 
 and worfhip. The bifliops and clergy, who had been exiled 
 
 e in 
 
L INTRODUCTION - . 
 
 in the former reign, were immediately recalled, but not fc- 
 irored ; and all who had been imprifoned on account of reli- 
 gion were fet at liberty, while the papifts were neither per- 
 secuted, nor difpoffeffed of their eccleliaftical preferments > 
 nor in any way difcountenanced. 
 
 To reprefs the violence of fome proteftants, who thought 
 the Queen proceeded too flowly, arid who appeared difpofed 
 to take the buiinefs of a national reform into their own 
 hands : and more particularly perhaps, to put a ftop to the 
 acrimonious invectives of the Romanifts, againft Herefy^, 
 Schijm, and Innovation^ with which their pulpits now re- 
 founded, all preaching withoat a licence was prohibited by a 
 royal proclamation,, and licences were granted only to a few 
 of the leading and more moderate proteftant divines. And. 
 they were like wife forbid to meddle with any point in con- 
 troverfy, or to touch upon any fubjecl: that might irritate 
 men's paflions. This order was fo fttictly executed, that no 
 fermon was preached at St. Paul's Crofs, or in any other 
 public place in London, except the Lent Sermons in the 
 Queen's Chapel, and thofe at the Spittal, till the enfuing, 
 Eafl-er*. By a fecond proclamation iflued December 2J y 
 1558, and publifhed the next day in the City by the Lord, 
 Mayor, the Lord's Prayer, the. Creed, and the ten Com- 
 
 * The Court preachers in Lent, whofe names are known, were Cox, 
 Part'er, after .vard ArchbiQiop, Scory, Whitehead, Grinded, and Sandys-. 
 the Spittal preachers were, Bill, Cox, and Horn. From the appoint- 
 ment of thefe preachers, the Queen's- diipefuion towards the reformation 
 may eafily be difcemed. On Low- Sunday, Samp/on preached at St. 
 Baul's Crol's the Rebearfal Sermon. But the key of the pulpit was 
 imfling, and after the door was, broken down by a fmith, it was dif- 
 coyered that the place, either by long difufe, or mifufe, had controlled: 
 Jo much filth and naftinefs, that, till h was eleanfed, and made J^veet, it 
 ivas, in the language of Heylin, unfit for any other preacher. The 
 reader that is acquainted with Peter Heylin's manner, will not require 
 to be told, that Sampfan'% iubfequent nonconformity provoked this, far- 
 cafm,. Miftiaps fimilar to what befel Samtfon often attended, both, 
 papifts and proteftants about this time, occauoned, no doubt, by their 
 mutual animofitics. 
 
 9r mandments j. 
 
INTRODUCTION* LI 
 
 hiandments ; the Litany.; and at High Mafs ? the Epiftle and 
 Gofpel, were required to be, read in JEngJifh*; but no 
 Expofition of them was permitted. All churches were 
 commanded to follow the practice of the Chapel Royal, 
 where the elevation of the Hoft was forbidden. Thefe were 
 the only changes that were for fpme time made in public 
 wprfhip. In every other refpedl, the Rubrics of the Bre- 
 viaries, Miflals, and Rituals of the late reign were ordained^ 
 till the matter fhould be further considered by the Queen and 
 Parliament f. 
 
 But Elizabeth, or at leaft her proteftant counsellors, the 
 moft, eminent of whom were Cecil J, Bacon §, and Sm,ith ||, 
 were fecretly deliberating, upon the means of effectually re- 
 storing the reformed religion ; and of executing this enter* 
 prife, which from the circumflances of the times, was pecu- 
 liarly arduous f , in a way, leaft offenfive to the opponents 
 of the Englifh proteftant eftablifhment, and at the fcrne 
 time, leaft dangerous to the Queen's government. 
 
 Some of the parties admitted to this private deliberation 
 drew up in the end of December, an inftrument, in which 
 are queftions and anfwers to this effecl:, — When fliall the 
 alterations be attempted? In the next Parliament. — What 
 danger may enfue? From Rome, France, Spain, Ireland, 
 
 * This was done in the London churches, on the next Sunday, New- 
 year's Day. 
 
 f Camden, Heylin, Burnet, Collier, Strype. 
 
 J Sir William, afterwards Lord Burleigh, who had been in office in 
 Edward's reign, arid was the friend of Cranrher. He was now a ftre- 
 nuous advocate for the reformation ; and to his fuperior abilities, and 
 influence with the Queen, we muft attribute its being fo fpeedily and 
 happily effe&ed. He ipeaks of himfelf as cominus dimicani in eftabliib- 
 ing it. (Strype, An. p. 82.) 
 
 § Sir Nicholas, the Lord Keeper. 
 
 || Sir Thomas, who had been Secretary of State to Edward, and was 
 greatly refpefled by Cranmer. 
 
 % The Papifts were powerful, and the Lutherans, (fee note firft, 
 p. liii.) as well as the Calvinifts, were nurnerous. 
 
 « e 2 Scotland, 
 
Lit INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Scotland, and many here at home.— What remedy? An an. 
 fwer is given as to Rome, France, &c. — What the manner 
 of proceeding ? Certain learned men, Bill, Parker, May, 
 Cox, Whitehead, Grindal, Pilkington, with Sir Thomas 
 Smith, fhall draw up a book, or form, which ftall be pre- 
 sented to the Queen, and with her approbation laid before 
 Parliament. — What order to be ufed in the realm in the in- 
 terim ? To make no farther alteration than the Queen has 
 already done in the proclamation of December 27. — To thefe 
 proceedings four noblemen were to be made privy, before 
 they were opened to the whole council. The laft article 
 relates to the provifion of food, and other neceffaries for the 
 reviewers, and appoints the place of meeting to be at Smith's 
 lodging in Chanon-row. — Upon this plan the proteftant mem- 
 bers of the council evidently proceeded. The defign is faid 
 to have been formed by Smith, arid he certainly was prin- 
 cipally concerned in the execution of it. The inftrument. 
 appoints Smith to call thefe learned men together, and to bt 
 among them : and after confutation with them to draw in 
 fther apt men of learning and credit, to have their affents *. 
 ' At the fame time Gueji was privately employed by Cecil 
 in revifing Edward's Book of Common Prayer. The grand, 
 object of Cecil was to make the offices in general, and that 
 of the Communion in particular, acceptable to the Roman 
 Catholics, and yet not to facrifice any one principle of the 
 reformation. Of Guejl little elfe is known, than that he 
 was Dean of Canterbury, and fucceflively Bifhop of Rochefter 
 and Salifbury. He appears however to have been equally 
 learned and judicious. To him Cecil fubmitted the follow- 
 ing queries > — Whether it might not be proper to review 
 the firft, rather than the fecond Book of Edward, or at leaft 
 to re-eftablifti fome ceremonies and forms, which appear in 
 the former, but not in the latter. He enquires, whether the 
 
 * See Camden, Burnet, Vol. II. Colle&ionof Reco«l»» p. 327. Strjpe* 
 Annals, Vol. I. p. 52. and Appond. No. IV. 
 
 4 image 
 
INTRODUCTION. LIU 
 
 image of the Crofs may not be innocently retained in 
 churches : proceffions lawfully ufed j and a cope befides the 
 frirplice, worn by the clergy at the celebration of the Com- 
 munion : whether prayers for the dead, and a form of in- 
 voking the defcent of the Holy Ghoft upon the Elements 
 may not be continued, together with the delivery of the 
 Eucharift into the mouth of the Communicant * 1 To thefe 
 queftions fatisfa£tory anfwers were returned by Gueft f» 
 and the ceremonies propofed by Cecil were omitted in the. 
 Book prepared by the Commiffioners to be laid before Par- 
 liament. 
 
 The Commiffioners were Parker, afterwards Archbifhop 
 of Canterbury, whofe place was fupplied by Gueji, when 
 Parker was indifpofed, Cox and May, who are faid to have 
 been two of the compilers of Edward's firft Book, and lived 
 in exile during Mary's reign, Grindal, fucceffively Bifhop 
 of London, York, and Canterbury, Bill, the Queen's Al- 
 moner, Pilkington, and Whitehead together with Sir Thomas 
 Smith, 
 
 This Committee entered upon the bufinefs of the Review 
 in December 1558, and finiflied it in April following ; in 
 which month a Bill for " Uniformity in the Service of the 
 Church," authorifing Edward's Book of Common Prayer, 
 with a few alterations and additions, was introduced into the 
 lower houfe of parliament. To facilitate the pairing of this 
 
 * In fome of thefe queries, Cecil evidently had an eye to the Auguftan, 
 or Aujburgh ConfeJJion, which at this time many wifhed to fee adopted 
 by the church of England. It permitted crucifixes to be retained, and 
 the wafer to be put into the mouth of the communicant, and acknow- 
 ledged a real and fubftantial prefence in the Eucharift. On this fubjeft 
 Bullenger writes to his friend ; Video et in Anglic non modicas obori- 
 turas turbas, fi, quod quidam (rem indigniffimam multis modis,) pof- 
 fujant, recipiatur Augujiana Confeffio. Vexat hoc omnes ecclefias fin- 
 ceriores — Cave, & adjuta ne recipiatur. Satisfecit piis Edvardi re- 
 formatio. 
 
 ■f Collier does not admit this: but fee note, p. XLIH. Strype ha* 
 Jnferted Gueft's Reply, No. 14. Append. Annals, Vol. I, , 
 
 e 3 bill 
 
ttV fcfrTRODUCTlON. 
 
 Bill rnto a law, a public conference, dr difputation, had been 
 appointed to be previottfly held, in Weftminfter Abbey, be* 
 tween eight, nine, or ten bifliops, or dignified ehsrgytnen on 
 the part of the papifts, and an equal number of protectant 
 divines. The qtieftidns to be argued were thefe three. 
 
 1. Whether it is agalnft the word of Odd, arid the cuftom 
 6f the ancient church, to ufe a tongue unknown to the; 
 people in common prayer, and the adminiftratton of the 
 fecrarnents ? 
 
 2. Whether evety church has authority to appoint, abolilh, 
 and change ceremonies and ecclefiaftical rites, provided the 
 fame be ddhe to edification ? 
 
 3. Whether it can be proved by the word of God, that 
 in the mafs there is offered up a propitiatory facrifice for the 
 quick and dead I 
 
 The papifts were tt> defend the negative of the fifft, and 
 the affirmative of the laft propofition ; and the proteftants 
 the affirmative of the fecond. That the audience might be 
 better enabled to judge of the force of the arguments on 
 ^ach fide, it was refblved that the difputation fhould be held 
 in Englifh, and to avoid the confufion comntonly attending 
 verbal debate, both parties agreed to condu£t the conference 
 by writing. The bifhops were in the firft place to read 
 their paper on the fifft queftidn, and then the reformed theirs ; 
 after which the papers Were to be mutually exchanged that 
 they might be reciprocally anfwered the next day. The 
 feme method was to be ahferved in the difcuffion of the other 
 ijueftions. Preliminaries being thus fettled, Bacon the Lord. 
 Keeper, who prefided as moderator, not however to deter^ 
 mine any thing on any point in controverfy, but fimply to 
 fee that the difpute was condutSted in order, and according 
 to the forms agreed upon, took the chair on the 30th of 
 March, in the prefence of the Lords of the Council, the 
 Members of both Houfes of Parliament, and a numerous 
 coneourfe of other auditors. The Bifhops produced no 
 documents in writings pretending that they had miftaken the 
 
 order ; 
 
INTRODUCTION. LV 
 
 ■order : they faid however that they were prepared to argufe 
 *he firft propofition. The truth is, they had determined to 
 give up no papers. to the Heretics. The Prefident reproved 
 their departure from the agreement, but permitted them to 
 proceed, upon the promife that they would put their argu- 
 ments in writing, and deliver them to the other party. 
 Cole, Dean of St. Paul's, then delivered a long difcourfe, in 
 ■which he endeavoured to juftify the performance of divine 
 fervice in the Latin language. After he had finifhed, the 
 Bifhops were afked whether they had any thing more to ad- 
 vance on the firft queftion, and having anfwered in the nega- 
 tive, the Moderator required the Proteftants to read their 
 paper. It was accordingly read, and delivered, having been 
 previoufly fubfcribed, to the Lord Keeper, to be by him 
 prefented to the Papifts, that they might write their reply. 
 
 Of the contents of this paper it may be expected that I 
 fhould give a fummary account. It began with a fhort prayer 
 for illumination, or right judgment, and a folemn affeveration 
 that the proteftant divines were refolved to be guided by the 
 written word of God. In the Exordium they profefs great 
 regard for the catholic church, and entire acquiefcence in the 
 Articles of the three Creeds. To the Scriptures and the 
 catholic church, they refer the whole controverfy. But by 
 ■catholic church they declare they do not underftand the church 
 of Rome, and they adopt from the Latin fathers a definition 
 of the church, not unlike that given in our xxth Article of 
 Religion. By fcripture they mean canonical fcripture, and 
 by the cuftom of the primitive church, they underftand its 
 general practice for the firft five centuries. They proceed 
 to ftate the queftion, and affirm, that common prayer in an 
 unknown tongue, is contrary, I. to the word of God; and 2. 
 to the cuftom of the primitive church. 
 
 The firft propofition they very fuccefsfully fupport, and 
 chiefly from paflages in the fourteenth chapter of the firft 
 Epiftle to the Corinthians ; and they illuftrate their reafoning 
 with arguments drawn from the principles of natural reafon, 
 
 e 4 as 
 
LVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 as well as from the practice of the Jewifli church, and the 
 Pagan world. 
 
 The fecond proposition is proved from Jujlin Martyr's 
 Apology, from ancient Liturgies, and from the works of 
 Bajil, Chryfojlom, Ambrofe, Cyprian, Jerom, and Auftin. To 
 thefe they fubjoin the edi£t of Jujlinian, which commands 
 the office of Baptifm, and the prayers in the Euchartft, to be 
 pronounced with a loud voice, that the people may hear, and 
 be affifted in their devotions; which benefit, the Emperor 
 obferves, the people cannot have, unlefs they underftand 
 what is faid. The proteftant divines then revert to St. 
 Paul's reafoning, and conclude their difcourfe with expreffing 
 their wonder that fuch an abufe, as public worlhip in a lan- 
 guage not underfrood, fhould have ever crept into the church, 
 and their aftonifhment that thofe, who would wifh to be 
 thought guides, and paftors, were fo unwilling to return to 
 the rule of St. Paul, and the practice of the primitive 
 times *. 
 
 During the reading of the paper, the audience difcovered 
 vifible marks of fausfaction, and as foon as it was finifhed, 
 many of them exprefled their approbation by fhouts of ap- 
 plaufe. This prompted the 'Bilhops to allege to the Mode- 
 rator, in direct contradiction to their .former anfwer, that 
 they had more to fay on the firft queftion. To remove every 
 pretence for complaint, the conference was adjourned. At 
 the next meeting the Bifhops refufed to adhere to their own 
 pjopofals, and went fo far as to fay, that what Cole had deli- 
 vered was not agreed to by them. They railed againft 
 Bacon, and the Coun.il, for permitting Heretics to difcourfe 
 on points of faith before the unlearned multitude. In ftiort, 
 after much acrimonious invective on the part of the Ro- 
 manics, for which two out of the nine were committed to 
 the Tower, and others bound to appear before the Council, 
 the conference was djflblved, 
 
 * The proteftant difputants were Scory, late Biftiop of Chichefter, 
 Cox, late Dean of Wefcminfter, Horn, late Dean of Durham, Aylmer, 
 Whitehead, Guift, Jewell, and Grinds!. 
 
 The 
 
INTRODUCTION. LVII 
 
 The prevarication and petulance of the Bifhops were at 
 lead as injurious to their caufe, as any arguments brought 
 by their adverfaries. Their refufal at the outlet to comply 
 with the terms on which it was mutually ftipulated that the 
 deputation mould be conducted, their fubfequent deviation 
 from the appointment propofed by themfelves, and at laft 
 their declining to proceed further in the debate, betrayed to 
 the more judicious part of the auditory, a confcioufnefs of 
 the weaknefs of their fide of the queftion, and of their in- 
 ability to defend it : whilft the infults offered to the Lord 
 Keeper, who prefided with impartiality, and extraordinary 
 moderation toward them, and the threatenings of excommu- 
 nication denounced againft, their Sovereign, and her Council, 
 which were in no way connected with the fubjecT: of the 
 conference, fhewed, even to the populace, the intolerant 
 fpirit of themfelves, and of their religious fyftem. What 
 completed the defeat of the Bifhops, was, their attempt to 
 filence argument by authority, and their final appeal to the 
 Pope. 
 
 The triumph thus gained by the Proteftants, fecured and 
 accelerated the parting of the Bill for Uniformity. It was 
 read in the Houfe of Commons on the 18th of April : on the. 
 19th it was read the fecond time, and ordered to be engroffed: 
 on the 20th the third time, and paffed. On the 25th it was 
 brought into the Houfe of Lords, where it was read on the 
 26th, 27th, and 28th *. On the 29th the royal aflent was 
 given f . 
 
 * In the Upper Houfe it met with all the opposition, that the bench 
 of Bifhops, and a few of the Lay Lords, could make againft it. At 
 this time fome of Mary's Bifhops were dead, and others were not 
 appointed to the vacant fees. Out of the fixteen now living, ten were 
 prefent, and diffented ; the other fix gave their vote againft the Bill by 
 proxy. This accounts for the words AJfent of the Lords, without the 
 ufual addition of Spiritual and Temporal, in the Aft of Uniformity, 
 where the Lords Spiritual are not mentioned. Strype, Blackftone, 
 book 1, ch. 2. 
 
 f Of what was done by the Convocation I take no notice, and for 
 this reafon: the proteftant clergy, being at this time depofed, could not 
 be. prefent. 
 
 It 
 
1VIII INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It is likewife remarkable, that in the progfeft of this 
 Bill only one amendment was made. The divines who drew 
 it up had left the people at liberty to receive the Communion 
 either ftanding or kneeling. The more ancient, as well as 
 more common ufage, was to communicate ftanding ; but the 
 pofture of kneeling, which had been ufoal in England, was 
 enjoined by Parliament. 
 
 The A& required that the Englifh Service {hould take 
 place on the 24th of June, the day of St. John the Baptift : 
 but by the advice of her Majefty's Proteftant Coumellors, it 
 was performed in the Royal Chapel on the 12th of May, 
 the very firft Sunday after the diflblution of the Parliament, 
 and above forty days before the feaft of the Baptiji. The 
 Council, no doubt, anticipated the refufal of the Bifhops *, 
 and the backwardnefs of fome of the clergy to officiate by 
 the legal form : and therefore to give an example to the reft 
 of the nation, ordered the Englifh Liturgy to be uniformly 
 ufed in the Queen's Chapel for fome weeks before it was en- 
 joined by the Act to be univerfally adopted. 
 
 Of the alterations made at this Review, the following are 
 the moft confiderable. The Ordinary may appoint the place 
 where the Morning and Evening Prayer fhall be read: 
 hitherto it had commonly been read in the Chancel. To put 
 a flop to difputes that had arifen about the form and lituation 
 of the Altar, or Communion Table, Chancels are ordered 
 to remain as they have done in times pvji f . Some ornaments 
 
 of 
 
 * All the Bifhops afterward refufed to take the Oath of Supremacy 
 required by law, and were of courfe deprived, one only excepted, and 
 to mention his name were to diigrace it. This man conformed in 
 Edward's reign, was a perfecutor of proteftants while Mary lived, and 
 continued to hold his biftioprick under Elizabeth's Act of Uniformity. 
 12 Deans, 12 Archdeacons, 15 Matters of Colleges, 50 Prebendaries, 
 and about 80 Rectors and Vicars were likewife deprived. The whole 
 number, including the 1 5 Bifhops, did not amount to 200. 
 
 f In Edward's firft Book, the Prieft, at the Communion, was di- 
 rected to ftand before the midji of tif* altar 5 that is, with his face 
 
 toward 
 
INTRODUCTION. LIX 
 
 of the Church, and habits worn by the Miniftere s which 
 had been renrtoved by Edward's fecond Book, were replaced. 
 Proper firfi leflbns were appointed for Sundays * ; for, till 
 this Review, thofe for the day of the month in the Kajendar 
 had been ufed on .Sunday, as well as on ordinary days. Td 
 conciliate the Romanifts, the deprecation in the Litany to 
 be delivered from the Bijhop of Rome, and all bis detffhrlUe 
 enormities was cancelled. In this office the interceffions for 
 the Queen were likewife added, Towards the end of the 
 Litany were inferted A Prayer for the ghteerfs Majefiy, and 
 another for the Clergy and People, but without any title an- 
 nexed to either : together with that beginning God, ivhofe 
 Nature and Property is ever to have Mercy, and to forgive. 
 This laft had been retained in various Primers, but had nfl 
 place in either of Edward's Books f , In Elizabeth's it is, 
 
 without 
 
 toward the eaft, and his back to the people : but in the fecond. Book 
 at the north fide of the table. From the very eftablilhment of the 
 reformation, from the days of Ridley to the death of Laud, and the 
 Subverfion of the Church, unhappy altercations exifted refpecfting the 
 iite and form of the Communion Table.' After the reftoration, na 
 pofitive injunctions concerning thefe matters, were enforced by autho- 
 rity, and all difputes about them, foon died away. This moderation 
 'produced that general uniformity, which compulfive methods were in 
 vain employed to enforce. Chancels are now commonly railed in, and 
 the table is placed Altarwife ; that is, near the wall at the eaftern 
 extremity of the building. 
 
 * This regulation, though highly proper in its principle, thwarts 
 the intention of the firft reformers, and in fome degree contraduts a 
 pofition in their preface, refpefling the Kalendar. When the appoint- 
 ment of proper leffons for Sundays took place, ftrift conliftency re- 
 quired, that the claufe, concerning the uninterrupted reading of th§ 
 Old Teftament, mould have been a little more modified. 
 
 t A ftrange fatality has attended this valuable Collect. That fince 
 1662. it has been commonly difplaced, and is at prefent fcldom read, I 
 .have remarked in the Elucfdation. Neither are our writers agreed on 
 the time of its introduction into the Common Prayer. Nicholls has 
 inadvertently faid that " it was brought in in the firft (year, or Book) 
 pf James." Bjffe notes the miftake, and falls into one lefs natural. 
 JHe affisms that it was in Edward's Second Book, and even pretends to 
 
 affign 
 
LX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 without any title, or rubric, fubjoined to the prayer lC in 
 time of common plague, or ficknefs." It is of courfe the 
 laft prayer in the Litany, and allowing for the blank, or 
 chafm, which properly disjoins offices, then feparate and 
 diftinct, and ufed at different times, it immediately precedes 
 the collects, epiftles and gofpels, read in the communion 
 office : for neither the prayer for parliament^ nor that for all 
 forts and conditions of men> nor any of the thankfgivings, 
 were yet compofed. 
 
 The rubric at the end of the Communion, in the fecond 
 Book of Edward, which exprefsly denied the corporal pre- 
 fence *, was omitted, for the fame reafon that the depreca- 
 tion in the Litany was expunged. Some other unimportant 
 variations were made. At the delivery of the elements in 
 the Eucharift, the two different forms, appointed in the firfl: 
 and fecond Books of Edward, were united, as they ftill re- 
 main. And in order to deviate ftill lefs from the forms of 
 
 aflign the place where it flood. What would be more extraordinary 
 were it true, we are told that it was agreed by the Eccleiiaftical Com- 
 miflioners of 1689 that this prayer " mould be thrown out, as full of 
 flrange and impertinent expreflions, and behdes not in the original, but 
 foifted in by another hand." Birch, in his Life of Tillotfon, repeats 
 this upon the authority of Calamy. The original papers of the Com- 
 milfioners were depofited, it is faid, in the Archives at Lambeth, and 
 Calamy had not accefs to them. Again Calamy's account contradifls 
 that given by others, whofe means of information were at leaft equal 
 to his. — Very little indeed is publicly known of the proceedings of the 
 Commiflioners ; and to me it appears very improbable that Burnet, 
 Patrick, Stilling fleet, and Tillotfon fhould have affented to die refolution 
 quoted above. 
 
 * We do declare that it is not meant thereby (by kneeling at the 
 time of receiving the Sacrament) that any adoration is done, or ought 
 to be done, either unto the facramental bread or wine, there bodily re- 
 ceived, or unto any real or eftential prefence there being of Chrift's 
 natural flefli and blood : for as concerning the facramental bread and 
 wine, they remain ftill in their very natural fubftances, and may not 
 be adored, for that were idolatry to be abhorred of all faithful Clirif- 
 tians ; and a6 concerning the natural body and blood of our Saviour 
 Chrift, they are in Heaven, and not here, ice. Edward's fecond Book. 
 
 thie 
 
INTRODUCTION. LXl 
 
 the church of Rome, the Queen's Injunctions ordered, that 
 the facramental bread, which the Rubric required only to be 
 made of the fineft wheaten flour, fhould be made round 
 like the wafers lately ufed in private mafles *. 
 
 This comprehensive plan, added to the Queen's manifeft 
 attachment to ufages f, that had obtained under the ancient 
 eftablifhment, induced many of the Roman Catholics to 
 continue to join in the communion of the eftablifhed church. 
 Even the Pope was ready to give his fanftion to the Liturgy, 
 and to aflent to the ufe of the communion in both kinds, 
 provided the Queen would acknowledge his fupremacy J ; and 
 it was not till after a conformity of more than ten years, that 
 the Roman Catholics withdrew to feparate congregations §. 
 
 The Reformation appeared now, not only to have com- 
 pletely triumphed over Popery, but uniformity of worfhip 
 likewife feemed to be generally eftablifhed in this kingdom. 
 But the Puritans, who, during the life of Elizabeth, had, in 
 a great degree, been awed into acquiefcence, were, by the 
 acceffion of James, encouraged to avow their principles more 
 
 m Queen's Injunctions, in Sparrow's Colleft. p. 85. 
 
 f She had been prevailed upon to enjoin that Images, Lights, and 
 Crucifixes mould be removed from places of divine worftiip, in order to 
 prevent the grofs fuperftition, and idolatry which the abufe of them 
 had occafioned : Jhe retained neverthelefs, in her o<wn chapel, a crucifix 
 and lighted tapers in divine ferfice. (Strype's Parker, p. 46.) By the 
 repeated addreffes of Parker, and others, the Queen is laid to baiff been 
 brought off from the fancy of images : and (he certainly Jhevjed her/elf, 
 (that is, perhaps, affe&ed to be) highly difgufted at the fight of fome 
 ornamental pictures, placed before the epittles and gofpels in a Book of 
 Common Prayer, laid before her at St. Paul's, by order of Noivel the 
 Dean, and intended by him for a New- Year's gift to her Majefty. (Id. 
 ibid. p. 97.) On her attachment to Altars, fee Strype's Annals, Vol. I. 
 p. i6z; to Images, p. 172, 3, with Burnet, Sec. 
 
 % This is afferted by Heylin on the authority of Camden, who, he 
 ©bferves, had all his choice intelligence from Cecil. Reform, p. 303, 4., 
 But the Queen and the Pope both knew that the Legitimacy of the one 
 could not be maintained, if the Supremacy of the other were admitted. 
 
 § Heylin, Strype, Burnet, Collier. 
 
 openly. 
 
1XII INTRODUCTION'. 
 
 openly *. To this monarch they, presented an addrefs, which 
 is uiually diftinguifhed by the name of the millenary petition. 
 The title is meant to import that it was fubicribed by a 
 thousand minifters, though in reality it was not figned by 
 more than three-fourths of that number. 
 
 In this petition they complain of the fervice, government., 
 and difcipline of the church of England, and pray for a re- 
 form of what they call abufes. From what James had him- 
 felf feen in their Scotifli brethren, he knew the puritanical 
 clergy too well to be deluded by their fpecious pretences : 
 and whatever hopes his former profeflions of attachment, to 
 the church of Scotland might have excited, he was too pru- 
 dent .a monarch to attempt any innovation, of the eftablifhed 
 conftitution of the church, of which he was now Supreme 
 Head, without a cogent reafop for the change f. Willing 
 however to gratify the Puritans, as far as a propolal to hear 
 what they had to allege in favour of their non-conformity 
 could gratify them, he gave orders for a conference to be held 
 at Hampton Court, between fame felefr. bifhops of the efta- 
 blifhment, and the leading characters among the diflenters. 
 James, attended by the Lord Chancellor, Attorney-General, 
 and others, prefided in perfon, as moderator, or rather, if we 
 impartially examine his conduct and decifions, as magifterial 
 
 * Many of the clergy, who had fpent their time of exile in coun- 
 tries which conformed to the ecclefiaftical eftablifliment of Geneva, re- 
 turned to England, difaffeSed to the epifcopal government ; and were 
 diflatisfied with the rites and ceremonies afterward eftabliftied b;y law. 
 From their pretending to greater purity, in the fervice of God, than was 
 held forth (as they alleged) in the Book of Common Prayer ; and from 
 their carrying their oppofition to the rites and iriages of the Romilh 
 church, further than was confident with the Conftitution, or agreeable 
 to the moderation of the church of England, they were firft called 
 Puritans, in the year 1 564. 
 
 t In the courfe of the debate at Hampton Court, James remanked 
 that, if the Bijbops nuere out, and the Puritans in, he kaenv ivhat ivoufli 
 become of his Supremacy. No Bijbops, no King, was a favourite apothegm 
 with him at this conference.. In Scotland he had ftiled the EngRjk 
 Liturgy, an iU-faid mafs, a popijb fervice tmtbout tie (rowings. 
 
 dittator. 
 
INTRODUCTION. LXIH 
 
 diflator. On this occafion, fulfome compliments were made 
 to James by fome of the Lords and JBifhops. One of them 
 faid that his Majefty fpoke by the injiinft tf the Holy Ghojf* 
 And feveral of our writers dwell with apparent pkafure on 
 the uncommon learning and abilities, with which the King 
 cqndefcended to plead the caufe of the eftabiifliment. But, 
 in thefe commendations, there feems to be, at leaft, as much . 
 flattery as truth. Towards the clofe of the conference, 
 which lafted three days, the monarch told the Puritans, that 
 " he would have none of their arguing*, and that if they 
 did not conform, and quickly too, they fhould hear of it +." 
 
 Though the Puritans gained nothing for themfelves by 
 this conference, yet their complaints occasioned the order. for 
 the prefent tranilation of the Bible ; and their pointing out 
 fome imperfections in the Liturgy, gave ri(e to feveral 
 alterations. In the Rubric before the Abfolution, the WQ(ds, 
 " or remiflion of fins," were added, " by way of explana* 
 tion J." In the Morning and Evening Prayer a colledl:, an4 
 in the Litany a particular interceffion, were appointed for 
 the Royal Family. At the end of the Litany were added 
 forms of thankfgiving on various occafions § : for rain, and 
 
 for 
 
 * Yet the parties met for the pucpofe of arguing the points in dis- 
 pute, before the royal Moderater. 
 
 f At the end of the fecond day's conference, James, arifing from his 
 thair, obferved to the courtiers, If this be all they have to fay, VU 
 make them conform, or Yll Harry them out of the land, or Vlldo ivorfe. 
 . J It is curious and lingular that thefe words, " or xemiflion," now 
 added at the fuggeftion of the non-conformift by way of explanation, 
 the more learned commiffioners of 1689 fhould have agreed to put out, 
 us not very intelligible. Birch's Tillotfon. 
 
 § " .The want of particular thankfgivings-for the benefits for which 
 there are prayers," was objected by Cart-wright, and others, in the 
 reign of Elizabeth. Hooker attempts to defend the omiffion, and accufes 
 his adverfaries of " waving in and out." He reprefents them, " as not 
 refolved what to think, (peak, or write, more than only that, fince they 
 have; taken it upon them, they mull be oppofite." (Eccl. Pol. hook v. 
 eh. 43.) Hosier appears here to argue from the principle, that what- 
 
LXlV ifffRODUCTION. 
 
 for fair weather; for plenty, and for peace, and deliverance 
 from our enemies ; for reftoring public peace at home ; and 
 for deliverance from the plague, or other common ficknefs. 
 
 In the office for private baptifm, the Rubric, which might 
 have been fuppofed to countenance Lay-baptifm, was cor- 
 rected, and the adminiftration confined to the lawful minifter. 
 The title of the office of confirmation was enlarged, and 
 
 - rendered more explicit. At the end of the catechifm were 
 Subjoined all the queftions and anfwers concerning the facra- 
 ments. Some other improvements were likewife made. It 
 has been difputed, but at this day it will hardly admit of a 
 queftion, whether thefe regulations were made by competent 
 authority. They were agreed upon, only by the king and 
 fome of the bifhops, but were not either in this, or the fuo 
 ceeding reign, ratified by parliament. 
 
 At the acceflion of Charles I., no particular attempt was 
 made to improve the Liturgy. New editions were printed 
 
 ■ from the amended copy of the preceding reign, with the 
 alteration of the names of the King and Royal Family. In 
 the Rubrics, the word prieji was occafionally put for minifter. 
 And, in the courfe of this reign, the introductory words of 
 the prayer for the Royal Family, " which haft promifed to 
 be a father of thine elecT, and of their feed," were changed 
 into their prefent form. Some other alterations, either 
 verbal, or unimportant, were made by the fpecial order of 
 the King. 
 
 In this reign, however, a- reformed Liturgy was published 
 for the ufe of Scotland, which the court fondly hoped would 
 be brought back not only to Epifcopacy, but to a near con- 
 ever is eftabliftied, is right, and muft be defended in whatever way it 
 can. VEftrange, who wrote after the occafional thankfgivings were 
 inferted, does not think Hooker's defence quite iatisfactory. He fays', 
 that " the fuperadding of the thankfgivings was not only commend- 
 able, but a neceffary ail." (Alliance, laft Obfervation on ch. IV.) 
 Subfequent ritualifts agree with VEftrange ; and fince the introduction- 
 of the forms of thankfgiving, I do not know that the opinion of Hooker, 
 en this point, has had a Tingle advocate. 
 
 formity, 
 
INTRODUCTION, LXV 
 
 nfmity, both in worfhip and difcipline, to the model of the 
 Englifh eftablifhment. 
 
 Though the form of the Scotifh Liturgy was drawn up 
 by epifcopaliart divines in that kingdom, the work muft be 
 regarded^ in a confiderable degree at leaft, as the production 
 of Archbifhop Laud *: The preface explains the propriety^ 
 and maintains the neceffity of ,a u prefcript form of Common 
 Prayer:" It thus apologifes for having " followed the fer- 
 vice book of England. Being of one true profeffion, and 
 united by many bonds, we thought meet to adhere to their 
 form, even in the feftivals, and fome other rites, not as yet 
 received, nor obferved in our church, rather than by omitting 
 them, to give the adverfary to think, that we difliked any 
 part of their fervice. Our firft reformers," continues the 
 preface, " were of the fame mind with us, as appears by 
 the ordinance they made, that in all the pariflies of the 
 realm, the Common Prayer" (meaning that of the church of 
 England) " fhould be read weekly on Sundays, and other 
 feftival days ; for it is known for diverfe years after, we had 
 no other order for Common Prayer." 
 
 In this Scotifh Liturgy are many improvements, fome of 
 which, as I have had occafion to obferve in the following 
 Elucidation, were adopted in the laft review of our book 
 that was authorifed by parliament. — The following are a 
 few of the moft remarkable variations between the Scotifli 
 and Englifh Liturgies, as the latter flood prior to the resto- 
 ration. The enumeration of thefe will likewife point out 
 fome particulars, wherein the Scotifh differs from our prefent 
 book. 
 
 The Scotifh Liturgy, particularly in the Rubrics, often 
 changes priefl into prefbyter. The Epiftles, Gofpels, 
 Hymns, and Pfalms, are taken from the new tranflation of 
 the Bible. No apocryphal Leffon is found in the Kalendar, 
 though a very few are admitted among the proper leffons 
 
 * See Heylin's Life of Laud, 
 
 f for 
 
ixVt ItfTKOlJUCTrotfr 
 
 for Holidays *. In the Communion Service the people are 
 directed to fay, " Glory be to Godf," after the minifter 
 has given out, and before he proceeds to read the Gofpel : 
 and when the Gofpel is ended they are to anfwer y " Thanks 
 be to thee,. O Lord." Some additional fentences occur in 
 the offertory, " one or more of which fliall be faid as the 
 prefbyter or curate thinketh moft convenient, according to* 
 the length, or fliortnefs of thfe time, that the people are 
 offering," and fome of the fentences in our book are omitted. 
 The fame obfervation extends to the fentences prefixed to the 
 daily prayer. The conclufion of the prayer for the church 
 militant on earth,, differs remarkably from Edward's firft 
 book, from the fecond, and from our prefent book, as they 
 refpe£tively do from each other. At the adminiftration of 
 the bread and wine,, the firft part only of the words is ufed, 
 as in Edward's former book. 
 
 We come now to a memorable period in the hiftory of our 
 Liturgy, when the defcendants and difciples of the Puritans, 
 who had been fo clamorous for a reform of ceremonies, and 
 what they termed abufes, in the beginning of James's reign, 
 were but too fucccfsful in their ichemes of innovation. It 
 
 * In the former edition I faid, that a paraphrafe of the pfalms in 
 metre, by King James VI. is annexed to the book, and announced in the 
 title page. Whetf this paffage was- written, I had before me an Edin- 
 burgh edition of 17 12, purporting to be printed from the authentic 
 copy of 16J7. But to that copy, whieh I have fince examined, this 
 uncouth paraphrafe is not fubjoined, neither is it noticed in the title 
 page. The fpurious edition I took for a genuine copy } and he muft 
 have been %fceptic indeed, who would have doubted its authenticity. I 
 now relate the circumftance, thinking that it may ferve as. one apology 
 for an occafional error, where writers are obliged to traft to copies, or 
 copiers, from want of the means of examining originals. 
 
 t It is ftill cuttomary in fome of our churches for the parifti clerk, 
 and the people to fay, « Glory be to thee, O Lord," when the clergy- 
 man has named the Gofpel. In Edward's firft Liturgy this was en- 
 Joined by a rubric : and --why the order came to be afterwards omitted, 
 it is now, I apprehend, ufelefs to enquire. 
 
 4 * 
 
INTRODUCTION. LXVII 
 
 is generally known that, by their artful machinations, they 
 contrived to inflame the nation into rebellion, to overturn 
 the government both in church and ftate, and to ere£t upori 
 ifs ruins a Babel of their own. Their triumph, however, 
 like that of their infatuated brethren, the builders of canfujion 
 on the plain of Shinar, was happily not of long duration. 
 So little reafon had the nation at large to be fatisfied with that 
 novel form of government, to which it was fubjedted by the 
 regicides, that upon the deceafe of -the Prote&or, the prefby- 
 terians themfelves were willing to accede to the re-eftablifh- 
 ment of the ancient monarchy. 
 
 When the reftoration of Charles II. began to be con- 
 certed he publilhed at Breda a declaration concerning liberty 
 of confcience in matters of religion. This was done with 
 a view to foften the animofities that exifted between the 
 contending parties, and more efpecially to conciliate the 
 prefbyterians. The committee of nobles and commons ap- 
 pointed afterwards to wait upon the king at the Hague, was 
 accompanied by eight or ten of the mofteminent divines of 
 the prefbyterian communion. In a private conference with 
 Charles, " they declared themfelves no enemies to a mode- 
 rate epifcopacy." The king in return " allured them, that 
 he had no intention to impofe hard conditions, or embarrals 
 their confciences : that he would refer the fettling of the 
 matters they mentioned to the two Houfes of Parliament, 
 who were the beft judges of what indulgence or toleration 
 was neceflary for the repofe of the kingdom." 
 
 At a fubfequent private audience they repreferited to 
 Charles, that " as the Common Prayer had been difcontinued 
 in England for feveral years, it might be impolitic for his 
 majefty to revive the ufe of it in his own chapel immedi- 
 ately on his return. The people, they, pretended, would be 
 lefs fliocked if fome part of it only were ufed with other 
 prayers." The king, with fome degree of refentment, ob- 
 ferved, that by the liberty he granted them, they were not 
 authorifed to infringe upon bis. He hoped, he faid, to find 
 
 f a the 
 
lXviii introduction. 
 
 the Liturgy regularly received in many places, and that iif 
 his own chapel he would fiiffer no other form of worfliip." 
 The minifters, though difappointed by the king's firmnefs, 
 proceeded to importune, " that his majefty's chaplains might 
 difcontinue the furplice, bccaufe the fight of the habit would 
 give offence to the people." The king faid, " the furplice 
 had always been reckoned a decent habit ; that though for 
 the prefent he might be obliged to connive at diforder, he 
 would never abet irregularity by his own practice, nor dis- 
 countenance the ancient and laudable cuftoms of the churchy 
 in which he had been educated *." 
 
 At the return of the king, the church revived with the 
 monarchy : but its revival was not effected without fome 
 ftraggle and oppolition. For more than fourteen years had 
 the hierarchy been broken down, and the Liturgy laid afide. 
 A very different form of eccleliaftical government, and of 
 public worfhip, now prevailed. Various other, cicumftances 
 concurred to form a profpect extremely favourable to the 
 prefbyterians. The nine bifliops, however, that furvived 
 the ufurpation, were fpeedily reinftated, fix others were foon 
 after confecrated, and in a fliort time all the fees were filled. 
 
 On the 25th of October, 1660, came forth the king's 
 Declaration refpefting ecclefiaftical affairs, in which a prc- 
 mife was made, that the Liturgy .fhould be reviewed by 
 an equal number of divines of both perfuafions. And on the 
 •25th of March following, 42 commiflioners, that is, 21 epif- 
 copalians, and 21 prefbyterians, including the affiftants on 
 both fides,, were conftituted by letters patent. The com- 
 miflioners were enjoined. " to meet at the Matter's lodging 
 . in the Savoy, and to take into confideration the feveral direc- 
 tions, rules,, forms of prayer, and things in the Common 
 Prayer contained, to review the fame, comparing them with 
 the moft ancient Liturgies; to advife upon the exceptions 
 • and objections that might be iriade^ and if occafibn fhould re- 
 quire, to make fuch reafonable corrections and amendments as 
 
 * Clai'eiidoii, and Collier. 
 
 they 
 
INTRODUCTION. LXIJC 
 
 they might judge ufeful and expedient for giving fetisfa£tion> 
 to tender confciencjs and reftoring unity ; but avoiding Ah 
 uhneceffary abbreviations of the forms and Liturgy, fo long 
 received in the church of England."' 
 
 At the firft meeting of the commiffioners, the Biftiop of 
 London acquainted the prefbyterian divines, " that as they, 
 and not the Bifhops, had requefted the conference for making 
 alterations, nothing could be done, till they had delivered 
 their exceptions in writing, together with the additional 
 forms and alterations which they defired." 
 
 The diffenting minifters alleged, that verbal debate was 
 not only more agreeable to the fpirit of the commiflion, but 
 was alio the moft likely means of anfwering the end of the 
 conference. The -bifhops, however, .being inflexible, the 
 prefbyterians were obliged to affent : and they agreed to pro- 
 pofe in writing, all their exctptions at one time, and their 
 additions at another. 
 
 Eighteen general exceptions were accordingly drawn, up, 
 fome of which comprehend a great variety of diftincl: por- 
 tions. Thefe, together with an enumeration of particular 
 exceptions againft fome rubrics and paflages in the Book of 
 Common Prayer, were prefented to the epifcopalian divines. 
 To each of thefe exceptions the church commiffioners re- 
 turned what to the members of the eftablifhment at lead 
 will appear in general a full and fatisfa£tory anfwer. To 
 this anfwer the nonconformists wrote a reply more fpirited 
 than refpedtful. 
 
 From the papers that paffed between the commimoners we 
 are, I think, authorifed to infer, that the nonconformists, 
 from the nature of the caufe which they were engaged to 
 defend, were unable to cope with their opponents, to whom 
 they were likewife in point of knowledge of ancient Litur- 
 gies, and of the opinions of the early Chriftian writers, 
 plainly inferior*. Yet in the courfe of the conference, they 
 
 * Some years prior to this controverfy, Milton obferved that his 
 friends, the -puritans, ivere inferior to the prelates in learning, 
 
 f 3 difplayed 
 
tXX INTRODUCTION, 
 
 difplayed great acutenefs of remark, and very conilderablc 
 abilities and learning. We may further notice, that many 
 of the requifitions of the preibyterians were either exorbitant 
 or idle ; but it mult be allowed, that the epifcopalians were 
 far from being liberal in their conceflions. Some conceffions 
 were however made, and other alterations now mggefted by 
 the preibyterians, and not agreed to by the church commiffion- 
 ers, took place at the review in the convocation. 
 
 How idle and frivolous were fome of the propofitions made 
 by the preibyterians, the following fpecimen will evince. In 
 their particular exceptions they requeft, that the words in the 
 Litany, all that travel by land or by water., may be changed 
 into, those that travel by land or by water. The Epifco- 
 palians anfwer, that the former words are as little liable to 
 exception as the latter, and that they are more agreeable to 
 the phrafe of Scripture. They quote the authority of St. 
 Paul, I will that prayers and /implications be made for ALL 
 men. To this the prefbyterian Minifters reply, " We know 
 not that we are bound to pray for thieves, pirates, and traitors, 
 that travel by land or water on like errands with Guy Faux, 
 the Spanijh Armada, &c." Indeed the whole of this reply, 
 makes a fort of quibbling diftin&ion where it is not eafy to 
 difcover any difference, and this is not the only inftance 
 where the puritans cavil about little or nothing, merely as it 
 would appear for the fake of cavil. 
 
 Their difpofition to find fault with trifles, and to difpute 
 about things unimportant and indifferent, might incline the 
 commiffioners of the eftablifhment to refufe conceihons, which 
 they would probably have been ready enough to make to 
 more candid and liberal opponents. For though many of 
 the exceptions of the nonconformifts were either frivolous, 
 or ill-grounded, fome were reafonable and proper *. 
 
 To give an inftance of this kind alfo from the Litany : 
 They defired, that inftead of praying to be delivered from 
 
 * At leaft I think fome were, and I have read, Incorruptam fidem 
 profeflis, nee amore quifquam, & fine odio dicendus eft. 
 
 fudden 
 
INTRODUCTION* LXX$ 
 
 fudden death, the terms might be from dying fuddenly, and 
 unprepared. The Epifcopalians anfwer, from fudden deatfy 
 is as goody which, I acknowledge, I cannot fee. Their 
 reafon is, we pray againjl fudden death that we may not bt 
 unprepared. The reafon is, to me, not much more fati&- 
 fa&toty than the propofition ; and I would afk, Do our con- 
 gregations in general, do all our minifters, underftand thefe 
 words, as a prayer, that they may not die unprepared ? 
 
 But to return to the commiffioners ; the Prefbyterians 
 reply, " we added unprepared, as expofitory, or to fhew the 
 reafon why fudden death is prayed againft, and fo to diredr. 
 our prayers to that fudden death for which we are unprepared, 
 there being fame ways.oi fudden death, no more to be prayed 
 againft than death itfelf, limply confidered." They proceed 
 to give inftances where " a man may be well prepared t$ 
 die fuddenly, as in the cafe of martyrdom, &c." 
 
 Whether objections have been more frequently made to any 
 one fingle paflage in our Liturgy, than to this, I know not ; 
 but I am certain, that in difcourfing Tyith my parifhioners, J 
 Jiave oftener been consulted on the import and propriety of 
 this paflage, (for the import of the words is generally mis- 
 taken,) than of any other in the whole Book of Common 
 Prayer. Is not this a proof that exposition or alteration 
 would have been proper? From fudden and unprovided death 
 deliver us, Lord, was the language of the Primer. This 
 •correfponded in Englifli, with the Latin a morte fubitanea & 
 improvifa in the office of Sarum, of which words fudden 
 death is fomewhat lefs than a tranflation. 
 
 Exclufively of the exceptions, and the reply, the prefby- 
 terian commiffioners, according to agreement, propofed addi- 
 tions and new forms. One of them in particular, the famous 
 old Richard Baxter *, drew up an entire new fervice, whicli 
 
 * Baxter often communicated with the church of England. Though 
 by the canon he was excommunicated ipfo faSlo, yet not being legally 
 declared excommunicate, he could not canonically be repelled from the 
 Sacrament. Hoadley, and Sharpe. 
 
 f 4 he 
 
LXXII INTRODUCTION. 
 
 he called the Reformation of the Liturgy. For this talk 
 Baxter was but indifferently qualified. He had little ac- 
 quaintance with the Liturgies of antiquity, and lefs refpect. 
 for them. His form, which differs totally from our Liturgy, 
 and indeed refembles no other, was prefented to the Epifco- 
 palians, and by them rejected. That fuch a reformation 
 muft have been rejected with contempt, will be readily cre- 
 dited by all that have examined it. But it is not fo eafy to 
 account for its being prefented to the Bifhops for their appro- 
 bation, with the concurrence of the more moderate part of 
 the nonconformifts. Baxter's fervice is profeffedly drawn 
 up in fcriptural phrafe : that is, thirty or forty, and fome- 
 times three or four fcore detached fentences, or at leaft, fcraps 
 of fentences, of Holy Scripture are, without much regard 
 to affinity or connection, jumbled together into one prayer. 
 
 At the requeft of the' nonconformifts, the laft week or 
 ten days was fpent in verbal conference, in a committee 
 compofed of three commiffioners of each perfuafion. In the 
 accounts tranfmitted to us of this conference, the advocates 
 of the refpe&ive parties reciprocally accufe each of mifem- 
 ploying their time in perfonal altercation ; and it appears in- 
 deed, that very little was done towards effecting the purpofe 
 for which they had been appointed. At the clofe of the laft 
 day's meeting, it was refolved, that a written report of the 
 conference fhould be delivered to the King- : and that this 
 general account fhould be given by the commiffioners of both 
 perfuafions. " The church's welfare, unity and peace, and 
 his Majefty's fatisfaction, were ends upon which they all 
 agreed, but as to the means they could not come to any 
 harmony*." 
 
 On the 8th of May, 1661, the convocation met. They 
 adopted moft of the alterations to which the epifcopalian 
 
 * This account of the Savoy conference is principally extracted from 
 Due account, and tumble petition of the miniflers ; A:cour.i of proceedings 
 of eomminknirs of bo:b perfuafions ; Petition for peace, ivitb reformation 
 ef Liturgy, (All printed at London, 1661) and from Collier. 
 
 com- 
 
INTRODUCTION? kXXJII 
 
 commrffioners had agreed, made fome farther concqlfions tq 
 the prefbyterians, and intrqduced a few other changes and 
 additions. On the 2Pth of September, the Book, having 
 paffed both houfes of Convocation, was fubfcribed • by the 
 JBifhpps and Clergy ; and together with the Ail of Uniformity 
 prefixed, and the Preface, beginning, It hath been the wifdom, 
 (which latter .was written after the review) received the 
 civil fandtion of the parliament;, -The royal afjent was given, 
 May 19, 1662. 
 
 Of the Alterations and Additions adopted by the Convoca- 
 tion, the following are the moft confiderable. 
 
 The order for reading the pfalms was Amplified and im- 
 proved *. Some directions that appear to have been very 
 proper, refpec~ttng a few of the leffpns ? were omitted f. In 
 
 this 
 
 * How they were read before may be feen in the Elucidation, p. 125. 
 
 •f - Of this I (hall give- an inftarice, where I think the omiffion may 
 be accounted for. On all Saints Days, the fecnnd morning leflbh is 
 Heb. xi, yer. 33'. Who through faith, &c. The beginning \s abrupt, 
 and to whom the who here refers, few in our congregations will recol- 
 le£t. In all the old books, (vid. p. 187 of Elucidation) the reader was 
 directed %o begin thus, Samfs by faith, for by, and not through, Hands 
 in the tranflation then uied. At the time of the review of .1661, the 
 achievements of the republican Saints were recent, and the word Saints 
 an equivocal term. When to it was immediately annexed, through 
 faith fubdued kingdoms, -wrought righteoufnefs , obtained promifes, even 
 the devouteft hearer might be guilty of a momentary perverfion of the 
 meaning of the paffage ; for thefe very exploits were, as the Enthufiafts 
 had affected to fpeak, performed by themfel-ves, and through faith. — In 
 modern books we commonly fee ver. 32. But this Alteration is with- 
 out authority. In the fealed Books, and the older editions, the reading 
 is, ver. 33. But in the office on the Martyrdom of Charles, the fecond 
 Evening Leflon begins in all the books at ver. 32. 
 
 In the order houv the refi of the holy Scriptures is appointed to be read, 
 the concluding rubric was, So oft as the firji Chapter of St. Mattheiv 
 is read either for Leffon, or Go/pel, ye Jhall begin the fame at " The 
 birth of Jefus Chrilt was on this wife, .&c." And t.he third Chapter of 
 St. Luke^s Gofpel Jhall be read unto " So that he was fuppofed to be 
 the Son of Jofeph." But this rubric being now expunged, I apprehend 
 {hat the genealogies were meant to be read, agreeably to the directions 
 
 of 
 
tXXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 this part of the book feveral typographical miftakes were 
 rectified, leffons were added for the 29th of February *, and 
 other improvements made. Till this review, the Sentences, 
 Exhortation, Confeffion, and Abfolution, had never been 
 printed, though they were intended to be faid, before the 
 Lord's Prayer, in the beginning of the evening fervice. 
 Many of the clergy omitted them} and began with the Lord's 
 Prayer. Indeed the order was ambiguous. The rubrics 
 were, " An order for evening prayer throughout the year. 
 The prieft fhall fay, Our Father, &c." At this review, the 
 Abfolution was di retted to be read Jlanding. Before thisj 
 fome of the clergy read it kneeling, no particular direction 
 about the attitude having been given. Gloria Patri was 
 exprefsly ordered to be faid after every divifion of the 119th 
 pfalm. This was probably the practice before: otherwife 
 Gloria Patri, in the courfe of the pfalms, would not have 
 been repeated on the evening of the 24th, nor on the 25th 
 nor 26th day of the month. The words rebellion, and 
 fchifm f, were added in the laft deprecation in the Litany : 
 
 of two other rubrics found in our former books, Wherefoever the be- 
 ginning of any Lejjon, Epiftle, or Gofyel, is not exprejed, there ye mu/l 
 begin at the beginning of the Chapter. And ivberefoe'ver is not exprejed 
 how far /hall be read, there /ball you read to the end of the Chapter. 
 
 * At the time of this review, the rubric directed the ordinary leffons 
 for the 2jd day of February, to be read again on the day following in 
 the Eiffextile, or Leap Year ; but in Edward's firft book, the z$th day 
 is computed for two days, and /ball alter neither pfalm nor lejfon. 
 
 ■J- The conferences of rebellion in the ftate, and fchifm in the church, 
 had been feverely felt by the reviewers of the Liturgy, and their con- 
 temporaries, yet the infertion of thele two words gave great offence. 
 The frrongeft argument however brought againft the paffage, affeSs not 
 the meaning, but the found. " The Addition of Rebellion, and Schifm,'" 
 it was faid, " fpoils the cadence." — Now I do not believe that the ear 
 of any man living has difcovered a want of melody in this part of the 
 fentence ; and even in the laft century, as one of our forefathers has 
 told us, " the words ran fmoothly enough, in the mouths of all, whofe 
 eonfciences unfeignedly detefted, and whofe hearts were clear from thefe 
 crimes." 
 
 in 
 
INTRODUCTION. LXXV 
 
 in which office likewife, Bijhops, Pqftors and Minifters, were 
 changed into Bijhops, Priejis and Deacons. The collects 
 for the ember weeks, the prayer for the high court of par- 
 liament, and that for all forts and conditions of men, together 
 with the general thankfgiving, were all compofed at this 
 time. The occafional prayers and thankfgivings, which had 
 hitherto formed a part of the Litany, were now disjoined 
 from it. A collect was appointed for Eafter Eve, on which 
 day that for the preceding Sunday had hitherto been ufed ; 
 and a collect, epiftle, and gofpel for the 6th Sunday after the 
 Epiphany, on which thofe for the 5th were before ordered 
 to be repeated. A new collect was likewife compofed for 
 the 3d Sunday in Advent, and this is perhaps a proper place 
 for obferving, that confiderable improvements were made in 
 feveral other collects *. An appropriate epiftle was allotted 
 to the feftival of the purification, on which the epiftle for 
 the Sunday preceding had formerly been ufed. Inftead of 
 calling by the name of epiftle, a portion of the Old Tefta- 
 ment, or Acts of the Apoftles, read in the place of the 
 epiftle, it was ordered, that the Minifter fhould fay " The 
 portion of fcripture appointed for the epiftle." The epiftles 
 and golpels in the communion office, as well as the leffons 
 in the daily prayer, were taken from the new tranflation. 
 The two exhortatisns, that follow the Oblation prayer, were 
 altered, and ordered to be read on the Sunday, or Holiday, 
 preceding the day of the celebration of the communion, and 
 not at the time when the people were aflembled to receive 
 it. In the prayer for the church militant here on earth, - a 
 thankfgiving was inferted, to make the latter part correfpond 
 
 * The excellence of our collefts in general, is admitted by all who 
 have either tafte or knowledge of devotional compofition. No church 
 pofleffes, nor ever has poffeffed, a more judicious and valuable feleftion. 
 Yet fome of them might receive improvement, though only From the 
 hand of a mafter. This at leaft was the opinion of the learned Biihops 
 and Divines who were commiflioned in 1689 to prepare, for the con- 
 fideration of the Convocation, alterations of the Liturgy, &c. 
 
 with 
 
LXXV-I INTRODUCTION'. 
 
 with thefe introductory Words, and to give thanks for . all 
 men. At the reading of the gofpel, and at the recitation of 
 the Nicene Creed, the ^people were ordered to ft and, no 
 directions about the attitude having been given in the old 
 books. At the confecration of the bread and wine, marginal 
 rubrics were added to direct the Minifter, as had originally- 
 been done in Edward's Liturgy, but not in the latter books : 
 and provifion was made for confecrating more bread, and 
 wine, {hould more of either be wanted. Some new rubrical 
 directions were placed at the end of the communion, and in 
 many of the offices ; whilfl: others, that were thought no 
 longer neceffary, were difcharged. , 
 
 In the office of public baptifm of infants, was added the 
 interrogation, Wilt thou keep God's holy will and command- 
 ments, and walk in the fame all the days of thy life ? together 
 with the anfwer; and in the collect preceding the act of 
 baptifing the child, the words " fanclify this water to the 
 myjlical wajhing away of fm" were inferted. A new office of 
 baptifm for thefe of riper years was compofed. The two 
 pfalms were prefixed to the leffon in the burial fervice*. 
 The forms of prayer to be ufed at fea, for the martyrdom of 
 King Charles I. and for the rejloration of the Royal Family, 
 were likewife added. Whoever will compare the late book 
 with the prefent, muft difcover various other alterations, 
 raoft of which, however, are too minute to require particular 
 enumeration. ' 
 
 By the fuggeftion of Tillotfpn, afterward Archbifhop of 
 Canterbury, a commiffion was iflued in the former party of 
 the reign of William III. to the moil eminent of the clergy, 
 authorifing and requiring them to prepare fuch Alterations of 
 the Liturgy, and confult fuch other matters, as in their judg- 
 ments might mojl conduce to the edification and union of the 
 church, and to the reconciling, as much as poffible^ all differ- 
 
 * In Edward's firft book, the 116, x^tj, 14.6 were appointed. Thefe 
 were omitted in the fecond book, and no others were fubftituted till 
 1661. 
 
 entes. 
 
INTRODUCTION 1 . LXXVII' 
 
 ences. The Bilhops in this commiflion were, Lamflugh 
 of Tort, Compton of 'London,, Mew of Winchester-, Sprat 
 of Rochefter, Smith of Carlifie, Trelawney of Exeter^ 
 Burnett of Salifiury, Humphreys of Bangor, and 
 Strafford of Cheftsr. Befides the Bifhops, the commif- 
 fion was compofed of. twenty Divines, among whom were, 
 Stillingfleet, Patrick, Tillotson, Kidder, and 
 TenIson. By thefe commiffioners fome new Collects were 
 drawn up more agreeable to the Epiftles and Gofpels, and 
 they are faid to have been written with great force and beauty 
 of expreffion*. The nrfb draught was made by Patrick, 
 who pofleffed a peculiar talent for compofing prayers. Energy 
 and fpirit were infufed by Burnet. Stillingfleet 
 examined every word, with the exa&eft judgment : and Til- 
 lotson gave the laft polifh, by the free and mafterly touches 
 of his natural and flowing eloquence. Kidder made anew 
 verfion of the pfalms, which is faid to be more conformable 
 to the original: and Tenison collected all the words and 
 expreffions throughout the Liturgy, that had been excepted 
 againft, and propofed others in their room, which were either 
 more clear and plain, or Iefs liable to objection f . 
 
 When the Alterations agreed upon by the Commiffioners 
 were prepared, they were fubmitted to a Convocation, which 
 in confequence of the jealoufy of the high-church party, and 
 of difagreement between the two houfes, was repeatedly 
 prorogued, and finally diffolved, without effecting any one 
 of the purpofes for which it was convened. Of co'urfe the 
 Book of Common Prayer, and Jdminif ration of the Sacra-, 
 ments, and other rites and ceremonies of the church, according 
 
 * Nicholls fays, Collectae cum tanta verborum elegantia, atque fplen- 
 dore, tantaque Chriftianae mentis vi, atque ardore compofitos flint, ut 
 nihil poflit animos audkritium magis afficere, et accendere, et eorum 
 -mentes ad deum evehere. Def. eccl. Anglic. Who does not regret, 
 that thefe collects, improved by men !o well qualified to reduce them to 
 the ftandard of perfection, remain unknown, and unfeen ? 
 f Life' of Tillotfon by Birch. 
 
 Q to 
 
XLXVIII INTRODUCTION. 
 
 to the ufe of the church of England, revifed, and amended, 
 in the manner already defcribed, by the Convocation of 1661, 
 ftands confirmed and ratified by the Authority of Parliament. 
 
 Of the origin of our Liturgy, and of the fucceflive im- 
 provements, by which it attained its prefent purity and 
 excellence, I have now given a narrative, as minute, as is 
 CBnliftent with the nature of an introductory difcourfe. It 
 only remains, that I give fome account of what has been at- . 
 tempted in the following Elucidation of a very important 
 part of this Liturgy, and of the writers, to whom I have 
 been chiefly indebted for afliftance. 
 
 In the Elucidation of the Morning and Evening Prayer, I 
 have endeavoured to combine critical information with prac- 
 tical inftru&ion ; an account of the origin and antiquity of. 
 our Rites and Ceremonies, with their application to the pur- 
 poses of devotion. 
 
 This, it feems to me, has not been attempted by any 
 writer on the fubjec"t ; unlefs I were to except Comber in 
 bis Companion to the Temple. But Comber's work, though 
 containing much valuable matter, and apparently the grand 
 fource from which a great part of all fucceeding publications 
 on our Liturgy has been drawn, is, at once, both redundant 
 and defective. In the practical, or devotional part, it is 
 tedious and diffufe j and in the literary, or critical, fome- 
 times erroneous. 
 
 The publication in moft general ufe, I apprehend, is 
 Wheatly's on the Common Prayer. Wheatly has, 
 undoubtedly, collected much ufeful intelligence : and where 
 he follows the authority of former Englifh Ritualifts, (and 
 he appears to have been little acquainted with any other,) he 
 is commonly right : but when he relies upon his own judg- 
 ment, and ventures to give an opinion, he is almoft as com- 
 monly miftaken. For this reafon it is that, in the following 
 work, I have made no ufe whatever of his Illuftrathn. 
 
 The 
 
INTRODUCTION. LXXlX 
 
 The authors from whom Wbeatly's book is principally com- 
 piled, are Cosens, Sparrow, L'Estrange *, Comber, 
 Bennet, Nicholls, and Bingham. To the greater part 
 of thefe, and to Comber in particular, I have large obliga- 
 tions : and I am likewife indebted to Hooker, Heylin, 
 Stillingfleet, Usher, Pearson, Cave, Bull, Bur- 
 net, Hoadley, Fuller, Collier, Strype, and Abp. 
 Secker. 
 
 Where I have quoted, or referred to, ancient or fireign 
 writers, - I have rarely trufted to fubfequent authors. In a 
 few inftances, indeed, the infpe&ion of originals could not 
 be obtained ; but on fuch occafions I have generally cited the 
 writer on whofe authority I depended. 
 
 Of the ancient and foreign writers, ecclefiaftical or litur- 
 gical, whom I thought it neceflary to examine, few were to 
 be found on the fhelves of my own fcanty library, and fome 
 could only be occafionally confulted in a public repofitory. 
 In my references to thefe, therefore, I fear I may have reafon 
 to apologize for errors of tranfcription ; for typographical 
 errors I do not hold myfelf refponfible. 
 
 Having thus difcharged the debt of gratitude which I owe 
 to the dead, I mould be happy, were I permitted, to make 
 public acknowledgement to two or three living characters, 
 who have occafionally favoured me with their opinion and 
 affi fiance. 
 
 It is obvious that my ambition has been, not to appear as 
 an original writer on the Common Prayer, but to arrange, 
 unite, and reduce to a convenient form, what has been faid by 
 preceding authors on the fubjedt. Sometimes, perhaps, I 
 may have improved, what they had left imperfect, and rec- 
 tified, what they had ftated erroneoufly. 
 
 I truft, that I have no where fpoken with unchriftian 
 acrimony of the opinions, or ufages of thofe, who are not 
 of our Communion : and if I have occafionally endeavoured 
 to difplay the excellence of that form of Common Prayer, 
 
 * Not Sir Roger, but Hamond VEftrange, EJq, 
 
 which 
 
txxii introduction; 
 
 •which, after mature confideration, our forefathers adopted, it 
 was from a conviction that the form is lefs liable to exception 
 than any one that has hitherto been devifed. 
 
 At the conclufion of the original Introduction, I intimated 
 a defign of elucidating, in a fimilar manner, the Litany, the 1 
 Gimmunion Service, and the other Offices of the eftabiiihed 
 church * ; provided the prefent volume fhould meet with fiichr 
 a fhare of the public approbation as to encourage me to pro-J 
 ceed. The demand for a feeond Edition, is a, proof that the 
 Work has not been difrelifhed. This Edition I have, rrf 
 fome inftances, enlarged, and, in others,' endeavoured to im- 
 prove. I have only further to announce, 1 that the Elucida- 
 tion of the other offices is in a ftate of confiderable forward - -: 
 nefs, and will appear, as foon as the nature of the under- 
 taking, and parochial engagements, will permit me to render 
 it, in any tolerable degree, worthy of the fubje<5t x and of 
 public acceptance. 
 
 * An' Elucidation of thefe, might, it is prefumed, form a volume of 
 nearly the fame fize with the prefent. 
 
CRITICAL AND PRACTICAL 
 
 ELUCIDATION 
 
 &c. 
 
 THE ORDER FOR 
 
 MORNING PRAYER 
 
 DAILY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 
 
 X HE firft Rubric* commands the officiating mi- 
 nifter to begin the fervice by reading one, or more 
 
 of 
 
 * Rubrics are the rules, and directions, given in the book of 
 Common Prayer, for the proper performance of the refpeftive offi- 
 ces of the Church. They are called Rubrics, becaufe directions 
 fimilar to them were formerly diftinguiftied, by appearing in red 
 characters, both in written and printed books. The Latin word 
 Rubrka, from which the Englifh term Rubric is immediately de- 
 rived, meani read earth, red ochre, &c. : in a figurative fenfe, it 
 fignifies marks put upon fheep ; it more particularly denotes the 
 contents of a book, efpecially of a book of civil law, the title, 
 heads, and indexes of which were written in red letters. The ' 
 Rubrics of the Mi/sal a.ni other Romifh Offices are ftill printed in 
 red Chara&ers, In our older Books of Common Prayer, the Ru- 
 
 B brics 
 
2 Critical and PraSlical Elucidation of 
 
 of the fentences that follow, with a loud, that is, 
 with a clear, audible, intelligible voice *. 
 
 This direction was peculiarly proper at the re- 
 formation, before which Era, both the prieft and 
 people had been enjoined to repeat in fecret the 
 Pater Nofter, Ave Maria] and Creedo, at the be- 
 ginning of Mattins, and other daily offices. — The 
 firft Book of Common Prayer in Englijb, ordains 
 that " the prieft being in the choir fhall begin 
 " with a loud voice the Lord's Prayer, called the 
 " Pater Nofter" neither the fentences, exhorta- 
 tion, confeffion, nor abfolution, being then pre- 
 fixed. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY SENTENCES. 
 
 " Before thou prayeft, prepare thyfelf, and be 
 " not as one that tempteth the Lord," is the 
 cbunfelof the author of Ecclefiafticus xviii. 23; 
 and with this correfponds the inftruction given by 
 the wifeft of the fons of men, " Let not thine 
 
 brics are diftinguifhed from the text, by appearing in a fmaller 
 type. In the books of the laft century, the Rubrics are generally 
 printed in Roman letters, while the liturgy itfelf remains in the old 
 Englifti, or black letter. In this manner are printed the Sealed 
 Books, ar.d the larger Editions of 1662, &c. ; but in all modem 
 legitimate editions, the whole of the offices, excepting the refponfes, 
 is, I believe, univerfally printed in the Roman charafter, and the 
 Rubrics in the Italic. 
 
 * The firft Rubric, in the Ordo Miff., is, Sacerdos clara voce 
 dicit, &c. Voce intelligibili, in the Ceremonial? and Breviary f is 
 nfed to exprefs the fame thing. 
 
 " heart 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer, 3 
 
 " h'eart be hafty to utter any word before God." 
 Ecclef. v. 2. Indeed the elevation of the foul to 
 our Creator in public prayer is an acl: fo awful 
 and folemn, requiring fuch compofure,, and de- 
 vout application of the mind, that, without pre- 
 ceding preparation, it cannot be fuitably perform- 
 ed. Hence the Jews were diredled to meditate a 
 little in filence, after they had entered the Syna- 
 gogue, and before they began their devotions*. 
 And Cyprian informs us, that in the primitive 
 church, the minifter, by a prefatory addrefs, pre- 
 pared the minds of the brethren for prayer j\ 
 
 In conformity to thefe precepts, and in imi- 
 tation of thefe examples, the church of England 
 begins her daily prayer with one or more folemn 
 fentences, fele&ed from Holy Scripture. Al- 
 
 * Ad preces autem dcfcendere non debent fimulac ingrediuntur, 
 fed aliquantifper filentium facere, & ipii fecum reputare. Buxlor, 
 Synag. Jud. c. 5 . 
 
 + Sacerdos ante orationem prxfatione praemiffa parat fratrum 
 mentes, dicendo, furfum corda. Cypr. de Orat. Domin. Thefe 
 words of Cyprian, which as Fell and Marlhall have obferved, are 
 one proof of the antiquity of forms of Prayer, afford us an occafion 
 oiprolejling againft agrofs calumny upon our Liturgy, which either 
 ignorance, or malevolence has reprefented as moftly taken from " the 
 Mafs Book, and Popifh Offices." Lift up your hearts, lae lift them 
 up unto the Lord, ftand in the ancient Liturgies of the Eaft and Weft. 
 Let us give thanks to our Lord God, it is 'very meet, right, &c, are 
 mentioned by Cyril, Chryfoftom, and Auftin. Many of the forms 
 retained by the Church of England are older than the corruptions 
 introduced by popery : and Stillingfleet has fhewn that where the 
 ancient Britifb or Galilean churches differed from the Roman, the 
 Reformers followed them, and not the Roman. 
 
 b 2 mighty 
 
4 Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 mighty God, whom we are going to addrefs, 
 ^whofe pity and mercy we are about to implore, 
 is firft introduced fpeaking to us, by the mouth of. 
 his minifter, out of his moft holy word : And if 
 we expect him to hear our prayers, it is but fea- 
 fonable that we mould hearken to his voice. 
 
 The general tendency of the fentences is, to en- 
 force repentance. Sin, unrepented of, above all 
 things, difqualifies men for prayer, and prevents 
 their petitions from being heard, and accepted at 
 the throne of grace. 
 
 In the choice of the particular fentences our re- 
 formers have evinced their ufual judgement. 
 None more appropriate to-, the occafion are to be 
 found in Holy Writ. Indeed the venerable com- 
 pilers of .pur Liturgy* have walked, like fkilful 
 phyficians, in the garden of God. Finding it 
 plentifully ftored with medicines for the cure of 
 fpiritual difeafes, they have collected only a few 
 of the moft potent and ufeful. Thefe are fome- 
 what different in their operation, but they are 
 all calculated to produce the fame effect, that is," 
 to bring men to repentance. Our reformers 
 considered, that fome men are ignorant, others 
 negligent; that fome are obdurate, others ten- 
 der ; that fome are confident and prefumptuous, 
 and others fearful and defponding: Knowing the 
 various temperaments of various perfons, and 
 the different difpofition of the fame man at diffe- 
 rent times, they have prefented us with a confide- 
 rable variety, leaving it to the difcretion of the 
 
 officiating 
 
The Morning ! and Evening Public Prayer. 5 
 
 officiating minifter to apply fuch, as he may j udge 
 beft adapted to the fpiritual cafe of thofe, whofe 
 "welfare he is appointed toconfult. 
 
 The full import of the fer.tences, it is to be 
 feared, is not generally underftood ; neither is 
 the recital of them, in all churches, always at- 
 tended to, with the reverence they deferve. Hence 
 it is poflible, that the pious intentions of thecom- 
 pofers of the Liturgy may, at the very Outfet of 
 the fervice, in fome degree, be.fruflrated. On 
 thefe grounds, it is prefumed, that a fuller illuf- 
 tration of the Introductory Sentences, than of 
 fome other parts of the fervice, may be required. 
 
 It may Iikewife be proper to arrange together 
 fuch fentences as have a nearer affinity and rela- 
 tion to each other. This method will afford 
 every man an opportunity of employing his pri- 
 vate meditations, before the fervice begins*, upon 
 
 fuch 
 
 * Before the fervice of the church begins, it is Iikewife proper 
 that Chriftians ihould addrefs themfelves to God in private prayer. 
 A form of prayer, like the following, has been recommended for 
 this purpofe by fome refpeftable members of our community to be 
 ufed at our entrance into the church. 
 
 O Lord, I am novo in thine houfe. AJJijl, I pvay thee, and accept my 
 fervkes. Enable me, and all thnfe that jh all this day meet in thy name, 
 tonjuorfhiptheemfpir.t and in tra.h. Let thy holy /pint help ourinfir- 
 mities, and difpofe our hearts tufrioufnefs, attention and devotion. And 
 grant that ive may improve this opportunity to the honour of thy holy 
 name, and the lenefit of our fouls, through Jefus Chrifi our Lord. Amen. 
 
 B 3 The 
 
6 Critical and Practical Elucidation' of 
 
 fuch fubjecls as are bed fuited to his prefent frame 
 of mind arid fpiritual circumftances. For every; 
 ferious perfon belt knows his own ftate, and will 
 naturally be led to contemplate fuch fubjedts, as 
 correfpond with his prefent diipofition. And 
 thefe, of courfe, will be the bell claculated,, to 
 promote in him, lincere repentance, and true 
 devotion. 
 
 In this view the fentences may be conlidered as 
 addrelTed to perfons of five different defcriptions. 
 They afford, 
 
 i. INSTRUCTION to the Ignorant and Er- 
 roneous, i John i. 8. 9. Ezek. xviii. 2. 
 
 The prayer is fo plain, that it requires little explication. It 
 petitions for acceptance and abilities to worlhip God properly, 
 for ferioufnefs, attention, and devotion, that by our folemn meeting 
 we may promote his honour, and obtain his bleffing. This form 
 may eafily be prolonged, or diverfified as each man's particular cir- 
 cumftances may require. 
 
 The prayer fubjoined may 'be ufed with advantage, when the 
 fervice is ended. 
 
 Blejfedbe thy name, O Lord, for this opportunity of attending thee 
 in thy houfe and fervice. Pardon, I befeech thee, my wanderings and 
 imperfections. Mercifully accept my fervices , and grant that I, and all 
 Chrijlians, may be doers of thy -word and not hearers only, through our 
 only mediator Jefus Chrijt. Amen. 
 
 Thefe two prayers are, with little variation extracted from a 
 Traft, entitled" Directions for a devout and decent behaviour in 
 " the Public Worfhip of God," and generally prefixed to the books 
 of Common Prayer, difperfed by the Society for promoting Chriftiait 
 Knowledge. The Traft may be bought for 9s. per hundred, at 
 Meffrs. Rivington's, Bookfellers to the Society. 
 
 2. ADMO- 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prater. j 
 
 2. AD MO NITION to the Negligent and In- 
 confiderate. Pf. li. 3. Mat. in. 2. 
 
 3. MODELS OF PENITENTIAL DEVO- 
 TION to thofe who are apprehensive of God's 
 Judgements, Pf. li. 9. Pf. cxliii. 2. Jer. 
 x. 24. 
 
 4. ENCOURAGEMENT and CONSOLATION 
 to the Diffident and Contrite. Pf. li. 17. Dan. 
 ix. 9. Luke. xv. 18, 19. 
 
 5. And CAUTION to the Ceremonious and 
 Formal. Joel 11. 13. 
 
 Sentences affording Instruction to the ig- 
 norant AND ERRONEOUS, 
 
 Many Perfons attend the public worfhip, who 
 are grofsly ignorant of their real ftate. Infenfi- 
 ble of their guilt, and inapprehenfive of their 
 danger, they either think that they have no fin; or 
 fuppofe that a flight confeffion of it will obtain 
 them pardon. Thefe furely ftand in need of in- 
 formation, before they join in the public fervice. 
 And we are here furnifhed with two ftriking paf- 
 fages from Holy Scripture, admirably adapted 
 to inftrudl their ignorance, and rectify their errors. 
 
 The one more immediately proceeds from the 
 mouth of God, and is delivered by his prophet. 
 The other is a drefled by St. John, the beloved 
 Apoftle and Evangelift, to the Catholic Church, 
 that is, to the whole Christian world. 
 
 B 4 If 
 
8 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 If any man be fo ignorant, as to fuppofe, that ■ 
 a few flight petitions to heaven will obtain the 
 pardon of his pad offences, let him weigh the irgfi. 
 port of the following words : ' 
 
 When the wicked man, &c* 
 
 This paffage is taken out of the 18th chapter of 
 Ezekiel ; a chapter, which I exhort every Chrif- 
 tian, frequently to read, and attentively to con- 
 sider. God here plainly declares, that if he, who 
 had before led an habitual good life, unfortunate- 
 ly fall into finful courfes, he lhall forfeit God's 
 favour, and " his former righteoufnefs fhall not 
 " be mentioned." — " in his trefpafs that he hath 
 " trefpaffed, and in his fin that he hath finned ; 
 " in them fhall he die." On the other hand, Al- 
 mighty God folemnly avows, that whenever, the 
 finner, by unfeigned repentance, turns to him, 
 he will reftore him to his favour. However 
 wicked and abominable his former life may have 
 been, yet if he fee his errors, be heartily forry 
 for them, and forfake them ; if he endeavour to do 
 <c what is lawful and right," walking in the fta- 
 tutes of God, and obferving his judgments : and 
 if this new ftate of life be fincere and perma- 
 nent, then, he fhall not die, " he fhall fave his 
 foul alive." — He fhall be delivered from the mi- 
 fery denounced upon final impenitence, and fhaH 
 obtain everlafling happinefs and glory. 
 
 But fome are not fenfible of their guilt. — Igno- 
 rance, or vanity, prompts 'them to fancy that they 
 
 have 
 
The Morning arid Evening Public Prayer, 9 
 
 have no fin, and confequently, no need of repen- 
 tance. To counteract the effects of fo fatal a de- 
 lufion, the following paflage from St. John is 
 introduced, to which the felf-righteous, the 
 prefumptuous felf-deceiver, will do well to at- 
 tend : 
 
 If we fay, &c. 
 In this ftate of imperfection the beft men 
 are liable to many frailties, and all of us offend 
 God daily. The Apoftle declares, that if we fay, 
 or think in our hearts, that we live without fin, 
 we deceive, not God, who fees and will punifli 
 our guilt, but ourfelves, by believing a moft grofs 
 falfehood. He affures us, that the truth of God's 
 word, which fays, that " all have finned." is 
 not in us. Whereas, if we examine our hearts, 
 acknowledge our fins, and repent of them, God 
 has promifed, and Chrift has purchafed us, par- 
 don. His faithful nefs and juftice will fulfil his 
 promife. He will forgive us our paft fins, and 
 by his grace, and the affiftance of his holy fpirit, 
 he will, for the future, preferve us from " all 
 *' deadly fin," and " confirm and ftablifli us in 
 " every good work." 
 
 Admonition to the negligent and inconsi- 
 derate. 
 
 Others are not ignorant, but negligent. They 
 are ready enough to acknowledge their fin, and 
 appear to be aware of their danger. But though 
 
 they 
 
I o Critical and PraSlicat Elucidation of 
 
 they are convinced, that, without repentance and 
 amendment of life, neither their prayers, nor 
 perfons will be accepted by God, yet they defer 
 from day to day, from week to week, from month 
 to month, from year to year, the practice of 
 thefe duties. To excite fuch perfons to repent 
 in earneft, the church furnifhes us with two ftrik- 
 ing paflages. , The former is taken from the 51ft 
 Pfalm, in which the royal Pfalmift, after the com- 
 miffion of a very grievous crime, makes confef- 
 fion of his fin before God: 
 
 I acknowledge my trdnfgrejfions , &c, 
 
 Confcious that he has offended God, he does 
 not, when reproved by the mouth of the Pro- 
 phet*, attempt to conceal, or extenuate his of- 
 fence. He confeffes it with all its aggravations ; 
 he avows that his confcience knows no reft, and 
 that the fenfe of his fin haunts him day and 
 night. Now if holy David, when, in* one 
 deplorable inftance, he had been furprifed into 
 fin, entertained fuch dreadful apprehenfions of 
 God's anger, let the thoughtlefs, inconfiderate 
 firmer reflect, what impreflions the fenfe of his 
 manifold offences fhould make upon his mind. 
 
 If he difregard the example of David, let him 
 attend to the fummons from God, delivered by 
 the Baptift, commanding all men, efpecially the 
 thoughtlefs and inconfiderate, to repent : 
 Repent ye, &c. 
 
 That is, by repentance and reformation make 
 
 * See 2 Sam. c. xn. 
 
 your 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. it 
 
 your peace with God, whilft the day of life, and 
 the kingdom of grace laft. If you live and die in 
 your fins, you will, at the Day of Judgment, 
 which precedes Chrift's kingdom of glory, be ex- 
 cluded from heaven, and cart into hell. 
 
 Models of penitential Devotion to those 
 who are apprehensive of god's judgments. 
 
 By the preceding fentences we have been taught, 
 that men univerfally deferve the wrath of God, 
 and that all mould " fear before him." But 
 when we obferve, in the perfon of the humble pe- 
 nitent, how apt the exceflive dread of God's 
 righteous judgment is to dejedt the heart, opprefs 
 the fpirits, and prevent the exercife of devotion, 
 we difcover with what propriety, the compilers 
 of our Common Prayer, have, in the three fucceed- 
 ing fentences, fupplied us with models of peniten- 
 tial fupplication. 
 
 Hide thy face, &c. 
 
 Let us fuppofe a finner, awakened to a true 
 fenfe of his deplorable fituation, and looking a- 
 round him for help and deliverance. Above, is 
 an infulted, offended God, prepared to take ven- 
 geance : Below, the fiery gulph gapes ready 
 to receive him. In this feafon of diftrefs and 
 difmay, the example of David will teach him, 
 not to rurn away, through fear from the Almighty, 
 but to approach him more fpeedily, and to pray 
 to him more humbly, and earneftly, for the par- 
 don of his fins. The royal penitent here re-iter- 
 ates 
 
I 2 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 ates his former requefts, that God would ceafe to 
 behold his iniquity, that he would blot it out, 
 as a man blots out what he has written, fo that 
 it can never be read again. 
 
 Enter not into judgment, &c. 
 
 Here David urges the fallen, finful, wrenched 
 ftate of human nature. Of all the fons of Adam, 
 not one could be faved, mould God enter into 
 judgment with him*, and inftead of pardoning 
 his offences by an act of grace, inflict the punifh- 
 ment due to them by the rigor of the law. The 
 thought of fuch a trial, appals the foul of the 
 belt man living, m kes his fiefh to tremble, and 
 all his bones to make. To God's grace and 
 mercy, through the merits of Chrift alone, the 
 moft innocent man living muft owe his juftifi- 
 cation and acquittal. 
 
 O Lord, correct, &c. 
 
 If the juftice of Jehovah is determined to pu- 
 nifh, and the penitent offender cannot be forgiven 
 without fome chaftifement, the humble fuppli- 
 cation of the prophet inftructs us to pray, that 
 "it may be inflicied, not with the vindictive fury 
 of an adverfary, but with the moderation of a 
 merciful judge f. Should the Lord proceed with 
 
 rigor 
 
 * The word rendered judgment is ufed in Scripture in a very ex- 
 tenfive fignification. Here it implies a ftrift judicial procefs againfl; 
 the guilty, and the confequence <?f fuch a trial before an infallible 
 judge, i. e. condemnation and the execution of judgment. 
 
 + The word rendered judgment, as we obferved above, is ta<- 
 
 ken, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 3 
 
 rigor proportionate to the finner's demerit, he 
 would be totally confumed ; reduced to a ftale 
 worfe than annihilation. 
 
 Consolation to the diffident and con- 
 trite. 
 
 That the heart of the penitent overwhelmed 
 with grief may not defpair of forgivenefs, as if 
 God were utterly irreconcilable, and no more 
 to be intreated, and to prepare him to.fupplicate 
 mercy through faith and repentance, the church 
 has provided three fentences for the encouragement 
 of thofe who are diffident of God's favour, and 
 for the confolation of the contrite : 
 The facrifices of God, &c. 
 
 The firft fhews, how well qualified fuch per- 
 fons are to pray for pardon ; that with a penitent 
 and contrite heart God is well pleafed ; that a 
 broken fpirit, a foul pierced with the many genuine 
 forrows, which always accompany true repentance, 
 is a facrifice, which he will moft gracioufly ac- 
 cept. 
 
 ken in a great latitude. Here it is ufed in the favourable fenfe. 
 Correct me, but with judgment : that is, favourably, reafonably, 
 moderately. Taylor's Heb. Concord. — Cum judicio, i. e. modi- 
 ce, in modo. Junius. See Jeremiah, xxx. n. " I will correct thee 
 " in meafure, and not leave thee altogether unpunilhed." The 
 original is literally, " I will chaften thee in judgment, and in clear- 
 " ing thee I will not clear thee." That is, I will deal mercifully 
 with thee, and though juftice requires that I fliould punifli thee, 
 yet thou (halt not be utterly deftroyed. 
 
 To 
 
14 Critical and Pra&ical Elucidation of 
 
 To the Lord, our. God, belong, &c. 
 In the former fentence, we faw how wdl quali- 
 fied the penitent heart is to pray for forgivenefs. 
 This demonftrates God's readinefs to forgive. 
 Though we have violated his holy laws, taken 
 up arms, and lived in a (late of open rebellion 
 againft his divine rnajefty, yet he isthe God of 
 mercies. If we repent, he will pardon. Let his 
 pity in fparing^ and his goodnefs in reftoring us, 
 encourage us to draw near him, and make con- 
 feflion of our fins before him. 
 
 To enforce the former declarations, the third 
 fentence under this head, Izvill arife, &c, proves 
 by the example of one, whofe condition was as 
 wretched, whofe offences were as great, and whofe 
 forgivenefs was as unlikely, as ours can poffibly 
 be, that every true penitent, who ventures to re- 
 turn to his heavenly Father, may have the fulleft 
 aflurance of meeting with a kind reception ; and 
 that thofe things, which the fenfe of our unwor- 
 thinefs makes us afhamed to afk, his voluntary 
 bounty is ready to beftow. 
 
 Caution to the Ceremonious and Formal. 
 
 In the laft place, fhould any, by the frequent 
 ufe of thefe public offices, grow cold and carelefs, 
 or ceremonious and formal, fhould they i>egin to 
 reft folely, on eftablifhed rites, and cuftomary ob- 
 fervances, repeating the confeffion and the prayers 
 without any correfponding affections of devotion, 
 
 to 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 5 
 
 to them the Church addrefles that direction and 
 reproof, which God himfelf addrefled to the hy- 
 pocritical Jews : 
 
 Rend your hearts, &c. 
 The Jews were forward enough to exhibit the 
 exterior formalities of forrow, and repentance, 
 whilft their principles remained unaltered, and 
 their hearts were devoid of true contrition. To 
 the outward figns of mourning, the prophet ex- 
 horts them to add inward forrow. God regards 
 the difpofition of our minds more than the pofture 
 of our bodies. When you come to confefs your 
 fins before God, rend your heart with grief for 
 your offences, and fear of his difpleafure. Turn 
 your hearts unto the Lord, whom with your lips 
 you call your God. The gracious mercy, long 
 fuffering, and benignity of God, are the greateft 
 encouragements to expedl his pardon. Though 
 he has determined to punifh, he is more defirous 
 to fpare. He will repent, and will not inflict the 
 evil he has threatened, provided you repent of the 
 evil you have committed. And fhall we approach 
 with frigid formality, when we come to confefs 
 our fins, and fupplicate forgivenefs of fo good 
 and gracious a God? Let us not only bend the 
 fuppliant knee, but bow down the " humble, 
 "lowly, penitent, and obedient heart," whenever 
 we aflemble in the houfe of our God " to praife 
 " his holy name, to give him thanks, to hear his 
 " word, and to afk thofe things that are requifite 
 " and neceflary both for our bodies and fouls." 
 2 THE 
 
1 6 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 THE EXHORTATION*. 
 
 As a farther preparation for addrefling ourfelves 
 acceptably to God, and that all may underftand 
 aright the duty of repentance, which all are con- 
 cerned to praclife, our church has, after the fen- 
 tences, added a folemn and feafonable Exhorta- 
 tion, partly deduced from them, and intended to 
 illuftrate and apply them. 
 
 From the word of God, the Exhortation infers 
 the neceffity of confeffing our fins. It directs* 
 how this duty is to be performed ; and thus con- 
 nects the preceding fentences with the following 
 general confeffion.' 
 
 And let not the pious care of the church be in- 
 fulted, orabufed by the irreverence, or inattention 
 of any of her members. During the reading of 
 the fentences and exhortation f, it is not the buii- 
 
 nefs 
 
 * The Common Prayer of the church of England was drawn up 
 by our reformers, not folely for the public fervice of the Church. 
 It was likewife intended to be a guide in family worftiip. When 
 it is ufed in private devotion, the Exhortation may be turned into 
 a prayer, preparatory to the Confeffion, and thus abridged : 
 
 Almighty God, and heavenly Father, who, in fundry places of thy 
 mqft holy word, hafi commanded us to acknowledge, and confefs our ma- 
 nifold fins, and wickednefs unto thee, give us grace, at this time, to con- 
 fefs them, luith an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart, to the 
 end that <we may obtain forgiwenefs of the fame, by thy infinite goodnefs , 
 and mercy. — And this we beg through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. 
 
 + Give me leave, fays Dr. Bennet, to obferve, that the Sentences, 
 the Exhortation, the Abfolution, and thofe other Parts of the Li- 
 
 turgVf 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. . 1 7 
 
 ncfs of the people to mutter the words after the 
 minifter, much lefs is it allowable to exchange 
 offices of courtefy and civility. The duty of the 
 people is, filently and ferioufly to attend to what 
 the minifter delivers *. 
 
 The affectionate and apoftolic falutation, "Dear- 
 ly beloved brethren," is intended to engage the 
 attention of the congregation, and to exprefs the 
 tender love of the minifter for the fouls of thofe 
 committed to his. charge. He knows what God 
 expects from us ; he fees the danger of our neg- 
 lect, and therefore, he admonifties us, to confefs 
 our fins, to repent of them and, to amend our 
 lives. It is not fromhis.own, nor any human 
 authority, that he does this. From the introduc- 
 tory fentences, as well as from various other paf- 
 
 turgy, which are directed or fpoken to the people only, ooght to be 
 uttered after a quite different manner, from that which becomes the 
 Confeffion, the Lord/s Prayer, and thofe other parts of the Liturgy, 
 which are directed and fpoken to God. The voice muft be lb ma- 
 naged, as plainly to fignify and declare a remarkable diftindion ; 
 that even the mofl: heedlefs people may know and underftand, when 
 the minifter fpeaks to them, and when to their Maker. Wherefore 
 all parts of the Liturgy are not to be read with one and the fame con- 
 tinued tone; but fuch a manifeft alteration of the tone muftconftantly 
 be made, as is fuitable to the fever al parts of it. Paraphrafe on the 
 Common Prayet. 1 
 
 * To every member of our communion, and to the young in par- 
 ticular, I earneftly recommend the frequent perufal of the littjta 
 Traft, already mentioned in page 6 ; entitled *' Directions for a ^ 
 devout and decent Behaviour in the Public Worfhip of Gcd:" — It .'* 
 js one of the beft companions to the Book °f Common Prayer that I 
 feavc feen. 
 
 c fages 
 
I 8 Critical and Practical Wiaidation ef 
 
 fages of Scripture, it is plain, that Confeflion and 
 Repentance, is not the impofition of our fpiri- 
 tual guides or civil governors. They are duties 
 required by God himfelf, and the practice of them 
 is indifpenfably neceflary to falvation. The mi- 
 nifter of the Gofpel, like the prophets of the old 
 Teftament, comes armed with " the fword of the 
 " fpirit, the word of God." They that legiti- 
 mately minifter' 'in fpiritual things have an office, 
 which they received, neither from the Legiflature, 
 nor " the will of man, but from God." And 
 however mean and contemptible the fpeech, per- 
 fon, or worldly circumftances of the minifter of 
 Chrift Jefus may appear, from him you hear the 
 voice of God, commanding all men every where 
 to acknowledge their tranfgreffions, to make hum- 
 ble confeflion of their fins, and to repent. 
 
 He that difregards the command, difregards 
 not man, but God ; and by that word, which now 
 calls you to confeflion and repentance, you will, 
 if you difobey the fummons, be finally con- 
 demned. 
 
 ~To attempt to difTemble or extenuate your fins 
 before God's all-feeing eye, is only an aggrava- 
 tion of your offence. It is to add in the affembly 
 of the church, and in the prefence of the holy 
 Angels, to the black catalogue of your nume- 
 rous tranfgreffions, the deteftable crime of hy- 
 pocrify. 
 
 The word of God is both a monitor to remind, 
 us of our duty, and a guide to dired: us in, the 
 
 - per- 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prafer. i $ 
 
 performance of it. From that -word, the church 
 has felected the three eflential points of true re- 
 pentance. The firft admonifhes us to confefs our 
 fins with humility and lowliqefs of heart, with a 
 heart fenfible of our own vilenefs and unworthi- 
 nefs, like that of the Publican, who " flood afar 
 " off and would not fo much as lift up his eyes' 
 " to heaven." This muft .be accompanied with 
 penitential forrow, contrition, and remorfe, for 
 having offended fo good and merciful a God* 
 Thefe Will produce the third effential of repen* 
 tance, an " obedient heart," and make us firmly 
 refolve and earneftly endeavour for the future 
 " to keep God's holy will and commandments." 
 To fuch repentance God has gracioufly annexed 
 forgivenefs. But we are not to prefume, that 
 there is any thing like merit in our repentance 
 and obedience. For forgivenefs and juftification 
 we are indebted folely to the " infinite mercy and 
 * c goodnefs of God," through the meritorious 
 fufferings, and efficacious mediation of our Lord, 
 
 and Saviour, Jefus Chrift*. 
 
 The 
 
 * We are forgiven, acquitted, abfolved, and " accounted righte- 
 " ous;" or, as our tranflation forrietimes renders the word, " jtp 
 *' iified before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Je- 
 " fus Chrift." Article xi. For a fuller account of this wholefome 
 and comfortable doclrine, the article refers to the Homily of Juftifi- 
 cation, (meaning, it.is.prefumed, the Homily, which treats of juf- 
 tification, entitled A Sermon on the Salvation of Mankind, and di- 
 vided into three parts.) In this Homily the church lays down the 
 plain Chriftian doftrine of juftification in general terras, Into fpe. 
 
 C 2 culative 
 
to Critical and Praflital Elucidation of 
 
 The Exhortation proceeds to remind us, that 
 we mould acknowledge our daily tranfgreffions, 
 at all times, and in all places, morning, noon, 
 arid night, in our private devotions in the clofet, 
 as well as in the Mated public fervice of the 
 church. One of the fitted times, however, and 
 one of the moft proper places, for the difcharge 
 'of this duty is, when we are afTembled in the 
 houfe of God. In this facred place we meet to- 
 gether for the purpofe of performing the four 
 principal parts of public worfhip*. 
 
 i. To " give him thanks" for his innumera- 
 ble bleflings and benefits, for all his goodnefs, 
 'and loving kindnefs to the children of men. 
 This we do in our general thankfgiving, and in 
 feveral of the pfalms. f 
 
 . 2. To " fet forth his moft worthy praife," to 
 Jaud and glorify his holy name, which we do in 
 pfalms, hymns, anthems and doxologies. 
 
 culative points, which were difcuffed with warmth at the very time 
 when the Article and Homily were compofed, our church, accord- 
 ing to her ufual wifdom and moderation, declines to enter. May a 
 moiety at leaft of her fpirit at length reft upon all her fons ! 
 
 * This divifion of the leading duties of public wo r (hip accords 
 remarkably with the account Auftin gives of the practice of Chris- 
 tian aflemblies. With a ftmple tranfpofition of the claufes, the 
 fentence Hands thus : Veri Dei aut miracula narrantur, aut dona 
 laudantur, aut .pracepta infinuantur, aut beneficia poftulantur. Aug. 
 Civ. Dei. lib. II. c. xxviii. 
 
 And Tertullian had long before expreffed nearly the fame thing : 
 In Ecclefia inter dominica folemnia, prout fcripturx leguntur, aut 
 pfalmi canuntur, aut adlocutiones proferuntur aut petitiones dele- 
 gantur. Tertull. de Anima. c. ix, 
 
 3. "To 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 1 
 
 3. " To hear his moft holy word," which is 
 read to us in the leflbns, and expounded to us in 
 fermons. 
 
 4. And laftly, " to afk thofc things which are 
 " requifite and neceffary as well for the body as 
 " the foul ;" that is, to pray for the continuance 
 of fpiritual and temporal bleflings, which we do 
 in the collects, ^applications, interceflions, and 
 more particularly in the Litany. 
 
 Now not one of thefe fervices can be duly per- 
 formed, that is, fo performed as to become ac- 
 ceptable to God, and beneficial to ourfelves, 
 without previous confeflion, and fincerc repen- 
 tance. 
 
 1. We cannot be truly thankful to God, whilft 
 we abufe his mercies. 2. We cannot praife and 
 adore thofe divine perfections, of which in our 
 impenitent, unregenerate ftate we have little fenfe 
 or experience. 3. Replete with carnal lulls and 
 finful affections, we can neither be devout hearers 
 nor faithful doers of his holy word. 4. And we 
 cannot hope for the fuccefs of thofe, prayers and 
 petitions, which we know the wickednefs of our 
 lives renders " an abomination unto the Lord." 
 
 That we may not attend the public worship in 
 vain, and, what is more deplorable, carry back 
 with us a curfe inftead of a blefling, the minifter 
 befeeches us to join with him in the following 
 confeflion of our fins. The ambaflador of God, 
 knowing that our, heavenly father ftands ready to 
 receiy'e us, and is gracioufly difpofed to grant our 
 
 c 3 rcquefts, 
 
a a Critical and Praflicai Elucidation ef 
 
 requefts, entreats us fo accompany him to the 
 throne of grace. He puts words into our mouths, 
 and fpeaks with us and for us. He directs us, to 
 approach with fi'ncerity and purity of heart, with 
 becoming gravity and circumfpeclion , and meek- 
 ly kneeling upon our knees*, to addrefs the throne 
 of heavenly grace, not with a loud and clamorous 
 voice, not with an inarticulate motion of the lips, 
 but with a low humble voice fuited to the folem- 
 
 nity of thejGeneral Confemonf. 
 
 THE 
 
 * Kneeling in prayer, fays Atchbifliop Seeker, (7th ferrnqn in 6th 
 volume) especially in this part, has not only ancient anthqrity, but 
 nature likewife, on its fide : and fo ftrongly exprefles and excites 
 inward humility, that it fliould never be omitted wilfully or negli- 
 gently, in favour of eafe and indolence. Still they whofe infirnii- 
 ties will not permit them to-be on their knees without pain, or hurt, 
 may allowably (land, or even fit. Again, fome pews are fo conftjuc- 
 ted, that in full congregations, e.very one cannot conveniently 
 kneel. In fuch a cafe we muft be contented with JlanTing, whicli, 
 though it be a lefs eligible poftore than kneeling, is greatly prefer- 
 able to fitting. 
 
 + It is highly reafonable, that the minuter fhould make fueh a 
 paufe between the end of the Exhortation, and the beginning of the 
 Confeffion, that the whole congregation may have fufficient time, 
 deliberately, and without the leaft hurry,' to put their bodies in a 
 pr&yirig pofture, and to dbecl their minds to. God, and fix them 
 upon die divine Majefty, fo that they may be thoroughly compofed for 
 to folemn and heavenly an exercife, iby ,lhat time the miniftcr be- 
 gins the Confeffion. I irrtreat the people alfo to. remember, that 
 when they are repeating the feveral portions of the Confeffion after 
 the minilter, they are fpeaking'to God"/ and* trahfa&ing with him 
 the grand affair of repentance, and reconciliation to-his favor, upon 
 which their evetlafting happinefc depends. : Let them therefore not 
 
 behave 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 23 
 
 THE GENERAL CONFESSION. 
 
 Prayer is unqueftionably the moft ufeful and 
 edifying part of divine worfhip ; and Confeflion, 
 is one of the moft folemn and interefting parts of 
 prayer. It. has been already obferved, and ought 
 to be remembered, that, till he has confeffed his 
 fins,nope > rfoncanbeproperlyqualifiedtojoininthe 
 public-worlhipofGod. It therefore behoves all to be 
 early in their attendance at the houfe of prayer *j 
 that they may have time to compofe their minds 
 by holy meditation, to ^reflect upon their offen- 
 ces, and to prepare for joining in this Confeflion. 
 For though in fome inftances Sacredotal Abfolu- 
 tionmay bedifpenfed with, yet without Confeflion, 
 there is no remiffion to be expedted at the hand 
 of God. Prov. xxviii. 13. 1 John 1. 8,9,10. 
 On this account the Confeflion is placed by the 
 Church of England in the beginning of the fervice. 
 In this regulation of her daily offices, our church 
 
 behave themfelves after a carelefs and flovenly manner ; let them 
 not utter the words in fuch a tone, as proves that they do not 
 mind what they fay, or to whom they fpeak. Let them fo perform 
 this duty that it may obtain the remiffion, and not add to th? 
 number of their fins. Benftt's Paraphrafe. 
 
 * Hence we perceive the impropriety of habitually coming too 
 late to church. Loitering in the church-yard after the fervice is 
 begun, is likewife a practice extremely reprehenfible, and yet very 
 common in fome country parifties. 
 
 c 4 imitates. 
 
24 Critical and P radical Elucidation of 
 
 imitates the example of pioifs men -of old *, who 
 lived under the Mofaical difpenfation, and con- 
 forms to the practice of the purer ages of the 
 Chriftian church. " With us," fays Bafil, " all the 
 " people come early in the morning, while it is 
 " yet dark, to the houfe of prayer, and with 
 " forrow, and with affliction, and with profufionof. 
 " tears, make confeflion of their fins to Godf." 
 
 By the Rubric, this confeflion is appointed to 
 be faid of the whole congregation, after the mi- 
 nifter; and in the ancient Chriftian church, the 
 confeflion of fins, like our confeflion of faith, 
 was made jointly by the prieft and people, " All, 
 '" as it were, with one voice and one heart," fays 
 Bafil, " make their confeflion unto the Lord, 
 " each man exprefling his own repentance with 
 " his own mouth %." 
 
 Forms of confeflion are generally to be met with 
 in the Liturgies of antiquity, but a form, fuperior, 
 or equal to our own, is no where to be found §. 
 
 Our 
 
 • See Ezra, rx. £', Sec. and Daniel, rx. 3, &c, where thefe ho- 
 ly men confefs their own fins, and the fins of the people in the hum- 
 bleft manner, and pour forth the moft pathetic deprecations, fup- 
 plications, and interceffions before God. 
 
 + En nxrtf yap ogGgi£et. w«{ uf*i» a Xao; iir% Ton oir.ct iik ■xfiriv/n;, 
 xai it mm, xxi e> &M^u, xui eh avn^ri Sxx^vut efojtoAoyoi/fiEFoi rai 8i«, 
 TfXEUTaiof, &c. Bafil, Ep. 63. < 
 
 % Tlxint ; v.ow), u: t% eio; PToparo;, xa\ putt* xnga.x; ™ TO; if sfio>o- 
 yr,ff£VS 4'*ty toy atettyegovvi Ttf xvgiu, lout ttLVTut cxa0*TO$ Ta ttfiafat ms 
 y.ita.n\ai Trotst/pEni. Id. Ibid. 
 
 § In favour of the practice of inferting confeflions in public Li- 
 turgies 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1$ 
 
 Our confeflion, like the prayer which Jefus taught 
 us, though concife, is comprehensive and full. 
 It is conceived in * general terms, yet at the fame 
 
 time, 
 
 turgies, and of the excellence of our form, they, who have feced- 
 ed from the church, bear the moft unequivocal teftimony. Not- 
 withstanding their rage for innovation, our confeflion, (except the 
 words And there is no health in us, J is literally retained in the third 
 edition of the reformed Liturgy of the Socinians. 
 
 * It has indeed been blamed by the adverfaries of our church 
 for being too general. Of the reafonablenefs of their objections 
 and the validity of our vindication the reader may judge from the 
 exceptions, that were made in writing by the Prefbyterian clergy, 
 and the anfwers returned by the Epifcopalian commiflioners appoint- 
 ed to review the Liturgy in 1661. 
 
 Among their exceptions, the objettors obferve, that " the public 
 " Liturgy of a church ought to comprehend the fum of all fuch fins 
 " as are ordinarily to be confeffed in prayer, and to take in fuch 
 " petitions and thankfgivings as are commonly to be put lip by the 
 " church; and the points mould be fet down in a clearexpliclt man- 
 " ner;" and here they pretend " the Liturgy is defective as to all 
 " thefe matters." This general exception they exemplify particu- 
 larly. 
 
 1 . " There is no preparatory prayer in the beginning of the 
 " fervice, for God's afliftance and acceptance, yet many collects in 
 " the midft of the worlhip, have little, or nothing elfe." 
 
 2. " The confeflion is very defective. Original fin is not clearly 
 " expreffed, nor actual fins with their aggravations fufficiently 
 " enumerated. The form confifts only of generals, whereas con- 
 " feflion, being an exercife of repentance, ought to be moreparti- 
 « cular." 
 
 3. " The whole body of the Common Prayer confifts very 
 " much of mere generals : as \ to he kept from all evil, from, all ene- 
 " mies, from all adverftty, that nue may do God's tuill : without 
 " any mention of the particulars in which thefe generals exift." 
 
 To 
 
26 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 time, it is Co particular, that it includes every kind 
 of fin. Where the minifter is not too precipitate^ 
 
 when 
 
 To thefe exceptions the Commiffioners who reprefentedthe church 
 of England reply, that " whereas it was objected there was no 
 •* preparatory prayer in our Liturgyfor God's affiftance or accept- 
 *' ance, they anfwer this is plain mi/reporting the Common Prayer. 
 " For, befides a preparatory exhortation, there are feveral prepara- 
 " tory prayers," upon the heads in which, it is pretended, the Li- 
 turgy of the church of England js deficient : as " Defpife not, O 
 *' Lord, humble and contrite hearts ; which was one of the introdudto- 
 * ' ry fentences. That thofe things may pleafe him ttihich tue do at this 
 " pre/ait, at the end of the abfolution, and again immediately aC 
 " ter the Lord's Prayer, O Lord, open thou our lips, £sff." 
 
 To the Preftiyterians' objeftion againft the church's confeflion 
 being couched in general terms, the Epifcopalian divines anfwer, 
 " that this is rather a perfection than a defeft : That the offices are 
 ** intended for common ufe : That general fervices ceafe to be fuch 
 " by defcending to particulars. When confeflion pf fins is general, 
 ** all perfons may and muft join in it, fince in many things we of- 
 " fend aty. But if the enumeration of fin were particular, it would 
 " not be fo well fuited to the ufe of the congregation, becaufe it 
 " may happen that fome perfons may by God's grace have been pre- 
 " ferved from feveral of thofe fins enumerated ; and therefore by 
 *' confefling themfelves guilty, they would lie to Almighty God, 
 " and thus ftand in need of a neiu confeflion." 
 
 " As for original fin, we think it an evil cuflom, fpringing from 
 " fal/e doclrine, to ufe any fuch expreflions as may lead people to 
 «' think, that to perfons baptized (in whofe perfons only our prayers,. 
 " are offered up) original fin is not forgiven in baptifm; original 
 " fin, we conceive to be fufficiently acknowledged in the church's 
 " confefling that, without God's help our frailty cannot hut fall, that 
 " our mortal nature can do no good thing 'without him ; and thai there is 
 " no health in us." 
 
 " They (the Diflenters) complain the Liturgy contajni too many 
 
 " generals, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 2.J 
 
 when he allows the congregation time to repeat it, 
 with fuch deliberation, that their hearts may go 
 along with their words, each individual mays and 
 ought, under the general form, to make a particu- 
 lar mental confeffion of his own perfonal fins, 
 known only to God and his own confcience. 
 
 The general Confeffion, which is a regular and 
 methodical compofition, may be divided into two 
 parts. 
 
 i . A confeffion, in the ftrict and proper fenfe 
 of the term, which is followed 
 
 2. By earneft petitions, containing deprecations 
 of evil, and fupplications for fpiritual bleffings. 
 
 Before we enter upon the firft part of the con- 
 feffion, we fhall here particularly "notice, once for 
 all, a beauty and propriety, which, in our admi- 
 rable Liturgy, we may every where obferve. I 
 mean the extreme care of the church in framing 
 introductions to her prayers and collects. In all 
 her addreffes to the Deity, fhe has, it may almoft 
 be faid, uniformly felected fuch titles, attributes 
 and perfections, as are mofl appropriate to the 
 petitions to which they are prefixed, and beft cal- 
 culated to produce correfpondent affections in the 
 
 " generals, in its applications for God's grace and protection ; and 
 ' ' inftance thefe expreffions, that iue may do God's will, that <we may be 
 " kept from all evil, i$c. Now thefe are almoft the very terms in 
 " the Lord's Prayer: fo that they muft reform that, before they can 
 '■** pretend to amend our Liturgy in thefe petitions. " See Papers thaft 
 -paffed between the Conuniffioncrs at the Savoy Conference. 
 
 minds 
 
28 Critical and PraSical Elucidation of 
 
 f 
 
 minds of thofe that ufe them. Whoever, with an 
 eye to this point, will examine the prayers, and 
 collects, throughout all oup different offices, will 
 be highly gratified, and convinced of the general 
 truth of the remark. As an elucidation of the 
 pofition, we take the introduction to the general 
 confeffion, merely on account of its ftanding in 
 the front' of the Liturgy. 
 
 In this prayer we humbly confefs our manifold 
 fins to the God, whom we have offended, and 
 fupplicate his pardpn. In the introductory part 
 of the prayer, we addrefs God, under the appel- 
 lation of Almighty and mojl merciful Father. 
 
 The firft title, Almighty ', denotes the greatnefs 
 of him, whom we have offended,--his Omnipo- 
 tence and abfolute dominion over all his crea- 
 tures. Now the reflection that we have delibe- 
 rately, and prefumptuoufly offended that Being, 
 from whofe power there is no efcaping, from 
 whofe wrath nothing can deliver us, muft fill our 
 hearts with terror and difmay. 
 
 But though we have offended a terrible and 
 Almighty God, the fecond term, mofi merciful 
 Father, reminds us, that he ftill retains the affec- 
 tions, as well as the name of a Father. Of all 
 fathers he is the molt merciful. His Omnipo- 
 tence will teach us humility, and contrition. 
 His infinite goodnefs will infpire faith and hope. 
 If the terrors ©f the Almighty affright us, and feaj 
 up our lips, the contemplation of his mercy, and 
 paternal pity, will open them again ; and the uni- 
 ted 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 29 
 
 ted fcnfe of thefe two perfections, will difpofc us 
 to make a fine ere confeflion, and prevailing fup- 
 plication at the throne of grace. 
 
 In the firft claufe of the confeflion, the church 
 defcribes our notorious violation of the divine 
 law, under the figurative language di&ated in holy 
 Scripture by the fpirit of God. 
 
 We have erred, and Jirayed from thy "ways like loft 
 Jheep. 
 
 This expreflion is taken from Scripture. Chrift: 
 Jcfus is " the Shepherd, and we the fheep of his 
 " pafture;'" but " all we, like fheep, have gone 
 *' aftray. We have gone aftray, like loft fheep, 
 " and have turned every one to his own way. 
 " Lord, feefe thy fervants." (Ifa. tin. 6, Pfal. 
 cxix. 176.) To underftand the propriety of the 
 phrafe, it fhould be obferved, that in the eaftern, 
 countries, which are open, and full of wild beafts, 
 the danger of ftraying is great, and its confe- 
 quences too commonly fatal. Such " a great arid 
 terrible wildernefs," in the fpiritual fenfe, is the 
 world in which we live *. 
 
 By this one fignificant metaphor f our manifold 
 
 devia- 
 
 * Here, and in a few other places, I have enriched this edition 
 with the valuable obfervations of Archbifliop Seeker. 
 
 + In Jndea, and other eaftern countries, where flocks and herds 
 conftituted the riches, and the feeding of them, the chief employ- 
 ment, of the principal inhabitants, practices prevailed, very diffe- 
 rent 
 
30 Critical and Practical Elucidation fff 
 
 deviations from the paths in which God has com- 
 manded us to walk, and our confequent mifery 
 and wretchednefs are moft beautifully defcribed.. 
 i. Of all gregarious animals the fheep is moft apt 
 to ftray. 2. When it does ftray, none is expofed 
 to greater dangers. 3. And if it does not become 
 the prey of its numerous enemies, none is lefs 
 likely to return. 4. The probability is, that it 
 would ftray for ever and finally be loft, did not 
 the fhepherd feek it and bring it back. 
 
 1. And how often have we, inobfervant of the 
 ftiepherd's fteps and regardlefs of his voice, for- 
 faken the pure ftreams and pleafant paftures, pro- 
 vided for us, and wandered into a dry and barren 
 wildernefs, where we have been, left deftitute of all 
 true comfort and expofed to, innumerable dangers. 
 2. Sinful man, having once departed from the 
 fhepherd of his foul, becomes entangled in the 
 thorns'of worldly pleafures and worldly cares ; is 
 enfnared by Satan, feduced by the wicked, and 
 purfued by his own confcience. He has neither 
 ftrength to contend with his enemies, nor power 
 
 rent from aught that we have been accuftomed^o fee. Inftead of 
 a keeper following the fheep, and the barbarous ufage of employing 
 dog's on all occafions to drive them, (for the ufe of dogs in Judea, 
 was to defend the flocks from the wild beads of the foreft, and the 
 field, and to give notice of their approach,)' the fhepherd himfelf 
 walked before the fheep, whether he led them to pafture, water, or 
 the fold. Ifa. lvi. 9, 10, 11. The fhepherd's going before the 
 fiveep, and leading them to pure waters, and verdant paftures, is a 
 >ery (hiking and beautiful reprefentation of God's preventing grace, 
 and continual help.! 
 
 I to 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 3 1 
 
 to fly from them. 3. Forgetting whence he js 
 fallen, and ignorant how to return, he is loft for 
 ever j And, 4. will continue wandering in the 
 broad way that terminates in final deftruction, ex, 
 cept through God's preventing grace, he turn, 
 by confeflion and repentance, to him, who came 
 to feek and fave what was loft, to Jefus Chrift, 
 the good fhepherd, who laid down his life for 
 the fheep. 
 
 We have followed, &c. 
 
 Here the Church reminds us, that even in eur 
 confefllon we tnuft afcribe glory to God, and take 
 theihame of our tranfgreffions to ourfelves. The 
 corrupt inclination of our nature, and " the de- ' 
 " fire of the flefh,"* may entice, but they can- 
 'not compel men to fin. We do not throw the 
 blame of our fins on the frailty of nature, the 
 -ftrength of paffion, or the violence of temptation ; 
 for this were making God the author of that fin 
 of which he is only the avenger, f 
 
 Neither do we accufe our maker for giving, 
 nor repine at having, thefe. devices and defires, 
 but we condemn ourfelves for " following them 
 '* too much." What we confefs and bewail is, 
 that inftead of regulating our imaginations, keep- 
 ing our hearts with all diligence, and applying for 
 the afliftance of God's holy Spirit, we have fol- 
 
 * See' 9th Article of Religion. - fc?~ 
 
 + Den» non eft eorum ultor, quorum eft au&or. .Fulgent. 
 
 lowed 
 
j 2 Critical and PraSfieal Elucidation of 
 
 lowed the corrupt inclination of our nature, run 
 into the arms of temptation, made a covenant 
 with fin, and thus have moft notorioufly tranf- 
 grefied God's laws, which are holy, juft, and good. 
 
 Having with deep contrition acknowledged our 
 iinfulnefs in general, we proceed to be more parti- 
 cular, and divide our offences into two kinds. 
 
 We have left undone, &c, and we have 
 done, (5>V. 
 
 Here we confefs that we have neglected pofitive 
 duties, and have committed actual offences. 
 Thefe by divines have been denominated, fins of 
 omijjion, and fins of commiflion. 
 
 Under the former head may be claffed the du- 
 ties of prayer, praife and thankfgiving ; hearing 
 and reading God's holy word, and frequenting 
 the Lord's table; with the Chriftian focial virtues 
 of inftru cting the ignorant, relieving the diftreffed, 
 comforting the afflicted, loving and doing good 
 to all men ; and the evangelical graces of faith, 
 repentance, humility, and patience. 
 
 Among the fins of commijfion may be ranked, 
 blafphemy, perjury, and prophanenefs ; lying, 
 and flandering ; pride, malice, and revenge ; 
 gluttony, drunkennefs, and lull ; covetoufnefs 
 and oppreflion; with every fpecies of fraud and 
 deceit, whether in deed or word*. 
 
 * For particular heads of fclf-examination in private, and pub- 
 lic mental confeffion, reference may be had to the new whole Duty 
 of Man, the Companion to the Altar j and Nelfon't Feftivals and 
 Faih towards the conclusion, &c. 
 
 If 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 33 
 
 If we have omitted any of thefe duties, or per- 
 formed them improperly ; if we have committed 
 many of thefe offences, or lived in the habitual 
 pra&ice of committing the leaft of them, we rauft 
 confefs them, and repent of them. " The gates 
 " of heaven are fhut againft all unexpiated fin 
 " under every form and in every degree*." 
 
 Having thus confeffed our iniquities, we ac- 
 knowledge, that 
 
 There is no health in us. s 
 
 In the language of fcripture, the difeafes of the 
 body reprefent the diftempers of the foul. The 
 humble penitent, having examined himfelf, and 
 being fenfible of his condition, confeffes to the 
 great phyfician, to him who alone can " heal our 
 fouls," (Pf. xli. 4.) his total want of health. 
 He finds, that his whole head is fick with evil 
 devices, and his whole heart faint with following 
 evil defires,. (Ifa. rt 5, 6.) and that from the fole 
 of the foot even to the crown of his head, there is 
 no health, nor foundnefs in him. Wounds and 
 bruifes diftradl his confcience, and putrifying 
 fores, arifing from internal corruption, overfpread 
 his whole frame. 
 
 The words likewife imply, that we have no 
 means of help and falvation. We have no power 
 of ourfelves to help ourfelves, and " no man may 
 
 * See the Bilhop of London's two excellent Sermons on 
 James 11. zo. 
 
 d " deliver 
 
34 Critical and Praftied Elucidation of 
 
 " deliver his brother." (PA xlix. 7.) In 
 vain do we look for help, *' to the hills and moun- 
 tains," to the high and mighty. (Jer. in. 23.) 
 " Salvation is of the Lord." (Pf. in. 8.) To the 
 Lord out God we therefore turn with weeping 
 and Amplications, and, in the remaining part of 
 the confeffion, make our petitions to him for 
 help and deliverance. 
 
 Do thou, O Lord, have mercy, &c. 
 
 As miferable offenders, we befeech him to 
 •' have mercy upon us," to pity us, and pardon 
 »ur firs. Mifery is the proper object of mercy, 
 and forgivenefs peculiarly belongs to God. 
 
 Spare than tbem, God, &c. 
 
 Having confeffed our faults, we entreat him to 
 fpare, and deliver us From the puhifhment due. to 
 therh. W# pray God not to inflict thofe tempo- 
 ral evils, which our iniquities have deferved, and 
 above all to refcue us from eternal condem- 
 nation. 
 
 Reftore thou them, l£c. 
 Being penitent we defire him to "reftore* to 
 
 * In Scripture, the word, here, and ofttimes, tranfhted reftore, is 
 occafionalrj applied to the repairing and rebuilding of a ruinous 
 and depopulated city ;— too true an 'emblem of the deplorable ftate 
 of the foul, laid wafte by Co ; its beauty defaced, its ftrength dis- 
 mantled, and its fair inhabitants, innocence and virtue, turned out 
 of their facred manfions. — See Daniel's famous prediction of the 
 Meffiah, couched under the figurative language of reftorrng and 
 rebuilding Jerufalem. Dan. is. 25. 
 
 "iis 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer i 3 1 
 
 " us the joy of his falvation/' (Pf. 11. 12.) to 
 readmit us to his favour, which we have loft by 
 our difobedience ; we befeech him " to heal our 
 " wounds, and to reftore us to that health," 
 (Jer. xxx. 17.) and fpiritual vigour, which we 
 have deftroyed by following the devices and de- 
 fires of our own hearts.' 
 
 According to thy promifes, &c. 
 
 Thefe requefts we are emboldened to make, in 
 confequence of God's gracious promifes revealed 
 in the Gofpel, which declare, that if we confefs 
 our fins, and repent of them, we fhall be fpared, 
 forgiven, and reftored. 
 
 We fay, " declared unto mankind in Chrifl 
 " Jefus, our Lord." For thefe promifes were 
 not made to the apoftate angels, but to mankind 
 alone. 
 
 Angels* are intelligent fubftances, the firft in 
 
 rank 
 
 * Reafon, as well as Scripture, affords us ground to believe, that 
 Man is the loweft creature in the fcale of reafonable beings. As the 
 chain of Jaeing defcends from man to brute, from brute to infedt, fo 
 it k reafonable to fuppofe, that by a beautiful gradation it afcends 
 from angel to arch-angel, and thofe thoufand thoufands that ftand 
 before God, and thofe ten thoufand times ten thoufand, that minif- 
 ter unto him. That among the angels there are degrees, is an opi- 
 nion, which appears warranted by Scripture. Speculative men 
 have reduced them into nine orders, according to the different 
 names, by which the angels in fcripture are denominated. And 
 thefe nine orders they divide into three Hierarchies. To the firft 
 and higheft order belong Cherubim, Seraphim, and Thrones, To 
 
 Dz the 
 
36 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 rank and dignity among created beings ; and 
 endowed with underftanding and power far fupe- 
 rior to thofe of human nature. Though they were 
 all created perfect, yet fome of them " kept not 
 " their firft eftate." They fell*, and from the 
 
 moft 
 
 the fecond, Dominions, Virtues, and Powers. To the third, Prin- 
 cipalities, Arch-angels, and Angels. 
 
 As to their nature, whether they are pure Spirit, diverted of 
 Matter, or united to fome thin Body, fome corporeal vehicle, has 
 long been a fubieft of controverfy. The ancient philofophers, and 
 fome of the Chriftian fathers, were of opinion, that Angels were 
 cloathed with etherial fiery bodies, bodies of the fame nature with 
 thofe we (hall one day have, when we come to be equal to the angels. 
 The more general opinion, efpecially of latter times, has been, that 
 they are fubftances entirely fpiritual, pofleffing the power of aflum- 
 ing vifible bodies, and appearing in human forms and other fhapes. 
 
 • Pride appears to have been their leading fin and the caufe of 
 their fall. On what occafion it (hewed itfelf is uncertain. It has 
 been prefumed, that admiring and valuing themfelves too much on 
 the excellence of their nature and height of their ftation, they came 
 at length to entertain fo little refpeft for their and our Creator, as to 
 be guilty of direft apoftacy and open rebellion. — From Scripture it 
 is farther certain, that the number .of the fallen angels is very great, 
 and it feems to appear, that order and fubordination are preferved 
 even among them. According to the Jews, their prince is Beel- 
 zebub, or Baal-zebub, which fignifies the Mailer of Flies. But 
 their proper head is the Devil or Satan : the former of thefe names 
 fignifies the Accufir, and the latter Hater, or A&vcrfary. Whether 
 the Devil was himfelf a fallen Angel and the grand Apoftate by 
 whom the others were feduced from allegiance ; or whether, he 
 was originally created evil for the purpofe of more fully difplay- 
 ing the divine attributes on the theatre of the Univerfe, fome have 
 entertained a doubt. Milton in his Paradife Loft has affumed 
 the former proposition as the bafis of his poem. But this being 
 
 a work 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 37 
 
 mod blelTed and glorious, became the moft vile 
 and miferable of all God's creatures. As they 
 fell, fo they lie, " being referved in everlafting 
 " chains under darknefs unto the Day of Judge- 
 " ment," (Jude vi.) when they will be consigned 
 unto the fire originally " prepared for the Devil 
 " and his Angels." (Matt. xxv. 41.) " Our re- 
 " deemer taketh not hold of the (fallen) angels, 
 " but of the feed of Abraham he taketh hold *." 
 Towards mankind has God ftretched forth his 
 hand, and laid hold of them, and refcued, and de- 
 livered them. 
 
 From the univerfality of the promife, all men, 
 becaufe they are men, even the chief of finners, 
 if they repent, may receive comfort and confola- 
 tion. But let none arrogate to himfelf, or his 
 feet, any peculiar intereft, in the promifes made 
 through Jefus Chrift. If any private individual, 
 or particular fociety imagine, that they have any 
 
 a work of human invention, and calculated rather to amufe the 
 fcney than to afford any folid ground for belief, we fliould be care- 
 ful how far we admit the opinions of fuch a writer for evangelical 
 truths. — " Secret things belong to God ; but thofe that are re- 
 vealed to us and our children." Deut. xxix. 29. 
 
 * Marginal reading of Hebrews 16.— 'See alfo Cameron, Grotius, 
 
 and Hammond. The following is the obfervation of a learned 
 
 friend : Much has been faid, and difputed, upon the l7nX*/*6a«T«» 
 of Heb. xi. 16. But after all, I think, our prefent public verfion, 
 and not the marginal reading, exprefles the true meaning of the text. 
 ZwepfMs fignifies nature as well as feed : and is here relative to ayytkat 
 as well as to A6p«?v*. I therefore can fee no reafon, but a Socinian 
 reafon, to depart from the common t ranflation, 
 
 d 3 fpecial 
 
3 8 Critical and PraHical Elucidation cf 
 
 Special intereft in the redeemer's merits, or God's 
 promifes, I fcruple not to pronounce, that the 
 fuggeftion is the deluiion of the Devil, and be- 
 trays a. kind of fpiritual pride, which the grand 
 Apoffate himfelf could never furpafs. As men 
 and Chriftians, we are thankful, that we are not 
 particularly excluded. We humbly hope that the 
 general promife made to all, will eventually ex- 
 tend to us. 'To ourfelves we modeftly apply it, 
 not becaufe we fancy, that we are favourites of 
 heaven, or better than others, but becaufe we 
 know, that we have offended, feel that we are re- 
 ferable, and are certain, that none can more Hand 
 in need of mercy than ourfelves. 
 
 In Chrift Jefu, cur Lord. 
 
 In this claufe the church has directed us to ex- 
 prefs our faith, and plead the promifes through 
 Chrift. As true repentance can originate only 
 from a right belief, fo a right belief rauft necef- 
 farily produce acceptable repentance * ; and thefe 
 two, which the revealed word of " God hath 
 " joined together, let no man put afunder." In 
 the promifes we truft, becaufe they are made in 
 Chrift Jefus our Lord, who obtained them .for us, 
 and fealed them by his blood, being appointed the 
 mediator between God and man. He was the 
 firft, and greateft promife, made to mankind in 
 the feed of the woman, (Gen. m. 15.) and God 
 
 * n«rw«5 o pera>oi« tern* x*rc§6wf«t, Clem, At. 
 
 who 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 39 
 
 who has given us him, and delivered him up for 
 us all, will in his due time accomplifh the reft. 
 (Rom. viii. 32.) 
 
 The Confeflion concludes with a petition for 
 grace to amend our lives, which we offer up 
 through the merits and mediation of our redeemer. 
 And grant that zve may hereafter, &c. 
 
 St. Paul fums up the whole of practical ChriftU 
 anity in " living foberly, righteoufly, and godly, 
 " in this prefent world;" (Tit. 11. 12.) and this 
 comprehenfive expreffion, which includes all the 
 duties we owe to God, our neighbour, and our- 
 felves, the church has wifely adopted in this part 
 of her Liturgy. Her fenfe could not have been 
 conveyed, in ftronger, or in plainer terms. Let 
 us remember, that we fhould not only ardently 
 pray, but earneftly endeavour, to exercife piety 
 and devotion towards God ; to practife honefty^ 
 fidelity and charity to our fellow-creatures ; and 
 to govern ourfelves, our fouls and bodies, with 
 humility, moderation, and Chriftian fobriety. 
 
 In the concluding words, 
 
 To the glory of thy holy name, 
 the church reminds us that the advancement of 
 God's honor and glory i fhould be the conftant aim, 
 and ultimate end of all our actions. We fhould 
 live godly, foberly, and righteoufly, not for our 
 own credit, nor to obtain the approbation of men, 
 but to promote the honor and glory of God's 
 holy name. And when we have done all, we muft 
 
 d 4 in 
 
4o Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 in gratitude caft that all at the feet of his glory, 
 by whofe long fuffering, mercy, grace, and aflif- 
 tance, we are fpared, forgiven, reftored, and en- 
 abled " to amend our lives according to his holy 
 " word." 
 
 To evince the earneftnefs of our petitions, our 
 faith in the promifes, and our hope of acceptance ; 
 to teftify at the fame time, that we have one Lord, 
 one Faith, and one Hope, with one voice and 
 one mouth at the end of the Confeflion, we fum 
 up all, in one audible, hearty, devout Amen. 
 
 ON AMEN *. 
 
 Amen is originally an Hebrew term, in which 
 language, with its numerous derivatives, it figni- 
 fies truth, fidelity, liability. By our Saviour it 
 is often repeated as a ftrong affirmation, and is 
 translated verily, verily. 
 
 Amen, in our Liturgy, is addrefled fometimes 
 to God and fometimes to men. Here and after 
 
 * Amen is one of the few words that have been conftantly re- 
 tained without tranflation into the popular language, by all Chrifc 
 tian churches to this day. Many churches have likevvife uniformly 
 preferved Alkluiah and Hofanuab, as we have done in our tranfla- 
 tion of the Scripture, In thefe words fome think they obferve 
 more energy than in any terms their own languages afford, But 
 the church of England, in her Liturgy has ventured to tranflate 
 Allehiab into " Praife ye the Lord j" and Ho/annah, with fome 
 fmall variation, fhe has rendered, " O God, make fpeed to fave 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 4.1 
 
 all the prayers, it is adreffed to God, and., ac- 
 cording to our catechifm, means Jo be it. It is 
 itfelf a prayer, and may be thus paraphrafed. 
 " Confirm to us, O Lord, realize, and verify all 
 " the bleflings, and benefits that we have prayed 
 « for." 
 
 But after a Creed, it is a folemn affeveration 
 made in the prefence of the whole congregation, 
 declaring an unfeigned belief of every article 
 therein expreffed. Here it is equivalent to verily 
 or truly, and may be paraphrafed, " True and 
 " fincere is the confeffion of faith that we have 
 " now made." 
 
 It has the fame import, when pronounced after 
 the fentences from Scripture, which are read in 
 the Comminution on the firft day of Lent. In 
 that folemn penitential office, (the object of 
 which, fome, calling themfelves Chriftians, have 
 fhamefully mifreprefented, and others of our own 
 communion appear not fufficiently to underftand,) 
 the church has affigned the reafons, for which thefe 
 fentences are recited, and has likewife defined the 
 meaning of Amen. 
 
 Till penitentiary difcipline, univerfally prac- 
 ticed in the antient church, may be reftored to the 
 church of England, the preface informs us, it is 
 thought good, that, at certain feafons, fome ge- 
 neral fentences, containing God's denunciation 
 againft impenitent linners, mould be read to us, 
 and that we mould anfwer to every fentence 
 
 Amen: 
 
4 2 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 Amen* : to the intent, that being admomfhed of 
 the great indignation of God againfl: finners, we 
 may be moved to true repentance, to walk warily, 
 and to flee from thofe vices, for which (by anfwer- 
 ing Amen) we affirm with our ozvn mouths the curfc 
 of God to be due f. 
 
 From St. Paul we learn, that in the apoftolic 
 age the people " faid Amen at the bleffing and 
 " giving of thanks," (i Cor. xiv. 16.) and the 
 Fathers teftify that the practice was continued in 
 fueceeding ages %. We farther find that the pri- 
 mitive Chriftians, who on certain days, (efpeci- 
 ally on Sundays, and on all days between Eafter 
 and Pentecoft §,) performed their adorations 
 ftanding, ufually pronounced Amen with a loud 
 voice. 
 
 In allufion to both of thefe cuftoms, Clement 
 of Alexandria fays " at the concluding acclama- 
 " tion of the prayer, (meaning at Amen) they 
 " raifed themfelves upon their tip-toes, endea- 
 " vouring as it were to lift up their bodies as 
 
 * Thii is evidently derived from Deut. xxvii. 
 
 + See Cammination in our Liturgy. 
 
 \ That Amen was faid at the Confecration of the Eucharijl, Ire. 
 bxus and Tertullian, two of the rooft ancient Chriftian writers, 
 prove. (Irerr. lib. i. c. i . Tert. de Sped. c. 25. on which fee Rigalt'j 
 Notes.) — This primitive cuftom appears to have been apoftolical. 
 Compare this paffage (i.Cor. xiv. 16.) with 1. Cor. x. 16, and 
 fee Grot, on Matt. xxvi. 26. 
 
 § This was done in honor of our Lard's Refurreftion. 
 
 " well 
 
The Mbrttihg and Evening Public Prayer. 43 
 
 *' well as their fouls, to heaven*." The practice 
 of uttering Amen after prayers and praifes, with 
 loud and united voices, gave occalion to the verfe, 
 
 Et refonaturis ferit at her a vocihus Amen. 
 
 Jerom informs us, that at Rome, in his time, 
 the people anfwered Amen with a voice fo loud 
 that it refembled a peal of thunderf; and the Jews 
 had a proverbial faying, that the gate of the gar- 
 den of Eden is opened to him who anfwers Amen 
 with all his might %. 
 
 It may not be proper to recommend to modern 
 Chriftiaris too clofe an imitation of thefe examples, 
 but hence we m^y take occalion to obferve, that 
 Amen fhould be folemnly pronounced by the 
 whole congregation with a diftinft and audible 
 voice. 
 
 * Strom. 7. 
 
 + Ad iimilitudinem cceleftes tonitrui Amen reboat- 
 
 % The Jews who anfwered Amen at the end of each prayer, thus 
 defcribe its efficacy : — Praeftantior cenfetur ille, amplioremque dig- 
 nitatis gradum adipifcitur, qui cum attentione et religione Amen 
 lefpondet, quam is qui preces concipit. (Talmud.) Similitudine, id 
 illuftrant fapientes, Scribe, qui alterius nomine literas fcribat, quas 
 poftca is, cujus nomine fcriptae funt, figno fuo confignet : turn de- 
 mum enim literx illae confirmantur, autoritatem acquirunt, et ob- 
 ftrvantur : Sic etiam, qui Amen ad preces refpondent, precibus 
 ngillum imprimunt, quae hac ratione vires acquirunt, Buxt. Syn. 
 
 RUBRIC 
 
44 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 RUBRIC 
 BEFORE THE ABSOLUTION. 
 
 By this Rubric, the Abfolution, or Remiffion 
 of fins, is directed to be pronounced by the prieft 
 alone. The meaning of which words I apprehend 
 to be, that no Layman or Deacon, none under 
 the order of a prieft, (hall, either in the private ex- 
 ercife of piety, or in the public fervice of the 
 church, repeat the Abfolution. 
 
 That it fhould not be read by a Layman, is a 
 pofition, which requires no proof. And I men- 
 tion it here, principally for the fake of noticing 
 more particularly, what was obferved before, that 
 the Morning and Evening Prayer, in the original 
 designation of our reformers, was not meant to be 
 faid in churches only, but was likewife appointed 
 for the fervice of God, in places not fet apart for 
 public worihip, and was intended for the ufe of 
 individuals, and private families*. 
 
 From the Royal Injunffions, prefixed to the old 
 Englifh Primers, which were principally compo- 
 fed of the fervices of the church, and which we 
 muft regard, as fo many aufpicious preludes to 
 
 * The pious pra&ice of reading daily a portion of the Holy 
 Scriptures, and a part of the Morning and Evening Offices, which 
 was very general with our Proteftant forefathers, fome families 
 laudably retain. 
 
 our 
 
Tie Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 45 
 
 our Book of Common Prayer, it appears, that 
 they were intended to be aids in private devotion, 
 and guides in the performance of family worlhip ; 
 and not merely elementary tracts for the inftruc- 
 tion of children, in the rudiments of letters and 
 religion*. Accordingly, the preface to Edwards* 
 fecond Book of Common Prayer, evidently pre- 
 fumes, that the Morning and Evening Services 
 were ufed, not only in family worfhip, but alfo 
 by individuals, in their private devotions f. That 
 on thefe occafions, none of the Laity might igno- 
 rantly, and irreverently, rufh into what is more 
 
 * See the various Primers, publiflied in the reign of Henry VIII. 
 They were commonly Printed in Latin on one fide of tha page, and 
 Englilh on the other. One, of 1543, is entitled '< A right Godly 
 " Rule how all Christians ought to bccupy and exercife themfelves 
 "■ in the Ufe of their daily Prayers." In another. " The King's 
 " Command willeth all his loving fubjefts to learn and ufe the fame." 
 The injunctions prefixed to one of 1546 ftate, that the Primers were 
 " fet forth to be ufed of the elder people, as well as of the youth, 
 " for their common, and ordinary Prayer." 
 
 + The original Preface to the Book of Common Prayer, begin- 
 ning, 'There <was never any thing by the •wit of man fi well dcvifed, is 
 iiniverfally retained in all larger legitimate Editions, and in many 
 of the fmaller. By the reviewers of 166 1, it was entitled Concer- 
 ning the Service of the Church, aud placed after their Preface, begin- 
 ning, " It hath been the wifdom, Sec," which was mod probably 
 compofed by Bp. Sanderfon. The conclusion of the ancient Pre- 
 face, which is now commonly divided into three paragraphs, and 
 diftinguifhed by inverted commas, was added at the revifion of 
 Edwards' Book. The firft of thefe paragraphs permits " Men the 
 " ufe of any language they under/land, when they fay Morning and 
 " Eyening Prayer privately" See alfo the fecond paragraph. 
 
 pecu- 
 
46 Critical and Profiled Ehcidatim qf 
 
 peculiarly the office of the prieft, the church or- 
 dained, that the Abfolution Should be pronounced 
 by the prieft alone. 
 
 That it muft not be read in the congregation 
 by a deacon, is a part of my argument, which 
 will not be fo readily granted. For of all the 
 questions relative to Common "Prayer, that have 
 been difcuffed, among the members- of our esta- 
 blishment, few, I apprehend, have been more 
 frequently agitated, and none more commonly 
 left undecided, than this, — Is it lawful and right 
 for a Deacon to read the Abfolution ? 
 
 On the affirmative fide of the queftion, ftand 
 the authority, and the arguments of Dr. Bennet, 
 who lias advanced nearly all, that has fince been 
 brought forward in favour of the practice. He 
 thinks " that a mere Deacon has as much autho- 
 " rity to pronounce this form, as he has to fay 
 " the firft of the fentences in the Morning Prayer, 
 " When the wicked man, &c, or to preach a fer- 
 ** mon about repentance;" and concludes "it to 
 <* be a vulgar miftake, which makes the Deacons 
 " deviate from their rule, and omit the form, 
 " or exchange it for a collect." 
 
 Of the impropriety of introducing a collect, 
 we fhall fpeak, after we have inquired at whofe 
 door the miftake lies, and feen whether Deacons 
 do deviate from their rule, by omitting the Abfo- 
 lution. 
 
 Every one, I conceive, nauft admit, that the 
 
 church 
 
The Morning and Evening Pullic Prayer. %y 
 
 church of England allows Deacons, in fome in- 
 itances, to pronouce Abfolution.-- They have 
 " authority to read Homilies in the church, to 
 " read the Gofpel, and to preach the fame, if 
 <c they are licenfed thereto by the Bifhop: and in 
 *' the abfence of the prieft they may baptize*." 
 
 Now by baptizing and preaching the Gofpel, 
 they may, in the moft ftrict and proper fenfe of 
 the words, be faid to adminifter Abfolution. In 
 both cafes however their authority is limited. 
 " They may baptize," but only- " in the abfence 
 " of the prieft."— They may not preach the Gof- 
 pel, except " they be admitted and licdnfed 
 " thereto by the Bifliop. himfelf f." 
 
 Here the rulers of our church have directed 
 " the Abfolution, or remiffion of fins, to be pro- 
 " nounced by the prieft alone." Had we no 
 other guide, befide r s the words of the Rubric, to 
 direct us, the intention of the church would be 
 extremely queflionable. In fuch a cafe, as the 
 •word.prieji in the Rubrics often means no more 
 than the officiating minifter, and as there is no- 
 thing in this form, which a Deacon may not pro- 
 nounce, one might be difpofed to fubcfribe to the 
 opinion of Dr. Bennet, and conclude that a Dea- 
 con may read this Abfolution. 
 
 But the church has explained her meaning with- 
 out ambiguity, and beyond thepoffibility of doubt. 
 By the ftatute, enacted in conformity to the opi- 
 
 * Form for ordering Deacons, f Ordination Office. 
 
 nion 
 
48 Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 nion of the Epifcopalian commiffioners, appointed 
 in 1 66 1, to review the Liturgy, every Deacon is 
 exprefsly forbidden to pronounce the Abfolution: 
 a circumftance which appears to have efcaped the 
 obfervation of the author of the Paraphrafe, and 
 to be unknown to the Deacons, who purfue the 
 practice he recommends. 
 
 At this review the Prefbyterian divines requefl 
 that " whereas the word Minifter, and not Prieft 
 " or Curate, Hands in the Rubric for the Abfo- 
 " lution*, and divers other places, this ufage 
 " may be continued." — To this propofal the 
 church of England commiffioners reply, that " It 
 " is not reafonable the word minifter only mould 
 
 * The pofition laid down by the Preiby terians, though apparently 
 admitted by the Epifcopalian divines, is not ftrittly true. Wheatley 
 indeed has told us, " that in all the books till the reiteration of 
 " Charles the word in the Rubric was minifter, and not prieft." 
 (P. 124, Sixth Edition.) But when Mr. Wheatley does not copy 
 from preceding writer*, we cannot depend upon his authority. 
 L'Eftrange, who was commonly under Wheatley's eye, has faid, 
 that the word prieft was here changed into minifter by James's re- 
 viewers. (Alliance of Divine Offices. Annotation, c. m.) I 
 fufpeft this to be an accidental error, and that L'Eftrange meant 
 exactly the reverie ; for the word minifter ftands here in Elizabeth's 
 books. In L'Eftrange's own Text, in Bp. Sparrow's Rationale, 
 both of which were publifhed before the laft review, and in the 
 greater part of the books printed in the reigns of James and Charles, 
 that have fallen under my infpeftion, the word is prieft, and not 
 minifter. I think the declaration of the Prefbyterian divines recon- 
 cikable with thefe fafts, only on the fuppofition that they disre- 
 garded the changes made in the reigns of James and Charles, and 
 referred to the book of Elizabeth, which was eftablifhed by law. 
 
 " be 
 
The- Morning and Evening Puttie Prayer. ' 49 
 
 ,f be ufed in the Common Prayer. For fince fome 
 " parts of the Liturgy may be performed by a 
 " Deacon ; and others, fuch as Abfolution and 
 " Confecration *, by none under the order of a 
 cc prieft, it is fit, that fome fuch word as prieft 
 " mould be ufed for thofe offices which are ap- 
 " propriated to his character, the word minifter 
 "• being of too Ioofe and lax a fignification for this 
 
 " pur- 
 
 * Deacons were ranked among the " facred orders" of the pri- 
 mitive church ; and fpeaking in general terms, we may, without 
 any great violation of propriety, call their office in the church of 
 England, an inferior degree of priefthood. It is true, that their 
 minifterial authority, as well as their perfonal influence, fubjeft, in 
 a considerable degree, to thechange of opinion, time and circum- 
 ■ftance, has not, in all churches and ages, uniformly been the fame 
 — In the delegation of minifterial power to her "Deacons, the church 
 of England has exercifed that " wifdom and moderation'' for 
 which (he is eminently confpicuous, and in her Form of Ordination 
 has well defined the duty " that appertaineth to the office of a 
 " Deacon." 
 
 1 . In the ancient church we find that Deacons have prefumed in 
 ordinary cafes to adminilWr the Sacrament of the Supper of the Lord, 
 that is, " to perform Confecration," or confecrate the elements ; 
 for " to affift the bilhop or prieft in the diftribution of the bread 
 " and wine" peculiarly appertains to their office, (Marin, de Sac. 
 Paiift. lib. viii. c. 24.. and Bingham Eccl. Antiq. Lib. 11. c. 20.) 
 
 The decrees of the council of York (A. D. 11 94,) atthorife 
 
 trie practice in cafes of emergency. The innovation in the former 
 inftance, which, no where became general, the rulers of the church 
 fpeedily fuppreffed: and if throughout England, the latter practice 
 was continued for a length of time, it was by the reformation com- 
 pletely abolilhed. In our church " Confecration can be performed 
 " by none under the order of a prieft." 
 
 E 2 . In 
 
50 Critical and Pratlual Elucidation of 
 
 te purpofe*." — Accordingly the word prieft, in 
 the ftricT: meaning of the term, and in contradif- 
 tin&ion to the word Deacon, was retained f in the 
 Rubric ; and the fenfe of the church commif- 
 fioners, afcertained through the objection of the 
 Preibyterian divines, was ratified by Parliament. 
 
 z. In the Weftern church, Deacons were, under peculiar cir- 
 cumftances, empowered to adminifter Abfolution. If the practice 
 did not originate with Cyprian, it was fan&ioned by him, when 
 Eilhop of Carthage; it is mentioned by various writers, and pie- 
 Tailed for many centuries. But it no where appears, as the learned 
 Morinus has obferved, that this power was given to Deacons in 
 the Greek church. Our reformers, in this inftance, conform to 
 the regulations of the Greek church, and enjoin "the Abfolution 
 " or remifiion of fins to be pronounced by the prieft alone." 
 
 3. The power " to baptize, in cafes of neceflity," was much 
 mote generally given to Deacons by thofe churches, which doubted, 
 or denied their official authority to baptize on ordinary occafions. 
 Thu6 in our own country the celebrated councils of York (mentioned 
 before) and of London (held A. D. 1200) which here fpeak tie ge- 
 neral fenfe of the Weftern church, ordain, that, " when the infant 
 " isdangeroufly ill," (mors imminet puefoj "and the prieft abfent, 
 '* the Deacon may baptize him." 
 
 But Tertullian (de Baptifmo, c. 17.) and Jerom, (Adv. Lucife- 
 rianos, c. 4.) the latter of whom was little difpofed to allow Dea- 
 cons the unmolefted exercife of powers that did not ftridtly " apper- 
 " tain to their office;" (See his inveftives againft their ufurpattons, 
 Ep. lxxxv. ad.Euag.) both maintain, that a Deacon may, in all 
 cafes, baptize, as well as a prieft. The church of England has de- 
 creed, that " it is the Deacon's office to baptize, in the abfence of 
 " the prieft."— 
 
 * Eleventh Exception of the Preibyterian Divines, and the anfwer 
 of the church commiflioners at the Savoy Conference, 
 
 + It had flood in many copies above fifty years. 
 
 The 
 
The Morning and E'uinmg Public Prayer. 51 
 
 The iimple ftatement of the fact amounts to 
 fomething more than a complete refutation of the 
 arguments of Dr. Bennet. It is a final decifion 
 of the difpute, made by the higheft authority in 
 thefe" realms. 
 
 Were farther proof wanting, that according to 
 the exifting regulations of the church of England, 
 a Deacon may not read the Abfolution, the eccle- 
 fiaftical commiffioners appointed in 1691 to revife 
 the Liturgy, have furnifhed us with one full to 
 the purpofe. They knew, that as matters then 
 flood, none but a prieft could lawfully read the 
 Abfolution, and, therefore, among other altera- 
 tions, they propofed, that a Rubric fhould be 
 made authorifing a Deacon to read it *. Their 
 propofed alterations, it is well known, were never 
 carried into effect^ and the whole of the project 
 was entirely abandoned. Of courfe the law em- 
 powering a prieft ajone to pronounce the Abfolu- 
 tion, remains unaltered, and in full force. 
 
 Dr. Bennet modeftly declares, that he, is far 
 from defiring any perfon to be determined by him, 
 and refers the Deacons to their refpective ordina- 
 ries, whofe directions in difputable matters, he 
 
 * They likewife propofed " that thefe words and remijpon be 
 " put out. of the Rubric, as not very intelligible'' Birch's Life of 
 'Tillotfon. The reafon is fomewhat curious. In the Liturgy of the 
 Epifcopalian church of America, the Rubric before the Abfolution 
 runs thus, A Declaration, concerning the Forgivenefs of Sins, to be 
 made, &c. 
 
 e 2 juftly 
 
5 x Critical and Practical Elucidation of " 
 
 juftly obferves, are the beft rule of confeience. 
 But I would afk, do the proofs, that have been 
 alledged, leave the point difputable ? Have the 
 Bifhops in this inftance any difcretionary or dif- 
 penfing power ? For the refolution of doubts, and 
 the prevention of diverfity of practice, we are 
 directed to confult our ordinaries. On account 
 of their fuperior experience, knowledge, and dis- 
 cretion, and more efpecially in confequence of 
 their ftation, as the fpiritual guides and'rulers of 
 the church, they are wifely inverted, in doubtful 
 cafes, with a decretory and definitive power*. 
 But this power is definite, and the exercife of it 
 limited. The Bifhops have neither authority ndr 
 inclination, to licence a clergyman in the per- 
 formance of the offices prefcribed by the church, 
 to atft contrary to any thing " contained" and ex- 
 prefsly declared "in the book of Common Prayer." 
 
 What courfe then is an officiating Deacon to 
 purfue, when he comes to the Abfolution? " He 
 
 * For the refolution of all doubts, concerning the manner bow to 
 underftand, do, and execute the things contained in this book, the 
 parties (hall refort to the Bifhop of the diocefej who by his difcretion. 
 fliall take order for the quieting and appeafmg of the fame ; fo that 
 the fame order be not contrary to any thing contained-in this book. 
 Concerning the Service of the Church. The propriety and neceflity of 
 lodging fuch powers in the hands of our fpiritual fuperiors, was fo 
 evident to Jerom, that, without fuch regulations, he fcroples not 
 to fay, we ftiould foon have in the church, tot febifmaia quot facer* 
 dottSi—Adv, Lucifer, 
 
 " is," 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 53 
 
 " is," fays a modern commentator on the Li- 
 turgy * ; " to offer up fome fhort prayer in its 
 ftead." Inftead of a naked affertion, we mould 
 have been obliged to this writer for favouring us 
 with fomething like the grounds on which his 
 opinion is founded. 
 
 If a Deacon, a perfon of the loweft order in the 
 church, and one, who is not expected to poffefs 
 any very confiderable degree of ritual knowledge, 
 is at liberty, without any lawful provifion, ex- 
 preffed or implied, to alter the fervice here, 
 and to introduce whatever prayer his private 
 judgment may fuggefl f, what is the ufe of an 
 " act for uniformity?" If the prefcribed form 
 of Common Prayer may be altered in one inftance, 
 who does not fee that it may, by different perfons, 
 be violated in all ? 
 
 The fubjedt naturally leads me to marl; another 
 irregularity, which the friends cf the church will 
 hear, if not with indignation, yet certainly with 
 regret, in fome places, even within the metro- 
 
 * P. Waldo, Efq. — This gentleman has publifhed a valuable Traft 
 on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which has been taken into 
 the lift of books, difperfed by the Society for promoting Chrijlian Know- 
 ledge, and is fold by Meffrs. Rivington. 
 
 + The prayer that is commonly ufed by Deacons, is taken from 
 the conclufion of the Commlnation. But if any were admiffible, itis ■ 
 evident, I think, that the preference ought to be given to the prayer 
 •which may befaid after any of the former, and in correct copies Hands 
 before the prayer fur parliament. It may with peculiar propriety be 
 called a precatory AbfAution, 
 
 E 3 DOI'V 
 
54- Critical and P radical Elucidation of 
 
 polis, when a charity fermon is to be preached, 
 the appointed leffons are omitted, and others are 
 fubftituted, which the officiating minifter fancies 
 to be better adapted to the occafion. 
 
 The colledr. for the Sunday before Lent has like r 
 wife often been added to the ordinary fervice. But 
 this colledr. is mifapplied, probably becaufe if is 
 mifunderftood. Charity, the moft beauteous and 
 lovely of the Chriftian virtues, is not confined to 
 liberality to the indigent, or relief to the diftref- 
 fed. Though we do more than " give all our 
 " goods to feed the poor," yet we may be defti- 
 tute of charity. Our hearts may ft 1 11 be devoid of 
 love to God, and love to man, and then all our 
 faith, hope, and almfgiving will " profit us no- 
 " thing." — What is yet more furprifing, clergy- 
 men, in other refpefts men of judgment and dis- 
 cretion, have been known ferioufly to undertake 
 the defence of this manifeft impropriety. 
 
 Of thefe irregularities our fpiritual rulers muft 
 difapprove, and their practice ought to deter every 
 clergyman from attempting fuch innovations. 
 They dp not think themfelves at liberty to make 
 the flighted deviation from the eftablifhed form 
 of worfhip. Was it ever known, that at an Epif- 
 copal vifitation, where the clergy compofe a prin- 
 cipal part of the audience, the fmalleft alteration 
 took place in the performance of the daily fer- 
 vice ? — At the anniverfary of one of the moft con- 
 
 fpicuous 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prqytr. $$ 
 
 fpicuous charitable inftitutions* in this kingdom, 
 which the two archbifhops, the bifhops, and ma- 
 ny of the dignified clergy think it their duty to 
 attend, the ordinary collects and lefTons are inva- 
 riably read.. In a word all wilful deviation from 
 the fervice appointed is indecent, irregular, ille- 
 gal, and amounts to little lefs than a direct viola- 
 tion of ordination vows. 
 
 I,f a Deacon is neither to read the Absolution, 
 nor to fubftitute a prayer in its room, what is he 
 to do ? The rule is plain, and leaves him no al- , 
 ternative. After the Confeflion he is to remain 
 kneeling, and to proceed to the Lord's Prayer, 
 This always appeared to me to be the neceffary, and 
 only conclusion, to be drawn from the premifes. 
 Sufpedting, however the validity of my own argu- 
 ments, >I requefled the opinion of a refpectable 
 divine, for whofe madefty I have fuch regard, 
 that I dare defcribe him only as having been for 
 many years the confidential and intimate friend of 
 Bp. Lowth. By his judgment the opinion alrea- 
 dy given was fanctioned and confirmed. In con- 
 fequence of farther inquiry I have fince learned 
 that the heads of a cathedral church, lately recom- 
 mended the fame practice. It is the bufinefs of 
 prieft vicars, I underftand in fome cathedrals, to 
 read Morning and Evening Prayer: and it once 
 happened, that a Deacon was appointed a priefl 
 
 * Feaft of the Sons of the Clergy, celebrated at St. Paal'i. 
 e 4 vicar. 
 
$ 6 Critical and PraSiical Elucidation of 
 
 vicar. When it came to his turn to officiate, he 
 was directed to " omit the Abfolution, and after 
 " the Confeffion to fay the Lord's Prayer." 
 
 Another fenfe of the words prieft alone, is that 
 when the Abfolution is read, the people are not 
 to repeat, nor mutter it after the minifter. It is 
 an authoritative addrefs made by him to them j a 
 declaration of God's will, pronounced by his mef- 
 fenger, to which it is the duty of the people to lif- 
 ten with reverence. 
 
 * The prieft is required to pronounce the Abfolu- 
 tionftanding, becaufe Handing is the attitude in 
 which a perfon fpeaking generally addrefles an 
 aflembly, and becaufe this declaration of Abfolu- 
 tion is an act of facerdotal authority. The peo- 
 ple are to continue kneeling, in token of the humi- 
 lity, with which they ought to receive the joy- 
 ful tidings of pardon, and Abfolution from 
 Almighty God, pronounced by the mouth of his 
 minifter. 
 
 THE ABSOLUTION, 
 OR REMISSION OF SINS. 
 
 The doctrine of Abfolution*, as it is delivered 
 in the facred records of the New Teftament, and 
 
 the 
 
 * Abfolution^ is derived from the L^tin word ah/oho, ivhfeb, in 
 
 its 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 57 
 
 the writings of the primitive fathers, is a fubjed: 
 of difficult elucidation ; and to treat of it at large 
 would lead into a field of differtation too wide to 
 be entered upon here. I mail therefore at pre- 
 fent, confine my remarks to that particular form 
 of Absolution, which occurs in the order for 
 daily prayer*. 
 
 The propriety of introducing the Abfolution 
 in this part of our daily fervice is acknowledged 
 without referve by Calvin, whofe immenfe learn- 
 ing, and extraordinary abilities, no one will dif- 
 -pute. This diftinguifhed inftrument of the refor- 
 mation, who was riot remarkable for his partiality 
 to the reform made in Englandf, delivers here 
 the opinio;", of his colleagues, as well as his own. 
 " We are every one of us," fays Calving, " rea- 
 
 " dy 
 
 its primitive fignification, is to loofe, to untie; the Abfolution, or 
 Remiffion of Sins, being an aft, fimilar to that of loofing a chain, 
 or untying a cord, with which a perfon or thing is tied and 
 bound. 
 
 * A fuller account of Abfolution will be found at the end of the 
 volume. 
 
 + He fay s the Englifh Liturgy, meaning Edward's, contains fome 
 fooleries not abfolutely intolerable, (tolerabiles ineptias.) 
 
 % Confeflioni publica; adjungere infignem aliquam promiffionem, 
 quspeccatoreSad fpem venia;et reconciliationis, eiigat, nemo nof- 
 frum eft qui non agnofcat utiliffimum effe. -Atque ab initio hunc 
 morem inducere volui: fed quum offenfionem quidam ex novitate 
 metuerent, nimium facilis fui ad cedendum — Ita res omifla eft — 
 Nunc vero non effet opportunam hie quicquam mutiue ; quia, ante- 
 quam ad finem confeffionis ventum fiierit, magna pars incipit furge- 
 re, ' Quo magis optamus, dum vobis integrum eft, populum veftrum 
 
 2 > ad 
 
58 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 " 6y to admit that after a general confeflion, to 
 " fubjoin fome fignal promife, which may excite 
 " hope of pardon and reconciliation, is a very ufe- 
 " ful and beneficial practice — And from the very 
 * c beginning, I was defirous of adopting this me- 
 " thod, but I yielded toocafily to theapprehen- 
 *' fions of others *." 
 
 The want of a form of Abfolution in a Litur- 
 gy, which Calvin regrets, is certainly a defect. 
 It is a defedl: however, which may, in a confidera- 
 ble degree be fupplied by reading and expounding 
 the Scriptures, and by preaching. For preaching, 
 as well as Abfolution, is a declaratory applica- 
 tion of God's proroifes of pardon and forgive- 
 nefs, and has, like it, been-eaUed, the Key of the 
 Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 The church of England places the Abfolution, 
 or Remiflionof Sins, immediately after the Gene- 
 ral Confeflion. The whole congregation having, 
 agreeably to the directions given in the Exhorta- 
 tion, confeffed their fins, with an humble, lowly, 
 
 ad utrumque affuefieri. Cal-v. Refptn. de Eccl. Rit. p. 206, of the 
 edition of Amfterdamyin 1668. 
 
 * Calvin's own account of his facility merits attention. In his 
 character flexibility of difpofition appears to be a lineament either 
 fo faint, or fo obfeured by more promineiit features of a different 
 caft, that it has generally efcaped vulgar obfervation. His panegy- 
 rift, the learned tranflator of Molheim's Eccl. Hift., defcribes him 
 as furpaffing moil of the reformers " in Obfiinacy, Afperity, and 
 Turbulence" 
 
 penitenr, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 59 
 
 penitent, and obedient heart, and remaining de- 
 prefled under the fenfe of their iniquities, are in 
 a fituation, that peculiarly requires the aid of 
 fpiritual confolation. Now therefore is the pro- 
 per feafon, for the ambaflador of Chrift to exercife, 
 " the miniftry," and to pronounce the " word of 
 " reconciliation, given and committed" to him. 
 (2. Cor. v. 18, 19.) The prieft therefore ftands 
 up, and in a folemn manner, pronounces to the 
 people pardon and Abfolution. 
 
 This Abfolution confifts of two parts, — 1. A 
 declaration of " pardon, and forgivenefs of fins," 
 made by the minifter of God to " all thofe 
 " who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe the 
 " Gofpel." 2. This is followed by an Exhor- 
 tation, which directs, how Abfolution may be 
 obtained, and encourages us to apply for it, by 
 exhibiting the ineftimable benefits that attend 
 it. 
 
 Upon the authority of Almighty God, who, 
 avows himfelf the pardoner of iniquity, tranfgref- 
 fion, and fin, (Exod. xxxiv. 7.) and who, fOrthe 
 confirmation of our hope, has fworn by himfelf, 
 that he defireth not the death of a finner, but 
 rather that he maybe converted and live, (Ezek, 
 xxxiii. n.) the minifter of the Gofpel pronoun- 
 ces this Abfolution. The priefts, as the meffen- 
 gers of Chrift, are commanded to reftore them 
 that fall, (Gal. vi. 1.) to comfort the feeble 
 minded, (1. ThefL v. 14.) and, underthe fimili- 
 
 tude 
 
60 Critical and PraBical Elucidation of " 
 
 tude of fhepherds, are feverely threatened, if 
 through their neglect fhould perifti any of " the 
 " fheep of Chrift, whom he bought with his death, 
 " and for whom he fhed his blood *." 
 
 That no (inner may defpair of mercy, or be dif- 
 couraged from applying to God for forgivenefs, 
 the prieft, by virtue of the comnnffion, fo often 
 repeated in the Gofpel, affures the congregation, 
 that all penitent believers are lodfed from the 
 chains of their fins ; that their guilt is abfoived, 
 and its punifhment remitted. 
 
 The prieft does not abfolve in his own name. 
 He limply promulgates the terms of pardon, gran- 
 ted by the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. That 
 this may be mifunderftood by none, is probably 
 one reafon, for which our form repeats the nomi- 
 native cafe. " He-)-," that is, Almighty God, 
 " pardoneth and abfolveth all them that truly re- 
 
 * Ordination Office. 
 
 + In the mode of conftrufting this fentence, the compilers of our 
 Liturgy appear to have imitated the plural or general Abfolution of 
 the old Ordo Romania, which runs thus : — Dominus Jefus Chriftus t 
 quidignatus e!t difcipulis fuis dicere, quoecunque ligaveritis fuper 
 
 terram et quaxunque folveritis : ipfe vos abfolvere digne- 
 
 tur. — This form is precatory, and ours declaratory ; they differ in 
 expreffion but in meaning they nearly agree. In both, we obferve 
 a long parenthefis,-and a repetition of the preceding nominative cafe, 
 implied in ipfe, and He. — By a very fmall alteration in the words of 
 our form, and none in the fenfe, the framers of the American Li- 
 turgy have improved the conftru&ion. — Who, near the beginning, 
 is omitted, and the period ends with RemiJJion of Sins. He, &c, 
 of courfe, begins a new fentence. 
 
 " pent, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 6 1 
 
 " pent, and unfeignedly believe his Holy Gof- 
 " pel." 
 
 Should there in a mixed congregation be any 
 hypocritical worfhipper, whofe faith is feigned, 
 and whofe confeflion, and penitence, are infin- 
 cere, to him the Abfolution gives no encourager- 
 ment. It fimply declares to him that there is for- 
 givenefs with God; and points out the terms on 
 which it is granted. To thofe that truly repent, 
 it conveys the ftrongeft affurance of Remiffion of 
 fins, and acceptance with God. To thofe that do 
 not repent, it is an admonition that they mould 
 repent, if they defire to be pardoned and for- 
 given. Whilfl: it affords to the good, the greateft 
 comfort and fupport, it gives the wicked no 
 ground either to prefume, or to defpair. Being 
 publickly pronounced to all, each individual is 
 to take that portion, which peculiarly belongs to 
 himfelf. 
 
 In the fecond part of the Abfolution the mini- 
 fter proceeds to remind us of the means by which 
 the bleffings of pardon and reconciliation may be 
 obtained. He exhorts us, to befeech God to 
 grant us " true repentance," repentance unto fal- 
 vation, which He alone can give, and " his holy 
 fpirit," to deliver us from all deadly fin, to help 
 our infirmities, to invigorate our faith, to excite 
 our hope, to purify our hearts, to engage our obe- 
 dience, and more especially to affift us in the things 
 
 " thsfc 
 
6 2 Critical and PracJical Elucidation of 
 
 " that we do at this prefent," the Oblation of our 
 prayers and praifes. 
 
 For our encouragement he, adds that if we thus 
 apply to God, and to our prayers join our own 
 belt endeavours, the refult will be, i. prefent ac- 
 ceptance, 2. future alii fiance, And 3. eyerlafting 
 happinefs. 1. <' Thofe things which we do at 
 " this prefent," our Confeffion, Abfolution, Pray- 
 ers, Praifes, Thankfgivings, and all the fervices 
 we perform in the houfe of God, will be well 
 pleafing in his fight. 2. Our lives hereafter, di- 
 rected by the guidance of his holy fpirit, Will be 
 pure from their former fins, and in all refpects, 
 virtuous and holy. And, 3. at the laft, we fball 
 receive the reward of our faith and obedience, " his 
 eternal joy," through the merits of our blefled 
 Redeemer, who by his precious death has pur- 
 chafed for us pardon, and Abfolution from all 
 our fins, is now a prevailing interceflbr with the 
 Father for the blefllngs we implore, and will at 
 his return to judge the world receive us into thofe 
 heavenly manfions, which he is gone before to 
 prepare, for every true penitent and fincere be- 
 liever. 
 
 The Rubric that follows the Abfolution directs 
 the people, here and at the end of all other prayers, 
 to fay Amen *. By anfwcring Amen the people 
 
 declare, 
 
 * In many of the old books, and in all the corrcfter editions of 
 the prefent book, it is obfervable, that Amen is fometiraes printed 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 63 
 
 declare, that the Abfolution pronounced by the 
 minifter is verified and confirmed in heaven, and 
 that they earneftly befeech God to grant them 
 true repentance, and his holy fpitit. 
 
 RUBRIC 
 
 -in the fame chandler with the form preceding, and fometimes in a 
 character different from it. In modern editions after Confcffions, 
 Creeds, and the Lord's Prayer, in the different offices, it ftands in 
 the Roman character, and after abfolutions, Collects, &c, in the 
 Italic. — The diftindtion has been thus accounted for. " In the latter 
 " cafe the minifter is to flop at the end of the prayer, and to leave 
 " the Amen to be faid by the people : when it is printed in Roman 
 " letters, he is to pronounce Ainen himfelf, and thus to direft the 
 " people to do the fame." (Wheatley.) But I fufpedt this was not 
 the meaning of the church, for I can fee no reafon for the minifter's 
 pronouncing Amen at the end of the Confejfitm, which has not an 
 equal tendency to prove, that he mould pronounce it after every 
 Colled and Prayer. In the Confeffion, it may be argued, he acknow- 
 ledges his o<wn offences, as well as thofe of the people; and therefore 
 mould fay Amen. Upon the fame principle it may be replied, in 
 the Prayers and Collects, he offers up his own Jupplicatians, as well 
 as thofe of the People, and therefore mould fay Amen. 
 
 On this particular point I do not recoiled* that I have ever been 
 fortunate enough to meet with any authentic document. Wheatley 
 delivers his opinion merely as a fuppofition of his own, and his ar- 
 guments in its fupport do not carry conviftion with them. The 
 following hypothefis may, perhaps, appear, as improbable toothers, 
 as Wheatley's reafons are unfatisfadlory to me. 
 
 Generally fpeaking, the parts of the fervice, to be performed by 
 the people, are in our books of Common Prayer, diftinguifhed in 
 two ways, either by a rubrical direction, or by fimply printing their 
 refponfes in Italic ; but not by both of thefe together. In the leffer 
 Litany always, and often in the alternate fupplications, difperfed 
 through our offices, Italic characters alone mark what is to be faid 
 by the people. When their refponfe appears in Roman, it is always 
 
 preceded 
 
6^ Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 RUBRIC 
 
 BEFORE THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 In the ancient church, fome parts of the Liturgy 
 were faid by the prieft, in a low unintelligible 
 voice; within himfelf, privately*, &c, as the 
 different Rubrics "exprefs it. And fome 'parts 
 were faid privately, by both the minifter and 
 people. In the manner laft mentioned, the Lord's 
 
 preceded by Avfttier, or fome other rubrical dire&ion. As an in- 
 ftance of each mode, take the two laft refponfes, made by the peo- 
 ple, in the fupplications towards the conclufion of the Litany. 
 Even Amen, which is generally printed in Italic, in fome places, 
 where it alone is appointed to be faid by the people, -{lands in Rowan 
 letters. See Amen after each of the fentences in the Commination. 
 i And what is the reafon of this : To enforce a preceding Ru- 
 bric, and to remind the people of their duty to anfwer Amen, it is 
 thought good to place the word attfwer before each Amen ; and af- 
 ter fuch a pofitive injunction, farther diftindlion by Italic is unne- 
 ceffary, as well as contrary to common ufage. 
 
 Upon this principle I conclude, that after abfolutions, Collects, 
 &c, which are repeated by the minifter only, Amen in Italic is 
 equivalent to a Rubric, and implies, that the people are to anfwer 
 Amen. But after Confeffions, Creeds, &c, which, all the people, 
 as well as the minifter, are enjoined to repeat, there was no occafion 
 for diftinguifhing Amen. The people did not require to be particu- 
 larly told that after they had repeated all the articles of the Creed, 
 they were likewife to fay Amen. Amen therefore ftands in the fame 
 letter with the form preceding, becaufe no difcrimination was ne- 
 ceflary, This, to me at leaft, appears an eafy and natural folution. 
 
 The minifter, I apprehend, is left at perfeft liberty, either men- 
 tally, or vocally, to utter Amen ; or to leave it entirely to the peo- 
 ple, as he may be difpofed. 
 
 * SecretOj inclinatus, n ecmtu, &c. See the ancient liturgies. 
 
 Prayer, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 63 • 
 
 Prayer, and the Creed, were, before the reforma- 
 tion, recited in England, at the beginning of the 
 morning fervice. But now the minifter is dire&ed 
 to fay the Lord's Prayer with an audible voice, 
 and the people are required to repeat it with him" 
 The reafon of this injunction appears to be, that 
 the ignorant may learn it ; and that all may hear 
 it, in order that they may repeat it with the mi- 
 nifter. 
 
 In thofe parts of the fervice where the Lord's 
 Prayer was faid with an audible voice, in the Ro- 
 man church, it was repeated by the prieft alone, 
 but in the. Greek and Gallican churches by the 
 prieft, and all the people together *. The church 
 of England now follows the cuftom of the ancient 
 Gallican church f, which adopted that of th§ 
 Greek in preference to the Roman. 
 
 Till the laft review, however, the Rubric J 
 limply dire&ed " the minifter to begin the Lord's 
 " Prayer with a loud voice:" and it appears from 
 the account given by Bifhop Sparrow, that it was^ 
 in forrie parts of the fervice, repeated in the man^ 
 ner pra&ifed by the late Gallican church, and tht 
 modern Engliih Roman catholics. He tells us 
 that " in fome places, efpecially among thofe ej a- 
 " culations," (that is, the verficles after the 
 
 * Apud Grsecos ob omni populo dicitur ; apud nos a folo facer- 
 dote. Gregor, Mag. lib. v 1 1 . Epift. 64 . 
 
 + Mabiilon,. Lit. Gall. lib. 1. c, 5. 
 
 % I mean the Rubric here ; the Rubric before the Lord's Prayers 
 after the Creed was different. See Note p. 66. 
 
 s Creed) 
 
66 Critical and Pra&ical Elucidation of 
 
 Creed) " which the prieft and people make in 
 " courfe, the people are to fay the laft words, 
 " but deliver us from evil, Amen : That fo, they 
 " may not be interrupted from ftill bearing a part 
 " in fo divine a fervice*." 
 
 The obfervation made by Bifhop Sparrow, na- 
 turally leads to another remark, which is, that, 
 in the offices of our church, the doxology was 
 annexed to the Lord's Prayer, only at the laft re- 
 view. The doxology, I apprehend, the learned 
 in general acknowledge to be no part of this prayer. 
 It is not mentioned by the Latin fathers, and is 
 rarely ufed in the offices of the Latin church. 
 But as it is joined to the Lord's Prayer in our 
 ufual copies of St. Matthew's Gofpel, was re- 
 peated in the Greek church immediately after the 
 prayer, and is expounded by Chryfoftom, and 
 
 * Downs' Ed. of Sparrow's Rationale, p. 18. In Edward's firft 
 book, the Rubric Following the hymns at Morning Prayer, dire&s 
 that the Minifter Jhall fay the Creed and Lord's Prayer in Englijh inith 
 a loud •voice. Neither of thefe are printed here, and the Rubric is 
 immediately followed with the word At/fwer, " But deliver us from 
 " evil, Amen." Though the rubrical direction, anfwer, was omit- 
 ted in the fubfequent books ; and after the Creed, &c, the minifter, 
 clerkt, and people were ordered to fay the Lord's Prayer; yet, till 
 the Review of 1661 the minifter alone began it, and proceeded to 
 the latter claufe of the laft petition, when the clerks and people an- 
 fwered, "but deliver us from evil, Amen." — In the Romifti church, 
 the prieft fpeaks the words Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, whether 
 the prayer is recited at Mattins, or chanted at mafs, in a peculiar 
 tone, to apprize the people that it is the time for them to reply, 
 Sed libera nos a mala. Amen. 
 
 otheii 
 
The Morning And Evening Public Prayer. 67 
 
 bthers of the Greek fathers, the reviewers of 1661 
 thought proper occafionally to add the doxology. 
 The Lord's Prayer here is to he faid by all 
 kneeling.* Kneeling in prayer is a pofture of hu- 
 mility, which was ufed by pious men under the 
 law ; by our Saviour, by his apoftles, and by the 
 firft Chriftians. Solomon, at the dedication of 
 the temple kneeled down upon his knees before 
 all the congregation of Ifracl. (2 Chron. vi. 13.) 
 Daniel kneeled upon his knees three times a day, 
 and prayed, and gave thanks before his God> 
 (Dan. vi. 10.) Our blefled Lord kneeled down 
 when he prayed earneftly in his agony, (Luke 
 xxii. 41.) In the fame attitude Peter prayed, 
 when he raifed Dorcas from the dead, (Acts ix* 
 40.) And Paul, after his exhortation to the El- 
 ders of Miletus, and before his departure, kneeled 
 down and prayed with them all, (AcT:s xx. 36.) 
 
 * In fome churches, when the Lord's Prayer is read in the fecond 
 leffon, it is cuftomary for the whole congregation to rife from their 
 feats, and kneel. The practice is pious, and affe&ing: but its pro- 
 priety may be queftioned. To repeat the words of the Lord's Prayer 
 with the minifter on thefe occafions, is certainly irregular, except 
 we foppofe that the directions given at the end of this Rubric, were 
 meant to extend to the leffons. But this is not probable; for it is 
 the people's duty " to hear God's holy word," and no part of the 
 leflfons is appointed to be repeated by them. 
 
 It has, by fome, been thought that the people are not to repeat 
 the Lord's Prayer with the minifter in the Communion office. But 
 the words " both here, and wherefoever elfe it is ufed in divine fer- 
 " vice," added to the Rubric at the laft review, contain a plain 
 general direction, which a thoufand repetitions would not have made 
 more exprefs. 
 
 p 2 With, 
 
6 8 ' Critical and Profited! Elucidatim of 
 
 With the difciples at Tyre, Paul and Luke kneeled 
 jdown on the ihore and prayed, (-Acts xxi. 5.) 
 Paul expreffes prayer by the attitude that with 
 propriety attends it, "I bow my knees unto the 
 " Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift," (Eph. in. 
 14.) and to mention but one inftance more, Ste- 
 phen, at his martyrdom " kneeled down and cried 
 " with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this fin to 
 " their charge." (Acts vn. 60.) Kneeling is 
 the moft proper pofture for prayer, and in this 
 attitude the early Chriftians generally * offered up 
 both their public and private fupplications. 
 
 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 The fervice, which we have hitherto been per- 
 forming, may be confidered rather as a preparation 
 for prayer, than prayer itfelf. — We now begin to 
 pray in that perfect and fpiritual form, delivered 
 to us by Jefus Chrift, through whom alone either 
 our prayers, or perfons, can be accepted by God. 
 
 * I fay generally, for it has already been remarked, that on Sun- 
 days, and from Eafter to Whitfnntide, in the public worfhip, they 
 prayed (landing. Thefe days they looked upon as fymbolical of the 
 refurreftion, and thought that flanding in prayer was fitter than kneel- 
 ing on fuch joyous feftivals. This pra&ice mentioned by many of 
 the early Fathers, is particularly enjoined by the Council of Nice. 
 (Laft Canon.) The penitent publican flood when he prayed in the 
 Temple, faying, "God, be merciful to me a finner ;" (Lukexvm. 
 1 3.) asd our Saviour faid " when ye fland, praying, forgive." 
 (Mark xi. 25.) 
 
 4 This 
 
The Mining and Evening Public Prayer. 69, 
 
 This form, compofed, and prefcribed, by our 
 blefled' Lord h-imfelf, was on all occafions ufed 
 by the primitive church. In thofe days, fihe 
 novel and ftrange obje&ion, urged by fome againft 
 the ufe of this prayer, that it is a form, was un- 
 known. On the contrary, becaufe it was a form, 
 enjoined by our Redeemer and Mediator, it was 
 always accounted the moll fpiritual and prevalent 
 prayer, that man could addrefs to God. To pray 
 in the words of the Lord's Prayer, as the Chriftian 
 Fathers conceive, is, " to worfhip God- in fpirit 
 " and in truth.*" In the devout ufe of this form, 
 they confidered themfelves, as "praying with the 
 " underftanding, and praying with the fpirit 
 " alfo.*" 
 
 Chryfoftom obferves, that " the Father well 
 " knows the words, and meaning of his Son;" 
 and " let the Father recognife in your prayers the 
 " words of the Son," is the counfel given by Cy- 
 prian. This glorious martyr to the Chriftian faith, 
 efteems the Lord's Prayer, as " one of the molt 
 " valuable lefTons taught in the Gofpel ; and the 
 " goodnefs and loving kindnefs of our Redeemer 
 " in teaching us how to pray," he coniiders " as 
 (l a peculiar inftance of mercy. He who made us 
 " taught us how to pray, that whilft we fpeak 
 " unto the Father in that prayer and addrefs, 
 " which the Son taught us, we may the more 
 " eaftjy be heard." Cyprian adds, " fince we 
 
 * Cyp. and Augiuft. 
 
 f 3 " havs. 
 
jo C/tticdl and Praitical Elucidation of 
 
 '■' have an advocate with the Father for our fins, 
 " we fhould, whenever we pray for pardon, al- 
 'f ledge unto Qod the very words, which our ad-? 
 '** vocate has taught us. We have his promife, 
 u that whatever we fhall aik in his name, we fhall 
 ** receive ; and muft we not more readily obtain 
 tf our defiresj when we not only ufe his name in 
 * c alking, but in hi? very words prefent our re- 
 *' quefts unto God*? Our advocate in heaven has; 
 J' taught us to fay this prayer upon earth, that, 
 u between his interceflions, and our Amplications, 
 W the moft perfect harmony may fybfifl," 
 
 And a more modern writer obferves, that 
 €< mould men fpeak with the tongues of angels, 
 " yet words fo pleafing to the ears of God, as 
 f £ thofe which the Son of God himfelf has com- 
 " pofed, it were nof poffible for man to frame f.*' 
 
 In whatever light, thofe, who diflike our eccle- 
 fiaftical eftablifhment, and affedl to defpife our 
 Liturgy, may choofe to view the Lord's, Prayer, 
 it is certain, that the primitive church did no? 
 look upon it, merely as a model, tp which her 
 prayers were to be confqrrned. The early chrif- 
 tians knew, that our Lqrd intended it for ufe t as 
 well as for imitation. Hence it was called Oratfa* 
 legitimq%, the legitimate prayer, the eftablifhed 
 
 * Cyp. 4e Orat. Domin. cap. u. 
 
 + Hooker, Ecc. Polity. Book v. 
 
 % It is fo called by Tertullian, and Auftin. The. latter exhort^ 
 all to learn this legitimate prayer, which Ch rift has enjoined us to 
 offer up to God and the Father, Serm, 1 26. 
 
 :■** forn* 
 
Tfje Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 7 1 
 
 form of prayer, the prayer which Chrift comman- 
 ded his difciples to ufe in the very words delivered 
 by himfelf. 
 
 In obedience tp the command of Chrift *, the 
 primitive church always made it a part of all her 
 holy offices. At the adminiftration of baptifm, 
 the celebration of the fupper of the Lord, and in 
 her daily morning and evening fervices, as well as 
 in private devotions, the Lord's prayer was al- 
 ways repeated. --Hence it was likewife called 
 Oratio quotidiana, the Chriftian's quotidian, or 
 daily prayer f. And when infucceedingages.it 
 was discovered, that fome of the officiating clergy 
 in Spain occafionally omitted it in the daily fer- 
 vice, they were cenfured by a council, as '* proud 
 " contemners of the Lord's injunction," and it 
 was enadled, that " every clergyman omitting it 
 " either in private or public prayer {hould be de- 
 " graded from the dignity of his office J." That 
 it formed a part of the daily ferviceof the Gallic 
 
 * " When ye pray, fay," Our Father, &c. (Luke.) — Non fingu- 
 lis privatam precem mandavit, fed oratione communi, et concordi 
 prece, pro omnibus juffit orare, (Cyp. de Orat. Dom,) Cyprian 
 
 here calls it common prayer. Ecclefix oratio eft. Vox eft de 
 
 magifterio Domini veniens. — Ipfe dixit, fie orate. — Difcipulis dixit, 
 fie orate, — lApoftolis dixit, et nobis— fie orate. (Auguft) 
 
 + Hunc panem dari nobis, quotidie poftulamus (Cyp. de Orat. 
 Dom.) Quia quotidiana oratio eft, quotidie quoque ut detur, oratur. 
 Con. Tol. iv. 
 
 % Quifquis ergo facerdotum, Orationem Dominicam quotidie aut 
 in publico, aut in privato efficio pnterierit, ordinis fui honore 
 privetur. Con, Tol. iv.Can. 9. A. D. 633, 
 
 f 4 church, 
 
7j>< Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 church, appears from the ads of an ancient coun- 
 cil,, which forbids " any Layman to depart from 
 *' the place of public worfhip before the Lord's 
 <•< Prayer is ended *." 
 
 • The ufe of this prayer was thought by the anci- 
 ents peculiarly efficacious to incline God to par* 
 don fins of infirmity, and inadvertency, into 
 which the beft men are liable perpetually to fall f, 
 aod in particular, offences committed through 
 the want of fervour and devotion in other prayers. 
 This, doctrine the church of Rome afterwards per- 
 verted, by departing from the opinions of the. 
 fathers refpedting venial and mortal fins ; by en, 
 joining the technical repetition of ^he Lord's 
 Prayer in chaplets and rofaries, and by annexing 
 indulgences to fuch repetitions ; all which abufes 
 our Reformers were careful to correal. 
 
 With this prayer, the fupplicationsin thepub- 
 
 . * Nullus laicorum prius difcedat, quam dominica dicatur oratio. 
 Con. Aurel. m. Can. 28. 
 
 + De quotidianis levibufque peqeatis, fine quibus haec vita non 
 ducitur, quotidiana oratio fideliura fatisfacit. (Auguft. Enchi. c, 
 71.) And again, Nifi effent quaedam (peccata) fine quibus hasp 
 v^ta non agitur,non quotidianam medelam poneret in oratione 'quam 
 docuit, ut dicamus, dimitte nobis debita, &c. (Id. de Fid et Op.) 
 He alfo ftyles this Prayer " 'he daily baptifm." We are abfolved 
 once- by baptifm, but by this prayer daily. De Symb. EJfewhere, 
 he calls it our daily purification, and, as it were, a daily baptifm. 
 The fourth council of Toledo, referred to above, enjoins that thp 
 Lprd's Praye.r (hould be daily faid, becaufe it is a daily prayer ; and 
 as an additional reafon obferves, Delet h.sc quotidiana oratio minima 
 et quotidiana peccata, 
 
 He 
 
The Morning and Eventhg Public Prayer, f$ 
 
 lie worlhip of the primitive church generally be- 
 gan *, and with it, the fervice frequently ended f, 
 To the practice of the primitive church our re- 
 formers unqueftionably had an eye, when they 
 originally placed the Lord's Prayer at the very 
 beginning of the morning and evening fgrvices. 
 
 Upon the review of the Common Prayer, which 
 took place foon after its firit publication, it was 
 judged expedient, that the Sentences, Exhorta- 
 tion , Confeflion, and Abfolution, mould be pre- 
 fixed to the fervice. On what grounds this altera- 
 tion was made, we have, I apprehend, no authen- 
 tic documents : recourfe has therefore been, had 
 to conjecture. 
 
 It has been prefumed, and with the appearance 
 of good reafon, that abruptly, and without any 
 preceding preparation, to begin the fervice with 
 this-divine prayer, was, upon more mature deli- 
 beration, regarded by the compilers of the Litur- 
 gy, as irreverent, and improper ; and that on this 
 account, the change was made. In aid of this 
 opinion we may obferve, that in every office of 
 the church, the Lord's Prayer is uniformly pre- 
 
 * Praemifsa legitima, et ordinaria oratione, qaufi fundamento, jus 
 eft fuperftruendi extrinfecus petitiones. Tertull. de Orat. c. 9. 
 
 + Aug. Ep. 59. and the words of the council of Orleans tjuoted 
 in p. 72, Nullus, &c. And the council of Girone, c. x, 
 
 faced, 
 
74- Critical and PraSlical Elucidation of 
 
 faced, either with the Kyrie eleifon*, (the leiTerf 
 Litany as it is called) or at leaft with a folemn 
 addrefs % ; as it is here preceded by the Exhorta- 
 tion, Confeffion, and Abfolution. 
 
 To the truth of this general remark, the office of 
 the holy Communion alone affords an exception. 
 This office indeed begins with the Lord's Prayer ; 
 but we arc to obferve, that the Communion, as 
 it is now generally adminiftered in our church, 
 can hardly be confidered, as an entire fervice of 
 itfelf. Debarring a few peculiar exceptions, the 
 Communion office is always preceded by the morn- 
 ing prayer, and commonly by the Litany likewife ; 
 and, of courfe, before the repetition of the Lord's 
 Prayer in this part of the fervice, no particular 
 preparation is neceffary. 
 
 Whatever may have b£en the reafon for prefixing 
 the Confeffion, Abfolution, &c, to the Lord's 
 Prayer, the propriety of the addition cannot be 
 difputed. Till we had confeffed, and repented 
 
 * See the Lord's Prayer after the Creed ; in the form of the 
 folemnizationof matrimony : the order for the vifitation of the lick, 
 and the burial of the dead : in the Thankfgiving after child-birth, 
 the Commination office, and "■ the prayers in refpedt. of a ftqrm,'" 
 
 + Lejjir Litany, and kjjer Doxology, are names by which the 
 fupplication, Lord have mtrcy upoints, &c, and the hymn beginning. 
 Glory beta the Father, &c.; are commonly diftuiguifhed. The ufe 'of 
 lejfer inftead of lefs, in thefe inftances, ". has all the authority; which, 
 *-' a mode, originally erroneous, can derive from cuftom.'' 
 
 % As in the three offices appointed for the miniftratioa of baptifm; 
 and the order of confirmation, 
 
 Of 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 75 
 
 of our fins, we could not, in the endearing fenfe, 
 in which we now ufe the words, call God our Fa- 
 ther.* And before we had his promife of pardon 
 and Abfolution, we could not call him fo with 
 comfort. 
 
 When the church prefixed the preceding prepa- 
 ratory parts to the daily fervice, and directed the 
 Lord's Prayer to be faid after them, fhe certainly 
 did not mean this appointment to be underftood, 
 as a difparagement of the Lord's Prayer. It is on 
 the contrary, a mark of her extreme reverence for 
 this divine form. Though the Lord's Prayer does 
 not occupy the foremoft place, in point of order, 
 yet it ftands in the beginning of our fervice; and 
 is, in the church of England, what it was, in the 
 primitive church of Chrift, the foundation and 
 bafis, on which the fuperftrudlure of her other 
 prayers is buikf. The conftant ufe our church 
 makes of it, rehearfing it a fecond time, in her 
 morning and evening prayer, and repeating it in 
 eyery one of her offices, is a fufficient proof of 
 the fenfe fhe entertains of its excellence and efR- 
 P&cy. 
 
 * God is the Father of the univerfe ; all Nature owes its being, 
 and fupport to him. He bears a nearer degree of the fame relation 
 to all creatures endowed with intelligence, and capable of virtue. 
 Qf man in particular it is .faid that he was created in the image of 
 God, and he is ftyled his Son. A good man may with ftill better 
 hopes make ufe of this endearing appellation; and a good Chriftian 
 above all. He is an heir of God, and joint heir with Chriji. 
 
 ■f- See Tertull. quoted p. 73. 
 
 The 
 
1 6 Critical and P rati teal Elucidation of 
 
 The compilers of our Liturgy were not igno- 
 rant, that the offering up of this prevailing flip- 
 plication, with true devotion, and zeal of heart, 
 affords to God that glory, to the weakeft man 
 that aid, and to the molt perfect that folid com- 
 fort which is unfpeakable.* Indeed of all appli- 
 cations to the Supreme Being, that are extantj this 
 is incomparably the moft rational, the moft de- 
 vout, and the beft. Whilft its comprehenfive 
 concifenefs, has in all ages been the admiration of 
 the learned, its beautiful fimplicity is not lefs re- 
 markable. It is fo fhort, that all may learn it ; 
 and, fo plain that all may understand it. At the 
 fame time it is fo fullf, that it includes all our 
 wants, and fo explicit, that, whilft it directs us, 
 how to pray, and for what to pray, it teaches us, 
 what we mould bej. It is in reality a complete 
 rule of duty, as well as an admirable form of pray- 
 er. The Fathers call it " the Epitome of the 
 " Gofpel §," and what his hearers faid of the 
 preaching, we may, with equal truth, apply to 
 
 * Hooker on the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 + In veritate fpiritualiter copiofa, ut nihil omnino praetermuTum 
 fit, quod in preeibus et orationibus noftris coeleftis deftrinse compen- 
 dia cornprehendatur. (Cyprian.) Quantum fubftringitur verbis, 
 tantum diffunditur fenfibus. Tertull. 
 
 % Unufqoifque noftrum fie difcat orare, et de orationis lege, qua- 
 ils effe debeat, nofcere. Cyprian. 
 
 § Breviarium evangelii. Tert. See alfo Cyprian, quoted above. 
 In veritate, fcc. 
 
 the 
 
The Morning and livening Public Prayer. 7 J 
 
 f*be prayer of our Lord, " never man fpatee like 
 
 man. 
 
 Origin of the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 Among the Jewifh teachers, it was a common 
 practice to deliver to their fcholars a certain form 
 of prayer to be ufed with the eftablifhed ordinary 
 devotions. And to this cuftom the difciples of 
 our Lord are fuppofed to refer, when they defired 
 him to teach them to pray. In compliance with 
 their requeft he dictated this form for their ufe, 
 and the ufeof all, who mould embrace Chriftiani- 
 ty. It is the obfervation of Grotius, that fo averfe 
 was our Lord to unneceffary innovation, and the 
 affectation of novelty, that he, " who had not the 
 " fpiritby meafure," (John in. 34.) and " in 
 " whom were all the hidden treafures of wifdom, 
 " and knowledge," (Col. ir. 3.) felected the 
 words andphrafes of this prayer, principally from 
 forms, at that time well known among the Jews*. 
 —-One immediate advantage of this conduct of our 
 Saviour was, that the difciples, and Jewifh con- 
 verts, would more readily learn that prayer, and 
 embrace thofe precepts, to the terms of which, 
 
 * Docent nos ea, qua? ex Hebraeorum libris ab aliis funt citata, 
 non tarn formulam hanc a Chrifto fuis verbis conceptam, quarn in 
 earn congeftum quicquid in Hebraeorum precibus erat laudabile, Sir 
 cut et in admonitionibus paffim utitur notis eo feculo ptoverbiis. 
 Tarn longl abfuit ipfe Dominus ccclefite ab omni affefiatione non neceffarite 
 novitatis. Annotat. in Matt. vi.9. See alfo Cxpllus. 
 
 before 
 
78 Critical and Praelicdl Elucidation tf 
 
 before their eonverfion, they had been accus- 
 tomed. 
 
 The Lord's Prayer confifts, as it is ufually ob- 
 ferved, of fix petitions, yet of the fix, the three 
 firft can hardly be called by that name. They are 
 more properly, acts, or expreflions of adoration, 
 obedience, and fubmiflion ; by which, we render 
 honor to the Divine Being, and give up otirfelves, 
 along with the whole creation, to his government 
 and difpofal, before we prefume to offer any re- 
 quefts in our own favour, even for the fupply of 
 our moft neceflary wants, or the forgivenefs of our 
 fins. 
 
 There is a propriety in this. The inhabitants 
 of heaven, when they worftnp him that liveth fo 
 ever, call their crowns before his throne, faying, 
 " Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and 
 " honor, and power, for thou haft created all 
 *' things, and for thy pleafure they are, and were 
 " created." — "They reft not day and night, faying, 
 " holy, holy, Lord God Almighty." And al- 
 though, in this prefent ftate of infirmity and want, 
 it is our duty to " let our requefts be made known 
 " unto God," yet in imitation of the faints above, 
 it is alfo our duty to join thankfgivings to our fup- 
 plications. It will argue a wrong difpofition in 
 us, if we never draw near to the throne of grace, 
 but in our diftrefs, and having received fo many 
 benefits, remember nothing in the divine; pre- 
 fence, but our neceffities alone. 
 
 3 PARA- 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. JQ 
 
 PARAPHRASE 
 On the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 Commenfurate to the excellence of this pray- 
 er, has been the number of its commentators, 
 and expofitors, both in ancient and '^modern 
 times. 
 
 The following animated Paraphrafe, well fuited 
 to my purpofe, will not, I prefume, be unaccep- 
 table. A few flight variations excepted, it is the 
 production of a writer*, to whom I am alfo in- 
 debted for fome of the preceding remarks. 
 
 Predifpofed, and prepared to pray, by a fincere 
 confeffionof our fins, and the hope of abfolution j 
 directed by the piety of the church ; and, as we 
 truft, prompted by the Holy Spirit, we addrefs 
 the Almighty Everlafting God, in the words of 
 Jefus Chrift, and fay, 
 
 " Abba, Father ; thou author, preferver, fup- 
 port, of my being, life, hopes and happinefs, who 
 haft brought me into this world, thy work ; and 
 redeemed me by thy only begotten Son, through 
 thy Holy Spirit, to an eternal inheritance in hea- 
 ven ; I acknowledge thy authority, and thy af- 
 fection, with reverence and gratitude. I own thy 
 
 * Dr. Ogds*. Vol. I. Serm. x. 
 
 paternal 
 
Jo Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 paternal power and tendernefs, and approach thy 
 prefence with the fentiments of a fon, with fear, 
 and love, and joy. Thus emboldened,' I raife my 
 thoughts from earth to heaven ; I look up to that 
 celeftial feat, where thou haft dwelt from eternity, 
 enthroned in majefty, above all height, and cloth- 
 ed with light, which Ho eye can bear to behold. 
 But though thy glory is unfearchable, and I can- 
 not fee thee as thou art ; yet fo much, at leaft, 
 I can difcern of thee by thy image, exprefied in 
 thy word, and reflected from thy works ; that thou 
 art great, and juft, and holy. Thou wilt be 
 fan&ified, and holy wilt thou be holden by all 
 who approach to ferve thee. (Lev. x. 3.) Thou 
 requireft truth in the hearts of thy worfhipers ; 
 and that the lips which prefume to utter 
 thy hallowed name, be free both from impurity 
 and fraud. May the number of fuch as pre- 
 fent this incenfe to thy name, and a pure offering, 
 be multiplied without meafure. (Mal.« 1. u.J 
 And oh ! that my voice alfo might be heard 
 among thofe, who thus adore thee ! But, alas ! 
 we have been enemies to our God ; rebels to thy 
 rightful fway ; we have followed the dictates of 
 pride and paffion ; have been feduced by the 
 tempter, led aftray by our own corrupt mind, or 
 by the wiles of others ; and thy world by our 
 weaknefs and perverfenefs hath been fubjected to 
 the power of the evil one. (Eph. 11. 1.) How 
 long, O Lord, moil holy and true? The time 
 will furely come, (let it come fpeedily) when thy 
 
 juft 
 
The Morning and Evening > Public Prayer. 8 1 
 
 juft dominion fhall be univerfally acknowledged, 
 in every region, by. every heart; when* Thou .{halt 
 feign unrivalled in al-1 thy works; and the ufur- 
 ped authority iof that apoftate fpirit, which di- 
 vides and deforms thy kingdom, be utterly de- 
 flroyed for , ever. In heaven :'thy. will is the invi- 
 olable law: myriads of minifters encircle thy 
 throne, who ceafe not day and night to celebrate 
 and to ferve Thee, with uninterrupted praifes, 
 and unerring obedience. Oh i that fuch fidelity 
 were on earth ! that the foils of men did even now 
 refejn'ble thatcelqftial fociety, to which they hope 
 hereafter to be united, were animated with the 
 likftholy ardent zeal, and could give themfelves 
 to God with the fame entire devotion! We are 
 ; blind and vain, but ; Thou art wife and good. Wife 
 therefore in thy wifdom, fecure under thy care, 
 great and happy in humility and fubjeclion, we 
 have no wifhes but in; Thee. Qur whole < defire 
 and glory is to be, to do, to fuffer whatever Thou 
 art pleafed to appoint, — — During our pafTage 
 through v thjs perifhable jtate, we truft, and knoWj 
 that Thou, who gaveft us life, wilt give us alfo 
 all fucb -things as are neceffary for its fupport : 
 and we afk no more. But, oh ! leave us not def- 
 titute of that bre.ad which, cometh doxvnfrom heaven. 
 (John vi. 32, 3>j Let our fouls be nourifhed 
 by thy word and ordinances, that we may, grow in 
 grace, and be made partakers of a life which will 
 never end. Wealth, fame, and power we relin- 
 quifh as the portion of thofe, to whom thpu haft 
 c allotted, 
 
8 a Oitukl tthd Pra&khl Ehuidnthn »f 
 
 allotted them : let our riches be repoiited ih hea- 
 ven : the object of oar ambition is the light of 
 thy countenance, even the approbation and ap- 
 plaufeofGod. What have I faid ? Can fo frail 
 a creature as t am hope to be juftified, when he is 
 judged ? date I truft to "that fiery trial, which will 
 confume the wicked ? Will my life, or will my 
 heart endure the iAfpedlion, which is too pure to 
 behold iniquity without abhorrence ? But O my 
 Lord, there is mercy with Thee. Let me appeal 
 from the feverity of thy juftice, and lay hold on 
 this anchor ©f my hopes. Pity, where Thbu canft 
 not approve j and pardon that which muft offend 
 thee. Then mall my life beat teftimony to my 
 thankful heart ; and that gratifutJe which extends 
 hot to Thee, fhali overflow on men. How juft is 
 it, that I mould fhew to them that mercy^ which 
 I afk, and want ! I blefs Thee for thy goodnefs, 
 arid I feel the conftr&int of love ; (2 Cor. v. 1^.. ) 
 and do now from the bottom of my heart, naked 
 before that prefence, from which no thought is 
 hid, moft freely forgive all thofe, who by word 
 or deed, knowingly or ignorantly, have offended, 
 or have injured me. I rejinquim all my claims 
 to vengeance. I bury from this moment, for ever 
 in oblivion, all offences, and the very remem- 
 brance of refentment: A«d I moft ardently defirfc, 
 that the fenfe of thy divine and feouftdlefs loVe 
 may kindle in my breast a fia*me of fchankfttlnefs 
 to Thee, which no time can quench ; and an£f- 
 feftion to men, which too provocation, iio wfreftgV 
 3 • can 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 83 
 
 can conquer. May this principle of love live in 
 my heart, and direct and animate my actions ! I 
 am willing it fhould be called forth, and cultiva- 
 tedi by exercife and difcipline : and whatever tri- 
 als, or fufferings thy wifdom fees fit; for this hap T 
 py end, I cheerfully embrace. Shew me no hurt- 
 ful indulgence, I decline no danger for thy glory, 
 for the good of men, for the improvement of my 
 virtue. Yet remember I am but dull. IJe Thou 
 near me in thofe perilous moments. Let not the 
 ftorms of trouble, trial, and adver-fity, overwhelm 
 me. Strengthen my failing faith. When I fink> 
 ftretch forth thy hand. I rely on thy providence 
 and grace ; that Thou wilt deliver me from the 
 danger, or fupport me under it. Save me from 
 fin, from the great enemy of fouls, aud from eter- 
 nal mifery. 
 
 .. Thefe, Lord, are the requefts, which my heart 
 pours out unto Thee. But Thou feeftche wints, 
 which it doth not know; Thou hearefi: the de- 
 fires, it cannot utter. Give us what is good, 
 though we afk it not : and mercifully deny* when 
 we pray for evil. 
 
 My foul falls down with the Lowed reverence 
 before thy throne, adding its little homage to the 
 profound adorations and triumphant Halleluiahs 
 of the whole hoft n?f heaven, and all thy feints on 
 earth : power and honour, dominion and glory, 
 infinite and everlafting, be to Thee, my Lord, my 
 Father, and my Gpd. 
 
 G 2 VeR- 
 
$4 Critical and PraSfical Elucidat'wnof 
 
 Versicles betweek the Lord's Prayer, and 
 Gloria Patri. 
 
 The incomparable prayer, which, Jefus himfelf 
 compofed, and recommended to the ufe of his 
 difciples in their addreffes to God, is followed by 
 four fhort devout Verficles ; which, being recited 
 by the minifter and people alternate^ are on that 
 account fometimes called refponfes. In this mode 
 of alternate recitation, the primitive church of 
 Chrift appears to have conformed to the model of 
 -the ancient Jewifh church; in both of which, it 
 was cuftomary to recite hymns and prayers in al- 
 ternate fentences, one part of the congregation 
 Tefponding to the other. This difference, how- 
 ever, as fome have thought, is obfervable. Among 
 the Jews, the fervice was performed by the priefts 
 and Levites only * But we have a more exten- 
 sive privilege, and every Chriftian is himfelf fo 
 far a prieft, as to be admitted to join in this fpi- 
 ritual facrifice. 
 
 The primitive ufege of occafionally praying by 
 refponfes, rejected by fome eftabliftiments, (which 
 fo far at leaft have deprived the people of their 
 ancient fight of bearing a part in the fervice,) is 
 wifely retained by the church of England. When 
 we meet "in the habitation of God's holinefs" 
 (2 Cron. xxx. 27.) whatever we afk with unity of 
 
 * See Ezra 1 1 1. 1 1, and the Commentators. 
 
 mind 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 85 
 
 mind and voice, fhall be done for us of our father, 
 which is in heaven. (Mat. xvin. 19. Rom xv. 6.) 
 Again,, by this grateful variety in our forms, the 
 attention, too apt to wander during the perfor- 
 mance of facred offices, is engaged, and our de- 
 votion is enlivened and invigorated. 
 
 Thefe four Verficles; which we find in the moft 
 ancient Liturgies *, are felefted from that excel- 
 lent repofitory of devotion, the Book of Pfalrfts. 
 The introduction of them here, after the Confef- 
 fion, Abfohition, and Lord's Prayer; and before 
 Gloria Patri and the Pfalms, appointed for the 
 day, is a moft wife regulation of the Church. 
 They are intended to conned: the preceding peni- 
 tential part of the fervicei to which they properly 
 belong, witlr the Euchariftic part which immedi- 
 ately follows. 
 
 The two former intimatekhat the mouth clofed 
 by fin, can be opened only by pardon. In token 
 of which he who came conferring pardon, caufed 
 the tongue of the dumb to fpeak, and to ling 
 praifes to God. They may be thus more fully 
 expreffed by a paraphrafe : O God, from whom 
 the gift of utterance proceeds, affift us in our de- 
 votions. We are unworthy, and of ourfelves unr- 
 able, to offer unto thee any facrifice ; but t;hou in 
 thy holy word, haft ordained ^ that even babes 
 and fucklings mould perfect thy praife. ■, Open 
 
 * Lit, Jacob. &c. 
 
 a 3 there- 
 
86 Critteat and Pra&ical Elucidation of 
 
 therefore, O Lord, our lips, and by the infpira- 
 tion of thy holy Spirit, fo difpofe our hearts, that 
 with our mouths we may worthily laud, and mag- 
 nify thy holy name, through Chrift our Lord. 
 
 The two following ejaculation's appear to be 
 paraphrafesof that remarkable fupplkation, Hojhea 
 . nu, frequently repeated in the Book of Pfalms, 
 (Ps. cxvm. 25.) 'and varying, as it has been fup- 
 pofed,. but little, from the acclamation Hofannah, 
 ufed by the Jews in the days of our Saviour. 
 Thefe two Verficles contain, earneft entreaties for 
 God's grace, without which we can perform no 
 acceptable fervice. Their import here is, We 
 are wealjed with the burden of our fins. We have 
 deftrpyed ourfelves, but in thee is our help. 
 Make haile* O Lord, to fave us. With fpeed 
 further us in all things neceffary to out falvation. 
 Quicken and animate our devotions, and raife our 
 hearts tfnt-o thee, while with joyful lips we fpeak 
 thy praifes, and glorify oh earth thy Holy Name *. 
 
 GLORIA 
 
 * In the fireviaries thefe Verficles follow the Lord'* Prayer at 
 Mattlas. The prayer, as 'has been obferved before, is there faid 
 privately, and the Verficles are the firft part of the fervice pro- 
 nounced with an audible voice. In the royal primers like wile, 
 thefe Verficles followed 'fife Lord's Prayer, and flood thus ; 
 
 O Lord, open thou my lips, 
 
 An/ And then ihall ray mouth (hew forth thy praife. 
 
 O God, bend tbyfelfto*my help. 
 
 An/. Lord, hafte thee to help me. 
 
 In 
 
Thf Morning m<t Mvtn'mg Public Ptyyer. 
 
 GLORIA PATRI. 
 
 This excellent Hymn is called Gloria Patri, 
 from the two initial words in Latin ; in which 
 language, they fignify " Glory he to the Father," 
 &c. It is fometimes called the lefTer Doxology, 
 in contradiftinftion to the angelical Hymn, or 
 great Doxology, which begins " Glory be to God 
 on high," and is lay our church appointed to be 
 faid in the office of the holy Cpmmunioii. 
 
 The Doxology, Gloria Patri, is not rnerely an 
 admirable hymn, containing a particular adora- 
 tion of each of the perfons, in the holy, blefled, 
 and glorious trinity. But it is likewife a com- 
 pendious Catholic Creed: for the fubftance of a 
 Christian's faith is, to believe in God, the. Father, 
 the Son, and the Holy Ghoft. 
 
 ' From the times of the Apoftles, at leaft from 
 times very near thofe, in which the Apoftles 
 lived, to"the prefent day, it has been the cuftom 
 of all churches to incorporate wordsof Glory with 
 prayer ; and to conclude hymns, pfalms, fermons, 
 <ind hoaiil.ies, wi^h afcrib«ig Glory to the Father, 
 
 In our &i& Eaglilh Ljtwgy, the.Verfif&s vers), 
 
 O Lord, open thou my lips, V> ; 
 
 Attf. And my mouth fliatt Ihew forth thy priife. 
 O God, make lpeed<to fave me, 
 Anf. JQ Lord, make foafte to help me. 
 
 6 4 the 
 
88 Critical and PraStttal Elucidation of 
 
 the Son, and the Holy Ghoft.* But of all the 
 Doxologies, th:;t have conftitu-ted a part of the 
 public fervice, Gloria Fatri is the moft common, 
 the., moft celebrated, -and the moft ancient. 
 
 ORIGIN AND.An TIQUITY OF GLORIA PaTRI. 
 
 ' If the reatomn^ of $afil be conclusive, or his 
 opinidif'may be relied Upon, this hymn, Gloria 
 Pdtri, derives its -origin from the Apbftles. Glo- 
 rifying the 'Father "and the Son, together with 
 the Holy Ghoft, was, in Baiil's judgment, prac- 
 ticed and prefcrib'ed by the Apoftles themfelves. 
 This, fie. heljeves, was one of the ordinances, or 
 traditions, which St. Pqul praifes the! Corinthi- 
 ans for keepings aa, they had been delivered to 
 them^vhim ;^\i- Cor. i'i. 2.) and exhorts the 
 "Thehalbnians to hold, J *as they had been taught, 
 whether by word, or by epiftle. (i'ThefT. n. 15.) 
 Onthis. prjnc^te, BaGl accounts^for, the. practice 
 j, of afcribuig glory to the Trinity,, which, in hi&day 
 was univfr^aLf i , .. . r „,.-. ; -. . 
 
 , _* Aofotoyia dieitur omnis glprificatio, quae tarn in fine pfalmo- 
 ' rum, quam ad calcem prationum, Sc homiliarumj addi fplebanfa 
 - cB'riftJanis'.' Pale/tut' axiiidt. onTheod. B. ri. 0.24. tia/rl De Sfir, 
 San3. 
 
 f Among unwritten,' but ancient ufages, Bafil, in this chapter, 
 enumerates figning with the figuof the crofs ;— turning towards the 
 Eaft in pr;iyje>j— the form of coqfecrating the bread and wine in the 
 Lord's Supper; — and of fan&ifying the water in baptifm; the 
 renouncing of the devil, &c— ^De Spir . Sanfl. p; 29. 
 
 3:': , In 
 
The Morrilhg and Evening Public Prayer. 89 
 
 In different paffagesof his works, we find him 
 thus arguing: " As we have received, fomuft 
 " we be baptized ; as we are baptized, fo muft 
 " we believe ; and as we have believed, fo muft 
 " we glorify, the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
 " Ghoft.* ' n3*- ..:'_.< 
 
 Now the A po files received commandment " to 
 " teach, and to baptize,, in the name of the Fa- 
 ( ' ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy GhorV."f 
 Preparatory to baptifm, they, (as their fuccef- 
 fors certainly did) moft probably required of fuch 
 as w.ere to be admitted into the church, a fo- 
 lemn confefiion of that faith, into which they were 
 to be baptized. This, confefiion of faith St. Bafil 
 ftyles " the beginning, the original, and mother 
 "as it were of the Doxo-logy .%" 
 
 If Bafil has not proved that' the apoitlel them- 
 felves ufed this Doxoiogy, and recommended it 
 to others, by their precepts, he hasjfhewnit to be 
 highly probable, that they .did both. This feems 
 certain, that the form of the Doxoiogy was de- 
 rived from the form of the cohfemo'n ' of fafth, 
 (from the Symbolurrior^ Creed j as it wa^ afrerl 
 wards called ;) as thi's^lafjj evidently was from the 
 form ufed in the adminiftration of baptifm., , > 2 
 
 Bafil in the paffagecited above, refers~the DaMt- 
 
 ' ■ -'it ,1-\ • : ' ■ .,..'. ',»ig-J r - ' -.S, if:';- 'JSVf iLl 
 
 * Ep.iLXxvrii.&deSpir.'Sana. •' 1 '"'' >h'> "'•> •' * > ■■> 
 + NTatt. xxvn 1. 19: '•' '' '.'/"' '• 
 
 3jroiBff*/«i8a, {s*f t De Spirit. Saufl, c. xxvi 1, 
 
 / "> *°gy 
 
9© Critical and Praffical Elucidation cf 
 
 logy to its true origin. The dodtrine it contains, 
 is unquestionably confirmed by numerous other 
 paflages oT Scripture, but here it refts upon its 
 own proper bafis. Men may caft away all an- 
 cient orthodox creeds. They may deny even the 
 pre-exiftence of the Son, and expunge this Doxo- 
 logy from their Liturgies.*. But before they can 
 ovethrow the grand point of doclrine, which this 
 Doxology fets forth, they mull deftroy the autho- 
 rity upon which it ftands. They muft invalidate 
 the form of baptifm prefcribed by\our Saviour : 
 and this is a rock, the rock of eternal ages, againft 
 which neither the powers of infidelity, nor the gates 
 of hell, will finally prevail. 
 
 Our own Hooker, who has adopted Bafil's ar- 
 guments, fays, " Baptizing, we ufe the name of 
 «« the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
 * f Gho&. ConfeiEaag the Chriftian faith, we de- 
 " clare our belief in the Father, and in the Son, 
 ** and in the Holy Ghoft.- Afcribuag ^gipry to 
 
 * Agawft(*ppl4 Ariw»s,Fgeba^up wg»ed> * if yoijr po£tipn 
 " be true, you daily blafpheme Cod." To evade the force of $he 
 argument, they adapted that form of the Doxojogpr, whipfefniftgr 
 conftru&ion only made favourable to their caufe. In juftice to the 
 Socinians, we mull declare, that their practice is not repugnant to 
 ■their tenets, iDifbelieving thofe articles, which f he Catholic church 
 has ever held as the grand fundamentals of Chriftianity, they have, 
 confidently enough with fuch principles, ^ifcha^ge^ frqm their 
 Liturgy this Doxology, the Apoftles* Cre$4, and <ajl ^Confeflions 
 .of Chriftian Jaith. See £owth., Edition, aad.Adraaifcmejitjpre- 
 fixed. 
 
 God, 
 
The Morning and Earning Public Praytr. 9 1 
 
 " God, we give it to the Father, to the Son, and 
 " to the Holy Ghoft." It is, continues Hooker, 
 quoting the words of Bafil, " the token, evidence, 
 " or demonftration of a true underftandins, or 
 " found belief * for matter of doclrine concern- 
 " ing the Trinity, when in adminiftering baptifm, 
 " making confeffion, and giving glory, there is a 
 " conjunction of all three, and no one is fevered 
 " from the other." 
 
 Proofs of the Antiquity and early Use of 
 Gloria Patri. 
 
 Theearlieft inftance that we meet with of the 
 ufe of this hymn, is found in the circular epiftle 
 of the church of Smyrna, concerning the martyr- 
 dom of their beloved Bifhop Polycarp,' from 
 whence we learn that a Doxology, nearly refem- 
 bling Gloria Patri, were the laft words he uttered. 
 Polycarp was converfant with the apoftles,'and 
 was cohfecrated Biftiop of Smyrnaf, by St. John 
 theJEvangelift. To him, among otherb, St. John 
 is faid to have addrefled the "Revelation, in which 
 Polycarp is entitled fc the Angel of the church 
 " of Smyrna, "if — When this truly apoftolic man 
 fella viftim to cruel fuperftition, and popular 
 
 * Ato^£i|u xoii 05O00 (p^my.a.Ttt;, and elfewhere, f»n(uffu Tov<7urtpt<n> 
 
 + Text, de Prsefcript. c. xxxi 1, and Iren. lib. in, 
 % Chap. 11, ver. 8. 12.- 
 
 fury, 
 
9 2 Critical and Prnclkal Elucidation ■- df 
 
 fury, bound* to the flake, with eyes uplifted, to 
 heaven he made a fhort fervent prayer to God, 
 which is concluded with a Doxology, to the Father^ 
 and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghoft. 
 
 The prayer of Poly carp is remarkable on more 
 accounts than one. We have heard the melan- 
 choly occaiion on which it was uttered. It' is 
 the earlieft complete, regular prayer, whkh is re- 
 corded in the uninfpired annals of the church; and; 
 it fhews the opinion entertained of the Divinity of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft, by the contem r 
 porary, the clifciple and the friend .of St. JohnT 
 Thefe reafons may perhaps juftify the infertion of 
 it here at length. . . , 
 
 c ' O Lord God. Almighty, .the ^Father of "thy 
 " beloved and biefled Son, Jefus Chrift, by whom 
 ** we have received. the knowledge of thee/ the 
 " God of angels and of powers, and of every crea- 
 ',' ture, and efpecially of the whole generation of 
 ." the righteous, who live in thy prefence, I blefs 
 
 .:r.C . Mir;,' - k ' ~' : ' ' ' t <" ■ • ■ ■•■'l 
 
 '', thee that* thou haft vouchfafed. to bririg me to 
 " 4 this day ahd to this hour, that I may receive 
 *' a* portion among thy martyrs, by drinking of 
 " the cup of thy Chrift^ for the refu'rre&ion to 
 " eternal life, both of the foul and body, in the 
 
 " r incorruption of the Holy Ghoft: into the riuirir 
 
 ] ■ ••■'- .-■..-!.., !. i ■':_) c. t.iii^.v i _ ,i 
 
 * In this deed of cruelty, the executioners exhibited an act of tender 
 mercy. Such was their reverence for the chara&er, and their opinion 
 of the firmnefs of the venerable old man, that, contrary to the com- 
 mon practice, they tied him to the ftake with cords. — His hinds 
 and feet were not pierced with nails. 
 
 " ber 
 
The" Morning 1 ctncl Evening Public Prayer. 93 
 
 <( ber of whom I befeech thee that I may this day . 
 " be admitted in thy fight, a precious and ac- 
 *' ceptable'facrifice, as thou- haft prepared, fore- 
 " fhewn, and now finally accomplifhed, who art 
 " the true and never-failing God. For this, and 
 " forall other benefits*, I praife thee, I blefs thee*, 
 " I glorify thee, through the eternal, and heavenly 
 " Jefus Chrift, thy beloved Son, with whom, to 
 " thee and the Holy Ghoft, be glory both now 
 " and for ever. Amen."-,- 
 
 The concluding words of Polycarp fortify the 
 opinion of Bafil, and amount to little lefs than a 
 •proof, that the Doxology is of apoftolic origin. 
 Of Polycarp, his difciple Irenaeus tefti-fies, that 
 he taught and delivered to the church what he had 
 received from the Apoftles. Polycarp in hisad- 
 drefTes to the people, often fpoke of his familiar 
 intercou-rfe with " the difciple whom Jefus 
 " loved," and appears to have taken a peculiar 
 pleafure in relating the fayings, and the things he 
 had heard, from them who had feen the Lordf. 
 Polycarp then, who on all occafions adopted and 
 ' delivered the opinons and precepts of the Apoftles, 
 may, in this inftance, be fuppofed' to have imi- 
 tated their practice. 
 
 Towards the clofe of the fecond century lived 
 
 * Tlairat I tranflate all good things, or benefits. Cyprian, quot- 
 ing Matt. vii. 12, renders wcara all good things. 
 
 +■ Iren. ady. HasrCs. lib. 1 1 1 . c. 3.-. Eufeb. Ecc. Hift. lib. v. 
 
 c. 20. 
 
 Clement 
 
•94 U- Critical and Praclical Elutidatitn of 
 
 Clement of Alexandria, the-moft illuftrtous writer 
 of the age, and the moft juftly renowned for his 
 various erudition, and his perfect acquaintance 
 with the ancient fages. The third book of his 
 Pedagogue he concludes with a Doxology to the 
 blefled Trinity, the terms of which are peculiarly 
 remarkable: " To the only Father, and the Son; 
 " to the Son, and the Father, to the Son our In- 
 «' ftrudtor and Mafter *, with the Holy Ghoft, 
 " one in all refpects, &c. &c, be glory, now and 
 " ever. Amen. 
 
 Of Bafil's mode of reafoning on this fubjecl:, 
 we have already taken a curfory view, and we have 
 heard his opinion, that the Doxology derives its 
 origin from the Apoftlos. Let us now confider a 
 part of the evidence of its antiquity, which the 
 writings of Bafil will abundantly fupply. 
 
 We have his teftimony that " it feemed good 
 " to their 'fore-fathers" of the church of Neo 
 Caefarea, of which he was confecrated Biihop, 
 about the year 370, " not to receive the gift of 
 " the evening light in filence, but immediately 
 " upon its appearance to give thanks." Who 
 was the author of the words of the thankfgiving 
 
 * Thefe words allude to the title of the Treatife, which is a 
 difcourfe <gi Christian Morality. In the firft book he proves that 
 the word incarnate is our beft guide arid inftruftor, and in the laft 
 feftion of the third, he exhorts men to obey the precepts of this 
 heavenly inftruftor, to whom, with the Father, and the Holy 
 Ghoft, he then addreflei the Doxology. 
 
 - - ufed 
 
Tht Mifmug and Evening Puhlic Pmy»r. 9 J 
 
 ufed at Candle-tiding, according to our old En- 
 glifh term, or the putting up of lights, he declares 
 hi mfelf unable to inform us. Of thefe points he 
 is certain ; that " the Thankfgiving was an an- 
 " cient form, the voice of antiquity;" and that 
 " no one was ever accufed of impiety for faying, 
 " We laud and praife the Father, the Son,' and 
 " the hply Spirit of God*." 
 
 The Euchariftic hymn,, to which Bafil ^refers, 
 appears to be the very hymn, which is annexed 
 to the Alexandrine copy of the feptuagint f, and. 
 which the "Greek church daily recites in her even- 
 ing fervice, - juft upon funfet J. The learned 
 author of the account of the Greek church thinks 
 the hymn fo ancient, and fo remarkable, that he 
 quotes it at length, though, as he obferves, it 
 was not his bufinefs to tranfcribe the Greek offi- 
 ces. It is called the Evening Hymn, and rqns, 
 " O Jefus Chrift, joyful light of holy glory, of 
 " the Father immortal, heavenly, holy, bleffed, 
 " being come to the fetting of the fun, beholding 
 " the evening light, we laud and praife the Father, 
 
 * Ai»ouf/.£» itwn^tt, xa.i tiov, xai ayKn nmvji» 8eov. This form he 
 Calk afxfuav <pur/i«. De Sand. Spir. C . XX I X. 
 
 + Now lodged in the Britifh Mu feum. 
 
 % U (her, and Cave (Hift. lit. Differt. fee. article earogivos) have 
 remarked that the (Pagan) Greeks had a fimilar practice. Varro 
 teftifies that -whefn lights were brought in, they fung a religious 
 hymn, beginning p«« aya&m. — To this the Chriftians oppofed their 
 tptif lXa e ov, in honour of our Lord, whom the Apoftle defcribes as 
 "•^Kimgbtnf/s orEffulgatie of the Glorji of the Father," tmavysurpa. 
 rrn Join,-. Heb. 1. 3. 
 
 w the 
 
«}6 . Critical arid Pr'afticM 'Mluadatifaof. , i 
 
 if the Son, and; the Holy Spirit, who is God. 
 .'* Thou art worthy to have, at all .times, thy 
 " praifes celebrated with holy voices, Son of 
 " ;God, giver of life, Therefore the world glo- 
 " rifles thee*." 
 
 Bafil farther obferves, that if his contempora- 
 ries knew the hymn of Athenogenes, the martyr, 
 which, when he was proceeding to the confum- 
 .matipn.'by fire, he left to his friends, as a keep- 
 fake, as his laft bequeft, then they knew the opi- 
 nion, which martyrs entertained of the Holy Ghoft, 
 viz., that he is God, and with c the Father, and 
 the Son together, mufl be worfhipped and glori- 
 fied. 
 
 .., Contemporary with Clement, mentioned before, 
 was Dionyfius of Alexandria, one of .the moft 
 -learned, and illuftrious bifhops of his age. On 
 account of his confummate wifdoni and prudence, 
 and his moft amiable fpirit of moderation and can- 
 dor, he, is furnamed by the ancients Dionyfius 
 ^rhe Great. He concludes an epiftle to his name- 
 .fakef with a JDoxology, which he avers to be 
 
 " a form 
 
 * This Hymn occurs alfo in fome ancient Greek copies of the 
 Pfalter. It is fometimes called wfwo; miri^mc, the evening hymn. 
 Sometimes uftnf tov Xuj^uxod, or a/an; erAvxnm the hymn ufed at 
 
 ' Candle-tiding,, or the time of lighting candles. Bafil fays mop* 
 0tov : the Alexandrine copy reads mwpa. ©eo». From, the account 
 Bafil gives of it, Dr. Smith thinks the hymn mufl: be referred to 
 thefirji ages of Chriftianity* — See his account of the Greek Church. 
 
 • +Ifolk>w2?«/J/i who employs this term to denote, as I fuppofe, 
 Dionyfius of Rome, to whom the other wrote feveral letter^, and 
 
 prefented 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer - % 97 
 
 " a form, and canon, or rule, of giving thanks 
 * r and praife to God, received from the fathers 
 * c who lived before their times, which in common 
 " with them he himfelf ufed, and does , not now> 
 " decline to write— To God, both the Father 
 " and the Son, -with the Holy Ghoft, be glory 
 
 " and dominion for ever and ever, Amen." 
 
 And here it is the remark of Bafil, that Dionyfius 
 would not have laid fuch ftrefs upon this point, 
 calling it " a form and canon of antiquity," if he 
 had faid (EN Trvsvpoiji), " l t ' le Holy Spirit. 
 For the ufe of this expreffion was frequent and 
 common : but it was the other (£TN Tmu^o^j) 
 with the Holy Spirit, which required an apology, 
 the prepofition ZTN, as applied to the Holy 
 Spirit, being at that time not fo generally ufed *. 
 Basil proves from Clement of Rome, who 
 
 prefented fome of his books. He confuted and fuppreffed in his 
 diocefe, the errors of Sabellius, and defended the Catholic doftrine 
 of the Trinity againft the Arians. 
 
 * Bafil, de Sanft. Sp. c. xxix. From this fingle proof alone, 
 it appears, that Bafil's own ufe of <rw, (equivalent to KAI, and 
 the more orthodox, though lefs common form) and not of EN, was 
 obje&ed to as an innovation. Hooker (B. v. c. 142.) and-Cardinal. 
 Bona, (Rer. Lit.) are of a contrary opinion.: to which, however, 
 after reading Bafil's Treatife repeatedly with an eye to this point, 
 I am not prepared to fubfcribe. (Firfi Edit.) After more deli- 
 berate' investigation I ftiU think that Hooker, Bona, and Bingham 
 (B. xiv.) allmiftake, though in different ways, the fcope of Bafil's 
 argument, relative to avi, and ev : and they certainly mifreprefent 
 kit own plain' ftattment of the occafion on which the Treatife was 
 compofed. 
 
 h lived 
 
9$ Critical and PraElical Elucidation of 
 
 lived in the time of the apoftles, from Irenaeus, 
 the Difciple of Polycarp, from Gregory Thauma- 
 turgus, his predeceflbr in the See of Neo-c£efarea, 
 on whom he pronounces a warm eulogium, from 
 Origen, who, he hints, was not, in all things re- 
 lating to the Spirit, perfectly orthodox, and from 
 many others of the moft mining luminaries of the 
 church, that in their prayers, and writings, they 
 addrefled Doxologies, to the Father, to the Son, 
 and to the Holy Ghoft. In fhort, he fays, that 
 the Doxology was, in his time, among the Chris- 
 tians of the Eaft, a mark which diftinguifhed the 
 orthodox from others ; and that the whole weftern 
 world, from Illyricum to Neo-caefarea, agreed in 
 afcribing glory to each of the perfons of the holy 
 and blefled Trinity, in the very form, which he 
 was cenfured by his adverfaries for employing. 
 
 From the numerous fpecimens of doxologies 
 that might be felected from the Apoftolical Confiitu- 
 tions, I mail produce only the following, with 
 which the evidence of the antiquity, and early 
 ufe of doxologies mall be clofed. It is taken out 
 of the eighth book, and occurs at the end of the 
 oblation prayer : " To thee belongs all glory and 
 " worfhip, and thankfgiving and honor, and 
 <e adoration, the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
 " Ghoft, now and for ever, throughout all ages, 
 " world without end, Amen." 
 
 Though the Apoflolic Conjiitutions be neither an 
 infpired writing, nor the genuine production of 
 Clement of Rome, it contains a very valuable col- 
 lection 
 
The ''Morning and Evening Public Prayir. 9 9 
 
 ledtion of the Rituals, and Liturgies of the churcK, 
 in the time in which it was compiled ; and, as ju- 
 dicious divines have thought, is not infected with 
 thofe pernicious principles of Arianifm, which 
 fome would fain fallen upon it • who, by impofing 
 a finifter conftrucliion, have attempted to pervert 
 the words of this author, as well as thofe of many 
 ■of the Ante-Nicene writers, from their proper 
 meaning to an heretical fenfi*. For if the Dox- 
 ologies in the constitutions, are not plain in- 
 ftances of the worlhip and glorification of the 
 Holy Ghoft, together with the Father, and the 
 Son, it is hardly poffible to find wordsto exprefs 
 thefe things. This work, particularly the eighth 
 book, abounds with Doxologies, commonly re- 
 fembling that which we have feen was ufed by 
 Dionyfius, and others ; and this is the very form, 
 in vindication of which, . principally againft the 
 cavils of the Arians, Bafil wrote his elaborate 
 Treatife ; the forn\which, as we obferved before, 
 he fays he himfdf ufed, and which he commends, 
 as expreffing the true glorification of the Holy, 
 Bleffed, and Undivided Trinity. 
 
 This Doxology not always expressed in the 
 same identical form of words. 
 
 From the inftaflces already enumerated, and it 
 were an eafy talk to multiply the number to a de-, 
 gree incredible by thofe who are totally unac- 
 
 h 2 quainted. 
 
if 60 Crlttzal and Praclical Elucidation ef 
 
 quainted with the writers of the ancient church, 
 it is evident that the early Chriftians did not al- 
 ways exprefs their DoxologidS in precifely the 
 fame form of words : a precaution which the 
 growth of herefy made it afterwards neceflary for 
 the church to take. 
 
 They afcribed glory, 1. To the Father, to the 
 Son, and to the Holy Ghoft : 1. Through the Son, 
 to the Father, in the Holy Ghoft. 3. To the 
 Father, through the Son, with the Holy Ghoft,. 
 4. To the Father, with the Son, and with the 
 Holy Ghoft. 5. Sometimes only to the Father, 
 omitting the exprefs mention of the Son, and the 
 Holy Ghoft, though not meaning to exclude them. 
 And, 6. fometimes only to the Son, not mention- 
 ing the Holy Ghoft, nor the Father. 
 
 The truth is, each teacher of Chriftianity ufed 
 his own mode of expreffing glory, and though 
 the faift has been denied *, it is notorious, that 
 the fame perfon, in different parts of the fame 
 public fervice, adopted different forms of giving 
 glory f. 
 
 In the more early ages of Chriftianity, every 
 teacher, thofe of eminence more particularly, had 
 
 * By Bingham. B. xiv. 
 
 t Bafil affirms that he did it ; and ftatcs the two forms which he 
 ufed. He faid " to the Father, and to the Son, miiih the Holy 
 " Ghoft-," and fometimes " in the Holy Ghoft." The uproar 
 made by the Arian party, on account of his nfing the form in which 
 •with occurs, ^ave birth to his invaluable Treatife On the Holy Spirit, 
 *ddreffed to Amphilochius. 
 
 the 
 
The Morning and Evening Pullic Prayer. I b f 
 
 the power of framing their own Liturgies, as well 
 as wording their Creeds and Doxologies. Hence 
 it is obvious, that a confiderable degree of variety, 
 in the exprcflion and form, would naturally, and. 
 mud neceflarily, enfue. Still, however, with 
 fome little difference in the phrafe of their Dox- 
 ologies, the Chriftians of the three firft ages agreed 
 in uniformly expreffing the fame thing. Believ- 
 ing, and confeflmg, that in the eternal Godhead 
 there exifted Three, the Father, the Son, and the 
 Holy Ghoft, they afcribed to them, all honor and 
 glory. Whether they mentioned the Father, the 
 Son, or the Holy Spirit firft ; whether they ufed 
 this, or that prepofition, copulative, or conjunc- 
 tion, were matters of which they were little ftudi- 
 ous. " As long as the Trinity had due honor, 
 "f and till Arianifm made it a matter of great 
 " fharpnefs, and fubtilty of wit, to be a found 
 "believing Chriftian, men were not curious, 
 " what Syllables, or Particles of fpeech they ufed. 
 
 " The different forms of glorification, laving 
 
 " only where evil minds do pervert and abufe 
 " holy things, are not elfe voices of error and 
 " fchifm, but of found and lincere religion*." 
 
 The fophiftical difputations about fyllables and 
 words fprang from the Mundane philofophy. 
 They originated with thofe, who difbelieved the 
 peculiar doctrines of Chriftianity, as held by the 
 ancient orthodox Fathers f. The abettors of the 
 
 • 
 
 Hooker after Baftl. + Bafil de Sanfto Spiritu. 
 
 h 3 Arian 
 
io^ Critical and Practical Elucidation of - 
 
 Arian herefy began to make it a diftinguiihing 
 charadleriftic of their party, to glorify the Father, 
 by or through the Son, in the Holy Ghoft, intend- 
 ing thereby to denote, that the Son, and the Holy 
 Ghoft, were inferior to the Father, and Beings of 
 a nature different from his *. 
 
 One ot the confequences refulting from the fi- 
 nifter interpretation of the Arian party, was, that 
 this form, " which has not otherwife fo much as 
 " the (hew of any thing founding towards impiety,' * 
 fell into difrepute. — Being fufpedted of counte- 
 nancing, or concealing heterodoxy, it was gene- 
 rally difufed by the Catholics. And agreeably to 
 the fpirit of the decifions of the Council of Nice, 
 that form was univerfally adopted, which comes 
 
 * Hence this Doxology became a mark, or criterion, by which 
 the orthodox were difcinguilhed from the Arians. The orthodox 
 repeated it as it ftands in our Liturgy : but the Arians faid, to the 
 Father, by the Son, in the Hoiy Ghoft', implying the inequality of 
 the Son, in oppofition to the decilions of the Council of Nice. 
 Leontius, Bifhop of Antioch, who inclined to the Arian fide, is 
 faid to have pronounced this part of the Doxology with fo low a 
 ■voice, that no perfon could difcover which form he ufed. But this 
 account we have from his enemies. Leontius drd not prohibit either 
 of the forms ; and notwithftanding the afperfions of Athanafius and 
 Theodorit, I admire his moderation. Ht forefaw, fiom the vio- 
 lence of the contending parties, what diffenfions would arifc in the 
 church of Antioch after his deceafe ; in allufion to which, applying 
 his hand to his hoary locks, he obferved, " When this/so™ is dif- 
 " foWed, there will be much mire, and mud." Sozom. Lib. in. 
 Gap. xx. Theodoret. Lib. n. Cap. xxrv. See alfo Volts. Annatat. 
 p. 26, on Ch. xxi. of the Second Book of Socrates, and p. 162 on 
 the vmth Ch. of the Eighth Book of Sozomen. 
 
 neareft 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 103 
 
 neareft to the original of this Doxology, the form 
 of baptifm, delivered by our Lord. 
 
 Of the Addition made to the ancient Form 
 of Gloria Patri. 
 
 Between Gloria Patri, as it now Hands, and the 
 form in which it is found in orthodox Liturgies, 
 and writings compofed even after the Council of 
 Nice, there is another difference which the fubjedt 
 leads us to remark. 
 
 Both in the Greek and Latin„churches the moft 
 common form of the Doxology was a fingle fen- 
 tence without a refponfe, as " glory, be to the 
 *' Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghoft, 
 " world without end, Amen." 
 
 In fome churches they faid " glory and honor 
 " be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
 " Holy Ghoft, for ever and ever j Amen*." And 
 Athanafius cites it limply thus : " Glory be tp 
 ." the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy 
 " Ghoft f." 
 
 The latter claufe, " as it was in the beginning, 
 " is now, and' ever fhall be, world without end," 
 was probably not inferted till a confiderable dif- 
 
 * Fourth Council of Toledo, and Miff. Mozarab. 
 
 + Athanaf. de Virginibus Velandif. p. 829 of the Com. Edit, of 
 1601. 
 
 h 4 tance 
 
1 04. Critical and PraSlieal Elucidation of 
 
 t-ance of time after the Nicene Council *. What- 
 ever may be the era of the addition, the occafion 
 of it certainly was, the fpreading of the impious 
 tenets of the heretics, who maintained, that the 
 Son was not co-equal, and co-eternal, with the 
 Father : that he was a Being of an inferjor nature? 
 and that there was a time, when the Son was not. 
 As an antidote againft thefepoifons, and to exhibit 
 a full and explicit declaration of the true primitive 
 faith, this latter claufe, as it was in the beginning, 
 &c, was annexed. The firft exprefs mention we 
 now find of the claufe, is made by the fecond 
 Council of Vaifons, in France, held A. D. 529, 
 by which the addition was adopted f. We ought 
 however to obferve, that this Council refers to 
 ■the ufage of the churches of Africa, Italy, and 
 the whole weftern £ world, where, as the acts of 
 
 the 
 
 * Earonius thinks it was added by this Council. But the afts qf 
 the Council are filent on this head, and the reafoning of the learned 
 Cardinal is extremely unfatisfaftory. See Baron. Annal. A. D. 3 2 j 
 Arlkk Glorid Palri. 
 
 + Quia non iblum in fede apoftolica, fed etiam per totura Ori- 
 tntem, et totam African), propter haereticorum aftutiam, qua Dei 
 filium non femper cum patre fuifle, fed a tempore fuifle blafphemant, 
 poft, Gloria Palri, &c, "ficat erat in principio," Sec, dicitur, 
 etiam et nos in univerfis eccl'efiis noftris, hoc ita effe dicendum de- 
 crevimus. 
 
 J Orientem, the Eaft, probahly fhould be Occident cm, the Weft: 
 
 . for, as Bingham has obferved from Strabo, the Greeks in his time 
 
 omitted the latter claufe. It may be added that the Greek church 
 
 does the fame at prefent. Inftead of " as it was in the beginning, 
 
 •' &c„" the Greeks fay, " both now and always, and for ever, 
 
 (or 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 105 
 
 the Council ftate, the addition had already been 
 received. This latter claufedoes not pretend to the 
 fanction of either apoftolic, or primitive ufage : It 
 rcfts limply upon the authentic teftimony of 
 Scripture, which, in a variety of inftances, 
 afferts the co-eternity y as well as co-equality of the 
 three divine perfons. 
 
 However differently the hymn may have been 
 expreffed, this we may afTert, that the ufe of it hap 
 been univerfal in the church of Chrift. The an- 
 cients concluded prayers often, and fermons al- 
 ways, with a Doxology. From Caflian, the dif- 
 ciple and ftrenuous defender of Chryfpftp'm, we 
 learn, that the Greeks repeated Glora Patri after 
 the laft pfalm. In all the weftern churches, that 
 of Rome excepted, it was uniformly ufed at the 
 end of every Pfalm. This is the path in which 
 the Church of England walked at her Reformation, 
 occasionally admitting this hymn among her 
 prayers, and ordaining that " at the end of every 
 'f Pfalm, of Benedicite, Benediclus, Magnificat, 
 " and Nunc dimittis, Gloria Pain fhall be re- 
 f< peated." 
 
 L'Eftrange has obferved, that " the words only 
 *' of this hymn are human; the fubjecT: is divine." 
 The exact form of words indeed is not found in 
 Scripture, but the hymn appears to be a para- 
 
 (or to eternal ages) Amen." Their form is found in the Liturgies 
 
 afcribed to Chryfoftom and Bafil : A»|« iralgi xm via xai ccytu wnv- 
 fJurt iw, xtzi ati, km si; t»j awmc rut aimut' Ap.r ; t. 
 
 phrafe 
 
1 06 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 phrafe of the fong of the Seraphim recorded by 
 Ifaiah. " One cried unto another and faid, Holy, 
 " Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hoffs, the whole 
 " earth is full of his glory." If. vi. 3. 
 
 And what is this Dexology, which, from the 
 days of the apoftles, has uniformly been ufed by 
 Chrift's church upon earth, but the hymn of glory 
 defcribed by St. John in the Revelation? " Holy, 
 «' Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, 
 " and is, and is to come. Thou ar,t wor- 
 " thy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor/ and 
 " power; for thou haft created all things, and for 
 " thy pleafure they are, and were created." (Rev. 
 iv. 8. 11.) Whilft the church in heaven " refts 
 " not day and night, but continually cries, Holy, 
 «« Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hofts," the church 
 of England requires no apology for the frequent 
 repetition of her form of afcribing glory, glory 
 
 BE TO THE FATHER, AND TO THE SON, AND TO THE 
 HOLY GHOST; AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING, IS 
 NOW, AND EVER SHALL BE, WORLD WITHOUT END. 
 
 ANfEN. 
 
 DOXOLOGY WHY PLACED HERE. 
 
 It has been obferved^ that David, in fomeof his 
 penitential pfalms, after confeffing his fins, de- 
 claring his diftrefs, and imploring pardon and der- 
 liyerance, turns hispetitions into praifes, his fighs 
 and groans into, fongs of thankfgivingv — Thus 
 
 We, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 107 
 
 We,, in humble hope, that our gracious Father, 
 for his Son's fake, by the miniftry of the Holy 
 Spirit, will forgive us our offences, rife up, and 
 afcribe glory to God, to the Father, who grants us 
 abfolution, to the Son, through whom it was pur- 
 chafed and obtained, and to the Holy Ghojl, by 
 whom it, is fealed and difpenfed. 
 
 VERSICLES after GLORIA PATRL 
 
 The firft, that is, the penitential part of the 
 fervice being completed, we proceed to the Eu- 
 chariftic ; or " to render thanks to God, for the 
 " great benefits that we have received at his 
 <f hands," and by repeating a portion of the book 
 of pfalms " to fet forth his moft worthy praife." 
 
 Preparatory to this, the minifter, addreffing 
 the congregation, exhorts them to praife the Lord. 
 The Verficle he repeats is a literal tranflation of 
 the Hebrew Alleluiah, a form which is employed 
 by St. John in the Revelation, and was frequently 
 repeated by the members of the ancient church, 
 both in their public offices, and private devotions*. 
 
 Alleluiah 
 
 * Cantatur ubique Alleluiah. The whole affembly fung it at 
 funerals with fo loud a voice, that Jerom fays, the gilded roofs of 
 the churches fhook with Alleluiah. Aurata tefta templorum reboaris 
 in fublime quatiebat Allelujah. — Mariners ufed it, as a fignal, or 
 callj at their labour, and the banks echoed Alleluiah (Sid. Apol.) 
 ! —The 
 
1 08 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 Alleluiah is likewife the title, as praife is the 
 fubjetfl of many of the pfalms. And the name, by 
 which the book of pfalms is diftinguifhed among 
 the Jews, is Sepher Tebillim, or the book of prai-, 
 fes. 
 
 In the firft Liturgy of Edward VI. Alleluiah, 
 which is retained untranflated, is appointed to be 
 fung from Eafter to Trinity Sunday.- The fifty 
 days between Eafter and Pentecoft, we have al- 
 ready had occafion to remark, were, in the primi- 
 tive church, days of great rejoicing in commemo- 
 ration of our Lord's Refurrection. In fome 
 refpects they wereobferved with a folemnity equal 
 to that of the Lord's Day. In particular the an- 
 gelic hymn, Alleluiah, was in many churches 
 chanted during this feafononly* to which practice 
 the Rubric of our firft book of Common Prayer 
 fecms to refer. It ordains that after Gloria Patri, 
 
 — The ploughman in the field fung Alleluiah. And St. Auftin de- 
 scribes it as the fweet fignal, or call, by which Chriftians recipro- 
 cally invited each other to fing praifesto Chrift, Celeufma.npftru.nl 
 dqlce canternus Halleluiah. — Again, Vcneiunt dies ut cantcmus 
 Halleluiah. In Pfalm. ex. 
 
 * InAfricanisecclefiis non omni tempore, fed tantom Dominicis 
 diebus, et quinquaginta poll Domini Refurrcftionem Allelujah can. 
 tatur. Apud nos : pra?ter dies Jejuniorum, et quadragefima;, emm 
 tempore canitur. Ifod. de offic. Ut Halkluia, per illos folos dies 
 quinquaginta, cantetur, non ufquequaque obfervatur. — Nam et in 
 aliis diebus varie cantatur, alibi, atque alibi ; ipfis autem diebijs 
 ubique. Aug,Er>. cxix. p. 1 19. Tom. II. Ed. Par. 1555. 
 
 ' : (hall 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 09 
 
 ftiall be faid " praife ye the Lord." And. from 
 Bqfler to Trinity Sunday, Alleluya*. 
 
 To the queftion, Why Alleluiah is placed hete t 
 we reply, that, as the words " let us pray,'' are 
 oftimes premifed to excite attention to the prayer 
 enfuing, or to intimate a tranfition from one mode 
 of prayer to another; fo " praife ye the Lord" 
 is an indication, that we are now pafling, from the 
 penitential to the Euchariftic part of the fervice. 
 It is at the fame time an impreffive invitatory, ad- 
 drefled to the whole congregation, and calling 
 upon them to join the minifter in praifing God, 
 and to unite with him, not only mentally, buc 
 vocally, by repeating the refponfes allotted to 
 them. 
 
 The anfwer of the people, xt the Lord's name 
 * f be praifed," fhews their obedience to the pious 
 exhortation of the minifter, and evinces their de- 
 lire to join with him in praifing God. This re- 
 fponfe was introduced into our Liturgy at the laft 
 review. But before this, it ftood in the book of 
 Common Prayer, drawn up by the Epifcopalians 
 in the reign of Charles i! and defigned for the ufe 
 of the church of Scotland. This book is com- 
 monly diftinguifhed from our Book of Common 
 Prayer by the name of the Scotifh Liturgy. — And 
 here I notice, once for all, that many of the. at- 
 
 * In the fecond and fubfequent books Alleluiah was quitted, and 
 the Engliih tranflation of it only retained, 
 
 terations 
 
lid Critical and Prailieal Elucidation of 
 
 terations and additions, made in our Rubrics and 
 Liturgy, in 1661, were taken from the Scotiih 
 Liturgy*. 
 
 RUBRIC 
 
 BEFORE VENITE EXULTEMUS. 
 
 In the firft Book of Common Prayer the Rubric 
 prefixed to this part of the Liturgy flood thus : 
 " Then ftiall be faid, or fung, without any invi- 
 te tatory, the pfalm, Venite Exultemus, in En- 
 <c glifh, as folio weth," which was afterwards 
 changed into " Then fhall be faid, or fung, this 
 " pfalm following." But thefe words being pro- 
 bably thought not fufficiently explicit, the other 
 part of the Rubric was added in the review of 
 1662. 
 
 * The book prepared by the Scotifh Bifhops, was afterwards 
 xevifed by Archbifhop Laud, Juxon, Bifhop of London, and Wren, 
 Bifhop of Norwich. Juxon, who was then Lord Treafurer, had 
 employment enough of a different nature; and the labour of revifal 
 fell upon the other two. They made feveral confiderable altera- , 
 tions, which were approved by his Majefty. After having been 
 twenty years in contemplation, the Scotifh Liturgy, was finifhflil in 
 1636, and ratified by a royal edici. The reception it met with,. 
 and the fubfequent fufpenfion of the Liturgy of the church of En- 
 gland, &c, are events but too well known. See Heylin's Life of 
 Laud. - In the Scotifh Liturgy the new tranflation of the pfalms is 
 ufed ; and there is annexed to a fubfequent edition of the book, a 
 curious rhyming verfion of the pfalms, entitled, The P/alnts of Kin% 
 David tra&Jlated by King James. 
 
 In 
 
The Morning and Evening' Publle Prayer. ill 
 
 In the fervice of the weftern church before the 
 reformation, the invitatory commonly was fome 
 felect paffage, or text of Scripture, whichwas re- 
 cited in moft of the offices. In particular it was 
 faid immediately before, and after Venite Exul- 
 temus, and frequently introduced during the re- 
 petition of the pfalm. Though Venite Exulte- 
 mus is called " the invitatory pfalm," yet cor- 
 rectly fpeaking, " the invitatory itfelf" compre- 
 hends only the fixth verfe, " O come let us wor- 
 " Ihip and fall down, and kneel, before the Lord, 
 " our Maker." This invitatory *, at certain 
 clofes and periods of the pfalm, was of old, and 
 ftill is f, in the Romilh church, repeated nine 
 times during the finging of the pfalm. It was 
 repeated fometimes " perfectly, '* and fometimes 
 " imperfectly." It was faid to be repeated per- 
 fectly when the whole of it was repeated, and im- 
 perfectly when only a part was faid. For diffe- 
 rent feafons, feftivals, and offices, different invi- 
 
 * Invitatorium ipfum, adaliquos verfus illius pfalmi, " Venite " 
 repetitur integre, et ad alios imperfefte. Dicitur fexies integre. 
 Ter vero imperfe&e. Durand. lib. v. de Nofturn. For this prac- 
 tice he gives fome ridiculous reafons. L'Eftrange fays, it was re- 
 peated fix times by the minifter, and as often returned by the people ; 
 in proof of which he refers to this paflage in Durandus. L'Eftrange 
 probably knew that it was in his day repeated by the Gallican church 
 twelve times, and omitted to re-examine Durandus. In the late 
 Gallican church the invitatory was fung after every verfe, and if we 
 add once before the pfalm, we {hall have twelve, the number men- 
 tioned by L'Eftrange. 
 
 + I fpcak from the authority of a Romilh Ex-jefuit. 
 
 tatories 
 
1 1 2 Critical and TroEi'rtdl EluciiatuH of 
 
 tatories were appointed. But that generally ufed 
 in the Mattins appointed for family worfhip; be- 
 fore the reformation, was either in Latin, Ave, 
 Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum, or in Englifh 
 " Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee *." 
 This invitatory in the courfe of reciting Venite 
 Exultemus, appears to have been faid about eight 
 or nine times at Icaft. This is evident from Hen- 
 ry's Primers ; but it is not fo eafy to difcover how 
 often it was recited perfectly, and how often im- 
 perfectly. In the very fame copy, where the En- 
 glifh and Latin are printed oppofite to each other, 
 part of it is fometimes read in one language, and 
 the whole in the other; and the difagreement 
 among different copies, of what I fufpect to be 
 the fame Primer, is confiderable. Whether thefe 
 variations arofe from the miftakes of printers, or 
 from fome other caufe, I cannot detemine, and I 
 feel little difpofitibn to enquire farther into a point 
 of fo little importance. The repetition of invita- 
 tories in general, our reformers probably thought 
 an idle tautology, and the invitatory Ave they 
 knew to be " a fond thing, vainly invented, and 
 " repugnant to the word of God." All invita- 
 tories were therefore abolifhed \. 
 
 The original of the name '<* invitatory pfalm,'* 
 
 * See the daily Mattins in- the Royal Primers. 
 
 + Wheatley, among others, confounds the Invitatory with the 
 invitatory PJalm, and fuppofes the words of Edward's Rubric, inith- 
 cut any Invitatory, to mean, that this (hall be nfed " without any 
 tthcr invitatory pfalm.' 
 
 we 
 
The looming and Evening Public Prayer. 1 1 3 
 
 we learn from Chryfoftom. He informs us, that 
 till the whole congregation were fully aflembled, 
 it was ufual for thofe who were prefent, by way of 
 beguiling the time, to ring pfalms, of which Ve- 
 nite Exultemus was the chief. Some parts of this 
 pfalm were in fubfequent ages fung with a ftrong 
 loud voice, like the found of a trumpet. The in- 
 tention of which was to bring the people into the 
 church. Durandus further informs us, that in his 
 time, (above fix hundred years ago,) it was a cuf- 
 tom in fome places for the people waiting i n ex- 
 pectation of the morning fervice, to haften into 
 the church as foon as they heard Venit'e Exul- 
 temus begun to be fung*. Whether Durandus 
 means lying in bed, (for this fervice was per- 
 formed at an early hour) or loitering near the 
 church, every one muft determine for himfelf. On 
 this fubjedt the opinions of Englifh rituali'fts are 
 divided. 
 
 This is certain, that the early Chriftians, whilft 
 the congregation was aflembling, and in the be- 
 ginning of the fervice, generally fung pfalms. A 
 fimilar and very laudable practice Hill prevails in 
 feveral of our pa,rifh churches, efpecially in the 
 northern counties ; where, after the minifter was 
 in the defk, and before he began the fentences, I 
 have w\th pleafure obferved, all the congregation 
 ftanding, and ringing the hundredth pfalm. In 
 fome cliches in, and, around London, as foon as 
 
 * Hiac eft quo J in gujbjUfcUm ecclefijs jacentes ad orationgiji, #x. 
 
 i the 
 
n 4 Critical and Prafiical Elucidation of 
 
 the officiating clergyman comes out of the Veftry' 
 Room, the organ plays, and one verfeofthepfalm- 
 is fung. It is to be wifhed.that the practice were 
 more general. 
 
 VENITE EXULTEMUS, 
 
 OR THE NINETY-FIFTH PSALM. ' 
 
 This pfalm is entitled Venite Exultemus from 
 its beginning with thefe two words in the Latin 
 vernon, in which language they fignify " O come, 
 " let us fing, &c." It occurs in the Liturgies 
 afcribed to Bafil and Chryfojlom ,• and Auftin fays it 
 was ufed in the weftern church. It is employed, 
 by our church as an introduction to the pfalms in 
 general, having been originally compofed for the 
 public fervice, though on what particular bccafion 
 annotators are not agreed *. By the author of the 
 epiftle to the Hebrews we are taught to confider 
 it, a&an addrefs to believers under the Gofpel Dif- 
 penfation. (Heb. in. 15.) 
 
 In this pfalm, we are firft called upon to prai/e 
 God, from the confideration of his infinite power, 
 which extends to all places, and has dominion 
 over all creatures. We are then required to pray 
 
 * Grotius thinks it was compofed for the Feaft of Tabernacles, 
 and Calvin for the Sabbath Day. Others are of opinion, that it 
 refers to the tranilation of the Ark. z Sam. vi. ^ 
 
 to 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Pribyer. 'ii^ 
 
 to him, with the moil humble adoration, as being 
 Our .Saviour and Protector, and exercifihg the fame 
 Care over his people, as the fhepherd exercifes over 
 his flock. We are laftly exhorted to hear his holy 
 word, and not to harden our hearts againft his re- 
 proofs, and calls to repentance ; left, after the ex- 
 ample of the unbelieving Ifraelites, who provoked 
 and tempted him by their difobedience in the wil- 
 dernefs, we be excluded from, the everlafting reft 
 of the heavenly Canaan, into which God has af- 
 fured us with the folemnity of an oath, that none 
 ftiall enter, but thofe who are obedient to his word. 
 
 Confidering the fubjecl: of the pfalm, and the 
 motives to duty which it prefents, we find it is a 
 very- proper introduction to the fucceeding ; parfs 
 of the fervice, which confift of praife,: prayer, and 
 hearing of God's holy word. Its being placed 
 here, is an additional proof of what has been al- 
 ready remarked, and may every where be obferved, 
 the pious and prudent care of the church of En- 
 gland in the feleclion of her devotional offices. 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PSALMS. 
 
 The Book of Pfalms, is that collection of facred 
 hymns, which were compofcd by devout members 
 
 J 2 of 
 
I ifi Critical and Profited Elucidation of 
 
 of the Jewifh church *„ for the purpofe of praifing 
 God, both on public and private occasions. Being 
 not merely works of human ingenuity, but dic- 
 tated by the Spirit of God, they are adapted to all 
 Hates and conditions of the church. They are 
 found to be.as ufeful to Chriftians of the prefent 
 day, as they were formerly to the Jews, or €vfen to 
 the perfons themfelves by whom they were ori- 
 ginally written. From this comprehensive cha- 
 racter, and from the intrinsic merits of fubjedl 
 and compofition, the pfalms have always de- 
 fervedly been held in the higheft eftimation. 
 Whatever difference of opinion may have exifted 
 among the ancient Chriftians, either with regard 
 to fpeculative points of theology, or external 
 forms of worihip, all agreed in the ufe of thefe 
 , hymns, as the mod effectual inftrument of de- 
 votionf. 
 
 * They are ufu ally called the pfalms of David, from hit com- 
 paring the greater part of them. The other authors, whofe names 
 are mentioned,' are AJafb, 'Ethan, Ueman, Tffofei and Solomon y but to 
 each of-the-fourfaft is afcribed-only a fitrgk-plarm ; Except we : fup- 
 pofe that Solomon wrote the feventy-fecond as well as the hundred 
 and twenty-feventh. -Of the 150, about 70 arecxprefsly attributed 
 to David ; and there is internal evidence that others, which do not 
 bear his name, are of his compofition. From the number and ex- 
 cellence of David's pfalms, he is, in the records of hit own times, 
 ftyled " the Sweet Pfalmift of Ifrael." 2 Sam. xxm. 1. 
 
 + Byrfmbrofe the Pfakiw are called- theiJnftrument of Virtue ; by 
 Bafil, the Effence of Theology ; by Atbanaftut and others, the Epi- 
 tegifrpfHoJ^r^tjU-e, -..-,7 1 , v, r.\ — ' 
 
 • "j:. . , .' <_ j ba ' ..rnu'j 3=37e' : ;r; , " fft 
 
 c 1 
 
The- Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 117 
 
 In more modern times, the truly charitable and 
 very learned Caflander had propofed to corhpofe 
 out of them a public Liturgy, with the benevolent 
 defign of foftening the animofities, and recon- 
 ciling the divifions which had recently taken 
 place between the Romifh and reformed churches. 
 
 " The ancients, when they fpeak of the pfams," 
 fays, Hooker, " ufe to fall into large difcourfes, 
 mewing how this part, above the reft, doth of 
 purpofe fet forth and celebrate all the- confi dera- 
 tions and operations, which belong to God : it 
 magnifieth the holy meditations and actions of 
 divine men : it is of things heavenly an univerfal 
 declaration, working in them whofe hearts God 
 infpireth with the due confideration thereof, an 
 habk or difpofition of mind, whereby they are 
 made fit veflels both for receipt, and for delivery 
 of whatfoever fpiritual perfection. What is there 
 neceflary for men to know, which the Pfalms are 
 not able to teach * ? They arc to beginners an 
 eafy and familiar introduction, a mighty augmen- 
 tation of all virtue and knowledge in fuch as are 
 entered before, a ftrong confirmation to the moll 
 
 * I have never feen it remarked, and therefore conclude it is not 
 generally known, that this celebrated paflagc of Hooker is partly 
 borrowed frpn* Bafil's Proem to the Pfalms. 
 
 ai»|v)(7i5> TEfauvftEyap OTIfty^ g ' J 'OV TDf ul$( l«( f/.iy aXoTTft ff£{ ; OV TS]{ 
 
 hxaMtrvms to axpi£t;j cu to t»; (pgomvio? nhttot j E?V» Bajil, Pro. in 
 P/alm. Prim, 
 
 i 3 perfect. 
 
1 1 $ .. Critical and Praclkal Elucidation of 
 
 perfect. Hcroical magnanimity, exquifitejuftice, 
 grave moderation, exact wifdom, unwearied pa- 
 tience, the myfteries of God, the fufferings of 
 Chrift, the terrors of wrath, the comforts of grace, 
 the works of Providence over this world, and the 
 promifed joys of that world, which is to come, 
 all good necefiarily to be either known, done, or 
 had, this one celeftiaj fountain yie;deth. Let 
 there bp any grief, or difeafe incident to the foul 
 of man, any wound, or ficknefs. named* for which 
 there is not in this treafure houfe a prefqnt com- 
 fortable remedy at all times ready to be found. 
 This js the very caufe, why we iterate the Pfalms 
 oftener than any other part of Scripture Jbeftdes; 
 the caufe wherefore we inure the people together 
 with their miniver, and not the minifter alone, 
 to read them, as other parts of Scripture he 
 doth V* 
 
 But of all the encomiums, and comments that 
 have been written on the Book of Pfalms, none 
 has given us a fairer picture of their excellence, 
 than that of a late amiable and pious prelate of 
 our own communion. He has collected the fen- 
 timents and obfervations of a great variety- of 
 writers, which he has enriched with his own, and 
 has embellifhed the whole' with a piety of expref- 
 fion, peculiar to himfelf. The merit of the paf- 
 fage mult be my apology for the length of the 
 
 * Eccl. PoJ. b, v. c. 37, 
 
 extract ; 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 1 0. 
 
 extract; and it would be injuftice to the reader, 
 to give Bifhop Home's fentiments in any language 
 but his own. 
 
 " ThePfalms," fays this excellent writer, " are 
 an Epitome of the Bible *, adapted to the purpo- 
 fes of devotion. They treat occafionally of the 
 creation and formation of the world ; the difpen- 
 fations of Providence, and the economy of grace ; 
 the tranfadtions of the patriarchs, the Exodus of the 
 children of Ifrael ; their journey through' the wil- 
 der nefs, and their fettlement in Canaan ; their law, 
 priefthood, and ritual; — the exploits of their 
 great men wrought through faith; their fins and 
 captivities, their repentances, and reftorations ; 
 the fufFerings and victories of David, the peace- 
 ful and happy reign of Solomon ; the advent of 
 the Mefliah with its effects, and confequences : his 
 incarnation, birth, life, paffion, death, refurrec- 
 tion, afcenfion, kingdom, and priefthood : the 
 effufion of the fpirit, the converfion of the Gen- 
 tiles, the rejection of the Jews-: the eftablilh- 
 ment, increafe, and perpetuity of the Chriftian 
 church: the end of the world, the general judg- 
 ment^ the condemnation of the wicked, and the 
 final triumph of the righteous with their Lord 
 and King. Thefe are the fubje&s prefented to 
 
 * Quires utrum liber pfalmorum fit compendium totius Theo- 
 logize Scripttfrarum. Refpondeo affirmative cum D. Hyeronymo, 
 
 Bafilio, Auguftino, &c. " T"rallatus curio/is non indignus." Jerom, 
 
 Vol. v. Btneiia. Ed, 
 
 14 our 
 
120 Grftictil atid PraEiical Elucidation of 
 
 our imaginations. We are inftrudtcd how to con- 
 ceive of them aright) and to exprefs the different 
 affe&ions, which, whenfo conceived of, they muft 
 excite in our minds. They are for this purpbfe 
 adorned faith the figures, and fet off with all the 
 
 graces of poetry."- 
 
 '* This little volume, like the Paradife of Eden* 
 affords us in perfection, though in miniature* 
 every thing that groweth elfe where, every tree 
 that is pleafant to the fight and good for food, and 
 above all, that which was there loft and is here re- 
 stored, " the tree of life in themidft of the garden." 
 That which we read as matter of fpeculation in 
 the other Scriptures, is reduced to practice, When 
 vre recite it in the pfalms. In thofe faith and re- 
 pentance are defcribed, in thefe they are afted. 
 By a perufal of the former we learn how others 
 ferved God, but by ufing the latter we ferve God 
 ourfelves." 
 
 " In the language of this divine bookj there- 
 fore, the prayers of the church have been offered 
 Up to the throne of grace from age to age. And 
 it appears to have been the manual of the Son of 
 God in the days of his fieih ; who at the conclu- 
 fion of his fupper is 'generally fuppofed, and that 
 upon good grounds, to have fung a hymn taken 
 from it ; who pronounced upon the crofs the be- 
 ginning of the twehty-fecond pfalm, My God, 
 my God, why haft thou forfaken m'el and ex- 
 pired with a part of the thirty-firft in his mouth, 
 Into thy hands I commend my fpirit." 
 
 i « Thus 
 
Tire Mimlfig' and Ewrttitg Publie^Prayer. 121 
 
 K Thus he who fpake, as fteVef man {pake, 
 chofe to conclude his life, to folace himfelf in his 
 greateft agony, and at laft to breathe out hisfoul* 
 in the pfalmifl 's form of words rather than his 
 own. No tongueof man, or angel, as Dr. Ham* 
 rnond juftly obferves, can convey a higher idea 
 of any book, and of their felicity who ufe it 
 right." 
 
 " Let us ftop for a moment to contemplate the 
 true character of thefe facred .hymns. —Greats 
 nefs confers rto exernption from the pains and for- 
 rows of life. This the Ifraelitifh monarch expe- 
 rienced. He fought, in piety that peace which 
 he could not find in empire, and alleviated the 
 thfquietudes of ftate, with the exercifes of devo- 
 tion." 
 
 " His invaluable pfalms convey thofe comforts 
 to others, which they afforded to himfelf. Com- 
 pofed upon particular occafions, yet defigned for 
 general ufe j delivered out as fervices for Ifrae- 
 lites under the law, yet no lefs adapted to the cir- 
 cumftances of Christians under the Gofpel : they 
 prefent religion to us in the moil engaging drefs ; 
 communicating truths, which Philofophy could 
 never inveftigate, in a ftyle which poetry can 
 -never equal. Calculated alike to profit and to 
 pleafe, they inform the underftanding, elevate 
 the affe&ions, and entertain the imagination. In- 
 dited under the influence of him, to whom all 
 hearts are open, and all events foreknown, they 
 fuit mankind in all Situations, grateful as the 
 
 Manna 
 
122 Critical and PraStical Elucidation of 
 
 Manna which dcfcended from above, and confor- 
 med itfelf to every palate. The faireft produce 
 tions of human wit, after a few perufals, like 
 gathered flowers,- wither in our hands and lofe 
 their ffagrancy; but thefe unfading plants of 
 Paradife become, as we are more accuftomed to 
 them, ftill more and more beautiful ; their bloom 
 appears to be daily heightened, frefh odours are 
 emitted, and newfweets are extracted from them. 
 He, who hath once tailed their excellencies, wiH 
 defire to tafte them again, and he who taftes them 
 oftseneft, will relifli them beft *." 
 
 . : i 
 
 Order in which the Psaims are appointed 
 to be read. 
 
 The Chriftian church has uniformly appointed 
 the Pfalms to be repeated oftener than any other 
 part of Scripture, excepting only that divine 
 form of prayer, which was taught by our Lord 
 himfelf, and in our church makes a part of every 
 fervi,ce. 
 
 " Christians, fays Chryfoftomf, exercife them- 
 felves in David's Pfalms oftener than in any part 
 of the Old, or New Teftament. — Mbfes the great 
 Law-giver, who faw God face to face, and wrote 
 
 , * Bifiiop Home's Preface to bis Commentary. 
 + Horn. vi. de Poen. 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 23 
 
 of the. creation of the world, is fcarcely read 
 through once a year. The Holy Gofpels, where 
 Chrift's miracles are preached, where God con- 
 verfes with man, where devils are caft out,' lepers 
 are cleanfed, and the blind reftored to light, where 
 death is deftroyed, where is the food or immorta- 
 lity, the holy facraments, the words of life, holy 
 precepts, precious promifes ; thefe we read over 
 once or twice a week. What fhall I fay of blefled 
 Paul, the preacher of Chrift? His epiftles We read 
 twice in the week. .; We -get them not by- heart, 
 but attend to thern while they are reading, — But 
 as to David's Pfalms, the grace of the Holy Spirit 
 has fo ordered it, that they are repeated night and 
 day. In the vigils of the church, the fir ft, the 
 midft, the laft, are David's Pfalms. In the mor- 
 ning, David's Pfalms are fought for, and the firft 
 the midft, and the laft, is David. At funeral 
 folemnities, the firft, the midft, and the laft, is 
 David. In private houfes the firft, the midft, 
 and the laft, is David. —Many that know not a 
 letter can fay David's Pfalms by heart." 
 
 * Jerom tells us, that " in the morning, at the 
 third, fixth, and ninth hour, in the evening, and 
 at midnight, David's Pfalms are fung over in 
 order, and no man is fuffered to be ignorant of 
 David's Pfalms." 
 
 From the times of the Apoftles, the recitation 
 
 of Pfalms has every where formed one principal 
 
 part of the fervice of the Church. Some of the 
 
 a early 
 
124 ®rktm land Pftetfiieal Elucidation of 
 
 early Chriftianss, in particular thofe of the Eatt, 
 rehearfed foinetimes twenty, fometimes fixty 
 pfalms in one day. About the year 350, in the 
 churches of Egypt, twelve were repeated in the 
 morning, and the fame number in the evening *. 
 This practice made its way into the weftern 
 church ; for from JerOm we learn, that the whole 
 book of Pfalms was read over once in feven days. 
 If twenty-four were read every day, the whole 
 would be read in fomewhat lefs than a week +. 
 
 The original preface to the Book of Common 
 Prayer informs us, that the Pfalms were anciently 
 divided into feven portions, whereof every one 
 
 * Caffiaiv 
 
 + In the reHgiouJ houfes of the Greek church, the general snfc 
 is to read the whole book in feven days. They divide it into 
 twenty fections, of which two are read in the morning, and one in 
 the evening. 
 
 
 
 Table. 
 
 
 Sect. 
 
 Pfalms. 
 
 Seft. 
 
 Pfalms. 
 
 1. 
 
 1— 8. 
 
 XI. 
 
 77— 84. 
 
 ir. 
 
 9 — 16. 
 
 XII. 
 
 85 — 90. 
 
 111. 
 
 17— 2 3- 
 
 XIII. 
 
 91 — 100. 
 
 IV. 
 
 24— 31. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 101 — 104. 
 
 v.. 
 
 32-^-36. 
 
 , XV. 
 
 105 — 108. 
 
 VI. 
 
 37—45- 
 
 XVI. 
 
 109 — 117. 
 
 VII. 
 
 46—54. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 118 — 
 
 VIII. 
 
 S5—^3- 
 
 XVIII, 
 
 119—133. 
 
 IX. 
 
 64 — 69. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 134—142. 
 
 X. 
 
 70 — 76. 
 
 XX. 
 
 143—150. 
 
 Smith's Greek Church, and Cave's fecanddijpertation annexed to vol. 
 If. of Hift. Lit. word VciKngion 
 
 was 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 25 
 
 was called a Nocturn *. Of late times continues 
 the preface, a few of the Pfalms have been daily 
 ufed, and the reft utterly omitted. To remedy 
 this and other inconveniences, our church has ap- 
 pointed the Pfalter to be read through once every 
 month, excepting February; when it is read only 
 to the twenty -eigth or twenty-ninth day of the 
 month f. 
 
 In this regulation the church of England dif- 
 
 * Nofturn in the Romifh fervice ftriftly fignifies the fcrvice ap- 
 pointed for any night. The names noBurn and anielucan, originated 
 from the meetings of the early Chriftians to celebrate divine wor- 
 fhip in the night, and 'before daybreak.: a cuftom retained' by many 
 churches long after perfecution had ceafed. The noclurn was per* 
 formed fometimes at midnight only, and fometimes at three diffe- 
 rent hours during the courfe of the njght, viz. at nine, twelve, and 
 three: the -antelucan fer vice at day-break, prime at fun-rife, or the 
 firft hour, tierce at nine, &c. 
 
 + Order how the Pfalter is appointed to be read. — Before the laflt 
 review, the directions for readingthe Pfalter were, " It ftiall be faid 
 through once every montb; but becaufe fome months be longer than 
 fome others be, it is thought good to make them even by thefe 
 means. To every -month concerning this piirpofe (hall be appoia- 
 ted juft 30 days. And becaufe January and March have one day 
 above this number, and February Tiath only 28, February (hall 
 borrow of ■either of the months one day; and fo the Pfalter which 
 ftiall be read in February, muft" begin at the laft of January, -an4 
 end the firft of March. To know what pfalms (hall be read, look 
 |n the number, &c— find the fame in- the table, &c. — upon that 
 number you mail find what pfalms "mall be faid." Rub. in old 
 Books. 
 
 This Rubric, with its appendages, which made the finding of 
 the Pfalms for the day a very intricate bufinefs, was in 1662 refein- 
 ded, and the prefent ample Order enacled, 
 
 plays 
 
1 2$ Critical and PracJical Elucidation of 
 
 plays her ufual piety and judgment. With us the 
 Pfalms are recited much ofteher than any other 
 part of Scripture, and thus far our eftablifhed 
 practice corrcfponds with the ufage of the ancient 
 church. At the fame time, that all the Pfalms 
 may be read fn courfe, and that our Morning and 
 Evening Prayer may not tire or difguft by its pro—' 
 lixily, we affign, for this purpofe, the term of 
 thirty days. 
 
 Psalms to be recited standing. 
 
 Standing has ufually been confidered as the moft 
 proper attitude for praife and thankfgiving. Ac- 
 cordingly we find that, in the ancient church, the 
 Pfalms werealmoft univerfally recited in this pof- 
 ture. Even the exception made by Caflian, in" 
 one particular cafe, proves the general truth of 
 theobfervation. Speaking of the practice of fome 
 ■ Christians in the Eaft, he fays, that in confequence 
 of inceflant labour, and of continual watching 
 and failing, the people were not able to ftand all 
 the time while twelve pfalms were reading; but 
 at the laft pfalm they all flood up, and repeated 
 portions of it alternately *.. 
 
 * Caffian, lib. u. c. 12. 
 
 The 
 
The Mtirning and Evening Public Prayer* 1 1J 
 
 The Psalms recited by the Minister and 
 People in alternate Sentences. 
 
 t 
 
 In the early ages of Chriftianity, when Pfal- 
 mody was confi,dered as a principal part of the 
 public worfhip, different churches recited the 
 Pfalms in different ways. 
 
 i. They were fometimes fung by the whole 
 congregation ; men, women, and children all uni- 
 ting their -voices. This is thought to have been 
 the moll ancient, and was, before the introduc- 
 tion of alternate Pfalmody, the moft general prac- 
 tice. 
 
 2. In the Egyptian monasteries, one perfon 
 (landing recited all the Pfalms, (except the laft) 
 the reft of the people fitting with humility, and 
 lifiening with reverence *. 
 
 3. Sometimes one perfon repeated the former 
 part of the verfe, as we may now properly exprefs 
 it, and was joined by the congregation in the clofe 
 of the fentence f. Even in the fervice of thofe 
 
 churches 
 
 * Qui difturus Pfalmos furrexerit. Cun&i fedilibus hu'milfimis 
 infedentes, ad vocem Pfallentis omni cordis iritentione dependent. 
 Caul. Inft. 1. 11. c 12. 
 
 + Eufeb. Hift. lib. ii. 1 7. This was the ptadke of the church of 
 Alexandria under the illuftrious Athanafius, who was five times ex- 
 pelled from his epifcopal throne. Before his third exile a numerous 
 body of foldiers ( 5000) befet the church in which he was performing 
 divine fervice, with an intent to apprehend him. • Athanafius, wHo 
 
128 Critical md ProBicd jBfywhtien «f 
 
 churches where alternate recitation was generally 
 pradlifed, this mode, for the fake of variety, was 
 occafionally adopted *. 
 
 4. A fourth way was for the congregation to 
 divide into two parts, and tolling, or rather chant, 
 alternately verfes. From the refponfories and 
 from the chant of men, women, virgins, and chil- 
 dren, there remits, fays Amhrofe, a grateful me- 
 lody f.— But after all, it muft be confefled, that, 
 from the writings of the primitive fathers, we 
 cannot, in this inftance, prove any thing like 
 uniformity of practice %. 
 
 Whatever might be the origin of the alternate 
 recitation of Ffalms and Hymns in the Ghriftian 
 church, we can trace its exiftence about theclofe 
 
 was no lefs remarkable for his prefapceof ip>nG(, and promptitude in 
 danger, thjn foy his piety and erudition, dire&ed a Deacon to be- 
 gin the recitation of a pfalm, (probably the, cxxxvith.) and the 
 people to join with him in the claufe " for his -mercy endureth for 
 ever." — After the Pfalm was 'interrupted, a -prayer faid, and the 
 people in general gone out, Athanafius efcaped among .the clergy'; 
 the Arians, (who had undertaken to point him out to the foldiers) 
 not diftinguilhing him. " I paifed," fays he, " through the midft 
 " of the foldiers, fbme.of whom had furrqjuided the altar, -and 
 *' others with drawn fwords, were walking about the church, ( the 
 " Lord guiding, and preferving me." Athan. de Fuga. Socrates 
 Sozom. lib. iii. c. 6. Theod. lib. ii. c. 13. 
 
 ■*Sk Bafil's very valuable 63 Epiftle. 
 
 + Amb. Hex. l.iii..?. 5. 
 
 ,} There were, fays Jerom,.$0t 3 pen£.pfallent»u.rn chori,;flwt gen- 
 ^UunpdiKCtfyafta, Jgp.taAMar^dl,,. 
 
 of 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. i 29 
 
 of the firft century * t and we know, that this 
 practice nearly correfponds with what is related 
 in the Old Teftament of Mofes and Miriam. It 
 agrees with the cuftom of the Jewifh church ; and 
 that our Saviour and his difciples fung alternately 
 the hymn after the laft fupper, is an opinion by 
 no means devoid of probability. Whether this 
 alternate mode of recitation was ufed in the 
 church of Aatioch under Ignatius ; whether he 
 introduced it, in confequence of his having heard 
 the angels praife God in this manner.; whether 
 after his death it was for a time difcontinued, and 
 revived by Flavian and Diodore; or whether they 
 firft brought it into practice ; are points not eafily 
 to be decided f. 
 
 Admitting, whatr it is prefumed the generality 
 of Proteftants in the prefent day are willing to 
 admit, that the account given by Socrates J is 
 erroneous, and that Ignatius did not hear the an- 
 
 * See Pliny's celebrated Letter to Trajan. 
 
 + On this fubjedl there is much difagreement in the accounts gi- 
 ven by the ancient ecclefiaftical hiftorians ; as well as in the opinions 
 of their commentators, and of liturgical writers. Some reconcile 
 Socrates with Theodorit by fnppofing that one fpeaks of hymns 
 compofcd for the fervice of the church, and the other of the book 
 of pf alms. Some think Theodorit meant no more than that Fla- 
 vian introduced ''the practice of alternate recitation in the Greek 
 language, which in the Syriac had been ufed maBy years before. 
 This is certain, at a very early period the practice was common. 
 See Vales, annot. on Sozomen, b. iii. ch. 20. Theod. b. ii. ch. 
 24. Socrat. b. vi. c. 8. and Vales, annot. p. 78. 
 
 % Lib, vi c. 8. p. 313 Ed. Vales. 
 
 k gels 
 
130 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 gels praife God in this manner, yet there is one 
 who profefles he did ; and the teftimony of this 
 witnefs few Chriftians will bedifpofed to difpute. 
 " I faw.the Lord" fays the evangelical prophet, 
 " fitting upon a throne. Above it flood the 
 " Seraphim. And one cried unto another and faid 
 " Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hofrs. The 
 " whole earth is full of his glory." Ifa. vi. 
 
 2, 3- 
 The alternate recitation of the Pfalms is not, 
 
 as far as I. at prefent recoiled:, enjoined by any 
 
 Rubric, nor by any other injunction of our church. 
 
 Bur we uniformly adopt it, and in defence of our 
 
 practice, we have to alledge, that it is perfectly 
 
 congenial to the ufage of antiquity, is fanctioned 
 
 by the recommendation of the wifeft and belt 
 
 among the fathers, has been ratified by refpedla- 
 
 ble councils, and the moft approved ecclefiaftical 
 
 laws, and' is obvioufly calculated to keep up the 
 
 'ittention, and affift the devotion of the people*. 
 
 Version of Psalms used in thi Liturgy. 
 
 The verfion of the Pfalms, in the Common 
 Prayer, is that of the Great Bible, fo called from 
 its appearance in a bulky volume, publiflied un- 
 der the authority of Henry VIII. — By the great 
 Bible, or .the Bible of the larger volume, is un- 
 
 • * On thefubjeft of the Pfalms, our method of reciting them &c. 
 fee Hooker's Fifth Book of Eccl. Pol. 
 
 derftood 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 131 
 
 derftood the tranflation made by Tyndal, and Co- 
 verdale^ and revifed by Archbifhop Cranmer, in 
 contradifiindtion both to the Bijbop's bible*, pub- 
 Iifhed in the reign of Elizabeth, and the tran- 
 flation now ufed in our church. This laft was too 
 haftily, and confequently in many refpecls, not 
 fo . fuccefsfully executed under the aufpices of 
 James, in 1603. 
 
 For retaining the old tranflation of the Pfalms 
 our reviewers have been very unjuftly cenfured. 
 In their vindication, it may be remarked, that 
 they probably entertained an opinion, now very 
 general among the learned, that the old tran- 
 flation of the Pfalms is preferable to the new. 
 Coverdale'sf tranflation, (for neither Tyndal nor 
 
 Rogers 
 
 * The Bifhop's Bible, though a much different tranflation from 
 the great Bible in other refpects, retained the fame pfalms without 
 any alteration. The great Bible was publifhed after P. Galatitzus 
 had brought in the pronouncing, and writing of the name Jehovah, 
 never before heard of in any language. It is ufed in this tranflation, 
 Pf. xxxiii. 12. and Pf. Lxxxiii. iS. ^Bijhop Sparrow. 
 
 t Miles Coverdale took an aftive part in the reformation. P. Mar- 
 tyr in a letter to Bullenger expreffes a wilh that there were in En- 
 gland many fuch men as Coverdale. He was by Cranmer confe- 
 crated Biftiop of Exeter in the reign of Edward, and under the Ma- 
 rian perfecution deprived. Soon after his return from exile he af- 
 fifted, in his Epifcopalian charaQer, at the confecration of Arch- 
 bifliop Parker: Being old and deftitute, he was prefented by the 
 Biftiop of London, to the church of Saint Magnus, London Bridge ; 
 of which he could not for fome tims take poffeflion on account 
 »f his inability to pay the firft fruits. It is painful to read the 
 
 K 2 letters 
 
13a Critical and Praflical Elucidation of 
 
 Rogers had any fhare in translating the Pfalms), 
 being unfettered with the idiom of the Hebrew, 
 is expreffed with greater freedom, and with more 
 regard to the genius of our language than the new 
 tranflation ; which, from too fervile an adherence 
 to the letter of the original, is often more harfh 
 in its conftruction, and lefs harmonious in its 
 periods. In the old tranflation, as muft be expected 
 in a work compofed above 250 years ago, 
 we indeed fomecimes meet with an antiquated 
 word, or phrafe, which in the new is rejected. 
 But blemifhes of this kind are not numerous ; 
 and where they do occur, they are fufficiently com- 
 penfated by the general merit of the work, which 
 will not ihrink from a comparifon with the moft 
 
 letters that he wrote on this occafion to the Archbrfhop, the Bifhop 
 of London, and his friends Lord R. Dudley, and Secretary Cecil : 
 Their general tenor is to requeft " that they would fet his age and 
 " poverty before the Queen, and prevail with her to forgive him 
 " that debt." Some of thefe letters are fubfcribed Old Miles or Poor 
 old Miles, with the addition, quondam Miles Exon. Veneration 
 for Coverdale incites me to copy the epitaph infcribed upon his 
 grave-ftone. 
 
 Hie tandem, requiemque ferens jinemque laborum , 
 
 Offa Cover dali martua, tumbus habet: 
 ExoNIJE qui Prar/ul trot dignifjimus olim, 
 
 Injignis -vitte 'vir prabitate fux. 
 Octoginta annos grandeevus •vixil, & unum, 
 
 Indigmtm pajftts Jtepius Ext Hum. 
 Sic demum •variit jadatum cafibut, ifla 
 
 Excrpil gremio terra beuignafua. 
 
 approved- 
 
The Mvrnlng and Evening Public Prtfycr, 133 
 
 approved devotional compofitions of more mo- 
 dern times. Upon the whole we may venture to 
 affert, that Coverdale's tranflation is much better 
 adapted for public worfhip, than any other that 
 has ytt appeared in the Englifh language. Had 
 not the reviewers of 1661, been influenced by an 
 impreffion of this fort, we may reafonably conclude, 
 that the Pfalms, as well as the leffons, epiftles, and 
 gofpels, would have been taken from James' tran- 
 flation. 
 
 The Psalms pointed as they are to be sung, 
 or said in Churches. 
 
 In the Prayer Book the Pfalms are pointed, as 
 they are to be fung, or faid in churches. The 
 points are thefe two dots, (:) refembling a colon, 
 which occur generally about the middle of every 
 verfe, and were intended to regulate the chanting. 
 It is but too notorious, that their original deftina- 
 tion is commonly mifunderftood ; and what is 
 more to be lamented, many pious perfons, who 
 have been caught to obfervethe points in reading, 
 finding that thefe Pfalms are pointed as they were 
 to be faid, are prompted, often to the manifeft 
 injury, and fometimes to the entire fubverfion of 
 thefenfe, to make a fiadden confiderable v paufe at 
 every mufical point. Were the clergy oceaiionally 
 to inform their congregations, that in the Pfalms 
 thefe points (:) denote a reft in the mufic only, 
 and are to be totally disregarded in the reading, 
 
 k 3 this 
 
134 Critical and P rail teal Elucidation- of 
 
 this might palliate the evil. But by removing 
 thefe little " rocks of offence," a complete re- 
 medy might eafily be effected. It mud be pre- 
 fumed, that our choirs, to whom alone the di- 
 rection can be of any ufe, are too well inftrudted, 
 and exercifed, to require fuch aids. But if they 
 are neceffary for fome, thofe might add the points 
 in their own books ; or from time to time, as oc- 
 cafion mould require, an edition of the Pfalms, 
 pointed as they are to be Jung, might be printed for 
 cathedral and collegiate ufe *. 
 
 Gloria Patri to be said at the End of every 
 - Psalm. 
 
 In fome parts of the eaftern church Gloria Patri 
 was formerly repeated at the end of the laft pfalm, 
 which was called Alleluja, becaufe they always 
 feledted for the concluding pfalm one of thofe 
 which had the title Alleluja prefixed. The con- 
 cluding pfalm was likewife called Antiphona, 
 or the Antiphonal Pfalm, from its being recited 
 in alternate portions, that is, nearly in the fame 
 manner in which we repeat all the Pfalms t. 
 
 -. -3- 
 
 * The animadverfions on the points in the Pfalms, apply more 
 ftrongly to Te Deum, &c. In Gloria Patri, likewife they form a 
 very improper disjun&ion. 
 
 i Illud enim quod in hac provincia (h e. Gallia) vidimus, ut in 
 claufula Pfalmi omnes concinnant, Gloria Patri, &c, nufquam per 
 omnem Orientem audivimus.— Hanc vero glorificationem Trinita- 
 tit tantummodo folere Antiphonam tcrminare. CaJJian. 
 
 The 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 135 
 
 The ancient practice, however, of all the weftern 
 churches, (that of Rome alone excepted) was to 
 repeat Gloria Patri at the end of every pfalm. 
 There is a peculiar propriety in this. The Doxo- 
 logy ferves for a general application to each pfalm. 
 And as a penitential pfalm may be followed by a 
 pfalm of thankfgiving, and-that fucceeded by one 
 of ado 'ion or prophecy, if they were not fepa- 
 rated by this Doxology, or fomething of the like 
 nature, fubje&s very diftant and diftincT: might be 
 ftrangely and improperly united.. 
 
 Why placed in this Part of the Office. 
 
 The Daily fervice of the church of England may 
 beconfideredas compofed of four parts ; of which 
 the Euchariftic, or that which confifts of praifc 
 and thankfgiving, occupies the fecond place. The 
 reafon of this diftribution is, that we are not pro- 
 perly qualified topraife God till we have obtained 
 remiffion of our paft fins ; and previous to our 
 addreffing God for new bleffings and benefits, 
 it is highly proper, that we mould render 
 him thanks for thofe that we have already re- 
 ceived *. 
 
 This 
 
 * Xpt) yao TrpoTsfov ptv vjjtitt sti Trctcri tou ©eof stiEp'/ETW hts vvjitifn, 
 5iT£ k«i /*»' «i8 btws anuiaiwq tj>s ixsteissj wfwiptpsiv. — Theod. iu Efiji. - 
 ad Philip. C. IV. 
 
 Ae( ya^ twej rut hii/peiim ivx'Jftw WfoTtpoi', ual rnvwavrat tu» iXithxh 
 <rrpo<r<pt(iiP. Id. InEp. ad Col. c. IV. 
 
 K 4 AtJajxofAESa 
 
1 36 Critical \ind Practical Elucidation of 
 
 This order of the fervite is not only agreeable 
 to reafon and the nature of things, but conforma- 
 ble to the practice of the primitive church; for 
 Bafil informs us, that " after confeflion they role 
 *' up aftd proceeded to Pfalmody." If we have 
 duly performed the preceding parts, of the fervice, 
 we fhall be difpofed to recite David's Pfalms with 
 David's fpirit. This frame of fpirit, as Bafil ob- 
 ferves, is more peculiarly neceflary in the ufe of 
 the pfalms. For the other parts of Scripture are 
 read to us, but thefe every man repeats as his own 
 words. 
 
 This work being intended not only as an aid to 
 rational devotion in public, but as an help to holy 
 meditation in private, the following common ta- 
 ble is fubjoined. It is of ufe in directing devout 
 perfons to fdeh pfalms as may fuit their peculiar 
 fpiritual circumftances, and frame of mind. In 
 
 AiJacuo/Jifi* itfurot ivpffefiFTHt tflrfg TUo Kfmvr,;yyi.t -ut »fti» asyaSut, 
 116 out«{ aiTf n ra tXtenrona — tguto yag sotif ei/jeii xxvttt.xpv xmovrra 
 tof 8io» a^riO'ToXof. Id. In Ep. I. ad Iheff. c. 1. 
 
 Inchoari oratio debet a Dei laade. Amb. — Prima oratio laudem 
 debet habere Dei. Ibid. — Bona oratio qua; ordinem fervat , ut primo 
 a divinis inchoeraus laudibus. Si enim apud hominem agimus, be- 
 nevolum volumus judicem facere. Qaanto magis cam Dominum 
 noftrum precamur ? primum ergo immolemusDeo facrificium laudit. 
 — (Vid. 1. Tim. ii.) Doceat te Davidicus pfalmus o&avus. Id. 
 Virg. inft. c. 1 1. 
 
 this 
 
The Mdrning md Bunting Pubilc Prayer. 137 
 
 this table, which is capable of improvement, the 
 pfakns are clatfTed under their relpetffcive fubjecfts. 
 
 I. Prayers. 
 
 I. Frayers for pardon of fin. Pfalm 6, 25, 38, 51, 130. 
 Pfalms ftylcd penitential 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 
 
 143. 
 
 II. Prayers compofed when the Pfalmift was deprived of an 
 opportunity of the public exercife of religion. Pfalm 42, 
 43, 63, 84. 
 
 III. Prayers wherein the Pfalmift feems extremely dejected, 
 though nbt totally deprived of confolation, under his af- 
 flictions. Pfalm 13, 22, 69, 77, 88, 143. 
 
 iv. Prayers wherein the Pfalmift afketh help of God, in 
 
 confideration of his own integrity, and the uprightnefs of 
 
 his caufe. Pfalm 7, 17, 26, 35. 
 *v. Prayers expreffing the firmeft truth and confidence in God 
 
 under afflictions. Pfalm 3, 16, 27, 31, 54, 56, 57, 
 
 '61, 62, 71, 86. 
 vi. Prayers compofed when the people of God were tinder 
 
 affliction or perfecution. Pfalm 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 
 
 83. 8'9, 94, 102, 123, 137 
 vii. The following are likewife Prayers in time of trouble 
 
 and affliction. Pfalm 4, 5, 11, 28, 41, 55, 59, 64, 
 
 70, 109, 120, 140, 141, 142. 
 vm. Prayers of interceffion. Pfalm 20, 67, 122, I32, 
 
 144. 
 
 II. Pfalms of Thankfgiving. 
 
 I. Thankfgiving for mercies vouchfafed to particular perfons. 
 Pfalm 9, 18, 21, 30, 34, 4o. 75> I0 3» Io8 » II6 ? 
 118, 138, 144. l 
 
 II. Thankfgivings for mercies vouchfafed to the Ifraelites 
 in general. Pfalm 46, 48, 65, 66, 68, 76, 81, 85, 
 98, 105, 124, 126, 129, 135, 136, 149. 
 
 III. Pfalms 
 
13& Critical and Practical Elucidation of - 
 
 III. Pfalms of Praife and Adoration, difplaying the Attri- 
 butes of God. 
 
 *i. General acknowledgments of God's goodnefs and mercy, 
 and particularly his care and protection of good men. 
 Pfalm 23, 34, 36, 91, 100, 103, 107, 117, 121, 
 
 145. 146. 
 11. Pfalms difplaying the power, majefty, glory, and other 
 attributes of the Divine Being. Pfalm 8, 19, 24, 29, 
 
 33> 47> 5°. 6 5. 66 > 7 6 > 77. 93> 95. 9 6 . 97> 99. 
 104, in, 113, 114, 115, 134, 139. !47> J 48, 
 150. 
 
 IV. Injiruclive Pfalms. 
 
 I. The different characters of good and bad men : the happi- 
 nefs of the one, and the miferies of the other, are repre- 
 fented in the following Pfalms, 1, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 
 12, ,14, 15, 17, 24, 25, 32, 34, 36, 37, 50, 52, 
 53. 58, 73. 75. 8 4> "91, 92. 94. 112, 119, 121, 
 125, 127, 128, 133. 
 
 II. The excellence of God's law. Pfalm 19, 119. 
 in. The vanity of human life. Pfalm 39, 49, 90. 
 IV. ■ Advice to magistrates. Pfalm 82, 101. 
 
 v. The virtue of humility. Pfalm 131. 
 
 V. Prophetical Pfalms. 
 Pfalm 2, 16, 22, 40, 45, 68, 72, 87, no, 118. 
 
 VI. Hljiorkal Pfalms. 
 Pfalm 78, 105, 106. 
 
 ' RUBRIC 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 139 
 
 RUBRIC CONCERNING THE LESSONS. 
 
 In this Rubric there is one paffage at leaft, 
 which requires elucidation. " He that readeth 
 " is directed, fo to ftand, and turn himfclf, as he 
 " may beft be heard by all fuch as areprefent." 
 
 The Order, which in legitimate copies, imme- 
 diately precedes the firfl Rubric in the Morning 
 Prayer, dire&s that " the Morning and Evening 
 " Prayer mail be ufed in the accuftomed place 
 " of the church, chapel, or chancel, except it 
 ' c fhall otherwife be determined bjr the ordinary 
 " of the place." For fome years after the re- 
 formation, the minifter performed thefe offices, . 
 as well as the communion fervice, in the choir, 
 or chancel, near the. altar. In the prayers he 
 turned towards the altar, but when he pronoun- 
 ced the abfolution, and read the leflbns, he turn- 
 ed to the people. 
 
 In many of our old parifh churches, the chan- 
 cels are nearly as long as the church : and of 
 courfe the eaft end of the chancel, where the mi- 
 nifter officiated, is at a great diftance from the 
 nave or body of the church. Again, in fome 
 churches the voice wasfo impeded by obftru&ions, 
 that the people at the weft end, and at the nor- 
 thern and fouthern extremities could not hear di- 
 ftinctly, what was read from the chancel. For 
 the accommodation of both the minifter and the 
 
 congre- 
 
1 40 Critical and Pfa&ical Elucidation of 
 
 congregation, fome of the bifhops, by virtue of 
 the power with which this Rubric, made in the 
 reign of Elizabeth, inverts them, difpenfed with 
 the performance of the Morning and Evening 
 Service at the altar ; and in many places, reading 
 pews were erected in the body of the church in 
 which the minifter read Morning and Evening 
 Prayer. The practice foon became general, though 
 it appears not to have been univerfal in the year 
 1603. For the canons made that year order, that 
 " a convenient feat be provided for the minifter 
 " to read fervicein;" an injuction unneceffary, 
 had there already been one in every church. 
 
 Many of thefe reading pews had two defks. One 
 for the book of Common Prayer, and one oppofite 
 to it for the bible. When the minifter read the 
 Prayers he necefTarily looked towards the altar * ; 
 but when the Bible was read, by turning towards 
 the people, he would " be beft heard of all fuch 
 *' as were prefent.'* 
 
 The office of the holy communion is ftill ex- 
 prefsly appointed to be performed inthe chancel, 
 and the prieft is directed when he begins the 
 Lord's Prayer, Commandments, &c, to " Hand 
 lt on the north fide of the table." Even when 
 
 * In the ancient church of England, die officiating minifter, ift 
 grayers, lauds, confeffior.s, &c, turned flora, the people toward* 
 the Eaft, But in fuch parts of the fervice, as were addrefled to the 
 people, he was directed to turn towards them. This was the prac- 
 tice of the ancient Chriftian churches in general. 
 
 2. there 
 
The Morning 4#d Evening Pullic Prayer. 141 
 
 /* 
 
 there is no communion, the parts of the office 
 that are read muft be read from the chancel *. 
 The Rubric here is plain and exprers ; and cuf, 
 tomary neglecTr, in fome places, cannot releafe us 
 from our obligations to obey thofe laws of the 
 church, which we have folemnly vowed to ob- 
 ferve. 
 
 From the directions of the Rubric before the 
 leffons there is one very general deviation, which 
 fome think proper enough in itfelf, provided it 
 be allowable ; I allude to the ufual form of gi- 
 ving out the Leffons. It is perhaps better to fay, 
 The firft leffonfor this Morning's Service, or appoin- 
 ted for, &c, is the lift ch. of— or part of the lift 
 ch. of — beginning at the loth verfe ; than to fay, 
 here beginneth the ioth verfe of the %\ ft chap, of—. 
 Some Clergymen fay limply, the lift of — or part 
 of the 2 17? of—. 
 
 In this Rubric there is another circumftance 
 which it may be proper to note. The firft lefFoh 
 is appointed to be read out of the Old Teftanient ; 
 and no mention is made of the Apocrypha in the 
 Rubric. Yet fome leffons are taken out of the 
 Apocryphal books. This difficulty, which at 
 
 * Dr. Bennet thinks thefe part* of the Communion Service may 
 be read from the Delk. But the Judicious Archdeacon Sharpc has 
 proved, that the arguments with which he fupports this opinion are 
 founded on a mijiake. See Bennet's Paraphrafe on the Common 
 Prayer, and Sharpe's Third Charge. 
 
 firft 
 
1 4 2 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 firft fight may appear important, is made fuffici- 
 ently plain by the help of the calendar. Though 
 the Apocrypha is not fpecified in the Rubric, yet 
 it was not meant to be excluded. The leflbns 
 taken out of the Apocrypha are fo few, that our 
 reformers probably did not think them deferving 
 of particular notice in this place *. 
 
 OF THE LESSONS. 
 
 From the Exhortation, at the opening of the 
 fervice, we learn that one principal end of our 
 meeting together in the houfe of God, is, " to 
 hear his moft holy word." After reciting a por- 
 tion of the pfalms there is a peculiar propriety in 
 reading other parts of Holy Scripture. Our 
 minds being elevated, and our affections warmed, 
 by celebrating the praifes of God, we are prepared 
 to liften with attention and reverence to the hif- 
 
 * From fome accidental inadvertencies the Rubrics are not per- 
 feftly free. For nearly a century prior to the laft review, the Mor- 
 ning and Evening Prayer had been generally read, not in the chan- 
 cel, but in the detk. Yet the Rubric which precedes the Commu- 
 nion Service direfts, " The table {hall ftand in the place where 
 " Morning and Evening Prayer are appointed to be read. 1 ' Thefe 
 words in the Rubric were probably overlooked by the reviewers of 
 ]66i. On no other fuppofition can we ealily account for their re- 
 maining unaltered, after the place of reading the Morning and 
 Evening Prayer was changed from the table to the defk. 
 
 tory 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 43 
 
 fory of his . providence, the difpenfation of his 
 grace, and the rules of our duty. Here there- 
 fore follow, with the intervention only of a hymn, 
 two leiTons, the firft taken from, the Old Tefta- 
 ment, the fecond from the New. The courfe 
 purfued by the church points out the order and 
 difpofition of the two covenants, and fliews the 
 harmony and connexion that exift between them. 
 In a profeffed elucidation of the daily Common 
 Prayer, it will naturally be expedTred that fome ac- 
 count fhould be given of <hofe facred volumes, 
 out of which the Leffons are taken, and at what 
 period the inftitution of public reading and 
 preaching was introduced into the church. 
 
 -Of THE.OiD AND NeW TESTAMENT. 
 
 The writings,. of which the Old and New Tefta-r 
 ment, confift, are collectively called the BIBLE*. 
 
 From 
 
 * The Bible fignifies the Book, and is fo called from being the beft 
 of books, the book which we ought chiefly to ftudy, the book that 
 contains the rules of our duty, and can alone furnifh us with the 
 means of performing it. TheBible, or the written word of God, is 
 the grand inftrument of illumination by which the mind of man is 
 enlightened and elevated, as it were, above its natural condition. 
 From this fountain of infpiration all the knowledge that we can ob- 
 tain, both of God and ourfelves is primarily derived. Compared 
 with the Bible all human compofitions are as time to eternity; thefe 
 mayaiford us tranfi nt amufement in our light afflictions : but it is 
 the Bible alone that can be of real ferviceto us, in the time of necejjily 
 and at the hour of death. The name Bible is derived from the Greek 
 
 word 
 
14+ Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 From the manner in which the fubject isprefented 
 to us, we are apt to confider it as a fingle book. 
 But the Bible confifts of various treatifes com- 
 pofed by different authors, and at very diftant 
 periods of time. It contains a copious collection, 
 of the works of infpired writers, which are at 
 prefent, in general arranged according to their dif- 
 ferent fubjecT:s. The arrangement of the books 
 of the Old Tejtanient, as well as the titles by 
 which they have been diftinguifhed, has been dif- 
 ferent in different countries and times. They may 
 however be reduced to three clafTes ; i. the his- 
 torical; 2. the poetical ; and, 3. the phrophe- 
 tical. 
 
 1. The hiftorical part comprehends the Penta- 
 teuch, or the five books of Mofes*, the books of 
 Jofhua, Judges, and Ruth, the four books of 
 Kings, the two books of Chronicles, and the 
 books of Ezra, Nehemiah,and Either". Thefe books 
 
 word, Biblos, which properly fignifies a fpecies of Egyptian reed, 
 of which paper, and books were anciently made. ' 
 
 * Mofes is faid to have been the Father both of hiltory and poe- 
 try, and the inventor of letters, which he is fuppofed to have re- 
 ceived by divine communication on the Mount. It is probable that 
 the Grecian name of theMufe, who was accounted the patronefs of 
 letters, and the infpirer of wifdom and knowledge, is the lame with 
 the Hebrew name of Mofes ; which in the Greek language is ex- 
 prefled by Move-a. If this be admitted as a faft, it tends very ftrongly 
 to (hew from what fource the learning of the Greeks and Romans 
 was derived, though to them the fountain was hid, and the (heard 
 polluted by flowing through 1 a corrupted foil. 
 
 are 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. % 45 
 
 are written with great perfpicuity, and dignity 
 of language. The Pentateuch more efpeciaily is 
 a mafter-piece -of compofition, and muft claim 
 precedency of the mod perfect productions of hu- 
 man genius. Befides a brief account ef the crea- 
 tion and fall of man, the corruption and deftruc- 
 tion of the antediluvian world, and the renova- 
 tion of the human race in the family of Noah, 
 the Pentateuch exhibits, on a larger fcale, the 
 lives of the patriarchs, the fojourning of the Ifrae- 
 lites in Egypt, their Exodus from thence, and 
 progrefs through the wildernefs, the delivery of 
 the law from Mount Sinai, and the institution of 
 the levitical priefthood. The remainder of the 
 hiftorical books contains a regular, and Connected 
 hiftory of the Jewilh nation, as it exifted under 
 different forms of government, from its firft fet- 
 tlement in the land of Canaan, to the time of 
 the Babylonifh captivity. 
 
 2. The fecond clafs contains the book of Job, 
 thePfalms, Proverbs, Ecclefiaftes, and the Song 
 of Solomon. The books of this clafs are chiefly 
 the compofition of David and Solomon, the two 
 moft celebrated Kings of Ifrael, and may derive an 
 additional value in the eftimation of fome from the 
 exalted Ration of their Authors. — The book of Job 
 alone is of uncertain original. By fome it has been 
 attributed to Mofes *, and fuppofed to have been 
 
 * See marginal note in the Bible, on the title of the book of 
 Job. 
 
 l written 
 
1 4.6 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 written during his refidencc in th6 land of Midian. 
 Some think that it was compofed by Job himfclf* 
 in the language of his own country, and after- 
 wards tranflated into Hebrew by Mofes ; others 
 are of opinion that it was written fince the days 
 of Mofes. Whoever was the author of the book, 
 it bears internal marks of high antiquity, and 
 contains fome of the fublimeftcffufions of poetry, 
 that are to be found in any language. 
 
 Thefe poetical, as well as fome of the historical 
 books f, have been placed by the latter Jews in 
 that clafs of Scripture, to which they have given 
 the name of Hagiographa % or holy writings, not 
 becaufe they are of a more facred complexion than 
 the reft, but to make a fanciful diftinclion between 
 thofe books which are infpired and prophetical, 
 and thofe which are written by infpiration, but not 
 prophetic infpiration. % It is fomewhat re- 
 markable that the book of Daniel mould have been 
 placed in this latter clafs. Was not this done with 
 a view of leflening the credit of a writer who has 
 fpoken more diftinftly and clearly of the time of 
 the coming of the Meffiah, than any other of the 
 prophets? , 
 
 * From the nature and complexion of the poem, we might have 
 been difpofed to confider Job as a mere poetical character, if he had 
 not been expreffly referred to as a real character. Ezek. xiv. 14. 
 James y. 11. 
 
 + The hiftorical books, admitted into the Hagiographa, are 
 "Ruth, Efter, Ezra; Chrpnicles, and Nehemiah. 
 
 % See Leufden's Phil. Heb. 
 
 3. The 
 
tlie Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 147 
 
 3. The prophetical books are alfo of a poetical 
 call, and, confidered as compofitions, fome of 
 them are in no degree inferior to the molt 
 approved of the poetical books. This clafs 
 includes, the four major prophets, Ifaiah, Je- 
 remiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, and the twelve 
 minor prophets, Hofea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, 
 Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, 
 Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. 
 
 The prophetical books exhibit in their general 
 features the moft awful reprefentationsof the divine 
 majefty, God's gracious condefcenfion to repent- 
 ing finners, and his extreme indignation againft 
 the impenitent and incorrigibly wicked. They 
 abound with predictions, in which the Jews, the pe- 
 culiar people of God, are threatened with the divine 
 judgments, for their open and notorious violation 
 ■ of the law, while at intervals they are comforted 
 with the affurance of a more perfecl: and glorious 
 eftablifhment, to be completed after their fuffering 
 the miferies of a long and, grievous captivity. 
 
 In the prophetic books, • the Gentile world is 
 likewife cheered with the profpecl of a new and 
 fpiritual difpenfation, which has now, " in the 
 " fulnefs of time," been accomplifhed by the 
 Revelation of Jefus Chrift. 
 
 The whole volume of thefe facred writings, 
 which St. Paul dignifies with the title, " Oracles 
 of God," was (excepting a fmall part of a few 
 boqksj^priginally compofed in Hebrew, and they 
 
 h 2 . have 
 
148 Critical and Pradkai Elucidation df 
 
 1 * 
 
 have been preferved with fuch car e and- fidelity by 
 thofe, to whom they were committed, that they 
 have gome down to us with few material varia- 
 tions, in the fenfe, and with none in ariy effential 
 point of doctrine. 
 
 Or the Books' of the New Testament. 
 
 The New Teftament confifts alfo of three fpe- 
 cies of writing; 1, the hiftorical ; 2, the epifto- 
 lary; and, 3, the prophetical. 
 
 1 . The hiftorical comprehends, in the firft place, 
 the four Gofpels of Matthew, Mark,, Luke, and 
 John. In thefe, the principal tranfactions of the 
 life of our Saviour, and the inftructions delivered 
 by him during his public miniftry, are recorded in 
 fuch a ftyle of fimplicity and unaffected' dignity, 
 as to be every way worthy of the character which 
 the Evangelifts delineate, and of the doctrines 
 and duties which he taught. The hiftorical part 
 likewife contains the Acts of the Apoftles written 
 by St. Luke, in which are very particularly de- 
 tailed the earlieft accounts of the propagation of 
 the Gpfpel, and more efpecially the travels and 
 tranfactions of St. Paul. 
 
 2. The epiftoiary part is chiefly the production;: 
 of„St. Paul, whofe zeal, perfeverance, and fuc- 
 cefs, in preaching the Gofpel, are equalled only 
 by the fervency of his charity, and the animation 
 of his language. Of the epiftles of St, Paul, 
 
 * which 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 149 
 
 which are fourteen in number, the greater part is 
 addrefled to the different churches of Europe and 
 Afia, which at that time compofed the chriftian 
 world, feveral of which the Apoftle had himfelf 
 planted, and all of which he had vifited in the 
 courfe of his miniftry/ The fubjecls of which 
 they treat is the whole fum and fubftance of re- 
 ligion, as it relates to both the Jewifh and the 
 Chriftian covenants ; and the different topics are 
 handled with fuch a depth of argument and va- 
 riety of illuftration, as to form an inexhauftible 
 fund of fcientific and practical Theology. Of 
 St. Paul's Epiftles it is further remarkable, that, 
 while they are addrefled to particular churches, or 
 focieties of Chriftians, the fubject is of fuch a 
 nature, or treated in fuch a manner, that, with 
 allowance for local and temporary circumftan- 
 ces, the precepts apply equally to all churches in 
 the prefent day *. — The remaining epiftles were 
 refpe&ively written by the' Apoftles James, Peter, 
 John, and Jude. 
 
 Thefe epiftles have been denominated Catho- 
 lic f that is, univerfal or general, becaufe they 
 
 are 
 
 * The epiftles of St. Paul are not placed in exadl chronologi- 
 cal-Order, but according to the priority or reputed rank of the 
 churches to which they were addrefled. Their arrangement in the 
 order of time is.fappofed by Michaelis to be as follows. — Galatians, 
 i. and ii. Theffalonians, i. and ii. Corinthians, i. Timothy, Ro- 
 mans, Philemon, Coloffiaris, Ephefians, Philippians, Hebrews, Titus, 
 ii. Timothy. 
 
 i Though the whole of thefe epiftles are denominated Catholic, 
 
 L 3 yet 
 
150 Critical and PrABical Elucidation of 
 
 are not addrefled to particular churches as thofe 
 of St. Paul were, but to the, Chriftian Commu- 
 nity at large. 
 
 3. The part which may properly be term'd 
 prophetical, confifts only of the Revelation of 
 St. John. Under a variety of myftical figures, 
 and emblematical reprefentations, this book has 
 been generally thought to defcribe the fortunes of 
 the Chriftian church, tracing its progrefs through 
 a long feries of depreflion and perfecution to its 
 final eftablifhment, and confummation in glory. 
 
 The import of fome of the vifions may eafijy 
 bediftinguiftied through the ftiadowy fcenery thai 
 furrounds them*- but the greater part of the pro- 
 phecies is fo involved in myftery and obfeurity, 
 as to be unintelligible to the learned,, and there- 
 fore unfit to be read to an ordinary congregation. 
 To this obfeurity and difficulty of the fubjeel:, 
 it muft be attributed, that only three leflbns are 
 fele&ed from the book of Revelation, for the fer~ 
 vice of the church, 
 
 The books of the New Teftament, being io-^ 
 tended for the ufe and edification of the Chriftian 
 world, were not written in Hebrew, as the old 
 
 yet two of them, via. the fecond and third of John, are addrefled 
 only to indmduals.,r It was probably for this reafon that our tranf- • 
 lators departed from the Greek text, omitting the word General at 
 the head of thefe epiftles : But if thefe latter epiftles are not to be 
 termed General, it may be alked with 'what propriety the firft is 
 palled the firft epiftlegeneral of John ? 
 
 Tefta- 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 151 
 
 Teftament was. If we except the Gofpel of St. 
 Matthew, which is thought to have been origi- 
 nally compofed in Syro-Chaldaic, or the language 
 which Jesus /poke, all the New Teftament was 
 written in Greek, then the common language of 
 the Eaft. 
 
 Of the Agreement between the Old and New 
 Testament. 
 
 Though the* two covenants differ in language 
 and form, yet in fentiment and fubftance they 
 agree : they are in fact but two different parts of 
 one and the fame fyftem, the former being intro- 
 ductory and preparatory to the latter *. So far is 
 the Old Teftament from being " contrary to the 
 " New, that in both, life everlafting is offered 
 " to mankind by Chrift, who is the only mcdi- 
 " ator between God and Marl ; and from obedi- 
 " ence to the commandments of the law, which 
 " are called moral, no Ghriftain is free f." 
 " What is the law," fays^Juftin Martyr %, "but 
 " the prediction of the Gofpel ? and what is the 
 " Gofpel, but the law fulfilled?" "Things 
 " there prefigured," fays Auftin, " are here per- 
 formed." 
 
 * " The law," fays the Apoftle, " was our fchoolmafter to bring 
 " us unto Chrift." Gal. iii. 24. 
 
 + Seventh Article of Religion. 
 
 J T« yaj term xo/*o; ; tvayyiMot irgmaTnyyiAfMiroh Ti it to tv#y- 
 yihw ; »ofto; TiwMguumf. Quift. & Refp. ci. 
 
 l 4 " Between 
 
<c 
 
 152 Critical and P radical Elucidation of 
 
 " Between the two Covenants," fays Chryfo* 
 ftom, " there is neither repugannce, nor contra? 
 " riety of meaning ; the difference is merely ver- 
 bal *. — I have repeatedly faid, that two Co r 
 " venants, two handmaids, and two lifters, are 
 " the attendants on one Lord. Chrift is announ- 
 " qed by the prophets, Chrift is preached in the 
 " New Teftamcnt. The Old declared beforehand 
 ?'• the things of the New, and the New interpre- 
 5 f ted thofe of the Oldf." 
 
 Our Saviour " came not to deftroy the law or 
 '' the prophets : he came not to deftroy, but tp 
 5 C fulfil." (Matt. v. 17.) He came and accom- 
 plifhed what was prefigured and predicted, he ex- 
 plained more fully the fpiritual import of the 
 moral law, corrected erroneous interpretations of 
 it, and fupplied whatever was imperfect. Thus 
 the fcheme of Redemption myfterioufly repre- 
 fented in the types and figures of the Old Tefta- 
 ment, is more explicitly revealed in the New. 
 The morality alfo of the Gofpel requires higher 
 degrees of excellence than were enjoined by the 
 law, as it prefcribes not only rectitude of action, 
 but purity of principle, and forbids not only ac- 
 tual guilt, but all licentioufnefs of the thoughts 
 
 * Aia<p»§* (*ovoy ej-tiv o»of*aT«» is rai{ jtaOflxaic, a f**JCl> sic e»«»ti- 
 •171;. Horn. lib. vi. 
 
 + K«i vMas euro*, on Jt>» JiaOviKai, xsei 0V0 vu.i3unuu,xui Svo ais\- 
 fctt, lit iv u, airirt-r.v iofvpopnri. Xgtoroj w«f a. ■7ro$r,ra.; xcnayyiXhirat, 
 XfWToj e» tuun xtpitmrcu.—- — >— sj|oe£«\s <n» xamg* «i TraXaia, *a* fiyjfn- 
 itvn rnt valuucan xaim. Hem. cxi. 
 
 or 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 153 
 
 or paffions.— It is therefore when the two cove- 
 nants are viewed in connexion, the way in which 
 they ought always to be viewed, that they will 
 rnbft clearly and forcibly exhibit their own excel- 
 lence and utility. 
 
 Oriqin of reading Portions of Scripture 
 in religious Assemblies on the Sabbath 
 Day. 
 
 When the firft portion of thefe ineftimable vo- 
 lumes was given to the world, the divine author 
 fuperadded a charge, to which it is as much the 
 duty of Chriftians to attend, as it was theirs to 
 whom the charge was immediately addreffed. 
 " This book of the law {hall not depart out of 
 f ' thy mouth j but thou fhalt meditate therein day 
 ?t and night, that thou may ft obferve to doaccord- 
 fe ing to all that is written therein : for then fhalt 
 " thou make thy way profperous, and then malt 
 *' thou have good fuccefs." (Jofh. 1. 8.) And, 
 in another part of thefe facred books, we have a 
 moft elegant, and forcible defcription of the blef- 
 fednefs of the man, who uninfluenced by the ex- 
 ample, and unfeduced by the counfels of the 
 wicked, fhall place his affections on the divine 
 law, and in that law fhall meditate day and night. 
 " He fhall be like a tree," fays the infpired pen- 
 man, " planted by the rivers of water, that 
 i f bringeth forth his fruit in his feafon; his leaf 
 
 fhall 
 
1 54. Critical and PraBical Elucidation of 
 
 *' fhall not wither, and whatfoever he doeth, 
 " fhall profpcr." (Pf. i.) 
 
 But notwithftanding the ftricT: injunctions to 
 meditate on the divine law day and night, and the 
 bleflings promifed to thofe " that mould obferye 
 " to do according to all things written therein," 
 we do not find that the public reading of it on 
 the Sabbath Day formed any part of the Mofaic 
 inftitution. Still, it feems probable, that be- 
 fide thofe feftivals when the law was expresfly 
 appointed to be publickly read, the Levites did 
 at other times occasionally teach it to the people. 
 We know that, in the reign of Jehofhaphat, Le- 
 vites by his command wenjf throughout all the 
 cities of Judah and taught (2 Chron. xvn. 9.) : 
 and when we confidcr the fcarcity of copies of 
 the law, (for the Levites in this inftance were 
 ^obliged to carry the book with rhem,) the diffi- 
 culty of multiplying copies, and the general in- 
 attention pf the whole Jewifh nation to the law, 
 we cannot conceive how the people mould ac- 
 quire or retain any tolerable knowledge of it, ex- 
 cept they were inftructed oftener than once a year 
 at the feaft of tabernacles. . 
 
 However this might be, the commencement 
 pf the practice of regularly reading portions of 
 the law, as well as of interpreting what was read, 
 appears to have been fubfequent to the return from 
 the Babylonifti captivity. The moft general opinion 
 is, that during the abode of the people at Bablyon, 
 
 their 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 155 
 
 Mieir language was fo far corrupted by converfing 
 in a foreign idiom, that upon their return to their 
 native country, few of them were able to under- 
 stand the Text of their own fcriptures. On this 
 account it was ordained by Ezra, at the requeft 
 of the people themfelves, that the law of Mofes 
 Jhould be publickly read A and expounded by Le- 
 vites appointed for that purpofe. 
 
 In the book of Nehemiah we have a particular 
 account of the manner in which the law firft be- 
 -fjan to be read and expounded in public : and 
 Unlefs we may except the dedication of the temple 
 by Solomon, a more folemn and affecting cere- 
 mony is not recorded in the hiftory of the Jews. 
 " All the people," (that is, if the words are to 
 be underftood in their utmoft latitude, fifty thou- 
 fand perfons) " gathered themfelves together as 
 •' one man, into the ftreet that was before the 
 ' * water-gate, and they fpake unto Ezra the fcribe, 
 " to bring the book of the law of Mofes, which 
 " the Lord had commanded to Ifrael. And Ezra 
 " the prieft brought the law before the congrega- 
 " tion, both of men and women, and all that 
 ,f could hear with underftanding, upon the firft 
 " day of the feventh mOnth. And he read therein 
 " before the ftreet that was before the water r gate, 
 " from the morning until mid-day, before the 
 " men and the women, and thofe that could un- 
 " derffand ; and the ears of all the people; were 
 " attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra 
 '■' the fcribe flood upon a pulpit of wood, which 
 
 *' they 
 
156 Critical and Praftical Elucidation tf 
 
 " they had made for the purpofe, and befide him 
 *' flood Mattithiah, and Shemah, and Anaiah, 
 " and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maafeiah, on his 
 " right hand ; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and 
 " Mifhael, and Malchia, and Hafhum, and Hafti- 
 " badana, Zechariah, and Mefhyllam. And Ezra 
 " opened the book in the fight of all the people, 
 " (for he was above all the people) and when fie 
 " opened it, all the people flood up : and Ezra 
 *' blefled the Lord the great God: and all the 
 " people anfwered, Amen, amen, with lifting up 
 " their hands : and they bowed their heads, and 
 " worfhipped the Lord with their faces to the 
 *' ground. Alfo Jefhua, and Bani, and Sheribah, 
 " Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maafeiah, 
 " Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and 
 tc the Levites caufed the people to underftand the 
 '* law: and the people flood in their place." So 
 " they read in the book, in the law of God dif- 
 " tindlly, and gave the fenfe, and caufed them 
 " to underftand the reading." (Nehemiah viii. 
 1—8.) 
 
 Some Jewifti writers are of opinion, that the 
 .origin of publickly reading the law on the Sabbath 
 Day is of much greater antiquity than the date 
 here afligned to it. Jofephus, who no doubt de- 
 livers the fentiments of his contemporaries, thus 
 f xpreffes himfelf. " Mofes, that he might not 
 *' leave the Jews any pretext for ignorance, in- 
 *.' troduced an admirable mode of inftruction. 
 
 The 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 157 
 
 "• The Taw, which they were bound to obey, was 
 " not limply read to them once, or twice, but,. 
 " he commanded them to leave their work every 
 " Sabbath Day, and to meet together to hear the 
 " law read. A circumftance in which all other 
 " legiflators have been deficient*." 
 
 Whenever Jofephus fpeaks of things, which came 
 under his own immediate, knowledge, great re- 
 fpect is due to his tefti'mony. But thefe, and fuch 
 like fentiments, are calculated rather to flatter 
 the national pride of the Jews, than to give us a 
 fair reprefentation of facts. f For where does it 
 
 appear 
 
 * Jofephus cont. Ap. 1. ii. c. 17. 
 
 + Phih likewife, in a paffage recorded by Eufebius, tells us, that 
 the public reading of the law every fibbath day, was ordained by 
 Mofes. He goes farther, and defcribes the manner in which Mo- 
 fes commanded the law to be read and expounded on thofe days. 
 From the words oiPhilo we may colleft what was the general cuftom 
 in the time of our Saviour, and when Pbifo lived ; but they 
 
 prove nothing more. Videtur Philo Judarorum moremin fyna- 
 
 gogis differendi, aniit/uitale donare voluiffe, quern a Chrifto, & apo- 
 ftolis obfervatum legimus. The remark of Saltan, (Annot. A. M. 
 2546.) may, on this occafion, with equal juftice be applied to Jofe- 
 phus. In the days of Mofes there was no place fet apart for reli- 
 gious ufes but the tabernacle, and how the people that were dif- 
 perfed throngh the country, could aflemble every fabbath' day before • 
 the tabernacle, (or temple afterward,) we leave Philo and Jofephus 
 to determine. — If the people met weekly to be taught the law', the 
 Levitkal vifitation, inftituted for that very purpofe by Jehofliaphat* 
 was unneceflajy., (See p. 1 54.) — Had it been cuftomary to read the 
 law every fabbath day, could the religious prince Jofiah .be unac- , 
 
 quainted 
 
t$Z Critical and PratJical Elucidation of "% 
 
 appear in the Mofaic law, that the people were 
 commanded to meet together on the Sabbath Day 
 for the purpofe of hearing that law either ex- 
 pounded or read to- them ? The leading, direct, 
 and pofitive injunctions, are, " And thefe words 
 iC whichl command thee this day, {hall be in thine 
 " heart; and thou fhalt teach them diligently 
 "- unto thy children. And fhalt talk of tliem when 
 " thou fitteft in thine houfe, aud when thou 
 " walked by the way, and when thou.liefl down, 
 " and when thou rifeft up. And thou fhalt 
 " bind them for a fign upon thine hand, and they 
 " fhall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And- 
 " thou fhalt write them upon the pofts of thy 
 u houfe, and on thy gates." Deut. vi. 6 — 9. 
 
 So far as regards the duty of diligently ftudying 
 the law, thefe expreffions are indeed pointed and 
 conclufive. But they go no farther than toenjoin, 
 that mafters of families were to meditate upon the 
 Jaw in private, that it was to be made a fubject of 
 converfation with theirfriends, and that they fhould 
 be careful to teach it to their children and domef- 
 ties. This is the utmojl extent of the Mofaic in- 
 junction ; and that it was received in any other 
 fenfe no where appears from the hiftory of the 
 
 qtiainted with the cuftom ; or would he have regarded the dilbovery 
 of a copy among the ruins of the temple, as a" very extraordinary 
 event ? In ftiort,. if the law were then read every week to all the 
 people, where was the occafion for " gathering together the elders 
 *•' of Judah and Jeriifalem,'' for the purpofe of reading in theis 
 f»rs all the words of the book? II. Kings, xxl. n. xsiii. 1. tec. 
 
 Jews. 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 159 
 
 Jews. In the reign of David, Solomon, and the 
 fucceeding kings, we have no account of any pub- 
 lic meeting held on the Sabbath Day, for the pur- 
 pofe of hearing the law read, or of receiving re- 
 ligious instruction. 
 
 It is true indeed that Mofes "commanded them, 
 " faying, at the end of every fevcn years, in the 
 " folemnity of the year of releafe, in the feaft of 
 " tabernacles, when all Ifrael is come to appear 
 " before the Lord thy God, in 'the place which he 
 " mail choofe: thou fhalt read this law before all 
 " Ifrael, in their hearing. Gather the people to- 
 " gether, men, and women, and children, artd 
 " thy ftranger that is within thy gates, that they 
 tl may hear, and that they may learn and fear the 
 " Lord your God, and obferve to do all the words 
 " of this law ; And that their children, which 
 " have nbt known any thing, may hear and learn 
 " to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live 
 " in the land whither ye go over Jordan to poflefs 
 " it." (Deut. xxxi. 10— 13.) 
 
 Had Mofes commanded the law to be read 
 every Sabbath Day in public, the inj unction to read 
 it at the feaft of tabernacles, and at the end of 
 every feven years, in the folemnity of the year of 
 releafe, would appear to be lefs neceffary. But 
 the truth is, that no mention is made of the prac- 
 tice of reading the law on the Sabbath Day, 
 prior to the return from the Babylonifh captivity. 
 After this era, we have already feen a very parti- 
 1 cular 
 
J.6e Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 'Cular account of the manner in which that cuf- 
 tom was introduced. But it is not there, either 
 ftated or fuggefted to have been the continuance, 
 or revival of an ancient cuftom. On the contrary, 
 it feems to have arifen from the neceffity of the 
 cafe. The people were become unable either to 
 read, or underftand the original language of their 
 own law; and therefore " the Levites read in the 
 ' c book, and gave the fenfe, and caufed them to 
 " underftand the meaning." 
 
 Either in the time of Ezra*, or foon after, fyna-' 
 gogues were firft ere&ed ; and one was built in 
 every place, where there were ten perfons pro- 
 perly qualified to attend the fervice. The qualifi- 
 cations were, that they fhould be free, and of 
 competent age. From this period to the com- 
 ing of Chrift, the cuftom of reading and. expound- 
 ing the Scripture in the fynagogues on the Sabbath' 
 Day, was ftrictly obferved f. Yet during this 
 interval, a remarkable change is faid to have taken' 
 place. Hitherto the Lazv only had been read, and 
 expounded in public.^ About the year 170 before 
 
 the 
 
 • See Prideaux, Old and New Teftament connected. 
 
 + If we date this inftitution of Ezra, A. M. 3610, (Nehemiah c. 
 viii.) that is, nearly {oo years before the firft council of Jerufalem, 
 Sr*. James is warranted in affirming that " Mofes of ili time had in 
 " every city, them that preached him," the law having then, for 
 more than 450 years been *' read in the Synagogues every fabbath 
 day." (Aftsxv. 21.) 
 
 \ For this purpofe the. Pentateuch was- divided into 50 feftions,' 
 2 (or 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 6 1 
 
 ' the birth of Chrift. * Antiochus, furnamed thc,//- 
 lufirious, befide other acts of imperial cruelty and 
 oppreflion exercifed upon the Jews, prohibited 
 the reading of the law in the fynagogue. At the 
 firft promulgation of this edict, the Jews, who 
 after the Babylonifh captivity uniformly expreffed, 
 externally at leaft, the higheft, veneration for the 
 
 (or rather into 54, on.account of the intercalar year) that the whole 
 might be read over once every year. The Seftions were diftin- 
 guifhed, as they ftill continue to be, in the Hebrew copies, by the 
 letter Pe, or Phc , the initial of Phara[ba t which fignifies repa- 
 ration, or divifion. This I apprehend was the original reafan for 
 adopting the inverted black P [!,] which is retained in our tranfla- 
 tion of the Bible to mark paragraphs or tranfirrons. The divifion 
 of the Old and New Teftament into chapters is a modern praftice, 
 and the fubdivifion of chapters into verfes ftill more modern : in the 
 tranllation of the New Teftament by Tyndal, and in the older 
 editions, there are no verfes. This fubdivifion of the New Tefta- 
 ment was made by Robert Stephens, the celebrated printer, on a 
 journey from Paris to Lyons about the year 1550. — The prefent 
 mode of dividing the Scriptures, though attended with fome difad- 
 vantages, affords eafy reference to any particular paflage ; and upon 
 the whole, is preferable to the more ancient ouftom of marking the 
 columns of a page with the roman capitals, A, B, C , D, Sec. It 
 is obfervable that our Epiftles and Gofpels in the Communion Ser- 
 vice, ftill remain, as the New Teftament was printed in the reign o£ 
 Edward VI., without the divifion into verfes. 
 
 * In the fpace of three days he deftroyed no fewer than 80,000 
 Jews : yet after propofed to become a Jew himfelf. For 2. more 
 particular account of his perfecution of the Jews, and profanation 
 of their temple, of his own fufferings, loathfome difeafe and death, 
 and of the praakes of the Jewiftl priefts to obtain the principality, 
 or office of High Prieft, fee Jofephus, Antiq. b. xii. and the two 
 Apocryphal Books of Maccabees. 
 
 m Mofaical 
 
1 62 Critical and Praifical Elucidation of 
 
 Mofaical law, were greatly diftrefled. They 
 however foon difcoveired an expedient, by, which 
 they contrived to evade the penalty annexed to 
 the violation of the royal mandate, and flill to 
 have their fcriptures read and expounded in the 
 fynagogue on the Sabbath day*. Inftead of the 
 law, they read fuch paflages in the prophets as, 
 either in a literal, or figurative meaning, moft 
 nearly refembled the leffons to which they had 
 been accuftomed. After the prohibition to read 
 the Law was withdrawn, the reading of the Pro- 
 phets was not difeontinued. Their pradlice was 
 to read and expound, firft. a, portion of the law, 
 and afterward a portion of the. prophets. That 
 this was the ufual cuftom in the time of our Sa- 
 viour's miniftry ,upon earth, the words of the Gof- 
 pel will prove. The voices of Mofes and the pro- 
 phets were then heard in the fynagogue every Sab- 
 'bath Day, (Acts xiii. 15. xv. 21- ) and when our 
 Lord had read aportion from the prophecy of Ifaiah, 
 
 * Antiochus interdixit, — Ne Judxi fe&ionem legis in fynagoga, 
 publice praelegerent. Judaei, triftes propter hoc interdiftum, omi- 
 ferunt pro tempore le&ionem legis fabbathinam : fed loco fectio- 
 num legalium, prselegerunt quafdam fectiones ex prophetis, refpon- 
 
 dentes materia;, qu« in illis -fedtionibus legalibus continebatur.- 
 
 For inftance, inftead of the firft fe&iorf from Genefis, which treats of 
 the creation of the -world, theytooka feftionfrom Ifaiah, which re- 
 fers to it, and read from c. xlu v. 5. to c. xuii. v. 11. In this 
 manner they exchanged all the legal for prophetical feftions. (Leuf- 
 den. Philol. Heb. and Buxt. de Syn. Jud.) This rabbinical account 
 is not, as I believe, confirmed either by Maccabees, or Jofepbus. 
 
 • . .- in 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 163 
 
 in his exposition he applied it to himfelf. ( Luke iv. 
 21.) 
 
 Of the manner, in which the law and the pro- 
 phets were (.hen read in the . fynagogue, we have 
 an account from Philo, preferred by Eufebius *. 
 " What then did Mofes order to be done on the 
 Sabbath day? He appointed that we fhould all af- 
 femblein oneplact, and fitting together infilence 
 and modefty, hear the law read f. This is done 
 that none may remain ignorant of his obligation 
 to obferve it. The reader of the law is either a 
 prieft or an elder, who alfo expounds it. This 
 office he continues till evening. The affembly 
 then breaks up, having their minds improved, 
 and their devotion invigorated, by the knowledge 
 of the facred law." 
 
 Our Saviour, who never unneceflarily thwarted 
 eftablifhed forms, feems to have adopted this mode 
 of teaching from the Jewifh Scribes %. After the 
 opening of his million, " he entered into the 
 " fynagogue, and into the temple, and taught," 
 
 * Prep. Evan. lib. viii. c. 7. 
 
 + See note on this callage, p. 157. 
 
 % The law of Mofes had made no provifion for the public read- 
 ing, and expounding of the Scriptures, and apparently in confe- 
 quence of the regulation of Ezra, a new order of men was appointed, 
 who were called Scribes, T^awia-ms, that is, men of letter?, learned 
 in the mofaical law. Though the office of the Scribe was diftintt 
 from that of the priefthood, yet the Scribes feem to have been fe- 
 lefted chiefly from the tribe of Levi, and they were in general of the 
 feft of the Pharifees. 
 
 M 2 as 
 
1 64 Critical and PrailicaJ. Elucidation of 
 
 t 
 
 as the Scribes had done. Yet there was fomething 
 fo new and Angular, both in his doctrine, and 
 manner of teaching, as to fill his hearers with fur- 
 prife and admiration. When he firft addr&fTed 
 his countrymen in the fynagogue of Nazareth, 
 " all wondered at the gracious words which pro- 
 " ceeded out of his mouth." (Luke iv. 22.) — 
 In the fermon on the Mount, which may be con- 
 fidered as a complete fpecimen of his public 
 preaching, we have a decifive proof, that if he 
 copied the Scribes in their practice of teaching, 
 he was at leaft original in his manner, and infi- 
 nitely furpaffed them, in the excellence of his 
 doctrines. At the clofe of this difcourfe, the 
 Evangelift'adds, " And it came Eo pafs when 
 " Jefus had ended thefe layings, the people Mere 
 " aftoni fried at his doctrine, for he taught them 
 - ' as one having authority, and not as the Scribes." 
 (Matt. vii. 28, 29.) 
 
 From our Saviour, the talk of preaching the 
 Gofpel devolved upon the Apoftles. At their 
 firft appointment to the office, their commiffion 
 was limited. Ir extended only " to the loft fheep 
 " of the houfe of Ifrael," to whom they were 
 directed to go, and as they went, to " preach, 
 " faying, the kingdom of Heaven is come nigh 
 " unto you." (Matt. x. 6, 7.) 
 
 After his refurredtion, they were inverted with 
 a more extenfive commiffion. " Go, ye, and teach 
 " all nations, baptizing them, in the name of 
 " the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
 
 ' « Ghoft; 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 65 
 
 " Ghoft ; teaching them to obferve all things 
 " whatfoever I have commanded you ; and lo, I 
 " am with you alway even unto the end of the 
 " world." (Matt, xxviii. 19, 20.) 
 
 Accordingly "' when the day of Pentecoft was 
 " fully come, and the promife of the Father" 
 fulfilled by the vilible defcent of the Holy Ghoft 
 upon the perfons of the Apbftles, they entered 
 upon the arduous tafk of converting, and reclaim- 
 ing the world by the miniftry of preaching. Early 
 on this very day, and at their firft outfet in general, 
 we find them proving and demonftrating, from 
 the law, from the Book of Pfalms, and from the 
 Prophets, that the fame Jefus, whom the Jewifh 
 rulers had crucified and flain, was indeed the very 
 Chrift. (A<5ts 11.) When the number of the 
 difciples was increafed, they took a more ample 
 range in their difcourfes, and inftead of confining 
 themfelves to thofe paffages, that contained proofs 
 of our Saviour's miffion, we find them, " after 
 " the reading of the law and the prophets," ex- 
 horting the people, and inftruftirig them in the 
 leading doctrines and duties of Chriftianity. 
 
 In the public affemblies of the firft Chriftians, 
 it is probable that portions from the whole canon 
 of Scripture were occasionally read, and afterwards 
 explained. At this period the Books of the Old 
 Teftament were the only canonical Scripture. 
 But as foon as the different parts of the New Tef- 
 tament were written and publifhed, they likewife 
 were read in the church. Thus much, as I think, 
 
 m 3 may- 
 
1 66 ->» Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 may fairly be inferred from the writings of-St. PauK 
 He folemnly charges the Theflalonians " that his 
 " epiftle to them be read to all the brethren." 
 (Ch. v. 27.) And to the Coloffians he writes, 
 " after this epiftle is read amongfl you, caufe 
 " that it be read alfo in the church of the Laodi- 
 " ceans." (Ch.iv. 17.) Chriftians have always 
 had the Scriptures read in t-heir religious aflem- 
 blies. To Mofes and the prophets, the primitive 
 church added the Epiftles and Gofpels. 
 
 Juftin, who from a Platonic philofopher, be- 
 came a Chriftian Martyr, has given a very valua- 
 ble detail of the manner in which the Eucharift 
 was adminiftered, and other parts of public wor- 
 ship performed in the"fecond ce/itury. Speaking 
 of the Leffons, and the pradice of explaining, 
 and applying them, he fays, " On the day, called 
 " Sunday, there is held a meeting in one place of 
 " all the people, whether they dwell in town?, 
 " or in the country; and the writings of the Apo- 
 " ftles and Prophets are read, as far as time and 
 *' opportunity permit. Then, after the reader 
 " has finilhed, he that prefides, addrefles a dif- 
 ft courfe to the people, in which he inftructs 
 " them, and exhorts them to imitate the goodly 
 *' things that have been read *." 
 
 When the perfecution ur^der Marcus Antoninus 
 
 * See his Second Apology towards the end. This Apology, to 
 adopt the language of the times, is faid to have procured Juftin 
 «' the crown of martyrdom." According to fome, he was executed 
 foon after it was prcfented to the Emperor. 
 
 (m 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 167 
 
 (in which, among others, fell the venerable Poly- 
 Carp, and the renowned Juftin Martyr,) ceafed to 
 rage, the Chriftians in general, during the milder 
 reign of Commodus, experienced a temporary 
 refpite. But towards the clofe of this century, 
 after Sevefus was proclaimed Emperor, " Afia, 
 " Egypt, and the other provinces were dyed with 
 " the blood of martyrs * ;" arid the calamities of 
 the Chriftians at this period probably gave birth 
 to the apology of Tertullian. Defcribing the 
 practices of Chriftians in their public aflemblies, 
 he fays, " We meet together to hear the Holy 
 " Scriptures rehearfed, according as the circum- 
 " ftances of the prefent times may require us to 
 " forewarn, or 60 review. At all events, by the 
 " Sacred Scriptures, we fupport our faith, exalt 
 " our hope, and confirm our confidence. We 
 " further enforce obedience to the divine com- 
 tr mands by repeated inftruclions, by exhortations, 
 " and by rebukes f." 
 
 Both 
 
 * Mofheim's Ecc. Hift. 
 
 + Though this paflage evidently proves that the Scriptures were 
 read.vand afterwards expounded, and applied, yet the full import 
 of each particular word is not fo eafily afcertained. Whether 
 recognofcere means " to review our own lives for the purpofe of 
 " correcting what rnay be found amifs," or " to remind us of thofe 
 1 " trials, which our Lord taught his difciples to expeft, in order 
 " that, like him, we n'ay be prepared to meet them ; ". or whether 
 it particularly denotes either of the two, I venture not to hazard 
 even a conje&ure. Other parts of the paflage are not devoid of 
 difficulty. Sufpefting that I may have given an imperfect, or im- 
 
 $ ]AI proper, 
 
1 6 8 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 Both the length * and number of the Leffons 
 appear to have been different in different places. 
 Sometimes a portion of Scripture, equal to three 
 or four ordinary chapters, was recited as one 
 Leflbn f: and four, three, or at leaft two Le^Tons, 
 were always read in the courfe of the fervice. Of 
 thefe, fome were taken out of the Old Teftament, 
 and fome out of the New. To this general prac- 
 tice the ancient church of Rome afforded a An- 
 gular exception. From old Roman ritualifts, ' 
 Stillingfleet has maintained that for upwards of 
 400 years after Chrift, no. part of Scripture was 
 
 proper, tranflation, I quote the words of the original from Rigault's 
 
 Edition. Coiraus ad literarum divinarum commemorationem ; 
 
 fi quid praefentium temporum qualitas aut praemonere cogit, aut re- 
 cognofcere : certe fidem fanftis vocibus pafcimus, fpem erigimus, 
 fiduciam figimus — difciplinam praeceptorum nihilominus inculca- 
 tionibus denfamus. Ibidem etiam exhoitationes, caftigationes, & 
 cenfura divina. 
 
 * I do not mean to refer to the diftmdlion made by Durantus, 
 1. iii. c. 1 8, who fays longer Leffons were appointed for the noc- 
 turnal, or antelucan office, and ftiorter for the other hours ; for this 
 diftinciion probably did not exift before the canonical hours were 
 fettled about the fifth century. The bilhop or prefbyter, who pre- 
 fided, fometimes appointed particular Leffons, and we have already 
 feen that their length varied according to circumftances. See 
 Juftin cited p. 166. 
 
 + From the Introduction to one of Origen's Homilies,, we learn 
 that the Leflbn on part of which he preached were chaps. 2$, 26, 
 27, and z 8, of the Firft Book of Samuel. This portion, he fays, 
 was too copious to be handled all at once, and therefore he confines 
 bis difcourfe to the lad of thefe chapters, which relates a very re^ 
 markable paflage of facred hiftory, the tranfaftions at En-dok..— . 
 Horn, de Engajl, 
 
 read 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 169 
 
 read in that church, but the. epifties of St. Paul, 
 and the four Gofpels. Afterwards the Pfalms, or, 
 at leaff, felections from the Pfalms, were recited ; 
 and, in procefs of time, Leffbns taken from the 
 Old and New Teftament were introduced. This 
 practice, Stillingfleet thinks was borrowed from 
 the Gallic church, as other enlargements of the 
 Romifh offices confeffedly were *. 
 - In fome countries only two Leffbns were read, 
 and they immediately followed the Pfalms. This 
 order, Caffian fays, was fo very ancient in Egypt, 
 that it was not known whether the institution was 
 of human, apoftolic, or divine appointment : and 
 he, with others, is difpofed to attribute it to the 
 miniftry of angels. This practice was probably 
 eftablifhed by Caffian in fome parts, of the Gallican 
 church ; and when We confider the intimate con- 
 nection that about this period fubfifted between it 
 and the Britifh church, and the general uniformity 
 of their inftitutions, it is not unreasonable to con- 
 clude, that from Gaul the cuftom Was -introduced 
 into Britain. 
 
 In reading the Leffbns, the early Chriftians had 
 fome peculiar cuffoms, which it may be prqper 
 to notice. Before the reader began, fometimes 
 the bifhop addreffed the people with this faluta- 
 tion, " peace be unto you." An affiftant deacon 
 
 * Orig. Ept. c. iv. p. 217, &c. I own I doubt this account, as 
 well as the affertion of Sozomen, (1. 7. c. 19.) when brought to 
 prove that prior to the year 500, there were no Homilies in the 
 ghurch of Rome, 
 
 flood 
 
I70 Critical and Pjraclical Elucidation if ' , 
 
 ftood up, and with a loud voice faid, " Brethren, 
 let us hearken." The reader introduced the 
 Leflbn with thefe words, " Thus faith the Lord." 
 In fome places immediately before the reading of 
 the Scriptures, it was cuftomary far the people to 
 walh their hands, a fignificant emblem of the 
 " pure affection " with which we muft hear and 
 receive the word of God, if we expect to profit 
 by its instructions, and are delirous to " bring 
 forth the fruits of the fpirit." 
 
 Order in which the Lessons are appointed 
 to be read. 
 
 That the Scriptures, were commonly read not 
 promifcuoufly, but in fome certain ftated order, 
 is evident from the writings of many of the fathers, 
 and more efpecially from thofe of Chryfoftom. 
 
 In his Tenth Homily on the Gofpel of St. John, 
 he exhorts the congregation to read at home, in 
 the courfe of the preceding week, fuch portions 
 of this Gofpel, as they knew would, on Sunday, 
 be read, and expounded in the church. 
 
 The Leflons were followed by the Homily*, or 
 Sermon, which generally was an explanation of 
 
 fome 
 
 * The name Homily comes from the Greek op^a, which, 
 among the ecclefiaftical writers, fignifies an inftruftive difcourfe 
 addrefled to the- people, whether extemporary, or read out of a 
 
 book. Olim haec interpretatio ad populum non ex Hbro flebat, 
 
 fed viva voce. - (Renaud^ Lit. Orient. Tom. I. p. 204.) W the 
 weftern church, thefe explanations wefe called traHatus, and the 
 
 v preachers 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 171 
 
 fome paffage, or portion, of the Scriptures that 
 
 had been read in the fervice of the day. 
 
 The 
 
 preachers trahatores, from their handling, and expounding what had 
 before been read in the Leffohs. Origen exprefsly calls Sermons, 
 explanations of the Leffbt/s, [tut en; to. avaytuxr^ara hriyiftrim — Orig. 
 cont. Celf. lib. iii.) and fuch explanations are his Homilies, or 
 Sermons, and many of thofe of Chryfoftom and Auftin. As for 
 the length of their Sermons, they ufually preached almoft an hour ; 
 yet fome of Auftin's' difcourfes in their pref:nt form might be de- 
 livered in lefs than fifteen minutes; and the greater part of Leo's 
 in -five, or fix. The difcourfes of Chryfologus are remarkably 
 (hort. Gregory the Great, in one of his Homilies on the Gofpel 
 for Chriftmas-day, obferves, that fince, by the bleffing of God, the 
 Eucharift would on that day be three times celebrated, (prorjably 
 becaufe the communicants were three times as many as the church 
 could contain at once,) his difcourfe muft be very Ihort. When 
 the Leffons confifted of feveral chapters, the preacher paffed over 
 fome of the matter contained in them, and treated only of fuch 
 parts as were moft important. As for the manner of their Sermons, 
 we may obferve this method in the Homilies of Origen. He began 
 with a (hort exordium, then explained verfe after verfe, or fentence 
 after fentence, fliewing the natural, and literal, fignification of the 
 words, and then their fpiritual or myftical meaningj and concluded 
 with a fuitable application of the whole, "either by exhorting the 
 " people to the pradice of piety and virtue, or diffuading them 
 " from irreligion and vice." (Orig. cont. Celf. J. iii.) They 
 likewife accommodated their difcourfes to the capacities of their 
 hearers, f I bid. J 
 
 The ancient practice of explaining confiderabje portions of Scrip- 
 ture to the people was revived by our reformers. Before them, 
 Colet had employed many years in publicly expounding all the 
 epiflles written by St, Paul, Archbifhop Cranmer .expounded He- 
 brews, as Biffiops Hooper, Latimer, and Jewel, did Jonah, the 
 Lord's Prayer, ' many of the Epiftlcs, and all the Epiftles and 
 Gofpels ufed in the Communion fervice on Sundays and holidays. 
 
 From 
 
1 7 2 Critical and Practical Elutidatish bf 
 
 The! Writings of Auftin evirttfe, that, in his 
 time, the church had certain fixed Leflbns for 
 ordinary days, and others for fejlivals. " You may 
 " remember," fays he to his audience, " that I 
 " have lately been treating of the Gofpel accord- 
 " ing to John, as appointed to be read in the 
 " order of Leflbns *. But at prefent, becaufe 
 " folemn holidays intervene, for which proper 
 " Leflbns are appointed, and on which no others 
 " muft be ufed, I am under the neceffity of in- 
 " terrupting the courfe I had begun. Though 1 
 " fufpend for a fhort time my expofition of that 
 " Gofpel, it is not my defign to relinquish it alto- 
 '' gether." This paflage proves, that the practice 
 of the church in the time of Auftin, bears a ftrong 
 refemblance to the regulations of the church of 
 England, which has leflbns read in courfe on or- 
 dinary days, and -proper leflbns for all Sundays and 
 other holidays ; and which likewife directs, that 
 " whenever proper leflbns are appointed, then the 
 " leflbns of ordinary courfe fhall be omitted for 
 that time f. 
 
 "The ancient fathers," as our church obferves %, 
 
 Frdnl the pra&ice of Ambrofe, Origen, Chryfoftom, and Auftin, 
 among the ancients, and of our reformers, and other rriore modern 
 divines, we may with fafety affirm, that explaining and applying 
 portions of Scripture read in the Leflbns, is a very beneficial mode 
 of preaching to ordinary congregations. 
 
 * Ex ordiae leftionum — certas ex evdfigelto le&idnes' orJdrtet in 
 ecclefia recitari, quce itafunt certe, ut dlitt ejft Hon poffkni. 
 
 + Order how the Scripture is appointed to be read. 
 
 \ Concerning the fervice of the church. 
 
 " fo 
 
Tlje Msrning and Evening Public Pmyer. 173 
 
 " fo ordered the matter, that all the whole Bible, 
 " or the greateft part of it, fhould be read over 
 " once every year; that the people, by daily hear- 
 " ing of the Holy Scripture read in the church, 
 " might continually profit more and more in the 
 " knowledge of God, ar *d be more inflamed with 
 " the love of his true religion. This, Godly and 
 " decent order of the ancient fathers had," as our 
 reformers complain, " been fo- altered, broken, 
 " and neglected, by planting in uncertain ftories 
 " and legends, with multitudes of refponds, verfes,. 
 " vain repetitions, commemorations,' and fyno- 
 " dais, that not more than three or four chapters 
 " of Genefis, or Ifaiah, or any other book, was 
 " commonly read, and all the reft left unread.'* 
 
 To remedy thefe inconveniences there was drawn 
 up at the reformation a calendar of leffons plain 
 and eafy to be underftood. All legends*, and 
 
 what- 
 
 * Legends in the Roman church are Leffons from the Breviary 
 concerning the Saint, whofe feftival is celebrated. Though they 
 were read chiefly on Saints' Days, yet almoft every day being de- 
 dicated to fome Saint, or other, and the office for the Saint's Day 
 on all Dovbles fuperfeding the office for the Sunday, (excepting 
 thofe of Advent and Lent, with Eafter-day, Whitfunday, and Tri- 
 nity Sunday, which take place of doubles,) thofe legends generally 
 made a part of the dally fervice. On the anniverfaries of modern 
 Saints, fuch legendary ftories might naturally be expefted. But 
 there was introduced even into the hiftory of the apoftles, themfdves, 
 an incongruous mixture of divine truth, and monkifh fidion. A 
 very few fpecimens will be thought fufficient for the reader, and 
 perhaps too much for fo folemn a fubjeft. I fhall therefore produce 
 
 only 
 
174 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 whatever was untrue, uncertain, or fuperftitious, 
 were omitted. Nothing was ordained to be read 
 but the pure word of God, or that which is agreea- 
 ble to the fame, and all refponds *, with whatever 
 interrupted the reading of the Holy Scriptures, 
 
 only two, vvhich occur at the commencement of the ecclefiaftical 
 year. 
 
 On St. Andrew's Day, the Legends reprefent the apoftle ad- 
 dteffing the crofs on which he was to fuffer, in the language of a 
 monk. Doftor bonus, et Amicus Dei Andreas, ducitur ad cru- 
 cem ; quam a longe afpiciens dixit — Salve crux, &c, and again, 
 O Bena crux, diudefiJeuila,folicite amata, & alic/uando prteparata , &C; 
 and again, O crux admirabilis, O crux defiderabilis, &c. (See in the 
 Roman, and Salifbury Breviaries, Le&ions for Nov. 30.) 
 
 On Dec. 4. the Legends relate that the corpfe of St. Bennet, 
 being put into a boat frozen up in the river, thawed the ice, and 
 without oars, or any human aid, failed up theftream fixteen miles 
 to the place of interment. Though the winter was fevere, all the 
 
 trees put forth bloflbms,,&c. With fuch idle tales did the church 
 
 of Rome once abufe the credulous, and fuperftitious multitude; 
 that is, fuch as underftood Latin. It mould be remarked, however, ' 
 that many of thefe ridiculous ftories have been thrown out of the 
 modern Breviaries, and more efpecially out of thofe ufed in fome 
 diocefes.of the late Gallican church. 
 
 * A refpond was introduced fometimes in the middle of a chapter. 
 But no refpond (or as the Englifli Roman Catholics more properly fay, 
 refponfe) was introduced in the middle of a Leffon, neither was it a 
 hymn, nor any part of a hymn-; though both of thefe propofitiont 
 have been inadvertently laid down by writers on the Englifli Liturgy. 
 When a confiderable portion of Scripture, equal, for inftance, to a 
 chapter of' moderate length; was divided into feveral Leffons, read 
 in one feryice, a fhort Refpond followed each, and thus interrupted 
 the reading. At the clofe of the whole, longer refponfe* were ge- 
 nerally ufed. 
 
 were 
 
Tht Morning and Evening Public Prayer. i j 5 
 
 were abolifhed. " The Old Teftament is ap- 
 " pointad for the firft leffons at Morning and 
 " Evening Prayer ; fo as the mod part therepf 
 " will be read every year once, as in the calendar 
 " is appointed *. — And the New for the fecond 
 " leffons at Morning and Evening' Prayer, and 
 " fhall be read over orderly every year thrice, 
 " belides the Epiftles and Gofpels ; except the 
 " Apocalypfe, out of which there are only certain 
 " proper leffons appointed- upon diverfe feafts f." 
 
 Here we muft remark snore particularly what 
 was incidentally mentioned before, that the church 
 of England in the appointment of leffons obferves 
 two different courfes. — One for ordinary days, 
 and another for holidays. 
 
 On ordinary days fhe begins the courfe of her 
 firft leffons with the book of Genefis in the begin- 
 ning of her civil year ; and proceeds regularly 
 through the greateftpart of the Bible. Ifaiah alone 
 is not read in the order in which it ftands. The 
 evangelical prophet, in conformity to primitive 
 ufage, our church referves to be read in the feafon 
 of Advent. Before Ifaiah, and after the other ca- 
 
 * The original Rubric, whieh till the laft review, remained un- 
 altered, affigns the reafon why the maji part only, and not the tahok 
 is read. " The Old Teftament is appointed for the firft Leffons at 
 " Morning and Evening Prayer, and fhall be read through every 
 ." year once, except certain- books and chapters, 'which be leaft edifying, 
 " and might be beft /pared, and therefore are left unread." Why was 
 this Rubric thus curtailed and modified in 1661? 
 
 + Order how the Holy Scripture is appointed to be read. 
 
 nonical 
 
176 Critical and Practical Elucidation of _ 
 
 nonical Scriptures, the church fubftitutes fome 
 Apocryphal leflbns in the room of the canonical 
 Scripture that has been omitted. 
 
 For it muft be obferved, that though " the mod 
 " part of the Bible is read through every year 
 " once," yet fomc chapters of particular books, 
 and three whole books, are left unread and unno- 
 ticed. What were the reafons, why thefe parts 
 were omitted, I now proceed to enquire. 
 
 Of Genesis, chaps. 10, n, and 36, are not. 
 read. Chaps. 10 and ■$& are excluded evidently 
 becaufe they contain little elfe than genealogies. 
 But the firft nine verfes of chap. 1 1 . give an ac- 
 count of a moft extraordinary difplay of the Di- 
 vine Power, the confufion of tongues at Babel ; 
 and it is not eafy to aflign a reafon why the whole 
 is omitted*. That it was not rejected from any 
 exception to the paflage of hiftory, is clear ; for 
 this very part is received into the table of Leflbns 
 for holidays f. 
 
 Of Exodus we read the firft 24 chapters, ex- 
 cepting only fome repetitions and genealogies 
 that occur in the latter part of chap. 6. From 
 ch. 25 to the end of the book, we find little that 
 does not relate to the ark, and other local and 
 
 * Shorter and lefs important leflbns are read. See the firft Leffon 
 at Morning Prayer, on Oft. 2. 
 
 + This chapter is read in courfe in the Episcopalian church of 
 America, which has in general retained only fuch chapters and books 
 as the compilers of her Liturgy found in our calendar. Chap. 1*. 
 flood alfo in the Scotifh liturgy. 
 
 a tern- 
 
The Miming and Evening Public Prayer. 177 
 
 temporary particulars, and thefe chapters are there- 
 fore properly omitted. But to this general ob- 
 servation, chaps. 32, 33, and 34, form an objec- 
 tion, and are accordingly read *. 
 
 Leviticus treats chiefly of Jewifh facrifices and 
 ceremonial obfervances, of clean and unclean 
 beafts and birds, of lepers, &c. Of this book 
 we therefore read only four chapters, and two of 
 the four, 18 and 20, were perhaps better omitted. 
 They contain little more than a detail of the un- 
 lawful lufts, and impure practices of the Cana- 
 anites ; and of fuch -execrable vices, which were 
 recorded by the Jewifh Legiflator, only that they 
 might be prohibited, it may not, in a mixed con- 
 gregation of Chriftian worfhippers, be proper to 
 fpeak. The humanity and benevolence difplaycd 
 in chapter 25, breathe a truly evangelical fpirit. 
 Were this chapter, which is not read, divided into 
 two Leflbns, it might form an acceptable fubfti- 
 tute for the two before mentioned f. 
 
 What was obferved of Leviticus in general, is 
 applicable to many of the chapters of Numbers, 
 which are therefore omitted J. — Befide's thofe al- 
 ready excluded from the public fervice, fome 
 others which are retained, being lefs interefting 
 
 * Chaps. 35 and 40 are likewife retained in the Scotifh calendar. 
 
 + Befides chap. 25, the 9, iz, 16, ai, 23, 24, and 27, are 
 retained in the Scotifh calendar. 
 
 % The Scotifh Liturgy has chaps. 5, 6, 8, 9, to, 15, as well as 
 thofe we read. 
 
 N tO 
 
I 1 8 Critical and PracJical Elucidation of 
 
 to Chriftians, might without detriment be dis- 
 charged from the calendar*. 
 
 All Deuteronomy is read, except chap. 23, 
 againft which there lies much the fame objection 
 with that made to 18 and 20 of Leviticus; and 
 the other parts of the chapter record little more 
 than Jewifh obfervances f. 
 
 The hiftory contained in Joshua, from chap. 
 11 to 22 inclufive, is not read. It treats of the 
 deftruction of petty kings : the paffage of the If- 
 raelites into Canaan, and the divifion of the land 
 among them. Yet chap. 11 certainly has full 
 as fair a claim to admiflion into the calendar, as 
 ch. 10. feems to have to the rank of a proper leifon. 
 Nor do any fufficient reafons appear why chap. 
 22, and fome others, are rejected \. 
 
 Both the Books of Chronicles are entirely 
 excluded, probably becaufe they principally con- 
 lift of details of facts, which are in general more 
 fully related in the preceding hiftorical books. 
 But in Chronicles there are various paflages, well 
 deferving of our attention, which are no where elfe 
 
 * For inftances take 30 and 36. 
 
 + Deut. 14 does not appear in the Scotifli calendar, though 
 chap. 23 is there retained. 
 
 I Chaps, 14, 20, 22 (land in Sc. cal. 
 
 to 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 179 
 
 to be found, and might therefore with propriety 
 be read*. 
 
 Chap. 2 of Ezra is a mere catalogue of names, 
 and therefore properly omitted. Ch. 8 likewife 
 to verfe 15 contains a lift of names. This was 
 probably the reafon why the whole has been re- 
 jected f. Ch. 10 is not read. 
 
 Of Nehemiah, chap. 3, 7, 11, 12, which con- 
 lift only of the " names of them that builded the 
 " wall," " regifters of genealogies," &o, having 
 no tendency to Chriftian edification, are not read. 
 
 Chap. 10 of Esther was probably thought too 
 
 fhort, and the matter not fufficiently important 
 
 for a Leflbn t. 
 
 Of 
 
 * In the Scotifh Common Prayer, 1 Chron. c. 10 is begun to be 
 read inftead of Apocryphal Leflbns,- at M. P. on November 23 ; 
 and then 13, 14, &c. to 23, and 29. Of 2 Chron. 1, 2, 5, 6, 
 &e. to 36, are read, which lad is appointed for the Evening Prayer 
 on December 16. On Dec. 17 at M. P. is read chap. 47 of 
 Ifaiah. This book is continued to the end of the month as in our 
 Calendar. — Neither does the Epifcopalian church of America admit 
 any part of the Apocryphal books into the table of ordinary 
 Leflbns. To fupply the deficiency of firft Leflbns from cano- 
 nical Scripture, the framers of her calendar have fometimes intro- 
 duced chapters omitted in ours. But their general pra&ice is to 
 divide into two Leflbns many of the longer chapters which we 
 read as one. On holidays the Apocryphal Leflbns, appointed by 
 the church of England, are retained without variation; 
 
 t In Scot. cal. Ezra 7 is not appointed, but 8 and 10 are. 
 
 I In the Scotifli calendar chaps. 9 and 10 make one Leflbn, and 
 
 N 2 . thJ3 
 
1 80 Critical and VraRical Elucidation »f 
 
 Of Proverbs chap. 30 is the only one not read 
 in the church. In it there occur a very few verfes 
 which render the reading'of the whole lefs proper. 
 If this was the reafon of its being entirely rejeded, 
 the argument applies with much more force againft 
 fome chapters already noticed. Among the ordi- 
 nary Leflbns at leaft, one would have wifhed that 
 /fgur' 's confcjfion and prayer had been retained *. 
 
 The Song of Solomon is totally omitted. The 
 fpiritual meaning of this moft beautiful, but myf- 
 terious compofition, exhibits, like pfalm 45, the- 
 union that exifts between Chrift, and his fpoufe, 
 the church, which numbers in a mixed congrega- 
 tion cannot be fuppofed to be capable of under- 
 ftanding f. 
 
 Ezekiel is divided into 48 chapters, of. which 
 only 9 are read. For the numerous exceptions to 
 this book we may affign the fame reafon, that is 
 given for the omiffion of almoft the whole book of 
 revelation. To a conliderable degree it confifts of 
 vifions, the fenfe of many of which is confefledly 
 obfcure even to the learned ; and befide 1 this, fome 
 
 this is almoft the only inftance where two chapters are thrown to- 
 gether. On the contrary, in our calendar the practice is not un- 
 common ; and why it was net complied with here, no reafon I 
 apprehend can now be given. 
 
 * In the Scot. Lit. c. 30 is read. 
 
 i For reafons fufficiently obvious the Jews permitted the Song 
 of Solomon to be read by none under thirty years of age. 
 
 chapters 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prajer} i S t 
 
 chapters contain paffages, which in their prefent 
 literal tranflation, are improper to be recited in 
 the public fervice. There is likewife in the ftylc 
 and language of Ezekicl, as well as in the fub- 
 jects of which he treats, and the form in which, 
 his prophecy is prefcnted, fomething, that occa- 
 fionally makes this book lefs eligible for public 
 reading, than thofe of the other prophets. There 
 are however many chapters in Ezekiel, at prefent 
 omitted in the calendar, which might without 
 impropriety have been introduced, in the place of 
 Leflbns, which appear lefs deferving of the fitua- 
 tion they now hold, moreefpecially of fome taken 
 from the Apocryphal books *.— Excepting the 
 omiffion of the greater part of Ezekiel, the whole 
 of the prophetical books of the Old Teftament 
 are read through once a year. 
 
 From. this curfory examination of the contents 
 
 * Befldes the nine we read, (except 33) the Scot.-cal. appoints 4, 
 5, 8, 9, 11,12,15, 16, &c. to 25, the 35, 36, and 37, to be read. 
 —It is not eafy to affign any good reafon why 20 and 24., which 
 are appointed for proper Leflbns on the 17 and 18 Sundays after 
 Trinity, were overlooked in the revifals of the calendar; nor to ac- 
 count for mattins and cvenfong being fufFered to remain Handing 
 at the head of the columns of proper Leflbns for Sundays and holi- 
 days, when thefe terms had for more than a century prior t« the laft 
 review, been difufed in other parts of the Book of Common Prayer. 
 Neither does " the annunciation of our Lady" in the table of Lef- 
 fons, exa&ly correfpond with the title prefixed to the colleft, epiftle; 
 andgofpel, for the fame holiday. Thefe trifling difagreements were, 
 I prefume, overlooked. 
 
 N 3 Of 
 
1 82 Critical and Prafiical Elucidatim of 
 
 of the parts omitted, we in general difcover very 
 fatisfactory reafons, why they were excluded from 
 the calendar. And if in the courfe of the invefti- 
 gation, we have found fome parts, not appointed 
 to be read for the omiffion of which we cannot fo 
 eafily account, we mould reflecT: that the refor- 
 mers and revifors could but exercife their beft 
 judgment and difcretion : and though it would 
 appear that lefs attention has been paid to the fe- 
 lection of LefTons from the Old Teftament than to 
 other parts of the fervice, yet the refpecl: which 
 in general we find due to the care and wifdom of 
 the compilers and reviewers of our Liturgy, mould 
 lead us to fuppofe that they had reafonable grounds 
 forthefe omiffidns. 
 
 Of the First Lessons appointed for Sundays 
 and other Holidays. 
 
 On Sundays and all the other days appointed to 
 be kept holy*, the regulations of the church, re- 
 fpecting the firji LefTons, vary, as we obferved be- 
 fore, from the courfe purfued on ordinary days. 
 As the LefTons in the calendar may be called 
 ordinary or common LefTons, fo thofe for Sundays 
 and the other Holidays are called proper. The 
 proper LefTons are upon the whole very judicioufly 
 felected. The moft inftruftive chapters are ap- 
 
 * If we except Afh-wednefday, for which no proper Leffons are 
 appointed, though it has proper pfaltns, and a proper colleft, epiftle, 
 »nd gofpel ; with a fpecial fervice, 
 
 propriated 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 1 83 
 
 propriated to Sundays, becaufe the audience on 
 thefe days is prefumed to be the moft numerous. 
 And where the anniverfary of an event, Which 
 has been predicted, is, celebrated, the moft ftri- 
 king prophecy relating to it, is commonly ap- 
 pointed to be read. 
 
 The church begins her ecclefiaftical year with 
 Advent. For the Sundays in Advent, after Chrift- 
 mas, and after -the Epiphany, proper firft LefTons 
 are fele&ed from 1/aiah, who, on account of the 
 clearnefs with which he has fpoken of the Meffiah, 
 and the Gofpel difpenfation, is ufually ftyled 
 " the evangelical prophet." 
 
 Upon Septuagefima, and the two following 
 Sundays, and through the greater part of Lent, 
 Genefis is read. This Book, which relates the 
 fall, and its fatal effects, the corruption of the 
 human race, and their confequent deftruction, 
 was probably thought belt adapted to this peni-v 
 tential feafon. I have already had occafion to 
 notice, that in the primitive church, Genefis was 
 read in Lent. 
 
 Towards the approach of Eafter, and on Eafter- 
 day, proper LefTons are felecled out of Exodus, in 
 which, under the figure of the deliverance of If- 
 rael from its bondage in Egypt, and by the insti- 
 tution of the paffover, is reprefented our redemp- 
 tion from fin and death, by thefacrifice "of the 
 " lamb, flain from the foundation of the world." 
 (Rev. xiir. 8.) 
 
 The church then proceeds through the books 
 n 4 of 
 
184 Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 of the Old Teftament in the order in which they 
 fband, felecting fuch chapters as were though? 
 moft interefting and inftruftive *. 
 
 For Holidays, our reformers f have generally 
 appointed proper firft LeiTons out of the books 
 that may be called moral, out of Proverbs, Eccle- 
 fiaftes, and the Apocryphal writings, Ecclefiafti- 
 cus and Wi-fdom. Some of the Romanifts had 
 exalted the Virgin Mother aboye the Son of God J. 
 
 This 
 
 * No perfon ptofeffing the eftablifhed doctrines of the church, 
 can juftly find fault with the order of our proper LeiTons for Sun- 
 days, though it may be his qpinion, that, if fome-of the hiftorical 
 parts were omitted, their lofs might be amply compenfated by intro- 
 ducing portions of Deuteronomy, Job, and the Prophets. This, 
 according to my minutes, was the obfervation of Dr. Wheeler, Re- 
 gius Profeffor of Divinity at Oxford, in a. lecture on the Pfalms 
 and Lefions, delivered in 1781. 
 
 ' + Proper Leflbns for fome Holidays were appointed in the firft 
 book of Common Prayer, though many of the LeiTons that now 
 appear in " the Table of proper LeiTons on the -Holidays " were 
 omitted in both of Edward's books. The proper LeiTons for Sun- 
 days were firft introduced foon after the reitoration of the Common 
 Prayer in the reign of Elizabeth. 
 
 % Alter error eft, (fays the honeft Caflander, fpeaking of the 
 opinions and practices of members of churches of his own commu- 
 nion) quod homines etiam non mali, certos fibi fdndos, tanquarn 
 patronos, & tutores delegerunt, in eorum mentis atqqe interceflione 
 plus quam in Chr isti merito fiduciam pofuerant, atque adeo, unico, 
 illo advocationis Christi officio obfeurato, sanctos, atque imprimis 
 Virginem Matrem in ihius locum fubftituerunt. Imo non 
 defuerunt viri etiam "eelebres, qui affererent id quod Hefier AJfuero 
 promifit, (meaning what Ahafuerus promifed to Either, chap. v. 3.) 
 fe petenti dimidium regni daturum, in Maria completum effe.— : 
 
 Hinc 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 185 
 
 This perhaps was the reafon why Apocryphal 
 Leflbns were afligned to the purification, and 
 annunciation of the Blefled Virgin. 
 
 It was probably upon fimilar principles that 
 the firft Leflbns, directed to be read on the grea- 
 ter part of the Saints' Days, are taken from the. 
 Apocrypha, * 
 
 When a Sunday and a Saint's Day coincide, 
 we appear to be left in fome degree of uncer- 
 tainty, whether the firft Leflbn, together with the 
 fervice for the Holiday, or that for the Sunday, is 
 to be read. The confequence is, fays Arch-dea- 
 con Sharpe *, " that the clergy differ in their 
 practice, and ufe the fervice appropriate to that 
 feftival, to which in their private opinion they 
 give the preference. Some chufe to intermix 
 
 Hinc illi tituli — Regina cceli, •vit^s, /pes nojlra, lux ecclejice, aivocaia, 
 & mediatrix. Quae etfi commodam interpretationem admittant, ea 
 tamen non femper omnibus, prsefertim rudibus, & impends occur- 
 lit. — Quid quod totum pfalterium, fublato ubique Domini nomine, 
 in nomen Domin<e commutatum legitur ? Quin et eo ventum eft, ut , 
 etiam Chriftusjamincoelo regnans, matri fubjiciatur : quomodoin 
 notmullis ecclefiis canitur, 
 
 Ora mat rem, etjobefilio, 
 Item, 
 O felix puerpera, Noftra pians fcelera. 
 Jure matris impera Redemptori. 
 See Coqfultatio Cajfandri, compofed at the fpecial requeft of the 
 JEmperors Ferdinand, and Maximilian II. Art. de jnterceffione 
 fanftorum. 
 ? Fourth vifitation charge, p. 7 J. 
 
 i them, 
 
1 86 , Critical and PraR'ual Elucidation ef > ?. 
 
 them, ufing the collects' appointed to each, and 
 preferring the firfl Le'flbn for the Sunday, taken 
 out of a canonical book, to that for the holiday, 
 " if it happens to be appointedin the Apocrypha." 
 Uniformity of practice was certainly intended by 
 ^the church, and what now may feem to require 
 the direction of a Rubric, or at lead the.decifion 
 of the Diocefan, our forefathers, in all probability, 
 thought fufficiently plain. They knew that prior 
 to the reformation, (admitting that the practice 
 of England correfponded with that of the Roman 
 and Gallican churches,) the fervice for all the 
 Holidays now retained, being doubles, generally 
 took place of that appointed for ordinary Sun- 
 days * : They would therefore naturally read the 
 fervice for the Saint's Day, and omit that for the 
 Sunday in general. This' continues to be the 
 practice of the Roman church, and it was the 
 practice of the Gallican church for more than a 
 century after the era of our reformation. In 
 fome parts of the late Gallican church a change 
 took place about the beginning of the prefent 
 century, and the fervice for the Sunday was ap- 
 pointed to fuperfede that for the Saint's Day. 
 But in our church no fuch alterations have been 
 made by lawful authority. Hence it would ap- 
 pear that the fervice for the Saint's Day, and not 
 that for the Sunday, fhould be ufed. — And not- 
 withftanding there exifts fome diverfity of opi- 
 
 * Sec exceptions to the general rule in note p. 173, 
 
 nion 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. ' 187 
 
 nion on this fubjedl, yet the moft general praElice 
 feems to be to read the ColleEl, Epilile and Go/pel, 
 for the Saint's Day, and it is mod confonant to 
 that praftice to read alfo the firft Lejfon appropri- 
 ated to that day *. 
 
 From the firft eftabifhment of the Book of 
 Common Prayer to the end of Edward's reign, 
 there was an order of proper Leflbns for fome of 
 the Saints' Days f, but no proper Leflbns were 
 then appointed for Sundays ; the Sunday Leflbn, 
 like the Leflbns for ordinary days, being read in 
 courfe, and varying every year. Does it not from 
 
 • This remark I have heard made by the Lord Bifhop of London. 
 
 t The proper Leflbns were not originally arranged in a table, 
 but the Order for proper Leflbns at Mattins was prefixed, and that 
 for thofe at evenfong, annexed to the appropriate fervice at the 
 communion. An example extracted from Edward's book will illus- 
 trate my meaning. 
 
 " ALL SAINTS." 
 " Proper Lessons at Mattins." 
 
 " The firft Lejfon Sap i. hi. unto Bleffed is rather the barren." 
 " The/econd Lejfon. Hebre. xi. xii. Saints by faith fubdued, unto If 
 " ye endure chaftifing. 
 
 " At the Communion." 
 
 " Cantate domino, pfalm 149. Sing unto the Lord a new fong, 
 
 Sec." This was the introit, after which were printed the Colledt, 
 
 Epiftle, and Gofpel, as in our modern books. After the Gofpel 
 
 flood 
 
 " Proper Lessons at Evensong." 
 
 " The firft Lejfon. Sap. v. (unto) His jealoufy alfo." " Thefecond ■ 
 
 Lejfon. Apoc. xix. f unto J and t faw an angel ftand." And thus all 
 
 the other proper Leflbns, then appointed, were ordered ; thofe for 
 
 the morning being noticed before" the Introit, and thofe for the 
 
 Evening after the Gofpel. 
 
 this 
 
1 8 8 Critical and PraSJical Elucidation of 
 
 this regulation appear, that a decided preference 
 •was given to the Saint's Day by the original com- 
 pilers of our Liturgy? By the act of uniformity 
 (Trim: Eliz.) Edward's book was revived, with 
 ene alteration or addition of certain Leffons to he ufed 
 on every Sunday in the year ; meaning the proper 
 Leffons then firft appointed for Sundays. But 
 that, when a Sunday and a Saint's Day coincide, 
 the Sunday Leffon was intended to fuperfede the 
 Lcffon appertaining to the Saint's Day, I have no 
 where been able to difcover. 
 
 Of the Second Lessons. 
 
 The Second Leffon at Morning and Evening 
 Prayer is uniformly taken out of the New Tefta- 
 ment. The Leffons of the New Teftament are in 
 general all of them every where proper*. When 
 
 every 
 
 * It has already been remarked of the writings of Saint Pjul, that, 
 had they "primarily been defigned for the age in which we live, it is 
 not eafy to conceive how they could have afforded us much more 
 general inftruction. Yet fmall parts of one or two of them might 
 be difmiffed from the calendar, without detriment to religion. In 
 i Cor. c. vii. he advifes the members of the church of Corinth to 
 refrain from marriage, upon the principle, that in thofe days, wives 
 «nd families might have obftrufted the fpreading of the Gofpel. 
 The laft chapter of the Epiftle to the Romans, was no doubt highly 
 jnterefting to the perfons there mentioned, and to the church at 
 Kome in general. But, as it contains comparatively little beyond 
 
 alift 
 
The Morning and Evening Public "Prayer. 1 8$ 
 
 every part is highly interefting and inftructive, a 
 felettion of Leffons muft be unnecefTary. The 
 church therefore on all the Sundays of the year, 
 (except four, the Sunday before Eafter, Eafter- 
 day, Whitfunday, and Trinity Sunday, which 
 have proper Second Leffons) adopts the fame me- 
 thod that flie purfues on ordinal y days. 
 
 Proper fecond Leffons are appointed for fomewhat 
 the greater number x>f the Holidays. But thefe 
 Leffpns, which either relate the circumftances, or 
 apply the example, whieh gave occafion to the 
 feftival, are not numerous; and they feldom in- 
 terrupt, except for the day, the orderly courfe of 
 reading the New Teftament. For all feftivals that 
 are fixed, and immoveable; and have proper fecond 
 Leffons appointed, have no fecond Leffon afligned . 
 to them in the calendar. 
 
 In the morning we read the Gofpels, and the 
 Adts of the Apoftles, and in the evening the Epif- 
 des. We begin the year with the firft of Mat- 
 thew, and the firft of Romans, fo that exclusive 
 of the Epiftles and Gofpels ufed in the commu- 
 nion fervice, the New Teftament * is read over 
 orderly three times a year in our daily Common 
 Prayer. 
 
 a .lift of names, it cannot be very InftracUve to a modern congre- 
 gation of Chriftians. Memorand. of Dr. Wheelers Letlures at Oxan, 
 * Excepting the greater part of the book of Revelation, of which. 
 on account of its myfterious obfeurity, three chapters only are read 
 in the church, 1, 19, and 22. 
 
 APO- 
 
190 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 APOCRYPHAL LESSONS. 
 
 From the curfory investigation that was made 
 into the contents of the chapters of the Old Tes- 
 tament, which are omitted in the calendar, we 
 have feen that once a year, our church reads in her 
 daily fervice the whole, or nearly the whole of the 
 canonical Scripture,, that is calculated to edify a 
 mixed congregation. To fupply what is wanting 
 to complete the year, we read a part of Scripture 
 which we acknowledge not to be canonical, out 
 of the Apocrypha, or Apocryphal Books. Though 
 this regulation has been repeatedly objected to by 
 thofe who diffent from us, yet much may be faid 
 in its defence *. 
 
 The method taken by the church has not the 
 remoteft tendency to abate that peculiar veneration 
 which is due to the canonical books. In her ar- 
 ticles me explicitly declares the diftindtion that is 
 to be made between Apocryphal and Canonical 
 Scrjpture; and no Apocryphal Leflbn is appointed 
 
 * On this fubjedl the Englifh reader may confult with advantage 
 Hooker's Ecc. Polity, b* v., with Bp. Hoadley's reafonablenefs of 
 conformity, and his defence. Some defenders'of the ritual of the 
 church have apologized for the occafional ufe of Apocryphal Lef- 
 fons, by obferving that they are admitted into the calendar only on 
 fome ordinary days in harveft time, when our congregations are 
 thinneft. This argument, if true, is at beft but a paltry fubterfuge, 
 which reflects little honour upon the memory of our reformers, and 
 entails to us the imputation of a defect. It is noticed here only be- 
 caufe it is too popular. 
 
 to 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Praym 191 
 
 to be read, in the fervice for Sundays. Again, 
 many of 'the Apocryphal chapters are better cal- 
 culated to inform the mind, and to excite devo- 
 tion, in a popular congregation, than fome of the 
 canonical chapters, which, becaufe they are lefs 
 important to Chriftians, or lefs intelligible to 
 perfons of ordinary capacities, are omitted in the 
 calendar. 
 
 By the ancients, thefe were fometimes ftyled 
 ecclefiaftical books, having been compiled, and 
 publifhed for the edification of the pious, and 
 being commonly read in the church. Sometimes 
 they were called Apocryphal, and fometimes Cano- 
 nical Scripture. But the former term, when ap- 
 plied to thefe writings, is to be understood, not 
 as declaring them to be fpurious ; and the latter 
 muft be taken, not in its ftricl: and technical, but 
 in a lax extended fenfe, for their beft advocates 
 allow them no authority in matters of faith *. 
 
 That 
 
 * Aswfgupoj fignifies hidden, fecret. Whether thefe books were 
 called Apocryphal, from the writers of them being unknown, from 
 the authority of the books being uncertain, or from their not being 
 read in all places in public, and being thus, as it were, concealed, 
 
 or for any of thefe reafons, is not, I apprehend, determined. 
 
 Ruffinus (inExpof.Symb.) diftinguifhes between Canonical, Eccle- 
 fiaftical, and Apocryphal books. He calls thofe , Ecclefiaftical, 
 which, at well as the Canonical, are read in the church, but are 
 not produced to eftablifli any article of faith. By, Apocryphal he 
 and others mean thofe which were fpurious, or compofed by here- 
 tics, and were not to be read by Chriftians. Others mention orily 
 
 Cano- 
 
192 Critical and Praclkal Elucidation if 
 
 That they were read in the aneient wefterii 
 church, as works of religious and moral inftruc- 
 tion, Jerom, and his antagonift Ruffinus, with 
 Athanafius, Auftin, and others teftify. In the 
 LecJionarium Gallicanum, (or the order of leflbns 
 in the Gallican church) a work of great antiquity, 
 Leflbns are appointed out of the Apocryphal 
 books ; from whence the practice was probably 
 introduced intq Britain. 
 
 With the words of the church of England, 
 whom we fhall generally find to be the ableft apo- 
 logift for her own regulations, and who mud be 
 admitted to be the beft judge, and is certainly the 
 propereft interpreter of her own intentions, I fhall 
 conclude what I have to fay on the fubjedt of Apo- 
 cryphal Leflbns. — Befides the canonical books 
 
 Canonical and Apocryphal, books ; fome mean by the latter term, 
 human compofuions proper to be read for public inftru&ion. 
 Others apply the word Apocryphal as Ruffinus did, to dangerous 
 forgeries and heretical productions. In this fenfe the ancients are 
 commonly to be underftood, when they fay that Apocryphal (i. e. 
 fpurious and heretical) books are not to be read. 
 
 The third council of Carthage ( A. D. 397) calls Wifdom Eccle- 
 fiafticus, &c, Canonical Scripture. Auftin, and other writers, of 
 the Weft, do the fame. But few of them meant Canonical to be un- 
 derftood in the ftrifteft fenfe of the term. The books were Canoni- 
 cal, or regular^ fo far as they were read, for the edification of the 
 people ; but they were not efteemed to be of Canonical authority in 
 adjufting articles of faith. See Bingham, b. xir : and Suicetus, 
 words awoicgupos, yga^ii, and the refpeftive titles of the Apocryphal 
 books. 
 
 " the 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 193 
 
 " the other books, as Jerom* faith, the church 
 " doth read, for example of life, and inftruction 
 " of manners ; but yet doth not apply them to 
 " eftablifh any dodtrine." Artie, vi. 
 
 HYMNS AFTER THE FIRST LESSON. 
 
 In the circle of Chriftian duties, there is none 
 more delightful, none more generally necefTary f, 
 than that of praife. As God in every thing fhews 
 mercy, fo muft we " in every thing give thanks, 
 " (1 Theft*, v. 18 J teaching and admonifhing one 
 " another in pfalms and hymns and fpiritual fongs, 
 " finging with grace in our hearts unto the Lord," 
 ( Col. iii. 1 6. ) Hymns of praife are peculiarly be- 
 
 * The words that are in the article, Bimop Burnet, in his expo- 
 fition of the vith article, fays, are repeated by Jerom in feveral of 
 his prefaces ; but he cites no place where they occur. The paflage 
 to which the compilers of the article appear to refer, is the follow- 
 ing — Sicut ergo Judith, & Tobi, & Machabaeorum libros legit 
 quidem ecclefia, fed inter canonicas fcripturas non recipit, fie & 
 haec duo volumina, (meaning the book of Jefus the fon of Sirach, 
 or Ecclefiafticus, and theWifdom of Solomon, which he had men- 
 tioned before, and here refers to) legat (fome copies read legit) ad 
 sedificationem plebis, non ad auftoritatem ecclefiafticorum dogma- 
 tum connrmandam.— Prasf. Hieron. ad Lib. Salom. — Ed. Benedict. 
 Tom. I. p. 938, 9. 
 
 + Concordat omnium fenfus, ut non definamus circa Dei laudes, 
 five hymnum dicendo, five divinam per omnia momenta gloriam 
 concinendo, Amb. in Pf. xliii. 
 
 o coming 
 
194 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 coming in the houfeof God : and from the days of 
 our Saviour and his Apoftles to the prefem times, 
 the recitation of fongs of thankfgiving has ever 
 conftituted one principal part of the public wor- 
 fhip *. 
 
 Befides the pfalms, and the facred writings, 
 hymns of human compofition were admitted into 
 the public fervicef. Such, in all probability, was 
 
 * Concerning the ufe of pfalms and hymns in the church, we 
 have, fays Auftin, the examples and precepts of Chrift and his 
 Apoftles. (Ep. cxix.) Chryfoftom obferves on Matt. xxvi. 30, 
 that Chrift and the Apoftles fung a hymn , to teach us to do the fame. 
 
 + Philo teftifies that it was cuftomary among the Chriftians to . 
 compofe hymns, and to fing them in the church, (Lib. de fup. 
 Virt.) Ambrofe, Hilary, and others, compofed various hymns, 
 which were recited in the fervice of the church, and though Auftin 
 objefts to fome of the hymns of the Donatijls, and their improper 
 manner of reciting them, yet he himfelf compiled for the ofe of the 
 common people a pfalm of many parts, in fome refpecu refembling 
 the cxix. When afterwards in Spain, fome objefted agaihft the 
 practice of admitting hymns of human compofition, the fourth 
 council of Toledo (held A. D. 633) confirmed the eftablifhed 
 ufage, maintaining that the innovators might as reafonably refufe 
 to admit Gloria Patri as thefe hymns ; and threatening with excom- 
 munication, all who fhould dare to rejeft the hymns appointed. 
 The council of Laodicea (held A. D. 361) forbids the ufe eft private 
 hymns, (i&stixoi) that is, fuch as were heterodox, apocryphal, ; or 
 not admitted by competent authority. In this prohibition the 
 church of England joins, whatever they may think who introduce 
 into the public fervice, fuch hymns, and poetical compofitions, as 
 are truly exceptionable for other reafons, befide their not being 
 recognifed in the book of Common Prayer. Several and valuable 
 collections of pfalms and hymns have been made, but a complete 
 feleflion for general ufe, is, perhaps, a defiJeratum. 
 
 the 
 
TheJMtrning and Evening Public Prayer. 195 
 
 the hymn, which a Roman hiftorian and inquifi- 
 tor informs us, the Chriftians of the firft ages, 
 " in their antelucan aflemblies, addrefled toChrift 
 as God*." 
 
 From ancient canons and authentic records it 
 appears, that hymns were intermingled with the 
 other parts of the fervice, and in particular, that 
 after the reading of a portion of the Old and New 
 Teftament, a pfalm or hymn was ufually fung. 
 Now this is the very order which the church of 
 England obferves in her fervice. Both in her 
 Morning and Evening Prayer, fhe appoints a hymn 
 to be ufed after the firft LefTon, and another after 
 the fecond. 
 
 By this grateful variety the mind of the devout 
 worfhipper is fecured againfl: diftradtion, relieved 
 from languor, and enabled to proceed with atten- 
 tion and fervour. We have additional, and even 
 ftronger reafons, for admiring the arrangement 
 made by our church. Though it be admitted, 
 that the table of Leflons in the calendar, as well 
 as thofe for the Sundays and Holidays, may in 
 fome few inftances be capable of emendation, 
 yet we afk, what chapter is there of Holy Scrip- 
 ture, at prefent appointed for a Lefrbn, which 
 does not exhibit fome reafon for thankfgiving and 
 praife ? Whether it inftrucls, or reproves, whether 
 it exhorts to duty, or diffuades from fin, whether 
 
 * Quod foliti effent, ftato die, ante lucem convenire, carmenque 
 Chrifto, quafi Deo, dicer; Tecum invicem. (Plin. 1. x. Ep. 97.) 
 
 02 it 
 
196 Critical ' and Practical Elucidation if 
 
 it confifts of threats and promifes, whether it fur- 
 nifhes precepts or examples, it is with propriety 
 fucceeded by a hymn of praife. 
 
 After the firft Leffon the church of England has 
 fupplied her members with two admirable hymns, 
 the choice of which is left to the difcretion of the 
 minifter. The firft of thefe is called, 
 
 TE DEUM LAUDAMUS, 
 from the three initial words of the Latin *, in 
 
 * Should another revifal of our Liturgy ever take place, it may 
 then probably be thought expedient to expunge all Latin words from 
 the Rubrics, and all Latin titles of pfalms and hymns. Our re- 
 formers might have good reafons for originally retaining the Latin 
 appellations, Venite Exultemus, Te Deum Laudamm, &c. Thefe 
 fliewed that the fervice in Englifti was not entirely a new fervice ; 
 but, in the language of Edward's meffage to the Devonftrire rebels 
 in 1 549, " the felf fame words in Englijh, which were in Latin ; 
 " faving a few things taken out, fo fond, that it had been a lhame 
 " to have heard them in Englifti, as all they can judge, which lift 
 " to report the truth. If the fervice was good in Latin, it re T 
 *' maineth good in Englifti. As for the fervice in the Englijh 
 " tongue, there is manifeft reafon for it." — But thefe reafons for 
 retaining Latin names have long ceafed to exift. The hymn begin- 
 ning, We praife thee, O Lard, would convey to the greater part of 
 our people the idea of the hymn before us, better than the hymn 
 called, Te Deum Laudamm. Should not the names and titles of 
 each particular part of the fervice, like the whole fervice itfelf, be 
 expreffed in our own language ? If, from what our reformers did, 
 we may judge what they would have done, had they lived in the 
 xviiith century, muft we not conclude, that every appendage of the 
 Common Prayer of the church of England would have now ap- 
 peared in Englilh ? 
 
 which 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 197 
 
 which language it was originally compofed. In 
 Englifh they are translated, We praife thee, OGod. 
 
 Though the fuperior excellence of this hymn is 
 indifputable, yet it mufl be acknowledged, that 
 on few fubjecfls have the fentiments of the learned 
 been more divided than on this queftion, By whom 
 was the hymn compofed ? 
 
 The moft ancient opinion, and that which has 
 leen the. moft univerfally received, is, that it was 
 the joint production of Ambrofe and Auftin. 
 The cirsumftances of its extraordinary origin are 
 thus related. At the baptifm of the celebrated 
 convert, Auftin, which office was performed by 
 Ambrofe in theprefence of all the faithful in the 
 city, after the ceremony, and before their afcent 
 out of the water, Ambrofe uttered the firft verficle 
 of Te Deum, faying, We praife thee, O God. Auftin 
 immediately replied, We acknowledge thee to be the 
 Lord. Ambrofe proceeded, All the earth doth wor- 
 Jhip thee, the Father everlajling. Auftin rejoined, 
 To thee all angels cry aloud, &c. &c. And in this 
 manner, whilft they remained ftanding in the 
 waters of baptifm, Ambrofe and Auftin miracu- 
 loufly compofed, and alternately fung the whole 
 hymn, as the fpirit gave them utterance. 
 
 However incredible this account may ap- 
 pear, it is gravely repeated by Durandus * and 
 
 others, 
 
 * Durandus probably adopted it from the Chronicle of Datiui, a 
 work purporting to be the produ&ion of Datius, one of the fuc- 
 
 O 3 ceflbrt 
 
198 Critical and PraEiical Ehtcidutkn of 
 
 others, and was for many ages implicitly rc^ 
 ceived. It is here noticed, merely for the purpofe 
 of fhewing that the ancient and prefent divifion 
 of the fentences of Te Deum do not exactly cor- 
 refpond, and of pointing out where the difference 
 lies. 
 
 This hymn has likewife been afcribed to Am- 
 brofe alone, to Hilary, and to Jerom. — That it 
 was not the production of Hilary, or Jerom, is 
 now univerfally admitted. And they who attri- 
 bute it to Ambrofe, if they do not found their 
 opinion, at leaft reft their proof upon the evidence 
 of the Acts of a council *, which however are not 
 conclusive on the point. The words of the council 
 limply ftate a fact, generally known, that Ambrofe 
 and Hilary compofed hymns, which were recited 
 in the church. Of this particular hymn no men- 
 tion is made ; and if there had, the hymn might 
 it ill be as fairly afcribed to Hilary as to Ambrofe. 
 
 ceffors of Ambrofe, in the See of Milan. This Chronicle, as Me- 
 nardus has (hewn, contradicts the authentic writings of Auftin, and 
 Poffidonius : and by Mabillon it has been proved to be a fpurious 
 publication, fabricated 500 years after the death of its pretended 
 author. The learned men of Milan deny, fays Ga-vantus, that there 
 is any fuch thing as a Chronicle of Datius among them; and to 
 Mabillon 's enquiries about it, they anfwered that the book with this 
 title was written by other- authors. V. Menard., Mabill. Ana- 
 
 lefta Vet., and Stillingfleet's Orig. Brit.- Durandus was one of 
 
 the lateft of the more celebrated fcholaftic divines ; he flouriflied at 
 Paris, about the year 1320, and was furnamed DoBor Refoluti[fnims x 
 tie mofi refolding DoBor. 
 
 * Con.Tol. 4. A. D. 633. 
 
 The 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. ' J 99 
 
 Tke.^Parifian editors of the works of Ambrofe, 
 printed in 1549, perfift in the ancient opinion, for 
 which they give us, in the place of argument, a 
 confident affertion*; but the more judicious Be- 
 nedictine editors acknowledge, that Ambrofe was 
 not the author of the hymn in quefti'on. 
 
 Whoever will compare Te Deum with the 
 hymns admitted to be Ambrofe's will, in my opi- 
 nion, find himfelf in pofleflion of ftrong internal 
 evidence, that it was not compofed by the author 
 of them. 
 
 The ftructure of Ambrofe's fentences, the re- 
 gular meafure of his verfe, and the uniform period 
 recurring at the end of every fourt line, exhibit 
 fpecimens of compoiition, all widely different 
 from that of Te Deum. The moil general mea- 
 fure of the hymns of Ambrofe is the I.ambic-te- 
 trameter f. But Te Deum is not compofed in 
 verfe, neither is the original profe remarkable for 
 
 * Pro cataftrophe totius textune operum vifum eft fubneftere can- 
 ticam illud ewiukiok, Te Deum Laudamus, quodvelint, nolint nofyrce 
 iftius istatis academki (alluding to the opinion of the great Erafmus) 
 allernis cecinere Ambrofius es Auoufiinus. — Elenchus following the title 
 page, Tom. I. 
 
 t Ambrofiani eo maxime currunt — (.Bede de re metrics, prefixed 
 to Hymn. Eccles. by CafTander.) Among the Ambrofian hymns, 
 fays Stillingfieet, Te Deum is not reckoned by CaiTander, neither is 
 it of Ambrofiancompofition. (Orig. Brit. c. iv. 1 Tae hymns of Am- 
 brofe were fo celebrated, that ecclefiaftical hy mns in general were 
 called Ambr'ijiani. 
 
 o 4 its 
 
200 Critical and PratTual Elucidation of 
 
 its melody, though the ftrudture of the fentences 
 may be well adapted for chanting. 
 
 The flyle of the- hymns attributed to Ambrofe 
 is 'certainly pretty. They poffefs fomething of 
 Ovid's neatnefs and fancy; but have likewife too 
 often .Ovid's fault of quaintnefs and conceit. — 
 The language of Te Deum is fimple and majeftic. 
 In it we recognife the fublimeft paflages of the 
 Prophet Ifaiah, the grandeft truths of the Gofpel 
 hiftory, and the moft pathetic fupplications that 
 are to be found in the Book of Pfalms. 
 
 In two ancient manufcripts, an old collection 
 of hymns and an oldpfalter, Arch-bifhop Ufher* 
 found Te Deum afcribed to Nicetus, Bifhop of 
 Treves, who, as Stillingfleet f, Cave %, and the 
 learned in general, think, compofed this hymn for 
 the ufe of the Gallican church. He flourilhed 
 about A. D. 540, nearly 100 years after the death 
 of Ambrofe §. From this period Te Deum is often 
 mentioned, and the ufe of it is repeatedly pre- 
 scribed. But before this era, it is confidently 
 affirmed that the hymn was not noticed by any 
 
 * Uffer de Symb. p. 3. + Origi Brit. c. 4. 
 
 % Arabrofii effe nullo idoneo tcftimonio probari poteft, et fa- 
 lulam pro oiigine habere videtur. Hift. Lit. Vol. I. in Vit. Am- 
 bros. 
 
 § He was made Bifhop of Treves 527, and died in 568, having 
 been prefent at four Gallican councils. 
 
 writer 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 2o t 
 
 writer of credit * : This affords at leaft ftrong 
 prefumptive evidence, that it was not extant in 
 the time of Ambrofe. 
 
 Whoever was the author of Te Deum, its ex- 
 cellence is furpaffed by no human compofition- 
 Indeed the compofition alone is human, the ma- 
 terials are of divine original. — Ever fince its in- 
 troduction into the offices of the church, which 
 took place in the fixth century, it has defervedly 
 been held in the higheft eftimation. And the ve- 
 nerable compilers of our Liturgy have with great 
 propriety retained this hymn in the daily Morning 
 fervice f. 
 
 * Menard, in Greg. Sac. & Stilling. Orig. Brit. c. iv. 
 ' + It was the complaint of Dr. Bennet, and is ftill to be lamented, 
 that in the ufe of this hymn many are exceedingly carelefs. Some 
 repeat it with fo little attention and zeal, that they feem neither to 
 regard what they fay, nor to confider to whom the hymn is addreffed. 
 The language, he obferves, is wonderfully fublime and affectionate, 
 and we cannot utter any thing more pious and heavenly. Let our 
 fouls be warmed with correfpondent affeftions. Let us mentally 
 {f eak the verficles, which we do not pronounce with our lips, and 
 make the whole hymn one continued aft of ardent and intenfe de- 
 votion. — And let me entreat, continues Dr. B. my brethren of the 
 clergy not to begin this hymn too haftily. After they have faid, here 
 ends the fir ft Lejprn, let them make afmall paufe, till the people have 
 time to rife fro:n their feats, and compofe themfelves for the recita- 
 tion of this folemn hymn ; that they may not be hurried and difor- 
 dered, but may leifurely attend the minifter's beginning it, and be 
 ready themfelves to begin it with him. After each of the Leflbns 
 both in Morning and Evening fervice, the fame method mould be 
 obferved, before the beginning of any other hymn, or pfalm. Pa- 
 raphrafe on the Common Prayer, 
 
 Of 
 
20 2 . Critical and Praflical Elucidation of 
 
 Of the various excellences of Te Deum, its 
 methodical com^ofition is not the leaft confidera- 
 ble. It is divided into three parts, each in its 
 original form, compofed of ten verficles. In its 
 prefent ftate it is obfervable, that there is an odd 
 verficle, and that the firft part confifts only of 
 nine; for the verficles which were formerly the 
 firft and fecond, have fince been united into one*. 
 
 The firft part is an act of praife, or an amplified 
 Doxology. 
 
 The fecond, a confeffion of the leading articles 
 of the Chriftian faith. 
 
 The third contains interceffions for the whole - 
 church, and fupplications for ourfelves. 
 
 The nine introductory verficles, which anciently 
 were ten, are entirely euchariftical, confifting of 
 praife. Having heard the promifes, or threats of 
 the Almighty, and perfuaded by the precepts, or 
 warned by the examples, contained in the firft Lef- 
 fon, we begin this hymn with praifing the infpirer 
 of the facred volume from which the Lefibn is 
 extracted. 
 
 i. We firft exprefs our gratitude to God, and 
 acknowledge his fupreme authority over all his 
 creatures. 2. To heighten our devotion, we turn 
 our eyes towards the rational part of his creation 
 upon earth, who in general we prefume, as well as 
 
 * See page 197 of this Volume. > 
 
 ourfelves, 
 
the Mohung and Evening Public Prayer. 203 
 
 ourfelves, daily perform this folemn duty. 3. Wc 
 then diredl our attention to the inhabitants of 
 Heaven, one principal part of vvhofe employment, 
 and one chief fource of \vhofe v happinefs, we are 
 taught to believe, is to glorify God's holy name. 
 4. This hymn not only opens to us a view of Hea- 
 ven, but with the evangelical prophet (Jfa. vi. 3.) 
 and beloved difciple (Rev. iv. 8.) it carries us thi- 
 ther, to behold the various orders of angels, cheru- 
 bim, feraphim, and all the heavenly powers. 5. In 
 honor of the glorio.us trinity, they continually fing, 
 " Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hofts, the 
 " whole earth is full of thy glory:" In which 
 divine hymn they acknowledge God to be Jeho- 
 vah-Sabaoth *, or the original author and abfolute 
 governor of all powers both in heaven and earth— 
 6, 7, 8, 9. The hymn proceeds to invite us to join 
 with the angelic Hoft, with the prophets, ap'of- 
 t 
 
 * Sabaoth is the plural nu Tiber of a Hebrew word, and fignifcs 
 armies, or hofts, as it is commonly rendered in, the tranilation of the 
 Bible. To this term, which here remains untranflaifcd, it is to be 
 feared the greater number in our congregations, affix either no idea, 
 or an erroneous one. In the recitation of TeDeum, I have for- 
 merly often heard it pronounced exaclly as we pronounce the word 
 Sabbath. It is certain that, at an advanced period of life, the mafter 
 of one of the firll free grammar fchools in the northern counties, a 
 graduate of Oxford, and a man of considerable learning, acknow- 
 ledged that he had lately difcovered, that Sabaoth in Te Deum was 
 a word of different Signification from the Sabba'k of the Jews. Though 
 the fa<ft is questionable, and, as I fufpeft, not true, yet the report has 
 been current, that the author of the Englifh Dictionary way, for 
 feveral years, not exempt froni the fame miftake. - 
 
 ties, 
 
204 Critical and PratJkal Elucidation of 
 
 ties, and martyrs, in praifes to God no#, as 
 we expect to be united with them in glory here- 
 after. 
 
 The ten following verficles, which compofe the 
 fecond part of the hymn, are a confeflion of faith, 
 each article of which contains an additional mo- 
 tive topraife God. 
 
 The Angels and glorified fpirits fee God face 
 to face. As we behold his glory only by the eye 
 of faith, we cannot better fet forth his praife, than 
 by giving our unfeigned afTent to his revelation, 
 and by profeffing our faith in him, whom the 
 Hoft of Heaven worfhip and adore. 10. As 
 members of the holy Catholic church, we ack- 
 nowledge the ever-blefled Trinity, n. the infinite 
 majefty of the Father, 12. the honor due to his 
 only begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour, 13. and 
 the divinity and perfonality of the Holy Ghoft, 
 our advocate in Heaven, our comforter on earth. 
 14. More efpecially we addrefs ourfelves to our 
 Redeemer, and as he is very God of very God, we, 
 acknowledge him to be the King of glory, a title 
 appropriated to the Lord of Hofts alone. 15. We 
 declare, that he is theeverlafting Son of the Fa- 
 ther, not created as angels, nor adopted as men, 
 but by eternal generation * begotten of the Father, 
 with whom he is coeternal and coequal. 16. The 
 hymn proceeds to celebrate his mercies, and with 
 
 * The ingenious arguments of Mr. Hawtrey have not convinced 
 me that the Aoros was not YI0S, prior to hia incarnation. 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 205 
 
 joy and thankfulnefs delares that, when he un- 
 dertook to deliver us from death eternal, and to 
 accomplifh our redemption, hedifdainednot to be 
 conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, to 
 partake of the fame nature, and to become fubjed: 
 to the fame infirmities with ourfelves. 17. Being 
 thus God and man, hefubmitted to the cruel death 
 of the crofs, and by dying for us overcame death, 
 and difarmed it of the fharpnefs of its fting. By 
 his meritorious fufFerings he has procured for all 
 true believers, admiffion into the kingdom of Hea- 
 ven, from which they were excluded by their own 
 fins, as well as through the tranfgreflion of their 
 primitive father. 18. Our blefled Redeemer, as 
 the reward of his obedience, fits on the right 
 hand of God. He has already, in his human na- 
 ture, taken pofleflien of the kingdom of glory in 
 the name of all his faithful followers, and difpenfes 
 it to all that believe in him. 19. From this height 
 of glory; we believe, that he, the man Jefus 
 Chrift, will come to be our judge; and if we ho- 
 neftly endeavour to conform our lives to his Gof- 
 pel, our very judge, who is now our mediator 
 and intcrceflbr, will be our advocate and friend. 
 20. Here our thankfgiving and confeffion of faith 
 are naturally turned into prayer. — Having con- 
 templated the Saviour of the world, in his eternal 
 glory, and in his ftate of humiliation and exhal- 
 tation, we intercede for all the people of God, 
 imploring internal afliftance, and everlafting fal- 
 2 ,' vation ; 
 
2o6 Critical and PraBical Elucidation of 
 
 vatidn : We befcech him to help them with his 
 grace, and to enable them to perform their duty 
 upon earth, and, 21. finally by his infinite mercy, 
 to admit them to be numbered with thofe 
 departed Saints, whom he has already received 
 into his reft, and will reward with his glory. 22. 
 That we may be allured of obtaining this heavenly 
 inheritance, we entreat him to fave his people 
 from all evil, and blefs his peculiar heritage, the 
 Chriftian church. 23. We befeech the fhepherd 
 of our fouls to guide and direct us, whenever we 
 err and ftray, and when we ftumble, and are lia- 
 ble to fall, to lift us up, to ftrengthen and fupport 
 us againft our fpiritual adverfaries. — 24. This pro- 
 tection and fupport for ourfelves and others, we 
 folicit with humble confidence, becaufe agreeably 
 to God's will and our duty, we daily magnify his 
 name in hymns, and, 25. worfhip him coriftantly 
 in our prayers. 26. Senfible of our own infirmi- 
 ties, and affiired that praife is not acceptable from 
 the lips of finners, we pray that we may be kept 
 this day from committing fin ; that temptation 
 may neither deprive us of the benefit of our 
 prefent devotions, nor indifpofe us for the return 
 of 'duty on the following morn. 27. We 
 know, that our tranfgreffions are numerous and 
 grievous. We therefore befeech Chrift not only 
 to preferve us from falling into fin, but alfo to 
 forgive our paft offences. We befeech him to 
 look on our frailty and ftrengthen us ; on our guilt 
 
 and 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 207 
 
 and pardon us. We therefore reiterate our fervent 
 petition, have mercy upon us. 28. Unlefs we 
 find mercy for our part fins, we muft be condem- 
 ned, and except we obtain the grace of future 
 affiftance, we fhall be overcome by our fpiritual 
 adverfaries: we therefore pray the third time, that 
 his mercy may lighten or fall upon us, and that it, 
 may comfort and invigorate us. Here we plead 
 not our merits, but our diftrefs. On ourfelves 
 and all fublunary power we renounce depend- 
 ance. Our confidence and truft we place only in 
 his mercy and truth. 29. He who is faithful and 
 juft has promifed, that he will fave thofe who put 
 their truft in him. We therefore conclude this 
 hymn in the words of the Pfalmilt, expreffing our 
 hope, that we are in the number of thofe that 
 truft in him, and our confidence that we fhall not 
 eventually be afhamed, confounded,- or difap- 
 pointed of our hope. 
 
 It has been afked why Gloria Patri, the Doxo- 
 logy fo often repeated by the church of England-, 
 is not apointed to be faid after this hymn ? We re- 
 ply, that the hymn itfelf is an amplified Doxology. 
 
 BENEDICITE. 
 
 The fecond hymn after the firft Leflon is called 
 
 the 
 
So8 Critical and Pr affiled Elucidation ef 
 
 the canticle, Benedicite, omnia opera Domini "Domim, 
 from the words with which it begins in Latin. 
 In Englifh we mould fay the canticle, or fong, O 
 all ye zvorks of the Lord, blejs ye the Lord. It is 
 alfo called the Jong of the three children in the burn- 
 ing fiery furnace *. This hymn the early Chrif- 
 tians, in all probability, adopted from the Jewifh 
 church. From Cyprian f and Ruffinus % it ap- 
 pears, that the hymn of the three children was 
 generally fung by confeflbrs, martyrs, and all 
 members of the Chriftian communion. This hymn 
 is found in the Apocryphal part of Daniel, yet 
 Ruffinus maintains againft Jerom, that it is a por- 
 tion of Holy Writ. St. Cyprian calls it divine 
 Scripture. Theodoret explains it in his comment 
 on Daniel. Athanafius § recommends it in*pri- 
 vate devotion, and the fourth council of Toledo |[ 
 enjoined it to be ufed in the Spanifh churches, 
 alledging as a reafon, that it was fung all over the 
 world. St. Chryfoftom f had before made the 
 fame obfervation, defcribing this as a hymn every 
 where fung throughout the world, and which 
 would continue to be fung by lateft poftcrity. In 
 
 * See Apocrypha. + Cyp. de Orat. Dora. 
 
 X Ruff. Inveft. in Hieron. § Athan. de Virg. vel. 
 
 || Hymnum in quo univerfa coeli, terneque creatura Deum collau- 
 dat, et quem ecclefia Catholicapertbtum orbem diffufa celebrat, &c. 
 C. 13. 
 
 The 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 209 
 
 the Gallic Le&ionary *, it is appointed to befung 
 after the reading of the Prophets, much in the fame 
 manner, as it is here ordered ,to be faid or fung 
 after the reading of the firft Leflon. Though. by 
 our church it is not admitted to be either an in- 
 fpired compofition, or canonical Scripture, jet 
 it is a very pious, as well as ancient form ofpraife, 
 and well adapted to the purpofes of devotion. 
 
 The objections made to this hymn, that wead- 
 drefs angels, and holy men, and even the inani- 
 mate, parts of the creation, are frivolous and 
 groundlefs. Every perfon, in the fmal left degree 
 converfant with the infpired writings, knows, 
 that- in them, and particularly in the Pfalms, fuch 
 apoftrophes frequently occur. And this very hymn 
 is little more than a paraphrafe, or amplification 
 of the 148th Pfalm, with which it correfponds in 
 Fubftance, and nearly in terms. In both compofi- 
 tions all creatures, in the invifible and vilible 
 world, are called upon to unite in one general 
 chorus of praife to their Almighty Creator. 
 
 As this hymn is fufficiently plain, and feldom 
 repeated in the public fervice, more particular ex- 
 pofition is unneceflary. I fhall therefore only 
 obferve, that where the firft LefTon treats of the 
 creation, or any extraordinary exercife of God's 
 power or providence, Benedicite might with pro- 
 priety and advantage be adopted in the place of 
 Te 'Deum. 
 
 • Mabillondc Lit. Gall. Lib. II. 
 
 p In 
 
2 1 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 In the firft book of Edward VI. Te Deum is 
 appointed to be " read in Englifh daily throughout 
 " the year, except in Lent, during all which time 
 *' in its place (hall be ufed/ Benedicite omnia opera 
 " Domini Domino, in Englifh." This. Rubric was 
 altered in the fecond book, and the choice has 
 ever fince been left to the difcretion of the, 
 minifter. 
 
 HYMNS AFTER THE SECOND LESSON. 
 
 After the Second Leffon at Morning Prayer, the 
 church has alfo provided two hymns, the choice 
 of either of which is, as before, left to the 
 minifter. The former is entitled 
 
 BENEDICITUS, 
 
 becaufe, in the Latin verfion, it begins with that 
 word. Did we ufe Englifh terms, we fliould call 
 it the hymn, beginning Blejfed be the Lord God. 
 Zacharias, at the circumcifion of his fon, John 
 the Baptift, " was filled with the Holy Ghoft and 
 " prophefyed," expreffing himfelf in the words 
 of this hymn, (Luke i. 67.) For the redemp- 
 tion of the world by the incarnation of the Son 
 of God, of whom John was the fore-runner, it 
 breathes the warmeft language of gratitude and 
 praife. It is therefore properly placed after the 
 Second LefTon, which being always felected either 
 from the Gofpels or the Acts of the Apoftles, 
 necefTarily exhibits forrie portion of the hiftory of 
 our redemption. The angel, who firft publifhed 
 
 the 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. ill 
 
 the good tidings of great joy to all people, was 
 fuddenly joined by "a multitude of the heavenly 
 " hoft praifing God, and faying, Glory be to God 
 " on high, and on earth peace, good will towards 
 " men." Thus, when the minifter has recited a ' 
 part of thefe good tidings from the Gofpel, we 
 receive them with joy and thankfulnefs, and unite 
 with him in praifing God. We adopt the words 
 of Zacharias and fay, " Bleffed be the Lord God 
 " of Ifrael, for he hath vifited and redeemed his. 
 " people." 
 
 The whole of the hymn, however, having^been 
 uttered upon a peculiar occafion, and under ex- 
 traordinary circumftances, and the latter part 
 being addreffed to the infant baptift in particular, 
 and referring folely to his immediate office, it 
 may be fairly confidered as lefs adapted to general 
 ufe than fome others, and on this account pro- 
 bably, it is feldom read after the Second Leffon. 
 In its place therefore with the greateft propriety, 
 we generally ufe the hundredth pfalm, called 
 
 JUBILATE DEO, v.j 
 
 from its initial words in the Latin verfion, or in 
 Englifh, " O be joyful in the Lord." Its Hebrew 
 title is, A Song of Praife. It is faid to have been 
 compofed by David upon occafion of a public 
 thankfgiving, and was fung by the Jewifh church 
 at the oblation of the peace-offering, as the prieft 
 was entering into the temple. And immediately 
 after hearing the Gofpel of peace, it is a form of 
 
 p 2 praife 
 
212 Critical and Prafiical Elucidation of 
 
 praife perfectly futtable to every Chriftian af- 
 fembly. For the divine attributes here celebrated, 
 gracious goodnefs, everlafting mercy, never-fail- 
 ing truth, and parental care, are in the Gofpel 
 moil fully difplayed. > 
 
 This hymn was firft added to our Morning 
 Prayer in the Second Book of Edward VI. 
 
 THE CREED, 
 
 COMMONLY CALLED THE APOSTLES' CREED. 
 
 This Creed is a fummary of articles of faith, 
 expreffing concifely and comprehenfively the doc- 
 trines held to be effentially neceffary to everlafting 
 falvation. 
 
 The Holy Scripture, being the revelation of 
 divine truth, and containing every thing neceffary 
 for a Chriftian to believe, may in a more extended 
 fenfe be called our Creed. But fince the Scrip- 
 tures, befides the fundamental doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity, comprehend alfo a great variety of truths 
 of lefs importance, it became expedient for the 
 church to frame a compendium of the articles of 
 indifpenfable belief, which might be readily 
 learned, eafily underftood, and effectually retained 
 by each of its members. 
 
 To thefe articles of our belief we give the name 
 of Creed, a term derived from the Latin word 
 ■credo, (in Englifh, / believe) which is the firft 
 that occurs in this confeffion of faith in that lan- 
 guage. 
 
 . In 
 
The, Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 213 
 
 In the Eaftern church, thefe articles were often 
 called Kuvuv, the Canon, which anfwers to the 
 Latin, Regula Fidei, or Rule of Faith, the Creed 
 being that rule and ftandard by which orthodoxy 
 and herefy were tried and difcriminated. • But the 
 moft common name of the Creed was (jvp&oXov,') 
 fymbolum *,' which is derived from the theme 
 <rvp.£a\\a, to put together, to compofe. For the 
 ufe of this word, as applied to the Creed, various 
 reafons have been affigned.. 1. Some fay it was 
 fo called from its being a colledliort or epitome of 
 Chriftian doclrines \. 2. Others have fuppofed 
 it to be called fymbolum, from each of the apoftles 
 carting in his fymbola, his article, or fhare, towards 
 the composition of the whole. But this fuppofi- 
 tion appears to be without foundation. Befides, 
 p-vy.&o\ov is here confounded with trv^SoXvi, that 
 is, fymbolum withfymbo/a. The fhare contributed 
 by each was fymbola ; but the Creed is never called 
 fymbola, but always fymbolum. 3. The author of 
 *' the Hiftory of the Creed J " has given a much 
 
 * Vojjius thinks that in the three firft centuries the Chriftians did 
 not ufe the term, Jymbol of the faith, but called their Creed a con- 
 feffion, expofition, or rule of faith. And Dupiir (Biblioth. Pat. 
 Eccl. on the Creed) affirms that Cyprian (Ep. 45) was the firft that 
 applied the word fymbolum to denote an epitome^ or concife con- 
 feffion of Chriftian belief. 
 
 + Symbolum eft omnium credendorum ad falutem fpe&antium 
 compendiofa colleclio. (Gerfon). Symbolum Grasce,' Latine collatio 
 dicitur; (Ita legitur, fays Suicerus, ap. Clemeniem Ramanum,- five 
 aliurri Ep. 1.) 
 
 £ Eeter King, afterwards Lord Chancellor. 
 
 " p 3 lefs 
 
214 Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 lefs refpectable account of the origin of the term 
 Jymbolum, alleging that it was adopted by the 
 early Chriftians, from its having been the badge 
 of diftindtion, by which the initiated were ad- 
 mitted to fome of the fecret, and mofl licentious 
 heathen rites. 4. Others fuppofe the Creed to 
 have taken the name fymbolum from the military 
 oath or contract, which the foldiers made with the 
 emperors, when they entered into their fervice. 
 The Creed, they fay, is a token of the covenant, 
 or contradt, which Chriftians make with God at 
 their baptifm. In proof of this they allege the 
 teftimony of Ambrofe, who calls the Creed the 
 facrament of our warfare *, the oath taken by fol- 
 diers to be frue and faithful to their fovereign : 
 and of Chryfologus, who affirms, that a covenant 
 or contract, made with a view to prefent or future 
 advantage, was, both in human and divine engage- 
 ments, called fymbolum f. 5. But the opinion 
 mod commonly received, and indeed moft pro- 
 bable in itfelf, is that the name fymbolum was 
 adopted, from its being like the tejjera militaris 
 among the Roman foldiers, the mark and character 
 by which true believers were diftinguifhed from 
 heretics, as well as infidels, Some of the 
 
 * Symbolum cordis fignaculum et noftra: militia facramentum. 
 Amb. de Virg, vel. lib. 3. 
 
 + Placitum vel paftum, quod lucri fpes •vcnicntis continet,- vel 
 futuri fymbolum nuncupari, contraftu etiam docemur humano.— 
 Intra Deum vero et homines fymbolum fidei fola fide firmatur, 
 phryfol, Horn, 62. 
 
 3 circurrw 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 2 1 5 
 
 circumcifion, even whilft the apoftles were living, 
 pretended to be themfelves difciples of Chrift, and, 
 " for the fake of filthy lucre," went forth to 
 preach, naming indeed the name of Chrift, but 
 not teaching as the truth is in J ejus. The Creed 
 was the mark or teft, by which the true preachers 
 of Chriftianity and true believers were diftin- 
 guifhed *. 
 
 The Creed ufed in the Morning and Evening 
 Prayer is called the Apoftles' Creed, not becaufe 
 it was compofed by them, but becaufe it is agree- 
 able to their doctrines, and might have exifted in 
 a fimilar form in times not very remote from 
 theirs. Many perfons, however, are ftill of opi- 
 nion, that it was compofed by the apoftles them- 
 felves, in the very form of words in which it is 
 now exprefTed. But this opinion is founded upon 
 a fabulous^ though indent, tradition, which ftates 
 that the apoftles, after the day of pentecoft, and 
 before their departure from Jerufalem to propa- 
 gate the Gofpel, agreed, in a full affembl-y of the 
 twelve, to fettle a rule of preaching and of faith, 
 and accordingly compofed this Creed. Subfe- 
 quent writers have ventured to relate this ftory 
 ftill more minutely, and have acquainted us with 
 
 * Symbolum prodat fi fit hoftis, an focius. (Ruffin.) Symbolum 
 teffera eft, & fignaculum, quo inter fideles, perfidofque fecernjtur. 
 Opiatus calls heretics, deferters of the true Symbol, alluding to a 
 military fignal. 
 
 p 4 each 
 
216 Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 each article introduced by each apoftle refpec- 
 tively. Peter firjl faid, (our authority proceeds 
 through the channel of the Romifh church) I be- 
 lieve in God the Father Almighty ; John added, 
 maker of heaven and earth ; James, and in Jefus 
 Chrift his only Son, our Lord ; Andrew, who was 
 conceived by the Holy Ghofl, born of the Virgin Mary : ' 
 Philip , fuffered under Pontius Pilate, wa$ crucified, 
 dead and buried ; Thomas, he defcended into hell* , 
 jkc. Each, in fhort, thus furniftiing one article, 
 they jointly completed the Creed in its prefent 
 form. 
 
 It does not require much ftrength of argument 
 to overturn a tradition, which, on the very face 
 of it, bears the marks of fufpicion, and ftands 
 fupported by no refpectable teftimony whatever. 
 We have incontestable evidence, that feveral of 
 the articles faid to have been dictated by the 
 apoftles, were not to be found in this Creed for 
 the firft four centuries'f of the Chriftian era; 
 which alone fufficiently demonftrates, that the 
 Creed was not compofed by the apoftles. As a 
 collateral proof, may be adduced the filence of 
 St. Luke in the records of the Acts of the Apoftles 
 with regard to any fuch compolition ; as well as 
 the filence of every ecclefiaftical writer for the 
 three firft centuries, 
 
 * This account has been falfely attributed to Auftin. See 1 15th 
 Serin. De tempore, ap. Aug. 
 
 + See tJfher, Grabe, and Pearfon, upon the defcent into hell, 
 communion of faints, Catholic church, life everlafting, &c. 
 
 , x During 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 21 "j - 
 
 During this period, the fathers, in their dif- 
 putes with the heretics, had frequent occafion to 
 prove, that the doSrines of the Creed are the doc- 
 trines taught by the apoftles ,• but they no where 
 hint, that the Creed itfelf was compofed by them: 
 an argument which they would naturally have 
 urged ; for, fince both parties admitted the autho- 
 rity of the apoftles, the proof of this would have 
 terminated the difpute. 
 
 Had one univerfal form been prefcribed by the 
 apoftles, we may reafonably conclude, that it 
 would, like the form of prayer dictated by our 
 Lord, have been found in the facred writings, arid 
 invariably obferved ; and it is confequently im- 
 poflible to give any rational account for the va- 
 riety of forms in the fecond and third centuries, 
 in whjch it has been remarked, there were as many 
 Creeds as authors. 
 
 The concjufion which learned men have drawn 
 from thefe reafons is, that though, with refpecl to 
 doctrine, the Creed is perfectly apoftolic, the 
 compofition itfelf is not to be attributed to the 
 apoftles, nor to any writer of their age *'. It muft 
 be acknowledged, that this Creed, in ancient, as 
 well as in modern times, is commonly ftyled the 
 Apoftolic Creed, or the Creed of the Apoftles. 
 But thefe terms were not always meant particularly 
 to denote the Roman Creed, which we now call 
 
 * Together with the writers mentioned in the preceding note. 
 See Voffius, Suicerus under the article o-vpZoMv, Bull, Dupin, King, 
 and Bingham. 
 
 the 
 
2 1 8 Critical and Pralika] Elucidation of 
 
 the Creed of the Apoftles ; or to exclude the Ni- 
 cene, the Conftantinopolitan, and the Creeds of 
 the ancient orthodox fathers and councils, all of 
 which may be called apoftolic, being forms 
 founded upon the doctrine preached by the Apof- 
 tles. The ordinary Creed^of the chuch of Rome 
 obtained the name of the Apoftolic Creed, (fays the 
 learned and candid writer of the hiftory of infant 
 baptifm,*) " for no greater, or other reafon than 
 this. It was a cuftom to call thofe churches, 
 in which any apoftle had perfonally taught, efpe- 
 cially if he had refided there any long time, or 
 had died there, apoftolic churches. Of thefe there 
 were a great many in the Eaftern parts, Jerufalem, 
 Corinth, Ephefus, Antioch, &c, but in the Wef- 
 tern parts, none but Rome. At Rome St. Paul 
 and St. Peter had lived a considerable time, and 
 there they were martyred : fo that any one jhat, 
 in the Weftern parts of the world, fpoke of the 
 apoftolic church, was fuppofed to mean Rome, 
 that being the only one in thefe parts. Hence 
 their bifhop came to be called the apoftolic bi- 
 ihop; their fee, the apoftolic fee; their faith, the 
 apoftolic faith ; and among the reft, the Creed that 
 they ufed, the apoftolic Creed." 
 
 Thus we fee that this Creed, though not framed 
 by the apoftles, may not improperly derive its 
 name from them. It is an excellent epitome of 
 %he doclrine they taught, and, as nearly as may 
 
 * Wall, Part II. eh. 9. 
 
 be, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 219 
 
 be, cxpreffed in their own words. And though 
 fbme articles were added in latter times, the greater 
 part of it is probably derived from the apoftolic 
 ufage. For, from what has been ftated, we mud 
 not infer, that the apoftles ufed no Creeds. The 
 fair prefumption is, that they, and the firft teachers 
 of Chriftianity, ufed various forms of Creeds, 
 Creeds differing in expreffion, but agreeing in 
 fubftance. 
 
 That they ufed fome Creed jn admitting per- 
 fons to baptifm appears from the declaration of 
 Philip, and, the confeffion of the eunuch. And 
 after the deceafe of the apoftles, the univerfal 
 practice of their immediate fucceffors, and of the 
 church in the early ages, which required an anfwer 
 to each of the queftions propofed to the candi- 
 dates for baptifm, amounts nearly to a demonftra- 
 tion, that fuch was the practice of the apoftles 
 themfelves. 
 
 In Auftin's time, fome were difpofed not only 
 to exclude from the baptifmal vow the profeffion 
 of obedience to " God's holy will and command- 
 " ments," but to abridge the ufual profeffion of 
 faith, and to reduce the Creed to this fingle arti- 
 cle, " I believe Jefus Chrift to be the Son of 
 " God." In their defence, they pleaded the ex- 
 ample of Philip. Auftin replies, that, though 
 for the fake of brevity, no other article is exprefsly 
 mentioned in Holy Scripture, yet the words, 
 " Philip baptized him," are to be understood as 
 meaning, that all things were fulfilled, which 
 
 were 
 
1 20 Critical and P radical Elucidation of v 
 
 were ufually obferved in baptifm *. — And the in- 
 novators, it is faid, never prefumed to carry their 
 intentions intoeffecl:; but continued, as the church 
 always had done, and as our church does, to make 
 interrogatories about other articles, concerning 
 the Holy Ghoft, the remiffion of fins, the refur- 
 rection of the dead, the incarnation of Chrift, 
 his death upon the crofs, his burial, refurreftion, 
 afcenfion, and feffion at the right hand of the 
 Father. Thefe articles were thought fo neceflary, 
 that the church never omitted them either in cli- 
 nic baptifm, (that is, when men 'were baptized 
 upon a lick or death-bed) or in infant baptifm. 
 Where by reafon of ficknefs, infirmity, or tender 
 age, they were incapable of anfweringjhemlelves 
 to each interrogatory, their fureties or fponfors 
 anfvvered for them. But that the ancients bap- 
 tized into full and complete Creed, and not into 
 the confeflion of any fingle article, is, as the 
 learned in general have thought, an incanteftable 
 faft t- * 
 
 * In eo quod ait baptizavit eumPhilippus, intelligi voluit impleta 
 effe omnia, qua; licet taceanturin fcripturis, gratia brevitatis, tamen 
 ferie traditionis fcimus implenda. Aug.de Fid. et Oper. c. 9. 
 
 + See Bingham Ecc. Hift. and the authorities there alleged. In 
 an Englifh Book of Common Prayer reformed by the Sociniam, the 
 only interrogatory, refpefting articles of faith, is, in infant bap- 
 tifm, Will ye inftmH A. B. in the Go/pel of our Lord Jefus Chrift ? 
 And the following form may be ufed, / baptize thee into the name 
 of Jefus Chrift. In the miniftration of baptifm to fuch as are of 
 riper years, the interrogatory is, Do you believe Jefus of Nazareth u 
 be the Chrift ? , 
 
 We 
 
Tie Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 221 
 
 We may further remark, that during' the more 
 early periods, the church, in her-Cxeeds, ufed a 
 latitude of expreffion;. and it is not probable that 
 the apoftles, who, as they were guided' by infpi- 
 ration, were in doctrinal matters incapable of er- 
 ror, mould confine themfelves to one fingle form 
 of words in baptifm, any more than the Evan- 
 gelifts have done in delivering the general truths 
 of the Gofpel. The fact appears to be, that every 
 principal teacher, and every church, were allowed 
 to exprefs their own fenfe in their own words. 
 They were at liberty to frame their own Creeds, as 
 they did their Liturgies, provided they kept to 
 the fubftance of the faith and doctrine delivered by 
 (Thrift and his apoftles. 
 
 It may perhaps gratify the curiofity of the lefs 
 learned reader, and it will not have a tendency to 
 render him lefs- fatisfied with our eftablifhed 
 Creeds, to perufe a tranflation of a few of the 
 moft celebrated Creeds of antiquity. He will 
 not indeed find them arranged in precifely the 
 fame method, nor exprefled in the fame terms. 
 But they will all contribute to. fupport the obser- 
 vations of Irenaeus and Tertullian, that " the. 
 " canon of truth, that is, the true Catholic faith, 
 " is always confiftent with itfelf * ; and that there 
 
 " is 
 
 * Irenaeus (Lib. i.e. ix. feft. 4.) calls the Catholic faith, (otthe 
 Creed which he delivers) the rule of truth, <wbich the Chriflian em- 
 braced at his baptifm, and retains firm and invariable. To» hthm t»s 
 ahyfaws (/.HKin meavru, m ha rov BaTTi«7<«705 titoipt ■ ■. In lib. ill. 
 
 c. xxiv. 
 
2 2 2 Critical and PraSiical Elucidation of 
 
 " is but one rule of faith, and this is fixed and 
 unalterable *." 
 
 Form of the Creed found in Iren^us. 
 
 One of the moll ancient fummaries of Chriftian 
 faith that is now extant, was compofed by Ire- 
 nseus, who was the difciple of Polycarp, thedif- 
 ciple of St. John. Inthefirft of his five books 
 againft herefies, f he fays, 
 
 " The church difleminated throughout all the 
 world, even unto the ends of the earth, received 
 from the apoftles, and their difciples, the belief 
 in one God, the Father Almighty maker of Hea- 
 ven and earth, the feas, and all that are there- 
 in;" 
 
 " And in one Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, who 
 for our falvation was incarnate :" 
 
 " And in the Holy Ghoft, who preached by the 
 prophets the difpenfations of God, and the ad- 
 vents of our beloved Lord Jefus Chrift ; his being 
 
 c. xxiv. fecT:. i. he maintains that the faith of the Catholic church has 
 been uniformly one and the fame. 
 
 * Regula autem fidei una omnino eft, fola immobilis et irrefor- 
 mabilis, credendi fcilicet in unicum Deum, &c. Tert. de Virg. Vel. 
 c. i. 
 
 By this one fajth and one rule of faith, Irenaeus and Tertullian do 
 not mean any particular form of Words prefcribed by public autho- 
 rity, to exprefs the articles of their faith, bat the fubftance of what 
 the church believed to have been taught by Chrift and his Apoftles. 
 
 + Cap. x.p. 4S. Benedicl. Ed. 
 
 born 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 223 
 
 born of a virgin, his'fufferings, refurrection from 
 the dead, afcenfion into heaven in the flefh; and 
 ■his coming again from heaven in the glory of the 
 Father to gather together in one all things, (Eph. 
 i. 10.) and to raife from the dead the flefh of all 
 mankind, that to Chrift Jefus our Lord God, 
 Saviour, and King, according to the good pleafure 
 of the invifible Father, every knee may bow, 
 both of things in heaven, and in earth, and under the 
 earth, (Phil. ii. 10. n.)and that every tongue may 
 confefs to him, and that he may exercife righteous 
 judgment upon all, configningtoeverlaftingfireall 
 fpiritual wickednefs, both theangels whotranfgref- 
 fed, and became apoftates, and ungodly, unjuft,law- 
 lefs, and blafphemous men; and beftow life upon 
 all thofe that are juft and holy, that have kept 
 his commandments and abide in his love, either 
 > from the beginning of their lives, or the time of 
 their converfion ; and inverting them with immor- 
 tality and everlafting glory." 
 
 " This faith, thus delivered," fays Irenaeus, 
 " the Catholic church difperfed throughout the 
 world, retains with one confent, as if it were ani- 
 mated with one foul, and fpoke with one mouth. 
 This is the belief of the churches of the Eaft, of 
 Egypt, of Africa, of, Spain, of Germany and 
 of the Celts, as well as of the Mediterranean 
 ' churches of Paleftine V and in the words of 
 
 Tertul- 
 
 * Id. ibid. The ancient Chriftians had an idea that Jerufalem 
 
 and 
 
224 Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 Tertullian*, " it was the belief of thofe parts of 
 Britain, which,"though inaccefllble to the Romans, 
 were yet fubjectto Chrift." " This faith," con- 
 tinues Irenaeus, fC like the fun, illumines the 
 whole world. Being one and the fame, neither 
 the mod eloquent teacher, nor the moll eminent 
 ruler in the church, can add any thing to it, and 
 he that is the moft rude of fpeech, cannot dimi- 
 nilh from it." 
 
 In other parts of this work, Irenaeus mentions 
 the three perfons of the Trinity, and almoft as 
 often as he fpeaks of the Word, he eftablifhes 
 either his divinity, eternity, or equality with the 
 Fatherf. Eufebius teftifies that this *' apoftolic 
 " man," as Jerom ftyles him, was always a ftre- 
 nuous defender of the true Catholic faith J J. 
 
 Of the Creeds in Tertollian. 
 
 Tertullian, who flourished in the fecond cen- 
 tury, and was nearly contemporary with Irenaeus, 
 has left us three forms of a Creed ; of which the 
 mod concife is here given. 
 
 and Paleftine were fituated in the middle of the world. If by the 
 world we underftand the continents of Europe, Afia, and Africa, 
 the whole of the world then known, the opinion, though it has of- 
 ten been ftigmatized as a vulgar error, will be found to be almoft 
 geographically correft. 
 
 * Tert. adv. Jud. c. 7. 
 
 + See Dupin's Bib. Article Ircn. 
 
 % Ecc. Hift. 1. iii. c. 23. 
 
 " There 
 
The Morning and Evening Puhlic Prayer. 225 
 
 " There is only one rule of faith, and it is fixed 
 and unalterable, that is, to believe in one God 
 Almighty, the maker of the world ; 
 
 " And in Jefus Chrift, his Son, who was bom 
 of the Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, 
 on the third day raifed again from thedead, received 
 up into heaven, and now fits at the right hand of 
 the Father, from whence he fhall come again to 
 judge the quick and the dead, by the refurrection. 
 of theflefhV 
 
 He elfewhere calls an exposition of the faith, 
 in which the divinity of Chrift is more ftrongly 
 aflerted, and mention is made of the Holy Spirit ; 
 and which is exprefled more at length, and in 
 words very different from the preceding Creed, 
 " a rule of faith delivered by Chrift, which here- 
 tics alone difputedf." 
 
 A Creed attributed to Origen. 
 
 Whether Origen, as fome maintain, or Maxi- 
 mus, who was older than Origen, or, what is more 
 probable J, one of Origen's difciplesi named 
 
 * DeVirg. vel. c. 1. 
 
 + Hsec rfegula a Chrifto inftituta, nullas apud nos habet qusefti- 
 ones, nifi quas h^refes inferunt, et quse ha;reticos faciunt. De 
 Prifcript. Haeret. c. 13 and 14. ,£ 
 
 % What it affirms of the religious prince is applicable to no one be- 
 fore Conitantine. 
 
 0^ Maxi- 
 
226 Critical and Pratlical Elucidation of 
 
 Maximus, was the author of the dialogue, written 
 to refute the errors of Marcion, it is not my pre- 
 fent obje<ft to inquire ; my defign being only to 
 quote from it the following form of a Creed : 
 
 " I believe," fays the author, " there is One 
 God, the maker and creator of all things: 
 
 " And one who is from him, God the word, 
 who is of one fubftance with him, and co-eternal, 
 who in thofe latter ages aflumed human nature, 
 being born of Mary, and was crucified, and was 
 raifed again from the dead : I believe alfo the 
 Holy Ghoft, who exifts from all eternity." 
 
 We have forne fragments of the Creed in the 
 writings of Cyprian, who alfo proves the anti- 
 quity of its ufe in the primitive church, and that 
 not only the articles concerning the Trinity, the 
 incarnation, &c. of Chrift, but likewife thofe 
 which relate to the church, with the remiffion of 
 fins, and life everlafting, were a part of the Creed 
 of the African churches in his time. 
 
 Creed of Gregory Thaumaturgus. 
 
 " There is one God, the Father of the living 
 Word, of the eflential wifdom, and power, and 
 of the eternal exprefs image ; the perfect begetter 
 of the perfect: the Father of the only begotten 
 Son. 
 
 " There is one Lord, the only Son of the pnly 
 Father, God of God, the character and exprefs 
 
 image 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer, 227 
 
 image of the Godhead, the operative word, the 
 providing wifdom of the conftitution of the uni- 
 verfe, the efficient power of the whole creation *; 
 the true Son of the true Father, invifible of the 
 invifible, incorruptible of the incorruptible, im- 
 mortal of the immortal, and eternal of the eternal: 
 
 " And there is one Holy Spirit, who proceedeth 
 from God, and by the Son is made manifeft to 
 men. The image of the Son, the perfect likenefs 
 of the perfect : the life, the caufe of life to the 
 living. The* holy fountain, holinefs itfelf, the 
 author of fanctification : by whom is manifefted 
 God the Father, who is over all, and in all, and 
 God the Son, who is through all. 
 
 " There is therefore a perfect Trinity, which in 
 glory, eternity, and fovereignty is infeparably and 
 inalienably united f. — Neither is there in this 
 Trinity any thing created, or fubject to another; 
 any thing adventitious, which did not exift before, 
 but was afterwards introduced. Neither was the 
 Son ever wanting to the Father, nor the Spirit to 
 the Son, but the fame Trinity is immutable and 
 invariable from everlafting." 
 
 This Creed is faid to have been compofed by 
 
 * That is the wifdom by which the fyftem of the univerfe was 
 planned, and the power by which it was carried into execution, or 
 created. 
 
 + The remaining part of the Creed, which forne attribute to 
 Gregory Thaumaturgus, others fay is the conclufion drawn by 
 Gregory e££Jyfla from the preceding profeffion of faith. 
 
 CL2 Gregory 
 
2 28 Critical and PraElical ElucidatieMof 
 
 Gregory for the ufe of his own church, at a time 
 
 when there exifted various controverfies on the 
 
 fubjecT: of the Trinity. Gregory of NyfTa, fpeaking 
 
 of this very formulary, teftifies, that by it the 
 
 people of Neo-Caefarea, were inftrudted to his day, 
 
 and thus preferved from the infection of herefy. 
 
 It is not a complete fummary of Chriftian faith, 
 
 being confined to the expofition of the doctrines 
 
 relating to the Holy Trinity. Of the opinion of 
 
 the primitive church on this fubjed, it affords 
 
 the moft convincing proof; and in none of the 
 
 writings of the Ante-nicene fathers is the Divinity 
 
 of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft, more explicitly 
 
 afTerted. 
 
 This confeflion of faith, as Gregory of NyfTa 
 relates in his life of Gregory Thaumaturgus, was 
 delivered to him by a revelation from heaven *. 
 
 And 
 
 * He fays that the Virgin Mary, and St. John, appeared to 
 Gregory in a virion, and explained to him the myftery of godlinefs. 
 They likewife diftated a fhort creed, which he committed to writing, 
 and bequeathed the copy to the church of Neo-caefarea, where this 
 author affirms it was preferred in his time. The ftdry of the vifion 
 I believe to be fabulous, and I fufpeci that it was forged to fupport 
 the Athanafian doftrine, when it was in danger of being overturned. 
 Pious frauds, and fiftions are not peculiar to the church of Rome. 
 Even in the earlier ages they were but too common to fome Chriftian 
 polemics, who feem to have occafionally thought any argument 
 good, that was calculated to filence an opponent. Jerom almoft 
 acknowledges mifreprefentation to be commendable, when it pro- 
 ceeds either from hatred towards infidels, or from zeal for the faith. 
 Non condemnamus errorem, qui dc odio Judxorum, & fidei pie- 
 
 tate 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer". 229 
 
 And it was the obfervation of Bifhop Bull*, that 
 it is by no means incredible that fuch a revelation 
 fhould have been vouchfafed to him, coniidering 
 the many miracles he is acknowledged to have 
 wrought f. Whether the miracles are fupported 
 by fufficient evidence, or not, this is unqueftion- 
 ably certain, that if the Creed was not entirely 
 compofed by Gregory Thaumaturgus, it was in 
 times very near thofe in which he lived, extant in 
 its prefent form. 
 
 tate defcendit, was his obfervation on the conduct of Tome Chriftiansi 
 who pretended that certain rcddijh ftones, found in the ruins of the 
 temple, contracted that colour from the blood of Zacharias, the 
 fon of Barachiai. 
 
 * Bull on the Nicene Creed, feci. 11. c. 12. Carve, whom I 
 conceive to be more credulous, and lefs judicious than Bull, quef- 
 tions the genuinenefs of the Creed. Non obftante NyJJini, homi- 
 nis in hifce nimis creduli, autoritate, haec expofiuncala a viris 
 cordatis, & prudentioribus a:gre fidem impetrabit, (Hift. Lit. 
 Greg. Thaum.) Waterland (import of Doft, of Trin.) maintains 
 its genuinenefs. 
 
 + Hence he obtained the name of Thaumaturgus, (i. e.) worker of 
 miracles. I apprehend that moft of the miracles of the third, fourth, 
 and fubfequent centuries down to thofe of the Holy Rood of St. 
 Paul's, about the time of the reformation, and thofe of the Virgin of 
 Ancona of recent memory, are, by the learned in general, admitted 
 to be falfe. I truft thatno churchman of the prefent day, will be of- 
 fended by my recommending to my reader's attention Dr. Conyers 
 Middleton's free Inquiry into the miraculous Powers which are fup- 
 pofed to have fubfifted in the Chriftian church after the days of the 
 Apoftles. — I am far from believing,' that the reporters and recorders 
 of thefe miracles were difpefed to lie ; yet they were, in general, I 
 fear, but too willing to be deceived. 
 
 Q.3 THE 
 
230 Critical and PraBical Elucidation of 
 
 THE CREED OF L'UCIAN. 
 
 About the time of Gregory lived Lucian, the, 
 elqquent Prefbyter of Antioch, who wrote feveral 
 {reatifes concerning the faith, and towards the 
 clofe of the third century, fuffered martyrdom. 
 In opposition to the Sabellians he compofed a 
 Creed, which is recorded by Socrates *, Athana- 
 iius f, and Hilary J. The laft of thefe authors 
 comments upon it, and proves, that it does not 
 favour Arian opinions, as the abettors of that party 
 pretended. The following translation is given 
 from the Greek of Socrates, and the form deli- 
 vered and vindicated by Hilary is. fubjoined in the 
 note§. 
 
 f'We 
 
 * Ecc. Hift. 1. 11. c. x. + De Syn. Arim.- J De Synod. 
 
 § The form of this Creed, according to Hilary, is, — Confe- 
 quenter Evangelicas & Apoftolicae traditioni crediinus in unum Deurh 
 Patrem Omnipotentem, cun&orum quae funt adificatorem & fafto- 
 rem & proviforem, ex quo omnia :— JEt in unum' Dominum Jefum 
 Chriftum, Filium ipfius unigenitum, Dcum per quern omnia, qui 
 generatus eft ex patre, Deum ex Deo, Totum ex Toto, Unum ex 
 Uno, Perfeftum de Perfefto, Regem de Rege, .Dominum de Do- 
 mino, Verbum, Sapientiam, Vitam, Lumen vcrum, Viam veram, 
 Refurreftionem, Paftorem, Januam, inconvertibilem & immutabi- 
 lem, Divinitatis Effentiaeque & Virtutis & Gloria incommutabilem 
 jrhaginem, primum editum totius creaturae, qui femper fuit in 
 principio apud Deum Verbum Deus, juxta quod diftum eft in 
 Evangelio : Et Deus erat Verbum, per quem omnia facia funt, & 
 in quo omnia conftant, qui in noviffimis diebus defcendit de fum- 
 
 mU 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 231 
 
 " We belive, according to the tradition of the 
 evangelifts and apoftles, in one God, the Father 
 Almighty, the maker and Creator of the uni- 
 verfe : — And in one Lord Jefus Chrift, his only 
 begotten Son, who is God, and by whom all things 
 were made, who was begotten, before all ages, 0* 
 the Father, God of God, Whole of Whole, Sole 
 of Sole, Perfect of Perfedt, King of King, Lord 
 of Lord; the living Word, Wifdom, Life; the 
 way of Truth, the Refurredtion, the Shepherd, the 
 Gate ; invariable and immutable ; the unchange- 
 ble image of the Divinity, both of the eflence and 
 power, and will, and glory of the Father : the 
 firft born of every creature ; who was in the be- 
 ginning with God, the Word which was God, ac- 
 cording to what is faid in the Gofpel, and the 
 
 mis, & natus eft ex Virgine fecundum Scripturas, & agnus fa&us eft 
 mediator Dei & homiuum, pradeftinatus fidei noftrx & dux vitje ; 
 dixit quippe, Non enim defcendi de ccelo, ut facerem voluntatem 
 meam, fed voluntatem ejus qui me mifit. Qui paffus eft, & refur- 
 rexit pro nobis tertia die, & afcendit in ccelos Sc fedet in dextram 
 Patrit, & iterum venturus eft cum gloria judicare vivos & mortuos. 
 Et in Sanftum Spiritum, qui in Paraclefin & Sanflificationem 1 & 
 Confummationem credentibus datus eft, juxta quod & Dominus 
 Jefus Chriftus ordinavit difcipulis, dicens, Pergite & docete univer- 
 fas gentes, baptizantes eos in Nomine Patris, & Filii Sc Spiritus 
 San&i, manifefta utique Patris, vere Patris, certaque Filii vere Filii, 
 notaque Spiritus Sanfti, vere Spiritus Sanfti : hifque nominibiis non 
 fimpliciter, neque otiofe propofitis, fed fignificantibus diligenter pro- 
 priamuniufcujufque nominatorum Subftantiam & Ordinem & Glo- 
 riam, ut fint quidem per fubftantiam tria, per confonantiarn vero 
 unum. in u9ros-«o"£i t§i«, t»i Jji cryfwpwma a. 
 
 <X, 4 word 
 
232 Critical and Praclhal Elucidatisn of 
 
 •word was God: by whom all things were made, 
 and in whom all things fubfift. Who in the laft 
 days came down from heaven, and was born of a 
 Virgin according to the Scriptures ; and was made 
 man ; the mediator between God and man ; who 
 was fent to be the author of our faith, and the 
 prince of life, for he faid I came not from heaven 
 to do mine own will, but the will of him that fent 
 me : who fufFered for us, and rofe again for us the 
 third day, and afcended into heaven, and fitteth 
 at the right hand of the Father, and fhall come 
 again with glory and power to judge the quick and 
 the dead.— 
 
 " And I believe in the Holy Ghoft, who is given 
 for the confolation, and falsification and perfec- 
 tion of them that believe; as alfo our Lord Jefus 
 Chrift taught his difciples, faying, Go, teach all 
 nations, haptizi?ig them in the name of the Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. That is of 
 the Father, who is truly the Father; of the Son, 
 who is truly the Son ; and of the Holy Ghoft, who 
 is truly the Holy Ghoft: thefe names not being 
 idly, and without any meaning applied, but ac- 
 curately expreffing the diftincl: perfonality, glory, 
 and order of each : So that they are three perfons 
 united in one Godhead. This faith we hold before 
 God and Chrift," 
 
 This Creed was afterwards adopted by a coun r 
 cil at Antioch, compofed of ninety-five Bifhops,, 
 in fome degree to guard againft Arian principles, 
 
 but 
 
, The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 233 
 
 but chiefly to eftablifh the true faith, in oppo- 
 fition to Sabellianifm. Bifhop Bull maintains the 
 orthodoxy of the Creed, defends Hilary's apo- 
 logy for it, and anfwers the objections againfl: it, 
 made by Baronius and others *.' 
 
 Creed of Jerusalem, 
 
 Of all the churches, thofe of Paleftine were the 
 tnoft ancient ; and the firfl and moft eminent 
 among them, was the church of Jerufalem ; whence, 
 as from a parent fource Chriftianity was diffufed ' 
 through the world. About the year 350, Cyril 
 was created Bifhop of this church. — Before this, 
 he had written his catechetical difcourfes, in 
 which are explained at length the articles of the 
 Chriftian faith. Thefe have been collected in the 
 following Creed. 
 
 " I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, 
 maker of heaven and earth, and of all things vi- 
 fible and invifible : 
 
 " And in one Lord, Jefus Chrift, the only be- 
 gotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before 
 all ages f , the true God, by whom all things were 
 made, who was incarnate, and made man, cruci- 
 
 * Bull. Def. Nic. Fid. Sect, ii. c. xiii. 
 
 + Cyril very pften, and in the ftrongeft manner, fpcaks of the 
 eternal generation of the Son. On this fubjeft his Eleventh Cate- 
 chefis will be read with pleafure. The catechefes or catechetical dif- 
 courfes were compofed, as Jerom teftifies, when Cyril was a young 
 man, that is, foon after the Nicene Council. 
 
 ficd 
 
«34 Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 fjed and buried; and who rofe again from the 
 dead the third day, and afcended into heaven, and 
 Jitteth on the right hand of the Father; and fhall 
 come to judge the quick and the dead, of whpfe 
 kingdom there fhall be no end : 
 
 '* And in the Holy Ghoft, the comforter, who 
 fpake by the prophets ; in one baptifm of repent- 
 ance, in the remiffion of fins ; and in one Catho- 
 lic church ; and in the refurredlion of the flefh, 
 and in everlafting life." 
 
 This Creed is neither theNicene, nor the Con- 
 ftantinopolitan. It wants the words of one fubftance 
 •with the Father, and other titles given to the Son 
 in theNicene Creed. Neither is it the Conftan- 
 tinopolitan Creed, for Cyril's catechefes were com- 
 pofed before he was made Bifhop of Jerufalem, 
 and the council of Conftantinople was held thirty 
 years after that period. It is in reality, fays 
 Bifhop Bull, the ancient Creed of the church of 
 Jerufalem *. 
 
 The introductory part is found in the Liturgy 
 afcribed to James, the firft Bifhop of this church ; 
 and the whole of the Creed is probably one of the 
 moft ancient, and authentic fummaries of faith 
 that are now extant. It teaches in the moft ex- 
 prefs terms the divinity and eternal generation of 
 Jefus Chrift. We may likewife remark that in 
 
 * Refiat igitur, ut fit revera vetui fymbolum ecclefije Hierofoly- 
 mitanse. Def. Fid. Nicse. 
 
 this, 
 
The Morning and; Evening Public Prayer;. 235 
 
 fhis, and other ancient oriental Creeds, were con- 
 tained many of the articles that now follow the 
 mention of the Hply Ghoft in the Apoftle's Creed., 
 fuch as one baptifm, the remiffion of fins, the 
 refurredtion of the body, and everlafting life. 
 The communion of faints and the defcent into 
 hell, are the only articles not exprefled in this 
 Creed, which are to be found in the prefent wef- 
 tern, or apoftolic Creed, In conclufion we may 
 pbferve, that even after the Nicene council, the 
 churches both of the Eaft and Weft, retained 
 their ancient Creeds*. 
 
 NICENE CREED, strictly so called, and 
 CQNSTANTINOPOLITAN, commonly cal- 
 led the NICENE. 
 
 From the fpecimens already exhibited, the lefs 
 learned reader may perceive, what was the fub- 
 ftance of the Creeds of the primitive churches. 
 For we have no entire form of a public Creed, be- 
 fore that which was agreed upon at the firft ge- 
 neral meeting, or council, confifting of Chriftians 
 from all parts- of the world, and held at Nice in 
 BithyniaA, D. 325. This council compofed and 
 eftablifhed a Creed, principally in oppolition to 
 the forms adopted by the Arians. Hence it is 
 that thearticles, which in ancient as well as in more 
 
 * Eccffefi^.tamorientis, quam occidentales, antiqua fua fymbola, 
 ftiam poft fynodum Nicsnam, retinuere. Bull. Fid. Nic. Def. 
 
 i modern 
 
236 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 modern Creeds, fucceed the mention of the Holy 
 Ghoft, are in the Nicene Creed omitted. About 
 thefe there was no controverfy, and the Fathers af- 
 fembled at Nice, did not recite, or explain more 
 of the Creed than was neceffary to oppofe the 
 errors of the times. 
 
 Fifty-eight years after the drawing up of the 
 Nicene Creed, it was compleated by the feconM ge- 
 neral council, (held at Conftantinople A. D. 383. ) * 
 and publifhed in the form in which it now ftands 
 in our communion fervice, and in that of almoft 
 all the eftablifhed churches in the world. During 
 this interval, new herefies had fprung up, refpecl- 
 ing the belief in the Holy Spirit. In oppoiition 
 to them, a few claufes were added to the Creed : 
 as were alfo thofe other articles which formed a 
 part of the interrogatories prbpofed to the candi- 
 dates for baptifm, and which, as has appeared 
 from the Creeds already cited, were commonly an- 
 nexed to confeflions of faith. — This Creed, thus 
 compofed, is more generally diftinguifhed by the 
 name of the Nicene Creed, than the Conjlantinopo- 
 litan. The difference between the two Creeds will 
 be fufficiently obvious, by printing in Italic, the 
 additions, made by the fathers affembled at Con- 
 ftantinople, to the form originally agreed upon ac 
 Nice. 
 
 * At Gonftantinoplethree general affemblies of Bifhops werefuc- 
 eeffively held, in the years 381, 382, and 383. It is thefirftofthe 
 canons of the laft Synod, that ratifies, the Creed of the Council of 
 Nice. Dupin. 
 
 is I believe 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 237 
 
 " We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, 
 maker of heaven and earth, and of all things vifible 
 and invifible : 
 
 "' And in one Lord Jefus (Thrift, the only begot- 
 ten Son of God, [that is, of the fubftance of the 
 Father *J begotten of his Father before all worlds, 
 God of God, light of light, very God of very God, 
 begotten, not made, being of one fubftance with 
 the Father: By whom all things were made [both 
 in Heaven and on earth] : Who for us men, and 
 for our falvation, came down from heaven and was 
 incarnate by the Holy Ghojl of the Virgin Mary, and 
 was made man, and zvas crucified alfo for us under 
 Pontius Pilate : he fuffered and zvas buried, and 
 the third day he rofe again according to the Scrip- 
 tures, and afcended into heaven, and Jilt eth on the 
 right hand of the Father: and he {hall come again 
 with glory to judge both the quick and the dead ; 
 zvhofe kingdom Jhall have no end. 
 
 " And we believe in the Holy Ghoft, f the Lord 
 and giver of life who proceedeth from the Father (and 
 thcSon%), who with the Father and the Son together 
 
 is 
 
 * The claufes in brackets, which form a part of the Nicene 
 Creed, are omitted in the Confiantinopolitan. 
 
 \ Here the Nicene Creed ended ; but it was followed by an ana- 
 thema againft all who fhould maintain, that there <was a time luhen 
 the Son ivas not, or that he mias not before he -was born, or that he 
 ivas created. 
 
 % However true the doftrine may be, or however confonant to 
 the opinions of the more ancient Greek fathers, that the " Holy Spirit 
 " proceeds from the Father and the Son," yet the words and the Son 
 
2 3 8 Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 is worfhipped and glorified, who /pake by the prophets: 
 And (I Believe *) one Catholic and Apoftolic church ,• 
 we acknowledge one b apt if m for the remiffion of fins • 
 (and -f) we look for the refurretlion of the dead, and 
 the life of the world to come. Amen'* 
 
 Greed of Pelagius. \ 
 
 Pelagius, the monk of Bangor, is the only wri- 
 ter of the more ancient Britifh church, that was 
 diftinguifhed in the Roman world. Before he fell 
 into the erroneous opinions he entertained concern- 
 ing original fin §, and the neceflity of divine grace, 
 
 which 
 
 are not found in the Greek copies of the Conftantinopolitan Creed. 
 They are an interpolation originally made by the Spanifli and Gallic 
 churches. Againft them, Leo III. decreed that no addition be 
 made to the Creed of a general council. But his fucceflbrs wiihed 
 to compel the Greeks to adopt that language in the Creed, which 
 was never ufed by the Greek Fathers. They fay, the Holy Spirit 
 proceeds/row the Father by the Son. 
 
 * Wanting in Greek copies, and Roman initials. 
 
 •v Not in the Creed, but in the miflals. 
 
 % His name in the language of his own country is fuppofed to 
 have been Morgan, (Marigena) which fignifies what Pelagius does 
 in Greek and Latin, belonging to the Sea. He lived at Rome in great 
 reputation about the end of the fourth century. He was a man of 
 extraordinary abilities, and they who condemn his errors, in general 
 sefpeft his learning, piety, and virtue. 
 
 § The term original Jin is faid to have been firft ufed by Auftin, 
 in order ftrongly to denote the corruption of our nature, 
 4«ived from the fall of our firft parents. This doftrine, which 
 
 was 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 5, 39 
 
 which were fuccefsfully combated by Jerom, Auf- 
 tin, and many others, and are rejected expresfly 
 by our church, he had written three books on the 
 Belief of the Trinity, of which this Creed may be 
 confidered as an abftracT:. The Creed, though it 
 has been attributed both to Auftin and Jerom, was 
 addrefled by Pelagius to Pope Innocent. So that 
 it is much older than the Athanafian, and only 
 about thirty-four years pofterior to the Conftanti- 
 nopolitan. It contains a very full and explicit con- 
 feflionof the true faith. Out of refpedtto our Coun- 
 tryman, the author of the Hiftory of Infant Bap- 
 tifm has tranflated it at length : and the following 
 extraSt will fhew, that, however favourable the 
 revival of fome of the errors of Pelagius may be 
 thought to the Socinian tenets, yet on the leading 
 articles of Chriftian faith, that caufe has no where 
 a more direct or decided adverfary. 
 
 " We believe," fays Pelagius, " in God, the 
 father Almighty, maker of all things vifible and 
 invifible. 
 
 *' We believe alfo in the Lord Jefus Chrift, by 
 whom all things were, created ; very God, the only 
 begotten, the true Son of God; neither made, nor 
 adopted, but begotten: of one fubftance with the 
 Father, which the Greeks exprefs by 'oopoisciot; : 
 and in all things equal to the Father, fo that he 
 is not inferior to him, either in time, degree, or 
 
 was expreffed in different terms by the more ancient fathers, the Pe- 
 lagians denied. See 9th Art. of Rcl. 
 
 power. — 
 
24°" Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 power. — Though we fay, the Son is begotten of 
 the Father, we afcribe no time to that divine and' 
 ineffable generation : but we mean that neither 
 the Father nor the Son had any beginning. For 
 we cannot otherwife confefs the Father to be eter- 
 nal, unlefs we alfo acknowledge the Son to be co- 
 eternal : for he is called the Father, as having a 
 Son j and he who for ever wis a Father, for ever 
 had a Sun. 
 
 " We believe alfo in the Holy Spirit, very God, 
 who proceedeth from the Father ; and who, in 
 power, in will, in eternity, in fubftance, is equal 
 to the Father and the Son. 
 
 " As in confutation of Arius, we fay, that the 
 fubftance of the Trinity is 'one and the fame, and 
 acknowledge one God in three perfons ; fo avoid- 
 ing the impiety of Sabellius, we diftinguifh three 
 perfons, faying there is one perfon of the Father, 
 another of the Son, and another of the Holy 
 Spirit.— They are one in-fubftance, but are diftin- 
 guifhed by perfons. 
 
 " We fay that the Son of God, who, with the 
 Father and the Holy Spirit, exifted from eternity, 
 andwithout beginning, did, in time, take upon 
 ^him of Mary, who was always a Virgin, our Na- 
 ture ; the Word was made flefh, by taking the 
 manhood to him, not by altering the Godhead. — 
 There is in Chrift, one perfon of the Son, and 
 two perfect and entire natures, one of the God- 
 head, and one of the manhood, which confifts of 
 
 body and foul. 
 
 2 " We 
 
The Morning, and Evening Buhlic Prayer. 24. i 
 
 " We hold, that our nature, capable of fuffer- 
 ing, was fo aflumed by the Son of God, as that 
 the Divinity remained incapable of fuffering. For ' 
 the Son of God fuffered, not in appearance only, 
 but really, all the things which the Scripture 
 fpeaks of, hunger, 'thirft, wearinefs, pain, and 
 death; but he fuffered in that Nature which was 
 capable of fuffering, not in that Nature which < 
 did affume, but in that which was aflumed : For 
 the Son, in refpe<ft of his Godhead, is incapable 
 of fuffering, as the Father is incapable of fuffer- 
 ing ; incomprehenfible *, as the Father is incom- 
 preheniible ; invifible, as the Father is invifible. 
 The Son of God died, according to the Scrip- 
 tures, in refpedt of that which was capable of 
 dying. 
 
 " The third day he rofe again, heafcended into 
 heaven, and fitteth on the right hand of God the 
 Father; the fame nature of fie fh ftill remaining, 
 in which he was born, and fuffered, in which he 
 alfo rofe again. The nature of his humanity is 
 not extiriguifhed, but glorified, being to continue 
 for ever with the Divinity. He will come to 
 judge the living and the dead, that he may reward 
 the juft, and puniih firtners. We alfo believe the 
 rcfurredfcion of the fiefh ; and that we fhall for 
 ever remain fuch as we fhall once be made after 
 
 * Incomprehenfible, in the Latin original, is nearly equivalent to 
 omniprefent, and exprefiis that which cannot be comprehended in /pace, 
 or included tuilhin bounds, 
 
 r the 
 
242 Critical and PraSikal Elucidation of 
 
 the refurfedtion *. That there is one life for the 
 faints, but rewards different according to their 
 labours : as the punifhment of the wicked fhall 
 be according to the meafure of their fins. 
 
 " We hold one baptifm, "'which ought to be ad- 
 miniftered with the fame facramental words to 
 • infants as it is to adults. If after baptifm a man 
 do fall, we believe he may be recovered by repen- 
 tance." &c. &c, 
 
 Athanasian Creed. - 
 
 Some have fuppofed that this Creed was written 
 by Athanafius during his refidence at Romef: 
 but it is more commonly afcribed to Vigilius, the 
 African %, who lived towards the end of the fifth 
 century. The Creed, as many of the learned § 
 think,, was originally compofed in Latin for the 
 ufe of fome part of that church, and afterwards 
 tranflated into Creek. This valuable exposition 
 of the Chriflian faith was adopted by moll of the 
 ancient weftern churches, and, among the reft, by 
 fhofe of Gaul and Britain. 
 
 * He here glances, not only at Origen, who believed a great 
 many changes in the future ftate, but at Jerora, who had fpoken 
 of the torments of hell, as if there were hope that they would not 
 be eternal. Wall. 
 ■ + Baron. Ann. 340, 1 
 
 % SyraboluiH fidei, fub Athanafii nomine circulatnm, Vigilio nos, 
 pon invita, ut credinuis, yeritate, afcribendum cenfetnus. (Cave, 
 Hift. Lit.) 
 
 § Cave quoted above, with Voffius, Pearfon, Ulher, kc. 
 
 Being 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 243 
 
 Being an excellent fummary of the doctrine of 
 the Trinity, and of the incarnation of our Lord 
 Jefus Chrift, as taught by the apoftles, received 
 by the earlier Chriftians, and eftablifhed by the 
 four firft general councils, it is, on certain fefti- 
 vals, appointed by our church to be ufed at 
 Morning Prayer infte^d of the Apoftles' Creed *■ 
 
 Andj 
 
 * The obje&ions made to this Creed.by thofe who believe the 
 Scripture to be the word of God, and that this Creed, in general, 
 contains nothing that is contrary to that word, are, that it is unin- 
 telligible and uncharitable. To the former of thefe obje&ions it has 
 been replied, there is a great difference between anderftanding the 
 meaning of the Creed, or the doftrine which it fets forth, and com- 
 prehending the thing itfelf, or the myftery, to which this'do&rine 
 relates. It is eafy enough to underftand the Catholic or orthodox 
 do&rine, concerning the Trinity, which the Scripture teaches, and 
 the church has always received; but to comprehend the myftery of 
 the Trinity itfelf, is impoffible. For we cannot conceive the man- 
 ner, how three perfons are One God, nor how the One God fubfifls 
 in three perfons. By not attending to this neceifary diftinftion, a 
 man may fuppofe he does not underftand the doftrint • of the Creed, 
 merely becaufe He cannot comprehend the myftery of the 'Trinity. — 
 This latter is above his underftanding. But is that the fault of this 
 Creed ? — Suppofing the Creed, expunged from the liturgy, would 
 he have clearer conceptions of this myfterious truth ? Or will any 
 other Creed, or expofition of the faith, that human ingenuity can 
 ' devife, enable a finite capacity to comprehend an infinite objeft ? — 
 The principal ufe of a Creed is, to put a form of found words into 
 the mouths of Chriftians, that they may be able to make a proper 
 confeffion of their faith. Such forms are the apoftolic, and the 
 Nicene Creeds, as well as moft of the Creeds that appear in the 
 preceding pages. But the Athanafian Creed is farther intended to 
 guard and fecure the faith againft the artifices and evafions of all 
 heretics. And if, in fome points, other Creeds are more eafy, it is 
 
 R 2 only 
 
244- Critical and PraSlical Elucidation of 
 
 And, in the language of a learned writer, " as long 
 as there fhall be any man left to oppofe the doc- 
 trines 
 
 only becaufe they are more general, and defcend not to fuch a par- 
 ticular explication ; but they are for this reafon more liable to be 
 evaded, and the true fenfe of them is more eafily explained away. 
 See Horbcrry's xvmth Sermon. 
 
 As to its uncbaritablcnefs, the condemning, or damnatory claufes, 
 as they have been called, do not extend to each of the particular 
 explications here given, but are intended only to fecure the general 
 doftrine. To elucidate the meaning and intention of the church, 
 the ecclefiaftical commiffioners appointed in 1689 to review the 
 Liturgy, agreed, that a Rubric fhould be made, declaring that the 
 condemning claufes 'were not to be rrftrained in each particular article, 
 hut iverc intended againft thofe that deny the fubfiance of the Chriflian 
 religion in general. (Life of Tillotfon by Birch, p. 181.) And it 
 fhould feem that there is no want of charity in declaring, that it is 
 neceffary, according to the terms of the Gofpel, to believe that 
 there are three perfons who are one God, and that the fecond of 
 thefe, the Son, was made man. In the Englilh tranflation there is 
 the appearance of a harfti expreffion not warranted by the original, 
 He that will be fa'ved muft thus think of the Trinity. This paffage 
 might perhaps be more faithfully rendered, Let him -who deflres to % be 
 fa^ed, thus think of the Trinity. "" (Qui vult fervari, ita de Trinitate 
 fentiat.) Thefe words, which have been ftrangely ftyled a damna- 
 tory claufe, do not imply even fo much as a cenfurc. They are an 
 application of the introduction, which fimply ftates, what no 
 Chriftian will deny, that whoever is defirous of falvation, and ex- 
 perts it upon the terms of the Gofpel, muft firft of all believe the 
 doftrines of the Gofpel : he muft in particular embrace and hold 
 faft, the two primary articles of faith, that " in the unity of the 
 " Godhead there are three perfons of one fubftance, power, and 
 " eternity : the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft;" (ift Art, 
 of Rel.) and that for us men, and for our falvation, the fecond 
 perfon, the Son, became incarnate. Of thefe two articles the 
 Creed gives a full and circumftantial expofition : and in the con- 
 
 conclufiqfl 
 
The Morning arid Evening Public Prayer. 245 
 
 trines which thjs Creed contains, fo long will it 
 'be expedient, and even neceffary to continue the 
 ufe of it, in order to preferve the reft. — And I 
 fuppofe, when we have none remaining to find 
 fault with the doctrines, there will be none to 
 object againft the ufe of the Creed." 
 
 In the following table, taken from Dupin's 
 Hiftory of Eccleliaftical Authors, four ancient 
 Creeds are compared. The Vulgar, (or the 
 Apoftles' Creed in its prefent form ) the Aquileian, ' 
 the Oriental, and the Roman, (or the older form 
 of the Apoftolic Creed.) Dupin does not ftate 
 what copies he followed. This I mention, be- 
 caufe different copies of the fame Creed are often 
 delivered with fome variety of expreffion ; and 
 the Creeds here given do not all, in every inftance, 
 minutely and verbally agree with other copies that 
 I have examined. 
 
 clufion it exhorts all that would avoid dangerous errors, to hold the 
 Catholis faith ; to believe that the three divine perfons are one 
 iGod, and that the Word was truly made man, and thus to think 
 of the Trinity. 
 
 Notwithftanding the excellence of the Creed, the expediency of 
 ufing it in a public Liturgy has been queftioned by divines, who 
 both fteadfaftly believed the do&rines it contains, and approved of 
 the expofitions of them it delivers. I think it probable that they 
 are argued upon this principle. — Our congregations being infefted 
 with no erroneous opinions in matters of faith, being in general 
 happily unacquainted, not only with the nature, but even with the 
 very names of the various corruptions againli which this Creed ex- 
 plicitly guards, there is lefs occafion, in our public worftup, for the 
 recital of fo minute an explication of points which are confeffedly 
 
 abftrufe. 
 
 R 3 A Com- 
 
246 
 
 Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 A Comparative Table of 
 
 The Vulgar. 
 
 The Aquixeian. 
 
 1. 
 I believe in God, the Father 
 Almighty, maker of heaven and 
 earth. , 
 
 1. 
 I believe in one God, the 
 Father Almighty. 
 
 11. 
 
 And in Jefus Chrift, his onlj 
 Son our Lord. 
 
 11. 
 And in Chrift Jefus, his only 
 Son our Lord. 
 
 in: 
 Who was conceived by the 
 Holy Ghoft, born of the Virgin 
 Mary. 
 
 in. 
 Who was born by the Hdly 
 Ghoft of the Virgin Mary. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Suffered under Pontius Pilate, 
 was crucified, dead and buried, 
 he dcfcended into hell. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Was crocified under Pontius 
 Pilate, and was buried, he defcen- 
 ded into hell. 
 
 v. 
 The third day he rofe again 
 from the dead. 
 
 v. 
 The" fame. 
 
 VI. 
 
 He afcended into heaven, and 
 fitteth on the right hand of God, 
 the Father Almighty. 
 
 VI. 
 
 He afcended into heaven, and 
 fitteth on the right hand of God, 
 the Father. 
 
 VII. 
 
 From thence he mail come to 
 judge the quick and the dead. 
 
 VII. 
 
 The Tame. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 I believe in the Holy Ghoft. 
 
 viri. 
 And in the Holy Ghoft. 
 
 IX. 
 
 The holy catholic church, the 
 communion of faints. 
 
 IX. 
 
 I believe the holy church. 
 
 The forgivenefs of fins. 
 
 X. 
 
 The fame. 
 
 XI. 
 
 The refurre<3ion of the body. 
 
 XI. 
 
 The refurre&ion of this body. 
 
 XII. 
 
 And the life everlafting. Amen. 
 
 XII. 
 
 Wanting. 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 247 
 
 Four Ancient Creeds. 
 
 The Oriental. 
 
 The Roman. . 
 
 1. 
 I believe in one God, the 
 Father Almighty, invifible and 
 impaflable. 
 
 1. 
 I believe in God, the Father 
 Almighty. 
 
 And in our only Lord Jefus 
 Chrift, his Son. 
 
 11. 
 And in Jefus Chrift, . his only 
 Son our Lord. 
 
 in. 
 The fame. 
 
 -' in. 
 The fame. , 
 
 IV. 
 
 Was crucified under Pontius 
 Pilate, and was buried. 
 
 IV. - 
 
 The fame as in the Oriental. 
 
 v. ' 
 The fame. 
 
 v. 
 The fame. 
 
 VI. 
 
 The fame, yet Almighty is 
 fometimes added, as in the Vulgar 
 
 VI. 
 
 The fame with the Aquileian. 
 
 VII. 
 
 The fame. 
 
 VII. 
 
 The fame. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 The fame. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 The fame. 
 
 IX. 
 
 The fame. 
 
 IX. 
 
 The fame. 
 
 X. 
 
 The fame. 
 
 X. 
 
 The fame. 
 
 XI. 
 
 The fame as in the Vulgar. 
 
 XI. 
 
 The fame. 
 
 XII. 
 
 Wanting. 
 
 XII. 
 
 Wanting. 
 
248 Critical and Praifical Elucidation tf 
 
 Though the Creed was always ufed prior to the 
 administration of baptifm, when the catechumen 
 made an open profeffion of his faith, and fome-' 
 times in private devotion, yet in the earlier ages 
 it constituted no part of the public Liturgy. It 
 was firft introduced into the daily iervke of the 
 Greek church by Tullo, who was Bifhop of An- 
 tioch about A. D. 471, and was adopted by the 
 church of Constantinople about 511. From the 
 Eaftern churches this cuftom v. as brought into 
 the Weft ; and the, Conftantinopolit'an Creed was, 
 by the third council of Toledo, (about A. D. 589) 
 ordered to be recited before the Lord's Prayer, in 
 the churches of Spain and Gallicia*. Thefe 
 churches being then returning from the doctrines 
 of Arius, with which they had been infected, this 
 Creed was employed as an antidote againft relapfing 
 into like errors for the future: In the time of 
 Charlemagne it was adopted by all the churches 
 of Gaul, where, as well as in Spain, it was ever 
 afterwards retained, not With {landing the advice 
 and directions of Pope Leo JII. to lay alide a 
 practice which the Papal See had not then ad- 
 mitted f. The church of Rome, however, find- 
 ing from long experience, that the Spanifh and 
 Gallican churches were not to be prevailed upon 
 
 * Some copies of the afts of this council read Gallia. 
 
 + The -Greed was not fang or feid- at Rome in the Liturgy, for 
 which this reafori wasaffigned, The Roman church nuas not infetled 
 <with- herefies as other chur-chet •were. And at that period the allega- 
 tion was not unfounded. 
 
 to 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer . , a 4. 9 
 
 to adopt her pra&ice, complied with theirs. — 
 " That there might be no difagreement in the 
 " church," was the pretence of Rome for intro- 
 ducing the Creed into her Liturgy, about A. D. 
 1014, that is, upwards of 406 years after the daily 
 ufe of it had been enjoined by the third council 
 of Toledo. 
 
 This is one of the arguments which Stilling- 
 fleet * produces to fhew the difference between 
 the old Gallic and the Roman offices ; and to 
 prove, that the church of England at the refor- 
 mation did not follow the model-of the church of 
 Rome, but the. more generally received and ap- 
 proved practices of the ancient Gallic and Britifh. 
 churches. 
 
 Creed why placed in this Part of the 
 Service. 
 
 That the place in which the Creed frauds in our. 
 Morning and Evening Prayer f, is the moft proper 
 that could be chofen, will be evident, if we con- 
 fider what precedes and what follows it. 
 
 * Antiq. of Brit. Church, c. iv. p. 226, &c. 
 
 + In the Breviaries it is direfted to be faid privately, immediately- 
 after Pater Nojler and Ave Maria, and before the Mattins'or Morn- 
 ing Service begin. But with us, excepting only the intervention 
 of a hymn, the Apoftles' Creed immediately follows the leflbn from 
 the Gofpel at morning fervice, as the Conftantinopolitan does the 
 leffbn from the Gofpel in the communion fervice. This is perfectly 
 confonant to the practice of antiquity, which appointed the Creed 
 to be fnid after the Gofpel. 
 
 i. Before 
 
250 Critical and P radical Elucidation of 
 
 i . Before it, are the Leflbns taken but of the 
 Holy Scriptures. " Faith comes by hearing," 
 and we having heard the word of God, profefs 
 our belief of it. The word did not profit. the, 
 Jews', for want of faith in them that heard it. , We 
 truft it will profit us, who immediately after hear- 
 ing it, individually make open profeflion of our 
 .belief. 
 
 2. After the Creed follow the Col lefts and 
 Prayers, and on the days appointed, the Litany. 
 
 Our belief is the bafis of our fupplications 
 
 " Faith is the fountain of prayer," fays Auftin, 
 and " how fhall they call on him. in whom they 
 " have not believed," afks an infpired apoftle ? 
 That we may call upon him properly and effec- 
 tually, we firft declare our belief by reciting the 
 Creed.- With Ariel propriety therefore have the 
 compilers of our Liturgy directed us to repeat the 
 Apoftles' Creed after we have heard " God's holy 
 " word ;" and before we proceed " to afk thofe 
 " things that are requifite and necefTary, as well 
 " for the body as the foul." 
 
 Why recited by both Minister and People. 
 
 The Rubric directs the Apoftles' Creed to be 
 faid or fung by the minifter and the people. Each 
 individual of the congregation is to join it it. It 
 is the confeifien of every perfon t prefent, and 
 
 there- 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 251 
 
 therefore every one ought perfonally. to pronounce 
 it with the minifter *. 
 
 It fhould be remembered, that our Creed does 
 not, like our prayers, run in the plural number f. 
 The minifter does not fay in the name of the con- 
 gregation, "We believe;" but he for himfelf, 
 and every individual for himfelf, is directed to 
 fay, fe I believe." We may, and in Holy Scrip- 
 ture we are often admonifhed, to pray for one 
 another. But every man muft believe for himfelf, 
 and ought to make the profeffion of his belief 
 with his own mouth, fince every one is to bejuf- 
 tified and faved by his own faith, and not by the 
 faith of others. Let none of the people imagine, 
 if they hear the minifter repeat it, and themfelves 
 fay Amen, that this- is fufficient. For every mem- 
 ber of the congregation is as much concerned in 
 the rehearfal of it, as the minifter himfelf. At 
 the conclufion of a Collect, he who adds Amen is 
 fuppofed fufficiently to unite in the whole ; but 
 belief is confidered as a thing fo entirely perfonal, 
 that the church has directed the whole congrega- 
 tion to accompany the minifter iA the recitation 
 
 * In fome of our country churches, . the people fay the Creed 
 after the minifter. Before they utter a word, he finifhes a fentence ; 
 and then paufes till they have. begun, dnd repeated it after him. 
 Thus each article ir twice rehearfed, firft by the minifter, and 
 afterwards by the people. This practice I conceive not to he con- 
 fonant either to the directions or meaning of the framers of the 
 Rubric. 
 
 + Yet we have fcen that many of the ancient Creeds did. 
 
 of 
 
252 Critical and PracJird! Elucidation of 
 
 of her Creeds ; excepting only that of Athanafius, 
 where the recital of the claufes by the minifter 
 and people alternately is equivalent to the repeti-^ 
 tion of the whole. 
 
 Creed why repeated standing. 
 
 The Creed is appointed to be faid or fung by 
 the minifter and the people ftanding. This was 
 the attitude, in which the catechumens in the an- 
 cient church always repeated it. The Creed is 
 rot fo immediately addrefled to God as our prayers 
 are. It is a folemn declaration, reciprocally made 
 by one man to another, by every individual to, the 
 whole congregation. Now, whenever one man 
 addrefles an aflembly of his equals, and in the 
 houfe of prayer all men muftbe confidered as equal, 
 ftanding is the attitude which among us decorum 
 naturally fuggefts; artd it is therefore the attitude 
 enjoined by the regulations of the church. An 
 addititional reafon for the attitude is, that 'this 
 declaration of faith is made in the prefence of 
 God, by whom, at the fame time, we wifh it 
 fhould be heard, and towards whom we ftiould 
 fhew every mark of refpedl and reverence. 
 
 Again,, ftanding may imply a determination to 
 defend and maintain the faith which we profefs.' 
 And upon this principle is to be explained the 
 ancient practice of fome churches *, where the 
 
 * Of Lithuania, Poland, &c. 
 2 ' nobility 
 
The Morning and Evening PuMk Prdyir. 253 
 
 nobility repeated the Creed {landing, and -with 
 their fwords drawn, intimating, that they would, 
 to the utmoft, defend the doctrines of the Creed, 
 and were prepared, if neceffity mould require, to 
 feal the truth of it with their blood. 
 
 Creed why said standing towards the East. 
 
 In the recital of the Creed it was cuftomary to 
 turn towards the chancel, or eallern part of 
 the edifice. This ancient cullom, though not , 
 enjoined by any Rubric, or directibn of our 
 church, that I at prefent recollect, is ftill retained 
 by many of our congregations. For the origin 
 of this practice we mull look to the ufage of an- 
 tiquity, where, as we have obferved, the Creed 
 was firfl publicly ufed in baptifm. The renun- 
 ciation of " the devil and all his works, the 
 " pomps and vanities of this wicked world, with 
 " all the finful lulls of the flelh," was made by 
 the catechumens with their faces turned to the 
 Well ; but in the Creed, and the vow of obe- 
 dience, they turned to the Eaft. The meaning of 
 which fymbolical practice has been thus explained: 
 " the Weft is the place of darknefs. Satan is 
 " darknefs, and his llrength is in darknefs. For 
 " this reafon you look to the We'll, when you re- 
 *' nounce the prince of darknefs." AndAmbrofe 
 fays, " thou art turned to the Eaft : for he that 
 " renounces the devil turns unto Chrilt;" inti- 
 mating that turning to the Eaft, or rifing fun, was 
 
 con- 
 
254 Critical and Praftical Elucidation of 
 
 confidercd as a converfion from Satan unto Chrift, 
 a change from darknefs unto light, from ferving 
 idols to worftiip the fountain of light, the fun of 
 righteoufnefs. 
 
 Or BOWING AT THE NAME OF JeSUS. 
 
 There is a general practice in our churches of 
 bowing here at the mention of the name of Jefus. 
 I do not mean to cenfure any cuftom which is in- 
 tended to exprefs veneration for our Saviour ; but 
 the practice is founded on a.paffage of St.,Paul too 
 literally underftood ; " At the name of Jefus every 
 " knee fhall bow. 1 ' The fathers, who ingeneral ftu- 
 died qoly Scripture with lefs judgment than devo- 
 tion, underftood thefe words to imply that the 
 mention of the name of Jefus fliould be literally 
 accompanied by an inclination of the perfon. — 
 The xvnith canon directs that, " when in time 
 " of divine fervice, the name of the Lord Jefus 
 " fhall be mentioned, due and lowly reverence 
 " fhall be done by all pcrfons prefenr, as it hath 
 " been accuftomed, teftifying by thefe outward 
 " ceremonies and geftures their inward humility, 
 " Chriftian refolution, and due acknowledgment, 
 " that the Lord Jefus Chrift, the true eternal Son 
 " of God, is the only Saviour of the world, in 
 " whom alone all the mercies, graces, and promifes 
 " of God to mankind, for this life and the life to 
 " come, are fully and wholly comprifed."— At 
 prefent it is cuftomary to do reverence, when the 
 
 i name 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 255 r 
 
 name of Jefus is mentioned in this and the Nicene 
 Creed. But thefe are the only inftances in which 
 the directions of the canon are generally followed. 
 And our practice varies from that of the laft cen- 
 tury, if the following obfervation, fuppofed.to 
 be Bifhop Overall's, is authentic : " In reading 
 " the Holy Gofpel," (the Gofpel in the commu- 
 nion (ervie'e, as appears' from the context, is meant) 
 " and never elfe,, is adoration made at the name 
 " "of Jefus. For then only is it in its right exal- 
 " tation, and then men ftand up in a pofture ready 
 " to make reverence *." 
 
 The articles of the Creed are fo^ frequently ex- 
 pounded in fermons, and fo well explained in a 
 variety of fmall catechetical and others tracts, 
 thoufands of which are annually difperfed through- 
 out England by the Society for promoting Chriftian 
 Knowledge, and fome of which muft be prefumed 
 to be in the pofleflion of every one into whofe 
 hands this work is likely to fall, that a particular 
 expofition of each article is judged unneceifary. 
 For a more full and accurate account of whatever 
 relates to the Creed, reference may be had to 
 Bifhop Pearfon, and the authors cited in the notes, 
 from whom many of the preceding obfervations 
 are drawn, 
 
 * See the Appendix tp ^Jichol'i Commentary. 
 
 TWO 
 
2j6 Critical and PraStical Elucidatitn of 
 
 TWO VERSICLES* 
 
 Between the CreiED awd Lord's PrayeR. 
 
 The falutation of the prieft, and the refponfe of 
 the people, which follow the Creed, are derived 
 either from Ruth ii. 4, where Boaz fays to the 
 reapers, "the Lord be with you," and they reply, 
 " the Lord blefs thee ; " or; from St. Paul, who 
 ufes the expreflion, " the Lord be with you all," 
 and " the Lord Jefus (Thrift be with your fpirit." 
 (2 ThelT. iii. 16 — 2 Tim. iv. 2.) 
 
 Thefe verficles, which are faid to havebeen ufed 
 by the apoftles in their public worftrip, are found 
 in the weftern Liturgy afcribed" to St. Peter, and 
 in mo ft of the ancient Liturgies of the Eaft. 
 When fome propofed ro alter thofe expreffions, a 
 council held in 535 thought fit to ratify this form 
 of Salutation, and to enjoin, rhat it mould be 
 ufed, without variation, according tothecuftom 
 of all the Eaft, where, as the acts of the council 
 inform us, it was looked upon as an apoftolic in- 
 ftitution f. 1 
 
 In 
 
 * In Edward's firft book, thefe two Verficles were placed at the 
 end of the interlocutory fentences after the Lord's Prayer,,and were 
 followed by " Let us pray," which words were then faid immedi- 
 ately before the firft colleft. 
 
 + fCoiic.Braccharen. Can. 21. J In the Roman church this falu- 
 tation is repeated feven times, during the celebration of the office of 
 
 the 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 257 
 
 In the ancient offices the words often denote 
 a transition from one part of the fervice to ano- 
 ther, and in this light they may here be considered. 
 Our confciences abfolved from fin by confeflion, 
 our affections elated with praife and thankfgiving, 
 our understandings enlightened by hearing God's 
 word, and our faith Strengthened by a folemn pro- 
 feffion, we now enter more particularly Upon the 
 bufinefs of prayer, and proceed " to afk thofe 
 " things which are requisite and necefiary as well 
 for the body, as the foul." 
 
 Before we begin to pray, the falutation of the 
 prieft reminds the people, that without God's af- 
 fiStance, their fervices cannot be profitably per- 
 formed. It is alfo a feafonable petition that He 
 would gracioufly be prefent with them in the of- 
 fering of the facrifice of thofe prayers, which the 
 church has appointed to follow : that he would 
 lift up their hearts, accept their devotions, and 
 reward their fervices. 
 
 The people, remembering that their minister is 
 going to prefent his fupplications, and to offer up 
 fpiritual Sacrifices for them, . pray in return, that 
 the fame Lord may be gracioufly prefent with 
 him, at all times, and especially in the perform- 
 ance of thefe holy duties. And where the mini- 
 ster and people, with proper difpofitions, thus 
 
 the communion, in reference to the fevenfold gifts of the fpirit. 
 See the hymn in the ordination office, beginning " Come, Holy 
 " Ghoft, thy fevenfold gifts infpire." 
 
 » acknow- 
 
258 Critical and Practical Elucidation if 
 
 acknowledge their own infufficiency, declare their 
 mutual love and charity, and reciprocally pray for 
 each other, they will afluredly obtain a bleffing 
 from God. 
 
 LET US PRAY.' 
 
 This exhortation, which is often repeated in 
 the ancient Liturgies, as well as in our own, may 
 be considered as an invitation to prayer in gene- 
 ral, to ardent and intenfe prayer in particular. In 
 the ancient Liturgies the affiftant deacon is direfted 
 frequently to call upon the people to pray, to pray 
 earneftly, and to pray ftill more earneftly *. And 
 the famefpirit of devotion our church breathes in 
 her Liturgy by the frequent repetition of the 
 words, " Let us pray f." 
 
 They here remind the people, that as they are 
 now folemnly entering upon the grand duty of fup- 
 plication and prayer, they fhould not fuffer their 
 thoughts to wander, nor their attention to abate : 
 But that they fhould pray with fervency, and 
 with holy importunity befiege the throne of hea- 
 ven J. 
 
 .* AivQuptr, arena hnSuptt, iimiarrege* fa&upn. Greek and Ori- 
 ental Liturgies. 
 
 + Thcfe words are addreffed not to God, but to the congrega- 
 tion, of which they fhould be made icnfible by the mode of deli. 
 very. 
 
 \ Coimusad Deum; — quafi manu facta precationibas ambiamus. 
 Haec vis Deo grata eft. Tert. Apol. c. 59. 
 
 In 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 259 
 
 In other parts of the fervice, they denote a tran- 
 fition from one form of prayer to another, In 
 the Litany, for inftance, where they are prefixed 
 to the prayers, " O God, merciful Father," and 
 " We humbly befeech thee," they fignify, "let 
 " us here change our fupplications by verficles 
 " alternately recited, into collects and prayers *," 
 and at the fame time are intended to excite the 
 fervour of the congregation. 
 
 Lord have Mercy upon us, &c. 
 
 Thefe three verficles were called fometimes the 
 lefler Litany (Litania minor) fometimes theearnell: 
 or vehement fupplication, {jzktwvjs jxsit;*,) being 
 a moft pathetic addrefs to each perfon of the Tri- 
 nity. When thefe verficles were ufed alone, as 
 a fhort form of fupplication, they had the nature 
 and name of a Litany. The firft and third verfi- 
 cles are literal tranflations of the ancient Kyrie 
 Eleifo7f\. In the fecond verficie the word Lord, 
 was changed by the Latin church into Chrift, to 
 
 * And" this, I apprehend, they imported here in Edward's firft 
 book, where they follow the interlocutory fentences and the two 
 verficles, and immediately precede the firft collect. In the Latin 
 Liturgies, and more efpecially in the Rubrics, the'words//w/ and 
 orationes feem to be thus diilinguilhed : Preces, that is fupplications, 
 were thofe alternate petitions, where the people anfwered by refpon- 
 five verficles. Qratio, the orifon orprayer, and all the collects, were 
 faid by the prieft alone, the people only anfwering, 4men. 
 
 + Ktijie ETiEtisrof, i. e. Lord, have pity, or mercy. 
 
 • s 2 lhew, 
 
260 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 fhew, that it was addreffed to the fecond perfon of 
 the bleffed Trinity, and to denote his divine and 
 human nature *. 
 
 The Latins likewife repeated the verficles alter- 
 nately, as we do j but among the Greeks, the fup- 
 plication was made by the common voice of the 
 minifler and the people. In the Romifh church 
 thefe verficles were repeated nine times. The 
 reafons for this practice, may be feen in Duran- 
 "dus, Durantus, and other ritualifts. Kyrie Eleifon, 
 though a Greek expreflion, was fuperftitioufly re- 
 tained untranslated by the Latin church. In the 
 life of the Greek term they fancied there exifled a 
 peculiar efficacy, and by the recitation of thefe 
 words extraordinary miracles are related to hav$ 
 been performed f. 
 
 When 
 
 * In medio mutatur Kyrie in Chrifte, ut noteturduaseffe natures 
 in Chrifto. Durand. Rat. Off. Div. , t 
 
 + Magna eft horum verboram efficacia, fays Duran Jus, who, in 
 fupportof theaflertion, produces various inftances of miracles, fup- 
 pofed to have been wrought by them. As a fpecimen, the following 
 is extracted from a French writer on the Liturgy. Cette mefme 
 priere (Kyrie EleifonJ a efte en propres termes en vfage, Jtant en la 
 MefTe que hors de la Meffe, dans l'Eglife Orientale, des les premiers 
 fiecles; ce que nous remarquons dans Amphilochius, en la vie qu'il 
 a efcrite de faint Bade ; oii il eft dit, que ce grand prelat ayant af- 
 femble fon peuple pour prier Dieu pour le mal-heurux Theophile, qui 
 s'eftoit donne au diable par vne fcedule, & deiiroit toutefois fe releur 
 de cette obligation, en retraftant fa promeffej Us pafferent tout la 
 nuit en prieres auec leur Pafteur, prians Dieu a chaudes larmes pour 
 lay; & ctians, Miferkorde ou Kyrie eleifon, qui vent dire Seigiteuri 
 ayez fitie. En fuite dequoy l'efprit malin ayant infulte infolemment 
 
 contre 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. a6i 
 
 When we confider the fuperftitious abufe of this 
 ancient and valuable form, both amcfng the Greek 
 and Latin Chriftians, we muft admire the wifdorri, 
 and the moderation of our firft reformers; their 
 moderation in not expunging from the Liturgy 
 what had been fo grofsly abufed; their wifdom in 
 retaining this ancient form of fupplicatioh, but, 
 at the fame time tranflating it into Englifh, that 
 all imputation of fuperftitious attachment to the 
 original words might be removed. 
 
 The fecond council of Vaifons obferves, that in 
 the Eaft, and the provinces of Italy, an ufefiil and 
 agreeable cuftom prevailed of frequently faying 
 the fupplication, " Lord have mercy upon us," 
 with great devotion and contrition : and ena&s 
 that in the Gallic church, it fhall be introduced 
 into the Morning and Evening Prayer, and the 
 office of the holy communion *. in our daily 
 fervice thefe verficles are placed before the repeti- 
 
 contre faint Bafile, & s'eftant vante qu'il tenoit en main le fcedule 
 de ce Theophile, pour l'expofer an grand Iugement, cc faint Prelat 
 pour l'obliger a la rendre, continua d'exhorte, toute l'afliftance dc 
 hauffer leurs voix & leurs fupplications vers le Ciel : Ce qu' eftant 
 fait, l'efcrit fut rendu par vne main invifible, & mis dans les mains 
 de faint Bafile. La Liturgie Sacm par Grimaud. 
 
 * Quia tam in fede apoftolica, quam etiam per, tot3S Orientis, 
 atqueltalise provincial, dulcis, & nimis falubris confuetudo intro- 
 miffa eft, ut Kyrie eleifon, frequentius cum grandi affeftu, ac corn- 
 pundtione dicatur, placuit etiam nobis, ut in omnibus ecclefiis noftris 
 ilia confuetudo fanfta, et ad Matutinum, et a<4Miffas, et ad Vefpe- 
 ras, Deo propitiante, intromittatur. Can, v. 
 
 S % tion 
 
262 Critical and P radical Elucidation of 
 
 tion of the Lord's Prayer, to which they form a 
 proper introduction. For no prayer requires 
 greater preparation than that divine form which 
 proceeded from the lips of our Lord. Sometimes 
 the Lord's Prayer is preceded by confeffion and 
 abfolution, but more generally by this fhorter 
 Litany, which inftructs us to acknowledge our 
 unworthinefs, bewail our mifery, and fupplicate 
 the mercy of God. After this, we may with hum- 
 ble confidence look up to our heavenly Father, and 
 pray to him for farther bleflings. 
 
 Lord's Prayer why repeated here. 
 
 Concerning the repetition of the Lord's Prayer 
 in this place we may obferve, that the practice of 
 the church is fanctioned by the example of the 
 author of this prayer. Chrift himfelf prayed three 
 times, faying the fame words. When it was re- 
 peated in the beginning of the fervice, it was more 
 particularly applied for the confirmation of our 
 pardon and abfolution. Here it has refpecT: to 
 the following prayers, which we have reafon to 
 prefume will be more acceptable on its account. 
 And if on the former occafion we did not offer any 
 petition with fuitable earneftnefs, we have now an 
 opportunity of compenfating for the omiffion, by 
 afking with greater fervency, what was too flighty, 
 pafi"ed over before. 
 
 Interiocu- 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 263 
 
 Interlocutary Sentences. 
 
 From the recital of the Lord's Prayer we pro-, 
 ceed to the interlocutary petitions, all of which 
 except two are taken out of the pfalms. Whether 
 it be entirely the effect of defign, or fomething 
 mult be attributed to accident, thefe verficles are 
 an epitome of the collects that regularly follow*. 
 The duty of the congregation is to join in the one, 
 and to liften with attention to the other. 
 
 The two firfr, from Pf. lxxxv. 7, containing ge- 
 neral petitions for mercy and falvation, anfwer to 
 the Sunday and weekly collects. — Mercy and pre- 
 fervation from evil, temporal or eternal, both of 
 which are included in the term falvation, are mofl 
 commonly the fubjects of thefe Collects. The 
 two next, taken from Pf. xx f., anfwe to the 
 prayers for the King's Majeftyand the Royal Fa- 
 mily. The two following from pf. exxxii. 9, ap- 
 pear to have been part of the Jewifh Liturgy, and 
 were ufed by Solomon at the dedication of'the 
 temple. Thefe with the two fucceedihg verficles, 
 from Pf. xxviii. 9, anfwer to the Colled for the 
 clergy and people. The two next, taken proba- 
 
 * The Verficles flood whenfeveral of the Collects were wanting. 
 Hence I am difpofed to attribute fomething to defign, but more to 
 accident, unlefs we fuppofe that the collects were purpofely framed 
 to fuit the verficles. 
 
 t See the laft verfe of the fep. verfion, and the vulgatc. 
 
 • S 4 bly 
 
264 Critical and P radical Elucidation ef 
 
 bly from 1 Chron. xxii. 9, and Pf. cviii. 12, an, 
 fwer to the daily morning and evening colle&s for 
 peace; and the two laft. from Pf. li. to the daily 
 col lefts for grace. 
 
 Thefe fentences are fo iignificant and comDre- 
 henfive, that it would not be an eafy talk to make 
 a more judicious felection. Their meaning is fo 
 plain and obvious that they require no particular 
 explication. 
 
 The prieft is diredte'd toftand during the repeti- 
 tion of the Verficles. This Rubric was added in 
 the fecond book of Edward VI.— Standing is here 
 no doubt a very proper attitude, but kneeling 
 feems equally proper, and is more convenient to. 
 the minifter *. 
 
 OF THE COLLECTS. 
 
 Collect is a term of great antiquity, having been 
 mentioned by the writers of the third century. 
 Whatever was its origial acceptation, it now fig- 
 nifies any fhort compreheniive prayer. In our own 
 church fince the reformation it more particularly 
 denoted the prayer prefixed to the epiftle and gof- 
 
 * In the emendations piopofed by the comnriffioners of 1691, the 
 minifter is directed to kneel. (Bireh's Tillotfon.) In our firft En- 
 glilh Liturgy he did kneel daring the repetition of them, for there 
 he is dire&ed after they are faid Xnftand up, when he fays Let us pray, 
 before the firft Collect. See note p. 259. 
 
 P9* 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 265 
 
 pel at the adminiftration of the Eucharift *. Of 
 its ufe in this fenfe I fhall give one inftance, which 
 will Elucidate a Rubric, that may at firft fight 
 appear obfeure, in the office for the burial of the 
 dead. 
 
 The laft prayer before the benediction in this 
 office is entitled "the Collect," whereas the prayer 
 preceding it, " Almighty God with whom do live, 
 " &c." which in the more general acceptation of 
 the term is equally a collect, is not in the Rubric 
 diftinguifhed by this name. The reader will ob- 
 ferve, that the former of thefe prayers has the 
 word prieft before it,, and that after it comes the 
 colledl. Now it is well known, that the latter 
 prayer, allowing for a few flight variations, is-the 
 very fame that was ordered by Elizabeth to be 
 ufed as the colled: before the celebration 1 of the 
 Lord's Supper at funerals. To remove dirges, 
 and other popifh abufes, our reformers had ftruck 
 at the root of thefe evils. They had removed the 
 occafion of them, the celebration of the commu- 
 nion at burials. The Queen's proclamation how- 
 ever fhforms us, that notwirhftanding the act of 
 uniformity to the contrary \, (paffed in the firft 
 
 year 
 
 * Thefe Prayers are always called Collects. Yet in the more an- 
 cient church, the difference between a prayer and a colleB was this : 
 The frayer (oratio)- was ufed before the facrament, whereas the 
 cdlelt (collecla) was faid in proceffions. (Honor, cap. 94.^ The 
 prayers in proceffions are with peculiar propriety called colleBs. fBiU 
 {et, de dii>. Off. ap. Durant.J 
 
 t Peculiaria quaedam in funebribus adjungi pracipimus, ftatuto 
 
 illo 
 
266 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 year of her reign) Jhe had, in fome cafes, ordered 
 the revival of this ceremony. At length however 
 the practice of communicating at funerals was 
 finally dropt, and though the reft of this fervice 
 was difmiffed, the prayer itfelf was wifely retained* 
 That it is retained with its former title, the ColleSI, 
 was probably the effect of overfight, or accident. 
 
 Of the origin 6f the name of Collects ritualifts 
 have given various and apparently contradictory 
 accounts. Yet if we remember, that different 
 churches had different ufages *, and that the fame 
 church, in different ages, was not uniform in its 
 practice, thefe various accounts will be found re- 
 concileable, and may all probably be true. 
 
 i. Some fay they were called collects, becaufe 
 many diftinct petitions are collected into one 
 body, and united in one prayer. 
 
 2. Others think they took their name from 
 being collected out of the Holy Scriptures, for 
 the collects for Sundays and Holidays are for the 
 jmoft part taken out of the portions of Scripture 
 appointed to be read as epiftles and gofpels for 
 
 iHo prardiflo in contrarium non obftante. The epiftle was 
 
 i ThefT. iv. beginning at ver. 13 to the end. The gofpel, either 
 John vi. ver. 37 to 41, or John v. ver. 24 to 30^ The fervice was in 
 Latin, and intended for the ufe only of the two Uniyerfities, and 
 the colleges of Winchefter and Eton. See the proclamation prefixed 
 to Cekbratio dsme Domini in funebribus in Sparrow's Collection. 
 
 * Addam pro Coronide, in divinis officiis maximam interceflifle 
 varietatem, pro divcriitate gentium, ac tempororm Durant. de Rit. 
 
 the 
 
The Morning and Evtning Public Prayer. 267 
 
 the day *, or at leaft they are generally accommo- 
 dated to them. 
 
 3. Both thefe accounts, as far as they go, are 
 reafonable enough, but they are definitions of the 
 prefent fenfe of the word, rather than explications 
 of the origin of the name. Ecclefiaftical writers 
 of great authority relate, as Caflander has ob- 
 ferved, that Collects derived their name from their 
 being repeated in the Stations f, or religious af- 
 
 femblies 
 
 * We muft not extend this propofition too far. Many of out 
 collects, epiftles, and gofpels are retained from ancient miffals, but 
 often with a remarkable variation, which, in a few inftances, I 
 (hall endeavour to defcribe.— — On the fourth Sunday after Trinity 
 our collect is the fame with that of the Mijfal, for the third Sunday 
 after Pentecoft ; but the Epiftle there is taken from Peter, and the 
 Gofpel from Luke xv. — On our fifth Sunday the collect is the fame 
 with that for the fourth in the Miffal ; but there the Epiftle is the 
 fame with that which we ufe on our third.-*— On the fixth Sunday 
 our Colleft and Gofpel correfpond with thofe for the fifth in the 
 MilTal: the Epiftle there is the fame with ours for the fifth.— Si- 
 milar variations between our collects, epiftles, and gofpels, and 
 thofe appointed by the miflals, will be found throughout the greater 
 part of the Sundays after Trinity, and on other days : whence 1 
 conclude that the account of the origin of the name of collects, 
 given under the fecond head, which our writers borrowed from the 
 Romanijls, cannot, on all occafions, ferve both parties. 
 
 + Stations at firft meant the meetings of Chriftians at the tombs 
 of martyrs, &c. ; and afterwards their aflembling in other places for 
 the purpofe of performing public worfhip. In procefs of time 
 Wednefday and Friday became ftationary days. In Litanical, and 
 other procejfions, fiations were appointed at certain churches, at one 
 of which the people met, and then proceeded to another. On the 
 meeting, and during the proceffion, Collofts were recited. This 
 
 laft 
 
268 Critical and PraEfical Elucidation of 
 
 femblies of the Roman church. On thefc occa- 
 fions, it was cuftomary for the bifhop, or prieft,' 
 after the Introit, when the people were collected, 
 to recite prayers of this kind upon the collection of 
 the people, or the people fo collected. Hence by 
 a little deviation from the original meaning, Col- 
 lects became the general name of prayers conceived 
 in this manner and form *. 
 
 4. But in ages more early than thofe, of which 
 the writers mentioned by Caffander fpeak, the 
 Greek E7nK\i](rig, and the Latin, colletla, meant 
 the collection, recapitulation, and recommenda- 
 tion, publicly made by the bifhop or prieft, of the 
 prayers, which had been privately offered up by 
 the people f. — The private prayers were made by 
 the people kneeling ; the Collect, or public reca- 
 
 laft is the pra&ice here alluded to. Mae autem orationes fpecialius 
 collects vocari videntur, quae apnd Romanos fupra colleftam populi 
 front, dum colligitur ut procedat, de una ecclefia in aliam ad fta- 
 tionem faciendam. Micro/, ap Cajfand. 
 
 * Populo poft introitum jam collefto, fuper ilia populi collefta, 
 feu populo collefto, ab epifcopo, five facerdote recitarl hujufmodi 
 orationes confueverint ; unde omnes orationes ad earn formam con- 
 fcriptae, per quandam abufionem, colleftse dicereirtur. Cajf. de 
 
 CojUa. y Mifs. p. 308. 
 
 + We have a form of one of thefc Colle&s, or recapitulations i 
 in the apoftolic conftitutions. And a Gallican council (Con. Aga- 
 then. A. D. jp6.) enacted, that when morning and evening (ervice 
 was performed, the bifhop fhould conclude with his collect, or- re- 
 commendation, and then difmifs the people with a benediction. 
 
 pitula- 
 
The Morning end Evening Public Prayer. 269 
 
 pitulation, was afterwards pronounced by the mi- 
 nifter alone, the people all Handing*. 
 
 5. To me, fays "Callander, it appears not im- 
 probable, that all thofe prayers, which were made 
 at any meeting of the people, even in the^morning 
 and evening fervice, were called Collects-)-. And 
 it is certain, that the ancient church firft called 
 thefe prayers Collects, from their being ufed when 
 the people were come together, and collected in 
 religious affemblies %. 
 
 For general information on this fubject I refer 
 to the author laft mentioned, and thofe cited by 
 him : borrowing here a few remarks on the com- 
 pofition, and more particularly on the conclufion 
 of- Collects. 
 
 * Caffian fpeaking of this cuftom fays, when he who collected the 
 prayer rofe up, they all rofe up to accompany him who collected 
 the prayer, or clofed the whole with his concluding Collect. , 
 Caffian. Inft. lib. 1 1. 
 
 + At mihi non abfurde dici pofle videtur ColleBas, five quod idem 
 valet colleSiones, vocatas omnes illas orationcs, qua?, non modo in 
 celebratione facra communionis, fed in quavis fynaxi, etiam ma- 
 tutina & vefpertina fuper populo recitabantur. t)e Collect. & Miff. 
 
 % The meeting of Chriftians was called colleda, and the aft of 
 meeting colligere. Dies collettte was the day of meeting. ColleBam 
 agere, in the Latin vulgate r is to afTemble. — ColleiJam celeb rare & 
 colligere often occur in the Latin fathers and ecclefiaftical writers in 
 the fame fenfe. In n comment found in many ancient copies of the 
 Ordo Romamis, and publilhed by Caffander, one queftion is, Collegia 
 unde nuncupatur ? the anfwer, Eo quod populus colligitur in unum. 
 Our countryman Alcuinus fays, Precationes a populi colleSione, col- 
 lecla appellari coeperunt. See alfo Bona, Rer. Lit. p. 349, and 
 Caffan,d.i Liturg. c. xvi. 
 
 The 
 
270 Critical and Pra&ical Elucidation of 
 
 The Collects are generally addrefted to the 
 Father, agreeably to the precept of Chrift, 
 " When ye pray, fay, Our Father, &c," 
 (Luke xi. 2,) and we conclude them through our 
 Lord Jefus Chrift, in obedience to his command. 
 " Hitherto have ye afked nothing in my name : 
 " Afk and ye fhall receive. Whatfoever ye mail 
 " afk of the Father in my name he will give it 
 " you." (John xvi. 23, 24.) Hence we con- 
 clude moil of our prayers in the name of, or through 
 our Lord. Sometimes Collects are addrefTed to 
 the Son, and in the iConclufion we occafionally 
 commemorate each perfon of the bleffed Trinity*. 
 
 The following rules concerning the variation of 
 the conclufion of prayers or collects, are delivered 
 by CafTander, as commonly received by the Ca- 
 tholic church. Each rule I have illuftrated by an 
 example taken, not from the ancient collects re- 
 tained in our Liturgy, but from fuch as were eom- 
 pofed fince the reformation f. I began at Advent, 
 and of the new Collects in our communion fervice 
 felected the firft that occurred. In the fix firfr,' 
 I found an example illuftrati ve of the fpirit of each 
 of the five rules . Farther examination might have 
 fupplied more fpecimens, but in this, as well as in> 
 other inftances, farther proof was not wanting of 
 what uniformly appears ; I mean the piety arid 
 j udgment of our reformers ; and their attachment, 
 
 * Caffander, p. 309, from Micrologus. 
 
 + The inftances given by Caffander could not with propriety be 
 introduced. He refers to collects which are not found in our Liturgy. 
 
 and 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 271 
 
 and conformity to the approved practice of the 
 ancient Catholic church. 
 
 Rule 1. When the prayer is addreffed to the 
 Father, and no mention is made of the Son, we 
 fay, " through our Lord Jefus Chrift;" As in 
 the Collect for the fecond Sunday in Advent, 
 made in the year 1549. 
 
 n.. When the Son is mentioned, we fay, " through 
 the fame thy Son, Jefus Chrift our Lord ;" As in 
 the Collecl: for the circumcifion, compofed in 1 549. 
 
 3. When mention is made of the Son towards 
 the end of the prayer, we fay, " who with thee 
 liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without 
 end ;" As in the Collecl: for the lixth Sunday af- 
 ter the Epiphany, made in 1662. 
 
 4. When the prayer is addreffed to the Son, in 
 the conclufion we fay, " who lived and reigneft 
 with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one 
 God;" As in the Collecl: for the third Sunday of 
 Advent, compofed in 1662. 
 
 5. When mention is made of the Holy Spirit, 
 we fay in the conclufion, " the fame Spirit;" As 
 in the Collecl: for Chriftmas day, compofed in 1549. 
 
 To thefe remarks on the introduction, and con- 
 clufion of prayers in general, I fubjoin a table of 
 the Collects for Sundays, and other holidays, as 
 they now ftand in our Liturgy; noting their ori- 
 gin, the time of their compofition, and the prin- 
 cipal variations they have undergone. The table, 
 which was partly farmed by Bifhop Cofens, and 
 
 pub- 
 
272 Critical and PraHkal Elucidation of 
 
 publifhcd by Dr. Comber, is divided into three 
 compartments. The firll confifts of the Collects 
 retained from ancient Liturgies : The fecond of 
 fuch as were taken from ancient models, but were 
 confiderably altered and improved by our re- 
 formers. The third, of fuch as were compofed 
 anew, and fubftituted in the place of others, 
 which, containing doctrines and pofitions that to 
 our reformers feemed falfe, fuperftitious, or im- 
 proper, were therefore rejected. By way of Ap- 
 pendix is inferted a table, exhibiting the principal 
 variations made in the Epiftles and Gofpels at, and 
 fince, the reformation. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 Confifting of fuch Collet! s as were retained from 
 ancient Liturgies at the reformation. 
 
 Colletls for Whence taken. 
 
 4 Sunday in Advent In fome old offices' for the firft 
 
 Sunday in Advent 
 St. John's Day St. Greg. Sacr. and Gothic. Li- 
 
 turg. Mabillon, p. 198 
 The Epiphany St. Greg. Sacr. 
 
 1, j., and 3 Sun. after Eph. , Ibid, and St. Ambrof. Liturg - . 
 
 Pamelius, Tom. I. p. 316. 
 
 5 Epiph. St. Greg. Sacr. 
 Septuagefima Ibid. 
 Sexageflma Ibid. 
 
 2. 3» 4> 5 Sunday in Lent Ibid. 
 
 6 Sunday in Lent Ibid. But in St. Ambrof. Lit. 
 
 for Good Friday 
 Good Friday, the 3 Collefts They are in all offices with little 
 
 variation ; but are left out of 
 the breviaries of Pius V. and 
 Clem. VIII. 
 
 E after 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 273 
 
 Colleils for 
 
 
 Whence taken* 
 
 Eafter bay 
 
 - \ 
 
 Greg. Sac. and a colleft: almoft 
 the fame in the Gallic Lit. 
 Mabil. p. 336 
 
 3 Sunday after Eafter 
 
 
 St. Greg. Sacr. St. Ambrof. 
 Lit. Pamelius, p. 369 
 
 5 Sunday after Eafter 
 
 
 St. Greg. Sacr. 
 
 Afcenfion Day 
 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 Whitfunday 
 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 1 Sunday after Trinity 
 
 
 Ibid. This in fome old offices is 
 called the fecond after Pente- 
 coft ; in others the firft after 
 the oftaves of Pentecoft. See 
 St. Arab. Lit. p. 369 
 
 The 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 
 
 9, 10, 
 
 
 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 
 
 17, 20, 
 
 Are all in St. Greg. Sacr. 
 
 ai, 22, 23, 24, and : 
 
 t5, after 
 
 
 Trinity 
 
 
 
 The Purification 
 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 St . Michael's Day 
 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 The reader will obferve, that the greater part 
 of this clafs of Colledls is found in Gregory's 
 Sacramentary, which was compofed before the 
 year 600. All of thefe, therefore, are at leaft 
 1200 years old, and many of them are much older. 
 For Gregory did not originally form the offices. 
 He only collected, and improved them*. To 
 wave all other proof of this, we have his own tef- 
 timony, given in vindication of his conduct. " I 
 have followed," fays he x " a practice common in 
 the Greek church, and have altered fome old Col- 
 lefts, and added fome new and ufeful onesf." 
 But the generality of the Collects in his Sacra- 
 mentary he compiled from Liturgies, which, in 
 his time, -were efteemed ancient. 
 
 * See Wal. Strab. de Reb. Ecc. v 
 
 i Graecorum confuetudinem fecuti fumus, qui aut veteres noftras 
 reparavimus, aut novas, & utiles conftituimus,— Greg. Ep. 
 
 t PART 
 
274 
 
 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 PART II. 
 
 Conjijiing of Collects, taken from ancient models, lut 
 conftderably altered and improved by our Reformers, 
 and the Reviewers of the Liturgy. 
 
 Colleftsfor 
 St. Stephen's Day 
 
 4 Sund. Epiph. 
 4 after Eafter 
 
 Sunday after Af- 
 cenfion 
 
 2 Sund. after Tri- 
 nity 
 
 8 Sund. Trinity 
 ii S. after Trinity 
 
 i8S. after Trinity 
 19 S. after Trinity 
 
 Time of Impro-ve- 
 
 ment. 
 
 Beginning added 
 1662 
 
 End improved 1662 
 
 Improved i66j 
 
 A little varied 1549 
 
 The orde r inverted 
 1662 
 
 Beginning im- 
 proved 1662 
 Improved i66z 
 
 Improved 1662 
 Improved 1662 
 
 Hmu it flood before. 
 
 Grant us, O Lord, 
 to learn to love our 
 enemies, &c. 
 
 Grant to us the 
 health of body and 
 foul, that all thofe 
 things which we fuffer 
 for fin, &c. 
 
 Who makeft the 
 minds of all faithful 
 people to be of one 
 will, Sec. 
 
 This had been of , old 
 the Collect for Afcen- 
 fion Day, on which our 
 venerable Bede repeat- 
 ed it as he was dying. 
 Malms. 1. 1. c. 3. 
 
 Lord, make us to 
 have a perpetual fear ' 
 and love of thy holy 
 name, for thou never 
 faileft, &c. 
 
 Whofe providence is 
 never deceived, &c. 
 
 That we running to 
 thy promifes, may be 
 made partakers of thy 
 heavenly treafure, &c. 
 
 To avoid the infec- 
 tions of the devil, &c. 
 
 That the working of 
 thy mercy may in all 
 things, &c. 
 
 CoIIetls 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 
 
 275 
 
 ColhBsfor 
 St. Paul's Day 
 
 Time of Improve- 
 ment. 
 
 Improved 
 and 1662 - 
 
 1549 
 
 The Annunciat. Improved 1549 
 
 Hotxi it flood before. 
 
 In the Breviaries * a 
 new prayer was added, 
 mentioning St. Paul's 
 interceflion ; An. 1549 
 the old prayer alone 
 out of Greg. Sac. was 
 reftored, which had our 
 ivaliing after bis ex- 
 ample only, which was 
 a little varied an. 1662 
 
 The breviaries had 
 put in a new prayer 
 about the B. Virgin's 
 inter ceffion, which was 
 caft out in 1549, and 
 the form, being in St. 
 Greg. Sac. Pamel. 211. 
 reftored. 
 
 As thou haft taught 
 St. Philip and the other 
 Apoftles, &c. 
 
 Topreachthat •which he 
 
 taught, &c. svas altered, 
 
 becaufe there is no 
 
 writing of his extant. 
 
 Trinity Sunday This Collect is no, 
 
 older than the Sacramentary afcribed to Alcuinus." The old offices 
 
 have another Collect for it, and calLit the oftave of Pentecoft. 
 
 St. Phil, and James Improved 1662 
 
 St. Bartholomew Improved 1662 
 
 * Had Dr. Comber faid MiflTal inftead of Breviary he would have 
 been more correft. For though the colleft of the day was ufed in 
 the Breviary, yet it was taken from the Miflal. Thus, in our Morn- 
 ing Prayer, the Rubric direfts that the firjl collect, i. e. the colleft of 
 the day, " mail be the fame that is appointed at the communion." 
 By members of our church, and diffenters, the Breviary, Mijfal, and 
 Ritual, three very different books, are at p relent generally confounded. 
 The Breviary contains mattins, lauds, &c. and if the reader confiders 
 it, as cOrr«fponding with our daily fervice, he will not form a very 
 erroneous opinion. The Mijfal, orMafs Book, anfwers to " the or- 
 der for the celebration of the Lord's Supper," together with " the 
 collefts, epiftles, and gofpels to be ufed throughout the year." The 
 Ritual is compofed of occafional offices, viz. baptifm, matrimony, vU 
 iitation of the fick, &c. 
 
 T 2 
 
 PART 
 
276 
 
 Critical and Praifical Elucidation of 
 
 PART III. . , 
 
 Confifting offuch Collects as were compofed anew, and- 
 Jubjiituted in the place of tboje that, containing 
 either falfe or fuperjlitious Dotlrines, were on this 
 account rejecled. 
 
 Colletls for 
 1 Sunday Advent. 
 i Sunday in Advent. 
 3 Sunday Advent. 
 Chriftmas Day. 
 Circumcifion. 
 6 Sunday after N Epiphany. 
 
 Quinquagefima. 
 Afli-Wednefday. 
 1 Sunday in Lent. 
 Eafter Even, 
 
 Eafter Sunday. 
 
 1 Sunday after Eafter. 
 
 1 Sunday after Eafter. 
 
 St. Andrew's Day 
 
 St. Thomas's Day 
 
 St. Matthias 
 
 St. Mark 
 
 v St. Barnabas 
 
 St. John Baptift 
 
 St. Peter • 
 
 St. James 
 
 St. Matthew 
 
 St. Luke 
 
 St. Simon and Jude 
 
 All Saints 
 
 Compofed in 
 1 Book of Edward VI. 1549 
 The fame time 
 1662 
 
 '549 - 
 
 The fame time 
 
 1662, before they repeated the 
 Collect for the fifth Sunday 
 
 '549 
 
 The fame time 
 
 The fame time 
 
 1662 — No Collect for it ever be;- 
 
 fore then 
 The firft fentence (1 Cor.- v. 7.) 
 
 was added 1662 
 1 549 — Then it was ufed on Eafter 
 
 Tuefday, and in 1662 wasfijced 
 
 for this Sunday 
 An. 1549 
 , An/ j 552— 2 Book of Ed. VI. 
 
 ^ All compofed anew in 1 549. 
 
 Yet in the compofition of fome of thefe Col- 
 lects, the compilers appear to have had an eye to 
 the Miffals and the JBreviaries. They have, in 
 
 fome 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 277 
 
 fome inftances, prcferved the introduction, and 
 amplified or given a different turn to the petitions.- 
 
 Many of the portions of Scripture, which we 
 call Epiftles and Gofpels, were, in the ancient 
 church, felected for .the Sundays and Holidays on 
 Which they are now ufed. In the works of the, 
 fathers there are homilies upon them, which are 
 faid to have been preached on the very days, to the 
 fervice of which they are now appropriated. Ac- 
 cording to Dn Comber, the following are the prin- 
 cipal variations made at artd fince the reformation. 
 
 Epiftles and Gofpels for 
 St. John's Day. 
 
 Sunday after Chriftmas. 
 
 Circumcision. 
 
 Epiphany, 
 
 4 Sunday after Epiphany. 
 
 6 Sunday after Epiphany. 
 Monday before Eafter. 
 
 Wednefday before Eafter. 
 
 Thurfday before Eafter. 
 Good F-tiday. 
 
 Eafter Even. 
 
 15 Sunday after Trinity. 
 St. Thomas's Day. 
 St. Mark's Day. 
 St. Philip and Jacob. 
 St. James's Day. 
 
 Variations made 
 
 I John i. 1, by Edw'. VI. inftead 
 of a leflbn out of Wifdom 
 
 Gofp. Matt. i. 1, by Edw. VI. 
 inftead of Luke ii. In i66» 
 the Genealogies were left out 
 
 Ep. and Gofp. both changed by 
 Edw. VI. 
 
 Epift. Eph. iii. 1, by Edw. VI. 
 inftead of a palTage out of Ifaiah 
 
 Ep. Rom. xiii. 1, by Edw. VI. 
 before, the fame with the firft 
 Sunday in Advent 
 
 Ep. and Gof. both new, 1662 
 
 Ep. and Gof. new by Edw. VI. 
 inftead of an apocry. leflbn 
 
 Ep. Heb. ix. 16, by Edw. VI. 
 inftead of a leflbn out of Le- 
 veticus \ 
 
 Gcf. Luke xxiii. by Edw. VI. 
 inftead of John xix. 
 
 Gof. John xix. Epift. Heb. ii. 1, 
 by Edw. VI. inftead of por- 
 tions out of Hofea and Exodus 
 
 Ep. and Gofp. both new by 
 Edw. VI. inftead of two paf- 
 fages from the Old Teftament 
 
 Ep. and Gof. both new, Ed. VI. 
 
 Ep. Eph. ii. 19, by Ed. VI. 
 
 Ep. and Gof. both new, Ed. VI. 
 
 Ep. and Gof. both new, Ed. VI. 
 
 Ep. Adts xi. 37, by Ed. VI. 
 T 3 Epiftles 
 
2? 8 Critical and PraSfital Ehticktion of 
 
 •- • Epytles and' Go/pels fir Variat'ani made 
 
 St.. Barnabas. < Ep. an<tGpf. both new, Ed. VI. 
 
 St. Bartholomew. Ep. and'Gof. both new, Ed. VI. 
 
 St. Matthew. Ep. 2 Cor. iv. 1, by Ed. VI. 
 
 St. Luke. Ep. and G. both new, Ed. VI. 
 
 All Saints' Day. Ep. Rev. vii. a, by Ed. VI. * 
 
 * There are fome Epiftles and Gofgelsjwhich are not in the Lec- 
 tionary, but were changed in the Roman Breviary for the better. 
 The reformers took thefe out of the Breviary, viz. the Gofpels for 
 St. Thomas, St. James, and all Saints' Days; the Epiftle for Simon 
 and Jude ; both Epiftles and Gofpels for St. Paul, St'. Matthias, and 
 the Annunciation. (Dr. Comber here, probably in the moment of 
 inadvertency, miftakes the breviary for the mijfal. The breviary con- 
 tains no part of the office of the holy communion. See note, p. 275. The 
 Epiftles and Gofpels alluded to above were taken from the mijfals in 
 life at the time of the reformation : and they are retained without 
 variation, in more modern mijals, as well as in our book of the adminis- 
 tration of thefacraments.J 
 
 The preceding table is fitted rather for the in-, 
 formation of the inquifitive, than for the benefit 
 of the devout. For the ufe of the latter, I here 
 infert a common table of the Collects for Sundays 
 and holidays arranged alphabetically, according- 
 to the different fubjects of which they treat : 
 
 Affliction. 
 Prayers for del iterance from, and fupport un- 
 der Affliction. — Collects for the third : Sunday after 
 the Epiphany, eighth after Trinity, and fifth Sun- 
 day in Lent. 
 
 Angels. 
 For theguardianihipof Angels — Collect for St, 
 Michael. 
 
 Charity. — See Love. 
 
 Chastity. 
 For Chaftity— Col. for the firft Sunday in Lent. 
 
 Christ. 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 279 
 
 Christ. 
 
 For the imitation of Chrift — Collects for the 
 Sunday next before Eafter, and the fecond Sunday 
 after Eafter. , 
 
 For the benefit of Chrift's death— Colled: for 
 the Ahriunc. 
 
 Church. 
 
 For the Univerfal Church— Collects for the fifth 
 Sunday after Epiphany," the third Sunday after 
 Eafter, St. John the Evarigelift, and the two firft 
 Collects for Good-Friday. 
 
 For the unity of the Church Collect for St. 
 
 Simon and St. Jude. 
 
 For the Peace of the Church — Collects for the 
 fifth, fixteenth, and twenty-fecond Sundays after 
 Trinity. 
 
 Comfort. 
 For fpiritual Comfort— Col. for the Sun. after 
 the Afcen. 
 
 Contrition. 
 For Contrition— Collect for Afh-Wednefday. 
 
 Cove.tousness. 
 AgaihftCovefoufnefs— Collect for St. Matthew's 
 Day. ' 
 
 Courage. 
 
 For Chriftkri Courage- Collect for St. John 
 
 Baptift. . 
 
 Enemies. 
 For deliverance from Enemies — Collect for the 
 third Sunday in Lent. 
 
 t 4 Example. 
 
28o ' ' Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 Example. 
 That we may follow the Example of Chrift— 
 Collects for the Sun. next before Eafter, and the 
 fecond Sun. after Eafter. 
 
 Faith, 
 For aright^and firm Faith — Collets for Trini- 
 ty Sunday, St. Thomas, and St. Mark. 
 - For Faith, Hope, and Charity — Colled: for the 
 fourteenth Sunday after Trinity. 
 
 Grace. 
 
 For Grace and Afliftance in our Chriftian 
 Courfe — Colledlsfor the fourth Sunday in Advent, 
 fecond in Lent, Eafter- Day, third Sunday after 
 Eafter, and the firft, fevehth and thirteenth, after 
 Trinity, 
 
 Heaven. 
 
 For Heavenly Defires — ColJecT: for Afcenfion, 
 Day 
 
 For admittance to the enjoyment of God in 
 Heaven — Cols- for the Epiphany, the fixth Sunday 
 after Epiphany, and the Sunday after Afcenfion. 
 
 Humility. 
 For Humility and patience — CollecT: for the 
 Sunday before Eafter. 
 
 Illumination. 
 For Illumination, or a right Judgment in all 
 things— Colls, for Whitfunday, firft Sunday after 
 Epiphany, and the ninth after Trinity. 
 Judgments. 
 For deliverance from Judgments— Cols, for 
 
 Sep^ 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 281 
 
 Septuagefima, Sexagefima, an4 the fourth Sunday 
 in. Lent. ,, 
 
 Love. 
 
 For the Love of God and his laws Colle&s 
 
 for the fourth Sunday after Eafter^ and the fixth, 
 feventh, and fourteenth after Trinity. 
 
 For'Love and Charity — Colled: for Qninquage- 
 lima Sunday. 
 
 Ministers. 
 
 For the fitnefs of Miniflers Colled for St. 
 
 Matthias. 
 
 That they may be dilligent— Colled for St. Pe- 
 ter's Day. 
 
 That their labours may be fucqefsful—Colled 
 for the third Sunday in Advent. 
 Mortification. 
 
 For Mortification— ^Cols. for Cireumcifion and 
 Eafter-Eve. 
 
 Obedience, 
 That we may obey, and follow the dodrine of 
 the Apoftles — Collects for the converfion of St, 
 Paul, and St. John Baptift — See Good Work's. 
 
 Prayers, 
 For the acceptance of our Prayers— Col led: for 
 the tenth Sunday after Trinity. - 
 
 Providence. 
 For Protedion by God's Providence — Colleds 
 for the fecond, third, fourth, and twentieth Sun- 
 days after Trinity, 
 
 Purity, 
 
282 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 Purity. 
 For Purity of Heart— Collect for PurifkatfdnV 
 
 Regeneration. 
 For it — Collect For Chriftmas-Day. 
 
 Religion. 
 That we may be truly religious— Colfea: for 
 the feventh Sunday after Trinity. 
 
 Saints. 
 For the imitation of them — Colle<5ls for, .Inno- 
 cents Day, St. Stephen, St. Philip, St. James, 
 St. John Baptift, and All Saints. 
 Scripture. 
 Before reading the Scripture — Collect for the 
 fecond Sun. in Advent. 
 
 Sin. 
 For converfion from Sin — Collects for the firft 
 Sunday in advent, the firft Sunday after Eafter, 
 St. Andrew, St. James, and St. Matthew. 
 
 For pardon of Sin — Collects for the twelfth, 
 twenty-firft, and twenty-fourth Sundays after Tri- 
 nity. 
 
 Sincerity. 
 For it — Collect for the third Sunday after Eafter. 
 
 Holy Spirit. 
 For the direction of the Holy Spirit— Collects 
 for the nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, and fifth 
 after Eafter. 
 
 Temptations. 
 For deliverance from, and fuppbrt under Temp- 
 tations 
 
The Hfornhig and Evening Public Prayer. 3*83 
 
 tations— Coirefts for the fourth Sunday after Epi- 
 phany, and thefecond in Lent. 
 
 Thoughts'. 
 AgainftevH thoughts— Col. for the fifth Sun. 
 after Eaft'er. 
 
 Unbelievers. 
 For Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics— The 
 third Col. for Good-Friday. 
 
 Good Works. 
 For fru-itfulnefs in Good Works— Colledts for 
 the fifth Sunday after Eafter, and the firft, ninth, 
 eleventh, thirteenth,, feventeenthi and twenty- 
 fifth Sundays after Trinity. 
 
 OF THE SECOND COLLECT. 
 
 The title of this prayer is a Collect for peace. 
 Peace is the happinefs of the earth and- a type of 
 heaven. All earthly bleffings are nothing, Without 
 it *, and in it all heavenly bleffings are compre- 
 hended. Peace was the firft legacy bequeathed to 
 the, world, through our bleffed Redeemer, and 
 peace was the laft bequeft of our dying Lord to 
 his difciples* That the world might be in peace 
 was part of the daily prayer of the primitive 
 
 * Si non pax, nihil. Adag. Heb. ap Fabium. 
 
 2 . Chrif- 
 
284. Critical and Practical Elucidation of / 
 
 Chriftians *. What they practifed in their lives, 
 they petitioned at the throne of grace, and this 
 for the Heathens f, among whom they lived, as 
 well as for the church of God. — Thrice a day they 
 prayed for peace J, and in imitation of their ex- 
 ample, we are directed by our church to implore 
 this blefling in both our morning and evening fer- 
 vices. Let our lives be conformable to our 
 prayers : let us endeavour as much as poflible to 
 live peaceably with all men. In our prayers we 
 claim our relation to the Almighty as fons of the 
 God of peace. And woe to us, if our actions in- 
 validate the title, and manifeft us to be the chil- 
 dren of variance and ftrife. 
 
 This Collect, copied with fome little variation 
 from a form in the Sacramentary'of Gregory, is 
 not more remarkable for its antiquity, than for 
 its piety and comprehenfive brevity. Its fenti-_ 
 ments fo briefly expretfed in the original §, and 
 expanded to advantage in the- Englifh tranflation, 
 may perhaps ftill admit of illuftration by a para- 
 phrafe. — O God, from whom proceeds the blefling 
 of peace, (If. 45. 7.) who exhorteft thy fervants 
 
 • Qrbern pacatum (Tertull. Apol.) obfecrarous Deum pro tran- 
 quillitate mundi. (Cyp.) 
 
 + Pro gentium pace & falute. (Cyp.) 
 X Chryfoft. Horn. iii. in iii. ad Colofs. 
 
 $ Deus, auftor pacis et amator, quem noffe vivere, cui fervirc 
 regime eft, protege ab omnibus impugnationibus fu'pplices tuos, ut 
 «jui in defenfione tua fidimus, nullius hoftilitatis arma timeamus, per 
 Jefym Chriftym, Dominurn noftram j Amen. 
 
 to 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. a85 
 
 to live in unity and godly love (2 Cor. xiii. ir.) 
 in knowledge of whom everlafting life and happi- 
 nefs conuft, (John xvii. 3.) and whofe fervice is 
 pleafant as well as profitable, becaufe it is perfect 
 freedom from the flavery of Satan and of fin, (1 
 Cor. vii. 22, and John viii. 36.) gracioufly defend 
 us, who humbly commit ourfelves to thy protec- 
 tion, from all the attempts of our adverfaries both 
 fpiritual and temporal, and grant that we who 
 put our whole truft and confidence in thy mercy, 
 may be delivered from the fear of thofe evils, 
 which the craft and fubtilty of the devil^ or man 
 w&rketh againft us. Thefe bleffings we implore 
 through the merits and mediation of Jefus Chrift, 
 who has defpoiled the powers^ of icjarknefs, (Col. 
 ii. 15.) who is able to deliver us from every evil 
 .work, (2 Tim. iv. 18.) and whom we acknowledge 
 
 to be our only Saviour, and Redeemer. Amen. 
 
 ,\ * 
 
 THE THIRD COLLECT. 
 
 This prayer is entitled a Collect for grace. 
 Grace and Peace, which in holy Scriptureare joined 
 together, the church of England has not feparated 
 in her daily devotions. She knows, that without 
 grace there can be neither lafting nor real peace, 
 and that peace without grace would prove no 
 blefling. Peace, in the language of Scripture in- 
 cludes all temporal goods, plenty, profperity, 
 health; and happinefs*. But the enjoyment of 
 
 * Comprehcndit jjaijtif, fyiaiwvy xa< tvirgaiTiw. Druf. in Gen. 
 1 xxix. 
 
 thefe 
 
a£6 Critical and PrafticaJ Elucidatien of 
 
 thefe is apt to lead men into forgetfulnefs of God, 
 and expofes them to numerous dangers and various 
 temptations. Temporal bleflings, if they do not 
 occafionally excite, always afford the opportunity 
 of gratifying voluptuous appetites, and of indulg- 
 ing criminal pleafures. It is grace alone that can 
 enfure the comforts of genuine peace, and by peti- 
 tioning for grace we improve our former requeft. 
 Grace being fo efTential to our happinefs, we ad- 
 drefs ourfelves to the inexhauftible fountain of 
 grace, to him who is more ready to give than we 
 to afk, under the titles of our heavenly Father, 
 Almighty and everlafting God. Our heavenly 
 Father, who pities and loves US', delights to do us 
 good. He is Almighty, and therefore able to re- 
 lieve us. His mercy, and ability we have no 
 reafon to doubt, for he changes not, but " is the 
 " fame yefterday, to-day, and for ever." He is 
 God from everlafting to everlafting, world without 
 end. The care of the Church in prefixing to the 
 Collects, Attributes, appropriate to the requefts 
 which they contain, has been already noticed. 
 Thus, whilft (lie directs us, what we ought to pray 
 for, fhe cheers our hearts, and enlivens our devo- 
 tions ; adds wings to our petitions, and gives 
 energy to our faith. The fubftance of this Col- 
 led: was borrowed from an ancient form in the 
 Eaftern church. The fenfe is fo plain and clear, 
 that to the comment already given, no particular 
 paraphrafe need be annexed. 
 
 What 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 287 
 
 What has been remarked of the excellence and 
 antiquity of this,, and the preceding Collect, is 
 likewife obfervable of the Collects in general. 
 Indeed it is the honeft boaft of the church of En- 
 gland at home, and her praife abroad, that her 
 Common Prayer " correfponds with the bed and 
 mod ancient Liturgies, which were ufed in the 
 church in the moft primitive and pureft times *." 
 Thfe original compilers, and the fubfequent re- 
 viewers and improvers of our Liturgy were defir- 
 ous to preferve not only the fpirit, but as far as 
 poflible, the very form and fubftance of thofe 
 precious remains f. That the greater part of the 
 Collects retained in the book of Common Prayer, 
 were the production of the ancient fathers of the 
 church is a confideration which to the pious 
 Chriftian will afford fatisfaction and delight. In 
 the Collets and Prayers, of the church, we offer 
 up thofe confecrated devotions, which from the 
 mouths and hearts of holy men, have, from age 
 to age, afcended like the incenfe up to heaven, 
 and have been a more pleafing and acceptable fac- 
 rifice to the Almighty, than " thoufands of rams 
 " and ten thoufands of rivers of oil.' 5 
 
 * Directions to Commjffipners in 1661. 
 
 + On this fubje.ft Rejiaudotiu?, in the fkft Differtation prefixed 
 
 • to the Collection of Oriental Liturgies, gives his teftimony in thefe 
 
 Words. Angli soli, & Lutheran!, vete'res illas colleftas fervave- 
 
 runt, ple^as fidei & pictatis ; quas Calviniftae, allis a fe excogitatis 
 
 commutaverunt, verbofis ut plurimura, novitatemque' redolentibus. 
 
 Here 
 
288 Critical and PraSiical Elucidation of 
 
 Mere, after the third Collect, ended the order of 
 Morning Prayer from its firji appearance in 1549, to 
 its lafi review in 1661. Till this latter era, the 
 prayers that follow zvere placed near the end of the 
 Litany, immediately after, " We humbly lefeech 
 thee," and after them food the occafional prayers and 
 thankfgivings, all of which it would appear from the 
 old books, made apart of the Litany *. 
 
 PRAYERS after the THIRD Collect. 
 
 In the preceding Collects our fupplications 
 have in general been confined to the obtaining of 
 bleffings for ourfelves: In conformity'to the ex- 
 hortation delivered by St. P^ul on a fubjedt which 
 he aflures us is of primary importance, the church 
 now proceeds to make prayers and interceflions 
 for all men, for kings and all that are in authority 
 under them. The object and end of thefe inter- 
 ceflions is, that we may, as men and citizens, lead 
 quiet and peaceable lives, and as Chriftians have 
 our converfation in all godlinefs, honefty, and fo,- 
 briety. 
 
 In the three Collects that follow, we pray for 
 the whole body of the church, and for the different 
 
 * Still I'think the prayers for the King's Majefty, forthe Queen, 
 and Royal Family, and for the Clergy and People, were, before the 
 laft review, faid after the Morning Prayer, and were not ufed when 
 the Litany was read. 
 
 members 
 
The Morning an£ Evening Public Prayer. 289 
 
 members of it, in a proper gradation. Firft, for 
 the King's Majefly : Secondly, for the Queen and 
 Royal Family : and, Thirdly, for the clergy and 
 people *. 
 
 PRAYER for the KING'S MAJESTY. 
 
 The Chriflian church, in all ages and place's, 
 has, in her public devotions, uniformly made 
 prayers and interceffions for the rulers and gover- 
 nors of the ftate. This me did, when they were 
 enemies to the faith, and perfecutors of its profef- 
 fors f. After the rulers of the world embraced 
 Chriftianity, , they were mentioned by name in the 
 public prayers. Not only the names, but the ti- 
 tles of Chriftian kings were inferted in the ancient 
 Liturgies, where they were never fpoken of, but 
 
 * In this gradation, the church of England, probably out of re- 
 fpe&for its " Supreme Head upon earth," has deviated a little from 
 the more ancient and general cuftom, which was, to mention firft, 
 the bifhops and clergy ; then the prince and the imperial houfe ; and 
 laftly, the people. 
 
 + Scitote ex Uteris noftris prseceptum efle nobis, ad redundantiam 
 benignitatis, etiam pro inimicis Deum orare, & perfecutoribus noftris 
 bona precari. (Tert. Apol.) Nos pro^falute imperatorum Deum 
 invocamus asternum, Deum verum, Deum vivum. Denique fine 
 monitore (among the Heathens a monitor diftated the prayers from 
 a book, that nothing might be forgotten) fine monitore, quia de pec- 
 tore oramuspro omnibus imperatoribus, vitam illis prolixam, impe- 
 riurn fecurum, domum tutam, exercitus fortes, fenatum fidelem, 
 populurn probum, orbem quietum, (Ibid. c. 30.)— Oramus pro 
 imperatoribus, pro miniftris eorum, pro rerum quiete, (Ibid,) 
 
 u in 
 
a 9 ° Critical and Praftical Elucidation of 
 
 in terms expreflive of affection, and moft hon- 
 ourable refpect *. Loyalty to her king is the boaft, 
 and the glory of the church of England. The fpi- 
 rit of Chriftian Loyalty breathes in her devotional 
 offices, and has ever been difplayed in the lives of 
 her fons. 
 
 This prayer confifts principally of two parts ; 
 the introduction and the petitions. — The introduc- 
 tion, expreffed in fublime and appropriate titles, 
 is a noble confeffion of our faith, that God is the 
 fupreme governor of the world, and that his pror- 
 vidence extends over all the inhabitants of the 
 earth. It is at the fame time an argument for con- 
 fidence, that we ftiall obtain our requefts. We 
 addrefs God, as " our Lord and heavenly father, 
 " high and mighty, king of kings, Lord of Lords, 
 " the only ruler of princes, who from his throne 
 " beholds all the dwellers upon earth ;" and be- 
 feech him to behold with the eyes of his favour 
 our lawful monarch and moft gracious fovereign 
 Lord, King George : more particularly requeft- 
 ing God to grant him fpiritual grace, heavenly 
 gifts, temporal profperity, and everlafting feli- 
 city. 
 
 * In fome Liturgies we find thefe expreffions. The king, the 
 king appointed to reign, the king by thy juft judgment, &c. In 
 thefe and all inftances where nothing is faid in praife of his faith, 
 &c. Pagan, or Mahometan monarchs are meant. When Chriftian 
 princes are fpoken of, the titles, moft religious, pious, Chriftian, 
 faithful, &c, are applied. Hence, it is faid, we may commonly 
 difcover whether a Liturgy has been compofed or ufed under an In. 
 fidel, or a Chriftian king. See Renaudot. Lit Orient, 
 
 Under 
 
T!)e Morning and Evening Public Prayer . 29 1 
 
 Under temporal profperity the prayer includes 
 Victory over his enemies ; " that he may vanquifh, 
 " and fubdue all his enemies." By the enemies 
 of the eftablifhed church, this and fimilar paffages 
 in our Liturgy have been mifreprefented, as re- 
 cbmmending aggrandizement and conqueft. On 
 Chriftian principles, the church muft prefuppofe, 
 that Chriftian princes will engage Iri no wars, 
 which are not undertaken in juft and neceffary de- 
 fence. — She knows, that all war, excepting in 
 cafes ofunjuft aggrelfion from abroad, or unne- 
 ceflary reliftance to the meafures of government at 
 home, is equally repugnant both to the letter and 
 fpirit of the religion taught by Jesus Christ. In 
 her offices day by day fhe prays for peace. In her 
 Litany, or general fupplication, thrice a week, 
 fhe deprecates war, and from "battle and murder" 
 entreats deliverance. Whenever fhe prays for a 
 blefling on the arms of her fovereign, and for vic- 
 tory over all his enemies, ftie muft be underftood 
 to pray for the ends of victory : The prefervation 
 of the lawful and juft rights of his Majefty, and of 
 thefe Realms, deliverance from the power of ene- 
 mies, and the reftoration of quietnefs and peace *. 
 
 The 
 
 * The five following paffages promifcuoufly taken from Renau- 
 dot's Collection of Oriental Liturgies, will elucidate the meaning of 
 the church of England, wherever ftie prays for a bleffing upon the 
 
 arms of her fovereign.. Praefta memoriam bonam regibus & 
 
 reginis Deum timentibus ; da illis <vilioriam achisrfus eos, qui bello illos 
 
 aggrediuntur. Tom. II, p. tfii. — — Memento, Domine, piorum 
 
 regum noftrorum; apprehende arma & fcutum, & furgein auxilium 
 \j 2 eorum 
 
292 Critical and PraSlical Elucidation of 
 
 The prayer appears 10 be fele&ed from ancient 
 Liturgies, and in particular from the Sacramen- 
 tary of Gregory f. It was firft added to our book 
 of Common Prayer in the reign of Elizabeth, and 
 in the fealed books is entitled " a Prayer for 
 
 " the blank being left to be fil- 
 led from time to time as circumftances may require 
 by the privy council, agreeably to the adt of uni- 
 formity, paffed in the reign of Charles II. 
 
 eorum — Subjice illis hopes smites, ut placidam, tranquillamque vitam. 
 
 agamus, in omnitimore Dei, &c. Lit. S. Jacob. Ut 'viQores £j? 
 
 triumpbatores appareant adverfus inimicos cruets. Pugna pro iis 
 
 (regihus fidelibus) adverfus inimicos ; lupos, at que tjrannos, qui avide, 
 frendent denlibus contra oves gregis tuifanfii, perde >5f dijjipa. Lit. Jac. 
 
 Edefs. Da illis •viiloriam {if triumphum ce illis qui eos oderunt^ 
 
 immitte pacem cordibus eorum, ut cum timore fcf pur Hate gubernent gregem 
 tuum. Lit. Ignat. 
 
 + I quote at length the prayer in Gregory's Sacramenfary for 
 thepurpofe of (hewing how the compilers improved what they imi- 
 tated, and that this prayer is not taken almoft verbatim from Gre- 
 gory, as fome writers on our Liturgy have aflerted. 
 
 Pater omnipotent, atterne Deus, qui es fons immarceffibilis lucis, 
 & origo perpetuae bonitatis, regum confecrator, honorum omnium 
 attributor, dignitatumque largitor, cujus ineffabilem clementiam 
 VDtis omnibus exoramus, ut famulum tuum, (A. B.) quern regalis 
 dignitatis faftigio voluifti fublimari, fapientise, cxterarumque vir- 
 tutum ornamentis facias decorari : & quia tui eft muneris quod reg- 
 net tuac pietatis quod id feliciter agat ; quatenus in fundamento fpei, 
 fidei, charitatifque fundatus, peccatorum labe abfterfus, de vifibili- 
 bus & indivifibilibus hoftibus triurnphator erFeflus ; cum jugis pro- 
 lis felici effeftu let ificatus , fubjefti populi augmento, profperitate, & 
 fecuritate exhilaratus, cum iis mutua connexione connexus, & tranfi- 
 torii regni gubernacula inculpabiliter teneat, & ad xterni infmita 
 gaudia, te miferante, perveniat, per Jefum Chryftum, &c. 
 
 Prayer 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer, 293 
 
 PRAYER for the ROYAL FAMILY. 
 
 Interceffions for the Royal Family are autho- 
 rifed by the practice of the ancient Chriftians, who 
 prayed for the welfare of the palace and the impe- 
 rial houfe *. This prayer was added to our Li- 
 turgy under James I., before whom no proteftant 
 fovereign had iffue. At its firft appearance it be- 
 gan " Almighty God, which haft promifed to be 
 " a father to thine elect and their feed." Thefe 
 words were perhaps thought too favourable to Cal- 
 viniftic opinions, for they were afterwards ex- 
 punged. The prefent introduction, " Almighty 
 " God, the fountain of all goodnefs," was bor- 
 rowed from an ancient Saxon prayer, which is faid 
 to have been compofed for the coronation of a 
 Queen. 
 
 In the compofition of this, as well as of the pre- 
 ceding prayer, the compilers feem to have had an 
 eye to that in Gregory's Sacramentary quoted in the 
 oppofitepage. Though the prayers for "the King's 
 Majefty" and "the Royal Family" differ in expref- 
 fion, the petitions of both are nearly the fame. The 
 bleffings we here implore for our gracious Queen 
 Charlotte, their Royal HighnefTes- George 
 Prince, of Wales, and the Princeis of Wales, and all 
 
 * Pro piiffimo imperatore, omnique palatio. (Lit. Baf. Sc Chryf.) 
 Domum tutam. (Ten.) Pro imperatore cum fua prole orationes& 
 oblationes agantur. (Cone. Rheim.) 
 
 u 3 the 
 
204 Critical and Prafticnl Elucidation if 
 
 the Royal Family, are, divine grace, happinefs upon 
 earth, and everlafting glory in the kingdom of 
 heaven. 
 
 PRAYER for the CLERGY and PEOPLE. 
 
 After praying for the King, and the different 
 branches of the Royal Family, the church now 
 proceeds to pray for all men, for the whole Chrif- 
 tian world, defcribed here by " bifhops, curates, 
 and all congregrations committed to their charge." 
 This divifion correfponds with that of the ancient 
 church in which thefe degrees are enumerated and 
 prayed for. In the ancient liturgies, patriarchs, 
 metropolitans, arch-bifhops, and the bifhop of 
 the diocefe were mentioned by name, as the King, 
 the Queen, and the Prince of Wales, are in our 
 fervice. — The Bifhops are the guides and gover- 
 nors of the church of Chrift, With the higheft 
 dignity they have the weightieft charge. By being 
 advanced above all, they become the fervants of 
 all *. They are entrufted with the power of chuff- 
 ing and ordaining minifters. They Hand folemnly 
 engaged by their ordination and confecration vows 
 to preach the word, and minifter godly difcipline, 
 to banifh erroneous doctrines, and as far as their 
 ability extends to correct and punifh public 
 crimes f. Their arduous employment is, to pro,- 
 mote the peace of the church, and the interefts of 
 
 * Epifcopus fervus fervorum Dei. 
 
 + Sec the office of the confecration of a bifhop. 
 
 true 
 
The Morning and Evening Public -Prayer. 295 
 
 true religion, by overseeing both the clergy and 
 the people. — On them, in their refpedrive diocefes, 
 lies the daily care of all the churches : befides their 
 avocations in the great council of the nation, where, 
 as peers of the realm, they are employed in fet- 
 tling and adjufting affairs of the higheft impor- 
 tance to the interefts both of church and ftate. 
 
 If we duly confider what accomplifhments, and 
 what exertions are requifite for the performance 
 of the duties of their high ftation, and for the 
 faithful difcharge of the great and facred truft re- 
 pofed in them, we mall naturally exclaim with 
 theapoftle, " Who is fufficient for thefe things ?" 
 And in our daily prayers (hall molt earneftly and 
 devoutly implore the falutary fpirit of the divine 
 grace, and the continual help of God's blefling 
 for every member of this facred order, and more 
 efpecially for our own Diocefan. 
 
 After the Bilhops we pray for Curates. By the 
 word curates, the church does not mean in parti- 
 cular to defcribe what the term now generally im- 
 ports, afliftant curates, who for a flipend fome- 
 times irregularly paid, and feldom equal to the 
 wages of an ordinary mechanic, perform all the 
 duties of a parochial minifter. Thefe indeed need 
 our prayers, and their cafe demands affiftance of 
 another kind*. But by curates the church means 
 all thofe to-whom the bilhop, as chief paftor under 
 
 * Since this was written. " An Act for the better Support and 
 Maintenance of Curates" has been paffed. 
 
 u 4 Chrift, 
 
296 Critical and Pmfiical Elucidation of- 
 
 Chrift, has committed the curt, of care of fome 
 part of his flock. Their office is to catechife the 
 young, to inftrudl the ignorant, to encourage thi 
 good, to reprove the wicked, to help the weak- 
 hearted, to comfort the afflicled, to relieve the 
 diftreffed, to vifit the fick, to prefent the prayers 
 of the congregation, to preach, the Word of God* 
 to adminifter the holy facraments, and to perform 
 the other rites and ceremonies appointed by the 
 church. They are required, not only to be dili* 
 gent in teaching, exhortation, and prayer; and in 
 the ftudy of the holy Scriptures;' but they are 
 likewife to fhew themielvesa pattern of all Chrif- 
 tian virtues and graces, that, both by their doc- 
 rine and example, they may be a means of faving 
 the fouls of thofe committed to their charge. 
 When we reflecl upon the extent and importance 
 of the facred office, we fhall require no farther 
 considerations to induce us to pray for the clergy, 
 as well knowing that without the grace of God 
 affifting his labours, the beft endeavours of the 
 ableft minifter of the Gofpel, will be unprofitable 
 and vain. Even St. Paul himfelf, though pofTef- 
 fing every poffible ■qualification for the due dis- 
 charge of the work of the miniftry, was fo fenfible 
 of his own infufficiency, that we find him repeat- 
 edly befeeching the churches to whom he addref- 
 fed his epiftles, " to pray for him, to pray that 
 *' utterance might be given unto him to' make 
 " known the myftery of the Gofpel." (Eph. vi. 
 19, Col.i y- 3-) And notwithftanding all his per-' 
 
 feverance 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 297 
 
 feverance and labotir in the vineyard of Chrift, he 
 makes this model! and virtuous confeffiori " I have 
 planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the in- 
 creafe." (1 Cor. iii. 6.) 
 
 In the laft place we pray for the people, of whom 
 it is required that they be open to inftruction, willing 
 to learn God's word* defirous to pra&ife it, and 
 difpofed to do their duty in their refpe&ive fixa- 
 tions and callings. — For thefe different orders, of 
 which the community confifts, we began efpecial 
 bleffing of God, befeeching him that he would 
 fend down the gracious influence of his holy fpirit, 
 like dew, into our hearts, to quicken the feed 
 that is fown, that it may bring forth the fruits of a 
 virtuous and godly life. This, we afk not with a 
 defign to advance our own glory, but for the mani- 
 feftation of the giory of our advocate and mediator 
 who has purchafed thefe bleffings for us, and 
 whofe name is magnified by the increafe of his 
 church, and the falvation of mankind. 
 
 The objection ftarted by fomeagainft the pro- 
 priety of the introductory words, " who alone 
 " workeft great marvels," proves in the objectors, 
 either unbecoming levity, or deplorable ignorance 
 of the language of Holy Scripture. Have we not 
 heard with our ears, and have not our fathers told 
 us, what marvellous works the Lord has wrought 
 for his church ? At the firfi; planting of the Gof- 
 pel, the apoftles were infpired by the Holy Ghoft, 
 1 and 
 
298 Critical and PraSlical Elucidation of 
 
 and endowed with the miraculous power of heal- 
 ing, of prophefying, and fpeaking in unknown 
 rongues. And though the operations of the Holy- 
 Spirit are not fo vifibly manifefted, yet hisaflift- 
 ance is as requifite, and will as furely be commu- 
 nicated now, as it was in the time of the apoftles. 
 The converfion of finners, by what fome call the 
 foolifhnefs of preaching, is perhaps as great a mi- 
 racle, as that of creating light out of darknefs. 
 To conceive aright the efficacy of the divine word, 
 we muft: confider what man is by nature, and 
 what he becomes by the power of grace : Now 
 man in Scripture is faid to be like a wilds afs's 
 colt, (Job. xi. 12.) untamed, untraceable in his 
 difpofition, and as the apoftle allures us, tf not 
 '* fubjecT: to the law of God, neither indeed can 
 " be." (Rom. viii. 7.) It is grace alone that 
 corrects the depravity of our nature, fubdues 
 our unruly affections, and makes us the proper 
 fubjects of divine difcipline and culture. By con- 
 verfion we are taken, as it were, out of our natu- 
 ral foil, and tranfplanted into the garden of God*, 
 where we require " the healthful fpirit of his 
 t( grace," to make us vegetate and flouriih, and 
 the dew of the divine bleffing, to enable us to 
 bring forth the fruits of a good life. But this can 
 only be effected by the influence of God's holy 
 fpirit ; and therefore when we addrefs him for the 
 conftantand daily fupplies of his grace we invoke 
 
 * Philo calls man a celcflial plant, •whofe root fpringi from Heaven. 
 
 him 
 
The Morning and Evening Puhlic Prayer. 299 
 
 him as the author of miracles, the God who 
 " alone doeth wonders *, who firft conducted 
 us through the waters of baptifm, as through the 
 waves of the Red Sea, and continues to fupport 
 and nourifh us with that fpiritual food, which de- 
 fcends like Manna f from heaven. 
 
 The model from which this prayer was taken is 
 found in Gregory's Sacramentary. The prayer 
 does not appear in either of Edward's books, 
 though it ftands in the breviary of Sarum, and is 
 annexed to the Litany in fome of Henry's primers. 
 It was inferted in the firft year of Elizabeth. 
 
 PRAYER of ST. CHRYSOSTOM. 
 
 From the preceding obfervations, it has already 
 appeared, that the venerable compofers of our 
 Liturgy were not influenced by that vain affecta- 
 tion of novelty, by which more modern reformers 
 feem to have been actuated. Where ancient offices 
 afforded them forms of prayer, fuited to their cir- 
 cumftances, thefe forms they took as models in 
 the compofition of their work, referving to them- 
 felves the liberty of making fuch alterations, ad- 
 ditions, and improvements, as they conceived to 
 
 * Song ofMofes. Exod. xv. 11. 
 ■ + Manna was itfelfprobably formed of dew, and both are intended 
 as natural emblems of the divine grace, which like dew diftils in a 
 fecret and inviiible manner. 
 
 be 
 
300 Critical and Pratticaf Elucidation of 
 
 be proper, This is called the prayer of St. Chry- 
 foftom, becaufe it is almoft literally taken out of 
 a Greek Liturgy, commonly afcribed to him *. 
 The church of England adopted it, and placed it 
 here, not knowirig where to find a prayer, or per- 
 fons able to compofea prayer, more excellent, or 
 better adapted to the conclufion of the daily fer- 
 vice. 
 
 The preface contains two grounds and reafons 
 For hoping, that our prayers will be accepted : 
 our prefcnt experience of God's grace, which has 
 enabled us unanimoufly and devoutly, to make our 
 common, that is, our united, fupplications unto 
 him. He who gave us this grace, we humbly 
 trull:, will grant our requefts. But that we may 
 not quit the throne of grace, till all doubt of the 
 efficacy of our petitions is removed, we urge the 
 infallible promife of him who is the life and the 
 truth, in whom all the promifes of God are YEA 
 and AMEN, and who has allured us, that when 
 two or three are gathered together in his name, he 
 will grant their requefis. We beg him to fulfil 
 the defires of our hearts, and the petitions of our 
 lips; but with this referve, only fo far as his in- 
 finite wifdom knows it expedient for us, learning 
 from his example to fubmit our will to the will of 
 
 * It may be neceflkry to inform fome readers, that this prayer 
 does not occur in any of the works of Chryfoftom, which the learned 
 admit to be genuine. Yet the prayer is certainly very ancient; and 
 might be the production of Chryfoftom. 
 
 Ged. 
 
The fyLorning. antf Evening Public. Prayer. jot 
 
 God. For two things however, without any ap- 
 prehenfion of appearing arrogant, or prefump- 
 tuous, we pofitively and importunately pray ; the 
 knowledge of all neceffary religious truth in this 
 worjd ; and when we pafs out of this world into 
 the world to come, life everlafting : Being fully, 
 allured, that if thefe two points, the knowledge 
 of God here, and the enjoyment of him hereafter, 
 be fecured, every thing elfe is comparatively of 
 little value *. 
 
 This, withfome other prayers in our Liturgy, is 
 not, like the greater part of the prayers, addrefled 
 to the Father, but to the Son, to Jefus Chrift, our 
 redeemer and mediator. — On this account the con- 
 clusion is different from that of the prayers in ge- 
 neral f. 
 
 THE BENEDICTION. 
 
 In their religious affemblies it was the cuftora 
 of the Jewilh churches to difmifs the congregation, 
 with a final bleffing, which was folemnly uttered 
 by the prieft, and received with the utmoft rever- 
 ence by the people. For this purpofe the church 
 of England has here and in fome of the other of- 
 fices, adopted, with two variations, the words of 
 
 * The prayer in the original language is the fame with that in 
 the common Greek tranflation of our Liturgy, excepting only that 
 we have added two introductory words. It begins " Thou that haft 
 given us grace/' &c. 
 
 + On the condufion of collects and prayers, fee p. 271. 
 
 St. Paul, 
 
3© 2 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 St. Paul, 2 Cor. xiii. 14. In confequence of turn- 
 ing the words addreffed by Paul to men, into an 
 addrefs to God, you. was neceflarily changed into 
 us, and the word evermore was added. 
 
 It is not ftrictly a Benediction, or blefling. It is 
 rather an interceffionary prayer, wherein the prieft 
 implores a blefling for himfelf, as well as for the 
 congregation. Though it is pronounced by the 
 minifter alone, the congregation ought mentally 
 to addrefs it to God. — The church has made it, 
 and calls it a prayer *, and therefore the minifter is 
 directed to kneel. In this prayer, the minifter 
 commits himfelf and the people, to the care and 
 protection of the ever-blefled Trinity, befeeching 
 God, who is three perfons in one nature, that the 
 grace obtained by our Lord Jefus Chrift in the re- 
 demption may abfolve us, that the love of the 
 Father, who is now reconciled through his blood, 
 may juftify us ; and laftly that by partaking of the 
 communication of the Holy Ghoft we may be 
 fanctified. 
 
 Though the Apoftle's Benediction is not liter- 
 ally copied from the Benediction ordained by God 
 himfelf under the law: (Numb. vi. 23.) yet it 
 virtually agrees with it. " On this wife (hall ye 
 blefs the children of Ifrael, faying unto them, 
 
 " The Lord blefs thee and keep thee : 
 
 The Lord make his face to fhine upon thee, 
 and be gracious unto thee : 
 
 * See tlje Rubric before the prayer for the King. 
 
 The 
 
the Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 303 
 
 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, 
 and give thee peace." 
 
 And this ancient form of benediction, in which 
 the name of Jehovah is repeated three times, and 
 in the Maforetic copies with a different accent 
 each time, is, by the Jews themfelves, fuppofed 
 to contain a divine myftery *. The pious Chrif- 
 tian will without hefitation, and with reverence, 
 acknowledge that it contains a direct allufion to 
 the perfons of the ever-bleffed Trinity, to the 
 Father, that , he may blefs and keep us j to the 
 Son, that he may make his face to mine upon us, 
 and be gracious to us ; and to the Holy Ghoft, 
 that he may lift up the light of his countenance 
 upon us, and give us peace both now and ever- 
 more. 
 
 ON SINGING PSALMS. 
 
 Pfalmody, as we have already obferved, con- 
 ftituted a principal part of the public worfhip of 
 the primitive Chriftians. It was likewife ufual 
 for the people, before the fervice began, and 
 during any fufpenfion that took place, to exercife 
 
 * For a more particular explication of this remarkable text, fee 
 Patrick's Comment, and Hermannus Witfius Mifc. Sacr. lib. ii. 
 Differt. ii. p. 518. " 
 
 them- 
 
304 Critfcal ' an4 Practical Eluci^atkn of 
 
 themfelves in Pfalmody *. In our church it is 
 cuftomary to fing a few ftanzas of one of the two 
 authorifed tranflations of the pfalms, after the 
 Morning Prayer and Litany are ended, and again, 
 before the Sermon. In thefe inftances,, the intro- 
 duction of pfalmody is proper, and, to a certain 
 degree, neceflary. Without fomething of this 
 kind, the transition from the Litany to the office 
 of the Holy Communion; and from the Nicene 
 Creed to the Sermon, might appear too fudden 
 and abrupt. The intervention pf a portion of a 
 pfalm wiH likewife relieve the attention, and re- 
 move the languor, that may occafionally ariTe 
 from including in one fervice three entire offices f, 
 which were originally diftincl, and performed at 
 different hours $. 
 
 The ringing of pfalms, in itfelf a plealing and 
 affecting part of divine worfhip, is, in fome places, 
 performed in fo cold and phlegmatic a way, by 
 the dull drone of the pariih clerk, as to be ren- 
 dered entirely ufelefs : and in others, the boifte- 
 rous and oftentatious clamour of what is called 
 the band of fingers may excite difguft, but can- 
 not affift devotion. Though I am far from re- 
 
 * Quando non eft tempus, cum in ecclefia fratres congregantur, 
 fanfta cantandi, nifi cum legitur, aut communis oratio indicitur.? 
 Aug. Ep. 119. 
 
 + Morning Prayer, Litany, and Communion. 
 
 % The Morning Prayer was faid at fix, the Litany about nine, 
 and the office of the Holy Communion at a qonfiderable diftance 
 of time after the Litany. 
 
 garding 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 305 
 
 garding the -ringing of pfalms as one of the moft 
 effential or principal par?s of our Sunday fervice, 
 yet, as nothing which contributes to the decency 
 of the public worfhip of God, or has a tendency 
 to raife or keep up devout affections, can be con- 
 iidered as a matter of fmall importance, I fhall 
 here throw together a few hints on the fubject of 
 parochial pfalmody *. 
 
 1. It might be proper for all the Congregation 
 to ftand during the fingirig of the pfalm. This 
 practice, though enjoined by no rule, and pro- 
 bably contrary to the more ancient ufage of the 
 church of England f, violates no Rubric,' and is 
 confonant to the order of the other parts of the 
 daily fervice. When the pfalms are read, the 
 congregation is directed to ftand. Why mould 
 they fit, when the pfalms are Jung? Whether Te 
 Deum-is fung or faid, the people are enjoined to 
 
 * Amplifications on moft of thefe hints may be found in Bijbop 
 Gibfoa's excellent Ufe of Pfalmody ; Mr. Warton's Effay on Pfalmody ; 
 and Dr. Vincent's 'valuable Trail on the fame fubjeft. 
 
 + " It was not then (at the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth) 
 the cuftom, nor has been fince, for the people to ftand up whilft the 
 Pfalms were fingirig in parifti churches." (See Bifhop Fleetwood's 
 Letter about New Ceremonies, p. 723, of his works.) The Bifhop 
 objedts to the praftice of (landing principally on thefe two grounds : 
 " (1) it is an innovation, (2) intended merely to make a farther 
 difference between thofe who were of different parties with refpeft 
 to the king and ftate affairs." But it has now no connection with 
 politics, being intended for (hewing more reverence, and" exciting 
 greater devotion : and, if it is an innovation, it is likewife a reform, 
 ■ and an imfrovemenl. 
 
 x ftand. 
 
306 Critical and PraSiical Elucidation of 
 
 ftand. Te Deum is one of the fineft hymns, 
 that was ever compofed by man ; but is not equal 
 reverence, at leaft, due to the pfalms ? 
 
 The propriety of {landing, during the finging 
 of the pfalms, was fuggefted in the beginning of 
 the prefent century. But the propofition being 
 made by private men, and zvithout authority, the 
 practice was rarely adopted.- It has, however, of 
 late been recommended by the Society for pro- 
 moting Chriftian Knowledge * ; and rauft, of 
 courfe, be prcfumed to meet with the approbation 
 of our ordinaries, for moft of the Bifhops are 
 members of this Society. 
 
 2. The finging of pfalms mould not be confined 
 to a felecl: band, nor to a fmall part of the con- 
 
 * See a Paper, difperfed by the Society, " On the Reverence 
 required in finging Pfalms." In it, this fentence occurs: " One 
 of the Fathers (St. Bafil) defcribing the practice of the church in 
 his time, fays, the people fifing from prayer, ftand up iofing pfalms" 
 
 I fufpedl the paffage referred to is the following : 'O ?i«os omta- 
 
 ra'jTti; run itt>ctTtv%uv t ei; t*!1< •^■cO.uvo^av xctQurrwrcei ; and I think the 
 argument totally irrelative. Bafil had no conception of the modern 
 diftindlion between reading and finging pfalms. But the paffage 
 proves that the recitation of pfalms followed the confeflion in the 
 church of Neo-Cefa'rea in the time of Bafil, as it does now in the 
 daily fervice of the church of England. He fays the people made 
 a folemn penitential confeflion, [See his words quoted p. 24] and 
 afterwards, rifing up from prayer, proceeded to pfalmody. They 
 formed or arranged themfelves, (*«9ioTa»Tai) probably by dividing 
 into two oppofite choirs, (fee p. 182) which alternately chaunted, 
 or fung in recitative, ftiort portions of the pfalms, much in the 
 fame manner as the verfes are now alternately read by the minifter 
 and people. 
 
 grega- 
 
The Morning and Evening Pullic Prayer. 307 
 
 gregation ; but all that can fing, fhould joih in 
 the melody. 
 
 3. The pfalms fhould be fung with modefty and 
 humility : all vociferous roar and fquall mould be 
 utterly banifhed. 
 
 4. Every attempt at intricacy of execution, all 
 complex air, with whatever is difficult, or carries 
 the appearance of art, fhould be difcouraged. I 
 mean more particularly where the people are not 
 fkilled in the fcience of mufic. Simple melodies 
 are the moft eafily performed; and to the fubjedls 
 of facred poefy fimplicity is moft fuitable. — 
 * r Religious harmony," fays Collier, " fhould be 
 " moving, but noble, grave, folemn, and fera- 
 " phic ; fit for a martyr to play, and an angel to 
 " hear." -The plainer tunes ought therefore to be 
 feletfted : fuch are the notes of the 100th pfalm, 
 of which Luther is faid to have been the author ; 
 
 and of the old 104th, compofed by Handel. 
 
 Twelve or fifteen of the moft approved and fami- 
 liar melodies of this defcription might afford fuf- 
 ficient variety in ordinary country congregations. 
 
 5. The felection of proper portions of the 
 pfalms is, perhaps, not lefs necefTary than the 
 feleclion of proper mulic. The choice of thefc 
 cannot with fafety be committed to every parifh 
 clerk. On this fubjed, therefore, the minifter 
 might be confulted *. 
 
 6. The 
 
 * My praftice has been to diftribute among the occupiers of pews, 
 and the poorer fort of people that frequent the church, " Extracts 
 
 X z from 
 
308 Critical and Practical Elucidation of, &c. 
 
 6. The organ, confidered merely as an accom- 
 paniment to the voice, is a valuable acquifition. 
 Whilft it regulates the finging, it encourages the 
 modeir. and diffident to join in the pfalmody. 
 Where there is no organ, the want cannot be fup- 
 plied by any other kind of instrumental mufic. 
 Violins, baflbons, flutes, &c. ought to be entirely 
 excluded. 
 
 i 
 
 from the new Verfion of the Pfalms." The extra&t are comprifed 
 in about ioo pages, and each page contains a portion fufficient to 
 be fung at one time. They ate fold by the Riviagtom, and are in 
 the lift of books printed for the Society for promoting Chriftian Know- 
 ledge. 
 
CRITICAL AND PRACTICAL 
 
 ELUCIDATION, 
 
 OF 
 
 THE ORDER FOR 
 
 EVENING PRAYER 
 
 DAILY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 
 
 -L HE order for Evening Frayer, I hardly need 
 obferve, is nearly fimilar to that of the Morning* : 
 I fhall therefore confine my remarks to thofe parts 
 in which it differs. Of thefe, the firft of any im- 
 portance are the 
 
 Hymns after the Lesson's. 
 
 After the firft LefTon at Evening Service, follow 
 two Hymns, either of which the minifter may ufe. 
 
 * The council of Laodicea, held foon after the middle of the 
 fourth century, decrees, that the fame prayers fhall be read in the 
 Morning that were read in the Evening. Can. i8., 
 
 x 3 The 
 
3 1 o Critical and PraSlical Elucidation of 
 
 The former is entitled Magnificat, and the latter 
 Cantate Domino, in confequcnce of their beginning 
 with thefe words in the Latin verfion. 
 
 Magnificat, or the Song of the Blessed 
 Virgin. 
 
 This pious and affe&ing hymn is recorded in 
 the firft chapter of the Gofpel of St. Luke. It 
 was fpoken by the Virgin Mary on being addrefTed 
 by her coufin Elizabeth, as the mother of our 
 Saviour. Though the language of the hymn is 
 highly figurative, yet the terms are fo clear and 
 intelligible as to require no particular explana- 
 tion. It confifts of a general thankfgiving, ex- 
 preflive of praife and gratitude to God, for his 
 peculiar mercies vouchfafed to the Virgin, as the 
 mother of our Lord: for all his goodnefs, and 
 loving kindnefs, difplayed in the a&s of his pro- 
 vidence ; and more efpecially for the redemption 
 of the world, promifed to the patriarchs and now 
 on the eve of being fulfilled, by the birth of the 
 Mefliah. 
 
 Between this Hymn of the Virgin, and the Song 
 of Hannah, recorded in the firft book of Samuel, 
 there is a conformity of expreffion and fentiment, 
 not lefs remarkable than the fimilarity of circum- 
 ftances under which they were uttered. The chief 
 difference feems to be, that Hannah's Song is con. 
 ceived in a higher and more exalted ftrain, in 
 terms correfponding with the fublime effufions of 
 
 the 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 311 
 
 the ancient prophets; while Magnificat more re- 
 fembles the fimple, but expreffive, language of 
 the evangelical writers. This confonance of cha- 
 racter and circumftance in the two hymns, points 
 out a relation between the perfons of the child 
 Samuel and the child Jefus ; of whom it is tefti- 
 fied by their refpective hiftorians, in a fimilar 
 correfpondence of language, that they " increafed 
 " in wifdpm and ftature," and " in favour both 
 " with God and man." 1 Sam. ii. .26. Luke ii. 
 52. 
 
 In the perfon of Chrift, the types and predictions 
 of the law and the prophets were finally accom- 
 pli fhed. The recitation therefore of this hymn, 
 with propriety, fucceeds the firft Leffon, which 
 is taken out of the books of the Old Teftament, 
 and generally contains fome circumftance of hif- 
 tory, or prophecy, that has a direct relation to 
 the events of the Gofpel. So early as the begin- 
 ning of the fixth century, "Magnificat was fung in 
 the daily fervice of the weftern church*, and it is 
 .ftill retained in the evening offices of reformed 
 churches upon the continent f, as well as in our 
 own. 
 
 Cantate Domino, or the ninety-eighth 
 Psalm. 
 
 This pfalm, though probably compdfed in con- 
 fequence of fome victory obtained by David, is a 
 
 * Mabill. de Lit. Gall. ' + Durell's View. 
 
 x 4 form 
 
312 Critical and Prttlical Elucidation of 
 
 form of praife and thankfgiving perfectly fuitable 
 to a Chriftian affembly. Viewing it, as referring 
 to the times of the Meffiah, we behold the pfalmift 
 extolling the miraculous falvation which God has 
 wrought for his church ; and celebrating, in the 
 moft animated {trains, the righteoufnefs, mercy, 
 and truth of our redeemer. He calls upon all the 
 earth, and even the inanimate parts of the cre- 
 ation, to break forth into joy, and to fing praifes 
 to their creator. The fubject of this general joy 
 is the coming of our Saviour " to judge the world 
 " with righteoufnefs, and the people with equity." 
 Between Cantate Domino and Magnificat, there is a 
 degree of refemblance not much inferior to that 
 which we have already noticed, between Magnificat 
 and the Song of Hannah. This refemblance, 
 however, is confined to the firft four verfes of 
 Cantate, which approach fo near to the general 
 turn of fentiment in Magnificat, as to induce a 
 belief that the latter was borrowed from the in- 
 troductory part of the former, the prediction of 
 the pfalmift being applied by the Virgin to its 
 proper accompli fhment in the Gofpel difpenfa- 
 tion. Cantate Domino is rarely ufed as a hymn 
 after the firft Leffon ; and yet, where that treats 
 of any extraordinary inftance of divine protection 
 and mercy, Cantate feems more proper than 
 Magnificat. It is upon this ground, no doubt, 
 that Cantate has been frequently enjoined to be 
 ufed, inftead of Magnificat, in our occalional 
 
 forms 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 313 
 
 forms of thankfgiving. — - Cant ate Domino was 
 added to the Liturgy in the fecond book of Ed- 
 ward. 
 
 Hymns after the Second Lesson. 
 
 After the fecond evening lefTon, we are like- 
 wife prefented with two hymns, and allowed to 
 ufe either. The former is entitled Nunc dimittis, 
 and the latter Deus mifereatur, from their Latin 
 initials. 
 
 Nunc dimittis, or the Song of Simeon. 
 
 The author of this beautiful little hymn was 
 the' aged Simeon, a juft and devout man, who 
 waited for the confolation of Ifrael, and to whom, 
 by the fpirit of prophecy, it was revealed, that 
 he fhould not fee death before he had feen the 
 Lord's anointed. Directed by the Spirit, Simeon 
 came into the temple ; and when the parents 
 brought in the child Jefus to prefent him to the 
 Lord, he took him up in his arms, and expreffed 
 his gratitude to God in the words of this hymn. 
 
 This hymn was early employed in private de- 
 votion, as a matter of confolation to Chriftians 
 at the point of death *, and even by martyrs ir^ 
 
 * In the life of Mary of Egypt, it is faid, that a little before 
 her death flie received the facrament, repeated the Creed and the 
 Lord's Prayer, and then fung, nunc dimittis fervam tuam in pace. 
 (Durant. de Rit, 1. i. c. 16. N. 9. p. 59.) 
 
 their 
 
314 Critical and PraSlical Elucidation of 
 
 their expiring agonies *. At what period it was 
 introduced into the public fervice of the church 
 has not been afcertained f ; but we find it adopted 
 by the Greek, Roman, and reformed churches X- 
 In our Liturgy it is judicioufly placed after the 
 fecond Leflbn at Evening Prayer, which is always 
 taken out of the writings of the apoftles. In 
 their epiftles Chjift is manifefted to us likewife. 
 We do not indeed, like Simeon, fee him with our 
 bodily eyes, but we behold him with the eye of 
 faith, and therefore adopt the language of Simeon 
 in our thankfgiving for the fame falvation. 
 
 Deus misereatur, or the sixty-seventh 
 Psalm. 
 
 Admitting this pfalm to be prophetical of the 
 Gofpel difpenfation, we mall difcover a clofe 
 affinity between it and the preceding hymn. The 
 pfalm prays for that " faving health," which 
 Simeon rejoiced to fee ; for the converfion of the 
 Gentiles, and for evangelical bleffings. It like- 
 wife foretells the joy and gladnefs that fliall ac- 
 company the more general diffufion of the know- 
 ledge of the Gofpel of Chrift. Thefe predictions 
 are in part fulfilled ; and the Chriftian. church 
 may with propriety continue the ufe of this pfalm 
 \n the daily offices, till " the fulnefs of the Gentiles 
 
 * Wolf. Left. Mem. + Bingham, b. xiv. c. ii. feft. v. 
 
 t The Hymns of Mary, Zacharias; and-Simeon, Avail be fung. 
 {Synod of Dort. Can. 6g>.) 
 
 " is 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 315 
 
 " is come in, and the converfion of the Jews 
 "completed, till the earth fhall be full of the 
 " knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the 
 " fca, and till Chrift fhall appear the fecond 
 " time, finally to accomplifh our falvation." — 
 This falvation is made known to us by the voices 
 of the apoftles, which are heard in our churches 
 every day : and after we have learnt from the 
 Epiftles, how " the grace of God that bringeth 
 " falvation, appeared unto all men," and what it 
 requires of us to become objects of this grace, the 
 pfalm Deus mifereatur is a very feafonable form of 
 prayer and praife. 
 
 Deus mifereatur, as well as Cantate 'Domino, was 
 added to the Evening Prayer in Edward's fecond 
 book. ■ • 
 
 OF THE COLLECTS. 
 
 The firfh collect at evening prayer is the fame 
 with that of the morning, being invariably -in 
 both the collect for the day. I proceed, there- 
 fore, to the 
 
 Second Collect for Evening Prayer. 
 
 This collect has the fame title with the fecond 
 for morning prayer; " A collect for peace."-*- 
 And though the petitions of each vary more in 
 expreflion than in meaning, yet we may obferve 
 this distinction : In the morning, we pray more 
 
 par* 
 
316 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 particularly for external peace, for fecurity againft 
 thofe troubles to which our intercourfe with the 
 world may expofe us. Here, in the evening, we , 
 pray rather for internal peace, that peace -which the 
 world cannot give, to comfort and compofe us, that 
 we may fpend our lives in all Godly quietnefs and 
 tranquillity. Aflured of the infeparable connec- 
 tion that exiils between virtuous principles and 
 genuine peace of mind, we addrefs God as the 
 author of all holy dejires, all good counfels, and all 
 jttjl works. This collect is tranflated, with little 
 variation, from a prayer in the Sacramentary of 
 Gregory the Great *, which, as I have already 
 faid, was compiled before the year 600. 
 
 Third Collect for Evening Prayer. 
 
 Though their titles are different, the third 
 collects at Morning and Evening Prayer bear a 
 confiderable refemblance to each other : and both 
 of them are peculiarly well adapted for the fitua- 
 tions they refpectiyely hold. That for the morn- 
 ing, appears to be more immediately directed 
 againft the dangers and temptations to which we 
 may be'expofed in the courfe of the day. In this 
 
 * There is a neatnefs and {implicit)' in t'he original, which every 
 tranflator muft find it difficult to preferve. — Deus, a quo fanfta 
 defideria, refta confilia, & jufta funt opera, dafervis tuis illam, 
 quam mundus dare non poteft, pacem; ut, et corda noftra niandatis 
 .tuis dedita, et, hoftium fublata formidine, tempora fint tua pro- 
 teftione tranquilla, per dominum noftrum, &c. 
 
 for 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 317 
 
 , for the evening, towards the approach of natural 
 darknefs, we befeech God to " enlighten the eyes 
 " of our underftandings, that we deep not in our 
 " fins unto death*;'* and to defend us from all 
 the dangers and perils that may enfue in the night. 
 We commit ourfelves to the protection of him, 
 zvho neither Jlumbers nor Jleeps, and to whom darknefs 
 and light are both alike. 
 
 With this Collect the Evening Prayer concluded till 
 the lajl review. 
 
 PRAYERS and THANKSGIVINGS 
 
 UPON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 
 
 Till the laft review of the Book of Common 
 Prayer, the occafional Prayers and Thankfgivings 
 formed a part of the Litany : and the Letanie, as 
 the word is written in the former books, was the 
 title at the head of the pages, in which thefe 
 Prayers and Thankfgivings were placed. They 
 are now appointed to be ufed before the two final 
 prayers, either of the Litany, or of the Morning and 
 Evening fervice. 
 
 * This is literally tranflated from a colleft in the Greek eucho- 
 logy, from which ours feems to be partly taken. That proceeds, 
 diffel all darknefs from our %earts, and •vauchfafe to us the fun of 
 righteoufntfi, fcfr, 
 
 OCCA- 
 
3*8 Critical and PtaEtical Elucidation <sf 
 
 OCCASIONAL PRAYERS. 
 
 It is the remark of a very able writer *, that 
 " the enumeration. of human wants and fufferings 
 " in the Litany is nearly complete:" that " a 
 " Chriftian petitioner can have few things to afk 
 "of God, or to deprecate, which he will not find 
 " there expreffed, and for the mod part with 
 " inimitable tendernefs and fimplicity." With 
 refpecl to general devotion, the remark is ex- 
 tremely juft: but Mill there are feafons, when either 
 fome calamity is fo predominant, orfome blefling 
 fo neceffary, that it may become proper to depre- 
 cate the one, or to fupplicate the other with ex- 
 traordinary importunity. In addition, therefore, 
 to the more general fupplications made in our 
 Litany and Daily Prayer, we are fupplied with 
 fpecial forms for the following occafions : 
 
 1. In time of drought, with a prayer for rain: 
 
 2. In time of exceffive rain, with a prayer for 
 fair weather : 
 
 3. In time of dearth and famine, with twd 
 prayers for cheapnefs and plenty, either of which 
 the minifter may ufe at his difcretion : 
 
 4. In time of war and tumults, with a prayer 
 for prefervation and deliverance : And, 
 
 5. In time of any common plague or fkknefs, 
 with a prayer, befeeching God to withdraw his 
 vifitation, and avert his judgments. 
 
 * Mr. Paley. 
 
 Drought, 
 
Tie Morning and Evening Public Praysr. 319 
 
 Drought, deluge, or exceffive rain, famine, re- 
 bellion, war, tumult, plague, and peftilence, are 
 among the moft dreadful vifitations of the Al- 
 mighty. Thefe judgments He fometimes fends 
 upon the earth, that the inhabitants of the world 
 may learn righteoufnefs. But fo much have we 
 of thefe realms been indebted to the mercy, of his 
 providence, that within the remembrance of more 
 than the prefent generation, fome of thefe forms 
 have not been found neceflary. The forms 
 themfelves, however, for the credit of the com- 
 pilers of our Liturgy, are fo plain and perfpicuous, 
 that no particular elucidation of them can be re- 
 quired. It may, therefore, be enough to obferve, 
 that iimilar prayers occur in ancient Liturgies, 
 from which fome of thefe appear to be chiefly 
 taken : and that each is well fuited to the emer- 
 gency to which it is appropriated by our church. 
 
 In the occasional prayers already enumerated, 
 we deprecate God's judgments, and fupplicate his 
 mercy. In thofe that follow, we are , furnilhed 
 with intercejjions on three different occafions : 
 
 1. With two prayers for the clergy, one of 
 which is to be faid in the Ember weeks : 
 
 2. A prayer for the High Court of Parliament, 
 to be read during their feffion : And, 
 
 3. A prayer for all forts and conditions of men, 
 to be ufed when the Litany is not faid. 
 
 Between the firft and fecond of thefe three, 
 2 Hands 
 
3 2 o Critical and PraElical Elucidation, ef 
 
 Hands the prayer beginning, " O God, whofe 
 " nature and property is, ever to have mercy and 
 " forgive." 
 
 Prayers in EMBER WEEKS. 
 
 Ember is a word of uncertain derivation. — 
 Somefuppofe it fignifies ajhes, and fome abfiinence. 
 Abftinence, or failing, it is commonly known, was 
 anciently accompanied with the act of fitting upon 
 afhes, or of fprinkling afhes upon the head. In 
 the weftern church, the Ember Weeks were fliled 
 jejunia quatuor temporum, the falls of the four 
 feafons. This title, as well as the ufage men- ' 
 tioned above, appears to favour the derivation 
 already given. But others derive Ember from a 
 Saxon word, fignifying courfe, or circumvolution, 
 for the Ember weeks return at fixed and certain 
 periods, and are fads in courfe. 
 
 The Ember days are the Wednefday, Friday, and 
 Saturday, after the ( firft Sunday in Lent, the feaft 
 of Pentecoft, September 14, and December 13. 
 The weeks in which thefe days fall, are called 
 Ember weeks : and the Sundays immediately fol- 
 lowing are, according to ancient inflitution, ap- 
 pointed by the 31ft canon of our church for the 
 ordination of the clergy. 
 
 Thefe two prayers, though the latter of them is 
 found in the Scotifh Liturgy, were added to our 
 Book of Common Prayer only at the laft review. 
 The intention of the forms is fufficiently obvious : 
 
 and 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. j^% \ 
 
 and as the ordination of minifters is a fubjedl of 
 primary importance, it is to be regretted that one 
 or ether of the forms is not more generally read 
 on the Wednefday and Friday in the Ember week, 
 in fuch of our parilh churches as have fervice on 
 thefe days. Whether they were intended to be 
 read every day in the Embrr weeks, or only on 
 every Ember day in the week, is a queftion that 
 has not univerfally been anfwered in the fame way. 
 The words of the Rubric appear to countenance 
 the former practice. 
 
 Prayer that may be said after any of 
 the former. 
 
 This prayer is not repeated fo frequently as its. 
 excellence feems to require. It is drawn up in 
 the metaphorical, but expreffive, language of 
 Scripture : has been long employed in the conclu- 
 sion of Litanic, and other fqrms of prayer, by 
 the churches of the weft; and retains ftrong marks 
 of primitive devotion *. This colled: I have feen 
 in fome of Henry's primers ; but it is in neither 
 of Edward's books, having been reftored to the 
 Common Prayer only in the reign of Elizabeth. 
 It has likewife for the laft 130 years, had the^ill 
 fortune to be mifplaced in moft of the editions. 
 
 V f 
 
 * In the old offices it is : Deus, cui proprium eft mifereri femper 
 & parcere ; fufcipe fleprecationem noftram : ut nos & omnes fa- 
 mulos tuo's, quos deliftorutn catena conftringit, miferatio tuze pie- 
 itatis clementer abfolvat. 
 
 y Dr. 
 
322 Critical and Praflical Elucidation ef 
 
 Dr. Nicholls, who wrote in the beginning of the 
 prefent century, relates, that the printers, in 1662, 
 placed it between the prayer " for all forts and 
 " conditions of men," and " the general thankf- 
 " giving." He adds, that the commiffioners 
 made them ftrike it out; and print a new leaf, 
 wherein it mould ftand right, that is, immediately 
 before " the prayer for the high court of parlia- 
 " ment." 
 
 This account is echoed by Mr. Wheatley and 
 others : but, I own, I here fufpect fome miftake. 
 In the copies of the Book, which, agreeably to a 
 claufe in the act of uniformity, were collated with 
 the engrofled ftatute, the prayer in queftion, evi- 
 dently through inadvertency, is printed in two 
 different places, once before " the prayer for the 
 " parliament," and again before " the general 
 " thankfgiving." 
 
 The latter the commiffioners have erafed, by 
 drawing with a pen, through the upper and lower 
 parts of the printed text, two black lines *. The 
 
 * In the fame manner, they have expunged various other words 
 and pafiages : and where it was neceffary, they have correfted, in 
 writing, typographical errors. I know not whether it is advifable 
 to ftate, but as it is a faft, I (hall ftatc, that fome copies of the 
 fealed books have, in a few inftances, been adulterated by a fpsrious 
 pen. The writing of the fecretary of the legitimate correctors is To 
 far imitated, that, by this teft alone, it is perhaps impoffible to dif- 
 tinguifh between the correftions, and the corruptions, that appear to 
 have been foon after made by an enemy* The tares however may^ 
 in general, be eafily known from the wheat. 
 
 prayer 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 323 
 
 prayer is, of courfe, left in its proper place *. 
 Exclusively of the erafure, an inflection of the 
 fealed books will, I apprehend, afford fatisfactory 
 proof that a new leaf was not printed. 
 
 Prayer for the high Court of Parliament. 
 
 This animated and comprehensive prayer for 
 the high Court of Parliament, that for all forts and 
 conditions of men, and the general thanhf giving, 
 though they mult be considered as mpdern com- 
 pofitions, are fcarce inferior to any of whatever 
 antiquity. In this for the parliament, we pray 
 for the whole kingdom, but more efpecially for 
 the legijlature : that their counfels may be directed 
 to promote the glory of God, the good of his 
 
 church, and the welfare of the community 
 
 Towards the clofe, enlarging our, petitions, we 
 requeft thefe and all other neceflaries for them, for 
 ourfelves, and the whole catholic church, in the 
 
 * From its firft introdu&ion, in the time of Elizabeth, till the 
 reftoration of Charles II. it flood without any title, ox head, im- 
 -jnediately after the prayer in time of any common plague, orficknefs ; 
 and was then- the laft prayer in the Litany. In 166 1, the two 
 prayers, of which one i« to be ufed in Ember Weeks, the prayer for 
 the parliament, and that for all forts and conditions of men, were com- 
 pofed : and the title now prefixed to the prayer in queftion, was 
 then given. The printers of the book in 1662, obferving perhaps 
 that in the firft copy, this prayer appeared once before the prayer 
 for parliament, and again after that for " all forts and conditions, 
 &c." would, from the title, naturally be induced to place it after 
 thefe prayers. 
 
 y 2 name 
 
324 i Critical and P radical Elucidation of 
 
 name and by the mediation of Jefujs Chrift, our 
 Lord and Saviour. 
 
 Prayer for all Sorts and Conditions of 
 
 Men. 
 
 We have before had cccafion to obferve, that 
 St. Paul exhorts us to make prayers and {implica- 
 tions for all men ; and that the duty enjoined by 
 the apoftle, was pradlifed by the ancient Chriftians 
 in their daily devotions. In our church, how- 
 ever, till the laft review of the Book of Common 
 Prayer, we had no particular form of general inter- 
 cejjlon, excepting when the Litany, or the prayet 
 for the church militant, was faid. The want of 
 fuch a form being thought a defect, the prayer 
 before us was compofed, and appointed to be ufed 
 whenever the Litany was not. 
 
 It has likewife been noticed, that fuch titles 
 and attributes of the Deity generally introduce 
 each of our prayers, as are moft appropriate to 
 the purport of the prayer itfelf *. In the prayer 
 for all forts and conditions of men, we addre/s God 
 as the common creator and preferver of all mankind: 
 and befeech him that the general difpehfations of 
 his providence, and particularly the Gofpel, in 
 Scripture emphatically fly led, his favifig health, 
 may be' known unto all nations. In other words, we 
 here pray for the converfion pf Jews, Turks, In- 
 fidels, -and' Heretics, that all ignorance, hardnefs 
 
 * Page 27. 
 «.;,fi~ of 
 
The Msrning and Evening Public Prayer. 325 
 
 of heart, and contempt of God's word, being taken 
 away, they may be faved among the remnant of 
 the true Ifraelites. 
 
 In ancient Liturgies, the church prayed not 
 only for theillumination of thofe that fat in dark- 
 nefs, for the inftruclion of the ignorant, and the 
 conversion of the wicked, but likewife for the 
 improvement of the good. And we here s pray 
 more ,'efpecially for the good eft ate of the catholic 
 church : not fo much for the external profperity 
 and grandeur of any particular eftablimment, but 
 that the whole, the Oriental, the Greek, the Latin, 
 the Reformed, the Britifii, and the American 
 churches, with every other denomination of Chrif- 
 tians, may be led into the zvay of truth s neither in- 
 troducing modern fanciful innovations, nor re- 
 viving ancient heretical opinions : but that they 
 may hold the faith, " once delivered to the faints," 
 in -unity of fpirit, in. the bond of peace, and in 
 righteoufnefs of life. 
 
 We farther intercede for all that are afflicted, 
 whether by forrow, ficknefs, or penury : and more 
 efpeciaily for thofe that particularly defire our 
 public interceffion at the throne of grace. All 
 thefe we commend to the fatherly goodnefs of 
 God, befeeching him to comfort and relieve them 
 according to their feveral neceftities : j:hat is, to 
 mitigate their forrow of mind, to afiuage their 
 bodily pain, and to relieve their diftreifed eftate, 
 3s may be mod expedient for them. In particular 
 we pray that, during their fufferirigs, He will 
 
 y 3 -.:■'■ enable 
 
326 Critical and Profited Elucidation of 
 
 enable them to bear his vifitation patiently ; 
 trufting that if they are reftorcd to health and 
 profperity, they will lead the reft of their lives to 
 his glory ; and affured, that if their fufferings 
 terminate in death, to which, as to the only com- 
 plete deliverance from the preffure of human woe, 
 the good man muft, in the gloom of adverfity, 
 look forward with fecret delight ; the iffue will, 
 to him at leaft, be equally fortunate and happy. 
 
 Both here, and in the general thankfgiving, the 
 Rubric appears to be fomewhat defective. It is 
 not exprefsly ftated whether the names of thofe 
 who deftre the ■prayers of the congregation, and of 
 thofe who dejire to return praife, fhould be publicly 
 announced by the-minifter. Both the reafon of 
 the thing, and the mode of expreffion adopted 
 in the claufes inferted between brackets, feem to 
 require that the minifter fhould notify to the 
 congregation the names of thofe, on whofe account 
 the additions are made. I am aware of the ob- 
 jection to this practice that may be drawn from 
 the words of another Rubric, prohibiting all pub- 
 lications in the time of divine fervice, except thofe 
 that are prefcribed by the rules of the book, or enjoined 
 by the ordinary of the place. But in thefe two in- 
 ftances, the intention of the church appears fo 
 evident, that by complying with it, we can fcarcc 
 be faid to trangrefs any rule. And is not the ge- 
 neral acquiefcence of our ordinaries nearly equiva- 
 lent to an injunction? — Again, the practice of 
 
 calling 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 3 1 7 
 
 calling veftries, of publishing parochial aflefs- 
 ments, &c. in the time of divine fervice, feems 
 defenfible only on the principle, on which we 
 maintain the propriety of the minifter's notifying 
 the names of thofe, who defire either the prayers of 
 the congregation, or to return praife. 
 
 THANKSGIVINGS. 
 
 In the exhortation at the opening of the fervice, 
 We are admonifhed that one principal end of our 
 aflembling in the houfe of God, is, to render thanks. 
 for the great benefits that we have received at his 
 hands. This has been done more generally in the 
 Alleluiah, doxology, pfalms, and hymns. Be- 
 fides thefe, at the laft review of the Liturgy, it 
 was thought expedient to compofe, and add 
 
 A GENERAL THANKSGIVING, 
 
 which is appointed to be ufed in the Morning and 
 Evening Service of every day immediately before 
 the two concluding prayers. 
 
 In this admirable competition, attributed to 
 Bifhop Sanderfon, we addrefs God, as the father 
 of all mercies, and give him thanks for his goodnefs 
 to us, and to all men. When any defire to return 
 praife for efpecial mercies, there is a claufe for 
 the purpofe, and the nature of the blefiing is com- 
 monly fpecified by the*minifter before he begins 
 
 y 4 the 
 
328 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 the Thankfgiving. We proceed. to enumerate 
 more particularly the bleffings for which we re- 
 turn our humble and hearty thanks — Thefe are ( 1 ) 
 all the temporal benefits we enjoy, of which, cre- 
 ation and prefervation are the only two diftinclly 
 mentioned : (2) we more efpecially praife God 
 for fpiritual bleffings, among which we particu- 
 larize 'redemption, fanclification and Jalvation ; the 
 two laft of which are exprefied by the means of 
 grace, and the hope of glory. From Euchariftic, 
 the form becomes petitionary. Webefeech God 
 to make us truly fenfible of his mercies, and really 
 thankful for them ; that we may fhew our grati- 
 tude, and promote his' glory, not only by cele- 
 brating his praifes day by day in the public aftem- 
 bly-of the church, but by walking in the paths of 
 holinefs a-nd righteoufnefs all our lives. Thefe 
 petitions we enforce through the merits of Jefus 
 Chrift ; and we conclude the whole with a doxo- 
 logy, in which we afcribe to the Son, with the 
 Father, and the Holy Ghoft, all honour and glory, 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
 THANKSGIVINGS upon various Occasions.- 
 
 More particular Thankfgiving being fometimes 
 proper, we are fupplied with forms on the fix fol- 
 lowing occafions ( 1 ) for rain : ( 2 ) for fair weather : 
 (3) for plenty: (4),.for peace, and deliverance from 
 our enemies: (5) for reftoring public peace at 
 
 home; 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 329 
 
 home; and (6) with two Thankfgivings, either 
 of which may be ufed, for-deliverance from the 
 plague, or "other common ficknefs. - 
 
 When the petitions, which we may have offered 
 up in any of the preceding occafional prayers, 
 have been granted, and our defires fulfilled; when 
 either a calamity has been removed, or a blefling 
 vouchfafed," it is evidently the intention of the 
 church,, that praife mould be given to God, in 
 the words of the appropriate thankfgiving here 
 prefcribed : That is, in all cafes where the ordi- 
 nary form is not fuperfeded by one that is fpecial, 
 and enjoined by authority. Thefe "occafional 
 Thankfgivings ■ we may pafs over, after making 
 one or two general obfervations. Some of them 
 are partly, taken from ancient offices*, and the 
 whole are judicioufly compofed ; being not only 
 well adapted to the occafions for which they are 
 appointed, but, like the preceding prayers, with 
 which they correfpond, as plain and perfpicuous, 
 as they are rational and devout. The occafional 
 thankfgivings were compofed in the reign of 
 James, and annexed to the Litany: In 1662, they 
 were detached from it, and printed as they now 
 appear, after having been fanctioned by a convo- 
 cation, and authorifed by the act of uniformity. 
 
 End of the Morning and Evening Prayer- 
 
 * Yet a felec\ion of forms fo complete is not to be met witji in 
 ^ny Greek or Latin Liturgy. 
 
33° Critical and Pratlical Elucidation of 
 
 OF ABSOLUTION IN GENERAL. 
 
 In thefe latter ages, the doctrine of Abfolution 
 has become a fubject of controverfy, upon which 
 many theological writers have exercifed their 
 learning and ingenuity. — Without ftating in de- 
 tail the difputcs that have exifted between Chris- 
 tians of different denominations, and which have 
 oftentimes terminated in contrary extremes, I 
 propofe to give a concife review of Abfolution, as 
 it Mas taught and practifdd in the early ages of 
 Chriftianity. I mean more particularly to en- 
 quire, by whom, in the primitive church, Abfo- 
 lution is faid to be granted, and to examine the 
 various modes in which it was ufually admini- 
 ilercd. In the profecution of this enquiry we may 
 probably perceive, -that the doctrine of the church 
 of England refpecting Abfolution, is the doctrine 
 that was held by the beft and wifeft among the 
 Fathers : and we mail occafionally have reafon to 
 obferve the harmony, that in this inftance, as well 
 as in others, exifts between our offices, and " the 
 " moft ancient Liturgies, which have been ufed in 
 *' the church in the primitive and pureft times." 
 
 By whom Absolution is granted. 
 
 The ancient teachers of Chriftianity, whether 
 priefts or prelates, arrogated to themfelves, in. 
 
 the 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 331 
 
 the difpenfation of Abfolution, no power, which 
 was not purely minifterial*. Agreeably to the 
 doctrine of Holy Scripture, the Fathers unani- 
 moufly maintain, that " God alone can forgive 
 " fins." In their elaborate defences of the Chrif- 
 tian faith, and their refutations of the erroneous 
 opinions of thofe who have been ftigmatifed as 
 heterodox and heretical, we find them frequently 
 preffing this argument, in proof of the divinity 
 of the Son, and of the H6ly Ghoft, that they, (viz, 
 the Son and the Holy Ghoft J have the power of forgiv- 
 ing fins. 
 
 Now if either thefe venerable apologifts for 
 Chriftianity, or their opponents, had thought, 
 that the apoftles f and their fuccefibrs might in 
 any degree participate with God in this power, 
 both parties muft have feen, that fuch arguments 
 were inconclufive and abfurd. 
 
 * .We muft except all the cafes, and they are extremely nume- 
 rous, where the word Abfolution, or a term equivalent, is applied 
 to denote the relaxation of ecclefiafikal cenjures — Thefe were mere 
 human ordinances, the municipal laws of the refpe&ive churches ; 
 and the perfons appointed to execute them, neceflarily had injudicial 
 power. See the head, Abfolution of reconciliation to the church, or re- 
 admi£ion to its communion. 
 
 ■ + Our Saviour after breathing upon the apoftles faid, " Whofefo- 
 ever's fins ye (hall forgive," &c. Upon thefe paflages Bafil, Chry- 
 foftom, Ambrofe, Auftin, and others obferve that the forgiving of 
 fins is not properly the work of the Apoftles, hut the work of the 
 Jioly Ghoft, who remitted fins by them, and thus performed the 
 work of the true God. Feter faid to Ananias, why hath Satan filled 
 thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghoft? Thou haft not lied unto men, but 
 unto God, Acls v. 3, 4, 
 
 As 
 
332 Critical and Prailical Elucidation of ~ 
 
 As it may anfwer the double purpofe of afc,er- 
 tainingvthe opinions of the early Chriftiarrs on one 
 of the fundamental, and moft important articles 
 of religion, viz. the Divinity, of the Son, and of 
 the Holy Ghoft, as well as of (hewing by whom, 
 according to their ideas, Abfolution, or Remiflioa 
 of Sins, is granted, I fhall produce from their 
 writings, a few of the pafTages, which at once il- 
 luftrate both thefe heads. 
 
 Iren/eus, in his fifth Book againft herefies fays, 
 " By remitting his fins our Saviour indeed healed 
 " the man: but at the fame time he manifested 
 *' himfelf, and fhewed who he was. For if no 
 " one can remit fins, but God alone, and our 
 " Lord did remit them, then it is plain he did it, 
 " becaufe he was the word of God, made the Son 
 " of man. As man, he fuffered for us ; as God, 
 " he (hews us mercy and forgives us our tref- 
 " partes*." 
 
 Tertullian, in his fourth Book againft Mar- 
 cion, argues thus, " The Jews-beholding only our 
 •" Lord's humanity, and being not yet acquainted 
 " with his divinity, with good reafon maintained 
 " that man could not forgive fins, but God only. 
 " Our Lord, by anfwering that the- Son of man 
 " had power to forgive fins, diredts their attention 
 " to that only Son of man, of whom Daniel pro- 
 *' phe'fied : and, by his remitting of fins, would 
 " have them underftand, that in his perfon, the 
 
 * Cap. xvii. Sedl. 3. p. 314. Ed. Benedift. 
 
 " divine 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 333 
 
 " divine and human natures were united ; that he 
 " was that fon of man, to whom was committed 
 " the power of judging, -and confequently the 
 " power of forgiving fins *." (Dan. vii, 13, 14.) 
 Basil f, in his fifth Book againft Eunomius, 
 fays, " it is the property of God alone to forgive 
 " fins. He himfeif declares, I, even I am he 
 " that blotteth out thy tranfgreffions, (Ifa. xliii. 
 " 25) and again, though thy fins be as fcarlet, 
 " they mall be as white as fnow ; though they be 
 " red like crimfon, they (hall be as wool (Is. 1. 
 " 18.) Now, when Jefus, the Son of God, God 
 " of God, forgave the fins of the fick of the 
 " palfy, faying, Son, thy fins be forgiven thee ; on 
 " account of thefe words, the Jews, who knew 
 " not that he was God, thought him- a blaf- 
 " phemer, and faid this man blafphemeth, none 
 " can forgive fins, but God alone. The Lord," 
 continues Bafil, " breathing upon the holy apof- 
 " ties, fays, receive ye the Holy Ghoft : whofefo- 
 " ever fins ye remit they are remitted unto ahem. 
 " Now if none can remit fins but God alone, 
 " (and it is certain none can,) and if the Holy 
 *« Ghoft by the apoftles remits fins, then the 
 " Holy Ghoft is God." He proceeds to fhew, 
 ,that " in baptifm, the Son, together with the 
 " Father and the Holy Ghoft ; and the Holy 
 " Ghoft, with the Father and the Son, forgive 
 " fins." The cOnclufion he drav/s from this ar- 
 
 ' * Cap. x. p. 421. Ed. Rigalt. Lir. D. 
 +,Cap. iii. OnRemiJJion of Sins. ' ■■■ 
 
 . gument, 
 
334 Critical and PraRicai 'Elucidation of 
 
 gument, which he employs on various occafions, 
 and urges here at considerable length, and with 
 great force, is, that " the Son is God, and that 
 " the Holy Ghoft is God ; that the Holy Ghoft is 
 ,£ of the fame fubftance, as well as the fame 
 " power and authority with the' Father and the 
 " Son." 
 
 Athanasius, in his third Oration againft the 
 Arians *, alks, " how could the word, fuppofihg 
 " that he had been a creature, have been able to 
 " abrogate the denunciation cf God, and remit 
 " fins, feeing it is written by the prophets, that 
 " this is the perogative of God alone? How could 
 " man by created beings be abfolved from fin? 
 " But our Lord abfolved them, as he hinifelf 
 " fays if the Son hath made you free, then fhall 
 " you be free indeed. By having made you free, 
 " the Son has manifefted that he is not a creature, 
 " nor a created being, but the true word, and the 
 " image of the fubftance of the Father ; even of 
 " him who from the beginning made the denun- 
 " ciation, and who alone remits fins." 
 
 Ambrose, towards the conclufion of his third 
 Book f on the Holy Gboft, recapitulates fome argu- 
 ments, which are more amply difcufled in the pre- 
 ceding parts of the treatife, and introduces 
 four diftinct proofs of the divinity of the Holy 
 Ghoft.' In that which is more immediately to our 
 
 * Page 239 of the Cominel. Ed. 
 •r In the former part of c. xix. 
 
 2 purpofe, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Praytr. 335 
 
 purpofe, he proceeds upon nearly the fame ground, 
 which we have feen Irenaeus, Tertullian, Bafil, 
 and Athanafius, treading before. " None/' he 
 obferves, " can forgive fins but God alone. Let 
 " us fee whether the Holy Ghoft forgives fins. 
 " Of this no one can doubt, fince the Lord him- 
 " felf faid, receive ye the Holy Ghoft : whofe- 
 " foever fins ye remit, they are remitted. This 
 " then is a proof that he is God, for he remits 
 
 " fins. The remiflion of fins in baptifm is the 
 
 " operation of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 " the Holy Ghoft." 
 
 In the fame manner argue Hilary f, Cyril of 
 Alexandria f, Chrysostom J, Jerom§, and many 
 others of the fathers, all alike inferring the Divi- 
 
 * Hil. in Mat. 9. + De Refta Fide. ; 
 
 % In Matt. 9. Horn. 29. — Yet Cbryfoftom on fome occafions 
 moft hyperbolically magnifies the power of the prieft, as the fol- 
 lowing fpecimen of Oriental eloquence will prove. *' The throne 
 " of the prieft is placed in heaven, and to him is committed the 
 " adminiftration of heavenly things. Who fays this ? The king of 
 " heaven himfelf. He fays, tuhatfoe'ver ye Jhall bind, &c. Can 
 '■' any honour equal this honour ? Heaven receives from earth the 
 " power of judging. The Lord follows the fervant, and whatever 
 " he judges here below, the Lord ratifiesabove.'"' (Ho.n. in Ifa.) — 
 But that he may not, however, by any rhetorical flight, miflead his 
 hearers, he frequently interpofes fuch fentences as thefe, " to for- 
 give firis is poflible to God only ; it is the property of no other ; 
 God alone does this.'' And he often affirms, that " that it is .not 
 neceffary to confefs to men, but that it is fufficient to confefs to 
 God." 
 
 § Comment, in Matt. 9. 
 
 nity 
 
3 3 6 Critical and PraBical Elucidation of 
 
 nity of the Son, and of the Holy- Ghoft, from 
 their power to forgive fins : a prerogative, which 
 they uniformly maintain, belongs only to God. 
 
 Of the Forms in which Absolution was dis- 
 pensed IN THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH. 
 
 The difpenfation of Abfolution, as pracKfed in 
 the ancient church, is reducible to thefe four 
 heads : 
 
 i . The Abfolution of Baptifm, and of the Jupper 
 of the Lord, or facramental Abfolution. 
 
 2. The Abfolution of reconciliation to the church, and 
 re-admifjion into its communion. 
 
 3. The 'Abfolution of zvordand doclrine, or decla- 
 ratory Abfolution. 
 
 4. The Abfolution of prayer, or precatory Abfolution. 
 
 I. Sacramental Absolution. ' 
 
 The facrament of baptifm was efteemed by the 
 Fathers the moft univerfal Abfolution. Toadopt 
 the words of antiquity, it was the grand, the divine 
 indulgence in the Chriftian church *. It was the 
 Abfolution, Qr remiffibn of all thofe fins, which 
 the party baptized committed before his entry into 
 
 / • Voflius dei Baptifmo. 
 
 the 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 337 
 
 the myftical body of Chrift *. Yet in the facramenc 
 of baptifm, the miniftry only, is to be accounted 
 human ; the power and efficacy are of God. St. 
 John the Baptijl makes this very diftindtion. " I 
 " baptize with water: He baptizeth with the Holy 
 " Ghoft" (John 1. 26, 33 .) Aujlin has obferved, 
 " that to baptize by way of miniftry, is one 
 " thing, to baptize by way of power is another f. 
 " The power of baptizing, the Lord has retained 
 " to himfelf, but he has given the miniftry 
 " to his fervants. The power of baptifm 
 " was to pafs from the Lord to nonei but the 
 " miniftry evidently was : the power was not to 
 *? be transferred from the Lord to any of his mi- 
 " nifters, but the miniftry was, both to the good 
 " and bad J." Alexander of Hales, fays, " it is 
 " a matter of equal power to baptize inwardly, 
 " and to abfolve from mortal fin. It was not 
 " proper for God to commit to man the power of 
 
 * That is, provided it were duly adminiftered, and properly re- 
 ceived. Hence it was fometimes called the Sacrament of Abfolution, 
 and of grace, in contradiftin&ion to grace and abfolution : for impeni- 
 tent perfons may receive the outward form of the facrament of Bap- 
 tifm, and of the Eucharift, but not the fpiritual grace. Baptifmum, 
 quod eft Sacramentum Remiflionis peccatorum, habere etiam homi- 
 eidas poffe, &c. Aug.de Bapt. 1. v. c. 21. 
 
 t Aliud enim eft baptizare per minifterium, aliud baptizare per 
 poteftatem, &c. Auguft. in Joan. Traft. e. 
 
 f Sacramentum gratia; dat Deus etiam per malos: ipfam vero gra- 
 tiam non nifi per feipfum. — Id. ibid. Id. de bapt — This is confoii- 
 ant to our article " the unvcorthinefs of minifters, hinders not the 
 effecT; of the Sacraments." 
 
 z baptizing 
 
338- Critical and PracJical Elucidation of 
 
 " baptizing inwardly, left our hope fhould be 
 " placed in man. By parity of reafon, it was 
 " not proper that he ftiould communicate to man 
 " the power of abfolving from actual fin *." 
 
 The facrament of the Lord's Supper was like- 
 wife an abfolution, and was called to reXetov, the 
 perfection of a Chriftian. To all who had never 
 fallen into the greater fins, which required public 
 penance, it was a general abfolution. It was like- 
 wife an abfolution from the penalties of excom- 
 munication. To penitents at the point of death, 
 it was what the Latin fathers call viaticum, or pro- 
 vifion for the paflage from this life to the future. 
 In cafe the fick penitent recovered, he was obliged 
 to perform the reft of the prefcribed penance : 
 at leaft he was to receive the impofition of 
 hands at the altar, which was accompanied with 
 prayers for his abfolution. But if he died, the 
 Eucharift was deemed fufficient. In a time of 
 perfecution, an aged man of blamelefs manners, 
 whofe name was Serapion, had been prevailed upon 
 to facrifice to an idol. He often fued for par- 
 don. At length, falling fick in the night, he fent 
 for apriefttoabfolve him. Theprieft was likewife 
 fick, and could not go; but fent by the meffenger 
 a portion of the Eucharift. It was put into the 
 mouth pf Serapion, who immediately expired. 
 
 * Sum, univcrs. Theol, Part, 4, «/, Moritt, 
 
 -This 
 
The Morning and Evening Public 'Prayer. 339 
 
 This ftory, is recorded by Eufebius,* from Dyo- 
 nyfius of Alexandria, whofe obfervation upon it is, 
 that God evidently preferved Serapion alive, till he 
 might be reconciled to Chrift, and acknowledged 
 by him for the many good works which he had 
 done.— In the absolution of baptifm, and of the 
 Eucharift, the office of the prieft is to adminifter 
 the outward and vifible form. — But as our church 
 does not call the two facraments, indulgencies, or 
 abfolutions, and as fome notice will be taken here- 
 after of our mode of adminftering them, I fhall 
 not at prefent enter more particularly into the 
 fubje<fl, 
 
 II. Absolution of Reconciliation to the 
 Church, and Re-admission to its Communion. 
 
 The fecond kind of abfolution which we men- 
 tioned, is, that of reconciliation to the church, and 
 re-admijfion to its communion. It exprefles the fo- 
 lemn manner of abfolving public penitents, who 
 in confequence of having tranfgreffed either the 
 laws of the Gofpel, or the regulations of the 
 church, had been excluded from the benefit of 
 public communion ; and of re-admitting them 
 to this privilege, upon the due performance of the 
 canonical penance. 
 
 With abfolution, in thisTenfe of the term, the 
 Church of England has, unfortunately perhaps, 
 
 * Ecc. Hift. L. vi. c. 44., 
 
 z 2 little 
 
340 Critical and Practical Elucidation ef 
 
 little concern*. This head therefore, though 
 Volumes of inftruclion as well as codes of cafuiftry 
 have been written upon it, I ftiall difmifs with a 
 few curfory obfer vat ions. 
 
 This power of abfolution, which muft be con- 
 fidered as merely a matter of external ecclefiaftical 
 difcipline, and confequent reconciliation to the 
 church, we find both from paffages of St. Paul's 
 epiftles, and from other genuine records/ was ori- 
 ginally exercifed by the afTembly of the faithful, 
 by the collective body of Chriftians. In procefs 
 of time, officers and governors were appointed, and 
 inverted with abfolute judicial authority. They 
 were conftituted the legal judges of the qualifica- 
 tions of the parties ejected from the bofom of the 
 church, and fuing for re-admiffion, which was 
 then commonly ftyled abfolution or indulgence. 
 They re-admitted to communion, thofe, who in 
 confequence of repentance and reformation, were 
 pronounced to be entitled to this indulgence: 
 and this abfolution was refufed to fuch as were 
 deemed unworthy of it. Though it cannot be de- 
 nied that grofs abufes fprang out of this disci- 
 pline, yet the original inftitution wasfalutary and 
 wife. 
 
 The minifters of this difcipline, then, had full 
 
 * Peter Martyr, at the tequifition of Cranraer, was engaged in 
 drawing up a fyftem of penitential difcipline. And we itill continue 
 to exprefs an annual wifh that fome part of the ancient difcipline 
 may be reftored. But, fuch has long been the fpirit of the times, 
 that our rulers hays not yet thought it expedient to go farther. 
 ■" powers 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 341 
 
 powers to abfolve judicially, and might pronounce 
 the relaxation, or removal of church cenfures, 
 indicatively or declaratively. But the complete and 
 final reconciliation was, in common, folemnly 
 performed at the altar, and the words of absolu- 
 tion on thefe occafions always ran in a fupplica- 
 tory or precatory form. — Thefe rulers mull be 
 confidered as acting in two capacities, very dif- 
 tincl: from each other, a circumftance, which has 
 not always been fufficiently attended to. Being 
 chofen from the body of the clergy, they were at 
 the fame time, judges and minijlefs. As judges, 
 they might fhorten or prolong the time of penance ; 
 but when they had once judicially pronounced ab- 
 folution to a penitent, they were, with refpedt to 
 him, reduced to their minifterial capacity, and be- 
 came interceffors with God to have mercy upon 
 him, to forgive and deliver him from all his fins *. 
 
 III. Declaratory Absolution. 
 
 Declaratory Abfolution, which has likewife 
 been called the Abfolution of Word and Doclrine, 
 appears to be that which conftitutes the moft ma- 
 terial part of the miniftry of reconciliation, com- 
 mitted by Chrift to his ambaffadors on earth. (2 
 Cor. v. 18, 19.) 
 
 * In the days of Cyprian, snd thofe of Alcuinu;, two periods re- 
 mote from each other, this abfolution was, in the abfence of the fr!eft t 
 granted by a Deacm. Morim 
 
 z 3 The 
 
342 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 The cxercife of this Abfolution confifts in pub- 
 lifhingthe tern\s and conditions, on which remif- 
 fion of fins, reconciliation to God, and everlafting 
 falvation, are promifed In, the Gofpel. Of thefe 
 terms and conditions the minifters of Chrift are 
 authorifed, and enjoined, to make public and ge- 
 neral declaration. The apoftles were commanded 
 to " gd into all the world and to preach the Gof- 
 " pel to every creature." And every prieft of the 
 church of England has folemnly engaged, " out 
 " of the Holy Scriptures to inftrudfc the people 
 " committed to his charge in all things neceflary 
 " to their falvation *." In particular, he is bound 
 to declare, from the word of truth, the terms on 
 which God is gracioufly pleafed to admit men to 
 his favour, and what are the conditions, without 
 the performance of which, they (hall be excluded 
 
 from it The terms, on which God, under the 
 
 covenant of grace, remits, or retains fins, are unal- 
 terably fixed, and they are expresfly declared 
 in the Gofpel. The terms are thefe : God 
 pardons and abfolves all true penitents, and 
 fincere believers ; and will give everlafting life 
 to all his faithful and obedient fervants. But 
 the impenitent (hall perifti f. The unbeliev- 
 ing fliall die in his fins %. Indignation and wrath 
 fhall be the portion of the difobedient§. — When- 
 ever the minifter of the Gofpel, either in the pub- 
 lic or private difcharge of his office, fully and 
 
 * Office of Ordination. + Luke xiii. 3. 
 
 J John viii. 24. { Rom, xi. 8. 
 
 faith- 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 343 
 
 faithfully reprcfents thefe truths to the people, he 
 does, in other words, declare and pronounce to 
 them whofe fins are remitted, and whofe fins are 
 retained by God. 
 
 The duty of the minifter of Chrift Jefus confifts 
 principally in inftruction and exhortation. The 
 one convinces the understanding, the other en- 
 gages the affections. And when inftructions, 
 united with exhortations, produce in the hearts of 
 men, " repentance, whereby they forfake fin ; 
 " and faith, whereby they fteadfully believe the 
 " promifes" of God made in the Gofpel, the 
 prieft may, in the fcriptural fenfe of the words, 
 be faid to loofe the people from their fins. For 
 in Scripture the finner is reprefented as holden 
 with the cords of his fins *. " Thefe cords, and 
 <f chains," fays Jerom, " the melfengers of Chrift 
 " can loofe, according to the commiflion given 
 " them by their mafter, who faid to them, what- 
 " foever ye loofe on earth fhall be loofed in Hea- 
 " ven. Now the meffengers of Chrift loofe men 
 " from the chains of their fins, by the word of 
 " God, by teftimonies drawn from the Scriptures, 
 " and by exhortation to the practice of Chriftian 
 " graces and virtues f." 
 
 Nearly in the fame manner Ambrofe fays, " to- 
 
 * Prov. v. 23. 
 
 + Funibus peccatorum fuorum unufquifque conftringitur : quos 
 funes & vincula folv r* po.i' nt & Apoftoli. — Sqlvunt eos Serftione 
 , Dei & teftimoniis fcripturaruro, & Exhortatione virtutum. Hieron. 
 in Ifa, xir. 17. 
 
 z 4 " wards 
 
344 Critical and Practical Elucidation if 
 
 " wards obtaining remiffion of fins, men (that is, 
 " the priefts,) make ufe of their miniftry, but 
 " they exercife no privilege of authority *." He 
 elfewhere obferves, " fins are remitted by the 
 " word of God, of which the Ievite or prieft is 
 " the interpreter, and a kind of executor. They 
 " are remitted through the office and the facred 
 " miniftry of the prieft f. — He is therefore the 
 * c minifter of remiffion J." 
 
 The minifters of the Gofpel may, in a lax and 
 popular fenfe of the words, be faid to be inftru- 
 mental in reconciling men to God, and accefiary 
 to their obtaining remiffion of fins, for to them 
 " the miniftry of remiffion is committed," and 
 " the word of reconciliation given §." As the 
 Jewifti teachers " by taking away the key of 
 " knowledge did ftiut up the Kingdom of Heaven 
 " againft men ||," fo " every fcribe inftrucled 
 " unto the Kigdom of Heaven, by opening to his 
 *' hearers the door of faith" unlocks that king- 
 domf . He is the inftrument employed by God 
 " to Open men's eyes, and to turn them from 
 *' darknefs to light, and from the power of Satan 
 
 • 
 
 Nullum jus poteftatis exercent. 
 + Remittuntur peccata per Dei verbum, cujus Levitas interpres, 
 & quidera executor eft. Remittuntur etiam per ofHcium Saceidotis, 
 facrumque minifterium. (Amb. de Cain. & Abe,l. Lib. ii. c. 4.) 
 J Levites igitur Miniftei Remiffionis eft (Id. ibid,) 
 § 2 Cor. vi 18, 19. 
 j) Luke xi. 52, & Mat. xxiii. 13. 
 \ Matt. xiii. 52. Acts xiv. 27. 
 
 " unto 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Player. 345 
 
 unto God, that they may receive forgivenefs of 
 " fins V* 
 
 The abfolution of word and do&rine, that is, 
 the adt of preaching the Gofpel, and properly ap- 
 plying Holy Scripture, may in a popular, but not 
 in the ftrid: fenfe of the terms, be likewife ftyled 
 operative and efficacious. It may be faid to 
 be operative, fo far as God employs it as the 
 means of conferring his fpirit upon men f, and 
 of working faith and repentance, by which remif- 
 fion of fins is obtained. Thus John, " preaching 
 " the baptifm of repentance for the remiffion of 
 " fins $, and teaching the people that they fhould 
 " believe in him, which Ihould come after him, 
 " that is on Chrift Jefus§," is faid " to turn 
 " many of the children of Ifrael to the Lord their 
 " God ||." He did this by " giving knowledge of 
 " falvation unto the people of the Lord, for the 
 " remiffion of their finsf ." John had not pro- 
 perly any power to turn men's hearts. He, like 
 the priefts of the Gofpel, was entrufted with the 
 miniftry of the word of the grace of God, which 
 is able to convert men, and to build them up, and 
 to give them inheritance among the fandtified **. 
 Thus whoever by the application of this word con- 
 verts a finner, is faid to fave a foul from deathff. 
 The converfion of a finner, and the faving of a 
 
 * A&s xxvi. 18. + Adtsx. 44. Gal. iii. z. $ Marki. 4. 
 § Adtsxix. 4. || Luke i. 17. I Luke i. 77. 
 ** Afts xx. 32. ++ Jam. v. 20. 
 
 foul 
 
346 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 foul from death, is a prerogative peculiar to God. 
 Yet the minifters maybe faid to effect this, and to 
 reconcile men to God, when they perform the mi- 
 niftry of reconciliation, as they are faid " to fave 
 " their hearers," when they fuccefsfully " preach 
 " the Gofpel, by which they are faved "*." Thus 
 the word is faid to be " their word" which " is 
 '•' in truth the word of God f." Where the preach- 
 ing cf the Gofpel proves " the power of God 
 " unto falvation," the weaknefs of the rrriniftry 
 muft beaiVrihed to men, " the excellency of the 
 " power is of God^." " So then, neither he that 
 " planteth is any thing, nor he that watereth, 
 " but God that giveththe increafe§." The giv- 
 ing of the increafe, fays Auftin||, exceeds both the 
 meannefs of man, and the, fublimity of Angels : 
 it belongs only to the Trinity fl. 
 
 But, in Uriel propriety of fpeech, this abfolu- 
 tion of the prieft is limply declaratory of what 
 God does for the finner upon his- repentance. 
 And whenever this declaration is made according 
 to the terms of the Gofpel, it neceffarily prefup- 
 pofes that God has already pardoned thofe whom 
 
 * 1 Tim. iv. 16. 1. Cor. xv. i. 2. 
 
 + Johnxyii. 20. 1 Thcf. ii. 13. 
 
 % Rom. i. 16. 2 Cor. iv. 7. 
 
 § 1 Cor. iii. 7. 
 
 || Excedit hoc humanam humilitatem — pertinet ad Agricolam, 
 Trinitatem. 
 
 1 Uflier'i anfwer to a jefuit's challenge. 
 
 the 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 347 
 
 the prieft pronounces to be abfolved. St. Jersnt, 
 "who is followed by the Mafter of the fentences *, has 
 obferved, that " in remitting and retaining fins, 
 " the priefts under the Gofpel difpenfation have 
 " the fame right and office, which, under the law 
 " of Mofes, the levitical priefts had in healing 
 " lepers f." The reafoning of Jerom, and of 
 Peter Lombard, is adopted by the authors of the 
 Homily upon repentance. " Do not they, (the 
 " advocates for auricular confeffion) fee, that. the 
 " leper was cleanfed from his leprofy before he 
 " was by Chrift fent unto the prieft to fhew him- 
 " felf unto him? By the fame reafon, we muft 
 " be cleanfed from our fpiritual leprofy, I mean, 
 <c our fins muft be forgiven us, before that we 
 " come to auricular confeffion. ' What need we 
 <c then to tell forth our fins into the ear of the 
 " prieft, fith (feeing) that they be already taken 
 " away ?" We may farther afk, what need have 
 they of abfolution, in the Romifh fenfe of the 
 
 * Peter Lombard (or the Lombardian) is commonly fo called from 
 his writing the four Books of Sentences. 1 hi* work, which was a 
 complete body of divinity for the age, and was then more generally 
 ftudied than even the holy Scriptures, is principally a collection of 
 paffages from the Fathers, whofe difference of opinion the Mafter 
 endeavour., to reconcile. He was Profeflbr of Theology in the 
 Univerfity of Paris, and afterwards Bilhop of the diocefe. He died 
 in 1 164. In illuftration of the Sentences, fubfequent doftors wrote 
 voluminouscommentaries. 
 
 t Pet. Lomb. L. 14. Sent. Dift. 14. ap. Moxin. 
 
 term, 
 
348 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 term, from the hands of man, who are already ab- 
 folved by God ? 
 
 " Therefore," continues the Homily, " holy 
 ft Ambrofe, in his fecond fermon upon the 1 1 8th 
 *' (according to our divifion the 119th) pfalm, 
 " doth fay full well, go fhew thyfelf unto the 
 * k prieft. Who is the true prieft, but he which 
 " is prieft for ever after the Order of Melchife- 
 " dech ? Both the priefthood and the law being 
 " changed, we ought to acknowledge none other 
 " prieft for deliverance from our fins, but our 
 " Saviour Jefus Chrift, who being fovereign 
 " bifhop, doth with the facrifice of his body and 
 " blood, offered once for ever upon the altar of 
 " the crofs, moil effectually cleanfe the fpirjtual 
 " leprofy, and wafli away the fins of all thofe 
 " that, with true confefllon of the fame, do flee 
 " unto him." 
 
 That the power of the prieft to remit or retain 
 fins, is merely declaratory, and in no degree ju- 
 dicial*, was the do&rine of the ancient church. 
 Till within thefe few centuries it was likewife the 
 
 * Even Scotus fay*, to judge whofe fins fliall be forgiven belongs 
 to God, and he can as foon confer upon another his Divinity, as 
 this power of judging. 41. Sent. Dift. 19, No. 4, 5. Jehn Duns, 
 furnamed Scotus, a native of Northumberland, and fellow of Merton 
 College, Oxford, flourifhed A. D. 1 300, about which time he re- 
 moved to Paris. He was ftyled the fuhtle DoSor, and maintained 
 opinions contrary to thofe of Bonavcnture and Thomas Ajum.— 
 Hence the origin* of the names Thomifts and' Scotifls, 
 
 dodlrine 
 
The A&rning and Evening Puhlic Prayer. 349 
 
 do&rine of the church of Rome * ; and that it 
 was the common dodtririe of the more early Pro- 
 tectant Divines, appears from their refpective 
 writings. That it is the avowed doctrine of the 
 church of England, the daily form of abfolution 
 proves, which exprefsly fays, " Almighty God,, 
 " the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, pardoneth 
 " and abfolveth all them that truly repent, and 
 " unfeignedly believe his Holy Gofpel." Do 
 thefe words leave us at liberty to fuppofe, that 
 they whom God pardons and abfolves, need any 
 other pardon and abfolution ; or that human power 
 can retain thofe fins which He remits ? 
 
 The office which, by the appointment of God, 
 the prieft is to perform, is purely minifterial, and 
 our church thus defcribes it : " He hath given 
 <f power and commandment to his minifters to 
 " declare and pronounce to his people, being 
 " penitent, the Abfolution and Remiffion of their 
 " fins." Now, no declaration can make a thing 
 to be what it was not before. The declaration 
 pre-fuppofes the thing to be what it is declared to 
 be. What the minifters have power and com- 
 mandment to declare and pronounce, mull be 
 actually done, before they can declare, and pro- 
 nounce it done: that is, God has already par-r- 
 
 * This is proved by U>her; but, as he remarks, the old B often 
 muft now yield to the new Fathers of Trent. In this inftance, the 
 non-conformifts fub-romanifed, and even in oar church they may 
 have difciples. 
 
 2 doned 
 
35° Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 doned thofe whom his minifters are authorifed td 
 pronounce abfolved. 
 
 The priefts have the fame powers in linding, 
 that they have in loofing. They are appointed to 
 denounce, but not to inflict punifliment. In their 
 mouths the words of the Lord are put *. Like 
 the prophet, they " caft the people out of God's 
 " fight, fuch as are for death to death f," not 
 that they are avengers, for this is a title which 
 God challenges to himfelf, " vengeance is mine, 
 " I will repay, faith the Lord ;" but becaufe they 
 are appointed to be "prophets unto the nations J," 
 and to fpeak the words which God has com- 
 manded. 
 
 IV. Precatory Absolution. 
 
 The fourth and only ancient form of absolution 
 that remains to be conlidered is, the Abfolution 
 of Prayer, or precatory Abfolution. This, in 
 general, conftituted a part of the other Abfolu- 
 tions. Both in the adminiftration of baptifm, 
 and at the celebration of the Eucharift, as well as 
 in the folemn reconciliation of returning peni- 
 tents, prayers and imerceflions for pardon of fins 
 always accompanied thefe facred rites, and im- 
 plied that the Abfolution was not the acl: of the 
 
 * Jer. i. 9. + Jer. xv. 1,2. J Jcr. v. 7. 
 
 prieft, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer 351 
 
 prieft, but of God. In the writings of the Fathers 
 and the decrees of councils, to the efficacy of the 
 prayers and interceffions of the prieft, is the re- 
 miflion of fin often afcribed. 
 
 Tertullian, before he adopted the anti-chrif- 
 tian notions of the Montanifts *, reprefents " Chrift 
 " as joining his interceffion with the tears of the 
 " church, and thus obtaining pardon for the 
 " penitent f." 
 
 " The pri efts," fays Chrysostom J, "abfolve 
 " not only by doctrine and admonition, but alfo 
 " by the affiftance of their prayers." And, in 
 the judgment of Austin §, prayer is one efpecial 
 mean, whereby the commiffion given to the priefts 
 is exercifed in the remiffion of fins. He exhorts 
 offenders to fhew their repentance publicly to 
 the church, " that the church may pray for 
 them ||," and that they may obtain the benefit of 
 abfolution. 
 
 When a woman of quality applied to Basil for 
 
 * Whether Tertullian was afterward deluded by the enthufiaftic 
 notions of this feft, or whether his own rigid principles, and ftre- 
 nuous oppofition to the abufes of indulgence and Abfolution, which, 
 even in his days, appear to have gained a confiderable footing in 
 the church, altered his former opinion, are points "on which the 
 learned have not fully delivered their fentiments, or, aj leaft, have 
 not unanimoufly decided. 
 
 + iEque, illi cum fuper te lachrymas agunt, Chriftus patitur.— 
 Chriftus patrem deprecatur. Facile impetratur femper, quod filius 
 poftulat. Tert. de p&nit. c. 10. 
 
 % De Sacerdot. § De baptifmo corrt. Donatift. 
 
 jj Ut oret pro vobis ecclefia. 
 
 abfolu- 
 
35 2 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 abfolution, he faid " Haft thou heard that God 
 " only can forgive fins?" " I have, father," 
 fhe replied, " and I therefore befeech thee to 
 " make interceflion for me to our merciful 
 " God*." 
 
 " The priefts," fays Ambrose f, " execute 
 *' the commiflion given by Chrift (John xx. 23.) 
 '• as interceflbrs by their prayers — They befeech 
 " and entreat ; the Godhead forgives and remits 
 " fins." 
 
 Leo the great, who was not more remarkable 
 for his vigorous exertions in extending the power 
 of the papal fee, than for his extraordinary genius 
 and abilities as a writer, conceived that abfolution 
 was obtained by the fupplication and prayer of 
 God's minifters. " It has pleafed the divine 
 " goodriefs," he fays, " that the remiffion of fins 
 " ihould be granted to the fupplications of the 
 " priefts. It is therefore neceflary that the guilt 
 " of fins be abfolved by facerdotal interceflion." 
 And that the power of the keys extends to re- 
 miffion of fins by way of interceflion and of 
 prayer only, and not by imparting any immediate 
 abfolution, as maintained by Bonaventure, by 
 Alexander of Hales, and by other ancient fchool- 
 men $'. 
 
 Of the frequency of the ufe of the precatory 
 
 * Life of Bafil, afcribed to his friend Amphilochius. 
 
 + Ifti rogant, divinitas donat. — De Spir. S. lib. iii. cap. 19. 
 
 % Morin de fac. poen. and Ufher's anfwer to the challenge. 
 
 form 
 
The Morning and Evening Public, Prixyer. 353 
 
 form of abfolution, the writings of the fathers, 
 and the liturgies of antiquity, afford innumerable 
 proofs. And of the efficacy of interceffion and 
 fupplication in obtaining remiffion of fins, a very 
 extraordinary inftance is recorded by Eufebius * 
 oh the authority of Clement of Alexandria. 
 
 The abfolution, or, as we now fay, the facrameht 
 of the Supper of the Lord is, in the Church of 
 England, adminiftered in a precatory form. At 
 the delivery of the 'bread, the prieft fays, " the 
 " body of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which was given 
 " for thee, preferve thy body and foul unto ever- 
 <f lafting life. 'Take and eat this in remembrance 
 " that Chrift died for thee, and feed on him in 
 " thy heart by faith with thankfgiving." When 
 the cup is prefented, he fays, " the blood of our 
 " Lord Jefus Chrift, which was fhed for thee, 
 " preferve thy body and foul unto everlafting 
 " life : drink this in remembrance that Chrift's 
 " blood was fhed for thee, and be thankful." 
 
 In the Latin or Roman church likewife, the 
 form prefcribed to be ufed in the canon f of the 
 
 * Ecc. hift. L iii. c. 23. Of John, the Apoftle. 
 
 + In the canon of the mafs, the prieft who confecrates, commonly 
 partakes alone. Any of the affiftant priefts or deacons, or of the 
 people, may afterwards communicate. But the adminiftration of 
 the communion to the people, forms a part of the ritual, rather 
 than of the mijfal. All the people are required to communicate at 
 leaft once a year, and they may receive the communion at hours 
 -when the communion office or mafs is not performed, confecrated 
 bread, the hoft, being referved in a veffel for the purpofe. 
 
 A A is 
 
35+ Critical and Praclical Elucidation of 
 
 mafs, as well as when the laity communicate, 
 is entirely precatory, and nearly refembles our 
 own, which indeed was partly borrowed from it. 
 On the paten, or little plate, is placed the hoft, 
 that is, the confecrated bread, or rather wafer, 
 which is commonly marked With an impreflion of 
 , the image of Chrift on the crofs, or with the letters 
 I H S, and a crofs above the centre of the H. 
 Theprieft, holding in his left hand the paten, and 
 taking the hoft between his thumb and fore finger, 
 crofles himfelf with it, faying, " the body of our 
 " Lord Jefus Chrift preferve my foul unto ever- 
 " lading life. Amen:" and after this he receives 
 the hoft. 
 
 Then taking the chalice in his right hand, and 
 crofting himfelf with it in the fame manner, he 
 fays, " the blood of our Lord Jefus Chrift pre- 
 " ferve my foul unto everlafting life. Amen:" 
 and receives all the blood. Efpecial care is taken 
 that no particle of the confecrated elements, may 
 be left remaining either on the paten or in the 
 chalice. 
 
 When "the laity receive the communion, the 
 fame form is ufed, excepting that my is of courfe 
 changed into thy. It is perhaps urineceflary to 
 add, that the hoft is put by the prieft into the 
 mouth of the communicant, and that the wine is 
 prohibited to all the laity : both of which prac- 
 tices, as the proteftants have ftiewn, and forhe of 
 the more learned and liberal Romanifts admit, 
 
 are 
 
The j^forning and Evening Public Prayer. 355 
 
 are contrary to the ufage of the primitive Chrif- 
 tians *. 
 
 The laity of the Greek church receive the com- 
 munion in both kinds ; but the manner pf adminif- 
 tering the elements to them, though it has been 
 retained for feveral ages, differs from the practice 
 of antiquity, and of our church. The priefts and 
 deacons indeed partake of the bread firft, and of 
 the wine afterward, much in the manner that we 
 do. After which, a deacon invites the laity to 
 approach, in thefe words, " Draw near with 
 " faith and charity in the fear of God." The 
 
 * From the inftitution of the* facrament pf the Lord's Supper till 
 the twelfth century, no inftance can be produced where, in the/aWc 
 celebration of the Eucharift, the people did not partake of the wine, 
 as well as of the bread. About this period, fome bifhops interdicted ' 
 the ufe of the cup. This was done, it is faid, to prevent all 
 irreverence, and any accident that might degrade the dignity of the 
 facrament; and more efpecially the effufion of the blood of Chrift. 
 Tranfubftantiatien, mentioned in the eleventh, and much more fre- 
 quently in the twelfth century, and eftablifhed by the ivth Xateran 
 council in 12 15, was foon followed by this epifcopal interdict. la 
 1414, the council of Conftance contrmed by a canon the regulation 
 of the bifhops, and, ratified, as far as a fynod can ratify, a practice 
 directly contradictory to the plain pofitive injunction of Chrift, and 
 the univerfal ufage of the church for upwards of 1 100 years. Till 
 this period, the laity likewife received the elements into their own 
 hands. Unleavened bread, wafers, the elevation and adoration of 
 the hoft, and the putting of it into the mouth of the communicant, 
 all of them the offspring of tranfubftantiation, . are not many yean 
 younger than their parent ; and muft all be ranked with the facer- 
 dotal corruptions and fuperftitions, for which the thirteenth century- 
 is diftinguifhed. The pofitive or indicative form of abfolution was 
 likewife the invention of this age. 
 
 a a 2 bread 
 
35 6 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 bread and wine, previoufly mixed in the chalice, 
 are adminiftered together in a fpoon to the com- 
 municants ; to each of whom the minifter fays, 
 " The precious and holy body, and blood of our 
 " Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift are partaken of 
 " by thee, for the remiffion of thy fins, and ever- 
 " lafting life *." Or, " I adminifter to thee the 
 " precious f, &c. ;" or, " Thoii partaken: of 
 "the %, &c." 
 
 In England, till the reformation, the words 
 fpoken by the prieft prior to his receiving the 
 elements, differed materially both from the Roman 
 and our prefent form. In various editions of the 
 Salifbury miffal, fome of which were printed here 
 before the reformation, fome during the reign of 
 Mary, and others at Paris, the prieft is directed, 
 before he partakes, to addrefs the body with hu- 
 miliation, or bowing, and to fay : " Hail for ever, 
 " moft holy flefh of Chrift, before all things, and 
 " above all things, my fupreme delight. May 
 " the body of our Lord Jefus Chrift be to me, a 
 " finner, the way and the life, in the name of the 
 " Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. 
 " Amen§." Here he takes the body, having 
 firft made a crofs with the body before his mouth. 
 
 * Smith's Greek Church. + Lit. Chryfoft. % Lit. Bafil. 
 
 § Ad corpus dical cum humiliations antequam percipiat. (Rubr.) — 
 " Ave in jeternum fanftiffima caro Chrifti, mihi ante omnia, Sc 
 " fuper omnia, fumma dulcedo. Corpus domini noftri Jefu Chrifti 
 " fit mihi peccatori via & vita, in nomine patris, &c." Hic/umat 
 cor/tu, cruet priut fatla, ante os. Rubr. 
 
 Then 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 357 
 
 Then with great devotion he is to fay to the 
 blood : " Hail for ever, heavenly drink, before 
 " all things and above all things, to me the greateft 
 " fweetnefs, (or my higheft defire, and fupreme 
 " delight.) May the body and blood of our Lord 
 " Jefus Chrift be to me, a finner, an efficacious 
 " and perpetual medicine to eternal life, in the 
 " name of the Father, &c. Amen *." After 
 which he takes the blood. 
 
 In the Unitarian, or what is called a Book of 
 Common Prayer reformed, when the prieft de- 
 livers the bread, he fays : " Take, and eat this in 
 " remembrance of Chrift;" and when he delivers 
 the cup, " Take, and drink this in remembrance 
 " of Chrift." This form of words is chofen in 
 conformity to our Saviour's own, " Do this in 
 " remembrance of me." 
 
 The fentences, at the diftribution of the elements 
 in the prefent Scotifh epifcopalian church, confift 
 of the two former claufes now ufed by us, the 
 latter claufes being omitted, as they were in Ed- 
 ward's firft book, and Laud's Scotifh Liturgy. — 
 The Epifcopalian church of America has adopted 
 our forms. 
 
 * Deinde adfangu'mem cum magna devotions , dicens, (Rubr.) " Ave 
 ." in seternum coeleftis potus, mihi — dulcedo. Corpus, & fanguis 
 " D. N. J. C. poffint (in fome copies frojintj mihi peccatori ad re- 
 " medium fempiternum, in vitam seternam. Amen." Mifs. Sar. 
 i£2 7 , 1534, & 1555. & Portitor. Sar. 1555. 
 
 a a 3 , The / 
 
3 5 8 Critical and Praflical Elucidation of 
 
 Trie facrament of Baptifm among the Greeks is 
 adrniniftered fometimes in a declaratory, and 
 fometimes in a precatory form. The prieft's 
 words are, " The fervant of God (N) is baptifed 
 " in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 " of the Holy Ghoft, now and for ever." At 
 the repetition of the name of each of the three Per- 
 fons in the Trinity, the god-father anfwers, Amen. 
 
 Another very general form of baptifm in the 
 Greek church is, " Let the fervant of the Lord," 
 or, " may the fervant of the Lord be baptifed in 
 " the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 " of the Holy Ghoft." Whether the form be 
 declaratory or precatory, it is always pronounced 
 ^>affively, partly becaufe it is read paffively in 
 Mark xiv. 16 : and partly becaufe this mod^ of 
 expreffion, "Which they have retained from Chry- 
 foftom, is thought by the Greeks to indicate more 
 modefty and humility "than the active form Em- 
 ployed by the weftern church *. 
 
 The difference between the Greek and weftern 
 forms is trifling. In fenfe, the declaratory active, 
 -and paffive forms agree. It is to be lamented, 
 that the zealots of both communions have re- 
 ciprocally ufed the bittereft invectives againft each 
 other, in a matter of fo little importance as this 
 mere variety of expreffion feems to be. Efpedally 
 as both parties igree in the concluding words, and 
 hpjd that " baptifing in the name of the Father, 
 
 f Smith's Greek Church. 
 
 ''and. 
 
The Meriting and Evening Public Prayfir. 359 
 
 " and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft," is a 
 nccefiary and eflential part of the facrament. 
 
 Our form of administering baptifm is decla- 
 ratory, and not' precatory : yet it is preceded and 
 followed by prayers and interceffions for absolu- 
 tion and regeneration. Thus in our daily fervice 
 likewife, the abfolution is preceded by the con- 
 feffion, and followed by the Lord's prayer, the re- 
 cital of which, as we have before obferved, was, 
 by the ancients fuppofed to obtain remiffion of 
 thofe fins of infirmity, into which the belt and 
 molt circumfpect are daily liable to" fall. It is 
 deferving of remark, that in our church, wher- 
 ever the form is declarator it is always accom- 
 panied with fupplications for pardon. 
 
 But the abfolution in the office of the holy com- 
 munion is a direct prayer for pardon and forgive- 
 nefs. " Almighty God, our heavenly father, who 
 " of his great mercy hath promifed forgivenefs of 
 " fins to all them, which with hearty repentance 
 «« and true faith turn unto him ; have mercy upon 
 " you, pardon and deliver you from all your 
 " fins, confirm and ftrengthen you in all good- 
 •" nefs, and bring you to everlafting life, through 
 " Jefus Chrift our Lord." Amen. 
 
 In this form, the declaratory and precatory ab- 
 folutions are happily united *. The former part 
 confifts of God's merciful prornife of pardon to 
 
 true 
 
 * The precatory part is nearly the fame with- the abfolution ir* 
 a a 4 the 
 
360 Critical and Prailical Elucidation of 
 
 true penitent believers. In the latter part, the, 
 bifhop or prieft, in exact conformity to the fenti- 
 ments and practice of the fathers, directs addrefles 
 to the throne of grace, and intercedes with God 
 for the actual pardon and abfolution of particular 
 perfons. This minifterial benediction and inter- 
 ceffion was always considered as a principal act of 
 epifcopal and facerdotal power in the bufinefs of 
 evangelical abfolution. 
 
 The following prayer, which is an ancient form 
 of abfolution*, is ftill ufed in the Greek church 
 before communion. " O Lord Jefus Chrift, our 
 " God, who alone haft the power of forgiving 
 " fins, in thy goodnefs and loving-kindnefs over- 
 " look all the offences of thy fervants, whether 
 " of knowledge or ignorance, whether committed 
 " in deed, Avord, or thought, for thou art the 
 " God of mercies, able to fhew mercy, to fave, 
 " and to forgive fins." 
 
 In the oriental liturgies likewife, both the ab- 
 folutions in the beginning of the office, and that 
 before the communion, are collects or prayers for 
 pardon and fanctification, and are often addrefled 
 to our Lord Jefus Chrift f. 
 
 the order of the mats. We added the general declaratory words of 
 abfolution here, as we did likewife in the form that may be faid at 
 the vifitation of the fick. 
 
 * It is faid to have been compofed by Jibn of Damafcta, who 
 lived in the viiith century. 
 
 + See Lit. of Bafil, in Renaudot's colleftion, torn. *. p. 3. & can. 
 univers. iEthiop. Ibid. p. 505, &c. In many of thefe absolutions, 
 the patriarch, metropolitan, king, &c. are prayed for by name. 
 
 ' : . In, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 361 
 
 In the Romifh church the abfolution in the 
 ordinary of the mafs, and in the facrament of 
 penance, is entirely precatory, " May God Al- 
 " mighty have mercy upon you, forgive you your 
 " firis, and bring ybu to everlafting life*. 
 
 The form of the abfolution of penitents, in the 
 Greek church, is in a great meafure left to the 
 discretion of the penitentiary. The moft com- 
 mon forms are, 1. " Do thou, O Lord, remit, par- 
 .*' don, and forgive the fins committed by thy 
 " fervants." 2. " May it pleafe thee to abfolye 
 " thy fervants according to thy word." 3. " Do 
 " thou pardon, who art our good and gracious 
 " God." 4. " May our Lord Jefus Chrift par- 
 " don all thofe fins which thou haft confeffed 
 " before him to my^ meannefs, as well as thofe 
 " which thou haft forgotten." 5. " O Lord, 
 " pardon thy fervant, and be reconciled to him." 
 
 From this variety, of which many more in- 
 ftances might be given, it is evident that the fen- 
 tence of abfolution is pronounced only in the way 
 of fupplication and interceflion. The prieft is no 
 more than the minifter of this facred rite, and 
 claims no perfonal or judicial power. 
 
 It fhould not however be concealed, that even 
 in that part of the Greek church, which acknow- 
 ledges the jurifdicftion of the patriarch of Con- 
 
 * Mifereatur veftri omnipotens dcus, & dimiflis peccatis veftris, 
 perducat vos ad vitam a;t»rnam. 
 
 ftantino- 
 
36a Critical and Praftical Elucldatlen tf. 
 
 ftantinople, the clergy have fomctimes adopted 
 forms of abfolution, different from thefe. But 
 as they are novel, and were obtruded upon them 
 by the artful emiffaries of Rome, who were con- 
 tinually watching over the" poor Greeks, aqd 
 ready to take every advantage of their ignorance 
 and diftrefs, with a view to bring them to farther 
 compliance, and in time to reduce them to com- 
 plete fubjection to the papal fee, the bare mention 
 of the circumftance may here be fufficient. 
 
 It were an act of injuftice, not to obferve, that 
 in the annual courfe of the offices of the Romijh 
 church, a connderable variety of abfolutions are 
 found, all running in the precatory form. Of : 
 their general tenor, a judgment may be formed 
 from the following fpccimens, which in the Bre- 
 viary frequently occur. 1. " May almighty God 
 " have mercy upon you, pardon your offences, 
 " and bring you to everlafting life." 2. " May 
 " the Almighty and merciful Lord grant us par- 
 " don, abfolution, and the remiflion of our fins." 
 3. " O Lord Jefus Chrift hear the prayers of thy 
 " fervants, and do thou who liveft and reigneft 
 " with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, have 
 " mercy i^pon us." 4. " May the Almighty and 
 " merciful God loofe us from the chain of our 
 " fins*." 
 
 Indica- 
 
 • Similar forms are, in the Roman Rubrics, ftyled Abfolutions. 
 
 Tfcc 
 
7fo Msrtifog and £vemt% Puiltc Prujtr. 363 
 
 Indicativs Absolution. 
 
 Befides thefe ancient forms, there is another, 
 called the indicative, or pofitive form of abfolu- 
 tion, in which theprieft, addreffing the penitent, 
 and fpeaking in the firft perfon, fays, " I abfolve 
 " thee." Of the ufe of this form, in the fenfe in 
 which the romanifts contend, and fome members 
 of our eftablifhment appear to admit, that it is 
 to be received, we have no veftige in the earlier 
 and purer ages of the church. 
 
 For between the abfolution of fins committed 
 againft God, and the abfolution, which is merely 
 a remiffion of ecclefiaftical cenfures, we muft, if 
 we would avoid falling into grofs errors, make 
 the requifite diftinctions. The truth is, the form 
 of which we are now fpeaking, has not the ufage 
 of 600 years to plead in its behalf*. Though 
 
 The abfolution in the pontificate likewife as well as is thcMiffal, is 
 precatory. The pofitive indicative form is found only in the Ritual, 
 and there but once ; that is, in ** the Sacrament Of Penance." 
 
 * Yet Martenne, whofe work in three large folio volumes, was 
 publifhed in 1736, refers to " four books venerable for' their anti- 
 " quity, all of them above 600 years old," in which the indicative 
 form occurs.' In particular, lie fpecifies a pontificdle of Egbert, 
 Bifhop of York, which, he fays, is very neatly written in Saxon 
 characters, and is' ftill preserved in t!he. library of that .church. I 
 have made fome enquiry after this pontificdle, but to no purpofe : and 
 I&fpeft that upon clofer inveftigation, it will be found either that 
 the abfolution is not drawn up in the indicative form, or that the 
 true date 6f the MS. is-pofterior to the time of Egbert. 
 
 Thomas 
 
364" Critical and PraMical Elucidation of 
 
 Thomas Aquin might not introduce it himfelf, yet 
 he firft defended it, a few years after the middle of 
 the thirteenth century. From the writings of this 
 author, Archbifhop Uiher has proved the recent- 
 nefs, and nearly afcertained the date of this inno- 
 vation*. It is acknowledged by Aquin, that his 
 contemporaries objected to the form, not only 
 becaufe perforis of judgment thought the ancient 
 form preferable, but becaufe this was a novelty in- 
 vented within the laft thirty years\. And, before 
 UJher, the learned Morin, though a ftaunch \ papift, 
 had fully fhewn that this is a modern fabrication; 
 and that, during twelve centuries, abfolution was 
 given only in a precatory form§. He likewife 
 
 * Anfwer to the jefuit's challenge. 
 
 + Afferebat enim (that is the learned Doftor againft whom Tho- 
 mas wrote his 21A opufc. affirmed) vix annos 30 elap'fos effe, cum 
 omnes Tola forma deprecatoria uterentur. Thomas does not attempt 
 to difprove the pofition, but anfwers, " that his opponent could 
 *' not teftify of all, becaufe he had not feen ail." Morin. fac. 
 pcen. l.viii. c. 9. feft. 26. 
 
 % Every member of the " holy catholic church," who knows 
 '* what fpirit he is 'of," to whatever fetl he may belong, muft 
 grieve to find fuch a man as Morinus, fpeaking of two of the moft 
 illuftrious inftruments of the reformation, in the following terms — 
 Donee humani generis hoftis, Lutherum & Calvinum ab inferis 
 evomeret : that is, in coarfe Englifh, Luther and Calvin tuere "vo- 
 mited out of hell, into this •world, by the devil. (De Sac. pcen. praef. 
 ad left.) 
 
 § Cum autem conftet annis mille ducentis in ecelefia occidentali 
 abfolutionem depre'eapivo modo dari folitum, in orietitali vero, in 
 hunc ufque diem, non aliter dari, &c. De fac. poen. 1. viii. 
 
 fays, 
 
The Miming and Evening Public Primer. 365 
 
 fays, that the progrefs of this new form was fo 
 rapid, . that in the courfe of fixty years, the ufe of 
 the ancient form.was hardly known *. Martenne 
 repeats and confirms the obfervation of Morin, 
 and after him remarks, that about the fame time, 
 the validity of precatory- abfolution began to be 
 queftioned f. William of Paris, who flourifhed 
 about thirty years before Aqttin, makes ufe of 
 thefe remarkable words. " The priefh to whom 
 " confeffion is made, does not pronounce abfo- 
 " lution in the manner of forenfic judges. He 
 " does not fay, We abfolve thee : neither do we 
 " condemn : but let the confeffor make a prayer 
 " to God, that he may grant the penitent abfo- 
 " lution, rerhiffion, and the grace of fanctifica- 
 " tionj." 
 
 In all the more ancient MS. rituals, both of 
 the Greek and Latin churches, the form is always 
 precatory, never indicative §. 
 
 The indicative, or politive form of abfolution 
 is not however to be condemned, merely becaufe 
 it was not known in ancient times, or from its 
 
 * Tantos denique progreflus brevi temporis fpatio fecit ilia fen- 
 tentia, ut alterius ufus in paucis provinciis fexaginta p'oft annis vix 
 fupereffet. Ibid. cap. 9. feci;. 28. 
 
 + Tantos denique progreflus ut de deprecativas validitate 
 
 dubitari cceperit. Marten, antiq. Ecclef. Rit. lib. 1. c. 6. artic. 5. 
 Morin. 1. viii. c. 8. feft. z. 
 
 J De Sac. pcenit. ap. Marten, ibid. 
 
 §- Marten. Ibid. 
 
 having 
 
366 Critical and BfaSital Elucidation \ef 
 
 having been grofsly abufed fince it was known. 
 When its import and meaning are duly defined 
 and rightly understood, if may, on certain occa- 
 sions, be adopted with propriety and advantage. 
 
 Were difcipline, for inftance, reftored to the 
 church, (and, if it is " much to be wifhed," it 
 ought, certainly, to be attempted in earneft,) this 
 form might be ufed as a judicial adt, by thofc in- 
 verted with the power of readmitting penitent of- 
 fenders to the privilege of communion with the 
 church. On fuch occafions, the ufe of it would 
 be juftifiable and right : and I think there are 
 ftrong grounds for pfefuming that a form, very 
 like it, was ufed at the readmiffion of penitents 
 into the primitive church *. 
 
 Again, when any man labours under great dif- 
 quiqtude of confcience, and confequent diftrefs of 
 mind, on account of any crime real or fuppofed ; 
 when he opens his grief, andconfeffes his offence 
 to fome learned and difcreet minifter of God's 
 word, and exhibits every fign of fincere contrition 
 
 * Audio etiam ediflum effe propofitum, & quidem perempto- 
 rium. Pontifex fcilicet maxirnus, quod eft, epifcopus epifcoporum 
 edicit ; Ego IS meethUe, fomicatimi dehQa pttnilenti* fundis dimittn. 
 O Ediftum ! Abfit, abfit a fponfa Chrifti tale prscconium, &c. 
 (Ten. de Pudicitia, c. 1.) The power exercifed by the bifliop, 
 whom In this paffage, Tertullian (now a montanift) upbraids in lan- 
 guage not remarkable for its delicacy, might be fimply a relaxation 
 of ecclefiaftical cenfures, and the authoritative form of reftoring 
 penitents to church communion — See alfo Bilhop Fell's notes on 
 Cyprian de lap lis. 
 
 and 
 
The 'Motning and Evening Public Prdyer. 367 
 
 and repentance ; then " for the quieting of his* 
 " confcience, and the removal of all fcruple and 
 " doubtfulnefs, the prieft may by the minijlry of 
 " God's word, give him, together with fpiritual 
 " council artd advice, the benefit of abfolution.*" 
 If upon a full examination into his fpiritual ftate, 
 the prieft has every reafon to believe him truly 
 penitent, and as far as human judgment can go, 
 to conclude that he ftands abfolved by God, he 
 "may, more efpeciaHy if the party earneftly delire 
 it, minijlerially pronounce the indicative form of 
 abfolution. 
 
 The judgment of the prieft, however, is not 
 infallible: for a man may be deceived himfelf, 
 and one man may deceive another. But where 
 every vifiblc and proper indication of fincere re- 
 pentance and faith appear, this form is the greateft 
 aflurance that a clergyman, without the aid of 
 divine infpiration, can give to the penitent, that 
 his fins are pardoned : and this, under certain cir- 
 cumftances, our church has thought it right the 
 prieft fhould give for thefatisfaction of his fellow 
 creature. To hear the " ambaffador of God, and 
 " the minifter of reconciliation," in whofe au- 
 thority, as well as fanctity, he has been accuftomed 
 to confide, pronounce, upon the beft judgment 
 he can form, pardon and peace, according to the 
 
 * It may be proper to remark, that the church neither commands, 
 nor forbids private confeffion and abfolution. Indeed, when " zap 
 " man cannot quiet his own confcience, or requires farther coun- 
 " fel," fl»e recommends both, but does not enjoin either. 
 
 terms 
 
368 Critical and Practical Elucidation of, 
 
 terms of the Gofpel, muft afford the greateft con- 
 folation, which a defponding fpirit can receive. 
 
 Two inftances have been ftated, where this po- 
 litive abfolution is thought to be rational and ad-, 
 miffible. There is a third, in which it is enjoined, 
 that is, in " the Order for the Vifitation of the 
 " Sick." This appointment is one of thofe re- 
 gulations, in which the prudence and humanity 
 of our reformers, and of the reviewers of the Li- 
 turgy, are equally confpicuous. The piety of the 
 church would not refufe to any of its members at 
 the point of death, the fatisfaclion of receiving 
 abfolution in the moft plenary, and authoritative 
 form. But her prudence has with equal caution 
 reftricted the ufe of a form, which ,from its very 
 nature, is more liable than any other, to be mif- 
 taken or abufed. 
 
 For before this abfolution may be pronounced,, 
 the minifter is firft enjoined to enquire, "whether 
 " the fick perfon believe all the articles of the 
 " chriftian faith ?" In order to afcertain this, he 
 is directed to rehearfe interrogatively all the arti- 
 cles of the apoftles' creed. Upon the fick perfon's 
 anfwering, " all this I fteadfaftly believe," the 
 minifter is next enjoined to examine, " whether 
 " he repent him truly of his fins, and be in charity 
 " with all the world *." In, other words, before 
 the minifter may pronounce this abfolution; he is 
 to examine whether the fick perfon be a true pe- 
 
 * Rubric before the abfolution in the vifitation office. 
 
 nitent, 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 369 
 
 ftitent, and fincere believer ; that is, whether he 
 be entitled to pardon by God, " who pardoneth 
 " and abfolveth all them that truly repent, and 
 " unfeignedly believe his holy gofpel." 
 
 The form itfelf, which Was in fome degree new 
 modelled and improved at the reformation, is as 
 guarded as any indicative form can be. It is, 
 ftri&ly fpeaking, nothing more than the precatory 
 and declaratory forms united, and applied to a 
 particular cafe. The introductory part is addrefTed 
 to our Lord Jefus Chrift, and befeeches him of 
 his great mercy to forgive the fick perfon his of- 
 fences. This part likewife declares, that " our 
 " Lord Jefus Chrift has left to his church, power 
 " to abfolve thofe who truly repent, and believe 
 " in him :" The form proceeds, " and by his au- 
 " thority committed to me, I abfolve thee from 
 " all thy fins in the name of the Father, and of 
 " the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. Amen." 
 
 Now, fince this very form declares that remiflton 
 is granted only to the true penitent believer, that 
 is, to him alone whom God has already pardoned 
 and abfolved, and who cannot therefore need ab- 
 folution from the hands of man, it muft neceffarily 
 follow, that " the power to abfolve, left by Chrift 
 " to the church *, and by his authority committed 
 " to the prieft," is purely minifterial, or as our 
 
 * The words, " who hath left power to his church to abfolve all 
 
 '« finners who truly repent, and believe in him," were inferted by 
 
 our reformers. The reft of the form they copied with little variation 
 
 from the Roman Ritual. 
 
 b b church 
 
370 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 church elfewhere exprefles it, ,c the power and 
 " commandment given by God to his minifters to 
 " declare and pronounce to his people being peni- 
 " tent, the abfoIutrOn and remiffion of their fins." 
 
 This is the doctrine that was taught to our fore- 
 fathers at the dawn of the reformation. " Which 
 " words," (the words of abfolution,) " being 
 " fpoken by the prieft on earth, he (the receiver) 
 " ought to believe they fhall be ratified in heaven"-' 
 " and that he is already pardoned for the merits of 
 " Cbriftfs paflion*." 
 
 If this be not the doctrine o£ the eftablifhed 
 church, we may afk, what other meaning can fhe 
 have ? and we muft, I fear, be compelled to admit 
 the prefumption, that the Liturgy in doctrinal 
 points, is not al ways .perfectly confiftent with it- 
 felf. But if this be the meaning of our church, 
 then her fentiments on indicative abfolution, co- 
 incide with thofe of the mod eminent divines of 
 the age, in which this form was introduced f. 
 
 It 
 
 * Inftitution of a chriftian man. 
 
 + Though the form in queftion is now, and has been for fome 
 ages, commonly called the indicative form, yet it has likewife, and 
 with ftri&er regard to propriety, been called a middle, or a mixed 
 form. The purely indicative is, " I abfolve," &c. without any ' 
 precatory words, either prefixed, or annexed. Thcprecatory form 
 alone was ufed for the firft twelve centuries. About 1225, or 1 230, 
 the fimply indicative was introduced. But it would appear that the 
 adoption of it alone, feemed to the more moderate and learned, a 
 hafty and improper deviation from primitive and univerfal practice, 
 into an oppofite extreme. They, therefor;, united the two forma. . 
 
 2 Of 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 3 7 1 
 
 It: was firft ufcd by a few, and only by. a few, 
 about the year .1230*. In this very year flourifhed 
 Alexander of Hales\, who, on account of his 
 profound knowledge of fcholaftic theology and 
 civil law, was ftyled the irrefragable doBor. He' 
 obferves that " in this form, prayer precedes in 
 " the optative, or precatory mode, and the ab- 
 " folution is fubjoined in the indicative. Prayer 
 " obtains pardon, and abfolution prejuppofes par- 
 " don : for the prieft would abfolve none, who, 
 " he did not believe, had been abfolved by 
 " God J." 
 
 John Bonaventure §, who flourifhed 2$ years 
 later, and at a period when the ufe of this form 
 was become much more general, fo far approves 
 of the preceding exposition, that when he comes 
 to explain the meaning of the form, he expreffes 
 himfelf in the very words of Alexander. Thomas 
 
 Of this middle, or mixed form, Hales, Bonaventure, and Aquin 
 fpeak in the paffages that follow, where either their opinion, or evi-' 
 dence, is referred to, or cited. 
 
 * Morin. de Sac. pcsnit. lib. viii. c. 9. p. 537, 
 
 + He was an Englilhman, born at Hales in Gloucefterfhire, and 
 Doftor of Divinity at Paris, then the feat of theological learning, 
 and frequented by ftudents from every part of Europe. 
 
 % In forma abfolutionis praemittitur oratio per modum depreca^ 
 tivum,.& fubjungitur abfolutio per modum indicativum. Etdepre- 
 catio gratiam impetrat, & abfolutio gratiam fupponit. Nunquam 
 enim Saeerdos abfolveret quenquam, de quo non 'prsfumeret" quod 
 effet abfolutus a Deo. (Alex. Hal. ap. Morin. p. 538.) 
 
 § He was profeffor of theology in the univerfity at Paris, and 
 called xhzferafbic doclor. 
 
 B B 2 Aquin 
 
372 Critical and Pratlical Elucidation of 
 
 Aquin * himfelf, testifies that the fame fentU 
 ments were embraced at Paris by the learned in 
 general; and it is probable that the doctor f, 
 who oppofed the innovation defended by Aquin, 
 held the fame opinion with Hales^ Bona- 
 venture, and the Parifian divines. Though he 
 difliked the introduction of the indicative form, 
 yet it is certain he did not difapprove their expo- 
 fition of it. \ 
 
 That the Church of England does not conceive 
 any perfonal or judicial power to attach to the 
 minifter in granting abfolution, is plain from the 
 introductory part of the form, which is preca- 
 tory, and acknowledges our Lord Jefus Chrift to 
 be the perfon by whom abfolution is virtually 
 conveyed. Had the church fancied, either that 
 any real efficacy accompanied the prieft's pro- 
 nouncing the indicative abfolution, or that facer- 
 dotal abfolution was efientially neceffary to the 
 forgivenefs of fins §, fhe would here have pofi- 
 
 * Aquin, ftyled alfo the angelic doBor, flourifhed in 1255. He 
 and Bonaventure were admitted to the degree of D. D. in the Uni- 
 verfity of Paris on the fame day. Care's hift. lit. 
 
 + His name is not known. 
 
 % St. Thorn, opufc. 22. cap. 2. 3. ap. Morin. 
 
 § Much lefs does our church admit the pofitions, refpefting ab- 
 folution, laid down by the good fathers affembled at the council of 
 Trent. One of their canons fays, fi quis dixerit abfolutionem 
 facerdotis non effe aftum judkialem, fed nudum minifterium pro- 
 nunciandi, & declarandi, remiffa effe peCcata confkenti : anathema 
 jit.— Fat a very valuable account of this moft lingular ecclefiaftical 
 affembly, fee appendix to the Rev. Dr. A. Geddes'j learned and 
 fpirited letter to three Vicars apoftolic. 
 
 tively 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 373 
 
 tively enjoined the ufe of this, or of fome other 
 form. But what are the words of the rubric ? 
 Here fhall the fick perfon be moved to make 
 " a fpecial confeflion of his fins, if he feel his 
 " confcience troubled with any weighty matter. 
 " After which confeflion, the prieft fhall abfolve 
 ** him, if he humbly and heartily defire it*, after 
 " this fort." But on the fuppofal that the fick 
 perfon does not feel his confcience troubled with 
 any weighty matter, the prieft h not directed to 
 move him to make any fpecial confeffion. If the 
 fick perfon makes no fpecial confeflion, or after 
 a fpecial confeflion, does not humbly and heartily 
 defire abfolution : if he is fatisficd of the fincerity 
 of his own repentance, and requires no aflurance 
 from the prieft, that he is forgiven by God, then 
 the prieft is not authorifed to pronounce this ab- 
 folution f. By leaving it to the option of the 
 fick man, the church has left us a proof, which 
 to me appears decifive, that in her judgment, 
 whoever performs the conditions of the covenant 
 of grace, fhall be faved without facerdotal abfo- 
 lution; and that he who does not repent, and 
 believe the gofpel, cannot be effentially bene- 
 fited by any abfolution pronounced by a prieft. 
 
 * Thefe words in italic were added in 1662. 
 
 + Bifliop Bull requefted the clergyman, who prayed with him in 
 his lad illnefs, to repeat the abfolution in the communion fervice. 
 This form is adopted in the vifitation office of the epifcopalian 
 church of America. 
 
 b b 3 Power. 
 
374 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 Power of Absolution granted to Ministers 
 at Ordination. 
 
 We have feen the,fentiments of the church of 
 England, refpetfting abfolution, as they are dedu- 
 gible from the different modes in which it is ap- 
 pointed to be adminiflered. Let us now advert 
 to the official form, by which the power of abfo- 
 lution is conveyed to the clergy in the ordina- 
 tion and cqnfecration of priefts and bifhops. 
 From this point of view, we may perhaps obtain 
 a more diftinft knowledge of the fubjedt; for 
 whatever be fhe nature and extent of the power 
 exercifed by the clergy, it will naturally bgfpeci- 
 fied when it is conferred, and muft be according to 
 the limits of the original grant. 
 
 At the laying on of hands the bifhop fays " re-, 
 " ceive the Holy Ghoft for the office and work of 
 " a bifhop (or prieft) in the church of God." 
 The ordinary gifts of the Spirit are as neceflary 
 for the execution of the office of a bifhop, or 
 prieft, as the extraordinary gifts were for the per- 
 formance of the office of an apoftle. We therefore 
 very properly adopt a part of the form made ufe 
 of by our Lord- But we underftand the words in 
 an inferior, and more limited fenfe. The bifhop 
 does not fay " as my father fen t me, fo fend I 
 ?' you." — He does not fay abfolutely " re- 
 '* ceive the Holy Ghoft," but receive it for 
 < c the office in which you are appointed to 
 (' ferve." From this limitation it is obvious, 
 
 that 
 
The Mdrnlng and Evening Pullk Prayer. 375 
 
 that a more indefinite and extenfive power was 
 committed by our Saviour to the apofties, than is 
 given atordiftation to the clergy of the church of 
 England. The extent of the powers of a bifhop, 
 or a pricfl:, muft be determined folely by the rules 
 and duties of their refpective offices, as expreffed in 
 the written word of God, and interpreted by the 
 order of the church, which appoints them to their 
 office. 
 
 The fame obfervation may be applied to the 
 other part of the form. " Whofe iins thou doit 
 " forgive, they are forgiven : and whofe fins thou 
 " doft retain they are retained." When thefe 
 words were fpoken by our Lord to his apoftles, 
 they had been endowed with extraordinary gifts of 
 the Holy Spirit, and we know that they were, after 
 the more copious effufion of the Spirit on the day 
 of Pentecoft, enabled, in fome cafes at leaft, to 
 difcern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 
 They were, confequently, not liable to be impofed 
 upon, either by the mifreprefentations of igno- 
 rance, or the frauds of hypocrify and diffimulation. 
 
 They might therefore be faid to have a power of 
 remitting fins judicially, that is, by the Holy 
 Spirit dwelling in them*. But no fuch power 
 can be inverted in their fucceflors of thefe latter 
 
 * They tub the difcemment off pirits, I Cor. xii. io.and coxntt. juJge 
 with certainty, i Cor. xiv. 29, when perfons were penitent, and 
 confequently forgiven, aal when not, Aas viii. 21, 23.— On the- 
 meaning of the words employed i . the ad of ordination, I fhould re- 
 commend a deliberate confultation of it:firuiiioiu given to. candidates 
 
 for orders by Abp. Secker. 
 
 . b b 4 ages,- 
 
37 6 Critical and Practical Elucidation of 
 
 ages, to whom the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit 
 are not communicated. 
 
 The power then of remitting, or retaining fins, 
 might be given to the apoftles, in the moft plenary 
 and literal fenfe in which the words of our Saviour 
 can be underftood ; becaufe* the extraordinary 
 gifts of the Spirit enabled them to difcharge, with 
 infallible rectitude, fo important a commiffion. 
 But to prevent the mifconception of a paflage of 
 fome difficulty, our church has expresfly limited, 
 and has defined the limitation of the power in- 
 verted in the prieft. For to the words of the ori- 
 ginal form, fhe has added, " And be thou a 
 " faithful difpenfer of the word of God, and of 
 " his Holy Sacraments, in the name of the Fa- 
 *' ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft." 
 
 That word, which the prieft is commiflioned to 
 difpenfe faithfully, contains the terms and condi- 
 tions on which " fins are remitted and retained." 
 And of the two facraments, which he is likewife 
 bound faithfully to difpenfe, the former was or- 
 dained for the exprefs purpofe of procuring the 
 " remiflion of fins," and the latter was inftituted 
 in remembrance of him, whofe body was given ,f and 
 " whofe blood was Ihed for the remiflion of fins." 
 
 What are we then to underftand by the words, 
 " whofe fins thou doft forgive, they are forgiven, 
 " and whofe fins thou doft retain, they are r'e- 
 " tained?" They mean that the minifter lhall, 
 to the utmoft of his power, inftrucl the people 
 out of the Holy Scriptures: that in particular he 
 
 fliall 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 377 
 
 {hall faithfully declare to them, the terms on 
 which the forgivenefs of fins is promifed, and the 
 retention of fins threatened, in the Gofpel of 
 Chrift : that he fhall explain the qualifications re- 
 quifite on our part, that we may receive in the 
 facrament of baptifm, " remiffion of fins;" and 
 in the facrament of the Lord's Supper, may be 
 worthy partakers of the body and blood, given 
 and fhed " for the remiffion of fins :" And that 
 befides the difcharge of his duty in difpenfing the 
 abfolution of word and of prayer, he fhall pracTi- 
 cally, and with due folemnity adminifter the fac- 
 raments which are the means appointed by Chrift 
 for obtaining the " remiffion of fins." By this 
 due difcharge of his official duty, the minifter of 
 the Gofpel may in a modified fenfe of the words, 
 and certainly with no greater latitude of expreffion 
 than is found in other parts of Scripture *, be 
 faid to have the power of remitting and retaining 
 fins. 
 
 But whatever the difciples of the old nonjurors 
 may think, or affirm, the church of England nei- 
 
 * A fimilar form of language is ufcd in the Old Teftament in 
 conferring the prophetic function. " See (faith the Lord to Jeremiah) 
 !' I have this day fet thee over the nations, and over the kingdoms, 
 " to root out, and to pull down, and to deftroy, and to throw 
 " down, to buiid, and to plant." (ch. i. ver. 10.) Agreeably to the 
 terms of the commiffion the prophet is, in other parts of the book, 
 addreffed by the Almighty as exercifing a fovereign power of in- 
 flicting judgments upon kingdoms and nations. Gh. xv. 1. and 
 xxv. 15, &c. Compare alfo, third head, Declaratory Alfolutitn, 
 
 V- 3+ 1 t0 P- 35°- , 
 
 ther 
 
378 ' Critical and PraRical Elucidation <sf 
 
 ther maintains nor countenances the opinion, that 
 a pneft, by virtue of his ordination, hasanabfo- 
 lute unconditional power to forgive fins. The 
 power that the clergy have received and exercife, 
 is purely minifterial, being defined and limited by 
 the written word of God, which expresfly declares 
 upon what conditions fins fhall be remitted, and 
 upon what, retained. To fuppofe, that any mi- 
 nifter of the Gofpel fince the Apoftles, poflefles the 
 power of remitting or retaining fins at his difcre- 
 tion, is repugnant to the whole tenor of Scripture, 
 as well as to every dictate of reafon and common 
 fenfe. What would be the confequence, if a 
 prieft might, as Bellarmine and others contend, 
 *' immediately, actively, and inftrumentally, effect 
 " by his abfolution the grace of juftifkation?" 
 Having nothing to depend upon but human 
 judgment, which is liable to a thoufand errors 
 and mifconceptions, he might adminifter abfolu^ 
 tion to a (inner, whom God would condemn, and 
 refufe abfolution to him, whom God would 
 forgive. He might " flay the fouls that fhould 
 " not die, and keep alive the fouls that fhould 
 " not live. *" This were to pollute " the Lord 
 " among his people, by lying to the people, who 
 " believe the lies of thofe that prophefy out of 
 " their own heart f," The claim to fuch a powei. 
 is in the higheft degree prefumptuous and abfurd. 
 It fuppofes the fentence of Omnifcience to be 
 
 * Ezek. xii. t Id. ibid, 
 
 bound 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 379 
 
 bound by the decifion of a fallible creature, the 
 juftice of God to be adminiftered by the wifdom 
 of man. .< 
 
 With great reafon therefore we condemn the 
 decrees of Popes and Councils, which either affect 
 to retain the fins of thofe whom they are pleafed 
 to pronounce heretics or pretend indifcrimi- 
 nately to grant plenary abfolution' to the exter- 
 minators of proteftants. And we reject with ab- 
 horrence, the pofition, that a mortal man has a 
 judicial power of pardoning and abfolving, know- 
 ing that " to forgive iniquity, tranfgreffion, and 
 " fin, and by no means to clear the guilty, is the 
 " Glory of the LORD* ; " and allured, that his 
 " Glory he will not give to another f." 
 
 I -cannot better conclude this-account of Abfo- 
 lution than with the words of Jerom, whofe rea- 
 foning on the fubject is followed by the mafter of 
 thefentenceSy by Scotus, and by many of the more 
 celebrated fcholaftic divines. What will weigh 
 more with the members of our communion, its 
 fpirit is adopted in the Book of Homilies %. 
 
 " Bifhops and priefts," fays Jerom §, "hot un, 
 
 derftanding 
 
 *■ Exod. xxxiii. and xxxiv. + Ifa. xlii. 8. 
 
 J Homily on Repentance, p. 2. 
 
 § Iftum locum Epifcopi & Prelbyteri non intelligentes, aliquid 
 fibi de Pharifsorum aflumunt fupercilio, ut vel damnent innocentes, 
 vel folvere fe noxios arbitrestur : cum apud Deum non fententia fa- 
 cerdotum, fed reorum vita quseratur. Legimus in Levitico de le- 
 
 ' profit 
 
< 
 
 380 Critical and Practical Elucidation of * 
 
 " derftanding that pafTage, (Matt. xvi. 19. where 
 " our Saviour fays to Peter, whatever thou Jhalt 
 " hind, &c.) arrogate to themfelves a kind of 
 " pharifaical fupercilioufnefs, fo that they con- 
 *' demn the innocent and fancy they abfolve ,the 
 *' guilty. Whereas, before the tribunal of God, 
 " the inquiry is, not what may be the fentence of 
 " priefts, but what has been the life of thofe that 
 " are to be judged. Concerning lepers we read 
 " in Leviticus, where they are commanded to 
 f fhew themfelves to the prieft, and if they have 
 *' a leprofy, then let them be made by the prieft un- 
 " clean. Not that the priefts may make them 
 " leprous and unclean, but becaufe they have 
 " knowledge to perceive, who is leprous, and 
 
 profis, ubi jubentur at oftendant fe facerdotibus, Sc fi lepram habu- 
 erint, tunc a facerdote immundi fiant : non quo faccrdotes leprofos 
 faciant 8c immundos, fed quo habeant notitiam leprofi Sc non leprofi, 
 Sc poffint difcernere qui mundus, quive immundus fit. Quomodo 
 ergo ibi leprofum Sacerdos mundum vel iramund u m facit, fie Sc hie 
 alligat vel folvit Epifcopus & Prefbyter, non eos qui infontes funt 
 vel noxii: fed pro officio fuo, cum peccatorum audierit varietates, 
 fcit qui ligandus fit, quive folvendus. Hieron. in Matt. xvi. 19. 
 
 Ed. Bencdift. Tom. iv. The prieft is faid to make clean, or to 
 
 male unclean, when he pronnmces the perfon to be clean or unclean. 
 Thus in our Englifh tranflation, the prieft fhall fnnounce him utterly 
 unclean ; literally, polluting the prieft fhall pollute him, in the 
 words of Jerom centaminatione contaminabit, with pollution fhall he 
 pollute him. Not, fays Jerom, that the prieft is the author of the 
 uncleannefs, but he fhews and pronounces him to be unclean, who 
 
 before, to moft appeared to be clean. Non quo contaminationis 
 
 anftor fit, fed quo oftendat eum contamina.tum, qui prius mundus 
 plurimis videbatur. 
 
 who 
 
The Morning and Evening Public Prayer. 381 
 
 who is not leprous, and can difcern who is 
 clean, and who is unclean. As then there (that 
 *' is, by the leVitical law,) the prieft makes the 
 ' leprous clean, or unclean: fo here (that is, 
 fc underthe Gofpeldifpenfation,) thebilhop, and 
 " prieft does not bind, or loofe the innocent, or 
 " guilty : but according to his office, when he 
 *' has examined their differerit offences, he knows 
 " who is to be bound, and who is to be loofed." 
 
 Peter Lombard cites, though imperfectly, this 
 paffage of Jerom, and adds, " it is here plainly 
 " ihewn that God does not always follow the 
 " judgment of the church, which fometimes 
 " judges through furreption and ignorance ; 
 " whereas God always judges according to truth. 
 " Both in remitting and retaining fins, thepriefts 
 " of the Gofpel have the fame power and office, 
 " that formerly under the law the legal priefts, 
 " had in healing lepers. They therefore remit 
 <( or retain fins, whilft they declare and (hew 
 " that they are remitted, or retained by God*." 
 
 * Hie aperte oftenditur, quod non femper Deus fequitur Eccle- 
 fis judicium, quse per furreptionem & ignorantiam inrerdum judi- 
 cat: Deus autem femper judicat fecundum veritatem. Et in remit- 
 tendis vel retinendis culpisid juris & officii habent evangelici facer- 
 dotes, quod olim habebant legales fub lege in curandis leprofis. Hi 
 ergo peccata dimittunt vel retinent, dum dimifla a Deo, vel retenta, 
 indicant, (judkant is fometimes read) & oftendunt. Sentent. I. iv. 
 Dift. 18. 
 
 FINIS,