Chapter 5

Circumcision, The.--A Feast of the Church observed on January 1st, in commemoration of our Lord's obedience to the Law of Circumcision and His receiving the Name JESUS (which see, also HOLY NAME). Originally this date was observed as the Octave of Christmas. Its first mention as the Feast of the Circumcision was about A.D. 1090. In the Annotated Prayer Book there is the following note: "January 1st was never in any way connected with the opening of the Christian Year; and the religious observance of this day (New Year's Day) has never received any sanction from the Church, except as the Octave of Christmas and the Feast of the Circumcision. The spiritual point of the season all gathers about Christmas. As the modern New Year's Day is merely conventionally so (New Year's Day being on March 25th until about 150 years ago), there is no reason why it should be allowed at all to dim the lustre of a day so important to all persons and all ages as Christmas Day." The Feast of the Circumcision is designed to be observed with great solemnity. There are Proper Psalms, being the 40th and 90th for Morning Prayer, and the 65th and 103d for Evening Prayer, also Proper Lessons and Collect, Epistle and Gospel, these last to be used every day until the Epiphany. The Church color is, white, and the Feast is placed among the DAYS OF OBLIGATION (which see).

Clergy.--A collective name for the Bishops, Priests and Deacons of the Church. The Priesthood and the {64} People are generally distinguished from each other by the titles _Clergy_ and _Laity_. The term Clergy is derived from the Greek word _Cleros_, meaning a lot or portion, either because the Clergy--_clerikoi_--are the Lord's portion, as being allotted to His service; or because God is their portion and inheritance. The Laity are so called from the Greek word _Laos_, meaning people, as being the chosen and peculiar people of God.

Clerical.--Pertaining to the work and office of the Clergy.

Cloister.--A covered walk about a Cathedral or Church or Collegiate building, oftentimes forming a portion of the quadrangle.

Coadjutor.--(See BISHOP COADJUTOR).

Collect.--The name given to the prayers set forth in the Prayer Book and especially to the short prayers used in connection with Epistles and Gospels. The origin of the name is uncertain and various meanings have been given to it. Some have connected it with the _collected_ assembly of the people; others have interpreted the name as indicating that the prayer so-called, _collects_ together the topics of previous prayers or else those of the Epistle and Gospel for the day. Another interpretation is that which distinguishes the Collect as the prayer offered by the Priest _alone_ on behalf of the people, while in the Litanies and Versicles the Priest and people pray alternately. As of Common Prayer in general, so it may be concluded especially of the Collect in particular, "that it is the supplications of many gathered into one by the voice of the Priest and offered up by him to the Father through our Lord and Mediator Jesus Christ." {65}

Comfortable Words.--The name given to the short passages of Scripture read after the Absolution in the Communion service. It has been pointed out that these are peculiar to our Liturgy and that "perhaps the object of their introduction was the obvious one suggested in the title of _Comfortable Words_, of confirming the words of Absolution with those of Christ and His Apostles; and of holding forth our Lord and Saviour before the communicants, in the words of Holy Scripture to prepare them for 'discerning' His Body in the Sacrament."

Commendatory Prayer.--A beautiful and impressive prayer added to the Prayer Book in 1661, and which is to be said over a dying person. This prayer ought to be memorized by every Churchman so as to use it in any emergency for, as Bishop Coxe suggests in "Thoughts on the Services," "whether a Clergyman be present or not, no Christian should be willing to die, or be permitted to die, without the _Commendatory Prayer_ said by some one present at or near the moment of departure. Church people are not heathen, that they should neglect this bounden duty to one who is passing away. 'Father into Thy hands I commend My spirit,' said the Saviour with His dying breath. So should the sick person in his own behalf; or those who love him in his behalf, if because of the pain or unconsciousness of death, he cannot frame the petition for himself."

Commandments, The Ten.--(See DECALOGUE.)

Common Prayer.--Bishop Whitehead has given the following explanation of this term: "Common Prayer is so called in distinction from private or {66} special prayer. It comprehends those needs and expresses those religious feelings which are common to all God's children who come together to worship. So we make our common supplications, confess our common sins, and offer our common sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, of alms and devotion." (See WORSHIP, also PRAYER BOOK.)

Communion, Holy.--(See HOLY COMMUNION.)

Communion of Saints.--An article of the Creed by which is meant the fellowship with, or union in Christ of all who are one with Him whether they are among the living in the Church on earth or the departed in Paradise. The Communion of Saints is specially realized in the Holy Eucharist. This spiritual food is our Lord's own divine substance and life, by participation in which the faithful Christian enters into a communion with his Lord which death cannot end or even interrupt. All who enter, whether in the present or in the past, into this communion with their risen Lord are thereby bound together in holy fellowship one with another also. It is this holy fellowship of those whom the Spirit has sanctified, one with another and with their Lord, that we call the Communion of Saints. (See ALL SAINTS' DAY.)

Compline.--One of the seven CANONICAL HOURS (which see).

Confirmation.--An ordinance of the Church, sacramental in character and grace conferring. It is administered to those who have been baptized and is effected by prayer and the Laying on of Hands by the Bishop. Hence the Scriptural name for it is "The Laying on of Hands." Its chief grace is the seven-fold {67} gift of the Holy Ghost by means of which we are sealed, made firm or strong, and equipped "manfully to fight under Christ's banner against sin, the world and the devil." Confirmation is a further advance in the Christian Life and entitles the recipient to be admitted to the Holy Communion.

The Scriptural authority for Confirmation is very manifest. Thus in Acts 8:5-17, we have the first recorded Confirmation, and in the 19th chapter we find another account of the same administration. In Hebrews 6:1, 2, we find Confirmation or the Laying on of Hands mentioned as a first or foundation principle of the Doctrine of Christ, as necessary to the health of the soul as Repentance, Faith, Baptism, Resurrection and eternal judgment. In Ephesians 1:13 and 14, it is spoken of as a "sealing," and made a plea for righteousness of life: and in the fourth chapter, verse 30, it is spoken of in the same way, as well as other passages which might be cited. Confirmation having such Scriptural authority, it is to be noted that it has always and in all places been practiced by the Historic Church and that even at this present time nine-tenths of all Christian people still hold to Confirmation as essential and necessary to the religious life. While the above Scriptural authority and universal practice are sufficient evidence that the use of Confirmation is according to the mind of Christ, yet it will be interesting to know the estimate of this holy ordinance by those who have departed from the practice of the Universal Church, which is given as follows:

Methodist Testimony.--"I was determined {68} not to be without it, and therefore went and received Confirmation, even since I became a Methodist preacher."--_Dr. Adam Clarke_.

Baptist Testimony.--"We believe that Laying on of Hands, with prayer, upon baptized believers as such, is an ordinance of Christ, and ought to be submitted unto by all persons to partake of the Lord's Supper."--_Baptist Association, September 17, 1742_.

Congregational Testimony.--"The confession of the Name of Christ is, after all, very lame, and will be so till the discipline which Christ ordained be restored, and the Rite of Confirmation be recovered in its full use and solemnity."--_Dr. Coleman, Boston_.

Presbyterian Testimony.--"The Rite of Confirmation thus administered to baptized children, when arrived at competent years, shows clearly that the Primitive Church in her purest days, exercised the authority of a Mother over her baptized children."--_Committee of the General Assembly_.

Consecrate.--To make sacred; to set apart for sacred use, as the elements in the Holy Communion, Church buildings, etc. A Bishop is said to be consecrated to his office by the act of Laying on of Hands by other Bishops.

Consecration, Prayer of.--That portion of the Communion office beginning with the words, "All glory be to Thee, Almighty God," etc., and by which the Bread and the Wine become the Body and the Blood of Christ. This is the most solemn act of the whole service and comprises (1) the words of Institution, (2) the Oblation and (3) the Invocation, followed by the Intercessions. {69}

Consecration of Church Buildings.--The service provided in the Prayer Book whereby a church building erected and paid for is separated, by the administration of the Bishop from all unhallowed, ordinary and common uses and dedicated to God's service, for reading His Holy Word, for celebrating His Holy Sacraments, for offering to His glorious Majesty the sacrifices of prayer and thanksgiving, for blessing His people in His Name, and for all other holy offices. The building thus set apart becomes God's House and not man's, and as such calls for acts of reverence on man's part as he enters it to meet God where He has thus caused His Name to dwell there.

Convention.--A name quite generally used in the United States for a Council of the Church. (See GENERAL CONVENTION, DIOCESAN CONVENTION, also COUNCIL.)

Convocation.--The term "Convocation" as used in the American Church has reference to certain territorial divisions in a Diocese, or the grouping together of the Clergy and Laity of certain districts of a Diocese, for the more efficient and systematic work of missions. Usually each Diocese is divided into two or more Convocational Districts, each one presided over by a Priest, either elected by the Clergy of the Convocation or appointed by the Bishop, and usually called the "Dean of Convocation." This arrangement has been found to be very helpful in creating a greater interest in the work of Diocesan Missions and in promoting Church extension within the Convocational limits.

The term is also applied to the annual meetings of {70} the Bishop, Clergy and Laity of a Missionary Jurisdiction, which being a mission, is not entitled to hold a Diocesan Council or Convention.

Cope.--A long cloak of silk or other rich material, semicircular in shape, fastened in front at the neck by a clasp or morse and having on the back a flat hood embroidered. It is worn over the alb or surplice and varies in color according to the Church season. Usually worn in processions by Priest or Bishop and is symbolical of rule.

Corporal.--One of the pieces of Altar linen. A napkin of fine linen to be spread on the Altar, and upon which the sacred vessels are placed at the Holy Communion. When the Altar breads are on the Altar, the lower right hand corner of the corporal is turned back over them, except during the oblation and consecration.

Cotta.--A shorter form of the surplice, not so full and having short sleeves. The short surplice worn by choir-boys and choirmen is usually called a cotta.

Council.--An assemblage of the Church met together for the purpose of considering matters of faith and discipline and legislating upon them. The Council may be ecumenical, _i.e._, general, or else of local interest and as such may be National, provincial or Diocesan. The General Councils are those held by the UNDIVIDED CHURCH (which see) and which have been universally received. They are generally regarded as being six in number, as follows:

I. Council of Nicea, held A.D. 325, met to consider the heresy of Arius and which gave us the Nicene Creed. {71}

II. Council of Constantinople, held A.D. 381, to consider the heresy of Macedonius and which reaffirmed the Nicene Creed and completed it as it now stands except the "Filioque."

III. Council of Ephesus, held A.D. 431, to consider the Nestorian Heresy.

IV. Council of Chalcedon, held A.D. 451, to consider the Heresy of the Eutychians.

V. Second Council of Constantinople, held A.D. 553, to confirm the decisions of the first four General Councils.

VI. Third Council of Constantinople, held A.D. 680, against a development of Eutychianism. (See ECUMENICAL.)

Credence.--A table or shelf made of wood or stone placed at the side of the Sanctuary to hold the elements and vessels preparatory to consecration in the Holy Communion. The derivation is not certainly known. Some suppose it is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "to make ready"; while others think it is derived from the Italian word for "buffet"--_credenzare_, meaning to taste food or drink before handed to another,--an old court custom. The presence of the Credence in the Sanctuary is made necessary by the rubric which directs that the bread and wine shall not be placed on the Altar until the time of the Offertory.

Creed.--A name derived from the Latin word, _credo_, meaning _I believe_, and signifying the Belief. The Creed begins with the words "I believe," because each and every statement in it contains a truth superior to reason, revealed by Almighty God and proposed {72} to our faith faculty. In the American Church two forms of the Creed are used, namely the APOSTLES' and the NICENE, to each of which the reader is referred. (See also ORTHODOX.) Two customs in saying the Creed have come down to us from the most ancient times, (1) that of turning to the East or towards the Altar in saying it, and (2) that of bowing the head at the holy Name of Jesus.

Cross, The.--Among the ancients death by crucifixion was a very common mode of execution. Among the Romans, death on the cross was regarded as the most degraded death possible, and was used in the punishment of slaves and the lowest class of criminals. It was thus our Blessed Lord was humiliated; nay, it was thus that "He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross." (Phil. 2:8.) This humiliating death of our Lord by crucifixion, led His followers to regard the Cross with feelings of the greatest reverence. Henceforth, the Cross, the instrument of a shameful death, became the symbol of glory. It became the emblem of the Christian Religion. It was placed on all church buildings and over the Altar as the everlasting sign of the eternal hope of the Christian's belief. It became also a manual act. The custom of crossing oneself, as an act of devotion may be traced back to the very beginnings of Christianity. The Prayer Book makes provision for the newly baptized to be signed "with the sign of the Cross in token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the Faith of Christ crucified," and it is thought that if it be neither wrong {73} nor superstitious on this occasion, it cannot be at other times. (See EMBLEMS.)

Crucifer.--From a Latin word meaning cross-bearer, a name used to designate one who carries the cross in choir processionals.

Cruets.--For the greater convenience of the Priest in celebrating the Holy Communion, vessels of glass or precious metal, called cruets, are placed on the credence to hold the wine and water, and from which at the proper time in the service, the chalice is supplied.

Crypt.--A vault beneath a church, more especially under the Chancel and sometimes used for burial. The word is sometimes given to the basement of a church where services are held.

Curate.--Derived from the Latin _curatus_, meaning one who is charged with the _cura_, _i.e._, the cure or care of souls. Originally _curate_ meant any one under the rank of Bishop, having the cure of souls, but now the name is usually given to the Assistant Minister in a Parish. (See ASSISTANT MINISTER.)

D

Daily Prayer, The.--By the appointment of Daily Morning and Evening Prayer set forth in the Prayer Book the Church designs that services should be held every day in the church throughout the year. This is usually regarded as being impracticable and therefore the Daily Prayer does not prevail in our churches. It has been pointed out, however, that "Churches {74} without such an offering of Morning and Evening Prayer are clearly alien to the system and principles of the Book of Common Prayer, and to make the offering in the total absence of worshippers seems scarcely less so. But as every church receives blessings from God in proportion as it renders to Him the honor due unto His Name, so it is much to be wished that increased knowledge of devotional principles may lead on to such increase of devotional practice as may make the omission of the Daily Offices rare in the Churches of our land."

Dalmatic.--A robe of silk or other rich material with wide but short sleeves, and richly embroidered, worn by the Deacon or Gospeller at the Holy Eucharist. Not usually worn, although its use is being restored.

Daughters of the King.--An organization of the young women of the Church, organized in 1885. A careful distinction should be made between the Daughters of the King and "The King's Daughters." This organization came into existence some time before The King's Daughters was organized, and it is to be noted that the Daughters of the King is more of an _order_ than a Society and is distinctively a Church organization. The purpose of the Order is "for the Spread of Christ's Kingdom among young women," and "the active support of the plans of the Rector in whose parish the particular chapter may be located." Its badge is a cross of silver, a Greek cross fleury and its mottoes are, "Magnanimeter Crucem Sustine" and "For His Sake." Its colors are white and blue. The Order of the Daughters of the King is very similar to {75} the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, and is designed to do for young women what the Brotherhood does for young men.

Days of Obligation.--These are days on which Communicants are bound by the Faith they profess to be present at the celebration of the Holy Communion and to rest as much as possible from servile work. Such Days of Obligation are the following:

All Sundays in the year, not 12 but 52. Christmas Day 25th December. Feast of the Circumcision 1st January. Feast of the Epiphany 6th January. Annunciation Day 25th March. Easter Day Movable. Ascension Day Movable. Whitsun Day Movable. All Saints' day 1st November.

Deacon.--One who has been ordained to the lowest order of the Ministry. The account of the institution of the order of Deacons is found in the Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7. We here learn that the first Deacons were ordained to attend especially to the benevolent work of the Church in caring for the poor, but they were also preachers of the Word. The Office of Deacon is still retained in the Church as an order of the Ministry, for "it is evident unto all men reading Holy Scripture and ancient Authors, that from the Apostles' time there have been these Orders of Ministers in Christ's Church,--Bishops, Priests and Deacons." A Deacon may assist the Priest at the Altar and administer the cup. He may baptize, say all choir offices, and if he is learned and {76} is licensed thereto by the Bishop, he may preach, but he cannot administer the Holy Communion, or pronounce the Absolution and the Benediction. He wears his stole over the left shoulder and fastened under his right arm. If a Candidate for Priest's Orders and can pass the required examination, he may after a year's service as a Deacon be advanced to the Priesthood.

Deaconess.--In the Apostles' time there were holy women set apart for the work of the Church, for example Phoebe, the servant or deaconess, who was commended by St. Paul. This order of Deaconesses continued until about the seventh century, when the changed conditions of the Church interfered with its usefulness. In many places the order has of late years been revived and is demonstrating its original usefulness. The American Church has recognized the need of such an order of women in its work, and in the general canons provision is made for establishing the order and for its continuance and regulation. According to these, a woman to be admitted to the office of Deaconess must be at least twenty-five years of age, a communicant of the Church, and fit and capable to discharge the duties of the office. Before she can act as a Deaconess she must be set apart for that office by an appropriate religious service. When thus set apart she shall be under the direct oversight of the Bishop of the Diocese, to whom she may resign her office at any time, but having once resigned her office she is not privileged to be reappointed thereto unless the Bishop shall see "weighty cause for such reappointment." {77}

Training Schools for Deaconesses have been established in various parts of the country where candidates for this office receive special instruction and are trained for their work.

Dean.--An Ecclesiastical title; the presiding officer of a Cathedral. The word is derived from the Latin _decanus_, meaning one presiding over ten. In England the Dean is a Church dignitary and ranks next to the Bishop. The word is used in the American Church, but with a considerable modification of its original meaning. The Cathedral in the American Church not having become fully developed, the duties and rights of the Dean as the presiding officer of the Cathedral have not been fully determined, or at all events not made a reality. So that for the most part the title as used in this country is simply honorary.

Decalogue.--The name given to the Ten Commandments and derived from the Greek word, _dekalogos_, meaning the Ten Words or discourses. They are divided into two tables; the first four commandments set forth our duty towards God, and the last six our duty towards man. The reading of the Ten Commandments in the Communion Office is peculiar to our Liturgy and were added in the year 1552, together with the response after each commandment, "Lord, have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this law." While the commandments were originally introduced to our Liturgy as a warning and safeguard against the lawlessness of extreme Puritans, they are, nevertheless, helpful to all as a preparation for the right reception of the Holy Communion; leading the congregation to an examination of their "lives and {78} conversation by the rule of God's commandments." The translation of the Decalogue used in the Communion Office is not that of the present Authorized version, but that of the "Great Bible" of 1539-40, which was retained because the people had grown familiar with it. To the Commandments is added our Lord's Summary of the Law, which may be read at the discretion of the Minister.

Decani.--A term used to designate the south side of the choir, (the right side as we face the Altar) that being the side where the Dean sits.