Chapter 19

MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER.

It must not be supposed that these Services were composed suddenly in their present shape. They are indeed formed on the pattern given by the Lord's Prayer; and they make use of the methods which we have described--Intention, Setting, Key-note, Worship-forms--which have always been the methods used by the Church as far back as we have any evidence. But from time to time alterations have been made in the details. The Lord's Prayer has, for example, been used as a key-note for Praise without its Doxology; or Confession has been placed amongst the Prayers; or Psalms have been more used, and Lessons less used. In spite of such variations, the general principles may be traced in all Church Services; and much interesting study may be spent on the comparison of our Services with those which preceded them.

We have already said something (Chap. II.) about this, and when we study these two Services in detail, it is very important to remember that they grew out of the older Services. The daily Psalms and Lessons {25} might be rearranged, the number of versicles increased or diminished, the rule about varying the saying of a Creed, or an Alleluia, might be altered: but it is the same pattern with the same methods of worship now, as it was when the Services were all said in Latin and when each Diocese in this country had some differences from all the other Dioceses.

We will now proceed to consider these two Services in their details.

THE ORDER FOR MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER, DAILY TO BE SAID AND USED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

_The Morning and Evening Prayer shall be used in the accustomed Place of the Church, Chapel, or Chancel: except it shall be otherwise determined by the Ordinary of the Place. And the Chancels shall remain as they have done in times past._

_And here is to be noted, that such ornaments of the Church, and of the Ministers thereof, at all times of their Ministration, shall be retained, and be in use, as were in this Church of England, by the authority of Parliament, in the second year of the reign of King Edward the Sixth._

The importance of the above heading has been lost sight of, through the manner of its printing. In most Prayer Books it will be found on a page by itself or at the foot of a Table of the Golden Numbers. It is really the heading of a chapter which contains both {26} Morning and Evening Service. Until the last Revision of the Book in 1662, the chapter containing Morning and Evening Prayer was closed after the Athanasian Creed with a Rubric _Thus endeth the Order of Morning and Evening Prayer throughout the whole Year_. Although that Rubric has been omitted, this heading includes both Services in one Chapter.

EVENING PRAYER] This part of the chapter, prior to 1662, was not printed out in full; only the variations from Morning Prayer were set forth.

DAILY TO BE SAID AND USED] See Preface--_And all Priests and Deacons are to say daily the Morning and Evening Prayer, either privately or openly . . . the Curate . . . shall say the same in the Parish Church or Chapel where he ministereth_.

ornaments of the Church] The Canons of 1604 order a number of things to be provided at the charges of the parish, which may be included under this head, such as Communion Table, Pulpit, Reading-desk, Font, Alms-chest, Alms-basin, Vessels for Holy Communion, Bible, Common Prayer Book, Book of Homilies, Parchment Register Book and Coffer. It would not be easy to make a complete list of things authorised by this Rubric and elsewhere.

and of the Ministers thereof] The discussion of the meaning of the Ornaments of the Ministers belongs chiefly to the Communion Service. There has been no question that for Morning and Evening Service a Surplice and Hood are ordered to be worn.

the second year of the reign of King Edward the Sixth] The reference is to the {27} statute of the year 1548-9, whereby the first (English) Revision was enabled to be enforced by law. Edward VI.'s reign began on Jan. 29, 1547. This statute passed the House of Lords on Jan. 15th, 1548-9, and is referred to in the statute of 1552 as belonging to the second year of King Edward VI., although the session lasted into his third year.

THE ORDER FOR MORNING PRAYER, DAILY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

This fresh heading is necessary because the former included the Order for Evening Service. Morning and Evening Prayer (called also Mattins and Evensong: see Table of Proper Lessons) are two divisions of the same chapter.

These two Services are very much alike. The map on the next page shows their construction.

An examination of this map will show that the plan of the Lord's Prayer is closely followed. There are two parts and an introduction. Of the two parts Praise comes first, as in the Lord's Prayer.

Each of the two parts begins with the Lord's Prayer, which is arranged with a setting so as to mark the character of what follows.

Every piece of the Praise portion is set with a Praise-Termination, or Doxology: and this portion includes both kinds of Praise, viz. Outspoken Praise, and Reverent Hearing of God's Word. In like manner the Prayer portion includes the two kinds of Prayer, viz. Petition for the wants of men, and Thanksgiving for what they have received.

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Thus these two Services are formed in obedience to the rule that we are to take the Lord's Prayer as our model (S. Matth. vi. 9).

INTRODUCTION.

TEXT and SERMON on Confession. The act of CONFESSION. GOD'S ANSWER to Confession.

PRAISE.

_Praise-terminations_ THE LORD'S PRAYER . . . . . . Thine is the kingdom.

( 1. Interjected Verses ) PSALMS ( 2. xcv. (at Mattins) ) Gloria Patri. ( 3. Special, i.--cl. (as ) ( appointed) )

LESSONS ( 1. Old Testament . . . Canticle 1 or 2, ( 2. New Testament . . . Canticle 3 or 4.

THE APOSTLES' CREED . . . . . . Amen.

PRAYER.

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

PRECES or Interjected Verses anticipating the Collects.

( 1. for spiritual needs, COLLECTS ( ANTHEM or Choral Prayer uniting the ( two kinds of Collect, ( 2. for physical needs and earthly relations.

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In 1552 the Introductory portion was prefixed. _Confession_, which formerly occurred in the Prayers, had been omitted in 1549. It now forms the Introduction.

The reason for this beginning is set forth in a short sermon which is usually known as the _Exhortation_, and has, like other sermons, a Text, commonly known as a _Sentence_ (see Rubric at the head of the Sentences). This is in accordance with very ancient custom[1], and with the very natural sense that man must receive permission before he approaches God.

God's answer to Confession is The _Absolution_ or _Remission_ of Sins.

As an illustration of this we may think of Esther, when she went to make her petition of the King (Esther iv. 2, v. 1-3). The King extending his sceptre gave her permission to speak.

The Sentences

are 11 verses, chosen, 5 from the Psalms, 4 from the Prophets, 2 from the Gospels, 1 from the Epistles. They represent either man's cry to God (Nos. 2, 3, 7, 9, 10) or God's call to man (Nos. 1, 4, 5, 8, 11) or both (No. 6).

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The Exhortation.

_The Scripture moveth us_] The Sentences supply 11 such places, but there are many more to be found in the Bible. The word "moveth" has the same meaning as when a resolution is moved at a meeting.

_When we assemble and meet together_ in Church] Four reasons are given, viz. the four great occupations of Worship, without regard to their order in the Service. We have already pointed out that _Thanksgiving_ and _Prayer_ spring from the sense of man's wants and his dependence on God; and that the _Reading of God's Word_ in these Services is not for study but for _Praise_. We shall therefore find the Thanksgiving after the Prayers, and the Lessons (or Lections) of Holy Scripture amongst the Praises.

The Confession.

The capital letters indicate that this was to be, as it were, dictated to the people, sentence by sentence: and the Rubric implies the same. It will be remembered that books were scarce when this Rubric was prepared. Literal obedience to it is often very impressive, and a real addition to the solemnity of the act. On ordinary occasions in some Churches, the Minister leads the Confession without the formal separation of each clause from the next.

The expressions, used here to acknowledge the wickedness of sin and the defects of human life, will seem to be excessive whenever we are making light of {31} our faults. But in proportion as we realise the perfection of God's holiness, we shall find them suitable to every shade of defect and sin.

The comprehensive humility of this Confession is designed to include both modified faults and grave offences--whether by commission, omission or indolence. The full acknowledgment of the different forms of sin is followed by prayer for mercy and recovery, relying upon the promises declared in Jesus Christ.

The Absolution.

As God's answer to Confession, this is pronounced by God's own messenger. The messenger must have full credentials; i.e. a Deacon must not say the Absolution.

Both here and in the Confession, the _Titles and Attributes_ of God should be noticed. His power and mercy were made the grounds of our appeal to Him. His mercy and authority are now made the grounds of His answer. The fulness of the declaration of them gives emphasis to the declaration of pardon which follows.

We find four parts in the Confession and the same parts in the Absolution, viz.

1. The Title and Attributes of God.

2. The substantial part, i.e. Confession or Absolution.

3. The prayer which is founded thereon.

4. The appeal through our Lord.

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Rubrics.

Before the invention of printing (15th century), the directions in Law Manuscripts had been written in red, in order to distinguish them from the Statutes. This distinction had been made also in Service Books and it has been continued to our own time. But every sheet which contains both black and red letters requires to be twice passed over a printing press. Hence, for cheap books, italics are used instead of red letters to distinguish the directions from the prayers, &c. The directions are called Rubrics (from Lat. _ruber_=red) whether the distinction is made by the colour or the type.

The rubrics about the Confession and the Absolution were in 1662 made more clear. The habit had grown up in some churches for the Priest to say the Absolution kneeling. The word _all_ was therefore inserted in the rubric about Confession, and the words _standing, the people still kneeling_ were added to the rubric about Absolution. Thus _all kneeling_ includes the minister.

This Introductory Part of the Service was composed for the Revision of 1552, and was then printed only in the Morning Service, with a rubric ordering it to be used _at the beginning of Morning Prayer, and likewise of Evening Prayer_. In 1662 it was first printed out in full in the Evening Service, and the rubric was altered to agree therewith.

_Simplification of rubrics_. One aim of the Revisers was simplicity of rules. As they sought Variety of worship without excess, so they desired Order of {33} worship without complexity of regulations. Anyone, looking casually over the Prayer Books of the Sarum and other Uses before 1549, will be struck at once by the redness of many of the pages. This redness indicates rubrics, and helps us to realise what is meant in the Prayer Book Preface (Concerning the Service of the Church, Section 2) by _the number and hardness of the rules called the Pie, and the manifold changings of the Service_[2].

In order to provide for the many occasions when a difference was to be made, rubrics had been multiplied and inserted at the places to which they applied. The Revisers (1) collected as many as possible at the beginning of each Service, or at the end; and (2) reduced the number of rubrics thus collected together, by reducing the number of variations which were to be provided for.

Duplication of Phrases.

It has often been noticed that pairs of words having nearly the same meaning frequently occur in the Prayer Book. This doubling of an idea may be called 'Duplication'.

Duplication is of two kinds: either the words coupled together are so nearly identical in meaning that one is but a repetition of the other; or else the {34} second word shows an advance upon the first. The former kind may be called 'parallel duplication' and is used for emphasis: the latter kind may be called 'progressive duplication', because it is used to represent the living idea which advances even while it is being uttered. Instances of both abound in this part of the Service, as well as in the Collects and other prayers which we shall notice later on.

Examples of Duplication.

1. _Exhortation_.

Parallel. _goodness_ and _mercy_. _assemble_ and _meet together_.

Progressive.

( _acknowledge_ . . . . . suggesting reluctance. ( _confess_ . . . . . . . " willingness.

( _sins_ . . . . . . . . . the outward act. ( _wickedness_ . . . . . . the inward fault.

( _dissemble_ . . . . . . pretend they are not there. ( _cloke_ . . . . . . . . cover them up.

( _requisite_ . . . . . . what we should like. ( _necessary_ . . . . . . what we must have.

( _pray_ . . . . . . . . . ask earnestly. ( _beseech_ . . . . . . . " more earnestly.

( humble, lowly ( attitude with regard ) Distrust ( ( to the past ) of Self. ( ( penitent ( attitude with regard ) Shame for ( ( to the present ) sin. ( ( obedient ( attitude with regard ) Resolution ( ( to the future ) to leave ( ) the sin.

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2. _Confession_.

Parallel. _erred_ and _strayed_.

Progressive.

( _device_ . . . . . . . . . . an act of the mind. ( _desire_ . . . . . . . . . . an act of the heart.

( _left undone_ . . . . . . . Omission. ( _done_ (wrongly) . . . . . . Commission.

Cf. _sins, negligences and ignorances_ Litany.

( _spare_ . . . . . . . . . . with regard to the past. ( _restore_ . . . . . . . . . " " " the future.

( _godly_ . . . . . . . . . . duty to God. ( _righteous_ . . . . . . . . " " man. ( _sober_ . . . . . . . . . . " " self.

3. _Absolution_.

Parallel. _declare_ and _pronounce_. _truly_ (with truth), _unfeignedly_ (without pretence).

Progressive.

( _death_ . . . . . . . . . . Life is something more than ( _turn and live_ . . . . . . the absence of death.

( _power_ . . The Priest . . may pronounce. ( _commandment_ . . must "

( _Absolution_ . . . . . . . . unloosing. ( _Remission_ . . . . . . . . putting away.

( _pardoneth_ . . . . . . . . (Fr. _pardonner_) God forgiveth. ( _absolveth_ . . . . . . . . (Lat. _absolvo_) God looseth the sinner.

( _repent_ . . . . . . . . . . looking at Self. ( _believe_ . . . . . . . . . " " God.

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( _pure_ . . . . . . . . . . . absence of evil. ( _holy_ . . . . . . . . . . . presence of good.

( _repentance_ . . . . . that our present lives may ( please God. ( _God's Holy Spirit_ " our remaining lives ( may please Him.

It will be clear that if we keep from sin repentance is more intimately connected with our present lives than with the future. Yet both repentance and the gift of the Holy Spirit are required for life now and hereafter.

[1] S. Basil, _ad Clerum Neoc. Ep._ 63, Tom. 2, 843 D, quoted by Wheatley, says that "the primitive Christians in all Churches, immediately upon their entering into the House of Prayer, made a confession of their sins to God with much sorrow and concern and tears, every man pronouncing his own confession with his own mouth."

So Ezra (ix. 5, 6, &c.) and Daniel (ix. 1-19) approached God with Confession.

[2] The Pie. Three explanations are offered of this word. (1) _pi_=the first letter of the word _pinax_ _a chart_, i.e. the Table of Lessons, &c. (2) Pie,--as in magpie, piebald,--from the two colours of the page. (3) Litera picata--the pitch-coloured letter--which began each several order in the rules.

The title of the Sarum Breviary makes Pie equivalent to Breviary or Portiforium. The most attractive derivation is that which associates it with the Greek word for a chart or map.

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