Chapter 35

overseer of all the Clergy at Ephesus, we find in 1 Tim. iii. 8-10 that Deacons were already Church Ministers, with official duties (1 Tim. iii. 10)[6].

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shew it _accordingly_: i.e. shew it in accordance with their preaching. The "teaching" and "living" must agree together.

16. The Council of the King of England had, from of old, the duty of making, or approving, the choice of the King, and advising him on matters of state, and of law. Many of its duties have been deputed to Committees, to Judges, and to Parliament. The Cabinet of Chief Ministers of State may be regarded as a Committee of the King's Council.

In the reign of Charles II., when the Prayer Book was last revised, the Council was still the body whose advice guided the King, although it was growing too large for the secrecy which is often necessary in such weighty matters. It is still a very great honour to be made a Privy Councillor, but the Privy Council very seldom, or never, meets for business except by its Committees, which are not chosen by the Council.

When therefore we use this petition, we may think rather of the members of the Cabinet than of those whom the King has honoured with the title of Privy Councillor. A petition for the House of Commons might with advantage be introduced into the Litany.

17. _to execute justice_, in the case which is being tried, is the first duty of a magistrate; _to maintain truth_ is also his duty, for he must have regard to other cases which will come before the Court.

18. This concludes the petitions for our own nation. We now go on to things which affect all nations alike.

19. _Unity, peace, and concord_. The general meaning of these words is the same, but there may {168} be unity without peace, and peace without concord: therefore we pray for all the three; and concord is placed last as being the inward temper which gives reality to unity and peace.

20. Here the order is reversed--proceeding from love which is the highest kind of bond, to _dread_ which should keep us from disobedience, and coming finally to the outward result viz. _a diligent life of obedience to the commandments_.

21. Takes up the last thought of the previous suffrage.

The life of obedience is here traced from hearing to receiving, and so, _to the fruits of the Spirit_ (see Gal. V. 22-24).

22. _Erred_ is when the fault is in ourselves only; _deceived_ is when we give way to the evil guidance of others.

23. Those who _stand_ need strength: those who are _weak-hearted_ need comfort and help: those who _fall_, restoration.

24. See p. 161.

25. Emigration has become more common since this petition was prepared: those who settle in foreign lands should here be remembered. _Captives_ are war-prisoners.

26. We may mentally supply the thought of _motherless_ children. Widows may be supposed to include widowers. Both sexes are described as widows in some parts of England. All kinds of bereavement are of course included in _desolate and oppressed_.

27. Just as 19 concluded a section of petitions {169} for our own nation, so 27 concludes a section about the people of all nations. 28 adds a petition which the Lord particularly enjoined (S. Matth. v. 44).

28. _enemies, persecutors_, and _slanderers_--in ascending order of malignity. Similarly in the Commandments, where the worst sin of each sort is the one mentioned, we find false witness, or slander, named, in the Commandment which forbids all falsehood.

_and to turn their hearts_--a nobler prayer even than asking God to forgive them: for when we have asked Him for their forgiveness, we may still long to overcome their hostility, rather than to see it withdrawn. As Christ's disciples we here desire to forego our triumph, and to rejoice over their conversion from evil.

29. Kindly fruits of the earth. 'Kindly' means 'natural'; from an Old English word 'cynd' or 'gecynd,' meaning _nature, kind, manner, condition_. (Cf. Gen. i. 11, 12, 21, 24, 25.)[7]

30. Although forgiveness is granted through the death of our Lord, repentance is that condition of our souls wherein the forgiveness cleanses them. _Repentance_ is therefore asked for first, then _Forgiveness, Grace_, and _Amendment_.

_Sins, negligences, and ignorances_: cf. General Confession, 'left undone'=negligence; 'done'=sins; 'no health in us' supplying the other defects, which are here set down to ignorance. We are called to a holy life, and therefore faults due to ignorance need {170} amendment and pardon, as well as faults which come of conscious disobedience to God's commands.

At the close of these petitions, the cry becomes more urgent. Our Lord warned us against vain repetitions--repetitions without meaning. The repetitions here are not vain--they express deep feelings, and anxious entreaty.

Section ii. Our cry to the Father in Heaven.

The couplet

_O Lord, deal not with us_, &c. _Neither reward us_, &c.

belongs to the _Prayer of the Contrite Heart_, and is a summary of it. It is taken from Psalm ciii. 10. It offers no excuse but owns that we have sinned and are in wretched plight, as does the prayer which follows. This prayer was taken from the Sarum Missal, where it stands in a Mass for Tribulation of heart.

Ps. li. 17 supplies the thought of, that _despisest not--the contrite heart_, which is interwoven with, _sorrowful sighing_, from Psalm lxxix. 12.

We base our claim upon our forlorn condition, and appeal to God's mercy. Note the repetition _merciful--mercifully--graciously--goodness_. The temper of the prayer is of kin to Psalm lxix. which--especially in verses 13 to 21, and in its final thankfulness, as sure of God's help--may have inspired its words and thoughts.

_Psalm xliv_. _1st and last verses_. Doubtless an abbreviation of the whole psalm, which stood at the beginning of the 3rd Rogation Litany.

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If it be thought that the Gloria Patri occurs as a surprise in the midst of these entreaties, we may notice (1) that all entreaties are more real when they recognise truly the Majesty of God; and (2) that S. Augustine's processional Litany when he came to Canterbury (A.D. 596) concluded with Alleluia. "We beseech thee, O Lord, in all Thy mercy, that Thy wrath and Thine anger may be removed from this city and from Thy holy house, for we have sinned. Alleluia." (Taken from the 2nd Rogation Litany), (3) the _Gloria Patri_ is always said after a Psalm in the Services, and sometimes after parts of a Psalm.

Section iii. Appeal for help.

The eight versicles which follow next are addressed to Christ, and in most editions of the Prayer Book are separated by a small space from the Verse and Respond,

_Priest_. O Lord, let thy mercy, &c. _Answer_. As we do put, &c.

These eight versicles were, even in 1544, distinguished from those two, although they were then all marked to be said responsorially. In 1549 the direction for responsorial use was omitted for the eight verses, and retained for the couplet which anticipates the next collect. We may infer from this that it is intended that the eight verses should be said, or sung, antiphonally. In the Sarum Use (3rd Litany for S. Mark's Day), they were all to be said, first by the Minister, and repeated by the People.

The eight versicles form a section by themselves, and have a different setting from the sections which {172} precede and follow them. It was, no doubt, intended to make this 3rd Section a very solemn appeal to Christ, for help in all those difficulties and anxieties which have been recited in Section i.; and to make this appeal more earnest, _because_ of the evil plight which is acknowledged in Section ii.

The phrases are freely translated from the Latin of the Sarum Use, suggested by a thorough knowledge of the Psalms, but not, we believe, to be regarded as quotations therefrom. _O Son of David_ was substituted for _Fili Dei vivi_, in making the translation. There is not sufficient ground for supposing that it was done by accident. In the appeal for a merciful hearing, it is right to ground it first upon His Human Nature as Son of Man, and then upon His Divine Nature as Christ, and Lord.

Section iv. The pressing anxieties of the moment.

The _Collect of Complete Confidence_, with its Verse and Respond, is placed here to strike the keynote of the Section: and the Section is filled up from the Occasional Prayers, or from the Collects after the Communion Service.

This is obviously the place where other prayers may be introduced, when urgent needs require them.

The _Verse and Respond_: Psalm xxxiii. 22. The first half of the Collect was formerly a complete prayer, separated from the other half, in the Litany of 1544, by _O God whose nature_, &c., the prayer _for {173} Clergy and People_, and another prayer. The Verse contains the thought of the first half, the Respond has the thought of the second half.

Since the special prayers which are used in this Section are only occasional, and rarely more than one or two at a time, they were all placed (1662) in a chapter by themselves, after the end of the Litany.

Section v. _The final commendation of our prayers to Christ, who makes them acceptable_: See Morning and Evening Prayer.

[1] Lightfoot, _Apost. Fathers_, Pt. II. vol. 1. p. 446.

[2] This date is variously stated. Hotham in _Dict. Chr. Ant._ vol. 11. says 477; Scudamore in the same vol. 452; Hooker 'about 450'; Burbidge 450; Maclear (S.P.C.K.) and Prayer Book Interleaved 460; Proctor 'about 460'; Daniel, J. H. Blunt, and Barry 467. The dates _known_ of Mamertus are between 463 and 474. (Professor Collins tells me no others are known.)

[3] In some Churches this day was the Festival of Augustine, Bp of Hippo. The Calendar of Le Bec, however, sets it down to our Augustine, as our own Calendar does. I do not know whether this agreement between them was after, or before, that famous Abbey sent us Lanfranc and Anselm to be successors of Augustine at Canterbury.

[4] Fald-stool. Faudestola (whence French, fauteuil) is said by Martene to be adopted into Latin; and by Brachet is traced to a German origin, Falt-stuol. The idea of these derivations is, that the Prie-dieu, or kneeling-desk, was able to fold up and be made, perhaps, a chair. But the connection with Rogations suggests (A.S.) Feald-stól, or Feld-stól (German Feld-stuhl), i.e. a moveable seat (cf. camp-stool).

[5] See George Herbert's poem, "A wreath."

[6] The settlement of words of general meaning, into titles of office, is frequent enough to supply ample illustration of the process briefly indicated above. Pastor, General, Major, Mayor, and many other words, including Rector, Vicar, Curate, may be traced through changes which are often singularly similar to those of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon. It is a natural process--so natural as to be almost invariable.

[7] The Greek Translation of our Prayer Book has _oraious_, timely or seasonable: the German has "lieben," dear, beloved, or kindly in the other sense, which, though as old as Chaucer's time, is not the meaning here.

APPENDIX C.

ON THE LESSONS IN THE DAY HOURS, (p. 55.)

The Preface to the Prayer Book _Concerning the Service of the Church_ states that, prior to 1549, the old order, for reading the greatest part of the Bible through every year, had been "so altered, broken, and neglected, that commonly when any book of the Bible was begun, after three or four chapters were read out, all the rest were unread."

There was a First Lesson from the Old Testament, a Second Lesson from a Commentary, and a Third Lesson from the New Testament.

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On certain days, each Lesson consisted of three parts; and the second and third parts of the Third Lesson were from a Commentary.

The occurrence of Saints' Days was so frequent as to disturb many of these: for the special Lessons of a Saint's Day were read, instead of those of the regular course.

The theory of reading the whole books had been maintained; but it broke down in practice.

It is worthy of notice that these various Lessons, from the Bible, from Commentaries, and from the acts and martyrdoms of Saints, were all "set" with Verses, Responds etc. so as to be Acts of Worship, as well as a means of Instruction.

APPENDIX D.

ON PLINY'S LETTER TO THE EMPEROR TRAJAN. (p. 107.)

[Pliny the younger was Governor of Pontus and Bithynia during some of the early years of the 2nd century. Trajan was Emperor from A.D. 98 to 117. The letter, from which we give some extracts, has been dated (Bp Lightfoot) A.D. 112. It shows that the marvellous spreading of the Faith took place in the face of laws which made it a crime to be a Christian: and that the closest enquiry on Pliny's part made him aware of their high moral standard, and of the stedfastness of their devotion.]

"* * * The method I have observed towards those who have been brought before me as Christians is this; I interrogated them whether they were Christians; {175} if they confessed, I repeated the question twice, adding threats at the same time; and if they still persevered, I ordered them to be immediately punished. For, I was persuaded, whatever the nature of their opinions might be, a contumacious and inflexible obstinacy certainly deserves correction. * * * An information was presented to me without any name subscribed, containing a charge against several persons; these, upon examination, denied they were, or ever had been, Christians. They repeated after me an invocation to the gods, and offered religious rites with wine and frankincense before your statue * * * and even reviled the name of Christ; whereas there is no forcing, it is said, those who are really Christians, into any of these compliances. * * * The rest owned indeed they had been of that number formerly, but had now (some above three, others more, and a few above twenty years ago) renounced that error. * * * They affirmed the whole of their guilt, or their error, was, that they met on a certain stated day before it was light, and addressed themselves in a form of prayer to Christ, as to some god, binding themselves by a solemn oath, not for the purposes of any wicked design, but never to commit any fraud, theft, or adultery; never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up: after which, it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to eat in common a harmless meal. * * * Great numbers must be involved in the danger of these prosecutions which have already extended and are still likely to extend, to persons of all ranks and ages, and even of both sexes. In fact, this contagious superstition is not confined to the cities only, but has spread its infection among the neighbouring villages and country. * * *"

_Melmoth's Translation_ (1747).

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APPENDIX E.

ON THE ADDITION OF "FILIOQUE" TO THE CREED. (p. 124.)

The Nicene Creed (325) had the words "_Proceeding from the Father_": the Council of Ephesus (431[1]) decreed that no addition was to be made to the Creed, as there settled. When, however, the question was raised whether we ought not to say "proceeding from the Father, _and the Son_ (Filioque)," various Scripture phrases were adduced in support of it: such as, _the Spirit of Christ_ (Rom. viii. 9), _the Spirit of His Son_ (Gal. iv. 6), _the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ_ (Phil. i. 19), _the Spirit of Christ_ (1 Pet. i. 11). Also S. John xv. 26, xvi. 7,