The ORDER for MORNING and EVENING PRAYER daily to be faid and used throughout the Year.

T

'HE Morning and Evening Prayer shall be used in the accustomed place of the Church, Chapel, or Chancel; except it shall be otherwife determined by the Ordinary of the Place. And the Chancels shall remain as they have done in times paft.

And here is to be noted, That such Ornaments of the Church, and of the Minifters 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.

Chancel] The churches were anciently divided into two parts; the body, called emphatically nave, (either from vaos, a temple, or from navis, a ship; because under this image the Christian Church is aptly represented;) and the facrarium, or more holy part, fince called the cancellum or chancel, from its being divided from the body by cantelli, or rails. The nave was common to all the people, and reprefented the visible world; the cancellum was appropriated to the priests and clerks, and typified heaven.

Setond Year of Edward the Sixth This Act of Parliament refers to the first Common Prayer-Book of Edward VI. for directions respecting the habits in which Ministers are to officiate. Thefe directions confift of two rubrics; one of them on the last leaf of the book, prefcribing the habits in all public miniftrations whatsoever; and the other prefcribing the habits to be used at the Communion, which is placed at the beginning of that office. The former runs thus: "In the faiyng or fyngyng of Matins and Even-fong, baptizyng and burying, the Minifter, in parishe churches, and chapelles annexed to the fame, shall ufe a furples; and in all cathedrall churches, and colleges, the archdeacones, deacones, provottes, mafters, prebendaries, and fellowes, beeyng graduates, maie use in the quire, befides their furpleffes, fuche hoodes as perteygneth to their feveral degrees which they have taken in anie Universitie withine this realme. But in all other places, every Minister shalle bee at libertie to use a furplesse or no. It is alfo feemlie that graduates when thei doo preache should use such hoodes as perteygneth to their several degrees.

"And whenfoever the Bithoppe thall celebrate the holy Communion in the churche, or execute any other publique miniitration, he shall have upon him, befide his rocket, a furplesse or albe, and a cope or vestement, and also his pastoral staff in his hand, or elfe borne or holden by his chapelain."

The rubric respecting the attire of the Minister at the Communion is as follows:"Upon the daie, and at the tyme appoynted for the ministration of the holy Commu nion, the priest that shall execute the holy miniftery, thail put upon him the vesture appointed for that ministration; that is to faie, a white albe, plain, with a vestement of cope. And where there be many priestes, or deacons, there so many shall be ready to helpe the priest in the miniftration as shall be requifite; and shall have upon them likewife the vestures appointed for their miniftery; that is to fay, albes with tunicles."

N. B. The furplice, or fuper pelliceum, is so called from being worn over the other garments. The hood, caputium, or cucullus, has come down to us from the ancient Romans; being a coarfe covering for the head, broad at one end, and gradually leffening to a point. The rochette, a linenunder-garment, worn by bishops. The alb, a very ancient garment, worn at the celebration of the Communion, made of linen, and fitting the body clofely, in the manner of a caffock. The cope, a coat without fleeves. The tunicle, a filk coat without sleeves, like the cope, of a sky colour. The pastoral staff, crook, or rozier, ufed by the Bishop as an emblem of his pastoral care over the flock of Chrift.

THE ORDER

FOR

Morning Prayer,

Daily throughout the Year.

At the beginning of Morning Prayer, the Ministe shall read with a loud voice fome one or more of these Sentences of the Scriptures that follow; and then he shall faz that which is written after the faid Sentences.

WHEN the wicked man turneth away from his wick

that he hath committed, and doeth that

which is lawful and right, he shall fave his foul alive. Ezek. xviii. 27.

I acknowledge my tranfgreffions, and my fin is ever before me.-Pfal. li. 3.

Hide thy face from my fins, and blot out all mine iniquities.-Pfal. li. 9.

The Minister shall read with a loud voice) Previously to the Reforma tion, it was cuftomary for both prieft and people, before they commenced the offices of worship, to repeat secretly to themselves the Lord's-Prayer, Hail, Mary, and Creed. In celebrating mafs, a great part of the fervice was (and is ftill in Roman Catholic countries) faid in a low voice by the prieft, according to one of the Miffal Rubrics, which expreffes itself thus:Quæ vero fancte, &c. "Those parts which are to be faid in the most folemp manner, the pricst shall fo pronounce, that he may hear his own voice, but that it may not be heard by the people."-Rubricæ Generales Miffalis Romani.

The Said Sentences] The services in the first book of King Edward VIth commence with the Lord's-Prayer. In the fubfequent review, however, the Reformers prefixed the Sentences, Exhortation, Confeffion, and Abfolution, as a proper introduction to the folemn duty which the worshipper was about to perform. Of the fentences, the general tendency is, to bring finners to repentance; and they may be arranged under the following claffes; ist, Instruction to the ignorant and erroneous; I John 1. 8, 9; Ezekiel xviii. 27. adly, Admonition to the negligent and inconfiftent; Pfal. li. 3; Matt. iii. 2. 3dly, Acknowledgment of fin, and deprecation of its confequences; Pfal. li. 9; Pfal. cxliii. 2; Luke xv. 18, 19. 4thly, Confolation to the bumble and penitent; Pfal. li. 17; Dan. ix. 9. sthly, Caution against formality and Pharisaical hypocrify; Joel ii. 13.

The facrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.-P/al. li. 17. Rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.-Joel ii. 13.

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him: neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws which he fet before us. Dan. ix. 9, 10.

O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, left thou bring me to nothing. Jer. x. 24; Pf. vi. 1. Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.St. Matt. iii. 2.

I will arife, and go to my father, and will fay unto him, Father, I havefinnedagainst heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon.-St. Luke xv. 18, 19. Enter not into judgment with thy fervant, O Lord: for in thy fight shall no man living be juftified.-Pf. cxliii.9.

If we fay that we have no fin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confefs our fins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our fins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.-1 St. John i. 8, 9.

D

EARLY beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us in sundry places, to acknowledge and confefs our manifold fins and wickedness; and that we should not diffemble nor cloak them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them, with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the fame by his infinite goodness and mercy. And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our fins before God, yet ought we most chiefly fo to do, when we afsemble and meet together, to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received

Dearly beloved brethren] The Exhortation properly follows the sentences, being partly deduced from, and intended to illuftrate and apply them, and to direct us how to perform the confeffion that follows them. It should therefore be read by the minifter in a folemn, deliberate, and impreffive manner, and liftened to by the people with reverence and

at his hands; to fet forth his most worthy praife; to hear his most holy Word; and to ask those things which are requifite and neceffary, as well for the body as the foul. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here prefent, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice, unto the throne of the heavenly grace, faying after me:

A general Confeffion to be faid of the whole Congregation after the Minister, all kneeling.

A Lmighty and most merciful Father, we have erred

ftrayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and defires of our owl hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miferable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confefs their faults. Reftore thou them that are penitent; according to thy promifes declared unto mankind in Chrift Jefu our Lord. And grant,

O most merciful Father, for his fake, that we may here

A general confession] This is, properly, the commencement of the fervices of the congregation. Hitherto they had only liftened in folemn filence to the minifter; they now unite with him, a fellow finner in the fight of God, in confeffing and deploring their tranfgreflions; in petitioning for pardon for the past, and for grace to aflift them in future obedience. Public worship in the primitive church commenced with confeffion, as St. Bafil has informed us; All together, as if with one voice," fays he, "and one heart, lift up the pfalm of confeflion unto the Lord; each man, " in his own words, exprefling his own repentance."

By the Prieft alone] On these words of the Rubric, a question has arifen, which for a long time was agitated with great warmth; whether or not, the word alone excluded all persons from pronouncing the abfolution, fave those who had taken priests' orders. The arguments, however, for the affirmative are so strong, that little doubt feems now to remain of the impropriety of either laymen, deacons, or any perfon under the order of a prieft, pronouncing this part of the Liturgy.--The absolution confifts of two parts; ift, a declaration of "pardon and forgiveness of fins," made by the minifter of God to "all those who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe the gospel;" and adly, an exhortation, directing how abfolution may be obtained, and pointing out the unspeakable benefits of it, even that of our becoming partakers of God's "eternal joy, through Jefus Chrift our Lord."

after live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

The Absolution or Remission of fins, to be pronounced by the Prieft alone, standing; the People ftill kneeling.

A Lmighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Chrift,

of a finner, but rather

that he may turn from his wickedness, and live; and hath given power and commandment to his Ministers to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remiffion of their fins; he pardoneth and absolveth them that truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy Gofpel. Wherefore let us befeech him to grant us true repentance, and his Holy Spirit; that those things may please him, which we do at this present, and that the reft of our life hereafter may be pure and holy; fo that at the laft we may come to his eternal joy, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord.

The People shall answer here, and at the end of all other Prayers, Amen.

Then the Minister shall kneel, and say the Lord's Prayer with an audible voice; the People also kneeling, and repeating it with him, both here, and wherefoever else it is used in Divine Service.

"fo be it."

the

UR Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven: Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trefpafles, as we forgive them that trefpafs against us; And lead us not into temptation, But Amen] This is an Hebrew word, signifying truth, fidelity, and certainty. Our Catechifm explains it When pronounced at end of a prayer it is addressed to God, and means, Verily, O Lord, confirm and establish to us all the bleflings for which we have petitioned." When pronounced at the end of exhortations, abfolutions, and creeds, it is addreffed to the priest, and means "fo be it: we entirely affsent to and approve what has just been delivered." The Apoftolical Chriftians faid "Amen at the blessing, and giving of thanks;". 1 Cor. xiv. 16: a practice they adopted from the Jews, (vide Deut. xxvii. 15) who attributed great efficacy to the loud and folemn pronunciation of this word; their proverb fays, that "the garden of Eden is opened to him who answers Amen with all his power."

The Lord's-Prayer with an audible voice] We have observed before,. that in the firft book of King Edward Vith, the Liturgy began with the Lord's-prayer; (as was the practice in the primitive churches, according