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
br /> 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-stol,

or Feld-stol (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.