The Lessons
A. The Study of the Bible a help to worship.
The Bible is read in Church as an incentive to the praise of God. It
supplies thoughts of God which are then offered up to Him, as Praise,
in the words of the Canticles. It is therefore necessary that we
should understand the Bible Lessons as well as our abilities will
allow, and that we should endeavour to find in those Lessons
everything which will inspire
There are two distinct requirements. A book may help us to
understand, but the endeavour to find God in the Bible depends on
ourselves: our Lord has described it in the words He that hath ears to
hear let him hear.
In order to understand the Bible when we hear it read, we should study
it at home. Some elementary aids to the study of it may be useful
here; for further help we shall want books specially prepared for that
{48} purpose, such as the Cambridge Companion to the Bible and The
Cambridge Bible for Schools, &c.
1. The Old Testament and the New Testament agree together: they have
the same principles of morality, worship and doctrine. God's guidance
of the writers is seen in this--the Old Testament, written at different
times in the centuries before our Lord was Born, was such that the
Gospel of the Revelation in Jesus was able to fit into it. As S.
Augustine says,
"Novum Testamentum in Vetere latet,
Vetus Testamentum in Novo patet."
See also Article VII.
2. The failure of man to live well is shown in the Old Testament.
Though he had favourable conditions and a holy law of life, a pure
system of worship, and the discipline of warning and correction, the
Israelite failed. Hence the Old Testament continually teaches (a)
that God governs, (b) that man needs a Saviour.
3. The Old Testament consists of 3 parts (a) the Law and History,
(b) the Psalms and Proverbs, (c) the Prophets.
(a) The Law and History part includes the books from Genesis to
Esther, and relates the progress of the people of God from its
separation as a family and its growth to be an important nation, to the
downfall of its independence, and its partial recovery. The writers
were a succession of prophets, who continually point to the hand of God
in the events which they record.
(b) The Psalms and Proverbs part includes the books from Job to the
Song of Solomon, and contains {49} many Hymns of prayer and praise;
also discussions of deep problems of human nature and our relation to
God (Job and Ecclesiastes); together with other things which stir us to
a life of goodness and worship.
(c) The Prophets are not arranged in order of time at which they
lived. The four Books which come first are called the Four Greater
Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel: and are followed by the
Twelve Lesser Prophets. To find the place in the Lesser Prophets it is
sufficient to remember Hosea, Joel, Amos as the three which are placed
first; and Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi as the three prophets after
the Captivity, and therefore placed last. Isaiah should be read with
parts of Kings and Chronicles, and Haggai and Zechariah with the Books
of Ezra and Nehemiah; and others in like manner according to their
period.
4. The New Testament consists of 3 parts--(a) The History, (b) The
Epistles, (c) The Revelation of St John.
(a) S. Luke's History is in two volumes--the Gospel, which recounts
our Lord's Life from His Birth to His Ascension (note here the number
of His Parables): and the Acts of the Apostles, which continues the
history from His Ascension to the (first) imprisonment of S. Paul at
Rome. S. Matthew's Gospel corresponds to S. Luke's Gospel,
recounting our Lord's Life from His Birth, with many of His sayings
about the Kingdom of Heaven, and especially the Sermon on the Mount.
S. Mark's Gospel is similar to the two former. It recounts
particularly the details of the various scenes of our Lord's Life, {50}
and shows how frequently He retired for meditation,--"a living picture
of a living man[1]." S. John's Gospel, written long after the
others, shows the three witnesses--the spirit and the water and the
blood--that bear record that Jesus is the Son of God (1 S. John v. 8).
(b) The Epistles are not in chronological order. S. Paul's Epistles
are placed first, then S. James, S. Peter, S. John and S. Jude. Of S.
Paul's Epistles, those to Churches come before those to Timothy, Titus
and Philemon. Of his Epistles to Churches, the order in the Bible is
Rom., Cor., Cor., Gal., Ephes., Philip., Col., Thess., Thess. They fit
into the History in the following groups: (I) Acts xvii.,--1 and 2
Thess,, (II) Acts xix. 22 to xx.,--1 and 2 Cor., Gal., Romans, (III)
Acts xxviii.,--Philip., Col., Ephes., Philemon, (IV) after the
imprisonment described in Acts xxviii.,--1 and 2 Tim. and Titus. The
Epistles to Colossians, Ephesians and Philemon (a Colossian Christian)
seem to have been sent by the same messenger. The Epistle to the
Hebrews may have been written by S. Paul; but, as that is doubtful, it
has been placed after those which are surely his. The Epistles which
follow are called "General," because they are addressed to Christians
scattered about in various countries. S. James and S. Peter have many
references to the Sermon on the Mount. S. John dwells upon Love as the
foundation upon which a Christian builds his life--the Love which God
has shown us, and the Love which we have for Him and for one another.
(c) The Revelation of S. John, written perhaps before the time when
Jerusalem was besieged (A.D. 68-69), carries our thoughts away from the
glories of the Jerusalem which was about to be destroyed, to the New
Jerusalem and its glories, in Jesus Christ and His Church.
5. The Apocrypha supplies First Lessons for 21 days between Oct. 27 and
Nov. 18; and also for the evenings of Innocents' Day and S. Luke's Day.
Article VI. quotes S. Jerome's description of the Apocrypha, where he
says "the other books the Church doth read for example of life and
instruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to establish any
doctrine."
These notes will, we hope, prompt the reader to make a study of the
Bible not only for the guidance of his life, but also for the amendment
of the offering which he makes to God in the Services of the Church.
More
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Lessons And Lectionaries
Acts xv. 21. "Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath Day." The reference is to the Mosaic regulations which were to a certain extent to be observed by all Christians, out of considerat... Magnificat
Jesus is known to us as the Son of Man: hence His people can use the words of the Blessed Virgin. When she looked forward to His coming, she used words which we can say after reading the Old Testament promises of a Saviour who should come into the ... Map Of The Lessons And Their Canticles
Character of the Lesson Mattins Evensong O. T. Creation and Providence Benedicite Cantate* Need of Redemption Te Deum Magnificat laudamus N. T. The... 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, Wor... Names And Titles
The Services of our Church were translated into English in 1549. Many alterations were made at that time. The seven Day Hours were combined into two Services--Mattins and Evensong: the Holy Communion Service was assimilated in some respects to E... Nunc Dimittis
The Evening Service is supplied with a different Hymn of the Advent for its Second Lesson--that of the aged Simeon, when, having waited through his long life for it, he was blessed at last with the sight of the Infant Jesus. Holding Him in his arms... On Pliny's Letter To The Emperor Trajan
[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 ... On The Addition Of Filioque To The Creed
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 "proceedin... On The Greek Origin Of Litanies (p 153)
Litany comes from the Greek litaneia. lite means a prayer; whence (litanos) one who prays; litaneuo to be a person who prays; litaneia a continued prayer. Thus Litany has the meaning of "prolonged prayers." In the (Greek) Liturgy of S. James... On The Lessons In The Day Hours
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... Origin Of Morning And Evening Prayer
The Services in the Prayer Book may be roughly classed as (1) those which are used every week: and (2) those which are used more rarely. The principal service is the Holy Communion; which is provided with a special Collect, Epistle and Gospel for ea... Origin Of The Word 'collect'
It is impossible to speak with confidence about the origin of the word Collect. We find in old Services both Collecta and Collectio. It might be conjectured that these were references to Books of Collects bearing those names as their titles. But ... Our Cry To Christ
The distinguishing feature of the Litany is that it uses a worship-form which is not used elsewhere in the Prayer Book. The Minister dictates briefly the subject of the Prayer, which is then made by the voices of the People. These are called Suffr... 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 pl... Praise And Prayer
Praise. There are two ways in which respect is paid to a man, viz. (1) Outspoken praise, (2) Deference to his words. In like manner we praise God (1) by dwelling with joy and gladness on His perfections; and (2) by listening with reverence to His ... 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 physi... Progressive Duplication
The groups of sins and sufferings from which we desire to be delivered supply instances of progress, from that which is less, to that which is more, serious. Most of these are obvious, and call for no further remark. Deprecations (Prayer for d... Psalms In Daily Services
The Preface, "Concerning the Service of the Church," states that "the ancient Fathers have divided the Psalms into seven portions, whereof every one was called a Nocturn," and that "the same was . . . ordained . . . of a good purpose and for a great... Reason History And Revelation
It may be said with truth that the Bible is a book which reads History, and the perplexities of Man, in the light of one great postulate, viz. that there is a God. The natural sequences, which are now partially explained by scientific discoveries, ... 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 ti... Structure Of The Litany
The Litany is a series of prayers addressed mainly to God the Son. It has two breaks, or interruptions, which consist of prayers addressed to God the Father. Thus there are five sections. Section i. from the beginning, to O Christ, hear us. T... Te Deum Laudamus
This ancient Latin Hymn of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ has in many Service-books been attributed to S. Ambrose and S. Augustine. One of the stories is that they sang it in alternate verses when the latter was baptized by the former, A.D... 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. ... The Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed is a summary of those things which the Bible tells us of God's Being. There can be no higher act of the soul of man than to dwell Upon the Being and Attributes of God. It is a great step upwards, to purify one's life from evil.... The Apostles' Creed And The Creed Of Irenaeus (ad 170)
I believe in God the Father I believe in one God Almighty, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: Who made heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only And in one Jesus Christ the ... The Canticles
The word Canticle means "little song" or "little chant," just as versicle means "little verse," and particle "little part." It has long been used to signify the Hymns from the Old and New Testaments which were introduced into the Christian Service... The Canticles Continued
The position which the Te Deum occupies in the morning is that of Respond of the whole people to the message of the Old Testament. We have found that the Te Deum is a Hymn of the Incarnation; hence it is especially appropriate as a Respond to those... The Collects
The Books formerly used in Church. In a passage of the Prayer Book Preface of 1549, which was not struck out until the last Revision in 1662, it was said that "by this order the Curates shall need none other books for their public service, but th... The Compound Anthem
The Prioress, in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, relates that a Litel child his litel book lernynge, As he sat in the scole in his primere, He O alma redemptoris herde synge, As children lerned her antiphonere: From this we understand that... 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 ofte... The Creed Of Saint Athanasius
A learned Professor once attacked the use of Creeds in Worship with the bitter words, that "they combine the maximum of offence with the minimum of worship." This utterance might be discussed by comparing the use of a Creed in the worship of God, w... The Creeds
The discussions which arose upon the Revelation of Himself, which God gave in His Son Jesus Christ, were carried on between people who lived far apart round the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The Nature of Almighty God could not possibly be easi... 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] Fou... The First Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer may be regarded as a brief summary of the acts of worship which come after it. Much care is required in order to use its familiar words with due devotion. When it is used, as here, for Praise, the following may be taken as exampl... The Five Kinds Of Worship Forms
Examples-- Examples-- Prayer Praise 1. The Minister AMEN form The Collects Prayer of offers and the ... The Ladder Of Praise
The various parts of the Praise portion of the Service are not repetitions of the same ideas. We {39} have first, in the Psalms, the simpler thoughts about God. The First Lesson, taken from the Old Testament, advances to higher or more complex tho... The Lessons
A. The Study of the Bible a help to worship. The Bible is read in Church as an incentive to the praise of God. It supplies thoughts of God which are then offered up to Him, as Praise, in the words of the Canticles. It is therefore necessary that... The Litany
Origin of Litanies. Some of the Offices of Holy Communion--especially in the East--have had a portion after the Gospel very similar to what we call a Litany. Thus in the Liturgy (i.e. Holy Communion Office) of S. James, the Deacon says The Univers... The Lord Be With You
Answer. And with thy spirit.] This may be taken as the mutual salutation of Minister and People at the close of the Praise Service. It is therefore to be said before they kneel. In the Confirmation Service, the Laying-on of Hands is concluded wit... The Lord's Prayer
"After this manner therefore pray ye." S. Matth. vi. 9. The pronouns used in the Lord's Prayer are 'Thy,' 'us,' 'our.' It is the voice of a people speaking to God. Even in private we may not pray for self alone; we must include our friends, n... The Lord's Prayer As Set For The Service Of Prayer
We have before explained that the Doxology is not added here, but the Lesser Litany is prefixed to it. The thoughts will now be different from those which occupied our hearts at the beginning of the Praises. The following may be suggested: Hal... The Morning And Evening Collects
The First Collect is the Collect of the Day. The Preface (last rubric before the Table of Lessons) orders that the Collect "appointed for the Sunday shall serve all the week after, where it is not in this Book otherwise ordered." The Book 'orders ... 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 v... The Other Prayers
The change from the Three Collects to the Three Prayers which follow may be softened by the Anthem, (or Hymn), which comes between. The spiritual gifts, desired in the Collects, are the qualities which guide the lives of men. When we pray that we ... The Prayer For The King Was Inserted In 1559
Health and wealth=To be hale or whole, and to be well. They are Saxon words which include all prosperity of body and condition. The Prayer for the Royal Family was inserted in 1604. The persons mentioned by name have been the Consort of the Sove... The Prayer Service
I. Preces and Collects. Morning and Evening Rubrics. The directions concerning the Services are to be found in the Rubrics: which are placed either (1) in the Prefaces and Tables at the beginning of the Prayer Book; or (2) at the beginning or end... The Preces
These interjected prayers do not follow exactly the order of the Collects and Prayers, which are to come next to them. The second couplet belongs to the two prayers, for the King and for the Royal Family: the third and fourth couplets belong to the... 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... The Psalms
Every part of the Praise portion of the Service has a Praise-Termination. We have already seen that the "intention" of the Lord's Prayer is marked for praise by a Termination, viz. for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever... The Rubrics After The Collects
The amendment of rubrics in this part of the Services, which was effected in 1662, completed the directions for continuing the Service after the Collects. Until that time, the prayers for the Sovereign, for the Royal Family, and for the Clergy and ... 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). ... The Service Of Prayer
If we have understood the Method of Praise which, in these Services, uses ancient forms in an ordered variety, we shall be prepared to find similar order, and similar use of variety, in the Prayers. The Map of the Services on p. 28 should be examin... The Te Deum Printed So As To Show Its Structure
[Transcriber's note: In the original book, each of the following 13 items was printed on a single line. In this e-book, they have been split at a logical point, usually a colon (:).] 1. TE Deum[1] laudamus, TE Dominum confitemur: TE Aeternum ... Three Celebrated Sacramentaries
Three of the Sacramentaries deserve here special mention. I. Gregory the Great, who was Pope of Rome from 590 to 604, was the author of one of them. The English Church owes him gratitude for sending missionaries to this country at a time when the... Variations In The Component Parts Of Services
1. Praise and Prayer. 2. Variations; from Service to Service, " Day to Day, " Week to Week, " Morning to Evening, " Season to Season. ... Variations Of Words And Phrases
Much has been said from time to time concerning Extempore Prayers and Extempore Praise, as opposed to those which are more carefully prepared and agreed upon. The discussion has been somewhat confused by the misuse of the word Extempore. Prior t... Variety In Singing
There were of old four methods of singing the Psalms: 1. Direct or Choral. 2. Antiphonal. 3. Responsorial. 4. Continuous. 1. The Direct or Choral Singing was done by the whole choir: 2. The Antiphonal by the two halves of the choir alte... Versicles And Psalms
Before the Psalms begin there is an injunction to praise the Lord exchanged between the Minister and the People. Four other Versicles and Gloria Patri are interposed after the Lord's Prayer--all in the form of Verse and Respond. Ps. li. 15 is th... What Reason Has To Say About God
The Athanasian Creed distinguishes between the teaching of the Catholick Religion and the teaching of the Christian Verity. A moment's thought shows that many who do not hold the Christian Verity, i.e. the Truth as revealed in Christ, do neverthele... What The Bible Says Of Jesus
S. Matth. i. 21. Thou shalt call his name Jesus. xvi. 16 Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. S. John i. 14 the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, 1 Cor. xvi. 23 our Lord Jesus Christ. S. Matth. i. 18 his mother Ma... What The Bible Says Of The Holy Ghost
The third paragraph of this Creed is a summary of the teaching of the Bible concerning Him whom we often call the third Person of the Godhead--whom Jesus described as the Comforter (S. John xiv.-xvi.). He there promised to His disciples the presenc... What The Outside World Said Of Christ
The foundation of Christianity was not laid with outward marks, but in the hearts of those who, by one, and by two, united themselves together to serve the Lord Christ. As He had said, The Kingdom of God came not with observation. Not with notice ... What Then Are The Characteristics Which We Must Expect In A Collect?
1. It has three simple parts: (a) the Name of God; (b) what we ask; (c) our appeal to Christ's advocacy. 2. It makes no effort to instruct the congregation, but speaks with simplicity and directness, to Him who knows all things. {138} 3. It ...