This praise-termination belongs to the Lord's Prayer, and is not used for anything else. In like manner, other forms of praise have their own terminations. Thus Psalms and Lessons are used for praise and have praise-terminations.
When a Psalm is used for praise, its termination isGlory be to the father, &c.
When a Lesson is used for praise, its termination is a Canticle—i.e. one of the Bible songs of praise (from the Latincanticulum, a little song, a sonnet).
When the Creed is used for praise, since nothing can be added to the facts of God's Being and Work except the will to recite them devoutly, its praise-termination isAmen.
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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 examples of the thoughts which should accompany its several phrases.
Our Father, God is Love.Which art in heaven, God is a spirit.Hallowed be Thy Name, God's Holiness.Thy Kingdom come, God's Power.Thy Will be done, God's Perfectness.In earth as it is in heaven, Holy, Holy, Holy, LordGod Almighty.Give us this day our daily Every good gift is frombread, above.Forgive us our trespasses, The mercy of the Lordis from everlasting toeverlasting.Lead us not into temptation, Thou art about my pathand about my bed.Deliver us from evil, With power He commandeththe unclean spirits, &c.
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 thoughts in Praise of Him. The next stage is reached in the Second Lesson; and the Apostles' Creed crowns the whole. Thus aLadderof praise is made whereby we climb up to the thought of God in His Perfect Being, which is the very essence of Real Worship.
The first steps in this ladder are made by the use of the Book of Psalms, which is divided into sections for these daily Services, and so arranged that they supply different Psalms for 30 mornings and 30 evenings. If there are 31 days in the month, those for the 30th day are repeated on the 31st: in February, the (29th and) 30th are omitted.
There are many words which originally meant a Song, but in course of time have come to mean a special kind of song, or the music which belongs to a song. ThusCantus, a song, gives usChant, the music of a psalm verse; andCanticle, a psalm after a Lesson.psalmos, a song, gives uspsalm, a hymn, but not metrical,hymnos, a song, gives ushymn, a song in metre.
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.
{40} Ps. li. 15 is the Psalmist's grateful cry when his sin was forgiven and his praises began to break forth.
Ps. lxx. 1 supplies the second couplet.
TheGloria Patrifollows these Psalm verses.
The Venite exultemus Domino, briefly calledVenite, is the 95th Psalm. The Rubric provides that it is to be said every day, but not twice on the 19th day[1]. It is the first of the Morning Psalms, and formerly was sung with an Anthem (see Chapter XIII.) which was known as the Invitatory, and varied with the Season.
Antiphonal, i.e. alternate, singing dates from the services described in 1 Chronicles vi. 31-33, 39, 44, from which it appears that there were three choirs of singers—one in the centre, and one on either hand. Thus the interchange of replies from either side and a chorus of all the voices were provided, 1 Chron. xvi. 7-9 makes it clear that the Psalms were sung, as indeed the word Psalm (from Gr.psallo, I sing) implies. See also Neh. xii. 24.
The Authorised Version (A.V.) of the Bible is a translation made at the beginning of James I.'s reign, after the Hampton Court Conference (Jan. 1604). It was published in 1611 with a title-page stating that it was "appointed to be read in churches." There is, however, no evidence of any formal adoption of it until the statement made in the Preface of the {41} Prayer Book (1662) that "such portions of Holy Scripture as are inserted into the Liturgy," "in the Epistles and Gospels especially, and in sundry other places . . . are now ordered to be read according to the last Translation." It is evident that this "last Translation" is the Version of 1611: for the Epistles and Gospels are quoted from it in the Prayer Book of 1662. The Translation of 1611, then, is that from which are to be taken "such portions of Holy Scripture as are inserted into the Liturgy." This appears to be thegeneralrule of the Prayer Book of 1662. But that Prayer Book gives authority to various exceptions. The most notable of these is the provision, in a footnote toThe order how the Psalter is appointed to be read, "that the Psalter followeth the division of the Hebrews and the translation of the great English Bible, set forth and used in the time of King Henry the Eighth and Edward the Sixth."
If it be asked why the words of the Psalms should be sung as in the Great Bible when other translations have superseded it for Lessons, there is an easy answer. Books were not cheap or common in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many people had sung them so often as to know them by heart. A comparison of the Bible and Prayer Book translations will show that there was no large gain to be set against the loss of congregational worship which must have resulted from changes. The Bishops' Bible supplanted the Great Bible in 1568, and the Authorised Version was made in 1611. Both in 1604 and in 1662 the Revisers decided to retain the Version of 1539-40 (the Great Bible) so far as the Psalms and Canticles {42} were sung in the Churches. This is plainly not an oversight in 1662, for the Revisers altered the words of the note in the Preface, without changing the sense.
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 advancement of godliness"; but "of late time a few of them have been daily said and the rest utterly omitted." A writer of the ninth century says that S. Jerome, at the bidding of the Pope on the request of Theodosius, arranged the Psalms for the Services of day and night in order to avoid the confusion arising from variety of uses[2]. S. Ambrose was a contemporary of S. Jerome but died more than 20 years before him. There are considerable differences between the plan which S. Ambrose gave to his diocese of Milan, and the plan which we may believe was generally given at the same time to the Churches of the rest of Western Europe. But they are similar in many respects. In both, a division was made between the first 109 psalms,—which were mainly allotted to the night services, i.e. to those which were afterwards called Mattins,—and the rest which were mainly allotted to the Evening Service (Vespers). We suppose that the division, mentioned in the {43} Preface, "into seven portions" refers to those 109 Psalms.
Of these 109, 18 were used at other Services, leaving 91 for Mattins, viz. 19 on Sunday and 12 each for the week days. The Ambrosian arrangement of them was for a fortnight.
The Greek Church divides the whole Book into 20 portions and takes them, two portions at Mattins and one at Vespers, beginning on Saturday night, omitting Sunday Vespers, and taking, on Friday, the 19th, 20th and 18th portions.
Thus we see that a weekly singing of the Book of Psalms is derived from a very ancient time, when the division of the Eastern and Western Churches of Europe had not occurred.
The Sarum order, which we suppose was that which is referred to in the Preface as having been "corrupted" by omissions, had the 109 Psalms allotted to Mattins, as above described. For Vespers, there were five each day from cx.-cxlvii., omitting the 118th and 119th, 134th, 143rd and, as explained below[3], reckoning the 147th as two. All these were taken in order as they stand in the Bible. Those which were left out were allotted to other Services, as, for instance, iv. to Compline, lxiii. to Lauds, &c., &c. Psalm cxix. was to be said through every day, 32 verses at Prime, and 48 verses each, at Terce, Sext and None.
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Lauds was the great Praise Service of the day, and had a very beautiful arrangement of its Psalms which always ended with one of the O.T. hymns followed by Psalms cxlviii.-cl. The O.T. hymns on the seven days of the week wereBenedicite: Isaiah xii.: Isaiah xxxviii. 10-20: 1 Sam. ii. 1-10: Exodus xv. 1-19: Hab. iii.: Deut. xxxii. 1-43.
The beauty of many of these arrangements is undeniable: but they were rather intricate; and in practice they broke down.
Our revisers retained the underlying principles. By spreading the course over 30 days they made it possible to use it all. They retained the 95th Psalm as the first Psalm of every day; and also the principle of having two daily Services at which Psalms occupied an important place.
There are Special Psalms for six days in the year—the four great Festivals, Christmas, Easter, Ascension, and Whitsun Day, and the two great prayer-days, Ash-Wednesday and Good Friday. The Preface explains that these Special Psalms are to be sung instead of the ordinary Psalms on those days; and authorises the use of Special Psalms approved by the Ordinary on other days.
In using the Book of Psalms as a book of worship we must remember what was said of theIntentionof our minds in respect to parts of the Services. There are many Psalms which supply us with the best Prayers in trouble, penitence or any anxiety. But when using them in these Services our Intention is not Prayer but Praise, and the thought of God must inspire our devotions.
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It will often help us if we remember that God's Righteousness is infinite, as well as His Mercy. It is impossible for man in his present state to reconcile perfect Righteousness and perfect Mercy: for Righteousness will have nothing to do with sin, while Mercy forgives it. These two characteristics of God are revealed to us through Christ in Whom Righteousness and Peace are united; cf. Ps. lxxxv.
The Psalms, composed by various people at different times, very frequently are the utterances of men in trouble: and they often sketch the thoughts or actions of the Ideal Man, in one or other of the four characters which answer to God's Righteousness and God's Mercy. For, in response to God's Righteousness, man must be (1) perfectlypenitent, and (2) in imitation of God, mustdetest sin: in imitation of God, (3) he must be perfectlyforgiving, and in response to God's mercy, (4) he must havetrust and peace. The Psalmists exhibit human nature at its best, but it is human nature all the time—human nature finding God and associating itself with the Ideal Man.
Thus the Psalms often rise to the conception of the Messiah; and, even when that is not their thought, they proceed from other thoughts to Rest in God and Praise of His Holy Name.
The most difficult Psalms for worship are those which regard sin with horror, but express the horror without mercy. Man is unable to hold the two qualities of Righteousness and Mercy simultaneously. We find it difficult in these days to detest sin because we are learning the quality of mercy.
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Much of the poetic force of these songs depends on the local incidents of Israel's history and the scenery of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. While we use the words, we must also use our imaginations to transfer the great thoughts to our own experience: for those local colours are the clothing of thoughts which belong to all men in their relation to God.
Over all these endeavours to use the Psalms properly in the Praise part of our Services, the ruling idea is that which we have already stated, viz. that God in these things is to be glorified.
[1] A practice is found, in some churches, of singing this Psalm on Sundays but not when it is read in the ordinary course of the Psalms. We believe that this is due to a misinterpretation of the Rubric. There is just as much reason for singing it on the 19th as on any other day.
[2]Dict. of Chr. Antiq. "Psalmody." H. J. Hotham.
[3] The "division of the Hebrews" (see Note in Preface on the Order of the Psalter) is followed in our Prayer Book and Bible. The Septuagint and Vulgate unite Psalms ix. and x. and divide cxlvii. into two psalms, viz.vv.1-11,vv.12-20.
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II. 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 shouldunderstandthe Bible Lessons as well as our abilities will allow, and that we shouldendeavourto find in those Lessons everything which will inspire us to honour and love God.
There are two distinct requirements. A book may help us tounderstand, but theendeavourto find God in the Bible depends on ourselves: our Lord has described it in the wordsHe 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'sHistory 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'sGospel 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'sGospel 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'sGospel, 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)afterthe 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.
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(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.
B. 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 consideration for those Christians who were also Jews:be sure that thou eat not the blood, for the blood is the lifewas a precept which would create a difficulty in a Jewish Christian's mind if a Gentile Christian disregarded it. Similarly as to meats offered to idols (cf. 1 Cor. viii. 10-13).
There was then in the Synagogues of the first century a "First Lesson" from the Law.
{52} Acts xiii. 27. "The voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath Day." There was then in the Synagogues a "Second Lesson" from the Prophets.
Acts xiii. 15. "After the reading of the Law and the Prophets the rulers of the Synagogue sent unto (Paul and his companions), saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on."
The passage selected from the Law was associated with a passageselected from the Prophets—there was a Lectionary for SabbathServices. The present Jewish Lectionary associates Isaiah i. 1-28 withDeut. i. 1-iii. 22 as the Lessons for the Sabbath of TempleDesolation[2].
In S. Paul's Exhortation which followed (vv.16-41) there are, invv.17-19, three words rarely found in the Bible, but of their rare use one ("exalted") is found in Is. i. 2, and the others in Deut. i. 31, 38 ("suffered their manners" and "gave for an inheritance").
The reference, inv.20, to "judges" is also to be noted in connection with Is. i. 26. Bengel reasons that we may safely conclude that the two Lections on that day were those which we have just mentioned as associated together in the present Jewish Lectionary[3].
S. Luke iv. 15-20. Jesus . . . taught in their Synagogues—came to Nazareth—"entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood {53} up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias." It appears from what follows (vv.17-20) that the Lord read Isaiah lxi. 1, 2, either instead of the appointed passage from Isaiah, or after He had read the appointed passage. For Isaiah lxi. does not now appear in the Jewish Lectionary, and we know no reason for its omission now, if it was included before. In any case what He said about it, He said as the Exhorter[4]. They divided the Law into 53 or 54 portions, and read the whole of them between one Feast of Tabernacles and the next, whether the Sabbaths were 50 or more. Each portion was divided into seven parts, read by seven different Readers (a Priest and a Levite being the first two). This Lesson apparently stood alone until in B.C. 163 Antiochus Epiphanes forbade the use of the Pentateuch. Lessons from the Prophets were used instead, and were not discontinued when the use of the Pentateuch was restored. Thus arose a practice of having a First Lesson from the Law, which they called Parascha (or,Division), and a Second Lesson from the Prophets, called Haphtarah (or,Conclusion). The wordHolywas said before and after the First Lesson and a Doxology before and after the Second Lesson—an arrangement similar to our own. We may, indeed, believe that we derived from the Jews this and other uses of our Services. For we read in Acts vi. 7 that a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith, and {54} in Acts xviii. 7, 8 that at Corinth, when they ceased to be able to go to the Synagogue, the ruler of the Synagogue himself went with them to the worship and teaching which they carried on in a house hard by. It would not be surprising, then, if the worship thus begun was arranged after the old pattern to which they were all accustomed. For there are, not a few, proofs in the Acts of the Apostles that in those early days they attended the Services of the Temple at Jerusalem, and of the Synagogues in other places.
Justin Martyr[5], writing in defence of Christianity to the Emperor of Rome, describes the Holy Communion Service of his time as comprising two Lessons—one from the Prophets and the other from the Apostles, i.e., we suppose, the Gospels; a stage nearer to the two New Testament Lessons which are read at the Communion now. The use of an Old Testament and a New Testament Lesson at Daily Prayers may be a survival of the intermediate stage as described by Justin.
A Lectionary is a Table of Lessons arranged for a year. Our Table of Epistles and Gospels is derived from one which has been attributed to S. Jerome. The Sermons of his age show that there were stated Lessons for particular days[6]. Moreover, certain variations in the manuscripts of the New Testament are explained by the early use of books in {55} which the Lessons for the days were written out in full[7], called Lectionaries or Evangelistaria.
The principle which governs our own Lectionary is that the Bible shall be read through[8]. The books are taken in order, beginning with Genesis, S. Matthew, and Acts on January 2, and going straight on, with two exceptions. First exception: Isaiah's clear prophecies of Messiah are deferred to Nov. 18 &c., so as to be read in Advent. Second exception: Revelation is read in the latter half of December.
The effect of beginning the New Testament in two places on Jan. 2 is that it is read twice through in the year—once at Morning Prayer and once at Evening Prayer.
For Sundays a different arrangement is made with regard to the Old Testament. The Sunday year begins with Advent, which is the season occupying twenty-eight days before Christmas. Selections from Isaiah are read on these four Sundays, on Christmas Day, and on the four or five Sundays which usually follow Christmas before Septuagesima. At Septuagesima we are anticipating Lent and the Passion: Genesis therefore supplies the Lessons, followed by Exodus at Passion-tide, and the other books in regular course.
To this brief description we may add that Proper Lessons, specially chosen from Old and New Testament, are appointed for special Sundays and special {56} Holy Days. These take the place of those which appear in the regular list for the same days. If two special days coincide, the minister may read the Lessons of either, except that, on Advent Sunday, Easter Day, Whitsunday and Trinity Sunday, the Lessons for those days are to be read.
The principles of this arrangement have been in use since 1549; alterations in its details were made in 1559, 1604, and 1871.
In 1559 the Apocrypha was appointed for many of the Saints' Days, which nevertheless were left with their Old Testament Lessons in the Calendar. Thus these latter were invariably unread.
In 1604 this defect of the Calendar was corrected by moving the Lessons forward to make room for the Proper Lessons, and omitting some few of those which "might best be spared."
Until 1871 the New Testament was read throughthricein the year, theLessons being usually whole chapters. And the Gospels were alwaysMorning Lessons, and the Epistles and Acts always Evening Lessons.Revelation was almost altogether omitted.
From 1604 till 1871 the First Lessons from Sept. 28 until Nov. 23 were from the Apocrypha—eight weeks. The Apocrypha Lessons continue now only from Oct. 27 to Nov. 18.
The principle of selection has in all these changes been recognised; but always subordinate to a larger principle of reading in Church the whole Bible. Prior to 1871 the two Books of Chronicles were not read, being regarded as sufficiently represented by the corresponding chapters from the Books of the Kings. In {57} 1871 eighteen Lessons from the Chronicles were introduced in place of the corresponding passages in the Kings.
We shall find in the next chapter that all these Lessons in Church are to be thought of in connection with their attendant Canticles—so that a Lesson and its Canticle form an act of Praise: "as after one angel had published the Gospel (S. Luke ii. 10-12) a multitude joined with him in praising God, so when one minister hath read the Gospel, all the people glorify God" (S. Luke ii. 13, 14)[9].
Rubric.Then shall be read distinctly, &c.] The words of this rubric were altered to some extent in 1662, the only notable change being the alteration of "The minister that readeth" to "He that readeth." The object of the change seems to be that one who is not 'the minister' may read the Lessons. The minister is still directed to declare where they begin and end.
He is to turn himself so as to be heard: and Canon 80 requires the churchwardens to provide a "Bible of the largest volume." A desk or Lectern is therefore implied as one of the 'Ornaments of the Church.'
It is usually assumed that the Congregation sits during the Lessons except when the Gospel is read in the Communion. Probably there were not seats for them when the rubrics were drawn up: custom has authorised their addition to the list of 'ornaments.' The movable seats, bequeathed by incumbents to their successors or others as they thought fit, are not recognised by any words in the Prayer Book.
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JUSTIN MARTYR,Apol.I. 61-67.
61. * * * We bring them where there is water; and after the same manner of regeneration as we also were regenerated ourselves, they are regenerated; for, in the Name of God, the Father and Lord of all things, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Ghost, they then receive the washing of water: for, indeed, Christ also said,Except ye be born again, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. * * * *
65. But after thus washing him who has professed, and given his assent, we bring him to those who are called brethren; where they are assembled together, to offer prayers in common both for ourselves, and for the person who has received illumination, and all others everywhere, with all our hearts, that we might be vouchsafed, now we have learnt the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, that we may obtain everlasting Salvation. We salute one another with a kiss when we have concluded the prayers: then is brought to the President of the brethren, bread, and a cup of water and wine, which he receives; and offers up praise and glory to the Father of all things, through the Name of His Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and he returns thanks at length, for our being vouchsafed these things by Him. [Here follows a brief description of this special Eucharist after a Baptism which we omit in order to give the longer description below.]
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67. * * * And on the day which is called Sunday, there is an assembly in the same place of all who live in cities, or in country districts; and the records of the Apostles, or the writings of the Prophets, are read as long as we have time. Then the Reader concludes: and the President verbally instructs, and exhorts us, to the imitation of these excellent things: then, we all together rise and offer up our prayers; and, as I said before, when we have concluded our prayer, bread is brought, and wine, and water; and the President, in like manner, offers up prayers, and thanksgivings, with all his strength; and the people give their assent by saying Amen: and there is a distribution, and a partaking by every one, of the eucharistic elements (ton eucharistethenton); and to those who are not present, they are sent by the hands of the deacons * * *.
Library of the Fathers. S. Justin's Works.
[Antoninus Pius, to whom Justin addressed his two Defences, was Emperor of Rome from 138 to 161. The first of the two is that from which the above quotation is taken: its date has been placed as early as A.D. 139, and as late as A.D. 150. Justin's Martyrdom has been dated A.D. 166. His description of Services refers therefore to the 50 years which followed the death of S. John the Apostle.]
[1] Cambridge Companion.
[2] Speaker's Commentary on Isaiah, Appendix A.
[3]etropophoreseandetrophophorese. These two rare Greek words differ from one another by a single letter which ispin one andphin the other. The former has the best MS. authority: the latter ('bore as a nurse') is probably right. But, in either case, S. Paul must have had the Deut. passage in his thoughts.
[4] See Reland'sHebrew Antiquities.
[5] See Appendix B, p. 58.
[6] Thus S. Chrysostom regards Genesis as belonging to Lent, and preached a homily to explain why the Acts are read in public between Easter and Whitsunday. He also advises that the Saturday and Sunday Lessons should be privately read during the previous week.
[7] Thus a few MSS. read "The end is enough" in S. Mark xiv. 41; "the end" having been placed in a Book of Lessons, after the word "(It) is enough," because the Lesson ended there. See Prebendary Scrivener's Art. inDict. of Christian Antiq.s.v. Lectionary.
[8] See Appendix C.
[9] S. Ambrose quoted by Hook,Ch. Dict.s.v. Hymn.
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III. Hymns in the Daily Services.
We are about to explain how Hymns are attached to Lessons for purposes of worship. It will be well therefore to consider what a Hymn is, and how we arrived at the present arrangement. We will defer to the chapter on Anthems the consideration of those Hymns that may be described as Prayers set to music. Many Psalms may be described in this way, and in the Commination the 51st Psalm is used as a Prayer (see the Rubric there). But if our intention be Praise, most of those Prayer-psalms lend themselves to Praise, and are so used in this Service before the Lessons, as we have just seen. In like manner metrical Hymns are to be found in our Hymn-books which are in their plain sense prayers rather than praises.
In the Day Hour Services we find metrical Hymns—at Lauds, Vespers and Compline after the Bible "Chapter," and, at the other Services, before the Psalms. They were in Latin, and some of them have been translated and are known to us in our Hymn-books.
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Of the Office Hymns well known in modern Hymn-books,Now that the daylight fills the sky is a good example.
We have, moreover, in the Prayer Book itself, two translations of the HymnVeni, Creator Spiritusformerly sung at Lauds throughout Whitsun week.
The longer form of it, more a paraphrase than a translation, appeared in the Ordination Services in 1550; the shorter translation, which is so well known, in a Book of Devotions made by John Cosin in 1627, where are found also translations of other Day Hour Hymns, the book being designed from the Breviary.
When in 1661 Cosin had become Bishop of Durham and was taking a leadingpart in the last revision of the Prayer-Book, his translation ofVeni,Creator Spirituswas placed before the older paraphrase in theOrdination Services.
It is interesting to compare the Day Hour Hymns with the translations which are to be found in Hymn-books.
InHymns Ancient and Modern, the following examples are found:—1, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 38, 45, 47, 55, 75, 85, 87, 88, 90, 95, 96, 97, 125, 128, 144, 152, 153, 156, 157, 158, 430, 483, 509, 622. The renderings are not equally close; but they give a good idea of the place in worship which they occupied in the Day Hours. They will be found to dwell on the thoughts of praise to God called forth (a) by the sunshine and the beauties of nature, (b) by the work of the Holy Spirit. When the Hymn followed the Capitulum, a Canticle came next. The Capitulum, or Little Chapter, was one or two verses from the Bible specially {62} chosen for the day; and the Hymn was directly connected in subject with it.
Thus, at Lauds on Whitsunday, the Capitulum was,When the Day ofPentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place(Acts ii. 1), and the Hymn which followed immediately wasCome, HolyGhost(H. A. and M. 157); andBenedictus, which came next, had anAntiphon,Receive ye the Holy Ghost, &c. (S. John xx. 22, 23).
These beautiful combinations show us that the Canticle after a Lesson is designed to respond to the message of the Lesson, and to make with it an act of Praise. We must dismiss from our minds all idea that our Services were put together in a zigzag fashion, introducing something different as soon as any Psalm or Lesson has been said. The Service-makers valued variety of expression and method within reasonable limits; but the Service itself proceeds from point to point in a regulated progress. When the metrical Hymns were struck out, the Canticles and the Lessons were left united together.
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 NewTestaments which were introduced into the Christian Services.
It will be seen that these Bible hymns are affixed {63} to the Lessons. They are commonly known by the words with which they begin in Latin: thus
Te Deum laudamus=Thee God we praise.
Benedicite, omnia Opera—Bless ye, O all Works.
Benedictus=Blessed.
Jubilate=O be joyful.
Magnificat(mea anima)=(My soul) doth magnify.
Cantate Domino=O sing unto the Lord.
Nunc dimittis=Now thou lettest depart.
Deus misereatur=God be merciful.
The 1st and 2nd chapters of S. Luke supply three of these; viz. Magnificat, Benedictus, and Nunc dimittis. The Psalms supply three, viz. Jubilate (100th), Cantate Domino (98th), and Deus misereatur (67th).
Benedicite, omnia, Operais part of the Hymn given in the Apocrypha as sung by Shadrach (Ananias), Meshach (Misael), and Abed-nego (Azarias), when they walked in the burning fiery furnace.
Te Deum laudamusis a very ancient Latin Hymn which may have been already very old when it became associated with the name of S. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (375-397). We show its Bible origins in Chapter VIII.
The Canticles have been sung in the Services for many centuries.
BenedictusandBenediciteare found in the Holy Communion Service—supposed to date about 600—of the Gallican Church; in the Day HoursBenedictuswas sung at Lauds;Magnificatat Vespers;Nunc dimittisat Compline;Te Deumat Mattin-Lauds;BenediciteandJubilateat Lauds on Sundays.
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The rearrangement of the Day Hours in 1549 gave an opportunity to associate the Canticles more closely with the Lessons.
We show in another chapter the connection which exists between the Lessons of the Old and New Testaments, and the alternative Canticles provided for each, both at Morning and Evening Prayer.
Meanwhile it will be well to learn the following table.
Character of the Lesson Mattins Evensong
O. T. Creation and Providence Benedicite Cantate*
Need of Redemption Te Deum Magnificat laudamus
N. T. The Coming of Christ Benedictus Nunc dimittis
The Spread of the Gospel Jubilate* Deus misereatur*
* Added in 1552.
* * * * * * * *
[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 Patrem[1] omnis terra veneratur.
2. TIBI omnes angeli, TIBI caeli et universae potestates:TIBI Cherubim et Seraphim[2] incessabili voce proclamant.
4. TE gloriosus Apostolorum chorus, TE Prophetarum laudabilis numerus:TE Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.
5. TE per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur ecclesia:Patrem immensae majestatis.Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium.Sanctum quoque Paracletum Spiritum.
6. TU Rex gloriae, Christe: TU Patris sempiternus es Filius.
7. TU ad liberandum suscepturus hominem non horruisti Virginis uterum:TU devicto mortis aculeo aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.
8. TU ad dexteram Dei sede(n)s in gloria Patris:Judex crederis esse venturus.
9. TE ergo quaesumus famulis tuis subveni quos pretiososanguine redemisti:Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria munerari.
10. Salvum fac populum tuum Domine et benedic haereditati tuae[3]:et rege eos et extolle illos usque in aeternum[3].
12. Dignare Domine die isto sine peccato nos custodire:miserere nostri Domine, miserere nostri[5].
13. Fiat misericordia tua Domine super nos quemadmodumsperavimus in TE[6]:in TE Domine speravi, non confundar in aeternum[7].
[1] Isaiah ix. 6. [2] Isaiah vi. 3, cf. Rev. iv. 8. [3] Psalm xxviii. 9. [4] Psalm cxlv. 2. [5] Psalm cxxiii. 3. [6] Psalm xxxiii. 22. [7] Psalm xxxi. 1 and lxxi. 1.
Note. Some readers will at first sight be afraid of the Latin form of the Te Deum. It is however so important to the clear understanding of this beautiful Hymn that we hope they will piece together the English words and their Latin equivalents.
The task will not be really difficult, for most of the words are almostEnglish already.
It will not surprise them to find thatTuis Thou, andTeThee, thatTibiis To Thee, andDominumLord, and so on. We think that most of the words will be understood by any one who is familiar with the English.
Aculeo, in line 7, meanssting, andcrederis esse venturusmeansThou-art-believed to-be about-to-come.
To facep. 65]
* * * * * * * *
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IV. 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. 386. We shall presently show that it is composed on a very elaborate plan, and is very far from being an extempore Hymn. Its earlier verses are founded on expressions in Isaiah (vi. 3, ix. 6).
Its concluding part has not always been in the form which has become familiar to us: in its present shape it may be regarded as the survival of the best of the different forms. The verses of this part as they now stand are obviously taken chiefly from the Psalms (xxviii. 9, cxlv. 2, cxxiii. 3, xxxvi. 22, xxxi. 1 or lxxi. 1).
The following lines of an early morning hymn, found in the Alexandrine MS. of the Bible, are very similar to the verses which we have numbered 11 and 12:
"Day by day will I bless Thee and praise Thy name for ever, and for ever and ever. Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin."
{66} There is a sentence in S. Cyprian also (De Mortalitate, p. 166, ed. Fell) quoted in the notes in illustration of line 4, which must have been borrowed from the Te Deum, or lent to it.
It is not easy to determine whether an elaborate composition of this description, designed evidently for worship, is more likely to lend or to borrow any particular phrase. The Psalm verses, and verses &c. from Isaiah, are evidently borrowed by the Hymn. Perhaps this suggests that the composer was likely to have borrowed, rather than lent, the other passages. On the other hand, a Hymn founded on Scripture, carefully composed, and well known in worship, is precisely the source most likely to be quoted in other Hymns and in books.
We said thatTe Deumis a Hymn of the Incarnation, and that it is an elaborate composition.
It is necessary to examine these points at some length. And first we must get rid of the modern way of printing it out in 29 verses. Many of them are half-verses quoted from the Psalms and Isaiah: and when we have begun to restore these with their colons, we find that the other verses answer to the same treatment. In short, most of the verses should be read two together with a colon to separate them for singing purposes. Having thus restored the Hymn to its original lines, we find that it consists of 13 verses in 3 Stanzas, the first and third having five lines each, and the middle Stanza having three lines. The three lines of the Middle Stanza correspond to the three divisions of our Saviour's Existence—(1) before He was made Man—(2) when He {67} lived on Earth—(3) after His Ascension (see the Latin Form). The Saviour's Existence, from the Eternal Beginning on to the Eternal Future, is the central thought of the Hymn. The dual form of each line in this Middle Stanza proves it to be a separate Stanza. The Incarnation is its theme—The Incarnation and its Antecedents and Consequences.
Tu Rex . . . . . . . . . . Tu Filius . . . . . .Tu non horruisti . . . . . Tu aperuisti . . . .Tu in gloria . . . . . . . Judex venturus . . .
The prominent place, in each line, of the pronoun Tu—Thou—is here to be noticed. It is characteristic of this middle Stanza that each of the three phases of the Saviour's existence is expressed bytwothoughts which are included in one line. The pronoun Tu introduces each of the thoughts in each line, except the last of the three. The completeness of the summary of the Lord's Existence is a strong argument for treating these three lines as a Stanza: and the use of the pronounTuconfirms the argument.
For turning to the First Stanza, we find each line hasthreethoughts. The prominent word in the first line is TE—Thee—and occurs three times. Similarly in the second line TIBI—to Thee: and in the fourth line TE. The last line of this Stanza varies, it is true, as the last line of the middle Stanza does, but retaining a triple thought, viz. the Holy Trinity. The third line has the Ter-Sanctus.
Thus the 1st Stanza, by its form, is separated from the 2nd Stanza, and the 2nd from the 3rd in like manner.
For, in the Third Stanza although TE is still {68} prominent as the first word, it is very sparingly introduced afterwards—once in the 11th line, and twice in the 13th. Here again we notice a variation with the object of marking the Stanza's last line, for in the last line TE occurs twice. The wordDominesupplants Te in the 10th and 12th lines, and appears with Te twice in the 13th line.
The elaborate arrangement of the Hymn has been exhibited so as to eliminate the notion of an extempore composition. Its method however is worthy of some further consideration.
It will be evident that it proceeds on the idea of a centre thought in each Stanza, with thoughts balanced on each side. Thus in the 1st Stanza the centre thought (line 3 Latin Version) is the praise of Heaven and Earth (Isaiah vi. 3), addressed to Christ (see S. John xii. 41) by the Seraphim. The Choirs of Heaven are mentioned in the 2nd line, and those of earth in the 4th. The 5th line recurs to some of the thoughts of the 1st and the 3rd lines. Thus the 1st and 5th, the 2nd and 4th lines are balanced about the Song of Praise which forms the middle line.
So again, in the and Stanza, the centre thought is our Lord's Earthly Life with His Eternal Pre-existence on one side and His Eternal Glory now and hereafter on the other.
And further, the centre thought of the 3rd Stanza is the Praise expressed in the 11th line,Day by day we magnify Thee, and we worship Thy name ever world without end. This line corresponds to the 3rd line, the Ter-Sanctus, which is the centre of the 1st Stanza. The first and third Stanzas are hereby made {69} to balance one another around the middle Stanza, both in the number of their lines and the plan of their arrangement.
Noting now that the plan and method of the Hymn are governed by the centre line and the centre thought in all the respects to which we have referred, we cannot fail to notice afresh that the Redeemer's Earthly Life is the centre thought of the whole Hymn—the centre line of the centre Stanza around which everything is grouped.
The division of the Hymn into Stanzas is, we suppose, conclusively proved. We may further infer that the Te and Tibi of Stanza i. are addressed to the same Person as the Tu of Stanza ii. and the Te of Stanza iii. i.e. to Christ. Stanzas ii. and iii. are evidently so addressed, and Stanza i. could not, we think, have made the pronouns so prominent without having the same reference.
It may however be objected that lines 1, 3, and 5 cannot be addressed to Christ. A little consideration will show that they can.
(a)Te Deum laudamusmay be translatedwe praise thee O God. But the more obvious translation iswe praise Thee as God, especially as it comes withwe acknowledge Thee to be the Lord. The two Latin phrases are exactly parallel, so that if it is to beWe praise Thee, O God, it should also bewe acknowledge Thee O Lord.
Now the acknowledgement of the Godhead and Lordship of Christ was very likely to be stated in an early Hymn, far more than the acknowledgement that God is God. The Titles—God, Lord, Father {70} everlasting—which are here acknowledged, appear to be suggested by Isaiah ix. 6. For therethe Lord of Hosts which is wonderful in counsel(Isaiah xxviii. 29) is expressed asWonderful, Counsellor, and is followed byThe Mighty God, The Everlasting Father. It is a passage acknowledged to refer to Christ, who is therefore recognised as Lord of Hosts (being wonderful in Counsel), Mighty God, Everlasting Father.
(b)Line3. S. John (xii. 39-41), referring to our Saviour's rejection, quotes Isaiah vi. and addsThese things said Isaiah when he saw His glory, and spake of Him. This reference to Isaiah's vision, when he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne and heard the Seraphim sing the Ter-Sanctus, will be a sufficient justification of the use of line 3 in an address to Christ.
(c)Line5. As to the inclusion of the three Persons of the blessed Trinity in a doxology at the close of this Stanza, it is quite usual in Christian Hymns of all ages to guard the thought of the equality of the Persons of the Godhead by means of a doxology. As an instance we may quoteConditor alme siderum(Hymns A. and M.45).
The position of the doxology in this Canticle should be noticed. We know of no other instance of its being placed at the close of the first, or anywhere but at the close of the last, Stanza. The reason for this variation seems to be that the last Stanza here has to some extent the nature of a prayer.
The following Greek hymn, attributed to St Basil, was printed by Archdeacon France inPreces Veterum {71} cum Hymnis Coaevisas of the 2nd, or at latest the 3rd, century:
phos ilaron agias doxesathanatou patrosouraniou agiou makarosiesou Christeelthontes epi tou eliou dusinidontes phos esperinonumnoumenpatera kai uion kai agion pneuma theouaxios ei en kairois umneiothaiphonais osiaisuie theou zoen o didousdio o kosmos se doxazeiAMHN.
Keble's well-known translation (Hail, Gladdening Light) is to be found inHymns Ancient and Modern, No. 18, as well as inLyra Apostolica. The transition in the address from Christ to the Holy Trinity, and back again, presented no difficulty: rather it is a very suitable recognition of the Divine nature of Jesus.
Te Deum is evidently a Latin composition, and the exact meaning of its words and phrases must be sought in the Latin form of it.
Some various readings and translations may be worthy of notice.
1. Te Deum, 'Thee as God.'
Aeternum Patremis substituted for the Vulgate reading,Patrem futuri saeculi.
The English Bible accepts it as the best rendering of the Hebrew in Isaiah ix. 6, but R.V. givesFather {72} of Eternityin the margin. The thought of Christ as Father to us is to be found in Isaiah viii. 18, quoted in Heb. ii. 13, where the writer is showing the complete human nature of Christ.
4.Prophetarum laudabilis numerus. Cyprian (De Mortalitate) has the words "There the glorious company of the apostles, there the fellowship (numerus) of exulting prophets, there the innumerable crowd of martyrs." It will perhaps be questionable whetherlaudabilisshould not be taken as equivalent toexulting—full of praise (to God) rather thanworthy of being praised.
Candidatusis 'white-robed'; 'noble' would becandidus.
Venerandum, trans. 'honorable,' is to be understood as 'deserving to be reverenced.'
5.Immensae. Here translatedinfinite, in the Creed of S. Athanasiusincomprehensible. Literallyunmeasured.
7.Ad liberandum, 'to set (him) free.'
Suscepturus hominem, 'when about to take man,' i.e. human nature.
8.Sedens, 'sitting,' is the reading in two MSS., and would agree with the absence of the secondTuin this line.Sedesmeans 'Thou sittest.'
Crederis esse venturus, 'art believed to be about to come.'
9.Numerariormunerari. In the Old English character it is sometimes difficult to distinguish where the seven strokes of the lettersmunare to be divided into letters. A MS. at Exeter looks more likem u n, which is the reading of the two Irish MSS. referred to {73} above, and the reading of my own black letter Breviary (1524).
Heb. xi. 6 has the thought that God rewards a man who loves Him. Cf. also Jer. xxxi. 16, 'thy work shall be rewarded'[1].
The wordnumerarimeans 'to be counted, enrolled in anumerusor fellowship.' Cf.Prophetarum numerus, above.
12.Die isto, translatedthis day. It may be thought that the reference is to 'that day' as in 2 Tim. i. 12, 18, iv. 8, viz. the Judgment Day. Several of these lines would favour that reference.
13. "Lighten" is used in the Prayer Book in two senses, both derived from Anglo-Saxon words,—to illuminate, as in the 3rd Evening Collect,Lighten our darkness, and in the Ordination Hymn,Lighten with celestial fire:—but here, to "alight" or come down, cf. Deut. xix. 5; Gen. xxiv. 64 and xxviii. 11; 2 Kings v. 21 and x. 15, &c.
Non confundar in aeternum. This might more obviously be translated, "I shall not be confounded for ever." It is not inconsistent with the prayerful tone of this Stanza, that most of its lines express more hope than fear. That the closing words should be at once humble and confident would suit well with the character of this Hymn of praise.
On the other hand the words themselves are borrowed from two Psalms (xxxi. 1 and lxxi. 1), where they must be rendered as a prayer. It is therefore {74} preferable to take them here in the same sense. Latin scholars know that the use ofnonwith the imperative occurs elsewhere, being apparently regarded as though compounded with it.
Note on the Doxology in Te Deum.
Te Deumis the only one of the Psalms and Canticles which is not provided withGloria Patriat the end of it.
The obvious reason for this exception is that it is the only one which contains aGloria Patriin the middle of it.
We have already said that an ascription of Praise to the Holy Trinity is in this case more appropriate at the end of the first Stanza than at the end of the third, because the third Stanza has a prayerful character introduced into its words of praise.
The steps by which the doxology grew inTe Deummay be conjectured. The sentence which was required in the fifth line to complete the ascription of Praise to Christ would be an acknowledgement of His Sonship. For such an acknowledgement has not yet occurred. Using the words of the Hymn, we should expect
Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur ecclesiaPatris venerandum verum unigenitum Filium.
Here the Father and the Son are mentioned. The addition of the words
Sanctum quoque paracletum spiritum,
and of epithets to express the majesty of the Father {75} would complete the sentence and express the equality of the Persons.
Te per orbem sancta confitetur ecclesiaPatris immensae majestatisVenerandum verum unigenitum filium,Sanctum quoque paracletum spiritum.
But the two genitives,Patris, majestatis, suggest the accusativePatrem; and already the addition ofSpiritumhas suggested the inclusion, underTe, of the Three Persons.
[1] The word 'reward' is frequently to be found in the English Bible where the Vulgate hasreddo.
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V. 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 theTe Deumis a Hymn of the Incarnation; hence it is especially appropriate as a Respond to those Old Testament Lessons which contain, or imply, the promise of the Saviour's Birth and Work on Earth. Gen. iii., Isaiah viii., Malachi iii. may be taken as examples: but there are very many which relate the doings of men in such a way as to leave the hearers waiting and wishing for the adoption which comes to us through Christ.
Some of them set forth the facts which show our miserable state without Christ. Others contain predictions of the life which He came on Earth to lead. Thus the Christian worshipper seeing the Christ wanted, promised, foretold, or the world waiting, groaning in pain, suffering, responds to such Lessons with this Hymn of the Incarnation.
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In the evening the place is occupied by another Hymn of theIncarnation—Magnificat(doth magnify)—the Song of the BlessedVirgin when the Birth of the Saviour was assuredly promised to her.
The Blessed Mother's words of greeting to the promise and assurance are very sacred, and may be regarded as the most suitable possible for any human being very near the Lord. The words of Isaiah,Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is givenwill often come to the worshipper's mind, when he uses her words to express his praise after the 1st Lesson.
Sometimes however the connection of the Old Testament Lesson with the Incarnation may with advantage be omitted in favour of another line of thought and praise.
Lessons which declare the great acts of Creation, Providence, and Government by God sometimes contain but remote reference to the Redeeming work of Christ: and for such Lessons another Canticle is provided, viz.Benedicte omnia Opera(Bless ye all works) for the morning, andCantate Domino(O sing unto the Lord) for the evening.
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 world.
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1.God my Saviour. This is the meaning of the nameJesus. The names Jesus and John were given designedly: naturally, therefore, they supply leading thoughts to the two Hymns which are especially associated with our Lord's Birth, and the birth of His forerunner (cf. Benedictus throughout, but especiallyvv.4, 5, 6).
5. The name, John, suggests God'smercy.
7. The name, Mary, may have prompted the wordexalted.
9. In this verse we can trace Zacharias=God hath remembered; John=God's mercy; and Elizabeth=God's oath.
The Song of Hannah in 1 Sam. ii. exhibits many points of similarity and contrast, when compared with this Hymn.
Benedicite.
The CanticleBenedicite omnia Operais so called from Latin words meaningBless ye, all Works.
Our Services were translated from the Latin Services used in our Church for centuries before 1549: for Latin was the common language of civilised Europe.
Benediciteshares with other Canticles and with many parts of the Services the custom of being known by its first words in the Latin books.
We said thatTe Deum laudamusnot only had its name from the Latin Service Books, but is of Latin origin whether composed by Hilary of Arles, Hilary of Poictiers, or Ambrose and Augustine. ButBenedicite, {79} though it has now a Latin name, is of Greek origin. It is a translation of part of the Greek additions to the Book of Daniel. In Daniel iii. the 23rd verse records how the Three Children of Israel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (i. 6), having come to great office in Babylon (ii. 49), and refused to fall down and worship the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar (iii. 18), were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. The 24th verse proceeds thus:
"Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste," and told his counsellors that he saw four men walking in the fire without hurt.
At this point, between verses 23 and 24, there is a sort of pause in the action. It might be filled up by a mark indicating that some short time elapses. The Greek Version inserts 68 verses: consisting of a prayer of Azariah (Abed-nego), a few verses of narrative, and 40 verses of praise including the 32 verses which have been sung in the Church Services of many countries and many centuries.
The Hymn calls upon all God's creatures to worship Him—collectively in the first verse, afterwards in groups.
First group. Heavenly powers.
Second group. Earthly powers.
Third group. Earth and its component parts.
Fourth group. Men.
Notice first the leading verse of each group: 2. Angels—9. Winds (spiritus)—18. Earth—26. Children of men. The classification in the groups is evidently influenced by the 1st chapter of Genesis. Inv.4 the Waters above the firmament (Gen. i. 7) are {80} divided from the Wells, Seas, Floods ofvv.21, 22. The former appear here as Heavenly Powers, the latter as creatures of God in the Earth.
The Showers and Dew ofv.8 are regarded as coming from Heaven. They appear therefore in group 1, but in its last verse, so that the transition is easy to the earthly powers amongst which they might have been placed.
The second group includes the forces of Nature which more distinctly surround us on earth. There is some uncertainty in the various versions of this section. The Prayer Book, following, as usual, the Great Bible of 1539, has Dews and Frosts inv.10, meaning probably Dews and Hoar Frosts. The Bible (A.V.) has Hoar Frosts coupled with Snows. It has Fire and Heat and also, in some Versions, Cold and Heat, but omits Winter and Summer. Sometimes there is contrast in the couples and sometimes the forces coupled together are of the same sort.
In group 3, Earth is called up first as including the rest, which progress from that which does not move to that which does, ranging through the inanimate moving things, such as budding things and water, and the animate creation, such as move in the sea, the air and, whether wild or tame, upon the earth.
Group 4 begins, like group 3, with an inclusive term "Children of Men": and proceeds through Israel, as God's People, and Israel's Priests, as God's special choice, to those who really serve God whether in this life or after it; concluding with the specially present service of the holy and humble, and, in particular, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael.
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All these Creatures of God's hand, whether animate or inanimate, or theForces which are behind both, are challenged to praise their Maker.They are called up in twos and threes, a great army, representing allthe visible and invisible hosts of Heaven and Earth.
In connection with this Hymn we should read Gen. i., Psalm civ., andPsalm cxlviii.