The Prayer Book Explained Part 21

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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 Sovereign, the Queen Dowager, and the next King and Queen. Thus in Queen Anne's reign, Princess Sophia was mentioned until she died, eight months before the Queen.

The Prayer for the Clergy and People. This is, in the Gelasian Sacramentary, a prayer in a Monastery; or, in a private house.

Afterwards, the persons for whom it was said, were "an abbat or his congregation"; then Bishops and their congregations; and finally, Curates (i.e. the Clergy in _charge_ of parishes) were introduced in 1544. In t.i.tus ii. 11 _The grace of G.o.d bringeth salvation_, the word 'healthful' is translated differently, but the phrase is the same as here.

_the continual dew of thy blessing_: see Ps. cx.x.xiii. 3, where the consecration of Aaron suggested Hermon (=consecration), and called up thoughts of the dew and the clouds, running and floating from its sides. So the blessing received from on high is received in order to be transmitted to others.

The phrase _who alone workest great marvels_ seems to be justified by the consideration that much is asked for in the prayer--G.o.d's spirit, and the dew of His blessing, for all the Clergy, and for all the People.

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A Prayer of S. Chrysostom is so called because it comes to us from the Liturgy of S. Chrysostom. It is said to be older than A.D. 900 but not so old as to have been composed by S. Chrysostom himself (354-407). It addresses Christ as _Almighty G.o.d_, and reminds Him of His present gift of grace, and of His ancient promise. The two blessings claimed are--for this life, the knowledge of G.o.d's truth--for the life to come, the knowledge of G.o.d Himself (S. John xvii. 3).

2 Cor. xiii. This Benediction is not merely the ending of the worship in church: it is also the link between the Church Service and the Service of G.o.d which we perform outside. We go out of church to do our work with grace, and love, and fellowship, in the Name and Power of the Holy Trinity.

The more solemn part of the Holy Communion, in the Clementine Liturgy, S. Basil's, S. Chrysostom's and other Eastern Liturgies, began with this Benediction.

The occasional Prayers and Thanksgivings. Like the six Collects after the Communion Service, these may be used before the Prayer of S.

Chrysostom in the Morning and Evening, and (with one exception) also when the Litany is said.

There are 11 Prayers: the first two were made in 1549: the next four in 1552: the first of the Ember prayers, in 1661: the second, in a slightly different form, was a prayer in the Ordination Services of 1549, where it still stands. The ninth is from Gelasius' Sacramentary.

The Prayer for Parliament appeared in the last Revision (1661), but had been printed before, in Special forms of Service.

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The _Prayer for all conditions of men_ first appeared in 1661. There are eight Thanksgivings: the first, fourth, and sixth, were printed in 1661: the rest in 1604. In the first of these, if the pet.i.tion were _Send us, we beseech thee, such weather_, the Prayer might be very frequently used during the spring and summer. Having these, we seem to want other, occasional prayers, and thanksgivings. The spread of Emigration, the enlargement of our Navy and Army, the multiplication of Munic.i.p.al bodies, and other developments of the National life, demand occasional prayers in the Service, and especially, perhaps, a prayer to be used at times of anxiety for those at sea.

[1] See his Ancient Collects, Appendix: and his Paper in S.P.C.K.

Prayer Book Commentary "On the Collects."

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CHAPTER XIV.

THE PRAYER SERVICE.

II. Anthems.

Anthem=Antiphon, fr. _antiphonon_: so called because two choirs sing alternately.

Anthems are of two sorts--simple Anthems and compound Anthems. A simple Anthem is one or more verses (often from Holy Scripture), used to give character to a Psalm. A compound Anthem is a Hymn or Psalm followed by a Verse, Respond, and Prayer. A simple Anthem was used, for example, to give an Easter, Advent, &c. character to _Venite_.

Thus Dec. 16 is marked in the Calendar as _O Sapientia_ because on that day the following Anthem was used with Magnificat:

O Wisdom, which camest forth out of the mouth of the Most High, and reachest from one end to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things; Come and teach us the way of prudence.

These words are taken, with some alteration, from Wisd. viii. 1. On each of the seven days which follow, until Dec. 23, a different Anthem was used with Magnificat; and forasmuch as these eight Anthems begin with O (O Wisdom, O Lord, O Root of Jesse, &c.), they were known as the O Anthems. Similarly on The Epiphany, S. Matth. ii. 1, 2, 11 was sung as an Antiphon to Magnificat; and on Whitsunday S. John iv. 23. {147} These are instances of the use of simple Anthems in the Services before 1549. The following ill.u.s.trates the purpose for which they were appointed. It will be observed that the Advent thought was made to pervade the whole Psalm.

ADVENT SETTING OF VENITE.

Behold the King cometh. Let us go to meet our Saviour.

O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our Salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving: and shew ourselves glad in him with Psalms.

Behold the King cometh. Let us go to meet our Saviour.

For the Lord is a great G.o.d: and a great King above all G.o.ds. In his hand are all the corners of the earth: and the strength of the hills is his also.

Let us go to meet our Saviour.

The sea is his, and he made it; and his hands prepared the dry land. O come, let us worship, and fall down: and kneel before the Lord our Maker, for he is the Lord our G.o.d: and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Behold the King cometh. Let us go to meet our Saviour.

To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts: as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness. When your fathers tempted me: proved me and saw my works.

Let us go to meet our Saviour.

Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said; It is a people that do err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways.

Unto whom I sware in my wrath: that they should not enter into my rest.

Behold the King cometh. Let us go to meet our Saviour.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

Let us go to meet our Saviour.

Behold thy King cometh. Let us go to meet our Saviour.

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