1662) for the glory of Thy "Name turn from us all a Name's sake [1549- meremur (omnium Sanctorum Tuorum interthose evils that we most righteously have deserved; cessionibus) averte. Per. and grant, that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence in Thy mercy, and evermore serve Thee in holiness and pureness of living, to Thy honour and glory, through our only Mediator and Advocate, JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen." The Prayer for the Sovereign and that for the Clergy fol lowed here in 1559; and the Prayers for the Royal Family and for Ember Weeks were placed after that for the Sovereign in 1604. e This Benediction Here endeth the Litany. PRAYERS. ¶ Prayers and Thanksgivings upon several occasions, to be used before the two final Prayers of the Litany, or of Morning and Evening Prayer. form of the Sarum Collect in the Memorial of All Saints was A Prayer of St. Chrysostom] This was added to the end of the Litany on its first introduction in its present form, in 1544. The grace of our Lord] Was placed at the end of the Litany, after the Prayer of St. Chrysostom, in the Queen's Chapel Litany of 1558. [See note to it, p. 205.] THE OCCASIONAL PRAYERS. This collection of prayers and thanksgivings for special occasions was appended to Morning and Evening Prayer in 1661, but some of the prayers had been in use at an earlier date. Such a collection had occupied a place at the end of the ancient Service-books of the Church: and the use of prayers similar to these is very ancient. In a printed Missal of 1514 (which formerly belonged to Bishop Cosin, and is now in his Library at Durham) there are Missa and Memoriæ Communes (among others) with the following titles: : that seek Thy Kingdom, and the righteousness thereof, all things necessary to their bodily sustenance; Send us, we beseech Thee, in this our Missa. Missa pro serenitate aëris. contra mortalitatem ho- pro peste animalium. Memoria Communes. Contra aëreas tempestates. invasores ecclesiæ. adversantes. paganos. But such occasional prayers were not uniformly the same in the ancient Service-books; varying at different times according to the necessities of the period and of the locality. In the first edition of the English Prayer Book two occasional prayers, the one "for Rain," and the other "for fair Weather," were inserted among the Collects at the end of the Communion Service. These were the same as those now placed here. Four more were added in 1552, the two " "in time of Dearth," and those "in time of War," and of "Plague or Sickness; and the whole six were then placed at the end of the Litany. Thanksgivings corresponding to these were added in 1604: and the remainder, both of the prayers and thanksgivings, were added in 1661, when all were placed where they now stand. These occasional Prayers and Thanksgivings are almost entirely original compositions, though they were evidently composed by divines who were familiar with expressions used for the same objects in the old Services. With several a special interest is connected, but others may be passed over without further notice. What few changes were made in this collection of occasional prayers are traceable to Bishop Cosin, except the important insertion of the necessity, such moderate rain and showers, that we may receive the fruits of the earth to our comfort, and to Thy honour; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen. For fair Weather. ALMIGHTY LORD GOD, Who for the sin of man didst once drown all the world, except eight persons, and afterward of Thy great mercy didst promise never to destroy it so again; We humbly beseech Thee, that although we for our iniquities have worthily deserved a plague of rain and waters, yet upon our true repentance Thou wilt send us such weather, as that we may receive the fruits of the earth in due season; and learn both by Thy punishment to amend our lives, and for Thy clemency to give Thee praise and glory; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen. In the time of Dearth and Famine. GOD, heavenly FATHER, Whose gift it is, that the rain doth fall, the earth is fruitful, beasts increase, and fishes do multiply; Behold, we beseech Thee, the afflictions of Thy people; and grant that the scarcity and dearth (which we do now most justly suffer for our iniquity), may through Thy goodness be mercifully turned into cheapness and plenty, for the love of JESUS CHRIST our LORD; to Whom with Thee and the HOLY GHOST be all honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen. Prayer for the Parliament, that for all Conditions of Men, and the General Thanksgiving. The Rubric standing at the head of the prayers is Cosin's; but he would have explained "occasional" by adding "if the time require" at the end of it; which words were not printed. His revised Prayer Book also contains a rubrical heading in the margin, "For the Parliament and Convocation during their sessions," but no prayer is annexed. [See further, notes on the Prayer for the Parliament.] § In the time of Dearth and Famine. The second of these prayers was-for what reason is not apparent-left out of the Prayer Book in several of the editions published during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James I. Bishop Cosin wrote it in the margin of his revised Prayer Book, and it was reinserted in 1661, with some slight alterations of his making. § In the time of any common Plague or Sickness. The Collect form which is so strictly preserved in these prayers was strengthened in this one by the addition of another Scriptural allusion in the Invocation. This-from "didst send a plague" as far as "and also "-was inserted by Bishop Cosin, as were also the words relating to the Atonement offered. The general tendency of such alterations by Bishop Cosin was to raise the objective tone of the prayers here and elsewhere, making our addresses to God of a more reverent and humble character. benediction; and grant that we, receiving Thy bountiful liberality, may use the same to Thy glory, the relief of those that are needy, and our own comfort, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen. In the time of War and Tumults. ALMIGHTY GOD, King of all kings, and Governor of all things, Whose power no creature is able to resist, to Whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to them that truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly beseech Thee, from the hands of our enemies; abate their pride, assuage their malice, and confound their devices; that we, being armed with Thy defence, may be preserved evermore from all perils, to glorify Thee, Who art the only Giver of all victory; through the merits of Thy only SON, JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen. In the time of any common Plague or Sickness. ALMIGHTY GOD, Who in Thy wrath didst send a plague upon Thine own people in the wilderness for their obstinate rebellion against Moses and Aaron; and also, in the time of king David, didst slay with the plague of pestilence threescore and ten thousand, and yet remembering Thy mercy didst save the rest; Have pity upon us miserable sinners, who now are visited with great sickness and mortality; that like as Thou didst then accept of an atonement, and didst command the destroying Angel to cease from punishing, so it may now please Thee to withdraw from us this plague and grievous sickness; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen. every day] The principle laid down in the Rubric before the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels applies to the use of these Collects. One of them ought, therefore, to be said at Evensong of the Saturday before Ember Week, and at Mattins and Evensong every day afterwards until the Ordination Sunday. The Evensong previous to the latter should be included as being the eve of the Sunday itself. The first of these Ember Collects is to be found in Bishop COSIN'S Collection of Private Devotions, which was first published in 1627.1 It is also found in the margin of the Durham Prayer Book in his handwriting, with a slight alteration made by him at the end after it was written in. No trace of it has hitherto been discovered in any early collections of prayers or in the ancient Services; and therefore it may be concluded that it is an original composition of Bishop Cosin's, to whom we are thus indebted for one of the most beautiful and striking prayers in the Prayer Book, and one which is not surpassed by anything in the ancient Sacramentaries or the Eastern Liturgies. The second Collect is taken from the Ordination Services, and is written into the margin of the Durham Prayer Book under the other in the handwriting of Sancroft, having been already inserted at the 1 An earlier edition was privately printed, but this the writer has not seen. See the address of the printer to the reader in a beautiful copy of the 1627 edition which is preserved in the British Museum Library [3405 a]. Church by the precious blood of Thy dear SON; Mercifully look upon the same, and at this time so guide and govern the minds of Thy servants the Bishops and Pastors of Thy flock, that they may lay hands suddenly on no man, but faithfully and wisely make choice of fit persons to serve in the sacred Ministry of Thy Church. And to those which shall be ordained to any holy function, give Thy grace and heavenly benediction; that both by their life and doctrine they may set forth Thy glory, and set forward the salvation of all men; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen. ¶ Or this. ALMIGHTY GOD, the Giver of all good gifts, of Thy divine providence hast appointed divers orders in Thy Church; Give Thy grace, we humbly beseech Thee, to all those who are to be called to any office and administration in the same; and so replenish them with the truth of Thy doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life, that they may faithfully serve before Thee, to the glory of Thy great Name, and the benefit of Thy holy Church, through JESUS CHRIST Our LORD. Amen. end of the Litany in the Prayer Book for the Church of Scotland, printed in 1637. Under the old system of the Church there were special masses for the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at all the four Ember Seasons; but the use of a special prayer every day during the Ember Weeks is peculiar to the modern Church of England. It may be added that the very pointed character of the words used is also modern, the older Ember-day Collects and Post-Communions making little direct reference to the ordainers or those to be ordained. The Ember-day Collect is a continual witness before God and man of the interest which the whole body of the Church has in the ordination of the Clergy who are to minister in it. The entreaty of St. Paul, "Brethren, pray for us," is the entreaty that continually goes forth to the Church at large from its ministry; but never with greater necessity, or with greater force, than when the solemn act of Ordination is about to be performed by the Bishops, and a number of the future guides and leaders of the Church are about to be empowered and authorized to undertake their office. This is, in fact, one of the most valuable of our Collects, wielding as it does the strong weapon of general prayer throughout the land on behalf of the Bishops, through whom all ministerial authority and power is conveyed from our Lord, and of the priests and deacons, to whom, from time to time, their ministry is delegated. A faithful reliance upon the promises of our Blessed Lord respecting prayer will give us an assurance that so general a supplication for a special object could not be without effect; and no age ever required that such a supplication should be offered more than the present, when the Ĉlergy are growing more and more faithful, but when the necessities of some dioceses lead to a far too promiscuous admission of persons who are "fit," only by some stretch of language, "to serve in the sacred ministry of God's Church." It is worth noticing that "the Bishops and Pastors of Thy flock" does not refer to the Bishops and the Priests who with them lay their hands on the heads of those who are ordained Priests. "Bishop and Pastor" is the expression used in all the documents connected with the election and confirmation of a Bishop; and "all Bishops, the Pastors of Thy Church," are prayed for in the first Collect in the Office for Consecration of a Bishop. No doubt the expression is here also used in the same sense, with reference to the Bishop as the earthly This ancient prayer, which is one of the "Orationes pro Peccatis" in the Sacramentary of St. Gregory, comes into our Prayer Book through the Litany of the Salisbury Use, and is found in all the Primers of the English Church. It occupied its ancient place in the Litany of 1544, but was omitted from later Litanies until 1559. In 1661 it was transferred to this place, where it stands in the MS. The most ancient English version of it known is that of the fourteenth-century Prymer [MASKELL'S Monumenta Ritualia, iii. 110], which is as follows: “God, to whom it is propre to be merciful and to spare euermore, undirfonge" (undertake, "take," in Hilsey's Prymer) oure preieris; and the mercifulnesse of thi pitee asoile hem, that the chayne of trespas bindith. Bi crist oure Lord. So be it." The proper times for the use of this prayer are seasons of penitence. All days in Lent, Fridays, the Rogation Days, and the days of Ember Weeks, are obviously occasions when it comes in with a marked appropriateness; its use “after any of the former" clearly supposing that "the former" Collects are accompanied by fasting and humiliation. It may also be pointed out as a most suitable prayer for use by Clergy and Laity alike after any confession of sins in private prayer; or in praying with sick persons, in cases when an authoritative absolution is not to be used. § The Prayer for the Parliament. There is every reason to think that this prayer, so consonant with the constitutional principles of modern times, was composed by Archbishop Laud when Bishop of St. David's. The this time assembled: That Thou wouldest be pleased to direct and prosper all their consultations to the advancement of Thy glory, the good of Thy Church, the safety, honour, and welfare of our Sovereign, and his "Dominions; that all things may be so ordered and settled by their endeavours upon the best and surest foundations, that peace and happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety may be established among us for all generations. These and all other necessaries for them, for us, and Thy whole Church we humbly beg in the Name and mediation of JESUS CHRIST our most blessed LORD and SAVIOUR. Amen. and Sealed Books. this time assembled: That Thou wouldest be pleased to bless and direct all their consultations to the preservation of Thy glory, the good of Thy Church, the safety, honour, and welfare of our a Kingdoms in MS. Sovereign, and his Kingdoms. Look, O LORD, upon the humility and devotion with which they are come into Thy courts. And they are come into Thy house in assured confidence upon the merits and mercies of CHRIST our blessed SAVIOUR, that Thou wilt not deny them the grace and favour which they beg of Thee. Therefore, O LORD, bless them with all that wisdom, which Thou knowest necessary to make the maturity of his Majesty's and their counsels, the happiness and blessing of this commonwealth. These and all other necessaries for them, for us, and Thy whole Church, we humbly beg in the Name and mediation of CHRIST JESUS our most blessed LORD and SAVIOUR. Amen. TA Collect or Prayer for all conditions of men, to be used at such times when the Litany is not appointed to be said. GOD, the Creator and Preserver of all man kind, we humbly beseech Thee for all sorts and conditions of men; that Thou wouldest be pleased to make Thy ways known unto them, Thy saving health unto all nations. More especially, we pray for the good estate of the Catholick Church; that it may be so guided and governed by Thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians, may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of a Corruption "Christes.' earliest form in which it is known is that above given, from a Fast-day Service printed in 1625. It also appears in at least two Forms of Prayer which were issued by Laud after he became Archbishop of Canterbury, and during the rule of that "Long" Parliament by the influence of which he and the King suffered. It does not appear in a folio copy of "Prayers for the Parliament," which is bound up at the beginning of Bishop Cosin's Durham Prayer Book, but it was inserted in a Fast-day Service for the 12th of June 1661, and afterwards in its present place. The word "Dominions" was substituted for "Kingdoms" by an Order in Council of January 1, 1801. As, however, the ancient style of our kings was "Rex Angliæ, Dominus Hiberniæ," this seems to have been a constitutional mistake, as well as a questionable interference with the Prayer Book; but probably dominions was supposed to be the more comprehensive word, and one more suitable than " "kingdoms" to an empire so extended and of so mixed a character as that of the English Sovereigns. There is some reason to think that this is not the prayer which it was originally intended to insert here; the following entries appearing in the Journal of the Lower House of Convocation for 1661: "May 24. A prayer or collect to be made for the parliament sitting, and one for the synod: referred to Dr. Pory and the Archbishop's other chaplains to draw up and present the same to this House the next session." "May 31. Dr. Pory introduxit formam precationum pro parliamento et synodo. The approbation of them referred to the Dean of Wells (Dr. Creighton), Dr. Creed, Dr. Pearson, Dr. Crowther, and the Archbishop's two chaplains." [CARDWELL'S Conf. p. 374.] But a general fast was ordered for June 12th, and in the Form of Prayer printed for use on that occasion the Prayer for the Parliament appears in its present form. This looks as if the modification of the prayer of 1625 had been adopted as having already had Royal sanction; and 1 "A Forme of Common Prayer . . . to be read every Wednesday during the present visitation. Set forth by His Majestie's Authority. Reprinted at London by Bonham Norton and John Bill, Printers to the King's most excellent Majestie. Anno 1625." the Prayers of as if it was afterwards substituted for Dr. Pory's proposed prayers for the Parliament and the Convocation. This prayer may have been intended only for use before the several Houses of Parliament, when it was inserted here in 1661. Yet the remarks made on the Ember Collect apply to it in no small degree; and the general prayers of the Church may be expected to bring down a blessing upon the deliberations of the Parliament in a higher degree than the local prayers daily used in each House. It may be mentioned that the expression "most great, learned, and religious king," is contained in James I.'s Act for a Thanksgiving on the Fifth of November. § Prayer for all Conditions of Men. This prayer was composed by Dr. Peter Gunning, afterwards Bishop, successively, of Chichester and Ely, and one of the chief instruments, under God, in the restoration of the Prayer Book to national use in 1662. It has usually been supposed to be a condensed form of a longer prayer, in which he had endeavoured to satisfy the objections of the Puritans against the collect form of the Five Prayers, by amalgamating the substance of them into one. The first idea of it seems, however, to be taken from the nine ancient Collects for Good Friday, of which we only retain three. Dr. Bisse states that when Gunning was Master of St. John's College, Cambridge, he would not allow this prayer to be used at Evensong, declaring that he had composed it only for Morning use, as a substitute for the Litany. And certainly, if it had been intended for constant use, it is strange that it was not placed before the Prayer of St. Chrysostom in Morning and Evening Prayer, but among the "Prayers upon Several Occasions." The original intention must certainly have been to confine this general supplication to occasional use; and the meaning of "to be used" is probably identical with "that may be used." There are circumstances under which it may be desirable to shorten the Service; and if the omission of this prayer can thus be considered as permissible, it will offer one means of doing so. "THANKSGIVINGS. ALM ¶ A General Thanksgiving. LMIGHTY GOD, FATHER of all mercies, we Thine unworthy servants do give Thee most humble and hearty thanks for all Thy goodness and loving-kindness to us, and to all men ; • This to be said [* particularly to those who desire when any that now to offer up their praises and have been prayed for desire to rethanksgivings for Thy late mercies turn praise. vouchsafed unto them.] We bless Thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all, for Thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our LORD JESUS CHRIST; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech Thee, give us that due sense of all Thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we 'shew forth Thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up our selves to Thy service, and by walking before Thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD, to Whom with Thee and the HOLY GHOST be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen. ¶ For Rain. O GOD our heavenly FATHER, Who by Thy gracious providence dost cause the former and the latter rain to descend upon the earth, that it may bring forth fruit for the use of man; We give Thee humble thanks that it hath pleased Thee, in our great necessity, to send us at the The prayer is cast in the mould of that for the Church in the Communion Service. Bishop Cosin altered the preface of that prayer to "Let us pray for the good estate of Christ's Catholick Church," and the title of the prayer in the Rubric at the end of the Communion Service was altered by him in the same way. The title was often so printed in the last century, and had appeared in the same form in a book of Hours printed in 1531. [See notes on Prayer for Church in Communion Service.] The tone and the language of the prayer very successfully imitate those of the ancient collects, and the condensation of its petitions shews how thoroughly and spiritually the author of it entered into the worth of that ancient mode of prayer, as distinguished from the verbose meditations which were substituted for it in the Occasional Services of James I. The petition, "That all who profess and call themselves Christians, may be led into the way of truth," was evidently framed with reference to the Puritan Nonconformists, who had sprung up in such large numbers during the great Rebellion; but it is equally applicable as a prayer of charity for Dissenters at all times; and no words could be more gentle or loving than these, when connected with the petitions for unity, peace, and righteousness which follow. The concluding petitions have an analogy with the Memoria Communes of the Salisbury Use, "Pro quacunque tribulatione," and "Pro infirmo." In another Memoria, that "Pro amico" which comes between these two, the name of the person prayed for was mentioned, which may have suggested the parenthetical reference to individuals in this prayer.1 There was, beside these Common Memorials, a Daily Prayer for the Sick in the Service at Prime, as follows:Omnipotens sempiterne Almighty and everlasting Deus salus æterna creden- God, the eternal salvation of tium, exaudi nos pro famulis them that believe, hear us on 1 Bishop Cosin provided a short service to be used in this place for any persons desiring the prayers of the Church. [See the note at the end of the Visitation Office, p. 470.) It is a very excellent practice, when any are known to be dying, to commend them to the prayers of the Church (by name or otherwise) before the Prayer for all Conditions of Men is said. It is equally applicable to cases of mental or bodily distress, as well as to its more familiar use in the case of sick persons; and the afflictions or distresses of "mind, body, or estate," which are so tersely but comprehensively named, shew clearly that the special clause of intercession was not by any means intended to be limited to sickness. THE OCCASIONAL THANKSGIVINGS. These were all placed as they now stand in 1661; but they were, with two exceptions, printed at the end of the Litany (by Royal authority only), after the Hampton Court Conference in 1604. The particular circumstances under which this liberty was taken with the Prayer Book by James I. are mentioned in the Historical Introduction. It is unnecessary to add anything further here than that the Occasional -Thanksgivings are now as entirely a part of the Prayer Book sanctioned by the Church as any other prayers. |