certainly more than accidental. There are several coincidences also between words in the Baptismal and other offices of the Eastern Church and particular verses of the Te Deum, and the former are supposed to be of extremely ancient date. In the Alexandrine MS. of the Scriptures, a work of the fourth or fifth century, preserved in the British Museum, there is moreover a Morning Hymn which is written at the end of the Psalter, and which is still used in the daily services of the Greek Church. The following is a translation:

Glory to Thee, the giver of light.

Glory to God on high, and on earth peace, good will towards

men.

We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory.

O Lord, heavenly King, God, Father Almighty: O Lord, only-begotten Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit.

O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world; have mercy upon us, Thou that takest away the sin of the world.

Accept our prayer: Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us.

For Thou only art holy; Thou only Lord Jesus Christ art in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Day by day I bless Thee, and for ever and ever.

praise Thy name for ever, and

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep me this day without sin.

ancient Eastern Liturgies; the remaining portion has clearly a common origin with the Te Deum. Verses 8 and 9 are the same as the 24th and 26th verses of the latter. The 11th is also identical with the last of the Te Deum, but it is taken from Psalm xxxiii. 22. Like the Te Deum, this ancient Morning Hymn of the Greek Church borrows largely from the Psalms in its concluding portion, and the verses chosen are of a supplicatory character in both, though otherwise they do not correspond.

The most probable conclusion to arrive at is, that this noble canticle, in its present form, is a composition of the fourth or fifth century; and that it represents a still more ancient hymn, of which traces are to be found in St. Cyprian and the Morning Hymn of the Alexandrine Manuscript.

The Te Deum is only known as connected with the ritual of the Church. It seems also from the first to have been connected with the reading of the Morning Lessons, the expression "Keep us this day without sin," being some evidence of this, though not convincing, as an analogous form is used in "Give us this day our daily bread." In the Salisbury Use, which probably represents the more ancient use of the Church of England, it was directed to be sung after the last lesson on Sundays and other Festivals, except during Advent and the Lenten season from Septuagesima to Easter. Quignonez, in his reformed Roman Breviary, directed it to be used every day even in Lent and Advent. The Prayer Book of 1549 ordered it to be used every day, with the exceptions cus

and glorified be Thy name for ever. Amen.

Lord, let Thy mercy be upon us, as our trust is in Thee.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord: O teach me Thy statutes.

Lord, Thou hast been our refuge, from one generation to another.

I said, Lord, be merciful to me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee. Lord, I fly to Thee; teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God.

For with Thee is the well of life; in Thy light shall we see light.

Show forth Thy mercy to them that know Thee.

O Holy God, O holy Might, O holy Immortal, have mercy upon us. Amen.

Ps. xxxiii. 22.

Ps. cxix. 12.

Ps. xc. 1.

Ps. xli. 4.

Ps. cxliii. 9, 10.

Ps. xxxvi. 9.

Ibid. 10.

The first division of this hymn is identical with the Eucharistic Gloria in Excelsis, and the last verse is the Trisagion of the

viously almost of daily occurrence, this was practically a continuance of the old rule. In 1552 the exceptions were erased, and have not since been restored; but as the alternative Canticle, Benedicite, remains, some ritualists conclude that it is to be used in Lent and Advent as directed by the First Book of Edward VI., and not the Te Deum'. Of ritual customs anciently con

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto:
Et pauperum suorum miserebitur."

The ancient ritual use of the Benedicite was entirely festive; though it was not indeed set aside from its place in Lauds during Lent and Advent. Admirable substitutes for the Te Deum in Lent and Advent might be found in two other of the discontinued Lauds Canticles, the Song of Hezekiah (Isaiah xxxviii.) being exactly adapted for Lent, and that of

nected with the singing of this hymn, one still retains a strong hold upon English people, viz., that of bowing at the words "Holy, Holy, Holy," with the same reverent gesture that is used in the Creed a custom derived from the angelic reverence spoken of in Isaiah in connexion with the same words. "And for bycause Angels praise God with great reverence, therefore ye incline when ye sing their song," says the Mirror.

Besides the use of the Te Deum in the Morning Service, there is a well-known custom of singing this triumphal hymn, by itself, arranged to elaborate music, as a special service of thanksgiving. It is directed to be used in this manner, in "Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea, after Victory, or deliverance from an Enemy:" and at the conclusion of coronations it is always so used, as it has been, time immemorial, over the whole of Europe. The Sovereigns of England have been accustomed to go in state to the singing of the Te Deum after great victories, and Handel's "Dettingen Te Deum" was composed for one of these occasions. Custom has also established this separate use of the Te Deum on other important occasions of thanksgiving.

The most ancient Christian music known has come down to us in connexion with this Canticle; being that known as the "Ambrosian Te Deum," which is found in a work on Music written by Boëthius, a Roman Consul, in A.D. 487. This is, however, thought to be an adaptation of the Temple psalmody of the Jews, like the other ancient Church tones.

A very striking characteristic of this heavenly hymn is the strictly doctrinal form in which it is composed, which makes it a literal illustration of St. Paul's words, "I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also" (1 Cor. xiv. 15). It has been thought by some, from the singularity of the opening words, Te Deum, that it is throughout a hymn to Christ as God, representing, or analogous to, that spoken of by Pliny in his letter to Trajan. But the English version truly represents the Latin form, in which a double accusative is joined to the verb

Habakkuk (Hab. iii.) being equally suitable for Advent. The Salisbury version of the latter (from the Vulgate) had two beautiful renderings of the 13th and 18th verses: "Thou wentest forth for the salvation of Thy wople: even for salvation with Thy Christ;" and "Yet I will rejoice in .d: I will joy in God my Jesus."

laudamus that could not be otherwise rhythmically translated. That the English Church has always considered the earlier verses of it to be addressed to the First Person of the Blessed Trinity is evidenced by the ancient Salisbury Antiphon to the Athanasian Creed, which is "Te Deum Patrem ingenitum, te Filium unigenitum, te Spiritum Sanctum Paracletum, sanctam et individuam Trinitatem toto corde et ore confitemur." It has also been conjectured that the 11th, 12th, and 13th verses have been interpolated, but there is not the slightest ground for this conjecture, all ancient MSS. in Latin, Teutonic of the ninth Century, and English from the ninth to the fourteenth, reading precisely the same and the hymn being rendered imperfect by their omission. The first ten verses are an offering of praise to the Father Almighty, with the Scriptural recognition of the Blessed Trinity implied in the Ter Sanctus which Isaiah heard the Seraphim sing when he beheld the glory of Christ, and spake of Him. In the three following verses this implied recognition of the Three in One is developed into an actual ascription of praise to each, the Pater immensæ Majestatis, the Unicus Filius, and the Sanctus Paracletus Spiritus. In these thirteen verses the Unity and Trinity of the Divine Nature is celebrated in the name of the whole Church of God. The Militant Church, the various orders of holy Angels with which it has fellowship in the New Jerusalem, the Apostles, Prophets, and Martyrs of the Old and New Dispensation now gathered into the Church Triumphant, all thus adore God the Lord, the Lord God of Sabaoth, the Father Everlasting: and the holy Church gathers up its praises in a devout acknowledgment of each person of the Blessed Trinity as the Object of Divine worship. Then begins that part of the Hymn which glorifies God for the blessing of the Incarnation: the latter sixteen verses addressing themselves to our Lord and Saviour; commemorating His Divine Nature and Eternal Existence, His Incarnation, Sacrifice, Ascension, and Session at the right hand of the Father. In the last verses, with a mixture of plaintiveness and triumph, the hymn follows the line marked out by the angels at the Ascension, looking to our Lord's Second Advent as the true complement of His First. This concluding portion is as well fitted to express the tone of a Church Militant as the initial portion is to express that of a Church Triumphant: and the personal form of the last verse is a touching reminder of the individual interest that each of us

Canticum trium puerorum. Dan. iii. ENEDICITE omnia opera Domini Domino: laudate et superexaltate eum in sæcula.

children 35

66.

Ps. cxlviii. 1.

2.

3.

3.

bless ye the Lord praise him,

and magnify him for ever.

O ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Heavens, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Waters, that be above the Firmament, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Sun, and Moon, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Stars of Heaven, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

has in the corporate work of praise and prayer of which Divine Service is constituted. Few uninspired compositions give so clear an echo of the spirit and depth of Holy Scripture.

There are three verses of the Te Deum which require special notice, with reference to the modern Latin and English in which they are given to us at the present day.

(1) The ninth verse, "Te Martyrum candidatus, laudat exercitus," is very insufficiently rendered by "The noble army of Martyrs praise Thee." In pre-Reformation versions it stood,"The, preiseth the white oost of martiris ;" and considering the distinct connexion between this verse and Rev. vii. 9. 14, it is strange that the Scriptural idea of "white robes" which have been "made white in the blood of the Lamb," should have been superseded by the word "noble." It is possible that the idea of something lustrous and pure was more expressed by "noble" in the early part of the sixteenth century, than is conveyed by it to modern ears; but the change of the word from the old English "white," and Anglo-Saxon "shining," has gone far to obliterate, the true sense of the original in our present version.

(2) In the sixteenth verse, the ancient and modern English versions alike fail to give the full sense of the Latin. The former uniformly give, "Thou wert not skoymes (squeamish) to take the maydenes wombe, to delyver mankynde," which is little different in sense from our present version. But it is clear that Tu, ad liberandum, suscepturus hominem" includes a reference to the Incarnation, as much as "non horruisti Virginis uterum." The verse would be more literally rendered, "Thou, being about to take manhood upon Thee, to deliver it;" but there is an almost insurmountable difficulty in the way of matching the point and rhythm of the Latin by an equivalent sentence in English.

(3) The twenty-first verse has been altered both in Roman Breviaries and in the English Prayer Book. All Latin MSS.

1 So gold and silver were called "noble metals" by the early chymists.

Benedicite Angeli Domini Domino : benedicite cœli Domino.

Benedicite aquæ omnes quæ super cœlos sunt Domino : benedicite omnes virtutes Domini Domino.

Benedicite sol et luna Domino : benedicite stellæ cœli Domino.

Salisbury Use.

previously to 1492, read "Eterna fac cum sanctis Tuis gloria munerari:" and the equivalent of munerari is found in every known version of the Te Deum up to that time; our own in the fourteenth century being, "Make hem to be rewarded with thi seyntes, in endles blisse." The “numerari" reading appears to be an error of the early printers, arising out of the very slight difference presented by mun and num in black letter'. The word "in" is a modern insertion of the same date, and probably arose from confusion between the twenty-first and the eighteenth verses, in the latter of which occurs "in gloria Patris." Since our Lord said "Great is your reward in Heaven," and "Himself shall reward you openly," the old English rendering of munerari is quite Scriptural; but it may be pointed out that the sense of the Latin is rather that of free gift than reward, munerari, not re-munerari. Perhaps the original may be rendered, "Make them to be awarded with Thy saints: Thy glory everlasting," without departing from the sense of the original, or the familiar rhythm of our Prayer Book version. The received version, although not faithful to the original, is happily comprehensive; for, to be "numbered with the children of God," and to have a "lot among the saints," is to receive the "great recompense of reward," the heavenly heritage of those who are joint heirs with Christ of His triumphant kingdom.

THE BENEDICITE.

There is no doubt that this Canticle is of Jewish origin, although its claim to be part of the Canonical Book of Daniel is

1 It should, however, be mentioned that the Venerable Bede, who was almost contemporary with Gregory the Great, records some words of his which contain something very like this reading. "Sed et in ipsa missarum celebratione tria verba maximæ perfectionis plena superadjecit,' Diesque nostros in tua pace disponas, atque ab æterna damnatione nos eripi, et in electorum tuorum jubeas grege numerari."-Bede, Hist. Eccl., lib. 2, c. i. 87.

O ye Showers, and Dew, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Winds of God, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Fire, and Heat, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Winter, and Summer, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Dews, and Frosts, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Frost, and Cold, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Ice, and Snow, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Nights, and Days, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Light, and Darkness, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Lightnings, and Clouds, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O let the Earth bless the Lord yea, let it praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Mountains, and Hills, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Green Things upon the Earth, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Wells, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Seas, and Floods, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

not recognized by the Church of England, which has placed it among the books of the Apocrypha. It has a great resemblance to the 148th Psalm, and is generally considered to be a paraphrase of it.

Several of the Fathers speak of the Benedicite as being used in the Services of the Church. St. Chrysostom especially refers to it as "that admirable and marvellous song, which from that day to this hath been sung every where throughout the world, and shall yet be sung in future generations." Rufinus speaks of it in the same manner, (in defending its Canonical authority against Jerome',) as having been sung by holy confessors and martyrs,

It is inserted in the Comes of St. Jerome among the Lections on the

Benedicite imber et ros Domino Salisbury Use. benedicite omnes spiritus Dei Domino.

Benedicite ignis et æstus Domino : benedicite frigus et æstas Domino.

Benedicite rores et pruina Domino : benedicite gelu et frigus Domino.

Benedicite glacies et nives Domino : benedicite noctes et dies Domino.

Benedicite lux et tenebræ Domino : benedicite fulgura et nubes Domino.

Benedicat terra Dominum : laudet et superexaltet eum in sæcula.

Benedicite montes et colles Domino : benedicite universa germinantia in terra Domino.

Benedicite fontes Domino: benedicite maria et flumina Domino.

who would not have been permitted to sing that as Holy Scripture which is not so. It was used as one of the Psalms at Lauds as early as the time of St. Athanasius, and occupied the same position on Sundays in the ancient services of the Church of England. When the Psalter was restricted, in 1549, to the hun. dred and fifty psalms which go by the general name of the Psalms of David, the Song of the Three Children was placed after the Te Deum, to be used as a responsory canticle to the first lesson, under the title "Benedicite, Omnia Opera Domini Domino." This use of it was not by any means novel, as it was

Festival called Statio ad S. Petrum under the title "Hymnus Trium Puerorum."

P. cxlviii. 10.

Ps. cxxxiv. 1.

Ps. cxxxvi. 1.

Benedictus.

Luke i. 68.

O ye Whales, and all that move in the Waters, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Fowls of the Air, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Beasts, and Cattle, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Children of Men, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O let Israel bless the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

praise

O ye Spirits, and Souls of the righteous, bless ye the Lord him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye holy and humble Men of heart, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord praise him, and magnify him for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;

said between the lessons (according to Mabillon), in the old Gallican ritual which was once common to France and England. When first inserted in its present place, this Canticle was ruled by the following rubric prefixed to the Te Deum :"After the first lesson shall follow throughout the year (except in Lent, all the which time, in the place of Te Deum, shall be used Benedicite Omnia Opera Domini Domino) in English, as followeth." This rubric was altered to its present form in 1552, the object of the alteration being probably to allow greater freedom in the substitution of Benedicite for Te Deum. It was an ancient rule to use the former when any portion of the Prophet Daniel was read. In more recent times it has been customary to sing it on Septuagesima Sunday, when Genesis i. is the first lesson; on the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, when Daniel iii.

is read; and on week-days during Lent and Advent1. The ordinary Doxology was substituted for the one proper to the psalm, in 1549. The latter is, "O let us bless the Father, and the Son, with the Holy Ghost: let us praise Him, and magnify Him for ever. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of Heaven; worthy to be praised, and glorious, and to be magnified for ever." Pope Damasus (A.D. 366) is said to have been its author; but it is founded on the verse which precedes the words Benedicite Omnia Opera.

THE BENEDICTUS.

This prophetic hymn of Zacharias has been used as a responsory canticle to the Gospel lessons from very ancient times, being

1 See, however, note on p. 11.