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at his hands; to fet forth his moft worthy praife; to hear his moft holy Word; and to ask thofe things which are requifite and neceffary, as well for the body as the foul. Wherefore I pray and befeech you, as many as are here prefent, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice, unto the throne of the heavenly grace, faying after me:

A general Confeffion to be faid of the whole Congregation after the Minister, all kneeling.

Almighty and moft merciful Father, we have erred

and ftrayed from thy ways like loft fheep. We have followed too much the devices and defires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone thofe things which we ought to have done; and we have done thofe things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miferable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confefs their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; according to thy promifes declared unto mankind in Chrift Jefu our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his fake, that we may here

A general confefion] This is, properly, the commencement of the fervices of the congregation. Hitherto they had only liftened in folemn filence to the minifter; they now unite with him, a fellow finner in the fight of God, in confefling and deploring their tranfgreflions; in petitioning for pardon for the pait, and for grace to affilt them in future obedience. Public worship in the primitive church commenced with confeffion, as St. Bafil has informed us; "All together, as if with one voice," fays he, "and one heart, lift up the pfalm of confeffion unto the Lord; each man, "in his own words, expreffing his own repentance."

By the Prieft alone] On thefe words of the Rubric, a question has arifen, which for a long time was agitated with great warmth; whether or not, the word alone excluded all perfons from pronouncing the abfolution, fave thofe who had taken priests' orders. The arguments, however, for the affirmative are fo ftrong, that little doubt feems now to remain of the impropriety of either laymen, deacons, or any perfon under the order of a prieft, pronouncing this part of the Liturgy.--The abfolution confifts of two parts; 1ft, a declaration of "pardon and forgivencfs of fins," made by the minifter of God to "all thofe who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe the gofpel;" and 2dly, an exhortation, directing how abfolution may be obtained, and pointing out the unfpeakable benefits of it, even that of our becoming partakers of God's "eternal joy, through Jefus Christ our Lord."

after live a godly, righteous, and fober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

The Abfolution or Remiffion of fins, to be pronounced by the Prieft alone, ftanding; the People ftill kneeling. Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift,

who defireth not the death of a finner, but rather that he may turn from his wickednefs, and live; and hath given power and commandment to his Minifters to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the abfolution and remiffion of their fins; he pardoneth and abfolveth them that truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy Gofpel. Wherefore let us befeech him to grant us true repentance, and his Holy Spirit; that thofe things may please him, which we do at this prefent, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy; fo that at the laft we may come to his eternal joy, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. The People fhall answer here, and at the end of all other Prayers, Amen.

Then the Minifter shall kneel, and say the Lord's Prayer with an audible voice; the People alfo kneeling, and repeating it with him, both here, and wherefoever else it is ufed in Divine Service.

OUR Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy

Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven: Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trefpafles, as we forgive them that trefpafs against us; And lead us not into temptation, But

Amer] This is an Hebrew word, fignifying truth, fidelity, and certainty. Our Catechifm explains it "fo be it." When pronounced at the end of a prayer it is addreffed to God, and means, "Verily, O Lord, confirm and establish to us all the bleflings for which we have petitioned." When pronounced at the end of exhortations, abfolutions, and creeds, it is addreffed to the priest, and means "fo be it: we entirely affent to and approve what has juft been delivered." The Apoftolical Chriftians faid "Amen at the bleffing, and giving of thanks;". 1 Cor. xiv. 16: a practice they adopted from the Jews, (vide Deut. xxvii. 15) who attributed great efficacy to the loud and folemn pronunciation of this word; their proverb fays, that the garden of Eden is opened to him who anfwers Amen with all his power."

The Lord's-Prayer with an audible voice] We have obferved before,. that in the firft book of King Edward VIth, the Liturgy began with the Lord's-prayer; (as was the practice in the primitive churches, according

deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Then likewife he fall fay,

O Lord, open thou our lips;

Anfw. And our mouth fhall fhew forth thy praife.

to Tertullian;) and that previously to the Reformation, fome parts of the Liturgy were repeated by the priest to himfelf, in a low voice; and fome parts were faid privately both by minifter and congregation. The former deficiency was fupplied afterwards, by prefixing the Sentences, &c.; and the latter defect was rectified, by the Rubric directing a loud pronunciation of the Lord's prayer, both by minifter and people. Till the last review, however, the Rubric fimply directed the minifter to begin the Lord'sprayer with a loud voice; and after the first paragraph, (as is the cafe at the prefent English Roman Catholic chapels) he dropped his voice, and continued to mutter the prayer to himfelf till he came to the fentence, "but deliver us from evil. Amen," which he and the people pronounced with a loud voice together.-With refpect to the prevailing fupplication before us, we may obferve that it contains every thing fit for us to afk, or our heavenly Father to give; and that it is equally admirable, from its comprehenfive concifenefs, beautiful fimplicity, and profound devotion. Our bleffed Lord, in wife conformity to the judicious practice of the Jewish teachers, of prefenting forms of prayer to their scholars, vouchfafed to comply with the requeft of his difciples, " to teach them how to pray;" and felected from the various precatory forms, which at that time were well known amongst the Jews, the different phrafes and fentences that compofe this divine prayer. The fources from whence they were adopted will be pointed out under the evening fervice.

O Lord open, &c.] Thefe four verficles are found in moft of the ancient Liturgies, particularly in thofe of St. James and St. Chryfoftom. They are here introduced to connect the preceding penitential fervice to which they properly belong, with the fucceeding praifes, thankfgivings, and glorifying part of the Liturgy. This alternate recitation of fentences by minifter and people was a practice of the ancient Jews, and adopted from them by the primitive Chriftians. In Henry's Primers all the different fervices commenced with the above verficles. The names and order of these services are here fubjoined for the information and entertainment of the reader. The firft fervice was Matins, performed at three o'clock in the morning. It commenced with the above verficles; Ave Maria followed; then the Jubilate; and afterwards this hymn:

"Now the cheerful day doth spring,
Unto God pray we and fing,
That in all works of the day,
He preferve and keep us aye.
That our tongue he may refrain
From all ftrife and wordes vain,
Keep our eyes in coverture
From all ill and vain pleasure.
That our hearts be voided quite
From phantafy and fond delight,
Thin diet of drink and meat,
Of the flesh to cool the heat:

Priest. O God, make speed to fave us.
Anfw. O Lord make hafte to help us.

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After this hymn followed portions of pfalms viii. xviii. xxiii; the anthem; the Lord's prayer; the blefsing; the firft leffon, Ifaiah xi.; the blefling; the fecond leffon, Luke i.; the bleffing; the third leffon, Luke i; Te Deum laudamus; the verficle; "Pray for us, holy Mother of God;" the answer, "that we be made worthy to attain the promises of Chrift." To this fervice fucceeded the Laudes, confifting of Palm Ixvi, Daniel ii. Pfalm cxlviii.; the anthem; the chapter; Virgin Mary, rejoice always, which haft born Chrift, the maker of heaven and earth: for out of thy womb thou haft brought forth the Saviour of the world: Thanks be to God." The hymn, Luke i.; the anthem; verficle, and anfwer; prayer. The Matins concluded with the Collects; a feries of prayers and ejaculations by the priest, in the name of the affembly. At fix o'clock in the morning, the fervice called the Prime took place, and commenced with the verticles, "O God, make speed to fave us," and the fucceeding one. Then followed this fpirited and beautiful "hymn:"

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Pfalm cxvii. fucceeded this hymn; then the anthem; verficle; anfwer; and prayer for meeknefs of fpirit, and contrition for fin.-The third beur, or nine o'clock, fervice began with the fame verficles, which were fucceeded by this elegant "hymn:"

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Here all standing up, the Priest fhall fay,

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghoft;

Anf. As it, was in the beginning, is now, and ever fhall be: world without end. Amen.

Prieft. Praise ye the Lord.

Anfw. The Lord's Name be praised.

¶Then fhall be faid or fung this Pfalm following: except on Eafter-Day, upon which another Anthem is appointed; and on the Nineteenth Day of every Month it is not to be read here, but in the ordinary courfe of the Pfalms.

Venite, exultemus Domino. Pfalm xcv.

Come, let us fing unto the Lord : let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our falvation.

Then followed part of pfalm cxix; the anthem; verficle; answer, and prayer. The fixth hour, or twelve o'clock prayer commenced as above; hymn; pfalm xxii.; anthem; verficle; anfwer; and prayer for compaffion towards our fellow-creatures. The ninth hour, or three o'clock fervice began as before: hymn; pfalm xiv.; anthem; verficle; anfwer; and prayer for grace under perfecutions.

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Glory be to the Father, &c.] This fhort hymn (called the Gloria Patri, and leffer doxology, to diftinguifh it from the greater doxology, beginning Glory be to God on high," &c.) is of great, but uncertain antiquity. In the primitive ages, the fathers of the church feem to have used doxologies, or fimilar formularies, of their own compofition, differing as their dif ferent fancies dictated. But when the herefy of the Arians obliged the church to vindicate its doctrine of the Trinity, it was then judged expedient to adopt one general and uniform doxology, which was drawn up in thefe words: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghoft, now and ever, world without end.' This form the Greek church ftill retains in its fervices; though the Western church foon after the adoption of it added, "As it was in the beginning;" in order to oppofe that doctrine of Arianism which held a beginning of time antecedent to the exiftence of Jefus Christ.

Praife ye, &c.] A literal tranflation of the Hebrew Hallelujah. In the firft Book of Edward VIth, the untranflated compound word Alleluya is appointed to be ufed "from Eafter to Trinity Sunday." These fifty days were, in the primitive church, dedicated to holy rejoicing, in commemoration of our Lord's refurrection; and during this feafon, and only then, the original Hebrew phrafe Hallelujah was chaunted in the daily fervice. It is this practice which probably occafioned the rubric in Edward Ift's book. The Lord's Name, &c.] This refponse was introduced into our Liturgy at the laft review, A.D. 1662.

The Pfalm following] "This," fays Sparrow," is an invitatory psalm; for herein we do mutually invite and call upon one another, being come before his prefence, to fing to the Lord," &c. St. Ambrofe informs us

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