The Prayer Book Explained

by Percival Jackson

Section i. Our cry to Christ.

The distinguishing feature of the Litany is that it uses a worship-form which is not used elsewhere in the Prayer Book. The Minister dictates briefly the subject of the Prayer, which is then made by the voices of the People. These are called Suffrages (from suffragium, Latin for a vote in favour, or approbation). That part of the Litany which is made in this way is very full and detailed. Students should also notice the variety of its phrases, and the beauty of its rhythm.

The use of such a form is ancient, and the Revisers in 1549 had the substance ready to their hand. Comparing the older Litany with that which we use, we note that the Revisers have frequently combined several suffrages to make one suffrage, as in the following instance:

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By thine Agony and bloody By thy Passion and Cross:
Sweat; by thy Cross and deliver us, O Lord.
Passion; by thy precious Death By thy precious Death:
and Burial; by thy glorious deliver us, O Lord.
Resurrection and Ascension; By thy glorious Resurrection:
and by the coming of the Holy deliver us, O Lord.
Ghost: By thy marvellous Ascension:
deliver us, O Lord.
Good Lord, deliver us. By the grace of the Holy
Spirit the Comforter: deliver
us, O Lord.

Here five suffrages are grouped into one. In like manner four are grouped in the suffrage, From all evil and mischief &c.

The number of petitions was further reduced by the omission of all the prayers to the Saints, entreating them to pray for us. These were very numerous—28 fixed; and 40 more, which varied according to the week-day.

The petitions which were then introduced present two features which should be carefully studied—Duplication and Wreathing[5]. Duplication has been already explained (see p. 33), and is here of the Progressive sort. We give numerous instances below. Wreathing is when two phrases have two members each, and are united by taking the two first members together, and the two second members together.

A simple instance of this is found in the union of the phrases,

by their preaching they may set forth, and by their living they may shew accordingly

{161} the Word of God. These, being wreathed together, become that by their preaching and living they may set it forth and shew it accordingly.

In such combinations it is necessary that the ideas shall be in harmony with one another. God's truth is set forth in sermons, and shewn in the preacher's life: with rather less exactness, but with sufficient truth, and with admirable suggestion, we may say that God's truth is set forth in the good life of a preacher, and shewn in his sermons.

One of the best instances of Wreathing is in the combination of the three phrases

succour all that are in danger, help all that are in necessity, comfort all that are in tribulation.

Danger, Necessity, and Tribulation are in progressive order of calamity. In danger, the calamity may be avoided—we want support for our own strength: in necessity, the blow has fallen—we want help at once from outside: in tribulation, the disaster has come—we want comfort.

If we have understood Progressive Duplication, we shall at once see that Wreathing is used in unison with it.

It is convenient to describe the 1st section of the Litany, as consisting of four subsections, viz. Invocations, Deprecations, Obsecrations, and Intercessions. The Invocations are said by the Minister, and repeated by the congregation. The prayers of the other sub-sections formerly were also said twice; but, since 1549, are said in two parts, the congregation making the respond which contains the prayer. This is done {162} not only for variety, but to assist the blind, or unlearned, in uniting their voices with the rest of the people. It is moreover an exercise of the privilege of approach to God, granted by our Lord (1 Pet. ii. 5; S. Matth. xviii. 19, 20), which is sometimes forgotten in thoughts of the ministry which He appointed.

Progressive Duplication &c.

The groups of sins and sufferings from which we desire to be delivered supply instances of progress, from that which is less, to that which is more, serious. Most of these are obvious, and call for no further remark.

Deprecations (Prayer for deliverance).

1. Spare thy people, O Lord: Joel ii. 17.

2. Crafts and assaults: The crafty enemy is one who cannot, or dare not, attack openly. Hence assaults imply greater strength, or greater courage, than crafts.

3. Of personal defects, Blindness of heart may be due at first to causes for which we are not responsible. Pride is that which is too well satisfied with itself: Vain-glory is that which seeks admiration from others; Hypocrisy is that which seeks admiration on false pretences.

Envy is the desire to injure, and grows into Hatred, which has perhaps a vestige of candour that is absent from Malice.

3 and 4. Deadly sin. All sin is deadly unless it is forgiven by God; on the other hand "after we have {163} received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and by the grace of God we may arise again, and amend our lives," "the grant of repentance is not to be denied to such" (Article xvi.). It should be remembered that our Lord has taught us to interpret the Commandments inclusively, so that they comprise all duties, and all sins—envy, hatred, and malice, as well as murder, for instance. The old distinction between deadly sins and venial sins has in it only an element of truth. Those named deadly sins were Pride, Covetousness, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Anger, Sloth. Of these Pride, Lust, and Envy are mentioned here, being notable amongst sins which war against the Soul. Two phrases here include all sins: "all deadly sin," and, "the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil." It is not easy to decide whether such a sin as Idleness falls under the head of Covetousness, or Sloth, or Pride; nor whether it is a deceit of the World, the Flesh, or the Devil. These classifications do, however, help in self-examination, and sometimes suggest helps in the battle against our sins.

5. Plague, Pestilence, and Famine form a group in which we see that Famine is the most serious, because it attacks the whole community. Plague is a disease which befalls us as a blow (plege); Pestilence is a disease which spreads from one to another. Science tends to enlarge the host of pestilences, and diminish the number of death-blows which cannot be explained. It is apparent that a disease which spreads through a community is more dreadful than one which singles out one person or many.

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battle, murder, and sudden death, are blows which may fall upon us; it is not prayer that we may be delivered from being soldiers, and from the crime of murder.

6. sedition, privy conspiracy, and rebellion: sedition is the thought; conspiracy, the plan; and rebellion, the action—of a subject against the Government.

false doctrine, heresy and schism: false doctrine is the thought; heresy, the plan; and schism, the action—of a Churchman against the Church, and its Lord.

hardness of heart, is a disposition to disobey what we know to be the command of God. If not checked, it grows into actual contempt of His Word and Commandment.

Obsecrations. (Entreaty mentioning the plea.)

7 and 8. Incarnation: S. John i. 14; Rom. i. 3.

Nativity: S. Luke ii. 11. Circumcision: S. Luke ii. 21.

Baptism: S. Matth. iii. 16.

Fasting and Temptation: S. Luke iv. 1, 2.

Agony and Bloody Sweat: S. Luke xxii. 44.

Cross and Passion: S. Matth. xxvii. 41-46; Heb. v. 7.

Death and Burial: S. Mark xv. 44, 45.

Resurrection: S. Matth. xxviii. 5-7.

Ascension: Acts i. 9; 1 Tim. iii. 16.

The Coming of the Holy Ghost: Acts ii. 32, 33.

9. Tribulation, Wealth, Death, Judgment are the four times of special need.

Tribulation is derived from threshing, or crushing.

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Wealth is well-doing, or welfare. Prosperity and Adversity are both times of temptation.

Intercessions. (Prayer for others.)

10. Universal is equivalent to Catholic.

11. Governor refers to the relation of the Sovereign to the Church.

12. faith, fear, and love, an ascending order of submission to God. affiance=trust.

11, 14. The names of the Sovereign, and of the Royal Family, vary in these petitions. A Prayer Book of 1682 has King Charles, Queen Catherine, and James Duke of York. In 1801, King George, Queen Charlotte, George Prince of Wales, and the Princess of Wales. In 1850, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and Albert Prince of Wales. The date of a Prayer Book is sometimes omitted from a title page, but may be learnt from these petitions more accurately than from the Table of Moveable Feasts. It is, I believe, left to the Sovereign to say who is to be mentioned, and by what titles.

15. Bishops: successors of the Apostles as Overseers of the Churches (1 Tim. i. 3; 2 Tim. ii. 2; Tit. i. 5, ii. 15). The word epirkopos(= overseer) is contracted into Bishop in many languages, with slight differences, e.g. Old English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Cornish. In Spanish it becomes Obispo; in Italian, Vescovo; in French, Évêque.

Priests: successors of the Elders, or Presbyters, who ministered in congregations (Acts xx. 17). As the Bishop has the Oversight of many congregations with their Priests and Deacons, so the Priest {166} has the Oversight of one congregation, or Parish. In this sense he might be called Overseer, or Bishop, of that Parish, and S. Paul's use of this word in 1 Tim. iii. has suggested that, while the Apostles lived, the word Bishop was used as much in this sense as in the other. When the word Bishop was required for the Apostolic office, the word Priest remained for the second Order of the ministry. Priest is contracted from Presbyter, and appears with slight variations in many languages.

Deacons. The Seven appointed in Acts vi. are not there called deacons, but they are assumed to be the first who were appointed to that office, or order of the Ministry. In some ancient churches they retained the practice of having seven deacons.

The word means Minister, and has come from the Greek into many languages with slight variations. Like the word Bishop, it is used in the N.T. of other orders of the Ministry (S. Paul, 1 Cor. iii. 5; 2 Cor. iii. 6; Eph. iii. 7, &c.: Epaphras, Col. i. 7: Tychicus, Eph. vi. 21: Timothy, 1 Tim. iv. 6: Archippus, Col. iv. 17). Although in 1 Tim. iv. 6 the word is used of Timothy, who was receiving commandment as overseer of all the Clergy at Ephesus, we find in 1 Tim. iii. 8-10 that Deacons were already Church Ministers, with official duties (1 Tim. iii. 10)[6].

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shew it accordingly: i.e. shew it in accordance with their preaching. The "teaching" and "living" must agree together.

16. The Council of the King of England had, from of old, the duty of making, or approving, the choice of the King, and advising him on matters of state, and of law. Many of its duties have been deputed to Committees, to Judges, and to Parliament. The Cabinet of Chief Ministers of State may be regarded as a Committee of the King's Council.

In the reign of Charles II., when the Prayer Book was last revised, the Council was still the body whose advice guided the King, although it was growing too large for the secrecy which is often necessary in such weighty matters. It is still a very great honour to be made a Privy Councillor, but the Privy Council very seldom, or never, meets for business except by its Committees, which are not chosen by the Council.

When therefore we use this petition, we may think rather of the members of the Cabinet than of those whom the King has honoured with the title of Privy Councillor. A petition for the House of Commons might with advantage be introduced into the Litany.

17. to execute justice, in the case which is being tried, is the first duty of a magistrate; to maintain truth is also his duty, for he must have regard to other cases which will come before the Court.

18. This concludes the petitions for our own nation. We now go on to things which affect all nations alike.

19. Unity, peace, and concord. The general meaning of these words is the same, but there may {168} be unity without peace, and peace without concord: therefore we pray for all the three; and concord is placed last as being the inward temper which gives reality to unity and peace.

20. Here the order is reversed—proceeding from love which is the highest kind of bond, to dread which should keep us from disobedience, and coming finally to the outward result viz. a diligent life of obedience to the commandments.

21. Takes up the last thought of the previous suffrage.

The life of obedience is here traced from hearing to receiving, and so, to the fruits of the Spirit (see Gal. V. 22-24).

22. Erred is when the fault is in ourselves only; deceived is when we give way to the evil guidance of others.

23. Those who stand need strength: those who are weak-hearted need comfort and help: those who fall, restoration.

24. See p. 161.

25. Emigration has become more common since this petition was prepared: those who settle in foreign lands should here be remembered. Captives are war-prisoners.

26. We may mentally supply the thought of motherless children. Widows may be supposed to include widowers. Both sexes are described as widows in some parts of England. All kinds of bereavement are of course included in desolate and oppressed.

27. Just as 19 concluded a section of petitions {169} for our own nation, so 27 concludes a section about the people of all nations. 28 adds a petition which the Lord particularly enjoined (S. Matth. v. 44).

28. enemies, persecutors, and slanderers—in ascending order of malignity. Similarly in the Commandments, where the worst sin of each sort is the one mentioned, we find false witness, or slander, named, in the Commandment which forbids all falsehood.

and to turn their hearts—a nobler prayer even than asking God to forgive them: for when we have asked Him for their forgiveness, we may still long to overcome their hostility, rather than to see it withdrawn. As Christ's disciples we here desire to forego our triumph, and to rejoice over their conversion from evil.

29. Kindly fruits of the earth. 'Kindly' means 'natural'; from an Old English word 'cynd' or 'gecynd,' meaning nature, kind, manner, condition. (Cf. Gen. i. 11, 12, 21, 24, 25.)[7]

30. Although forgiveness is granted through the death of our Lord, repentance is that condition of our souls wherein the forgiveness cleanses them. Repentance is therefore asked for first, then Forgiveness, Grace, and Amendment.

Sins, negligences, and ignorances: cf. General Confession, 'left undone'=negligence; 'done'=sins; 'no health in us' supplying the other defects, which are here set down to ignorance. We are called to a holy life, and therefore faults due to ignorance need {170} amendment and pardon, as well as faults which come of conscious disobedience to God's commands.

At the close of these petitions, the cry becomes more urgent. Our Lord warned us against vain repetitions—repetitions without meaning. The repetitions here are not vain—they express deep feelings, and anxious entreaty.