Then fball follow three Collects; the first of the day, which fhall be the fame that is appointed at the Communion; the fecond for Peace; the third for Grace to live well. And the two laft Collects shall never alter, but daily be faid at Morning Prayer throughout all the year, as followeth ; all kneeling. The fecond Collect, for Peace. God, who art the author of God, who art the author of peace, and lover of con cord, in knowledge of whom ftandeth our eternal life, whofe fervice is perfect freedom; Defend us thy hum- ble fervants in all affaults of our enemies; that we furely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adverfaries, through the might of Jefus Chrift our Lord, Amen. Collects The occafion of this name is not determined. Some think thefe fhort compofitions were called Collects, because in them many dif tinct petitions are collected into one prayer. Others imagine they had their name from their phrafeology being chiefly collected from holy writ. Others again affert, that the derivation of the name is found in their being repeated by the bishop or prieft to the congregation, as foon as the people were affembled or collected together; and laftly, other writers fay the Col lets meant the collection, recapitulation, and recommendation, publicly made by the bishop or prieft, of the prayers which had been privately of fered up by the people. The fecond Colle) This beautiful prayer is tranflated almoft literally from the "Sacramentarium" of Gregory the Great, of whofe admirable fervices our judicious Reformers fully availed themfelves, when they conftructed the English liturgy. Gregory lived in the fixth century, and was famous for his liturgical labours. Mr. Milner, in his "Hiftory of the Church of Chrift," makes the following obfervations on Gregory's excellence as a ritualift; and on our Reformers' adoption of many of his forms of prayer:-"In his Sacramentary he embodied the Collects of the ancient Church, and improved old, or made new ones. Gelafius, before him, had appointed public prayers compofed by himself and others. These were all placed in the offices by Gregory. And by a comparifon of our Book of Common-Prayer with his Sacramentary it is evident, that almost all the Collects for Sundays, and the principal feítivals in the Church of England, were taken out of the latter. To me it appears to be an advantage, that our Reformers followed antiquity fo much in the work. The purification of the antient fervices from the corrupt and idolatrous mixtures of popery was as ftrong an indication of their judgment as the compofition of prayers altogether new could have been, which however they fcrupled not to introduce in various parts of the Liturgy. From the brief account I have given, it appears, that the fervice of the Church is far more antient than the Roman Miffal, properly speaking. And whoever has attended to the fuperlative fimplicity, fervour, and energy of the prayers, will have no hefitation in concluding, that they muft, the Collects particularly, have been The Third Collect, for Grace. Lord, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlafting God, who haft fafely brought us to the beginning of this day; Defend us in the fame with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no fin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy fight, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. ¶ In Quires and places where they fing, here followeth the Anthem. Then thefe five Prayers following are to be read here, except when the Litany is read; and then only the two laft are to be read, as they are there placed. A Prayer for the King's Majefty. Lord, our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who doft from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth; moft heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious Sovereign Lord King GEORGE; and fo replenish him with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that he may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way: Endue him plenteoufly with heavenly gifts; grant compofed, in a time of true evangelical light and godlinefs. It is impoffible indeed to fay how early fome parts of the Liturgy were written; bur doubtless they are of very high antiquity." The third Colle This prayer is framed from a form in the Greek Eucholegion, or ancient ritual of the Greek church. With this Collect the order of the Morning Prayer ended, from its firit appearance in 1548, to the laft Review in 1662. Till the latter period the fucceeding prayers were placed towards the end of the Litany, inmediately after "we humbly befeech thee," &c.; and after thefe followed the occafional prayers and thanksgivings, all which probably made a part of the Litany. A Prayer for the King's Maje The Jews were accustomed to offer up prayers for their King in their public devotions. Vide Pfalm xx. and and Ixxii. The ancient Chriftians alfo obferved a fimilar practice, even before the Emperors were converted; and when they became fupporters of the faith, they were named particularly in the public prayers, with titles of the deareft affection. The prefent prayer is tranflated chiefly from the Sacramentarium of St. Gregory; and was inferted into our Liturgy in Elizabeth's reign; our Reformers obferving, that the Queen could not be prayed for, according to the old form of fervice, except on thofe days when either the Litany or Communion office was appointed to be read. him in health and wealth long to live; ftrengthen him that he may vanquish and overcome all his enemies; and finally, after this life, he may attain everlafting joy and felicity, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. TA Prayer for the Royal Family. ALmighty God, the fountain of all goodness, we hum bly befeech thee to blefs our gracious Queen Charlotte, their Royal Highneffes GEORGE Prince of Wales, the Frincefs of Wales, and all the Royal Family: Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly grace; profper them with all happincfs; and bring them to thine everlafting kingdom,thro' Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. A Prayer for the Clergy and People. ALmighty and everlasting God, who alone workest great marvels; Send down upon our Bishops and Curates, and all Congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace; and that they may truly pleafe thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy bleffing: Grant this, O Lord, for the honour of our Advocate and Mediator Jefus Chrift. Amen. A Prayer for the Royal Family] In the ancient Liturgy of St. Bafil, we find a form of prayer for the Imperial Family; and many of the old councils enjoined a fimilar practice. "In our own church, indeed, there was no mention made of the Royal Family till the reign of King James I. because after the Reformation no Proteftant Prince had children till he came to the throne. But at his acceffion, this prayer was immediately added; except that the beginning of it, when it was firft inferted, was, Almighty God, which hait promifed to be a Father of thine elect, and of their feed: but this, I fuppofe, being thought to favour a little of Calvinifin, was altered about the year 1632 or 33, when (Frederic the Prince Elector Palatine, the Lady Elizabeth, his wife, with their princely iffue' being left out) thefe words were changed into, Almighty God, the fountain of all goodnefs.'-Wheatly. A Prayer for the Clergy and People] This prayer is adopted, for the greatest part, from the Sacramentarium of St. Gregory. It was annexed to the Litany in fome of Henry Villth's Primers; but does not appear in either of Edward the Vith's Prayer-Books. In Queen Elizabeth's Review it aflumed its prefent place in the Liturgy. Curates] "By curates here are not meant ftipendiaries, as now it is ufed to fignify, but all thofe, whether parfons or vicars, to whom the bishop, who is the chief paftor under Chrift, hath committed the cure of the fouls of fome part of his flock; and to are the bithops' curates."-Sparrow. A Prayer of St. Chryfoftom. Almighty God, who haft given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common fupplications unto thee; and doft promife, that when two or three are gathered together in thy name, thou wilt grant their requefts; Fulfil now, O Lord, the defires and petitions of thy fervants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. THE grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of Here endeth the Order of Morning Prayer throughout the Year. A Prayer of St. Chryfoftom] Although this collect be not found in any of the works of St. Chryfoftom, which the learned confider as certainly genuine; yet it is generally believed to be his production, and is traní fated almoft literally from a prayer in the Liturgy bearing his name. This prayer was placed in its prefent fituation at the Review, 1662. The Grace, &c. With the ancient Jews it was a cuftom for the pricft to difmifs the people with a form of benediction: Num. vi. 23. "This blefing of the bishop or prieft was fo highly efteemed in the primitive times, that none durit go out of the church till they had received it, according to the councils of Agatha, can. 31, in the year 472; and Orleans the third, can. 22. "And when they received it, they did it kneeling or bowing down their beads. And the deacon, to prepare them to it, was wont to call out inmediately before the time of the bleffing in fuch words as thefe, Bow down yourselves to the blething, Chryfoft. Liturg. The Jews received it after the fame manner, Ecclef. l. 23, When the fervice was finished, the high priest went down, and lifted up his hands over the congregation to give the blefling of the Lord with his lips, and they bowed down themfelves to worship the Lord, that they might receive the blefling from the Lord the Most High.'—Sparrow. FOR Evening Prayer, Daily throughout the Year. At the beginning of Evening Prayer, the Minifter fhall read with a loud voice fome one or more of thefe Sentences of the Scriptures that follow and then he shall fay that which is written after the faid Sentences. WHEN 7HEN the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he fhall fave his foul alive. Ezek. xviii. 27. I acknowledge my tranfgreffions, and my fin is ever before me. Pfal. li. 3. Hide thy face from my fins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Pfal. li. 9. The facrifices of God are a broken fpirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not defpife. Pfal. li. 17. Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. focl ii. 13. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveneffes, though we have rebelled against him: neither have we The Order for the Evening Prayer, &c.] Till the Review which was completed A. D. 1662, the fentences, exhortation, confeffion, and abfolution, had never been printed in the Evening fervice, though they were intended to be repeated before the Lord's Prayer; and in confequence of this omillion many of the clergy neglected to use them. Indeed the Rubrics were ambiguous; they ran thus, "An order for Evening Prayer throughout the year. The Prieft fhall fay Our Father,' &c." N.B. It will be found that the prayers, rubrics, &c. in the Evening Service, have been explained, for the most part, under the Morning Service: When the Evening Service varies from the Morning, the variations are marked and explained. |