THE RITUAL REASON WHY. WORKS BY ME. C. WALKER, PUBLISHED BY J. T. HAYES. THE RITUAL "REASON WHY:" beingr 460 Bitual Explanations. By C. WALKKR, Author of " Liturgy of the Church of Sarum," &c. 4. ; by post, 4.v. 3d. THE LITURGY OF THE CHURCH OF SARUM. Translated from the Latin, and with an Introduction and Explanatory Notes. With Intro- duction by Rev. Canon CARTER, M.A,, of Clewer, 6*. ; by post, 5*. 5d. THE SERVICES OF THE CHURCH ; with Rubrical Directions according to the Use of the Illustrious Church of Sarum ; together with tlie Introits, Graduals, Tracts, and Sequences of the same Church. 4*. ; by post, 4*. 3d. OSWALD, THE YOUNG ARTIST. A Tale for Boys. (Inculcating the necessity of a reveren- tial attention when assisting in the Public Worship,) 1*. 6d. ; by post, 1*. 8d. A PRAYER BOOK FOR THE YOUNG: or, a complete Guide to Pu ilicand Private Devotion. Edited by CHARLES WALKER. 700 pages. 4* ; by post, 4s. 3d. Cheap Edition, 3*. ; by post, 3*. 2d. DEVOTIONS ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. Compiled with the "Paradise for the Christian Soul," and other sources. For the use of English Churchmen. Part I. Communion with the Faithful Departad. Part II. Communion with the Saints and Angels. With Preface by RICHARD V. LITTLKDALB, LL.D., D.C.L. 2*. 6d. ; by post, 2*. 8d, THE RITUAL EEASON WHY CHAKLES WALKER, Author of " Tht Liturgy of the C/iurcii of Survm" Ac. "WHAT MEA-V TK BY THIS SEHVICB?" Exod. xii. 26 ILonlion : J. T. HAYES, 17 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDE? " And here is to be noted, that such Ornaments of the Church, and of the ministers thereof, at all times of their Ministration, shall be retained, and be in use, as were in this Church of England, by the Authority of Parliament, in the Second Year of the Eeign of King Edward the Sixth." Rubric in Book of Common Prayer. "Whosoever through his private judgment, willingly and purposely, doth openly break the traditions and cere- monies of the Church, which be not repugnant to the Word of God, and be ordained and approved by common authority, ought to be rebuked openly, (that others may fear to do the like,) as he that offendeth against the common order of the Church." Article xxxiv. PKEFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. IN this Second Edition upwards of a hundred additional paragraphs have heen added, in- cluding three wholly new sections one on Benedictions, another on Funeral and Mortuary celebrations, now happily on the increase among us, and a third, by way of Appendix, on the services for the Canonical Hours as used in our sisterhoods and other religious houses. The general arrangement has also been improved, and while the (at present) chiefly used Ritual has been, as was inevitable in a book which deals with things as they are rather than as they should be, most prominently dealt with, care has been taken to give as far as possible a clear and definite view, both of the Con- tinental and of the old English ceremonials. It only remains for the Editor to express 3 1G769G1 hope that the hook in its improved form will continue to meet with the favour which has heen so generously accorded to it in its first issue ; and that it will he blessed in promoting the revival of life and devotion in the Church of England, both in its outward ceremonial expression and in its inner fervour, of which R careful and painstaking Ritual is ever the index. Brighton, Saturday before Pattto* Sunday, 1868. PEEFACB THE FIRST EDITION. WITH the single exception of Mr. Lee's Ser- mons on External Religious Observances, the writer of the following pages knows of no work designed to give a rationale of Ceremonial worship ; and yet that there is room for such a treatise seems sufficiently obvious. Not only is much of the opposition to Ritual due to a mis- taken or inadequate view of its meaning and intention, but Scripture itself teaches us the duty of instructing the people in the rationale of Divine Ceremonial; the objective end of which is that it " may be a sign among us, that when our children ask what mean ye by these " things, we may " ANSWEE them." (Josh. iv. 6.) In the present little work an attempt has been made to fill up the able outline supplied by Mr. Lee in the book referred to, and it is hoped that hy the help of a copious Index, the sincere inquirer will be able to obtain a ready explanation of every custom which is ordinarily to be met with in Churches where the ceremonial of Divine wor- ship receives that degree of care which it surely demands. But it ought to be said at the outset, that the author's design has been rather to provide a book of reference hence the care that has been taken to make the Index as complete as pos- sible than one of study. It is not (except incidentally) a defence of, or an apology for, Ritual ; still less does it pretend to any critical correctness in dealing with the subject. The writer was quite content to take the Prayer Book as he found it, and to treat of such ritual observances as have actually gathered round it ; it was manifestly out of his province to weigh the comparative merits of various Liturgies, or to suggest improvements in any of the minutia of the actual system, which under the name of " Ritualism " has of late been attracting so much attention. The "vexed questions" of ritual, such as the use or disuse of the stole in the Choir-services, have not been entered into, on similar grounds, or at most have been merely alluded to in passing, in order to give .the reasons which have led to the adoption of ( vii ) rarying "uses." There is another reason why this distinction should be borne in mind. A book of this kind, to be of any practical value, must necessarily be complete ; and so a person reading it from cover to cover would meet with many observances, all of which are of more or less frequent use among us, but comprising an aggregate which is probably to be met with in no single Church throughout the length and breadth of the land. The author would be sorry to convey the impression that every feature of which he furnishes the rationale is a necessary part of religious ceremonial an impression which might be given by a mere perusal of these pages, but which would be avoided by its use as a book of reference solely. He would beg, therefore, to call the reader's attention again to the Index, as the cardinal feature of the present book. By having recourse to it, each one may obtain exactly the in- formation which he wants, without wading through a mass of matter, which is either totally uninteresting to him, or already perfectly intelligible. Thus, one who thoroughly under- stands the why and the wherefore of lights and incense, may yet be at sea on the special matter of vestments. The Index will at once refer him to the third section (pp. 34-50), where he will find his queries anticipated and answered. Another may wish to see the reasons for making the sign of the Cross in general the Index will refer him to paragraph 244, which he will readily find on page 91. To a third none of these may present any difficulties : but he is at a loss to know why the sign of the Cross should be made at this or that particular part of the service. To such an one the ever-ready Index will at once point out paragraph 243. To many the broad features of Ritual are sufficiently in- telligible, while they are quite unable to com- prehend such niceties as the inflexion of the last two clauses of the Lord's Prayer, or the intonation of the Psalms ; or (to take a more strictly ceremonial illustration) the use of in- cense is to many acceptable, because intelligible, whereas the incensing of altar and choir are a stumbling-block, because apparently devoid of meaning or purpose. 1 Recourse to the Index will furnish these with the information they seek, without involving the perusal of whole pages of extraneous matter. In this the author would have his readers pursue the same course as they would with a book of household receipts, or other domestic hints. There is no harm in 1 It may be well to add that this was written prior to the temporary disuse of this ancient and statutable custom, which has been judged advisable in some quarters in the face of existing (but surely groundless) prejudice. ED, reading a cookery-book from title-page to index, provided you do not in the process imbibe the idea that an intimate acquaintance with all the recipes given is necessary to the production of a passable meal. The writer has had mainly in view that large class of persons to whom as lacking any opportunity for studying the matter at al] systematically simplicity would be a necessary passport. Hence recondite and far-fetched ex- planations, such as abound in the works of Durandus, Bona, and the like, have been as far as possible avoided; though of course any mystical interpretation will appear fanciful to some. On the other hand, as it was impossible to avoid going at times rather more deeply into the matter than might appear desirable to the general reader, an attempt has been made to distinguish the less obvious explanations by the employment of a smaller type. For the same reason the editor judged it better to lay himself open to possible charges of " private interpre- tation," than to impart an aspect of erudition to his book, and at the same time considerably increase its bulk, by a multiplicity of notes and references to authorities. A single instance (and one perhaps more than usually suggestive of the charge alluded to) will suffice to show how freely restraint has been used in this respect, and also, it is trusted, will serve to illustrate the desire of the writer to follow accre- dited writers on the subject, and to give the " Reason why " of Ritual in their sense rather than his own. Let us take then note 1 to paragraph 577, which deals with the use of five Psalms at Lauds and four at Vespers, and so incidentally with the corresponding divisions of the 119th Psalm at Matins and Evensong, in the monthly course of the Psalter; with the authorities it would run thus : "The reason for this division would appear to be as follows : Matins being sung in the day-time, represents our life of probation here, 1 during which we brace our- selves up to our labour, by contemplating the Passion of our Lord, 2 in which He received His Jive wounds. But Even- Bong, which is sung at nightfall, represents the ' rest which remaineth for the people of God,' 3 when we shall join in that perpetual service of song ' before the throne of God in the New Jerusalem, the City ' that lieth four-square.' (Rev. xxvi. 16.) So too in our active life here on earth, we attain to holiness by watching over and consecrating our five senses 4 : while in the life of contemplation in glory we 1 So the " Myrroure " interprets Lauds. (Fo. xlvi.) 8 St. Anselm Incent. amor. a. 17 ; St. Bern. Serm. de Pentec. ; Albertus Magnus, Eoset. Spir. Exercit. 22 ; De Ponte Medit. par. iv., in Introd. &c. St. Bern. Serm. in Cant. 57 ; Bona, De Div. Psal. 10, &c. Compline (which by the bye has four Psalms) is thus ex- plained by mystical writers, who see in its unvarying Antiphon a type of the unchanging and unfading glory of heaven. * A Kempis, De Imit. Christi, lib. iii. c. 12 ; Kodriguea, De Christiana Perfect, torn. ii. Tract. L Bhall rejoice before God in the four transcendent qualities of the resurrection hody: clarity, agility, impassibility, and subtlety. l " Almost every paragraph might be treated in the same way. In one case 2 the writer feels that he has ventured to deal with his subject critically ; and that his doing so demands a word of ex- planation. He has differed from many ritualists in regarding the Commemoration of the De- parted in the Prayer for the Church Militant as a Memoria de Sanctis solely, and has relegated the Memento of the Dead, properly so called, to the Post Communion Prayer. The whole s abject is surrounded with difficulties, but they do not appear to be increased at all in this hypothesis, the advantages of which are patent, the distinct commemoration of the three classes : the faithful on earth, the Saints and the Departed in general, and the position of the Consecration between the two mementoes a piece of symbolic arrange- ment which the Petrine family of liturgies has 1 St. Thomas Aquinas, quest. Ixxxii. addit. ; De Ponte, Meditations, vi. 52, and others. Perhaps the distinguishing of the folded chasuble, worn by the deacon and sub-deacon in penitential sea- sons as " planeta," will be considered another instance. " Casula " and " planeta " are used indifferently to describe the chasuble, whether worn sacrincially by the celebrant, or "plicata " by his assistants ; though to the appearance of the vestment when folded may be traced the latter term. ever presented. The great difficulty, perhaps, is the desire to get both mementoes within the Canon. But the present writer must candidly profess his inability to regard the Prayer for the Church Militant, coming as it does before the Preface, as a part of the English Canon. The position of all the Intercessions outside the Canon which this view involves, is not surely a greater anomaly than the introduction of ex- hortations, and the preparation of communicants into the middle of the Canon, which the common theory supposes. The truth appears to he, that the present English Church intercedes for the living, and commemorates the Saints at the first Oblation, instead of in the Canon prior to Con- secration ; and in like manner pleads the Sacri- fice for the Departed after the Communion of the people, instead of in the Canon immediately subsequent to Consecration. In the first Liturgy of Edward VI. both mementoes had their legi- timate place, the one in the Prayer for the Church Militant immediately before the Prayer of Consecration ; the other in the prayer now used at the Post Communion, immediately after. To two classes of persons this book will be perfectly valueless : to those who cannot grasp the doctrines of which Ritual is the expression, and to those dilettantists who admire ceremonial because it is pretty or poetical, or supplies an object on which to employ their leisure thoughts. But to those who, like the Wise man, would apply their hearts " to know and to search .... the reason of things," and especially of the things that belong to the service and worship of Al- mighty God, it may not be wholly valueless. If it should at all tend to consolidate the essential connection between dogma and ceremonial, it will not have been written in vain ; for ritual divorced from truth is of all things the most melancholy : it is worse than the Shadowless Man of the German fictionist it is a shadow without a substance, and an engine of Satan for the snaring of souls. Brighton, St. Hugh, 1886, INDEX TO SECTIONS. PAOH Section i. Paragraphs 1-9 17 ii. THE AHEANGEMENT AND ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH, par. 10-54 22 Hi. ORNAMENTS OF THB MINISTERS, par. 55-109 34 iv. BENEDICTIONS, par. 110-136 51 T. FEASTS AND FASTS, par. 137-185 .... 59 vi. MATINS AND EVENSONG, par. 186-256 . . 71 vii. SOLEMN TE DEUM, par. 257-259 .... 96 viii. THE LITANY, par. 260-262 97 w ix. PROCESSIONS, par. 263-273 99 x. Low CELEBRATION, par. 274-409 .... 104 xi. HIGH OR SOLEMN CELEBRATION, par. 410-450 162 xii. FUNERAL AND MORTUARY CELEBRATIONS, par. 451-466 176 M xiii. THE OCCASIONAL SERVICES, par. 467-501 . 181 iv. CEREMONIES PECULIAR TO CERTAIN SEA- SONS, par. 502-555 192 APPENDIX. Section xv. THE CANONICAL HOURS, par. 556-599 . 215 Note A. "On Minute Details in Eitual" . . 233 INDEX 297 THE RITUAL "REASON WHY. 1 1 Wb&t mean pe 69 t&ttf &ertoice ? ' 1. What is Ritual? It is the employment of symbols in Divine worship according to a recognised or traditional system. 2. To what end are symbols thus employed ? Partly to uphold the dignity of Divine wor- ship ; and partly to shadow forth by outward deed and gesture certain truths, which might otherwise be lost sight of. In other words : for the glory of God and the edification of His people. 3. How is God glorified by symbolic worship ? In many ways. Because He is the God of truth, He is glorified by that which is the repre- sentative and guardian of truth. Because He is the Lord and Creator of all, He is fitly honoured by that which employs not merely the intellect, but the senses, not merely the soul, but the body of His children ; and by which the inanimate creation is pressed into the service of the B 9- ? 18 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. sanctuary. Because He is the God of Order, He is glorified by that which ensures care, even about the comparative trifles of His service, and which precludes slovenliness. While, as the Giver of all good things, He is fitly honoured by symbols which are more or less of a costly nature. 4. Is this view Scriptural ? Yes. The minute directions given under the old Law about the types and symbols to be employed in the Tabernacle shew that God was glorified by ceremonies which as the shadows of things to come were the outward signs of spi- ritual truth : and that He willed to be worshipped by the bodily senses not less than by the spirit : while the case of David, who " would not offer to the Lord his God of that which did cost him nothing," and the direction that His people were not to appear empty before the Lord, shew that a costly worship was sanctioned by God and was acceptable to Him. 5. This was under the Old Law: can you adduce instances from the New Testament ? Certainly. We have the express declaration of our Lord that He came not to destroy the law but to fulfil it. He Himself was a frequent attendant at the Temple services. He con- stantly employed symboli acts in His public ministry, as when He anointed the blind man with spittle, when He washed the disciples' THE KITUAL REASON WHY. 19 feet, &c. And in instituting the Sacraments He made certain acts and gestures and certain bodily elements the channels by which He would confer His grace. 6. Do you find this system continued by the Apostles ? We do. The disciples continued to attend the Temple services, and were constant in " the breaking of the Bread and in the prayers." 1 So too the Apostles baptised those that were con- verted ; and laid their hands on those that were to receive the Holy Ghost or to be set apart for the minstry. And we find St. Paul giving direc- tions for the proper administration of the Lord's Supper, and promising to set the rest in order when he came. The same Apostle, to whom was committed the care of all the Churches, was most careful that " all things should be done decently and in order." 2 7. Can you give me any further instances ? There is the case of the woman that anointed the feet of our Lord with precious ointment, when Judas took exception to the costly character of this act of service. I may add also that it is 1 Acts ii. 42: rrj K\ which, is still the word employed in the Eastern liturgies to denote the chasuble. * Revelation, passim. THE BITUAL REASON WHY. 21 of gold and silver. Prudentius thus speaks of the ornaments of the Church in Borne when St. Lawrence was martyred. " The Priests offer in gold ; the sacred Blood is received in silver chalices ; in the nightly sacrifices the wax tapers are fixed in golden candlesticks." It is certain that as soon as the conversion of Constantine gave peace to the Church, Divine Worship was at once celebrated with great pomp and mag- nificence ; and it is noticeable that Eusebius in speaking of the restoration of the churches, and the dedication of new ones which then ensued, has handed down a sermon of his own, in which he speaks of St. Paulinus, bishop of Tyre, who had engaged himself in this work as " a new Bezaleel," of whom we read (Exod. xxxv. 85), that God filled him with wisdom of heart to work all manner of works of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue and in purple, and in scarlet, and in fine linen. In a word, it is not too much to say that till the sixteenth century no Christian Church was deficient in the three leading characteristics of ritual vestments, lights, and incense. 9. As it does not enter into the scope of the present work to do more than glance at the historical evidence in favour of Ritual, the inquiring reader is referred to an excellent pamphlet of Dr. Littledale's : " Catholic Eitual in the Church of England" (Palmer) : and the "Early Christian Eitual " of the same author. 22 SECTION II. THE ARRANGEMENT AND ORNAMENTS OF THE CHURCH. 10. What are the chief ornaments of the church ? The font, which is used in the administration of Baptism, and the altar, which serves for the celebration of the Holy Communion. To these may he added the pulpit, and the seats in the chancel for the choir. 11. I notice that the font is generally placed near the west door. Why is this ? To shew that Baptism is the gate by which we enter into the fold of Christ's Church. 12. Why is the portion reserved for the choir marked off from the rest of the church by being raised, and sometimes by a screen ? Because as the body of the church signifies the Church Militant, the choir is typical of the Church Triumphant in Heaven. The screen represents the gate of death, by which we enter into heavenly rest. 13. Is not this screen generally surmounted by a cross ? Why is this ? To shew that it is by the Passion and Death of Christ alone that we can gain an entrance into Heaven. ARRANGEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS. 23 14. Why is the altar generally placed at the east end of the church ? In token that Christ is the true Sun of Right- eousness ; for which reason it has ever been the custom of the Church to worship towards the point where the sun rises. 15. The altar, I perceive, is railed off from the chancel. Why is this ? Partly from motives of reverence ; partly because the sanctuary is symbolical of the Holy of Holies, into which the Priest entered to plead for the people ; or rather of that innermost Heaven where our Great High-Priest hath en- tered through the veil of His flesh, and where He ever maketh intercession for us, pleading the merits of His all-perfect Sacrifice. 16. Why is the altar made so conspicuous ? Because it is the holiest part of the church. 17. How so? It is used in the highest act of Divine wor- ship, the Holy Eucharist; in which by the ministry of His Church the Eternal Son of God offers His Death and Passion to His Father. It is raised because our Lord suffered on the Mount ; and is made of wood as representing the Cross ; or of stone as symbolical of the rock of Calvary. 18. Why is the front of the altar covered with a veil or hanging ? From motives of respect, and in order to mark 24 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. the various seasons of the Church by hangings of different colours. 19. What are these colours ? They are generally these five ; white, red, violet, green, and black. But according to Old English use, blue, brown, grey, and yellow were also employed. 20. How do you account for the employment of these colours ? They appear to be an adaptation of the colours employed in the Tabernacle to the purposes of Christian symbolism. 21. Why is the altar surmounted by a cross? To remind us of the Death of Christ, which is especially shewn forth in the Holy Eucharist. 22. There are other ornaments of the altar besides the hangings and cross. Will you explain them ? There are two lights which burn, at the time of the celebration, to signify that Christ is the true light of the world ; and to represent His two natures, the Human and the Divine, both which He bears at the Eight Hand of the Father in Heaven. Other lights are lit round and about the altar in festal seasons as a sign of spiritual joy, as St. Jerome testifies. The altar is also decked with flowers for the same reason, and in honour of Him who is the Eose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley. All these are not placed on the altar proper (which is reserved for the ARRANGEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS. 25 sacred vessels directly employed in the offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice), but on one or more shelves or steps, called the re-table, and some- times, but improperly, the super-altar. 1 There is also a covering of silk, usually crimson, called the super-frontal, and a fair linen cloth covering the top and sides, and marked with five crosses. 23. Why is the super-frontal generally crimson ? As symbolical of the Blood-shedding of our Lord. For a similar reason the fair linen cloth, which represents the winding-sheet in which the dead Body of our Saviour was wrapped at His Burial, is marked with five crosses as a memento of His five wounds. 24. 7s there any other furniture appointed for the sanctuary ? Yes : there are the credence, and the sedilia or seats for the clergy. 25. What is the credence ? It is a table at which the elements are pre- pared. 26. Why is this done at the credence ? Partly for convenience, partly out of reverence, so that the altar may be entirely reserved for the actual offering of the Holy Sacrifice ; and in 1 The " super-altar " is a small portable slab of stone, which is placed on altars which lack a stone mensa, or have not been consecrated. In the East a linen napkin, which has been blessed by the Bishop, answers the purpose. ZU THE RITUAL REASON WHY. order that the elements may not be placed upon the altar before the oblation. 27. When are the sedilia employed ? During the sermon. The celebrant occupies the seat nearest the altar if the seats are raised after the manner of steps, the deacon the next, then the sub-deacon. Otherwise the celebrant sits in the midst, the deacon at his right hand, the sub-deacon at his left. 28. What is the meaning of this arrangement f To mark the different degrees of dignity in those engaged in the service. 29. Are there not other ornaments of the church besides those you have mentioned. Yes : for the altar there are the book-desk and service book for the celebrant ; the paten, chalice, chalice-veil, corporal, and burse ; for the credence, cruets, pyx or canister for the altar-breads, bason, napkin, and alms-dish ; before the altar, two standard lights, in some churches lecterns for the Epistle and Gospel ; in the choir, lectern for the antiphons ; in the nave, pulpit, litany-desk, lectern for the lessons. In addition to these may be mentioned the censer or thurible, acolytes' candle- sticks, processional cross and banners, sanctus- bell, triptych or altar-piece ; bier with pall for funerals ; houselling-cloth, and baptismal shell. 80. What is the paten ? A thin disk of gold or silver gilt, on which the ARRANGEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS. 1 27 aJtar breads are placed for consecration, and from which the people are communicated . 81. Are the people always com municated from the paten ? Sometimes the ciborium is used instead. 32. What is the ciborium ? A kind of shallow cup or chalice with a cover to it. Where the Sacrament is reserved for the sick the ciborium is also used for that purpose. The bottom of the bo-wl is slightly elevated inside to enable the sacred par- ticles to be readily removed. 83. What is the chalice ? The sacramental cup in which the wine is consecrated, and from which the people are com- municated. 84. What is the chalice- veil ? A square of silk embroidered and fringed, varying in colour according to the season. It is used for covering the chalice when empty. 35. In the old English rite it was also used by the acolyte to wrap the paten in when held 28 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. by him in certain parts of the service. This rite is now obsolete. 86. What is the corporal ? A napkin of fine linen spread on the altar at the time of the Eucharistic service. The chalice is placed on the centre of it, and the paten in front of the chalice. When the altar- breads are on the altar, the lower right-hand corner of the corporal is turned back over them, except during the oblation and consecration. According to the old English rite the corporal is made sufficiently large for the left-hand side to turn over and cover the chalice ; when this is not the case, the pall, a piece of cardboard about eight inches square with linen on either side, is alone used to cover the chalice till after the communication of the people, when a second corporal, somewhat smaller and edged with lace, is placed over the chalice till the ablutions. 37. What is the burse ? The burse (or corporas case, as it used to be called in England) is a kind of pocket, formed of two squares of thick card, covered with silk, and so arranged as to open at the end. In the pocket so formed the corporals and pall are kept when not in use. In texture, colour, and embroidery the burse corresponds with the chalice-veil. It is brought in on the top of the veiled chalice, and when empty during the celebration stands up- right against the re-table. ARRANGEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS. 29 88. What are the cniets ? Vessels of glass or metal, one of which contains the wine to be used for the celebra- tion of the Eucharist ; the other the water for mixing therewith, and also for the washing of the priest's hands. The dish in which they stand often serves for the bason at the last-mentioned rite. 39. Two spoons are frequently used in addition to the cruets ; one of which the priest uses for measuring out the small quantity of water to be mixed with the wine ; the other (which has a perforated bowl) he uses (if need be) for removing a fly or other impurity from the chalice. 40. What is the pyx? A metal canister, lined with linen, in which the altar-breads are kept till required for use. Pyx is also the name given to a similar canister of precious metal, in which the Blessed Sacrament is re- served in place of the ciborium, and to a smaller canister in which it was conveyed to the sick. In the former case it was usually distinguished from the canister for altar-breads both by the costliness of its make and by the words "Corpus Domini" engraved round it. In the old English rite the Sacrament was reserved in a pyx sus- pended over the altar, sometimes shaped as the accom panying woodcut, but more frequently as a dove. IP the modern Roman Church it is placed in the tabernacle 80 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. 41. For what are the bason and napkin f For the lavabo or washing of the priest's hands. The rim of the bason is generally engraved with an appropriate inscription, such as "I will wash mine hands in innocency, Lord." 42. What is the piscina ? A small stone bason formed in the east wall at the Epistle end of the altar. Where it exists the priest uses it for the lavabo in place of a bason. The water in which any sacred vessel or ornament has been washed is also poured into the piscina, which is furnished with a drain for the purpose of carrying away any such fluids. 43. What are lecterns ? Large desks of brass or wood to hold certain of the large service books. Those most frequently in use in England are for reading the lessons from, and are sometimes placed outside and sometimes within the choir screen. They are frequently made in the shape of an eagle. In addition to the lectern for the lessons, one is sometimes placed in the midst of the choir for the rulers to sing the antiphons and intone the commencement of the Psalms, &c., from ; and two below the altar-steps for the Epistle and Gospel. 44. For what are the two standard lights before the altar ? For use in solemn vespers or, matins, and ARRANGEMENTS ANP ORNAMENTS. 81 at solemn celebrations of the Holy Eucha- rist. The Old English rite prescribes four lights for each of these occasions, two upon and two below the altar. In the Roman rite the standard lights are lighted at High Mass before the Canon. 45. Are there any other special lights? There are the lenten-hearse and the paschal taper. 46. What is the lenten-hearse ? The lenten or tenebrae-hearse is a triangular stand, containing thirteen (or according to Eng- lish use twenty-four) candles. It is used at matins on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. These are extinguished one by one as the Psalms are recited, in token of that great darkness which was upon the earth during our Lord's Passion, and also of our Lord's abiding three days in the grave. 47. What is the paschal taper? It is a large candle placed on the Gospel side of the altar during the Easter season. It burns throughout Easter week (and on the Annuncia- tion, if happening in Easter-tide, and the Inven- tion of the Cross) at Matins, Evensong, and the Eucharist, thence on all Sundays (and on the feasts of S. Mark and SS. Philip and James) up to the Ascension at the Eucharist only. It symbolises our spiritual joy at the Kesurrection of our Lord. On Ascension-day it is extin- 82 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. guished at the Gospel (which tells of His ascen- sion), in token that the light of His visible pre- sence on earth was then removed. The tall stand for the paschal taper is called the paschal candlestick, or paschal-post. 48. What is the censer ? The censer, or thurible, is a vessel of brass or silver, in which incense is offered. It is usually in the shape of a cup, with a per- forated cover, through which the fumes of the License escape, and is carried by three chains attached to the bowl, whilst a fourth serves to raise the cover when required. 49. What are the acolytes' candlesticks ? Brass candlesticks, somewhat smaller than those on the altar, and having triangular stands. They are carried by the acolytes in processions ; at the Gospel and some other parts of the Holy Eucharist ; and at the Magnificat (or Benedictus) and Collect in solemn service ? 50. What is the processional cross ? A tall w r and of wood or metal, surmounted by a cross, borne at the head of processions ; before the deacon when he sings the Gospel on festivals ; and at other times. The processional cross and banners will be fully ex- plained in the section on processions. ARRANGEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS. 83 51. What is a triptych? It is a painting on a sort of tablet in three divisions, made to open and shut, the two outer folding over the centre when closed. Triptychs are frequently placed behind the cross on the retable to form an altar-piece. Sculptured pieces are usually called the reredos ; tapestry, or hang- ings behind the altar, the dossal. 52. What is the sanctm-lell ? It is a small bell, either placed on the altar- steps or hung in a small gable over the chancel, and rung at the sanctus to give notice that the canon or most solemn part of the service is about to commence, and at the consecration to inform the people that the Eucharistic mystery is ac- complished, and to stir up their devotion. 53. What is the hanselling -cloth ? A long napkin, either spread over the altar- rails or held before the communicants to guard against any particle of the Blessed Sacrament falling to the ground. 54. What is the baptismal-shell ? It is a small metal vessel in the shape of a scallop-shell used for taking up the water from the font and pouring it over the head of the person to be baptised. Sometimes real shells polished, and having some sacred subject engraved on them, are used. ( 34 ) SECTION HI. ORNAMENTS OF THE MINISTERS. 55. Those who occupy the choir are vested m white. Will you explain the reason ? I have already said that the chancel is sym- bolical of Heaven. Those who occupy it, as being more directly engaged in the services of God, are clothed in fine linen, which as repre- senting the righteousness of Saints is described by S. John as the vesture of the Church Trium- phant the Bride of Christ (Eev. xix. 8). 56. The surplice, then, is the ordinary choir dress ? Yes : it is worn over the cassock, which is the distinguishing mark of all engaged in God's service. 57. What do these dresses signify ? The cassock, which entirely hides the ordinary dress, is emblematical of the spirit of recollection and devotion which becomes those who serve in the sanctuary : while the surplice repre- sents the innocency of life and purity of heart without which our service will not be acceptable to God. ORNAMENTS OF THE MINISTERS. 85 58. Will you describe the cassock to me more in detail ? The cassock is a long coat buttoning over the breast, and reaching to the feet. It is con- fined at the waist by a broad sash called the cincture. The collar is made to fasten right round the throat. 59. The cassock is or- dinarily black, and signifies separation from the world. 1 The Bishop's cassock is violet, & colour which signifies rule or authority. According to old English use, doctors of divinity wear scarlet cassocks. The choir-boys' cas- socks differ considerably in colour. In addition to black, blue, scarlet, and purple are frequently used. Where there are two sets, scarlet cassocks are generally used for ordinary Sundays and feasts, blue, black, or purple for week-days, Advent, Lent, &c. According to an eminent ritualist, the choristers' cassocks should be ordinarily black ; scarlet in churches which are royal foundations ; 2 purple in Episcopal foundations ; and perhaps blue in churches dedicated in honour of the Blessed Virgin ; but, however sound in theory, this does not seem to be generally adhered to in practice in any part of the Church. 1 In some parts of the Eastern Church cassocks of brown, or other sober hue, are used by the clergy. Members of religious orders wear the habit of their order in place of the cassock. 8 The choristers of the Chapel Royal still wear scarlet cassocks. o2 3G THE RITUAL REASON WHY. 60. What is the surplice ? A vestment of linen, much shorter and fuller than the cassock, and made without any open- ing in front. The arms are of considerable width at the wrists, and there is an aper- ture at the neck of sufficient size to enable the wearer to pass it over his head. 61. Is there any other dress used in the choir? Yes ; there are two varieties of the surplice not uncommonly to be met with, the cotta and the rochet. 62. What is the cotta ? The cotta is somewhat shorter than the sur- plice, and not quite so full, and is either entirely wanting in sleeves, or (which is more correct) has short ones reaching to a little below the elbows. The bottom of the cotta and the ends of the sleeves are frequently edged with lace, an ornamentation which cor- respondends with the " apparels " of the alb. ORNAMENTS OF THE MINISTERS. 37 03. What is the rochet ? The rochet is a short surplice (generally made of lawn, or fine linen) with tight sleeves, re- sembling those of the alb. Both these vari- eties of the surplice have resulted from the inconvenience of the wide pendant sleeves of the surplice proper in certain functions, such as the adminis- tration of Baptism, when the sleeves were apt to get wetted, and in serving at the Holy Eucharist at times when the alb would be out of place. 64. The Rochet is also worn by bishops in place of the Btirplice. Go. Are not the girded alb and einjdoyed in choir ? Yes ; on the more solemn occasions. GG. What is the alb ? A linen vestment much longer than the surplice, and with tight sleeves like those of the cassock. It is confined at the waiat by a girdle or sash. 88 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. 67. When is this vestment worn in choir ? In many parts of the Church it is employed in solemn celebrations of the Holy Eucharist ; also by the " ministers," that is, the acolytes and thu- rifer, at solemn matins and evensong. 68. Why? Because the choir are engaged in assisting the priest in the offering of the sacrifice. Hence they wear the alb, which is the sacrificial vestment. 69. What is the cope ? A large semicircular cloak of silk or other stuff, fastening in front by a clasp or morse. The straight piece is usually ornamented with a broad orphrey or strip of embroidery, the circular edge with a narrow. At the back is a piece of embroidery in the shape of a shield, called the hood. 70. How is the cope employed ? It is worn over the alb or surplice by the priest in procession and at solemn vespers or ORNAMENTS OF THE MINISTERS. 89 matins ; 1 by the rulers of the choir, and by the bishop in certain ministrations. 71. Of what is it symbolical ? It is symbolical of rule, and is therefore worn by those who have dignity in the choir. It is not an Eucharistic but a choral vestment. 72. Are there other choir habits ? Yes : when the cope is not used the choral tippet, or the hood, and sometimes the stole, are worn. 73. What is the choral tippet ? A cape of black silk or stuff worn over the surplice, and reaching about half-way between the elbow and wrist. 74. What is the hood ? It differs from the tippet in colour, which varies according to the University and degree of the wearer ; and is furnished at the back with a small hood, whence it derives its name. 75. What is the stole ? A narrow strip ol silk passed over the neck, and hanging in front to about the knees of the wearer. It is usually ornamented with a cross 1 According to old English use the priest does not assume the cope till the Magnificat or Benedictus. 40 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. at the neck and at either extremity. The" ends are slightly expanded and fringed. It varies in colour (as does the cope) with the season. 76. What are the Eucharistic vestments ? The amice, alb, girdle, stole, maniple, tunic, dalmatic, and chasuble. 77. Why are special vestments assigned to tlie Eucharist ? To mark the dignity of the service, and as symbolical of the Passion of Christ, which is therein commemorated. 78. Whence did the Church derive them ? Partly from the ordinary dress of apostolic times (preserving, however, a Syrian type out of reverence to the earthly life of her Lord) : partly from the symbolic dress of the Jewish priesthood. 79. What is the amice ? A. square piece of linen which is first placed Jj \ on the head, and then, being fastened round the neck, is turned back to form a kind of collar. 80. WJiat is its symbolical meaninrj ? It is interpreted as representing the linen rag ORNAMENTS OF THE MINISTERS. 41 wherewith the Jews blindfolded our Saviour ; also as a type of the helmet of salvation, where- with the good soldier of Jesus Christ is equipped, 81. What is the alb ? I have already described it as differing from the surplice in its greater length, and in the tightness of its sleeves. It is also generally made of finer linen ; and, as em- ployed in the Eucharist, is ornamented with em- broidery at the foot, be- fore and behind, and at the sleeves. These patches of embroidery are called the apparels. 82. Of what is the alb symbolical * It is, like the surplice, emblematical of purity and innocence, as also of the ministerial office (1 Sam. ii. 18 ; Eev. xv. 6). It is also held to represent the white garment in which Herod clothed our Saviour. 83. What is the girdle ? A white cord used to confine the alb at the waist. 84. Bij uhom are the amice, alb, and girdle worn ? By the priest, deacon, and sub- 42 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. deacon, and the other " ministers," that is, the acolytes and thurifer. The latter, however, ge- nerally substitute for the girdle a broad sash of the colour of their cassocks, and not unfre- quently substitute lace on the bottom of the alb for apparels. 85. What is the maniple? It is in shape like the stole, but much smaller, and is worn by the priest, deacon, and subdeacon over their left arm. 86. How is the stole worn in the Eucharist ? The celebrant wears it crossed over his breast ; the deacon fastens it on his left shoulder, and crossing it over his breast secures the ends under his right arm. The sub-deacon does not wear it. 87. What do these represent ? The girdle is emblematic of the work of the Lord ; to perform which the sacred ministers gird up as it were their loins : also of continence. The maniple is interpreted as an emblem of sorrow for sin. The stole represents the yoke of Christ, and is worn by the deacon over one shoulder only, as a sign of the subordination of his office. Lastly, all these are taken to repre- sent the cords and fetters with which the officers bound Jesus. ORNAMENTS OF THE MINISTERS. 45 88. What is the principal vestment of the priest * The chasuble, an oval gar- ment without sleeves, open at the sides, having an aperture at the neck through which he passes his head. 89. What is the symbolic mean- ing of the chasuble ? It represents the seamless vest of Christ : as also the purple garment, after being endued with which He was made to carry His Cross. It is also emblematic of charity. 90. The chasuble, I observe, is embroidered with a cross on the back and a plain stripe in front. Why is this ? The cross is symbolical of that which our Lord carried up the hill of Calvary ; the stripe of the pillar at which He was scourged. It reminds the priest that he must carry his cross after Christ, and must ever lean on Him as his true support. 91. In many parts of the Church, and especially in England, the chasuble has a cross in front as well as behind. To this custom B. Thomas a Kempis refers in the Imitation of Christ (Bk. iv. ch. 5) : " Before him he (i. e. the priest) beareth his cross on the chasuble, that he may diligently behold the footsteps of Christ, and fervently endeavour to follow after them. Behind him he is marked with the cross that he may mildly suffer for God's sake whatsoever adversities befall him from others. He weareth 44 THE RITUAL EEASON WHf. the cross before that he may bewail his own sins, and behind that he may lament the sins of others, and know that he standeth in the midst betwixt God and the sinner." The transverse beams of these crosses are generally placed at an acute instead of a right angle with the shaft (thus J ) : as this was the form taken by our Lord's arn,o when extended on the cross. The Y- Cross, as it is called, thus reminds us of that lifting up // His hands (Psalm cxli. 2), which first on Calvary, and now by way of re- presentation on the altars of the Christian Church, is the true and acceptable Sacrifice. 92. What are the principal vestments of the deacon and sub-deacon ? Of the deacon the dalmatic ; of the sub- deacon the tunic. These vestments vary very slightly in form. The dalmatic is somewhat fuller and longer, and is generally more richly ornamented. 93. What do these garments typify ? They represent the ministerial office ; it being the duty of the deacon to minister to the priest, and the sub-deacon to the deacon. 94. Do the deacon and sub-deacon always use these vestments 'I No : sometimes they minister in the planeta or folded chasuble ; or in albs and amices only. ORNAMENTS OF THE MINISTERS. 45 95. Why is this? Because the dalmatic and tunic are considered as festal garments, and so are not used in penitential seasons. 96. What are these seasons ? Advent and the season between Septuagesima and Easter, 1 which includes the Lent fast ; the four Ember seasons ; the Eogation days ; and the vigils of Saints' days and festivals. 97. Is the planeta always used then ? No ; sometimes the church is poor in vest- ments, and then the deacon and sub-deacon minister in their albs at these times, which they do according to old English use under any cir- cumstances on Good Friday, the Eogation days, and in ferial celebrations for the dead. 98. Are there any exceptions to these rules ? Yes ; the Vigils of Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, and the Ember days in Whitsun- week. 99. Are there any other observances connected irith these penitential times ? Yes ; the Te Deum is omitted at Matins. For- merly the Gloria in Excelsis also was omitted in the Eucharist. 1 According to Saram use, the dalmatic and tunic are to he used on feasts falling at these times, although the Ic Deum is not yaid. 46 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. 100. Yau said that the stole varied in colour with the season. Is this the case with the other vestments ? The maniple, chasuble, dalmatic, tunic, and cope vary in the same manner. 101. Will you explain these variations in colour ? These vestments are White on all the great festivals of our Lord, of the Blessed Virgin, and of all Saints who did not suffer martyrdom : white being the colour appropriated to joy, and signifying purity. Eed is used on the feasts of martyrs, typifying that they shed their blood for the testimony of Jesus ; also on the feasts of the Holy Cross that cross which was anointed with the Blood of the Lamb ; and at Whitsuntide, when the Holy Ghost descended in the likeness of tongues of fire. Violet is the penitential colour, and is used in Advent, Lent, Vigils, &c. Green is the ordinary colour for days that are neither feasts nor fasts, as being the pervading colour of nature, or as typifying the Eesurrection. Black is made use of at funerals, and on Good Friday. 102. Are these colours always observed ? No; many churches do not possess complete sets of vestments, and in others the old English colours are followed. 103. What are these ? They are the same as those above, but worn in a slightly different order, and with the addition of brown, grey, blue, and yellow. ORNAMENTS OP THE MINISTERS. 47 104. Will you explain to me this order ? Willingly. According to this use, Red is used on all Sundays throughout the year, except from Easter to Pentecost, unless a festival supersedes the Sunday services. The same colour serves for Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Maundy Thurs- day, and Easter and Whitsun eves. White is employed throughout Eastertide (i. e. from Easter to Whitsun eve), whether the service be of Sunday, of a Saint's day, or of the feria, with the exception of the Invention of the Cross, (May 3.) Yellow is employed for the feasts of confessors. Blue is used indifferently with green as the ferial colour ; and Brown or Grey with violet for penitential times. 105. Red, in this rite, is used in a twofold aspect : as a solemnly penitential colour (hence its use on Ash Wednesday and the last three days of Holy Week), and as an ordinary Dominical colour ; in the first case in order to connect all our penitence with the Passion of Christ, teaching us to mourn for our sins, not merely because they have injured us, but chiefly because they "have crucified the Son of God afresh;" in the second, because Sunday is the weekly feast of Him Who is the King of Martyrs. It serves also for Whitsuntide, the feasts of martyrs, and of the cross, for the reason given above. Yellow is symbolical of that " robe of glory " with which those who have confessed the Name of Jesus are clothed. Blue, the colour of the firmament, is fitly employed for the week-days after Trinity, the season which represents the everlasting rest that remaineth to the people of God; and thence came to be used for the few similar days after Epiphany. Brown and Grey, as expressive of the " sack- 48 THE RITUAL REASON WH?. cloth " of mourning and penitence, are assigned for week- day use in penitential seasons. 106. While certain colours (thence called the liturgical colours) are employed in a certain order for symbolical purposes, in the embroidery and trimming of the above vestments, and in the general decoration of churches, all colours are employed at the dictation of taste, to His glory who created the many hues of nature, and gave to man the power of seeing, and deriving pleasure from them. 107. What is the " liretta "? A square cap of black silk or other stuff, worn by per- sons in Holy Orders at pro- cessions and other out-door functions. 108. The biretta is the non- episcopal form of the mitre, and both signify the helmet of salva- tion and the glory of the Priest- hood. The mitre is cloven in the midst, like the "tongues of fire" which fell upon the Apostles (Acts ii. 3), to shew that the wearer is a successor of the Apostles, and shares with them in the Pentecostal gift. It is a question whether the use of the mitre is of extreme antiquity. Some even assign its introduction to the 10th century. But Bona (Eer. Lit. lib. i. c. xxiv.), while admitting the possibility of the fact, shews that some ornament of the head was worn from the ear- liest ages. The reader will re- ORN&MEXTS OF THE MINISTERS. 49 member that under the old law a " mitre " (or turban) of fine linen was appointed for the high priest (Exod. xxviu. 4), and " bonnets " for the priests and Levites (ver. 41). The fathers mention that S. James the Just, first bishop of Je- rusalem, and also the Apostle S. John, were in the habit of wearing the golden plate which was prescribed for the mitre of the high priest in the Jewish ritual. In the Eastern Church the actual mitre is unknown, but the clergy wear a par- ticular kind of cap, over which they arrange the hood. 109. Are not both the episcopal mitre and the biretta frequently worn in church ? Yes. The universality of the practice shows that the injunction of St. Paul (1 Cor. xi. 4) either referred alone to the particular acts of " praying " and " prophesying," or were mainly directed against the uncomeliness of a woman entering the assembly of the faithful with uncovered head (verse 16). The bishop wears the mitre in the acts of Confirmation and conferring Orders, but lays it aside when engaged in prayer ; the biretta is worn on entering and leaving church, and in some parts of the church during the singing of the Psalms. Members of religious orders use the hood of their habit (sometimes, but im- D 50 THE BITUAL REASON WHY. properly, called the cowl) in place of the bi- retta. 1 1 The cowl is a loose vestment, worn over the frock in the winter season and during the night office. The other parts of the monastic or religious habit are : the scapular, a narrow strip of serge or other stuff, covering the shoulders and hanging before and behind down to between the knee and the hem of the frock ; and the girdle or rope, which is generally ornamented with three knots, signifying the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; and (in some orders) the tottdalt. SECTION IV. BENEDICTIONS. 110. Is it not customary to set apart the variout " ornaments of the church, and of the ministers thereof," for the service of God by a form of bene- diction ? Yes; the natural instincts of piety and the requirements of God himself under the old law, as well as the universal custom of the Church in all ages, alike point to the propriety of so doing. 111. Js there not also a theological reason for the custom ? Yes; the creation having been put under a curse on account of man's fall, shares also in its degree in the blessings of man's redemption. But as the blessings of that redemption are conveyed to man by means of sacraments, so they are conveyed to the lower creation by the Church's benedictions. 112. Why is water blessed ? Before baptism in order to set apart the element to the service of God in the administra- tion of that sacrament ; before it is poured into the chalice at the Holy Eucharist for the same Pi 52 THE R11UAL REASON WHY. reason ; at other times to put the people in remembrance of their baptism and to convey to them the Church's benediction in the absence ot a minister. 118. Will you explain the last reason ? The priest in blessing the water sets it apart for the use of the people and prays God to give His blessing to all who use it. 114. It is a very ancient custom for the people to sign themselves on entering and leaving church with water so blessed, thus reminding themselves that they were set apart to God's service in Holy Baptism, and also of the need of inward purity if they would give themselves aright to His worship. Alexander I., bishop of Borne, speaks of it in the year 109, in terms which show him to be ratifying a custom already in use. It is therefore in all probability a practice dating from the time of the Apostles. This and the lavabo were doubtless derived from the Jewish ritual, where a similar rite is enjoined (Exod. xxx. 18) for Aaron and his sons. 115. In the English Church formerly, as still elsewhere, the priest after blessing the water before the Sunday morning service, went round and sprinkled the people with a bunch of hyssop while the choir sang " Purge me with hyssop, Lord, and I shall be clean : wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Or in Eastertide, " I saw water coming forth of the temple out of the right side, Alleluia ; and all upon whom this water came were saved and said, Alleluia, Alleluia." This aspersion typified the dew of God's blessing which is shed upon those who worship Him aright. 116. Salt is mingled with the water so blessed, both in order to preserve it, and as a type of an incorrupt and innocent life. BENEDICTIONS. 63 117. The blessing and aspersion of water, although fallen into disuse in the English Church, are still legal, having never been formally abolished, and vessels for holy or blessed water having been permitted to remain in churches BO late as the sixth year of Edward VI., four years subsequent to the year the ornaments in use in which are declared legal. 118. Is not bread blessed in some parts of the Church? Yes ; in the East, in France and elsewhere (as formerly in England), bread is blessed after Mass and distributed to the people as a token that they are in the Communion of the Church, even should they not communicate at that Mass, and also to take to sick persons for a like token. 119. Why was the usage abrogated in England ? Because it was thought the distribution of the blessed bread tended to make the common people neglect the reception of the Sacrament. 120. By what other names is the blessed bread known ? In the East as the eulogia, (i.e. the benediction, or token of good- will) ; in England it was called the " holy loaf." 121. What ornaments of ilie Church and of th* clergy are blessed ? All those which from being directly used in connection with the Blessed Sacrament, are called the sacred ornaments. These are the paten and chalice, the chalice veil, corporals, 64 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. pall, and burse ; the linen cloths of the altar : the chasuhle, dalmatic, and tunic, with the stole and maniple. These after benediction cannot be handled by lay people without permission. In addition to these, albs with their girdles, altar and processional crosses, and the like are blessed. 122. Why do the canons specially require the above to be blessed prior to use, and forbid the laity to handle them without permission ? Out of reverence to the Blessed Sacrament, in the celebration of which they are more im- mediately used. For the same reason in many parts of the Church they must be blessed by the bishop. 123. Corporals and other linen, which is brought into immediate contact with the Sacramental Presence, have for a similar reason to be washed by one in holy orders, prior to being washed by laics. 124. Are any other things blessed for use in th Church service ? The candles to be used in the Candlemas procession and the palms for Palm Sunday are blessed before use; and the paschal candle is blessed on Holy Saturday ; incense is blessed prior to its use in the service ; and also, as we have seen, the water about to be mingled in the chalice. 125. It is an ancient custom on Holy Saturday and Whitsun Eve, to bless fire from which to kindle the BENEDICTIONS. 55 lights. This signifies the spiritual joy with which we ralebrate the Resurrection, and the Descent of the Holy Spirit in the likeness of fiery tongues. On the same days the font is blessed, because these two feasts were the chief days for conferring Baptism in the early Church. 126. You have explained the use of blessed water ; but why are things when blessed, generally sprinkled with it ? Water is a symbol of God's blessing; the sprinkling therefore signifies that it is the dew of God's benediction, by the ministry of His priest, which consecrates material things to His service. It also shows that as by baptism man, so through man the inanimate creation, is renewed and sanctified. 127. What other benedictions are there f The most notable are the consecration of churches, altars, and churchyards or cemeteries ; in addition to which the Church sanctions several benedictions, such as of a house, school, college, &c.; of fields and vineyards; of a newly-built ship ; and the like. 128. Why are churches consecrated ? In order to set them apart for ever to the service of Almighty God, to separate them from profane uses, and to invoke the benediction of God upon, and His special presence within, the temple set apart to His worship. 129. Why are altars consecrated ? Because they are the more immediate seat of 66 1HE RITUA^, BEASON WHY. God's presence ; His throne in the assembly of the faithful, and the place whereon the Holy Sacrifice is offered before God. 130. The portable slab of stone called the super-altar, (see 22, note J ), or the altar itself if made of stone, is anointed with holy oil when consecrated. Thus Jacob, when he took the stone which he had used for his pillow to make with it an altar unto the Lord, poured oil upon it. (Gen. xxviii. 18.) 131. Oil is blessed for the purpose of anointing altars and super-altars ; also for the anointing of the sick, accord- ing to the precept of S. James, (chap. v. 14) ; for the anointing of the sovereign at his coronation, and in most parts of the Church for use at Baptism and Confirmation. In the Western Church, three kinds of oil are blessed by the Bishop on Maundy Thursday. One, the oil of the sick, for the Sacrament of Unction ; another the oil of catechumens for anointing candidates prior to baptism ; the third, a mixture of oil and balsam called the chrism, served for the anointing of altars, of the sovereign at his corona- tion, and for use at Baptism and Confirmation. l 132. Why are churchyards and cemeteries conse- crated ? To be the last resting-places of the bodies of the faithful ; it being meet that the body made in baptism the temple of the Holy Ghost, ^1 Uor. 1 The oils so blessed are distributed to the parish priests of the'diocese, for the anointing of the sick, olt catechumens, and of newly baptized persons respectively ; vhe anointing of altars, and confirmation of children, being confined to the bishop, and the anointing of sovereigns to the arch- bishop of the province. In the Eastern Church, however, the priest is allowed to confirm with chrism consecrated by the bishop. BENEDICTIONS. 57 vi. 19) ; fed with the sacramental food of Christ's Body and Blood ; sealed in Confirmation with the Holy Spirit ; and hereafter to be raised (as the Church's hope for each one of her children is) in incorruption to immortal glory, should rest in hallowed ground. 133. The burial places reserved for those not in com- munion with the Church, do not receive consecration, the Church's benedictions being only for her own children. When it is impossible from any cause to bury one in the Church's communion in consecrated ground, the grave should be blessed previous to burial. A priest asked to bury the baptized child of Dissenting parents in Dis- senters' ground would use this order, every baptized person being in the Church's communion, till by their own overt act of schism cut off from it. 184. Are not persons blessed as well as places and things ? Yes ; the various benedictions occurring in the service are blessings of the congregation ; so too the priest is directed to bless the newly married couple, the sick person when visited, &c. ; and the bishop to bestow his blessing upon those he has confirmed or admitted to holy orders. 135. Are there any oilier benedictions of persons Yes ; there is the setting apart of persons to any holy office or function in the Church of God. When this setting apart is sacramental it is called Ordination, or in the case of bishops Consecration. Those not admitted to holy orders are set apart by a form of benediction. Of this kind are the 58 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. forms of admission or benediction of choristers, acolytes, readers, the form of admission into a religious order, the institution of a religious superior, and the like. 136. The principle of Benedictions is carried out into the usages of domestic and social life. " Grace " before meals, or more properly the " Blessing of the Table," is an in- stance. This, as a solemn form of invoking God's bless- ing upon our food, should invariably be accompanied by the sign of the cross, not made, however, upon the food (the Bign so made being a mark of authority, and as such being used in sacerdotal benedictions), but upon the person by the reciter and those present. The phrases " God bless you," " Good bye " (that is, God be with you), " Adieu," and the like, are of a similar character. SECTION V. FEASTS AND FASTS. 187. What are the great divisions of the Ca- lendar? Every day is either a feast, a fast, or a feria ; in addition to which the year is divided into certain seasons. 188. Perhaps it will be simpler if you describe the seasons first. There are ten seasons : 1. Advent, which begins on the Sunday nearest the feast of St. Andrew (Nov. 30), and extends to Christmas Eve. 2. Christmas, which carries the year on to the Vigil of the Epiphany. 3. Epiphany, ex- tending from January 6 to Septuagesima. 4. Septuagesima, from the Sunday of that name to Ash Wednesday. 5. Lent, extending to Easter Eve, and including 6, Passion-tide, the fortnight before Easter. 7. Easter-tide, from Easter day to Whitsun Eve, in which is included 8, As- cension-tide, from the 5th Thursday after Easter to the Saturday week following. 9. Whitsuntide, being Whitsunday and the six following days. 10. The Trinity Season, extending from Trinity Sunday to Advent. 60 THE K1TOA1. BEASON WHY. 139. What do these seasons represent ? Advent commemorates the first and anticipates the second coming of our Lord ; Christmas, His Birth ; Epiphany, His manifestation to the Gen- tiles ; Septuagesima, His labours and sorrows ; Lent, His Fasting ; Passiontide, His Suffering and Death ; Easter, His Eesurrection ; Ascension- tide, His going up into Heaven ; Whitsuntide, the coming of the Holy Ghost ; and Trinity, the final glory of the Elect in the fruition of the Beatific Vision. 140. What is the respective length of these sea- sons ? Advent includes four Sundays ; Christmas ex- tends twelve days ; the Sundays called " after Epiphany " vary from one to six, according as Easter falls early or late ; Septuagesima includes the two next Sundays ; Lent comprises six whole weeks from the Sunday after Ash-Wednesday ; Easter fifty days, ten of which however are counted in Ascension-tide ; Whitsuntide seven days; the Sundays "after Trinity" vary from twenty-two to twenty-seven, from the same causes which regulate the number of those after Epiphany. 141. Are there no other seasons? The Ember days are called " the four Seasons ;" or more properly "the fasts of the four Seasons," as occurring in the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter quarters respectively. They are the FEASTS AND FASTS. 61 Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the first Sunday in Lent, Whitsunday, the 14th of September, and the 13th of December. 142. What are these fasts ? Solemn seasons of prayer for those who are about to receive Holy Orders ; the bishops holding ordinations on the Sundays following these days. 143. What other days are fasts ? The forty days of Lent, the Eogation days, and the Vigils (or Eves) of Christmas, Easter, Ascen- sion-day, Whitsun-day, the Purification and Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, SS. Matthias, John Baptist, Peter, James, Bartholo- mew, Matthew, Simon and Jude, Andrew, Thomas, and All Saints. The Wednesdays and Fridays in Advent are generally observed as fasts, though there is no longer any rule on the subject. 144. What are the Rogation days ? The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension-day. 145. Why are they so called ? From the Latin word rogare, " to ask," because Litanies are then sung, asking for divers blessings. 146. Why are the vigils of /easts observed as fasts? To prepare us for their proper observance in a spirit of sober joy ; and as teaching us that we must suffer here in order to rejoice hereafter. They are symbolical of the sorrows of our Lord's 62 THE EITUAI. REASON WHY. earthly life, and of the probation which the saints underwent before they were fitted to reign with Christ. 147. Why tlien are the eves of certain feasts, as the Circumcision, the Epiphany, the Conversion of St. Paul, St. Mark, SS. Philip and James, St. Bar- nabas, St. Michael, St. Luke, St. Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents, not observed as fasts ? All except St. Michael and St. Luke occur either in the Christmas or Easter seasons, when the Church is unwilling to multiply fasts. St. Michael's day is without a vigil, because the angels who are then commemorated did not undergo a state of probation on earth ; while it has been held that the feast of St. Etheldreda has superseded the vigil of St. Luke. 148. I see in the Prayer Book a " table of vigils, fasts, and days of abstinence." What is the dis- tinction betu-een these last ? Abstinence is a less strict observance than fasting. Fasting is the total abstinence from food up to a certain hour of the day (generally noon), and a diminution of quantity as well as quality in food. Abstinence is the mere refraining from animal food. Eggs, cheese, and butter are allowed in abstinence, but are forbidden in fasting. 149, Are these days then to be observed as fasts or abstinence-days indiscriminately ? Strictly speaking all the days set down in the FEASTS AND FASTS. 68 table are fasts except the ordinary Fridays out of Lent, which are days of abstinence. But those who cannot fast should at least ab- stain on these days. Persons under age and in laborious work are not obliged to fast. Hence the distinction is not marked out with clearness. 150. Why is Friday set apart as a day of abstinence ? As a weekly memorial of our Lord's Passion ; as Sunday is set apart as a weekly memorial of His Resurrection. 151. What are Feasts? Days set apart as solemn commemorations of our Lord, of the Blessed Virgin, of the Apostles ; or of Martyrs, Virgins, Confessors, and other Saints. 152. What are the Feasts that relate to our Lord? Christmas, the Circumcision, Epiphany, Easter, and Ascension day ; together with the Trans- figuration (August 6), and the Name of Jesus (August 7). To these may be added, Whitsun- day, the Feast of the Holy Trinity, and the Invention and Exaltation of the Cross. 153. What Feasts relate to the Blessed Virgin ? Those of her Purification (Feb. 2) ; Annuncia- tion (March 25) ; Visitation (July 2) ; Nativity (Sept. 8) ; and Conception (Dec. 8). 64 THE KITUAL REASON WHY. 154. Which are the Feasts of Apostles ? SS. Andrew ; Thomas ; John ; Conversion of St. Paul ; Matthias ; Mark ; Philip and James ; John ante port. Lat. (May 6) ; Barnabas ; Peter ; James ; Lammas, or St. Peter's chains ; Bar- tholomew ; Matthew ; Luke ; Simon and Jude. 155. The other feasts are marked on the Calendar as those of " Martyrs," " Virgins," " Confessors," &c. 156. Are all these feasts observed with equal im- portance ? No ; they are divided into several " classes." 157. Why is this? So that if a moveable feast clashes with a fixed one, or with an ordinary Sunday, the feast of lesser dignity may give place. 158. What are the chief divisions of feasts ? Major or red-letter days : and minor or black- letter days ; so called because in the calendar they were formerly marked in red and black ink respectively. 159. Are not these Feasts sometimes distinguished as "double" and "simple" Feasts? Yes ; because formerly the anthem which was sung at the Magnificat and Benedictus was "doubled," that is, sung throughout before as well as after the canticles on the major festivals, the initial words only being sung before on the lesser feasts. FEASTS AND FASTS. 65 160. In addition to the present red letter days, the following were formerly " double feasts " in England : Wednesday in Easter week ; Wednesday in Whitsun week ; Invention of the Cross, (May 3) ; SS. Gregory, (March 12) ; Ambrose, (April 4) ; George, (April 23) ; Augustine, Archbishop of Canterbury, (May 26) ; Visitation of the Blessed Virgin (July 2) ; Transfiguration of our Lord, (Aug. 6) ; Holy Name of Jesus, (Aug. 7) ; St. Augustine, bishop and doctor, (Aug. 28); Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, (Sept. 8) ; Exaltation of the Cross, (Sept. 14) ; St. Jerome, (Sept. 30) ; Translation of St. Edward the Confessor, (Oct. 13) ; and the Conception of the Blessed Virgin, (Dec. 8). 161. If a major and a minor feast fall on the same day, the minor feast gives place. What happens if tifo major or two minor feasts fall on the same day? Each are subdivided into three or four classes, so that the feast of lower dignity still gives place. 162. Are these classifications of any other use ? Yes ; they regulate the degree of dignity with which the service is to be performed. 168. How to f On major feasts there are four rulers of the choir by whom the Venite is sung on the feasts of the highest class ; on the lower class major feasts it is sung by three of them. On minor feasts of the highest class there are three rulers ; on those of the next class, two rulers ; while simple feasts of the lowest class have no rulers. 1 1 Hence these days are known respectively as having 68 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. 164. Is there any other distinction? Yes; minor feasts of the lowest class (like vigils and ferial or week-days) have only one evensong, while all the rest have two ; added to which minor feasts of the two lower classes are never " translated." (see 171). 165. What do you mean by a feast having two evensongs ? I mean that its observance begins with the evensong of the evening before. This is called its " first vespers." The evening service of the day itself is the " second vespers." 166. Why is this observed ? The Jews were wont to begin and end their Sabbaths and other feasts at sunset, in which custom the Christians followed them, but keeping them up to the midnight of the day itself, as a sign of the eternal rest (re- presented by the evening), in which they hoped to celebrate the true Sabbath that has no ending. 167. Mystically, the solemn commencement of a feast before the vigil fast had expired, or before the actual day of its observance had come, was held to represent the Divine Consolations with which the Saints were visited here in their state of probation ; as an earnest that penitence is not without joy ; and to remind us of quadruple, triple, double, or simple invitatory, and as being celebrated euro, or sine, regimine chori, with or with- out choir-ruleri. FEASTS AND FASTS. 07 the promises that " in due season we shall reap if we faint not ; " " at eventide there shall be light." 1 168. How do feasts clash ? In two ways : by " occurrence " and by " con- currence." 169. When do feasts " occur " .' When two or more fall on the same day. 170. When do they " concur " ? When they fall on two consecutive days, so that the second evensong of the one is also the first evensong of the other. 171. What is done on such occasions f The greater feast is observed, sometimes with a commemoration of the lesser ; at other times the lesser is " translated," i.e. transferred to the first vacant day. 172. How is the lesser commemorated ? Sometimes by its collect being said after that of the greater; sometimes by the use of its proper hymn at the end of the service, or in both ways. 173. Are all Sundays of equal rank ? Easter, Low, Whitsun, and Trinity Sunday 1 The first vespers of Sunday has left a trace in the Saturday half-holiday still universally observed in schools, all work having formerly ceased in time for the people to attend evensong on Saturday. E2 68 THE KITUAL REASON WHY. are " double " feasts ; of the rest, Advent Sun- day, the 1st and 5th in Lent, and Palm Sunday, are called "Sundays of the first class;" the remaining Sundays in Advent and Lent, to- gether with Septuagesima and the two follow- ing Sundays, are " Sundays of the second class." 174. What is the rule when Sundays and festivals clash ? Sundays of the first class take precedence of all feasts ; Sundays of the second class of all but the highest. Ordinary Sundays yield to " double " feasts and simples of the highest class, but take precedence of others. 175. What are octaves? Certain feasts are kept up for eight days ; the eighth day is the octave-day, the intermediate days the days within the octave. 176. Octaves are observed to add greater dignity to the festivals. Thus Easter has been observed with an octave from the earliest times. Also (as Durandus says), as significant of the future glory of the Saint whose day is being observed, the day itself commemorating the event (as Christmas, our Lord's Birth), the octave day its future consummation, when we shall reap the full fruition. Sometimes the octave commemorates a distinct event, as the Octave of Christmas is observed as the feast of Our Lord's Circumcision, wherein He completed His humiliation by taking upon Him the yoke of the Law; the Octave of Whitsunday as Trinity Sunday, because the end of the Holy Spirit's outpouring on the Church is to lead us to the Beatific Vision of the Eternal FEASTS AND FASTS. 69 Three in One. 1 Sometimes a feast has an octave, not only because of its dignity, bat because of the many mysteries celebrated thereon. Thus, Epiphany com- memorates not only our Lord's Manifestation, but also His Baptism, and His first miracle at the Marriage of Cana. 177. What rank have octave days, and days within the octave ? Some are observed as simples with rulers, and some as simples without. In the modern Koman rite the octave day is a " double" of the lowest rank; the days within the octave are " semi- double," a description of feast answering to the simple with double invitatory of the English rites, and ranking with ordinary Sundays. 178. What is aferia ? A day which is neither a feast nor a fast. 179. How areferias distinguished ? As ordinary and greater ferias. 180. What are the greater ferias ? The ferial days in Advent and Lent. 1 The long and varying weeks "after Trinity" would thus express the eternity of the Beatific Vision ; but this beautiful symbolism is peculiar to the Old English Rites and their modern representatives. Elsewhere in the West, Whitsunday is not held to have an octave, but the Sundays thence to Advent are called "after Pentecost," the Feast of the Holy Trinity happening, as it were, to coincide with the first Sunday after Pentecost. In this rite, the long season "after Pentecost" is explained as representing the con- tinual outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church till the end of time. 70 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. 181. What is there to notice about them f They take precedence of certain kinds of feasts, which are only commemorated at these times. 182. Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday, together with Easter and Whitsun Eves, are prin- cipal ferias, taking precedence of all feasts ; the other days in Passion and Holy weeks take precedence of all minor feasts ; the remaining week-days in Lent, the rogation days, and the week-days in Advent, always take precedence of all minor feasts except those of the highest class. There is always a memorial or commemoration of the feria when a festival service is said on any of these days. 183. What rank do vigils occupy? Vigils (with which rank Ember days) take precedence of simple feasts of the lowest class. 184. What are the feasts of the Patron (or title) and of the Dedication of the church ? The feast of the saint (or mystery) in whose honour the church was erected, and the anni- versary of its consecration. 185. How are these days observed ? As major feasts of the first class (with an octave, except in Lent) ; and take precedence of all other feasts except Sundays of the first class, and the greater feasts of our Lord, the Vigils of Christmas and Pentecost, the Circumcision, Octave of the Epiphany, Ash-Wednesday, Holy Week, Easter and Whitsun weeks, Ascension- day, and All Saints' day. SECTION VI. MATINS AND EVENSONG. 186. Why is the morning service of the Church called Matins ? From the Latin matutina, which means " ap- pertaining to the morning." From a similar cause the evening service is styled " Evensong." ] 87. What is the object of these services ? The constant singing of God's praises by means of the psalter, which is sung through in regular course once a month ; in subordination to which are offered acts of prayer for the needs of the worshippers, and of intercession for others. 188. Why are these services directed to be sung "daily"? Because they represent the worship of the heavenly courts, which is continual. 189. Why is the priest directed to say them " either privately or openly" ? Because as a priest he is specially bound to praise God continually, a duty which he must not omit because the people neglect to join him in it ; and because he is bound to offer the 72 THE BI1UAL REASON WHY. Church's intercession for all his flock, whether they themselves unite with him in bodily presence or not. 190. What service of the Jewish Church do these offices represent ? The " Service of Song." (1 Chron. vi. 81.) 191. Ought they then to be sung ? Yes, wherever possible. Music it the fitting adjunct to the praises of God. 192. I observe that the choir are ranged laterally in the chancel; and that they sing from side to side. Why is this ? This mode of singing, which is called the " antiphonal," is of the greatest antiquity; so much so that it is said to have been instituted by St. Polycarp, the disciple of St. John, who saw in a vision the choirs of heaven chanting the praises of God in this manner. x 193. I believe you call these two sides "Decani" and " Cantoris." For what reason? In cathedral churches the stall of the Dean 1 Socrates, Eccl. Hist. The " Myrroitr of Our Lady " gives a further reason : " The Psalms are sung sometimes on the one side and sometimes on the other, in token that the gifts of the Holy Ghost, whereby men do good deeds, are given some to one, some to another. But in singing of Psalms the choir standeth turned toward each other, and singeth face to face, in token that the gifts of God which each one hath received ought to be used to the helping each of other." MATINS AND EVENSONG. 73 (Decani] was to the right on entering the choir ; hence the south or epistle side was called the side of the Dean ("Decani"). Opposite to him was the stall of the Precentor (Cantoris) ; and the North or Gospel side was called of the Precentor (" Cantoris "). 194. Why does the priest begin the more direct 1 portion of the sevrice by the verse : " Lord, open thou our lips " ? Because we cannot sing the praises of God without His assistance. For which cause it is a pious custom at this place to sign the lips with the sign of the cross, as the forehead and breast are signed at the next verse: "0 God, make speed," &c. a 195. Why does Gloria Patri follow here? In token of our faith that God has heard 1 In the first Prayer Book of Edward VI. the Choir ser- vice began with the Lord's Prayer ; and Bishop Cosin, who was principally concerned in the last revision, wished to make a marked separation between the respective portions of the service that preceded and followed the Lord's Prayer. In some MS. "directions to the printer" in his hand- writing, he inserted after the Absolution : " Here set a neuron," and on the next page before the Lord's Prayer : " Here set a fair compartment." In the first series of his notes on the Prayer Book (Works, v. 47) he wrote : " Here begins the Service ; for that which goes before is but a preparation to it ; aud is newly added in K. Edward VI.'s second book in imitation of the Liturgy and Mass of the Church of Rome. But as their Hours began with the Lord's Prayer, so begins our Matins, and the high service of the Altar." 2 On the sign of the Cross, see paragraphs 243, 244, and the note subjoined. 74 THE RITUAL, BEASON WHY. us, and has opened our lips to sing His praise. 196. I observe that here and elsewhere, when this verse is sung, all in choir turn towards the East, and incline the head. Explain this. It is a solemn act of adoration to the Holy Trinity, whose praises are especially set forth in this doxology. For the same reason the people incline their heads at the first clause. 197. It is customary to low the head at the Name of Jesus whenever it occurs in Divine service, and at any inscription of holiness to the Name of the Lord (as in the fourth verse of the Magnificat, Psalm cxi. 9, &c.), in veneration of that Name which "is as ointment poured forth," and in accordance with the express testimony of St. Paul (Phil. ii. 10), that "at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow." 198. On similar grounds the custom obtains of bowing towards the Altar on entering and leaving Church, and whenever at other times passing in front of it. " Ye shall reverence My sanctuary," was God's command to the Jews, and the Christian sanctuary is holier than was the Jewish. It is moreover the expression by outward gesture of that exhortation of the Psalmist, " Fall down before Hit footstool, for He is holy." When the Blessed Sacrament is on the Altar, the custom is to genuflect, or bow the knee ; and to this St. Augustine beautifully refers this very passage of the Psalmist (Comment, on Ps. xcix.) : " ' Fall down before His footstool, for Ho is holy.' The Scripture says : ' The Earth is the footstool of My Feet.' I turn me to Christ, and I find Him here" (i.e. under the sacramental veils). "He took Earth of Earth: for flesh is of earth, and of Mary He took Flesh. And since He walked here in this very Flesh, He hath given us this very Flesh to eat MATINS AND EVENSONG. 75 for our salvation" (i.e. in the Sacrament). "No one eats that Flesh except he first adore. We find therefore how we may adore the footstool of the Lord, and not only do we not sin in worshipping, but we sin if we worship not.'' So our own Bishop Forbes says : " Christ in the Eucharist is to be adored with Divine worship, inasmuch as His living and glorified Body is present therein." Perfectly analogous, though of course infinitely lower in degree, is the ritual that obtains in civil life. Reverence is made before the throne of the sovereign, though he be not there ; when he is there, men kneel, and kiss his extended hand. 199. What is the " Venite"* It is an introduction to the psalmody which now commences ; for which reason it is called " the Invitatory Psalm." 200. In singing the Psalms and Canticles, why does the cantoris side of the choir lead ? Because that is the side of the precentor, whose office it is to lead the singing ; and out of reverence to the Holy Gospel, which is read from this side of the altar. 201. Why are the Glorias sung "fully' i.e. by both sides of the choir ? Because the praises of the Blessed Trinity should he celebrated hy every creature. Besides which, while the Psalms, being composed of prayer and confessions of sins as well as of praise, are fitly sung by the Church Militant the ascription of blessing and glory to the Holy Trinity is sung alike by the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant. 76 THE EITUAL REASON WHY. 202. Why has the choir rulers ? To preside over the singing of the Psalms, that all may be done reverently and in order. 203. Are there always rulers of the choir? No ; only on major feasts, and minors of the two highest classes. At other times, the choir is presided over by the precentor. 204. Why do the rulers vary in number ? To mark the dignity of the feast. There are four on major feasts, two on minors. 205. Why do the rulers wear copes, and why do tliey sit during the Psalms, while the rest of the choir is standing ? They wear copes in honour of the " work of God " which is then being carried on ; and as symbolical of the rule they possess over the choir ; for which reason they sit, as also to be more at leisure to superintend the ritual of the Psalmody. 206. Why do they go to the lectern in turns before each Psalm ? To give out the " intonation," that is, the commencement of the Psalm, which the choir then take up. This is done alternately on the same principle as that on which the Psalms are sung from side to side. 207. Did the Church always surround tJie Psalms with ceremonial observances ? Yes ; it was the custom in very early times to MATINS AND EVENSONG. 77 light lamps at the singing of the Psalms, as a sign of the joy and fervour with which we should celebrate the praises of God. 208. Formerly (and still in Religious Houses) the Psalter was arranged so as to be sung through every week, by means of seven daily services, called the "Hours," in accordance with the words of the Psalmist, " Seven times a day do I praise Thee, because of Thy righteous judgments " (Ps. cxix. 164), and of the Night Office, or Nocturns, according to the saying of the same Psalmist, " At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto Thee " (v. 62). "I have thought upon Thy Name, Lord, in the night season " (v. 55). These " Hours " are described fully in the fifteenth section. In secular use the lesser hours came to be either altogether neglected or to be said by " accumu- lation;" that is, three or four services said continuously; and therefore when the Church arranged a vernacular Service-book, two daily choir-services were alone appointed, Matins, composed out of Matins, Lauds, and Prime ; and Evensong, arranged from Evensong and Compline. The alteration necessarily involved a less frequent repetition of the Psalter. At the same time, the old canonical hours of prayer were recognised and provided for in private recitation in the various editions of the "Primer;" and would in all probability have been continued for monastic use had not the monasteries been suppressed before the reformation of the Service-books. 209. What are the " tones " employed in the Psalter? They are the Gregorian scales modified into a melody, characterised by a final or tonic, and a dominant or reciting note. Fourteen such "Modes" are employed in the hymns and anthems of the Church, each of the seven scales 78 THE RITUAL EEASON WHY. admitting of two modes, having the same final, but a different dominant. 1 Of these "modes" the first eight only were employed in the Psalms and Canticles, each mode having its fixed melody. These melodies form the eight Gre- gorian " tones." A ninth called the " Eighth Irregular " or tonus peregrinus the " foreign tone " is added ; its irregularity consisting in the two halves of the tone having a different dominant. 210. Are these Tones employed in any recognised order ? The first tone is styled " grave ; " the second, " mournful ; '' the third, " exultant ; " the fourth, "harmonious;" the fifth, "gladsome;" the sixth, " devout ;" the seventh, " angelical ;" and the eighth, " sweet." They are generally distri- buted according to the character of the Psalms to which they are sung, or to the season. 211. The " Ambrosian " and "Parisian " tones are similar modifications of the Gregorian scales used respectively at Milan Cathedral and in some of the French Churches. 212. I see that the Psalter is "pointed " for sing- ing. In what does this "pointing " consist ? Each verse is marked off into two clauses by the colon (:), which corresponds to a similar division in the tones. 1 The Gregorian dominant differs from the modern, which is invariably the fifth above the key-note. MATINS AND EVENSONO. 79 213. Have not the tones more than two divisions ? Ordinarily not. There are two changes from the dominant, one in the middle, called the mediation, and one at the end, called the cadence or ending, each consisting of from one to five syllables. But on certain occasions a third division, called the intonation, appears. 214. In what does the " intonation " consist? In the prefixing of two or more notes to the dominant of the first clause. 215. When is it used ? In the first verse of each Psalm, and of each verse of the Gloria Patri on festivals ; in the ferial service at the beginning of the first Psalm only ; and in penitential seasons not at all in the Psalter. In the Canticles Benedictus and Magnificat it is used rather more frequently : always at the initial verse; and in the ferial service (not penitential) at both verses of the Gloria Patri ; on festivals it is prefixed to every verse of these canticles. 1 1 The best authorities, however, say that the Evangelical Canticles should always be sung festally, i.e. with tho intonation to every verse. And this would seem to have been the custom in the mediaeval Church of England. For in a MS. Breviary of Sarum use with the musical notation, preserved in the British Museum (Arundel MSS. 130), dated 1445, the eight tones for the Benedictus are thus pre- faced, "Benedictus " (and of course equally Magnificat) " on account of its Evangelical authority, has this more beauti- ful mode in the intonation of psalmody and in jubilation." Chambers' Bar. Psal. p. 71. The Tones follow in fatal form. 80 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. 216. Why It the intonation thus employed? It is a festal feature in the " tones," and is therefore more or less frequently used according to the solemnity of the occasion. It is sung at the Gloria because of the festal character of this Doxology, and to add solemnity to the praise of the Holy Trinity which is therein celebrated. 217. What is the " pmuma " or slur ? It consists of a few notes, either sung to the concluding syllable of the Psalms, or played on the organ. 218. When is it used ? At the end of the Psalnis for the day, and at the end of the Canticles Benedictus and Magni- ficat in the choir service, and of the Te Deum on festivals ; and at the end of the sequence in the Holy Eucharist. 219. Why are the Psalms finished with a pneuma 1 As a sign of our reluctance to quit the praises of God even for instruction and prayer. 220. Is this custom old ? The addition of a cadence to the " Alleluia " in the Eucharist, and to certain hymns when sung as sequences, is of some antiquity. Its use in this particular place is prescribed in the Old English Service books, and was probably observed here from the time of St. Augustine. MATINS AND EVENSON3. 81 221. Was the pneuma invariably used ? No; it was omitted in Passiontide, when all marks of rejoicing are suppressed ; in Easter- week, when the whole office was regarded as one continued act of praise ; and in the Service for the Dead, in which the character of the psalmody was rather that of supplication than of praise. 222. A trace of the pneuma after the Psalms may be found in the " Voluntary," which in some churches is here introduced ; only the pneuma, which, in accordance with the severe and chaste character of plain song, consisted of a few notes, winding out of the Amen as it were, and ending on the final of the mode in which the Psalms had been chanted, was replaced by a longer and more florid " performance," in which, as is generally the case in "Anglican" or Cathedral music, the symbolical meaning was sacrificed in order to give room to the display of the organist. 223. Why are tlie Lessons read from a lectern ? It is fitting that each ministration should have its proper place and appropriate furniture, that all things may be done decently and in order, and to the edifying of the flock. The lectern is therefore placed where the reader may be seen and heard of the people, in whose ears he is delivering the message of God, whether in the midst of the choir, or outside the screen. 224. In some cases the first lesson is read facing south, the second facing north ; for the same reason for which the Epistle and Gospel are recited respectively at the south and north corners of the altar, to signify the change from the Law of Moses to the Gospel of Christ. In reading the Old Testament, he slightly turns towards the altar, F 82 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. to signify that the prophecies were but indistinctly under- stood before the advent of Christ. The people heard the voice, as on Mount Sinai, but did not see the face of him that spake. In reading the New Testament, he slightly turns towards the people, to shew that the Gospel of Christ and the Apostolic doctrine is not hid, but is preached everywhere. 1 225. Another old custom is for the reader to beg the officiant's benediction before executing his ministry, which the latter bestows sitting, Bona, in speaking of a similiar act of the deacon before reading the Gospel, thus explains the observance : " Before reading, he seeks from the cele- brant a benediction, that is to say, license to read ; for, as says Eupertus Abbas (lib. i. c. 12) : ' None without mission or permission may assume the office of preaching; for how shall they preach except they be sent ?' " The reader, therefore, like the seventy, goes forth to the people in the name and with the authority of the priest, as well as with his blessing for the due and reverent performance of his work. 226. Why do the congregation sit during the Lessons ? Because it is the general attitude of those who are being instructed. Also to avoid weariness, and in order to gather the mind, restfully to contemplate the mysteries revealed to us in Holy Scripture. 227. " The changing that is in God's service, from one i Mystical writers explain the reading of the Gospel (and similarly of our second Lesson) toward the north, as repre- senting the putting to flight of Satan by the " glad tidings of salvation," that Satan who said, " I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north." (Isa. xiv. 13.) MATINS AND EVENSONG. 83 thing to another," says the Myrroure, " is ordained to drive away your dulness, that ye should not wax tedious and weary, but gladly and joyfully not in vain joy, but in joy of spiritual devotion continue in God's service. There- fore sometime ye sing, sometime ye read, sometime ye hear; sometime ye sit, sometime ye stand, sometime ye incline, sometime ye kneel." "The Lessons are heard sitting, for knowledge of truth and right ruling of the will may not be but in a restful soul." 228. We stand at the Gospel in the Holy Eucharist, because it is there used liturgically, for which reason it can only be read in that place by one at the least in deacon's orders. Laymen may read the Lessons in the Choir service. 1 229. Why is the Te Deum sometimes omitted ? It is considered a joyful and triumphant hymn, and is not, therefore, used in penitential seasons. 230. Which are these seasons ? Advent, and the season between Septuagesima and Easter, vigils, and three out of the four ember weeks. 231. Why not all the ember-weeks ? Because one occurs in the octave of Pentecost, during which solemnity it is not fitting that the Te Deum should be disused. 282. Why is Gloria Patri not said at the end of the Te Deum. Because the whole hymn is a song of praise to 1 "After the commencement of the third antiphon let one of the boys in the dress of a reader bring the book of lessons to the proper place, who himself may read the lesson." Consuet. Sarum. ft 8 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. the Holy Trinity. The Doxology would there- fore be superfluous. 233. I notice that the choir incline towards the Altar at certain verses of this hymn. Why is this ? At the verse, " Holy, Holy, Holy," &c., for the same reason as at the Gloria; at the verse, "When Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man," in reverence to our Lord's Incarnation ; at the verse, " We therefore pray Thee," both because praise at this verse is exchanged for prayer, and in veneration of our Lord's Passion, which is spoken of at the end of the verse ; 1 and at the verse, " Lord, in Thee have I trusted," 2 as expressing our trust in God, Whose throne is represented by the altar, according to the words of the Psalmist, " I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help." (Psalm cxxi. 1.) 234. Why is incense used at the Benedictus and Magnificat when the service is solemnly performed ? In honour of the Incarnation, which is espe- cially celebrated in these, the " Evangelical " Canticles. 235. It was doubtless the ancient custom to offer incense daily, at least where sufficient was offered among the oblations of the people. The twofold offering of incense morning and evening thus answered to the "perpetual incense" of the Tabernacle (Exod. xxx. 7, 8), whilst its use in connection with the Holy Eucharist was a fulfilment I Myiroure, Ixiv. Ixv. 2 Consuet. Sarum, 7. MATINS AND EVENSONG. 85 of the prophecy, that ' ' in every place incense " should be " offered to the Name of the Lord, and a pure offering." or sacrifice (Mai. i. 11). In process of time, the services came to be performed with less ceremonial on ferial than on Sundays and festal days, and so the offering of incense to be confined to the latter. 1 236. What are the ceremonies connected with it ? The taper-bearers and thurifer, towards the close of the lesson, retire into the vestry, the former to light their tapers, the latter to pre- pare the incense. At its conclusion they return, and accompany the priest to the altar. He then puts incense into the censer, and with it censes the altar, first on the middle, then on the right side, then on the left, and again from left to right, where he gives the censer to the thurifer, who, with the taper-bearers, precedes him to his stall, where he censes him with three motions of the censer ; next he censes the clergy in order, first those on the decani side, then those on the cantoris, using two motions of the censer; next the choir on either side in like manner ; and, lastly, the congregation. Then, preceded by the taper-bearer, he carries the thurible back to the vestry. 1 The position which Matins has come to hold with us as a preparation merely for the High Celebration on Sun- days and Festivals, has led to its being seldom " solemnly" performed. Hence the use of incense at the Penedictus is comparatively rare. Indeed it is obviously unwise to employ ritual to exalt the former, while so many of the non-communicants make assistance at the choir- service their whole Sunday worship. 86 THE RITUAL SEASON WHY. 237. Will you explain these incensations of the Altar and choir ? The Altar represents Christ, and by the incense with which the priest surrounds it, he signifies the truth of Christ's divinity, the solemn oblation of incense being an act of worship due to God alone (Exod. xxx. 37). It is also typical of the mercy-seat, and the cloud of incense which surrounds it symbolises the inter- cessions which, in union with that of our Great High Priest, surround the throne of God on every side. The Altar is censed in the midst first because that is the place of honour, being the spot where the Blessed Sacrament is con- secrated; 1 afterwards on the Epistle side first, because to the Jewish Church first the ministry of intercession was committed ; then the Gospel side, because it is now committed to the Christian Church ; then again from the Gospel to the Epistle side, in token that Jew and Gentile are all one in Christ. The congregation are censed in acknowledgment that through the Incarnation all are partakers of the Divine Nature: and in order, first the clergy, next the choir, lastly the laity, to shew that, though all one in Christ, all 1 After the priest has censed the Cross with three motions of the censer, he censes the upper part or retable first twice toward the Gospel side : then twice toward the Epistle side ; then he censes the Altar itself first on the Epistle side, as described above. This signifies that the Gospel existed in the nurpose of God before all time, and was therefore really anterior to the Law. MATINS AND EVENSONG. 87 members have not the like honour. But whereas men are only in a certain sense partakers of the Divine Nature, which is directly allied to the human alone in Christ ; therefore, the priest alone censes the Altar, while the choir and people are censed by an inferior minister. 1 238. What should be our thoughts at the offering of the incense ? We should earnestly desire that our prayers might ascend as the incense in God's sight, and that by our holiness of life we may offer our- selves to Him in the odour of sweetness. We may offer Him the precious merits of Christ's Life and Passion which is, indeed, a sacrifice of a sweet- smelling savour in His sight, and which is being specially pleaded at the time of incense, whether at the Evangelical Canticles, or in the Eucharistic sacrifice. And when the minister brings the censer towards us we should pray that, by the grace of God shed abroad in our hearts, those merits may be communicated to us individually, and to those for whom we are more especially bound to pray. 239. The Canticles Benedictus and Magnificat have ever been regarded as invariable Gospels, sung Psalm-fashion. 1 Cardinal Bona gives as the symbolic teaching of the censing of the people the spirit of prayer, and the grace of God that is shed abroad in our hearts. " The incensing of the ministers and of the laity around is performed as pertaining to religion ; namely, with the intent to stir up to prayer and to represent the effect of Divine grace." 88 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. Thus the "Myrroure" "Ye have in your service three Gospels, that is, Benedictus and Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis : l and all three are sung standing for reverence of the Gospel." (Myr. Ixx.) Hence lights and incense were used here as in the Gospel. With regard to the use of lights in connection with the Gospel, we have the express testimony of St. Jerome to its antiquity. " Throughout all the Churches of the East," he says, " when the Gospel is about to be read, tapers are lighted, though it be broad day- light, not to scatter the darkness, but as a sign of joy, .... that under the symbol of bodily light, that light may be shadowed forth of which we read in the Psalter, Thy word, Lord, is a lantern unto my feet, and a light unto my paths.' " Epist. adv. Vigilant. The Jews have a similar observance in their synagogues at the reading of the Law, and probably for similar reasons. 240. Why do we stand at the Creed ? To shew that faith without works is dead ; that what we believe in our heart we must not only declare with our lips, but shew forth in our lives. It is sung towards the east, because such was the attitude used in all the more solemn parts of the service, and as signifying that a right faith, like every other good and perfect gift, cometh down from the Father of lights, and must be sought from Him by diligent prayer. 241. Why are the two last clauses of the Creed and of the Lord's Prayer sung with inflexions like the versicles ? Incense, however, was not burned at Nunc Dimittis, because it belonged to compline, which as one of the lesser hours was never sung " solemnly." MATINS AND EVENSONG. 89 Anciently, when the " discipline of the secret " prevailed, the catechumens were not taught the Creed and the Lord's Prayer till just before Bap- tism. Hence these were never said aloud except in the Mass, when no unbaptized persons were sup- posed to be present. This custom was retained after its cause had ceased, and the priest and choir chanted the last two clauses as a signal that the Creed or Lord's Prayer was finished. 242. St. Benedict first introduced the custom of saying the Lord's Prayer aloud at Lauds and Vespers ; and from him the usage became general in the West. At the other hours it is still said secretly. The " Myrroure " assigns a mystical reason for the usage. According to it the Apostles' Creed was recited privately because it was made before the Gospel was openly preached, while the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, which were afterwards written against certain heresies, were said aloud, "to the strength of our faith and confusion of heretics." 243. I perceive that many persons make the sign of the Cross at the end of the Creed and the Lord's Prayer. Will you explain the reason ? As to the use of the sign of the Cross in general, I will reply in the words of the 30th canon of 1603. The bishops are speaking of the sign of the Cross in Baptism ; but, as you will see, they bear witness to the antiquity of the custom of using it at other times : " The honour and dignity of the name of the Cross begat a reverend estimation even in the Apostles' times ffor auerht that is known to the contrary) of the 90 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. sign of the Cross, which the Christians shortly after used in all their actions : thereby making an outward show and profession, even to the astonishment of the Jews, that they were not ashamed to acknowledge Him for their Lord and Saviour Who died for them upon the Cross." Similarly Bishop Montague : " If it be not super- stitious to sign on the forehead, why is it to sign in any other part of the body ? Why more out of Baptism than in Baptism ? Is one part of the body more subject to superstition than another ? What hindereth it but that I may sign myself with the sign of the Cross in any part of my body at any time, at night when I go to bed, in the morning when I rise ? The ancient Church so used it out of Baptism, and so may we." Its use here appears to have arisen from the custom al- luded to above, of beginning and ending (first the day afterwards) any special action with the sign of the Cross. Thus the people were wont to sign themselves at the end of the more solemn parts of the service, as the Gospel (and for the same reason the three " Evangelical" Canticles), Creed, Lord's Prayer, Gloria in Excelsis, Sanctus, &c., and when the priest bestows his benediction. 1 1 At the same time this custom, though ancient, ia entirely optional, and is expressly left to each one's de- votion. " As touching crossing, holding up of hands, knocking upon the breast, and other gestures, they may be used or left, as every man's devotion serveth." Edw. VI.'s First Prayer Book (" Certain Notes for the more plain explication, &c.") MATINS AND EVENSONG. 91 244. The sign of the Cross is a short creed in action. First, it represents our belief in the Crucified, and our trust in His Passion. Next, it declares our faith in the Holy Trinity, to Whom we have access by the Cross of Christ. For first we place our hand to our forehead, in the Name of the Father, Who is God over all ; then to the bottom of the breast, and of the Son, Who humbled Himself even to the death of the Cross ; and, lastly, from the left to the right side, and of the Holy Ghost, Who proceedeth both from Father and Son. Or, as the " Myrroure " explains it, by the sign of the Cross we express our belief that " our Lord Jesus Christ came down from the Head, that is the Father, unto earth by His Holy Incarnation ; and from the earth unto the left side, that is Hell, by His bitter Passion; and from thence to His Father's right side by His glorious Ascension. 245. What is the meaning of the verse, " The Lord be with you, 1 ' and its response ? It is a very ancient mode of salutation in the Christian Church, having been borrowed appa- rently from the Jews. (See Euth ii. 4.) The priest, being now about to engage in prayer and intercession, turns towards the people, and ex- tending his hands, salutes them as his brethren in Christ, in token that they are partakers with him in the prayers that follow ; and they reply similarly in acknowledgment that, though it belongs to him by virtue of his office to intercede for them, they on their part bear him up by their prayers. 246. Why does he extend his hands ? As a sign of charity, and in token of his 92 THE BITUAL REASON WHY. anxious desire that they may be partakers of the grace for which he is about to pray. 247. At the words " Let us pray " he joins his Juinds. Wherefore ? To signify that the prayers of priest and people are, as it were, joined in one ; that he is about to pray, not in his own name alone, but in the name of all present, or rather of the whole Church. For the same reason all sing together the Eyrie eleison, or " Lord have mercy upon us," and all recite together the Lord's Prayer. 248. Why does the priest stand up at the Versicles and Collect? Because he offers these acts of intercession ministerially. For which cause, according to ancient custom, he should descend from his stall and stand in the midst of the choir, facing east, till after the last Collect. 1 1 The Sarum rubric is : " Let the priest stand up, and proceed to the step of the choir at Matins and Evensong, and there Bay these verses." The Collect was universally said standing ; and it is difficult to conceive how the con- trary custom crept in, as the " all kneeling " of our rubric need not refer to the priest. From the " Myrroure " we learn that the Collect was said " turned toward the east, for Paradise, from whence we are expelled, is in the east, and therefore thinking what we have lost, and where we are, and whither we desire, we pray turned towards the east," (Myr. Ixxii.) A boy held the book for the priest to say the Collects junctis manibus, and in the solemn service the taper- bearers stood on either side of him facing each other. The lights symbolise the fervour with which our prayers should be made to God, and were also intended to mark the dignity of the Collect as the Eucharistic feature in the choir-service. MATINS AND EVENSONG. 93 249. When the service is said by one not in priest's orders these versicles are said kneeling, because the officiant is not authorised to offer them ministerially. 250. What is the "Anthem"? Any musical composition, whether metrical or prose, bearing upon the services of the day. The term was formerly applied to certain detached verses (more properly called "Antiphons") ap- pended to the Psalms and Canticles. Anthems, in the Cathedral sense, are of extremely modern date, being introduced in the time of Queen Elizabeth to supply the loss of the Hymns which Archbishop Cranmer wished translated for the reformed services, but could not obtain. As these have since been translated it is usual to sing them here in place of the Anthem. 251. How are these Hymns arranged ? In the ordinary ferial service they commemorate the order of the creation, except that for Satur- day at Evensong, which is a prayer to the Holy Trinity for light. The various seasons have proper hymns commemorating the mystery there- in celebrated. Thus, the Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Ascension, and Whitsun seasons, have each Proper Office Hymns for Morning and Evening. So has Easter-tide, with an additional one for Saturdays at Evensong. Thero are also Proper Hymns for Trinity Sunday, St. Stephen, Holy Innocents, the Invention and Exaltation of the Cross, St. John Baptist, St. Mary Magdalene, the Transfiguration and Holy Name of Jesus, 94 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. St. Michael, and All Saints' Day ; and for the feasts of Apostles and Evangelists in and out of Easter-tide, of one and of many Martyrs, of Confessors, of Virgins, of Holy Women, and of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 252. How are these Hymns distinguished ? The ferial hymns throughout the week in the Epiphany and Trinity seasons are called the " Ordinary of the Season : " those for the other seasons are the "Proper of the Season." Simi- larly, the hymns common to all Saints of any class, as Martyrs, Virgins, &c., are the "Common of Saints ;" those appointed especially for any saint form the " Proper of Saints." 253. How are the Hymns sung f To a proper plain- song melody, written in one of the fourteen Gregorian modes. They are begun by the precentor, or rulers of the choir, like the Psalms, and sung verse by verse on alternate sides, both choirs joining at the Dox- ology, and facing eastward as at the Gloria. The pneuma is not used, unless the hymn be employed as a sequence. 254. Are not hymns sung at other times except in place of the Anthem ? Yes: at the end of Matins and Evensong, when a "Memorial" has to be made; and if there is no memorial, at the discretion of the clergy ; as also before and after the sermon, &c. MATINS AND EVENSONG. 95 255. What is a" Memorial ? " It is the commemoration of a lesser feast which falls on the same day as a greater. The " Office " of the latter is said, and a " Memorial" made of the former. This is done (with us) by the use of its proper hymn at the end of the service. 256. The other hymns being of a less liturgical cha- racter, are generally sung with more freedom, to tunes composed in the modern scales, and by both aides of the choir. 96 SECTION VII. SOLEMN TE DEUM. 257. /s not the Te Deum sometimes employed as a separate service ? Yes : in times of general or particular thanks- giving. It usually, however, follows the Eucha- rist or Evensong on these occasions. 258. What are the attendant ceremonies ? The priest is vested in a white cope, that being the vestment appointed for all solemn functions heside the Eucharist, and white being the colour appropriate for rejoicing. He is attended by the taper-bearers and thurifer, the latter with smoking censer, though the incense ifl not "offered" that is, the priest does not cense the altar, nor take the censer into his hands. 259. Why is this? Incense is used here as a sign of rejoicing, but it is not offered, because the Te Deurn, as a separate service, is not a liturgical office, apart from which the priest does not offer incense. SECTION VIII. THE LITANY. 260. Why is the Litany recited at a desk outside the choir screen ? Because it is a penitential service, and for such this is the most fitting place, as appears from that of Joel (ch. ii. 17) : " Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, Lord." The priest also descends into the body of the church to shew that, no less than the people, he has need to deplore his sins. 261. Is the Litany ever " solemnly " sung? Yes : on the Rogation Days, and on Ash- Wednesday. The officiant wears a cope 1 and is assisted by the choir. On the former occasion it is sung in procession ; but on Ash- Wednesday at the usual place. 262. Why is the Litany sung with greater solemnity at these times f In the former case to implore a blessing 1 This is red according to old English, violet according to lloimui, use. 98 THE EITOAL EEASON WHY. on the fruits of the earth ; in the latter, as an appropriate introduction to the Lenten fast. 1 1 The Litany is solemnly sting on the three last days of Holy Week and on the Vigil of Pentecost for a similar reason as on Ash- Wednesday ; and on the Feast of St. Mark to implore freedom from pestilence, St. Gregory the Great having put a stop to a plague in Home by a solemn procession with litanies in A.D. 590 ; similarly in any time of public calamity. SECTION IX. PROCESSIONS. 268. What are Processions ? Hymns, Psalms, or Litanies chanted by the clergy and people marching in formal order. They are of two kinds, festival and penitential. 264. Why are Processions used ? Festival processions represent the progress of the Church, according to the prophecy of the Psalmist : " They will go from strength to strength." In penitential processions the idea is different. In these the Church," as it were, " goeth on her way weeping," yet bearing the good seed of supplication and prayer, and looking to come again with joy, bringing her sheaves with her (Ps. cxxvi. 7). In the one, the future triumph of the Church is depicted ; in the other, her present pilgrimage through this vale of misery. 265. Why are Processions headed by the Cross? As a token that through the Cross alone the Church can attain her triumph, or go safely in this her exile that the Cross sanctifies alike her joy and her sorrow. The Cross going before serves also to shew that alike in her triumph and S 100 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. in her trial she does hut follow the steps of Christ crucified, who in His earthly ministry was like His great Apostle " in journeyings oft " for the salvation of souls, till at length He " went up " to Jerusalem, and along the "way of sorrows " to the Mount of Calvary ; and afterward, having risen glorious from the grave, " went up on high," and sat down at the Bight Hand of God. 266. According to Old English use the Processional Cross on all the Sundays in Lent, except the first, is of wood painted red and without the figure of our Lord, and in Eastertide till the Ascension of crystal or glass. The first points to the bloody Passion of our Lord, and His immola- tion on the wooden altar of the Cross ; the second to the triumph and joy of that holy season in which our Lord's Body rose from the tomb, no longer liable to weakness and death, but impassible and glorious, and the cross from an ensign of shame became a standard of victory and rejoicing. 267. Why are banners employed ? Partly to kindle the devotion of the people, and partly for mystical reasons. Thus, in festal processions, to signify yet more clearly the progress and future triumph of the Church, according to that description of her in the Can- ticles (ch. vi. 10) : " Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners ?" So in penitential processions (though more sparingly), to shew that in her pilgrimage here she is the Lord's host, drawn up in battle array ; or to express her hope of deliverance, according PROCESSIONS. 101 to the words of the Psalmist, when he strove \vith the King of Zobah (2 Sam. viii. 8) : " Thou hast shewed thy people hard things ; thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. [Yet] thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may he displayed, because of the truth, that thy beloved may be delivered." (Ps. Ix. 3-5.) 268. In the Old English rite two banners, one bearing the device of a lion and the other of a dragon, were employed in the Eogation Processions and in that on Ascension Day. In the former the dragon went first in place of the cross, the lion coming behind ; in the latter the lion went first, the dragon behind. This was to symbolise that the earth was cursed for man's sake and given over to the dominion of Satan, that great dragon (Eev. xii. 3) ; but that Christ, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah " (Eev. v. 5), by His Besurrection and Ascension had rescued it from his dominion. 269. In Processions the place of honour appears to be at the end, those of lowest rank going first, then those of higher grade in order, till the Bishop or principal dignitary closes the line. Will you explain this? The Church probably adopted the custom from the ceremonial employed in civil life ; in which the sovereign was preceded by heralds and other functionaries, the place of honour of course being near the person of the sovereign. 270. It may interest the reader to remind him that the very first service performed in England by St. Augustine and his band of missionaries was a Litany in Procesions. 102 THE RITUAL REASON WHY. They came, says Bede, " bearing a silver cross for their ensign, and the image of our Lord and Saviour painted on a board .... and as they drew near to the city with the holy cross and the banner of our sovereign Lord and King Jesus Christ, they sang with one accord this Litany : ' Lord, we pray Thee of Thy mercy, take away Thine anger from this city, and from Thy holy house, for we have sinned. Alleluia.' " 271. When are Processions employed ? According to Western use there is a procession every Sunday and greater festival before solemn celebration. To this the Old English uses add a procession after Evensong on feasts, and on Saturday evenings from Easter to Advent. On Candlemas Day those in procession carry lighted tapers in allusion to the prophecy of Symeon, " A light to lighten the Gentiles ;" and on Palm Sunday branches of palm in commemoration of our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the people took branches of palm and strewed them in the way. The Litany is sung in procession on the Eogation days, and on the Feast of S. Mark, as has been explained in the preceding section (see pars. 261, 262, and note). Special processsions, whether to beg blessings from God, or to render Him thanks, take place as occasion serves. 272. Explain the proper order of Processions ? The priest, with the taper-bearers, &c., goes to the midst of the chancel before the altar- steps, and there puts incense into the censer as at the Magnificat ; the procession then starts from the 103 Epistle side, and passing down the south aisle returns through the nave. 273. The Old English use was to employ the inverse order in penitential processions, passing down the north aisle and returning by the nave. In cathedrals and larger churches, the procession on feast days and other solemn occasions quitted the choir by the north door of the presbytery, and passed behind the high altar, so reaching the south aisle and returning by the nave. It is usual to sing a Hymn or Psalm in processions. The old Office-books or " Processionals " give an Antiphon or Anthem for every Sunday, to which is added, except from Palm to Trinity Sundays, a " Prose " with versicle, response, and Collect, to be sung "in the station," i. e. standing in the nave before the choir screen; and another Antiphon on entering the choir. On festivals a Hymn follows the first Antiphon, or " Eesponsory," as it is called. Archbishop Cranmer wished to set forth the processions in English, but was prevented from carrying out bis design. ( 104 ) SECTION X. Low CELEBBATION. [Any ceremonies not explained in this section mnst be sought for in the next, on High or Solemn Cele- bration."] 274. What do you mean by Low Celebration ? I mean the administration of the Holy Com- munion without the adjuncts of assistant mi- nisters and choir. It is wont to be thus administered in the early mornings and on week days. 275. Originally the Holy Eucharist, as the chief service of the Church, was invariably offered with the/uZZ cere- monial, as it still is in the Greek Church ; but as the number of communicants increased it was found necessary to multiply celebrations ; and the number of clergy being insufficient to the " solemn " performance of all, the custom arose of "Low" or "simple" celebrations, with the priest and a server. 276. Why is the priest attended by a server? Partly in honour of his office, partly to avoid the unseemly necessity of leaving the altar to take journeys backwards and forwards to the credence-table. 277. For the first of these reasons a bishop has two servers at a low celebration. tOW CELEBRATION. 105 278. What are the duties of the server? 1. To make the responses ; in which sense he represents the choir, and thus as it were hy his presence protests that it is only under stress of cir- cumstances that the Church permits her highest act of worship to be solemnized without the aid of music. 2. To minister to the priest. This he does by bringing the bread and wine from the credence ; by collecting or receiving the alms ; by holding up the edge of the chasuble when the priest kneels ; and by bringing the wine and water for the ablutions. In these functions he represents the "ministers," i.e. the deacon, subdeacon, and acolytes, at a High Celebration. He also assists the priest to vest and unvest in the vestry. 279. How is the server vested ? Generally in cassock and surplice, or rather rochet, (or cotta), 1 which differs from the surplice in having tight arms. These are more con- venient for the server to minister in. Some- times, however, when the service is said under peculiar circumstances, as when from any cause the chief Sunday service is a Low Celebration, the server wears the girded alb. See par. 66. 280. The priest wears his Eucharistic vestments. See section iii., more especially paragraphs 75 90. 281. The server is generally a toy, the Church having i For a description of these vestments, with illustrations, see further, paragraphs 62, 63. 108 THE RITUAL BEASON WHY. from the earliest times consecrated all ages to the service of the sanctuary. Children were thus admitted to minister before the Lord, as was the child Samuel (1 Sam. ii. 11). They were formerly set apart for this service by Episcopal benediction. Lectors or. "readers" were required to be above the age of infancy, i.e. seven years ; acolytes (from the Greek a/c