The Prayer Book Explained | Page 6

houses: and as populations increased, it became evident that a less frequent assembly would be more conducive to united worship.
GENERAL SCHEME OF THE DAY HOURS.
We will not enter into the minute differences of structure which are found in one or other of the Day Hours. The following list will show the order of a Service which is nearly identical with each of them.:
Our Father, &c. Versicles. Hymn. Several Psalms divided into portions by Glorias and Antiphons. {9} Several Lessons divided by Responses. Canticles. Lesser Litany. Our Father, &c. Versicles. Creed. Versicles. Confession. Collects.
Thus they followed the general division of worship into Praise and Prayer. By enlarging one portion and diminishing another a special character was given to certain Services. Thus Lauds was made joyful by having many psalms.
The chief Lessons from the Bible were read in the Mattins Service when it was said before Lauds. The union of those two Services resulted in the omission of many of the Psalms. (See Preface "Concerning the Service of the Church" in our Prayer Book.)
The Day Hour Services were not precisely alike even in their outline: but they had a certain similarity which suggested the plan which has been adopted in the Morning and Evening Services of the Book of Common Prayer.
There were always two parts,--Praise: and Prayer.
[3]Each of these parts began with the Lord's Prayer. The Praise part always had something of the nature of Psalms and Lessons: the Prayers always had Collects. The Praises had Praise-versicles and the Prayers had Prayer-versicles. Also as time went on Litanies became usual for special days of the week.
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It was easy therefore to recast the seven Services in the shape which they now have.
Praise. The Lord's Prayer. Versicles. Psalms. Lessons. Creed. Prayers. The Lord's Prayer. Versicles. Collects. Thanksgivings.
NAMES AND TITLES.
The Services of our Church were translated into English in 1549. Many alterations were made at that time.
The seven Day Hours were combined into two Services--Mattins and Evensong: the Holy Communion Service was assimilated in some respects to Eastern Liturgies: the rules of variation for days and seasons were simplified: interruptions were avoided by the omission of many Verses and Responds, Antiphons, &c.: better provision was made for continuous reading of Holy Scripture.
The change from Latin, which had once been a commonly-spoken language, to the language spoken in England is the alteration which produced the greatest effect upon congregational worship, and the smallest amount of difference in the worship itself: for if you understood both languages it would not matter to you which of them you used.
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The Latin prayers had been known by their first words. Just as we now know a prayer as Our Father, or a doxology as Glory be to the Father, so formerly they were known as Pater Noster, and Gloria Patri. Some of these titles have survived. Credo (I believe) has been shortened into Creed. We use as a Creed the Hymn Quicunque vult (Whosoever will). The Canticles still are known by their first words in Latin, Te Deum, Benedicite, &c., and so is the 95th Psalm, Venite, exultemus Domino.
The Lesser Litany is a name given to the three petitions,
Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.
They are used before the Lord's Prayer as an Invocation of the Holy Trinity.
We proceed to examine the foundation of this order in worship.
The model bequeathed to us by Our Lord is known to us as The Lord's Prayer, often called "Our Father" from the first words.

[1] Haec sunt septenis propter quae psallimus horis: Matutina legat Christum qui crimina purgat. Prima replet sputis. Causam dat Tertia mortis. Sexta cruci nectit. Latus ejus Nona bipertit. Vespera deponit. Tumulo Completa reponit;
which may be translated:
Seven are the hours at which we sing and pray; Mattins for Christ who takes our sins away, Prime shows Him mocked, and Terce says why He died. Sext shows His Cross, and None His pierced side. Vespers His taking down commemorates, And Compline how they buried Him relates. Thus day by day we sing and pray Christ and Him crucified.
[2] The Ordinary, i.e. the Ordinary judge in such matters, viz. the Bishop.
[3] See p. 16.

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CHAPTER III.
THE MODEL.
THE LORD'S PRAYER.
"After this manner therefore pray ye." S. Matth. vi. 9.
The pronouns used in the Lord's Prayer are 'Thy,' 'us,' 'our.' It is the voice of a people speaking to God. Even in private we may not pray for self alone; we must include our friends, neighbours, and all others.
For this reason the Lord's Prayer is singularly adapted to the services of a congregation. Its petitions are short and direct, and therefore easily thought by every one at the same moment. This is an important point, because unity of intention is the essence of congregational worship. (S. Matth. xviii. 19, 20.)
Notice the order of the pronouns in the seven