The Prayer Book Explained | Page 6

of

the Day Hour services would imply a more local and a Western Source
for these Hours of Prayer. But some of them are, as we have shown,
very early in their origin, and indeed there is evidence from books that
something of the same order was very early observed in the Eastern
parts of Christendom also.
This frequency of Services had a great charm for men who lived
together and worked together in communities, with no great distance
between their work and their Church, and who were able to fit their
day's tasks and necessary meals to the intervals between the Services.
It was not so suitable for mixed occupations or for isolated 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.
{10}
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.

{11}
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