The bidding prayer.

Form of

scrmon.

Ye shall also pray for our gracious Queen Anne, the noble Prince Henry, and the rest of the king and queen's royal issue. Ye shall also pray for the ministers of God's holy word and sacraments, as well archbishops and bishops, as other pastors and curates. Ye shall also pray for the king's most honourable council, and for all the nobility and magistrates of this realm, that all and every of these in their several callings may serve truly and painfully to the glory of God, and the edifying and well governing of his people, remembering the account that they must make. Also ye shall pray for the whole commons of this realm, that they may live in the true faith and fear of God, in humble obedience to the king, and brotherly charity one to another. Finally, let us praise God for all those which are departed out of this life in the faith of Christ, and pray unto God that we may have grace to direct our lives after their good example; that this life ended, we may be made partakers with them of the glorious resurrection in the life everlasting:' always concluding with the Lord's Prayer.”

The like form was enjoined by the Injunctions of Queen Elizabeth in the year 1559; and a form of bidding was likewise prescribed (but of a different tenor from these two) by the Injunctions of Edw. VI.; and also before this (and before the Reformation) we find the like bidding form in English, in a festival printed in the year 1509, which is much longer than these, and is reprinted at length by Dr. Burnet in his History of the Reformation.

The occasion of this kind of bidding prayer (as it is called) was that in the ancient church silence was commanded to be kept for a time, for the people's secret prayers; and in this or such like form the minister directed the people what to pray for. A remainder of which usage is still preserved in the office of ordination of priests (x).

In the year 1661 there is an entry in the journal of the prayer before upper house of convocation, that the bishops unanimously voted for one form of prayer to be used by all ministers, as well before as after sermon; and that this order was pursued in the convocation (although not brought to effect) appears from the minutes of the lower house, where on January 31st we find a committee appointed for this (among other purposes), to compile a prayer before sermon (y).

Peccham.

"Every priest shall explain to the people,

four times a year, the fourteen articles of faith, the Ten What the Commandments, the two evangelical precepts, the seven priest shall explain. works of mercy, the seven deadly sins, with their consequences, the seven principal virtues, and the seven sacraments of grace. The fourteen articles of faith (whereof seven belong to the mystery of the Trinity, and seven to Christ's humanity), are 1. The unity of the divine essence in the three persons of the undivided Trinity. 2. That the Father is God. 3. That the Son is God. 4. That the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is God. 5. The creation of heaven and earth by the whole and undivided Trinity. 6. The sanctification of the church by the Holy Ghost, the sacraments of grace, and all other things wherein the Christian Church communicateth. 7. The consummation of the church in eternal glory, to be truly raised again in flesh and spirit, and opposite thereunto the eternal damnation of the reprobate. 8. The incarnation of Christ. 9. His being born of the Blessed Virgin. 10. His suffering and death upon the cross. 11. His descent into hell. 12. His resurrection from the dead. 13. His ascension into heaven. 14. His future coming to judge the world. The Ten Commandments are the precepts of the Old Testament. To these the gospel addeth two others, to wit, the love of God and of our neighbour. Of the seven works of mercy, six are collected out of the gospel of St. Matthew; to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to entertain the stranger, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick, and to comfort those that are in prison; and the seventh is gathered out of Tobias, to wit, to bury the dead. The seven deadly sins are pride, envy, anger, or hatred, slothfulness, covetousness, gluttony, and drunkenness, luxury. The seven principal virtues are faith, hope and charity, which respect God; prudence, temperance, justice, fortitude with regard unto men. The seven sacraments of grace are baptism, confirmation, orders, penance, matrimony, the eucharist and extreme unction (z).

By the rubric after the Nicene Creed: "Then shall Homilies. follow the sermon, or one of the homilies already set forth

or hereafter to be set forth by authority."

By the form of ordaining deacons: "It appertaineth to

the office of a deacon to read holy scriptures and homilies in the church."

Art. 35. "The second book of homilies, the several Art. 35, as to. titles whereof we have joined unto this article, doth con

(*) Lind. lib. 1, t. 7, pp. 43—54.

homilies.

Art. 35, as to tain a godly and wholesome doctrine, and necessary for these times, as doth the former book of homilies, which were set forth in the time of Edward the Sixth; and therefore we judge them to be read in churches by the ministers diligently and distinctly, that they may be understanded of the people."

Canons of 1603, as to.

Canon 49. "No person whatsoever, not examined and approved by the bishop of the diocese, or not licensed as is aforesaid for a sufficient or convenient preacher, shall take upon him to expound in his own cure or elsewhere any scripture or matter of doctrine; but shall study to read plainly and aptly (without glossing or adding) the homilies already set forth, or hereafter to be published by lawful authority, for the confirmation of the true faith, and for the good instruction and edification of the people."

Canon 46. "Every beneficed man, not allowed to be a preacher, shall procure sermons to be preached in his cure once in every month at the least, by preachers lawfully licensed, if his living, in the judgment of the ordinary, will be able to bear it. And upon every Sunday, when there shall not be a sermon preached in his cure, he or his curate shall read some one of the homilies prescribed or to be prescribed by authority, to the intents aforesaid."

Publication of ecclesiastical matters in the church.

Banns.

SECT. 10.-Publication of Notices in Church.

By the rubric: After the Nicene Creed is ended, "the curate shall declare unto the people what holidays or fasting days are in the week following to be observed; and then also, if occasion be, shall notice be given of the communion; and briefs, citations, and excommunications read; and nothing shall be proclaimed or published in the church, during the time of divine service, but by the minister; nor by him any thing, but what is prescribed in the rules of this book, or enjoined by the queen, or by the ordinary of the place."

66

By 4 Geo. 4, c. 76, s. 2, Banns of matrimony shall be published "during the time of morning service, or of evening service if there shall be no morning service in "such church or chapel upon the Sunday upon which "such banns shall be so published immediately after the "second lesson."

For the construction of this section see the Chapter on Marriage (a).

(a) Vide supra, pp. 761-763.

In the case of Elphinstone v. Purchas (b) one of the articles charged as follows:

"That you, the said Rev. John Purchas, in the said Case of church or chapel of St. James, Brighton, aforesaid, on Mr. Purchas. Sunday morning, publicly during the per

formance of divine service, that is to say, at the conclusion of the Nicene Creed, gave notice that on the morning of the next day there would be a high celebration of the Holy Eucharist' at eleven o'clock; and that you, on the same day, after the sermon, gave or caused to be given, notice that on the next Friday, 'being the Feast of St. Leonard,' there would be a celebration of the Holy Eucharist at eleven o'clock; and that on Sunday, after the Nicene Creed, you gave notice that the Holy Eucharist would be celebrated on Wednesday, being the Feast of St. Martin;' and on Friday, being the Feast of St. Britius.' And that on Sunday morning,

6

after the Nicene Creed, you gave notice that on Tuesday 'next, being the Festival of our Lady, there would be a 'high celebration of the Holy Eucharist at eleven o'clock in the morning.'

The Dean of the Arches observed: "The Prayer Book Form of giving does not warrant, in my opinion, this particular mode of notice of the Holy Comannouncing that the Eucharist will be celebrated. Accord- munion. ing to the rubric, after the Nicene Creed notice is then to be given of the communion, and according to the rubric after the church militant prayer, When the minister giveth warning for the celebration of the holy communion after the sermon or homily ended he shall read this exhortation following.' It appears to me that the epithethigh' has no sanction from the rubric, and, though perhaps in itself not very material, cannot legally be used. It appears from the evidence that at different Notice not to times notices were given that the feasts of St. Leonard, be given of St. Martin, and St. Britius would be observed. The saints' days. rubric, after the Nicene Creed, directs that the curate 'shall declare unto the people what holy-days or fasting days are in the week following to be observed.' Mr. Purchas is not charged with having violated the law by omitting to give notice of these holy-days or fasting days, but by having given notice of holy-days which the church has not directed to be observed. I think the holydays which are directed to be observed are those which are to be found after the preface of the Prayer Book, under the head of 'A Table of all the Feasts that are to

(b) L. R., 3 Adm. & Eccl. 66.

black-letter

Publication of acts of parliament, and other temporal matters in the church.

be observed in the Church of England throughout the 'year.' The feasts of St. Leonard, St. Martin, and St. Britius are not among these; I therefore think the notices of them were improper, and I must admonish Mr. Purchas to abstain from giving such notices for the future."

Divers acts of parliament, and other matters temporal, were at one time required to be published in the churches. Such were the following:

The Act of Uniformity, 5 & 6 Edw. 6, c. 1, is required to be read in the church by the minister once every

year.

The act against swearing, 19 Geo. 2, c. 21, to be read in the church by the minister four times every year.

The act 13 Anne, c. 21, concerning ships in distress, to be read in the church four times a year in all the seaport towns and on the coast, immediately after prayers and before the sermon.

The act for the observation of the 5th of November, 3 Jac. 1, c. 1, to be read by the minister on that day, after the morning prayer or preaching.

The act for the commemoration of King Charles the Second's restoration, 12 Car. 2, c. 14, to be read after the Nicene Creed on the Lord's day next before the 29th day of May yearly. The provisions requiring such publication of these statutes have been repealed (c).

By an act, 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. 45, " To alter the Mode of giving Notices for the holding of Vestries and of making Proclamations in Cases of Outlawry, and of giving Notices on Sundays with respect to various Matters," it was provided, "Whereas by an act, 58 Geo. 3, c. 69, intituled, 'An Act for the Regulation of Parish Vestries,' it is enacted, that no vestry or meeting of the inhabitants in vestry of or for any parish shall be holden until public notice shall have been given of such vestry, and of the place and hour of holding the same, and the special purpose thereof, three days at the least before the day to be appointed for holding such vestry, by the publication of such notice in the parish church or chapel on some Sunday during or immediately after divine service, and by affixing the same, fairly written or printed, on the principal door of such church or chapel: And whereas by an act, 31 Eliz. c. 3, it is enacted, that before any outlawry shall be had and pronounced proclamation shall be made at the

(c) The statutes 3 Jac. 1, c. 1; 12 Car. 2, c. 14, and 13 Ann. c. 21, have themselves been repealed.