Common Prayer Book contains in it many

THoly Offices of the Church; as Prayers, Confes

sion of Faith, Holy Hymns, Divine Lessons, Priestly Absolutions, and Benedictions; all which are set and prescribed, not left to private men's fancies, to make or alter. So was it of old ordained, "It is ordained that the prayers, prefaces, impostions of hands, which are confirmed by the Synod, be observed and used by all men." These and no other. So is our English Canon.b The council of

a Con. Carth. Can. cvi. ap. Balsamon. p. 726. Due celebration of Sundays and holydays.

b Can. xiii.

B

2

Milevis gives the reason of this constitution, "Lest through ignorance or carelessness, any thing contrary to the faith should be vented or uttered before God, or offered up to Him in the church.”

And as these offices are set and prescribed, so are they moreover appointed to be one and the same throughout the whole national Church. So was it of old ordained.d "That all governors of Churches, and their people, should observe one and the same rite and order of service, which they knew to be appointed in the metropolitan see." The same is ordered in the 2nd Council of Bracara,e and at the 4th Council of Toleto.f "It is appointed that one and the same order of praying and singing be observed by us all; and that there should not be variety of usages by them that are bound to the same faith, and live in the same dominion. This for conformity's sake, that according to Divine Canon, we may with one mind and one mouth glorify God."%

66

c Can. xii. vol. ii. p. 1540. e Can. i. vol. v. p. 840.

d Con. Tolet. xi. Can. iii. vol. vi. p. 546. f Can. ii. vol. v. p. 1704. g Rom. xv. 6.

OF DAILY SAYING OF

MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER.

ALL PRIESTS SHALL BE BOUND TO SAY DAILY THE MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER.

of the preface before the service, Rubric 2.

The end

So was it of old ordered in the Church of Christ. And this is agreeable to God's own law. "Thou shalt offer upon the altar two lambs of the first year, day by day continually; the one lamb in the morning, the other at evening."k Besides the daily private devotions of every pious soul, and the more solemn sacrifices upon the three great feasts of the year; Almighty God requires a daily public worship, a continual burnt offering, every day, morning and evening. "Teaching us by this," saith St. Chrysostom, "that God must be worshipped daily when the day begins, and when

h And all Priests and Deacons are to say daily the Morning and Evening Prayer, either privately or openly, not being let by sickness, or some other urgent cause.

i St. Chrysostom. Homily vi. I Tim. ch. ii. vol. xi. p. 579. Clementine Constitutions, book II. ch. xxxix. Pat. Apost. Coteler. vol. 1. p. 252. k Ex. xxix. 38, 39.

it ends, and every day must be a kind of holy day." Thus it was commanded under the law: and certainly we Christians are as much at least obliged to God, as the Jews were; our grace is greater, our promises clearer, and therefore our righteousness should every way exceed theirs, our homage to Almighty God should be paid as frequently at least. Morning and evening, to be sure, God expects from us as well as from the Jews, a public worship; "a sweet savour," or, "savour of rest," as it is in he Hebrew; without which God Almighty will not rest satisfied.

This public service and worship under the law was appointed by God Himself, both for matter and manner of performance," but under the Gospel, our Lord hath appointed only the materials and essentials of His public worship: in general, prayers, thanksgivings, confessions, lauds, hymns, and eucharistical sacrifices are commanded to be offered up in the name of Christ; in the virtue and merits of that Immaculate Lamb, whereof the other was but a type, and for whose sake alone that was accepted: but for the manner and order of His public worship, for the method of offering up prayers or praises, and the like, our Lord hath not so particularly determined how, but hath left that to be ordered and appointed by those to whom He said at His departure out of this world,

"As My Father sent Me, so send I you,”” to govern the Church in His absence, viz. the Apostles, and their successors in the Apostolic Commission. And therefore, the public prayers of the Church are called the Apostles' Prayers. The disciples are commended there for "continuing in the Apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers." And therefore St. Paul writes to Timothy, the bishop and governor of the Church of Ephesus, to take care that prayers and supplications be made for all men; especially for kings, &c.P And concerning the manner of celebrating the holy Eucharist, St. Paul gives some directions, and adds, "The rest will I set in order when I come." And, let all things, i. e. “ all your public services, for of those he treats in the chapter at large, be done decently and arà rá, according to Ecclesiastical Law and Canon."

The service and worship of God thus prescribed, according to our Lord's general rules, by those to whom He hath left a commission and power to order and govern His Church, is the right public service and worship of God, commanded by Himself in His law; for though God hath not immediately and particularly appointed this public worship, yet He hath in general commanded a public worship in the second commandment. For where it is said, "Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship n John xx. 21. o Acts ii. 42. pi Tim. ii.1, 2. qi Cor. xi. 34. r i Cor. xiv. 40.