rubric before the penitential psalm in the Commination Service a
special place is mentioned for the saying of the Litany, and this
we know from the Injunctions of 1549 was to be "in the midst of the
Church," thus marking the congregational character of the service.
FALL OF MAN, _see_ Sin, Original.
FASTING. The Romanist regards the use of fasting, or abstinence,
as a means of grace; the Protestant regards it only as a useful
exercise, recommended in Scripture, for the subduing of the flesh
to the Spirit.
FASTS. Days appointed by the Church for the particular discipline
of the flesh, and for a peculiar sorrow for sin. A list of these
days is given at the commencement of the Prayer Book.
FATHER, GOD THE, _see_ Trinity, The Holy.
FATHERS, THE. A term applied generally to all the ancient orthodox
Christian writers. St. Bernard, who flourished in the twelfth
century, is reputed to be the last of the Fathers. The _Schoolmen_
(which see) succeeded the Fathers. Those writers who knew the
Apostles personally are called _Apostolical_ Fathers; such were
Hermas, Barnabas, Clement of Rome, Ignatius and Polycarp. Other
Fathers of the early Church were Justin, Irenaeus, Clement of
Alexandria, and Tertullian. In the third century we have Origen and
Cyprian, and succeeding them Eusebius, Athanasius, Ambrose, Basil,
Jerome or Hieronymus, John Chrysostom, and Augustine.
The writings of the Fathers are most valuable to us as showing us
what were the doctrines and ceremonies of the first Christians.
The Tractarian movement was of great service in calling attention
to the well-nigh forgotten mine of theological wealth stored up in
these writers. Pusey has published a library of the works of the
Fathers in English.
FEASTS, or FESTIVALS. These are days of rejoicing in the Church,
in commemoration of some great truth of Christianity, or of some
great example of Holy Life. The commencement of the Prayer Book
furnishes us with a list of these Holy Days. The rubric, after the
Nicene Creed, directs that "The Curate shall then declare to the
people what holy days, or fasting days are in the week following
to be observed."
FELLOWSHIP. A settled income bestowed by a college on a student as
a reward for distinguished scholarship. Various conditions are
associated with these prizes in the different colleges.
FERIA. A day which is neither a feast nor a fast.
FLAGON, _see_ Altar Vessels.
FONT. From a Latin word, meaning a _fountain_. The vessel holding
the water for Baptism. The 81st Canon says it is to be made of
stone. By ancient custom it is usually placed at the West end of
the Church, near the door, as signifying that Holy Baptism is the
entrance into Christ's Mystical Body, the Church.
FORMULARY, see _Liturgy_. A formulary is a book containing the
rites, ceremonies, and prescribed forms of the Church. The
formulary of the Church of England is the Book of Common Prayer.
FREE WILL. see Article x. The doctrine of our Church is that
although man has a perfectly free will to choose good or evil, yet
we prefer the animal life to the spiritual life, and, through the
badness of our perverse will, shall continue to prefer it until
prevented by the grace of God.
FUNERAL SERVICE, _see_ Burial of the Dead.
GHOST, THE HOLY, _see_ Trinity, The Holy.
GLEBE. Land belonging to an ecclesiastical benefice, and which
forms part of its endowment, the freehold being vested in the
Incumbent.
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. "Glory be (to God) on high." A hymn in the
Communion Office, sometimes called the Angelic Hymn, because the
first part was sung by angels at Bethlehem. It has been used by
the Church for more than 1,500 years, and, in substance, was sung
by Polycarp at his martyrdom.
GLORIA PATRI. "Glory be to the Father." This is one of the oldest
doxologies of the Church; in substance, at least, it is as old as
the 4th century. It is directed to be said at the end of every
Psalm, thus turning Jewish praises into Christian hymns.
GNOSTICS. Early heretics who boasted of their superior _knowledge_,
for that is the meaning of the word, just as _agnostic_ means
_without knowledge_. This heresy dates back to Apostolic days,
Simon Magus being considered its founder.
They mixed up the Christian faith with systems based on Platonism,
Oriental Philosophy, or corrupt Judaism. St. John is believed to
have written against the gnostics in certain parts of his Gospel.
GOD, _see_ Trinity, The Holy. The word _God_ can be traced back no
further as yet than the Gothic _Gutha_, but no one knows its root.
GOD-FATHER, _see_ Sponsors.
GOD-MOTHER, _see_ Sponsors.
GOLDEN NUMBER. A term used in the elaborate tables placed at the
beginning of the Prayer Book for the finding of Easter. The Golden
Number of a year marks its place in a cycle, called the Metonic
Cycle (from Meton, an Athenian astronomer B.C. 432), of nineteen
years. The year A.D. 1 was fixed as the second year of such a cycle.
Hence the rule given to find the Golden Number, viz., "Add one to
the year of our Lord, and then divide by 19; the remainder, if any,
is the Golden Number; but if there be no remainder, then 19 is the
Golden Number."
GOOD FRIDAY. The day regarded as the anniversary of our Saviour's
death. It has been observed from the first age of the Church as a
day of peculiar solemnity, to be spent in fasting and humiliation.
GOSPEL, _see_ Bible.
GOSPELLER. The priest or deacon who, in the Communion Service,
reads the Gospel, standing at the north side of the Altar. (See
_Epistoler_.)
GRACE. Favour. A word used with various meanings in Holy Scripture.
The influence of the Holy Spirit upon the heart of man.
GRADUATE, _see_ Degree. One who has passed through the curriculum
of a University, and has had a degree conferred on him.
GREEK CHURCH, _see_ Church, The Catholic.
GREGORIAN MUSIC, _see_ Church Music.
GUILD. In the Church, a Society formed for a certain purpose, and
governed by certain rules; to promote personal piety; or active
usefulness.
HADES. Unfortunately two distinct words in the original of the New
Testament have both been translated _Hell_. _Hades_ is one of
these words; _Gehenna_ is the other. The latter is applied only
to the place of the damned, _Hades_ is the abode of departed
spirits, good and bad, waiting for the final Judgment. When, in
the Creed, we say of our Lord that He "descended into Hell," it
should be "into _Hades_," showing that alive and dead He was
perfect man.
It is generally believed that a foretaste of final joy or woe is
experienced in Hades by the spirits waiting for their doom.
HEAVEN. The final abode of the blessed.
HELL. The final abode of the damned. (See _Hades_.)
HERESY. From a Greek word meaning "a choice," and thus an adoption
and obstinate holding of a doctrine not taught by the Catholic
Church. Heresies began very early in the Church, even in Apostolic
times. (See _Gnostic_.) The heresies of the present day are for
the most part revivals of the heresies of the first six centuries.
HERETIC. One who holds doctrines opposed to those of the Catholic
Church. (See above.)
HETERODOX. Contrary to the faith of the true Church.
HIERARCHY. Properly, _rule_ in _sacred_ matters. The apostolic
order of ministry.
HIGH CHURCH, _see_ Church Parties.
HOLY DAY. A festival of the Church. (See _Feast_.)
HOLY GHOST. _see_ Trinity, The Holy.
HOLY THURSDAY. _see_ Ascension Day.
HOLY WEEK. Some consider the terms _Holy Week_ and _Passion Week_
equally to apply to the week preceding Easter--the last week in
Lent. This is Dr. Hook's opinion. Others restrict the term _Holy
Week_ to the week commencing with Palm-Sunday, and call the week
preceding that _Passion Week_. Undoubtedly the fifth Sunday in
Lent was commonly called in old times Passion Sunday, because of
the anticipation of the Passion in the Epistle.
HOMILIES. The Homilies of the Church of England are two books of
discourses, composed at the time of the Reformation, and appointed
to be read in churches, on "any Sunday or Holy Day, when there is
no sermon." Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer are thought to have
composed the first volume; the second is supposed to be by Bishop
Jewel, 1563.
HOODS. The ornamental fold which hangs down the back of a graduate
to mark his degree. (See _Degree_.) The 58th Canon provides that
"every minister saying the public prayers, or ministering the
Sacraments, or other rites of the Church, if they are graduates,
shall wear upon their surplice, at such times, such _hoods_ as by
the orders of the Universities are agreeable to their degrees." The
same Canon goes on to say "It shall be lawful for such ministers
as are not graduates to wear upon their surplices, instead of
_hoods_, some decent tippet of black, so it be not silk."
HYMN, _see_ Church Music.
IDOLATRY. The worship of any person or thing but the one true God,
whether it be in the form of an image or not.
IMMERSION, _see_ Baptism, Infant.
IMPOSITION, or LAYING ON OF HANDS, _see_ Ordinal.
IMPROPRIATION. Ecclesiastical property, the profits of which are
in the hands of a layman. Impropriations have arisen from the
confiscation of monasteries in the time of Henry VIII., when,
instead of restoring the tithes to Church purposes, they were
given to Court favourites.
INCARNATION. The act whereby Christ, the "Word, was made flesh."
The "taking of the Manhood into God."
INCUMBENT. A person in possession of a benefice. (See _Benefice_.)
INDEPENDENTS. The first body of Dissenters which actually broke
away from the Church of England was that of the _Independents_,
or--as they are nowadays perhaps more intelligibly called--the
_Congregationalists_. An Independent sect seems to have existed
about the year 1568, the whole question in dispute between them
and the Church being then, as it is still, essentially one of
"discipline," or Church Polity. They made each congregation a body
corporate, governed exclusively by itself, and disclaim, more or
less, every form of union between churches. In doctrine they are
strictly Calvinistic, and, reviving the ancient heresy of Donatus,
they profess to receive only accredited or really serious Christians
into their fellowship, and to exclude any who may prove themselves
unworthy members.
The Independents are sometimes called _Brownists_, from Robert
Brown, a clergyman of the Church of England, who was the first to
secede from her ranks, and who, retreating to Holland, set up a
separatist communion.
There are 76 County and other Associations at home and in the
Colonies, with 3,895 meetinghouses, and 1,039 preaching stations,
300 being foreign mission stations; of ministers and missionaries
they have about 3,500. They reckon to have about 360,000 members in
the British dominions.
INDUCTION. The ceremony whereby a minister is put in actual
possession of the living to which he has been presented.
INFALLIBILITY. The claim set up by the Church of Rome, either for
the Pope, or the Church, or for the Pope and the Church consenting
together; of absolute freedom from error in deciding questions of
faith and doctrine. Roman divines are not agreed among themselves
as to precisely _where_ the infallibility of their Church is found.
Certain it is that Councils and Popes have contradicted and
anathematized each other.
INNOCENTS' DAY, THE HOLY. This festival has been observed ever
since the 3rd century, in memory of the slaughtered children of
Bethlehem (Matt. ii. 16.) Its old English name is Childermas, and
it is kept on December 28th; the attendants on the nativity being
St. Stephen, a martyr in will and deed, December 26th; St. John the
Divine, a martyr in will though not in deed, December 27th; and The
Holy Innocents, martyrs in deed but not in will, December 28th.
INSPIRATION. The extraordinary and supernatural influence of the
Holy Spirit on the human mind, by which the sacred writers were
qualified to set forth the things of God. In this sense the word
occurs in 2 Tim. iii. 16. (See _Bible_.)
The word is also used of the ordinary influence of the Holy Spirit
on the heart of man, as "Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the
_inspiration_ of Thy Holy Spirit."
INSTITUTION. The legal act by which the Bishop commits to a
clergyman the cure of a church.
INSTITUTIONS, CHURCH, _see_ Societies.
INTROIT, _see_ Church Music
IRVINGITES. The followers of Edward Irving, a minister of the
Scottish establishment, who was born in 1792, and died in 1834. He
was deposed from the Presbyterian ministry for teaching that our
Lord's nature was peccable, or capable of sin. He gathered a
congregation round him in London, and now has many followers both
in Scotland and England, and also in Germany. His followers
entertain peculiar notions about the millennium, and they claim
to exercise the power of prophecy, to have the miraculous gift of
tongues, and to be able to raise the dead.
The Irvingites call themselves "The Catholic and Apostolic Church,"
and among their ministers number apostles, prophets, angels,
evangelists, &c. They use as much as possible the liturgies of
the Church in their worship, and observe a very ornate ritual. In
their principal places of worship the Holy Communion is administered
daily, and throughout the day many other Services are held.
They recognise the three Creeds of the Catholic Church as their
rule of faith.
They have 19 places for public worship, besides many preaching
stations, in England; the principal erection is in Gordon Square,
London, and is a large building of considerable architectural
pretensions.
JAMES'S (St.) DAY. July 25th. The day on which the Church celebrates
the memory of the Apostle St. James the Great, or the Elder. He was
one of the sons of Zebedee, and a brother of St. John the Divine.
He was the first of the Apostles to suffer martyrdom. (Acts xii. 2.)
JESUITS, or SOCIETY OF JESUS. A Roman Catholic Society founded by
Ignatius Loyola, a Spaniard, born in 1491. Members of the Order
bind themselves to yield the most blind, implicit, and unlimited
obedience to the General of the Order. Before the conclusion of the
16th century the Jesuits had obtained the chief direction of the
youthful mind in every Roman Catholic country in Europe. They had
become the confessors of almost all its monarchs, and the spiritual
guides of nearly every person distinguished for rank or influence.
At different periods they obtained the direction of the most
considerable courts, and took part in every intrigue and revolution.
Their great principle of action is not so much the advance of
Christianity, as the extension of the Papal power; and in effecting
this, their great maxim is "the end will justify the means." The
Society is still flourishing, and has a power which is probably as
little imagined as it is unknown to all but themselves.
JESUS, _see_ Trinity, The Holy.
JOHN (St.) BAPTIST'S DAY. June 24th. This feast commemorates, not
the martyrdom, but the miraculous birth of St. John Baptist. It is
the only nativity, besides that of our Lord, that is kept by the
Church; although September 8th is marked in our Calendar for the
commemoration of the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The
festival has been observed since the 4th or 5th century.
JOHN (St.) THE EVANGELIST'S DAY. December 27th. This festival, with
those of St. Stephen and the Holy Innocents, immediately follows on
Christmas Day. "Martyrdom, love, and innocence are first to be
magnified, as wherein Christ is most honoured." The eagle is
supposed to be emblematic of St. John the Evangelist.
JUBILATE DEO. Psalm c, appointed to be sung in the Morning Service
instead of the Benedictus, when the latter happens to be read in
the Gospel for St. John Baptist, or the lesson for the day.
JUSTIFICATION. This term signifies our being accounted just or
righteous in the sight of God, not for any merit in ourselves, but
solely for the sake of Christ, and by our faith in Him. The 11th
Article of the Church of England treats of this. All believers are
justified by Christ, but that does not necessarily imply that they
are sanctified; the one is a work wrought exterior to ourselves,
the other is the work of the Holy Spirit in the individual heart
of man.
KEYS, POWER OF THE. The authority existing in the Christian
Priesthood of administering the discipline of the Church, and
communicating or withholding its privileges. It is so called from
our Lord's words to St. Peter in Matt. xvi. 19.
KINDRED, TABLE OF. The Table of Kindred and Affinity found at the
end of our Prayer Book was drawn up by Archbishop Parker, in 1563.
It rests on an Act of Henry VIII., and is designed to be an
authoritative interpretation of it. The whole is based on Lev.
xviii. 6-18. The principles on which it is drawn up are the
following:--
(_a_) It places both sexes on the same footing, forbidding to the
man whatever is forbidden to the woman.
(_b_) It forbids marriage to a man on the grounds of near kindred
or consanguinity; omitting, however, prohibition of marriage between
cousins as not being forbidden in the Levitical Law, nor definitely
by the Canon Law.
(_c_) Acting on the important principle sanctioned by our Lord
Himself, that "man and wife are one flesh," it puts affinity, or
connection by marriage, on exactly the same footing as kindred, or
connection by blood, affirming that a man's wife's connections are
to be held strictly as his own. It is for this reason,--a reason
distinctly based upon Holy Scripture,--that the marriage with a
"deceased wife's sister" is forbidden.
KNEELING. The practice of kneeling in confession, in prayer, and
in adoration, is of great antiquity. David says, "Let us worship
and bow down, let us _kneel_ before the Lord our Maker," Psalm cxv.
6. See also Ps. cxxxii. 7; 1 Kings viii. 54; Ezra ix. 5-15; Dan.
vi. 10; Acts vii. 60; Acts ix. 40; Acts xx. 36, xxi. 5. Our blessed
Lord Himself "_kneeled down_" when He prayed, Luke xxii. 14. How
the example of David and Solomon, Ezra and Daniel, St. Stephen, St.
Peter and St. Paul, nay, of our Saviour Himself, condemns the
lolling, irreverent posture assumed by too many Christians of the
present day in the public worship of the Lord of Hosts!
KYRIE ELEISON. Two Greek words, meaning "Lord, have mercy." The
responses to the Commandments are so called.
LAITY, LAYMAN. A baptized member of the Church, not being an
ecclesiastic. The term "layman" denotes a positive rank, not the
mere lack of rank.
LAMBETH DEGREES. The Archbishop of Canterbury has the power of
conferring degrees in any of the faculties of the University to
which he himself belongs. These degrees are called _Lambeth
Degrees_. The Archbishop exercised this power as Legate of the
Pope, retaining it (like the power of granting special marriage
licences) under the Tudor legislation.
LAPSE. When a patron neglects to present a clergyman to a benefice
within his gift, within six months after its vacancy, the benefice
_lapses_ to the Bishop; if he does not collate within six months,
it _lapses_ to the Archbishop: and if he does not collate within
six months, it lapses to the Crown.
LATTER-DAY SAINTS, _see_ Mormonists.
LAY BAPTISM. Baptism administered by laymen. Although not
_authorized_ in our Prayer Book, such baptisms have always been
held valid by the Church of England. It is better that children
should receive lay baptism than not be baptized at all.
LAYING ON OF HANDS, _see_ Ordination. This ceremony has always
been esteemed an essential part of ordination, and rests on
undoubted Scriptural authority. It is also the form, in the
Anglican Church, by which the Bishop conveys the grace of
Confirmation.
LECTURN, or LECTERN. The desk from which the Lessons are read. The
form frequently adopted is that of the eagle, doubtless with some
reference to the eagle, the symbol of St. John. The eagle lectern
in Peterborough Cathedral was given in 1471.
LENT. The name is probably derived from the old English _Lencten_,
"Spring," from its always being observed at the Spring-tide of the
year. The forty days fast before Easter are so called. In primitive
times the duration of the fast appears to have been forty hours.
The present custom of reckoning forty days, exclusive of the
Sundays, prevails from the 7th century.
LESSONS. The portions of Holy Scripture read in Morning and Evening
Prayer. The calendar of lessons now in use was authorized on Jan.
1st, 1873. The lessons were then made generally shorter, by the
selection of parts of chapters containing one complete subject and
no more. A choice of lessons was given in many cases, that the same
portions of Scripture might not be read twice on the same day in
churches with three Sunday services. By the present arrangement
the main substance of the whole of the Old Testament is now read
through once every year; and the New Testament twice, except the
book of Revelation, which, with a few omissions, is read once in
the year.
LETTERS OF ORDERS. A certificate given by the Bishop to every one
whom he ordains, whether Priest or Deacon. Churchwardens have the
power to require the exhibition of the Letters of Orders of any
minister assisting in the church of which they are guardians.
LITANY. In the 4th century this name began specially to be applied
to a Form of Supplication, used in times of need, which was sung in
procession, with hymns and frequent responses, and with collects at
the various halting places. The old Litanies bore a general
resemblance to ours. In 1544 Cranmer, by desire of the king, drew
up the first English Litany, which was compiled principally from
ancient sources. The Litany at first was a separate service. In
1662 it was ordered to be sung after Morning Prayer. The Act of
Uniformity of the present reign, 1872, allows it to be used in the
Morning or Evening, or as a separate service. It was ordered for
Wednesdays and Fridays only in 1549; Sundays were added in 1552.
LITERATE. This term, applied to a Clergyman, means one who has not
taken a degree, and is not a member of a Theological College.
LITURGY. From a Greek word, meaning a public act or duty; it is
now popularly used of the entire Book of Common Prayer, although
formerly it was applied only to the Service for administering the
Holy Eucharist.
As each different part of the Prayer Book is discussed under its
own heading, this article will be confined to (_a_) why a formulary
is used; (_b_) the history of our own.
(_a_) Forms of Prayer were used in the Jewish Church. Moses and
Miriam used a prescribed form as a thanksgiving for the crossing of
the Red Sea, Exodus xv God appointed a form of prayer, Deut. xxi.
7, 8; also a benediction, Num. vi. 22, 26. Moses used a form of
prayer, Num. x. 35, 36. Josephus and Philo tell us that the worship
both in the Temple and in the Synagogues consisted of a settled
form of prayer; this our Lord sanctioned by His frequent presence.
He Himself gave us a form of prayer--the Lord's Prayer. He promises
a special blessing on congregational worship. Matt, xviii. 19;
the "agreement" must pre-suppose a settled form. Traces of forms
of prayer some think are found in the New Testament.
The voice of history is unanimous on this point, nearly all the
Fathers testifying to the use of formularies.
Common sense reasons are plentiful, as, for instance, that in
Eccles. v. 2. A formulary makes the congregation independent of
the minister's mood, or ability, or piety, or orthodoxy.
(_b_) History. Before the time of Augustine (597) the English
Church had its own National Use, largely derived from the East,
through the Galilean Church. It is certain that the entire Roman
Ritual was never used, although attempts were made to force it
upon the Anglo-Saxon Church. There was a considerable variety in
the manner of performing Divine Service in the different Dioceses,
each having its own particular "Use." (See _Sarum, Use of_.)
The earliest Liturgy in general use in England was the book of
Offices, "secundum usum Sarum," hence called the "Sarum Use,"
compiled by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury, in 1078. This book
contained much that had been in use from very early times. At
the Reformation it became necessary to remove the Roman corruptions
which had accumulated in the various Office books, the "Breviaries,"
the "Missals," the "Manuals," &c. One objection common to them all
was that they were in Latin.