free from error. The first English Prayer Book was the _King's
Primer_, published 1545; and a Communion Service was put forth in
1548. The _First Prayer Book of Edward VI_., 1549, was drawn up by
a Commission of Bishops and Divines under Cranmer and Ridley; an
_Ordinal_ was added in 1550.
The _Second Prayer Book of Edward VI_., 1552, was a revised form
of the older book. Cranmer, Peter Martyr, and Bucer assisted in
the revision, and much was added from Hermann's Consultation (which
see). This Prayer Book was almost identical with the one in use
now. Abolished during the reign of Mary, it was restored by Queen
Elizabeth, 1559, with a few alterations. In 1604 a Conference was
held at Hampton Court under James I., between Church and Puritan
Divines, when some further alterations were made in deference to
Puritan objections. The last revision was made in 1661, at the
Savoy Conference, under Charles II., between Bishops and Presbyterian
Divines. The Prayer Book then took the form which we have now, save
that in 1859 the services for use on Nov. 5th, May 29th, and Jan.
30th (Charles the Martyr) were removed. In 1873 a revised Table of
Lessons was put forth. In 1872 permission was given to use the
Shortened Service, to separate the services, and to use hymns.
For further particulars the reader is referred to the articles on
the various different services of the Church.
LIVING, _see_ Benefice.
LOGOS. Greek, a _word_. Christ is called "The Word" because in Him
God is revealed to man. (John i.) The Jews sometimes spoke of the
Messiah as the "Word of God."
LORD, OUR, _see_ Trinity, The Holy.
LORD'S DAY. The first day of the week, so called by St. John,
Rev. i. 10. Sunday has ever been kept as the weekly festival in
commemoration of our Lord's resurrection on that day. In the fourth
Commandment, and elsewhere, we receive stringent directions to keep
the _seventh_ day--that is to say, the Sabbath, or Saturday--holy.
It will be well to see on what authority Christians have hallowed
the _first_, instead of the _last_, day of the week. We find from
writers who were contemporary with the Apostles, or who immediately
succeeded them, that Christians were always accustomed to meet on
the first day of the week for the performance of their religious
exercises. We find them asserting that this festival was instituted
by the Apostles, who acted under the immediate direction and
influence of the Holy Ghost. From the constant practice of the
Apostles in keeping this day holy, it is believed by many that
they must have had especial directions to that effect from their
risen Lord, who, we know, gave them instructions relating to "the
kingdom of God."--His Church,--during the forty days He was with
them. And more, it was often while they were gathered together,
celebrating the festival of the _Lord's Day_, that the Lord Himself
appeared among them.
LORD'S PRAYER. The prayer taught us by our blessed Lord as the
model of all our devotions. (Matt. vi. 9.) But it is not only a
model of prayer, but an express form to accompany all our worship.
(Luke xi. 2.) Thus we find it frequently in our Prayer Book, no
Service being without it. The often repetition of it, however, in
our Sunday Service is caused by the fact of three separate Services
being used as one whole.
LORD'S SUPPER, _see_ Communion, Holy.
LORD'S TABLE, _see_ Altar.
LOW CHURCH, _see_ Church Parties.
LOW SUNDAY. The Sunday after Easter is called _Low Sunday_, because,
although it partakes in some sort of the festal nature of Easter,
it being the Octave, yet it is a festival of a much lower degree
than Easter itself.
LUKE'S (St.) DAY. October 18. Kept in commemoration of St. Luke,
the companion of St. Paul, the author of the third Gospel, and also
probably of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. He is believed to
have been a physician, and his writings prove that he was a man of
education. According to St. Augustine, his symbol is the ox, the
Sacrificial Victim.
LUTHERANS. The followers of Martin Luther, an Augustine monk, a
German, born 1483. He was the great Reformer of the Continent. They
retain the use of the Altar, some of the ancient vestments, lighted
tapers, incense, crucifix, confession, &c. At the time of the
Reformation, the Lutherans, meeting with nothing but opposition
from the Bishops, were constrained to act without them, and
consequently they are in much the same position as the Scottish
Presbyterian body, though not from the same cause. The Lutherans
earnestly protested, that they much wished to retain episcopacy,
but that the Bishops forced them to reject sound doctrine, and
therefore they were unable to preserve their allegiance to them.
The ritual and liturgies differ in the various Lutheran countries,
but in fundamental articles they all agree.
LYCH GATE. A covered gate of the churchyard where the body (_Leich_,
a corpse) rests on its way to burial.
MAGNIFICAT. The song of the Blessed Virgin, Luke i. It is the first
canticle of Evening Prayer, and has been sung in the Church from
very early times.
MANIPLE, or MANUPLE, _see_ Vestment.
MARIOLATRY. The worship, or cultus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
One of the principal errors of the Church of Rome, and on the
increase.
MARK'S (St.) DAY. April 25th. St. Mark was a companion of St.
Peter, and is thought to have written his Gospel under St. Peter's
directions. This evangelist is symbolized by the _Man_.
MARRIAGE, _see_ Matrimony, Holy.
MARTINMAS. November 11th. A festival formerly kept in honour of St.
Martin, Bishop of Tours, in France, in 374.
MARTYR. One who lays down his life for his religion. The word means
a "witness." St. Stephen was the first, or proto-martyr.
MARY, The BLESSED VIRGIN. We admit to her the title of "Mother of
God," but protest against her being worshipped. No instance of
Divine honour being _paid_ her is earlier than the fifth century.
Two festivals only in the Church of England are kept in her honour,
viz., the Purification, and the Annunciation.
MASS. In Latin, _Missa_, with which word congregations were
accustomed to be dismissed. Then it was used for the congregation
itself, and finally became applied only to the Communion Service.
MATERIALISM. One of the philosophies of the day which looks upon
everything as the out-come of mere physical energy; denies the soul,
and every spiritual force; and regards matter as eternal.
MATINS, _see_ Morning Prayer.
MATRIMONY, HOLY. With regard to the Marriage Laws, the Church and
the State are not agreed. The former maintains Holy Matrimony to be
a religious ceremony, while the State recognises the legality of
mere civil contracts, and allows people to enter into the nuptial
state by a civil ceremony. We find the early Fathers distinctly
stating that marriage is of a sacred nature. Paley, in his Moral
Philosophy, says, "Whether it hath grown out of some tradition of
the Divine appointment of marriage in the persons of our first
parents, or merely from a design to impress the obligation of the
marriage-contract with a solemnity suited to its importance, the
marriage-rite, in almost all countries of the world, has been made
a religious ceremony; although marriage, in its own nature, and
abstracted from the rules and declarations which the Jewish and
Christian Scriptures deliver concerning it, be properly a civil
contract, and nothing more." It was forbidden in the 4th century
during Lent, and so custom and propriety forbid it now during the
same season. In the Manual marriages were prohibited in the
following seasons:--(_a_) Advent to the octave of Epiphany, (_b_)
Septuagesima to the octave of Easter inclusive, (_c_) Rogation
Sunday to Trinity Sunday.
The Roman Church has exalted Holy Matrimony into a Sacrament.
The State so far recognises the position of the Church with regard
to Holy Matrimony that no clergyman can be forced to marry a divorced
person, though he may be obliged to lend his church to any other who
will perform the ceremony.
MATRIMONY, THE FORM OF SOLEMNIZATION OF. Of all our services this
preserves most of the older Office in the Sarum Manual. Some of the
hortatory portions come as usual from Hermann's Consultation. There
has been no change since 1549, except the omission of the ceremony
of giving gold and silver to the bride as "tokens of spousage."
The Service is divided into two parts (_a_) the Marriage Service
proper, performed in the body of the Church; (_b_) the succeeding
service at the Holy Table, evidently intended as an introduction
to the Holy Communion which should follow.
_The Banns_. From a barbarous Latin word meaning an edict or
proclamation. In 1661 the rubric directed them to be published
immediately before the offertory sentences. The marriage Acts of
the Georges are supposed to set aside this rubric, and to order
them to be published after the Second Lesson. It is doubtful whether
this does not apply to the Evening Service only, in places where
there is no Morning Service.
The _Licence_ of the Bishop makes the publication of Banns
unnecessary. Without a Special Licence, Marriage can be solemnized
only between the hours of 8 and 12 in the forenoon.
(_a_) _The Marriage Service_ proper should be performed in "the
body of the church" (see rubric, 1661) the place selected being
generally the Chancel steps.
The _Exhortation_, 1549, from the "Consultation" chiefly; it rests
on the following passages of Holy Scripture:--Gen. ii. 24; Matt.
xix. 5; Eph. v. 22-33; John ii. 1-11; Heb. xiii. 4. No impediment
being alleged, the _Espousal_ or _Betrothal_ follows. The joining
of hands is from time immemorial the pledge of covenant, and is
here an essential part of the Marriage Ceremony. The words of the
betrothal are agreeable to the following passages: 1 Cor. xi. 1-12;
Eph. v. 22-33; Col. iii. 18, 19; 1 Tim. ii. 10-14; 1 Peter iii. 1-7.
The _Marriage Rite_ itself. The use of the ring is probably of
pre-Christian antiquity. The old Service directed it to be worn on
the fourth finger because "there is a vein leading direct to the
heart."
Gold and Silver was also given the bride in 1549, but omitted in
1552. The word "worship" means "honour," as in Wycliffe's Testament,
Matt. xix. 19, "_Worship_ thy father and thy mother."
(b) _The Post-Matrimonial Service_. The rubric directs only the
"minister or clerks" to go to the Lord's Table, but the practice
is to carry out the older rubric, 1549, "Then shall they"--the
whole marriage party--"go into the Quire." A second Psalm is added
for use in cases when the language of the first would be unsuitable.
The following rubric is almost unique, in directing the Priest to
turn his face to the people. The _Versicles_ are substantially the
same as those used at the Visitation of the Sick and in the
Churching of Women. The concluding rubric dates from 1661; the
rubric in 1549 definitely ordered the reception of Holy Communion.
MATTHEW'S (St.) DAY. Sept. 21st. This Apostle and Evangelist,
before his call to the apostleship, was known as Levi, the publican,
or tax-gatherer. He may possibly have been the brother of St. James
the Less, and of St. Thomas also. He was the first to write a Gospel,
which he addressed to the Jews, his aim being to show that Jesus was
the Messiah. It is probable that he alone, of all the New Testament
writers, wrote in Hebrew. His symbol is the Lion, according to St.
Augustine.
MATTHIAS'S (St.) DAY. Feb. 24th. Of St. Matthias we know simply
nothing, except that he was elected to the vacant place in the
Apostolic College, caused by the desertion and death of the traitor
Judas; Acts i. 15 to end.
MAUNDY THURSDAY. The Thursday before Easter, being the day on which
our Lord instituted the Holy Sacrament of His Body and Blood. The
name is a corruption of the Latin word _mandatum_, meaning a
command, in allusion to the "New Commandment" of mutual love.
MESSIAH, _see_ Trinity, The Holy.
METHODISTS. The original Methodists are the Wesleyans, but already
this sect has split up into numerous sections, or "Churches," as
they call themselves. The leading sub-divisions will each have a
separate notice. The leading idea of Methodism is a revival of
religion by a free appeal to the feelings, and the method adopted
is an elaborate system of "societies," and preaching the doctrine
of "sensible conversion."
The "people called Methodists," or Wesleyans, are the followers of
John Wesley, who was born in 1703. He took his degree at Oxford,
and was ordained in 1725. He held a Fellowship at Lincoln College
until his marriage in 1752. While at Oxford, he, with his brother
Charles, of Christ Church, and his friend Whitefield, of Pembroke,
and some twelve others, determined to live under a common rule of
strict and serious behaviour; to receive frequently the Holy
Communion; and to adopt a methodical and conscientious improvement
of their time. After ordination, these two brothers, John and
Charles, set to work to revive a spirit of religion in the Church
of England, of which they were priests, and were aided by the
good-will and sound paternal advice of some of the Bishops.
In 1735 John Wesley went out as a missionary to Georgia, in America,
but the settlers rejected his services, and his mission to the
Indians was a failure. On his voyage out, he unfortunately came
under the influence of some Moravians; and on returning to England,
after a three years' absence, he became a regular member of the
Moravian Society in London. It was here he learnt the two peculiar
doctrines of subsequent Wesleyanism, viz.: (1) instantaneous and
sensible conversion, (2) the doctrine of perfection, _i_._e_., of
a Christian Maturity, on attaining which, he that is (in the
Wesleyan sense) "born again," "born of God," sinneth not. If,
however, we take into view Wesley's own persistent affirmation in
later times, "I have uniformly gone on for fifty years, never
varying from the doctrine of the Church at all;" and many other
such passages, we cannot escape the inevitable conclusion that
the very doctrine on which his modern followers have built their
separation from the Church, is nothing else than a transient and
_foreign_ element in their great founder's teaching.
In 1744 Wesley called around him his most trusted friends,--six
clergymen of the Church of England and four lay preachers, and
held what we should now call a _Retreat_; this meeting, however,
is regarded by the Wesleyans as the first regular "Conference" of
the Methodist Societies. It was in 1784 that Wesley drew up a
"Deed of Declaration," which was formally enrolled in Chancery,
establishing Methodism in the eye of the Law. This was an
_unintentional_ step on the part of Wesley towards an ultimate
separation from the Church. Now it was too that he made his second
great mistake of consecrating an English Clergyman as bishop, and
two laymen as presbyters of the American Societies. This was the
origin of the Episcopal Methodists of America. John Wesley died in
1791, almost his last printed utterance being, "I declare that I
live and die a member of the Church of England; and none who regard
my opinion or advice will ever separate from it." (_John Wesley_,
_Arminian Magazine_, _April_, 1790.)
Four years after his death, in 1795, the separation took place, and
the Conference allowed the preachers to administer the Lord's
Supper. No sooner was the severance complete than the punishment
followed. In 1795 the _Methodist New Connexion_ split away from
them, under a man named Kilham. In 1810 the _Primitive Methodists_
caused another schism. In 1815 the _Bible Christians_ seceded, and
so on. What would John Wesley have thought of all this? Only nine
months before his death, he had solemnly charged his preachers:
"In God's name, stop there! Be Church of England men still!"
(Wesley, Sermons, iii. 268). And his dying breath was spent in
a prayer for the Church!
The Minutes of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference for the year
1883-4 give the following statistics:--
Members.
1. In Great Britain 407,085
2. In Ireland & Irish Missions 24,384
3. In Foreign Missions 70,747
4. South African Conference 20,739
5. French Conference 1,856
Total 524,811
On Trial.
1. In Great Britain 34,399
2. In Ireland & Irish Missions 668
3. In Foreign Missions 5,299
4. South African Conference 9,093
5. French Conference 168
Total 49,627
Ministers.
1. In Great Britain 1,545
2. In Ireland & Irish Missions 181
3. In Foreign Missions 285
4. South African Conference 93
5. French Conference 28
Total 2,137
On probation.
1. In Great Britain 91
2. In Ireland & Irish Missions 16
3. In Foreign Missions 98
4. South African Conference 74
5. French Conference --
Total 279
Supernumeries.
1. In Great Britain 284
2. In Ireland & Irish Missions 42
3. In Foreign Missions 9
4. South African Conference 10
5. French Conference 3
Total 348
Ministers and full members in the Australian Wesleyan Methodist
"Church," and in the Methodist "Church" of Canada are under their
respective Conferences, and consequently are not enumerated above.
Whitaker's Almanack for 1883 gives the following statistics for
Wesleyan Methodism in Great Britain. It will be seen that its
figures are slightly larger than those given above.
Ministers. 2,170
Lay Preachers. 15,450
Members. 418,229
On Probation. 40,653
Chapels. 6,978
Sunday Scholars. 829,666
The finance of Wesleyan Methodism for 1880 was nearly as follows:--
Missionary Fund L138,346
Home Mission Income 34,210
Education of Minister's Children 22,036
Chapel Building 292,599
Training Candidates for Ministry 12,130
Total L499,321
During the past four years the Wesleyan Methodists have raised a
"Thanksgiving Fund" amounting to L303,600.
METHODIST ASSOCIATION. In 1834 a controversy arose among the
Methodists as to the propriety of establishing a Wesleyan
Theological Institution; and a minister who disapproved of such
a measure, and prepared and published some remarks against it,
was expelled from the Connexion. Sympathizers with him were in like
manner expelled. Hence the formation of the _Methodist Association_,
which differs from the parent Society in a few particulars of Church
government. This Society is now joined with the _Wesleyan Reform
Association_, and with the Protestant Methodists, the union being
effected in 1857. The amalgamation is known by the name of "_The
United Methodist Free Churches_." They number--
Ministers. 377
Lay Preachers. 3,134
Members. 66,297
Sunday Scholars 8,599
On Probation. 1,233
Chapels. 186,254
METHODISTS, CALVINISTIC. Up to 1751, John Wesley and George
Whitefield had worked in harmony, but then arose a difference of
opinion between them on the doctrine of election, which resulted
in their separation. Whitefield held the Calvinistic view, Wesley
the Arminian.
After Whitefield's death, in 1769, his followers gradually settled
into two separate religious bodies, one being the _Lady Huntingdon's
Connexion_, or, as it is sometimes called, the _English Calvinistic
Methodists_, and the other the _Welsh Calvinistic Methodists_.
Whitefield was chaplain to the Countess of Huntingdon, and it was
by his advice she became the patroness of his followers, and founded
a college for the education of Calvinistic preachers. The doctrines
of this connexion are almost identical with those of the Church of
England, interpreted, of course, in a Calvinistic sense, and her
liturgy is generally employed. They have no general ecclesiastical
government, and have become virtually Congregational Societies.
The _Welsh Calvinistic Methodists_ owe their origin in a great
degree to a Mr. Harris, who did for Wales much what Wesley
and Whitefield did for England. He instituted "Private Societies"
in 1736, but it was not till 1811 that the connexion separated
from the Church. Their Church government differs slightly from
Wesleyanism, and their doctrines are said to be in accordance with
the 39 Articles, interpreted in a Calvinistic sense.
Chapels 1,343
Ministers and Preachers 981
Deacons 4,317
Members 5,029
On probation 177,383
Sunday Scholars 119,358
During the year 1881-82, L163,875 was collected for various
religious purposes.
METHODIST, NEW CONNEXION. This party, under a Mr. Kilham, split
off from the Wesleyans in 1795, four years after the Wesleyans
had left the Church of England. In doctrines, and in all essential
and distinctive features, it remains the same as its parent society.
The grand distinction rests upon the different degrees of power
allowed in each communion to the laity, the _Methodist New
Connexion_ allowing them to participate in Church government,
whereas the Wesleyans leave Church government in the hands of
the ministers.
Ministers 179
Lay Preachers 1,225
Members 418,229
On probation 442
Chapels 79,697
Sunday Scholars 4,277
METHODISTS, PRIMITIVE. The "Primitives," or "Ranters," as they are
sometimes called, represent more truly the original genius of
Wesleyan Methodism than any other of the various bodies into which
the original secession from the Church of England has split up.
Some still kept to camp-meetings and the like, after the original
connexion had given them up. This practice was condemned by the
Conference of 1807, and the consequence was the birth of the
_Primitive Methodist Connexion_ in 1810. Messrs. Hugh Bourne and
William Clowes may be looked upon as the fathers of this body.
Their doctrines are precisely the same as those of the original
connexion.
Ministers 1,152
Lay Preachers 15,728
Members 191,329
Chapels 4,397
Sunday Scholars 394,238
METHODIST REFORMERS. In 1849 certain points in Methodist procedure
were attacked in anonymous pamphlets called "Fly Sheets," which
resulted in the expulsion of many ministers from the original
Society. They, with those sympathising with them, have set up a
distinct machinery of methodism, although still regarding themselves
as Wesleyan Methodists, illegally expelled.
METROPOLITAN. A Bishop who presides over a province is called a
Metropolitan.
MICHAEL (St.) & ALL ANGELS. A festival observed on the 29th of
September. St. Michael is described in the Old Testament as the
guardian angel of the Jewish people; and in the New Testament he
is the great archangel fighting for God and His Church against the
devil. (See _Angel_.)
MILITANT, THE CHURCH. The name given to the Church on earth in the
Prayer following the Offertory. _Militant_ means _fighting_, and
is used of the Church on earth in contra-distinction to the Church
Triumphant, the Church above.
MILLENNIUM. Latin, _a thousand years_. Certain people look for a
return of Christ to the earth before the end of the world, and hold
that there will be a first or particular resurrection limited to
the good, and a reign of Christ with all the saints upon the earth
for a thousand years, or _millennium_. This doctrine is chiefly
based upon a most literal interpretation of part of the book of
Revelation (chap, xx.), which is confessedly the most figurative
and mystical book in the Bible.
MINOR CANONS. Priests in Collegiate Churches next in rank to
the Canons and Prebendaries, but not of the Chapter. They are
responsible for the performance of daily service, and should be
well skilled in Church music.
MINISTER. _One who serves_. A term applied generally to the clergy
about the time of the Great Rebellion. It is equivalent to the
Greek word rendered _Deacon_. An effort was unsuccessfully made in
1689 to substitute _minister_ for _priest_ throughout the Prayer
Book wherever the latter word occurred.
MIRACLE. Latin, _A Wonder_. The general notion of miracles, viz.,
that they are necessary proofs or credentials of our Saviour's
commission from God, can scarcely be maintained on Scriptural
grounds. (Matt. vii. 28.) A better definition of miracles is given
by Archbishop Thomson: "The miracles of the Gospel are works done
by Christ in the course of His divine mission of mercy, which could
not have proceeded from ordinary causes then in operation, and
therefore proved the presence of a superhuman power, and which, by
their nature and drift, showed that this power was being exerted
in the direction of love and compassion for the salvation of
mankind."