OF THE FORM OF PRAYER FOR THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER. THE Service for this day took its origin from Stat. 3 James I. ch. i. which directs, that all Ministers, in all Churches, and places for Common Prayer, shall always, on the 5th of November, say Morning Prayer, and give unto Almighty God thanks for this most happy deliverance. It further directs, that every person shall, upon that day, resort to Church; the Minister is required to give notice of the day on the Sunday before; and this Act of Parliament is to be read after the Morning Prayer, or preaching upon the 5th of November: but neither by this Act was any particular Form of Prayer authorised, nor at the time of reviewing the Common Prayer at the Restoration, was any special Form of Prayer inserted, for solemnly giving Thanks on this occasion. There was, however, annexed, after the last Review, as there had been before, a Form of Prayer for this purpose. This Service underwent some alterations in the second year of William and Mary, when parts of it were adapted to the celebration of another joyful deliverance,—the arrival of King William on this day, for the deliverance of the Church and Nation. The Sentences, and also the Hymn, O give thanks unto the Lord, &c. as they now stand, were added to this Service in the second year of King William; at which time, the 125th Psalm was substituted for the 129th, and the 35th Psalm was discontinued. The Gospel had been Matt. xxvii. 1, 10, containing the history of Judas betraying his Master, which applied to the treason against James I. it was now changed to Luke ix. 51, 57, which gives a lesson against persecuting those, who differ from us in religious opinions; and is peculiarly suited to the principles of toleration, which then began to prevail. OF THE FORM OF PRAYER FOR THE 30TH OF JANUARY. THE Service for this day, like the former, arises from an Act of Parliament. In the Act for attainting the Regicides, Stat. 12 Car. II. ch. xxx. it is enacted, "that every "30th of January, unless it falls out to be upon the Lord's Day, and then the day next following, shall be for ever "hereafter set apart, to be observed in all Churches and "Chapels, as an Anniversary Day of Fasting and Humilia"tion, to implore the mercy of God, that neither the guilt "of that sacred and innocent blood, nor those other sins, by "which God was provoked to deliver up both us and our "King into the hands of cruel and unreasonable men, may, "at any time hereafter, be visited upon us and our posteri66 ty." To carry into effect the pious design of the Parliament, a Service was drawn up, and annexed to the Common Prayer Book. This underwent some alterations in the reign of James II. One of the alterations was the addition of the Hymn Righteous art thou, &c. instead of Venite exultemus. The 7th Psalm was discontinued as one of the proper Psalms. The present Psalms seem well chosen for this day's solemnity, which is not only to bewail the sins committed in those disastrous times, but to intermingle thanksgiving to God, for a deliverance from them. The first Lesson is from 2 Sam. i. containing David's just vengeance upon the Amalekite, that accused him of killing Saul; and his own mourning for his Sovereign. This corresponds with the just punishments inflicted on the regicides, and the humiliation and fasting we impose on ourselves on this mournful day. The second Lesson, Matt. xxvii. is no other than the ordinary one in the Calendar for the 30th of January, relating to our Saviour's sufferings. When Bishop Juxon read this to the King, as part of the Morning Service, previous to his suffering, the suitableness of it to his situation, made a sensible impression on that Prince, who felt conscious that he was a martyr for the Church and the State. For the Evening, the present Psalms were substituted for the 38th, 64th, and 143d. Of the present Psalms, the 85th is placed after the 94th, because the matter of it is rather K applicable to the happy change at the Restoration. The second Lesson, Heb. xi. 32, to Chap. xii. 7, was the proper Lesson appointed in the old Gallican Church for the Festival of any Martyr; and is peculiarly applicable to the sufferings and faith of our Royal Martyr. OF THE FORM OF PRAYER FOR THE 29TH THE religious celebration of this day is directed by an Act made expressly for the purpose, Stat. 12 Car. II. ch. xiv. which directs, that all ministers of God's Word and Sacraments, in every Church, Chapel, and other usual place of Divine Service and Public Prayer, shall, in all succeeding ages, annually celebrate the 29th of May, by rendering their hearty public Praises and Thanksgiving unto Almighty God, for the extraordinary mercies, blessings, and deliverances received, and mighty acts done on that day, (which are feelingly set forth in the Preamble of the Act,) and declare the same to all the people there assembled, and the generations yet to come, that so they may for ever praise the Lord for the same. Such is the language of the Act, which following the former Statute, 3 Jac. I. directs all persons to resort to Church on that day, and the Minister to give notice on the next Lord's day preceding, and then read this Act of Parliament to the people. The Hymn, My Song shall be, &c. was inserted in the reign of James II. in the room of another. At the same time, the present Psalms were appointed, instead of the 20th, 21st, 85th, and 108th. Of the present Psalms, the 118th is placed last, because it was composed for David's Coronation, and so relates to the last scene of the Restoration. The optional first Lesson, Numb. xvi. was added in James II.'s time; it contains the story of Corah, Dathan, and Abiram. The second Lesson was substituted in James II.'s time, instead of Romans xiii. The Epistle is the same as that for the 30th of January, except the two first verses: it commands us to be subject to the King, as Supreme. OF THE FORM OF SERVICE FOR THE INAUGURATION, 25TH OF OCTOBER. THIS Service is differently circumstanced from the three foregoing, in having no Act of Parliament to authorise it, and in not being attended with the same ceremony and solemnity by the Lords and Commons, who have not their usual session in this part of the year. It is, however, a Service that has been used, at least ever since the reign of Charles I. The day of Charles II.'s succeeding to the Crown, the 30th of January, was a day of fasting and mourning; and, as the devotions proper to the day of Inauguration were then performed in the Service of the 29th of May, there was, during that reign, no proper Inauguration Service. At the Accession of James II, the former religious practice was revived; and the Bishops composed a Form of Prayer and Thanksgiving, in many things agreeing with what we now have. In the reign of King William, the Inauguration Festival was again disused; there seemed then, perhaps, to be less need of it, as large additions were made to the Form of Thanksgiving for the 5th of November, to commemorate his arrival on that day, which were in the nature of an Inauguration Thanksgiving. This Festival was revived when Queen Anne came to the throne; and a new Form of Thanksgiving was drawn up, part of which was taken from the Service of King James, and part of it was intirely new; it is the same as is now used, with the exception of the first Lesson, The Hymn is an abridgment of a longer one, that was in King James's Service, In the place of 101st Psalm, there was, in King James's Service, the 85th and 118th Psalms: these had been both chosen with an eye to the exile, which that Prince had undergone with his deceased brother, and were therefore properly changed for the 101st Psalm, the tenor of which intimates, that whoever desires God's blessing on his person and government, must discountenance impiety, and cherish true religion and virtue, The first Lesson in Queen Anne's time was Prov. viii. 13, to the end: but now Josh. i. is restored from James II.'s Office, with this difference, that it stops at the end of the 10th verse, though the latter part may perhaps be thought as applicable to the occasion, as the former. |