TABULAR VIEW OF THOSE PSALMS WHICH ARE BEST Prayers for Forgiveness of Sins; 6, 25, 38, 51, 102, 143. Prayers in Affliction; 4, 5, 9, 13, 22, 28, 41, 55, 64, 69, 70, 77, 88, 109, 120, 141, 142, 143. Prayers for Divine Assistance; 7, 17, 26, 35. Prayers expressive of Trust and Confidence in God under Affliction; 3, 16, 27, 31, 54, 56, 61, 71, 86. Prayers of Intercession; 20, 67, 122, 132, 144. Psalms of Thanksgiving for general or particular Mercies; 9, 16, 22, 30, 34, 40, 75, 103, 108, 116, 118, 138, 144. Psalms of Praise and Adoration; 8, 19, 23, 24, 29, 33, 34, 36, 47, 50, 65, 66, 76, 77, 91, 93, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100, 103, 104, 107, 111, 115, 117, 121, 134, 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 150. The present division of the book of Psalms into several portions, a separate one for each day, and the circle of the whole comprised in the circuit of the month, is more commodious than that which was before used in the Church. The division of them into seven portions, called Nocturns, so as to be read every week, (as was practised in the Latin Church,) was too tedious; and the division into twenty portions, to be read in as many days, or two-thirds of the month, (as practised in the Greek Church,) though less tedious, must have been too uncertain, every portion perpetually changing its day, like the moveable feasts. Whereas, in our Church, each portion being fixed to its day, they are thereby rendered certain and immoveable, and being enlarged in number to thirty, and so filling up the month, they cannot be deemed burthensome to the service *. Much respite is given to the mind by the LESSONS * An explanation of the Psalms, as read in the liturgy, has been published by that active clergyman, and able and useful writer, the Rev. James Slade, of Bolton-le-Moors. following the Psalms; for, whereas, in the work of praising, it was active, in hearing, it is only attentive. Besides, a different faculty of the mind is employed. In the Psalms, the will and affections, but in the Lessons, chiefly the understanding; and, as with the members of the body, so also with the faculties of the mind, a change of employment prevents uneasiness and affords relief. He which prayeth in due sort is thereby made the more attentive to hear, and he which heareth, the more earnest to pray. It is a plain dictate of reason and religion, that they who are blessed with a revelation from God should read and hear it with reverence when they assemble to worship Him. Accordingly, the Jews "read Moses and the prophets in their synagogues of old time," as we are informed in Acts xiii. 27; xv. 21; and also by writers of their own in the same age with it, who boast of the practice as a most useful and honourable distinction peculiar to their nation, that the laws of life were thus published to all the people. The primitive Christians, as Justin Martyr and Tertullian inform us, read at their meetings both the Jewish prophets, and the writings of the apostles, in proper portions. Our Church has rectified some errors introduced by the Romish Church in this matter. BY THE ROMISH CHURCH the Scriptures were ordered to be read in a confused method, by being broken into short fragments, intermingled with passages from St. Austin's or St. Ambrose's homilies, or other worse books, and this incongruous mixture read, besides, in a language which had ceased to be understood. OUR CHURCH hath remedied both these defects, and hath taken care that the Old Testament shall be gone through once a year, and the New thrice; only some parts of the former are omitted, such as repetitions of what is related in other places, or mere lists of genealogies, and parts too mysti cal and abstruse to be edifying in public, on which account the book of Revelation is omitted, excepting two or three chapters; matters of such difficulty being wisely thought fitter for the private meditation and study of those who are qualified to engage in them. SECTARIANS also differ from OUR CHURCH with respect to the reading of the Scriptures in public: for they do not in general read them so copiously or so regularly, from their leaving the selection of the parts to be read to every individual minister. Favourite chapters are repeatedly read, the whole counsel of God is not always brought before the people, and hence the different opinions which distract the (so called) religious world. Our Church reads the books of both Testaments in the order in which they stand; only in the Old, the prophet Isaiah, containing the fullest prediction of Christ's coming and kingdom, is placed at the approach of his nativity; and in the New, the Gospels and Acts are the lessons for the morning, and the Epistles for the afternoon, thus pointing out the order and disposition of the two covenants, and the harmony that exists between them. In this manner provision is made for every day in the year; and hence, one great recommendation of daily attendance on public prayers, when there are opportunities for it is that, by means of it, we shall proceed regularly through the sacred writings, and preserve the due connexion of the several discoveries made in them to man. There is, however, a different course for Sundays and holydays; upon Septuagesima Sunday, Genesis is begun, because then begins the season of chastening and self-mortification, to which Genesis suits best, as treating of the original of our misery by the fall of Adam, and of God's severe judgment upon the world for sin, for which reason the reading of this book was affixed to Lent, even in the primitive ages of the Church. Then are read forward the books as they lie in order, not all the books, but because more can attend the public worship of God on Sundays than upon any other days, such particular chapters are selected as are judged most edifying to all that are present; and if any Sunday have the history of it expressed in Scripture, such as Easter-day, Whitsunday, &c., then are proper lessons appointed. Upon saints' days, lessons are read out of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and sometimes from the Apocryphal books of Ecclesiasticus and Wisdom, which, containing excellent instructions of life and conduct, are appropriate for the days of those whose exemplary lives and death are the cause of the Church's commemoration of them, and commendation of them to us. Other holydays, as Christmas, Circumcision, Epiphany, have proper lessons appointed suitable to the occasions. As for the second lessons, though generally the same course is observed on Sundays as on week days, yet on some particular holydays and saints' days, such lessons are appointed as either explain the mystery, relate the event commemorated, or apply the example. The proper lessons are very well chosen, especially those for particular occasions; some of which, as Gen. xxii. for Good Friday, are the same which the Church used in St. Augustin's time. There is a rubric "He that readeth so standing and turning himself, that he may best be heard," which may need some observation. The order preceding the first rubric at morning prayer, directs the morning and evening prayers "to be used in the accustomed place of the Church, Chapel, or Chancel, except it shall be otherwise determined by the Ordinary." In some of the old churches, the east end of the chancel where the minister officiated was at so great a dis tance from the people that they could not hear distinctly; some of the bishops, therefore, tolerated reading pews in the body of the church, a practice made general by the canons of 1603. Many of these reading-pews had two desks; one for the Book of Common Prayer, looking towards the communion table, and one for the Bible, looking towards the people. In the ancient Church of England, the officiating minister (in accordance with the practice of the ancient Christian Churches), in prayers, lauds, confessions, &c., turned from the people towards the East: but in such parts as were addressed to the people, he turned towards them *. During the reading of the Scriptures the congregation should not be conversing with each other or disregarding; but should reverently attend to what is read, considering that it is the word of God, which is the rule of their duty, and by which they shall be judged at the last day: and whensoever anything applies to their own case, whether it be instruction, or correction, or comfort, or reproof, let them take par ticular care thereof, and treasure it up in honest hearts, and endeavour to conduct themselves according to it in the whole course of their conversation. Thus the public reading of God's word will become profitable, and they will have reason to return God special thanks for every opportunity of hearing it, whereas otherwise it will only aggravate their sins and increase their condemnation. The reason of reading first the Old Testament, then the New, and always somewhat out of both, is most probably that which Justin Martyr and Augustin observe in comparing the two Testaments. "The apostles," ," saith the one, "have taught us as them * See A call to Union on the Principles of the English Reformation, by W. F. HOOK, D.D. |