The Prayer Book Explained Part 2

Thus day by day we sing and pray Christ and Him crucified.

[2] The Ordinary, i.e. the Ordinary judge in such matters, viz. the Bishop.

[3] See p. 16.

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CHAPTER III.

THE MODEL.

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

"After this manner therefore pray ye." S. Matth. vi. 9.

The p.r.o.nouns used in the Lord's Prayer are 'Thy,' 'us,' 'our.' It is the voice of a people speaking to G.o.d. Even in private we may not pray for self alone; we must include our friends, neighbours, and all others.

For this reason the Lord's Prayer is singularly adapted to the services of a congregation. Its pet.i.tions are short and direct, and therefore easily thought by every one at the same moment. This is an important point, because unity of intention is the essence of congregational wors.h.i.+p. (S. Matth. xviii. 19, 20.)

Notice the order of the p.r.o.nouns in the seven pet.i.tions:

( Hallowed be Thy Name.

Thy. ( Thy Kingdom come.

( Thy Will be done.

( Give us this day our daily bread.

( Forgive us our trespa.s.ses, as we forgive Us, our. ( them that trespa.s.s against us.

( Lead us not into temptation.

( Deliver us from evil.

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There are, it appears, two motives which prompt a man to wors.h.i.+p G.o.d.

One of these is G.o.d; Man himself is the other.

a. Two Kinds of Wors.h.i.+p.

Wors.h.i.+p means 'worthiness,' and thence 'regarding anyone as worthy.'

For this reason a magistrate is called 'his wors.h.i.+p'; and a guild or company is called 'wors.h.i.+pful.' In the Marriage Service the man says to his wife "I thee wors.h.i.+p" because he sets her before all else. In Wyclif's Bible (S. Matth. xix. 19) we find "Worschipe thi fadir and thi moder." In old days _any act of mind or body acknowledging the worthiness of another was an Act of Wors.h.i.+p_. In later days the word 'Wors.h.i.+p' has been limited.

_Limitation_ 1. Since G.o.d alone is perfectly worthy, wors.h.i.+p is now ascribed usually to G.o.d alone: _any act of mind or body acknowledging the worthiness of G.o.d may still be called an Act of Wors.h.i.+p_. For instance, in Col. iii. 17-iv. 1, the duties of mankind in daily life are set forth as a constant acknowledgment of the presence of G.o.d. The repet.i.tion of the word (_kurios_) meaning 'Lord' and 'master'--10 times in 10 verses--falls on the ear like a peal of bells, calling us to make daily life an unbroken Wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d.

_Limitation_ 2. We ought not to forget that life is all one piece; and that the word Wors.h.i.+p should describe what we do and say outside our prayers, as well as what we say and think in prayer and praise. The word is, however, more commonly limited to words and thoughts. These two limitations lead us {14} to a second definition of wors.h.i.+p as _words and thoughts which acknowledge the worthiness of G.o.d_. We have nearly abandoned the word as describing the honour paid by one creature to another, and but rarely use it of acts of the body.

G.o.d is always the object of Wors.h.i.+p: but the subject of wors.h.i.+p is two-fold--we may speak of ourselves or we may speak of our G.o.d. When we chiefly think of G.o.d in wors.h.i.+p we call it Praise: when we chiefly think of ourselves we call it Prayer.

These are then the two kinds of Wors.h.i.+p--Praise and Prayer. It is evident that the Lord's Prayer teaches us to put Praise in the higher place.

b. Praise and Prayer.

Praise. There are two ways in which respect is paid to a man, viz. (1) Outspoken praise, (2) Deference to his words. In like manner we praise G.o.d (1) by dwelling with joy and gladness on His perfections; and (2) by listening with reverence to His Word.

Prayer, on the other hand, is that kind of wors.h.i.+p which acknowledges G.o.d as the Source of all our help. Our needs are necessarily in our minds when we pray. We think of them in order to ask Him to help us; and we think of them again when we thank Him for the help which we have already had.

Thanksgiving might be coupled with Praise because its aim is to glorify G.o.d: but as its motive is the thought of human wants which have been already supplied, Thanksgiving is placed with the Prayers, which also relate to human wants.

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We must therefore expect to find in Wors.h.i.+p;

I. Praise. (1) Declaration of G.o.d's excellence.

(2) Attention to His Word.

II. Prayer (3) Pet.i.tions for grace and help.

(4) Thanksgivings for grace and help.

c. Intention and Setting.

The same words may serve for Praise and for Prayer. The plainest meaning of "Hallowed be Thy Name" is Praise to G.o.d. But it may be also a Prayer to Him to cause His Name to be hallowed. If we have no reason to the contrary, we shall use the Lord's Prayer as an act of Praise and Prayer--Praise in its first three pet.i.tions, Prayer in its last four.

If, however, we want to ask Him to cause His Name to be hallowed and His Kingdom to come and His Will to be done, we can turn it all into a prayer.

This direction of our minds into a certain channel is called 'Intention'.

We have already said that Unity of Intention is the essence of congregational wors.h.i.+p. Hence the Intention must be the same in all the wors.h.i.+ppers if they use words suitable for both Praise and Prayer.

If one is saying "Hallowed be Thy Name" and thinking chiefly of G.o.d's holiness, his Intention will be different from that of a neighbour who is thinking chiefly of the wickedness of sin. We need some agreement, that our intention may be the same.

This agreement might have been left to the knowledge of those who take part in the Service. They might have been expected to learn what the intention is, at each place when the Lord's Prayer is said. Or it might {16} have been stated in a Rubric, or direction, at the head of the Prayer. Neither of these methods is adopted in the Book of Common Prayer. Instead of them, the Prayer itself is so arranged as to proclaim the Intention.

When it is to be used for Praise, the words "_for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever_" are placed at the end: when it is to be used for Prayer, the Lesser Litany "_Lord have mercy upon us, Christ have mercy upon us, Lord have mercy upon us_" is placed at the beginning.

It is convenient to call this the 'setting'.

When the Lord's Prayer is 'set' for Praise, every pet.i.tion in it is to be said with that _intention_. We shall then unite in praising G.o.d for the glory of His holy Name, the majesty of His Kingdom, the power of His Will, and also as the Giver, the Forgiver, the Leader and Deliverer. The thought of our weaknesses will be as much as possible left out, that we may rejoice in the perfections of G.o.d.

In like manner, when the Lord's Prayer is 'set' for Prayer, the thought of human wants will be present in every pet.i.tion. We have great need to pray that G.o.d will cause His Name to be hallowed, His Kingdom to come, and His Will to be done, on earth as in heaven, as well as to ask Him for the necessaries of life, the forgiveness of sins, guidance, and deliverance from evil.

d. The key-note of Prayer and Praise.

"When ye pray, say, Our Father, &c." S. Luke xi. 2.