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154. CREED OF S. ATHANASIUS. Quicunque vult. AT MORNING PRAYER. “Upon these Feasts; Christmas-day, the Epiphany, Saint Matthias, Easter-day, Ascension-day, Whitsunday, Saint John Baptist, Saint James, Saint Bartholomew, Saint Matthew, Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Saint Andrew, and upon Trinity Sunday, shall be sung or said at Morning Prayer, instead of the Apostles’ Creed, this Confession of our Christian Faith, commonly called The Creed of Saint Athanasius, by the Minister and people standing.” It will be seen from the Rubric that the Athanasian Creed, or as it has been called the Psalm Quicunque vult, is ordered on all Feasts of our lord; on that of the holy ghost; on that of the ever-blessed trinity; on that of the |
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Forerunner; and on that of every Apostle whose eve is fasted, with two exceptions, SS. Peter and Thomas; in the first instance, because it has already been said five days previously; in the other, because it will be said four days subsequently. With the occasion then of repeating the Creed, the repetition is dropped, and this is perfectly in analogy with Catholic use in other points. It should be remembered that the Creed of S. Athanasius is sung or said upon certain Feasts, and when those Feasts are only commemorated by the use of the Collect as a memorial, the Psalm Quicunque vult is not to be used. For instance, when Advent Sunday falls on S. Andrew’s Day, the Sunday takes precedence of the Saint’s Day (see Parr. 97, 104, 105, 107), consequently the Service for the Sunday is used, the Saint’s Day simply commemorated by its collect, and the Athanasian Creed not said. This Creed should never be read when the Service for the Feast on which it is ordered to be said is not used. In some churches, the Athanasian Creed is strangely enough the only portion of Matins which is said colloquially—not even montoned; but this is most anomalous, and arises from the absurd notion that Creeds are not Hymns, contrary to the universal acceptation of the Church. 155. THE LITANY. “Here followeth the Litany, or General Supplication to be sung or said after Morning Prayer upon Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and at other times, when it shall be commanded by the Ordinary.” 156. Vestments. The same as in the Ordinary Office. See Par. 114. N.B.—When the Litany is sung as a preamble, yet external, to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, as is the case when Matins, Litany, and Holy Communion follow in succession, the alb* is worn instead of the surplice, and also the amice and cope of the colour of the day; as the Office is then a prelude to the Holy Sacrifice, and the alb is worn, though without the stole, maniple, and chasuble. |
* In the Sarum Rite, the rubric specifies the alb as the proper vestment. “The Priests and their Ministers in albs without the Cross.”[1] See Chambers’ Sarum Psalter, p. 466. On Easter Eve, when alone the Litany was actually incorporated in the Mass; the Priest put off his chasuble and put on a red cope until the Litany was finished. See Chambers’ Psalter, ibid. |
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157. Position of the Litany-desk.* The low desk for the Litany should be placed as the Sarum Processional directs in the midst of the choir, viz., between the choir and the altar, that is, at the eastern end of the stalls, at the commencement of the Sacrarium. Some ritualists hold that the desk should be placed in front of the gates of the Rood-screen, or in the midst of the nave; the ancient English use seems preferable. 158. When the Litany is used as a distinct Service, or as a prelude of intercession in connection with the Communion, the Canon requires that warning shall be given to the people by tolling of a bell.† 159. “All manner of persons then present shall reverently kneel upon their knees, when the... Litany and other Prayers are read.” Canon xviii. 1603. 160. Notice of persons who desire the Prayers of the Church. When persons in sickness desire the prayers of the Church, notice should always be given (though not by name after the first time) at the commencement of the Litany in these words, “The Prayers of the Church are desired for A. B.” “That it may please Thee to preserve all that travel by land or by water, all women labouring of child, all sick persons, and young children; and to show Thy pity upon all prisoners and captives;” After the words “sick persons” a pause should be made for the offering up |
* “Immediately before High Mass, the Priest with others of the choir, shall kneel in the midst of the church,[2] and sing or plainly say the Litany which is set forth in English, with all the suffrages following.”—Injunctions of Edward VI. 1547; Sparrow’s Collection, p. 8. “Immediately before the time of Communion of the Sacrament, the Priests, with others of the choir, shall kneel in the midst of the church, and sing or say plainly and distinctly the Litany which is set forth in English with the suffrages following.”—Injunctions of Elizabeth, 1559. Sparrow’s Collection, p. 72. “The Priest goeth from his seat into the body of the church, and at a low desk before the chancel door.... kneels, and says or sings the Litany. See the Prophet Joel, speaking of a place between the porch and the altar, where the priest and the prophet were commanded to weep and to say, ‘Spare Thy people, O lord,’ &c., at the time of a fast.”—Bishop Andrewes’ notes in Nicholls’ Commentary, p. 23, second Edition. † Canon XV. of 1603/4. Archbishop Grindal was the first who ordered the Morning Prayer, Litany, and Communion Office to be celebrated at the same time. Some ritualists, however, hold that he confirmed the ancient order received from Latin times. See Blunt’s “Reformation,” pp. 214—218. |
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of special prayer; but no clause should be inserted such as “especially for those,” &c. 161. When the Holy Communion is to follow the Litany—the Clergy and Choir return to the Sacristy to vest in the same processional order as at Matins. (See Par. 16, note *.) 162. The Litany ought not to be said on Fridays, if a Festival come on that day; because, of course, the Office of the Feast takes the place of the Office of the Feria. This does not apply to Sunday, because it is the one Feast on which the Rubric before the Litany orders it to be used. 163. THE OCCASIONAL PRAYERS. PRAYERS AND THANKSGIVINGS UPON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, To be used before the two final Prayers of the Litany, or of Morning and Evening Prayer. PRAYERS. “In the Ember Weeks, to be said every day, for those that are to be admitted into Holy Orders.” The second Ember Collect seems most suited for Saturday, the other for the previous days in Ember-week. “A Prayer that may be said after any of the former.” See Par. 111. “A Prayer for the High Court of Parliament, to be read during their Session.” If the Houses adjourn themselves for a fortnight or longer time, it is still the same Session, and consequently this prayer is to be used. It should not be used, if they are prorogued for a shorter time, because that period is not reckoned part of the Session, they not being empowered to do business, as upon adjournment they are. |
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“A Collect or Prayer for all Conditions of men, to be used at such times when the Litany is not appointed to be said.” Bishop Gunning, the reputed author of this prayer, would never suffer it to be read in the chapel of his college at Evensong. It is, however, the universal custom to introduce this prayer at Evensong; and it is to lovely and catholic a prayer that it is difficult to wish it away. The head Rubric prescribes, strictly speaking, that it shall be said, like the other “occasional prayers, before the end of the Litany or of Morning and Evening Prayer; the particular Rubric before the Prayer was evidently prepared to point out that though all the other prayers might be used, this must, when the Litany was not said: if it had been said, there was, of course, no use for it; but at all such times as the Litany was not appointed to be said there was. And it should be observed, that though the fixed time for the Litany is after Matins, it may on occasion be said “at other times, when commanded by the Ordinary,” e.g., in the evening. And the title of the Prayer says, in that case, the “Prayer for all conditions of Men” is to be dropped. There certainly was a Prayer for the Church at Evensong, as well as at Matins, in the old Offices.* THANKSGIVINGS. “A General Thanksgiving.” See supra, Par. 143, p. 115. 164. THE COLLECTS, EPISTLES, AND GOSPELS, TO BE USED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. “NOTE.—That the Collect appointed for every Sunday, or for any Holy-day that hath a Vigil or Eve, shall be said at the Evening Service next before.” Vigils or Eves. See Par. 98 and note *, and Par. 100, note †. Sundays before Advent. The following is the correct rule for the introduction of Epiphany Sundays before Advent, when necessary:—If there be twenty-two (the fewest possible), |
* See Freeman’s Principles, p. 371, 372. |
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twenty-three, or twenty-four Sundays after Trinity, the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel marked as for the twenty-fifth Sunday are to be said on the Sunday next before Advent, to the omission of the others. If there be twenty-six, on the twenty-fifth are to be said the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel of the sixth Sunday after Epiphany. If there be twenty-seven (the greatest number possible), on the twenty-fifth the Collect, &c., of the fifth; and on the twenty-sixth, those of the sixth after Epiphany. And the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel marked as for the twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity, are always to be said on the Sunday next before Advent.* The First Sunday in Advent. “This Collect is to be repeated every day, with the other Collects in Advent until Christmas Eve” “With the other Collects,” that is, in the Eucharistic Service, and not in the Divine Office (see Par. 20) as a “memorial” after the Collect for the day and other memorial Collect if there be one. But see Par. 107, note *, and subnote 1. The Epiphany. The Rubric after the Circumcision is as follows:— “The same Collect, Epistle, and Gospel shall serve for every day after unto the Epiphany.” Acting by analogy, the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel serves for every day after unto the Sunday after Epiphany. At Saturday Evensong the Collect for the Sunday will, of course, be used instead of that for the Epiphany. The Ascension Day. On the days between this Feast and the Sunday after, the same rule will, of course, be followed. |
* There are Lessons given for twenty-six Sundays. For the twenty-seventh, when it occurs, the Lessons must be taken from the Monthly Calendar. |
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[1] Probably the Processional Cross.
[2] I.e., In the midst of the nave.