DIFFICULT WORDS. 11 and forbidden by his apostles. They are only Papists, or followers of the Pope, or Bishop of Rome; and Roman Catholics, or members of the General Romish Branch of the Church, spread over several different kingdoms. The Communion of Saints.-The oneness or fellowship which all the people of God, whether on earth or in heaven, have with him, and, through him, with each other. Lord's Supper is called the Communion, because it is an outward visible sign of our fellowship with God. Consecrated.-Set apart in a sacred way to the service of God, after which it is no longer to be used for common uses. Corban. (Mark vii. 11, and Matt. xv. 5, 6.) A gift devoted to God. The Scribes wickedly allowed a son to say, "I will not help my needy parents; but I mean to give to religious uses all the money I can spare from my own necessities." Covenant.-An agreement or promise between two or more, such as that between God and his Church, or all who have taken hold of Jesus Christ the Redeemer. Of this covenant Baptism is the outward visible sign. Dedicate. To give up and mark for a particular use-holy or not, as it may be. 12 EXPLANATION OF Eschew. To avoid, shun, or fly from. Gentiles.-The Nations, all who are not Israelites. Grace.-Free favour. It sometimes means thanks. Graven image-A likeness carved in wood, stone, or ivory, and intended to be worshipped; a molten image is one made of cast metal of any kind. Indignities. Unworthy treatment, as when human bones, or churchyard dust, (all of which belongs to souls in the other world, and shall rise again at the great day), are thrown about or despised. Let.-An old word to hinder, now spelled the same way as the common word that means to allow. Mysteries.-Things hidden, except so far as God has revealed them (Mark iv. 11); such as the spiritual union betwixt Christ and his Church (Eph. v. 32), and how the outward visible sign in the two Sacraments is a means whereby we receive the inward spiritual grace and a pledge to assure us thereof. Mote.-A small grain of dust, or decayed wood, which might be blown into the eye. Beam, a large splinter of wood which may have got into the eye. Offend.-To commit sin (James iii. 2); to DIFFICULT WORDS. 13 lead or draw any one into sin (Matt. v. 29); to displease (John vi. 61). Prevent.-An old word meaning to go before, either for helping, or for hindering, or for other causes. Publican.-A tax-gatherer among the Jews, who generally was an extortioner also; that is, charged the people much more taxes than the law allowed him to do. Saints, or holy, or the faithful, means, in one sense, all who are holy, by being given to God in baptism; in another sense, those who are holy in heart and life; and, in a third sense, those who are holy in heaven, and free from all sin. Chanting is the kind of singing which the Prayer-book means when it directs the Te Deum and other hymns to be said or sung. It is the natural, simple voice of religious praise; and has been in use in all ages and countries. The Psalms sung in public worship from the times of David, and down to the time of Christianity, appear to have been chanted. (1 Chron. xv. 16-22; xvi. 4-8.) Chanting has continued in the Church of God ever since; in addition to the ordinary kind of hymns, which, however, are more modern. 14 RULES FOR CHANTING. A few simple explanations may be acceptable to some, and will be excused by those who do not wish to chant the Scripture passages here given, or who are themselves much better able to explain the subject. Every chant in music consists, or is presumed to consist, of seven bars, or ten notes, divided into two parts or clauses. The first part contains three bars, or four notes, and may be called the swell, or rise, though its notes by no means always go upwards. The second part contains four bars, or six notes, and may be called the fall, though its notes do not always descend. Each part begins with one long note (of a whole bar), which is the essential principle of chanting; followed by a fixed number of shorter notes, arranged in threes and fives. Thus the swell or rise is one long note followed by three short: the fall is one long note followed by five short. In each part the closing note (though short in comparison of the one long opening note), is longer than its short companions which go before it. It is sometimes allowable, for the sake of ornament, to make the short notes exceed three or five; and sometimes, for the sake of convenience, to substitute one longer instead of two short notes: but RULES FOR CHANTING. 15 the principle of one long commencing (called the reciting or chanting) note must be kept. Some difficulty occurs in sentences which have fewer than ten syllables, or where the sense will not allow of a break, so as to give four syllables to the rise, or six to the fall; or where important notes would fall to unimportant syllables. It is the shortness of the sentences which makes the Te Deum hymn difficult to chant. But sentences with more than ten syllables are easily managed, by giving the extra number to the one long opening note, whether in the rise or fall, or both, as the sense may require the break to be fixed. The most convenient sentences are those which will give three or four syllables to the commencing long note. It is usual, if possible, to give only a single syllable to each of the short notes. But for the sake of sense, the general stress of the chant should fall on important words; and the first short note, whether in the rise or the fall, should be given to a syllable, or should include a syllable, which requires a stress in ordinary speaking. It often happens, therefore, that a long word, or even two short ones together, are given to one of the short notes: and, on the other hand, sometimes an important single syllable is made to answer |