O ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

O ye Heavens, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Waters that be above the Firmament, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

O ye Sun and Moon, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Showers and Dew, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Winds of God, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Fire and Heat, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Winter and Summer, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

O ye Dews and Frosts, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Frost and Cold, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Ice and Snow, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Nights and Days, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Light and Darkness, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

O ye Lightnings and Clouds, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

year 663, commanded it to be used, and excommunicated the Priests that omitted it. Our Church indeed does not receive it for canonical Scripture, because it is not to be found in the Hebrew, nor was allowed in the Jewish canon: but it is notwithstanding an exact paraphrase of the 148th Psalm, and so like it in words and sense, that whoever despiseth this, reproacheth that part of the canonical writings.

As to the subject of it, it is an elegant summons to all God's works to praise him: intimatiug that they all set out his glory, and invite us, who have the benefit of them, to join with these three children (to whom so great, and wonderful a deliverance was given) in praising and magnifying the Lord for ever.

So that when we would glorify God for his works, which is one main end of the Lord's day;

when the lesson treats of the creation, or sets

O let the Earth bless the Lord; yea, let it praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

O ye Mountains, and Hills, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

O all ye green Things upon earth, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Wells, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

Oye Seas and Floods, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

O all ye Beasts and Cattle, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

O ye Children of Men, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O let Israel bless the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

O ye Servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for

ever.

O ye Spirits and Souls of the righteous, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye holy and humble Men of heart, bless ye the Lord; praise him, and magnify him for ever.

before us the wonderful works of God in any of his creatures, or the use he makes of them either ordinary or miraculous for the good of the Church; this hymn may very seasonably be used. Though in the first Common Prayer Book of King Edward VI. Te Deum was appointed daily throughout the year, except in Lent, all the which time in the place of Te Deum, Benedicite was to be used. So that, as I have already observed, they were not originally inserted for choice: but to be used at different parts of the year. But when the second book came out with double Hymns for the other Lesson; these also were left indifferent at the discretion of the minister, and the words, Or this Canticie inserted before the Hymn we are now speaking of. WHEATLEY.

This and the Te Deum are the only hymns used in our service, that are of man's composing. Our Church being careful, even beyond all the ancient

Then shall be read, in like manner, the second Lesson, (25.) taken out of the New Testament, according to the Table or Calendar; and after that, the following Psalm.

Jubilate Deo. Psalm c. (26.)

O BE joyful in the Lord, all ye lands; serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his presence with a song.

Be ye sure that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and speak good of his

name.

Churches, in singing to God, to sing in the words of God. Dr. Bisse.

(25.) The cause of reading first the Old Testament, then the New, and always somewhat out of both, is most likely to have been that which Justin Martyr and St. Augustin observe in comparing the two Testaments, "The Apostles," saith the one, "have taught us, as themselves did learn, first the precepts of the Law, and then the Gospels. For what else is the Law, but the Gospel foreshewed? What other the Gospel, than the Law fulfilled?" In like sort the other, "What the Old Testament hath, the very same the New containeth; but that which lieth there as under a shadow, is here brought forth into the open sun. Things there prefigured are here performed." Again, "In the Old Testament there is a close comprehension of the New; in the New, an open discovery of the Old. To be short, this method of publick reading either purposely did tend, or at the leastwise doth fitly serve, that from smaller things the minds of the hearers may go forward to the knowledge of greater, and by degrees climb up from the lowest to the highest things. Hooker.

As by this harmony of the lessons the faith of the hearers is established; so by the order, wherein they are read, the understanding is enlightened. Whilst therefore the lessons, whether out of the Old or New Testament, are read in our ears, we should not let them pass away as a vulgar history, or an idle legend, or as the word of man: but reverently listen to it, as it is in truth the word of God. For the minister in reading the Scriptures is, even as Aaron was, the mouth of God to the people: for which cause he is directed to turn his face to them as speaking to them from God, and to read standing, to signify his authority. When therefore he standeth up in order to read the lesson, let every devout hearer take that advice, which Eli gave to Samuel, waiting likewise in the sanctuary, saying within himself: "Speak, Lord; for thy ser

For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth from generation to generation.

¶ Or this Hymn. (27.)

Benedictus. St. Luke i. 68. BLESSED be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people;

And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us, in the house of his servant David;

As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets, which have been since the world began;

That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate

us.

vant heareth." 1 Sam. iii. 9. And let us not only hearken, but apply what we hear; if examples, let these lead us; if precepts, let these teach us; if commands, let these bind us; if promises, let these encourage us; if threats, let these warn us; if mercies, let these comfort us; if judgments, let these awaken us. In whatsoever way the Lesson brings us instruction in righteousness, which it always does in some way, let us at the close answer with the congregation of Israel, saying in our hearts, "all that the Lord hath spoken, we will do." Exod. xix. 8. Dr. Bisse.

(26.) This Psalm is called Jubilate Deo, from its initial words in the Latin version, or in English, "O be joyful in the Lord." Its Hebrew title is, A Song of Praise. It is said to have been composed by David upon occasion of a publick thanksgiving, and was sung by the Jewish Church at the oblation of the peace-offering, as the priest was entering into the temple. And immediately after hearing the Gospel of peace, it is a form of praise perfectly suitable to every Christian assembly. For the divine attributes here celebrated, gracious goodness, everlasting mercy, never-failing truth, and parental care, are in the Gospel most fully displayed.

This hymn was first added to our Morning Prayer in the Second Book of Edward VI.

SHEPHERD.

(27.) Having expressed our thankfulness to God in one of the abovementioned Hymns for the light and instruction we have received from the first Lesson; we are fitly disposed to hear the clearer revelations exhibited to us in the second.

I. As to the second Lesson in the Morning, it is always taken out either of the Gospels or the Acts; which contain an historical account of the great work of our redemption: and therefore as the angel, that first published the glad tidings of salvation, was joined by a multitude of the heavenly hosts, who all break forth in praises to God; so when the

¶ Then shall be said the Apostles' Creed, by the Minister and the People, standing: And any Churches may omit the words, He descended into Hell, or may, instead of them, use the words, He went into the place of departed Spirits, which are considered as words of the sume meaning in the Creed. (28.)

same tidings are rehearsed by the Priest, both he and the people immediately join their mutual gratulations, praising God, and saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people; and hath raised up a mighty salvation for us in the house of his servant David, &c. Being the Hymn that was composed by good old Zacharias, at the circumcision of his son, St. John the Baptist, and containing a thanksgiving to God for the incarnation of our Saviour, and for those unspeakable mercies, which (though they were not then fully completed) were quickly afterwards the subject of the whole Church's praises.

WHEATLEY.

When the Gospel was first published to the world, the angels sang praise; and all holy men to whom it was revealed, entertained these "good tidings" with great joy. And since it is our duty also, whenever we hear the Gospel read, to give glory to God, therefore the Church appoints this hymn, which was composed by holy Zacharias upon the first notice that God had sent a Saviour to mankind, and is one of the first Evangelical hymns indited by God's Spirit upon this occasion. Its original therefore is divine, its matter unexceptionable, and its fitness for this place unquestionable. Dean Comber.

The Benedictus, as it stands in the English Book, comprehends the entire prophecy of Zacharias; but on account of its length, and the particular application of the latter part of it, the English Clergy generally give the preference to the Hundreth Psalm. In the American Book, the last ten verses are judiciously omitted. "This omission from the Benedictus," says Bishop White, "was on the same principle with that from the 'Venite,' but I wish it had ended with the 3d verse."

T. C. B.

(28.) A sound faith is essentially necessary to a correct practice. It lies at the foundation of all true religion, and without it, no man can worship God aright. "He that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." The holy Scriptures constantly urge the necessity of a correct and living faith, and describe it as an instrument or medium, appointed of God, through which we are made partakers of the various and important blessings of salvation. These scriptures themselves since they

I BELIEVE in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; The third day he rose from the dead; He

are the only revelation of divine truth, and contain every thing necessary for a Christian to believe, must constitute, in the largest sense, our Creed, or rule of faith. But since the scriptures, besides the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, comprehend also a great variety of truths of less importance, it became expedient for the Church to frame a summary of the articles of indispensable belief, which might be readily learned, and easily understood by all her members.

To these articles of our belief we give the name of Creed-a term derived from the Latin word Credo, which signifies, I believe. In the Eastern Churches, it was commonly called Sumbolon, from the word Sumballo, to put together.

The Creed which stands first in order, in our Liturgy, is called the Apostles' Creed. This Creed is, properly speaking, a profession of faith in the holy and undivided Trinity. In this point of view, it corresponds with the Doxology, which is a very compendious catholic creed; and they both derive their origin principally from the form of Baptism delivered by our Lord. There is an ancient, though fabulous, tradition, that this Creed was the joint work of the Apostles:-each one furnishing an article till the whole was completed. But it was termed the Apostles' Creed, not because it was composed by the Apostles themselves, in the very form of words in which it is now expressed, but partly because its doctrines are the doctrines taught by the Apostles, and partly because it is derived from Churches which were termed Apostolic.-It was an ancient custom to call those Churches, in which any person had personally taught, especially if he had resided there any considerable time, or had died there, Apostolic Churches. Such were the Churches of Jerusalem, Corinth, Ephesus, and Antioch, in the East Such too was Rome, in the west, where St. Paui and St. Peter had lived, and had been martyred. When any one in the western world, spoke of the Apostolic Church, Rome was supposed to be understood, because no other could be thus designated. Hence, their Bishop came to be called the Apostolic Bishop; their see, the Apostlic see; their faith, the Apostolic faith; and among the rest, the Creed they used, the Apostolic Creed.

It is not without propriety, therefore, that this Creed takes its name from the Apostles. It con

ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

tains an excellent epitome of the doctrines which they taught expressed, as nearly as possible, in their own words: And though some of its articles were added in latter times, the greater part of it is probably derived from the usage of the Apostles.

That Creeds, not unlike that now under consideration, were used by the Apostles, we have the fullest reason to believe. Irenæus, the scholar of Polycarp, the disciple of St. John, repeats a Creed similar to ours, and assures us that "the Church, dispersed throughout the whole world, had received this faith from the Apostles and their disciples." And Tertullian gives us a Creed of similar import, declaring that it had been current "as a rule of faith in the Church, from the beginning of the Gospel." We do find, indeed, some diversity in the forms of the ancient Creeds, but their substance is so completely the same, as to afford proof that from the very first promulgation of Christianity, a compendious system of faith was established by its founders. Originally, the Creed was only used at the administration of the sacrament of Baptism, and in private devotions. It made no part of any public Liturgy, till near the close of the fourth century, when it was first introduced by the Bishop of Antioch. About a century after, it was ordered to be recited before the Lord's Prayer, in the Churches throughout Spain; and it was not established as a part of the Romish daily service, till more than four centuries after this period. At the Reformation, the Church of England thought fit to continue it in her order of daily service, because we cannot be too often reminded of the fundamental articles of that faith once delivered to the saints, and on which we build all our offices of public worship.

The place which the Creed holds in our morning and evening Prayer, is the most proper that could have been chosen; whether considered in reference to what goes before it, or in regard to what follows it. It is preceded by the lessons taken out of the Holy Scriptures.

"Faith cometh by hearing; and after we have listened to the word of God, it is very fitting that we should make a public profession of our belief in what it contains. The word preached did not profit the Jews, for want of faith in them that heard it. That this may not be the case with us, we call our faith into a more vigorous exercise by a public declaration of it.-After the Creed, follow the Collects and Prayers. Our belief is the basis of our supplications. "Faith is the fountain of Prayer," says St. Austin; and "how shall they call on him

From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

in whom they have not believed ?" asks an inspired Apostle. That we may call upon God properly and effectually, we first declare our belief, by reciting the Creed. With admirable fitness then, have the compilers of our liturgy directed us to repeat the Creed, after we have heard God's "holy word," and before we proceed to "ask those things which are requisite and necessary as well for the body as the soul."

The Rubric directs that the Creed be said "by the minister and the people." It is the confession of the whole congregation, and every person present ought personally to pronounce it with the minister. As "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness," so "with the mouth confession is made unto salvation:" And though in scripture we are instructed to pray for one another, yet every one must believe for himself, and ought to make the profession of his belief with his own mouth.

The Rubric farther directs that the Creed shall be said standing. This was the attidude in which the Catechumens in the ancient Church always repeated it. The Creed is not so immediately and specially addressed to God, as our prayers are. It is rather a declaration made by every individual, to the whole congregation in the presence of God. Standing is therefore, the attitude which propriety would suggest. The attitude further imports that we are determined to defend and maintain the faith which we profess: And some of the more warlike nations of Europe, were anciently accustomed to repeat it with their drawn swords in their hands; to intimate that they were determined to support the doctrines which it contains, at the hazard of their lives.

It was also an ancient custom, which still prevails in some places, to turn towards the East during the recital of the Creed. Most of the places of public worship were so constructed that the congregations should face towards the East; and under the East window was placed the Chancel and holy table. The Jews were accustomed to worship with their faces turned towards the Mercy seat and the Cherubim where the Ark of God was placed; And this arrangement of Churches was designed to indicate that Christians should worship with their thoughts directed to the Sun of Righteousness, and that they should look for his most gracious presence at his holy table.

There is a general practice in our Church, founded also on ancient usage, of bowing at the name of Jesus, in the Creed. This practice, though common, and proper in itself, is not enjoined by the Church in this country. In the early ages of the

Church the practice was universal, and it is prescribed by the eighteenth Canon of the English Church, as a testimonial of "inward humility, and a due acknowledgment, that the Lord Jesus Christ, the true eternal Son of God, is the only Saviour of the world; in whom alone all the mercies, graces, and promises of God to mankind, for this life, and the life to come, are fully and wholly comprised."

In considering the Creed itself, we shall find it to be a compendious system of the Doctrines of the Gospel. It begins with the fundamental article of all true religion, the unity of the Godhead ;-" I believe in God the Father, almighty, maker of heaven and earth."-The faith here professed, imports something more than a mere speculative belief of the existence of a Creator. It imports a deep and constant impression of the omnipresence, and ceaseless inspection, of the God "in whom we live, and move, and have our being." We must regard him as our Father by creation, and adoption, and in a peculiar manner, as the "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:"-as the fountain of all power and might, and as the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. After acknowledging our belief in "God the Father," we proceed to profess our faith in the second person in the Godhead ;-" In Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord."

He is called Jesus, by the direction of the Angel before his birth, and on account of his being the Saviour of the world; and Christ, from his being anointed, or appointed of the Father, to bear the several offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, to which men had been consecrated by being anointed with oil. He "was anointed with the Holy Ghost, and with power." He is called the only Son of God, because he is of the same nature with the Father, being "God himself, blessed forever ;" and on account of his miraculous conception by the Holy Ghost. So that whether we consider him with respect to his divine or human nature, he is, in either sense, strictly and properly, the Son of God. And he is called our Lord, because he is so, in a peculiar sense, by redemption; having bought us with a price, and purchased us to himself with his own blood. "For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord, both of the dead and the living."

As he was born of the Virgin Mary, he became a perfect man, as well as perfect God;-taking our nature upon him, and being "made in all things like unto us," only "without sin." And "being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself” still further, and "became obedient unto death, even the death upon the Cross." " He suffered

the body, And the life everlasting. Amen.

under Pontius Pilate," the Roman Governor :

was crucified, dead, and buried." Thus was he "made to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him:"-He who was perfectly holy, and free from sin himself, was made a sin-offering for us, being substituted in the place of sinners, to suffer the punishment of sin, and satisfy the divine justice; that we, through his merits, might be accounted righteous before God, and obtain the reward of righteousness, purchased for us by the precious blood of his dear Son.

After mentioning our Lord's death and burial, the Creed goes on to say, "He descended into Hell." By this expression we are to understand that his soul, immediately on its separation from the body, went into the invisible place of departed spirits, and there remained till it was reunited to it at his resurrection. The Rubric, in our American book, provides that " any Churches may omit the words, He descended into Hell, or may, instead of them use the words, He went into the place of departed spirits, which are considered as words of the same meaning in the Creed." The expression is used on the authority of the passage in the Psalms, (xvi. 10.) "Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell." The word which is here translated hell, as well as that in the Acts of the Apostles, where the passage is quoted, signifies the invisible state, or the state of souls when parted from the body; and not the place of final punishment, which the word is now more commonly used to denote. This interpretation seems further to be justified by the expression of the Saviour to the penitent thief on the Cross;-" To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise:" An expression which implies that our Lord himself was that day to be in the happy state here called paradise, and where the "dead, which die in the Lord, rest from their labours."

We are next taught to profess our faith in the Saviour's resurrection ;-" The third day he rose again from the dead." By this great act of omnipotence, he was "declared to be the Son of God with power;" the sufficiency of his atonement was de monstrated, and our ground of justification was opened to us. For as "he was delivered for our offences," so he was "raised again for our justification."

Having finished the great work of our redemption; having, by his resurrection from the dead, given us an assurance of his divine character, and a pledge of our own resurrection; and having instructed his disciples "in the things pertaining to his kingdom," "He ascended into heaven; and