Lutheran movement in england during the reigns of henry VIII. And edward VI

CHAPTER XXIV. AN EXCURSUS ON THE TYPICAL LUTHERAN CHIEF SERVICE.

Application of the Evangelical Principle to the Sphere of Worship. The distinctive features of the Lutheran Service. The Sacramental and Sacrificial factors with respect to the Roman, the Reformed and the Lutheran Services.

The “Common Service” examined. Preparatory Service of Confession. Its Origin; its Structure. The Declaration of Grace. No Absolution. The Declaration analyzed.

The Service Proper. First Act—The Word: Part I. A. The Introit. Agreement of Lutheran Orders. Origin. Structure. When and by whom chanted. B. The Kyrie. Relation to Introit. No Confession of Sin. C. The Gloria in Excelsis. Significance of its place-Its Structure. Its Origin. Part II. A. The Salutation. Where only to be used. B. The Collects. The Oremus. Why called Collect. Origin. Structure. C. The Epistle. The New Testament Law. D. The Hallelujah. Significance of its place. Luther’s Rule. Graduals, Sequences, etc. E. The Gospel Origin of attending Responses. Part III. A. The Creed. Variations in its place, and its significance as so changed. Lutheran Orders prefer the Nicene Creed. B. The Sermon. The Explanation of the Gospel. Votum. C. Offertory. Improperly so called. D. General Prayer. Analogy of Roman Mass. Emphasizes the Church as the Communion of Saints. Various forms used. Luther’s Litany greatly enriches the ancient Litany. Structure. Not a mere penitential prayer.

Second Act—The Communion: The Lutheran Conception of the Communion, in its relation to the Word. Communion, not to be separated from the Preaching Service Part I. Introduction. A. Salutation B. Preface. C. Sanctus Structure and Significance Meaning of the “Benedictus.” D. Exhortation. Origin (Volprecht, Nürnberg, 1525) Unliturgical. Why retained? Part II Consecration. A. The Lord’s Prayer. Not properly consecratory. Why the Lord’s Prayer is [[@Page:284]]used? B. Words of Institution. Meaning of their recitation in this place. C The Pax. Luther’s Explanation. Part III. The Distribution. A. Agnus Dei. Origin. The Dona nobis; when introduced, and what it signifies. B. Distribution Proper. Meaning of the words. Luther’s addition. Benediction. Is “true” to be used? Consecration not complete until in the Distribution. Part IV. Post Communion. A. The Nunc Dimittis. In the oldest, but not the most Orders. Significance. B. Versicle. C. Collect. D. Benedicamus.

The First Part of Service, variable; the Second part, fixed. Exceptions. Kliefoth’s Comments. Simpler Services for villages and country churches. A typical Simple Service.

The tracing of the relation between the Orders of Edward VI. and those of the Lutheran Church, having led to the incidental discussion of various details of the latter, it may not be out of place to introduce here a brief presentation of the Chief Service (Hauptgottesdienst), as it has attained a fixed form, where the reformation of the ancient Orders of public worship upon the principles laid down by Luther and his associates, has been carried out. We, of course, fail to find any form so rigidly fixed, and uniformly used, as the Roman Order. In the various Lutheran countries, the application of the same principles was modified by varying circumstances, as Romanizing or Reformed influences, or, as in South-Western Germany, even the prejudices diffused by Carlstadt, through his connection with Strassburg, are traceable. Then, as even the principles themselves were more strongly or more feebly apprehended, there were varying results. The application and elaboration of the evangelical principle,³¹⁰ within the sphere of worship, could not be realized at one [[@Page:285]]stroke, but only through a gradual process. In the consideration of a typical Lutheran service, we must constantly eliminate from any given Orders the factors pertaining to historical and local relations, and having, therefore, only transitory significance. We will follow here “The Common Order of Service,” which three of the Lutheran General Bodies in America, have agreed upon as exhibiting the Consensus of the pure Lutheran liturgies of the Sixteenth Century.

Preliminary, however, to the examination of the Service, it is important to keep in mind a principle marking the worship of the different Confessions, which Dr. Kliefoth has discussed at length in his Liturgische Abhandlungen, and whom we shall mainly follow here. In all true worship of God, two things are implied, viz., God offers and communicates, and man not only receives what God offers, but also returns something to God. The former is the sacramental; the latter, the sacrificial element in worship. A sacrament may, in a wide sense, be defined as “a ceremony in which God gives that which the promise attached thereto offers.” Thus Baptism is no act of ours, but one which God brings to us, and through which he bestows upon us the blessings announced at the institution of Baptism. The Son of God was not content with providing for us salvation by his sacrifice on the cross; but he has ordained means whereby the efficacy of his sacrifice, is applied. The Lord’s Supper was [[@Page:286]]instituted not that we might thereby bring anything to Christ, but that he might bring something to us. So the reading and preaching of the Word, bring with them the very grace which the Word proclaims.

The sacrificial element is when we bring something to God. There are two forms of sacrifice, the propitiatory and the eucharistic. Under the New Testament, there is but one propitiatory sacrifice, viz., that of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, made by both his active and passive obedience throughout life, and finally offered once for all upon the altar of the cross. Eucharistic sacrifices are those of prayer, praise and thanksgiving, made in response to what is given us in Word and sacraments.

In every true act of worship, there is a reciprocation between the sacramental and sacrificial elements. God gives through Word and sacraments; and we give back to him in prayer and praise. The fundamental element in every Service must be the sacramental; for God must give to us, before our faith can render worship, good works, etc. Hence the fundamental principle of Lutheran worship is that the individual Service must never consist merely of sacrificial parts, but must always have something sacramental, i. e. the application of Word and Sacraments. For the sacramental is the divine address; and the sacrificial, the human answer.

In the Romish worship, the sacramental element was crowded out by the sacrificial. The Mass, instead of being a sacrament, was made a sacrifice; and that, too, a propitiatory sacrifice. By becoming a sacrifice, it ceased to be a real means of grace. God’s act, they changed into man’s work. Man’s believing and thankful reception they transformed into a meritorious transaction whereby to purchase grace. Hence participation in the Eucharist was regarded unimportant. If it be a sacrifice made for us, even our presence is unnecessary. So the Word need not be understood when read. Presence, at its public reading, whatever the language, becomes a propitiatory act.

In the Reformed Church, the sacramental was also crowded [[@Page:287]]out by the sacrificial element; but in another way. In antagonizing the Romish propitiatory-sacrifice, they make the Service almost entirely Eucharistic-sacrificial. As is well known, Zwingli denied the reality of means of grace. The application of grace is conceived of as occurring immediately from Spirit to spirit. The constant presence of the Holy Spirit with the Word and Sacraments is denied. All liturgical acts are expressions of faith already wrought. The sacraments offer nothing from the Lord, but the faith or piety of those celebrating them. The Word does not bring the Spirit; but the Spirit brings the Word. Through the exposition of the Word, the preacher simply gives testimony as to his faith. Believers come together chiefly by common prayer, confession, praise, thanksgiving, etc., to exercise their faith.

The Lutheran Church, laying emphasis upon both elements, provides for both, throughout every part of her Service. They interpenetrate each other, the sacramental always evoking the sacrificial-eucharistic, and the sacrificial-eucharistic never occuring except as the sacramental has preceded. And yet, as we shall see, certain parts of the Service are predominantly sacramental, and others predominantly sacrificial.

With this principle understood, we proceed to the presentation of the Service:

I. THE PREPARATORY SERVICE

A. Confession.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart, and confess our sins unto God, our Father, beseeching him, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant us forgiveness.

Our help is in the name of the Lord.

Who made heaven and earth.

I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.

And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto thee, that we are by nature sinful and unclean, and that we have sinned against thee by thought, word and deed. Wherefore we flee for refuge to [[@Page:288]]thine infinite mercy, seeking and imploring thy grace, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. O most merciful God, who hast given thine only begotten Son to die for us, have mercy upon us, and for his sake, grant us remission of all our sins; and, by thy Holy Spirit, increase in us true knowledge of thee, and of thy will, and true obedience to thy word, to the end that by thy grace we may come to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

This does not belong to the Service properly so called. The Service of the Mass does not have it as such. The Consensus of the Lutheran liturgies of the Sixteenth Century does not contain it. It has its origin in the Confiteor or Praeparatio in Missam, said by the officiating priest for himself, first secretly, but in course of time, publicly, before beginning the service.³¹¹ Thence revised, so as to exclude the Roman errors, it was transferred to a number, but not the majority, of the Lutheran services. Thus the Brandenburg-Nürnberg Order begins: “When the priest comes to the altar, he may say the Confiteor, or whatever his meditation suggests.” Even an earlier Order (Strassburg, 1524) prescribes it in a form similar to that here given.³¹² The form adopted is that of Mecklenburg, 1552.³¹³ The structure of the Confession is not manifest in the English translation. The German is: “Ich armer sündiger Mensch” showing that it is the officiating minister, who begins under the deep sense of his unworthiness of that which his office communicates (Is. 6: 5 sq.). Then, in the second part of the prayer, the people join, or as in the Meckenburg Order, a second minister. There is also progress in the thought. The first is a general prayer for God’s mercy; the second, passing to what is more specific, presents the plan of salvation, with the prayer that God would fulfil his [[@Page:289]]promises connected with that plan. The second petition has almost the force of an absolution by his congregation, of the minister who has prayed the first petition, and, at the same time, joins therewith the congregation’s prayer for the same blessing. In the first petition, a most important addition has been made to the Confiteor of the Roman Order, in that Original Sin is included, and made prominent. The German traces sin from the act to its source in Original Sin; the English begins with the source, and shows how it has developed in outward manifestations.

B. The Declaration of Grace.

Almighty God; our heavenly Father, hath had mercy upon us, and given His only Son to die for us, and for His sake forgiveth us all our sins. To them that believe on His Name, He also giveth power to become the sons of God, and bestoweth upon them His Holy Spirit. He that believeth, and is baptized shall be saved. Grant this, O Lord, unto us all. Amen.

In this form, the declaration is found in Mecklenburg, 1552.

It is often, but improperly, called an absolution. An absolution is, however, the individualization of the general promise of the Gospel, the application to the individual of the forgiveness which is offered to all. Such absolution cannot be spoken to an entire congregation, or even to two or three persons, but only to one. In a wide sense, the term general, as distinguished from private or personal, absolution may be used. But such general absolution occurs wherever the Word of God is preached. Any other form of general absolution detracts either from preaching, on the one hand, or from the personal absolution on the other. The subject was involved in controversy at Nürnberg in 1533, where Brentz and Osiander objected to the custom which previously obtained.³¹⁴ Brentz urged that it could not be a true absolution, since it is nowhere read in Scripture, that a mixed assembly could be absolved, in which are found unbelievers, fanatics, impenitents, adulterers, usurers, drunkards, murderers, and where none asks for absolution; that such absolution would be [[@Page:290]]either conditional, i. e. I absolve you, if you have repentance and faith, or unconditional, i. e. I absolve, you whether you have or have not repentance and faith. But a conditional absolution is no absolution; and an unconditional absolution of such kind, “is a lie and blasphemy.” Luther and the Wittenberg Faculty tried to mediate between the two sides.³¹⁵ But Brentz more consistently carried out the Lutheran principle. In the Reformed churches, the public absolution is not objectional, since, according to the Reformed conception, the absolution does not communicate that which it announces.

We have here, therefore, not an absolution, but only a declaration of the Order of Salvation, and its general offer to the sinners who have confessed. A more admirable and thoroughly logical statement could scarcely be framed:

1. God’s General Benevolence. His Antecedent Will.

(a.) His pity for fallen man. “Hath had mercy upon us,” i. e. from all eternity, as he foresaw our fall.

(b.) His provision for man’s recovery.

“And given his only son to die for us.”

(c.) The fruits of this mercy and redemption.

“For his sake forgiveth us all our sins.” All being redeemed by Christ, all through Christ are potentially forgiven. There is forgiveness for all, though all do not avail themselves of it.

2. God’s Special Benevolence. His Consequent Will.

(a.) The Manner; (b.) The Means, by which the forgiveness provided for all is bestowed. The manner—Faith, Regeneration, the Holy Spirit. The means—Faith, Baptism.

3. Prayer that the Holy Spirit may work this faith, and apply to each heart the forgiveness which, for Christ’s sake, belongs to it.

In Döber’s Mass (1525) where the outlines of this form are found, it ends: “Be it to each according to his faith. Pray God for me. I also will do likewise.” (Löhe). [[@Page:291]]

THE SERVICE PROPER.

Löhe has said that every complete Service is a mountain with two summits: The preaching of the Word is one, the administration of the sacrament is the other. As Sinai is higher than Horeb, so the latter rises above the former. We reach both by a gradual ascent.

First Act—The Word.

Part I. A. The Introit. The normal Lutheran service always begins with the Introit, “In this there is complete agreement among all Lutheran Orders until the middle of the XVII. Century” (Kliefoth), the only exceptions being in the occasional use of introductory hymns or psalms, and the confessional service just considered. To what has been already said in chapter XX., we add the following:

The Introits appear first in Gregory the Great, and in the essential form which they have since had. Every Introit consists of three parts: An Antiphon, a Psalm and the Gloria Patri. The Antiphon presents, by means of a brief passage of Scripture (with a few exceptions from the Psalms), the leading thought of the particular day. The Psalm is a brief passage from the Psalms, in which the joy of the heart at what the Antiphon announces, finds expression. Originally an entire Psalm was chanted here. This usage can be traced from the fact that, of the sixty-one Introits included in the appended table, fifty-two have as the Psalm-verse, the first verse of the Psalm used, the intention generally being that the entire Psalm should follow. Where the verse is not the first of a Psalm, the Introit, as a rule, has begun with the first verse, or first and second verses, which is then followed by the rest of the Psalm. [[@Page:292]]

TABLE OF INTROITS.

	Antiphon.	Psalm.
I. Sunday in Advent.	Ps. 25:1-3a	[[25: 4. >> Ps 25.4]]
II. Sunday in Advent.	Zech. 9:4. Is. 30:30. Is. 30:29.	[[80: 1. >> Ps 80.1]]
III. Sunday in Advent.	Phil. 4:4-6.	[[85: 1. >> Ps 85.1]]
IV. Sunday in Advent.	Is. 45:8.	[[19: 1. >> Ps 19.1]]
Christmas.	Is. 9:6.	[[98: 1. >> Ps 98.1]]
Sunday after Christmas.	(Ps. 93: 5, 2).	[[95: 1. >> Ps 95.1]]
Circumcision.	(Ps. 8: 1,4).	Is. 63: 16.
Epiphany.	Mal. 3:1.	Ps. 72: 1
I. Sunday after Epiphany.	Is. 6:1. Rev. 19:6.	[[100: 1. >> Ps 100.1]]
II. Sunday after Epiphany.	Ps. 66: 4.	[[66: 1, 2. >> Ps 66.1-2]]
III., IV., V. Sunday after Epiphany.	Ps. 97: 7, 8.	[[97: 1. >> Ps 97.1]]
VI. Sunday after Epiphany.	Ps. 77: 18.	[[84: 1. >> Ps 84.1]]
Septuagesima.	Ps. 18: 5, 6.	[[18: 1, 2. >> Ps 18.1-2]]
Sexagesima.	Ps. 44: 23-25.	[[44: 1. >> Ps 44.1]]
Quinquagesima.	Ps. 31: 2, 3.	[[31: 1. >> Ps 31.1]]
Ash Wednesday.	Ps. 57: 2; 1 b.	[[57: 1 a. >> Ps 57.1]]
I. Sunday in Lent.	Ps. 91: 15, 16.	[[91: 1. >> Ps 91.1]]
II. Sunday in Lent.	Ps. 25: 6, 2 b., 22.	[[25: 1. >> Ps 25.1]]
III. Sunday in Lent.	Ps. 25: 15, 16.	[[25: 1. >> Ps 25.1]]
IV. Sunday in Lent.	Is. 66: 10.	[[122: 1. >> Ps 122.1]]
V. Sunday in Lent.	Ps. 43: 1, 2.	[[43: 3. >> Ps 43.3]]
VI. Sunday in Lent.	Ps. 22: 19, 21.	[[22: 1. >> Ps 22.1]]
Monday in Holy Week.	Ps. 35: 1, 2.	[[35: 3. >> Ps 35.3]]
Tuesday and Thursday in H.W.	Gal. 6: 14.	[[46: 1. >> Ps 46.1]]
Wednesday in Holy Week.	Phil. 2: 10, 8.	[[5: 1, 2. >> Ps 5.1-2]]
Good Friday.	Is. 53: 3-6.	[[5: 1, 2. >> Ps 5.1-2]]
Easter	Ps. 139: 18, 5, 6. or Luke 24: 6 a., 5 b., 6 b., 7.	[[139:1, 2. >> Ps 139.1-2]] [[8: 5b, 6a. >> Ps 8.5-6]]
First Sunday after Easter.	I Pet. 2: 2.	[[81: 1. >> Ps 81.1]]
Second Sunday after Easter.	Ps. 33:5,6.	[[33: 1. >> Ps 31.1]]
Third Sunday after Easter.	Ps. 66: 1, 2.	[[66: 3. >> Ps 66.3]]
Fourth Sunday after Easter.	Ps 98: 1 a., 2 b.	[[98: 1 b. >> Ps 98.1]]
Fifth Sunday after Easter.	Is. 48: 20.	[[100: 1. >> Ps 100.1]]
Ascension Day.	Acts 1: 11.	[[47: 1. >> Ps 47.1]]
Sunday after Ascension.	Ps. 27: 7, 9.	[[27: 1. >> Ps 27.1]] [[@Page:293]]
Whitsunday.	Wisd. 1: 7 a. Ps. 68: 3.	[[68: 1. >> Ps 68.1]]
Trinity Sunday.	Partly from Job 12:6. Partly ecclesiastical. or, Is. 6: 3. Rom. 11: 36.	[[8: 1 >> Ps 8.1]] [[8: 1. >> Ps 8.1]]
First Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 13: 5, 6.	[[13:1. >> Ps 13.1]]
Second Sunday after Trinity.	Ps 18: 18 b., 19.	[[18: 1, 2 a. >> Ps 18.1-2]]
Third Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 25: 16, 18.	[[25: 1, 2 a. >> Ps 25.1-2]]
Fourth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 27: 1, 2.	[[27: 3. >> Ps 27.3]]
Fifth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 27: 7, 9 b.	[[27: 1 a. >> Ps 27.1]]
Sixth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 28: 8, 9.	[[28: 1. >> Ps 28.1]]
Seventh Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 47: 1.	[[47: 3. >> Ps 47.3]]
Eighth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 48: 9, 10.	[[48: 1. >> Ps 48.1]]
Ninth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 54: 4, 5.	[[54: 1 >> Ps 54.1]]
Tenth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps 55: 16, 18 a, 19 a., 22 a	[[55: 1 >> Ps 55.1]]
Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.	Ps 68: 5 b., 6 a., 35 b	[[68: 1 >> Ps 68.1]]
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 70: 1, 2 a.	[[70: 2 b. >> Ps 70.2]]
Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 74: 20 a., 21 a., 23 a.	[[74: 1. >> Ps 74.1]]
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 84: 9, 10 a.	[[84: 1. >> Ps 84.1]]
Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 86: 1 a., 2 b., 3.	[[86: 4. >> Ps 86.4]]
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 86: 3, 5.	[[86: 1. >> Ps 86.1]]
Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity.	Ps. 119: 137, 124.	[[119: 1. >> Ps 119.1]]
Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.	Eccles. 36: 16, 17 a	[[122: 1. >> Ps 122.1]]
Nineteenth Sunday alter Trinity.	Ps. 35: 3 b. Ps. 34: 17. Ps. 48: 14 a.	[[78: 1. >> Ps 78.1]]
Twentieth Sunday after Trinity.	Dan. 9: 14 b. Song of the Three Children Ps. 119: 124. [3: 20. Ps 51: 1.	[[48: 1. >> Ps 48.1]]
Twenty-first Sunday aft. Trinity.	Esther 13: 9, 10, 11.	[[119: 1. >> Ps 119.1]]
Twenty-second Sunday aft. Trinity.	Ps. 130: 3,4.	[[130: 1, 2 a. >> Ps 130.1-2]]
Twenty- third Sunday aft. Trinity.	Jer. 29: 11, 12, 14.	[[85: 1. >> Ps 85.1]]
Twenty- fourth Sunday aft. Trinity.	Ps. 95: 6, 7.	[[95: 1. >> Ps 95.1]]
Twenty- fifth Sunday aft. Trinity.	Ps. 31: 9 a., 15 b.	[[31: 1. >> Ps 31.1]]
Twenty- sixth Sunday aft. Trinity.	Ps. 54: 1, 2.	[[54: 5. >> Ps 54.5]]

Twenty-seventh or whenever last Sunday occurs, repeat Introit for Twenty-third. [[@Page:294]]

The Introit was chanted as the minister entered the church. Some derived the name, from the fact that originally a Psalm was sung by the choir, as the people entered. The Antiphon was chanted by the choir, representing the chorus of angels that chanted at Bethlehem, or, as Gerbert suggests, the chorus of Old Testament prophets,³¹⁶ and the Psalm formed the response of the congregation. The chanting of the Introit by the congregation, was deemed inappropriate, since it is its office to announce to the congregation what God has for it on that day. The opening word for the Introit gave the name of the day. Hence Cantate, Rogate, Jubilate, Sundays. The Gloria Patri follows every Psalm, and hence its position here, after the Psalm-verse. Originally its form was: “Glory to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Ghost,” or “Glory to the Father, in the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” But from the time of the Arian controversy, it assumed its present form. So also “As it was in the beginning,” etc., was added first in the East, and afterwards in the West, as the Council of Vaison (A. D. 529) declares: “Because of the craftiness of heretics, maintaining that the Son of God was not always with the Father, but had begun to be in time.”

B. The Kyrie. The glory of the divine goodness manifested by what the Introit has announced, has been celebrated in the Gloria Patri. But the greater the manifestation of divine goodness, the deeper the humiliation. The Kyrie is not a confession of sin, but a confession of wretchedness to be borne as a consequence of sin now forgiven, as long as life lasts, Rom. 7: 24. When the blind man cried out “Thou Son of David, have mercy on me,” Matth. 9: 27, he did not confess his sins, but prayed that his infirmity might be removed. So we also pray for the removal of the blindness which obstructs from us the full light of heavenly grace. Even amidst the glory of New Testament light, the sighing of the Old Testament prophets is heard. [[@Page:295]]Is. 33: 2: “O Lord be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee.” From the Kyrie, the Litany seems to have originated, (Calvor). According to pre-Reformation practice, the Kyrie is sometimes said in Greek in our Lutheran churches. The reason may be learned from that suggested by Bona for its use in Greek in the Roman Mass. “The Latins say the Kyrie in Greek; they also say Amen, Hallelujah, Sabaoth, and Hosanna in Hebrew, perhaps to show that there is one Church, consisting first of Hebrews and Greeks, and then also of Latins.” He adds that thus the mysteries of the faith are transmitted in the three tongues in which the superscription above the cross was written, and quotes from Augustine (Epistle 178), that “just as by the term Homöousion one substance of the Trinity is believed by all the faithful, so by the Kyrie Eleison the nature of one God is be sought by all Latins and barbarians, to be merciful.” In perfect harmony with this, Bugenhagen says in the Brunswick Order of 1531: “It would be well that, as we do not change the Hebrew words ‘Amen,’ ‘Hallelujah,’ ‘Hosanna,’ after the example of the Holy Apostles, who although in the New Testament, they wrote Greek, did not change those words; so also we would translate the Kyrie Eleison and Christe Eleison, which are Greek, into German… By Greek writing, the whole New Testament has been produced, and we dare not so completely cast aside everything that is Greek. You can easily understand, unless you obstinately despise it, when you are once told that ‘Kyrie Eleison’ means ‘Lord, have mercy,’ and ‘Christe Eleison,’ ‘Christ, have mercy.’ But if you want to be so rigidly German, you must not even say ‘Christ, have mercy,’ but ‘Du Gesalbter, have mercy.’”

C. The Gloria in Excelsis. The minister now comforts the congregation. He has gone down with them into the depths of their wretchedness, and now, from these depths, he looks up, and bids them look up with him, “unto the hills whence cometh their help.” At once, faith in the hearts of the people is roused to action, and takes the word from God’s lips. First, in the song [[@Page:296]]of the angels, they celebrate the divine goodness. Then again, the contrast between God’s Love and their disposition towards it, awakens within the Gloria a second Kyrie. Then once more, the thought of their own need is forgotten, as the song of triumph in the three-fold ascription of Glory to Christ alone, ends the strain. The “Gloria Major” is without doubt one of the very oldest hymns of the Christian Church. It is sometimes, though without sufficient evidence, ascribed to Bishop Telesphorus (127-138), by others, to Hilary, bishop of Poictiers (†368), although it is probably earlier. It is found in the “Apostolical Constitutions” (Second or Third Century), which sufficiently establishes its Eastern origin. It occurs there in the following form: “Glory be to God in the highest, and upon earth peace, good-will among men. We praise Thee, we glorify Thee, we worship Thee by Thy great High Priest; Thee, who art the true God, who art the One Unbegotten, the only accessible Being. For Thy great glory, O Lord and heavenly King, O God the Father Almighty, O Lord God, the Father of Christ, the immaculate Lamb, who taketh away the sin of the world, receive our prayer, Thou that sittest upon the cherubim. For thou only art holy, Thou only art the Lord Jesus, the Christ of the God of all created nature, and our King, by whom glory, honor and worship be to Thee.” Luther says that it neither grew, nor was made upon earth, but came directly from Heaven.

With the Gloria in Excelsis, the first part of the act of the Word ceases. The congregation has been prepared for the Word itself, and then proceeds to its reception. The sacrificial element has thus far prevailed. Now the sacramental is to preponderate.

Part II.—A.—The Salutation introduces the sacramental part of the Service, whether it be the administration of Word or Sacrament, that is to follow. Through his minister, Christ salutes us when about to make his abode within us. Thus the angel to the virgin, Luke 1: 23. The Response follows Ruth 2: 4, or [[2 Tim. 4; 22 >> 2 Tim 4.22]]. The Salutation and Response are not, however, [[@Page:297]]confined to the sacramental act. As seen in the Matin and Vesper Services, they belong to the Collects. “By this frequent repetition of this greeting and Response, the bonds of love and unity between pastor and people are tied anew.” (Löhe). “The meaning is: ‘May the Lord abide in you, and give efficacy to your petitions’ (Durandus), or the priest says that he is at peace with both clergy and people (Damianus), or the attention is aroused to prayer (Rupertus); for it is not God nor Christ, but ‘the Lord be with you,’ since ‘Lord’ signifies power (Turrecrem).” (Gavanti). The minister prays for his people. The people pray for their minister; and then they unitedly pray for one another.

B. The Collects. The “Let us pray,” indicates that the people are to join in the prayer, which may be done either silently or in subdued voice. Again we refer to what is said in Chapter XX. As the Collect is to be a prayer of the people, the earlier Lutheran Orders evidently restricted the number, in order that those well known to the people might be used. As originally in the Gregorian Order, only one Collect was to be used. The meaning of the term is not certain. It is either the united or the collected prayer of the entire congregation—the minister has prayed for his people in the Salutation, and they have prayed for the minister in the Response—or a prayer made by a collected congregation, or a prayer that collects and concentrates the thought of Gospel and Epistle. Its office here is to prepare the congregation for the reception of the special Word, pertaining to the day, announced by the Introit, and now about to be read.

The Collects for the Sundays and chief festivals are almost entirely of Pre-Reformation origin, from the Leonine (440), Gelasian (492), and Gregorian (596) Sacramentaries.

The following may be noted, as Leonine: III. Sunday after Easter, IV. XII. and XIII. after Trinity. Gelasian: II., III., IV. Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, I. Other Collect for Advent, Palmarum, Easter Eve, Easter Day, II., IV. V. after Easter, Sunday after Ascension, I., III.. V., VI, VII., VIII., [[@Page:298]]IX., X., XI., XIV., XV., XVII., XVIII., XIX., XX. after Trinity. Gregorian: I. Advent, Sunday after Christmas, II. Other Collect for Advent, Epiphany, I., II., III., IV., V. after Epiphany, Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima, II., III., IV., V. Sundays in Lent, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Holy Week. Other Easter Collects, I. after Easter, I. for Ascension, Whitsunday, Monday, in Whitsun-week, XVI., XXI., XXII., XXIII., XXIV. after Trinity.³¹⁷ In comparing them with the Anglican Collects, it must be remembered that, after the Third Sunday after Trinity, the Anglican Collects fall one Sunday behind, and that elsewhere, as in the first three Sundays in Advent, the Anglicans have composed new Collects, while we retain the ancient Collects.

The structure of the Collect is always the same. It embraces one main petition, consists of but one sentence, asks through the merits of Christ, and ends with an ascription to the Holy Trinity. Its parts as well analyzed by English writers, such as Neale,³¹⁸ are: 1. Invocation. 2. Antecedent Reason. 3. Petition. [4. Benefit]. 5. Conclusion, The fourth part is not always found. The conclusions are uniform even when not so designated. If to the Father: “Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus sancti, Deus per omnia saecula saeculorum;” if to the Son: “qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre in unitate,” etc. “That no prejudice may be shown the other persons of the Godhead, not addressed in the prayer.” (Gavanti).

There are no versicles for the Collects at this part of the service. The Collect is followed by the “Amen,” to be said or [[@Page:299]]sung by the congregation, according to 1 Cor. 14: 10; Neh. 8: 6.

The Lessons. That there are two lessons, the Epistle and the Gospel, is traceable to the Service of the synagogue, where on every Sabbath, a lesson from the Law and one from the prophets, was read. The entire Pentateuch was divided into sections corresponding to the weeks of the year, so that it was annually read through.

C. The Epistle is the Word of the Christian Law; with all its greater depth and breadth as set forth in the New Testament. In his first liturgical writing, the Formula Missae, Luther has not understood this, when he attacks the selections made, on the ground that they are not such epistle lessons as treat of faith and Christ.

“The Epistle which is read before the Gospel pertains to the ministry of John.” (Gerbert Monumenta Veteris Liturgiae, III: 151). The Epistle is taken sometimes from the Old, and sometimes from the New Testament. For John was the way between those who preceded and followed, intermediate between Apostles and Prophets. For the Law and Prophets were until John. ‘What is the Law,’ asks Justin Martyr. ‘The Gospel which is proclaimed. What is the Gospel The Law which is fulfilled.’ St. Augustine: ‘In the Old and New Testaments the things are the same; but there they are adumbrated, here revealed; there prefigured,’ here manifested. On Lord’s Days the Epistle is conformed to the Law from the New Testament, since now we are under the law of grace, which, since the resurrection, the Lord’s Day represents, and which now illumines the whole world. The Epistle precedes: 1. Because it designates the office which John exercised before Christ; for he went before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways. (Rupert, Innocent, Alex, de Ales., Durand.) 2. Because the Apostles were sent two and two before the Lord. (Alcuin). 3. Because God does not make the manifestation of his power and goodness all at once; but first less, and afterwards more. What he spoke himself contains more perfect manifestation than what he spoke [[@Page:300]]by the Apostles. 4. That the mind of the hearers may advance from the reception of what is less to what is greater, and thus gradually ascend from the lowest to the highest (Walafried Strabo.) (J. S. Durantus, De Ritibus Ecc. Catholicae.)³¹⁹

D. Hallelujah. With the consciousness of the forgiveness of sins imparted by the preceding part of the Service, the congregation receives even the Law with joy. Having in view the Gospel which is still to be read, the Law has lost its terrors; it is written in the heart, Heb. 8: 10, and hence is greeted with an exultant “Hallelujah.”

This is an inheritance from the Jewish Church, and hence comes appropriately after the Christian Law. So often does it occur in Ps. 113-118, that this section of the Psalms is often called “The Great Hallelujah.” It is probable that the latter portion of this (Ps. 115-118) was chanted by our Lord as “the hymn,” at the last passover. Thus it points to his sacrifice. In Rev. 19: 1, it is the triumphant hymn of the hosts of Heaven. Hence it is not translated, since it belongs no more to any particular language of earth, but to the vocabulary of spiritually minded men and angels. This explains Luther’s rule that it must never be omitted from the service. “Allelujah enim vox perpetua est ecclesiae, sicut perpetua est memoria passionis et victotiae ejus.” Later Lutheran usage, following that of the early Church, has sanctioned its suppression during the Passion Season, upon the principle that Luther’s rule, if strictly applied, would forbid all penitential services.

In connection with the Hallelujah, a prolific musical and poetical growth of graduals, sequences, proses, tracts and hymns arose. They prolonged and complicated the Service. Even Cardinal Bona maintains that “some very foolish ones crept in.”³²⁰ But the chief objection was the doctrinal impurity by which they were pervaded.. Some of our best hymns came from this source. Luther translated a number of them; and if a pure [[@Page:301]]hymnody of sufficient extent could have arisen, the Hallelujah would have had more extensive supplement than now. In his Formula Missae, Luther specifies a few whose retention he approved.

E. The Gospel. Here we find not only the summit of the First Act reached, but the saving deed which the day celebrates, is clearly declared. It is no longer the Apostolic doctrine concerning Christ, but it is Christ Himself who is evidently set forth. We see Him in all his concrete personality move before us; we hear his very words. Hence we rise in reverent adoration. In former days, men of war unsheathed their swords and listened with drawn weapons, ready to defend the truth of that which was heard. Elsewhere, weapons previously in hand, were laid down, in adoration of the Great Conqueror, before whose words all earthly power must yield. The infirm laid away their staffs, and listened with uncovered heads. In the Ethiopic Order, the Gospel was introduced by the words: “Arise and hear the Gospel and good message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

F. “Glory be to Thee, O Lord,” not only expresses the first bound of joy at the very announcement of a message from the Lord, but also enables the congregation to rise without any awkward break in the Service.

“Praise be to Thee, O Lord,” is usual in our Lutheran liturgies. It is an appropriate doxology in response to the Gospel, and marks the close of the second part of the Act of the Word. Those who superficially object to it, that it sounds as though the people were thankful that an end had come to the lesson, may answer whether then the singing of a doxology at the close of the Service, would not mean that the people are thankful that a tedious sermon has ended. Profane criticism can ridicule anything sacred.

Part III. A. The Creed. This is introductory and subordinate to the Sermon. In a few Orders, it directly follows; but in most, it precedes. In the latter case, its office is to give a [[@Page:302]]summary of the faith as a whole before the minister expands the part contained in the Gospel for the day. The whole horizon of the faith sweeps before the view, and, then, the hearers are prepared to enter the one limited part. Where it follows the Sermon, as in the Reformation of Cologne, it is as the affirmative answer to the Sermon. Another explanation is sometimes given: “The Creed is recited after the Gospel, that while, by the Holy Gospel, there is faith unto righteousness; by the Creed, there may be confession with the mouth unto salvation.” (Durandus). “After Christ has spoken to his people, it is proper for them to express their belief the more ardently and intently, as it is written in the Gospel of John that they did, who had heard the word from the Samaritan woman.” (Gerbert).

The Creed generally prescribed in Lutheran Liturgies, is the Nicene. There is precedent for the Apostles Creed, and that, too, in the earlier Orders, Doeber’s (1525) and Bugenhagen’s, of the same year; but this is rare. The Apostles Creed, as the Baptismal Confession, belongs properly to the Baptismal Service, and the subordinate weekly and daily services. The Nicene Creed is the Communion Confession, and belongs whenever this is administered; the two Creeds corresponding to the two Sacraments. Luther’s metrical version of the Nicene, was more common and occasionally, even the Athanasian was used, as on Trinity Sunday and at Ordinations. The Te Deum also was used at times. Because of its confessional character, the latter was sometimes called the “Ambrosian-Augustinian Symbol.”

B. The Sermon. A number of our Orders provide for this under the direction: “Explanation of the Gospel.” The whole Service is thrown into confusion, if that towards which its several parts lead be neglected, and some other than the focal topic be introduced. Not that which for the moment is nearest the heart of the minister, nor that which is nearest the heart of the individual members, but that which is so arranged that the entire contents of the divine Word are unfolded and communicated in a complete cycle, will afford most permanent edification, and [[@Page:303]]maintain the interest of devout people. The service of the minister on the pulpit ends with the Votum, intended to summon the people to join in the succeeding psalmody, with which they are occupied, while he descends from the pulpit, and takes his place before the altar.

C. The Offertory. This is so different from the Offertory in the Roman Mass, that it seems scarcely proper to retain the name. As we use it, the reference is to psalmody, “adapted either to the Sermon, or to repentance, or to the Holy Supper.” (Calvor).

D. The General Prayer. Here the analogy of the Roman Mass has been followed. The General Prayer has its origin in the long series of petitions attached to the Roman Offertory, which were mostly connected with the worship of saints, prayers for the dead, etc. The Lutheran Church, going back to a purer tradition, and eliminating these elements, found this the proper place to pray for all sorts and conditions of men. For the cry of repentance has led to the thought that there are others comprehended in the same sin, the same redemption, and the same forgiveness.

The office of the General Prayer is, therefore, to present most forcibly the Church as the communion of saints, where the end of all our prayers for men, is that they may be brought to repentance and faith, and, through repentance and faith, experience the fullness of the divine blessings, both temporal and eternal. Luther presented, as a proper form for general prayer, a paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer, expanding its petitions at length, and was followed in this by a number of Orders. Elsewhere the Litany or the Te Deum was used, or several Collects were combined, as in the Brandenburg-Nürnberg of 1533. The first General Prayer of the Common Service is, except the first paragraph, in the Strassburg Order of 1598, and is probably considerably older. In its main features, it is found in the Austrian Order of 1571.

The Litany, presented for use in many of the Orders, where there is no communion, was greatly changed by Luther in his [[@Page:304]]revision of 1529, as shown above in Chapter XVIII. He transposed “from all sin” to before “all evil;” inserted “by thine agony and bloody sweat,” “in all time of our tribulation, in all time of our prosperity;” changed to its present form, “to preserve all pastors and ministers,” etc.; and either originated or greatly enlarged all the intercessions of the same group. In the second group, only the first intercession is in the Roman Mass; the rest are by Luther. The third group is entirely by Luther. In the fourth, he amended “omnibus benefactoribus” so as to read “hostibus, persecutoribus et calumniatoribus nostris,” i. e. where the old Litany reads: “To repay everything good to our benefactors,” Luther reads: “To forgive our enemies, persecutors and slanderers, and to turn their hearts.” This is a fulfilment of the passage: “Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old, etc., but I say unto you,” Matth. 5: 21 sqq. The prayers at the close of the Litany, he reduced to the form of Collects, and greatly changed. Thus, except at the beginning, it is almost a new Litany. Its structure has been analyzed as follows: 1. The Simple Kyrie. 2. Invocations. 3. Deprecations, beginning “from.” 4. Obsecrations, beginning “by” and “in.” 5. Intercessions, through the prayer for “enemies.” 6. Supplications, for “fruits of the earth,” and “answer to prayer.” 7. The expanded Kyrie. 8. Simple Kyrie. 9. Lord’s Prayer. 10. Versicles, and Collects. “It is the general prayer of the Christian Church under all necessities and conditions. We must carefully avoid narrowing its significance. It is not e. g. a mere penitential prayer; like every true prayer, it contains this element, but is not confined to this. It is a prayer in every necessity, not only against sin, but also against all evil. It is not a mere cry of anguish, belonging only to times of trouble; it is a prayer not merely against all evil, but for all good. The Pomeranian Agende goes so far as to prescribe the Litany for the Saturday Vesper Service in the place of the Magnificat, and to have it sung in one and the same week-day Service with, and, that too, even before the Te [[@Page:305]]Deum.”³²¹ Luther pronounced it, next the Lord’s Prayer, the very best that could be made.

SECOND ACT. THE COMMUNION.

On the relation of the Communion, to the rest of the Service: “To Luther, Word and Sacraments are the objective foundations of the Church, and, accordingly, the objective factors of the Service, as the means of grace whereby the individual comes into possession of the blessings of salvation; the Lord’s Supper especially as a sacrament is regarded not merely the highest and most impressive announcement and assurance of grace but also as the objective sealing of grace. Hence the Lord’s Supper forms the summit of the Service, as well on its objective, as on its subjective side: inasmuch as in the celebration of the sacrament the gracious declaration of the Gospel is completed and given especial power, and the appropriation of salvation on the part of the congregation is accomplished. Hence while the Service has indeed to Luther the office of instructing in salvation, so far as he keeps the preaching of the Word in view, he regards it also as a sealing of salvation, a communication of grace, not merely in the Lord’s Supper, but also in the Word. He, therefore, finds the sum and summit of the entire Service in the Communion, in the Eucharist.”³²²

For this reason, the separation of the communion from the preaching Service, is entirely foreign to the spirit of the Gospel as apprehended by the Lutheran Church. The “Communion Address,” which replaces the Sermon in some churches, is an importation from the Reformed Church, and cannot be liturgically justified. There is no proper Service, without the preaching of the Word;³²³ there is no complete Service, without Word and Sacrament.

Part I. Introduction—A. Salutation, as in beginning of Act I., Part I. “May he be present by his grace, who is always [[@Page:306]]present by his Omnipotence. For not all are with him in the manner in which he said: “Lo, I am with you alway, nor is He with all, in the manner of which we say: ‘The Lord be with you.’” (Durandus).

B. The Preface. This is the oldest and most unchanged form of the Service. It was in use already in the time of Tertullian. It begins with the Sursum Corda, continues in the Gratias, and is then embodied in the Dignum et justum, with special (‘proper’) prefaces for the chief festivals, chiefly from the Gregorian Sacramentary.

(a.). The Sursum Corda, found in the Greek form: ἄνω τὰς καρδίας μηδὲν γήινον ἡγήσασθε. “Lift up your hearts; think of nothing earthly.” An exposition of this is given by Cyprian in his treatise “On the Lord’s Prayer:” “When we stand praying, beloved brethren, we ought to be watchful and earnest with our whole heart intent on our prayers. Let all carnal and worldly thoughts pass away, nor let the soul at that time think on anything, but the object only of its prayer. For this reason also the priest, by way of preface before his prayer, prepares the minds of the brethren by saying ‘Lift up your hearts,’ that so upon the people’s answer: ‘We lift them up unto the Lord,’ he may be reminded that he himself ought to think of nothing but the Lord. How can you ask to be heard of God, when you yourself do not hear yourself?” Cyril: “It is necessary at that important hour to lift our hearts to God, and not to sink them to earth and earthly things. In this sentence, therefore, we are commanded to relinquish, in that hour, all cares and domestic anxieties, and to have the heart in Heaven with God, the Lover of the human race.” Augustine: “The hearts of believers are in Heaven, because daily directed towards Heaven, when the priest says: ‘Lift up your hearts,’ and they confident reply: ‘We lift them up unto the Lord.’”

(b.) Augustine’s explanation of the Gratias, is: “That we lift up our hearts to the Lord is by God’s gift; for which gift, then, we are bidden to give thanks to our Lord God.” [[@Page:307]]

(c.) Dignum: “To praise God above all things is meet, so far as God is concerned; for he is our Lord God; it is just, so far as we are concerned; because we are his people. It is meet, because Thou hast made us by Thy pure will; it is just, because Thou hast redeemed us by Thy pure mercy; it is right, because Thou dost gratuitously justify us; it is salutary, because Thou dost perpetually glorify us.” (Innocentius, quoted by Durandus).

C. The Sanctus. Having offered numerous petitions for the Church on earth, the congregation of believers now unites with the Church in Heaven which does not need its prayers, in the angelic trisagion. For it is about to sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. The Benedictus from the Great Hallelujah (Ps. 118: 26) of the Passover, added to the Sanctus, tells that Christ is now coming to his people through his real presence in the Lord’s Supper. They are to eat and drink in remembrance not of an absent, but of a truly present, though unseen Lord. Hence they exclaim: “Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord—Hosanna.” As the Sanctus emphasizes the divine, the Benedictus emphasizes the human nature of of our Lord. Luther separated the Sanctus from the Preface, in order probably to bring the Benedictus directly before the Consecration. The Hosanna is found in the earliest Communion Service on record, viz., that in “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.” (Chapter IX., §6).

D. The Exhortation. Composed by Volprecht of Nürnberg, 1525, is unliturgical, and causes a break in the Service; since this is not the place for preaching. It was prepared to answer the necessity for instructing the people, who had been raised under Romish error, concerning the true significance of the Lord’s Supper. In the original, it is much longer. The edifying character of its teaching has made it especially dear to the Lutheran Church, and, even when not used, its presence in the book gives an excellent practical exposition of the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. The Exhortation took the [[@Page:308]]place of the Sancta Sanctis, τὰ ἅγια τοῖς ἁγίοις, of the early Church, i. e. “Holy things for holy persons.” “If any one be not holy, let him not approach. He does not say ‘absolutely free from sin,’ but ‘holy;’ for not absolute freedom from sin, but the presence of the Spirit, makes holy.” (Chrysostom).

PART II. CONSECRATION.

The Consecration properly speaking consists only of the Words of Institution. Accedit verbum ad elementum et fit sacramentum. But without prayer, we cannot come at Christ’s invitation, to partake of what He is about to give.

A. The Lord’s Prayer. This prayer is not really consecratory, so far as the elements are concerned; but it is consecratory of the believers who are ready to receive the heavenly blessings. We have heard: “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord;” and in the Lord’s Prayer, we go forth to meet the coming King. “That a prayer given by the Lord is preferred to any furnished by the Church, is explained because at this center of the communion act, we prefer to deal with the Lord alone and to use no words other than his.”³²⁴ The doxology to the Prayer is here omitted. That it is not simply the prayer of the officiating minister is manifest from the Oremus: “Let us pray.”³²⁵ The Lord’s Prayer, however highly prized in the Lord’s Supper, is not an essential part; and, hence, is omitted in a few Orders.

B. The Words of Institution. As they here occur, they are not offered to the congregation to awaken their faith; but are recited to the Lord, in connection with the Lord’s Prayer, as a part of the act of prayer. Hence the minister turns, not towards the congregation, but towards the altar, as he reads the words. The significance of the entire act is as though he were to say: “O Lord, we come at Thine invitation; for here are Thy gracious words, unto which Thou wilt assuredly be faithful.” Great stress is laid upon the [[@Page:309]]necessity for clearness and distinctness in the utterance, as over against the inaudible mumbling of the Romish administration of the Mass. The raising of chalice and paten was intended to render everything visible as well as audible.

C. The Pax. Of this, Luther says: “It is truly the voice of the Gospel announcing the forgiveness of sins, the only and most worthy preparation for the Lord’s Table, provided it be apprehended by faith, in no respect different than if it proceeded from the mouth of Christ. Hence I want it announced with face towards the people. It is an absolution of the communicants from sin,” i. e. “Come hither, and receive from God’s own Word, and through the pledges of the very body and blood, which have been given for thy sins, the peace of God which is in reality made ready for thee.”

PART III. THE DISTRIBUTION.

A. The Agnus Dei, sung during the Service, is said to have been introduced by Pope Sergius I. (687-700). It is based on John 1: 29. The Dona nobis pacem (“Give us thy peace”) has been introduced since the XI. Century; and is a reminiscence of the wars and general disorder of that disturbed period. In the Lateran Church at Rome, Alt says that the old form, without the Dona, is still maintained; as the Church should be an image of the heavenly Jerusalem, where already all is peace. In the Lutheran Service, it is a beautiful response to the Pax:

God’s Word: “The Peace of the Lord be with you alway.”

Man’s Answer: Ah, Lord, Thou knowest how we need what Thou dost here offer. “O Lamb of God, have mercy on me.” “Grant me this, Thy peace.”

B. The Distribution Proper. Then the Lord says: “Here is that for which thou prayest. Thou hast been redeemed by Christ’s blood. Here is the very Body and the very Blood which purchased thy forgiveness and salvation. Just as certainly as they are here offered thee, just so certainly art thou a redeemed sinner, for whom God has only thoughts of love. Come, receive what God has provided thee. “Take and eat, [[@Page:310]]this is the Body of Christ, given for thee.” Take me at my word, and receive my peace.

“Given for thee,” is an addition to the formula, referred to Luther.³²⁶ The Catechism tells us that the “for you,” are “the chief things in the sacrament,” and “require truly believing hearts.” “For thee,” as a formula of distribution is preferable to “for you,” since it is the office of the sacrament to individualize grace.

The Benediction is found in Luther’s German Mass of 1526. “Preserve you in true faith,” is better than “in the true faith,” as the reference is to the personal faith of the believer.

The introduction in the same Orders of “true” before Body and Blood, is traced no further than a Brandenburg-Nürnberg Agende of 1591, and then to the Coburg of 1626.³²⁷ The introduction of a confessional statement reflecting the violent controversies of the times, seems out of place, in that moment, when, of all others, the soul is alone with its Saviour. The acceptance of what such formula declares, should be presupposed in every administration.

The sacramental union occurs in the sacramental action, and, therefore, neither until, nor after the taking and eating. The consecration is, therefore, not completed until in the distribution. In his earlier liturgical writings, Luther advises strongly that the bread shall be consecrated and distributed before the wine is consecrated. He argues that this occurred at the institution of the Lord’s Supper. This practice preserves the unity of the consecration and distribution. It is adopted in the communion of the sick.

PART IV. POST COMMUNION.

A. The Nunc Dimittis is found at this part of the Service in the oldest Lutheran liturgies (Bugenhagen, 1524; Döber, 1525; Strassburg, 1525), although not generally adopted in the XVI. [[@Page:311]]Century. Casaubon, quoted by Calvör, traces it to the Liturgy of Chrysostom, adding: “In most Protestant churches, the entire action of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, is concluded with this hymn, which the people chant on bended knees—which is a most beautiful and holy institution.”

The peace offered in the “Pax,” prayed for in the “Agnus Dei,” received in the “Distribution,” is now thankfully acknowledged, “Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace.” The child of God is as near Heaven as he can be in this life; nearer yet he one day shall be, when this sinful flesh is entirely put off. He is ready for the blessed exchange this very moment, as he also is ready for everything assigned by his Lord. Whithersoever the Lord sends him, will he go; whatsoever the Lord commands him, will he do. For the peace of God is his; and the salvation of God is a possession, whereof he is so fully conscious that he can exclaim: “Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.”

The use of the Nunc Dimittis accords with the practice at the institution, Matth. 26: 30: “When they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”

B. The Versicle. The Nunc Dimittis, however, is individual. The thanksgiving is yet to be rendered by the entire congregation. This is introduced by the versicle, which appears first in the Coburg KO of 1626, and afterwards was generally introduced into Lutheran liturgies.

C. The Collect. That adopted in the “Common Service” is from Luther’s German Mass of 1526, replacing the Post-Communion of the Roman Mass which abounded in doctrinal corruptions. That heretofore used in the English churches of the General Council is from the Brandenburg-Nürnberg Order of 1533, which, as seen elsewhere, has reappeared, in a revised form, in the Book of Common Prayer.

D. The Benedicamus is found already in the liturgy of Chrysostom. The Romish Mass has it: “Benedicamus Domino.” [[@Page:312]]”Deo Gratias.” “Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet” is a German metrical rendering.

Of the Service as a whole, it may be said that the First Act is variable, the Second invariable in its parts. In the First, there is a constant change according to the day or season of the Church Year. In the Second, whatever be the day or season, the uniformity is almost complete. The only exception to the variations of the First Act, is the permanence of Kyrie, Gloria in Excelsis, and Creed. The only exceptions to the permanence of the Second Act, are the “Proper” Prefaces, and, where the music is thoroughly elaborated, the melodies of the Sanctus, Agnus Dei and Benedicamus, changing according to the season of the Church Year.

“In a series of acts, covering thousands of years,” says Kliefoth, “God has borne his testimony to men, and has spoken to them in thousands of words. So also every one of the people that enters God’s house, brings with him an entire world of cares and blessings, joys, necessities, and sins. Varied, too, and manifold, are the ways in which the Word of God finds men, and man finds himself related to the Word. It is right, therefore, that the Act of the Word should present the saving deeds of God to men in their ever fresh richness, and thus lead men to salvation. But all the acts of God, and all the cares and hopes of the human breast, have one goal; so also all divine services and all divine dealings with men, lead to but one goal: Redemption through the Blood of Christ. Hence it is proper, that the act of the Service which gives his Blood, and, in it, the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, should also be externally one and the same, offering the one thing for all in but one form.”³²⁸

Another general remark is necessary. From the very beginning, the Lutheran Orders recognize that a difference must be made between the cities where the necessary musical resources are at hand for the full rendering of the Service, and the [[@Page:313]]villages and country where they are absent. Care was taken that a modified Service should be provided, in which the structure of the full Service and the significance of its parts were preserved unbroken. The following is a type: 1. German Hymn. 2. Kyrie. 3. Hymn—metrical version of the Gloria in Excelsis. 4. Salutation. 5. Collect. 6. Epistle. 7. Hymn. 8. Gospel. 9 Metrical rendering of the Creed. 10. Sermon, 11. General Prayer. 12. Hymn. 13. Preface. 14. Exhortation. 15. Lord’s Prayer. 16. Words of Institution. 17. Distribution during the singing of “Christi, Du Lamm Gottes.” 18. Post Communion. 19. Benediction. 20. Closing Hymn. (Lüneberg, Calenberg, etc.) [[@Page:314]]