2. The Missal, or volume employed in celebrating
LITURGY
462
LITURGY
mass. According to a tradition generally believed by members of the Romish Church, this liturgy owes its origin to St. Peter. The canon of the mass was com- mitted to -writing about the middle of tlie fifth century. Various additions were subsequently made, especially by Gregory the Great, who reduced the whole into better order. This Missal is in general use throughout the Romish Church. See Mass.
3. The Ceremoniale contains the various offices peculiar to the pope. It is divided into three books, the first of wliich treats of the election, consecration, benediction, and coronation of the pope, the canonization of saints, creation of cardinals, the form and manner of holding a council, and the funeral ceremonies on the death of a pope or of a cardinal, besides various public ceremonies to be performed by the pope as a sovereign prince. The second book prescribes what divine offices are to be cel- ebrated by the pope, and on what days; and the third discusses the reverence which is to be shown to popes, cartlinals, bishops, and other persons performing sacred duties; the vestments and ornaments of the popes and cardinals when celebrating divine service ; the order in which they are severally to be seated in the papal chapel; incensing the altar, etc. The compiler of this liturgi- cal work is not known.
4. The Pontificale describes the various functions which are pecidiar to bishops in the Komish Church, such as the conferring of ecclesiastical orders; the pro- nouncing of benedictions on abbots, abbesses, and nuns; the coronation of sovereigns ; the form and manner of consecrating churches, burial-grounds, and the various vessels used in divine service ; the public expulsion of penitents from the Church, and reconciling them ; the mode of holding a synod ; suspending, reconciling, dis- pensing, deposing, and degrading priests, and of restor- ing them again to orders; the manner of excommuni- cating and absolving, etc., etc.
6. The Ritiude treats of all those functions which are to be performed by simple priests or the inferior clergy, both in the public service of the Church, and also in the exercise trf their private pastoral duties. The Pasfoi-ale corresponds with the Pitnale, and seems to be only rai- other name for the same book.
V. Continental Reformed or Protestant Liturgies. — At the time of the Reformation there were, of necsssitj', great changes in the matter of public worship. The liturgies in use at its commencement included the prev- alent doctrinal system, especially as connected with the Lord's Supper; and very soon changes were made hav- ing in view the repudiation of Romish error, and the adaptation of reformed worship to the restored system of scriptural doctrine. The old forms, moreover, had there been no objection to them doctrinally, were liable to the practical objection that they were locked up from popu- lar use in a dead language. The Reformation, to a very great degree, had opened the ears of the people to the intelligent hearing and recei)tion of Christian doctrine. Its task now was to open their mouths to the intelligent utterance of supplication — in other words, to provide forms of worship in the vernacular. This was done very largely by selection and translation from old forms, and, as was necessari-. by the preparation of new ma- terial. With the English and Lutheran Reformers, the oliject seems to have been to make as few changes in existing forms as ])ossible. Doubtful expressions, which admitted of a Protestant interjiretation, but which, for their own merits, would never have been selected, were thus retained. It is to be said for the Reformers that they seem to have acted in view of the existing circum- stances of the communities b_v which they were sur- rounded, and from one of tliem, the most eminent of all, Luther, we have the liistinct disavowal of all wish and expectation that his work, in this respect, should be im- posed upon other churches or continued in 4iis own any longer than it was found for edification.
a. Lutheran Liturr/ies. — As first among the Reform- ers we notice these liturgical works of Luther. Differ-
ent offices were prepared by him, as needed by the churches tuider his influence, the earliest in 1523, the latest in 1534. These were afterwards collected in a volume, and became a model for others. In his " Or- der of Service" provision is made for daily worship in a service for morning and evening, and a third might be held if desirable. These services consist of reading the Scriptures, preaching or expounding, with psalms and responsoria, with the addition, for Sundays, of mass or communion. lie dwells earnestly, however, upon the idea, already mentioned, that these forms are not to be considered binding otherwise than in their appropriate times and localities. These views and this action of Luther were responded to by similar action on the part of the churches which through him had received the doctrines of the Reformation. These drew up liturgies for themselves, some of them bearing a close resem- blance to that of Wittemberg, others differing from it widely; the differences, in one direction, being condi- tioned by the Zwinglian or Calvinistic element, in the opposite by the Romish. These, in particular localities, have been changed at different times as circumstances seemed to require. No one Lutheran form has ever been accepted as obligator^' upon all Lutheran church- es, as is the case with the liturgy of the Church of Eng- land in all its dependencies ; although it is claimed that there is essential unity — an essential unity of life and spirit in all these unessential diversities as to outward form of particular states and churches. The tendency of the Rationalism of the last centurj' was to neglect, to depreciate, and to mutilate the old liturgies, and then to procure changes which would substitute others in their stead. From this, and in connection with another movement, has followed a healthful reaction. This re- action may be seen in its effects upon the two great classes into which Lutheran Germany is now divided. It has controlled to a very great degree the efforts of the Unionists, has given form to the Union liturgy, and it is leading those v/ho are opposed to this movement to a more careful study and diligent use of the older liturgies. The object of this new liturgy, that of the king of Prussia, first published in 1822, revised once or twice since then, is to unite the worship of the mem- bers of the Lutheran and Reformed churches in the Prussian dominions. The excitement connected with this movement, in the way of attack and defence, has given a deeper and wider interest to all liturgical ques- tions— an interest deeply felt by the Lutheran churches of this country. Here, where the use of such forms is optional, the number of congregations returning to such use is on the increase. See Lutheraxism.