The Church Handy Dictionary Part 16

QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. The _fiftieth_ day before Easter, reckoning in whole numbers.

QUESTMEN. The same as Synod's men, or Sidesmen. (See _Churchwardens_.)

RATIONALISM. There are two ways by which the human mind can attain to a knowledge of the truth; first by receiving a divine revelation of it, and secondly by means of observation and reasoning. The name of _Rationalism_ is given to that school of thought which believes that the latter of these two ways is of itself fully sufficient for the attainment of all truth.

READING DESK, _see_ Desk.

READING IN. Every inc.u.mbent upon entering his living is obliged to read the Thirty-nine Articles, and to give his a.s.sent thereto publicly, in Church, on some Sunday nearly following his appointment.

He must also read the Morning and Evening Prayer, and declare his a.s.sent to the Prayer Book. A certificate to that effect has to be signed by the Churchwardens. The whole ceremony is known as that of "_reading in_."

REAL PRESENCE, _see_ Presence, Real.

RECTOR. A clergyman who has charge of a parish, and who possesses all the t.i.thes. The distinction between a Rector and Vicar is that the former has the whole right to all the ecclesiastical dues within his parish, whereas the latter is ent.i.tled only to a certain portion of those profits, the best part of which are often absorbed by the impropriator.

REFORMATION. The great revolt in Europe in the 16th century against the Papacy. The rescue of our Church from the usurped dominion of the Pope, and its restoration from the corruptions of Popery to primitive purity was then effected. (See _Church of England_.)

REFRESHMENT SUNDAY The fourth Sunday in Lent is so called probably because the Gospel for the day relates the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. It is also frequently called Mid-Lent Sunday.

In several parts of England it is known by the name of _Mothering Sunday_, from an ancient practice of making a pilgrimage to the Mother Church, usually the Cathedral, of the neighbourhood on this day. The comparatively modern and local custom of young men and women going home to visit their parents on this day is probably a survival of the older practice.

REGENERATION. A Latin word meaning _new birth_, or being born again.

The catechism teaches us that the grace of Baptism is "a death unto sin, and a _new birth_ unto righteousness..." So, in perfect consistency with the catechism, the minister, immediately after the administration of Holy Baptism to a child, addresses the congregation thus: "Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that this child is _regenerate_;" and he returns thanks to G.o.d that it hath pleased Him "to regenerate this infant with Thy Holy Spirit."

The same connexion between regeneration and baptism is expressed in the Office for Private Baptism and in the Office for the Baptism of Adults. There has been much confusion and misunderstanding caused by using the word _regeneration_ as though it meant _conversion_.

Both the Bible--t.i.t. iii. 5; John iii. 3-5--and the Fathers use _regeneration_ as the _new birth_ of baptism, but never as meaning anything else, unless figuratively as Matt. xix. 28. (See _Conversion, Baptism_.)

REGISTER. A parochial record of Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials.

The keeping of a church book for registering the age of those that should be born and christened in the parish began in the thirtieth year of Henry VIII. Canon 70 gives directions for the safe keeping of parish registers wherein baptisms, weddings, and burials were entered. Duplicate registers of weddings are now kept by order of recent legislation, and also copies are made quarterly and given to the registrar of the district. There is a small fee payable by those who wish to search the parish registers; and for a copy of an entry 2s. 6d. is the legal charge.

RENOVATION. This action of the Holy Spirit upon the heart of man differs from Regeneration (which see) in that it is progressive, and may often be repeated or totally lost. Whereas Regeneration comes only once, in or through Baptism, and can never be repeated nor ever totally lost.

REPENTANCE or CONTRITION, A sincere sorrow for all past sins, an unfeigned disposition of mind to perform the will of G.o.d better for the future, and an actual avoiding and resisting of those temptations to sin under which we have before fallen.

REREDOS. A screen behind an altar, necessary in cathedrals, and some large churches, because the altar is not against the East wall. The name is commonly given to all carved or decorated work immediately behind the altar.

RESIDENTIARY CANONS. These Cathedral officers have to _reside_ in the Cathedral Close for three months in the year, in their respective turns, and take their part in the services of the Cathedral. (See Canon.)

RESPONSE. In the Church Service an answer made by the people speaking alternately with the minister. This has always been a fundamental feature in every liturgy. The practice has been handed down from the Jewish Church.

RESURRECTION. Both the resurrection of our Lord and our own future resurrection are articles of the Christian faith. What the resurrection body will be like we do not know, but we believe that our mortal, corruptible body, which is laid in the grave, will rise again immortal and incorruptible. The princ.i.p.al pa.s.sages of Scripture bearing on the resurrection are--1 Thess. iv. 14-16; 1 Cor. xv. 20-52; Rev. xx. 13; Phil. iii. 21; Rom. viii. 11.

RING. _see_ Matrimony, Solemnization of.

RITES. Religious observances prescribed by competent authority.

This "competent authority" is described to be the Church in that portion of the preface of the Prayer Book which treats of "Ceremonies;" and the claim of this right for the Church accords with Art. x.x.xiv., which says: "Every particular or national Church hath authority to ordain, change, and abolish ceremonies or rites of the Church ordained only by man's authority, so that all things be done to edifying."

RITUAL. The name given before the Reformation to that book or _manual_ (sometimes it was so called) which comprised all those occasional offices of the Church which a Presbyter could administer.

The word is now often used of the mode or manner in which Divine Service is conducted.

RITUALIST. (1) A writer on the rites of Churches. (2) A name given of late to the school which has revived disused ceremonial in the Church of England. (See _Church Parties_.)

ROCHET, _see_ Vestments.

ROOD SCREEN. A screen separating the chancel from the nave, on which the _rood_ (_i.e._, the figure of our Lord on the Cross) was placed, and on either side the Blessed Virgin and St. John. The place of the _rood_, where the screen was sufficiently substantial, as in cathedrals, has been almost universally converted into an organ loft.

RUBRICS. Rules for the ordering of Divine Service. They were formerly written or printed in a _red_ character, and therefore called _Rubrics_, from a Latin word signifying _red_.

The most controverted rubric in the Church of England is the well-known "_Ornaments Rubric_" (which see.) The Rubrics dealing with the position of the Priest at Holy Communion are examined in the articles on _Communion_ and _Eastward Position_.

RURAL DEAN. As each Province is divided into Dioceses, and each Diocese into Archdeaconries, so each Archdeaconry is divided into Rural Deaneries, consisting of a certain number of Parishes. Over this Rural Deanery some beneficed clergyman, usually appointed by the Bishop, presides. In the Diocese of Exeter the clergy elect their own Rural Deans. His duties are to call together the clergy in his Deanery at certain times for the discussion of ecclesiastical matters. These meetings are called Ruri-deca.n.a.l Chapters. It is also the duty of the Rural Dean to see that the churches in his Deanery are in fit order for public wors.h.i.+p, and supplied with those things by law required. He is to report any immorality or crime among the clergy of his Deanery.

The office of Rural Dean is an ancient office of the Church, and is mentioned as early as the time of Edward the Confessor.

SABAOTH. A Hebrew word meaning _hosts_ or _armies_. _Jehovah Sabaoth_ is the Lord of Hosts. "Holy, holy, holy, Lord G.o.d of Sabaoth."

SABBATH. _Rest_. The seventh day of the week, commanded in the Decalogue to be kept holy, and still observed by the Jews. The Christian Sabbath is kept on the first day of the week. (See _Sunday_ and _Lord's Day_.)

SACERDOTALISM. The spirit or character of the priestly cla.s.s or priesthood; devotion to priestly interests. From Latin _Sacerdos_, one given to sacred things.

SACRAMENT. Latin, _sacramentum_, an _oath_ or _promise_ ratified by a sacred or religious ceremony; thus the oath taken by soldiers in cla.s.sical times was called _sacramentum_. In the early Church the word "sacrament" was used to express the promises made by Christians in Holy Baptism. Then it came to be used of the ceremony itself, and thence to signify any religious ordinance.

In this extended sense the Church of England acknowledges other rites to be sacraments beside Baptism and the Eucharist; thus in the Homily on Swearing we find, "By the like holy promise the _sacrament of matrimony_ knitteth man and wife in perpetual love,"

&c. So the catechism does not limit the number of sacraments to two, but says, "Two only, as _generally necessary to salvation_."

Thus in the Church of England we distinguish Baptism and the Eucharist from all other ordinances, because they are, what the others are not, necessary for salvation to all men, wherever they can be had. Other ordinances may confer grace, but Baptism and the Eucharist alone unite with Christ Himself. Thus we may say that in the strict definition of the word there are only two sacraments.

Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that there are _seven_ sacraments, but this can hardly be borne out; for if the word be taken in the larger sense as meaning any religious ordinance, then there are more than seven, but if in a limited sense, there are only two. For the Roman view of sacraments see Article xxv. The Church Catechism defines a sacrament in the strict sense as follows:--It is "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ Himself as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to a.s.sure us thereof."

SACRIFICE. An offering made to G.o.d. In strictness of speech there has been but one great sacrifice--once offered, and never to be repeated--the sacrifice of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. He suffered "death upon the Cross for our redemption; Who made there (by His one oblation of Himself once offered) a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world." But, figuratively speaking, all Divine wors.h.i.+p was anciently called a _sacrifice_, a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; but more especially this term has been applied to the Eucharist. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, both Fathers of the 2nd century, speak of the Eucharist as a sacrifice. Tertullian, of the 3rd century, does the same. (See _Altar_, and _Communion, The Holy_.)

SACRILEGE. The desecration of objects sacred to G.o.d. Thus the robbing of churches or of graves, the abuse of sacred vessels and jars, by employing them for unhallowed purposes, the plundering and misappropriation of alms and donations, &c., are acts of sacrilege which, in the ancient Church, were punished very severely.

SACRISTAN. The person to whose charge the sacred vestments, &c., in a Church are committed. The word is now corrupted to _s.e.xton_ (which see.)

SACRISTY. The place in which sacred vestments, &c., are kept, answering to the modern vestry.

SAINT. _Holy_. The Apostles in their Epistles use this word simply for baptized believers, that is, for all Christians. (See _Communion of Saints_.)

SAINTS' DAYS. The Church of Rome commemorates an enormous number of holy men and women who have lived and died following in the footsteps of Christ. But at the Reformation it was decided to celebrate in the Church of England only the festivals of the princ.i.p.al saints mentioned in the New Testament. If the line was not drawn there, it was difficult to say where it should be drawn.

When two Holy-Days occur (_i.e._, fall on the same day), the service appointed for the superior day should be used, but in certain cases the Collect for the inferior day should be used after the Collect for the superior day. As a general rule, a Saint's Day, or Holy-Day, takes precedence before an ordinary Sunday.

SALVATION ARMY, THE, was commenced as a Christian Mission in 1865, by its present "General," then known as the "Rev." W. Booth, formerly a minister of the Methodist New Connexion. In 1878 the name "Salvation Army" was a.s.sumed. In 1880 the Army was established in the United States and in France, and a weekly newspaper called the "War Cry" was issued, which has now (1883) reached the sale of 400,000 copies. In 1882 the "Army" had in Great Britain 420 stations, or corps; 980 officers (as the missionaries, male and female, entirely engaged in the work, are called); and held 7,500 services weekly in the streets, and in buildings bought, built, or hired for the purpose.

"Every member or soldier of the Army is expected to wear an 'S,'

meaning Salvation, on the collar, and those who can, provide themselves with a complete uniform of dark blue cloth thus marked."

The grotesqueness, not to say irreverence, of many of their proceedings, and much of their language; the noise, excitement, and display which always accompany their work; the silly affectation of constantly using a quasi-military phraseology, and some other features of the movement, do not commend it to sober-minded Christians; while the unauthorised celebration of the (so-called) Sacrament of the Lord's Supper condemns it in the eyes of the Church.

SANCTIFICATION. _Holiness_; the effect of the Holy Spirit's work upon the heart of man, (See _Justification_.)

SANCTUARY. The place within the Septum, or rails, where the altar stands in the Christian church. The term is also used of the privilege of criminals, who, having fled to a sacred place, are free from arrest so long as they remain there. This custom of "Sanctuary," which is now almost wholly done away with everywhere, arose from Deut. xix. 11, 12, and Joshua xx.

SARUM, THE USE OF. In the early Church in England every Bishop was allowed to ordain rites and ceremonies, and prayers for use in his own diocese. The exercise of this power, in process of time, caused a considerable variety in the manner of performing Divine Service; and the custom of a diocese in its ceremonial, mode of chanting, &c., became a distinct _Use_, and was known by the name of that diocese. Thus gradually the _Uses_, or customs, of York, Sarum (or Salisbury), Hereford, Exeter, Lincoln, Bangor, and doubtless others of which the records have perished, were recognised as defined and established varieties of the Ritual of the English Church.