Part 20 (1/2)

Sunday--(See LORD'S DAY)

Sunday Letter--(See DOMINICAL LETTER)

Sunday-schools--Sunday-schools were originated in the Church of England by one of its clergy, the Rev Thomas Steck, who afterwards, in 1780, called in Mr Robert Raikes, a layradually spread and increased, until to-day it {248} is said that the Sunday-schools of the world number three millions of teachers and over thirty millions of scholars Of late years especially the Sunday-school has become a most i its veryproble probleh oftenti of the Church's own order and ious world of to-day ”by reason of our unhappy divisions” As far as can be seen, all that has been written, published and preached on this subject seems to resolve itself into simply this--Try to do the best you can with the material you have, the short time allotted to this work, usually one hour a week, and the absolute voluntaryising outlook, there can be no doubt that the Sunday-school offers one of the very best fields for genuine Church work and is ”worth while,” as has been fully demonstrated in many places of earnest toil for God This work is far-reaching in its influence and no esti lives The Rev G W shi+nn, DD, speaking of the Sunday-school sets forth its object as follows: ”It offers to aid parents, sponsors and pastors in developing the religious life of the young, in filling theirtheeneration Whatever its defects of administration, this is its aim”

Super-Altar--A small portable slab of stone used {249} to consecrate upon and placed on an unconsecrated Altar or a wooden Altar

Super-Frontal--A covering on the top of the Altar which hangs down eight or ten inches in front, varying in color according to the Church Season

Sureties--(See SPONSORS)

Surplice--The outer garment,vest broad, full, open sleeves It is not specially a Priestly garment, as it is worn by Deacons and also by Lay-Readers, and in a modified form by choristers The word is derived froarment (See VESTMENTS)

Surpliced Choir--When the body of singers of the Church service is composed of boys and men they are vested in cassocks and surplices or cottas and given a place in the Chancel This is a very ancient usage in the Church of God, reaching back to the Temple service at Jerusaleiven in 2 Chronicles 5:12 and 13 we read: ”Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of He arrayed in white linenstood at the east end of the Altarpraising and thanking God” In this whole passage we see the original of those surpliced choirs by which the sae of the Christian Church

The surpliced choir has always been a feature of the Anglican Church, peculiar to it as a national custolish Church, having derived froreat treasures of devotion and beauty in worshi+p, so she, too, ees its use In this connection, it is interesting to note that the first mention of a surpliced choir in America is in connection with old St Michael's Church, Charleston, S C In the history of this parishreference to the vested choir: ”In 1798 there was a bill for 'washi+ng the surplaces (sic) of clergy and children' A little earlier the Vestry requested the Rector to entertain, at their expense, six of the boys on Sunday as 'an incitement for their better perforanist was requested to have at least twelve choir boys”

Thus as early as the end of the Eighteenth Century the music of the Church was rendered by a surpliced choir in a Southern parish For soiven up in the A was heard of thehly established and began to put on strength we find that its growing devotion demanded _the restoration_ of the vested choir This deeneral that to-day there are very few parishes in which the music is not thus rendered This is not to be wondered at, for it is found by actual experience that the surpliced choir ofto the size of the parish, is better suited to render the Church'swith the Church's devotions and {251} ation Many a parish has thus been lifted up, strengthened, the services made more attractive and the attendance at them increased, because the ational, such as the people themselves can join in and make it their own

Sursum Corda--The Latin title of that portion of the Coins, ”Lift up your hearts,” which the Latin words y from the earliest times, and without doubt has coe Even at so early a date as AD 252 we find St

Cyprian giving an explanation of theand purpose of the _Sursum Corda_ as follows: ”It is for this cause that the Priest before worshi+p uses words of introduction and puts the , 'Lift up your hearts'; that while the people answer, 'We lift them up unto the Lord,' theyfor them to think of except the Lord”

Syuage was called _Synizes a friend, so the Christian soldier is distinguished froion of Christ

Synod--The word used in the Eastern Church for what is called in the Western Church a _Council_ It is froether (See COUNCIL) {252}

T

Table--(See Lord's Table)

Te Deu ”We praise Thee, O God,” sung after the First Lesson at Morning Prayer It is one of the oldest of Christian hy iustine at the Baptism of the latter in AD 386, is not now accepted, as there is evidence to show that the Te Deum is much older than the time of St A alenerally believed that this noble canticle in its present form, is a composition of the Fourth or Fifth Century and that it represents a stillin the Church service every day except during Advent and Lent when the _Benedicite_ is sung instead

Ten Commandments--(See DECALOGUE)

Temperance--(See CHURCH TEMPERANCE SOCIETY)

Ter Sanctus--Meaning _Thrice Holy_ The Latin title of the hy ”Holy, Holy, Holy” This hyin and fories of St Basil and St Chrysostom, it is called the ”Triueneral Canons of the Church prescribe that when the Standing Committee of a Diocese recommends to the Bishop a candidate for Holy Orders for ordination to the Diaconate or {253} Priesthood, that it shall present to the Bishop a certificate or testimonial to the effect that the candidate ”hath lived piously, soberly and honestly, and hath not since his adht or held anything contrary to the doctrine and discipline of the Protestant Episcopal Church” The action of the Co such person to be admitted a candidate for Holy Orders was based on testiy and laymen who knew the candidate personally So, also, when a Bishop is elected, testimonials of his election by the Convention which elected him, and from the House of Deputies of the General Convention, or fro Committees of the various Dioceses, of their approbation of his election and also of his fitness for the office of a Bishop, must be presented to the House of Bishops before order can be taken for his consecration

Thanksgiving--(See GENERAL THANKSGIVING, THE)

Thanksgiving Day--The day appointed by the Civil Authority for the rendering of thanks to God for the blessings bestowed on this land and nation during the year It usually partakes of the nature of a Harvest Home Festival, prompted no doubt by the character of the service set forth in the Prayer-book to be used on this day, entitled, ”A Forhty God for the Fruits of the earth and all other Blessings of His Merciful Providence” It is interesting to note that the first Thanksgiving Day in Arims, as many persons land It was {254} celebrated at Monhegan, off the Maine coast, near the mouth of the Kennebec river, as far back as 1607--thirteen years prior to the arrival of the Mayflower in Ply God thankes for our happy e and saffe aryvall into ye countrie” The earliest Thanksgiving Day of the Plyical Virtues--The three virtues, _Faith_, _Hope_ and _Charity_ or _Love_, as enumerated by St Paul in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians, are called Theological Virtues because they are the gift of God and have God for their object They ift of God, infused into our souls, whereby we firs which God has revealed