A Commentary On The Litany
by The Revd Thomas Bisse (1675-1731)
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Notes on the Litany by the Revd Thomas Bisse, Chancellor of Hereford Cathedral and a founder of the Three Choirs Festival.
The Litany As A Creed
See the Opening Prayers of the Litany.
A LITANY then being an earnest or vehement address to the throne of grace, the earnestness or vehemence of our Litany is seen in all its parts or divisions, namely, in the invocation, in the deprecations, in the intercession, and in the conclusion.
First, In the invocation: which is addressed (not as in the other prayers to God in general, but) to every Person in the Trinity separately, and then to all the Three Persons jointly.
By the separate invocation we are taught to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; and by the joint invocation, to acknowledge also, that there are not three Gods, nor three Lords. So that herein is contained a creed or confession of faith; and not only so, but also a confession of sin: we say that we are miserable sinners.
And as the first confession of sin in our Liturgy, and that of faith in the apostles' creed, were repeated after the minister by the whole congregation; so likewise are these short forms of invocation, wherein both those confessions are united.
But if these serve to express our faith and humility, how much more our importunity! And though the pharisee, who delights in long prayers, derides this short Litany of the publican; yet whoso repeats it in the temple with the same contrition and shame, smiting on his breast and not lifting up so much as his eyes to heaven, shall doubtless return to his house justified rather than the other.
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From "The Beauty Of Holiness In The Common Prayer, As Set Forth In Four Sermons, The Rolls Chapel, 1716", by Thomas Bisse D. D.. Includes some minor editorial changes, chiefly paragraphing.
Thomas Bisse was Chancellor of Hereford Cathedral and one of the leaders in what would eventually become the Three Choirs Festival. Thomas's brother Philip was Bishop of Hereford, and you can can find out more about both of them at Wikipedia.
You can find the full text of this book at Google Books.
