The American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia by William James Miller (free novel 24 .txt) 📖

in the Prayer-book. It is not contained in the English Prayer-book but was taken from the Irish Book of Common Prayer of 1771 and inserted in the American Prayer-book in 1789. This is a very comprehensive and appropriate Office, proving of great value to the Clergy who are called to minister to the spiritual wants of prisoners.

Visitation of the Sick.—A requirement of the Church is that "When any person is sick, notice shall be given thereof to the Minister of the Parish." When the Minister visits such sick person, the Prayer-book provides a service which may be used, entitled "The Order for the Visitation of the Sick." This service was first set forth in 1549 but was added to in 1662, since which date it has remained practically unchanged. It is a very beautiful and affecting service, bringing great peace and comfort to the sick and is another fine illustration of the tender care our Mother Church shows for all her children in all conditions of their life. As there is so much misapprehension as to the meaning and purpose of the ministrations of Christ's Ministers at the bedside of the sick, we give the following excellent comment on this Office in Wheatley's Treatise on the Prayer-book: "Though private friends may pray for us and with us, yet we can by no means place such confidence in their prayers, as we may in those sent to Heaven in our behalf by such as are peculiarly commissioned to offer them. For this reason it is enjoined by St. James in his Epistle, that if any be sick, they shall call for the Elders of the Church. From this it may be observed, that the care of sending for the Minister {273} is left to the sick. For the Priest himself, it is very probable, may never have heard of his sickness; or, if he has, may not be so good a judge when his visit will be seasonable. For this reason it is ordered by the rubric that 'when any person is sick, notice shall be given thereof to the Minister of the Parish'; Not when the person is just expiring (as is too often done), but when the disease first discovers its approach. To put it off to the last scene of life, is to defer the Office till it can do no good. For when the sickness is grown past recovery, to pray for his restoration is only to mock the Almighty; and what spiritual advantage can be expected from the Minister's assistance to one who is unable to do anything for himself?"

Vow.—A promise made to God. Being brought into covenant with
God in Holy Baptism, the vows or promises made unto God in that
Sacrament are three in number:

1. RENUNCIATION, by which we renounce the three great powers of evil,—world, flesh and devil.

2. FAITH, by which we confess our belief in the Name into which we are baptized—Father, Son and Holy Ghost, around which the articles of the Christian Faith as contained in the Apostles' Creed are grouped.

3. OBEDIENCE, by which we promise to serve God truly all the days of our life.

These three vows of Baptism cover the whole period of life—past, present and future, and are the basis of all godly and righteous living.

Over and above these vows of their Baptism members of Religious Orders make special vows to God,—vows {274} of poverty, obedience and chastity for the more efficient prosecution of the work they have undertaken for the glory of God and the benefit of souls.

W

Wafer Bread.—(See UNLEAVENED BREAD.)

Wardens.—(See CHURCH WARDENS.)

Warnings.—The Exhortations in the Communion Office announcing a future celebration are called "Warnings," and are intended to be a sufficient notification to the Communicants so that they may make their preparation for the receiving of the Communion. Where there are frequent celebrations, as on every Sunday and Holy Day, "the rubric does not seem to enjoin their constant use, but to require this form of exhortation to be used at those times when the Minister thinks it necessary to 'give warning,' that is, to exhort his people, respecting the celebration of the Holy Communion. The tone of the rubric and of the exhortations is plainly fitted to a time of infrequent Communion."

Water.—In the Church Catechism it is declared that the outward visible sign or form in Baptism is, "Water; wherein the person is baptized. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." By the rubric in the Office for Holy Baptism it is directed that the Font is to be filled with "pure water." It is thus the Church fulfils our Lord's command, following literally His words, "baptizing them with water." Water, therefore, is the essential element of Holy Baptism, just as the bread and wine are the {275} elements in the Holy Communion. Water as used in Holy Baptism signifies "cleansing," The amount of water to be used the Church has always regarded as matter of indifference.

Wedding Ring.—(See RING.)

Wednesday.—In the earliest ages of the Christian Church its devotions were always characterized by both weekly and annual fasts. During the week the first Christians always kept two fasts; one on Wednesday, the day on which our Lord was betrayed, and the other on Friday, the day on which He was crucified. Both the English and American Churches have perpetuated this custom by appointing Wednesday and Friday of each week as Litany Days.

Western Church.—A term frequently met with in Church history and denoting the Churches which formerly made part of the western empire of Rome, i.e., the Church in western Europe,—Italy, Spain, France, etc. The Church of England is also included under this term as being a branch of the Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Whitsun Day.—A high Festival observed in the Church on the fiftieth day after Easter, in commemoration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost as "they were all with one accord in one place" in Jerusalem. Whitsun Day is the Birthday of the Christian Church, and as such it has been commemorated for nearly two thousand years by Christian people and observed by them with holy joy and deep thanksgiving for the fulfilment of our Lord's promise to send the Comforter to His comfortless people. {276}

By the devotions of Whitsun Day we have brought to our remembrance, in the most beautiful and striking manner, the operations of God by the Spirit's power. By Proper Psalms, Proper Lessons and Eucharistic Scriptures, and by Proper Preface in the Communion Service, we learn how that in the Holy Ghost and His Presence in the Church we have the great power and renewing grace of God made availing to us. The ecclesiastical color is red as symbolical of the "cloven tongues like as of fire," in which form the Holy Ghost lighted on the head of each of the Apostles. (See HOLY GHOST.)

As to the derivation of the word "Whitsun" there seems to be great uncertainty and difference of opinion. Some derive it from the word white, shortened to "whit," in reference to the diffusions of light and knowledge which on this day were shed upon the Apostles, in order to the enlightening of the world; also in reference to this being the time of Baptism in the ancient Church, each candidate being clothed with white garments. Others derive it from the old Saxon word wit, meaning wisdom which is the special gift of the Holy Ghost. Again others derive it from the word Pentecost, the original name of the Festival, through the German Pfingsten, hence Pingsten, changed in the Saxon to Wingsten, and this being corrupted into Whitsun, meaning, therefore the same as Pentecost, that is, the fiftieth day. (This last seems to be the most probable derivation as is seen in the use of the terms Whitsun Monday, Whitsun Tide, etc.)

This Festival is of especial interest to Churchmen {277} as it was on Whitsun Day, June 9th, 1549, that the Book of Common Prayer, in English, was first used. "That day was doubtless chosen," says a beautiful writer, "as a devout acknowledgment that the Holy Ghost was with the Church of England in the important work then taken. May He ever preserve these devotional offices from the attacks of enmity or unwisdom, and continue them in that line of Catholic unity wherein He has guided the Church hitherto to keep them."

Whitsun Monday; Whitsun Tuesday.—Two days observed with great
solemnity as the continuation of the High Festival of Whitsun Day.
For the origin and appointment of these days see EASTER MONDAY and
TUESDAY.

Whitsun Tide.—The week beginning with Whitsun Day is so called.
During this week the Whitsun Ember Days are observed, (Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday), as a preparation for Trinity Sunday, one of
the stated times of Ordination.

Wine.—One of the elements used in the celebration of the Holy Communion as our Lord commanded. It is to be noticed that unfermented grape juice, raisin water, and the like do not constitute the proper element in the Holy Communion, and if these are used the Sacrament is not valid. In the General Convention which met in Chicago in 1886, the House of Bishops declared by resolution that "the use of unfermented wine was unwarranted by the example of our Lord, and contrary to the custom of the Catholic Church." This was still more strongly affirmed by the Lambeth Conference which met in 1888, in the {278} following resolution: "That the Bishops assembled in this conference declare that the use of unfermented juice of the grape or any other liquid other than true Wine diluted or undiluted, as the element in the Administration of the Cup in Holy Communion, is unwarranted by the example of our Lord and is an unauthorized departure from the custom of the Catholic Church." This declaration by both these bodies was called forth by the agitation of the "Temperance people."

Woman's Auxiliary, The.—This is a Society, as its name indicates, composed of the women of the Church which acts as an auxiliary to the DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MISSIONARY SOCIETY (which see), and by the labors and generous gifts of its members supplements the work of the general Society. There is also a Junior Department including the younger women of the Church who have become interested in missionary work. Besides systematic efforts to raise money for the work of missions, the members prepare boxes of clothing and household necessities for the families of missionaries. The Auxiliary is very helpful and has enlisted the faithful labors of Christian women in fifty-nine dioceses and twenty-one missionary districts. An idea of the work accomplished by this organization may be gained by considering the report made for the year ending September 1st, 1900, from which it is learned that the Woman's Auxiliary contributed that year the noble sum of $210,841.55, and prepared and sent out 4,680 boxes valued at $191,434.96, making a total for the year of $402,276.51. It may be interesting to note that the UNITED OFFERING placed {279} on the Altar by the Woman's Auxiliary at the Triennial meeting held in San Francisco during the General Convention of 1901, amounted to the handsome sum of $104,295.53. The Headquarters of the Society are in the Church Missions House, New York City.

Word, The.—The name given to our Blessed Lord by St. John in the beginning of his Gospel, to set forth the preexistence and Divinity of the Son of God and the creation of the world by Him. Pearson on the Creed makes the following comment: "The Jews were constantly taught that the Word of God was the same with God, and that by that Word all things were made. And therefore, St. John delivered so great a mystery so briefly, as speaking to those who at once understood him. Only what they knew not was that this Word was made Flesh, and that this Word made Flesh was Jesus Christ." The Greek for "The Word" is Logos.

Words on the Cross, The Seven.—Our Blessed Lord was nailed to the Cross at nine o'clock in the morning and hanged thereon until three o'clock, when He died. During these six hours of His Crucifixion He uttered seven sayings, called the Seven Words from the Cross; they are as follows:

1. "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

2. "To-day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise."

3. "Woman, behold thy Son." "Behold thy Mother."

4. "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

5. "I thirst." {280}

6. "It is finished."

7. "Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit." (See THREE HOURS' SERVICE.)

Worship.—Our word worship is the modern form of the early English word worthship. And while the word was originally used to denote honor or respect paid to any one worthy of it, it came in time to be used exclusively of the giving of honor to God, of