View source for Mattins in the Book of Common Prayer

'''Mattins''' is the traditional name for [[Morning Prayer]] in the [[Book of Common Prayer]]. In Anglican usage it denotes the public daily office appointed for the morning, formed by the Reformation consolidation of earlier medieval hours into a single service of Scripture, psalmody, confession, praise, creed, and prayer. Alongside [[Evensong]], Mattins became one of the characteristic services of [[Anglicanism]], shaping parish worship, cathedral music, domestic devotion, and the public reading of the Bible in English.

== Historical development ==
The English Prayer Book tradition received the older pattern of daily prayer from the western church, especially the offices associated with matins, lauds, and prime. The first English [[Book of Common Prayer]] simplified this inheritance by providing one morning office for common use. This made the daily office more accessible to clergy and laity and placed vernacular Scripture at the centre of the service.

The office was not intended merely as private devotion for clergy. In the Prayer Book settlement, Mattins was appointed for regular public worship, with rubrics expecting its use in parish churches. In many places, especially where frequent celebration of [[Holy Communion]] was uncommon, Mattins became the principal Sunday morning service. This practical development gave the office a prominent role in Anglican preaching, catechesis, and congregational identity.

The spelling ''Mattins'' appears in older Anglican usage, while ''Morning Prayer'' is the ordinary title in many modern books. The two terms are often used interchangeably, though ''Mattins'' may also carry associations with traditional Prayer Book worship and choral practice.

== Order of service ==
The classical Prayer Book office begins with sentences of Scripture, an exhortation, a general confession, and absolution. These opening elements frame the office as a corporate act of repentance and praise before the hearing of God's word. The [[Lord's Prayer]] and versicles then lead into the invitatory portion of the service.

The Psalms have a central place in Mattins. In the classical arrangement, the [[Psalter]] is read through according to a monthly cycle, so that the congregation is formed by repeated exposure to the language of biblical prayer. Canticles such as the [[Venite]], [[Te Deum]], [[Benedicite]], [[Benedictus]], and [[Jubilate Deo]] provide fixed or optional responses to the lessons.

The readings follow the Prayer Book [[lectionary]], normally including lessons from the Old and New Testaments. After the lessons and canticles, the [[Apostles' Creed]] is said, followed by the lesser litany, the [[Collect of the Day]], and the appointed collects for peace and grace. Additional prayers, including prayers for the sovereign or civil authority and for the clergy and people, may follow according to the book in use.

This structure gives Mattins a distinctive theological balance. It combines penitence, proclamation, confession of faith, praise, and intercession without depending on the Eucharistic action. For this reason it has served both as a daily office and as a non-Eucharistic form of Sunday worship.

== Choral and parish use ==
In cathedrals, collegiate chapels, and some parish churches, Mattins developed a strong choral tradition. Anglican chant, canticle settings, anthems, and organ music gave the office an important place in English sacred music. Choral Mattins could include sung psalms, canticles, responses, and an anthem, while still retaining the Prayer Book order.

In parish settings the office was often simpler. Psalms and canticles might be said or sung metrically, and the sermon commonly followed the office or was inserted at an appointed point. Where Eucharistic worship was less frequent, Mattins helped preserve regular Sunday attendance, public Scripture reading, and congregational participation in common prayer.

Modern Anglican provinces vary in their use of Mattins. Some contemporary prayer books retain traditional Morning Prayer in revised language, while others provide alternative daily office forms. Nevertheless, Mattins remains an important expression of Prayer Book spirituality, especially in communities committed to the classical offices, cathedral worship, and the public recitation of Scripture.

== Theological significance ==
Mattins reflects the Anglican conviction that the church is shaped by common prayer and ordered reading of Scripture. Its daily pattern places the worshipper within the biblical story and the church's cycle of prayer. The repeated use of psalms, canticles, creed, and collects gives the office both doctrinal stability and devotional breadth.

The service also illustrates the Reformation character of the Prayer Book. By reducing the complexity of the medieval hours and setting the office in English, the Prayer Book made the church's daily worship more intelligible and congregational. At the same time, Mattins preserved continuity with ancient Christian patterns of morning praise.

For Anglican theology, Mattins is therefore more than a devotional option. It is a liturgical form in which Scripture, repentance, praise, and intercession are held together in disciplined public prayer.

[[Category:Book of Common Prayer]]
[[Category:Liturgy]]
[[Category:Anglican theology]]