Alterations proposed. Archbishop Form of .... been ordained only by Presbyters, the Church being desirous to do The letters of Orders are to be given them in the form used by Archbishop Bramhall: 1-'Non annihilantes priores ordines (si quos habuit), nec validitatem nec invaliditatem eorundem determinantes, multo minus omnes ordines sacros Ecclesiarum Forinsecarum condemnantes, quos proprio judici relinquimus; sed solummodo supplentes, quicquid prius defuit per canones Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ requisitum, et providentes paci Ecclesiæ ut schismatis tollatur occasio, et conscientiis fidelium satisfiat, nec ullo modo dubitent de ejus ordinatione, aut actus suos presbyteriales tanquam invalidos aversentur . . . .' New hymns were to be composed in place of Veni Creator. 'Whereas it was the constant practice of the Church to ordain by prayer, which practice continued for many ages, and that the pronouncing these words, "Receive the Holy Ghost," in the imperative mood, was brought into the Office of Ordination in the darkest times of popery; it is humbly submitted to the Convocation, whether it be not more suitable unto the general rule the Church of England has gone upon of conforming herself to the primitive Church, to put these words in some such form as this :- 'Pour down, O Father of Lights, the Holy Ghost on this thy servant, for the office and work of a Priest in the Church of God, now committed unto him by the imposition of our hands, that whose sins he does forgive, they may be forgiven, and whose sins he doth retain, they may be retained, and that he may be a faithful dispenser of God's holy word and sacraments, to the edification of his Church, and the glory of his holy name, through Jesus Christ; to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.' 1 See Bramhall, Works, I. p. xxxvii. (ed. 1842). The form of words used by the Bishop in the delivery of the Bible was to be prefaced by the phrase:-' in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Take thou authority, &c.' Attempted Report of sioners not published. Commis These numerous and important alterations were not offered to Convocation; it being quite certain that they would be rejected by the Lower House, who, in the appointment of their prolocutor, and in the debate on the address,1 evinced that they were opposed to the attempts now made by the Court and Bishops for the comprehension of Dissenters, as brethren in the Protestant faith. The House of Bishops, also, lacking nine of its ablest members, was powerless to control the clergy, who were disposed to sympathise with Sancroft and his nonjuring brethren.2 Hence, although Convocation was authorized to proceed to the business of considering alterations in the Prayer Book and the Canons, and a scheme had been prepared for the purpose, no actual step was taken; and disputes between the two Houses were prevented by successive prorogations from December 13th until the close of prorogued. the Session.3 It is probable, indeed, that many concessions would have been made to Dissenters in England, but for the downfall of Episcopacy in Scotland, and the violence of the Presbyterians in that country, where they had no ground of complaint, and where even the Episcopalians had no stated Liturgy, and allowed the validity of Presbyterian orders. Moreover, the toleration which had now been granted rendered fresh concessions needless; since Dissenters might conduct their worship after their own fashion. Another circumstance of the times might hinder changes in the Prayer Book, viz. a fear of supplying the Nonjurors with the plea that 'they still stuck to the ancient Church of England, in opposition to those who were altering it.'5 One result of the conscientiousness of some ecclesiastics, who considered that they were so bound by their allegiance to James II. 1 See Lathbury, p. 325; Card- of family prayers, probably compiled well, p. 424. 2 Lathbury, p. 332. Ibid. Several other measures were in contemplation by various members, and among others a book by Tenison. Life of Prideaux, p. 4 Lathbury, p. 335; Cardwell, Convocation Nonjurors. Nonjurors. The deprived generally used the Prayer Book. Communion that after his deposition they could not take the oath of allegiance to William and Mary, was that Archbishop Sancroft, with eight Bishops1 and four hundred clergymen, were ejected from their benefices. These Nonjurors' denied the mission and jurisdiction of those who occupied the place of the deprived Bishops during their lifetime; and at last some of them made a division in the Church by ordaining Presbyters and consecrating Bishops, who continued to minister privately among those who held their opinions.3 The earlier Nonjurors adhered to the Book of Common Prayer; i. e. they used the Prayer Book of James II., ignoring the changes which had been introduced in the prayer for the King, and in the 'State Services.' Some, however, by degrees took advantage of their independent position to use forms which they regarded as more agreeable to primitive practice. Thus Hickes used the Communion Office in the First Book of Edward VI.; and Collier probably did the same: but most others continued to use the Book of Common Prayer until the year 1718.4 King Edward's Communion Office was printed in the Appendix to Dr. Hickes's Two Treatises on Priesthood and Episcopal Order, in 1707; and founded upon it, yet by no means identical with it, was The Form and Manner of the Holy Communion, printed by Nonjurors' Communion the Nonjurors in 1717, as preliminary to their own Office, which Office. was published in the following year. The ceremonies revived in the new Communion Office were, The mixing of Water with the Wine, Prayer for the Dead, Prayer for the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Elements, and the Prayer of Oblation. These were called The Usages, and those who practised them were called Usagers. Three other ceremonies are frequently mentioned among ths Usages, viz. Immersion three times at Baptism, the use of Chrism at Confirmation, and Unction at the Visitation of the The Usages. 1 These were Ken, bishop of Bath 2 See Lathbury, History of the 3 A rival communion was thus maintained for more than a century. Lathbury, p. 412. 4 Hall, Fragmenta Liturgica, vol. I. Introd. p. xxxvi. 5 Hall, ibid. p. xii. and p. 101. 6 A Communion Office, taken partly from Primitive Liturgies: and partly from the First English reformed Common Prayer Book, together with Offices for Confirmation and the Visitation of the Sick. 1718. Hall, ibid. vol. v. p. I. Dowden, as above, p. 293. Sick. This publication caused a division in the Nonjuring Com- Nonjurors. munion, several of the bishops and a good many of the clergy adhering from different motives to the Prayer Book of the Established Church. These at length succeeded in persuading the greater part of the Usagers to give up their revivals of old customs, and again conform to the English Book. The few who still held out were headed by Bishop Deacon. Whether he had been concerned or not in the compilation of these Offices is uncertain; but he now introduced much greater changes into the Congregational worship of the Nonjurors. In 1734 he published a large 8vo volume, comprising A Complete Collection of Devotions both public Deacon s and private. These Public Devotions became the form of Service among his followers; whereupon, in 1746, Deacon published an 8vo pamphlet of fifty pages, containing :--(1) The Form of Admitting a Convert into the Communion of the Church: (2) A Litany, together with Prayers in behalf of the Catholic Church: (3) Prayers on the Death of Members of the Church, and an Office for those who are deprived of the advantage of receiving the Sacrament, &c. The Litany has been occasionally published for the use of the successors of the Nonjurors assembling in one or two of the larger towns northward: and an edition was printed at Shrewsbury so lately as 1797.3 Collection of Late Attempts at Revision. The need of further revision of the Prayer Book has been felt in our own time. Besides private attempts and proposals,* Commissioners were appointed to inquire into the Rubrics, Orders, and Directions for regulating the Course and Conduct of Public Worship, &c. But they could not agree upon any settlement of disputed points of Ritual. Their Third Report, however, produced (1871) a revised Lectionary, which has been generally The accepted as a great improvement. The course of First Lessons Lectionary. 1 Hall, ibid. vol. 1. Introd. p. xxxviii. Lathbury, pp. 492 sqq. 2 Hall, ibid. pp. xli. sq. The first part of this production is reprinted in Frag. Liturg. vol. VI. entitled, A Complete Collection of Devotions: taken from the Apostolical Constitutions, the Ancient Liturgies, and the Common Prayer Book of the Church of England. Part I. Comprehending the Public Offices of the Church. Humbly offered to the consideration of the present Churches of Christendom, 3 Hall, II. p. 115. 4 See Ingoldsby Letters, by Rev. James Hildyard, 2 vols., 4th edition. An arrangement of the Sunday Morning Service is wanted, that shall avoid the repetitions which result from the aggregation of three distinct Offices. M Attempted from the Old Testament is enlarged by providing for an Afternoon and also for an Evening Service.1 The Second Lesson for such third Service may be any chapter from the Gospels, except on four Sundays, for which Second Lessons are appointed. In the old Order of Second Lessons, the New Testament was read through (except the Revelation) three times in a year; but the Gospels and Acts were only read in the Morning, and the Epistles only in the afternoon. By the New Lectionary, all the Books of the New Testament (except the Revelation) are read through once in the Morning, and once in the Afternoon; the Revelation being read at both Services in the latter part of December. The general course of this system has been followed by other Churches in their revisions.2 The Table of Lessons Proper for Holy Days has also had a careful revision; and Canonical Scripture is appointed for the Saints' days in place of the Apocrypha, from which four Lessons only are taken. Also special Lessons are appointed for Ash Wednesday, and for each day in the week before Easter. An attempt has also been made (1879) by the Convocation of Canterbury to amend Rubrics, so as to make them an exact guide to everything which the Minister is to do. Some of these proposals give a formal sanction to usages which are already customs in one or or another Church.3 Some have found a place in other revisions: Proper Psalms are selected for ten additional Holy Days: the Sanctus, concluding the Preface in the Communion Office, should be printed as a separate paragraph: for Baptism of Infants, if three Sponsors cannot be found, two may suffice, and the parents may be Sponsors. For Burial, at the request, or with the consent 1 Use may be made of this enlarged selection where there is only one Afternoon Service, by reading each set of Lessons in alternate years. 2 In some new Lectionaries a further improvement has been introduced, so that more chapters of the Old Testament may be read in the Sunday Services, by the method of a two years' course of First Lessons. 3 E.g., an anthem or hymn may be sung after the Third Collect, and a sermon may be preached; or this may come after the Morning or Evening Prayer. A sermon may be preached as a separate service, preceded by a Collect with or without the Lord's Prayer, or by the Bidding Prayer, or by any duly authorized special service. After a sermon the service may be concluded with a Blessing, or a hymn may be sung, and a Collect said before the Blessing. A person desiring the prayers of the congregation may be mentioned in the usual way in the Litany. The shortened Form of Service, as now often used, is sanctioned. The Litany may be omitted on Christmas Day, Easter Day, and Whitsunday. |