Socinian Prayer Book. Communion Morning Prayer: Introductory Sentences, Exhortation, Confession, Ash-Wednesday Collect in place of Absolution; in place of Psalm xcv. or Ps. c. 'the Ten Commandments taken from Deut. v. 6—21,' with the response after each, and then 'the words of Christ, Mark xii. 29-31,' with the last response. The Litany: Lesson from the Old Testament: Ps. cxix. 1-8, 89–94: a Hymn: Lesson from the New Testament: Ps. xix.: The Lord's Prayer: Collect for the day: 'Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, &c.': General Thanksgiving, Concluding Prayer (our Prayer of St. Chrysostom), and valedictory blessing. Then the Communion Service begins : 'Ye that do truly, &c.': The Confession: the Absolution in precatory form: the comfortable words: the Preface: the Account of the Institution from I Cor. xi. 23—26: a Socinian Prayer, retaining a few words of our Consecration Prayer: the Communion, with the words, ‘Take, and eat this bread in remembrance of Christ. Take, and drink this wine in remembrance of Christ.' The first of our forms of post-communion Prayer, altered: the 'Glory be to God on high,' with alterations; and a valedictory blessing, 'The peace of God... and the blessing of God the Father Almighty, be amongst you...,' being substituted for the first of the before-mentioned forms. The remainder of the book consists of Offices of Baptism (much altered) for Infants and Adults; Matrimony, omitting the concluding Service; Visitation of the Sick; Burial; Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea, and in the Navy: Occasional Prayers and Thanksgivings, For Rain, &c.; Morning and Evening Prayer for a Family; and a Selection of Collects, as 'Occasional Prayers.' 3.—The Irvingite, or Apostolical Prayer Book. Some notice may be taken of another form which the Prayer Book has been made to assume in the hands of the Irvingites, or 1 The only festivals mentioned are Christmas-day, Easter-day, and Whitsun-day all other 'Collects for the day' are omitted. Those who are not acquainted with the subtlety of these heretics will be surprised to find such expressions as these in the proper Prefaces: 'Because thou didst send thy Son into the world, that the world through him might be saved:' 'But chiefly are we bound to praise thee for the glorious resurrection of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who by his death hath destroyed death, and by his rising to life again hath raised us to the hope of everlasting life:' 'Through Jesus Christ our Lord; according to whose most true promise thy Holy Spirit was poured forth upon the apostles, to lead them into all the truth; giving them both the gift of divers languages, &c.' Of course all mention of the Angels is omitted. See Hardwick, Reforma tion, pp. 284 sqq. 'members of the Catholic and Apostolic Church.' The service is conducted with much ceremonial; and from the number of proper Collects and Anthems, and from portions being left to the ability or discretion of the minister, and variations if the Angel be present, it must be an imposing form of worship, presenting considerable variety in the course of the year, and requiring close attention to rubrics. The title of the book is The Liturgy and other Divine Offices of the Church: and it contains, 'Part I.—Offices for Daily or Weekly Use. The Office for Morning Prayer (at six). The Office for Evening Prayer (at five). The Forenoon Service (at nine). The Forenoon Service on Wednesday and Friday. Additional Prayers for use in the Daily Services. Occasional Prayers for use, principally, in the Daily Services. The Order for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and Administration of the Communion on the Lord's-day. The Order for the Administration of the Communion on the Afternoon of the Lord's-day. The Order for the Holy Eucharist and Communion on other occasions than the Lord's-day. Part II.-Offices for Occasional Use. Proper Services for Holy Days and Seasons. Forms for Occasional Use in celebrating the Holy Eucharist. The Order for the Administration of Holy Baptism.' The Order of the Early Morning Prayer may be taken as a sample of its arrangement. It commences with an Anthem on the entry of the officiating Ministers, ‘O come, let us worship, &c.,' and the INVOCATION, 'In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. R. Amen :' the EXHORTATION, the Minister using a form provided, or taking certain prescribed topics: the CONFESSION, our own form, with a passage inserted upon the Unity of the body of Christ, and the hope of the appearing of His Kingdom: the ABSOLUTION may be varied at discretion; a form is given as appropriate, being a variation of our own; ‘R. Amen. Peace be with you. R. Amen:' then the PRAYER of DEDICATION, followed by our Versicles and Doxology: the portion of Holy Scripture as appointed: the Apostles' Creed: Ps. c., or a proper Anthem: the Psalms as appointed; the SUPPLICATIONS, Irvingite, or Early Prayer Book. Irvingite, or being our Litany,' ending at the words, 'graciously hear us, O Lord Apostolical Christ' the PRAYERS, commencing with the Versicle, 'O Lord, let thy mercy be showed upon us. R. As we do put our trust in thee:' Prayers for the Church, in three forms; For Kings; for Seasonable Weather; for the people (on Week-days); the Collect; for Peace; for Protection: the INTERCESSION, at discretion, or according to a provided form: the THANKSGIVING, our own form with variations, and allowing the insertion of any other subject: the LORD'S PRAYER: the MORNING MINISTRY: 'Benedictus :' The Communion Office. TOUCHING and the BENEDICTION. The Liturgy is intended to be a resuscitation of the Primitive Eucharistic Office, using the power of the Church in any age to alter ceremonies and prayers. It is unquestionably a beautiful Service, and presents the features commonly understood as belonging to the time of the Apostolical Constitutions. It is, however, by no means identical with the office of the Nonjurors, which also claims to be formed on the Primitive model: and among the usages it does not direct water to be mixed with the wine. From the table of contents it will be seen that a second Communion is allowed in the afternoon, but without consecration. This Service begins with uncovering the holy vessels upon the altar, and an address; then the Confession, Absolution, Collect, Epistle and Gospel, and Creed, from the Communion Service; a Prayer, and the Administration. It must also be observed that the full Eucharistic Office requires the presence of the Angel: otherwise a shorter form is given, which is used also for week-day Communion. SECT. IV.-Notices of Certain Occasional Offices. 1. A curious religious ceremony was used from the time of Henry VII. to Queen Anne, for the supposed cure of scrofula, or, as it was formerly called, the King's Evil, by the royal touch: the 1 A shortened Litany is used in the daily Morning and Evening Prayer: the full Litany forms the Forenoon Service on Wednesday and Friday, preceded by a Collect, Psalms, and Lesson: there are a few verbal changes: and the fourth Invocation, viz. of the Trinity, is omitted. 2 The same curious expression occurs at the corresponding part of the Evening Service. It is thus ex plained: "That the Ministry in the morning is some word addressed by the Angel to the Elders (in the hearing of the people), which shall direct them to right apprehensions of truth, and solemn meditations. At the Evening Ministry, the Angel and Elders give their response to the Morning Ministry and illustrate the truths then addressed to them, as subjects for their meditation.' tradition being that the Kings of England, and France too, had Touching for used at the The form, as it stands in the Prayer Books of Queen Anne, is The Service as follows: 4 'AT THE HEALING. Prevent us, O Lord, &c. IBRARY The Gospel (for Ascension-day), Mark xvi. 14-20CNIVERSITY OF Let us pray. Lord, have mercy upon us, &c. Our Father, &c. CALL RNIA. Queen upon their knees; and as every one is presented, and while the Queen is laying her hands upon them, and putting the gold about their necks, the Chaplain that officiates, turning himself to her Majesty, shall say these words following: God give a blessing to this work; and grant that these sick persons on whom the Queen lays her hands may recover, through Jesus Christ our Lord. After all have been presented, the Chaplain shall say, O Lord, save thy servants, &c. (the Versicles from the Commination Service). Let us pray. O Almighty God, who art the Giver of all health, and the aid of them that seek to thee for succour, we call upon thee for thy help and goodness mercifully to be showed upon these thy servants, that they being healed of their infirmities may give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 1 See Lathbury, Convoc. p. 428. The earlier form is printed in old Latin form (from Pegge's Curialia Touching for the King's Evil. PRAYER FOR Then the Chaplain, standing with his face towards them that come to be healed, shall say, The Almighty Lord, who is a most strong, &c. (from the Visitation of the Sick). The grace of our Lord, &c.' 2. A Form of Prayer, to be used yearly on the second of SepTHE FIRE OF tember, for the Dreadful Fire of London,' appears in some Prayer Books printed at Oxford (1681—1683), and in Parsell's Latin Prayer Book. It is the usual office for Holydays, with a versicular Hymn instead of Venite; a portion of the Commination Service after the Litany, with an additional Prayer; and a Prayer to be ' used continually so long as the navy is abroad. A note to the Litany directs it to be 'used publicly in churches, not only upon the monthly Fast-day, but on Wednesday in every week (and may by every man be used daily in private Families), during the time of this Visitation.' The original Form1 gives the Order of Morning and of Evening Prayer at full length. The General Thanksgiving is omitted, together with the Prayer for all Conditions of Men. The Service was revised under Archbishop Tenison's authority, in 1696; and it was reprinted in a separate shape, as lately as 1821. Its use continued at St. Paul's until 1859, when its observance ceased, together with that of the three State Holydays. FORM OF 3. Before the time of Bishop Andrews, it appears that the Bishops were accustomed to compose a particular form of Service whenever a church was to be consecrated. Some steps were taken towards the preparation of a form for general use by the Convocation in Bp. Patrick's 1662, but nothing was finished.2 Patrick used a form (1704) drawn Prayer at consecrating up by himself,3 somewhat different from that of Bishop Andrews. Communion In this Service is a prayer for the Consecration of the Communionplate. plate : 'Most blessed God, accept, we beseech thee, of the oblation we make unto thee of these vessels, which we humbly dedicate to thy Divine service at thy holy table; and as we now wholly give them up to thy use in the ministration of the holy Communion of Christ's body and blood, so we pray thee to receive them for thine own; 1 A copy is preserved in Sion College Library. It was ordered to be used on Wednesday, 10th October, 1666. 2 Lathbury, Convoc. p. 443. A Sermon preached at the Catherine's Hall, in the University of Cambridge, September 1, 1704, by John Long, B.D. and Fellow of the said Hall; to which is added, the Form of Consecration used by the Lord Bishop of Ely. Cambr. 1704.' |