The Family Prayer Book

Dr. Fruen, Archb. of York.
Dr. Shellon, Bishop of Lond. Dr. Tuckney.
Dr. Covin, Bishop of urham. Dr. Conant.
Dr. Warner, Bp. of Roches. Dr. Spurstow.
Dr. King, Bp. of Chichester. Dr. Wallis.
Dr Henchman, Bp of Sarum. Dr Manton.
Dr. Morley, Bp of Worcester. Mr. Calamy,
Dr. Smderson, Bp of Lincoln. Mr. Baxter.
Dr Laney, Bp. of Peterboro. Mr. Jackson.
Dr Walton, Bp. of Chester. Mr. Case.
Dr. Stern, Bishop of Carlisle. Mr. Clark.
Dr. Gauden, Bishop of Exeter. Mr. Newcomen.

Dr. Reynolds, Bishop of Nor.

These commissioners had several meetings at the Savoy, but all to very little purpose; the Presbyterians heaped together all the old scruples that the Puritans had for above a hundred years been raising against the Liturgy, and, as if they were not enough, swelling the number of them with many new ones of their own. To these, one and all, they demanded compliance on the Church side, and would hear of no contradiction even in the minutest circumstances. But the completest piece of assurance was the behaviour of Baxter, who (though the King's commission gave them no farther power, than "to compare the Common Prayer Book with the most ancient Liturgies that had been used in the Church, in the most primitive and purest times;" requiring them "to avoid, as much as possible, all unnecessary alterations of the Forms and Liturgy, wherewith the people were altogether acquainted, and had so long received in the Church of England") would not so much as allow that our Liturgy was capable of amendment, but confidently pretended to compose a new one of his own, without any regard to any other Liturgy whatsoever, either modern or ancient; which, together with the rest of the Commissioners on the Presbyterian side, he offered to the bishops, to be received and established in the room

of the Liturgy. Such usage as this, we may reasonably think, must draw the disdain and contempt of all that were concerned for the Church. So that the conference broke up, without any thing done, except that some particular alterations were proposed by the Episcopal divines, which, the May following, were considered and agreed to by the whole Clergy in Convocation. The principal of them were, that several Lessons in the Calendar were changed for others more proper for the days; the "prayers for particular occasions" were disjoined from the Litany; and the two prayers to be used in the Ember-weeks, the prayer for the parliament, and that for "all conditions of men," and the "general thanksgiving," were added several of the Collects were altered; the Epistles and Gospels were taken out of the last translation of the Bible, being read before according to the old translation: the office for "Baptism of those of riper years,'' the two psalms prefixed to the lessons in the Burial Service, and the " Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea," for "the Martyrdom of King Charles the First," and for "the Restoration of the Royal Family," were all added. There were also several other less material additions and through the whole service, ainbiguities were removed, and various improvements were made; for a more particular account of which the reader is referred to the Preface to the Common Prayer Book. In a word, the whole Liturgy was then brought to that state in which it now stands; and was unanimously subscribed by both houses of Convocation, of both provinces, on Friday the 20th of December, 1661. And being brought to the House of Lords the March following, both Houses very readily passed an Act for its establishment; and the Earl of Clarendon, then High Chancellor of England, was ordered to return the thanks of the Lords to the Bishops and Clergy of both provinces, for the great care and industry shown in the review of it. Shepherd, Wheatly, Dr. Nicholls, Bp. Tomline.

To the foregoing historical account of

the origin and progressive formation of the English Liturgy, it may be proper to subjoin a brief notice of the alterations, that have been thought expedient, in accommodating it to the circumstances of the American branch of the Church.

In the progress of the revolutionary war, the Episcopal Church, in this country, was reduced to a melancholy state of depression and desolation. Her places of public worship were in ruins, her clergy greatly diminished in number, and her scattered Congregations without any regular organization, or bond of union.

The first measures towards the re-establishment of the Church, originated in Connecticut. In March, of the year 1783, there was a meeting of the Clergy, which resulted in recommending the Rev. Dr. Samuel Seabury to the English Bishops, for consecration to the Episcopate; as a preparatory step to the regular organization of the Church in this State.

On the 13th of August, in the same year, there was a Convention of the friends of the Church in the State of Maryland. The chief measure of this body, was the making of "A declaration of certain fundamental rights and liberties of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Maryland." In one of the articles of this instrument; it is declared that "it will be the duty of the said Church, when duly organized, and represented in Convention, to revise her Liturgy, forms of prayer, and public worship; in order to adapt the same to the late Revolution, and to other local circumstances of America; which, it is humbly conceived, will, and may be done, without any other or farther departure from the venerable order and beautiful forms of worship of the Church from which we sprung, than be found expemay

dient in the change of our situation from a daughter to a sister Church." At a subsequent Convention, in June 1784. the articles of this declaration were again approved, and certain fundamental principles of ecclesiastical government were framed and agreed to.

In Pennsylvania there was a Convention

of the Church, held at Philadelphia, in May 1784. Among other principles agreed on by this body, it was determined "That the doctrines of the Gospel be maintained, as now professed by the Church of England; and uniformity of worship continued, as near as may be, to the Liturgy of the said Church."

In September 1784, a meeting of the Clergy of Massachusetts was held in Boston, where measures were adopted of a similar nature with those agreed upon in Pennsylvania; and among others, a Resolution in the same words which have just been quoted.

The first step of a general nature, in relation to the organization of the Church in this country, was taken at a meeting of several of the Clergy convened at NewBrunswick, N. Jersey, on the 13th of May 1784, on the business of the society for the support of Widows and Children of deceased Clergymen. Here it was determined to procure a more general meeting from the several States in the Union, to be held at New-York, on the 5th of the ensuing Octo ber; not only in relation to the objects of the Society, but "to confer and agree on s general principles of an union of the E copal Church throughout the States.” meeting was held accordingly. And th the members were clothed with no legisla. powers, they with great unanimity, agreed upon a few general principles, to be recommended to the several States, as the ground on which a future ecclesiastical government should be established. These principles contained an approbation of Episcopacy, and of the Book of Common Prayer, and provided for a representative body of the Church, consisting of clergy and laity. The fourth article provided, "That the said Church shall maintain the doctrines of the Gospel, as now held by the Church of England; and shall adhere to the Liturgy of the said Church, as far as shall be consistent with the American Revolution, and the Constitutions of the respective States."

Pursuant to the recommendations of this meeting a Convention assembled at Philadel·

Der, the 30th of January, the 29th of May, and the 25th of October, were directed to be discontinued.

8. In the forms of Prayer to be used at sea, two of the collects were so altered that the words referring to the King and government of Great Britain, were made to apply to our own country.

phia on the 27th of September, 1785, consisting of clerical and lay deputies, from seven of the thirteen United States; viz. From New-York to Virginia, inclusive, with the addition of South Carolina. They applied themselves in the first place, to the making of such alterations in the Book of Common Prayer, as were necessary in order to accommodate it to the late changes in the State. The alterations then adopted, were as fol- view of the Prayer Book, Offices, and Artilows: viz.

1. In the versicles after the Creed and Lord's Prayer, the words O Lord, save the King, were changed to O Lord, bless and preserve these United States.

2. The Prayers for the Royal Family, in the Morning and Evening Service, were omitted.

3. In the Litany, the 15, 16, 17, and 18th petitions were omitted; and instead of the 20, and 21st petitions, the following words were substituted:-that it may please thee to endue the Congress of the United States, and all others in authority, legislative, executive, and judicial, with grace, wisdom and understanding, to execute justice and maintain truth.

4. In cases when the Litany is not to be said, the Prayer for the high courts of Parliament, was altered to a Prayer for Congress, nearly in the words in which it now stands in our occasional prayers. And the Prayer for the King's majesty, was changed to a prayer for the civil rulers of the United States, of the same tenor as that now entitled a Prayer for the President of the United States, and all in civil authority.

5. In the Communion Service, the first collect for the King was omitted; and the second altered so as to apply to the rulers of these States.

6. In the answer, in the Catechism, to the question-"what is thy duty towards thy neighbour?" Instead of the words to honour and obey the King, was substituted to honour and obey my civil rulers, &c.

7. The observation of the 5th of Novem

Besides the foregoing alterations, the Convention went extensively into the further re

cles; and proposed the result of their deliberations to the consideration of the Church, to be acted upon at a future Convention. These alterations were printed, and acquired the name of the proposed Book.

The two next Conventions, the first of which met at Philadelphia the 20th of June, 1786, and the other at Wilmington, Delaware, the 10th of October in the same year, were chiefly occupied in measures to obtain the Episcopacy in this country. At the latter meeting, however, the Nicene Creed, which had been omitted in the proposed Book, was again restored by general consent, while the Athanasian Creed was rejected.

At a meeting of the General Convention at Philadelphia, commencing the 29th of September, 1789, the Liturgy underwent a general revision. It was now that a house of Bishops was for the first time formed, as a distinct branch of the Convention, although two of them only were present-Bishops White and Seabury.

"The principal act of this session," says Bishop White, in his Memoirs of the Church, "was the preparing of the book of Common Prayer, as now the established Liturgy of the Church. The Journal shows that some parts of it were drawn up by the house of clerical and lay deputies, and other parts of it, by the house of Bishops. In the latter, owing to the smallness of the number, and a disposition in both of them to accommodate, business was dispatched with great celerity; as must be seen by any one, who attends to the progress of the subjects recorded on the Journal. To this day, there are recollected with satisfaction, the hours which

were spent with Bishop Seabury, on the important objects which came before them; and especially the Christian temper which he manifested all along."

At the General Convention in 1792, the Ordinal was revised; and underwent a few alterations which seemed necessary to accommodate it to local circumstances. And at the Convention of 1799, a service was prescribed for the consecration of a Church or Chapel. It is substantially the same with. a service composed by Bishop Andrews, in the reign of James the First; and since. commonly used by the English Bishops in such consecrations; but without the authority of Convocation, or act of Parlia

ment.

It was not till the Convention of 1801, that the subject of the Articles was definitively settled. "After repeated discussions and propositions, it had been found, that the he doctrines of the Gospel, as they stand in the 39 Articles of the Church of England, with the exception of such matters as are local, were more likely to give general satisfaction, than the same doctrines in any new form that might be devised. The former were, therefore, adopted by the two houses of Convention, without the altering of even the obsolete diction of them; but with notices of such changes as change of situation had rendered necessary. Exclusive of such, there is one exception; that of adapting the article concerning the creeds to the former exclusion of the Athanasian." (8.)

(8.) Bishop White's Memoirs, p. 28.

At the next triennial Convention in 1804, an Office of Institution was framed, to be used at the Induction of Ministers to the rectorship of Churches. And at the Convention of 1808, thirty Hymns were added to the Book of Psalms and Hymns. Since which time, no changes have been made in our Liturgy, except a farther revision of this part of the service, adopted by the General Convention of 1832.

With respect to the more considerable alterations, those which were made by the General Convention of 1789, it is not thought necessary to go into a detail of them in this place. The greater part of them were mere verbal emendations, or such only as were rendered necessary by the change of political relations. Those which are most deserving of notice, will be pointed out in the course of the subsequent Commentary, together with the considerations on which they were founded.

In all the deliberations of the several Conventions, the object kept in view, says Bishop White, "was the perpetuating of the Episcopal Church, on the general principles which she had inherited from the Church of England; and of not departing from them, except so far as local circumstances required, or some very important cause rendered proper. To those acquainted with the Church of England, it must be evident, that the object here stated was accomplished on the ratification of the Articles."

The foregoing summary is taken chiefly from Bp. White's valuable "Memoirs of the Protestant Episcopal Church." T. C. B.

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