Prayer Book Through the Ages. William Sydnor

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СКАЧАТЬ names, the latter are now called Morning and Evening Prayer, while “the Mass,’ ‘anthems,’ and ‘Ash-Wednesday’ no longer appear anywhere in the book. . . . Morning and Evening Prayer are to be said where ‘the people may best hear,’ not necessarily in the quire; but the chancels are to ‘remain as they have done,’ not be shut up, as Hooper wished”⁹

      In the interval between the closing of Parliament (April 14, 1552) and the beginning of use set by the second Act of Uniformity (November 1, 1552), a great controversy arose over kneeling to receive Communion. The reformers were dead set against the practice, and John Knox, who had become the Royal Chaplain, was as outspokenly opposed in London as he had been in the north. The Council awoke to the fact that the Book, now already in print (September 27), specifically required kneeling. The Council held up the Book on the pretext of a printer’s error and wrote Cranmer to reconsider. He refused to take any action and at the same time pointed out “both the crudity of the Scriptural argument which was being alleged against the custom, and also the indecency of sitting to receive, but kneeling both before and after reception.” On October 27, four days before the Book was to go into use, a letter went forth from the Council to the Lord Chancellor “to cause to be joined unto the Book of Common Prayer lately set forth a certain declaration, signed by the King’s Majesty and sent unto his Lordship, touching the kneeling at the receiving of the Communion.” So the Council compromised the matter on the eve of publication with the “black rubric,” which declared in explanation of the requirement to kneel to receive “that it is not ment thereby, that any adoration is doone, or oughte to bee doone, either unto the Sacramental bread or wyne, there bodily receyued, or unto anye reall or essencial presence there beeyng of Christ’s naturall fleshe and bloude.”

      Procter and Frere conclude, “Thus against the Archbishop’s will and without the consent of the Church, English religion reached its low water mark and the ill-starred Book of 1552 began its brief career.”¹⁰

      Take a brief look at the principal changes in this second Book.

      

Morning and Evening Prayer now have a penitential introduction: Opening Sentences, Invitation, Confession, and Absolution. This introduction was added because, on those many occasions when there was no Communion (the service would end with the offertory), there would be no expression of penitence and forgiveness. By adding this at the beginning of Morning Prayer, the need was met.

      

The Litany now follows Evening Prayer and has this more elaborate title: “Here followeth the Letany to be used upon Sundayes, Wednesdayes, and Fridayes, and at other times, when it shall be commanded by the Ordinary.” Several new occasional prayers have been attached to it—for rain, for fair weather, in the time of dearth and famine, in the time of war, and in the time of any common plague or sickness. The last of these was added because of the “sweating sickness” which swept the country in the summer of 1551.

      

Percy Dearmer says, in the Holy Communion, “Cranmer set forth his matured conclusions.”¹¹ The Decalogue has been added. (There is no Summary of the Law in either of these first Books.) The Prayer for the Whole State of Christ’s Church has been separated from the canon and follows the offertory. Significantly, the introduction to that prayer now reads “Let us pray for the whole state of Christe’s Church militant here in earth.” All references to the saints and the departed are removed. The order of the major part of the service is that which is more familiar to present-day users of the Prayer Book than to users of the first Book:

      Invitation

      General Confession

      Absolution

      Comfortable Words

       Sursum corda

       Sanctus

      “We do not presume . . .”

      Prayer of Consecration

      Reception

      Lord’s Prayer

      Oblation or Thanksgiving

       Gloria in excelsis

      “The Peace of God . . .”

      The Invitation (“Ye who do truly and earnestly repent . . .”), Confession, Absolution, and “Comfortable Words” now come before the Sursum corda. The Prayer of Consecration does not follow the same order as that in the first Book. Cranmer considered the different form to be more in accord with the New Testament. There is a whole series of changes aimed at removing any suspicion of transubstantiation. For instance, instead of praying that the bread and wine “may be unto us the body and blood,” the prayer now asks that we “may be partakers of the body and blood.” There is also strong emphasis on the memorial nature of the sacrament. This is most notably present in the words of administration. The traditional words which became part of the 1549 Book are “The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life.” In 1552, those words were dropped and in their place: “Take and eat this, in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart by faith, with thanksgiving.” The rubric states that the people receive in both kinds “in their handes kneling.” Also because of suspicion of transubstantiation the Benedictus (“Blessed is he that cometh . . .”) and the Agnus Dei are omitted. And of course there is the “black rubric” referred to earlier (page 19) which states emphatically that by kneeling to receive “it is not meant thereby that any adoration is done or ought to be done either unto the Sacramental bread or wine . . .” The doctrinal impact of the sacrament centers in what it says about the presence of Christ in the Eucharist elements. The 1549 Book was consistent with the Catholic belief in the real presence. But, as Procter and Frere observe, the 1552 Book makes it clear that the Prayer of Consecration refers rather to the worshippers than to the elements, and that the presence of Christ is not in the sacrament but only in the heart of the believer. So the Book is more acceptable to those “determined to retain the primitive doctrine apart from mediaeval accretions.” The final change in the service was to remove the Gloria in excelsis from its ancient position following the Kyrie and place it just before the Benediction. It thus becomes a new climax at the end of the service.

      

The Baptismal service is vigorously remodeled. The entire service is to take place at the font. Bucer suggested that it take place in the context of the Communion service. On this point he was 400 years ahead of his time! The sign of the cross is kept in spite of the objections of the reformers. The latter part of the service established the pattern followed in all succeeding Books up through 1928. The exorcism, the anointing, the putting on of the Chrism, and the triple repetition of immersion are all omitted. And the rubric which gives sanitary minded moderns a sigh of relief directs that the font be filled and the water consecrated whenever the service is used rather than only once a month.

      

The Burial Office is curtailed. There are no prayers for the dead and a special office for Eucharist at funerals is omitted. The minister is not directed to throw dust into the grave.

      The Book is very careful to omit any mention of “the Altar.” It simply refers to “the Table” or in one place to “Goddes borde.” The manual acts which might suggest transubstantiation are eliminated—the fraction and elevation of the hosts. Ordinary bread is used and is put in СКАЧАТЬ