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PBATBB-BOOK 



in but few particular* from the form still to lx> 

 fdiiiul in the prayer-book. On the death of limn 

 VIII. liturgical reformation was less impi'deil, 

 the advisers of the young kfag l>eiiig favourable 

 to change. The administration of tin- cup to the 

 laity having been sanctioned by convocation and 

 enjoined by parliament ( 1 Kdward VI. chap. 1 ), a 

 form for communion in both kinds,' in the Englllb 

 tongue, to be added to the Latin mass, was issued 

 in 1548. But this form served only a temporary 

 purpose, for in the following year ( 1549) was pub- 

 lished and authorised tlu> complete prayer-lxiok in 

 English, known as the First Pliyer-book of Edward 

 VI. In this book, with singular ability, attaining 

 tit times the level of genius, Cramner and his 

 coadjutors translated and adapted the breviary 

 services of Matins, Lauds, ana Prime, so as to 

 construct the 'Morning Prayer' of the Book of 

 Common Praver; while, in a similar manner, 

 Vespers and Compline were brought into the form 

 of tin- 'Evening Prayer.' The English services 

 were shortened chiefly by the great reduction of the 

 number of psalms to be ' sung or said ' daily. The 

 hvtionary was so arranged that the greater portion 

 of the Old Testament was read through systemati- 

 cally in the course of the year, while the whole of 

 the New Testament (with the exception of the 

 Apocalypse) was read through thrice. The old Eng- 

 lish missals formed the basis of the English com- 

 munion service, but therewith were combined the 

 new features which had appeared in the ' Order of 

 the Communion' (1548). The other services, as 

 those for baptism, matrimony, burial, .Vc. , were 

 similarly framed, with much discrimination, from 

 the corresponding mediieval services. The ecclesi- 

 astical books of the Eastern Church were not 

 wholly unknown to the Reformers, as is testified to 

 by their adoption of the so-called ' Prayer of St 

 Chrysostom,' and by the unquestionable fact that 

 the Athanasian Creed was translated by them from 

 a Greek and not a Latin text. Occasionally t lie- 

 revisers did not scruple to adopt features from more 

 modem sources (e.g. the Put Deliberatio of the 

 reforming Archbishop Hermann of Cologne ). The 

 liturgical revision of 1549 was conducted in a spirit 

 at once conservative and critical, and is marked by 

 a singular combination of independence with rever- 

 ence tor the past. 



Owing partly to home influences and partly to the 

 influence of foreign reformers (many of whom were 

 then resident in England, including liucer, regius 

 professor of Divinity at Cambridge, and Peter 

 Martyr, regius professor of Divinity at Oxford), 

 Cranmerand his associates ceased to be content with 

 the doctrinal colouring of the First Prayer-book ; 

 and in 1552 there appeared a revised book | the 

 Second Prayer-book of Kdward VI.), marked by 

 many changes mainly favourable to more Protestant 

 views. As a characteristic example may be cited 

 the change made in the words used at the com- 

 munion in delivering the consecrated element*. In 

 1". \'.\ the words ran 'The body of our Lord Jesus 

 Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body 

 and soul unto everlasting life,' ' The blood 'of our 

 Lord .lestiH Christ,' &c. In 1552 these words were 

 expunged, and for them were substituted 'Take 

 and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for 

 thee, and feed on him in thy heart by faith, with 

 thanksgiving,' 'Drink this in rRmenihrniice.' ,\e. 

 In a similar spirit the ' Invocation' of the Holy 

 (ihost on the element* 'that they IK> unto us the 

 body and blood of thy most dearly beloved Son ' 

 was removed (together with use of the sign of the 

 crom) from the praver of consideration. From the 

 tptim.il service the exorcism, trine immersion, 

 anointing, ami the use of the rbrisom (or white 

 robe) were omittl. From the burial service 

 prayers for the dead were removed. The vestment* 



of priest* and deacons were reduced to the surplice. 

 and i hoe of tin- bishop to a rochette, for all minis- 

 trations. Among changes then made, though of 

 little or no doctrinal significance, may lie mentioned 

 the addition of the sentences, introductory address, 

 general confession, and absolution to moYning and 

 evening prayer, and of the decalogue and resjionsea 

 to the communion service. 



On the accession of Queen Elizabeth the personal 

 ecclesiastical sentiment- of that masterful monarch 

 made themselves sensibly felt. In the newly revised 

 prayer-book of 1559 ( Kli/alx-th's Prayer l>ook) veiy 

 tew changes were made, but they pointed in one 

 direction. The vestments and ornaments of the 

 prayer-book of 1549 were again enjoined ; in the 

 litany the words ' From the tyranny of the bishop; 



of Rome and all his detestable enormitii -. ; I 



Lord, deliver us' were omitted ; in the communion 

 service the words of Edward's two books at the 

 delivery 1 of the elements were combined in the 

 form still in use ; the declaration concerning kneel- 

 ing (the so-called ' lilack Rubric ') appended to the 

 communion service of Edward VI.'s Second Prayer- 

 book was omit ted. 



During KlizalxBth's reign the Puritan and Calvin- 

 ist party within the church increased in strength, 

 and the hopes of its members were raised high on 

 the accession of James I., educated as he had been 

 in Scotland under Presbyterian inlluence. Not 

 many days after the king's accession he was pre- 

 sented by the Puritans with a petition, called, from 

 the great number of signatures attached to it, the 

 Millenary Petition. This craved for the removal 

 of ' offences ' from the prayer-book. The iietitionere 

 further suggested a conference, and to this sugges- 

 tion the king acceded, the outcome being the 

 Hampton Court Conference (January 14, 16, and 

 18, 1604), so called from its place of meeting. The 

 issue of this conference was deeply disappointing to 

 the Puritan party. The alterations made were 

 comparatively few and unimportant : certain chap- 

 ters of the Apocrypha (Tobit, v. vi. and vii., and 

 Dan. xiv. ) were removed from the leciimiary ; the 

 words ' or remission of sins ' were added as explana- 

 tory of the word. 'absolution' at morning prayer; 

 a prayer for the queen and royal family, together 

 with some special thanksgivings, as 'for rain,' 'for 

 fair weather,' Arc., were inserted. The only changes 

 of much significance were (1) the addition to the 

 catechism of the part treating of the sacraments 

 (attributed to the pen of Overall, Dean of St Paul's, 

 and certainly not favourable to the views of the 

 Puritans), and (2) the insistence on baptism being 

 administered by the 'lawful minister,' as the 

 church's order ; while the validity of baptism 

 administered by any person using water and the 

 pre-crihed form of words is still implied in the text 

 of the service. It is worth olwerving that, while 

 to the three earlier revisions and the last revision 

 (HWi'J) were given parliamentary authority (2 and 

 :! F.dw. VI. chap. 1; 5 and 8 Edw. VI. chap. 1; 

 I Kli/. chiip. 2; 14 Carol. II. chap. 4), James con- 

 sidered that the authority of the crown was sufficient 

 to introduce, changes, which he was careful to style 

 ' explanations,' as though they were not additions. 



The Hook of Common Prayer 'for the use of the 

 Church of Scotland' (1637), commonly known as 

 ' Laud's Prayer-lmok,' was a revision of the English 

 prayer-liook, in the construction of which Wedder- 

 linrn, I'.ishop of Dunblane, and Maxwell, Bishop of 

 Ross, were chiefly concerned, their English ad\ i 

 being Land, Wren, and Jnxon. It is mainly 

 remarkable for its reverting in the communion 

 -ei vice to some of the characteristic features of the 

 First Praver iMHik of Edward VI. e.g. ( 1 ) the 'In 

 vocation.' ami (2) the commemoration of the faith- 

 ful departed. It is also interesting to notice that 

 the Scottish revision anticipated and happily met 



