PRAYER-BOOK 



381 



some of the difficulties that have since been raised 

 in respect to the Athanasian Creed. The prose 

 psalter of this prayer-book was taken from the 

 authorised version of the Bible. The word ' presby- 

 ter ' was used instead of ' priest. ' The calendar 

 records the names of certain Scottish sainte e.g. 

 Colnmba, Ninian, Serf, Queen Margaret, &c. 



The attempt to force this prayer-book upon the 

 Scottish people in an arbitrary manner, emphasised, 

 as it was, by the riot in St Giles' Cathedral, Edin- 

 burgh, on the occasion of its first being read ( 23d 

 July 1637), and the national uprising that followed 

 are parts of civil history. It should be added that 

 the Scottish prayer-book, which had seemed to be 

 strangled at its birth, was twenty-four years after- 

 wards among the most potent influences affecting 

 the revision which has brought the English prayer- 

 book to its present shape. 



During the years of the Great Rebellion it was 

 enacted by an ordinance of parliament (January 

 3, 1645) that the 'Westminster Directory for the 

 Public Worship of God ' should take the place of 

 the prayer-book ; and a subsequent ordinance of 

 the same year (August 23) made the use of the 

 prayer-book in public 'or in any private place or 

 family ' punishable by a line of 5 for the first 

 offence, 10 for the second, and a year's imprison- 

 ment for the third. This harsh measure went a 

 long way to provoke the reaction of the Act of 

 Uniformity (1662). 



On the restoration of the monarchy, in the vain 

 hope of satisfying contending ecclesiastical parties 

 a royal commission was issued (March 25, 1661 ) to 

 twelve bishops and twelve Presbyterian divines 

 (with nine coadjutors on each side to fill the places 

 of members of the commission who might be absent) 

 ' to advise upon and review the Book of Common 

 I'rayer, comparing the same with the most ancient 

 liturgies which have been used in the church in the 

 primitive and present times . . . and, if occasion 

 be, to make such reasonable and necessary altera- 

 tions, corrections, and amendments as shall lie 

 agreed upon for the giving satisfaction to tender 

 consciences," &c. 



The meetings of the commission were held in the 

 Savoy Palace in the Strand, London, and hence the 

 name the 'Savoy Conference,' by which they are 

 commonly designated. Among the best known of 

 the divines of the Episcopal side were Bishops 

 Cosin, Sanderson, and Brian Walton, with Drs 

 Pearson, Gunning, and Heylin. Among the Presby- 

 terians the most eminent were Baxter, Calamy, 

 Bates, M ant mi, and Reynolds. One of the most 

 notable episodes in the history of the conference 

 was the presentation by Baxter of a liturgy, com- 

 posed by himself in the space of a few days, which 

 the Presbyterian commissioners desired should lie 

 authorised and placed on a footing of equality witli 

 the Book of Common Prayer. The conference, as 

 was to be expected from the temper of the times, 

 ended in the discomfiture of the Puritan party, 

 very few of whose suggestions were adopted. 

 Sulmeqnently royal letters were addressed to Con- 

 vocation directing the revision of the Book of 

 Common Prayer. This revision brought the lxx>k 

 to its present state, with the exception of changes 

 in the lectionary, to be noticed below. The result 

 of the revision was authorised by the Convocations 

 of Canterbury and York, and its use enjoined 

 < 19th May 1662) by parliament (Act of Uniformity, 

 14 Carol. II. chap. 4). 



Among the more noteworthy changes made at 

 the last revision may be mentioned a new preface 

 ( by Bishop Sanderson ) ; the adoption of the Author- 

 ised Version for the Epistles and Gospels, the 

 introduction of the prayer for parliament, of the 

 prayer ' for all conditions of men," of the general 

 thanksgiving, and some of the special thanks- 



givings ; and the reintroduction in a modified form 

 of the commemoration of the departed in the com- 

 munion service. While the general framework of 

 the prayer-book was preserved intact, very many 

 minute changes were made, more particularly in 

 the rubrics. Speaking generally, the changes, 

 when they possess any distinctive doctrinal colour- 

 ing, were marked by the dominant influence of the 

 church party. Two entirely new services were 

 added: (1) a service for the baptism of adults, 

 made desirable by the growth of anabaptism during 

 the Great Rebellion, as well as by the need of a form 

 for the baptism of the heathen in our ' planta- 

 tions ; ' and (2) a form of prayer and thanksgiving 

 to be used at sea, with a special view to ' his 

 majesty's navy.' Certain printed copies of this 

 prayer-book, minutely examined and brought into 

 conformity with the MS. copy attached to the act 

 of parliament, were certified as correct, and having 

 the great seal attached to them are known as the 

 Sealed Books. One of these sealed copies was 

 deposited in the Tower of London, one in each of 

 the Courts of Law at Westminster, and one with 

 each cathedral chapter. 



In the reign of William III. an attempt was 

 made to further revise the prayer-book with a view 

 to the comprehension of dissenters. A royal com- 

 mission sat and reported, but nothing came of 

 it. In 1872 the table of lessons now in use was 

 approved by convocation, and authorised by parlia- 

 ment (34 and 35 Viet. chap. 37). In the following 

 year certain abbreviations in the daily service were 

 similarly sanctioned (35 and 36 Viet. chap. 35). 



In Ireland it may be noted that the first book 

 ever printed in Dublin was the First Prayer-book 

 of Edward VI. It appeared in 1551. The Second 

 Prayer-book of Edward was never introduced. 

 Elizabeth's prayer-book was enjoined by the Irish 

 parliament in 1560, and similarly in 1662 the prayer- 

 book as revised after the Savoy Conference. On 

 the disestablishment of the Irish Church (1869) a 

 revision of the prayer-book was carried through by 

 the General Synod, after a contest lietween church 

 parties extending over several years. In 1878 the 

 revised prayer-book was published. Among the 

 more important changes are ( 1 ) the removal of the 

 rubric preceding the Athanasian Creed ; ( 2 ) the 

 addition of a question and answer to the Catechism 

 declaring that the body and blood of Christ are 

 ' taken and received only after a heavenly and 

 spiritual manner ; ' (3) the absolution in the visita- 

 tion of the sick changed into the form in the com- 

 munion service; (4) lessons from the Apocrypha 

 removed. 



In the Episcopal Church of the United States of 

 America a revised edition of the English praver- 

 book was authorised and published in 1789. The 

 changes made were very numerous. We can here 

 specify only the following : (1) the removal of the 

 Athanasian Creed; (2) the introduction of the 

 ' invocation ' on the elements in the communion 

 service, this latter being at the suggestion of Sea- 

 bury, the first American bishop. He had been 

 consecrated in Scotland, and was warmly attached 

 to the Scottish Communion Office, of which the 

 1 invocation ' is a characteristic feature. A further 

 revision was undertaken in 1881. So far as it has 

 hitherto proceeded, it is largely marked by a desire 

 to revert to particulars of the English prayer-book 

 which had been abandoned in 1789 ; but neither of 

 the two features noticed above has been altered. 



In the Episcopal Church in Scotland the English 

 prayer-liook is formally declared to be the 'duly 

 authorised service-book of this church for all the 

 purposes to which it is applicable ' (Canon xxxiii. ) ; 

 but a service for the Holy Communion ( brought to 

 the form in current use in 1764) is sanctioned in 

 some congregations under certain restrictions. At 



