Elementa Liturgica. CHAPTER I. 1.-ACCOUNT OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER. DIFFERENT PRAYER BOOKS. THE Service Books of the English Church, before the Reformation, were in the Latin Tongue, and were generally drawn up after the example of that used in the Cathedral Church of Salisbury, known under the name of the Order of Sarum : from this and from some Antient Liturgies, as those of St Mark, St. James, St. Basil, and St. Chrysostom, the English Book of Common Prayer has derived its present form after passing through the following changes. In 1537. "The Godly and Pious Institution of a Chris tian man" was published, which contained The In 1540 and 1543. It was again published, under the In 1545. The King's Primer came forth, which, in addition to the above matters, contained the whole Morning and Evening Prayers, not greatly varying from our present form; and this, as well as the two preceding Books, was in the English Tongue. In 1548. The first Prayer Book of King Edward VI., compiled under the auspices of Cranmer and Ridley, was set forth, containing the Morning and Evening Services, and the Two Sacraments. In 1551. The Second Book of King Edward was published, in which several changes from the First Book were introduced, by the suggestion of Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr, two Foreign Refugees of reputation, who held considerable offices in our Universities. In 1559. The Prayer Book of Queen Elizabeth was issued, in which some alterations, at variance with the spirit of King Edward's Second Book, were introduced by Archbishop Parker and his coadjutors. In 1603. After the Conference, held between the Churchmen, under Archbishop Whitgift, and the Puritans, under Dr. Reynolds, before King James I., at Hampton Court; and In 1661. After a similar meeting, called the Savoy Conference, between the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians, some other alterations were made in the Book of Common Prayer, since which period no further changes have taken place, that have any legal obligation, i. e. which have the sanction of CHANGES IN THE PRAYER BOOKS. 3 the Sovereign, of both Houses of Convocation for each Province, and of the two Houses of Parliament. 2. Changes in the Prayer Books.-As to the changes which have taken place in the different authorized Books, they will be best discerned by reciting the chief peculiarities of each, commencing with I. King Edward's first Book. In this the Morning and Evening Services began with the Lord's Prayer, and ended with the third Collect; and contained the use of Oil in Confirmation, the Unction of the Sick, Prayers for souls departed, Invocation of the Holy Ghost in Consecrating the Elements at the Lord's Supper, and a Rubric authorizing water to be mixed with the wine for that Sacrament. II. King Edward's Second Book. III. The Sentences, Exhortation, Confession and Absolution were added to the Morning Service, and the form of delivering the Elements was altered. In this, as well as in the First Book, there was a clause in the Litany against the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome, but this clause was omitted in Queen Elizabeth's Book. In which were added the Prayers for the Queen and the Clergy, and a sentence in the delivery of the Elements: the verbal variations in the address, used on that occasion, being as follows. 1. Book of King Edward. "The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee preserve thy Body and Soul to everlasting life." 2. Book of King Edward. "Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving." 3. Book of Queen Elizabeth. "The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul to everlasting life, take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee; and feed on him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving." The changes in delivering the wine are analogous. IV. After the Hampton Court Conference, the Thanksgivings were subjoined at the end of the Litany; and an addition concerning the Sacraments was made to the Catechism; and the words 'lawful minister,' were inserted in the office for Private Baptism, to prevent Laymen and Midwives from baptizing. V. After the Savoy Conference, and at what is called the last Review, the Sentences, Exhortation, Confession, and Absolution, were added to the Evening Service. Some lessons were changed: the Prayers for particular occasions were separated from the Litany. The General Thanksgiving, the Prayers for Parliament, for all Conditions of Men, and those to be used in Ember weeks, the services for Adult Baptism and for persons at sea were added; and the Epistles and Gospels were taken out of the TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE. last Translation of the Bible. And thus the Book of Common Prayer was left; and this is the state of the sealed Books in the two Universities, which Books are the authorized standards of reference in any disputed case, as to the contents or true readings of the Book of Common Prayer. The use of this Book in the English Church, without variation, either of omission or addition, was enforced by two Acts of Uniformity: the first in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and the other, though enacted in 1661, called the 13th and 14th of King Charles the Second, and still unrepealed. 3. Translations of the Bible.-As we have just spoken of the last Translation of the Bible, it may not be amiss to insert here a list of the different English versions which have been made. The Bible was divided into chapters about 1240 And into verses by Mordecai Nathan, a Jewish Different portions of Holy Scripture were trans- ever was Wickliffe's in 1360: in Manuscript. The first printed English Bible was Tindal's in 1526. Then followed Matthew's Bible in 1537. Both of which were |