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fossors upon the restitution of Popery; which as it declares their piety, so doth the judicious digesting of these prayers evidence their learning. For there the scholar may disporn close logic, pleasing rhetoric, pure divinity, and the very marrow of the ancient octrine and discipline; and yet all made so fanlar, that the unlearned may safely say Amen. 1 Cor. xiv, 16,

Lastly, all these excellencies have obtained that universal reputation which these prayers empoy in all the world: so that they are most deserveslly admed by the eastern Churches, and had in givat esteem by the most eminent Protosanix beyond the sea, who are the most maeval mdge that can be desired. In show, Pux Luungy is honoured by all but Pre-Rouvash Wase interest it opposeth, and the Pasay we paindons will lasm hence it is Swboy or 1, which de Parists hate Now the MUPNOSs and Barw do we obsede that the der

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How endless it is to dispute with these, the little success of the best arguments, managed by the wisest men, do too sadly testify: wherefore we shall endeavour to convince the enemies, by assisting the friends of our Church devotions: and by drawing the veil which the ignorance and indevotion of some, and the passion and prejudice of others, have cast over them, represent the Liturgy in its true and native lustre: which is so lovely and ravishing, that like the purest beauties, it needs no supplement of art and dressing, but conquers by its own attractions, and wins the affections of all but those who do not see it clearly. This will be sufficient to shew, that whoever desires no more than to worship God with zeal and knowledge, spirit and truth, purity and sincerity, may do it by these devout foras. And to this end may the God of peace give us all meek hearts, quiet speris and devout afbetions; and free us fon all sloth and premies, that we may have fill churches, frequent prayers, and ferent charier; DA BERE in our prayers bere, we manga, bez te proses bereafter, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Dean Camber.

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Reformers (nor indeed ought it to have been) to introduce a new form of worship into the Church, but to correct and amend the old one; and to purge it from those gross corruptions which had gradually crept into it; and so to render the divine service more agreeable to the Scriptures and to the doctrine and practice of the primitive Church in the best and purest ages of Christianity. In which reformation they proceeded gradually, according as they were able.

And first, the Convocation appointed a committee in the year of our Lord 1537, to compose a book, which was called, "The godly and pious institution of a Christen man:" containing a declaration of the Lord's Prayer, the Ave Maria, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Seven Sacraments, &c., which book was again published in the year 1540, and 1543, with corrections and alterations, under the title of "A necessary doctrine and erudition for any Christen man :" and, as it is expressed in that preface, was "set furthe by the King, with the advyse of his Clergy; the Lordes both spirituall and temporall, with the nether house of Parliament, having both sene and lyked it very well."

Also in the year 1540, a committee of bishops and divines was appointed by King Henry VIII, at the petition of the Convocation, to reform the rituals and office of the Church. And what was done by this committee for reforming the offices was reconsidered by the Convocation itself two or three years afterwards, namely, in February 1542-3. And in the next year the King and his Clergy ordered the prayers for procesmons, and litanies, to be put into English, and to be publicly used. And finally, in the year 1545, the King's Primer came forth, wherein were contained, amongst other things, the Lord's Prayer, Creed, Ten Commandments, Venite, Te Deum, and other hymns and collects in English; and several of them in the same version in which we now use them. And this is all that appears to have been done in relation to liturgical matters in the reign of King Henry VIII.

In the year 1547, the first of King Edward VI, December the second, the Convocation declared the opinion, "nullo reclamante," that the Communion ought to be administered to all persons under "both kind.” Whereupon an Act of Parliament was made, ordering the Communion to be so administered. And then a committee of bishops, and other learned divines, was appointed to compose "an uniform order of Communion, according to the rules of Scripture, and the use of the primitive Church." In order to this, the committee repaired to Windsor castle, and in that retirement, within a few days, drew up that form which is printed in Bishop Sparrow's collection. And this being immediately brought into use, the next year the same persons, being impowered by a new commission, prepared themselves to enter upon a yet nobler work; and in a few months' time finished the whole Liturgy, by drawing up public offices not only for sundays and Holidays, but for Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, Burial of the Dead, and other special occasions; in which the forementioned office for the holy Communion was inserted, with many alterations and amendments. And the whole book being so framed, was set forth by the common agreement and full assent both of the Parliament and Convocations provincial;" that is the two Convocations of the provinces of Canterbury and York.

The committee appointed to compose this Liturgy were,

1. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury; who was the chief promoter of our excellent Reformation; and had a principal hand, not only in compiling the Liturgy, but in all the steps made towards it. He died a martyr to the religion of the Reformation, which principally by his means had been established in the Church of England; being burnt at Oxford in the reign of Queen Mary, March 21, 1556.

2. Thomas Goodrich, Bishop of Ely. 3. Henry Holbech, alias Randes, Bishop of Lincoln.

4. George Day, Bishop of Chichester.

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

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 al

a service composed by Bishop Andrews, interations, those which were made by the 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 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.)

(S) Bishop Whe's Memoirs, p. 2

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 1 Protestant Episcopal Church." T. C. R

TABLE OF CONTENTS."

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THIS Convention, having in their present Session set forth "A BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS AND OTHER RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH," do hereby establish said Book: and they declare it to be the Liturgy of this Church; and require that it be received as such by all the Members of the same: And this Book shall be in use from and after the First Day of October, in the Year of our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety.

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