Book of Common Prayer

PRAYER, BOOK OF COMMON, the title of the official service book of the Church of England. One of the most impor tant steps taken at the Reformation was the compilation and pro vision of a comprehensive service book for general and compul sory use in public worship throughout the Church of England. The following main advantages were achieved.

(I) The substitution of the English language for the Latin language, in which all the old service books were written.

(2) Unification and simplification. The Prayer Book represents in a much condensed and abbreviated form the four chief ancient service books, viz.: the Missal, Breviary, Manual and Pontifical. In addition to a multiplicity of books there was much variety of use. Although the Sarum Use prevailed far the most widely, yet there were separate Uses of York and Hereford, and also to a less degree of other dioceses and cathedral churches as well. Cranmer's preface "Concerning the Service of the Church" expressly men tions the abolition of this variety as one of the things to be achieved by a book of Common Prayer. It says : "And whereas heretofore there bath been great diversity in saying and singing in Churches within this Realm ; some following Salisbury Use, some Hereford Use, and some the Use of Bangor, some of York, some of Lincoln ; now from henceforth all the whole Realm shall have but one Use." On the sources from which the Prayer Book was compiled, see F. Procter and W. H. Frere, New History of the Book of Common Prayer (2nd ed. 1902), and the works men tioned below.

Of changes preceding the first Prayer Book we may note: (a) The compiling and publishing of the Litany in English by Cranmer in 1544. (b) Royal injunctions in Aug. 1547 ordering the Epistle and Gospel to be read in English at High Mass. (c) A royal proclamation, dated March 8, 1548, imposing for use at the coming Easter The Order of the Communion. This was an order or form of service in English for the communion of the people in both kinds. It was to be inserted into the service after the com munion of the priest, without making any other alteration in the Latin Mass. It comprised the long exhortation or notice to be

given on Sunday, or on some other day, previous to the Com munion, the longer exhortation, and the shorter invitation, the con fession, absolution, comfortable words, prayer of humble access, formulae of administration and the concluding peace, much as they exist at present.

The First Complete Prayer Book.

The first complete ver nacular Book of Common Prayer was issued in Jan. 1549. An Act of Uniformity made its use compulsory on and after the following Whit-Sunday. Some of the chief points of difference between this and subsequent Prayer Books were the following: Matins and Evensong began with the Lord's Prayer, and ended with the third collect; the Athanasian Creed was introduced after the Benedictus on six festivals only, and in addition to the Apostles' Creed; to the Communion service an alternative title was given, viz.: "commonly called the Mass." Introits were pro vided for use on every Sunday and Holy-Day; in the prayer for the whole state of Christ's church, the blessed Virgin Mary was commemorated by name; prayer for the dead was explicitly re tained; also an invocation of the Holy Spirit before the words of institution, the prayer of oblation immediately following them ; the mixed chalice was ordered to be used, and the Agnus Dei to be sung during the Communion of the people ; unleavened bread was to be used and placed in the mouth of the communicant ; the sign of the cross was frequently to be made ; reservation for the sick and unction of the sick were retained ; and exorcism, unction, trine immersion and the chrisom were included in the baptismal service. As to vestments, at Holy Communion the officiating priest was to wear "a white albe plain with a vestment or cope," and the assist ant clergy were to wear "albes with tunicles." Whenever a bishop was celebrant he was to wear, "beside his rochette, a surplice or albe, and a cope or vestment"; the mitre was not mentioned.