Prayer Book Revision.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XV, Issue 1, 1 July 1924, Page 416

Prayer Book Revision.

The Very Rev. the Dean of Christchurch is contributing articles to the "Church News" on Prayer Book revision. The first article (m the June number) is so concise and instructive that we make no apologies for quoting it m full. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. The revision of the Prayer-book has advanced so far that there is possibility of its completion and acceptance at Honie before our next general Synod, and it is a matter of growing 1 importance that churchpeople should be acquainted with the general principles of Revision. We shall have to decide upon its adoption or otherwise, and it will be a disaster if m the hour of decision we awake and rub our eyes and begin to ask "What is all this" about?" There are sure to be heart-burning's among the faithful. Some will resent any change at all m the familiar services; others will be suspicious of Modernism or of Romanizing; yet others will desire to see the ancient services " brought up to date" and made to conform to modern thought — i.e., the thought of the last ten minutes. The following notes are offered with a view of allaying fears, and enlisting interest m a matter that will concern us deeply. ! HOW THE PRAYER BOOK CAME. It is worth while to remember how our present Prayer-book grew up, from the time when it was first proposed to change the services from Latin into English. 1. The first step was the English Litany put forth m 1544 (Henry (VIII.) to be said before the Latin Mass; 2. In 1547 (Edward VI.) an "Order of Communion" was provided. It consisted of Exhortations, Confession and Absolution, the "Comfortable Words," and "Prayer for Humble Access-' very nearly as we have them. Thin was to be used after the Latin

Mass, for the Communion of the people. It must be remembered that up to that time the -people rarely communicated at all except on the great Festivals. 3. In 1549 the "First Prayer Book" of Edward VI. appeared. It contained most of the familiar services, m English, including the fragments aforementioned. It was undoubtedly the work of Cramner and his friends, and represents the best learning and devotion of the time. It -is a work of the greatest interest, .for it is the first large attempt m English liturgiology. Besides drawing on the old Latin services, the com-? pilers went back to the storehouse of ancient liturgies. The book cannot be regarded as complete, but it was a very noble beginning, and those who are interested m the worship of our Church ought by all means to know it. Unfortunately the subsequent work was not carried on upon the same lines. 4. In 1551 a second edition appearedj greatly changed. Under the shield of the Protector's government, a crowd of foreign refugees, representing various German and Swiss sects, swarmed into England and were . promoted to the seats of learning. They knew little, and cared nothing, for the English Church, nor were they agreed among themselves, but they gained influence and proceeded to reform the English Prayer-book. Beside the introduction of sundry doctrinal changes, the service of Holy Communion was most perplexingly disarranged. A Liturgy is a great work of art, growing out of the devotions of the people by slow degrees. A mere collection of prayers, tossed m anyhow, is not a Liturgy. The genond Prayer-book is that of a confused attempt to improve a great work of art, by unsympathetic critics. We ought to be very thankful that s.o much of the original remained. 5. After the Marian reaction, it is known that Queen Elizabeth (or her advisers) worked to restore the First Prayer-book, but m the interests of peace it was thought better to continue, No. 2. Some of the worst features were removed and the Elizabethan Book (1559) was a compromise between the two earlier. A new element now began to appear, and was increased m the subsequent revisions — namely, the length and grandiloquence of the new prayers introduced. The last revision was that at the Restoration (1662). THE HARDENING INFLUENCE OF LAW. .. Of course these successive revisions, done m a hurry, and by so. many dissentient parties, led to great confusion m the rubrics and directions

for the conduct of the services. Even after the 1662 revision a great deal, of confusion remains; arid the situation was made more serious by the fact that the Prayer-book was scheduled on to an Act of Uniformity, so that the least deviation from its rules was punishable by law! This- accounts for the rigorous monotony characteristic of our Church services. The shadow of the Act of Uniformity led the local clergy and people to suppose that no slightest variation must be permitted; that the same solemn ritual must , drag its slow length along m exactly the . same words, all the year round, whether m the Cathedral or m the little rural village among the laborers, or m the backbloek mining settlement. The wooden monotony has been a great cause of the defection of the young. Of course, all that is now breaking down, and the danger is rather that every cleric feels at liberty to rearrange the Liturgy as he pleases. Here, most of all, we want a national Revision, allowing for authorised variation according to the needs of time and place, while jealously guarding the English tradition of worship. THE PURPOSE OF REVISION. This historical sketch may serve to show that the call for revision is no unreasonable demand. It is really needed' towards the completion of- a work half done m times of great confusion. The leading purposes will be somewhat as follows : — (a) To carry on most carefully the traditional worship of the Church with the minimum of change, removing only certain obsolete expressions. (b) To remove by rearrangement and clearer direction the confusions that exist. . (c) To provide for legitimate variations of sendee for different congregations and to enrich the Prayer-book with new prayers, etc., and other forms of devotion taken from thd best sources. It may be that some of these points will be dealt with next month.