THE DIREC TORY. Reading of Baptism. A few of the variations, more especially directed against preceding usages, were, the rejection of the Apocrypha: the discontinuance of private baptism; of godfathers and godmothers; of the sign of the cross; of the wedding ring, and of the administration of the Lord's Supper to the sick at home: the removal of the communion-table into the body of the church; with the preference of a sitting or standing to a kneeling posture. All saints' days were discarded, and all vestments. No service was appointed for the burial of the dead: no Creed was recited, nor the Ten Commandments; though these with the Apostles' Creed were added to the Confession of Faith a year or two afterwards'. This Parliamentarian form of public devotion is entitled A Directory for the Public Worship of God, throughout the Three Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland. Together with an Ordinance of Parliament for the taking away of the Book of Common Prayer, and the Establishing and Observing of this present Directory throughout the Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales. It commences with a note' Of the assembling of the congregation, and their behaviour in the public worship of God. The minister is to begin with prayer, in a short form, for a blessing on the portion of the word then to be read. All the Canonical books are to be read over in order: ordinarily one chapter of each Testament at every meeting. After reading and singing the minister who is to preach is to endeavour to get his own and his hearers' hearts to be rightly affected with their sins. A long prayer before the sermon. Then follows a long note of the manner and matter of preaching. After sermon follows a prayer of thanksgiving. The Lord's Prayer, as being not only a pattern of prayer but itself a most comprehensive prayer, is recommended to be used in the prayers of the church. The Administration of the Sacraments; and first of Baptism. It is to be dispensed only by a minister, in the place of public worship, and in the face of the congregation, where the people may most conveniently see and hear; and not in the places where fonts in the time of Popery were unfitly and superstitiously placed. The child, after notice given to the minister the day before, is to 1 See Hall, Reliq. Liturg. Introd. p. xl. Several editions of the Directory appeared during the years 1644, 1645, and 1646. It is reprinted with the ordinances of par liament (Jan. 3, 164, and Aug. 23, 1645) in Reliquiæ Liturg. Vol. III., and in Clay, Book of Common Prayer Illustrated, Append. IX. X. XI. be presented by the father, or (in case of his necessary absence) by some Christian friend in his place. Before Baptism the minister is to use some words of instruction:-that the seed of the faithful have right to baptism: that they are Christians, and federally holy, before baptism, and therefore are they baptized: that the inward grace of baptism is not tied to the moment of its administration: and that it is not so necessary that through the want of it the infant is in danger of damnation, or the parents guilty. Prayer is to be joined with the word of institution, for sanctifying the water to this spiritual use. per. THE DIRECTORY. The Communion, or Supper of the Lord, is frequently to be Lord's Supcelebrated; but how often, may be considered and determined by the ministers and other church-governors of each congregation. It is requisite that public warning be given on the Sabbath-day before the administration; and we judge it convenient to be done after the morning sermon. Therefore after the sermon and prayer, follows a short exhortation: then, the table being before decently covered, and so conveniently placed that the communicants may orderly sit about it or at it, the minister is to begin the action with sanctifying and blessing the elements of bread and wine set before him. The words of institution are next to be read out of the Evangelists, or 1 Cor. xi. 23-27: then the prayer, thanksgiving, or blessing, offered up to God to vouchsafe his gracious presence, and the effectual working of his Spirit in us; and so to sanctify these elements both of bread and wine, and to bless his own ordinance, that we may receive by faith the body and blood of Jesus Christ crucified for us, and so feed upon him that he may be one with us, and we with him, that he may live in us, and we in him and to him, who hath loved us, and given himself for us.' 'The elements being now sanctified by the word and prayer, the minister, being at the table, is to take the bread in his hand, and say in these expressions (or other the like used by Christ, or his Apostle, upon this occasion):-According to the holy institution, command, and example of our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ, I take this bread; and having given thanks, I break it, and give it unto you. (There the minister, who is also himself to communicate, is to break the bread, and give it to the communicants.) Take ye, eat ye. This is the body of Christ, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of him. In like manner the minister is to take the cup, and say...According to the institution, command, and example of our Lord Jesus Christ, I take this cup and give it unto you. (Here THE DIRECTORY. Matrimony. Visitation of the Sick. Burial. Holy Days. he giveth it to the communicants.) This cup is the New Testament, in the blood of Christ, which is shed for the remission of the sins of many; drink ye all of it.' After all have communicated, the minister may, in a few words, put them in mind of the grace of God in Jesus Christ: and he is to give solemn thanks to God. The Collection for the poor is so to be ordered, that no part of the public worship be thereby hindered. Then follows a note of the Sanctification of the Lord's Day.' The purpose of marriage between any persons shall be published by the minister three several Sabbath-days in the congregation. And the marriage shall be publicly solemnized in the place appointed by authority for public worship, before a competent number of credible witnesses, at some convenient hour of the day, at any time of the year, except on a day of public humiliation. And we advise that it be not on the Lord's-day. The manner of marriage is first a prayer, a declaration of the institution, use and ends thereof, a solemn charge, if they know any cause why they may not lawfully proceed to marriage, to discover it then the minister shall cause, first, the man to take the woman by the right hand, saying these words: I N. do take thee N. to be my married wife, and do, in the presence of God, and before this congregation, promise and covenant to be a loving and faithful husband unto thee, until God shall separate us by death. Then the woman shall take the man by his right hand, and say a like form, adding the word obedient. Then, without any further ceremony, the minister shall pronounce them to be husband and wife according to God's ordinance; and so conclude the action with prayer. A note is given of instructions Concerning Visitation of the Sick, and suitable topics of exhortation and prayer.' 'Concerning Burial of the Dead,' all customs of praying, reading, and singing both in going to, and at the grave, are said to have been grossly abused. The simple direction is therefore given, 'When any person departeth this life, let the dead body, upon the day of burial, be decently attended from the house to the place appointed for public burial, and there immediately interred, without any ceremony.' Then follow directions Concerning Public Solemn Fasting,' Concerning the Observation of Days of Public Thanksgiving,' and Of singing of Psalms;' concluding with 'An Appendix touching Days and Places for Public Worship;' in which it is ordered that only the Lord's-day, and days separated for Public Fasting or Thanksgiving, shall be kept holy; and the old churches are allowed to be sed for the following reason: 'As no place is capable of any holiness under pretence of whatsoever Dedication or Consecration, so neither is it subject to such pollution by any superstition formerly used and now laid aside, as may render it unlawful or inconvenient for Christians to meet together therein for the public worship of God. And therefore we hold it requisite that the places of public assembling for worship among us should be continued and employed to that use.' THE DIREC TORY. Holy Places. prayer for The Parliament, it seems, was not entirely satisfied with its Form of own Directory, and soon found it necessary to publish a supple- sailors. ment for the use of the sailors. This is one of the most singular productions of that extraordinary period. It is called A Supply of Prayer for the Ships that want Ministers to pray with them. 'A reason of this work' is prefixed to the book; and it states, 'whereas there are thousands of ships which have not ministers with them to guide them in prayer, and therefore either use the old form of Common Prayer, or no prayer at all; the former whereof for many weighty reasons hath been abolished, and the latter is likely to make them rather heathens than Christians. Therefore to avoid these inconveniences, it hath been thought fit to frame some prayers, agreeing with the Directory established by Parliament.' There are certain directions for the use of the form: 'the company being assembled, they may thus begin with prayer:' a short prayer follows, after which the Lord's Prayer is to be used, and we have this direction, After this, some psalms and chapters being read out of both Testaments (but none out of those books called Apocrypha), and a psalm being sung, a prayer may follow in this manner.' Two prayers follow, one being 'for the Church universal, and our united Churches and Kingdoms.'-The latter contains a petition for the king, though at the very time they were making war upon him: 'We pray thee for all in authority, especially for the king's majesty, that God would make him rich in blessings both in his person and government, establish his throne in religion, save him from evil counsel, and make him a blessed and glorious instrument for the conservation and propagation of the gospel.' Next comes a direction, After this prayer a psalm may be sung, and the conclusion may be with a thanksgiving and blessing.' Then follows a prayer particularly fitted for those that travell upon the seas,' and 'a prayer in a storm'.' . 1 Lathbury, Hist. of Convoc. pp. 497. sq. RESTORA- PRAYER BOOK. The King's Declaration from Breda. CHAPTER V. The Prayer-Book in the Reign of Charles II. [A. D. 1660-1662.] The Church's welfare, unity, and peace, and His Majesty's satisfaction, were ends upon which they were all agreed; but as to the means, they could not come to any harmony.-Report of the Commissioners after the Savoy Conference. ESCAPING from the dismal period of rebellion, we pass THE on with the history of the Prayer-Book to the year 1660, when the restoration of the monarchy brought freedom of conscience and worship to churchmen. On the 1st of May letters from King Charles II. dated from Breda were brought to the Houses of Lords and Commons, with a declaration, in which the king says on the subject of religion, 'that no man shall be disquieted, or called in question, for differences of opinion in matters of religion, which do not disturb the peace of the kingdom; and that we shall be ready to consent to such an act of parliament, as upon mature deliberation shall be offered to us for granting that indulgence1.' By a resolution of the Commons (May 8) the king was desired to make a speedy return to his parliament, and on the same day was solemnly proclaimed: and on the 10th of May, on the occasion of a day of thanksgiving, the Common Prayer was read before the Lords2. Deputation of Noncon King at the Hague, Meanwhile (May 4) a deputation from both houses formists to the was sent to meet the king at the Hague. Reynolds, Calamy, Case, Manton, and some other eminent Presbyterian divines went also with an address, to which the king answered kindly; but, as in his previous Declara1 Collier, Eccles. Hist. VIII. 382. 2 Whitelocke, Memorials, p. 703. |