"And especially in Advent": liturgical observances for Advent in the 17th century Church of England

Some sense of how the season of Advent was given due liturgical recognition in the 17th century Church of England can be found in two examples from opposite ends of the century. The first is from Cosin's 1627 visitation articles, while Archdeacon, of the Archdeaconry of East Riding in the Diocese of York:

Whether doth your Minister at certain times of the year, as, for order's sake, yearly upon one of the 3 Sundays next before Easter, upon one of the 2 Sundays next before Pentecost, and upon one of the 4 Sundays in Advent, and specially at the beginning of Lent, upon Ash Wednesday, plainly and distinctly read the form of Commination against sinners, with the prayers thereunto annexed.

The second is from Archbishop Sancroft's 'Instructions to the Clergy of the Church of England', 1689:

That they perform the Daily Office publicly (with all Decency, Affection, and Gravity) in all Market and other Great Towns, and even in Villages, and less populous Places, bring People to Public Prayers as frequently as may be; especially on such Days, and at such Times, as the Rubric and Canons on Holy-days, and their Eves, on Ember and Rogation Days, on Wednesdays and Fridays in each Week, and especially in Advent and Lent.

From the opening years of the reign of Charles I to the first year of the reign of William III, from 15 years before the Civil Wars to the year of the Revolution Settlement, we see here authoritative directions for serious liturgical observance of Advent, recognising it as a preparation for the feast of the Nativity (hence the comparison with Lent).

(The photo is of Bubwith Church in the East Riding of Yorkshire.)

Comments

Why I support the ordination of women: a High Church reflection

A number of commenters on this blog have asked about my occasional expressions of support for the ordination of women to all three orders. With some hesitation, I have decided to post a summary of my own views on this matter. The hesitation is because I have sought on this blog to focus on issues and themes which can unify those who identify with or have respect (grudging or otherwise!) for what we might term 'classical' Anglicanism (the Anglicanism of the Formularies and - yes - of the Old High Church tradition). Some oppose the ordination of women (and I have friends and colleagues who do so, Anglo-Catholic, High Church, and Reformed Evangelical). Some of us support it (again, friends and colleagues covering a wide range of theological traditions). Below, I have organised my thinking around 5 points (needless to say, no reference to Dort is implied). 1. The Declaration for Subscription required of clergy in the Church of Ireland states: (6) I promise to submit ...

How the Old High tradition continued

Charles Gore's 1914 letter to the clergy of his diocese, ' The Basis of Anglican Fellowship ', can be regarded as a classical expression of the Prayer Book Catholic tradition. A key part of the letter - entitled 'Romanizing in the Church of England' - addressed the "Catholic movement", questioning beliefs and practices within it which tended to "a position which makes it very difficult for its extremer representatives to give an intelligible reason why they are not Roman Catholics". Gore provides the outlines of an alternative account and experience of catholicity within Anglicanism, defined by three characteristics. What is particularly interesting about these characteristics is their continuity with the older High Church tradition. Indeed, the central characteristic as set out by Gore was integral to High Church claims over centuries: To accept the Anglican position as valid, in any sense, is to appeal behind the Pope and the authority of t...

1928 practices and the 1979 book: unthinking conservatism or popular piety?

Those responsible for Earth & Altar - a new blog emanating from a group within TEC - are to be congratulated for an excellent contribution to wider Anglican discussion and debate. The commitment to "an expansively conceived credal orthodoxy as fully compatible with LGBTQ inclusion, gender equality, and racial justice" is an important part of a wider retrieval of creedal orthodoxy within what we might call the post-liberal generation. It is in this spirit that I want to respond to a recent post on the site by Andrew McGowan , Dean of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and Professor of Anglican Studies at Yale Divinity School. Against the background of another round of "ill-defined" liturgical revision in TEC, he understandably urges that a fuller reception of the 1979 BCP should occur before further reforms. In doing so, however, he takes aim at what he describes as "clinging to the ritual structures of 1928" while using the text of 1979. We ...

laudable Practice

Search This Blog