'An elegant summons to all God's works': the Benedicite at Rogationtide

Rogationtide. It is a time, surely, for the Benedicite at Morning Prayer. In his 1805 An Exposition of the Book of Common Prayer according to the use of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the New Jersey PECUSA cleric Andrew Fowler offered an effective summary of well-established 18th century Church of England commentary on the place and use of the Benedicite in the Prayer Book.

It is worth noting the 1786 proposed PECUSA revision - which provoked a critical response from the bishops of the Church of England - did not include the Benedicite. This was probably influenced by the 1689 Liturgy of Comprehension, albeit that the latter, unlike the 1786 proposals, provided Psalm 148 as a replacement for the Benedicite. It is probable that its restoration in 1789 was to reassure the bishops of the Church of England that PECUSA was not seeking radical reform of the Prayer Book.

We can be grateful, then, that the Benedicite was restored to the PECUSA Prayer Book, allowing it to be heard on the Jersey shore, in the valleys of Virginia, and the forests of Maine.

Fowler's summary neatly sets forth the significance of the Benedicite at Morning Prayer and indicates why its use in Rogationtide is particularly appropriate:

Q. Does our church receive this hymn for canonical?

A. No: because it is not to be found in the Hebrew, nor was it allowed in the Jewish canon; but it is notwithstanding an exact paraphrase of the cxlviiith Psalm, and so like it in words and sense, that whosoever despiseth this, despiseth that part of the canonical writings.

Q. What is the subject of it?

A. It is an elegant summons to all God's works to praise him; intimating that they all shew forth his glory, and inviting us, who have the benefit of them, to join in praising and magnifying the Lord for ever.

Q. When is this hymn proper to be used ?

A. When we would glorify God for his works, which is one principal end of the Lord's day; or when the lesson treats of the creation, or the wonderful works of God in any of his creatures, or the use he makes of them either ordinary or miraculous for the good of the church.

The wonderful phrase "elegant summons" to describe the Benedicite is taken from Dean Comber's Short Discourses upon the Whole Common Prayer, first published in 1684. The phrase was then repeated in Charles Wheatly's 1710 The Church of England man's companion; or a rational illustration of the harmony, excellency, and usefulness of the Book of Common Prayer. The use of the phrase by Fowler demonstrates how commentary on the PECUSA BCP 1789 was understood to stand within the tradition of commentary on 1662.

In these Rogation Days, in addition to its use at Morning Prayer, there is much to be said for meditation upon the "elegant summons" of the Benedicite, amidst the sights and sounds of late Spring. Such use of and meditation upon the Benedicite in these days can then animate our regular words of thanksgiving unto Almighty God:

We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life ...

(The first picture shows Shrewsbury Town, New Jersey, c.1796-1800. Christ Church, the church of which Fowler was Rector, was founded in 1702 with the current building - seen in the second picture - completed in 1774.)

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

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