laudable Practice

In them were said ancient prayers, giving thanks to God for the whole congregation, as partakers of the Body and blood of Christ, when not one of them received the Sacrament. The people were mere spectators, while the priest pretended to act in the name of the whole congregation, and to communicate without any real Communion. So does John Shepherd - in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801) - describe non-communicating and private Masses. We might note, by the way, that this description accords with Eamon Duffy's account of pre-Reformation English spirituality: "for most people, most of the time the Host was something to be seen, not to be consumed". Shepherd is here commenting on one of the concluding rubrics in the 1662 Holy Communion: And note, that every Parishioner shall communicate at the least three times in the year, of which Easter to be one. Shepherd accepts that this falls short of patristic Christian practice o...

We are very close to the end of John Shepherd's commentary on the 1662 Holy Communion in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801). Today we consider the Blessing, at the conclusion of the office. Shepherd commences his commentary on the Blessing by rooting the practice in Scripture: Among the ancient people of God it was customary to dismiss religious assemblies with a blessing pronounced by one of the principal persons present, sometimes by the King, but more commonly by the priests. Thus at the removal of the ark to Mount Sion, "as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts"; and thus likewise at the dedication of the temple, "Solomon, when he had made an end of praying, arose from before the altar of the Lord, and he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel." But "to bless in the name of the Lord" was th...

In addressing the place of the Gloria in excelsis in the Prayer Book Holy Communion, John Shepherd, in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801), offers a confident understanding of this characteristic of the 1662 rite. This contrasts with with a  de rigueur  assumption for Anglican liturgical revision, that the 1662 post-communion place of the Gloria in excelsis must be inappropriate.  Shepherd, however, is typical of 17th and 18th century Church of England liturgists. Sparrow in his Rational , for example, invokes Chrysostom exposition of the singing of a hymn after the Lord's Institution of the Sacrament to show the meaning of the post-communion place of the Gloria in excelsis :  Hear this, as many as wait not again for the last prayer of the mysteries, for this is a symbol of that. He gave thanks before He gave it to His disciples, that we also may give thanks. He gave thanks, and sang an hymn after the giving, tha...

When he turns to 'The Two Prayers after the Lord's Prayer' in the post-Communion of the 1662 rite, John Shepherd, in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801), immediately identifies the scriptural reference which shapes the first prayer, the Prayer of Oblation: A part of the first is principally designed for the practice of the advice given by St. Paul, who "beseeches us by the mercies of God, that we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service."  The fact that the Prayer of Oblation, following our partaking of the Sacrament, is rooted in the apostolic exhortation, rightly identifies the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist. As Cranmer stated in his True and Catholic Doctrine : Another kind of sacrifice there is, which doth not reconcile us to God, but is made of them that be reconciled by Christ, to testify our duties unto God, and to show ourselves thankful unto...

Having expounded the theological and spiritual significance of the post-Communion portion of the 1662 rite, John Shepherd, his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801), considers the first aspect of the post-Communion, the Lord's Prayer: The Post-communion, like the Ante-communion, begins with the Lord's Prayer, and we can at no time repeat this form more properly, or more effectually, than when we have just commemorated the meritorious sufferings and death of its divine Author.  It is a short but very insightful and powerful comment. That the very first words uttered in prayer by communicants, after receiving the holy Sacrament, are 'Our Father', profoundly embodies the grace given to us in the Supper of the Lord. This significantly echoes the opening words of the Prayer of Consecration:  Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of thy tender mercy ... As the Prayer of Consecration sets before us the Lord's saving Passion a...

Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways ... As we approach the holy Sacrament, we are again reminded - as in the Litany - that we are called to "true repentance". Not passing regret. Not momentary guilt. Rather, we are to "truly and earnestly repent". In the words of the Catechism, answering "What is required of them who come to the Lord's Supper?": "To examine themselves, whether they repent them truly of their former sins, stedfastly purposing to lead a new life". and are in love and charity with your neighbours ... It is a beautiful, evocative Prayer Book phrase. The repetition of "love and charity" emphasises what must be the nature of our relationships, rooted in Our Lord's summary of the Law.  As for the first exhortation in the Holy Communion decla...

"It is to be delivered into their hands." We have the unanimous testimony of the Fathers, that the communicants always received the elements into their own hands ... During the corrupter ages, when the sacramental bread and wine were believed to be the actual Body and Blood of Christ, a wafer was substituted for bread, and that was by the priest put into the mouth of the communicant, that no particle of the Body of Christ should be wasted or lost. And lest the blood should be  spilt, or any accident happen, the cup was totally withheld from the laity. At the Reformation the primitive practice was restored, and the Communion in both kinds delivered into the hands of the people. It is but a brief extract from John Shepherd's A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801), addressing the 1662 rubric after the Prayer of Consecration and before administration of the Bread and Cup. What this extract suggests, however, is what was obscured i...

When contemporary Anglican liturgists lament and bewail the 1662 Holy Communion, they often point to the Prayer of Consecration, regarding it is as infinitely inferior to patristic forms. John Shepherd, by contrast, in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801), sees continuity between the 1662 Prayer of Consecration and patristic forms. Both seek the same purpose: The form of Consecration in the ancient Church was a repetition of the history of the institution, together with prayer to God, that he would sanctify the elements of bread and wine by his Holy Spirit, and make them to become the Body and Blood of Christ, not by altering their nature and substance, but their qualities and powers; and by exalting them from simple elements of bread and wine, to become types and symbols of the Body and Blood of Christ, and efficacious instruments of conveying to worthy receivers all the benefits of his death and passion.  What at least partly ex...

In his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801), John Shepherd offers a rather beautiful description of the place of the Sursum Corda and preface in the Prayer Book Holy Communion.  He begins by noting how this part of the Communion Office gives expression to an essential characteristic of the Sacrament, deeply rooted in apostolic and patristic piety: This Sacrament is a feast of joy and thanksgiving. The Apostles partook of it "with gladness of heart, praising God." It was accompanied with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, the praises of God, as Ambrose has observed, constituting a great part of this office. On days of fasting, and humiliation, the primitive Christians did not communicate, and for this reason: they thought grief and tears unsuitable to the joy and gladness, which became those that partook of this heavenly banquet. Indeed praise and thanksgiving have always been considered as such an essential part of this office...

The rubric introducing the general Confession at the Holy Communion states that both the minister and the communicants are to be "kneeling humbly upon their knees". As John Shepherd notes - in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801) - this is one of only three places in the 1662 rite in which the priest is directed to kneel, emphasising the solemn and corporate nature of the general Confession:  During the whole time of the Priest's officiating at the Communion he is directed to kneel only thrice, at this Confession, at the Collect before the prayer for Consecration, and at the act of receiving. In every other part of the office he is to stand. This was the practice of the ancient Church, and the attitude was probably borrowed from the service of the temple, where the legal sacrifices were offered by the Priest standing. Between the legal and evangelical sacrifice there is the same correspondence that exists between the sha...

Then shall this general Confession be made, in the name of all those that are minded to receive the holy Communion, by one of the Ministers: both he and all the people kneeling humbly upon their knees and saying - BCP 1662 Holy Communion, rubric before the General Confession. In his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801), John Shepherd notes the significance of the above rubric produced by the 1662 revision: Till the Restoration the Rubric here stood thus: "Then shall this general confession be made in the name of all those that are minded to receive the Holy Communion, either by one of them, or else by one of the ministers, or by the priest himself, all kneeling humbly on their knees." Does it not hence appear that the confession was made by one only in the name of all? At the Savoy Conference, the Presbyterians requested, that it might be made by the minister only, but at the revision that followed, the Rubric was changed into i...

Having considered the Exhortation which 1662 directed to be read to "the Communicants ... conveniently placed for the receiving of the holy Sacrament", John Shepherd - in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801) - turns to what he terms the "immediate Invitation": This Invitation consists of three parts; the qualifications required in those that are invited; the Invitation itself; and a direction to make their confession to Almighty God. In many ways, of course, this "immediate Invitation" summarises the teaching and call of the longer Exhortations. Shepherd, however, sees it as something greater than merely a summary. He roots it in the invitations to the Sacrament seen in the great liturgies of the East: Invitations similar to this are mentioned in the writings of the Fathers, and found in ancient Liturgies. Pseudo-Dionysius, describing the manner in which this sacred rite was administered, informs us, that...

Dearly beloved in the Lord, ye that mind to come to the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ ... The now unfortunately rarely used Exhortation "At the time of the Celebration of the Communion" is a rich text which calls us both to meaningful self-examination as we approach the holy Sacrament and to receive with thanksgiving. In his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801), Shepherd roots this Exhortation in the practice of the ancient Eastern churches: Chrysostom informs us, that in the Greek Church, when the communicants were conveniently placed, "the Priest standing in a conspicuous station, and stretching forth his hand, and lifting up his voice in the midst of profound silence, invited some (that is, those that were worthy), and forbad others (the unworthy) to approach." By showing how the Exhortation follows patristic practice and the liturgies of the East, Shepherd reminds us how much of the rhe...

... what to me is the clearest and most moving of all Anglican invocations. So said Roger Scruton, in his Our Church , of the Prayer for the Church Militant. Scruton's words echo those of John Shepherd in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801): Prayers to the same effect were offered in the primitive Church at the celebration of the Eucharist, and occur in ancient, and modern Liturgies; but a form of superior, or even equal excellence to this, is nowhere to be found.  Contrary to most contemporary Anglican liturgies, both Shepherd and Scruton rightly recognise the power and beauty of the Prayer for the Church Militant. Contemporary liturgies usually contain mere outlines of intercession, entirely subject to the vagaries of those leading the intercessions. By contrast, the Prayer for the Church Militant offers a memorable, theologically rich, intercession, rooted in a robustly apostolic vision of ecclesial vision (indicated in the op...

Let us pray for the whole state of Christ's Church militant here in earth. In his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801), John Shepherd hints at a relationship between the offertory and the distinctly Reformed introduction to the Prayer for the Church Militant. The stuff of the offertory - alms, bread, wine - is for the living. So too our prayers are for "Christ's Church militant here in earth": After the offertory is said, and the oblations of bread and wine, with the alms for the poor are placed upon the table, the minister addresses this exhortation to the people: 'Let us pray for the whole state of Christ's Church militant here in earth'. The latter part of this sentence is wanting in Edward's first book. The words 'militant here in earth', which were designed expressly to exclude prayer for the dead, were inserted in the second book, in which that part of this prayer which contained intercessio...

And when there is a Communion, the Priest shall then place upon the Table so much Bread and Wine as he shall think sufficient. This rubric in the 1662 Holy Communion is not to be found in the 1559 rite. Last week, we saw how John Shepherd - in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801) - rightly emphasised the significance of the offering of alms in the 1662 Holy Communion. This, however, does not end the offertory. The above rubric, Shepherd states, indicates that the bread and wine are also a part of the offertory: This Rubric was added at the last review in 1661, and at the same time was inserted in the prayer  following, an expression adapted to the particular action here enjoined, the words and oblations, being intended, as I conceive, more immediately to refer to the bread and wine, and the new order about placing them upon the table. In the ancient Church this act was performed with great solemnity, and though there be something ...

Then shall the Priest return to the Lord's Table, and begin the Offertory ... Whilst these Sentences are in reading, the Deacons, Churchwardens, or other fit person appointed for that purpose, shall receive the Alms for the Poor, and other devotions of the people, in a decent bason to be provided by the Parish for that purpose; and reverently bring it to the Priest, who shall humbly present and place it upon the holy Table. In all of the differences between the 1662 Communion rite and contemporary Anglican eucharistic liturgies, the significance of the above rubric is often entirely overlooked. In many contemporary rites, the sole focus of the offertory is the bread and wine (with the traditional placing of the alms dish upon the Holy Table now regarded with disdain). In 1662, by contrast, the offertory begins with a focus upon the giving of alms. In his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801), John Shepherd highlights how this focus has...

Then shall follow the Sermon, or one of the Homilies already set forth, or hereafter to be set forth, by authority. In considering the rubric following the Creed in the Communion Office, John Shepherd - in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801) - begins by referring to patristic practice, noting how preaching was a significant aspect of the life of patristic churches: From the second century at least sermons were delivered on Sundays, and occasionally on other Holidays. At certain solemn seasons, sermons were preached every day, and in some Churches, two or more sermons were delivered before the same Assembly. A Presbyter or Priest first spoke the word of exhortation: he was followed by another, and the President or Bishop concluded; the last place being always reserved for the most honourable person. In some places likewise they had sermons twice a day, that is, at two different times of the day; but this is to be understood only of th...