laudable Practice

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...

Having considered the exposition of the Exhortation (on penitence and worship ) at Morning and Evening Prayer by John Shepherd in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Morning and Evening Prayer of the Church of England (1796), a footnote provided by Shepherd is significant.  It is a footnote to a line in his discussion of how the Exhortation sets before us the gift of absolution and reconciliation: For forgiveness and justification we are indebted solely to the "infinite mercy and goodness of God," through the meritorious sufferings, and efficacious mediation of our Lord, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Shepherd's footnote quotes the Homily on Justification as an example - no doubt to the surprise of many Anglicans today - of moderation , a "general" account of justification free of the "speculative points" concerning predestination which had disturbed the peace and unity of the Reformed Churches: We are forgiven, acquitted, absolved, and ...

Continuing the exposition of the Exhortation at Morning and Evening Prayer by John Shepherd in his  A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Morning and Evening Prayer of the Church of England (1796), we turn to the second part of the Exhortation, addressing the worship offered "when we assemble and meet together". Again we are struck by the Exhortation providing a meaningful, attractive, and compelling account of public worship, an account which we heard week by week at Sunday Mattins. In this sacred place we meet together for the purpose of performing the four principal parts of public worship. 1. To "give him thanks" for his innumerable blessings and benefits, for all his goodness, and loving kindness to the children of men. This we do in our general Thanksgiving, and in several of the Psalms. 2. To "set forth his most worthy praise," to laud and glorify his holy name, which we do in Psalms, Hymns, Anthems, and Doxologies. 3. "To hear his most ...

In the days before and after Ash Wednesday , laudable Practice  considered the words of the Absolution at Mattins and Evensong through the commentary provided in A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Morning and Evening Prayer of the Church of England (1796), by clergyman John Shepherd. We now turn to the Exhortation in those offices. Shepherd expounds how the Exhortation draws us to a meaningful repentance, flowing from the penitential sentences, addressing heart, mind, and soul, in an exercise of the presbyteral ministry of reconciliation. Note, too, how Shepherd - writing in 1796 - emphasises that the ministry of the presbyter is not derived "from the Legislature".  This is yet another example of how Old High teaching consistently reaffirmed the divine authority of the ordained minister , decades before Newman (bearing false witness) declared in  Tract I that Anglican clergy relied on "secular advantages". Shepherd's commentary also demonstrates the i...