laudable Practice

Our journey through Robert Nelson's 1713 Life of Dr. George Bull has reached Bull's final days in 1710. In his last illness those clergy ministering to Bishop Bull used the prayers from the Prayer Book's Visitation of the Sick . This office included provision for absolution. Bull, however, required that the indicative form of absolution - "I absolve thee" - in the Visitation of the Sick was not used: The Prayers for the Sick were frequently repeated during the whole time of his Illness, at which he expressed always great Devotion. He would sometimes desire to receive Absolution in the Form used in the Communion-Office, which he thought came nearer to the precatory Forms of Absolution mentioned in the Fathers than any other.  Nelson, who was a Nonjuror until 1710, held an advanced view of priesthood and absolution, then fashionable amongst a stream of High Church partisans, something of a reaction to both the Glorious Revolution, the Toleration Act, and Latitudin...

In his 1826 primary visitation charge , Thomas Burgess, Bishop of Salisbury, has three references to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. We might regard them as almost passing comments but, taken together, they provide an interesting insight into Anglican sacramental piety as the 'long 18th century' drew to a close.  The first reference is not in the charge itself but, rather, in the accompanying letter to the clergy of the Diocese of Salisbury. Burgess is addressing the matter of justification by faith only, emphasising that, while this is true of our justification, "the Gospel covenant is not a covenant of faith only, but of faith and works". This, he states, applies to our approach to the Lord's Supper: We go to the Lord's Supper to obtain the remission of our sins from God, and the renewal of his grace. If we go with repentance and faith, and do not leave them to follow after, we are absolved, forgiven, justified.  This is what is taught in the short e...

DS: "In the 18th century, if you were part of the Virginian gentry, your Anglicanism was very austere and restrained." TH: "I like that in Anglicanism." In a recent episode of The Rest is History , discussing George Washington, Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland sounded as if they were recruiting for the ' New Georgians '. An 'austere, restrained Anglicanism', after all, could very well act as a summary for that which New Georgians seek. It is a description which brings to mind places that the New Georgian soul will cherish. Places like The Middle Church , in the heart of Jeremy Taylor country. Old St Stephen's, Fylingdales , North Yorkshire. St David's, Manordeifi , Pembrokeshire.  St Andrew the Apostle's, Bayvil , Pembrokeshire. Pohick Church , Virginia. Old Wye Church , Maryland. Christ Church, Lancaster , Virginia. Old Trinity Church on Maryland's Eastern Shore.  Old St. Edward's Church , Clementsport, Nova Scotia.  Old Holy T...

On Friday 2nd February 1787, Dr. William White and Dr. Samuel Provoost, citizens of the United States and ministers of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, were introduced by the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Moore, to King George III. William White presented a "preconceived address" to the King: we were happy in the opportunity of thanking his majesty, for his license granted to his grace the archbishop, to convey the Episcopal succession to the Church in America. The King responded: His grace has given me such an account of the gentle men who have come over, that I am glad of the present op portunity of serving the interests of religion. It was a quite remarkable meeting, related in White's Memoirs of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (1820). White and Provoost had both been Patriots during the Revolutionary War. Now, by the provisions of an Act of Parliament, and welcomed by George III, they were, two days lat...

Whereas it has pleased Almighty God in his great goodness to put an end to the late bloody, extended, and expensive war in which we were engaged; we therefore, adoring the Divine goodness, and duly considering that the great and public blessings of peace do call for public and solemn acknowledgments, have thought fit, by the advice of our Privy Council, to issue this our Royal Proclamation, hereby appointing and commanding, that a general thanksgiving to Almighty God for these his mercies, be observed ... on Thursday the 29th of this instant July. This was the Royal Proclamation of King George III, issued on 2nd July 1784. Throughout the American War, days of prayer and fasting had been observed in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland. The first fast day had been 13th December 1776. Joseph Butler - then Archdeacon of Surrey, to be appointed Bishop of Oxford in 1777 - preached before the House of Commons on that occasion. He emphasised that the rebellious...

In its ' Alterations agreed on and confirmed in Convention, for rendering the Liturgy conformable to the principles of the American Revolution, and the constitutions of the several states ', the first General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, held in Philadelphia in 1785, set forth a ' Service for the 4th of July '. The thanksgiving appointed for the day included this reference to the events of 4th July 1776: O God, whose Name is excellent in all the earth, and thy glory above the heavens, who as on this day didst inspire and direct the hearts of our delegates in Congress, to lay the perpetual foundations of peace, liberty, and safety; we bless and adore thy glorious Majesty, for this thy loving kindness and providence ... The appointed Epistle opened with the words "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice"; the appointed Gospel concluded with "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed". There is littl...

George Washington and Charles Inglis. They seem to be ideological opponents. Washington, the enlightened Virginian gentleman and commander of the Continental Army. Inglis, the Loyalist parson in New York and critic of Paine's Common Sense . While both were members of the Church of England, JCD Clark in The Language of Liberty 1660-1832 (1994) has portrayed the Revolutionary War as a 'war of religion', with contrasting Anglican visions taking opposing sides. Washington represented the low church, latitudinarian ethos of the Church of England in the southern colonies. Inglis, by contrast, represented the high church orthodoxy and Toryism of the clergy of the northern colonies.  There is good reason, however, to suggest that Clark's contrast between two opposing Anglican visions is much too heavily drawn. As much recent scholarship has demonstrated, 18th century Anglicanism was defined much more by 'unity and accord' than by High v. Low conflict. William Gibson, f...