INTRODUCTION.
rowed in some degree. Nor did they shrink from original composition where necessary, especially of Collects, and of the hortatory elements of Service. The result was the Prayer Book of 1549.
The main principles which guided the compilers were obviously these three( see the original Preface" Concerning the Service of the Church"):
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( a) SIMPLIFICATION. The old Service Books had gradually become so long, so intricate, so full of special variations, so elaborate in ritual directions, that even to the clerics and the highly educated they were difficult, and to the people at large, even if written in English, they would have been useless. It was resolved to cut down this luxurianee, to introduce more regularity, even at the sacrifice of appropriateness and beauty, to abolish all variety of " Uses," and so to bring the new Service Book within the reach of the mass of the people, as a common standard of faith, and a common manual of devotion.
( 6) PURIFICATION, by returning as far as possible to primitive purity of doctrine, ritual, and devotion, removing the accretions of error or superstition which had grown over the old Services in mediæval times, and bringing the whole resolutely to the test of accordance with Holy Scripture. In some cases this process was carried so far as to remove some things, which were in themselves sound and Catholic, but which had become so inextricably interwoven with falsehood and corruption, that it appeared hopeless to dissociate them from these in the minds of the people.
( c) PUBLICATION, by translating them from Latin into English, so that the people should not only" assist" at the Service, but claim it as their own; and by casting them into such a form- sober in tone, uncontroversial in thought( although clear and definite in doctrine), free and simple in language- as might be sincerely and heartily adopted by all baptized members of Christ. The responsive character of the Services was made effective; the provision for systematic reading of Holy Scripture was singularly complete; the element of exhortation and teaching was considerably strengthened; and the laity were thus plainly recognised as full members of the Church, having, under due spiritual conditions, a full indefeasible right to its Services and Sacraments.
The first Prayer Book of Edward VI., compiled under these guiding principles, was ordered by the first Act of Uniformity to be used on Whitsunday( June 9th), 1549. It was substantially our present book; but( putting aside mere details) it had the following differences:
( i) In Morning and Evening Prayer the Introduction, Exhortation, Confession, and Absolution were not found; shewing that, as yet, the use of Public Confession and Absolution, as a rule, had not yet superseded the habitual use of Auricular Confession and special Absolution.
( ii) In the Communion Service(" commonly called the Mass") there was considerable difference both in order and substance- the book of 1549 keeping, in both, to closer accordance with the ancient liturgical forms. This difference is especially notable in the Prayer for the whole estate of Christ's Church, the Consecration Prayer, and the Words of Administration( see Notes on the Communion Service).
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