A Short History of the Prayer Book by Rev. Dr. T.W. Gilbert

We are posting the Rev. Dr Gilbert’s brief comments on The Short History of the Prayer Book. It behooves Anglican Churchmen to know these things, to wit, that our present 1662 BCP, still the official standard of the Church of England, has roots back to the Celtic, Gaulish, and Roman days. Our 1662 BCP was cleaned up and revised during the Reformation to reflect the ancient, apostolic, biblical, and truly catholic doctrines. We will be posting additional articles on the Prayer Book, as vaccines against the modern and ill-considered objections to this godly book.

It is very difficult for North American Churchmen to appreciate liturgical services. It is not in the DNA of most denominations. Since the expansion of charismaniacs and yappaphilic music, things have worsened. The Lutherans understand the importance of liturgy since they did not rashly throw out wisdom and history during the Reformation. Methodists retained some liturgical features for the Holy Communion—we are unsure about modern day Methodists, however. The Methodists never took the BCP over in large part, although their founder, John Wesley, was a prayer book man who cut his teeth on the 1662 BCP. The same is said for George Whitfield, an Oxfordian prayer book man. We understand that there is some variety amongst Methodists re: liturgical services, some being higher than others, or, using more liturgical worship than others. Suffice it to say, liturgical worship is not widely popular in America.

Some of this is geographical, to wit, the expansion of frontier American Christianity staffed by Baptist and Methodist circuit riders with little to small educations. There may have been cultural clashes, e.g. the story of the Presbyterian farm boy sent to Princeton Seminary. "We sent him to get an education and he returned as an eastern gentleman."

This contrasts appear to have occurred while Anglicans and Presbyterians moved more slowly from the eastern starboard regions inland…moving slowly given their insistence upon an educated clergy. However, it is to be noted that Presbyterians have been no friends to the Prayer Book either with their less than impressive reasons.

Then, one may add the foot-stopping American revivalists with their Zwinglianism, Gospel-songs, non-Confessional postures, and hostilities to Prayer Books. As an American phenomenon, “reading prayers” has not been appealing to the masses in the United States. This is a stark contrast to the English story, since Anglicanism is and has been in their DNA.

If numbers rule, then Prayer Books are out. But numbers do not rule, facts and the Bible do. Good order, biblicality, instruction, and depth "rule the school." More to follow.

The full article is found at:

http://www.churchsociety.org/issues_new/doctrine/bcp/gilberthistory/iss_doctrine_bcp_gilberthistory_0-Contents.asp

A Short History of the Prayer Book
by Rev T.W. Gilbert

Church Manuals New Series No 3 (Church Book Room Press) - Publication Date not specified
Contents
1. Pre-Reformation Period
2. Influences Making for an English Book of Common Prayer
3. The First Prayer Book of 1549
4. The Second Prayer Book of 1552 - to be added
5 The Prayer Book of 1559 - to be added
6. The Revision of 1604 - to be added
7. The Revision of 1662 - to be added
Appendix - Prayer Book History since 1662

This useful booklet by the late Dr. T. W. Gilbert is reprinted in the present series of “Church Manuals” in order to meet the constant demand for a brief but comprehensive account of the story of our English Prayer Book. In this new edition several minor alterations have been made, and an Appendix has been added, giving a sketch of Prayer Book history since 1662. B.C

A Short History of the Prayer Book

The Book of Common Prayer is one of the priceless possessions of the English people, and next to the Bible has exercised a paramount influence on the Anglo-Saxon race. Its teaching has moulded our prayers, its services have inspired our devotions, and its phrases have become part of our everyday language. There is no book in the English language - the Bible apart - which has had such a far-reaching influence as the Prayer Book. That influence arises from the fact that the book enshrines some of the most precious truths of the Bible, and that its compilers endeavoured to incorporate in its services something of that spiritual simplicity and directness which is characteristic both of the Church of England and of Christianity itself. The Prayer Book in its present form, however, is the outcome of a long history, and some knowledge of the history lying behind the book is essential if we are to value it as we should.