Ritual Conformity Interpretations of the Rubrics of the Prayer-Book Agreed Upon by a Conference Held at All Saints, Margaret-street, 1880-1881

B. COMPTON, Chairman.

Wm. Jno. Blew. H. G. Morse. J. H. Blunt. James Parker. Wm. Cooke. Thos. W. Perry. C. L. Courtenay. James Baden Powell. J. Fuller Russell. R. F. Wilson. R. F. Littledale. Chr. Wordsworth.

INTERPRETATIONS OF THE RUBRICS OF THE PRAYER-BOOK.

THE PREFACE.

1. It hath been the wisdom of the Church of England, &c.

It is important to bear in mind, in interpreting the prefaces and rubrics of the Prayer-Book, that they were written at various times, and that their language is not generally the current language of our own day, but the technical language of the times at which they were respectively written.

The first section, headed "The Preface," was added in 1662 to the second, entitled "Concerning the Service of the Church," which is the original Preface to the Prayer-Book of 1549, with some important additions and slight omissions made in 1552.

The "Order how the Psalter is appointed to be read," dates mainly from 1549.

The "Order how the rest of Holy Scripture is appointed to be read," with the Tables of Proper Psalms, and Lessons, and the Calendar--originally forming part of the book of 1549--was adopted with slight alteration in 1662, but was much varied in 1871.

CONCERNING THE SERVICE OF THE CHURCH.

2. There was never any thing by the wit of man so well devised, &c.

It seems that, having regard to the circumstances under which this rubric was framed, the 'diversity to be appeased,' and the 'doubts to be resolved,' concerned only the manner of saying and singing the Morning and Evening Prayer, not the manner of administration of the Sacraments or other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church. Nor were any 'parties' contemplated as likely to 'doubt, or diversely take anything,' except the clergy. The contemporaneous Latin translation of the English Prayer-Book expressly confines this provision of resort to the Bishop of the diocese to questions arising inter ministros. The Bishop of the Diocese was the proper person to resort to, both on account of his sacred office, which gave him authority, and also as being at that time the person likely to be best informed on questions of this kind, as the Epistle, and Gospel for Quinquagesima Sunday (with the addition of the Collect of Ash Wednesday), but the Scotch Prayer-Book directs the use of the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for Ash Wednesday only; and Bishop Cosin directed the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for Quinquagesima Sunday to serve only until Ash Wednesday.

When more than one Collect is appointed for the day, by reason of the coincidence of Holy Days, the question arises which Holy Day should take precedence.

Coincidence includes (a) occurrence (i.e. the falling on the same day of two occasions having special services), and (b) concurrence, when the one falls on the morrow of the other.

By taking precedence is meant, that when two Holy Days occur, the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, the Proper Psalms and Lessons (if any) of the superior day should be used.

But in certain cases of occurrence, noticed in the following Table, a memorial of the inferior day should be made, by using the Collect appointed for it in addition to, and after, the Collect for the superior day, at all services at which the Collect for the day is to be said.

In other cases, the services of the inferior day must be entirely omitted for that year, or transferred to the morrow, or some subsequent date, in accordance with ancient custom. The Prayer-Book gives no directions for such transference, but the total loss for the year of such Festivals as the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, or of the Dedication and the Title of a Church, would be much to be regretted.

The following Table exhibits the precedence of Holy Days:

First Sunday in Advent takes precedence of St. Andrew's Day.

Fourth Sunday in Advent takes precedence of St. Thomas' Day.

St. Stephen's Day | St. John the Evangelist's Day \ take precedence of First Holy Innocents' Day / Sunday after Christmas. The Circumcision |

The Epiphany takes precedence of Second Sunday after Christmas.

The Conversion of St. Paul takes precedence of Third Sunday after Epiphany, but memorial is to be made of the Sunday.

The Purification takes precedence of Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, also of Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima Sundays, of which three Sundays memorial is to be made.

Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima Sundays take precedence of Conversion of St. Paul and St. Matthias' Day.

Ash Wednesday takes precedence of St. Matthias' Day.

Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Sundays in Lent take precedence of the Annunciation.

The services of the season from Evening Prayer on Wednesday in Holy Week till Saturday in Easter Week, both inclusive, take precedence of the Annunciation.

First Sunday after Easter takes precedence of the Annunciation, St. Mark's Day, and SS. Philip and James' Day.

| take precedence of Second, St. Mark's Day, / Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays SS. Philip and James' Day \ after Easter. |

Ascension Day takes precedence of SS. Philip and James' Day.

The Services of the season from Whitsun Eve till Saturday in Whitsun Week, both inclusive, take precedence of St. Barnabas' Day.

Trinity Sunday takes precedence of St. Barnabas' Day.

St. Barnabas' Day, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, St. Peter's Day, St. James' Day, St. Bartholomew's Day, St. Matthew's Day, St. Michael and All Angels' Day, St. Luke's Day, SS. Simon and Jude's Day, All Saints' Day, take precedence of all Sundays after Trinity.

The Feasts of the Dedication and Title of a Church rank as principal festivals; but may not be observed on Advent Sunday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Epiphany, between the Fifth Sunday in Lent and Low Sunday inclusive, Ascension Day, or from Whitsun Eve to Trinity Sunday inclusive.

Octaves are not mentioned by name in the Prayer-Book, but are implied in the rubrics preceding the Proper Prefaces of the Communion Office. It has been suggested by the Convocation of Canterbury that the Collects for St. Michael's and All Saints' Days should be repeated on the seven days following those days respectively. Such additions would be in the nature of new Octaves. But the first of these days had no Octave in the Sarum or the Roman Use: the second has an Octave in the Roman Use, but had none in the Sarum Use. If any such additional Octaves are introduced, the Festival of the Epiphany at least should have this distinction. A general permission might also be given to individual churches to keep the Octaves of their title or dedication.