An old book

...

The first title page in this threefold book reads

THE BOOK OF
COMMON PRAYER
AND
ADMINISTRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS, AND OTHER
RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH

ACCORDING TO THE USE OF

The Church of England

TOGETHER WITH THE

PROPER LESSONS

FOR SUNDAYS AND OTHER HOLY-DAYS

[A SEAL]

OXFORD:

PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
FOR THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE
Sold at the Society's Depository, Great Queen Street,
Lincoln's Inn Fields, London.

a 6. Church Services -- 1872 -- Cum Privilegio.

Like a book might today, there is a table of contents, on page 10, but unlike a book today, the sections are unnumbered.

The sections are as follows, although I've added page numbers below for anyone who wants to look into any section:

The titles given in the table of contents do correctly describe the material in the book, but the titles given in the text itself do not always match. So, for example, where the Table of Contents advertises the "Creed of Athanasius", the corresponding section, beginning on page 60, titles itself "At Morning Prayer".

The Preface, beginning of page 11, is written with an aim to justify the policies of the church of England. It begins:

It hath been the wisdom of the Church of England, ever since the first compiling of her publick Liturgy, to keep the mean between the two extremes, of too much stiffness in refusing, and of too much easiness in admitting any variation from it.

The Preface is written in a tiny font, similar in size to Times New Roman in somewhere between 5 and 6 point size. A little quick math suggests that they are cramming something like one thousand words per page onto these tiny, roughly 3.5'' by 4.5'' pages. Later, beginning on page 40, a larger font is used for much of the text, more in the neighborhood of 9 point text.

A variety of calendar tables establish which parts of Scripture are to be read at what times, and when the various feasts of the liturgical calendar are celebrated. One interesting item is on page 36 -- "A Table to Find Easter, from the Year 1900, to the Year 2199 Inclusive." This little book looked forward a bit more than three centuries from its own date -- and it has survived for about half that span so far. But the book is even more ambitious than this -- it contain on pages 37 and 38 tables which provide the necessary information to calculate liturgical dates as far out as 8500 AD!

This interesting section begins on page 69, and includes a series of short prayers:

• "For Rain."
• "For fair Weather."
• "In time of Dearth and Famine." (two prayers)
• "In time of War and Tumults."
• "In the time of any common Plague or Sickness."
• "In the Ember Weeks, to be said every day, for those that are to be admitted into Holy Orders."
• "A Prayer that may be said after any of the former."
• "A Prayer for the High Court of Parliament, to be read during their Session.

Following the list of prayers is a selection of "thanksgivings":

• "A Collect or Prayer for all Conditions of men, to be used at such times when the Litany is not appointed to be said."
• "A General Thanksgiving."
• "For Rain."
• "For fair Weather."
• "For Plenty."
• "For Peace and Deliverance from our Enemies."
• "For restoring Publick Peace at Home."
• "For Deliverance from the Plague, or other common Sickness." (two thanksgivings)

This section, spanning pages 76-223, is arranged in the order of the liturgical year, and because of the lack of page numbers, it can only be efficiently navigated by someone who knows the liturgical calendar by heart. For each Sunday, and for some other liturgically significant days, it contains a Collect, or short prayer to be said by (I assume) the congregation, a selection from some Epistle in the New Testament, and then a selection from one of the Gospels.

Beginning on page 272, there is a fascinating section with a bit of liturgy that is hard to imagine in almost any church today, beginning with the priest reading the following:

Brethren, in the Primitive Church there was a godly discipline, that, at the beginning of Lent, such persons as stood convicted of notorious sin were put to open penance, and punished in this word, that their souls might be saved in the day of the Lord; and that others, admonished by their example, might be the more afraid to offend.

Instead whereof, (until the said discipline may be restored again, which is much to be wished,) it is thought good, that at this time (in the presence of you all) should be read the general sentences of God's cursing against impenitent sinners, gathered out of the seven and twentieth Chapter of Deuteronomy, and other places of Scripture; and that ye should answer to every Sentence, Amen: To the intent that, being admonisted of the great indignation of God against sinners, ye may the rather be moved to earnest and true repentance; and may walk more warily in these dangerous days; fleeing from such vices, for which ye affirm with your own mouths the curse of God to be due.

Cursed is the man that maketh any carved or golden image, to worship it.

And the people shall answer and say, Amen.

Minister. Cursed is he that curseth his father or mother. Answer: Amen.

Etc.

The Psalter, better known as the Book of Psalms, appears in full in this book, printed with all the Psalms in order, divided in such a way that they can be read through in thirty days, in a cycle of morning and evening readings.

The Psalms are each given with their number and the first two or several words of the Psalm in Latin. A typical example would be Psalm 144, which appears under the heading:

PSALM CXLIV. Benedictus Dominus.

In the Table of Contents, the final entry is No. 29, "Articles of Religion", which contains thirty-nine articles of faith held (at least in those days) by the Church of England. However, after the conclusion of the article, there is one more page, not found in the Table of Contents, entitled

"A Table of Kindred and Affinity, wherein whosoever are related are forbidden in Scripture and our Laws to marry together."

This curious little page is found on page 459, the last page of the first book of the codex, followed by

THE END

A formal definition of incest, not found in the Table of Contents, is a very strange way to end a large book.

The title page of the second book (page 460 of the PDF) in this codex reads:

PROPER LESSONS

TO BE READ AT

MATTINS AND EVENSONG

ON THE

Sundays and other Holy-days

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

[A seal]

OXFORD: PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS

Proper Lessons does not have a table of contents, but dives straight into the Sundays of the liturgical year, beginning with the first Sunday in Advent. It gives the lessons for Mattins, Isaiah 1, and for Evenson, Isaiah 2. For Evensong an alternate selection is given, beginning at Isaiah 4:2. The texts to be read from Isaiah are given in full, with the chapter (and when applicable, verse) reference for the beginning of the reading given at the top, but the text itself is not broken up by verse numbers.

Readings continue in a similar format for the rest of the year, including selections from many books of the Bible, sometimes in canonical order, sometimes not. The whole second book is geared clearly toward the reader familiar with the liturgical calendar -- if you know the liturgical calendar, finding its corresponding reading is easy enough. But if you're looking for a particular passage itself, without regard to when it is read, you will have a difficult time.

The "lessons", or Scripture selections, are mostly from the Old Testament, though selections from the New Testament appear also.

This second book extends from page 460 to 860.