V
With the accession of James II we come to an important point in the developement of the English rite. Since James was a member of the Roman Church he was not allowed to receive the Holy Sacrament after the use of the English Church, and Abp Sancroft was accordingly commissioned to edit the rite and omit the Communion altogether. Unhappily Sancroft in his work of editing made many and considerable alterations in the rite itself, which have never subsequently been properly rectified[86].
After the Recognition the king and queen make their first oblation, and then is said the prayer O God, who dwellest in the high and holy place, which is a much altered version of Deus visitator humilium. The Litany is said, and then follow the prayers Almighty and everlasting God, creator of all things, which has been altered and shortened, and O God, who providest, practically unchanged. The two prayers O Lord, thou that governest and God the unspeakable author are omitted. Here follows the sermon, and the sermon over, the king takes the oath, which is the same as that of Charles I, except that in the first question ‘The Gospel established in the Church of England’ is changed to ‘The Gospel established in this kingdom’; after which is sung the Veni Creator in the version now in use. Then is said We beseech thee, O Lord, Holy Father (unaltered), and then, introduced by Sursum corda and Preface, the consecration prayer God, the exalter of the humble and strength of thy chosen (shortened), after which the choir sings Zadok the priest. The king is then anointed as hitherto with the form Be this head anointed with holy oil; and as kings and prophets were anointed, etc.; and the archbishop says the prayer God the son of God; the prayer God which art the glory of the righteous being omitted. Certain changes are made in the forms of investiture; the prayer said after the vesting with the Colobium is changed into a benediction of the king; from the form with which the Sword is delivered it is noticeable that the words for the defence of Christ’s holy church are omitted, and the reference to the persecution of infidels and heretics also disappears; the form accompanying the investiture with the Pallium is made to include the delivery of the Orb, an unfortunate innovation which has been retained to this day, for the orb is perhaps but another form of the sceptre; at the crowning O God, the crown of the faithful appears in its present form, much altered from the original, and the prayers God crown thee and O eternal God (O God of eternity) are also altered; the archbishop reads the first anthem Be strong, and the choir sings the second The king shall rejoice; the blessing of the Ring is omitted, and the prayer following its delivery, O God, to whom belongeth all power, also disappears; the form of the investiture with the Verge is much changed. At this point the king makes his second oblation, which should have taken place at the offertory, and the archbishop blesses the king with the blessing The Lord give thee of the dew of heaven, a much altered edition of the older form, which in the previous order followed the Secret; and then curiously enough there reappears a short edition of the old In diebus eius (In thy days may justice flourish), which last was used in the second recension of the English rite. A new benediction appears, The Lord preserve thy life, and the old, The Lord bless thee and keep thee, is altered, the last prayer for clergy and people acquiring much of its present form, And the same good Lord grant that the clergy and people, etc. After Te Deum the king is enthroned in much the present form, and after the homage a final anthem is sung.
At the queen’s coronation the prayer Almighty and everlasting God, the fountain of all goodness is somewhat altered, and the next prayer God, which only hast immortality is omitted. In the prayer following the anointing the words that as by the imposition of hands she is this day crowned queen becomes that as by our office and ministry she is this day anointed and solemnly consecrated our queen. The form with which the ring is given is quite different from the form hitherto used after the opening words, and the prayer following, God, to whom belongeth all power, is omitted. At the crowning God, the crown of the faithful is omitted, and the forms Receive the crown of glory and Seeing you are by our ministry are combined into one. The order ends with the prayer O Lord, the fountain of all good things and a final anthem.
There was no Communion service, and after the crowning of the queen three final collects were said and then the Blessing.
Archbishop Sancroft has been much blamed for his handiwork on the coronation rite, and it is certainly much to be regretted that he made so many and unnecessary alterations in the language of the old prayers. On the other hand it is a question whether the rite has not gained by the omission of some of the prayers, for the order as he found it was very conflate, many of the prayers being originally alternatives, which in process of time had become additional prayers in such a way as to cause a great deal of repetition and to make the service unnecessarily long and burdensome.