The Sunday Service

Wesley's Cover Letter

BRISTOL, Sept. 10, 1784.

To Dr. COKE, Mr. ASBURY, and our Brethren in NORTH-AMERICA.

1. By a very uncommon train of providences, many of the provinces of North-America are totally disjoined from their mother-country, and erected into Independent States. The English government has no authority over them either civil or ecclesiastical, any more than over the States of Holland. A civil authority is exercised over them, partly by the Congress, partly by the provincial Assemblies. But no one either exercises or claims any ecclesiastical authority at all. In this peculiar situation some thousands of the inhabitants of these States desire my advice; and in compliance with their desire, I have drawn up a little sketch.

2. Lord King's account of the primitive church convinced me many years ago, that Bishops and Presbyters are the same order, and consequently have the same right to ordain. For many years I have been importuned from time to time, to exercise this right, by ordaining part of our travelling preachers. But I have still refused, not only for peace's sake: but because I was determined, as little as possible to violate the established order of the national church to which I belonged.

3. But the case is widely different between England and North-America. Here there are Bishops who have a legal jurisdiction. In America there are none, neither any parish ministers. So that for some hundred miles together there is none either to baptize or to administer the Lord's supper. Here therefore my scruples are at an end: and I conceive myself at full liberty, as I violate no order and invade no man's right, by appointing and sending labourers into the harvest.

4. I have accordingly appointed Dr. Coke and Mr. Francis Asbury to be joint Superintendents over our brethren in North America: as also Richard Whatcoat and Thomas Vasey, to act as Elders among them, by baptizing and administering the Lord's supper. And I have prepared a liturgy little differing from that of the Church of England (I think, the best constituted national church in the world) which I advise all the travelling-preachers to use, on the Lord's day, in all their congregations, reading the litany only on Wednesdays and Fridays, and praying extempore on all other days. I also advise the elders to administer the supper of the Lord on every Lord's day.

5. If any one will point out a more rational and scriptural way, of feeding and guiding those poor sheep in the wilderness, I will gladly embrace it. At present I cannot see any better method than that I have taken.

6. It has indeed been proposed, to desire the English Bishops, to ordain part of our preachers for America. But to this I object: 1. I desired the Bishop of London, to ordain only one; but could not prevail: 2. If they consented, we know the slowness of their proceedings; but the matter admits of no delay. 3. If they would ordain them now, they would likewise expect to govern them. And how grievously would this entangle us? 4. As our American brethren are now totally disentangled both from the State, and from the English Hierarchy, we dare not entangle them again, either with the one or the other. They are now at full liberty, simply to follow the scriptures and the primitive church. And we judge it best that they should stand fast in that liberty, wherewith God has so strangely made them free.

JOHN WESLEY

Summer's Preface

This edition of the Sunday Service is published by order of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, at its session in New Orleans, May 2, 1866. It is a reprint of the second edition of the Prayer-book, printed on Mr. Wesley's press, in 1786—except in the following particulars: The Psalms (c., xcviii., lxvii.) and Benediction are taken from the authorized version of the English Bible, as being preferable to the old version: they are printed without abridgment and without the Gloria Patri. The Epistles and Gospels are also printed according to the authorized version, from which in several instances—perhaps for the better—Mr. Wesley's book varies.

For the sake of uniformity, the recension of the Lord's Prayer in the Discipline and Catechisms has been adopted.

The clause in the Creed, "He descended into hell" has been removed, as it was omitted in the Creed in the Office of Baptism, in the Prayer-book of 1786, and has not since been inserted in that place, or in the Creed as contained in the various Catechisms of our Communion, as it was not in the original Creeds of the Greek and Latin Churches; and the Third Article of the Anglican Confession, which asserts it, was omitted by Mr. Wesley when he abridged the Thirty-nine Articles for insertion in the Prayer-book—it being equivocal in its import, some interpreting it of the wrath of God, due for sin, which Christ bore in his soul; some, of the place of torment; some, of a fabulous place called Limbus Patrum; some, of paradise, the place of disembodied saints; some, of the state of the dead; and others, of the grave.

The clause, "holy Catholic Church," being retained in the Creed as found in the Catechisms, but exchanged for "the Church of God" in the Office of Baptism, is retained, with a rubric allowing the use of the latter.

In the Prayer for all "Conditions of Men," the word "Catholic" is exchanged for "universal," as in the Litany.

In the Prayers for Rulers, some necessary changes have been made, which need not be specified in this place; and in a few instances the language has been modernized, e. g., "prosperity" and "fear" have been substituted for "wealth" and "dread," to avoid ambiguity.

A Table of Psalms for every Day in the Calendar would have been inserted with the other Tables, had it not been rendered impracticable by Mr. Wesley's omissions not only of whole Psalms, but, in many cases, single verses; and it was thought inexpedient to reprint the Psalter, as it is in the old and inferior translation, and would unduly swell the work—not to say, that it is divided into portions for a Daily, not a Sunday Service. This part of the Service is therefore left to the discretion of the Minister.

Great attention has been given to the punctuation, which is very defective in Mr. Wesley's and many other editions of the Liturgy.

The alterations and omissions have been made with the sanction of the Bishops—the General Conference having given no instructions in the premises—Bishop McTyeire, in particular, being present, has favored the editor with his valuable counsels and approbation.

It would be improper to issue this edition of the Prayer-book without inserting Mr. Wesley's original Preface—which is as follows:

It will be seen that this abridgment of the English Liturgy was made by Mr. Wesley for the "Societies in America," before the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized by his authority in December, 1784.

The Sunday Service is reprinted for "any congregation that may choose to use it;" but is not, like the Ordination, Sacramental, Marriage, and Burial Services, (which were at first bound up with the former,) made obligatory.

THOS. O. SUMMERS.

PUBLISHING HOUSE OF THE M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH, February 13, 1867.