But I find no such prayer and wish in any
word of the Commination Service. Its form is not, 'Cursed _be_ he
that doeth such and such things,' but 'Cursed _is_ he that doeth
them.'
Does this seem to you a small difference? A fine-drawn question of
words? Is it, then, a small difference whether I say to my fellow-
man, I hope and pray that you may be stricken with disease, or
whether I say, You are stricken with disease, whether you know it or
not. I warn you of it, and I warn you to go to the physician? For
so great, and no less, is the difference.
And if any one shall say, that it is very probable that the authors
of the Liturgy were not conscious of this distinction; but that they
meant by cursing what priests in most ages have meant by it; I must
answer, that it is dealing them most hard and unfair measure, to
take for granted that they were as careless about words as we are;
that they were (like some of us) so ignorant of grammar as not to
know the difference between the indicative and the imperative mood;
and to assume this, in order to make them say exactly what they do
_not_ say, and to impute to them a ferocity of which no hint is
given in their Commination Service.
But some will say, Granted that the authors of the Commination
Service did not wish evil to sinners--granted that they did not long
to pray, with bell, book, and candle, that they might be tormented
for ever in Gehenna--granted that they did not desire to burn their
bodies on earth; those words are still dark and unchristian.
Pages:
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104