49-3. Let the people upon entering the church take their seats in a decent and reverent manner, and engage in a silent prayer for a blessing upon themselves, the minister, and all present, as well as upon those who are unable to attend worship.

DIGEST: BCO 26-2 having been temporarily suspended in 1973 (then numbered as 27-2), many changes to the BCO were later proposed by the Constitutional Documents Committee. The current text of this paragraph dates to those changes adopted in 1975. (M3GA, 3-15, p. 56), where in this instance, the word "grave" has been removed from the text. Apart from that change, the text otherwise dates to the second draft of the PCUSA's Directory for Worship (1786).

BACKGROUND AND COMPARISON :
PCA 1973, Adopted text, DfW 2-2 [M1GA, Appendix, p. 155]
Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, Proposed text,
and
PCUS 1933, DfW II, §308.
Let the people upon entering the church take their seats in a decent, grave and reverent manner, and engage in a silent prayer for a blessing upon themselves, the minister, and all present, as well as upon those who are detained from the House of God.

PCUS 1925, DfW II-1 [§309]
and
PCUS 1894, II-1
When the time appointed for public worship is come, let the people enter the church, and having taken their seats in a decent, grave, and reverent manner, engage in silent prayer for a blessing upon themselves, the minister, and all present, as well as upon others who are detained from the house of God.

PCUSA 1789, DfW, II-1
When the time appointed for public worship is come, let the people enter the church, and take their seats, in a decent, grave, and reverent manner.

PCUSA 1786, DfW, 2d draught
When the time appointed for public worship is come, let the people enter the Church, and take their seats, in a decent, grave, and reverent manner. And, after the Congregation is asssembled, the Minister shall begin the service with prayer, . . .

COMMENTARY
Morton H. Smith, Commentary on the Book of Church Order, 6th edition, 2007, p. 410.
What are we to do upon entering the church prior to the beginning of the worship service? It is not a time for socializing. It is a time to begin one's personal communion with God in silent prayer. These prayers are to have particularly the subject of blessing upon the individual, upon the minister, upon all present, and upon those not able to attend. Again, if this were followed by all, we could well anticipate the granting of such blessings. Such silent prayer would bring upon all present a sense of the solemnity and seriousness of the act of worshipping the Living God.