ticles, Canons, &c. of the English Church, a work which made its first appearance in 1671. The present Edition is printed from that of 1684, the last which appeared in the Author's lifetime; in which, however, he did not think it necessary to alter the Rubrics and Collects as they stood when it was first published, according to the revised Prayer Book put forth by authority of Convocation in 1661. These necessary substitutions have here been made; the older forms being adtled at the foot of the page. The references have all been verified with great care and exactness by the Rev. GEORGE BERKELEY, of Pembroke College, and Curate of St. Aldate's, to whom the Edition is otherwise much indebted. O The Reader will find one or two historical inaccuracies on the part of Bishop Sparrow in the course of the volume, which however are not of consequence enough to require more than this passing allusion; such as the ascription of the Te Deum to St. Ambrose, the Creed of St. Athanasius to the Father whose name it bears. ORIEL COLLEGE, J. H. N. HE present age pretends so great love to reason, that this RATIONALE may, even for its name, hope for acceptation; which it will the sooner have, if the Reader know that the Author vents it not for a full and just, much less a public and authentic piece, but as his own private Essay, (wholly submitted to the censure of our holy mother the Church, and the reverend Fathers of the same,) and composed on purpose to keep some from moving that way, which, it is feared some will say it leads to. The Author's design was not by rhetoric first to court the affections, and then by their help to carry the understanding; but quite contrary, by reason to work upon the judgment, and leave that to deal with the affections. The poor Liturgy suffers from two extremes; one sort says it is old superstitious Roman dotage; the other, it is schismatically new. This book endeavours to shew particularly, what Bishop Jewel says in general; I. That it is agreeable to PRIMITIVE USAGE, and so, not novel. II. That it is A REASONABLE SERVICE, and so not superstitious. As for those that love it, and suffer for the love of it, this will shew them reasons why they should suffer on, and love it still more and more. To end, if the Reader will cast his eye upon the sad confusions in point of prayer, (wherein are such contradictions made as God Almighty cannot grant,) and lay them as rubbish under these fundamental considerations; first, how many set forms (of petition, blessing, and praise) be recorded in the Old and New Testament, used both in the Church militant and triumphant; secondly, how much of the Liturgy is very Scripture; thirdly, how admirable a thing Unity, (unity in time, form, &c.) is; fourthly, how many millions of poor souls are in the world, ignorant, infirm by nature, age, accidents, (as blindness, deafness, loss of speech, &c.) which respectively may receive help by set forms, but cannot so well (or not at all) by extemporary voluntary effusions, and then upon all these will build what he reads in this book; he will, if not be convinced to join in com |