commemorated Christ by night, at the peril of martyrdom on the morrow. The same words of blessing, "Peace be with you," "The Lord be with you,” reminded men then, as now, of their common dependence on God. While theological speculations tend to separate Christians, our devotional forms have an opposite tendency to counteract this influence, by putting each worshipper into conscious relations with the whole Christian Church. Besides this, the associations which gradually collect around a Book of Common Prayer not only add to its interest and value, but in time constitute an essential part of the work itself. The child reads the same page which his parents read, and his devotions are warmed and hallowed by his remembrance of the affection and the faith of those, who may have been called from the worship of an earthly temple to a holier worship in Heaven. For such reasons as these, while additions have been made as circumstances required, it has been thought important to abstain carefully from all needless alterations. IN NOTE. N the present edition a few Collects from ancient liturgies, and Prayers for special occasions, have been added. The Confirmation Service, at page 249, is taken from the "Common Prayer for Christian Worship" of Dr. Sadler and Rev. James Martineau. It is not inserted as an obligatory service, but as enriching the devotional treasures of this Liturgy, and to meet the desire, sometimes felt in the early freshness of religious experience, for an open form of Christian profession. The only other changes from the previous edition have been conformed to the principles laid down in the foregoing Preface, and are confined to some verbal alterations in the Psalter, and in the Occasional Services. |