Excerpt from An Historical Inquiry Into the True Interpretation of the Rubrics in the Book of Common Prayer, Respecting the Sermon and the Communion Service

The Author trusts he shall not be presuming unduly upon the patient attention of the reader, in having entered so fully as he has done in the follow ing pages, into the questions proposed for conside ration. He would gladly have compressed his mate rials within narrower limits, but that he feared the effect would be to make the discussion less likely to lead to a satisfactory result. And if the reader has felt, as the writer has done, the weariness of finding conflicting authorities cited in controversial discus sion, with little means of ascertaining the weight to be attached to each, or the place which it occupies in the history, he will not be indisposed to dwell somewhat more leisurely upon the examination of the documents which appear to be of chief au thority in the resolution of the questions in de bate. The impression derived from a particular order. Or direction, is often essentially'modified by a comparison of the context in which it stands, or of the whole document of which it forms part; and it is, in many cases, only by such comparison, or by reference to other contemporary testimonies, that it can be clearly ascertained whether the particular order in question may be taken as awitness to the general practice of the time, or is rather an evidence to the contrary.

It has been the desire of the Author to give, in the form of extracts from original sources, such a general view of the order of things at the time when the several Rubrics were drawn up, and of the cir cumstances which they presupposed, as may serve to guard the interpretation of them from the mis apprehensions to which they are liable, if considered simply in their letter, without regard to the origin and history of each. And in some cases, the fuller discussion of the points immediately concerned seemed to throw light upon others of perhaps greater importance and interest, connected with our Book of Common Prayer and with the general history of our Church. In regard particularly to the first head in the following inquiry, which may appear to have had a space allotted to it beyond its re lative importance, the Author would wish to ob serve, that it was found impossible to examine pro perly the question respecting the dress of the preacher without entering upon the subject of vest ments generally; and in the course of the inquiry some questions arose which seemed to require in vestigation, in regard to the present rule of the Church in these matters. It seemed also desirable, under the same head, in noticing the successive forms in which our Prayer Book has been put forth at several times, to mark the peculiar authority on which it rested in each case; as tending specially to suggest some considerations which are not unimportant at the present time.

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