The Ritual Reason Why

ition to Ritual due to a mistaken or inadequate view of its meaning and intention, but Scripture itself teaches us the duty of instructing the people in the rationale of Divine Ceremonial; the objective end of which is that it " may be a sign among us, that when our children ask?what mean ye by these " things, we may " Answer them." (Josh. iv. 6.) In the present little work an attempt has been made to fill up the able outline supplied by Mr. Lee in the book referredto, and it is hoped that by the help of a copious Index, the sincere inquirer will be able to obtain a ready explanation of every custom which is ordinarily to be met with in Churches where the ceremonial of Divine worship receives that degree of care which it surely demands. But it ought to be said at the outset, that the author's design has been rather to provide a book of reference ?hence the care that has been taken to make the Index as complete as possible?than one of study. It is not (except incidentally) a defence of, or an apology for, Ritual; still less does it pretend to any critical correctness in dealing with the subject. The writer was quite content to take the Prayer Book as he found it, and to treat of such ritual observances as have actually gathered round it; it was manifestly out of his province to weigh the comparative merits of various Liturgies, or to suggest improvements in any of the minutia of the actual system, which under the name of "Ritualism" has of late been attracting s...