The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-25
THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER.

A recent number of the Nashville Christian Ad
Uocdte has learned critique Of the English
Liturgy, in which we have no difficulty to recog.
nize the ripe scholarship of our friend, Rev. 7. O.
SUMMERS, D. D., one of the foremost theologians
| in America. Although he breaches from q Metho-
dist pulpit, and writes for Methodist readers, his
early Episcopalian training and his innate good
taste throws patristic air and halo around his
labors, bare, bald and unattractive in other hands,
DR.. SUMNERs' many friends in this city will be
pleased to read even few extracts, as the entire
article is too long for us to reproduce.
The Liturgy of the Church of England is un-
questionably the most sublime in the world There
is nothing equal to it, in ancient or modern times.
An error respecting it is very prevalent, namely,
that it is for the most part of Romish origin. 1t
| is wonderful that so great mistake should have
| so wide an acceptation. We believe there is
nothing in tiff possibly one or two out Of nearly
| a hundred Collects be excepted-of Romish or mo.
di@val origin. Tho millennium Of dark ages, from
the. sixth to the sixteenth century, contributed
nothing appreciable to tho English Prayer Book.
Tho sources OF the book are as follows:
l. The Bible. We were once much amused at O
remark Of Presbyterian minister in Texas to the
effect that Episcopalians need not brag 30 much Of
their Prayer Book as it vas nearly all taken from
the Biblel That is true. Take out the Sentences,
Psalms, Epistles and Gospels, the Proper Lessons,
the Lords Prayer, Benedicus. MdJnifcai, Nunc
Damiais. Decaloguo (not to count the Lenedicate
from the Apochrypha, and numerous quotations
from the Scriptures in che Collects and esewhere),
and the Prayer Book will be greatly reduced in its
proportions. That the foregoing are, for tho most
part, suitable selections for public cu1us will not
be questioned, whatever objections might be made
to the order OF their arrangement or the frequency
Of their repetition. The great praise of the Prayer
Book is not its originality, but its scriptural char
acte.
2. The second source Of the Liturgy is Patristc
A great part of the Daily Service is primitive
as also the Sunday Collects-hardly any OF them
being later than the sixth century; most of them
are found in the Sacramentares of Leo, Gelasus
and Gregory.
The 1e Deln is ascribed by StllngHeet to
Nicetus, Bishop of Triers in Gaul, who is said to
have composed it for the Gallic Church, about IA.
D. 535, but it soon became in general use. Some
have ascribed it to Ambrose and Augustin, in the
preceding century.
The Gloria in ExceLsis is attributed to Teles-
phorus, Bishop of Rome, who is said to have en-
joined its use A. D. 126. This may be doubted,
but Symmachus, at the beginning Of the sixth GEN.
holidays, except Advent, Innocents' Day and Lent.
1t Is found, i'll nearly our form, in the Apostolcal
Constitutions. The first part of it is the Angels
Song at the Nativity OF Christ. Luke ii, IA.
The language of the Liturgy batting few OBJ
solete and obsoescent expressions-is rich and
sublime, and devotional, almost beyond parallel.
In this respect it nearly takes rank with our
authorized version of tho Holy Scriptures being
second alone to that great "well OF English unde-
filed" We have compared the translations Of the
Collects, for example, as found in this Liturgy,
with the transations of the same prayers, in
other rituals, and the petitions hardly seem to be
the same The simplicity, purity, dignity, mai
esty and fervour OF the language, 30 admirably
adapted to the sentiment and TO the ends Of devo-
ton, assign. it the foremost place among the
euchologies Of the Church.
NJ. EMILE GIRARDIN, the clever Partisan editor
has witty and sarcastic style that renders him
terrible adversary. He treasures up the weak
nesses of his friends for a wrathy day, and then
shoots them home with grace and skill that draw
with them the mrth Or scorn of the public. His
latest quarrel with his Imperial friend, patron,
and protege-for no one man has contributed more
to LOUIS NAPoLEoN's elevation than GIRARDIN-
and the result is matter OF no slight interest.
GIRARD1N scoffingly holds up the Emperor's fail
ngs, and parades his German and Italian wrecks
III manner calculated to excite anything but
pity or admiration in the minds of an cxcitable
French people. II is unfortunate for the Emperor
that the editor is too rich to care anything
dDUul tlc iiiipOScu ~ I'LL oDoCduiOuo JU
dietary Under the arbitrary press laws, and
too great to be suppressed by the flourish VI
policeman's baton. So GIRARDIN goes on,
crticses the Imperial policy in manner
that exc;tes the envy of his poorer and weaker
professional brethren. The "black man" has
very little terrors for him. His latest exploit
in reply to an official warning to publish no more
articles OH the Constitution in his journal. 1t will,
of course excite surprise i'll the minds Of inteli-
gent republicans on this side the Atlantic that ar
tcles upon the Constitution should produce I'M
easiness in any quarter, But ..they manage these
things differently in Franco" as may be inferred
from the restiveness Of LOUIS NAPOLEON, under
the constitutional lectures of the Liberie. But
GIRARD1N is not to be silenced so easily. He re-
retorted that he would, therefore, be obliged to
write upon other matters; for example, on the loyal
manner i'll which LOUIS PHnLIPPE was received i'll
Lille, in 1Sl7-only few months before his fall.
This reply suggests parallel, the force OF which
must BIZ koenly felt by the present Emperor, who
has only just returned from visit to the PROV
inccs, where he was treated with degree Of res
pect which, according to GIRARDIN, may presage
the speedy ruin OF the Napoleonic dynasty. The
moral is, that sven an Emperor should not quarrel
with all oditor.