The Portland daily press., 1893-01-13
NEW EPISCOPAL PRAYER BOOK.
The Important Alterations Made by the
Recent Convention.

The new Standard Book of Common
Prayer, for use in the Protestant Episco-
pal Church in the United States, has
been published.
This is the first publication which con
tains the official alter lions and additions
in the Book of Common Prayer, which
were finally adopted by the general con-
vention at Baltimore Last October. Some
of these additions and changes have been
in use in the Episcopal churches for
years, but this is the first official publ
cation which contains them within the
title proper of the STANDARD Book of
Common Prayer"
Many of the changes made in the new
book may be found by referring to the
old book in a leaflet which was bound in
before the title page. They are the re-
suit of the demand in America for
changes in the Standard, which was
adopted by the American church IN 1879.
Many of them were suggested by the
Liturgic Enrichment Committee of the
Episcopal Church, which has been labor
ing for years.
When the general convention met at
Baltimore it was charged with the most
important duty of incorporating these
changes into the book itself. In order to
do this the order of prayer, both morn
ing and evening, the litany, the prayers
and thanksgiving, the offices, the col
lects, episIles and gospels, the orders
for the administration of the communion,
baptism and marriage, and also the
psalter, had to be rewritten and re-
arranged.
One of the most interesting changes is
in the prayer for the President of the
United States, which in the new book
reads as follows:
almighty God. whose kingdom is
everlasting and power infinite, have
mercy upon this whole land, and SO rule
the hearts of thy servants, the President
of the United States, the Governor of
this State, and all others in authority,
that they, knowing whose mini STEERS they
are, may, above all things, seek Thy honor
and glory. and that we and all the peo-
pie, duly considering whose authority
they bear, may faithfully and obediently
honor Thee, in Thee and for Til g, ac-
cording to Thy blessed Word and ordi-
nance; through Jesus Christ our Lord
who with Thee and the Holy Ghost livd
eth and reigneth ever, one God, worl
without end, Amen" No reference is
made in the old prayer to the Governor
of the State.
In the order of the daily evening
prayer, between the response And
grant us Thy salvation and the versicle
''OsGod, make clean our hearts within
us there is inserted:
minister. O Lord, save the State.
Answer. And mercifully hear us when
we call upon Thee. NJ. Endue Thy min
listers with righteousness. A. And
make Thy chosen people joyful. NJ. o
Lord, save Thy people A. And bless
Thine inheritance. NJ. Give peace in
our time, o Lord. A. For it is Thou,
Lord, only, that makest us dwell in
safety"
In the litany the words Here endeth
the litany'' are omitted.
In the order for the administration of
the Lords Supper there are also several
changes; for instance, in the Prayer of
Conservation instead of the words, HE
may dwell in them and they in Him.
there is substituted, HE may dwell in
us and we in Him."
In the order of Baptism. for the words
these persons or ''the PERSONS wher-
ever they occur in the prayers, and for
the words ''these persons where they
occur the second time in the third of
the rubrics at the end of the service,
there are substituted the words ''these
Thy servants"
In the form of solemnization of matri-
mony there is also change as follows: