THE SUBSTANCE OF EVERY THING LITURGICAL IN BISHOP SPARROW, MR. L'ESTRANGE, DR. COMBER, DR. NICHOLS, BY CHARLES WHEATLY, M.A. VICAR OF BRENT AND FURNEUX PELHAM IN HERTFORDSHIRE. LIBRARS HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. MDCCCXLVIII. NEW-YORK THE PREFACE. In a former edition of this book, which was printed in folio, I was at a loss in what manner I was to address the reader; that is, whether I was to bespeak his candour as to an entire new book, or whether only the continuance of it as to a new edition of an old one. I called it indeed the third edition in the title-page; though I think I had but little other reason for doing so, than my having twice published a treatise upon the same subject before. For scarce a fifth part of what I then offered to the world was printed from either of the former editions; nor had so much of them as I have mentioned been continued entire, had I foreseen how little I should have confined myself to the rest. But when it first went to the press, I had no other design than to have reprinted it exactly from the second edition; except that I had yielded to the request of the booksellers, who, being encouraged by the quick sale of two large impressions, in a smaller volume, were willing to run the hazard of one in a larger size. This was all the alteration I proposed: nor did I think of any other, till the introductory discourse, the whole first chapter, and great part of the second, were worked off from the press; which therefore, for the most part, stand just as they did before, and not in the method into which I should have thrown them, had I known from the beginning what alterations I should have made. However, the reader will have no reason to complain; since though the form would have been different, the arguments notwithstanding must have been much the same: and they sure will appear to a better advantage by standing entire, and in the light they are set by the authors themselves, from whom I have borrowed them, than if they had been broke into comments and notes, and produced in parcels, as the rubrics would have required; which was the method I afterwards thought fit to pursue. For * I desire that what I have said may be principally understood of the introductory discourse (which is almost verbally transcribed from Dr. Bennet's Brief History of the joint Use of precomposed set Forms of Prayer) and of the three first sections of the second chapter; for the first of which I am partly obliged to bishop Beveridge's Discourse on The Necessity and Advantage of Public Prayer; for the second to Dr. Cave's Primitive Christianity; and for the third to Mr. Roberts's excellent Sermon at the Primary Visitation of the late bishop of Exeter at Oakhampton. The two following sections of that chapter are pretty much in the method I afterwards observed, and so for the most part is the whole first chapter; for the first division of which (concerning the Tables and Rules) I must not forget to repeat the acknowledgments I have more than once made to the learned Dr. Brett. |