Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from A History of the Use of Incense in Divine Worship
The use of incense and processio'nal lights has been of late discussed in the Anglican Church with considerably more fervour than knowledge, and it has assumed an importance in controversy all out of proportion to its merits. Bishops and curates, members of Parliament and the man in the street, have discoursed at large upon the ceremonial connected with incense and processional lights with a vehemence and emphasis that could not have been greater, had the subject of their debate been a cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith, instead of two unimportant and comparatively trivial ceremonies.
The blame for this rests more or less equally on all the parties concerned: but the entire lack of a due sense of proportion shewn on all sides is not an encouraging indica tion either of theological attainments or of statesmanship. Moreover, the judicial and historical spirit which should have inspired this controversy has almost always been lacking: ill-taught zeal and unrestrained imagination have taken its place.
Under such circumstances it would seem that there is room for an attempt at a merely historical investigation of the subject, with no ulterior motive than discovery of the facts of the case. This, such as it is, is now set before the reader. It is the result of many years work in collecting and comparing the various pieces of information, the digest of which may perhaps present, if not many new facts, some new ways of regarding long known ones.
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