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Show pa :pi wmwt senwe IN NEW CHURCH RITUfil NEW YORK. May 7. The book of common worship has just been published pub-lished with the authority of the Presbyterian Pres-byterian general assembly. For three years a special committee on forms and purposes and services of the general assembly, headed by - the Rev. Dr. Henry Van Dyke, has been working on this new prayer book. " The approval of the general assembly to the innovatlotvwas not secured without a struggle, as many Presbyterians Presby-terians objected to any "form" In the church. . It Is expected by Presbyterian leaders lead-ers that some churches will refrain from using the new book, but in the East and In the large cities of the country generally, It is expected to be largely adopted. , . In many particulars the book of common com-mon worship has points of similarity to the Episcopal book of .common prayer. ' The marriage ceremony In the new book Omits the word "obey," to which so many have objected and It also omits the reference to "worldly goods," with which the man and woman In some marriage forms "endowed" to each other. i 4 It Is noted that although the book was, of course, planned long before the San Francisco calamity, one of the prayers It contains Is especially applicable ap-plicable to that disaster, and shows how carefully the book has been planned to meet unusual circumstances. circum-stances. The prayer reads: "Almight God, who art a very present pres-ent help in time of trouble, let not the heart of thy people fall when fear cometh, but do thou sustain and comfort com-fort them until the calamities be overpassed over-passed and since thou knowest the cause and reason why this grieved disaster dis-aster of earthquake and fire hath fallen upon men so do thou heal the hurt and wounded, console the bereaved and afflicted, af-flicted, protect the innocent and helpless help-less and deliver .any who are still In peril, for thy great mercy sake. Amen." |