Page:Letters from New Zealand (Harper).djvu/295

Rh cometh to judge the Earth, and with righteousness to judge the world and the people with His truth.' We made this alteration because those verses about our fathers in the Wilderness seemed out of place in the invitation to worship." I confess I couldn't see the force of this. "Then," he continued, "we drew up for use, if desired, a selection of Psalms on all days except when Proper Psalms are appointed, thus shortening the service, and getting rid of some Psalms which do not suit our times. In the versicles after the Creed we omit the words, 'Because there is none other that fighteth for us, but only Thou O God,' and substitute, 'For it is Thou Lord only that maketh us dwell in safety.' It seems a contradiction to fact to say that none fighteth for us save God." Again I was unable to see the force of this. "And in the Litany, in the response, 'O Lord deal not with us after our sins, Neither reward us after our iniquities,' we substitute 'according to' for 'after,' as such an archaic phrase is not easily understood." Again I demurred; surely if there is any difficulty, it is an advantage to everyone to have to think out, at times, the meaning of the Church prayers. Other changes he spoke of which seem very useful. "We have added several prayers for special occasions, such as for Unity, for Missions, Family Prayers for a sick person, or child, for persons under affliction, for travellers by sea, with corresponding thanksgivings. We have made an important change in the Order of Administration of Holy Communion; introducing the Prayer of Oblation, the Invocation, and the offering of ourselves, with prayer for worthy Communion, after the Consecration, and before actual Communion, thus bringing the service into line with the Ancient