( C) THE COMMON LESSONS.

The Series of Daily Lessons from the Old Testament is now so arranged that, in the course of the year, the main substance of the whole is read through, with the omission of the Psalter and the Song of Solomon, and ( except as regards one chapter) the 1st Chronicles, which runs nearly parallel with 2 Samuel. The principle of selection is, how­ever, freely applied, and portions omitted, which for any reason are thought not likely to tend to edification. This is done spar­ingly in the purely historical books, more frequently in the books of Leviticus and Num­bers, and in some of the Pro­phetic books; and the books of Chronicles are only read so far as seems needful to supplement the narrative of the books of Kings. Under the Old Lection­ary the principle of selection was admitted, but far less freely used. The books of Chronicles and the Song of Solomon were omitted altogether, the books of Leviticus and Ezekiel almost entirely, and much of the book of Numbers. Otherwise the

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reading was almost continuous, and the lessons generally coin­cided with the chapters.

To these are now added a few chapters from the" Apocryphal" or Ecclesiastical books of Wis­dom, Ecclesiasticus, and Baruch. The books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, and Baruch, with the Story of Su­sanna, and Bel and the Dra­gon, were read under the Old Lectionary.

The New Testament is read through twice in the year, ex­cept the book of Revelation, which( with a few omissions) is read once, at the close of the year, falling in with the Advent and Christmas seasons. It is arranged that in the former half of the year, the Gospels are read in the morning and the Acts and Epistles in the evening, and in the latter half this order is reversed. Under the old system the New Testament was read thrice- the Gospels and Acts always in the morning, the Epistles in the evening; but the Book of Revelation was alto­gether omitted.

( D) For the EPISTLES and GOSPELS, see p. 58.