The Governor said: I cannot bear the "preliminaries" of religious service.
By common consent the exercises in the churches going before the sermon are called "preliminaries." The dictionary says that a "preliminary" is that which precedes the main business.

We do not think the sermon ought to be considered the main business.

When a pastor at the beginning of the first prayer says "O God!" he has entered upon the most important duty of the service.

We would not depreciate the sermon, but we plead for more attention to the "preliminaries." If a minister cannot get the attention of the people for prayer or Bible reading, it is his own fault.

Much of the interest of a service depends upon how it is launched.
The "preliminaries" are, for the most part, the time in which people in church examine their neighbors' clothes.