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paffions, and may generate in time a permanent and productive benevolence.

2. Affemblies for the purpose of divine worship, placing men under impreffions, by which they are taught to confider their relation to the Deity, and to contemplate thofe around them with a view to that relation, force upon their thoughts the natural equality of the human fpecies, and thereby promote humility and condefcenfion in the higheft orders of the community, and infpire the loweft with a fenfe of their rights. The diftinctions of civil life are almoft always infifted upon too much, and urged too far. Whatever therefore conduces to restore the level, by qualifying the difpofitions which grow out of great elevation or depreffion of rank, improves the character on both fides. Now things are made to appear little, by being placed befide manner, fuperiorities, what is great. In which that occupy the whole field of the imagination, will vanish, or fhrink to their proper diminutivenefs, when compared with the diftance by which even the highest of men are removed from the fupreme Being and this comparifon is naturally introduced by all acts of joint worship. If ever the poor man holds up his head, it is at church: if ever the rich man views him with refpect, it is there: and both will be the better, and the public profited, the oftner they meet in a fituation, in which the confcioufnefs of dignity in the one is tempered and mitigated, and the fpirit of the other erected and confirmed. We recommend nothing adverse to subordinations, which are established and neceffary; but then it fhould be remembered, that fubordination itself is an evil, being an evil to the fubordirate, who are the majority, and therefore ought not to be carried a little beyond what the greater good, the peaceable government of the community, requires.

The

The public worship of Christians is a duty of divine appointment. Where two or three," fays Chrift," are gathered together in my name, there "am I in the midft of them." This invitation will want nothing of the force of a command with thofe, who refpect the perfon and authority from which it proceeds. Again, in the Epiftle to the Hebrews," not forfaking the affembling of our"felves together, as the manner of fome is;" which reproof feems as applicable to the defertion of our public worship at this day, as to the forfaking the religious affemblies of Chriftians in the of the Apostle. Independently of thefe paffages of fcripture, a difciple of Chriftianity will hardly think himself at liberty to difpute a practice fet on foot by the infpired preachers of his religion, coeval with its inftitution, and retained by every fect into which it has been fince divided.

age

CHAP.

CHAP. V.

OF FORMS OF PRAYER IN PUBLIC WORSHIP.

LITURGIES, or preconcerted forms of public

devotion, being neither enjoined in feripture, nor forbidden, there can be no good reafon either for receiving or rejecting them, but that of expediency; which expediency is to be gathered from a comparison of the advantages and difadvantages attending upon this mode of worship, with thofe which ufually accompany extemporary prayer.

The advantages of a liturgy are thefe:

1. That it prevents abfurd, extravagant, or impious addreffes to God, which in an order of men fo numerous as the facerdotal, the folly and enthufiafm of many must always be in danger of producing, where the conduct of the public worship is entrufted, without reftraint or affiftance, to the difcretion and abilities of the officiating minifter.

2. That it prevents the confufion of extemporary prayer, in which the congregation being ignorant of each petition before they hear it, and having little or no time to join in it after they have heard it, are confounded between their attention to the minifter, and to their own devotion. The devotion of the hearer is neceffarily fufpended, until a petition be concluded; and before he can affent to it, or properly adopt it, that is, before he can addrefs the fame request to God for himself, and from himself, his attention is called of to keep pace with what fucceeds. Add to this, that the mind of the hearer

is held in continual expectation, and detained fron its proper business by the very novelty with which it is gratified. A congregation may be pleafed and affected with the prayers aud devotion of their minifter without joining in them, in like manner as an audience oftentimes are with the reprefentation of devotion upon the ftage, who, nevertheless, come away without being confcious of having exercised any act of devotion themfelves. Joint prayer, which amongst all denominations of Chriftians is the declared defign of "coming together," is prayer in which all join; and not that which one alone in the congregation conceives and delivers, and of which the reft are merely hearers. This objection feems fundamental, and holds even where the minifter's office is difcharged with every poffible advantage and accomplishment. The labouring recollection, and embarraffed or tumultuous delivery, of many extempore fpeakers, form an additional objection to this mode of public worship: for thefe imperfections are very general, and give great pain to the ferious part of a congregation, as well as afford a profane diverfion to the levity of the other part.

These advantages of a liturgy are connected with two principal inconveniencies; firft, that forms of prayer compofed in one age become unfit for another' by the unavoidable change of language, circumftances, and opinions; fecondly, that the perpetual repetition of the fame form of words produces wearinefs and inattentivenefs in the congregation. However, both these inconveniencies are in their nature vincible. Occafional revifions of a liturgy may obviate the first, and devotion will fupply a remedy for the fecond; or they may both fubfift in a confiderable degree, and yet be outweighed by the objections which are infeparable from extemporary

prayer.

The Lord's prayer is a precedent, as well as a pattern for forms of prayer. Our Lord appears, if

not

not to have prefcribed, at least to have authorized the ufe of fixed forms, when he complied with the requeft of the difciple who faid unto him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John alfo taught his difciples." Luke xi. I.

The properties required in a public liturgy are, that it be compendious; that it exprefs juft conceptions of the divine attributes; that it recite fuch wants as a congregation are likely to feel, and no other; and that it contain as few controverted propofitions. as poffible.

1. That it be compendious.

It were no difficult task to contract the liturgies of moft churches into half their prefent compass, and yet retain every diftinct petition, as well as the fubftance of every fentiment, which can be found in them. But brevity may be ftudied too much. The compofer of a liturgy must not fit down to his work with the hope, that the devotion of the congregation will be uniformly fuftained throughout, or that every part will be attended to by every hearer. If this could be depended upon, a very short service would be fufficient for every purpose that can be anfwered or defigned by focial worship: but feeing the attention of moft men is apt to wander and return at intervals, and by ftarts, he will admit a certain degree of amplification and repetition, of diverfity of expreffion upon the fame fubject, and variety of phrafe and form with little addition to the fenfe, to the end that the attention, which has been flumbering or abfent during one part of the fervice, may be excited and recalled by another; and the affembly kept together until it may reasonably be prefumed, that the moft heedlefs and inadvertent have performed fome act of devotion, and the moft defultory attention been caught by fome part or other of the public fervice. On the other hand, the too great Jength of church fervices is more unfavourable to piety, than almoft any fault of compofition can be.