The Lord's prayer is a precedent, as well as a pattern for forms of prayer. Our Lord appears, if not to have préscribed, at least to have authorized the use of fixed forms, when he complied with the request of the difciple who faid unto him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John "alfo taught his difciples." Luke xi. 1.

The properties required in a public liturgy are, that it be compendious; that it express just 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 present compass, and yet retain every distinct 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 answered or defigned by focial worship: but

feeing the attention of moft men is apt to wan→ der and return at intervals, and by starts, 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 reafonably be prefumed, that the most heedlefs and inadvertent have performed fome act of devotion, and the most defultory attention been caught by fome part or other of the public fervice. On the other hand, the too great length of church fervices is more unfavourable to piety, than almost any fault of compofition can be. It begets in many an early and unconquerable diflike to the public worship of their country or communion. They come to church seldom; and enter the doors when they do come under the apprehenfion of a tedious attendance, which they prepare for at firft, or foon after relieve, by compofing themselves to a drowsy forgetfulness of the place and duty, or by fending abroad their thoughts in fearch of more amuling occupation. Although there may be fome few of a difpofition not to be wearied

with religious exercifes, yet, where a ritual is prolix, and the celebration of divine fervice long, no effect is in general to be looked for, but that indolence will find in it an excuse, and piety be difconcerted by impatience.

The length and repetitions complained of in our liturgy are not fo much the fault of the compilers as the effect of uniting into one fervice, what was originally, but with very little regard to the conveniency of the people, diftributed · into three. Notwithstanding that dread of innovations in religion, which seems to have become the panic of the age, few, I fhould suppose, would be displeased with such omiffions, abridgments, or change in the arrangement, as the combination of separate fervices must neceffarily require, even fuppofing each to have been faultlefs in itself. If together with thefe alterations, the Epiftles and Gofpels, and Collects which precede them, were composed and selected with more regard to unity of fubject and defign; and the Pfalms and Leffons, either left to the choice of the minifter, or better accommodated to the capacity of the audience, and the edification of modern life; the church of England would be in poffeffion of a liturgy, in which those who affent to her doctrines would have little to blame,

and

1

and the most diffatisfied muft acknowledge many beauties. The ftyle throughout is excellent; calm, without coldnefs; and, though every where fedate, oftentimes affecting. The pauses in the fervice are difpofed at proper intervals. The transitions from one office of devotion to another, from confeffion to prayer, from prayer to thanksgiving, from thanksgiving to "hearing "of the word," are contrived, like fcenes in the drama, to fupply the mind with a fucceffion of diverfified engagements. As much variety is introduced also into the form of praying as this kind of compofition seems capable of admitting. The prayer at one time is continued; at another, broken by responses, or caft into fhort alternate ejaculations; and fometimes the congregation are called upon to take their fhare in the service, by being left to complete a sentence which the minister had begun. The enumeration of human wants and fufferings in the litany is almoft complete. A Christian petitioner can have few things to afk of God, or to deprecate, which he will not find there expreffed, and for the most part with inimitable tenderness and fimplicity. II. That it express just conceptions of the divine attributes.

This

This is an article in which no care can be too great. The popular notions of God are formed, in a great measure, from the accounts which the people receive of his nature and character in their religious affemblies. An error here becomes the error of multitudes: and as it is a subject in which almost every opinion leads the way to some practical consequence, the purity or depravation of public manners will be affected, amongst other causes, by the truth or corruption of the public forms of worship.

III. That it recite fuch wants as the congregation are likely to feel, and no other.

Of forms of prayer, which offend not egregiously against truth and decency, that has the moft merit, which is beft calculated to keep alive the devotion of the affembly. It were to be wished therefore, that every part of a liturgy were perfonally applicable to every individual in the congregation; and that nothing were introduced to interrupt the paffion, or damp a flame which it is not eafy to rekindle. Upon this principle, the ftate prayers in our liturgy fhould be-fewer and shorter. Whatever may be pretended, the congregation do not feel that concern in the fubject of these prayers, which must

VOL. II.

F

be