first thankfully confeffes the great goodness of our bleffed Redeemer, in difpofing our minds, of themselves fo variously and wrongly inclined, to ask unanimously of Him such things as we ought, and encouraging our applications by such explicit affurances of hearing us. Then it fubmits entirely to his wisdom, in what manner, and how far, he will think it for our good to grant us any of our particular requests; begging nothing abfolutely, but what he hath abfolutely engaged to bestow on our prayers and endeavours, viz. that practical knowledge bere of his truth, his doctrines and precepts, his promises and threatenings, that hereafter we may attain everlafting life and happiness.. These things done, it can only remain, that on departing from God's more immediate prefence in his church, we intreat for ourselves and one another (as we do accordingly in the words of fcripture *), the continual presence of the Holy Trinity, wherever we go: that grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which will fecure us the love of God the Father, and the fellowship, that is, the communication of the needful warnings and affiftances of the Holy Ghoft. Now what we thus faithfully ask, may we effectually obtain, to the relief of our neceffity, and the setting forth of God's glory, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. SER AN EXPLANATION AND DEFENCE OF THE LITURGY OF THE CHURCH OF England. 1 COR. xiv. 15. -I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the Understanding alfo: I will fing with the Spirit, and I will fing with the Understanding also. THE HE liturgy of our church has now been explained to you, as far as the end of the morning prayer. The evening prayer hath nothing different from it; excepting the hymns, that follow the leffons, and the two collects after that for the day. The hymn after the firft leffon, called Magnificat, from the word with which it begins in the Latin, was used anciently by the western church; and continues to be used by the Proteftants abroad. It is the fong of the blessed virgin, recorded by St. Luke*, on the confirmation which the received, at Elizabeth's house, of what the angel had told her, that she should become the mother of our Lord, by the operation of the Holy Ghoft and it expreffes most naturally the transport, which on that occafion she must feel; but, like the hymn of Zacharias, in phrases of the Old Teftament, to be interpreted from the New; of which matter I have already spoken. My foul doth magnify the Lord; doth acknowledge the infinite greatness of his power and mercy: for he hath regarded the lowlinefs of his hand-maiden; that is, the low eftate; for fo the original fignifies, and fo it is expreffed in our bibles; not the humility of mind, which the holy virgin was too humble te • Luke i. 46-55 to afcribe to herself. From henceforth all generations shall call me bleed: as we do accordingly, both by repeating this hymn, and in our common fpeech. For be, that is mighty, bath magnified me, hath raised me to great honour and holy is his name; his truth, his juftice, his mercy, his concern for the goodness as well as happiness of his creatures, are gloriously manifested in this wonderful difpenfation. He hath fhewed in. times past, and will as certainly now, as if it were done already, ftrength with his arm, fupernatural deeds performed by his power, for the erection of the kingdom of his Son: and hath often, and will again, fcatter and defeat the proud oppofers of it, by means of those very imaginations of their bearts, in which they exult. The mighty amongst the Jews and Heathen shall be put down from their feat, and humble and meek Chriftians exalted in their ftead. They, that hunger and thirst after righteousness*, shall be filled with spiritual good things; and the rich, that rely on the vain and false treafures of their own wisdom and merit, he will convict of being poor, and blind, and naked, and fo fend them empty away. He bath holpen his fervant Ifrael, all that by obeying him become his people, as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham the father of the faithful, and his true feed; thus remembering his covenant mercy, which shall last for ever. This is the triumph of the holy virgin: and every part of it should be our own likewife. For God hath regarded our low eftate, together with her's, and magnified us, and made us bleed. And we should magnify and bless him continually for it. Inftead of this hymn, our prayer-book tells us, may be used, and in some places, it frequently is, the 98th psalm: in which we exhort one another to fing unto the Lord a new fong; words denoting, in the book of Revelation ‡, gospel praises: and we foretell that all lands fhall join in it, with trumpets and shawms, another inftrument of wind-mufie, which in our bible is called a cornet: whence we may conclude, if it needed proof, that musical inftruments are lawful in Chriftian worship. This future time of universal thanksgiving is described to be, when God fhall remember, that is, shall give evidence that he hath never forgot his mercy and truth towards • Matt. v, 6. ↑ Rev. iii, 17. Rev. v. 9. xiv. 3, wards the house of Ifrael, according to the flesh; and not only they, but all the ends of the world shall see his falvation. No wonder, that even the irrational and inanimate parts of nature are called upon, by a lofty figure of fpeech, to celebrate that glorious day the fea to make a noife, and all that therein is; the floods to clap their hands, and the hills to be joyful together before the Lord: partly for the prefent happiness of that period, in which poffibly the lowest of God's works may hare; but chiefly for the approach of the next and concluding scene of Providence, when he fhall come finally, with righteoufnefs to judge the world, and the people with equity. After the second leffon, is appointed another hymn, used by the ancient church, in their private devotions at least; and by the present Greek and foreign reformed, as well as ours and the Romish, in their public ones; and called from the Latin beginning of it, Nunc dimittis. It expreffes the gratitude of good old Simeon, a juft man and devout, as we read in St. Luke*, and waiting for the confolation of Ifrael; to whom it was revealed, that he should not die, till he had seen the Lord's Chrift. Accordingly, he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jefus, he took him up in his arms, (image to yourselves the scene, I beg you) and bleffed God, and said: Lord, now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, that is, in comfort, according to thy word; for mine eyes have feen thy falvation, which thou haft prepared to fet before the face of all people. And the following sentence hath a strong appearance of being defigned by the Holy Ghost to intimate, (whether the speaker of it perceived the defign or not) that, contrary to the expected and natural order of things, Chrift should first be a light to lighten the Gentiles; then afterwards, the glory of God's people Ifrael. To perceive the ' fitnefs of Simeon's thanksgiving for our ufe, it needs only be remembered, and ever should in repeating it, that we also have feen the Lord's falvation. For though we have not yet beheld our Saviour with our bodily eyes; to that of faith he is exhibited continually in the gofpel-history and facraments; we may meet him in his church, we may converse with him in our private meditations. And this we fhould think happinefs 3 Luke ii. 25-320 pine's enough for us here, whatever elfe we want or fuffer; and be always prepared, and always willing, to lefs God, and depart in peace. For this hymn we are allowed to ufe, and fometimes do, the 6-th pfalm: which is a prophetic prayer, that, through the light of God's countenance, his gracious illumination, the way of his providence and man's duty to him may be known on earth, his faving health, the means by which he heals and faves mens fouls, to all nations: who are invited to rejoice and be glad, because he shall judge the folk righteoufy; thall govern and reward the people of the world, (for fo the word folk fignifies, and, was not a low expreffion formerly), by the equitable and merciful rules of Chriftianity. For then, on our doing this, the earth fall bring forth her increase more plentifully; and God, even our own God, fall give us his bleffig, temporal and spiritual: for godlinefs hath promise of the* life that now is, and of that which is to come The former of the two collects, peculiar to evening prayers, is taken from a Latin form, at least 1100 years old. It begs for the greateft of bleffings here below, that joyful peace of mind, which our Saviour promifed his difciples: Peace I leave with you: my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto yout. And fince it cannot be obtained, but by boly defires, good and prudent counfels for the execution of them, and juft actions, done in confequence of both; fo we petition Him, from whom all thefe proceed, to grant it us by means of them; that our hearts being fet by his grace to keep his commandments, and our ways defended by his providence from the fear of our enemies, we may find the work of righteousness, peace; and its effect, quietness and affurance for ever t. The latter collect, taken in part from an office of the Greek church, prays more particularly for the fafety of the ensuing night that God's favour may fbine upon us, and lighten our darkness; that is, protects us, while we are unable to help ouriclves, or even to know our danger. The fame phrafe is twice uf.d in the book of Pfalms. Unto the godly there arifeth up light in darkness §. And again, The Lord fhall make my darkness to be light || |