good, the peaceable government of the commu nity, requires.

The public worship of Chriftians 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 respect the perfon and authority from which it proceeds. Again, in the Epiftle to the Hebrews, "not forfaking "the affembling of ourselves together, as the "manner of fome is;" which reproof feems as applicable to the desertion of our public worship at this day, as to the forfaking the religious affemblies of Chriftians in the age of the Apostle. Independently of these paffages of scripture, a difciple of Chriftianity will hardly think himself at liberty to dispute 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.

* Matt. xviii. 20. Heb. x. 25.

СНАР.

СНАР. V.

OF FORMS OF PRAYER IN PUBLIC WORSHIP.

L

ITURGIES, or preconcerted forms of public devotion, being neither enjoined in fcripture 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 those which usually accompany extemporary prayer.

The advantages of a liturgy are these :

I. That it prevents abfurd, extravagant, or impious addreffes to God, which, in an order of men fo numerous as the facerdotal, the folly and enthusiasm of many must always be in danger of producing, where the conduct of the public worship is entrusted, without restraint or affiftance, to the diferetion and abilities of the offciating minifter.

II. That

II. 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 off to keep pace with what fucceeds. Add to this, that the mind of the hearer is held in continual expectation, and detained from its proper bulinefs by the very novelty with which it is gratified. A congregation may be pleafed and affected with the prayers and devotion of their minifter, without joining in them; in like manner as an audience oftentimes are with the representation of devotion upon the ftage, who, nevertheless, come away without being conscious of having exercised any act of devotion themselves. Joint prayer, which amongst all denominations of Chriflians 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

and of which the reft are merely hearers. This objection feems fundamental, and holds even where the minifter's office is discharged with every poffible advantage and accomplishment. The labouring recollection, and embarraffed or tumultuous delivery, of many extempore speakers, form an additional objection to this mode of public worship: for these imperfections are very general, and give great pain to the ferious part of a congregation, as well asafford a profane diversion to the levity of the other part.

These advantages of a liturgy are connected with two principal inconveniencies; first, 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 inattentiveness in the congregation. However, both thefe inconveniencies are in their nature vincibie. 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

The Lord's Prayer is a precedent, as well as a pattern for forms of Our Lord ap

prayer.

pears, if not to have prescribed, at least to have authorized the ufe of fixed forms, when he complied with the request of the difciple who said 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.

I. That it be compendious.

It were no difficult tafk to contract the liturgies of most churches into half their present compa's, and yet retain every diftin&t 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 muft not fit down to his work with the hope, that the devotion of the congregation will be uniformly sustained throughout, or that every part will be attended to by every hearer. hearer. If this could be depended upon, a very short service would be fufficient for every purpose that can

be aufwered or defigned by focial worship: but