always infifted upon too much, and urged too far. Whatever therefore conduces to réftore 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 what is great. In which manner, fuperiorities, that occupy the whole field of the imagination, will vanish, or fhrink to their proper diminutiveness, when compared with the distance by which even the highest of men are removed from the Supreme Being: and this comparison is naturally introduced by all acts of joint wor ship. 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 oftener they meet in a fituation, in which the confciousness of dignity in the one is tempered and mitigated, and the spirit of the other erected and confirmed. We recommend nothing adverse to subordinations which are established and neceffary; but then it should be remembered, that fubordination itself is an evil, being an evil to the fubordinate, who are the majority, and therefore ought not to be carried a tittle beyond what the greater

good,

good, the peaceable government of the community, 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 refpect 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 fcripture, a disciple of Christianity will hardly think himself at liberty to dispute a practice set on foot by the inspired preachers of his religion, coeval with its institution, and retained by every sect into which it has been fince divided.

* Matt. xviii. 20.

Heb. x. 25.

CHAP.

CHA P. V.

OF FORMS OF PRAYER IN PUBLIC WORSHIP.

LITURGIES,

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 disadvantages attending upon this mode of worship, with thofe which ufually accompany extemporary prayer.

The advntages 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 enthusiasm of many muft always be in danger of producing, where the conduct of the public worship is entrusted, without reftraint or affiftance, to the difcretion and abilities of the officiating minifter.

2. That

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 necessarily 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 bufinefs 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 confcious of having exercised any act of devotion themselves. 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,

4

and

This

and of which the reft are merely hearers. 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 fpeakers, form an additional objection to this mode of public worship: for thefe imperfections are very general, and give great pain to the serious 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; 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 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