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 suspended, until a petition be concluded; and before he can affent to it, or properly adopt it, that is, before he can address the same 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 minister, without joining in them ; in like manner as an audience oftentimes are with the representation of devotion upon the stage, who, nevertheless, come away without being conscious 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,

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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 thefe imperfections are very general, and give great pain to the ferious part of a congregation, as well asafford a profane diverfion to the levity of the other part.

Thefe 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 inattentivenefs in the congregation. However, both thefe inconveniencies are in their nature vincible. Occafional revifions of a liturgy may obviate the firft, 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

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The Lord's Prayer is a precedent, as well as a pattern for forms of prayer. Our Lord appears, if not to have prefcribed, at least to have authorized the use of fixed forms, when he com→ plied with the requeft of the disciple 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.

I. That it be compendious.

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It were no difficult talk to contract the liturgies of moft churches into half their prefent diftinct petition, compass, and yet 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 fustained throughout, or that every If this part will be attended to by every hearer. could be depended upcn, a very short fervice would be fufficient for every purpose that can be aufwered 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 sense, to the end that the attention, which has been flumbering or absent during one part of the service, may be excited. and recalled by another; and the affembly kept together until it may reasonably 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 feldom; and enter the doors, when they do come, under the apprehenfion of a tedious attendance, which they prepare for at firit, 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 amusing occupation. Although there may be some few of a disposition not to be wearied

with religious exercises; 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 excufe, and piety be difconcerted by impatience.

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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 little regard to the conveniency of the people, diftributed into three. Notwithstanding that dread of innovations in religion, which feems to have become the panic of the age, few, I fhould fuppofe, would be difpleafed with fuch omiffions, abridgments, or change in the arrangement, as the combination of separate services must neceffarily require, even fuppofing each to have been faultlefs in itself. If, together with these alterations, the Epiftles and Gofpels, and Collects which precede them, were compofed and felected 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,

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