structed in the doctrines which they engage to teach, and forewarned more in detail of the heresies they are bound to oppose; and, by the stated repetitions of it, are reminded of the strict obligations which they have taken upon themselves; of the fraud which they practise, so long as they receive the emoluments of a function, whilst they refuse to discharge the duties attached to it; and of the guilt which they contract before God, when by neglect or opposition to these doctrines, they discountenance articles of faith, which they voluntarily and publicly have engaged to promote.

It may be asked, Is a clergyman blameable, however, if he omits reading it, and in order to comply with the scruples, or avoid giving offence to weak brethren? and, undoubtedly, a tender regard for persons of weak minds and scrupulous consciences is not only allowable, but praiseworthy,—in all matters of indifference we cannot be too complying and indulgent, see Rom. xiv. 21; but when an essential article of faith is concerned, no concession must be made to gratify the doubtful or unbelieving. Even silence in this case is criminal; for not to confess, is tacitly to deny it. And let a clergyman consider how offensive the omission of this creed must be to the orthodox part of the congregation, who are thereby deprived of an opportunity of professing their faith publicly in the manner the Church has directed; and whether is it more reasonable to offend these by an irregular omission, or to disgust the heterodox by reading what they are commanded? Rather does it become a minister to explain its design and uses to the unlearned, as well as to obviate the crude exceptions made against its doctrines or language; to derive its due weight of authority from the venerable antiquity of its origin; and to draw an argument of its merits from the universal approbation with which it has been received,

and the place which it held in the confession, if not in the liturgy of every Church in Europe, Papal or Reformed. Indeed it has for so long a succession of ages borne a share in the just interpretation and support of our Christian faith, that it may well be doubted how far without it this faith, in its present purity, could be maintained; and this they have well judged, who at different times have proposed to us to part with it, merely to gain in return the applause of a concession, an inducement too usually proffered in contempt, and paid, without sincerity. Concessions in matters of less importance have too generally a doubtful effect; but who would be responsible for a concession of such high concern? Seeing that this creed is an important fence to the faith of that holy Church which Christ hath purchased with his blood, who would not tremble at the proposal of laying waste a fence, which, in any degree, hath afforded protection to what was obtained for us at so inestimable a price; and of inviting, by a voluntary surrender of our present security, renewed instances of insult in repeated and incessant attacks, to be made on the terms and obligations of our Christian covenant? So long as there shall be men left to oppose the doctrines this creed contains, so long will it be necessary to continue the use of it, to preserve the rest of mankind; and when none remain to find fault with the doctrines, there will be none to object against the use of this creed, or wish to have it laid aside.

It may be remarked respecting the mode in which it is printed in the liturgy, that "the damnatory clauses not being parts of the creed, so much as denunciations of the Church, might, perhaps, (to mark the distinction of the parts) be presented to the eye of the reader in a different type from the rest *.”

* Archbishop Magee.

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CHAPTER X.

THE LITANY: WITH INTERVENING CONSIDERATIONS ON SCHISM.

THE Word LITANY was used in the Christian Church in the sense in which ancient Greek writers understood it, namely, a supplication and common intercession to God, when his wrath lieth hard upon us. Such is David's litany, Psalm Li.; the litany of God's appointing, Josh. ii. 7; the litany of our Saviour, Luke xxii. 44, alluded to in Heb. v. 7, and the deprecations and earnest supplications which St. Paul enjoins to be used, 1 Tim. ii. 1. It is thought that the earnestness of supplication is best excited and expressed by the custom of the people interposing frequently to repeat with their own mouths the solemn form of beseeching God to "deliver" and to "hear them," which form has been used in the Church 1400 years. The litany is not the composition of our Reformers. The substance is taken by them from Gregory, Bishop of Rome, a.d. 590, who formed a litany for that Church from a careful collation of all such devotions previously in use. It used to be repeated in processions of the priest and the people.

It is appointed for Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For Sundays, because then is the largest congregation and most solemn worship; for Wednesdays and Fridays, being the days whereon our Saviour was betrayed and crucified, and consequently appropriated in the primitive Church to penitence and humiliation.

The posture in which it should be repeated, is not prescribed, except that being now a part of the morn

ing service for the days above mentioned, it is included in the rubric at the end of the suffrages, after the second Lord's prayer, which orders "all to kneel" in that place, after which, there is no direction for "standing." This agrees with the injunctions of King Edward and Queen Elizabeth. The people consequently kneel also, as whenever the priest kneels, they are to do the same; and it seems fit that the litany, being the most fervent address to God, should be made in the lowest posture of supplication.

The litany consists of the following parts. The Invocation, the Deprecations, the Intercessions, and Supplications at the conclusion.

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The Invocation is addressed to every Person of the Godhead separately, and then to all the three conjointly. By the separate invocation, we acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;" and by the joint invocation, we acknowledge that there 66 are not three Gods, or three Lords:" so that herein is contained a creed, or profession of faith, and not only so, but also a confession of sin and entreaty for mercy. The invocation is urged by two motives; we are "sinners" by breaking God's laws, and we are "miserable sinners" by incurring all the punishment due to the breach of them.

We supplicate each person separately, because we have offended them in respect of their several offices. We are sinners against the Father, by forgetting his works, not glorifying Him as our Creator and Preserver, nor regarding the operations of his hand: against the Son, by neglecting or refusing the tenders of salvation made by him, by not closing so heartily as we should with the proffered terms of reconciliation and peace, by slighting his holy ordinances, rejecting his word, neglecting his sacraments, not duly repenting at his call, nor believing his promises, nor giving heed

to the precepts of his Gospel, nor being thankful for his death, nor being mindful of his example, nor anxious for the welfare of those souls which he bought so dear: against the Holy Ghost, by quenching his good motions, by resisting his calls, by neglecting his gifts, contemning his graces, not profiting by those ordinances which are the means he uses to convert, confirm, and comfort us, and by cherishing evil thoughts and pursuing wicked purposes, in spite of the efforts which he uses for our sanctification. We then worship them conjointly, our Church following in this instance the ancient practice of the Catholic Church, and with good reason for doing the same; for every sin which we commit against one Person in the Trinity, is committed against the rest and the mercy and pardon which we desire, and the misery from which we expect to be relieved, comes not from any single Person, but from the joint and undivided concurrence of the whole Trinity.

The epithet of "heaven," or "heavenly," is used as characteristic of the Person of the Father, because He is always represented in Scripture as having his peculiar residence in heaven; whereas the Son has dwelt among us visibly on earth, and the Holy Ghost is spoken of as dwelling in the hearts of the faithful in this world, though with respect to their nature or essence, they are omnipresent, and consequently in heaven as well as the Father. On this account, our Saviour, in his discourse with Nicodemus, speaking of himself, says "He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven," John iii. 13. The expression is very remarkable, and, like many others in the same Gospel, directly against the Socinian heresy.

"Deprecations" are prayers that we may be delivered from penalties and protected from dangers and