humble voice, but to this two-fold intent:-1st, that a general deficiency, by a total silence, might be prevented in the public answers; 2nd, that by the clerk's audible pronunciation of Amen and responses, the close and completion of the prayers and other parts might appear; and their separation from, and succession to, each other might be heard and distinguished. That the silence of the congregation is supplied by the clerk, is so gross an error, so directly contrary to the intention of our Church that, as if it were to put down such a conceit, no such officer is ever taken notice of in any of her directions concerning the manner of celebrating public worship. The rubric, indeed, after the apostle's creed, directs, that "then the minister, clerks, and people shall say the Lord's prayer with a loud voice;" but the clerks there intended were clerks in holy orders, who might be present at the service, and who were to join with the officiating minister in this part of the service; but still, to join in such a manner, as not to supercede the people, who are also expressly appointed to join with them in the same service. The substitution of the parish-clerk is not calculated to answer those good purposes which (as has been already observed,) result from the congregation joining vocally in the service. It is calculated neither to fix and quicken the attention of the people, nor to animate their devotion; nor to give to public worship that character by which it should be distinguished, as an united address to God from all the members of the congregation. Whilst the clerk is performing the people's duty, the people themselves are left at liberty to be as inattentive and as indevout as they please; at the same time, how utterly at variance the sort of dialogue which sometimes passes between the minister and the parish-clerk, is with every idea of congregational worship, with every idea of the united

94 MORNING PRAYER, TO THE LORD'S PRAYER.

devotions of a great assembly, lifting up their voice with one accord in honour of the Almighty, must be obvious to the perception of the most casual observer.

Nor, again, is the substitution of such an individual at all calculated to meet those special considerations which give peculiar propriety to the union of the congregation in the several parts of divine worship. That he should concur with the rest of the congregation in making confession of his own sins, in testifying his own obedience to his Saviour, in putting up his own praises of God, in making profession of his own belief, and in giving his own assent and confirmation to the prayers of the minister, uttered on behalf of the whole congregation, is a duty which belongs to him in common with every other member of the congregation. He has no authority whatsoever, he is not invested with an office or character which confers upon him authority, to be the instrument of presenting the wants and desires of others to the throne of the heavenly grace; or to confess sin, to petition for mercy, to utter praises, to declare belief, and to give assent to prayer, in any other name than his own.

Formal regularity, however, in repeating the responses, will not prove us either true penitents or truly pardoned; our hearts and lives must be in a growing state of conformity to the will of God, before we can draw any just and favourable conclusions respecting our own safety. For the Lord hath clearly revealed it, and our Church invariably speaks the same language, that none will be admitted at the last to his eternal joy, but such as have confessed and forsaken their sins, and fled for refuge and pardon to the love of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord; and the more lively sense we have of the riches of his grace, the more holy shall we be in all manner of conversation.

THE LORD'S PRAYER TO THE TE DEUM.

OF THE LORD'S PRAYER, which is next in order after the absolution, it has been justly observed, that the whole composure is truly wonderful, being so short, that the meanest may learn it; so plain, that the most ignorant may understand it; and yet so full, that it comprehends all our wants, and intimates all our duty; showing not only what is fit to be asked, but what manner of persons we ought to be, whence Tertullian calls it the "epitome of the Gospel," as containing our persuasion of God's love, our desire of his honour, our subjection to his authority, our submission to his will, and our dependence on his providence; our need of his mercy to pardon former offences, and of his grace to keep us from future sin, and of both, to deliver us from the punishment due to them all; concluding with acts of praise and adoration: and being drawn up by our great Advocate, who knew his Father's treasures, as well as our wants, it is certainly the most complete in itself, the most acceptable to God, and the most useful to us of any form in the world; for which cause it ought to be united to all our offices, to make up their defects, and recommend them to our heavenly Father, who cannot deny us when we speak the very same words which his dear Son hath put into our mouths, if we use them with understanding and devotion. The Church hath justly always shown that deference to the Lord's prayer, that she hath inserted it in every distinct office of her liturgy, to this end,

that by its perfection we might supply the defects and atone for the infirmities of her own compositions. It is ordered to be said by the minister with an audible voice, because it was customary in the ancient Church for it to be said in such a manner; but chiefly so as a corrective of the practice of the Church of Rome, by which it was appointed to be said secretly or mentally. Another reason is, that all the congregation might know it the better, and join with the minister in that most excellent part of divine worship. It consists of three parts:-1st, a preface, expressing the goodness and greatness of Him to whom we pray;-2nd, seven petitions, by many accounted but six, the two last being reckoned as one, because they nearly relate to one another; of these, the first three concern God's glory, namely, the honour of his name and the advancement of his authority, and the fulfilling of his will; and the four last concern our own good, being offered for temporal supplies, for remission of sins past, for prevention of future sins, and for deliverance from evils and miseries, temporal, spiritual, and eternal ;— 3rd, a doxology, ascribing to God dominion and might, mercy and praise*.

There is much propriety of prefixing the confession and absolution to the Lord's prayer; for, till we had confessed and repented of our sins, we could not, in the endearing sense, call God our Father; and before we had his promise of absolution and pardon, we could not call Him so with comfort. And since, in the case of this, as of all other prayers, we cannot expect God to listen to it unless our life be in agreement with the matter of our petitions, every particular sentence

* Commensurate with the excellence of this prayer has been the number of paraphrases and comments upon it. I can here allude only to those of Brockwell, Crossman, Mann, Mant, Ogden, Pinder, Wilson, &c.

and petition of this prayer carries with it a corresponding duty. When we address Almighty God as "Our Father," we are reminded to show Him that honour which is his due, and to treat all men as our brethren with kindness and brotherly love; and when we address Him as peculiarly being in heaven, we are reminded of his infinite greatness, and of our own lowliness in comparison of Him, "whose seat is in heaven, and whose kingdom ruleth over all," Ps. xi. 14; ciii. 19. The first petition, wherein we pray that his name may be "hallowed," teaches us not to bring any dishonour on it by our conduct, nor to treat it profanely or lightly, but to cause it to be glorified by the sincerity of our worship, and the goodness of our behaviour. By the second petition, which prays that "God's kingdom may come," we are we are taught to live ourselves, and to encourage others in living, a holy life, that we may be worthy subjects of his kingdom on earth, and may continually be more fit, through our Saviour's merits, to enter into his heavenly kingdom. From the petition, that God's "will may be done," we should learn to be diligent in doing his will, both by performing what He commands, and by abstaining from what He forbids; and, as far as we may may be able, by causing his will to be done by others. As we pray God to "give us our daily bread," it should be our constant practice to use those means which He hath appointed for procuring it, industriously and contentedly; and we should upon no account accept it from the devil, which we do if we employ any dishonest means for bettering our condition. From the petition that God will "forgive us our trespasses," results the duty of repenting of them and forsaking them, together with that of "forgiving those who trespass against us." By the petition that God will not

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