the Publishing a New Liturgy, give us no particular Services upon
certain folemn Sundays? And why, upon other Occafions, there are
feveral Chafins, which are not to be excufed in Liturgies? The Rea-
fon is, that the Ordinary Liturgy is left in Poffeffion of thofe folemn
Seafons. Other Questions may be ask'd, Why Mention is not made what
the People anfwer, nor when they ftand up, or are upon their Knees?
Thofe that are accuftomed to a compleat Liturgy, expect the fame
Perfection in other Liturgies; but we fhall never understand the Com-
polition of that of Neufchatel, unless we confider, that it is a Liturgy
in Embryo, and that the Defign of it was to bring the People by little
and little to fomething more perfect. It has not as yet been fo much
as printed in the Original Language; fo that the People are always
hearing, without answering, and adapt their Pofture to the feveral
Parts of the Liturgy which they hear read. Tis the Custom at Neuf-
chatel, to receive the Sacrament but Four Times a Year, but every
Communion lafts Two Sundays fucceffively: the Meaning of which is,
that those who had not the Comfort of Receiving the First Sunday,
may find their amends on the Second; and this will ferve to ex-
plain thofe Places where the Reader finds Prayers for the First and
བ་
Second Week of the Communion: But unlefs one were upon the
Place, it is impoffible to form fuch Ideas as can account for all the
Difficulties that will occur in the Reading of this Liturgy.

However, fuch as it is, and abftractly from the local Knowledge
of it, we believe it very capable of edifying, by the judicious Choice
of the Paffages of Scripture that are ufed therein, and by the Unction
that is generally fpread throughout; The Publick will be pleafed to
obferve feveral Samples of the manner of Reading the Holy Scripture
in that Church, we mean, the Arguments or Contents, which in a few
Words include the Subftance of that which is to be read, and fome
folid Reflections which trike upon the Minds of the Hearers, and
fend them away with a lafting Edification. This is wholly new,
and extremely well contrived, we cannot but acknowledge, in Juftice
to the Authors of the Neufchaict Liturgy.

After the faid Liturgy, follows fome Prayers that have been late-
ly introduced at Geneva: And tho that Beginning of a Liturgy is not
very large, yet it has alfo its Merit. The Holy Scripture is happily
ufed in it; it has a Clearnefs, fuch as is proper for popular Works, and
a Solidity accommodated to the Publick Worship; by which one may
fee, that the Authors have all the neceflary Talents for furnishing
out fomething more compleat.

As high, and as juft an Opinion as we may conceive of our own Li-
turgy, we dare not hope that it will be univerfally received among
Proteftants. We have never feen fach a Uniformity in the Church, but
we may wish that thofe Perfons who, by thefe Eflays upon the Liturgy,
have fhewn us their Capacity of doing better, would unite their Ta-
lents, or at left would work feparately in forming a compleat Liturgy
that may be like our own.

THE

(v.)

ed s

THE

PREFACE;

BEING A

LETTER from the Reverend Dr. JABLONSKI,
First Chaplain to His Prussian Majefty;

་

ရာ

To His Excellency Baron PRINTZ, President of

the Council for Ecclefiaftical Affairs at Berlin.

OUR Excellency having lately commanded me and my Collegues, in the King's Name, to draw up each of us a Plan of Church Difcipline, I here humbly prefent my Thoughts on that Matter, and conceive that the good Order or Difcipline of the Church, comprehends not only a Liturgy, or prefcribed Form of Publick Worship and Adminiftration of the Sacraments, but also the Politia Ecclefiaftica, or prefcribed Form of Governing the Church of Chrift.:

1. Of a Liturgy: And here I must acknowledge to Your Excellency, that having abferved that feveral English Congregations, and other Churches, have fallen from one Extream, that of the Romish, Pompous, Cumberfome, and Idolatrous Worship; to that other of a Frigid, Superficial, and not enough Refpectful Way of Worship. I should have had little Inclination to declare my Thoughts about it, and cenfure others, had not Your Excellency, in difcourfing of that Matter, let fall fome Words concerning the great Refpect that every one ought to fhew in the Worship of God; which gave me fufficient Affurance, that you had formed a right Notion of this Affair, and that you did not judge of it according to the common Prejudices of the Vulgar, but, by Experience, and the Nature of the Thing it felf. This has encouraged me, under Your Excellency's Protection, to write down my Thoughts of that Matter, without pretending to prefcribe to others, and humbly submitting all to Your Excellent Judgment. But before I proceed to the Work it felf, I must first humbly lay before You my Plan and Ground-Work, that if that has the Luck to bave Your Excellency's Approbation, I may be encouraged to go on. Two Things are here to be confider'd.

1. Wherein the Publick Worship or Service confists.

II. After what Manner and Form it may be best order'd and per-formed,

I. By Publick Worship, I understand an Outward Alt of a reasonable Creature, whereby he openly and folemnly acknowledges the Sovereignty of his

Creator,

1

Creator, teftifies his Obedience to Him, returns Him Thanks for his Benefits, and prays to Him for his farther Grace and Favour.

The Opinion which has of late Days prevailed, is, that the Worship confifts in the Sermon; fo that the Worship of God has even loft its Name among us: For example, we don't fay, Will there be Divine Service to Day? Will you go and worship God? But only, Will there be a Sermon to Day? Will you go to Sermon ? Among the Papifts, Divine Service is performed with scarce any Inftruction of the People; and we, on the contrary, place our Service in almost nothing else but Inftruction. But as when the Master of the King's Houfhold tells the Servants of the Court how they shall ferve their Prince, this is not the Service it felf, but only an Inftruction hom they shall ferve him; fo is it with Sermons. Sermons are indeed neceffary, they are useful, and should accompany the Publick Worship; but they are not the Worship it felf, nor yet the effentialleft and principal Part of it. Among the Primitive Chriftians, Sermons were not accounted the Divine Service, but rather an Interruption of it: For when they had spent fome Time in Prayer, and Singing of Hymns, and Reading the Word of God, then stood up the Minister and made a fhort Exhortation to the People from the Paffage of Scripture that had been then read unto them; this was done as 'twere in a Parenthefis, and then they pro

ceeded in their Devotions.

When we confider therefore that Relation there is between the Creator and the Creature, (which is the Foundation of all Worship) the Parts of Worship feem to be thefe following.

ft, Confeffion of Sins. 2dly, Adoration. 3dly, Praise and Thankfgiving. 4thly, The Confecrating our felves to God. sthly, Prayer or Petition. 6thly, Reading of Holy Scripture. 7thly, Administra tion of the Holy Sacraments. 8thly, Almfgiving. 9thly, Fafting. Of which the firft Eight are ordinary and conftant Parts of Worship, the 9th is only upon extraordinary Occafions.

1. Confeffion of Sins must come first, as in Daniel's Prayer, Chap. IX. Repentance being the first Step to reconcile our felves to God.

2. Adoration, or falling down before God, and Worshipping, is required as a Mark of our own Humility, and that great Refpect we have for God, which, whoever duly confiders what God is, cannot but be moved to do; and therefore has it been common to all Religions that ever were in the World; the holy Scripture especially does frequently exhort us to it. O come let us worship, and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker, Pfal. XCV. 6. Our Saviour comprehends the whole Worship of God in this one Thing, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only fhalt thou ferve, Mat. IV. 10. where the original Word which we tranflate Worship, fignifies the Falling down or Proftration of the Body to the Earth. Vide Neb. VIII. 6.

3. Praise and Thanksgiving. We are to praise God both upon account of what He is in Himself, and what He is to us; His own Excellence, and his Goodness towards us, do justly fill our Mouths, as they once did David's, with his Praife: 'Tis our Duty to thank Him for all his Bene

fits.

fits Corporal and Spiritual, Common and Particular, but chiefly for the Spiritual; and above all, for the gracious Redemption of the World by Chrift Fefus, as the firft Chriftians used to do.

4. The Confecration of our felves confifts in devoting our felves entirely, and without Referve, to God's Glory and Service, our Bodies, our Souls, our Goods, our Life, and all that we are or have. All this we owe to God, as our Saviour teaches us, bidding us pray, Thy Will be done. And for afmuch as Offerings and Sacrifices do peculiarly belong to the Divine Service or Worship, this is the Chriftians Offering, that they prefent themselves and Bodies a living, holy, and acceptable Sacrifice to God, which is their reasonable Service, Rom. XII. 1.

5. Prayer is commanded us by God and our Saviour, and was conftantly used by the Primitive Chriftians: They prayed both for themselves and others, for the obtaining Good, and averting Evil; yet chiefly we must ask Spiritual Things rather than Corporal

6. God's Holy Word is the Rule of our Faith and our Life; and because many cannot read it, many, tho' they can, neglect it; therefore was it even in the Times of the Old Teftament openly read in the Divine Service, Neh. VIII. 3, 18. Luke IV. 16. Acts XIII. 15. The Primitive Chriftians read it in the same manner, as appears from the Acts of the Ancient Churches: Whereas that Reading which is among us, is not look'd upon as a Part of the Service, and is only heard by thofe, who, through Miftake, come into Church a little too early, and is done without the leaft Devotion or Refpect, only to fill up the void Space till the Minifter comes in and interrupts it. In the Pulpit, there's only a Text read, which is ufually but a fhort Sentence, and then all the rest is but the Work and Words of Man, which yet has the most Attention, though even these Sermons themselves are not heard fo much for our own Edification, as to pafs a Judgment on the Gifts of the Preacher.

7. The Holy Sacraments are by all allowed to be Parts of Divine Worfhip, and therefore I shall not here infift upon it.

8. That Almfgiving belongs to Divine Service, is evident, for that God commands his People, not only to appear before Him in his Temple, but likewife that they fhou'd not appear empty, Exod. XXIII. 15.————XXXIV, 20. Our Wor hip is our Sacrifice; by Adoration and Vows, we offer our felves; by Almfgiving we offer our Goods. But of this, as well as, 9. Of Fafting, 'tis unnecessary to add any more.

I conclude this firft Point with this Obfervation, That as all the forementioned Parts are neceffary to Divine Service, fo is it not enough, that in the Celebration of it, thefe Parts be in grofs and implicitly included under general Expreffions in one long confused and undivided Prayer, but each Act must be fo feparated from the other, and fo clearly expreffed, that the most simple and ignorant Chriftian may be able to perceive and diftinguish the one from the other; fince each of them is a particular and diftinct Help or Means both to Devoutnefs and Attention, and to Holiness of Life.

Confeffion

Confession of Sins bumbles Man's natural Pride. Adoration, or falling down on our Knees before God, fills us with an holy Refpect and Fear for fo great a Majefty, and puts us in Mind, that in all Things we are entirely dependent on Him; it likewife teftifics this to other Men, and gives a good Example. The Praife of Cod, or Thanksgiving, which is common to us with all Creatures, especially the nobleft, the holy Angels, kindles in us a Love for fo great a Benefactor. The Confecrating or Devoting our felves to God, awakens our Devotion, and hinders that common Hypocrifie, to be prefent in Body, but abfent in Thought, and forces us to perform our Duty with Earneftnefs before that God to whom we have confecrated both Soul and Body. Prayer puts us in mind of our own Indigence, fince we expect all good Things only from another's Bounty, and fo renews in us Trust and Dependance on God.. on God. The Reading of holy Scripture, reprefents God as 'twere prefent fpeaking to the Congregations More of God's Word, and lefs of Man's, ought to be heard. Et fic de cæt

II. The general Rule concerning the Way or Manner in which all these mentioned Parts of Devotion ought to be performed, is this, That they be fo ordered as may be most for the Honour of God, and the Edification of Men. To which End, in my Judgment, the following Particular Rules may be useful.

ift, Divine Service must be duly distinguish'd from the Sermon, and often celebrated when there is no Sermon as well as when there is.

2dly, Divine Service should be fo order'd as not fo much defigned for the Inftruction of the People, as for exciting their Devotion, and raising the Heart to God fince Instruction properly belongs to, and is performed by Sermons, Catechisations, and the Publick Reading of God's Word, though there were no Sermon added.

3dly, The Word of God ought to be conftantly and diligently read in the Divine Service; and the Method of the English Church is in this Excellent, where, in the Publick Prayers, the Old Testament is read through once a Year, the New Three Times, and the Pfalms once every Month.

4thly, The Prayers must be plain and fimple, without Pomp of Words, affected Eloquence, or long Reafonings; the Heart must pray, not the Head.

5thly, 'Tis a great Help to Devotion and Attention, when the Publick Prayers are not included in one long confused Prayer, but are divided into feveral little Prayers, and the Pfilms, Lecture, and Prayers fo mix'd and vary'd with each other, that the natural Weakness of Man may the better be enabled by thefe Changes, to go through the whole with Devoutness and Attention.

6thly, The Divine Service ought not to last too long; half, or at most three Quarters of an Hour is fufficient, that the Attention of the Mind be

not tired..

7thly, In Divine Service the People fhould not be mere Spectators or -Auditors, but Actors; and that not only in Thought and Heart, but with the Mouth, in praying to, and praising God, as it used to be in the Jewish and the Primitive Apoftolical Churches, vid. 1 Cor. X V. 16. 'Tis well known that the first Chriftians performed their Devotions per antiphonas,

or