They are, as it were, the text, and the collects are a sort of paraphrase upon them; and it is ordered that the minister repeat them standing, I suppose, that the people may hear more distinctly when to make their proper responses.

The collects, probably, are so entitled as being collected chiefly out of Scripture and out of ancient liturgies and fathers. They are most of them of great antiquity, some being borrowed from the Greek service, but more from a work of St. Gregory the Great, who was bishop of Rome at the latter end of the sixth century, and restored Christianity in this country among our Saxon ancestors, after the British Church had been ruined, and Paganism had again overspread the land; and they were not his productions neither, for he professeth to have borrowed them from other ancient liturgies; so that, in all probability, they are derived to us by this channel from the first and purest ages. But they are not only valuable for their antiquity, but much more for their form and matter. We pray for ourselves, for our spiritual and temporal welfare, and then for others-for the king and the royal family, for the clergy and the people, for the parliament during their session, and finally, for all sorts and conditions of men. The compilers of our liturgy seem to have to have taken for their pattern that precept of the apostle, where he directs that "supplications and prayers be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty; for this (says he) is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who would have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

We

On some occasions-as Wednesday and Friday, which are fast days, our Saviour being betrayed on the one and crucified on the other-and on Sundays when there is a larger congregation, the litany, or general supplication, is appointed to be read instead of some of the collects; and the matter is much the same, only the litany is larger and more particular, and urged with greater reiteration and importunity. And this method of joint-supplication, the minister repeating one part and the people the other, is very ancient; for our litany itself is so. are indebted for it to the same person as we are for many of the collects-ours being an improvement upon St. Gregory's, as his was upon the ancient litanies before him; and a completer general supplication there cannot be. He must be very wandering whom it will not fix; he must be very cold whom it will not warm; and he must either be a very good or a very bad man, whom it will not improve, and who will not rise better from it than he came to it. It is a service almost of itself; and

this, as well as the rest of the prayers, we repeat kneeling, to show the greater lowliness, reverence, and devotion.

After the general supplication follows the general thanksgiving; after having prayed unto God for future blessings, we return him thanks for his mercies already bestowed upon us. We had praised him before in the psalms and hymns for his glorious works of every kind: but here we thank him, properly speaking, for his goodness as to mankind in general, so to ourselves in particular. Then we sum up all our petitions in the prayer of St. Chrysostom, referring it to the divine wisdom to judge what is most expedient for us; and as several of the prayers are taken from the Latin service, this, and some others, are very fitly borrowed from the Greek, that our liturgy might participate of the beauties and excellencies of the Eastern and Western Churches, and, at the same time, we might show our willingness to hold communion with both. We conclude this first service, as St. Paul concludes one of his epistles, only we make a prayer of that which he, by his apostolical authority, pronounced as a benediction.

The second service is read only on Sundays and holidays, for then people may reasonably be supposed to be more at leisure, and more solemn offices of devotion are requisite on more solemn occasions. It was originally intended for the celebration of the Lord's supper; and, therefore, is called also the communion service, and, in most places, is still read at the communion table; and indeed it is to wished that, at least as often as it was read, there was a communion. It begins in the most proper and becoming manner, for how can we better approach the Lord's table than with the Lord's prayer? We pray next for purity of heart, for "the pure in heart shall see God;" and as this is a necessary qualification for all religious worship, so more particularly for the most solemn part of it. Then the minister rehearseth the ten commandments, and rehearseth them standing as speaking from God; and the congregation, all kneeling, beg pardon for the past and grace for the future. There follows a prayer for the king as the guardian of these and all our laws; and the collect for the day, together with the epistle and gospel, which are the choicest portions of Scripture, applicable to the times and occasions; and as the epistles are only the writings of men, but the gospels contain the discourses and actions of the Son of God, we therefore stand up at the reading of the Gospel, to show the greater regard and veneration. the same reason that we rehearse the Apostles' Creed, or the Latin, as we may call it, after the lessons, we rehearse the Greek, or the Nicene creed, which is a larger confession of faith, after the epistle and gospel.

For

The confession of faith is properly succeeded by a sermon, still more to confirm our faith and improve our manners. And of the excellency of the English sermons, there is no need to say anything. They are not like the unpremeditated essays and rhapsodies of ancient or modern enthusiasm, some sense, perhaps, but much more nonsense, one part religion, and three parts rant and blasphemy, pretending to inspiration, but inspired with nothing but spiritual pride and madness. They are not like the lean homilies and legendary discourses in the Church of Rome, teaching virtues which are no virtues, and extolling saints who were no saints, or perhaps never existed. They are allowed by foreigners themselves to be superior to those of all other nations. And, indeed, of some of them, it is no more than justice to say, that they are not only the most complete treatises of morality and divinity, but also the most perfect pieces of oratory, and standards of good style and fine writing.

After the sermon, the prayer for the whole state of Christ's church militant here on earth, includes almost all that we have prayed for before; and the minister subjoins a proper collect or two, and concludes with a solemn benediction. And these, as well as the rest of the prayers, we should take care not to repeat after the minister, and thereby disturb others, but only accompany him with our minds, and at the end of each prayer answer Amen, as the rubric directs us.

you

You may probably have observed, that there is some repetition and tautology, and that we pray for several things again in the second service which we had prayed for before in the first; but then should consider that these two services were not designed to be read both at the same time-the one used to be read early in the morning, and the other, beginning with the litany, some hours afterwards; and this custom is still kept up in some of our cathedral and collegiate churches. Such is the remissness and negligence of the age, that few persons would be willing to come twice: and it is a convenience and indulgence, therefore, that the prayers are read altogether at once; and whoever he be who will not attend so much at once, must really have as little taste for beauty of composition, as he has sense of the beauty of holiness.

At the conclusion of all, as well as at the beginning, it is customary for every one by himself to offer up a short prayer unto God. And then is the proper time to pay our civilities and respects one to another; and not while we are engaged, or ought to be engaged, in our addresses to God, to be exchanging salutations with men.

ON THE THIRD AND NINTH COMMANDMENTS.

BY THE MOST REV. THOMAS SECKER, LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.

CHRISTIAN COURTESY.

BY THE RIGHT REV. RICHARD HURD, D.D., LORD BISHOP OF WORCESTER.

THE DUTY OF MORAL RECTITUDE.

BY THE REV. JOHN KETTLEWELL, B.D.

COVETOUSNESS.

BY THE REV. JOHN JORTIN, D.D., ARCHDEACON OF LONDON.

THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH.

BY THE RIGHT REV. ZACHARY PEARCE, D.D., LORD BISHOP OF ROCHESTER.

THE RULE OF EQUITY.

BY THE RIGHT REV. JOHN CONY BEARE, D.D., LORD BISHOP OF BRISTOL.

SELF-DENIAL.

BY THE REV. ANDREW SNAPE, D.D., PROVOST OF KING'S COLL., CAM.