rule and govern thy holy Church universal in the right way; (5.) We beseech thee to hear us. good Lord. That it may please thee to bless and preserve all Christian Rulers and Magistrates, giving them grace to execute justice, and to inaintain truth; soul for our sins: "by his cross and passion," whereby he has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, and suffering the torments which we deserved: "by his precious death," which was a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world: "by his burial,”—which was a further evidence of his great humility, in stooping to the grave, that he might redeem us from the power of it: "by his glorious resurrection,"whereby he has given us a pledge of our own resurrection, and restoration to everlasting life: "by his ascension" to heaven,-where he has gone to prepare a place for us: and "by the coming of the Holy Ghost," which he dispenses, to comfort and support us, to guide us into all truth, and to direct us in the way of our duty, until his second coming to judgment. Solemn obsecrations of this kind, often occur in the holy scriptures; and the compilers of our Litany seem to have had a particular view to them in the passages now under consideration. We find the Apostles urging the primitive Christians to the performance of religious duties, by motives taken from all that was esteemed most dear and sacred. St. Paul beseeches the Romans, "by the mercies of God." He entreats the Corinthians, "By the meekness and gentleness of Christ." He urges the Philippians, "By the bowels and consolations of Christ;" and solicits the Thessalonians, "By the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." And there seems to be no reason why the same considerations may not be humbly urged in prayer, which are made the ground of importunate address. Accordingly the Church instructs us to seek "deliverance from evil" by all those powerful and prevailing motives which have been recited; that through the efficacy of the Saviour's intercession, and the assistance of his spirit, we may reap the benefits of all that he has done and suffered for us. And so careful is our Church, on every occasion, direct our thoughts to the merits of Christ, as the sole foundation of our hope and confidence:-inestimable merits! "which are not confined merely to his death and passion on the cross, but extended to, and include, the whole mystery of his love, from his conception by the Holy Ghost, to his ascension to the right hand of God, and the mission of the We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to illuminate all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, with true knowledge and understanding of thy word; and that both by their preaching and living they may set it forth, and show it accord ingly; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. Comforter from heaven! With what feelings of gratitude and joy, must the devout soul meditate on all the instances of divine love, which are here enumerated? And with what full assurance of faith may we offer up the succeeding and last petition for deliverance from evil? where we implore our merciful Saviour to "deliver us" "in all ume of our tribulation," when we most need his aid; "in all time of our prosperity," when we are least inclined to seek it; "in the hour of death,” when we shall experience the last of the evils of the present state; and undergo our last struggle with the powers of darkness; and above all," in the day of judgment," that then we may be delivered from everlasting misery, hear the absolving sentence o our Judge and Saviour, and be received into the heavenly mansions of bliss and glory. T. C. B. (5.) THE INTERCESSIONS. These are petitions for good; in which we im plore the divine blessing on ourselves, on ou Church and country, on the whole Church of Christ, and on all mankind.-The first intercession commences with an humble petition for audience of God, and contains a prayer for the universal Church. "We sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God; and that it may please thee to rule and govern thy holy Church universal, in the right way."-When it is written that "God heareth not sinners," we are to understand impenitent sinners; but the humble and contrite sinner, who approaches God with a penitent heart and a sincere faith in the merits of his Son, will ever find audience and acceptance with him. Such the Church supposes us to be, when she supplies us with this petition. In the scond part of the intercession, where she instructs us to pray that the divine guidance and protection may be extended to the universal Church, we are to implore that it may be preserved in the profession of true and sound doctrine, in union with itself and in continual holiness. But, neither the sentence, nor the sense of intercession is completed, till the people add their response, “We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord," and the pauses and tones of the reading, throughout the intercessions, should be in conformity with this construction. We next implore the divine blessing and grace upon our civil rulers, that they may be disposed and enabled," to execute justice and to maintain truth;" That it may please thee to bless and keep all thy people; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to give to all natious, unity, peace, and concord; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to give us an heart to love and fear thee, and diligently to live after thy commandments; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to give to all thy people increase of grace, to hear meekly thy word, and to receive it with pure affection, and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit ; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. or, as it is more fully expressed in the prayer for the Church militant, "to maintain God's true religion and virtue." And how much the promotion of these great ends depends upon the faithfulness of our rulers and magistrates, is too obvious to require a comment. the The ministers of the sanctuary next become the subject of our prayers. We beg of God, that they may be so enlightened in the knowledge of divine things, that the whole body of the Church may be edified by the spirituality of their instructions, and the holiness of their lives. This is agreeable to the injunctions of the Apostles; "Brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified !" and it is also in conformity with e practice of the Christian Church, in every age. As a watchman, who is set for the defence of the gospel, and a steward of the manifold grace of God, the station of the Christian minister is awfully responsible. It is responsible as it respects himself, as it respects the people of his charge, and as it respects the great cause which he is commissioned to advance. Nothing, but the assistance of divine grace, can enable him to fulfil its duties with faithfulness and usefulness: and this is to be sought and obtained, only by his own prayers, and the intercessions of the people in his behalf. All, therefore, who have any regard for the success of the Gospel, or any concern for their own spiritual welfare, should unite fervently in the pethon to the Almighty, "That he would illuminate a Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, with true knowledge and understanding of his word; and that both by their preaching and living, they may set it forth, and show it accordingly." After having prayed for our civil rulers and spiritnal guides, we offer up a petition for all the people, remmending them to the divine blessing and protection. And we moreover pray God to give to al nations, unity, peace, and concord;" that, in the language of the prophet, "they may beat their 6. That it may please thee to bring in the way of truth, all such as have erred, and are deceived; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to strengthen such asdo stand, and to comfort and help the weak. hearted, and to raise up those who fall, and finally to beat down Satan under our feet; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to succour, help, and comfort all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation ; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to preserve all who travel by land or by water, all women swords into plough-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; that nation may not lift up sword against nation, nor learn war any more.”—And while we thus pray for universal peace and concord, how diligent and careful should we be in promoting it ourselves! in suppressing and preventing, as far as we are able, all strife and animosity, and whatever may tend to destroy private harmony or disturb the public peace. The four succeeding petitions are for spiritual blessings. They are very pertinently expressed, and afford us ample matter for meditation. The first in order, leads our thoughts to the source of all our evils, the corruption of the heart; and directs us to apply to the fountain of ail holiness, to cleanse and sanctify it; "to give us an heart to love and fear God, and diligently to live after his commandments." This is equivalent to the expression of the Psalmist, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." The love and the fear of God are every where set forth in scripture, as the true principles of Christian obedience; and they are so far from being inconsistent with each other, that they are really insepa rable; the one deterring us from sin, and the other, exciting us to virtue and righteousness. But we must not rest here. For however well disposed our hearts may be for the present, we shall soon relapse into our former sins, without the constant assistance of the Holy Spirit. We therefore proceed to ask of our Heavenly Father, and that not for ourselves only, but for "all his people, increase of grace, to hear meekly his word, and to receive it with pure affection;" esteeming it infinite ly superior to all that is taught in the fallible systems of human moralists, and cherishing a hearty desire of being enlightened by its revelations, and improved by its instructions: and that, making it the constant and only rule of our actions, we may be enabled to bring forth the fruits of the spirit." Here, as in other parts of our Liturgy we cannot in the perils of child-birth, all sick persons and young children, and to show thy pity. upon all prisoners and captives; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to defend, and provide for, the fatherless children, and widows, and all who are desolate and oppressed; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to have mercy upon all men ; help admiring the correctness with which the rule of our duty is delineated. Equally avoiding the errors of deism, and the delusions of fanaticism, it teaches us nothing about the "moral fitness of things," nor does it refer us to imaginary impulses and extraordinary inspirations. It directs us to the Word of God, as the only rule of faith and practice; and while it inculcates the necessity and the efficacy of divine grace, it still refers us to this written word, admonishing us to hear it meekly, and to receive it affectionately, that we may be fruitful in every good work. Our next petition is, "that it may please God to bring into the way of truth, all such as have erred and are deceived;" an intercession of the same import with that contained in the last Collect for Good Friday, where we pray for the conversion of "all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics." For these then, and for all who are unhappily misled by the spirit of error, and delusion, let us offer up our fervent prayers to the common Lord and Father of all men, that it may please him to have mercy upon them, to pity their ignorance and hardness of heart, to bring them into the light of his truth, and to guide them in the way of holiness and salvation. The Scriptures sometimes represent our present condition as a state of warfare. They describe us as contending under Christ, the great Captain of our salvation, against our three grand enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is in allusion to this state of warfare, that the succeeding petition is framed. We implore the aid and protection of God, in behalf of the several members of his Church militant; beseeching him "to strengthen such as do stand," such as rem in firm in the principles of their faith, and constant in the practice of their duty: "to comfort and help the weak-hearted," who are weary and fearful, despairing of victory, and almost ready to yield to their spiritual enemies: "to raise up those who fall;" those who are overthrown, but not vanquished; who have yielded to many temptations, but are not hardened in iniquity and finally "to beat down Satan under our reet," that whatever difficulties it may be our lot to encounter, or whatever temporary advantages the We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to forgive out enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to give and preserve to our use the kindly fruits of the earth, so that in due time we may enjoy them; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to give us true readversary may gain over us, the strength of God may be made perfect in our weakness, and that all our spiritual enemies being overcome, we may come off more than conquerors, through him that hath loved us. The scriptures every where teach us, that "in God alone is our salvation; that he is the rock of our strength; and that our refuge is in God." The most firmly established Christian has no security, except he is protected by the shield of the Lord, and supported by his arm: the weary and faint-hearted, have no real consolation, and no effectual assistance, but what is communicated to them from the God of all comfort: the backslider can have no hope of being recovered from his apostacy, but through the aid of the quickening influences of the Holy Spirit; nor have those who are harrassed and led captive by the evil one, any pros pect of finally triumphing over their spiritual enemies, but by the assistance of him who hath bruised Satan under his feet. Frail and dependant as we are, let us then seek for aid where all sufficiency resides; then may we say, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid ?" In the preceding Intercessions, we have made supplications for the supply of our spiritual wants We now turn our prayers to those which relate more immediately to the body; beseeching God, who alone is our refuge and strength, and is a very present help in trouble, " to succour, help and comfort, all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation." In a more particular manner, we pray for the preservation of all "travellers," "all women in the perils of child-birth," "all sick persons, and young children:" We pray for the “prisoner," and captive;" for the " orphan," and the" widow ;" and in general, for "all that are desolate and oppressed."- While, then, we recommend these to the care and mercy of God, let us ever be mindful to accompany our prayers with our good deeds: Let us remember that to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to assist and relieve the distressed, is a principal part of true religion, and a peculiar and indispensable duty of a disciple of Christ. the pentance, to forgive us all our sins, negli gences, and ignorances, and to endue us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, to amend our lives according to thy holy word; We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us. Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us. The next petition is one of the shortest, but the most comprehensive of all; "that it may please God to have mercy upon all men." This prayer, which is the dictate of reason and humanity, is in perfect accordance with the scriptures. These teach us that the God and Father of all men, is good to all; that his tender mercies are over all his works; and that his blessed Son has tasted death for every man. Our prayers, therefore, should not be limited by any imaginary decree of absolute reprobation, but our charity should be co-extensive with the mercy and goodness of God. In the same spirit of true Christian benevolence, and in conformity with the practice as well as the precepts of our divine Redeemer, we proceed to pray even for our "enemies, persecutors, and slanderers;" that it may please God " to forgive them, and to turn their hearts." And this petition we offer, not so much for our own sakes, and our own relief, as on their account; that, their hearts being changed, they may be restored into a state of salvation; which no man can be in who lives in hatred and enmity, or who persecutes or slanders his neighbour: for "he that loveth not his brother, abideth in death." The intercession which follows, seems to be taken from a petition in the Lord's Prayer: for when we beseech our heavenly Father "to give and preserve to our use the kindly fruits of the earth, so that in due time we may enjoy them," it is in effect to say, "Give us this day our daily bread." This pious supplication acknowledges God as the giver and preserver of all good things; which were first created by his word, before there were any second causes to produce them, and which are still preserved and continued to us by his all-powerful and bounteous hand. He visiteth the earth and watereth it, and bringeth forth food out of it: He prepareth the corn to cover the valleys, he clotheth the pastures with flocks, and crowneth the year with his goodness; filling our hearts with food and gladness. But let us remember that he can, with equal ease, turn the rivers into a wilderness, and the water-springs into a dry ground; that he can change a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein, and that except the Lord bless the earth, their labour is but vain that cultivate it. The next Intercession, is the most important in O Lamb of God, who takest away the sine of the world; Have mercy upon us. The Minister may, at his discretion, the Litany. In it we beseech God "to give us true repentance, to forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances, and to endue us with the grace of his Holy Spirit, to amend our lives accordding to his holy word."-True repentance is a primary condition of the forgiveness of our sins, and in the scripture sense of this duty, it is no light or transient work. It imports a sincere change of mind; a turning from sin, with an abhorrence of its evil nature, and dreadful tendency. It is attended with deep humility and sorrow of heart, and it ter minates in the reformation koth of the heart and life. In that part of the intercession which reiates to our forgiveness, we notice a threefold distinction: "sins, negligences, and ignorances." By the first may be understood our more gross and deliberate transgressions, which should fill us with the deepest sorrow and remorse. By the second, those lesser sins into which we daily fall, through inadver tency, carelessness or surprise; and which should be sincerely repented of, that we may be daily renewed in the spirit and temper of our minds. And by the third, those ignorances which are only so far criminal as they are voluntary, or attributable to a neglect of the proper means of obtaining knowledge. For all our various and multiplied offences, we must daily ask forgiveness; beseeching God that he would "endue us with the grace of his Holy Spirit, that we may amend our lives according to his Holy Word." Without the help of this grace we can do nothing. Our mind is naturally blinded by sin, our judgment is corrupt, and our will perverse. It is the Holy Spirit only that can enlighten our minds, and renew and sanctify our hearts; and without his renovating influences we shall remain dead in trespasses and sins. But, thanks be to God! we have a sure word of promise that this assistance of the Spirit shall be given to all who ask it. With what sincerity and fervency ought we then to pray for the graces of the Holy Spirit, to guide us into all truth necessary to our salvation, and to enable us to regulate our lives according to the dictates of God's holy word. After we have gone through the preceding deprecations and intercessions, the Church endeavours to raise our desires of audience and acceptance to the highest possible fervency. For this purpose she has furnished us with a few earnest and affectionate petitions, to be uttered, with a omit all that follows, to the Prayer, | "We humbly beseech thee, O Father," &c. (6.) [O Christ, hear us. (7.) O Christ, hear us. Lord, have mercy upon us. Then shall the Minister, and the People with him, say the Lord's Prayer. OUR Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil. Amen. Min. O Lord, deal not with us according to our sins. Ans. Neither reward us according to our iniquities. Let us pray. O GOD, merciful Father, who despisest not the sighing of a contrite heart, nor the pious sort of emulation, alternately by the Minister and people. In the importunity of our devotions, we implore the Redeemer, by his divinity, as the "Son of God," to hear our prayers. And we invoke him by his humanity and sufferings, as the "Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." to "grant us his peace, and to have mercy upon us." T. C. B. (6.) Here the Rubrick in our American Service permits us to pause, and to pass over a part of the Litany which is commonly called the Supplications, till we come to the last prayer. But the discretionary part is so excellent and so fervent, that it will seldom be omitted, unless there is some imperious necessity for abridging the service. And in those Congregations where it is thought expedient generally to omit it, propriety would seem to dictate the use of it, on all the more solemn seasons of the Church. T. C. B. (7.) the supplICATIONS. The part of the Litany which is termed The Supplications, was compiled from more ancient services about six hundred years after Christ, when the barbarian nations began to overrun the Christian countries; but if we consider the troubles of the Church militant in every age, and the enemies desire of such as are sorrowful; mercifully assist our prayers which we make before thee in all our troubles and adversities, whensoever they oppress ns; and graciously hear us, that those evils which the craft and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us, may, by thy good providence be brought to naught; that we, thy servants, being hurt by no persecutions, may evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us, for thy name's sake. O GOD, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have declared unto us, the noble works that thou didst in their days, and in the old time before them. O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us, for thine honour. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; Ans. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. From our enemies de end us, O Christ. Graciously look upon our afflictions. With pity behold the sorrows of our hearts. Mercifully forgive the sins of thy people. with whom the good man is constantly environed, we shall perceive that this part of the service is proper and pertinent at all times. The supplications commence, like the beginning of the Litany, with an invocation to the glorious Trinity for "mercy." For the repetition and reiteration of the petition is supposed to be addressed, first to the Father, secondly to the Son, and thirdly to the Holy Ghost. If we reflect how constantly we stand in need of mercy, we shall be convinced that we cannot ask it too often. It is a request which the greatest sinner may make successfully, if he makes it with true penitence; and it is one which the greatest saint has daily need to make, under a sense of his continual infirmities. The main object of the supplications is to enforce the foregoing deprecations and intercessions, with the greatest possible importunity: only adding a few petitions in reference to our preservation. But such was the pious humility of the ancient Christians, and so high was their veneration for the Lord's Prayer, that they thought no office of their own complete without it; and that it could not, therefore, be omitted in the Litany. It is introduced in this place, to supply whatever defects there may be in the preceding parts; and to intro |