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parts of the work, the Comments selected from various authors have been inserted in their own words, with the name of the author subjoined to his remarks. And on all controverted doctrines, those writers have been resorted to, who have been most distinguished for their judgment, learning, and piety, and whose opinions have received the most unanimous sanction of the Church. The remarks for which the Editor may feel himself responsible, either as their author, or as having collected them from various sources with alterations, will be designated by having the initials of his name annexed to them. Great use has been made of the excellent Compilation of Dr. Mant, the present Bishop of Killaloe, which was printed at the Oxford press in the year 1820. Where the notes have been taken from this work, the names of the authors will be found printed in Italics.

It has been a leading object, in the following work, to notice all the principal alterations of the English Liturgy, which have been made by the compilers of our American Book; and to state, as far as practicable, the considerations on which they were founded. In this part of his labour, the Editor has been kindly assisted by the correspondence of the venerable Presiding Bishop, as well as by the valuable information contained in his "Memoirs of the Church."

In the use of the English Commentators, omissions, alterations, and additions have been made, for the purpose of accommodating their remarks to the state of the American branch of the Church; and on some subjects, illustrations have been sought in the writings of the American Bishops, and other Clergy.

The several parts of the Liturgy have afforded a wide range for comments and reflections. The history of each particular part, the ideas intended to be conveyed or excited, and the doctrines of faith and practice inculcated or recognised, have severally occupied the attention of the Compiler. But it has been his main design to give to the whole work a practical character, for the purpose of recommending it to the use of Families, and making it a help to their domestic devotions. He is persuaded that many who habitually use the Book of Common Prayer, have a very imperfect apprehension of the full import of its several Offices and catch but a faint inspiration from that spirit of piety which animates them.

If, by collecting together the lights which have been shed upon the Liturgy, he can afford a guide to its clearer comprehension, and a more pious use of it, his labours will not have been in vain.

New-Haven, January, 1823.

INTRODUCTION.

I. OF THE ADVANTAGES OF FORMS OF PRAYER FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP.

THE Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, following ancient, primitive, and, until within these few centuries, universal usage, has prescribed a FORM OF PRAYER, OF LITURGY, for public worship. This form she has received, and with few and unessential alterations adopted, from the Church of England, "to whom she is indebted under God, for her first foundation, and for a long continuance of nursing care and protection." (1.)

She conceives that forms of prayer are justified by many particular and important advantages, as well as by Scripture, and ancient and primitive usage.

Forms of prayer possess many important advantages. When public worship is conducted according to a prescribed form, the people are previously acquainted with the prayers in which they are to join, and are thus enabled to render unto God a reasonable and enlightened service. In forms of prayer, that dignity and propriety of language, so necessary in supplications addressed to the infinite Majesty of Heaven, may be preserved. They prevent the particular opinions and dispositions of the minister from influencing the devotions of the congregation. They serve as a standard of faith and practice, impressing on both minister and people, at every performance of public worship, the important doctrines and duties of the Gospel. And they render the service more animating, by uniting the people with the minister in the performance of public worship.

The peculiar advantages of forms of prayer are thus forcibly displayed by an eminent prelate of the Church of England. (2.) " A

(1.) Preface to the Book of Common Prayer of the Prot. Epis. Church.

(2.) Bishop Newton, the learned author of the

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prescribed form of wors!.ip is not subject to the same inconveniences with extemporary effusions. If there should be nothing absurd and unbecoming in them, yet the audience must first endeavour to understand the words; and then they must weigh and consider the sense and meaning; and then they must deliberate whether such requests are proper for persons in their condition, before they can lawfully join in them; and by that time the minister is passed on to some other subject, which requires the like attention and consideration; and so their curiosity may be raised, and they may exercise their judgment, but there can scarce be any room left for devotion.”

"A precomposed form of prayer-is so far from obstructing or quenching our devotion, as is pretended, that it assists and inflames it; the matter and the words are both prepared to our hands; we know before what is to follow, that we may lawfully join in it; and no other attention is required but to raise our affections. And let me ask, is not the spirit of the congregation equally stinted, whether the minister pray in an extemporary or in a composed regular form? And which is the more fit and proper for the people to receive, a form of prayer from the wisdom and authority of the whole Church, or to depend upon the discretion of every single minister ?"

"But a precomposed form of prayer is not only liable to no just objection; but hath besides several advantages to recommend it. It is more for the honor of Almighty God, expresses more reverence and devotion, pre serves greater propriety and decency of language.—It is likewise more for the edifica

Dissertations on the prophecies. See his sermon on forms of prayer in the 3d vol. of his works.

tion of men as well as for the honor of God. For who can question, which is likely to be most instructive and edifying, hasty conceptions, or studied compositions; the productions of an individual, or the wisdom of the Church, prepared and digested into form and order? It is better not only for the people, but for the Ministers too; for as it prevents any vain ostentation of their talents in the more learned, so it supplies the more ignorant with what, perhaps, they could ill compose of themselves. Moreover it better establishes and secures the unity of faith and worship; hinders the heterodox from infusing their particular notions in their prayers, which is, perhaps, the most artful and plausible way of infusing them; reduces all the Churches to an uniformity, prevents any disagreement or contradiction in their petitions, and instructs them, as they worship the same God, to worship him with the same mind and voice."

The use of precomposed forms of prayer for public worship is also justified by Scripture and the practice of the primitive Church. The public service of the Jews was conducted according to prescribed forms. The Levites who were appointed by David (3.) to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and also at even," must have performed this duty according to some set form, in which they could all join. The book of Psalms was indited by the Holy Ghost, with the view of supplying forms of prayer and praise for the joint use of the congregation (4.) Our Saviour, by joining in communion with the Jewish Church, and particularly by giving to his disciples the form of prayer called the Lord's Prayer, testified, in the strongest manner, his approbation of set forms. The Apostles and disciples no doubt joined, until our Lord's ascension, in the Jewish worship, which was conducted according to a prescribed form. In the writings of the earliest Fathers, we find the expressions, common prayers, constituted prayers; from which it is evident that the primitive Christians had forms of prayers.

(3.) 1 Chron. 23-30.

(4.) See Prideaux's Conn B. 6. Part 1. Sec. 2.

The pious Author of the Ecclesiastical polity, termed by way of eminence "The learned and judicious" HOOKER, thus delivers his judgment concerning forms of prayer: (5.) "No doubt from God it hath proceeded, and by us it must be acknowledged, as a work of singular care and providence, that the Church hath evermore held a prescript form of prayer; al'hough not in all things every where the same, yet for the most part retaining still the same analogy. So that if the Liturgies of all ancient Churches throughout the world be compared among themselves, it may be easily perceived they had all one original mould, and that the public prayer of the people of God in Churches throughly settled, did never use to be voluntary dictates proceeding from any men's extemporal wit. To him who considers the grievous and scandalous inconveniences whereunto they make themselves daily subject, with whom any blind and secret corner. is judged a fit house of common prayer ; the manifold confusion which they fall into, where every man's private spirit and gift, as they term it, is the only Bishop that or daineth him to this ministry; the irksome deformities by which, through endless and senseless effusions of indigested prayers, they, who are subject to no certain order, but pray both what and how they list, oftentimes disgrace, in most insufferable manner, the worthiest part of Christian duty towards God; to him, I say, who weigheth duly all these things, the reasons cannot be obscure, why God doth in public prayer so much respect the solemnity of places where, the authority and calling of persons by whom, and the precise appointment even with what words and sentences, his name should be called on amongst his people." Bp. Hobart's Companion for the Book of Common Prayer.

It has been objected to forms of prayer, that they are (6 a hindrance to a zealous praying by the Spirit." To this objection the following reply of the learned and pious

(5.) See his Ecclesiastical Polity, Book V. Section 25.

Dean Comber may be considered a conclu- passionate and zealous wishes that God

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sive answer.

"Whoever makes this objection, and affirms we can not pray by the Spirit in the words of a form, must beware his ignorance betray him not into a dangerous uncharitableness, and perhaps blasphemy. For the saints of the Old Testament prayed by forms, and so did Christ himself in the New, and he taught his Apostles a form to pray by, and dare any say they prayed not by the Spirit? Have not all Churches since the Apostles' times to our days, had their forms of prayer? And did not the devoutest men of all ages compose and use such? Was ever extempore prayer heard of in public (till of late) unless on special occasions; and do we think no Church nor persons prayed by the Spirit till now? To come nearer still: Have not France and Geneva their forms? And did not learned Calvin (and the best reformed divines) use a form before their sermons? And is not an unstudied prayer a form to the people, who are confined to pray in the speaker's words? And will you say these all pray without the Spirit of God? But sure we hug the phrase of praying by the spirit, not attending the sense. For the meaning doubtless is, to be so assisted by the Holy Ghost, that (our thoughts being composed, and our souls calmed, and our hearts deeply affected with our wants, and the divine all-sufficiency) we can pray with a strong faith, and a fervent love. When we are so intent upon our requests that we duly weigh them, and pursue every petition with pressing importunity, ardent desires, and vigorous affections, this is the spirit of prayer. And thus we can better pray by the Spirit in the words of a form, than we can do when our mind is employed in inventing new expressions. For having a form (which custom hath made familiar) we have all things set down. to our hands, which we or others want; and we are at leisure to improve the good motions of the Spirit; having no more to do but to join our souls and affections to every petition, and follow them up to heaven in most

would grant them. Whereas in extempore prayer, the petitions expire into air in a moment: for neither minister nor people knew them before, nor can remember them afterwards; the one being busy in inventing, the other in expecting a pleasing novelty. And methinks it argues more of the Spirit of God, when we can attend the old prayers with zeal and love, than when we need variety and novel expression, to screw us up into a devotion too much like artifice, and seeming rather to be moved by the pleasure of fancy, than the actings of desire. We may judge of the effects of God's Spirit rather by disposing our hearts to join in a wellcomposed form, than by filling our heads with new prayers, or opening our mouths in fluent expressions; both which may be done without the help of the Spirit, but to be devout without it is most impossible. To which we shall only add, that many truly good men, and sound members of on Church, do daily use these prayers with as much spirit and life, with as serious and sincere devotion, as any in the world can do. And this they account a demonstration. that the Spirit doth assist them in this form. And so it may assist these mistaken persons if they will lay down their groundless prejudice, and strive to serve God thus as well as they can. So would the good Spirit assist their prayers, and make up our differences, giving us one mind and one spirit, that with one heart and one mouth we might glorify one God."

But it has been further urged, says Dean Comber, that "though these prayers may be good in themselves, they will grow flat and tiresome by daily use, and consequently become an impediment to devotion."

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viz. for pardon of sin, peace of conscience, and succours of divine grace, and a deliverance from sin and satan, death and hell: as also for food and raiment, health and strength, protection and success, in all our concerns; and more generally for the peace of the kingdom, the prosperity of the Church, the propagation of the gospel, and the success of its ministers. Now these things are always needful, and always the same, to be prayed for every day alike.-Wherefore (unless we be so vain as to fancy God is delighted with variety and change as well as we) what need is there to alter the phrase every day, or what efficacy can a new model give to our old requests? Particular wants and single cases may be supplied by the closet devotions, for the public, whether by form or extempore, can never reach all those which are so numerous and variable. Wherefore one form may fit all that ought to be asked in the Church; and why then should we desire a needless and infinite variety and alteration? If we do, it is out of curiosity, not necessity. The poor man is most healthful whose labour procures him both appetite and digestion: who seldom changeth his dish, yet finds a relish in it, and a new strength from it every day. And so it is with the sober and industrious Chistian, who, busying himself in serving God, gets daily a new sense of his wants, and consequently a fresh appetite to these holy forms, which are never flat or dull to him that brings new affections to them every day. It is the Epicure and luxurious, or the diseased man that needs quelques choses, or sauces, to make his daily bread desirable. And if this be our temper, it is a sign of a diseased soul, and an effect of our surfeiting on holy things. In this we resemble those murmurers who despised the bread of Heaven because they had it daily, and loathed manna itself, call ing it in scorn dry meat. This was suf ficient to sustain their bodies, and satisfy their hunger, but they required meat for their soul; that is, to feed their fancies and their lusts; even as we do, for whom the Church hath provided prayers sufficient to express our needs, but not to satiate our

wanton fancies, nor gratify the lust of our curiosity; and we complain they are insipid; so perhaps they are such, for the manna had no taste to the wicked; but it suited itself to the appetite and taste of every good man, as the Jews tell us in their traditions. Sure I am, it is true here: For if we be curious and proud, or carnal and profane, there is no gust in the Common Prayers; but a truly pious man can every day here exercise repentance and faith, love and desire, and so use them as to obtain fresh hopes of mercy, peace of conscience, increase of grace, and expectations of glory; and whoever finds not this, the fault is not in the prayers, but in the indisposition of his own heart." Dean Comber.

Thus, then, we see how excellent and superior in all respects is the liturgy of our Church; and how admirably she has provided for the two important objects of the public service, instruction and devotion. The lessons, the creeds, the commandments, the epistles and gospels, contain the most. important and impressive instruction on the doctrines and duties of religion: While the confession, the collects and prayers, the litany and thanksgivings, lead the understanding and the heart through all the sublime and affecting exercises of devotion. In this truly evangelical and excellent liturgy, the supreme Lord of the universe is invoked by the most appropriate, affecting, and sublime epithets all the wants to which man, as a dependant and sinful being, is subject, are expressed in language at once simple, concise, and comprehensive; these wants are urged by confessions the most humble, and supplications the most reverential and ardent; the all sufficient merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, are uniformly urged as the only effectual plea, te only certain pledge of divine mercy and grace; and with the most instructive les sons from the sacred oracles, and the most profound confessions and supplications, is mingled the sublime chorus of praise begun by the Minister, and responded with one heart and voice from the assembled congregation. The mind, continually passing from

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