and the moft diffatisfied muft acknowledge many beauties. The ftyle throughout is excellent; calm, without coldness; and, though every where fedate, oftentimes affecting. The paufes in the service are difpofed at proper intervals. The tranfitions from one office of devotion to another, from confeffion to prayer, from prayer to thanksgiving, from thanksgiving to "hearing "of the word," are contrived, like scenes in the drama, to fupply the mind with a fucceffion of diverfified engagements. As much variety is introduced alfo in the form of praying as this kind of compofition feems capable of admitting. The prayer at one time is continued ; at another, broken by refponfes, or caft into short alternate ejaculations; and fometimes the congregation is called upon to take its fhare in the service, by being left to complete a fentence which the minifter had begun. The enumeration of human wants and fufferings in the Litany is almoft complete. A Christian petitioner can have few things to afk of God, or to deprecate, which he will not find there expreffed, and for the most part with inimitable tenderness and fimplicity.

II. That it exprefs juft conceptions of the divine attributes.

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This is an article in which no care can be too great. The popular notions of God are formed, in a great measure, from the accounts which the people receive of his nature and character in their religious affemblies. An error here becomes the error of multitudes: and as it is a fubject in which almost every opinion leads the way to fome practical confequence, the purity or depravation of public manners will be affected, amongst other caufes, by the truth or corruption of the public forms of worship.

III. That it recite fuch wants as the congregation are likely to feel, and no other.

Of forms of prayer, which offend not egregiously against truth and decency, that has the moft merit, which is beft calculated to keep alive the devotion of the affembly. It were to be wifhed, therefore, that every part of a liturgy were perfonally applicable to every individual in the congregation; and that nothing were introduced to interrupt the paffion, or damp a flame which it is not eafy to rekindle. Upon this principle, the state prayers in our liturgy should be fewer and fhorter. Whatever may be pretended, the congregation do not feel that concern in the fubject of these prayers, which muft be felt, or ever prayer be made to God with earneftnefs.

VOL. II.

F

earneftnefs. The ftate ftyle likewife feems unseasonably introduced into these prayers, as ill according with that annihilation of human greatnefs, of which every act that carries the mind to God presents the idea.

IV. That it contain as few controverted propofitions as poffible.

We allow to each church the truth of its peculiar tenets, and all the importance which zeal can afcribe to them. We difpute not here the right or the expediency of framing creeds, or of impofing fubfcriptions. But why should every pofition which a church maintains be woven with fo much industry into her forms of public worship? Some are offended, and fome are excluded: this is an evil in itself, at leaft to them and what advantage or fatisfaction can be derived to the reft, from the feparation of their brethren, it is difficult to imagine; unless it were a duty, to publish our fyftem of polemic divinity under the name of making confeffion of our faith every time we worship God; or a fin, to agree in religious exercises with those, from whom we differ in fome religious opinions. Indeed, where one man thinks it his duty conftantly to worship a being, whom another cannot, with the affent of his confcience, permit himfelf

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himself to worship at all, there seems to be no place for comprehension, or any expedient left, but a quiet feceffion. All other differences may be compromised by filence. If fects and fchifms be an evil, they are as much to be avoided by one fide as the other. If fectaries are blamed for taking unneceffary offence, established churches are no less culpable for unneceffarily giving it: they are bound at least to produce a command, or a reason of equivalent utility, for shutting out any from their communion, by mixing with divine worship, doctrines, which, whether true or false, are unconnected, in their nature, with devotion.

CH A P. VI.

OF THE USE OF SABBATICAL INSTITUTIONS,

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N affembly cannot be collected, unless the time of affembling be fixed and known before-hand; and if the design of the affembly require that it be held frequently, it is eafieft that it fhould return at ftated intervals. This produces a neceffity of appropriating set seasons to the focial offices of religion. It is alfo highly convenient, that the fame seasons be obferved throughout the country, that all may be employed, or all at leisure together; for, if the recefs from worldly occupation be not general, one man's business will perpetually interfere with another man's devotion; the buyer will be calling at the fhop when the feller is gone to church. This part, therefore, of the religious diftinction of feafons, namely, a general intermiffion of labour and bufinefs during times previously fet apart for the exercise of public worship, is founded in the reasons which make public worship itself a duty. But the celebration

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