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listen with gratitude to the justifying declaration, as from God, through his minister-" He pardoneth and absolveth :" and let them beseech God to give true repent-. ance from His Holy Spirit, that they may do such things, at this time, as are pleasing to Him; and that the rest of their lives may be pure, and holy; so, that at the last, they may come to His eternal joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. To him, that is abiding in wilful sin, the sentence of pardon appertaineth not. But the humble and stedfast believer may always, at this part of the service, realize to himself a fresh promise of peace conveyed in Jesus Christ, his Saviour.

It is the privilege of our Church, that the congregation may join aloud in prayer: and wherever the rubrical notice directs, let all make the responses audibly. Accordingly, having been invited by the scriptural sentences, and exhorted to confess our sins; and having confessed them, and received, through the Church, God's cheer

ing sentence of forgiveness, we readily welcome the Lord's prayer, and with gladdening words approach "Our Father.”—True, we are not worthy to be called His children: but God, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness, and live, He seeth us in our penitence-a great way off; and hath compassion, and His mercy runneth to meet us; and we hear-"ye are my sons and daughters, and I will be a Father

After devoutly joining in the Lord's prayer, and rejoicing in the comfortable privilege of our adoption in Christ, we entreat the Lord for grace, to serve Him with sincerity; beseeching Him to " open our lips," in order to the showing forth His praise; and to make haste in saving, and helping us the first of these petitions having been used in the Liturgy of the Apostle James; the latter in the ancient Greek Church.

The congregation, after this, standing, in order to represent the passing from a state of penitence to one of nearer access; and being girded with a lowly spirit, we break forth in adoration of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; mutually stirring up each other's minds, to praise the Lord. And how shall we praise Him in more suitable words, than those which the Holy Ghost hath inspired? beginning with the psalm,

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"O come, let us sing unto the Lord," and proceeding to those anthems of Zion, appointed in the daily course. O! learn to

love the Psalms ! they are, by a pious writer, called our Saviour's manual of devotion. And certain am I, that some of these heavenly songs, committed to memory, will afford more refreshment, and support to the soul, than many of those exciting compositions, which the taste of the present age, often prefers to the inspiration of God Himself. The little hymn, "Glory be to the Father," &c. has been in use in the Church from the earliest times. And to

prove to you, how fully aware the enemies of the truth are, that it is a choice cabinet enclosing the gem of the Holy Trinity, the Arians, within 300 years of Christ's death, tried, but in vain, to have it altered thus -"Glory be to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Ghost."

After that the mind has been thus abased in lowly penitence, and carried up to heaven in fervent praise, the congregation called on to hear the word of God. Never let the minister commence, without your offering up a secret request to God, to give you grace to profit by the word. "Take heed how ye hear1." Consider the Lord, as speaking in His own oracles! and you will always hear with advantage. The lessons are so arranged, that the Old Testament is read through once in the year: the New, three times. The subjects are chosen, with reference to the holy seasons; so that the predictions of the evangelical prophet, Isaiah, are read in

1 Luke viii. 18.

course before the festival of Christ's birth. And immediately before Lent, the fall and corruption of man, and the judgments of God against the impenitent, recorded in the book of Genesis, are recited, as a solemn warning. Those portions for Saints' days, and other holy seasons, as well as the proper Psalms, show how deeply, and wisely, the edifying of the congregation was fixed in the Reformers' minds.

After the reading of the first lesson, that hymn of praise is offered up, which is said to have been composed by St. Ambrose, on occasion of the conversion of St. Augustine, and first used at his baptism. The former part of the hymn (for the three divisions should be marked) is an act of devout praise. The second part begins at that verse" The Holy Ghost, throughout all the world, doth acknowledge Thee;" and is an act of faith. The third portion, in consideration of our being redeemed with Christ's precious blood, properly concludes with prayer for our being numbered