christian congregation. It is a solemn invocation of each Person in the sacred Trinity, to bestow his blessings upon us. It contains the whole order of our salvation; the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, for our pardon, the love of God, the Father, to supply us with all outward blessings, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, to fill us with all inward graces, and not only for the present, but to remain and be with us all for evermore. Amen.

"After this prayer, which concludes the proper morning service, and also immediately before the sermon, some verses from the PSALMS IN METRE are sung. The singing of the praises of God is so important and delightful a part of public worship, that it is the obvious duty of every person in the congregation to endeavour to perform it with propriety and devotion."

On Sundays, and other holy days, though there be no actual communion, the church enjoins the communion service to be read to the end of the gospel, concluding with the blessing.*

"For this two reasons may be given. The one is, that it is intended to put us in mind of our obligation to communicate more frequently than we do; the other, that those parts of the service, appointed to be used when there is no communion, are such as we may always attend to, and join in, with great propriety, whether we communicate or not. In the first and purest ages of the church, the Eucharist, or the celebration of the Lord's supper, made a constant part of the daily service; agree

*Rubric at the end of the Communion Service.

ably to what we read in the Acts of the apostles, chap. ii. 46, of their continuing DAILY with one accord in the temple, and BREAKING BREAD, &c. Afterwards, as piety and charity decreased, this heavenly banquet, this feast of love, was celebrated only on Sundays and holy days; and on all such days our Church still directs a part of the office to be used, to remind us that we ought to join in the whole."*

It begins very properly with the Lord's Prayer, and with an excellent prayer for the purification of our hearts. We next come to the TEN COMMANDMENTS, which the priest is directed to "rehearse distinctly, the people still kneeling;" both to show their reverence of the Divine Lawgiver, and to be ready to offer up their humble petitions for mercy and grace, at the end of each Commandment."

"After the commandments, follow the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, for the day. The congregation, who are supposed to sit during the Epistle, as soon as the Gospel is announced stand up, as being the attitude of praise, and bless God for the glad tidings of salvation, by pronouncing aloud-Glory be to thee, O Lord;" a portion of the PSALMS IN METRE are sung after the Gospel has been read; the SERMON next follows, and then it is customary for the minister to repeat one or two collects from the Liturgy, selecting such as are more immediately applicable to the subject of his sermon.

After the solemn BENEDICTION, with which the service

* Waldo on the Liturgy, p. 297.

concludes, the congregation should continue kneeling, for a few moments, in silent prayer to God for his grace and blessing on the solemnities in which they have been engaged.

"Thus we have gone through our public service from one end to the other, from the exhortation to the blessing; and we may well close with that exclamation of the prophet concerning Zion, How great is its goodness, and how great is its beauty!' To those who join seriously and devoutly in the Common Prayer, it will, next to the holy Eucharist, appear to be the most noble and comfortable exercise that religion doth afford; it will increase their graces, multiply their blessings, and fit them for the never-ceasing service of the heavenly choir. May the God of peace therefore increase our love to these prayers, and to one another; may he give us pious and zealous priests, devout and well-disposed people, that we may have full churches, frequent prayers, and fervent charity; than which nothing will more conduce to the public happiness of this nation, and the salvation of all our souls."*

* Dr. Comber, as quoted in Waldo's Lectures, p. 326.

CHAPTER IV.

OCCASIONAL PRAYERS AND THANKSGIVINGS.

We have already spoken of the comprehensiveness of the Liturgy, and shown that the Church has made ample provision for all the wants of her children, whether individual or national, public or private, civil or social. In her forms for the daily morning and evening service, and more especially in her incomparable Litany, "whatever relates either to ourselves or others, whatever conduces to our happiness in this world or in the world to come, is comprehended in some or other of the petitions." Many of those supplications which are in themselves general, each individual worshipper may apply to his own particular case, to the exigencies of his family, his state, or the nation at large; and thus they become in some sense special prayers. For example, when "we commend to God's fatherly goodness all those who are any ways afflicted or distressed in mind, body, or estate," we do, if I mistake not, generally call to mind some persons of our acquaintance who are suffering under these afflictions. When we pray for all who are "sick," in "prison,"-for the "fatherless and widows," the "desolate and oppressed," our thoughts naturally dwell on individuals whom we know need the consolations and supports of divine grace, under one or other of these calamities; and although

we pray for all who are thus afflicted, yet there is a mental ejaculation of "so especially for these," our friends and relatives.*

But "though the various miseries of mankind are exactly enumerated in the Litany, yet they are but barely mentioned there, and at some times some particular evils lie so heavy upon us, and some great mercies are so necessary for us, that it is requisite we should have solemn forms to annex to this office, that so it may fully suit all our necessities." There are many occasions, both of a public and private nature, which require a more especial form of prayer or praise. These are admirably provided for, in those truly excellent "prayers and thanksgivings" appointed to be used at such times. The first of these is that full and comprehensive "Prayer for CONGRESS, to be used during their session," drawn up by the compilers of our Liturgy in obedience to the instructions of scripture, and especially to that request of the Apostle PaulI exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, 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. 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2.

"The prayer for congress is not only an admirable form of devotion for general use, but affords the most excellent instruction to the members of that assembly; who should learn from hence to make the advancement of God's glory, the good of his Church, and the safety, hon

*See a striking anecdote in illustration of the comprehensiveness of the Liturgy at pages 171-2.