feeing the attention of moft men is apt to wander and return at intervals, and by starts, he will admit a certain degree of amplification and repetition, of diverfity of expreffion upon the fame fubject, and variety of phrafe and form with little addition to the fenfe, to the end that the attention, which has been flumbering or abfent during one part of the fervice, may be excited and recalled by another; and the affembly kept together until it may reasonably be prefumed, that the moft heedlefs and inadvertent have performed fome act of devotion, and the most defultory attention been caught by fome part or other of the public fervice. On the other hand, the too great length of church fervices is more unfavourable to piety, than almost any fault of compofition can be. It begets in many an carly and unconquerable diflike to the public worship of their country or communion. They come tochurch feldom; and enter the doors, when they do come, under the apprehenfion of a tedious attendance, which they prepare for at firft, or foon after relieve, by compofing themselves to a drowsy forgetfulness of the place and duty, or by fending abroad their thoughts in fearch of more amufing occupation. Although there may be fome few of a difpofition not to be wearied

with religious exercises; yet, where a ritual is prolix, and the celebration of divine service long, no effect is in general to be looked for, but that indolence will find in it an excufe, and piety be difconcerted by impatience.

The length and repetitions complained of in our liturgy are not fo much the fault of the compilers as the effect of uniting into one service what was originally, but with very little regard to the conveniency of the people, distributed into three. Notwithstanding that dread of innovations in religion, which seems to have become the panic of the age, few, I fhould suppose, would be difpleafed with fuch omiffions, abridgments, or change in the arrangement, as the combination of feparate fervices must neceffarily requiré, even fuppofing each to have been faultless in itself. If, together with these alterations, the Epiftles and Gofpels, and Collects which precede them, were compofed and felected with more regard to unity of fubject and defign; and the Pfalms and Leffons either left to the choice of the minifter, or better accommodated to the capacity of the audience, and the edification of modern life; the church of England would be in poffeffion of a liturgy, in which those who affent to her doctrines would have little to blame,

and

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and the most diffatisfied muft acknowledge many beauties. The ftyle throughout is excellent; eal, without coldness; and, though every where fedate, oftentimes affecting. The paufes in the fervice 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 fcenes 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 fervice, 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 Chriftian 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.

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 some 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 wished, 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 easy to rekindle. Upon this principle, the state prayers in our liturgy should be fewer and shorter. Whatever may be pretended, the congregation do not feel that concern in the subject of these prayers, which muft be felt, or ever prayer be made to God with earneftnefs.

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earneftness. The ftate ftyle likewise seems 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 cach 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 induftry 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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