Views of the Rev. John Newton.

'It must not too hastily be taken for granted, that God cannot be worshipped in spirit and in truth by those who use a form of prayer, or that he will not afford those who so ap proach him any testimony of his acceptance. If the words of a form suit and express the desire and feelings of my mind, the prayer is as much my own as if I had conceived it upon the spot. On the other hand, if I have the greatest readiness and fluency in diversifying expressions, so that my prayer should always appear unstudied and new, yet if my spirit, or the spirit of those who join with me, be not engaged in it, though I may admire my own performance, and be applauded by others, it is no better than a mere lifeless form in the sight of him who searches the heart.'

I cannot but concur with the sentiment, which has been already expressed, that the attitude observed in prayer, and the part which the people take in the public worship of the sanctuary, gives to an Episcopal congregation the appearance of what every worshipping assembly should be-a Bethel-where constant intercourse is going on between earth and heaven. But to return to the letter:

"This, with some other circumstances, soon effaced my previous impressions in regard to the reading of prayers as the effect of early prejudice and led me to con sider the assertions which had been made as the ebulli. tions of ignorance and bigotry. I found that there were some congregational ministers who were always in the habit of using a form; that whole associations united in publishing and recommending volumes of written prayers for the use of their people; and that family devotions in many instances were carried on in this way; and upon reflection, I could not consider the singing of psalms, as usually prac-ticed, and without any doubt of its propriety, to be any other than praying to God and praising him by forms. These are precomposed in all congregations, and if a general union is intended in the part of worship which they compose, as they partake in a great measure of the nature of prayer, it seemed to me that what was right in the one case could not be wrong in respect of the other. Besides, I found that extemporaneous prayers on the part even of ministers generally fell at last into a form; and that indeed such they must always be considered in regard to those who join in the peti

A liturgy a bond of union.

tions they contain. Public prayer, wether precomposed or extempore, is unavoidably a form to all by whom it is not originated, in as much as they receive words which are dictated to them; and if they are intent only upon their devotion it is impossible for them to determine whether the minister invents at the moment, or repeats from memory. I knew also that as respected myself, I had too generally been a hearer of prayer, rather than a devout worshipper, and the appearance of a great portion of the congregation intimated a similar condition on their part. I found that they were ready to criticise the language and style of prayer in the same manner they did the sermon: to admire every beauty of expression, and to applaud all the minutiae of detail to which the occasion led.

"With these views, which satisfied me at once that there could be no rational objection to forms, even on the part of those who rejected them, I proceeded to consider whether they were not from the nature of prayer, and in order to the suitable edification of the people, far preferable to the extemporaneous mode. It is the design of public worship that the united wants and feelings of a whole congregation should be expressed. And how is this to be done unless some method be adopted of which there may be a previous general knowledge? and in the form and order of which all may agree.

"There is, I think, a great advantage in having a form of prayer for the whole church, as it constitutes a bond of union which cannot be broken, and tends to the preservation of the faith in its purity. Not only the members of one society or congregation unite in their prayers and praises to one common Father, but the same petitions and thanksgivings are ascending to the throne of grace from the church universal. And if Christ has promised to hear the requests of two or three when gathered together in his name, how much more will he grant their petitions when presented in the same way by the thousands and millions who kneel before his altar?

"That forms of prayer are of ancient and divine institu tion is to me evident from scripture. The first piece of golemn worship recorded in the Bible is a form-the song of Moses and the children of Israel, after the destruction of Pharoah and his host, which was first repeated by the men and afterwards responded by Miriam and the women.

Scriptural authority for forms of prayer.

Forms also were given to Moses and Aaron in the wilderness; one in relation to the atonement to be made for the expiation of an uncertain murder; another to be used when the ark rested, and when it set forward, and a third for the blessing of the people by the priest. Besides, the whole book of Psalms are forms of prayer and praise which were used in Jewish worship, and are still retained in the church.

"If we come to New Testament times, we find Christ providing a form for the use of his disciples, even as John also had taught his followers the manner in which they were to pray. He always attended the worship of the Jewish synagogue, which was carried on altogether by forms, and had there been any impropriety in the mode, he certainly would not have withheld his reproof. From the time of Christ and his apostles, forms in public worship were universal in the church until the sixteenth century, and the same arguments are to be produced in their favor from ecclesiastical history as in regard to the Episcopacy.

"When I had satisfied myself of the superior excellence of forms over extemporaneous prayers, and become convinced that they had prevailed in all ages of the church, and been sanctioned by the example and precept of its great Head and his apostles, as well as by Moses and the prophets, I proceeded to the consideration of the Episcopal Liturgy, which I found so rational, so comprehensive, and so well adapted to the expressions of public wants and feelings, that I could not for a moment withhold my approbation. The language is scriptural and solemn, the arrangement excellent and instructive, and it may well be said that in the prayer book, the bible is discovered in a devotional form.

"The morning and evening prayers are commenced by the reading on the part of the minister, two or three selections from scripture, intended to call the people to a sense of their condition, and to prepare their minds for the solemnities in which they are about to engage. Then follows an earnest Exhortation, setting forth the duty of the worshippers, and inviting all present to unite in a humble confession of sin, which is the first thing necessary when we come into the temple of God. We have no praises to offer, no favors to ask for ourselves or others, and no consolations or encouragements to receive from the holy writings, without first ac

Order of the service.

knowledging our transgressions and sincerely supplicating for the pardoning mercy of God.

"After the Exhortation, in which the minister acquaints the people with the necessity and qualifications of Confession, they all unite, each one for himself, in bewailing their sins and imploring the forgiveness of their Maker. And if this confession be made from the heart; if this supplication proceed from a sincere desire of pardon, and be accompanied with strong resolutions of obedience, then are the people encouraged to hope that their iniquities are blotted out; and this encouragement is conveyed to them by the minister in the Declaration of Absolution which follows. He is authorized by that Almighty Being from whom he derives his commission, to declare that if they be truly penitent, their sins are forgiven; and on their bended knees they are to receive the joyful declaration.

"After this, as the restored prodigal, as the pardoned sinner, as the humble disciple, they are permitted to call God 'Our Father,' and to unite in that comprehensive form which Jesus Christ has commanded us always to use, and by which we acknowledge ourselves as his followers.

"After repeating the Lord's prayer, and in view of the great privileges received in the forgiveness of sins, and the permission through Christ to call God, Father, the whole congregation unite in solemn ascriptions of praise, the people performing their part as well as the minister his, and thus manifesting their common interest in the whole service.

"When the daily course of praises is ended, a Lesson is read from the Old Testament, which is followed by a hymn of thanksgiving with reference to the goodness of God, in all his revelations to the children of men, and including the most devout adoration of his righteous attributes. To this succeeds a Lesson in the New Testament, which is followed by another hymn of praise, called forth by a sense of fervent gratitude for the interesting truths of the gospel of his dear Son. And what can be more proper than, after hearing those truths which are able to make us wise unto salvation, for the whole congregation to rise and exclaim, with one voice, 'We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord,' or 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people.'

Spiritual character of the Liturgy.

"Having heard the word of God as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, we proceed to ac knowledge that our faith as Christians is founded thereon, and in union with the Church universal in heaven and upon earth, we declare the several articles of our belief as contain. ed in the Apostles' Creed.

"Then having first petitioned for mercy and salvation, we proceed to the collects or prayers, which are arranged agree. ably to St. Paul's direction to Timothy. I exhort, therefore, that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and for all in authority,' &c. The service, by being thrown into short collects instead of one continued prayer, is better calcu lated to keep up the spirit of devotion, and to prevent the mind from losing sight of the subject before it. Our natures are such that we cannot confine our attention to any one thing for a great length of time, and the variety in the devotions of the church is admirably adapted to afford that relief which the mind requires.

"In the morning service, the Litany or general supplication is introduced, which is the most solemn and affecting composition that can well be conceived. Throughout the whole, our appeal is to the divine mercy, flowing through Je sus Christ our Saviour; and in the language of Dr. Paley there is nothing which a christian petitioner can wish to ask or deprecate, that is not there expressed with admirable solemnity and simplicity.

"Indeed, I have found that pious and sensible men, of all denominations, speak highly of the Liturgy of the Church; and this of itself is a convincing proof that it is an excellent form of sound words; and I trust that there are thousands and tens of thousands now in the paradise on high, crying with saints and angels, holy, holy, holy Lord God of Hosts, and hymning praises to the Lamb that was slain, who knew no other services in the temple of God below than those in which the members of the Episcopal Church unite. They were compiled by saints and martyrs, prophets and apostles ;for many hundred years they composed the whole of the pub lic devotions of the church, and they still remain, having es caped the corruptions of popery and the innovations of heresy, pure and unadulterated. Cold then must be the heart, and