Unless it shall be so, what meant our Lord's parting promise to His Apostles-"Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world"? It could not have been restricted to those only who heard it, for they have long since passed away. Unless, then, they left their successors, who are to keep up the unbroken chain "even unto the end of the world," we know not who are to inherit the benefits which our Master's words seem to promise.

Are we then united with this Church-not only outwardly, but also in heart and spirit? Are we sharing in her trials here, that we may partake of her triumph hereafter? Shall we, in the hour of her glory, stand with her upon the holy mountain, and help to upraise that anthem which the redeemed shall sing forever? Christian warrior! the conflict is raging around you—the Church is summoning you to her aid—the voices of Apostles, and martyrs, and confessors, come down to you from the ages of a distant antiquity, urging you to live for this cause for which they were willing even to die. Will you turn away from this appeal? Will you prove re. creant to this high trust? Your daily, hourly life is furnish ing the answer.

His household:"Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when He cometh, shall find so doing.' In which words it is intimated, that when Christ shall come in the latter day, He shall, even then, find faithful servants presiding over His own household, still existing upon the earth." Palmer's Treatise on the Church, v. i. p. 31

IV.

ANTIQUITY OF FORMS OF PRAYER

Then, fainting soul, arise and sing,
Mount, but be sober on the wing;
Mount up, for Heaven is won by prayer,
Be sober, for thou art not there.

Keble.

THE founda ion of all true devotion is reverence. Remeinbering the lowliness of our own state, and the awful majesty of Him in whose presence our petitions are uttered, our spirits should be bowed within us, and we realize, while in His sanctuary, that "this is none other but the House of God, and this is the gate of Heaven." The question then involuntarily rises to our lips-"Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God ?"'* And the answer which Scripture gives us, is in these words of caution-"Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in Heaven, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few."+

In the spirit of this exhortation the Church has always acted, when she prescribed a Liturgy, by which her members, in their public assemblies, were commanded to worship God, instead of trusting to the extemporaneous effusions of the moment. And this is a peculiarity which still marks her services, and which, perhaps, more forcibly than anything else, would strike a casual observer. In her public devotions, he finds everything definitely arranged and settled; while in the different denominations around her the prayers are left to be composed as they are uttered by him who may happen + Eccles v. 2

* Micah vi 6.

o minister to them. As, therefore, the charge is often made, that to have an established ritual for public worship leads necessarily to coldness and formality, an examination of this subject is one which is interesting to us as Churchmen.

The first and most natural inquiry is, as to the authority for a Liturgy. Is it sanctioned by Scripture-by the example of our Lord, and the custom of the early Church? If so, surely none can now object to it as wrong or even inexpedient. What our Lord authorized by his own example, and the Church in her first and purest ages continued to practise, it may be safe for us to follow. We certainly cannot do better than tread in their footsteps.

Our first argument then is—that the entire worship of the Jewish Church, as commanded by God, and us practised for ages, was in prescribed forms. On every occasion in which the people were required with one voice to offer their praises to God, or to entreat His forgiveness, we find them doing so in the words of a previously written form.

Thus, when the Israelites had passed the Red Sea in safety, and paused awhile upon their march to chant their song of victory,, we find their leader composing for them that noble ode, which the Holy Ghost compares with the Heavenly song of those who have obtained the last great triumph over all spiritual enemies-the once suffering, now ransomed followers of the Lamb.* "It was fitted for alternate recitation, with musical accompaniments."+ Moses begins the song, and in the first two hemistichs states its object

66

'Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously;

The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea."

And we learn from v. 21, that these two lines became the grand chorus of the piece, and were probably repeated at in

* "And I saw as it were a sea of glass, mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea cf glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb." Rev. xv. 2, 3. Bishop Jebb's Sacred Literature, p. 10.

tervals, after the people had recited each mercy bestowed upon their nation. "And Mirian answered them

Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed glorious.y;
The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.' "*

This song was, therefore, used responsively, in the same way in which we now recite the Psalter in our service.

When, again, in the wilderness, their public worship was arranged by the express commands of God, we find that forms were provided for every occasion. Thus, Aaron and his sons are enjoined to use these words, in blessing the people-"On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel: The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." This was the authorized form of benediction, and the declaration is added "They shall put my name, saith the Lord, upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them." (Num. vi. 24, 27.)

In the book of Deuteronomy are recorded various forms to be used by the people on different public solemnities. Such is the confession the Israelite was to make when offering the basket of first-fruits-"And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God-A Syrian ready to perish was my father," &c. (xxvi. 5-11.) Such also is the prayer he was to use when offering his third year's tithes-" Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God," &c. (v. 12-15.) With equal accuracy is prescribed the form of deprecation to be uttered by the elders of a city near which a murder had been committed, in protesting their own innocence-"Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed; and lay not innocent blood to thy people of Israel's charge.' (xxi. v. 7.)

Thus, by examining the ancient books of the law, we could show that provision was made for every portion of their regular services. And on extraordinary occasions it is

* This is the view given by Dr. Kennicott, in his arrangement of this song, and also by Bishop Lowth. Prælect 19. They show the different intervals at which the chorus probably came in.

evident that something was in like manner written for theirt use, to meet the exigency. Such was the case with the prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the Temple, a copy of which was preserved among the records of the nation. "The regular construction of the whole prayer, the formal division of the subject, together with the continued series and almost poetical arrangement of the versicles in the original, scarcely seem compatible with extemporaneous devotion, and obviously suggests the idea of previous composition."*

But let us look at the usual worship of the Temple, and of what did it consist? From the minute accounts of the Hebrew Rabbis which have come down to us, we learn that it was composed of the Sacrifices, Liturgical Compositions, and Psalms. But it is evident that the Psalms are nothing but forms of prayer, and are in most cases direct and solemn adresses to the Supreme Being. In this way they were used in the Jewish Church, and we can often learn from their titles alone, that they were appointed to be recited by the congregation on particular days. This collection was probably first arranged definitely by King David, who added so much as to gain for himself the title of the sweet singer of Israel." It was afterwards remodelled by Hezekiah, of whom it is said " Moreover, Hezekiah the king, and the princes, commanded the Levites to sing praises unto the Lord, with the words of David and of Asaph the seer; and they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads, and worshipped." The last changes in the Psalmody of the nation were made by Ezra, after the captivity. Did then the adoption of these devotional services lead to mere formality? If so, why is not the same effect produced upon those who now can address the Deity in metrical hymns, yet whose scruples prevent them from using a form, if it be in prose ?§

* Sinclair's Dissertations, p 8.

The reader will find the whole service, with its prayers and arrangement of Psalms, accurately given by Lightfoot, in his Temple Service, ch. 7, p. 59.

2 Chron. xxix. 30.

§ "Unless it can be proved that the fault and evil which is es