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the one hand, we have an excellent form of prayer, composed with great judgment and piety, which the congregation may, and which it is defigned they fhould, make their own, by joining in it; on the other, we have (generally speaking) an imperfect and unconnected form, in which they cannot join, because, on account of its being strange to their ears, they muft, in a great degree, be unprepared to accompany it. Without meaning, therefore, to reflect upon the abilities of teachers out of the church, or to impute to all the improprieties of which fome have been notorioufly guilty; I think it may be faid, that the only choice left to the hearers upon this fubject, is, whether they will have a good form or a bad one; a form of found words, with which they are previously acquainted, on the one hand; or, on the other, a form, upon the propriety of which they cannot at any time depend: experience having proved, that both the words and matter of it are ofttimes ill digefted, fometimes indecent, and occafionally unfound.

Taking the fubject, then, in this. light only, it appears, that, fo far at least as the edification of the congregation is concerned, the change that enthufiafin has introduced into the public worship of Christians,

has been much for the worfe; and that the Chriftian, in leaving the established service of the church, has gained nothing to balance against the effential advanhe has loft.

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But there is this further confideration attached to an established form of prayer in preference to any other, namely, the promise of favourable attention being paid to it by the DEITY; a confideration which, it is probable, may never have been taken into the account. "If two of you fhall agree upon earth, (fays our bleffed SAVIOUR) as touching any thing that they shall afk, it shall be done for them of my FATHER which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midft of them." Matt. xviii. 19, 20. On which ORIGEN makes this comment: "This is the cause we are not heard when we pray, in that we agree not in all things. For as in mufick there muft be harmony and agreement of voices, or else it delights not the hearers; fo in the church an affent

*The unreasonablenefs of private prayer in public will appear, by confidering, that all prayers offered up to GOD in public must be publicly known, confented to, and agreed upon, by all them that join therein. Thus it ever was in the church of CHRIST-the faithful knew what they prayed for. "You that are faithful (fays ST. CHRYSOSTOм, Hom. vi. on Tim.) know what things are to be

and agreement is neceffary, or elfe GoD is not pleafed, neither will He hear the voice of our prayers." It is to this agreement in prayer, that denominates our public worship of GOD common-prayer, that CHRIST hath promised his prefence. This promise confe quently feems to belong only to the public prayers of the church; which, by being previously compofed for general use, become confequently the joint prayers of the congregation; a circumftance which furnishes a powerful argument in favour of that practice, which has ever taken place in the Chriftian church. Whereas in other affemblies of Chriftians, where the extemporary prayer of the minister constitutes the fubftance of religious worship, the condition upon which this promife of our SAVIOUR is fufpended, cannot, properly speaking, be performed.

There are, indeed, among feparatifts from the church, those who, from an unhappy perversity of character, which is continually manifefting itself in a

defired in prayer, because all prayer (that is public) ought to be common. It is the exhortation of IGNATIUS, "that we affemble together in one place, and use one prayer common to all." Epift. ad Magn. And the establishment of a public form for public prayer, if not an effectual, is at least the beft, fecurity that can be devised against falfe doctrine, because it conftitutes that public ftandard of the church, to which an appeal is at all times to be made.

fettled oppofition to every thing that is established, carry their objections to fettled modes of worship to that extent, as to reject even the LORD's prayer, because it is a form. To reason with fuch perfons would, probably, answer no better purpose, than it would have done heretofore to have reasoned with the Scotch covenanter; who, upon the word of command being given in the field to wheel to the right, ftood stock ftill; and upon being questioned, why he did not obey, gave for anfwer, that his confcience would not permit him, for the word of command was a form, and they had taken up arms to fight against forms.

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It may be proper, however, to fay one fhort word on this head, for the confideration of thofe, who, whilst they affect to pray by the fpirit, reject the LORD's prayer, as laying a reftraint upon that Divine impulfe, by which they imagine themselves to be governed. For, in conformity with this idea, the Holy Spirit, whom our SAVIOUR fent into the world for the purpose of bringing all things to the remembrance of his difciples which He had faid unto them, is fuppofed to act in opposition to a command which CHRIST, when on earth, had given for their direction:

"After this manner (fays CHRIST to his dif

ciples) pray ye; Our FATHER," &c. Matth. vi. 9. A form of prayer, which, from its construction, appears to have been originally defigned for the use of a congregation; and which the church, in confor mity with our SAVIOUR'S original direction, has always thought proper to make a part of our religious worship. The conclufion in this cafe is too obvious, it is prefumed, to require being drawn at length.

It may, perhaps, be objected by those from whom we differ upon the fubject of extemporary prayer, that our reasoning upon it tends in a great meafure to deny the affiftance of the Holy Spirit. On this head, therefore, we observe briefly, what we are fully perfuaded of, that whoever is not affifted by the Holy Spirit in prayer, whatever be the form which he may adopt for the purpose, will never pray to effect. But whilft we admit this pofition in its proper fenfe, we at the fame time do not hesitate to differ in opinion from enthufiafts, with refpect to what is meant by the fpirit of prayer. With them it means a spirit of ready invention, and extemporary effufion, which is by no means the certain effect of 'Divine influence. With us it means, what can proceed from GOD alone, a fpirit of devotion and pious affection; fuch as holy DAVID may be fuppofed to

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