Thoughts on public prayer

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THOUGHTS

ON

PUBLIC PRAYEE.

BY

SAMUEL MILLER, D.D., LL.D.

Professor in the Theological Seminary at Princeton, New Jersey.

PHILADELPHIA:

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION.
1849.

Entered according to the act of Congress, in the year 1849, by

A. W. Mitchell, M. D.
In the office of the Clerk of the District Court, for the Eastern

District of Pennsylvania.

PRINTED BY
WILLIAM S. MARTIEN.

DEDICATION.

TO THE YOUNGER MINISTERS, AND CANDIDATES FOR THE
MINISTRY, IN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED
STATES.

Brethren beloved in the Lord:

Many of you have been my pupils,
whom I have followed ever since you left
the Seminary with which it is my privilege
to be connected, with my best wishes, and
fervent prayers ; and all of you, I doubt not,
are willing kindly to receive from an aged
servant of the Church, who is soon to *' put
off this tabernacle," any intimations which
he may deem adapted to promote your
acceptance and usefulness.

Unless I mistake, I have observed, from
time to time, facts in regard to public prayer
which satisfied me that there was a call for

4 DEDICATION.

special counsel on the subject. It has even
occurred to me to doubt whether the well
known doctrine of our beloved Church, with
regard to Liturgies, may not have been so
rigidly interpreted, and so unskilfully ap-
plied, as to lead to practical misapprehension
and mischief in regard to the devotional part
of the service of our sanctuaries.

It will not surprise me if some of the
suggestions found in the following pages,
especially in the last chapter, should be
considered by some as unexpected, if not as
questionable in their character. All I can
say concerning them is, that they have not
been hastily or inconsiderately made, nor
without a sacred regard to those great prin-
ciples which our venerated fathers regarded
as precious, and which were exemplified
and recommended by the apostolic Church.

If I had known of any work adapted to
occupy the ground and fulfil the purpose
contemplated in the present volume, I should
have forborne to trouble the religious com-

DEDICATION. 5

munity with its publication. But as I am
not aware that any such work exists, I am
impelled to attempt the service here respect-
fully offered, wdiich I humbly commend to
the patronage and blessing of Him who
alone can make it useful.

To the younger Ministers of our beloved
Church, and to the Candidates for the sacred
office aloyie^ do I venture to present this
volume. With reo^ard to the more advanced
in life, and the aged, I should be glad, old as
I am, to sit at their feet as a learner ; and
can only beg their candid examination and
indulgent estimate of the following attempt
to benefit their younger brethren.

I am, my beloved young friends, your
affectionate brother in Christian bonds,

SAMUEL MILLER.

Princeton Theological Seminary,
October 31st, 1848.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

Introductory Remarks , 9

CHAPTER II.

History of Public Prayer 42

Praying toward the East 86

Prayers for the Dead 91

Prayers to the Saints, and to the Virgin Mary 98

Prayers in an Unknown Tongue 103

Responses in Public Prayer 114

Posture in Public Prayer 116

CHAPTER III.

The claims of Liturgies 131

CHAPTER IV.

Frequent faults of Public Prayer 177

8 CONTEiNTS.

CHAPTER V.

Page
Characteristics of a good Public Prayer 216

CHAPTER VI.

The best means of attaining excellence in conducting

Public Prayer 258

THOUGHTS ON PUBLIC PRAYER.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

The pulpit work of a gospel minister is bis
great work. True, there are other depart-
ments of his labour, the importance of w^bicb
can hardly be overrated. Family visitation;
the catechetical instruction of children and
young people ; the appropriate instruction
and consolation of the sick and dying ; the
supervision of schools, w^hether sabbatical or
secular, of every kind ; and, in short, every
thino^ that can be brouofht to bear on Chris-
tian education, and on the moral or reli-
gious interests of the souls committed to
to his care, or placed wdthin his reach — all,
all demand his constant and prayerful atten-
tion, and can never be neglected without sin,
and without the danger of serious injury to
2

10 THOUGHTS ON

the best interests of tlie lloclv committed to
his charge. Indeed it may be said, with
perfect truth, that no one of these depart-
ments of labour can be neglected without
injury to the minister himself, as well as to
those to whom he ministers. These labours
out of the pulpit, if faithfully performed, are
admirably adapted to prepare and qualify
him to fill the pulpit with more skill and
more efficiency. How can a pastor preach
intelligently and appropriately to his people,
w^ithout knowing their state ? And how is
he to know their real state but by more or
less intercourse with them in private ? And
how can he expect to render this intercourse
subservient to the great object of his minis-
try, if it be not essentially and habitually of
a religious character? Every time that the
pastor goes forth from his study to visit the
families of his flock, it ought to be performed
for the double purpose of conferring spiritual
benefit on them, and receiving a benefit him-
self. If, for the attainment of the former
purpose, he carry the gospel with affection
and tenderness on his lips wherever he goes,
his own knowledge of the real condition and
wants of liis people will be greatly enlarged,

PUBLIC PRAYER. li

and his heart warmed with increasing love
to the Saviour, and love and zeal for the sal-
vation of souls, and the enlargement of that
kingdom which is not meat and drink, but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the
Holy Ghost. O ! that ministers could be
persuaded to realize that the best part of
their preparation for the pulpit, that which
is best adapted to impart the richest instruc-
tiveness, and the most touching unction to
all its teachings, is, not to seclude themselves
perpetually in their studies — not to be for
ever trimming the midnight lamp ; but to
go forth and j)ut themselves often in contact
with the cavils and the objections of the
enemies of the gospel, as well as with the
anxieties, the conflicts, the consolations, the
joys, and the triumphs of Christian be-
lievers.

Still the pulpit work of the minister of
Christ is his great work. This view of the
subject ought never to be abandoned or for-
gotten. And to this the ambassador of
Christ ought to address himself with all the
prayerful diligence; with all the powers
of mind, and body, and heart with which his
Master has endowed him; and with all those

12 THOUGHTS ON

improvements of them severally, which the
providence of God places within his reach.
And O, if preachers were as earnestly desi-
rous and as faithfully laborious, day and
night, to improve every power, intellectual,
moral, and physical for this purpose, as the
miser is to save and accumulate money, as
the ambitious man is to gather and display
worldly honours, what progress might we
not expect to mark in the character and
results of the labours of gospel ministers !

But what department of pulpit work is the
most vitally important ? and to which ought
our main efforts and prayers to be directed ?
Poor fallible mortals are ever prone to ex-
tremes, and, in balancing between attain-
ments and duties, to make sad mistakes in
their estimates. The Romanists, overrating
the importance of external rites and cere-
monies, and laying undue stress on their
Missals and Breviaries, have confidently
taught that their liturgical performances
were far more important than public preach-
ing ; and, of course, that the latter might be
much more safely dispensed with than the
former. And, accordingly, about the time of
the rise of the " Man of Sin," public preach-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 13

ing was thrust into a corner, and treated as
an inferior concern ; and, indeed, as to any
suitable character of preaching, as an exer-
cise adapted to bring the minds of men into
contact with the Holy Scriptures, it was,
during the dark ages, in a great measure
laid aside. For those, whose policy it was
to lock up the Scriptures from the common
people, could not, of course, be expected
to do anything but discourage scriptural
preaching. With a view to justify this esti-
mate it has been said, by those who take this
ground, that in Fraijer we speak directly to
God, and implore his blessing; whereas in
Preaching we listen to the speculations of
men exhibiting to us their own opinions of
truth and duty. They judge, therefore, that
if it be necessary or convenient to discon-
tinue either, it is much the less evil to dis-
continue preaching. And in this judgment
some who call themselves Protestants, but
who too much resemble Romanists, seem
disposed to concur. They deem and pro-
nounce the service of the " Readinof Desk"
of far more value, as a means of grace, than
the discourses which proceed from the pul-
pit.

9^

14 THOUGHTS ON

This is, doubtless, a deeply erroneous
judgment. Nothing can be more evident
than that, in the New Testament history,
public preaching makes a much more pro-
minent and important figure as an instru-
mentality for converting the world, and
edifying the Church, than public prayer;
for it has pleased God, in all ages, emi-
nently " by the foolishness of preaching" to
save them that believe. Nay, more than
this, the very statement of our opponents in
this argument may be turned against them-
selves ; for if, in prayer, we always S2)eak to
God, in the way of his own appointment; in
preaching, God sjjeaks to lis by his com-
missioned servant, if that servant preaches
the preaching which the Master bids him.
And which, is the more serious and solemn
employment, our speaking to God, and im-
ploring his favour, or God speaking to us,
and communicating his will, either in the
language of instruction, of threatening, or
of promise? It is not w^ise, however, to
exalt eitlier of these exercises at the expense
of the other. Both are required in the New
Testament Church; and both have a value
beyond our power to estimate.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 15

Yet, while we censure Romanists, and
others, for undervaluing preaching, we must
not excuse Presbyterians if they sometimes
appear to undervalue pubhc prayer; and to
be less concerned than they ought to be, to
secure its rightful and edifying performance.
Nothing is more certain than that there
is sometimes an appearance of this. It
\vould be difficult to estimate the amount
that has been written, by Presbyterians as
wtII as others, concerning the composition
and dehvery of sermons. Lectures and
volumes almost innumerable, have been
lavished on this subject; and, in pursuance
of their instruction, nothing is more common
than to bestow unwearied labour on the
preparation of discourses for the pulpit.
But how much less of the nature of counsel
seems to have been given to candidates for
the holy ministry, to aid them in the accept-
able performance of public prayer ! And
how much less attention seems to be
bestowed on the part of those candidates,
on this whole subject ! Books, indeed, in
almost countless number, containing forms
of praj^er, have been given to the public;
but books adapted to afford real aid to those

16 THOUGHTS ON

who are in a course of preparation for the
sacred office, in conducting extemporaneous
pubUc prayer in an acceptable and edifying
manner, have been few and inadequate.
Whether this has arisen from an impression
that pubUc prayer was a matter of compara-
tively small importance; or from a notion
that it may be safely left, from its nature to
take care of itself; or from a morbid desire
to recede as far as possible from giving any
countenance to prescribed forms, it is not
necessary at present to decide. What-
ever may have been the reason, it is
doubtless, an erroneous one. For whatever
comparative estimate we may form, in
our wisdom or our folly, concerning two
acknowledged ordinances of God, I hope, in
the following pages to satisfy every impar-
tial reader, that public prayer is not only
a divinely prescribed, but an unspeakably
important ordinance; and that both the
nature and the means of excellence in the
dispensation of this ordinance, are such as
not only to admit, but to demand appro-
priate study, and careful moral and mental
culture.

We are, no doubt, warranted in imploring

PUBLIC TRAYER. 17

and expecting the aid of the Holy Spirit in
every department of our spiritual services.
Hence, he who has ^'the residue of the
Spirit," speaks of pouring out upon his
people ''the spirit of grace and supplica-
tion."* And again, it is said, "the Spirit
helpeth our infirmities; for we know not
what to pray for as we ought; but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. "f Yet
neither in prayer, nor in any other exercise
of religion are we to suppose that the Holy
Spirit's influence is intended to supersede
the exercise of our own faculties; but rather
to stimulate, to strengthen and to purify
them. Of course, our petitions for that
influence, and our confidence in its aid, so
far from forbidding or discouraging efforts
to cultivate our minds, and to enrich them
with appropriate furniture for leading the
the devotions of our fellow worshippers,
ought rather to excite to unwearied dili-
gence in making the best preparation in our
power for discharging in the best manner,
this as wxll as every other duty of the
sanctuary. We ought to desire, to ask,

* Zech. xii. 10. i Rom, viii. 27.

18 THOUGHTS ON

and to expect the aid of the Holy Spirit
in preaching, and in the prosecution of
all our studies and duties. But would any
man in his senses imagine that the expecta-
tion of such aid was adapted to discourage
the use of appropriate means for enlarging
and invigorating the mind, and filling it
with useful knowledge, and with the ma-
terials for the best judgment and taste in
divine things? In all spiritual influence,
God deals with us as rational creatures;
not by superseding or suspending the use
of our natural faculties; but by so quicken-
ing, elevating, enriching and strengthening
them, as to make them capable of greatly
improved exercise. I hope, therefore, that
every candidate for the holy ministry will
bear in mind that as his pulpit work is his
great work, so every part of that work is
vitally important, and ought to be studied
and prepared for, with unceasing dihgence.
Instead of stopping to balance whether
the instruction or devotion of the sacred
desk is the more important, or the more
worthy of his regard, let him resolve to
prepare for both, and to discharge both in
the best possible manner. This is the only

puELTc trayer: 19

resolution ^vorthy of him who desires to
make the most of every talent he possesses,
and of every opportunity he enjoys, for the
glory of his Master in heaven.

In regard to the best preparation for
leading in social, and especially in public
prayer, there are two things worthy of
particular notice; the one is what has been
called the spirit, or grace of prayer; the
other is what has been denominated the
gift of prayer.

1. By the sjnrit or grace of prayer, is to
be understood that truly devout state of
mind w^hich corresponds w^ith the nature
and design of the exercise. He has the
spirit of prayer who engages in that duty
w^ith serious, enlightened, cordial sincerity;
with that penitence, faith, love, and holy
veneration which become a renewed sinner,
in drawing near to God to ask for things
agreeable to his will. Even if he have
weak intellects, but Uttle knowledge of theo-
logical truth, and a very imperfect command
of appropriate language, yet if he have a
heart filled with love to God, with confi-
dence in the Saviour, and with ardent
desires to be conformed to his imaore, a heart

20 TTIOUCHTS ON

broken and contrite for sin, breathing after
holiness, and earnestly desiring the enjoy-
ment of covenant blessings — in a word, a
heart in which the Holy Spirit dwells and
reigns, that man has the spirit of prayer, the
grace of prayer. Though his words be few,
though his utterance be feeble and embar-
rassed, though his feelings be poured out in
sighs and groans, rather than in appropriate
language, he may be said to ''pray in the
spirit" — to pray in such a manner as will
never fail to enter into the ears of ''the Lord
of Sabaoth." Hence we read of the prayer
of faith (James v. 15); of the effectual fer-
vent prayer of the righteous man which
availeth much (James v. 16); of the spirit of
grace and supplication (Zech. xii. 10); of
the Holy Spirit helping our infirmities in
prayer, and making intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered (Rom.
viii. 26) ; and of God sending forth the
Spirit of his Son into our hearts, enabling
us to cry, Abba Father (Gal. iv. 6).

2. By the gift of prayer is to be under-
stood that combination of natural and spirit-
ual qualities which enables any one to lead
in prayer in a ready, acceptable, impres-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 21

sive, and edifying manner; that suitableness
and scriptural propriety of matter, and that
ardour, fluency, and felicity of expression
which enable any one so to conduct the
devotions of others, as to carry with him the
judgment, the hearts, and the feelings of all
whose mouth he is to the throne of grace.

These qualities are not always united in
those who lead in public prayer. On the
one hand, there may be much of the spirit
of prayer, that is, much of a spiritual and
devout frame of mind; much sincerity and
even ardour of devotion, where the topics of
prayer are not happily selected or arranged ;
where the language is not well chosen;
where the utterance is embarrassed; and
where the voice is grating, ill-managed, and
unpleasant. So that, while we have no
doubt of the sincerity, and even ardent piety
of him who leads us to the throne of grace,
our pleasure in uniting with him is not a
little diminished by the infelicity of his dic-
tion and manner. It cannot be doubted,
however, that where there is a large mea-
sure of the spirit of prayer, there we are
most apt to find, and commonly do find, a
corresponding measure of the gift of prayer.
3

22 THOUGTTTS ON

On the other hand, there may be much of
the gift of prayer, where there is, so far as
we can judge by appearances, but Httle of
the spirit. That is, there may be much
skill in the selection of topics, in offering up
the prayers of the pubUc assembly; much
happiness of expression; much fluency of
utterance; and much sweetness and solem-
nity of voice, where we have reason to
believe, there is but little of the spirit of fer-
vent and elevated devotion. I have known
a few instances of this kind so remarkable,
as to excite universal observation. Nay, I
can call to mind one example of the gift of
prayer being possessed in a pre-eminent
degree, where there was every reason to
believe, from subsequent events, that there
was no Christian sincerity at all; while
I have sometimes seen men of decided and
even eminent piety, who did not appear to
as much advantage in the devotional exer-
cises, as in the expository and instructive
parts of their pulpit work. Even where a
liturgy is used, there has often been observ-
ed a striking inferiority in the reading of the
prayers to the preaching of the ofliciating
minister. The reverence, the solemnity, the

PUBLIC TRAYER. 23

tonchinof tones which abounded in the latter,
were, in a great measure, wanting in the
former. The happy union of the spirit and
the gift of prayer, is the great object to be
desired, and the attainment of which is so
truly important to the acceptance, and espe-
cially to the usefulness of every minister of
the gospel.

There are men in the ministry, as well as
out of it — men no way remarkable either for
the vigour of their talents or the extent of
their learning, who, nevertheless, whenever
they engage in social prayer, seem to be
eminently in their element, and we may
almost say inspired. So near and intimate
are their approaches to the throne of grace ;
they are so obviously and immediately look-
ing into heaven; so simply filial and ten-
derly reverential are their appeals to their
heavenly Father; so humble and endearing
their importunity; so full of confidence and
joy in a reconciled God, and of love to an
enthroned Saviour ; that it is really adapted
to awaken and solemnize the worldly, and to
animate believers to listen to them. O! if
our public prayers were generally and habit-

24 THOUGHTS ON

ually of this character, what impressive and
heart-affecting results might be expected !

Now, if this be so, is there not in many
who bear the sacred office, a painful evi-
dence that they have never paid adequate
attention to this important part of the service
of the sanctuary? Are there not found
those from whom somethinof better miorht be
expected, who habitually perform this por-
tion of their pulpit work in a common-place,
slovenly, and unedifying manner? Is it not
supposable, nay, is it not manifest, that pub-
lic prayer might be made a far more instruc-
tive, impressive, and elevating exercise than
it is commonly found to be ? Who that has
been an intelligent and watchful observer of
such things, has not known instances in
which the spirit and the gift of prayer, have
been so remarkably united and exemplified,
as to captivate all hearts, and melt a whole
assembly, and to leave an impression more
deep and lasting than the most eloquent dis-
course ? If this be so, and if ministers are
commonly found to be interesting and useful
in proportion to the degree in which they
attain excellence in public prayer, then how
powerful and solemn arc the motives which

PUBLIC TRAYER. 25

ought to impel every candidate for the
sacred office to aim at a high measure of this
excellence, and to employ all the means in
his power for attaining it !

The more my attention is directed to this
subject, the deeper is my persuasion that a
large amount of the defects observable in the
performance of public prayer, is to be refer-
red, not altogether or mainly, to the w^ant of
piety, nor to the want of rich and varied
talents, but to the want of an appropriate
and adequate estimate being made of the
importance of this part -of the public service,
and of suitable pains being taken to prepare
for its happy discharge. So many examples
in proof of this crowd upon my mind, that I
cannot help referring to a few of them in
confirmation of my statement.

Few divines of the seventeenth century
were favoured wdth higher endowments
than the Rev. William Twisse, the first
Prolocutor of the Westminster Assembly of
Divines. He was fervently pious, profound-
ly learned, and one of the most acute in-
quirers and powerful reasoners of his day.
In fact, he has been called the Bradwardine
of his age. His works, in three volumes
3^

26 THOUGHTS ON

folio, form a lasting monument of liis vast
erudition, and of his uncommonly diversified
and vigorous powers of mind. But we
could hardly have a stronger proof of the
high estimation in which he was held, than
the fact that he w^as selected by the same
Parliament which chose and called together
the Westminster Assembly of Divines, to
preside over the deliberations of that far-
famed body, in which he officiated as the
presiding officer for about three years.

Such a man might be expected to be
gifted and ready in public prayer, as he
undoubtedly was in preaching, and in every
other part of the duties connected with his
profession. But it is plain, from the repre-
sentation of Baillie, one of the Scottish
delegates to the Assembly, that Dr. Twisse,
with all his accomplishments, was greatly
lacking in some of the qualities which are
eminently desirable in a good presiding
officer, and in none more remarkably than
in respect to extempore prayer.* In that
exercise he would seem, from Baillie's repre-
sentation, to have been peculiarly deficient.
''The man," says Baillie, "as all the w^orld

* Baillie's Letters, Vol. ii. p. 108.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 27

knows, is very learned, very good, beloved of
all, and higlily esteemed ; but merely book-
ish, and not much, as it seems, acquaint
with conceived prayer, and among the un-
fittest of all the company for any action.
So after the prayer he sits mute." To
account for this, all that is necessary is to
advert to the fact, that Dr. Twisse w^as bred
and ordained in the Church of Ensrland ;
that he had been accustomed, durin^f the
greater part of the former period of his life,
to the use of the liturgy in public w^orship ;
and, of course, had been but little in the
habit of extemporary prayer."* And, al-
though it is perfectly evident, from the pro-
ceedings of the venerable body over which

* It has been supposed and alleged by many that the mem-
bers of the Westminster Assembly of Divines were Presby-
terians by prejudice and by long- habit anterior to their delib-
erations and decisions in that body. It was, however, by no
means so. All the English divines, without a single excep-
tion, who sat in that Assembly, and two of the Scotch, had
been Episcopally ordained ; and their early prejudices and
habits were in favour of the prelatical system of government
and worship, and not against them. Some of them, we know,
had been long convinced of the unscriptural character of that
system ; but others, and not a few, were brought to the same
conviction by thorough and careful examination. They were
evidently led to the views in which they ultimately rested by
mature discussion, and a deliberate examination of God's word.

28 THOUGHTS ON

he presided) that his judgment was on the
side of free, instead of prescribed prayer; yet
it is probable that, from want of use, the
method of conducting pubUc prayer extem-
poraneously was less easy and natural to
him than the use of a form. We have only
to suppose this, in order to account for the
fact, that, with all his other pre-eminent
accomplishments, he often appeared to a dis-
advantage in conducting the devotions of a
public assembly without a form.

I have heard of a similar defect in the
public prayers of the Rev. President Davies,
of our own country, the author of seve-
ral volumes of sermons of first rate ex-
cellence. It would be difficult to name a
collection of published sermons more rich in
thought, more sound in evangelical doctrine,
and, at the same time, more fervent, ani-
mated, and solemn in their whole structure
and style. In a word, when I have been
called upon by theological students to spe-
cify those sermons which I deemed best
adapted to popular use, I have felt doubtful
whether those of Davies ought not to occupy
the very first place in the list. The reader
of those sermons would be ready to antici-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 29

pate for their author not only real but very-
high excellence in every other part of the
public service, as well as in preaching. Yet
I have understood, that with all the acknow-
ledged ardour of his piety, and all the rich
exuberance of his genius, so apparent in
every thing that he penned, he w^as by no
means either ready or fluent in public
prayer; but was, at least often, hesitating,
apparently embarrassed, and far from mani-
festing that peculiar felicity of thought or
expression for w^hich he was so remarkable
in his sermons. The probability, indeed, is
that President Davies was not a good extem-
poriser in any thing. The tradition is, that
he always read his sermons, which, though
the universal practice of the established
clergy in Virginia, in his day, had been
seldom or never allowed among Presbyte-
rian ministers, especially in the middle and
southern colonies. Yet still, though he
always carried his manuscripts into the
pulpit and read his discourses, he read them
Vv'ith a degree of freedom, animation, and
fervour which led many good judges to say,
that they would almost as soon hear him at
any time as George Whiteficld. The proba-

30 THOUGHTS ON

bility, then, is, that never having cultivated
his extemporaneous powers, and having
never paid particular attention to prepara-
tion for pubUc prayer, his Uterary sensibihty
and taste led him often to hesitate in prayer
for the selection of appropriate thoughts and
expressions, and thus gave rise to the im-
pression, which was undoubtedly made on
some minds, that he was less ready, less
gifted, and less excellent in public prayer
than in preaching. Such a fertile mind and
warm heart as his, could not have manifested
a want of prompt and appropriate furniture
for any part of the public service, if he had
been induced early to pay the same degree
of attention to it that he evidently had paid
to his preaching.

The biography of the late Rev. Robert
Hall, of the Baptist denomination in En-
gland, records the existence of the same
remarkable defect in the public prayers of
that eminent man. Few, it is presumed,
will hesitate to place Mr. Hall very high,
if not absolutely at the head, of the eloquent
preachers of his day. In some respects,
he was considered as superior in genius
and in taste to Dr. Chalmers; and beyond

PUBLIC PRAYER. 31

all doubt, in bis resources as an extempo-
raneous speaker, be bad greatly tbe ad-
vantage of bis illustrious Scottish contem-
porary. Yet of this wonderful preacher,
bis friend and admirer, John Foster, thus
speaks in regard to tbe subject under con-
sideration.*

*' His manner of public prayer considered
as an exercise of thought, was not exactly
what would have have been expected from
a mind constituted like bis. A manner so
different in that exercise from its operation
in all other employments, could hardly
have been unintentional; but on what prin-
ciple it was preferred, cannot be known
or conjectured. But it is to the intellectual
consistency and order of bis thoughts in
public prayer that I am adverting; as to
the devotional spirit, there could be but
one impression. There was the greatest
seriousness and simplicity, the plainest char-
acter of genuine piety, humble and prostrate
before the Almighty. Both solemnity and
good taste forbade indulgence in any thing
showy, or elaborately ingenious, in such
an employment. But, there might have

* Hall's Works, Vol. iii. p. 98.

32 THOUGHTS ON

been, without an approach to any such
impropriety, and as it always appeared to
me, with great advantage, what I will ven-
ture to call a more thinking performance
of this exercise; a series of ideas more
reflectively conceived, and more connected
and classed, if I may express it so, in their
order." The writer then goes on to point
out, in a diffuse and circuitous manner,
what he deems to have been the faults of
Mr. Hall's public prayers. He supposes
their principal faults to have been that they
did not abound in connected thought; that
they were not adapted to arrest and fix the
attention of a worshipping assembly; that
they seldom had any sensible connexion
with his discourse; and that in intercession,
especially for those who might be supposed
to be present in the assembly, he was apt
to dwell too long, and by excess of person-
ality to encroach on the province of appro-
priate reserve, and sometimes of strict deli-
cacy. In short, it may be gathered from
Foster's statement, that while Mr. Hall
poured his whole soul, with all its learning,
logic, exquisite taste, and fervid feelings into
his sermons, he left his prayers to take

PUBLIC TRAYER. 33

care of themselves, and bestowed "upon tliem
but little thought and no preparation.

I have only to add to this list of illus-
trious delinquents, the late Dr. Chalmers,
of Scotland. Perhaps it is not too much to
say, that this wonderful man, at the time
of his decease, and for twenty years before,
had been in some respects, the greatest
preacher in the world. In grasp and com-
prehension of mind; in large, practical
statesman-like views on all subjects of eccle-
siastical policy; in a capacity for profound
investigation; in fervid, overpowering elo-
quence; and all this united wdth a simple,
child-like piety, it ^vould not be easy to
name an equal, or even a second.

And yet, with all this transcendent excel-
lence as a preacher, felt by all, and acknow-
ledged by all who ever heard him, this
extraordinary individual, in public prayer
was but a common man ; nay, scarcely equal
to multitudes of inferior men, toward wdiom
but little expectation was directed. One of
the most enlightened and ardent admirers
of that great man, wdth whom I have
conversed, acknowledo^ed that "he had not
wdiat is commonly called the gift of prayer":
4

84 THOUGHTS ON

insomuch that many strangers who went to
hear him, expecting to find him great in
every thing, and, from his first utterance,
deeply interesting, have been ready to doubt
whether it was the same man who made
the first prayer who afterwards preached,
or at least to mark a wonderful disparity
between the prayer and the sermon.

It is difficult to account for facts of this
sort, without referring them simply to the
w^ant of that attention to the subject of pub-
lic prayer, which is ordinarily necessary
to the attainment of excellence in that or in
any other department of the public service.
True, it may be said. Dr. Chalmers seldom
allowed himself to utter in public a sentence
which he had not written, and was uni-
versally known never to excel in extempore
speaking. But can it be doubted that the
same pre-eminent intellectual vigour, the
same ardent piety, and the same pecu-
liar w^armth of utterance which gave such
a deeply impressive character to all his
other pulpit performances, would have been
equally effectual in imparting the richest
character to all the devotional exercises of
the sanctuary over which he was called

PUBLIC TRAYER. 35

to preside, if they had been with equal diU-
gence directed to the object?

Nothing can be further from my aim in
referring to the cases of these truly great
and good men, than to detract in the least
degree from their exalted reputation. This
Avould be as unwise, as unjust. My sole
object is to impress on the mind of every
reader, w^hat I w^ish to be considered as the
leading principle of this volume, viz: that,
even in the hands of the most able and pious
men, high excellence in public prayer is not,
ordinarily, to be attained without much
enlightened attention being directed to the
acquirement.

There are certain views of public prayer
which, however obvious, and however inter-
esting, must be forgotten or overlooked,
before slight impressions of its importance,
or a materially incorrect estimate of its ap-
propriate characteristics can be admitted.
This prayer is, of course, to be considered,
as the united act of him who leads, and of
all who join him in the exercise. Were it
to be regarded as merely the vocal utterance
of the wants and desires of the individual
who presides and leads, it would be by no

36 THOUGHTS ON

means invested with the responsible and
touching character which really belongs to
it. But, when regarded as the joint and
humble supplication of hundreds of penitent
and believing souls, all engaged in pouring
out their hearts to the God of salvation, it
assumes an aspect, not only deeply interest-
ing, but eminently adapted to enlist and ele-
vate all the most devout feelings of the wor-
shippers. What an important office does he
occupy, who undertakes to be the leader in
such an exercise! How full, at once, of re-
sponsibility and of interest ! What presence
of mind, what self-possession, w^hat enlight-
ened and ardent piety, what judgment, what
taste, what a delicate perception of the wants
and the privileges of the people of God, and
what power to express them aright, are in-
dispensable to the appropriate and the suita-
ble discharge of this high duty !

In order to bring to a simple and practical
test, what we ought to expect, and what
ought to be aimed at in such an exercise, let
us imao^ine that we were listeninor to an
humble, penitent, fervently pious Christian,
pouring out his soul to God, in his retired
closet, and when he supposed that no other

PUBLIC PRAYER. 37

ear than that of his Father in heaven heard
his voice. What should we expect to over-
hear as the utterance of such a heart?
Surely we should expect to hear him pour-
ings forth his desires in simple, humble,
unaffected terms. We should, of course,
expect every thing like the glitter of rheto-
ric, every thing like philosophical refine-
ment, or laboured logical distinction, every
thing approaching the didactic delineation
of doctrine, every thing, in short, adapted to
meet any other ear than that of the God of
mercy, or to answer any other purpose than
to express repentance toward God, faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ, and simple, humble
desire for the blessings asked for, to be far
away. The moment any thing of this kind
should be detected in the language, the
tones, or the topics of the bending Christian,
professing to be engaged in his secret devo-
tion, that moment a chilling doubt would
come over us, whether he could be more
than half in earnest.

When we apply the same test to a consid-
erable portion of the public prayer in which
we are called to unite, can we avoid being
driven to the same conclusion? How often,
4*

38 THOUGHTS ON

instead of the language of cordial desire, the
tones of deep feeling, and the whole manner
of importunate suppliants, filled with awe
before the majesty of God, and pleading for
mercy with all the earnestness of broken
and contrite hearts, are we compelled to
hear either, on the one hand, effusions in
which the invention of the leader is more
prominent than his devotion, and sometimes
in which the skill of the theologian, and
even the taste of the rhetorician are more
conspicuous than the mourning for sin, the
deep humility and the affectionate confi-
dence of the believer pleading for his life;
or, on the other hand, effusions marked by
cold and careless indifference, and in which
words of course appear to flow from the
lips without feeling, and scarcely with con-
scious purpose !

The model here to be aimed at, and the
best means of attaining some degree of con-
formity to it, will be considered in a subse-
quent chapter. In the mean time I may be
permitted to express deep regret that this
subject has not engaged more of the atten-
tion of ministers of the gospel, and that there
are so many examples of deplorable delin-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 39

quency in regard to this part of the public
service. If it were not so, we should not so
frequently find the members of our congre-
gations satisfied if they reach the house of
God in time to hear our sermons, after all
the preceding prayers are over. If it were
not so, we should much more seldom find
those who do attend in time to unite in our
prayers, gazing about as if they felt no
interest in the exercise, or sitting with as
much indolence as if they considered what
w^as passing as nothing to them. It will,
perhaps, be said that the same gazing about,
the same apparent want of interest are often
manifested by multitudes, while the best
composed liturgy is read. This is, no doubt,
true. But the reason of this is, that the
formula read lacks that life and power which
are adapted to take hold of the minds of men,
equally with the extemporaneous prayer.
We hold the latter to be inferior to what it
might and ought to be, if it be not far more
adapted to arrest the attention and impress
the mind than any recited form can be.

Nothing can be more certain than that
appropriate and adequate attention to this
subject would be rewarded with very differ-

40 THOUGHTS ON

eiit results. It may be said, without fear
of contradiction, that there is no part of the
service of the sanctuary more capable of
being moulded to any thing that an intelli-
gent and pious heart can desire, or of having
stamped upon it a richness and variety; a
solemnity, and tenderness; a force of appeal,
and a melting pathos which scarcely any
other mode of presenting the great princi-
ples of intercourse between God and the
redeemed soul are capable of having con-
ferred upon them.

The ministers and members of the Pres-
byterian Church have reason to be thank-
ful that they belong to a body, which is
not restrained by any secular power from
making such improvements in their system
of worship as the word of God, and more
ample experience may dictate; and that
they are not tied down by ecclesiastical
authority to tho rigorous use of forms,
which some may find a painful burden to
conscience. Whatever is most agreeable to
the word of God, and most edifying to the
body of Christ, w^e are, happily, at full
liberty to introduce, and progressively to
modify. Happy will it be for us if we

PUBLIC PRAYER. 41

shall be wise enough to make a constant and
faithful improvement of this privilege !

If the following pages shall be made by
the orreat Head of the Church, in the least
degree to promote an increased attention to
this part of the service of the sanctuary; to
correct, in a single individual, that negli-
gence which has too often obscured the
excellence of public prayer; and especially
if they shall stimulate any of those who may
peruse them, to aim at that elevated char-
acter with wdiich the devotions of the sanc-
tuary ought to be, and might be invested,
the writer w411 deem himself richly re-
warded for his labour.

42

CHAPTER II.

HISTORY OF PUBLIC PRAYER.

As PRAYER is a dictate of nature, as well as
a duty required by the express command of
our Master in heaven, we may take for
granted that it has early and always made
a part of the services of public as well as of
private religion. Some, indeed, have sup-
posed that social prayer was unknown until
the time of Enos, as recorded in Gen. iv. 26.
But this is by no means probable. As
the visible Church was constituted in the
family of Adam, we must suppose that
social prayer in some form was habitually
performed. That it entered into the wor-
ship of the ceremonial economy of the Old
Testament, is abundantly evident, as well
from the book of Psalms, as from the histori-
cal records of important events during that
economy. In the temple service, indeed,
there seems to have been no system of com-
mon prayer. There were, it is true, '' hours

PUELTC TRAYER. 43

of prayer," and many and ''long prayers"
were there offered up; but these seem to
have been by individuals, each one pray-
ing for himself, and by himself, and in all
manner of words and ways. Of two men
who "went up to the temple to pray," each
one by himself, we have a very graphic
account in Luke xviii. 10. They had in
the temple service, sacred music, and sacer-
dotal benedioiions ; but never any system of
prescribed joint prayer. The ceremonial of
the temple was made up of sacrifices, ablu-
tions, burning incense, and minutely enjoin-
ed rites of various kinds; but there is noi
a shadow of evidence that it included a
prescribed liturgy, or a system of pre-
pared and commanded devotional exercises.
There were, indeed, solemn prayers on spe-
cial and extraordinary occasions in which
multitudes joined; such as those uttered by
Solomon;* by king Asa;t by Hezekiah;J
by Ezra;§> and by Jehoshaphat.|| But nei-
ther in the daily or the sabbatical service of
the temple, as commonly conducted, does
there appear to have been any regular or

* 1 Kings viii. 22. f 2 Chron. xiv. 11. | Isa. xxxvii. 15.
5 Ezra ix. 5, 6. 1| 2 Chron. xx. .5.

44 THOUGHTS ON

established provision for public or joint
prayer; and with respect to the prayers
offered on the special occasions above refer-
red to, no one can read them without per-
ceiving that they were extemporaneous effu-
sions, growing out of the occasions which
led to their utterance, and which precluded
the possibility of their being governed by a
previously adapted form.

Public prayer also formed ^an important
part of the service of the Jewish synagogue,
that moral institution, which, from an early
period, certainly from the time of Ezra,
constituted the regular sabbatical worship of
the Jewish people. In what manner the
prayers of the synagogue were conducted
before the coming of Christ, has been the
subject of no small controversy. The learn-
ed Bingham, in his "Antiquities of the
Christian Church," and Dr. Prideaux, in
his ''Connections,"* assure us that it was
by a regular liturgy. The latter professes,
with great confidence, to give us, at large,
''eighteen prayers," which he alleges were in
constant use in the synagogue service, long
before the incarnation of the Saviour. But

* Connections, Part. i. Book vi.

PUBLIC TRAYER. 45

if this were so, or if the synagogue worsliip
were conducted by the use of these prayers,
or by any prescribed liturgy, it is wonderful
that no hint of this alleged fact should be
found in the Old Testament history, or in
Josephus, or Philo. And, indeed, in the es-
timation of good judges, these prayers were
evidently composed ''at a period when the
service of God was no longer kept up in the
temple; when the daily sacrifice had ceased;
when Jerusalem was no longer their quiet
abode; and when the Jews were scattered
out of their own land, to the four quarters of
the earth. They, consequently, prove the
prayers to be posterior to the destruction
of Jerusalem. "*

The synagogue service was, in substance,
the model of the early Christian Church.
The titles and functions of the officers, and
the form of worship were the same. The
Jews, indeed, before the advent of the Sa-
viour, had become deeply superstitious, and
sunk in heartless formality. They "loved to
pray standing at the corners of the streets,"
and "for a pretence made long prayers;" but
the worship of the synagogue seems to have

* Whitaker's Origin of Arianism, p. 301, 302.
5

40 THOUGHTS ON

l)oen retained, when our Lord came in the
flesh, not, indeed, in absohite purity, but in
sometliins: of its orii^inal character. Accord-
ingly, the Master himself and his inspired
Apostles were in the habit of attending on
its services, and sometimes of taking a lead-
ing part in them. In all the accounts which
are given in the New Testament history of
the synagogue worship, and of the participa-
tion in them of the Saviour and his Apostles,
w^e do not find the remotest hint of a liturgy,
or a prescribed form of prayer. Nor, from
any other source have we the least evidence
to that amount.

In all the examples of prayer recorded in
the Old Testament Scripture, whether pub-
lic and social, or strictly private and per-
sonal, we find nothing like a prescribed
form, but in every case the topics presented
and the language employed were evidently
dictated by the occasion, and flowed spon-
taneously from the present feelings of the
heart. When Solomon, at the dedication of
the Temple, in the midst of the congregated
thousands of Israel, and on an occasion of
transcendent national interest, prayed for the
blessinfr of God on the newlv erected edifice.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 47

and all who should worship in it, every
thing that the sacred historian represents
him as uttering, seems to have come warm
from the heart, and the expression to have
been all dictated by the desires and feelings
of the moment.^ In like manner, wdien
king Jehoshaphat feared the invasion of a
destroying army, he stood in the midst of the
congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the
house of the Lord, before the new court, and
implored the protection of Jehovah, in a
manner which, no reader can doubt, was not
the recitation of a form, but the unstudied
utterance of the heart, f And so, likewise,
when Ezra, in a day of rebuke and of spirit-
ual adversity, gathered around him the mul-
titudes of God's professing people, and lifted
up his hands, and poured out his soul, as the
mouth of the people, both the matter and
manner of his prayer plainly evince that
every thing about it was poured forth extem-
poraneously, as an expression of the desires
and feelings prompted by the solemn circum-
stances in which he and the people w^ere
placed, without being governed by any form
or monitor. J The same remarks may be

* 1 Kings viii. f 2 Cliron. xx. t Ezra ix.

4y THOUGHTS ON

made respecting the prayer of the Levites,
who, in the days of Nehemiah, after reading
in the book of the Law of the Lord their God,
confessed their sins, and worshipped the Lord
their God. All is apparently unstudied, and
prompted by the desires and feelings of the
moment. Their prayer was long, minute,
entering into a variety of particulars of their
liistory; but throughout bearing the stamp
of spontaneous and feeling earnestness.*

The aspect of prayer, under the New
Testament dispensation, is marked with
greatly increased light, elevation, and en-
largement. We find the glorious truths and
hopes of the gospel exhibited no longer
"through a glass darkly," but with ''open
face." Listead of teaching by types, and
shadows, and carnal ordinances, every thing,
under this economy, appears more simple,
more spiritual, and more divested of external
formality. Surely nothing less and nothing
different from this could have been expected
under a dispensation in which life and
immortality were brought into full light,
and in which the infancy of the Church had
given place to perfect manhood in Christ

* Nclieiiiiiili ix.

PUBLIC TRAYER. 49

Jesus. Under this dispensation, of course,
we find prayer assuming a language and a
tone of more liglit, enlargement, liberty, and
filial confidence.

Who can forbear to marvel then, when
the light, the freedom, and the spirituality
of prayer have received such manifest and
rich improvement under the New Testa-
ment dispensation, that there should be any,
who, in regard to forms of praise, should
insist that we are bound still to adhere to
the Psalmody of the old economy? What
would be thought of any one who, in
preaching and in prayer, should contend
that we are not warranted to advance
beyond the restricted limits of the ceremo-
nial economy? Why is it not equally won-
derful that any, claiming to be eminently
evangelical, should occupy this ground with
regard to praise?

But, while prayer under the New Testa-
ment dispensation has received large acces-
sions of light, spirituality, and the spirit of
adoption, it is quite as remarkably divested
of all restraint and formality. We see a
still more marked absence of all confinement
to servile forms.

5*

50 THOUGHTS ON

Much use, indeed, in relation to this sub-
ject, has been made of the form of prayer
which Christ taught his disciples, common-
ly called the Lord's Prayer. But every
circumstance connected with the delivery of
that prayer, will convince all enlightened
and impartial minds, that it furnishes no
proof whatever of either the necessity or the
duty of prescribing set forms of devotion.
That it was never designed by our Lord to
be adopted as a permanent and precise form
of prayer, but only as a general directory,
intended to set forth the proper topics, or
appropriate matter for prayer, will appear
evident from the following considerations.

L It was delivered by him on two differ-
ent occasions and for two different purposes.
The first time it made a part of the ''Ser-
mon on the Mount," and was introduced
thus — "When ye pray, use not vain repeti-
tion, as the heathen do^ for they think that
they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Be not ye, therefore, like unto them ; for
your Father knoweth what things ye have
need of before ye ask him. After this man-
ner, therefore, pray ye. Our Father, &c."
Here he merelv intended to teach them how

PUBLIC PRAYER. 51

their petitions ought to be so simply and
briefly expressed as to avoid '' vain repeti-
tions." The next occasion on which this
prayer was delivered, was when one of his
disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to
pray." Luke xi. 1. They suggested that
this favour had been done by John to his
disciples, and desired him to do the same for
them. The Saviour then gave, a second
time, the substance of w^hat he had given in
the Sermon on the Mount, intimating that,
in its topics and its simplicity, it was
adapted to their then situation. Nothing
like rigorous confinement to a verbal form is
intimated on either occasion; but the most
unUmited freedom and enlargement of dic-
tion. For,

2. Though delivered by the Saviour on
two occasions, it is not given in the same
words by any two of the evangelists. Of
course it was not intended to be prescribed
as a rigid form.

3. As this prayer was given before the
New Testament church was set up, so it is
strictly adapted to the old, rather than the
new economy. The kingdom of Christ
which had long been an object of intense

52 THOUGHTS ON

desire to the pious, had not yet been set up.
And, therefore, the first petition in this
prayer is — Thj Mngdom come! It is, there-
fore, strictly speaking, not a prayer entirely
appropriate to the New Testament Church.

4. There is in this prayer an entire
want of what was afterwards prescribed
by express precept from the same divine
Master, viz: asking for all blessings in the
name of Christ. Long after he delivered
this prayer he said to his disciples, "Hither-
to ye have asked nothing in my name."
He had not yet ascended into the holiest of
all, as our Intercessor. But a short time
before he ascended to appear in the presence
of God for us, he assured his disciples that
whatever they asked in his name should be
given them. John xvi. 23, 24. And we are
afterwards expressly commanded, " What-
soever ye do, in word or deed, do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to
God and the Father by him." Can we
suppose then, that a formula intended to
serve as a model of prayer in all ages as a
strictly verbal form, could be left entirely
destitute of this essential feature of Chris-
tian devotion? This was not a defect at the

PUBLIC PRiVYER. 53

time it was given. That great event had
not occarred, which would have rendered
such a clause then appropriate and suitable.
But had our blessed Master intended to
prescribe a prayer which it should be in-
cumbent upon his people in all future ages
to use, as a complete form, he, surely, would
not have omitted this essential reference to
his own mediation and intercession.

5. In this form of prayer we have no
clause which recognizes thanksgiving for
mercies received, which is represented in
scripture both by precept and example, as
so important a part of Christian devotion.

Considering this prayer then as a part of
the gracious words which proceeded from
the lips of the Saviour, it is worthy of our
highest regard, and of our diligent and
devout study; but to adopt it now as con-
taining all that is necessary to constitute a
complete prayer under the full light and
claims and privileges of the New Testament
economy, must surely be considered as a
virtual desertion of principles, which, as
Christians, under the present dispensation
we must ever acknowledge and hold fast,
viz: that the kingdom of heaven, or the

54 THOUGHTS ON

gospel dispensation, is already come; and
that no Christian prayer is complete which
does not include a reference to the merits
and intercession of the great High Priest
of our profession. Accordingly,

6. After the resurrection and ascension of
Christ, when the New Testament Church
was formally set up, we read nothing more
in the inspired history concerning the use
of this form by the disciples of Christ. We
have some of their prayers, after those
events, recorded. But this is not found
among them, and is nowhere referred to in
the most distant manner as having been
used. Through the many years which the
New Testament history embraces, and the
many specimens of prayer which it exhibits,
w^e find no allusion, not even the most
remote, to the prayer in question. So far as
the inspired history informs us, it was never
used during the apostolic age, when the
religion of Christ appeared among men in
its simplest and purest form. We find no
evidence of its having been statedly intro-
duced into public worship until several cen-
turies after the death of the apostles; nay, not
until grievous superstition and many innova

PUBLIC PRAYER. 55

tions on the primitive model had crept into
the Church of God.

From all these considerations, we may
confidently infer that the Lord's Prayer was
never intended by its all wise Giver to be
used as a strict and permanent form; and, of
course, that it affords no argument in favour
of prescribed liturgies. In this opinion we
are fortified by the judgment of many indi-
viduals, ancient and modern. The venera-
ble Augustine, in the fourth century, ex-
presses the decisive opinion that Christ, in
delivering this prayer, gave it rather as a
directory or general model, than as a form.
He says expressly that he did not intend to
teach his disciples what words they should
use in prayer, but what things they should
pray for; and he understands it to be meant
chiefly as a guide for secret or mental prayer
where carefully selected words are not ne-
cessary.* In this opinion Grotius concurs,
as appears in his commentary on Matt. vi.

Again, there seems to be no hint of the
use of precomposed forms of prayer in any
of the instances of social worship recorded
in the apostolic history. When Peter and

* De Magistro, Cap. i.

5G THOUGHTS ON

John* were persecuted and threatened by
the Jewish Council, when they returned to
their companions, the whole company, we
are told, with fervent feelings and grateful
hearts, lifted up their voices and poured out
their humble acknowledgrraents in lanoruao^e,
every word of which bears the stamp of
an unpremeditated outburst of spontaneous
feeling. He who, on reading the whole nar-
rative, can imagine that they followed in thi§
prayer the words of a prescribed formulary,
may be considered as prepared to believe
any thing that his prejudices can suggest.
Again, can any one imagine that the apostle
Paul used a written form when he kneeled
down and prayed with the elders of Ephe-
sus, on taking leave of them, to see their
faces no moreTf Did Paul and Silas
make use of a book when, at midnight, they
prayed and sang praises unto God, in tbe
prison at Philippi?J Had Paul a liturgy
when, at Tyre,^ he kneeled down on the sea-
shore and prayed with a large body of dis-
ciples, with their wives and children, who
liad kindly visited him and ministered to his

* Acts iv. 24. I Acts xvi. 25.

t Acts XX. 30. § Acts xxi. 5.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 57

wants, when he touched at that city in the
course of a long voyage? If so, where and
by whom can we imagine a Hturgy adapted
to such an occasion to have been prepared?
Can we suppose that the body of the pious
people, male and female, who had assembled
at the house of Mary, the mother of John
Mark, to pray for the liberation of the Apos-
tle Peter, made use of a form in pleading
for the deliverance and usefulness of that
eminent minister of Christ?* Is it possible
to believe that the church at Ephesus was
furnished with a prescribed liturgy, when
Paul, in writing to Timothy, while there,
thought it necessary to give him such
pointed and specific directions concerning
some of the topics proper to be introduced
into public prayer? Surely if there had
been a prayer-book in use there, the direc-
tions given in 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2, would have
been superfluous. All the proper objects of
public prayer would, no doubt, have been
already provided for. To imagine that such
topics had been forgotten, or designedly
omitted in an apostolic liturgy, would indeed

* Acts xii. 12.

58 THOUGHTS ON

be a burlesque upon all formularies claiming
such an origin.

Tlie truth is, in the New Testament his-
tory of the early Church of Christ, public
prayer is so little prominent, so little is said
about it, that it is wonderful any advocate of
liturgies should attempt to derive any argu-
ment in favour of his cause from that source.
Not a syllable is said which gives the least
historical countenance to the existence, or
the use of any such formularies as the advo-
cates of this cause contend for. It is plain,
that the whole subject was left to the dis-
posal of Christian liberty and pious feeling.

Equally without evidence are we that
public forms of prayer were in use during
the first five hundred years after the Apos-
tles.

The advocates of liturgies generally, in-
deed, assert, without hesitation, that they
were in constant use during the period in
question. Yet they have never been able
to produce the least solid evidence of such a
fact. Still they abate nothing of the confi-
dence of assertion. We are reduced, then,
to what is commonly considered by logicians
as a hard task, viz : that of proving a nega-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 69

five. Yet even this, in the present instance,
is an easy undertaking.

When the learned Bingham, in his " Ec-
clesiastical Antiquities," " and other writers
of similar views, assert, and endeavour to
prove that liturgies were in constant use in
the ages immediately succeeding that of the
apostles, they endeavour to make good their
assertion by such testimony as the follow-
ing: That the early Christians had psalms
and hymns which had been reduced to wri-
ting, which were well known among them,
and which they united in singing: that
they had, for the most part, a form of words
which was commonly employed in adminis-
tering baptism, and the sacramental supper:
that in blessing and dismissing the people,
they usually repeated the apostolical bene-
diction, or some received form of expression
of an equivalent kind. These writers have
not a single fact or testimony to show in
support of their assertion but something of
this kind. Now it is plain that all this may
be granted without in the least degree help-
ing their argument. We, of the Presbyte-
rian Church, have all these, and yet we
are generally considered, and by some re-

60 THOUGHTS ON

proached, as having no liturgy. Nay, we
know of no church on earth, of regular or-
ganization, that has not psalms and hymns,
and substantially a' mode agreed upon, and
commonly in use for administering the sa-
craments, without being absolutely confined
to a precise form of words. With regard to
the use that has been made of psalms and
hymns, in this controversy, as affording any
countenance, on the principle of analogy, to
liturgies, it is too weak and childish to be
regarded as at all applicable. How is it
possible for a worshipping assembly to unite
in singing a psalm or hymn, unless both the
words and the tune are previously known
and, virtually if not formally, agreed upon?
In this case, it is not possible to proceed
a step without something prescribed and
known beforehand. But all experience
proves that no such prescribed form is need-
ful in prayer. A single heart and mouth
may utter that in w4iich thousands, if they
can hear the voice speaking, may cordially,
and without inconvenience, unite.

But the simple and only proper question
here is, Had the Christian Church, during
the first four or five centuries after Christ,

PUBLIC PRAYER. 61

prescribed forms according to which she
conducted her ordinary prayers in public
worship? If she had, it has certainly re-
mained a secret until this time. No hint to
that amount has survived in all the remains
of antiquity. But so much has survived
which speaks a contrary language, that it
will prove an easy task to satisfy every im-
partial inquirer, that, during the period in
question, extemporary prayer, or, in other
words, prayer conducted according to the
taste and ability of each officiating minister,
for the time being, without being trammelled
by imposed forms, was the only method of
public prayer in common use in the Chris-
tian Church.

If there had been in use in the early Chris-
tian assemblies, forms of prayer to w^hich
their public devotions Vv^ere confined, prayers
w^ould, of course, have been read, as they are
now by all who use Liturgies. But any ex-
pression indicating such a fact, is not found
in any of the first five centuries from the
apostolic age. The phrases arayn/cocfxttj^ «i';ta?,
or preces legere, or de scripto recitare, &c.,
which were so common several centuries
afterwards, never, so far as is recollected,
6^-

62 THOUGHTS ON

then occur in any one instance. We may,
therefore, legitimately infer that the thing
indicated by such phrases, was neither
practised nor known in those times.

But, more decisive still ; in describing the
prayers then offered up, the following ac-
count is given by some of the earliest and
most respectable writers. Justin Martyr
tells us, that the president, or presiding
minister, in the public worship of the con-
gregation, prayed with his utmost ahility,
{lavi Bwafii?,) Apol. 2. Origcu speaks of the
performance of public prayer in the same
manner : *' We worship," says he, '^ one
God, and his only Son, who is his Wo7'd
and Image, with supplications and hon-
ours, according to our ahilitT/, offering up
to the God of the universe, prayers and
praises, through his only begotten Son."*
And asfain : '' The Grecian Christians in
Greek, the Romans in Latin, and every one
in his own proper language, prays to God,
and praises him as he is ahle.'''[ The same
writer, after speaking of the different parts
of prayer, to which it was proper to attend,
mentions, first, doxology or culoration, and
says, He that prays must bless God accord-

* Contra Celsum, Lib. viii. p. 386. \ Ibid. 402.

rUBLIC PRAYER. 63

ing to his pmver or ability, {xata bwaixw),^ And
in the same work, in a preceding section,
(the 10th,) he says, " But when we pray, let
us not battologize, (i. e. use vain repetitions,)
but theologize. But we battologize, when we
do not strictly observe ourselves, or the
words of prayer which we express ; when
we utter those things which are filthy either
to do, speak, or think ; which are vile, wor-
thy of reproof, and opposed to the purity of
the Lord." Why this caution, if they were
furnished with regular prescribed liturgies?
Tertullian, speaking on the same subject,
says, "We Christians pray for all the empe-
rors, &c., looking up to heaven, with our
hands stretched out, because guiltless ; with
our heads uncovered, because we are not
ashamed ; lastly, without a monitor, because
from the heart" {defiique, sine monitor e, quia
de pectorc.)'\ We learn also from Origen,
that ministers in his day were accustomed,
in public prayer, to officiate with closed
eyes, which w^as wholly irreconcilable with
reading a liturgy. "Closing," says he, "the
eyes of the body, but lifting up those of the
mind. "J

* De Oratione, sect. 22. f Apol, cap. 30.

% Contra Celsuni, Lib. viii. p. 362.

64 THOUGHTS ON

Every pastor or bishop, at this time, was
considered as charged with the duty of con-
ducting, according to his own judgment or
tastCj the public devotions of his congrega-
tion; and hence there was great, nay, endless
diversity, as now, among those who use ex-
tempore prayer, as to the manner in which
this part of the public service was performed.
Socrates Scholasticus, the ecclesiastical his-
torian, who lived in the beginning of the fifth
century, speaking of public prayer, expresses
himself in the following unequivocal and
strong language : '' Generally, in any place
whatsoever, and among all worshippers, there
cannot be two found agreeing to use the same
prayers."* Surely this could not have been
alleged if there had been public, prescribed
forms, habitually, or even frequently in use.
In nearly similar language, Sozomen, the
contemporary of Socrates, and who wrote
the ecclesiastical history of the same period,
after asserting and describing the uniformity
of the public worship of Christians at that
time, remarks, that, notwithstanding, "it
cannot be found that the same prayers,
psalms, or even the same readings, are used

* Iliat. Lib. V. cap. 21.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 65

by all at the same time."* In like mamier,
Augustine, who was contemporary with
these historians, speaking on the same sub-
ject, says, " there is freedom to use different
words, [aliis atque aliis verbis,) i. e. some-
times in one form of expression, and some-
times in another — provided the same ilmigs
are mentioned in prayer. "f And to show
that the prayers usually offered up in his
day were extemporary prayers, he speaks of
some ministers of the sanctuary, ''who might
be found using barbarisms and solecisms in
their public prayers;" and cautioned those
who witnessed them against being offended
at such expressions, as God does not so much
regard the language employed as the state of
the heart. J Chrysostom tells us that, in his
judgment, it required more confidence or
boldness than Moses or Elias had, to pray as
they were then w^ont to do before the Eu-
charist. 5 But what good reason can be as-
signed why such confidence or boldness was
necessary, if each conductor of prayer had a
prayer-book before him, and had nothing to
do but to read it?

* Hist. Lib. vii. cap. 18. X De Catecliiz. Riulib. cap. 9.
' f EpistolsB, 12L \ De Sacerdot. Orat. iii. 46.

66 THOUGHTS ON

The general fact, that in the early ages of
^ the Christian Church, it was left to every
pastor or bishop to conduct the pubHc
prayers of his congregation as he pleased,
that is, as his judgment, taste, and ability
might dictate, appears evident from a great
variety and abundance of testimony. The
circumstances, indeed, v^hich have been al-
ready stated, are sufficient of themselves to
establish the fact. But many other w^it-
nesses might be summoned to prove the
same thing. A single one, the venerable
Augustine, v^ill be sufficient. That father,
having occasion to remark, that some of his
brethren in the ministry had many things
in their public prayers, especially in the ad-
ministration of the Lord's Supper, v^diich
were contrary to soundness in the faith, as-
signs this reason for it. " Many light upon
prayers," says he, "which are composed, not
only by ignorant babblers, but also by here-
tics; and through the simplicity of their
ignorance, having no proper discernment,
they make use of those prayers, supposing
them to be good."* How could this pos-
sibly have happened, if the Church at that

* De Baptisino, contra Doiiat. Lib. vi. cap. 25.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 07

time had been in the use of prescribed litur-
gies? Arid the remedy which the learned
and pious father suggests for this evil, is
quite as decisive in its bearing on the ques-
tion before us, as the statement of the evil
complained of. The remedy w^hich he pre-
scribes is, not to take refuge in a written
form, or more closely to adhere to such a
form; but for the weaker and more ilUterate
pastors to avail themselves of the counsel
and aid of the more wise and learned among
the neighbouring pastors, who were quali-
fied to discern and point out any impro-
prieties, and to suggest the best means of
avoiding them.

This w^hole matter will be better under-
stood by adverting to the fact, that, as early
as the age of Augustine, many men had
crept into the sacred office, and some had
even been made bishops, who were unable
even to write their own names, and, of con-
sequence, with ease to read writing. This
appears, not only from other testimony, but
from the records of several ecclesiastical Sy-
nods or Councils about this time, in v^hich
bishops, w^hen called upon to subscribe the
canons of those councils, w^ere obhged to get

68 THOUGHTS ON

others to write their names for them. The
following is a specimen of some of the sig-
natures appearing on the records of those
councils. "I, Helius, Bishop of Hadrianople,
have subscribed by Myro, Bishop of Rome,
being myself ignorant of letters." Again:
"I, Caiumus, Bishop of Phoenicia, have sub-
scribed by my colleague, Dionysius, because
I am ignorant of letters." These examples
of illiterate ecclesiastics, as early as the time
of Augustine, serve, at once, to illustrate
and confirm the complaint of that father.
No wonder that such pastors were unable to
conduct the public devotions of their respec-
tive congregations in a decent and edifying
manner, and, therefore, resorted to such
prayers as they happened to meet with, to
aid them in their official work. And, no
wonder that, in their simplicity and igno-
rance, they were often imposed upon by im-
perfect and even corrupt compositions.

It was before stated, that we not only
find no traces of any books or prescribed
forms of common prayer, in the first five
hundred years after Christ; but that we do
find a number of facts, incidentally men-
tioned, which are wholly inconsistent with

PUBLIC PRAYER. 69

the use of such books or forms. Some of
these facts have been already alluded to,
such as the general practice of praying with
the eyes closed, and with the hands lifted
up, and spread abroad towards heaven.
Keading prayers, in these circumstances,
was, of course, out of the question. An-
other very significant fact, explicitly stated,
was, that, in the third and fourth centuries,
it was not considered as lawful, in any case,
to commit to writing the prayers, and other
parts of the public service used in admin-
istering the Lord's Supper. It was not
thought proper that any other persons than
communicants, for the most part, should be
allowed to be present at the celebration, or
to be made acquainted with what was said
and done in dispensing that ordinance. And,
in order to accomplish this concealment, com-
mitting any part of these services to writing
in any form, was solemnly prohibited. Basil,
who flourished towards the close of the fourth
century, tells us expressly,* that " the words
which they used in blessing the elements
were not written ; and that what they said

* De Spiritu Sancto, p. 273.
7

70 THOUGHTS ON

both before and after this blessinf^, were not
from any writing." He says the same con-
cerning the prayers, &c., in the administra-
tion of baptism. Now, when w^e recollect
that of all the parts of the public service, as
there are none more solemn, so there are
none which have been more carefully regu-
lated by prescribed forms, than the adminis-
tration of the sacraments — insomuch, that
several Protestant churches, which have
never adopted public forms for other parts of
their worship, have thought proper to pre-
scribe them for the celebration of their seal-
ing ordinances; we may confidently con-
clude that, if there were not, at the period
referred to, and, from the nature of the case,
could not have been, any written forms for
these ordinances, there were none for any
other part of the pubhc service. The same
fact concerning the unlawfulness of commit-
tinor to writinof the sacramental forms, is at-
tested by many other writers within the first
four or five hundred years after Christ.*
Indeed it was, partly at least, on account of
the fact, that the prayers, &c., connected
with the administration of the sacraments,

* Clarlvson'? Disconrpe on Tiitnrfjie?!, pp. r?R, ^9.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 71

were not allowed to be committed to writing,
or in any other way divulged, that those or-
dinances were so commonly, in those early
ages, popularly called mysteries.

With respect to the alleged liturgies of St.
Mark, St. James, &c., which are found so
confidently displayed in Popish, and some
^otlier prayer-books, it is believed that all
enlightened. Protestants give them up as
forgeries ; and, in regard to the liturgies at-
tributed to Chrysostom, Basil, &c., they are
equally discredited by all competent judges.
Bishop White, an English prelate, who
lived in the stirrins: reio^ns of James I. and'
Charles L, delivers the following opinion :
'•' The liturgies," says he, ''fathered upon St.
Basil and St. Chrysostom, have a known
mother, (to wit, the late Roman Church) ;
but there is (besides many other just excep-
tions) so great dissimilitude between the sup-
posed fathers and the children, that they
rather argue the dishonest dealings of their
mother, than serve as lawful witnesses of
that which the adversary intended to prove
by them."*

We read of some of the early churches

* Tracts Against Fisher, the Jesuit, p. 377.

72 THOUGHTS ON

being supplied with copies of the sacred
Scriptures; but not a word of their being
suppHed with prayer-books in any form.
When the buildings in which the early
Christians worshipped were seized, and an
exact scrutiny made of their contents by the
Pagan persecutors, we read of copies of the
Bible being found, vessels for administering,
the Eucharist, and other articles, very mi-
nutely described ; but not a hint respecting
forms or books of prayer. We meet with
frequent instances of reading psalms ; read-
ing other portions of Scripture ; reading
narratives of the sufferings of martyrs;
reading epistles from other churches, or from
distinguished individuals, but not a syllable
of reading prayers. When the multitude of
Christians had so increased in Constanti-
nople, that it was thought necessary to dis-
tribute them into several churches, the Em-
peror Constantino was desirous that all these
churches should be furnished with the requi-
site number of Bibles, and wrote to Euse-
bius, of Caesarea, that copies of the Scrip-
tures should be prepared accordingly. But
if public prayers had then been performed
by a liturgy, why did not the generous and

PUBLIC PRAYER. 73

munificent emperor give orders, at tlie same
time, for a number of prayer-books ?^ Now-
all this is wonderful, if prayer-books, and
reading prayers, had been in as common and
stated use as many of the friends of liturgies
assert, and -would persuade us to believe.
The very first document in the form of a
prayer-book which we find mentioned in the
records of ecclesiastical antiquity, is wdiat is
called Lihellus Officialis, mentioned in the
twenty-fifth canon of the Council of Toledo,
A. D. 633. This, how^ever, seems to have
been rather a brief " Directory for the Wor-
ship of God," than a form, the use of which,
in so many words, was prescribed.!

Basil, in the fourth century, giving direc-
tions about prayer, remarks, "that there are
two parts of this service ; first, thanksgiving
and praise, with self-abasement ; and, se-
condly, petition." His advice is to begin
with the former, and in doing it, to make
choice of the language of Scripture. After
giving an example of his meaning, he adds,
"When thou hast praised him out of the
Scriptures, as thou art able," (a strange

* Eusebiiis' Life of Constantine, B. iv. chap. 34.
t Clarkson on Liturgies, pp. 14, 15, &c.

•7*

74 THOUGHTS ON

clause, truly, if all had been prepared and
prescribed before-hand, and read out of a
book!) ''then proceed to petition."^

The result is, that liturgies were unknown
in the primitive church ; that, as piety began
to decline, and ministers, destitute of the ap-
propriate intellectual and moral qualifications
began to multiply, some extra aid in con-
ducting public devotions became necessary ;
that still it was left to each pastor himself to
obtain the aid which he needed, as he
thought proper; and that prescribed forms
of prayer did not obtain general and estab-
lished prevalence until the Church had sunk
into a state of ignorance, darkness and cor-
ruption, which all Protestants acknowledge
to have been deplorable.

The first account we find in Christian an-
tiquity of a prescribed form for administer-
ing the Lord's Supper, is that found in the
sixth century, by Gregory the Great, bishop
of Rome, and commonly called the Canon of
the Mass, or a prescribed office for administer-
ing the Lord's Supper. Gregory, in deliver-
ing this formula to the venerable ecclesiastic
to whom it was first committed, recognizes

* Clurk^on on Liturgies, p. 120.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 75

the love of variety in public devotions as ex-
isting, and as proper to be consulted ; declares
that he did not wish to be considered as im-
posing one form only on any part of the
Church, and that his opinion, as v^ell as his
practice, had always been in favour of in-
dulging the love of variety.

In accordance with all this, the celebrated
Augusti, a learned German, the author of a
work on Ecclesiastical Antiquities, generally
considered as the most profound and accu-
rate that any age has produced, decides the
question in regard to the existence of pre-
scribed liturgies in the . early church, in the
following positive and pointed manner : —
*' That such an assertion (in favour of the
early use of such forms) should have found
defenders at an earlier period, when histori-
cal criticism was so little practised, is not to
be wondered at; but that modern Catholic
wTiters should have ventured to repeat it, is
certainly remarkable. The best doctors of
that church (the Romish) such as Bona,
Bellarmine, Baronius, Le Nourry, Natalis
Alexander, Tillemont, Du Pin, Muratori,
Kenaudot, Asseman, and others, have proved
the opinion (of the early existence of pre-

76 THOUGHTS ON

scribed liturgies) to be utterly untenable;
and yet, such is the force of prejudice, and
such the zeal for favourite hypotheses, that
they will not yield even to the clearest de-
monstrations of an impartial criticism."*

The opinion of Lord Chancellor King, an
eminent member of the establish^ Church
of England, in his celebrated w^ork on the
" Constitution and Order of the Christian
Church, during the first three hundred years
after Christ," is no less decisive. It is ex-
pressed in the following terms :

^' Now these prayers, w^hich made up a
great part of the divine service, were not
stinted and imposed forms; but the words
and expressions of them were left to the pru-
dence, choice, and judgment of every par-
ticular bishop or minister. I do not here
say, that a bishop or minister used no arbi-
trary form of prayer; all that I say is, there
were none imposed. Neither do I say, that,
having no imposed form, they unpremedita-
tedly, immethodically, or confusedly, vented
their petitions and requests; for, without
doubt, they observed method in their prayers :
but this is what I say, that the words or

* Auffusti Dcnkdcr Cl;ristliclien Archacolog-ic, iv. 206.

rUBLIC PRAYER. 77

expressions of their prayers were not im-
posed or prescribed ; but every one that
ofiiciated, delivered himself in such terms as
best pleased him, and varied his petitions
according to the present circumstances and
emergencies: or, if it be more intelligible,
that the primitive Christians had no stinted
liturgies or imposed forms of prayer."

^' Now, this being a negative in matter of
fact, the bare assertion of it is a sufficient
proof, except its affirmative can be evinced.
Suppose it w^ere disputed whether ever St.
Paul wrote an epistle to the church of Rome;
the bare negation thereof would be proof
enough that he did not, except it could be
clearly evidenced, on the contrary, that he
did. So unless it can be proved that the
ancients had fixed liturgies and prayer-
books, we may very rationally conclude, in
the negative, that they had none."

'' Now, as to these prescribed forms, there
is not the least mention of them in any of the
primitive writings, nor the least word or syl-
lable tending thereunto that I can find;
which is a most unaccountable silence, if
ever such there were; but rather some ex-
pressions indicating the contrary."^

* Inquiry, Part ii. pp. 33, 34.

78 THOUGHTS ON

In coincidence with these statements, the
learned Clarkson, after his profound investi-
gation of the history of Hturgical formularies,
comes to the following conclusion : " And
now I may, from the premises conclude, that,
for five hundred years after Christ (if not
more) the ordinary way of worshipping God
in public assemblies, was not by prescribed
liturgies. This may suffice, and is sufficient
for my purpose. They were not the com-
mon usage, while the state of the Church
was any thing tolerable, nor till it was sunk
deep into degeneracy. They were not enter-
tained, till nothing was admitted into the
Church, de novo, but corruptions, or the issue
thereof; no change made in the ancient
usages but for the worse; no motions from
its primitive posture, but downward into de-
generacy ; till such orders took place as
respected, not wiiat was most agreeable to
the rule and primitive practice, or what was
best adapted to uphold the life and power of
religion, in its solemn exercises, or wdrat
might secure it from that dead, heartless for-
mality into which Christianity was sinking,
and which is, ,at this day, the sediment of
Popery; but what might show the power,

PUBLIC PRAYER. 79

and continue the occasion for tlie exercise of
authority to the imperious and tyrannical;
or what might comport with the ease of the
lazy and slothful, or what might favour the
weakness and insufficiency, and not detect
the lameness and nakedness of those who
had the place and name, but not the real
accomplishments of pastors and teachers.
In a word, not till the state of the Church
was rather to be. pitied than imitated; and
what was discernible therein different from
preceding times were wrecks and ruins,
rather than patterns."^

But all further argument or testimony on
this subject may be spared, since some of the
most zealous and competent advocates of
liturgies have acknowledged that written
forms of prayer had no existence in the apos-
tolic church, nor until several centuries after
the apostolic age. Mr. Palmer, a minister
of the Church of England, now living, who
is, perhaps, as zealous and as truly learned
an advocate of the rites and forms of that
church as any late writer that could be
named, acknowledges that, for the first four
centuries, there w^ere no written liturgies;

* Discourse on LitHrg-ios, pp. 181. 197.

80 THOUGHTS ON

but that those who officiated in conducting
pubUc prayer, prayed either memoriter or
extemporaneously.* When he speaks of
prayers uttered memoriter, it is not easy to
define with precision the ideas that he at-
tached to this expression. If he means, as
he probably does, that those who led in pub-
lic prayer, during the first four hundred
years, were accustomed to repeat much that
rested on their memories- which they had
read in the Scriptures, or wdiich they had
heard from the lips of the eminent men
whom they were accustomed to venerate as
leaders in that service; may not precisely
the same thing be said concerning a large
part of what is called extemporaneous prayer
now? Perhaps in regard to those who most
eminently excel as leaders in free, social,
and public prayer, it has always been true,
that nine-tenths of all they ever uttered in
this exercise, they had either found resting
on their memories from the Bible, or recol-
lected as having been heard from the lips of
some respected leader in public devotion.
Can any thinking man doubt that the " me-
Qnoriier'''' prayers of the first three or four

* Orifjincs J JtnroicfT! i. pp. 9 — 12.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 81

centuries were to be thus explained? It is
quite enough for our purpose, however, to
confess, as this writer does, that there was
not a single devotional office reduced to
writing till the fourth century.

As it is evident from the foregoing state-
ments, that the Church made no provision
for public formularies of devotion for the
first five hundred years after Christ, but that
all was left to the discretion of individual
pastors; so it is equally evident, that, when
liturgies were brought into general and estab-
lished use, there was no uniformity, even
among the churches of the same state or
kingdom. The church at large neither pro-
vided nor prescribed forms of prayer. Nor
did any large portion of the visible church
catholic make any such provision. Every
pastor in his own parish, and, after Prelacy
arose, every bishop in his own diocese,
adopted what prayers he pleased; and even
indulged to any extent he pleased, his taste
for variety. This undoubted fact is itself
conclusive proof that liturgies were not of
apostolic origin. For if any thing of this
kind had been known, as transmitted from
inspired or even primitive men, it woukl,
8

82 THOUGHTS ON

doubtless, have been received and preserved
v^ith peculiar veneration. But nothing of
this kind appears. Instead of this, it is evi-
dent, that, as the practice of using v^ritten
forms gradually gained ground, as piety de-
clined, so the circumstances attending their
introduction and prevalence were precisely
such as might have been expected. They
were adopted, not by the Church, but by
each pastor who felt his need of them, or was
inclined to make use of them. And, by and
bye, when bishops were no longer the pas-
tors of single congregations, but were set
over larger dioceses, each bishop, within the
compass of his own charge, took order in
reference to this subject, as his talents or his
inclination might dictate. This led, of course,
to an almost endless variety. Accordingly,
it is a remarkable fact, at once illustrating
and confirming this statement, that when the
Keformation commenced in England, the
established Romish church in that country
had no book of common prayer, no single,
uniform liturgy for the whole kingdom, as
now; there was a different one for the dio-
cese of every bishop. And, accordingly,
when, soon after the commencement of King

PUBLIC PRAYER. 83

Edward's reign, the principal ecclesiastical
dignitaries of the kingdom were directed to
digest and prepare one uniforni Book of
Prayer for the public service of the church
of the whole kingdom, the commissioners
appointed for this purpose collated and com-
pared five Romish Missals of the several dio-
ceses of Sarum, York, Hereford, Bangor, and
Lincoln, and out of these popish forms com-
piled their Book of Common Prayer. This
book, at first, contained a number of things
so grossly popish, that when it w^as read
by Calvin and others, on the continent of
Europe, to whom copies w^ere sent for the
professed purpose of submitting it to their
judgment, and obtaining their opinion, their
candid criticisms led to another review, and
a considerable purgation.

Calvin, in giving his opinion of this liturgy
to Archbishop Cranmer, with perfect free-
dom and candour, told him that he thought
it contained a number of " tolerabihs inep-
tias^'' i. e. ''tolerable fooleries," which ought
to be expunged. This was accordingly done.
That is to say, the prayers for the dead —
chrism — extreme unction, and other monu-
ments of Papal superstition with which it

84 THOUGHTS ON

abounded, were most of them put out in con-
formity with his advice. Dr. HeyUn, him-
self a most prejudiced and bitter anti-Calvin-
ist, declares, not only that these alterations
were made, but that they were made in com-
pliance with Calvin's wishes. '' The former
liturgy," says he, ''was discontinued, and
the second superinduced upon it, to give
satisfaction unto Calvin's cavils, the curiosi-
ties of some, and the mistakes of others, his
friends and followers."* The statement of
Dr. Nichols is to the same amount. " Four
years afterwards," says he, " the Book of
Common Prayer underwent another review,
wherein some ceremonies and usages were
laid aside, and some new prayers added at
the instance of Mr. Calvin, of Geneva, and
Bucer, a foreign divine, who was invited to
be a professor at Cambridge."! But not-
withstanding this expurgation of the Eng-
lish liturgy, a number of articles were still
left, acknowledged on all hands to have been
adopted from the missals of the Church of
Rome, which exceedingly grieved the more
evangelical and pious portions of the English

* History of the Presbyterians, pp. 12. 267.

t Commentary on the Book of Common Prayer — Preface.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 85

Church, but which Queen Elizabeth, and the
ecclesiastics around her person, refused to
modify. Some of these articles have ever
since remained in that liturgy, to the deep
regret of many good men in the Church of
England, and to the equal regret of some on
this side of the Atlantic.

It is worthy of notice here, as another fact
w^hich goes to establish our main position)
that the same general principles which apply
to the rise and progress of liturgies in the
Romish Church, apply also to the Greek
Church. The same late adoption of liturgi-
cal formularies in both churches; the same
endless diversity of forms when they w^ere
adopted ; the fact, that their different formu-
laries are entirely unlike, precluding the pos-
sibility of their being derived from a common
source, and especially an apostolical source;
that the most ancient liturgies of each have
been denounced by some of its own ministers
and members as gross forgeries; and that
the best authenticated bear internal marks of
being mere human compilations, not authori-
tative formularies, all serve to show that litur-
gies were of human, and not of divine origin ;
and that they took their rise in a declining

86 THOUGHTS ON

state of piety. Whoever will be at the pains
to consult the profound work of Augiisti, the
most accomplished modern Christian anti-
quary, will find all this and more made out
with a force of evidence which cannot fail
to command the assent of every impartial
mind.

Let us now inquire when and how some
of the usages in public prayer, which super-
stition has brought into the Church, crept
into use in the Church of Rome, and after-
wards into some other churches, without any
authority from the word of God.

PKAYING TOWARD THE EAST.

This was a superstition early introduced.
It was a practice which the early Christians
found habitually in use in the rites of Pagan
worship ; and it w^as not long before they
began to conform to it, as what they deemed
an innocent and expressive usage, and adapt-
ed to conciliate their Pagan neighbours. And
after adopting it, they speedily began to as-
sign reasons for it, which bore the semblance
of Christian principle. In the second cen-
tury we find an amount of evidence of its ex-
istence and general prevalence, which pre-

rUBLIC TRAYER. S7

eludes all doubt that it had really crept into
extensive use. The reasons given for this
superstitious practice by its advocates, are
adapted to throw much light on its real cha-
racter and origin. They are the following :
1. They professed to pray toward the East
out of respect and reverence to the Messiah,
because they supposed that the East was a
title given to Christ in the Old Testament.
For that passage in Zechariah vi. 12, "Be-
hold the man whose name is the Branch,"
they translated, according to the Septuagint,
as they supposed, "Behold the man whose
name is the East." The original Hebrew
word here signifies, arising or sprouting out,
as a branch does from a root. The term by
which the Septuagint renders this w^ord, is
Avato'krt, which, iu a large sense, signifies all
sorts of arising or springing out; but, gene-
rally and strictly speaking, it is applied to
the rising and first appearance of the sun;
and, by a metonymy, it is appropriated to
the East, because the sun rises in the East.
Some of the early fathers, therefore, not
knowing the original Hebrew, and finding
Christ styled in the popular Greek version,
Avaio-Kri, concludcd that, according to the usual

88 THOUGHTS ON

signification of the word, he was there term-
ed by the prophet the East; and that he was
so called because he was to arise like the sun,
or, as others said, like a star. "He is so
called," says Justin Martyr, ''because, as
the sun that arises in the East, penetrates
through the world, with his warming and
illuminating rays; so Christ, the 'Sun of
Righteousness,' when he came, should arise
with greater warmth and light, and pierce
farther than the material sun, even into the
depth of men's hearts and minds." And
again, the same writer says, "Christ is called
the East, because he arose like a star." And
Tertullian calls the East, very emphatically,
"a type of Christ."

2. Another reason assigned for praying
toward the East, by the advocates of the
practice, was, that the rising of the sun in
the East was an emblem of our spiritual
arising out of the darkness of sin and cor-
ruption. Thus Clemens Alexandrinus says,
"Let your prayers be made toward the East,
because the East is the representative of our
spiritual nativity. As the light first arose
thence, shining out of darkness; so accord-
ing to that rising of the sun, the day of true

PUBLIC TRAYER. 89

knowledge arose on those who lay buried in
ignorance. Hence, the ancient (pagan) tem-
ples looked toward the East, that so they
who stood over against the images therein,
might be forced to look tow^ard the East."

3. Origen advises to pray toward the East,
*' to denote our diligence in the service of
God, in being more forward to rise and set
about it, than the sun is to run his daily
course." For this he produces a text out of
the Apocrypha — Wisdom xvi. 28 — where it
is said, "that it might be known, that we
must go before the sun in giving God thanks,
and at the day spring pray unto him."

4. Another reason for praying toward the
East, was their opinion of the excellency of
that quarter of the compass above all others.
This reason Origen thus assigns: "Whereas
there are four points of the compass, North,
South, West and East, who will not ac-
knowledge that we ought to pray looking
toward the East, symbolically representing
thereby our souls beholding the rising of the
true light? If any man, wdiich way soever
the doors of his house are placed, w^ould
rather make his prayers toward the w^in-
dows, saying, that the sight of the sky hath

90 THOUGHTS ON

something more peculiar in it to stir up his
affections, than his looking against a wall;
or, if any one pray in an open field, will he
not naturally rather pray toward the East
than toward the West? and if, on these oc-
casions, the East is preferred before the
West, why not so in every thing besides?
In coincidence with this thought, Augustine
remarks: "When we stand at our prayers,
we turn to the East, whence the heavens, or
the light of heaven, arises, not as if God was
only there, and had forsaken all other parts
of the world; but to put ourselves in mind
of turning to a more excellent nature, that
is, to the Lord."

5. The ancients, in their superstition, had
an impression that the East was more pecu-
liarly ascribed to God, because He was the
fountain of light; but the West was as-
cribed to that wicked and depraved spirit,
the Devil, because he hides the light, and
induces darkness upon the minds of men,
and makes them fall and perish in their sin.
So Lactantius reasons, when speaking on
this subject. Lib. ii. cap. 10.

6. The practice of praying toward the
East was probably connected with the cere-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 91

moiiy of baptism. It was common in the
dispensation of that sacrament, to go through
the formaUty of renouncing the Devil and
all his works, with faces turned toward the
West; and then to turn round and make
their covenant with Christ with faces di-
rected to the East. This is frequently men-
tioned as a fact, by a number of writers in
the third and fourth centuries.

7. There is one reason more assigned for
this practice, which is, that Christ made his
appearance on earth in the East, and there
ascended to heaven, and will there appear
again at the last day. On all these ac-
counts, and several others which might be
mentioned, the practice of praying toward
the East has been extensively in use from a
very early period, and is still very largely in
use among the votaries of superstition.*
And evidently, like a multitude of practices
among the Romanists, it may be traced to a
Fao^an orio^in.

PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD.

We have no information of this un scrip-
tural and superstitious practice having gained

* Bingham's Ecclesiastical Antiquities, B, xiii. Chop. viii. 15.

92 THOUGHTS ON

admittance into the Church of Christ prior
to the commencement of the third century.
True, indeed, the spurious works, known un-
der the name of the ApostoUcal Constitutions,
the works of Dionysius the Areopagite, and
the Acts of Paul and Thecla — all refer to
this practice as existing at the date of their
composition. But all these works have been
demonstrated to be the forgeries of times
long posterior to the age of the Apostles;
and, so far as I know, are given up by the
great body of learned Protestants of all de-
nominations as utterly unworthy of credit.

Tertullian, early in the third century, is
the first credible writer who speaks of the
practice of praying for the dead as existing
in his time. But we find it in none of the
works which he wrote before he became a
Montanist; and it has been supposed by
many that he learned this superstitious no-
tion and practice from that heretic. It is
worthy of remark, however, that TertulUan
himself speaks of praying for the dead as
practised among the heathen, and that he
does not appear to give it his plenary sanc-
tion, or to represent it as sustained by the
Christian precept or example of any wlio

rUBLTC PRAYER. 93

had gone before him ; so that the probabihty
is, that, when professing Christians received
the practice, they adopted it from the Pa-
gans.

The doctrine of purgatory very naturally
gave rise to the practice of praying for
the dead. For if the great mass even of
those who were destined to eternal happi-
ness, were considered as entering the eter-
nal world in a state of imperfect sanctifi-
cation, and were supposed to undergo a cer-
tain amount of purgatorial fire before they
could be admitted into heaven; and if the
prayers of their friends on earth could be
regarded as exerting a great influence in
shortening the period of this purgatorial suf-
fering; then it would seem that frequent
and fervent prayers for this purpose were
demanded by every consideration both of
benevolence and piety. Accordingly, as
early as the beginning of the third century,
when this doctrine of purgatory had crept
into the Church, by the influence of a false
and paganized philosophy, we find frequent
mention made of prayers for the souls of the
departed. And how large a part of the
miserable superstition, and the system of
9

94 THOUGHTS ON

imliallowed gain established in the Romish
Church, by a mercenary priesthood, has
been, for many ages, connected with these
unscriptural prayers, is well known.

But the reasons for this practice have not
l)een confined to the doctrine of purgatory.
Other considerations have given origin and ^
support to the same practice. These con-
siderations have been such as the following.

(1.) Some of the ancients professed to
offer eucharistical prayers for the dead ; that
is, prayers, consisting in the main of thanks-
giving to God for their holy lives; for his
many mercies to them, while living; and for
their happy deliverance out of this evil
world. This is mentioned by Chrysostom,
in the fourth century, and by some before, as
w^ell as by a number after his day, who pro-
fessed to give God thanks not only for the
martyrs, but for all Christians who departed
in the faith and hope of the gospel.

(2.) Another reason for praying for the
deceased was, that, as they supposed that all
died with some remains of frailty and corrup-
tion, so they deemed it reasonable to pray
that God would deal with them in mercy,
and not with strict justice. And, although

PUBLIC PRAYER. 95

many of those who judged and acted thus,
fully believed that their departed friends
were admitted into heaven; still they saw no
incongruity in interceding with God on their
behalf, that they might be regarded and
treated with unmerited favour. Thus it is
^humiliating to state, that so enlightened and
pious a man as the venerable Augustine evi-
dently prayed frequently and fervently for
his devotedly pious mother, Monica, notwith-
standing all his confidence that she had been
accepted of God, and was resting in peace.
While he praised God for her good example,
he interceded most earnestly that her mis-
takes and imperfections might be graciously
overlooked.*

(3.) Prayers for the dead were intended
not only as a testimonial of respect and love
for departed friends, but also as an expression
of belief in the soul's immortality; to show,
as a father of the Church in the fourth cen-
tury expresses it, their belief that the de-
parted had not ceased to exist, but were still
living with the Lord.f

(4.) As it was the general belief of the

* xA.ugust. Confesg. Lib. 9, cap. 13.
f Epiphan. Ha;reses, 75.

96 THOUGHTS ON

Church that those who died in the faith and
hope of the gospel did not reach the perfec-
tion of their happiness and glory until the
resurrection, so some thought themselves
warranted in having a reference to this in
their prayers, and, with this view, beseech-
ing God that the consummation of their
blessedness might be hastened in his own
time.

(5.) Many of the ancients believed, with
some modern errorists, that the souls of all
the redeemed (except, perhaps, the martyrs)
were confined, out of heaven, in some place
invisible to mortal eyes, which they called
Hades, and sometimes Paradise; a place of
conscious existence and comfort, where they
were looking forward to more complete enjoy-
ment and glory at the coming of Christ. In
reference to this imperfect state, it was
thought reasonable to pray, that, in the ful-
ness of time, the souls confined in this se-
questered state might be brought to the com-
pletion of their glory and enjoyment.

(G.) Prayer for the dead finds favour in
the natural feelings of the human heart.
Man is, by nature, a religious being; that is,
prone, by the very constitution of his moral

PUBLIC PRAYER. 97

and intellectual nature, to grope after future
and eternal things. He has, indeed, by na-
ture, no taste for real religion; but sadly the
reverse. He loathes it. It is too humbling
for hira. But superstition is connatural to
him; and, where real religion does not reign,
will have a place, and exert an influence.
Now, natural affection dictates that we retain
a lively interest in the welfare of those whom
we have loved, who have left us, and gone
we know not whither ; and a mind ignorant
or forgetful of the revealed plan of salvation,
will be apt, with its blind yearnings, if it
think of praying at all, to pour out supplica-
tions in behalf of those who have passed into
the presence of Him who hears prayer.

(7.) But, perhaps, the most potent, of all
the influences wdiich have prompted and sus-
tained the practice of praying for the dead, is
the claim of ghostly power, and the pecu-
niary gain of a profligate priesthood, which
have been long and essentially connected
with it. No wonder that proud and ambi-
tious ecclesiastics have been willing to per-
suade their deluded votaries that they had
a peculiar power, in virtue of their office,
to deliver souls out of purgatory by their

98 THOUGHTS ON

prayers; and that for this official service
thej ought to be liberally rewarded. What
would the church of Rome, such as she is,
be or do without that enormous system of
imposition on the credulity and the pockets
of her adherents which has been her support
and her stigma for more than a thousand
years? Her rigorous exactions on surviving
friends, however poor, for masses said for the
departed, present one of the most revolting
pages in her wonderful history; and the
amount of these exactions is so enormous,
and forms so large a part of the income of a
voluptuous priesthood, as to leave no one at
a loss why they are perseveringiy continued,
and unfeelingly claimed.

mAYERS TO THE SAINTS, AND TO THE VIRGIN MARY.

It is not known that prayers to the saints
and to the martyrs appeared, in any form, in
the Christian Church prior to the fourtli, and
as some think, the fifth century. And when
the practice of offering such prayers did creep
in, very different representations concerning
their nature and import were presented by
those who appeared as their advocates. A
majority, it is believed, of these advocates

PUBLIC PRAYER. 99

i

denied that they imphed the same kind of
worship as that given to Christ, and to the
Father; nor were they agreed as to the sense
in which the saints and the martyrs were to
be addressed and regarded as mediators. The
idea, with many, w^as, that these heavenly
inhabitants were to be addressed, not as the
authors of any benefit or grace, but as inter-
cessors with God for us; nor even as imme-
diate intercessors, but to pray that the merits
of Christ might be savingly applied ; and
that thus every benefit might be considered
as flowing through the atonement and right-
eousness of the Divine Redeemer. But,
although we find very different, and not
always consistent, representations of this
subject in the earliest writers who speak of
it, we may consider the practice of praying
to the saints and to martyrs as pretty gene-
rally established from the fifth century and
onward. However the philosophy and the
theological aspects of it might vary, the thing
itself was all but universal.

The Virgin Mary seems to have been
regarded very much as other saints, and
prayers to her estimated very much as those
to others, until the Nestorian controversy in

100 THOUGHTS ON

the fifth century gave a new prominence to
her character, and put a new edge on the
minds of men in contending for her honours.
In that controversy it became, as is well
known, a question very fiercely contested,
whether it was proper to call the virgin
mother of the Saviour, Mother of God, or not.
Nestorius contended that she ought not to
be so called, as she was not the mother of
our Saviour's Divine nature. The Catholic
clergy, however, contended with ardent zeal
that it was proper to give her this title.
From that time., the authority and power of
the Virgin Mary were inordinately exalted;
and she became, not only in a degree far
greater than ever before, the object of reli-
gious worship; but language concerning her
began to be indulged of the most idolatrous
and shocking kind. She began to be called
not only the " Mother of God," but also the
"Queen of Heaven;" and, indeed, sometimes
to be addressed as if she had an authority
and power above the Saviour himself. Hence,
in praying to the Virgin, it became custom-
ary to say to her " command your Son" —
" exercise the authority of a mother over her
son in requiring your Son to do this or that."

rUBLIC PRAYER. 101

From that time to the present it has been the
constant practice in the Romish church not
only to make the Virgin Mother by far the
most prominent saint in the whole calendar,
but to make her the object of the most un-
limited idolatry ; to call upon her every hour
to guide, enlighten, protect and save; to be-
seech her to make her Son according to the
flesh propitious; and, in fact, to speak of her,
and to her, as if she held the reins of univer-
sal empire.

It is unnecessary to say to those who
have the word of God in their hands, that
for nothing of this kind is the least counte-
nance found in Holy Scripture. Nothing is
more clearly laid down in the inspired ora-
cles than that God is the only proper object
of religious worship; that all prayer ad-
dressed to creatures is idolatry; and that
this is not only a departure from that which
is right, but has been pronounced by a God
of infinite holiness to be an ag^orravated sin
in the sight of Him who has declared that
he will not give his glory to another. Are
saints in glory omniscient or omnipresent?
Can they hear our prayers? Can they help
us if they did hear ttiem? And is not

102 THOUGHTS ON

every such prayer a virtual insult to Him
who has proclaimed himself the only Medi-
ator between God and man; and who has
commanded us to ask for every thing in the
name of Christ, and to rely for audience and
acceptance only on his atoning sacrifice and
prevalent intercession?

And as to the Virgin Mary, we do not
find the least countenance in sacred Scrip-
ture for the idolatrous worship of which we
have spoken. Neither Jesus himself, nor
his inspired Apostles ever commanded or
even encourao-ed Christians to srive more
honour to the Virgin Mary than to any other
woman who did the will of God. But we
do find in the sacred history facts and state-
ments which are wholly irreconcilable with
the Romish practice on this subject. How
do we find Jesus himself treating his mother
on several occasions recorded by the Evan-
gelists? Does he recognize her right to rule
over him, or to prescribe his course of ac-
tion? True, indeed, in his early youth, we
are told he dwelt with his parents, and was
'' subject unto them." But in this state-
ment no distinction is made between his
mother and his reputed father. Ho was

PUBLIC PRAYER. 103

" subject to them.'" But does his manner of
adclressinn^ his mother, when she found him
in the temple, ''sitting among the doctors;"
when he spake to her at the marriage in
Cana of GaUlee; when she, with others,
came to him when he was preaching in a
crowded assembly; and when he committed
her to the care of the "beloved disciple,"
while hanging on the cross, appear to recog-
nize in her that authority over him which
Romish idolatry ascribes to her? Far from
it. We have but to look into the sacred his-
tory, to see that on every occasion of which a
record is made, the Saviour treated his mo-
ther according to tiie flesh with pointed re-
spect and filial reverence; but, in no case,
as if he thought she had the least right to
exercise authority in regard to his official
and public conduct.

PRAYERS IN AN UNKNOWN TONGUE.

Nothing can be more evident than that,
in the apostolic Church, and for a number
of centuries after the apostolic age, the pub-
lic prayers were always conducted in the
vernacular tongue of the worshippers. In
regard to the practice of the Apostles, the Ian-

104 THOUGHTS ON

guage and the reasoning used in the 14th
chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians,
throughout, are so perfectly clear and con-
clusive, as to banish all doubt in reference to
their example. The Apostle speaks of pray-
ing and prophesying in an unknown tongue
with such unequivocal and severe censure,
as to show that he regarded it with entire
disapprobation, not only as an absurdity,
but as utterly defeating the great design of
social worship. And, with respect to a
number of centuries afterwards, nothing is
more certain than that the primitive prac-
tice was adhered to with uniform strictness.
Of this we have so many testimonies, in the
form either of direct assertion, or of mani-
fest implication, as to preclude the possi-
bihty of mistake in regard to the practice
for a number of centuries.

That the Church, both before, and for
some time after the establishment of Chris-
tianity in the Roman empire, should have
thought proper, throughout the greater part
of w^estern Christendom, to make choice of
the Latin language as the vehicle of her de-
votions, was not surprising. It was the ver-
nacular tongue of a very large portion of her

PUBLIC PRAYER. 105

members, and both convenience and pride
dictated its use. But that she should still
insist on the use of this tongue, in all her
public prayers, long after it had ceased to be
vernacular to a very large portion of her wor-
shippers; when, perhaps, not one in an hun-
dred, or perhaps five hundred, of those who
repeated those prayers, had any proper un-
derstanding of the import of the w^ords
which they uttered, is a most signal exam-
ple of adherence to speculative system, at the
expense of reason and of all practical utility.

It may not be altogether useless to inquire
into the motives which have induced the
Church of Rome to adopt this absurd and
cruel system of compeUing her people to
attend on prayers which they do not under-
stand.

(1.) Probably one motive was, that they
might cast an air of antiquity over their
whole system. This the Papacy has al-
ways affected. It has ever been a favourite
object with the followers of the " Man of
Sin," to represent their worst errors and
superstitions as coming down to them from
the primitive Church, and as sanctioned, if
not authoritatively appointed, by the Apos-
10

106 THOUGHTS ON

ties. This notion, they supposed, would be,
of course, promoted by the constant use of a
language which w^ore an antiquated aspect,
and which has long since ceased to be popu-
larly spoken. "The Latin," say they, "is
an ancient language, and the Church hates
novelty, and desires to have every thing
savouring of antiquity."

(2.) Another reason which has been given
for the prescribed use of an unknown tongue
in public devotions in the Romish Church,
is, that that community may have the ap-
pearance of being one and the same all over
the world; that the worshipping assemblies
of that denomination, w^hether in Italy, in
Germany, in France, in England, or the
United States of America, might all be found
speaking the same language in prayer, using
the same .forms, and recognizing their rela-
tion to the same great body, wherever they
might sojourn or reside. They forget that
this is not the unity of which the Bible
speaks. They forget that, according to the
word of God, there may be great diversity
of dialect, where there is entire unity of
faith, and hope, and love, and obedience;
and that where this exists, diversity of arti-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 107

culate speech is no obstacle to all that is
mainly valuable in the communion of saints.

(3.) Perhaps the fact that the Latin Vul-
gate was the only Bible authorized to be in
common use among Romanists, was not
without its influence in prescribing the lan-
guage of their public prayers. As that ver-
sion w^as made their standard Bible, by a
decree of the Council of Trent, we cannot
wonder that they aimed at the miserable con-
sistency of having their prescribed forms of
devotion in the same language, that the one
might be just as intelligible to the common
people, or rather as unintelligible, as the
other.

(4.) Another plea employed is, that living
lano^uacres are in a state of constant fluctua-
tion. New words are every day introduced,
and old words and phrases changing their
meaning. Now, say they, since religion and
all its offices ougrht to be fixed and immuta-
ble things, they ought to be embodied in a
language as fixed and unchangeable as the
system which it exhibits.

(5.) It is not necessary, they tell us, that
we should understand w^hat we utter in pub-
lic, if our hearts be only sincere.

108 THOUGHTS ON

(6.) Finally: there is no want of charity
in believing that one leading purpose in pur-
suing this practice, is to keep the people in
ignorance, and to make them constantly
more dependent on their priesthood. That
*' ignorance is the mother of devotion," may
be considered as a leading Popish maxim ;
and, truly, of the greater part of the devotion
which exists in that communion, we have
reason to believe it is the real and legitimate
mother. No intelligent judge of their arts
and habits can doubt, that one leading object
of the whole, is to increase the power of a
corrupt and tyrannical priesthood; to im-
press the mass of the people with a deep
sense of their prerogatives and their power ;
and to extort from them a more blind and
implicit homage. The votaries of Anti-
christ, instead of opening the Scriptures to
the people, and trying to bring them in con-
tact with all minds within their reach, rather
make it their study to lock them up from
the laity, either by entirely prohibiting their
perusal, or hiding them from the popular
mind by the cover of a dead language. If it
were their policy to prevent the common
people from reading and understanding the

PUBLIC PRAYER. 109

Scriptures, it was natural that the same
policy should also dictate a system of man-
aorement to make them the blind and sub-
missive repeaters of a form of words of which
they understood nothing.

As to the real character of this practice,
nothing can be plainer than that it is con-
trary to reason, to Scripture, and to the early
judgment and practice of those who now
glory in it.

(1.) It is contrary to reason — to common
sense. The great object of language is to
communicate thought. Of course, if it be
not understood, it communicates no thouo^ht.
What w^ould be deemed of a lawyer, plead-
ing before an earthly court, in w^hich the
English language alone was spoken, who
should speak Greek, or Latin, or Hebrew,
of which not one in a thousand of his hearers
understood a word? If he insisted on em-
ploying a language thus unintelligible to his
hearers, and refused to employ any other,
would he not be deemed insane? Surely it
is not less unreasonable to insist on retaininor
in use a plan by which millions of Romanists
in every part of the world continue daily,
under the guise of worshipping God, to re-
lOi^

110 THOUGHTS ON

peat, parrot-like, a form of words which con-
veys no intelligible ideas either to themselves
or others.

(2.) It is contrary to Scripture. The
Apostle, in the chapter before referred to,*
declares that he had rather speak five words
which were understood, than ten thousand in
an unknown tongue. He speaks of himself
as beinor a barbarian to those whom he ad-
dressed in a tongue unknown to them ; and
much more would this be the case if it were
unknown to himself as well as to them. And,
accordingly, on the day of Pentecost, when
multitudes were assembled in Jerusalem,
from every part of the Roman empire, that
no portion of the people might be permitted
to listen to an unknown tongue, a direct
miracle was wrought, and the Apostles had
the gift of tongues imparted to them, ena-
bling them to speak to every one that heard
them ''in that tongue in which he was born."
Surely this fact is adapted strongly and
conclusively to discountenance the Romish
practice.

The following remarks by the pious and
amiable Dr. Doddridge, in his Family Ex-

* 1 Cor. xiv.

PUBLIC PRAYER. Ill

positor, on the 13th and 16th verses of this
chapter, are so judicious and pointed, that I
cannot forbear to transfer them to this page.
'' Had the most able and zealous Protestant
divine endeavoured to expose the absurdity
of praying in an unknown tongue, as prac-
tised in the Church of Rome, it is difficult to
imagine what he could have written more
fully to the purpose than the Apostle has here
done. And when it is considered how per-
versely the Papists retain tho usage of such
prayers, it will seem no wonder they should
keep the Scriptures in an unknown tongue
too. But they proclaim at the same time
their superstition and idolatry in so universal
a language, that even a barbarian might per-
ceive and learn it in their assemblies. Let
lis pity and pray for them, that God may
give their prejudiced minds a juster and hap-
pier turn. And since we see the unreason-
able and pernicious humour of immutably
adhering to ancient customs, prevailing to
maintain in the Church of Rome so flasfrant
an absurdity as praying in an unknown
tongue, let it teach us to guard against every
degree of the like disposition; and not so
much consider what hath been the practice

112 THOUGHTS ON

of any church, in which we were educated,
or have chosen to worship, as what the rea-
son of things, and the autliority of Scripture
concur to dictate."

(3.) Finally, the present practice of Pa-
pists is entirely opposed to the early example
and practice of the church in the city of
Rome. The bishop of Rome claims to be
infallible, and the community over which he
presides, claims to be also, infallible; and, if
so, of course, ever the same, from the time of
the Apostles to the present hour. Now it is
well known that the church in Rome, during
the first few centuries, never thought of using
any other language, in any part of the public
service, than the vernacular tongue. How,
then, is it consistent with her infallibility
now to act a different part? On every ac-
count, then, it appears that this superstitious
practice is worthy of condemnation. It is
opposed to reason, to scriptural precept, to
scriptural example, and to the invariable
usage of the best and purest churches in the
ages nearest to the primitive times. And
nothing can be clearer than that its contin-
uance is adapted to enslave the mass of the
people; to perpetuate ignorance and error;

PUBLIC PRAYER. 113

and to render it more easy for a corrupt and
tyrannical priesthood to lord it over their
deluded followers.

If any attestation to the truth of these
statements should be deemed desirable, the
following extract from the recent history of
the eminently learned Neander, bearing on
an allied subject, viz, reading the Scriptures
in the vernacular tongue, wall be considered
as concliTsive. It relates to the first three
centuries.

'' The reading of the Scriptures was of the
greater consequence, since it was desired to
make every Christian familiar with them;
and yet, on account of the rarity and high
prices of manuscripts, and the poverty of a
great proportion of the Christians, or because
all could not read, placing the Bible itself in
the hands of all w^as out of the question.
The frequent hearing of the word, therefore,
must, in the case of many, be a substitute
for their own reading it. The Scriptures
were read in a lano^uaore that all could under-
stand. This, in most of the countries be-
longing to the Roman empire, w^as either the
Greek or the Latin. Various translations of
the Bible into Latin made their appearance

114 THOUGHTS ON

at a very early period, since every one who
had but a slight knowledge of the Greek,
felt the want of thus making himself familiar
with the word of God in his native tongue.
In places where the Greek or the Latin lan-
guage w^as understood by only a part of the
community, the men of education, the rest
being acquainted only with the ancient dia-
lect of their country, which was the case in
many cities in Egypt and Syria, church
interpreters w^ere appointed, as they were in
the Jewish synagogues, who immediately
translated what was read into the provincial
dialect, that it might be universally under-
stood. "^-

EESPONSES IN PUBLIC PRAYER.

Nothing of this kind existed in the apos-
tolic church, nor for several centuries after the
apostolic age. The entire silence of the best
authorities on the subject, plainly shows that
nothing of the sort had any place in Chris-
tian worship for a number of centuries after
Christ. The responsive form of worship
seems to have been originally confined to the

* General History of the Cliristmn Religion and Churcli,
by Dr. Augustus Ncundcr, Vol. i. 303. Torrcy's translation.

rUBLIC TRAYER. 115

music of the church, and only transferred at
a much later period, and probably by an in-
sensible transition, to the other portions of the
public service. This agrees perfectly with
the well known circumstance, that some
parts of various existing liturgies, which, in
modern practice, may be "either said or
sung," are always "sung" in the more so-
lemn, and what claims to be the more ancient
method of performance, as, for example, in
the cathedral service of the Church of Eng-
land, as compared with the ordinary paro-
chial service. Accordingly, a very large part
of the actual service in the public worship of
the Romanists may be considered as falling
under the description of church music.

The earliest information I can find in
respect to responsive worship, seems to have
reference to the alternate Chants or Canti-
cles introduced, at an early period, from the
Syrian into the Western Church, and espe-
cially as associated with the name of Am-
brose, and the practice of the Church of
Milan, and hence popularly called the Am-
brosian Mass. It seems probable that re-
sponses in prayer originated from this an-
cient mode of singing; and gradually made

116 THOUGHTS ON

their way into popular use. But, assuredly,
there is no trace of them in the primitive
church. Chanting prayers, and responses
in prayer, equally unknown in the apos-
tolic age, had, probably, an allied origin.

POSTURE IX PUBLIC PRAYER.

This is not essential. A prayer truly spi-
ritual and acceptable may be offered up in
any posture. And yet this is, undoubtedly,
a point by no means unworthy of considera-
tion and inquiry. There are certain proprie-
ties of gesture in all public performances in
which it is desirable that all who frequent
our religious assemblies should be agreed
both in principle and practice. The ancient
Christians made it a subject of specific regu-
lation; and there is a manifest advantage in
having those who worship together uniform
in their external habits, as well as in their
theological creed.

The postures in prayer, as laid down in
Scripture and early usage, are four — pros-
tration, kneeling, bowing the head, and
standing erect. The examples of all these
are many, and leave no room to doubt that
they were all practised, and are all signifi-
cant and admissil)le.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 117

(1.) Prostration. This seems to have been
reserved for days of special humiliation and
mourning. Thus Joshua and the elders of
Israel, when they had suffered a sore defeat
by the men of Ai, continued a whole day,
from morning till eventide, prostrate on their
faces before the ark, wdth dust on their
heads, in the exercise of the deepest humi-
liation and prayer.* Joshua also himself,
on a preceding occasion, when filled with
alarm, ''fell on his face to the earth, and did
worship."! Thus also, David and the elders
of Israel, when the aspect of God's provi-
dence toward them was peculiarly alarming
and awful, fell on their faces to the ground,
and worshipped. J The patriarch Job, too,
when the bereaving dispensations of a sove-
reign God, fell in thick succession upon
him, acknowledged his power, and prayed
to Him in a similar posture. § Nay, even
our blessed Saviour himself, in his agony in
the garden, fell prostrate on the ground, and
poured ou.t his soul in the most moving man-
ner to his Father in heaven.

This posture in prayer is, undoubtedly,

* Joshua vii. f .Toshua v. 14.

X 1 Chron. xxi. 16. \ Job i. 20.

11

118 THOUGHTS ON

not suited to ordinary worship. It may an-
swer for a deeply penitent individual, in his
private apartment, burdened with an unu-
sual sense of sin, or overborne with an awful
sense of the divine glory. Or it may be as-
sumed by a body of penitent worshippers in
the open air, when placed in circumstances
which call for special humiliation, which
seems always to have been the situation of
those who are recorded to have used it ; but
is by no means adapted to the case of an
assembly in an edifice such as we ordinarily
occupy. In fact, in many cases, in such an
edifice, this posture would be physically im-
possible, and ought not to be attempted.
It befits only one, or a small company, in an
agony of peculiar contrition, or transported
by the enjoyment of special manifestations of
the Divine favour.

(2.) Kneeling is the next of the four pos-
tures becoming in prayer. Of this we have
many examples in sacred Scripture. They,
chiefly, though not exclusively, belong to
cases of individual and private devotion, or
to small circles engaged in prayer on special
occasions. Thus the prophet Daniel "kneel-
ed down on his knees," in his private cham-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 119

ber, three times a day, and prayed. The
Psalmist exclaims, " O come, let us bow be-
fore the Lord, let us kneel before God our
Maker." Stephen, at his martyrdom, knelt
down and prayed. Jesus himself, when he
was withdrawn from his disciples " about a
stone's cast, kneeled down and prayed."
The Apostle Paul twice knelt down and
prayed with circles of praying friends, who
had come together to testify their respect to
him — once at Miletus, on his way to Mace-
donia, and once at Tyre, on his journey to
Jerusalem.* This is, undoubtedly, a sig-
nificant and becoming posture in prayer,
strongly expressive of humility, reverence
and earnestness. It is the usual and becom-
ing posture in secret and family prayer, and
by many generally used in small circles en-
gaged in social prayer.

(3.) Bmving the head. This may be consi-
dered as a kind of intermediate attitude be-
tween kneeling and standing. There is fre-
quent reference made to it in Scripture ; as,
for example, in Genesis xxiv. 26, in which
we are told of Abraham's servant, that when
he went to Padan Aram on an interesting
errand for his master, and when he observed

* Acts XX. 36 ; xxi. 5.

120 THOUGHTS ON

what he considered as manifest tokens of di-
vine guidance and approbation, he "bowed
his head and worshipped the Lord." This
appears to have taken place in the open air,
at the well of water, when surrounded by
those who were watering the cattle, and
when, perhaps, few, if any, of those who
were standing by had their attention drawn
to this act of obeisance. The same is said
of the Elders of Israel in Egypt: "When
they heard that the Lord had visited the
children of Israel, and that he had looked
upon their affliction, they bowed their heads
and worshipped." Again, in the days of
King Hezekiah, on an occasion of grateful
interest, when the house of God was cleansed,
" the king and the princes commanded the
Levites to sing praise 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." This
easy and convenient method of manifesting a
spirit of devout reverence, may be employed
at all times, and in all circumstances, when
the worshipper is standing erect, and when
neither prostration nor kneeling could be
without great difficulty adopted.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 121

(4.) Standing is the fourth and last of the
attitudes becoming and adopted in public de-
votion. And this, it is well known, was the
posture adopted in the Church of Scotland ;
by our fathers, the Puritans, in England;
and by the descendants of both churches
on this side of the Atlantic. There is
much to recommend this posture. We spon-
taneously rise in the presence of a superior.
It is expressive of respect and reverence. We
have also many examples of this in Scrip-
ture. When Solomon, in the midst of the
thousands of Israel, made a prayer at the
dedication of the temple, while the king
himself knelt down on a platform of brass,
all the people around him stood up, while
they united with him in addressing the
throne of grace.* When Jehoshaphat pro-
claimed a fast, and offered up a solemn
prayer, in the critical circumstances in
which he and his people were placed, we
are told that he stood upright, and that the
whole multitude, not only the men, but their
wives and their children, all stood and pray-
ed, f We know, too, that the usual posture

* 2 Chron. vi. 3. 13. f 2 Chron. xx. 5. 13.

11*

122 THOUGHTS ON

in public prayer, in the Temple, and after-
wards in the Synagogue, was that of stand--
ing. This practice was evidently adopted in
the early Christian Church. The following
testimony from Lord Chancellor King's "In-
quiry into the Constitution of the Primitive
Church within the first three hundred years
after Christ," is decisive in regard to this
point. "As soon as the sermon was ended,
then all the congregation rose up to present
their common and public prayers unto Al-
mighty God, as Justin Martyr writes, that
when the preacher had finished his dis-
course, 'they all rose up, and offered their
prayers unto God ;' standing being the
usual posture of praying, (at least the con-
stant one on the Lord's day, on which day
they esteemed it a sin to kneel,) whence the
preacher frequently concluded his sermon
with an exhortation to his auditors, to stand
up and pray to God, as we find it more than
once in the conclusion of Origen's sermons ;
as, for example, ' Wherefore, standing up,
let us beg help from God, that we may be
blessed in Jesus Christ, to whom be glory
for ever and ever, Amen!' And again, in
another place ; ' Wherefore, rising up, let us

PUBLIC TRAYER. 123

pray to God, that we may be made worthy
of Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and domi-
nion, for ever and ever, Amen!' And again,
'Standing up, let ns offer sacrifices to the
Father through Christ, who is the propitia-
tion for our sins, to whom be glory and do-
minion, forever and ever, Amen!' "*

Testimony to the same amount, and of the
same explicit character, is found in the writ-
ings of Jerome, Augustine, Basil, and Epi-
phanius, from all which sources we learn
that the standing posture in public prayer
was regarded as a real privilege which was
denied to those who had incurred the dis-
cipline of the Church, and who returned to
her bosom as penitent. They were com-
pelled to kneel, as a testimony of deep humi-
liation; it being the prerogative and the
right of believers only, and consistent pro-
fessors of religion, to occupy the standing
posture in their public devotions.

Nay, this matter was deemed of so much
importance as to be made the subject of so-
lemn regulation by the first General Council
that ever assembled in the Christian world.
The Council of Nice, which was called tog^e-

* Inquiry, chap, ii.

124 THOUGHTS ON

ther, A. D. 325, to dispose of the heresy of
Arius, after its decision on that important
subject was disposed of, passed a number of
canons in regard to points which were consi-
dered as calUng for authoritative direction.
In the twentieth of these canons it was ordain-
ed, that all kneeling in public prayer be pro-
hibited on the Lord's day, and on any day
during the fifty days between Easter and
Pentecost, or Whitsuntide. The Lord's
day, which commemorated the resurrection
of the Saviour from the dead, and which,
on that account, they regarded as a season
appropriated to spiritual joy and rejoicing,
they considered as forbidding a posture of
humiliation. And so the fifty days between
Easter and Pentecost, the one intended to
commemorate the resurrection of Christ
from the grave, and the other, the outpour-
ing of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.
On these joyful days, all kneeling in public
prayer was expressly forbidden, as unbe-
coming the privileges and the hopes of the
Christian. On the other hand, they deemed
the erect and joyful posture of standing alto-
gether unsuitable for those who appeared in
the sanctuary as penitents, to whom a pos-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 126

ture indicating humiliation and shame was
more appropriate. They seem to have been
compelled to kneel at all times.

Thus it is incontrovertibly evident that,
for the first three hundred years after Christ,
standing in public prayer was the only pos-
ture allowed, on the Lord's day, to the mass
of Christian worshippers, w^ho were in a
state of union with the Church.

In all Presbyterian churches standing is
regarded as the appropriate posture in
prayer at all times. This posture is re-
commended by a variety of considerations.
(1.) It was evidently the apostolical and
primitive plan. (2.) The first General
Council, as we have seen, in the fourth
century, enjoined it by a solemn canon.
(3.) It is a posture expressive of respect and
reverence. (4.) It is adapted to keep the
worshipper wakeful and attentive; while
the postures of kneeling and sitting are both
favourable to drowsiness.

" It is a mistake," says Mr. Trench,
'' growing out of forgetfulness of Jewish and
early Christian customs, when some com-
mentators see in the fact that the Pharisee
prayed standing, an evidence manifesting

126 THOUGHTS ON

his pride. Even the parable itself contra-
dicts this notion; for the Publican, whose
prayer was an humble one, stood also. But
to pray standing was the manner of the
Jews. See 1 Kings viii. 22; 2 Chron. vi. 12;
Matt. vi. 5 ; Mark xi. 25. True, in moments
of more than ordinary humiliation or emo-
tion of heart, they changed this attitude for
one of Icneeling or prostration ; see Daniel
vi. 10; 2 Chron. vi. 13; Acts ix. 40: xx. 36:
xxi. 5. Hence the term station (statio,)
passed into the usage of the Christian
Church on this account. It was so called,
as Ambrose explains it, because, standing,
the Christian soldier repelled the attacks of
his spiritual enemies; and on the Lord's
day the faithful stood in prayer to com-
memorate their Saviour's resurrection on
that day; through which they who by sin
had fallen, were again lifted up and set
upon their feet." — Trench on the ParaUes.
It is to be remembered, that this testimony
is from the pen of a distinguished clergy-
man of the Church of England.

The posture of standing has been ob-
jected to by some on two grounds. First,
as fatiguing to the feeble and infirm. But,

PUBLIC PRAYER. 127

if the officiating minister be tolerably dis-
creet in the length of his prayers, this ob-
jection can have little or no force to those
who are in ordinary health. It will, surely,
rather be a relief than otherwise to stand up
ten, or, at most, twelve minutes, when the
sitting posture is to be maintained during
almost the entire remainder of the time al-
lotted to the public service. It has also
been alleged, in the second place, that the
standing posture is unfavourable to close
and solemn attention; that it tempts him
who maintains it to look about him; and
that it exposes females to be gazed at by
surrounding worshippers more than other
postures which might be adopted. But if
there be really a devout spirit, and a dis-
position to depress the countenance, to with-
draw the eyes from surrounding objects, and
in any measure to cover the face with a fan
or the handkerchief, it is easy to see that
the objection before us may be as perfectly
obviated as in any other posture.

The posture of sitting in public prayer
has no countenance either from Scripture,
from reason, or from respectable usage, in
any part of the Church's history. It was

128 THOUGHTS ON

never allowed in the ancient Church, and
was universally regarded as an irreverent
and heathenish mode of engaging in public
devotion. True, if there be any worship-
pers so infirm from age, or so feeble from
disease, that standing erect would really in-
commode or distress them to a degree un-
friendly to devotion, let them sit; not in
a posture of indifference or indulgence; but
with bowed heads, and fixed countenances,
as becomes persons reluctantly constrained
to retain such an attitude, and who are yet
devoutly engaged in the service.

It were greatly to be wished that this mat-
ter should engage the attention of pastors
and church sessions to an extent commensu-
rate with the evil to be remedied, and which
is evidently gaining ground. Thirty or forty
years ago, nineteen out of twenty of all Pres-
byterian worshippers were in the constant
habit of standing in public prayer. Nothing
else was thought of; and if any one was con-
strained by debility or sickness to remain
sitting, he felt as if his posture needed an
apology. Such a case was an exception to a
general rule. But the practice of indulging
in this posture has gradually made so much

PUBLIC PRAYER. 129

progress, that sitting has ahnost become the
general rule, and standing the exception.
Now, when we cast an eye over many of our
worshipping assemblies, we see a large por-
tion of the professed worshippers not only
sitting, but sitting in such a posture of
loung^ino^ induls^ence, as evinces that nothinor
is further from their minds than a spirit of
devotion. This surely ought not to be so.
It is unscriptural, unseemly, and highly re-
volting. Where there is really a spirit of
devotion, there will be some manifestation of
it in the outward posture. And where the
outward posture is unfriendly to such a spi-
rit, it will, in spite of any professed wish to
the contrary, speedily banish it. Unless
ministers, then, are willing that the members
of their flocks should gradually fall into
habits in the his^hest deo^ree unfavourable to
the spirit of devotion, let them raise their
voices against this growing evil. Let them
warn their hearers against the indulgence of
a spirit of lounging indifference in the house
of God. Let them proclaim, that, even
when standing erect may cost some effort,
and be attended even with some pain, this
very circumstance may tend to obviate drow-
12

130 THOUGHTS ON PUBLIC PRAYER.

siness, and to keep the mind more intent on
the solemnity and importance of the exercise.
It is, undoubtedly, desirable that there be
uniformity in our habits of worship. This
uniformity is not likely to be attained or
established without the employment of means
for the purpose. Every pastor is responsible
for much in this respect, and has much in
his power. Let him drop a hint in the pul-
pit, and let him impart a suggestion, now
and then, to young and old in his parochial
visits, and he may generally arrest unde-
sirable practices in the bud, and keep most
external habits in a state of decorum and
order.

131

CHAPTER III.

THE CLAIMS OF LITURGIES.

In the foregoing history of Public Prayer,
much has been said which bears on the
question of liturgies; but that whole ques-
tion is so important in relation to the best
method of conducting the devotional exer-
cises of the sanctuary, that a formal discus-
sion of it is evidently demanded in the
course of the examination before us.

The word liturgy is derived from two
Greek words, ^^t^oj, public, and epyov, work ;
importing, of course, public work, or the
performance of sacred public offices; which
may be considered as comprehending, in a
large sense, the whole ceremonial of public
worship; including, among Romanists, the
mass, with all its accompaniments; but,
among Protestants, the term is commonly
employed to express the forms adopted and
prescribed, by any church for conducting
her public, devotional and sacramental ser-

132 THOUGHTS ON

vices. Concerning these there is great di-
versity of principle and practice among the
various Protestant denominations. In some,
there are formularies rigidly prescribed, and
exclusively adhered to in every part of the
public service. This is the system of the
Church of England, and of her daughter, the
Episcopal Church in the United States. In
some other churches, these formularies ex-
tend only to the administration of the sacra-
ments, the celebration of marriage, the burial
of the dead, and the prescribed forms for
sacred praise; leaving all the other devo-
tional exercises of the sanctuary to be con-
ducted extemporaneously, according to the
discretion of each officiating minister. This,
it is well known, was, substantially, the plan
adopted by the French, the Helvetic, the
Genevan, the Dutch churches, and many of
the churches of the German Protestants. It
is also the plan of our Methodist brethren
in the United States. While, by a third
class, as among the Presbyterians of Scot-
land and the United States, the Indepen-
dents of England and America, and some
other Reformed churches — all prescribed
forms of devotion, excepting those of Psal-

PUBLIC TRAYER. 133

mody, are excluded, and every other part of
the public service is conducted on the ex-
temporaneous plan.

Tliere was a period, indeed, when the
practice of the Church of Scotland was dif-
ferent from what it now is, and has long
been. In the earlier stages of her history,
when, in emerging from the darkness and
superstition of Popery, the number of pious
and well qualified ministers was very small;
and when, in the lack of regularly ordained
men, it was deemed necessary sometimes to
commit a portion of the public instruction
to persons denominated readers and ex-
Jiorters, it was found needful, in such cases,
to provide some aid for the acceptable per-
formance of public prayer. While the
venerable John Knox lived, and for some
time after his death, there was provision
made for meeting this exigency by adopting
at least a partial liturgy. Whether the
liturgy thus adopted and used was the Eng-
lish liturgy of Edward VI., has been much
disputed among the early historians of Scot-
land. As Knox was himself one of King
Edward's chaplains; as he had been con-
sulted respecting the liturgy sanctioned by
12^^

134 THOUGHTS ON

that monarch ; had found fault with it, and
had procured its correction, to a certain ex-
tent, in accordance with his criticisms,^ it

* "In the year 1551, Knox was consulted about tlie Book of
Common Prayer (of England,) which was undergoing a re-
visal. On that occasion, it is probable that he was called up
for a short time to London. Although the persons who had
the chief direction of ecclesiastical affairs were not disposed,
or did not deem it as yet expedient, to introduce that thorough
reform which he judged necessary, in order to reduce the
worship of tlie English Church to the Scripture model, his
representations on tliis head were not altogether disregarded.
He Iiad influence to procure an important change in the com-
munion office, completely excluding the notion of the corpo-
real presence of Christ in the sacrament, and guarding against
the adoration of the elements, which was too much counte-
nanced by the practice, still continued, of kneeling at their
reception. In his 'Admonition to the Professors of the Truth
in England,' Knox speaks of these amendments, as follows,
with great apparent satisfaction: 'Also God gave boldness
and knowledge to the court of Parliament to take away the
round-clipped god, wherein standeth all the holiness of the
Papists, and to command bread to be used at the Lord's Ta-
ble, and to take away tlie most part of superstitions (kneel-
ing at tlie Lord's table excepted,) which before profaned
Christ's true religion.' These alterations gave great ofience
to the Papists. In a disputation with Latimer, after the ac-
cession of Queen Mary, the prolocutor, Dr. Weston, com-
plained of Knox's influence in procuring them. 'A runna-
gate Scot,' says he, 'did take away the adoration or worship
of Christ in the sacrament, by whose procurement that he-
resy was put into the last communion book: so much pre-
vailed that one man's authority at that time.' In the fol-
lowing year he was employed in revising the Articles of

rUBLIC TRAYER. 135

is not at all unlikely that he favoured its par-
tial and temporary use in Scotland. How
long-, or how extensively it was used is un-
certain, and cannot now be decided. That
all its forms were not adopted without ex-
ception we may take for granted. That
liturgy appoints lessons to be read from the
Apocrypha; but the Scottish Reformers ex-
pressly confined their public reading to the
lessons of the Old and New Testaments. It
is certain, that, as early as 1564, the Book of
Common Order of Geneva, was in extensive
use in the Church of Scotland, under the
sanction of the General Assembly. But it is
equally certain, that the prayers and other
forms prescribed in that book were not in-
tended to be throughout rigorously im-
posed on the conductors of public worship.
It was, in fact, rather a "Directory" for the
worship of God, than a liturgy to be verbally
and servilely repeated. In the Scottish

Religion of the Church of England, previous to their ratifi-
cation by Parliament." — McCrie's Life of Knox, p. 67.
Strype questions the truth of Weston's statement, and says
that Knox was hardly come into England, at least any further
than New Castle, at this time. Annals, iii. 117. But there ia
complete proof that he arrived in England in the beginning
of UA9.—McCrie, p. 68.

136 THOUGHTS ON

Church, during the period in which this
book was in use, the officiating minister was
left at liberty to vary from it as he pleased,
and to substitute prayers of his own in the
room of those furnished in the book. The
following quotations from the book will at
once exemplify and confirm this statement:
" When the congregation is assembled at the
hours appointed, the minister useth one of
these two confessions, or like in effect T
Again: ''The minister after the sermon,
useth this prayer following, or such liheP
Similar declarations are prefixed to the pray-
ers to be used at the celebration of Baptism,
and the Lord's Supper. And at the end of
the account of the public service of the Sab-
bath, this intimation is subjoined : "It shall
not be necessary for the minister daily to re-
peat all these things before mentioned ; but
beginning with some manner of confession,
to proceed to the sermon, which, ended, he
either useth the prayer for all estates before
mentioned, or else praijeth as the Spirit of
God shall move his heart, framing the same
according to the time and matter he hath
entreated of." And at the end of the form
of excommunication, it is signified: "This

rUBLIC PRAYER. 137

order may be enlarged or contracted, as the
7visdom of the discreet minister shall thiiik ex-
pedient. But we rather show the way to the
ignorant, than prescribe order to the learned
that cannot be amended." The Scottish
liturgy, then, was intended as a help to the
ignorant, not as a restraint upon those who
could pray without a set form. The "■ read-
ers" and "exhorters" commonly used it;
but even they were encouraged to perform
the service in a different manner,* that is,
to acquire the habit of praying extempo-
raneously to edification. I

This Directory, as it seems never to have
been servilely recited by the most intelligent
of the clergy, so it was soon laid aside. How
long it was used is uncertain. As the clergy
became more learned and more pious, it gra-
dually fell into disuse.

Our chief concern at present is with those
who regard liturgical forms of devotion, as
not only highly desirable, but as even indis-
pensable to a decent, edifying, and accepta-
ble mode of conducting public prayer. In

* Knox's Liturgy, pp. 83, 84, 86, 120, 1S9. Dunlop's Con-
fessions.
t McCrie's Life of ICnox, pp. 432, 433.

138 THOUGHTS ON

regard to such prescribed forms we shall
endeavour to examine the arguments for and
against them with as much impartiality and
dispassionate respect to the reasonings of
their friends, as possible.

And here, let it be distinctly understood,
as a preliminary remark, that w^e are very far
from pronouncing, or even thinking, that it
is unlawful to conduct prayer, either public
or private, by a form. We should deem
such a sentence or opinion altogether erro-
neous. There is no reason to doubt that
many a truly fervent and acceptable prayer
has been offered in this manner. Some of
the most excellent men that ever adorned the
church of Christ have decisively preferred
this method of conducting the devotions of
the sanctuary; and have, no doubt, found it
compatible with the most exalted spirit of
prayer. We only contend, that such forms
are not indispensable, as some contend, to
orderly and edifying public prayer ; that they
are not equally edifying to all persons in all
cases; that this is not, on the whole, the best
mode of conducting the devotional services
of the sanctuary; and, therefore, that to im-
pose forms of prayer at all times, and upon

PUBLIC PRAYER. 139

all persons who publicly minister in holy
things, and to confine them to the use of such
forms, is by no means either desirable or wise.

It is one of the main objects of the present
volume, to impress upon the mind of every
young Presbyterian minister who reads it,
this sentiment, that while, on the one hand,
the reading or recitation of prescribed prayers
is by no means the best method of conduct-
ing the devotions of the sanctuary, and is
liable to many weighty objections; so, on
the other hand, it is a great mistake to ima-
gine that-sacred attention to the mode of con-
ducting this service, and preparation for it
can be safely neglected, or made the object
of only occasional or superficial study; in
short, that every Presbyterian minister who
wishes to make the most of his services in
the sanctuary, for the glory of God, and the
best edification of his people, is bound to pay
a greatly increased attention to the whole
subject of public prayer.

In favour of constantly conducting the
public devotions of the church by a pre-
scribed liturgy, the following arguments
have been commonly adduced.

I. It is alleged that public prayer under

140 ' THOUGHTS ON

the Old Testament economy was always con-
ducted by prescribed forms. This has been
asserted, but never proved. And even if it
were proved, it would by no means follow
that a similar ritual ought to be used now.
No one contends that all that was prescribed
and obligatory under the Old Testament
economy is still binding, or that the exist-
ence of any practice under that economy,
makes it even lawful at present. Dr. Pri-
deaux, indeed, with many others, as men-
tioned in a preceding chapter, is very confi-
dent in maintaining^ the existence of liturpries
under the old economy, not only in the tem-
ple, but also in the synagogue service. He
gives, at length, what he calls the " eighteen
prayers," prepared and used, as he contends,
loner before the coming^ of Christ* But
many of the best judges of Jewish antiquities
consider that learned and laborious writer as
having altogether failed to establish his posi-
tion. And this has been the case with some
of his own denomination, who, notwithstand-
ing all their habits and preferences on the
side of liturgies, have been constrained to
believe that some of these "eighteen prayers"

* Connoction, Part i. Book vi.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 141

bear internal proof of having been composed
long after the coming of Christ.* Even in
the temple service, for which so ample a pro-
vision of forms was furnished, there was no
prescribed form of prayer ; and even in the
synagogue, or ordinary Sabbatical service of
the later Jews, it has not been shown that
they had any prescribed prayers, and far less
that they w^ere confined to them. If they
had any such imposed forms, it is indeed
wonderful that we do not find in all the in-
spired writings, in the works of Josephus or
Philo, or in any other authentic writing, the
least hint or allusion respecting them.

II. We are referred by the advocates of
liturgies to that form or method of prayer
which was given by the Saviour to his disci-
ples, commonly called the Lord's Prayer, as
presenting a plain example of that for which
thev contend. The remarks made in the
preceding chapter in regard to this prayer, it
is not necessary here to repeat. But it is
believed that every impartial reader will
deem them quite sufficient to destroy the
force of the whole plea drawn from this

* Wliitaker's Origin of Arianism, Cliap. iv. Sect. ii. p. 302.
13

142 THOUGHTS ON

source, as an argument in favour of pre-
scribed forms of prayer. If we do not find
that prayer recorded in the same words by
any two of the Evangelists; if it be adapted
in its style and structure to the Old., rather
than the New Testament dispensation; if it
speak of the kingdom of God as not yet
come; if it ask for nothing in the name of
Christ, which was afterwards so strictly en-
joined; if, after the resurrection and ascen-
sion of the Saviour, when the New Testa-
ment Church was actually set up, we hear
nothing more of this prayer as being at all in
use in the apostolic age; surely all these con-
siderations concur in proving that it could
not have been intended by the Master to
enjoin it upon his disciples to be observed as
an exact and permanent form.

Accordingly it is remarkable, as observed
in the preceding chapter, that Augustine, in
the fourth century, expresses the decisive
opinion that Christ intended this prayer as a
model rather than as a form; that he did not
mean to teach his disciples what words they
should use in prayer, but what things they
should pray for; and understands it to l)e
meant chiefly as a directory for secret and

PUBLIC PRAYER. 143

mental prayer, where words are not neces-
sary.*

III. The advocates of liturgies assure us
that such prescribed forms of prayer were
used in the apostolic age, and that they have
been constantly in use in the purest and
most enlightened portions of the Christian
Church in all ages. But, unless I am greatly
deceived, it has been demonstrated in the
preceding chapter that no such statement
can be made with truth; nay, that the con-
trary appears from all authentic history. It
is indeed evident that in the early church the
Christians had psalms and hymns, which
they had adopted, and which they agreed in
singing ; that in administering baptism, and
the sacramental supper, they w^ere accus-
tomed to employ the simple forms of admin-
istration found in the New Testament; and
that in dismissing their worshipping assem-
bhes, they were wont commonly to pronounce
the apostolical benediction. But are there
any regular churches on earth, even those
which most entirely and confessedly exclude
liturgies, which do not employ all the same
auxiliaries in conducting the service of the

* De Magistro, Cap. i.

144 THOUGHTS ON

sanctuary? The Presbyterian Church has
precisely all these; and yet is generally re-
presented, and by some reproached, as having
no liturgy. Indeed, would it be possible to
unite in singing psalms or hymns without
having them prepared and agreed upon be-
fore hand? Is it an evidence, then, either of
good sense, or of candour, to employ the ac-
knowledged use of forms in the psalmody of
the early church as an argument in favour of
prescribed, and against free prayer? But the
simple and only proper question to be here
decided, is, Had the Christian Church, du-
ring the first five hundred years after Christ,
prescribed forms of prayer, to which she was
confined, or which she commonly employed
in conducting her public devotions? How
this question ought to be answered, has been
shown, if I mistake not, conclusively in the
preceding chapter.

IV. A further argument, frequently urged
by the friends of liturgies against extempo-
rary prayer, is, that it is difficult to follow
any one who does not pray by a form ; in-
deed, that we cannot know whether we can
join him in each successive sentence until
the sentence is finished : so that we must be

rUBLIC PRAYER. 145

constantly kept in suspense until each peti-
tion is completed. This objection to extem-
porary prayer is chiefly imaginary. The
difficulty which it represents as so formida-
ble, is never really serious, and by habit is
soon entirely overcome. Those who have
complained of it at first, have acknowledged
that, in a very little time, it ceased to incom-
mode them. The operations of the mind are
so rapid, that the moment a sober and scrip-
tural petition is uttered, we can at once adopt
it as our own. And, indeed, if free prayer
be conducted in the best manner — that is, if
it be founded on the matter and manner of
the word of God, and abound in scriptural
language, all who are familiar with the Bible
can, of course, concur in and follow it with-
out the least hesitation or embarrassment.

V. Another plea often urged in favour of
established liturgies, is, that when construct-
ed upon evangelical principles, they serve to
perpetuate truth in the community by which
they are used, and thus operate as a barrier
against the inroads of error. We have the
most palpable and undeniable evidence that
this arorument is far from beinor conclusive.
There is, perhaps, no church in the world in
13^

146 THOUGHTS ON

which, for the last three hundred years,
there has been a more constant use, and a
more sovereign sway of their church service,
than in the Church of England. But has
her liturgy kept that church sound and pure,
in accordance with the creed of those who
formed it? Far from it. In that church,
the number of the clergy and others who
embrace and love the principles embodied in
their articles and devotional forms, is compa-
ratively small, probably amounting to much
less than a quarter, or sixth part of the
whole, and all manner of opinions, from the
hio-hest Calvinism to the lowest Socinianism,
may be found among those who daily repeat
and laud the same liturgy. What shall we
say of the sovereign power of a liturgy as a
barrier against error, when we find orthodox
and evangelical men, and the most tho-
roughly Popish Puseyites that ever entered
a sanctuary, repeating the same words every
Sabbath with a[)parent cordiality ?

But against those who employ this argu-
ment, the tables may be effectually turned.
How often, nay, how much more frequently
than otherwise, have the liturgical services
of different churches served to countenance,

PUBLIC PRAYER. 147

extend, and perpetuate the most corrupt
errors, and the most degrading supersti-
tions ! What have been the effects of the
ecclesiastical formularies of the Romish
Church, and of the various' branches of
the Greek and Oriental churches? Have
therj proved barriers against error? Have
they not rather formed a sore bondage for ex-
tending and perpetuating corruption ? What
has been the effect of certain features in the
liturgy of the Church of England ; such as
those which plainly imply and teach baptis-
mal regeneration, and a number of other
things savouring of Popish origin? Have
not error and superstition been by these
means countenanced, recommended, and es-
tablished ? Have not many enlightened and
pious minds been grieved at the necessity
laid upon them to repeat, in the presence of
God, w^ithout the chancje of a Avord, these
portions of their prescribed forms? And
have not thousands wished in vain for an
alteration in that which incontrolable au-
thority compelled them verhatim to employ ?
What becomes of the preservative against
error in such a case as this ? True, the pre-
cious doctrines of the Triaity, of the divinity

148 THOUGHTS ON

of Christ, of redemption through his atoning
blood, and of justification by his righteous-
ness, are so interwoven with that whole
formulary, that no one can honestly use it
who does not cordially believe in these great
doctrines of the evangelical system. And
yet how many hundreds have actually been
in the habit of repeating it all their lives,
who did not believe one word of any of
these doctrines, and who w^ere, of course,
habitually guilty of that to which it is diffi-
cult, consistently with Christian courtesy, to
give an appropriate name !

VI. The last plea in favour of prescribed
forms of prayer which w^ill be mentioned, is,
that they only can effectually prevent those
crude, inappropriate and revolting effusions
which are so apt to characterize the public
prayers of those who conduct them without
a form. This is, in fact, the most plausible
argument in the whole catalogue in favour
of liturgies, and one which it becomes the
friends of free i)rayer seriously to ponder in
their minds, and to regard as a stimulus to
attention and improvement. True, indeed,
liturgical services tliemselves have some-
times been performed under circumstances,

PUBLIC PRAYER. 149

and in such a manner as to revolt every en-
lio^litened and tasteful mind. The annals of
the Church, if minutely examined, would
furnish many such revolting examples. Still
this fact does not justify the unseemly cha-
racteristics of extempore prayer wherever
they occur. It cannot be denied, that this
part of the service of the sanctuary has not
commonly received that degree of attention,
and been marked with that degree of excel-
lence whicii ought to have been reached.
The true remedy, however, is, not to have
recourse to liturgies ; but to apply to those
means which will prepare to lead in public
devotions in a fluent, appropriate, acceptable
and edifying manner. We have seen what
means Augustine recommended for correct-
ing the faults of extempore prayer in his
day; not to resort to liturgies, which had not
been introduced; but to seek counsel and
aid from the more experienced, pious and
wise.

So much for the arguments usually ad-
duced in favour of liturmes. Let us now
turn to those considerations wdiich satisfy
Presbyterians that the liturgical plan of pub-
lic worship is not the most eligible, and

150 THOUGHTS ON

which lead them to a corresponding prac-
tice. And,

I. Why ought pubhc prayers to be pre-
scribed and imposed more than discourses
from the pulpit? It is well known, indeed,
that at an early period of the proceedings for
reforming the Church of England, two books
of '' Homilies," or popular sermons, were ac-
tually prepared, and put into the hands of
the officiating clergy to be read in order, and
in rotation in all their pulpits. Yet I know
not that even then ministers of acknowledged
learning and talents were forbidden to com-
pose and deliver such sermons as they
thought proper to give. But why should
restraint be exercised with regard to prayer,
and not to preaching? If it be alleged that
in prayer we speak to God, and, therefore,
ought to exercise great reverence and con-
sideration; is it not equally evident that in
faithful gospel preaching, it is God speaking
to us by his accredited servant ; and that, of
course, we ought to " take heed" with no less
attention, reverence, and awe, ''how and
wdiat we hear?" Why, then, is it more safe
or more wise to permit ministers to preach
as they please, than it is to allow them to

PUBLIC PRAYER. 151

pray as they please? If it be said, that the
mass of ministers are now more enlightened
and pious than they were when those formu-
laries were composed for their use, the an-
swer may be admitted ; but it applies equally
to the prayers as to the instructions of the
sanctuary.

II. We are persuaded that liturgies have
no countenance in the word of God, and
were unknown in the primitive apostolic
Church; and, as Protestants, w^e feel bound
to adopt and act upon the principle, that
that which is not contained in Holy Scrip-
ture, or which cannot, by good and neces-
sary consequence, be deduced from that
which is contained in it, ought to have no
place in the Church of God. In reply to
this argument, it has been strangely and
weakly alleged, by those w^ho have been
constrained to yield to the force of historical
testimony on this subject, that the only rea-
son why liturgies were not used in the
infancy of the Church, was, that the ene-
mies of Christianity were so numerous, and
those who united in her w^orship w^ere so
very few, that there were none to make the
necessary responses, and that it was judged

152 THOUGHTS ON

better not to use prescribed forms at all than
to use them imperfectly. Those who are
capable of satisfying themselves with this
subterfuge, forget that the preachers of the
gospel, at the earliest period of their minis-
try, went forth, not alone, but '' two and two;"
that scarcely any case can be imagined in
wdiich one or more auxiliary voices might
not have been put in requisition; and that,
if this mode of worship had been deemed by
the great Head of the Church not only most
eligible, but so important to Christian edifica-
tion as many of its advocates now deem it,
nothing would have been more easy than for
the omnipotent King of Zion so to order the
affairs of his Church, from the outset, as to
open the way for its introduction. The truth
is, however, that even in Jerusalem, where
there w^ere thousands of Christians, and in
Antioch, where there were also many, and
where, of course, responses would have been
easy, we find no such practice recorded, or
even hinted at. There was manifestly no
such thing.

III. We not only find no evidence of any
prescribed forms of prayer having been used
in the apostolic age; but we do find testi-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 153

mony which plainly implies that no such
forms were either prescribed or in use in the
apostolic churches. If such forms had been
established, where was the occasion, or even
the propriety of Paul's exhorting Timothy to
take care that "prayers, intercessions, and
giving of thanks be made for all men ; for
kings, and all in authority, that the people
might lead quiet and peaceable lives in all
godliness and honesty?* Can we suppose
that liturgies had then been formed and
established by the authority of inspired men?
If so, had these subjects of petition been
omitted in the prescribed formulary? This
supposition would be strange indeed in re-
gard to a liturgy formed by apostolic men.
And if there had been no forms prescribed,
how came it to pass that the Apostle, in pro-
viding for the appropriate performance of
this part of the service of the sanctuary, con-
tented himself with giving a general '' direc-
tory," rather than prescribing a precise form
of words? Truly, it is impossible for an im-
partial mind to examine the New Testament
without perceiving that it gives no counte-

* 1 Tim. ii. 1.

14

154 THOUGHTS ON

nance whatever to such a system of ritualism
as that for which the zealous advocates of
liturgies contend.

Prescribed forms of prayer appear to have
been unknown in the Christian Church for
several hundred years after Christ. If the
writer of these pages is not deceived, he has
already produced ample proof of this. That
testimony need not be repeated here. And
indeed this fact is not denied by some of the
most learned and zealous advocates of liturgi-
cal services. Now, that which had no place
in the earliest, purest, and best periods of the
history of the Church, it surely cannot re-
quire much argument to show, is not essen-
tial to the edification of the body of Christ,
and ouo^ht not to be considered as bindincr on
his disciples. Some, indeed, have been so
unreasonable as to contend, that, although no
single public prayer w^as reduced to writing
for the first four or five hundred years after
Christ, yet much, if not the greater part, of
the public prayer of that period was repeated
from memory. This is a supposition as in-
credible as it is gratuitous. That which is
delivered from memory is, of course, some-
thing previously composed. But where did

PUBLIC PRAYER. 155

those who committed to memory and repeat-
ed these prayers, obtain them? When, and
by whom were they composed? Were they,
as some dreamers imagine to have been tlie
case with regard to the Homeric poems —
floating in the popular mind for generations
before they were committed to writing ? If
so, the difficulty is not yet solved. Was the
Church their original parent? or did they
originate in some single '^ master mind,"
without the Church's authority? If so,
where is the evidence, on either supposition?
Surely it is unreasonable, in a historical ar-
gument, to ask us to be satisfied with imagi-
nation or conjecture, instead of testimony.

But if, by alleging the early prayers to
have been memoriter, be meant, that those
who offered them, seldom uttered anything
but that which they had either found in the
Bible, or had heard from the wise and pious
w4io had gone before them ; it was probably
even so, though there is absolutely no direct
evidence to that amount in early Christian
antiquity. But nothing can be more proba-
ble. That, however, is no argument against
that prayer having been, throughout, extem-
poraneous. For there is probably no leader

156 THOUGHTS ON

in extempore prayer at this hour who is
often found to utter anything but what he
has found in substance in sacred Scripture,
or has heard, directly or indirectly, from the
lips of some venerated father of the church.
IV. Confining ministers to forms of
prayer in public worship tends to restrain
and discourage both the spirit and the gift
of prayer. The constant repetition of the
same words, from year to year, is, undoubt-
edly, adapted, with multitudes of persons,
to produce dullness and a loss of interest.
We are very sure that it is so with not a
few. Bishop Wilkins, though a firm friend
to the use of liturgies, when needed, argues
strongly against confining ourselves to such
"crutches," as he emphatically calls them;
and expresses the opinion, that giving vent
to the desires and affections of the heart in
extemporary prayer, is highly favourable to
lively religious feehng and growth in grace.
The following sentences are decisively ex-
pressive of this opinion. " For any one to
sit down and satisfy himself with this book-
prayer, or some prescript form, so as to go
no further, this were still to remain in his
infancy, and not to grow up into his new

PUBLIC PRAYER. 157

nature. This would be as if a man who
had once need of crutches, should always
afterwards make use of them, and so neces-
sitate himself to a continual impotence. It
is the duty of every Christian to grow and
increase in all the parts of Christianity, as
well gifts as graces; to exercise and improve
every holy gift, and not to stifle any of those
abilities wherewith God hath endowed them.
Now, how can a man be said to live suitable
to these rules who does not put forth himself
in some attempts and endeavours of this kind?
And, then, besides, how can a man suit his
desires unto several emergencies? What
one says of counsel to be had from books, may
be fitly applied to this prayer by book; that
it is commonly of itself something flat and
dead, floating for the most part too much in
generalities, and not particular enough for
each several occasion. There is not that
life and vigour in it, to engage the affections,
as when it proceeds immediately from the
soul itself, and is the natural expression of
those particulars whereof we are most sen-
sible."^

* Discourse concerning the Gift of Prayer, &c., chap. ii.
pp. 9, 10.

14*

158 THOUGHTS ON

The same opinion is also expressed by
Bishop Hall, in a work written at a period
when the subject of liturgies was discussed
in his church with great learning and warmth,
in which he delivers his opinion in the fol-
lowing decisive and pointed language.

"Far be it from me to dishearten any good
Christian from the use of conceived prayer
in his private devotions, and upon occasion
also in public. I would hate to be guilty of
pouring so much water on the spirit, to
which I would gladly add oil rather. No,
let the full soul freely pour out itself in gra-
cious expressions of its holy thoughts into the
bosom of the Almighty. Let both the sud-
den Hashes of our quick ejaculations, and the
constant flames of our more fixed concep-
tions, mount up from the altar of a zealous
heart unto the throne of grace; and if there
be some stops or solecisms in the fervent
utterance of our private wants, these are so
far from being offensive, that they are the
most pleasing music in the ears of that God
unto whom our prayers come. Let them be
broken off with sighs and sobs, and incon-
gruities of our delivery ; our good God is no
otherwise affected to this imperfect elocution

PUBLIC PRAYER. 159

tlian an indulgent parent is to the clipped
and broken language of his dear child, which
is more delightful to him than any other's
smooth oratory. This is not to be opposed
in another by any man that hath found the
true operations of this grace in himself. What
I have professed concerning conceived praj^er,
is that which I have ever allowed, ever prac-
tised, both in private and public. God is a
free Spirit, and so should ours be in pouring
out our voluntary devotions upon all occa-
sions. Nothing hinders but that this liberty
and a public liturgy should be good friends,
and o-Q hand in hand too^ether ; and whosoever
would forcibly separate them, let them bear
their own blame. The over vigorous press-
ing of the liturgy to the jostling out of
preaching and of conceived prayer, never
was intended either by the law makers or by
the moderate governors of the church."*

I have known persons who in early life
were in the habitual use of extemporary
prayer, and who were then remarkably fer-
vent and fluent in that exercise; but who,
afterwards, from long confinement to forms,

* Humble Remonstrance for Liturgy and Episcopacy, and
Defence of the Remonstrance.

160 THOUGHTS ON

in a great measure lost the gift of extempo-
raneous prayer, and became embarrassed
whenever they undertook to lead in social
devotion. Examples of this might easily be
selected, were it not inexpedient to detail per-
sonal anecdotes concerning men highly re-
spectable for piety as well as intelligence,
and on a subject too grave for ludicrous asso-
ciations. We had republished in this coun-
try, a few years ago, a pamphlet entitled
*' Scotch Presbj^terian Eloquence Displayed,"
in which great pains were taken by a friend
of liturgies to pour ridicule upon extempora-
neous prayer by quoting, or feigning speci-
mens of it from the mouths of Presbyterian
ministers. It would not be difficult to pro-
duce an equally extended array of real cases
in which Episcopal ministers, when cut off
from the use of their prayer-books, have been
perplexed and helpless to a deplorable degree.
It is said of the celebrated Bishop Patrick,
that he had once remarkably excelled in free
prayer; but that, toward the close of life,
lodging at the house of a dissenter, with
whom he had been long and affectionately
intimate, he was requested to take the lead
in family -worship, which he undertook; but

PUBLIC PRAYER. 161

was so much embarrassed, that he broke off
in the midst of the prayer, arose from his
knees, and apologized to his friend for his
inability to proceed. His friend, perhaps
more faithful than delicate, approaching him,
said — '^ My friend, you have made a misera-
ble exchange for your lawn sleeves and your
mitre." This anecdote is related, not for the
purpose of depreciating the character of a
truly eminent man, but to show, by a strong
case, that, even a man possessing all the
talents, learning, and piety, conceded to
Bishop Patrick, if he ceases to exercise the
gift of free prayer, will soon in a great mea-
sure lose it.

V. No prescribed forms of prayer, how^-
ever ample or diversified, can be accommo-
dated to all the circumstances, exigencies,
and wants of either individual Christians, or
a number of w^orshipping assemblies. Not
only special dispensations of Providence, and
the continual changes going on in the church
and the w^orld; but the imceasing changes in
the state of our own minds, can never be
appropriately and fully expressed by any
prescribed and immutable form. Now, when
cases of this kind occur, which are not pro-

162 THOUGHTS ON

vided for in the prescribed form, what is to
be done? Eitlier extemporary prayer must
be ventured upon, or the cases in question
cannot be carried at all before the throne of
grace.

A practical comment on this consideration
was presented at the General Convention of
the Protestant Episcopal Churqh in the
United States, which met last year, (1847.)
One of the clerical members of that body,
in the course of its proceedings, stated that,
a short time before, a pious and grateful
mother requested him to offer public thanks
to God, on her behalf, for a signal domestic
mercy. He was obliged, as he stated, to in-
form her, that the Church had made no spe-
cific provision for returning thanks in such
cases; and that he was not able to comply
with her request. He, therefore, suggested,
whether it would not be expedient to frame a
new office adapted to such a case, and add it
to the liturgy. His proposal was laid on the
table, and eventually dismissed, on the dis-
tinct plea, that it was not desirable to favour
innovation ; that they had a liturgy venera-
ble for its age, and sufficiently comprehen-
sive for all desirable purposes; and that it

PUBLIC PRAYER. 163

was not wise to make provision in detail for
such cases as that which he had proposed.

VI. It is no small argument against con-
fining ministers and people to a prescribed
form, that whenever religion is in a lively
state in the heart of a minister accustomed
to use a liturgy, and especially when it is
powerfully revived among the members of
his church, his form of prayer will seldom
fail to be deemed more or less of a restraint,
and liberty of free prayer to be desired.
And this feeling will commonly either vent
itself in fervent, extemporary prayer, or ex-
perience a sense of painful restraint "under
the prohibition ; and perhaps be sensible of
a diminution of spiritual life and enjoyment.
The excellent Mr. Baxter remarks, that " a
constant form is a certain way to bring the.
soul to a cold, insensible, formal worship."*
Tliis language is by no means intended to
assert, that there can be no real fervour of de-
votion where a form is constantly used, and
even continued fervour to the end of life;
but that strict confinement to such a form
has a tendency to impair the warmth and
the spirit of prayer; and that indulging the

* Five Disputations, &c., p. 385.

164 THOUGHTS ON

love of variety which is inherent in human
nature, is friendly to vivid feeling, and heart-
felt impression.

Besides, there are circumstances and situ-
ations in w^hich a prescribed and often re-
peated form, however comprehensive and
good, is not found to meet all the feelings
and desires of a devout soul breathing after
heaven. And hence there are moments
when those who, both by conviction and
habit, are most devoted to the use of liturgi-
cal forms, are willing to lay them aside. It
is recorded of the celebrated Archbishop
Seeker, whose learning, talents, and warm
attachment to the formularies of his church
have been exceeded by few, that when he
was confined to his bed by a broken limb,
which ultimately terminated his life, he was
visited at Lambeth by the Rev. Mr. Talbot,
a Presbyter of his own chvirch, wdio was
remarkably pious, and who had long been
on terms of great intimacy with him. The
dying prelate said to him, in the course
of the interview — "Talbot, you will pray
with me;" and when he saw Mr. Talbot ris-
ing to look for a prayer-book, he added —
"That is not what I want now ; kneel down

PUBLIC PRAYER. 165

by me, and pray for me in the way I know
you are used to do." The pious man did as
he was requested. He poured out his heart
in feeling and affectionate intercession for
his illustrious friend, and took leave of him
for the last time.*

VII. More than all this; there are exi-
gencies in human life, in which the feeling
heart is not only willing to lay aside pre-
scribed forms as inadequate to the expres-
sion of our wants, but to turn away from
them as in a great measure inapplicable.
Let us figure to ourselves the situation of
the large number of passengers who per-
ished in the unfortunate steamer Atlantic,
on the Long Island Sound, several years
ago. The painful uncertainty, for a number
of hours together, the protracted sufferings,
and the final destruction of a large company
of passengers, will not soon be forgotten by
any who read the strong descriptions of that
agonizing scene given at the time. Among
the large number who met their death on
that melancholy occasion, there w^ere some
truly pious people ; some qualified and dis-

* Quoted by the Rev. Professor Porter, of Andover, in his
Lectures on Homiletics.

15

166 THOUGHTS ON

posed to take refuge in the hopes and duties
of religion. But what would have been their
situation if, in the few broken opportunities
for social prayer which were allowed them,
they had been confined to liturgical forms?
The very thought is revolting to the intelli-
gent and pious mind. Surely the most ser-
vile admirers of such forms must see that
something else w^as needed on such an occa-
sion as this.

In like manner, let us contemplate the
situation of a body of people like that of the
inhabitants of Paris, a few months ago, when
an enormous infuriated mob rose up against
the government; when the whole country
was agitated and alarmed; when thousands
on both sides fell victims to the violence of
civil war ; and when, for four days together,
the population of that great city knew not
but that every house would be a scene of
blood. It is to be feared that few, compara-
tively, of that agitated and infuriated mass
had any disposition to pray, or any scriptu-
ral or intelligent views of a throne of grace.
But w^hat liturgy was ever adapted, or could
possibly be adapted, to such a scene as that?
Suppose the anxious, aching heart, occupied

PUBLIC PRAYER. 167

in pouring out all the fulness of its solici-
tudes, and all the urgency of its wants, at
such a time, into the ears of the Lord of
Sabaoth; or suppose a praying circle, in a
retired street, if any street, at such a season,
could be retired, and to have no other means
of directing their petitions than the pages of
a stated liturgy — what w^ould be their feel-
ings? Could they possibly regard the pro-
vision as either seasonable or satisfying ?
Could they, by means of such a form, cry to
their covenant God, with the plenary utter-
ance of the heart, as the people of God evi-
dently did under the Old and the New Tes-
tament dispensations, when visited wdth spe-
cial trials?

Take a single case more. Not long since,
in one of the steamboats belonging to a pas-
senger line between New York and Phila-
delphia, there was a young lady of respecta-
ble connections, and of highly interesting
personal character, who, in the course of her
passage on the Delaware, fell into the river,
and was wdth great difficulty rescued from
drowning. She was, however, finally taken
from the water and brought back into the
boat, in a state of entire insensibility. After

168 THOUGHTS ON

half an hour spent in deep anxiety and dis-
tress respecting her, and in the laborious use
of every restorative effort, animation was
happily restored. When she regained her
consciousness, a deep religious sentiment,
for v^hich she had long been remarkable,
prompted her earnestly to beg those about
her to unite in returning thanks to God for
her happy deliverance. It was known that
there was an Episcopal clergyman on board
the boat; and he was requested to descend
into the cabin, and to conduct such a service.
He declined acceding to the request, on the
plea that there was not in his prayer-book
any office adapted to meet the case, or the
expectations and wishes of the group who
made the request. The consequence was,
that a pious friend, who had been long ac-
customed to lead in extempore prayer, at-
tended, and led the sympathizing, grateful
circle in a most solemn and acceptable
thanksgiving service.

If I know my own heart, I abhor the
thought of employing the weapon of ridicule
to the discredit of liturgical forms. It would
bo unreasonable to expect such forms to bo
provided for all supposable cases. But, in

PUBLIC PRAYER. 169

all sincerity and respectfulness, I must re-
gard as essentially defective a system which,
while it does not, and acknowledges that it
cannot, provide for all cases which may
r arise, yet frowns npon all the prompt and
voluntary provision which the dispensations
of Providence demand, and which heart-felt
piety, and habitual communion with God,
may be ready to furnish.

In the Church, of England, when any
great national calamity, or national blessing
occurs, no minister of that church can pub-
licly recognize it in prayer, until the ecclesi-
astical Primate thinks proper to move in the
business, and to prepare and authorize an
appropriate prayer for the occasion. Hov/
the Episcopal Church in this country would
manage a similar occurrence, I know not.
Would her ministers, with one accord, keep
silence with regard to it in the reading-desk,
until the next triennial convention should
provide an adequate authority for framing
and publishing a new form, or some bishop,
or bench of bishops should ''take order" in
the case? Would this be to enjoy that spi-
ritual liberty with which Christ came to
make his people free?

15*

170 THOUGHTS ON

These and other allied considerations, sat-
isfy me, beyond a doubt, that the claims of
liturgies, as the best method ot conducting
our public devotions, and, above all, as the
exclusive method, cannot be sustained. After
carefully comparing the advantages and dis-
advantages of free and prescribed prayer, the
argument, whether drawn from Scripture,
from ecclesiastical history, or from Christian
experience, is clearly in favour of the free or
extemporary plan. True, indeed, its gene-
rally preferable and edifying character, may
sometimes be marred by weak, or ignorant
men; but we have no hesitation in saying
that the balance is manifestly and greatly in
its favour. As lonor as ministers of the gos-
pel are educated and pious men, "workmen
that need not be ashamed," qualified "rightly
to divide the w^ord of truth," and "mighty
in the Scriptures," they will find no difficulty
in conducting extemporary prayer to the
honour of religion, and to the edification of
the Church. When they cease to possess
this character, the case is undoubtedly al-
tered. They then must have, and ought to
have some aid provided for them. It was
precisely in such a state of things — that is,

PUBLIC PRAYER. 171

when both intelligence and piety were de-
clining— that the use of liturgies arose, and
gradually crept into the Church, as we have
seen in a former chapter, in the fifth and
sixth centuries after Christ. But it is mani-
festly the fault of ministers, if extempore
prayer be not, what it may and ought ever to
be, far more feeling and full of spiritual life
and interest, than any imposed and often re-
peated form can be. Yes, it is the fault of
the officiating minister in the Presbyterian
Church, if prayer be not made the most ten-
der, touching, and deeply impressive of all
the services of the public sanctuary. When
shall it thus be? May the Lord hasten it in
his time !

The views of this subject taken by our
venerated fathers, will appear from the fol-
lowing statement. The Liturgy of the
Church of England was the prevailing, the
almost universal formulary of public devo-
tion in England up to the time when the
Westminster Assembly of Divines was called
together by the parliament, in 1643. There
were individuals, indeed, wdio, anterior to
that, considered the imposition of prescribed
forms of prayer as un scriptural and by no

172 THOUGHTS ON

means friendly to Christian edification ; who
thought that the Reformation in this respect
had not been carried as far as it ought to
have been: but still there were few indi-
vidaal ministers, and still fewer religious so-
cieties that dared to act upon this principle,
and to indulge without restraint in their
public assemblies, in extemporary prayer.
In this state of the English nation, when the
Assembly of divines came together, almost all
of them having been episcopally ordained,
and accustomed to the ritual of the estab-
lished church, their prejudices and their old
habits would, of course, naturally incline
them, as far as they conscientiously could, to
favour the old and established plan of wor-
ship. Accordingly, soon after the Assembly
met, they received a message from the par-
liament, urmnf^f them to attend to the lit-
urgy, and to report thereon to both houses
of parliament " with all convenient speed."

Under this urgency, after some discussion,
the Assembly agreed, by a large majority, to
lay aside the use of all prescribed and im-
posed forms, and to report in favour of ex-
temporary prayer. But, in order to avoid
the imputation of opening the door too wide

PUBLIC PRAYER. 173

to irregular and undigested effusions in
public worship, it was agreed to form and
recommend to the parliament what was de-
nominated a "Directory for the Worship of
of God." Against this plan for regulating
the exercise of public prayer, the Independ-
ents, who formed a very small part of the
Assembly, at first protested, as infringing
the perfect liberty of prayer, which they
thought desirable. They wished to leave
the whole subject without regulation. Fur-
ther discussion, however, reconciled the
most, if not all of this party to the new plan,
and the Directory at length passed the As-
sembly with great unanimity.

In reporting the Directory, as a plan in-
tended to supersede the Liturgy, the Assem-
bly offer the following reasons :

"It is evident," say they, "after long and
sad experience, that the Liturgy used in the
Church of England, notwithstanding the
pains and the religious intentions of the
compilers, has proved an offence to many of
the godly at home, and to the reformed
churches abroad. The enjoining the read-
ing of all the prayers heightened the griev-

174 THOUGHTS ON

ance; and the many unprofitable and bur-
densome ceremonies have occasioned much
mischief, by disquieting the consciences of
many who could not yield to the.m. Sundry
good people have been kept by this means
from the Lord's table, and many faithful
ministers debarred from the exercise of their
ministry, to the ruin of them and their fami-
lies. The prelates and their faction have
raised their estimation of it to such a height,
as though God could be worshipped no other
w^ay but by the service-hook ; in consequence
of which the preaching of the word has been
depreciated, and, in some places, entirely ne-
glected. In the meantime the Papists have
made their advantage, this way, boasting
that the Common Prayer Book came up to a
compliance with a great part of their ser-
vice ; by which means they were not a little
confirmed in their idolatry and superstition;
especially of late, when new ceremonies
were obtruded in the church daily. Be-
sides, the liturgy has given great encour-
agement to an idle and unedifying ministry,
who have chosen rather to confine them-
selves to forms made to their hands, than to

PUBLIC PRAYER. 175

exert themselves in the gift of prayer, with
which our Saviour furnishes all those he
calls to that office.

"For these and many other weighty con-
siderations, relating to the book in general,
besides divers particulars which are a just
ground of oifence, it is thought advisable to
set aside the former liturgy, with the many
rites and ceremonies formerly used in the
worship of God; not out of any affectation
of novelty, nor with any intention to dis-
parage our first Reformers, but that we may
answer, in some measure, the gracious pro-
vidence of God, which now calls upon us
for a further reformation ; that we may
satisfy our own consciences ; answer the ex-
pectations of other Reformed Churches;
ease the consciences of many godly persons
among ourselves, and give a public testi-
mony of our endeavours after an uniformity
in Divine worship, pursuant to what we
have promised."*

Nor did these views originate in the West-
minster Assembly, or in the men of that

* See Neal's History of the Puritans, Vol. ii. 106. quarto
edition.

176 THOUGHTS ON PUBLIC PRAYER.

generation. Three quarters of a century
before that Assembly met, some of the most
pious and learned men in England, and not
a few of them dignitaries of the Church,
spoke the same language. While they did
not deny the lawfulness of using set forms
of prayer, they complained of being con-
fined to them, and earnestly petitioned for
the privilege of using extemporary prayer
both before and after sermon. They also
complained of responses in prayer, as having
no foundation in the word of God, or in the
purest ages of antiquity. But their com-
plaints were disregarded, and their petitions
met with no favour.

177

CHAPTER IV.

FREQUENT FAULTS OF PUBLIC PRAYER.

In all the exercises of the pulpit, mannerism
is apt, on all sides, to creep in ; that is, cer-
tain favourite thoughts, illustrations, or modes
of expression are apt to obtrude themselves
more frequently than occasion demands, or
than orood taste allows. Such thoug^hts or
expressions may become, if often repeated,
highly offensive to pious and cultivated wor-
shippers. This is more especially the case,
if they be repugnant to either good grammar
or good sense. These are of various kinds,
and have, of course, very different degrees
of offensiveness. It is the province of good
sense and of good taste to avoid them. And
it is surely incumbent upon all w^ho are
called to officiate in the service in question,
to be unceasingly on the watch to guard
against every thing adapted to inflict pain,
or interfere with the edification of a single
mind.

IG

178 THOUGHTS ON

It is far from being my aim to encourage
that spirit of excessive refinement, that fas-
tidious intolerance of minor blemishes in the
devotions of the sanctuary which is some-
times manifested by those who care much
more about the taste of the external cere-
monies, than about the life and power of
religion. I would earnestly deprecate the
indulgence of such a spirit in the house of
God. It ought to be as much as possible
banished from our public assemblies. Still,
while w^e caution serious minds against
being too much revolted even by real blem-
ishes in the mode of conducting public
devotion, we ought not to hide from our-
selves that they are blemishes, w^hich it is
far better to avoid than to defend.

The faults which. I have in view are as
various as they are multiplied. I shall mere-
ly specify a few ; others will readily occur to
enlightened and vi^filant observers.

I. In the first place, a very common fault
is the over frequent recurrence of favourite
words, and set forms of expression, how-
ever unexceptionable in themselves. Among
these are the constant repetition in every
sentence or two, of the names and titles of

PUBLIC PRAYER. 179

God ; the perpetual recurrence of the modes
of expression, ^' 0 God ! — great God! — our
heavenly Father ! — holy Father !" — " we pray
thee" — "we beseech thee" — "w^e entreat
thee to grant," &c., or the excessive use of
the interjection Oh ! prefixed to almost every
sentence. With many, these appear to be
mere expletives; with others, they seem to
furnish a kind of resting place for the mind,
to afford an opportunity for reflecting on
what is to follow ; and hence they have been
called the ''setting poles" of preaching and
prayer. In all they fill up a space which
might be better occupied by coming directly
to the object itself prayed for. Besides,
this incessant repetition of particular words
or phrases, renders them cheap, and, after
a time, not merely superfluous, but disgust-
ing— a feeling which ought to be as much
as possible banished from every devotional
exercise. Nay, there is something in this
matter more serious still. If the constant
repetition of the name of the Most High,
even in prayer, be not " taking the name of
the Lord our God in vain," it certainly ap-
proaches very near to that sin. We are
sometimes called to join in prayers in which

180 THOUGHTS ON

that holy name occurs in almost every sen-
tence from the begrinninof to the end.

II. Hesitation and apparent embarrass-
ment in utterance, is another fault of very
frequent occurrence, and a real blemish in
the leader in public devotion. As all prayer
is to be regarded as the utterance of the
heart, so the suppliant ought to be supposed
to be at no loss, to have no hesitation about
the blessinof which he solicits. When,
therefore, he pauses, stumbles, recalls, or
goes back to correct, he unavoidably gives
pain to every fellow-worshipper, and always
leaves the impression of a mind less intent,
a heart less fervently engaged, than it ought
to be. All stammering, then, all pauses, all
recalling or exchanging words, all want of
proper fluency ; in short, every thing adapt-
ed to impair, for a moment, the confidence of
fellow-worshippers in the ability of him who
leads, to get on with entire ease, comfort, and
success, ought to be deemed real faults, and
to be as much as possible avoided.

III. All ungrammatical expressions in
prayer — all expressions foreign from Eng-
lish idiom, and bordering on the style of cant
and whining, low and colloquial phrases,

PUBLIC PRAYER. 181

&c., ought, of course, to be regarded as
blemishes, and to be carefully avoided.
These are by no means so uncommon as
might be supposed. Even educated men,
by inadvertence, by strange habit, by vari-
ous unaccountable means, are betrayed into
faults of this kind, and are sometimes found
to adhere to them v^ith wonderful obstinacy.
Of these there will be an attempt to give a
small specimen only. It is no uncommon
thing to hear ministers, w^ho, in other re-
spects, are entitled to the character of cor-
rect speakers, say, " Grant to give us the sanc-
tifying power of the Holy Spirit;" '■'■Grant
to impart to us the consolations of thy
grace ;" " Come down in our midst;'' '' Make
one in our midst ;'' " Lay us out for thyself;"
"We commit us to thee;" "We resign us
into thy hands;" ''Solemnize our minds."
These, and many similar expressions, are
among the minor instances, which too often
occur, of forgetful ness of English idiom, and
of strict grammatical rules. The more gross
offences against both are passed over here,
as too revolting to be recited, and as not to
be corrected by cursory hints, but by a re-
turn to radical instruction. True, indeed,
16*

182 THOUGHTS ON

where there is much of the '' spirit of
prayer," much of that faith and love and
elevated devotion w^hich belong to the " fer-
vent, effectual prayer of the righteous man,"
v^^e ought not to indulge, as before remarked,
in too much fastidiousness in regard to lan-
guage. Yet, v^hile it is admitted that the
formality of carefully adjusted rhetoric ought
to have no place in either secret or social
prayer ; while " the enticing words of man's
wisdom" ought not to be sought in the cry
of sinners for pardoning mercy and sanctify-
ing grace — still, he w^ho undertakes to be
the leader and helper of others in their de-
votions, ought to remember that he is a debtor
to the wise, as well as the unwise, to the
learned as well as the illiterate; that there
are numbers in every congregation, who,
though they have no taste for piety, have
some claim to literary culture; and, there-
fore, that it is incumbent on him to be quali-
fied to perform his work in such a manner
as shall not be revolting to the most culti-
vated of those whose mouth he is at the
throne of grace. In this, as well as in every
other part of spiritual service, it is important
to " find out acceptable words." It is evi-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 183

dent, from a passage in a former chapter,
that in the days of the learned and pious
Augustine there were some, who, in their
pubUc prayers, fell into barbarisms and sole-
cisms, in regard to which the venerable
Father cautions those to whom he Avrole,
against being offended at such expressions,
because God does not regard the language
employed so much as the state of the heart,
and he, at the same time, exhorts those who
fell into these faults, to employ the appro-
priate means, which he prescribes, for avoid-
ing them in future.

IV. The want of regularity and order is a
fault which frequently and greatly impairs
the acceptable and edifying character of
public prayers. All public prayer w^hich
bears the comprehensive character which
belongs to that exercise, is made up of vari-
ous departments; such as adoration, confes-
sion, thanksgiving, petition, and intercession.
A public prayer which should be entirely
destitute of any one of these departments,
w^ould be deemed essentially defective ; and
a prayer in which these several departments
should all be so mixed up together through-
out the whole as that they should all go on

184 THOUGHTS ON

together in this state of confused mixture,
from the beginning to the end, would, doubt-
less, be considered as very ill judged and
untasteful in its structure ; nay, as adapted
essentially to interfere with the edification of
intelligent worshippers. Not that the same
order should always be maintained. This
would be a serious fault of an opposite kind.
It is the absence of all order that is here
meant to be censured, and represented as a
fault.

V. Descending to too much 7nimite?iess
of detail in particular departments of prayer,
is another fault of unhappy influence in this
part of the public service. As a well con-
ducted public prayer ought to consist of
many parts, so it is evident that the undue
protraction of any one or more of these parts,
must of necessity lead either to inordinate
length in the whole exercise, or to the omis-
sion of other parts equally important. Not
only so, but this minuteness of detail may be
carried so far as to become revolting in itself
to the mind of every intelligent worshipper.
It is proper, no doubt, to return thanks to
God for the fruits of the earth, especially on
days set apart for public thanksgiving. But

PUBLIC PRAYER. 185

suppose the leader in such a service, instead
of contenting himself with grateful general
acknowledgments for the products of the
soil, and a favourable and abundant harvest,
furnishing food for man and beast, should
think himself called upon to descend to such
minuteness of detail as to specify by name
all the various kinds of grain, and all the
productions of the garden, the field and the
meadow, specifying those which were deemed
of most importance, and w^hich had been
yielded in the greatest abundance, would
he be deemed wise and judicious? Would
it not be much better to content himself
with acknowledging the goodness of God in
sending a fruitful season, and an abundant
harvest, providing abundance of food for all
who stood in need of it? In like manner, if
a neighbourhood had been visited with se-
vere and mortal sickness of various kinds, it
surely would not be proper, in a prayer in
which it was intended to acknowledge the
righteous judgment of God in the case, and
to humble ourselves under his mighty hand,
to recount by name all the forms of disease
which had proved distressing or fatal, refer-
ring to the various proportions in which they

186 THOUGHTS ON

had respectively prevailed. It would be
quite enough to speak in general of prevail-
ing sickness and Mortality, to acknowledge
the hand of God in the dispensation, to pray
for the sanctified use of all his dealings, and
to implore his sustaining and consohng grace
for all those families which he had been
pleased to bereave. I have sometimes known
the dignified and solemn nature of the exer-
cise greatly impaired by descending to par-
ticulars to a degree bordering on the ludi-
crous, and by no means favourable to pure
and elevated devotion. I once knew a min-
ister who, in making a prayer at the funeral
of an aged patriarch, who left a large family
of children, went over, by name, all the sons
and daughters of the family, alluding graphi-
cally to the character and situation of each,'
some being quite unfavourable. I also knew
another, who, during our revolutionary war,
in alluding, in a public prayer, to a sangui-
nary battle which had been recently fought,
gave a detailed account of the killed and
wounded on both sides, and all the leading
circumstances of the conflict.

VI. Closely connected with this fault
in public prayer is another, of which we

PUBLIC PRAYER. 187

often hear serious complaint. It is that of
excessive length. This is so common and
so crying a fault that it ought to be men-
tioned with emphasis, and guarded against
with special care. The state of the mind in
right prayer is one of the most elevated and
interesting in which it can be placed. Of
course, such is the weakness of our facul-
ties, and their tendency to flag, that an ex-
ercise of this fervent and exalted character
ouo^ht not to be lono^ continued. The leader
himself cannot always keep up the full tide
of spiritual feeling, for any length of time
together; and even if he could, those who
unite with him in worship may not be al-
w^ays equally successful. Hence, what is
more commxon, in lookincTf over our religious
assemblies in time of prayer, than to see one
half of the worshippers, after a short time,
grow weary of the standing posture, and sit-
ting down for relief? This may indeed be
done, and often is done, without reason, and
very improperly ; but it is unhappy to fur-
nish even a pretext for it. An ordinary
prayer before sermon, ought not to exceed
twelve, or at most fifteen minutes in length.
All protraction of the exercise beyond that

188 THOUGHTS ON

length does not help, but rather hinders de-
votion. Some allowance indeed, as to this
point ought to be made for days of special
prayer, either of thanksgiving, or of humilia-
tion and fasting; for as prayer ought to form
a larger element than common in the exer-
cises of such days, so, of course, more time
for it ought to be allowed ; so that, on such
occasions, several minutes more may with
propriety be added to the devotional parts of
the service. But, after all allowance for
extra cases, the excessive length of public
prayers still remains a crying grievance:
and it appears impossible in some cases to
make the offenders sensible of their fault.
It is not meant by this that the leader in
public prayer should pray hy the clock;
l)ut that he should, by habit, which any
thinking observant man may easily form,
learn to guard against that inconsiderate
tediousness which soon banishes all devo-
tion. The celebrated Mr. Whitefield, after
being greatly fatigued with preaching one
evening, requested the father of the family
in whose house he lodged, to conduct the
domestic worship before retiring to rest.
The pious gentleman protracted his family

PUBLIC PRAYER. 189

prayer so inordinately that Mr. Whitefield,
in the midst of it, rose from his knees, sat in
his chair and groaned audibly ; and when it
was ended, he took his friend by the hand, and
said with strong feeling, ''Brother, how can
you allow yourself to indulge such tedious-
ness in your domestic devotions? You
prayed me into a delightful frame of mind,
and you prayed me completely out of it
again."

VII. An abundant use of highly figura-
tive language, is another blemish in public
prayer, of which we sometimes find exam-
ples. All studied refinement of language;
all artificial structure of sentences ; all affec-
tation of the beauties of rhetoric, are out of
place in the exercise of right prayer. Both
evangelical solemnity, and good taste equally
forbid them. Here many offend. Even the
eloquent and evangelical Dr. Jay, of Bath,
in England, in his published volume of
prayers has not wholly avoided this fault.
His devotional language in too many cases
lacks the unaflfected simplicity which ought
to characterize it. It has too little of the
language of Scripture. It is artificial, rhe-
torical, elaborate, abounding unduly in or-
17

190 THOUGHTS ON

nate and studied forms of speech, in point,
antithesis and other rhetorical figures. This
is often beautiful. Some greatly admire it
and call it an eloquent prayer. But the fer-
vent utterance of the heart is always simple.
Here laboured rhetorical lano^uacre is out of
taste, and out of place. They are surely in
great error, then, who seem to aim continu-
ally to clothe their petitions in public in
high sounding language, with elaborate in-
genuity; who are constantly recurring to
lano^uage drawn from the thunder, the
earthquake, the ocean, the splendour of the
solar beams, the mighty flood, the lofty
mountain, &c., &c. I once knew an elo-
quent and eminently popular preacher, who
seemed to aim at concentrating in his
prayers all the bold, high-sounding, sub-
lime thouf]^hts and fijrares which he could
collect from the natural and moral worlds;
so that he seemed to be ever upon a kind of
descriptive stilts, and exerting himself to
exhibit on every subject this rhetorical gran-
deur. He succeeded in gaining the admira-
tion of multitudes, but was not equally
acceptable to the more simple-hearted and
devout of those to whom he ministered.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 191

I have even known some preachers, not
unfreqnently, in public prayer to quote lines
of poetry, and in a few cases, the greater
part of a striking, beautiful stanza. To be
very fond of making such quotations in ser-
mons, is not in the best taste ; but to do it in
prayer, is certainly a much graver offence
against the dictates of sound judgment.

VIII. It is a serious fault in public prayer
to introduce allusions to partij politics, and
especially to indulge in personalities. As
the minister of the gospel who leads in pub-
lic prayer is, as it were, the mouth of hun-
dreds, and sometimes of thousands, in ad-
dressing the throne of grace, he ought not,
if he can consistently with duty avoid it, to
introduce into this exercise any thing that
has a tendency to agitate, to produce secular
resentment, or unnecessary offence of any
kind in the minds of any portion of the
worshippers. In the house of God persons
of all political opinions may meet, harmo-
niously and affectionately meet, provided
they all agree in acknowdedging the same
Saviour, and glorying in the same hope of
Divine mercy. They may differ endlessly
in their political creeds and wishes, and on a

192 THOUGHTS ON

thousand other subjects, and yet assemble in
the same temple, and gather round the same
altar with fraternal affection, provided they
are of one heart, and of one way in regard
to the great system of salvation through the
redemption that is in Christ. Why, then,
should the feelings of brethren in Christ be
invaded in their approaches to the throne of
grace by unnecessary allusions to points in
which the strongest worldly feelings are
painfully embarked ? It is impolitic. lis
cruel. It often presents a most serious ob-
stacle to the success of the gospel. It has
a thousand times produced distraction and
division in churches before united, and con-
strained many to separate themselves from
their appropriate places of w^orship, and
from all the means of grace.

Having been myself betrayed in early life,
on various occasions, into a course of con-
duct in relation to this matter which was
afterwards regretted, I resolved, more than
thirty years ago, never to allow myself,
either in public prayer or preaching, to utter
a syllable, in periods of great political excite-
ment and party strife, that would enable any
human being so much as to conjecture to

rUBLIC PRAYER. 193

which side in the political conflict I leaned.
This has been my aim ; and this is my judg-
ment still: and this course, unless in very
extraordinary cases, which must furnish a
law for themselves, I Would earnestly re-
commend to every minister of the gospel.
The more those who minister in holy things
are abstracted from political conflicts, even
in common conversation, and much more in
their public work, the better. They have
infinitely more important work to do than to
lend their agency to the unhallowed conflicts
of political partizans. "Let the dead bury
their dead."

No less unsuitable and unhappy is the
influence of all personalities in public prayer.
All praying at people; all recognition of the
private scandal of the week in the devotions
of the house of God; all allusions to the pri-
vate injuries or griefs which he who oflici-
ates has recently received ; all singling out
conspicuous individuals in a neighbourhood,
and holding them up to public view in our
petitions, w^hether for commendation or cen-
sure : every thing of this kind is improper
in its nature and mischievous in its influ-
ence— adapted to excite various unhallowed
17^

194 THOUGHTS ON

feelings in the house of God, and to drive
individuals from the sanctuary.

On this subject I would say, that even
when prayers are requested for the family,
or in any respect for the benefit of persons
who are supposed to be present in the assem-
bly, we may go too much into detail — too far
in holding them up personally to view, or
indulging in language complimentary to
their standing or importance in society. In
regard to points of this sort it is always bet-
ter to err on the side of reserve and brevity
than the reverse.

IX. All expressions of the amatory class
ought to be sedulously avoided in the public
devotions of the house of God. Those who
lead in prayer are sometimes unhappily be-
trayed into language of this kind. We
sometimes, though not very frequently, hear
those who are fervent and importunate in
prayer, use such expressions as — ''dear
Jesus" — "sweet Jesus" — ''lovely Saviour,"
and various other terms of a similar class.
All such language, though flowing from
earnestness, and dictated by the best of mo-
tives, is unhappy, and produces on the
minds of the judicious painful impressions.

PUBLIC PRiVYER. 195

X. The practice of indulging in wit, hu-
mour, or sarcasm in public prayer, is liiglily
objectionable, and ought never to be allowed.
This, though not often, is sometimes wit-
nessed, and, perhaps we may say, especially
by men oppowerful minds, and strong feel-
ings, and who are accustomed, on that ac-
count, to feel that they may "take liberties'*
in their public ministrations. A small speci-
men of what is intended here will be suf-
ficient.

It being once intimated to a popular
clergyman, who was strongly opposed to
the administration of President Jefferson,
that his omitting to pray for the president,
in his public devotions had been remarked
with regret, he came out on the following
Sabbath, in his prayer, with a reference to
the subject, in something like the following
brief and pointed style: — ''Lord, look with
thy favour upon our public rulers. Bless
the President of the United States. Give
him wisdom to discharge his important
duties ario^ht ; for thou knowest he exceed-
inglij needs it.'' Another popular preacher,
eminently a man of wit, warmly opposed to
the administration of the then President, on

196 THOUGHTS ON

a day of public humiliation, fasting, and
prayer to which the United States had been
called by the President's proclamation, ex-
pressed himself in public prayer as follows :
'' Almighty God, who sittest as governor
among the nations, and who rulest over all !
we have been called by our chief magistrate
to humble ourselves before thee, and to ask
for thy gracious interposition in our behalf;
but thou knowest he has not called us to this
duty, until by his unwise administration he
had brought us into a condition which ren-
ders aid from above peculiarly desirable
and necessary; for vain is the help of man."
One more example shall sufiice. An excel-
lent clergyman, of powerful mind and strong
feelings, having been deeply impressed by a
recent instance of parsimony on the part of
a church toward her pastor, in consequence
of which his health and comfort had been
seriously impaired, prayed, at a church
meeting, in the following strain: — " Al-
mighty King of Zion, guard and sustain
thine own cause. Protect and strengthen
thy ministering servants. Have mercy
upon such of thy professing people as have
no compassion on labourers in the gospel

PUBLIC PRAYER. 197

field, and wlio seem to be desirous of mak-
ing the experiment whether they can most
speedily destroy their lives by overworking
or by starving them.''

It is earnestly to be hoped that such exam-
ples will not be considered as proper for imi-
tation. If they be not profane in their spirit,
they are certainly much more adapted to
promote profane than devout feelings. I
should expect a general smile to pervade an
assembly on the utterance of such petitions.
There are those who call praying in this
style, fidelity; but it is often the product of
a very different spirit, and will be generally
avoided by those who wish to utter the
truth with the ''meekness of wisdom." If
any minister of the gospel has wit or sar-
casm, or any thing of like character, on his
mind, of which he wishes to be delivered, as
a stroke at any person or cause, it is most
earnestly to be desired that he will seek
some other channel for giving it vent than
the public prayers of the sanctuary^

XL The excellence of a public prayer
may be marred by introducing into it a large
portion of didactic statement, and, either in
the language of Scripture, or any other Ian-

198 THOUGHTS ON

guage, laying down formal exhibitions of
Christian doctrine. It will be seen, in the
next chapter, that the devout recognition of
fundamental doctrine in prayer is an excel-
lence, and ought ever to make a part of it;
but this ought always to be presented in a
devotional form, and ought never to wear the
aspect of a theological lecture addressed to
Him who sits on a throne of grace. This
fault, however, will be sufficiently guarded
against in a future chapter. In the mean-
while, it should be recognized as a real fault,
and care taken to avoid every approach to it,
that may be adapted to give pain to an intel-
ligent worshipper.

XII. Another fault nearly allied to this is
worthy of notice. I have known a few per-
sons who were not only in the habit of intro-
ducing into their public prayers abundant
didactic statement of doctrine ; but who also
seemed studious of introducing, with much
point, those doctrines which are raost offen-
sive to the carnal heart, and which seldom
fail to be revolting to our impenitent hearers.
We Presbyterians profess to preach a sys-
tem of doctrine, some of the parts of which,
especially those which recognize the absolute

PUBLIC PRAYER. 199

sovereignty of God in the dispensation of his
grace, all unsanctified men of course hate,
and which, whenever they are announced,
excite uncomfortable feelings and opposition
among the great mass of mankind. Still,
we are bound to preach these doctrines,
whether men will hear, or whether they will
forbear. These doctrines were preached by
the inspired Apostles. They were offensive
to a great majority of those to whom they
were delivered, and it is so to the present
hour. Yet, we are not to preach them con-
tinually, and to the exclusion of every thing
else; but, as the Apostles did, in proper or-
der, in proper connection, and in wise mea-
sure. To be fond of introducing them in
prayer, argues a mind not cast in the apos-
tolic mould, and inordinately set on par-
tial views of truth.

XIII. Too great famiUarity of language
in addressing the High and Holy One, is also
revolting to pious minds, and ought to be
sacredly avoided. There are those who, on
the principle of indulging in filial confidence,
and a strong faith, address God as they
would speak to an equal — claiming the ful-
filment of his promises — insisting on the

200 THOUGHTS ON

bestowment of what they wish — and, in
short, employing, without scruple, the lan-
guage of earthly and carnal urgency. This
is not in accordance with that deep humility,
that profound reverence, and solemn awe
with which suppliants, conscious of un-
worthiness, ought ever to approach the infi-
nite majesty of heaven and earth. The
filial, but humble confidence of a dutiful
child, is one thing; the presumptuous fa-
miliarity of one who thinks much more of
his own wishes and will than of his deep
unworthiness as a sinner, and of the infinite
holiness and majesty of the Being to whom
his prayer is addressed, is quite another.
There is such a thing as appearing at home
before the mercy-seat, and pleading with God
with all the freedom and confidence of an
affectionate child ; and there is also such a
thing as, under the guise of prayer, "speak-
ing unadvisedly with our lips," and forget-
ing that even the heavens are not clean in
the sight of Him who sits on the throne of
grace.

XIV. Further; there is such a thing as
expressing imseasonabhj , and also as carry-
ing to an extreme the professions of humil-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 201

ity. The former is sometimes exemplified,
by ministers of tiie gospel, in praying for
themselves in the public assembly. Often
have I heard ministers in leading the public
devotions of the sanctuary, pray for divine
assistance in preaching the word. This is
very proper, and may be so expressed as to
be at once delicate, acceptable and edifying.
But suppose the petition on this subject to
be expressed in some such manner as this,
which I have actually and repeatedly heard :
^' Lord, assist thy servant, one of the most
weak and unworthy of men, a very child in
spiritual things, in attempting to open and
apply the Scriptures," &c. And again,
"Help him, in all his weakness and igno-
rance, rightly to divide the word of truth,
and to give to each a portion in due sea-
son." Such language might be altogether
unexceptionable in secret prayer, in which,
if the humble petitioner really and honestly
made this estimate of himself, he might with
great propriety express it before the Lord.
But when he addresses God as the mouth of
hundreds of worshippers, there is surely no
propriety in putting into the mouths of all
his fellow-suppliants, language concerning
18

202 THOUGHTS ON

himself which he would consider as indeli-
cate and offensive if employed by one of
them in praying for him. Suppose he
should hear one of his elders or deacons
pray for him in similar language, and say,
*' Lord, help our minister in preaching for us
to-day. Thou knowest that he is one of the
w^eakest and most unworthy of men; thou
knowest he is but a child in spiritual things,
and needs thy help in the discharge of every
duty." Would he consider this as becoming
language in the mouth of another concern-
ing himself? How then can he reconcile it
with propriety to put language into the
mouths of hundreds concerning his own
character which he would consider as un-
suitable if uttered by any one of them?
Whatever, then, any man might be willing
to say of himself in his closet, let him never
utter anything in prayer in the pulpit re-
specting himself, which he w^ould not be
willing that any and every person should say
of him in similar circumstances.

In regard to expressions of extreme hu-
mility in public prayer, we may also find
examples. It is not common, indeed, nor is
it easy to take a lower place before the mercy-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 203

seat than our demerit as sinners justifies.
And yet I think language on this subject has
sometimes been employed which a sound
judgment and a correct taste ought to have
forbidden. To exempUfy my meaning. A
warm hearted and eminently pious minister
of our Church, on the occasion of a meeting
of one of our Synods, when the Lord's
Supper was dispensed, and when it was cus-
tomary in that ordinance, to employ a num-
ber of successive tables ; the first table being
filled entirely with ministers; in the course
of the prayer, setting apart the elements, he
expressed himself thus : '' O Lord, thou
knowest we are most unworthy. Thou
knowest there was never gathered round a
sacramental table a more polluted, unworthy
set of sinners than those who are now seated
before thee." The good man undoubtedly
meant to recognize the idea that to whom-
soever much was given, of them should
much be required ; and that the sins of min-
isters, in opposition to their light and their
vows and obligations, were to be regarded as
inferring more guilt than those of other men.
But when he ventured to say in prayer, that
no band of communicants was ever more

204 THOUGHTS ON

corrupt and vile than those which surround-
ed that table, the probability is that he went
beyond the truth, and, with a good meaning,
was chargeable with indulging in pious, cer-
tainly in unseasonable extravagance.

XV. Again; every thing approaching to
flaiterij is a serious fault in public prayer,
and ought to be carefully avoided. Flattery
in any man and on any occasion is criminal.
In the pulpit it is eminently so : but to con-
vey anything like flattery in prayer, is un-
doubtedly liable to still heavier censure.
Yet, something nearly resembling this, not
unfrequently occurs in the public devotions
of the sanctuary. I refer to the language
often employed in prayer after a brother in
the ministry has preached, or performed
some other equivalent service. That prayer
is often employed as a vehicle of strong com-
mendation, not to say flattery of the prece-
ding preacher. It is by no means uncom-
mon, in this part of the public service, for
him who performs it to express himself in
some such language as the following : " We
thank thee, O Lord, for the interesting, the
solemn, and the truly scriptural discourse to
which we have just listened;" or> — "We

PUBLIC PRAYER. 205

pray that the richly instructive, powerful
and excellent discourse which thy servant
has just given us, may sink down into our
hearts." And on some rare occasions, thanks
are returned that '' such a burninor and shininof
light has been raised up;" and a petition
offered, " that he may shine with increasing
lustre as he advances in years;" and that
^' his departure, like the setting sun, may be
serene and full of glory." In short, with
many preachers, the closing prayer, in all
such cases is considered as furnishing a kind
of theological thermometer, by which we
may graduate the warmth or the coldness of
the approbation felt for the sermon which
has just closed.

This ill judged and very exceptionable
practice has become, with many preachers,
so common, that if one should omit to con-
vey, in some form, the usual compliment, he
is by some considered as wanting in civility,
and as manifesting a want of respect to the
preacher. And although persons of sound
judgment and good taste generally avoid this
impropriety ; yet, as might be expected, the
more injudicious and indiscreet are most apt
to launch out in language of warm eulogy,
18*

206 THOUGHTS ON

and, througli this devotional medium, to pay
compliments altogether unmerited, and if
ever so much merited, altogether unseason-
able.

It would, indeed, be over fastidious to for-
bid, in a closing prayer, any reference to a
preceding preacher. To pray that the word
as delivered by him may be accompanied with
the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven ; that
it may prove like good seed sown in good
ground, and bring forth abundant fruit to the
glory of God; and that the preacher may be
graciously rewarded for his labour of love,
and may see the work of the Lord prospering
under his ministrations — may undoubtedly
be allowed without offence, nay, without im-
propriety. But nothing that savours of com-
pliment, direct or indirect, either to the talents
or the piety of the preacher, is, in any ordi-
nary case, allowable. And certainly, it is in
all cases, safest and best to err on the side of
reserve and abstinence than of excess.

There is a tradition that the following cir-
cumstances once occured in the life of the
elder President Edwards. He had engaged
to preach on a certain Sabbath for a neigh-
bouring pastor. When the day arrived, the

PUBLIC PRAYER. 207

pastor went to his pulpit at the appointed
time, but did not find Mr. Edwards there.
He waited as long as he thought proper, and
Mr. Edw^ards still not appearing, he began
the service. In the course of the prayer
which usually precedes the sermon, Mr. Ed-
wards, who had been retarded by an unex-
pected occurrence, entered the church; and,
being remarkably gentle and quiet in all his
movements, he came into the house, made his
way to the pulpit, and placed himself by the
side of the pastor without being observed.
The pastor, in his prayer, taking for granted
that Mr. Edwards was still absent, had al-
lowed himself to express regret that he had
failed to come, and that the congregation was
to be disappointed : He also launched out in
expressions of profound respect for the talents,
learning and piety of Mr. Edwards, thanking
God that he had raised up so eminent an in-
strument for doing good, and that he had been
enabled to accomplish so much by his learned
and able works; and praying that his im-
portant life might be spared, and his use-
fulness extended to the remotest parts of the
land. At the close of his prayer, to his
astonishment, he found Mr. Edwards stand-

208 THOUGHTS ON

ing by his side, and ready to perform the
service which had been expected of him.
"With some little embarrassment he said,
*' Sir, I did not know that you were present ;
if I had known it, I should not have prayed as
I did." But feeling as if it might do good to
throw into the scale something to balance his
compliments, he added — "But after all, they
do say that your wife has more piety than
you."

XVI. The want of appropriateness, is an-
other fault often chargeable on public prayer.
In some rare cases, we find ministers who
excel in this branch of the worship of the
sanctuary, whose topics and language are all
dictated by the occasion on w4iich they offi-
ciate. From beginning to end they are appro-
priate. The intelligent fellow-worshipper
recognizes a fitness, an adaptedness in every
petition, and in every sentence. Without
any apparent study or effort, every thing
seems to be in keeping with the occasion
which has brought them together, and the
scene before them. This is a great excel-
lence, and never fails to make a happy im-
pression on pious and enlightened w^orship-
pers. But with how many who officiate in

PUBLIC PRAYER. 209

public prayer is it far otherwise ! If they are
called to conduct this exercise on the first
day of the year ; on a day of humiliation and
fasting, or of thanksgiving; at the visitation
of a Sabbath School; at the opening of a
judicatory of the Church ; at the dispensation
of a sacrament ; or at the ordination of a minis-
ter, the greater part of the petitions they utter
would be equally applicable to any other
service or occasion. Perhaps an eighth, or a
tenth part only of what they utter can be con-
sidered as applicable to the occasion before
them, or as entirely seasonable. I once knew
a member of one of our Presbyteries, who,
w^hen called upon to make the ordaining
prayer, at the solemnity of setting apart a
minister to the sacred office, went back to the
beginning of time; traced the progress of
civil and ecclesiastical society ; alluded to the
various plans of electing and ordaining the
officers of the Church all along down through
the patriarchal and ceremonial dispensations;
and, at length, after tiring out every worship-
per with the tediousness of his deduction, he
came to the New Testament dispensation,
and made about one-quarter part of his inor-
dinately long prayer really adapted to the

210 THOUGHTS ON

occasion on which he was called to officiate.
During a large part of the time occupied by
this prayer he had his hands, as well as the
hands of his fellow presbyters, pressing on
the head of the candidate to the great discom-
fort of all.

I have heard it stated as a remarkable
excellence in the late Doctor Emmons, of
Massachusetts, that in all his public pray-
ers he was so peculiarly appropriate, that,
while he was richly various and judicious,
every petition, from the first sentence to the
last, was strictly adapted to the occasion on
which he was called to preside. There is a
singular beauty in this, and a direct ten-
dency to increase the interest and the edifica-
tion of the exercise; while the obvious
effect of the opposite course is to exhaust the
patience, and fatigue the attention before
coming to that which really belongs to the
occasion.

XVII. Another fault in public prayer,
which I have often observed and regretted,
is, the apparent want of reverence with
which it is frequently concluded. It is not
easy intelligibly to describe this, in many
cases. The thino^ referred to, is an air and

PUBLIC PRAYER. 211

manner, and especially a tone of voice, indi-
cating not only a purpose and desire to close,
but some degree of haste to be done, mani-
fested by pronouncing the last sentence or
two with more rapidity, in a less solemn
tone, with less fervour and apparent ear-
nestness than the preceding. Nay, I have
known some occupants of the pulpit, to all
appearance, decisively pious, who, on clo-
sing a solemn prayer of otherwise excellent
character throughout, have not only uttered
the last sentence in the hasty and irreverent
manner just described, but they have been
seen, while pronouncing the last sentence,
stretching forth their hands and grasping
the psalm book, that they might be ready,
without the loss of a moment, to give out the
psalm or hymn that followed.

There is something not a little revolting
in all this. Surely he who leads in a so-
lemn prayer ought to be at least as seriously
and earnestly engaged as any other indi-
vidual in the sanctuary. But what w^ould
he think if the whole assembly, or any con-
siderable portion of them, were observed to
be engaged, during the last sentences of his
prayer in adjusting their dress, or in putting

212 THOUGHTS ON

in their appropriate places all the fixtures
around them? Surely such a sight would
fill him with disgust, and would call forth a
pointed rebuke. Of all persons present, the
officiating minister ought to manifest the
most exemplary sincerity and earnestness in
uttering every sentence of his own devo-
tions, and, to the last word, to exhibit an
attention fixed, a solemnity undiminished
and complete.

XVIII. The last fault in public prayer
that will be here mentioned, is that ra-
pidity and vehemence of utterance, which are
sometimes affected as an expression of
deep feeling, and ardent importunity. This
rapidity is oftentimes carried so far as to
be inconsistent with that calm reverence
which is essential in all addresses to the in-
finitely exalted object of prayer. Here no-
thing hasty, nothing rash, nothing which
has not been considered and weighed, ought
ever to escape from the lips of him who
leads others to the throne of grace. There
is hardly any thing more attractive and im-
pressive in this exercise than the appearance
of a sanctified intelligence, as well as a
warm heart, dictating and accompanying

PUBLIC PRAYER. 213

every petition; when there is an opportunity
given for him who leads, as well as for him
who follows, to reflect well on what is ut-
tered ; to begin no sentence without forecast-
ing its import and its conclusion ; and thus
to avoid that sudden embarrassment which
is often the result of inconsiderate haste.
How revolting to hear him who is the
mouth, perhaps, of hundreds, in addressing
the High and Holy One, pouring out his
petitions w^ith such vehemence, such ex-
treme rapidity, such a blast of voice, as to
give those who are listening to him no
opportunity to ponder in their hearts what
he is saying, and to unite in heart with
him ! He who gives himself up to this kind
of headlong speed of manner, will often fail
of carrying along with him the inteUigent
concurrence of his fellow worshippers, and
will be apt to stumble in his hasty progress,
from not having well considered what he is
about to say. Words "few," ''well con-
sidered," and "well ordered," are the in-
spired characteristics of a good prayer.

In fact, in this exercise the whole manner
is important and w^orthy of being sacredly
regarded. Here, all unnecessary vocifera-
19

214 THOUGHTS ON

tion; all stern, ostentatious, disrespectful,
dictatorial tones of voice ; every thing not in
keeping v^ith that modest, humble, filial
spirit which becomes a suppliant conscious
of deep un worthiness, and pleading for
mercy, ought to be carefully avoided; nay, a
right frame of mind will ever spontaneously
lead to their avoidance.

I once knew a young minister wlio, in
common conversation, was remarkably gen-
tle and deliberate ; and in preaching rather
below than above par in ardour and anima-
tion; but who, as soon as he commenced
the exercise of prayer, became rapid, im-
petuous, and even boisterous. The conse-
quence was, that he hurried on at a rate
which prevented many from keeping up
with him ; that he began sentences without
foreseeing how they were to end ; that he
stumbled and blundered, and sometimes ex-
cited the disgust rather than the devotion of
the assembly.

I am sensible that, while I have given this
formidable list of faults which frequently
occur in public extempore prayer, it would
be an easy thing to present an equally ex-
tended array of faults which I have heard

PUBLIC PRAYER. 215

of, or observed on the part of those who
recited liturgies. The truth is, where good
sense, good taste, and fervent piety are not
in exercise, no pubUc office of devotion can
be really well performed. But it is no part
of my plan to turn other denominations into
ridicule, or to dwell on the faults of our
neighbours. This would give me no plea-
sure. Nor would it in the least degree miti-
gate my pain in contemplating the faults
which exist among ourselves. I submit to
the pain of mentioning the faults which
sometimes occur in our own beloved church,
if haply I may minister to their removal, or
the diminution of their number. God for-
bid that I should ever intrude into another
Christian denomination for the sake of
w^ounding feelings. I would much rather
look at home, and ''cast the beam out of our
own eye," that we may "see clearly to cast
the mote out of our brother's eye."

216

CHAPTER V.

CHARACTEEISTICS OE A GOOD PUBLIC PRAYER.

On this subject the enlightened and pious
heart is the best human guide. Yet even
piety, however ardent, and talent and know-
ledge, however mature, may not be above
the need, or beyond the reach of some gene-
ral counsels which experience may suggest.
An attempt will be made to offer a few sug-
gestions, which, however superfluous with
regard to many, may not be so in respect to
all. And here I shall, of course, omit many
of those characteristics of a good prayer
which are to be taken for granted as always
indispensable — as that it be sincere — that it
be offered in faith — in the name of Christ —
with deep humility — with firm reliance on
the Saviour — with submission — with confi-
dence in a pardoning God, &c. All these
are to be taken for granted as essential in
every acceptable prayer. But some conside-
rations which are apt to be forgotten claim
our special notice, and occupy, in my judg-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 217

ment, an important place in the list of coun-
sels. And,

I. One of the most essential excellencies
in public prayer, and that which I feel con-
strained first of all, and above all to recom-
mend, is, that it abound ifi the language of
the woi'd of God.

This characteristic in all social addresses
to the throne of grace is recommended by a
variety of considerations.

(1.) This language is always right, always
safe, and always edifying. Whatever doubts
we may have concerning other language, in
regard to this there can be none. It silences
all objection, terminates all cavil.

(2.) There is in the language of the sacred
Scriptures a simplicity, a tenderness, a touch-
ing eloquence peculiarly adapted to engage
and impress the heart. Among all the stores
of human diction, there is nothing so well
fitted to take hold of the mind as that which
we have been accustomed from our infancy
to read in the inspired pages, and, by associa-
tion, to connect with all that is solemn in
eternal things, and with all that is interest-
ing in the hopes of the soul. Even worldly
men, of mere literary taste, have agreed in
19>^

218 THOUGHTS ON

pronouncing the Bible to be the great store-
house of that language which is better adapt-
ed than any other to impress the popular
mind, and to take hold of the best feelings of
the soul.

(3.) It has been often suggested by the
advocates of liturgies, that it is not easy for
them to follow a leader in extemporary
prayer, because they cannot know the full
extent of any petition until the sentence em-
bracing it is completed; so that they are
constantly held, they tell us, in a kind of
suspense, until each successive sentence is
terminated, uncertain whether they can make
the prayer their own until each part of it, in
succession, is fully uttered. I have known
some warm friends of prescribed forms of
prayer, who acknowledged that this difficulty
was much diminished, and, indeed, in a great
measure removed, when they became accus-
tomed to extemporaneous prayer: but still
they complained of it as, for a time, a real
inconvenience. Now this objection would
have no place, or, at least, none worth men-
tioning, if the leader in public prayer made
a point of deriving a large part of his peti-
tions and his general diction from the word

PUBLIC PRAYER. 219

of God. He would carry with him in every
successive sentence, the unhesitating concur-
rence, and the entire approbation of every
fellow-worshipper. Nay, the concurrence
and the approbation would be yielded in ad-
vance the moment the well known lano^uafre,
the beloved and venerated phraseology of the
sacred oracles sounded in the ear.

On these accounts it is, that many judi-
cious Christians lament the absence of this
feature in not a few of the prayers of some
modern preachers, otherwise of no small ex-
cellence. Where the mind of the minister
is deeply imbued with the language and
spirit of the word of God, there is, surely, no
occasion in which this ought to be more
manifest, and more richly and tenderly em-
ployed, than in his acts of devotion; and
where it is thus manifested, there is nothing
more calculated to fall w^th pleasure and
with profit both on the ear and the heart of
every intelligent hearer.

But in incorporating the language of Scrip-
ture with our public prayers, there may be
great and unhappy mistakes in various ways.
It is not every part even of the Bible, that is
well suited to be repeated in addressing the

220 THOUGHTS ON

throne of grace. Passages of Scripture not
at all devotional in their form, but rather
didactic or historical, may be, and often have
been incorporated with prayer, in such a
manner as to disturb and not aid the feelings
appropriate to that exercise. A minister
called to officiate at an ordination, quoted in
his prayer that passage v^hich is found in
1 Tim. iii. 1 — 4 : ^' This is a true saying, if
a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth
a good work. A bishop, then, must be
blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant,
sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality,
apt to teach ; not given to wine ; no striker,
not greedy of filthy lucre ; but patient; not
a brawler, not covetous; one that ruleth well
his own house, having his children in sub-
jection with all gravity." Thus he went on,
quoting the simple didactic passage, without
any attempt to throw the substance of it, as,
with a little ingenuity, he might have done,
into a devotional form ; and seemed to think
he had done well because he employed the
language of the Bible.

In like manner, another, in his public
prayer introduced the last two verses of Ro-
mans ii. thus : '' For he is not a Jew which

PUBLIC PRAYER. 221

is one outwardly; neither is that circum-
cision which is outward in the flesh ; but he
is a Jew which is one inwardly; and circum-
cision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and
not in the letter ; whose praise is not of men,
but of God."

This is what many have called "preaching
in prayer." And, truly, this quaint title is
by no means inapplicable.

But there may be, and sometimes has been
a still more revoltingr use of the lan^uaore of

O DO

Scripture in prayer. I refer to cases in
which passages of the word of God bordering
on the ludicrous, or the indelicate, have been
unscrupulously incorporated with the exer-
cise of public prayer. I once knew an ex-
cellent man, of fervent piety, and of strong
good sense, whom I have heard, not once only,
but many times, in deploring the torpor and
"unfruitfulness of the church, and praying for
a revival of religion, to say, in allusion to the
tree planted in a vineyard, which brought
forth no fruit — ''Lord, we deserve thy right-
eous judgments; we bring forth no fruit as
we onght — but O let us not be deprived of
the privileges which we have so criminally
failed of improving — cut us not down ; but

222 THOUGHTS ON

dig about us, dung us, and make us to bring
forth fruit to the glory of thy holy name."

Another, equally unscrupulous, provided
he used the language of Scripture, did not
hesitate to quote in his prayer the expression
of the Psalmist, in the seventy -third Psalm.
" They that are far from thee shall perish.
Thou v^ilt destroy all them that go a whoring
from thee." Surely we are not driven by
any scarcity of more eligible texts, to select
these for incorporating with our devotional
addresses to the Majesty of Heaven. The
Bible is so full of passages, not only rich and
appropriate in their spiritual meaning, but
also directly and tenderly devotional in their
whole scope and structure, that it appears to
be a strange taste indeed, that would fasten
on portions of the inspired volume, which,
though inserted by holy men as they w^ere
moved by the Holy Ghost, and strictly in
place as a part of the sacred narrative, are by
no means adapted to edify a mixed assembly
in the devotions of the pulpit.

Again : language found in Scripture may
not be entirely adapted to modern use, be-
cause founded on topography, or usages no
longer intelligible to common minds. Minis-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 223

ters, in praying for the spread of the gospel,
have often been heard to quote or allude to a
passage in Zechariah ix. 10. May his do-
minion extend "from sea to sea, and from
the river to the ends of the earth." In adopt-
ing this quotation, what river is meant ? To
an inhabitant of Palestine, three thousand
years ago, it was, no doubt, intelligible and
significant ; but what distinct idea does it con-
vey to a worshipper in Great Britain or the
United States? So the passage which oc-
curs in Psalm cxxi. 1 : *' I will lift up my
eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my
help," is not unfrequently repeated in prayer.
But what is the idea which it conveys to
common minds? Jerusalem was built upon
a mountain, and' Judea w^as a mountainous
country, and the Jews, in their several dis-
persions, turned towards Jerusalem when
they offered up their prayers to God. But no
such idea is conveyed to the popular ear
among us, when this Scripture is quoted.

I once knew^ an excellent minister, lonor
since deceased, who appeared to me to judge
erroneously on this subject in another way,
less exceptionable, indeed, but worthy of no-
tice. His prayer always consisted purely of

224 THOUGHTS ON

passages of Scripture strung together, with-
out any thing, of his own. In fact it was,
almost without exception, from beginning to
end, an uninterrupted chain of Scripture
texts, without any other links than those
which the texts themselves formed. This
looked so much like the studied utterance of
the memory rather than of the heart, that I
remember to have listened to him, and united
with him, with less pleasure than with others,
w^ho were not so much the mere repeaters of
texts of Scripture from the beginning to the
end of their prayers ; as constantly guided
by the spirit of the Bible, and referring
abundantly to its diction, but not entirely or
servilely confined to either. This easy, natu-
ral, unstudied mode of employing Scripture
in public prayer, is adapted to please and
edify all, without exciting the idea of study
or formality in any.

II. Another excellence of a good public
prayer is, that it be orderhj. That is, that it
have a real and perceptible order. Not that
it be characterized by formality; not that it
be always in the same order; but still that
its several parts of adoration, confession,
thanksgiving, petition and intercession, should

PUBLIC PRAYER. 225

not be jumbled together in careless, incon-
siderate mixture ; but made to succeed each
other in some happy arrangement. A fault
in regard to this point was noticed at some
length in a preceding chapter. But some
reference to the positive advantages resulting
from a proper attention to it, may not be out
of place here.

Regular order has a good effect on him
who leads in prayer. It presents regular
landmarks, which assist his memory, and
prevent the omission of any important part
of the exercise. It furnishes a very essential
element in enabling him to judge of the
length of his prayers ; and it diffuses a kind
of light over his whole progress in the duty,
which cannot fail to exert a happy influence
on his own mind.

A good and tasteful order in prayer has
also a tendency to operate favourably on the
minds of all the worshippers who join in it.
When the leader miaorles too^ether all the

O CD

several parts of prayer, so that his fellow-
worshippers are constantly interrupted by
his passing from one to another without
warning, and without order, it breaks in on
the flow of appropriate feeling ; so that when
20

226 THOUGHTS ON

the mind is in some measure prepared to
indulo^e in a devout flow of feelino^, some-
thing comes in to change the current, before
it has time to take effect, and make the
appropriate and profitable impression. This
cannot fail of producing an effect equally
unfriendly to comfort and to edification.

An adherence to order in prayer is like-
wise favourable, as before hinted, to the
proper length of the exercise. Where no
arrangement is adopted; where the several
topics are regulated by no plan of succession;
the leader has less perception, than if it were
otherwise, of the passage of time. He lacks
one of the best means of judging of the
length of his own prayers, and is more apt,
on that account, to be insensible of the pro-
gress of time, and to become uncomfortably
tedious.

But this counsel will be greatly misappre-
hended, if it be supposed that the same
order ought always to be observed. This
would lead to objectionable formality. It is,
doubtless, better continually to vary the or-
der, and thus to relieve the minds of the
worshippers from the tedium of constant
sameness. Sometimes confession of sin and

PUBLIC PRAYER. 227

unworthiness may, with propriety, bold the
first place in this exercise. At other times,
it may be proper to begin with thanksgiving ;
and in like manner to diversify the order of
the other departments of prayer. In early
life it was my privilege often to be a witness
of the ministrations in the pulpit of the late
President Dwight, whose learning, piety and
taste were so conspicuous in the estimation
of all w^ho knew him. His public prayers
were uncommonly rich, copious, and inter-
esting. But he continually altered their
arrangement; and confined himself to no
one order. I have known him, when he
officiated more than once in the same pulpit
on the same day, not only to diversify, wdth
unlimited freedom, the order of his topics,
but also to pass by some of them, at one
time, wdth slight notice, and, at another, to
dwell upon them much more in detail. I
remember to have observed, on one occasion,
that he in a great measure omitted in his
prayer, in the forenoon, that part usually
called intercession, which, in the afternoon,
shortening other parts to accommodate his
purpose, he took up and enlarged upon, in a
very striking and edifying manner. And

228 THOUGHTS ON

there can be no doubt, that a sound judg-
ment and good taste will often dictate, when
we are called to officiate in prayer on special
occasions, that w^e are not only at liberty,
but required by every principle of seasonable
propriety, to vary our order, and while we
shorten or omit some parts, enlarge on
others, to which the occasion may seem spe-
cially to call our attention.

III. A suitable prayer in the public as-
sembly is dignified and general in its plan,
and comprehensive in its requests, without
descending to too much detail. This was
noticed in a preceding chapter, but is worthy
of a repeated suggestion. In secret prayer
there is no objection to the most minute
particularity. When alone with God, we
may without impropriety, dwell with un-
limited enlargement and importunity on
whatever occupies our hearts, or is deemed
desirable for our interest. We find exam-
ples in Scripture of pious people spending
hours together in importunate prayer for
special mercies. But in public prayer, as the
exercise ought not to be protracted, in ordi-
nary cases, as before remarked, beyond the
space of twelve, or at most, fifteen minutes,

PUBLIC PRAYER. 229

SO our topics ought to be of that general
character which may be considered as appU-
cable to the whole assembly. Particularity
may be carried so far as not to meet the
feelings of the mass of the worshippers, and
sometimes to an extreme, as hinted in a
former chapter, w^hich borders on the ludi-
crous. Every thing of this kind ought to be
avoided ; and while that false dignity which
aims at stately and formal generalities alone,
ought never to be indulged ; yet the opj)osite
extreme is by no means adapted to minister
to the edification of intelligent Christians.

IV. A good public prayer should be care-
fully guarded, in all its parts, against undue
prolixity. The fault of excessive length in
this part of the public service has been so
emphatically censured in the preceding
chapter, that there is the less need of en-
larging directly on this point in the present
connection. But it has sometimes escaped
notice that one of the most essential means
of avoiding excessive length, is not only to
avoid multiplying topics unnecessarily and
excessively, but also to avoid undue enlarge-
ment on the topics which are selected as the
subjects of petition. A fault here is exceed-
20*

230 THOUGHTS ON

ingly common. Many a prayer has been
unhappily protracted by not only selecting
too many topics, but also by indulging in
inexpedient dilation and diffuseness on the
several topics. There is often an incon-
siderate and ill-judged profusion of words,
and substantial if not verbal repetition in
this exercise which ougkt to be avoided. It
is in prayer especially important that our
words be "few," as well as " well ordered."

It is not meant, indeed, to be denied that
on special occasions, those parts of a prayer
which are appropriate to the occasidn may
be, and ouorht to be more extended than the
rest. But then, in order to avoid transcend-
ing due limits as to time, the other parts
ought, in all such cases, to be proportionally
shortened, that the whole may not become
too long. It is really worth some manage-
ment and pains to avoid that fatiguing pro-
lixity which is so often found to interfere
with edification.

It is no excuse, as many seem to think, for
excessive length in prayer, that they cannot,
in a shorter time embrace every object of
which they wish to take notice. This is
apologizing for one fault by pleading for the

PUBLIC FRAVER. 231

necessity of another. It is better to pass
over some topics in a cursory manner, or to
omit them altogether, rather than to induce
weariness in a single pious worshipper.
There is no more need of including every
thing that is appropriate and desirable in the
same prayer, than there is of embracing
every thing that belongs to a given text in
the same sermon. If we yielded, in the
latter case, instead of spending thirty-five or
forty minutes in our ordinary discourses, we
should seldom be able to get through in less
than two hours. The fact is, it ought to be
our aim in prayer, as well as in preaching, to
leave off before weariness approaches, and in
that full tide of elevated feeling which be-
comes the later as well as the earlier stages
of that solemn exercise. The venerable and
learned Cotton Mather speaks of it as a great
accomplishment in a young preacher, more
than a century ago, that he could pray a
whole hour in public without the least repe-
tition. I trust no one whose eye meets this
page will be inclined to emulate such an
accomplishment.

V. Another excellence of a public prayer
is, that it be seasonahkj and appropriate to

232 THOUGHTS ON

the occasion on which it is uttered. There
is a great beauty in this, and a happy im-
pression resulting from it whenever it occurs.
The prayers recorded in Scripture, for the
most part, bear this character in a very strik-
ing manner. Almost all of them are, from
beginning to end, strictly appropriate, and
would not have been really suitable on any
other occasions than those on which they
were actually delivered. There is some-
thing very trying to the judgment, as well as
the patience of the intelligent worshipper,
when he who leads in prayer has a long,
preliminary, and inapplicable series of topics
on which he dwells to the point of weariness,
before he comes to those which belong to the
occasion on which he officiates. This is
exceedingly unwise. Whether it be done
in tjfce pulpit, in the missionary meeting, in
administering a sacrament, in the Sabbath-
school, or in the sick room, it is ill-judged
and unhappy in its influence.

Another important advantage of an adhe-
rence to perfect appropriateness in public
prayer is, that it is one of the best means of
guard in<2f aorainst excessive and unseasonable

O DO

length. Almost all the undue prolixity

PUBLIC PRAYER. 233

which we observe and lament in this exer-
cise, is referable to a defect here. When he
who leads in prayer does not confine himself
to that which belongs to the occasion on
which he officiates, he is liable to be borne
away by his feelings, or by his want of self-
possession, into any extent of irrelevant mat-
ter, and, of course, may be betrayed, before
he is aware, into the most undesirable tedi-
ousness; whereas he who carefully adheres
to that which is appropriate to the occasion,
will find himself furnished with the best of
all guards against every indulgence in tedi-
ous prolixity.

VI. It is an important excellence in a
public prayer, that it include the recognition
of so much gospel truth, as to be richly in-
structive to all who join in it, as well as all
who listen to it. Truth is the food of the soul.
Gospel truth is that on which the Christian
lives and grows from day to day. And,
although it is rather the design of preaching
than of prayer to convey didactic instruction
to our hearers; and although, as stated in
a preceding chapter, the practice of "preach-
ing in prayer" is really a serious fault, and
ought to be sacredly avoided, yet it cannot

234 THOUGHTS ON

have escaped the notice of any intelhgent
attendant on the service of the sanctuary,
that much doctrinal instruction may be and
is continually incorporated with almost all
the public prayers recorded in the sacred
volume. Who does not see that, in all those
prayers, the great doctrines of our entire de-
pendence on God ; our utter unworthiness of
his favour ; our apostasy and corruption as
children of the first Adam ; our recovery by
the incarnation and atoning sacrifice of the
second Adam, the Lord from heaven; the
necessity of our renewal by the Holy Spirit,
and of our justification by the imputed right-
eousness of Christ, and our entire indebted-
ness to his grace for every holy desire and
action : who, I say, does not know that all
these doctrines are directly or indirectly im-
plied, and shine forth in many of the devo-
tional compositions found in the sacred
pages? And who does not know that when
we arise to address the throne of grace, as
the mouth of few or of many, we have not
only the fairest opportunity of directing the
minds of our fellow-worshippers to these
great truths, and of endeavouring to fasten
their attention upon them as the life of the

PUBLIC PRAYER. 235

so"uI ; but that they must, if we would pray-
aright, be devoutly interwoven through all
our addresses to the God of mercy? Nay, I
have sometimes thought that if a wise phy-
sician of the soul were searching for the
most insinuating and impressive medium
through which to address either a Christian
or a worldly man, on the great truths of the
gospel, he could seldom find any so well
adapted to his purpose as wise, discrimina-
ting, tender prayer; a prayer comprehend-
ing thought, and a seasonable, pointed, forci-
ble exhibition of truth. We are told that
Mr. Whitefield often conveyed to his hearers,
of various characters, through the medium
of happily directed prayer, alternately the
most tender and affectionate counsel, the
most withering rebuke, and the most pointed
instruction that ever escaped his lips.

Of course, in public and social prayer,
Christian doctrine is rather implied and inti-
mated than directly and formally laid down.
Yet nothing can be plainer than that a skil-
ful conductor of public devotion has one of
the very best opportunities for inculcating
divine truth, in the most touching and im-
pressive of all connections. It is a great

236 THOUGHTS ON

part of practical wisdom, then, in those who
are called to preside in prayer, either with
the sick or the well; either in the private
circle, or the public assembly — to introduce
as much precious truth into their prayers as
they possibly can without falling into a di-
dactic strain; as much as is consistent with
that simple, filial, suppliant character which
ought to pervade all our devotional exercises.
VII. Another important feature of great
excellence in public prayer, is a desirable
degree of variety. We object to being
confined to prescribed forms of prayer, be-
cause they lay us under the necessity of
repeating not only the same topics, but also
the same words in public devotions from
year to year. But I have known Presbyte-
rian ministers whose public prayers were so
much alike for years together, that one of
their fellow-worshippers long accustomed to
their ministrations, might with confidence
go before them every Sabbath, and antici-
pate all that they had to utter in this exer-
cise. This is a great evil, so entirely at
variance with our professed principles, so
much adapted in our view, to interfere with
edification, and so adverse to continued at-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 237

tention on the part of those who worship
with us, that it surely deserves the attention
of all who are called to preside in this im-
portant part of the public service. Truly it
is with an ill grace that some of our minis-
ters find fault with the sameness of liturories,
when their own prayers have as much of
this quality as any that we hear read, with
the disadvantage of bein* decidedly inferior
both in matter and manner.

But the study of variety may be carried to
an extreme. I once heard of a minister of
our church so scrupulously careful as to this
point, that he resolved never, if he could pos-
sibly avoid it, to utter a second time, a single
sentence that he had ever before uttered.
This was, no doubt, an extravagant zeal for
variety, and adapted to beget a censurable
scrupulosity, rather than a truly devout spi-
rit. But while we fly from this unprofitable
extreme, it is surely worth while to take
appropriate pains to attain that happy varie-
ty, which can only be acquired by taking
measures to bring out of our treasure, in this
respect, as well as in preaching, ''things
new and old."

VIII. Almost all ministers close their
21

238 THOUGHTS ON

prayers with a doxology, copied more or less
closely, from the sacred oracles. This is a
plain dictate of Christian principle, and
directly warranted by revealed examples.
But are ministers as careful as the Bible is
to vary these doxologies? It strikes me that
there is a great beauty in doing so, and that
it is greatly adapted to gratify the pious
heart. Sometimes the closing doxology in
prayer is repeated thus: "To the Father, to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost be glory
forever. Amen!" Sometimes thus : "Now
unto Him that is able to keep us from falling,
and to present us faultless before the presence
of his glory with exceeding joy : to the only
wise God onr Saviour, be glory and majesty,
dominion and power, both now and ever.
Amen!" And sometimes: "To God the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be all honour
and glory now and ever! Amen!" It would
minister, it seems to me, to an increase of
interest in our pubhc prayers, if these and
other various forms were adopted more fre-
quently than they are. They might be
alternated and apphed in a manner adapted
to rouse the feelings, and warm the hearts of
worshippers who are less impressed by the

PUBLIC PRAYER. ' 239

constant use of only one doxology. I have
often doubted whether, with regard to this
point, a sufficiently rousing and animating
variety is habitually consulted. I once
heard of a minister who, in a time of
I'evival, when his own heart, as well as
the hearts of his hearers were unusually
warmed with the power of the Holy Spirit,
closed a prayer in the midst of the revival,
with great acceptance, and with strong
impression, in the words of the Psalmist,
(Psalm Ixxii. 18, 19:) ^'Blessed be the
Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth
wondrous things; and blessed be his glori-
ous name for ever ; and let the whole earth
be filled with his glory. Amen ! and Amen !"
The effect was electric in suddenness, and
most happy.

IX. A good public prayer ought always
to include a strongly marked reference to
the spread of the gospel, and earnest peti-
tions for the success of the means employed
by the Church for that purpose. As it
forms a large part of the duty of the Church
to spread the knowledge of the way of salva-
tion to all around her, and to send it, to the
utmost of her power, to all within her reach

240 THOUGHTS ON

who are destitute of it ; so she ought never
to assemble without recognizing this obhga-
tion, and fervently praying for grace and
strength to fulfil it. So prominent an object
in the Church's duty ought, undoubtedly,
to form an equally prominent object in her
desires and prayers. Were petitions on this
subject made to occupy the place, and to
wear the aspect which they ought to do, it
would tend to keep this great duty con-
stantly before the mind of the pastor him-
self, and before the minds of all his people,
in something of its appropriate and solemn
character. That duty which was thus
solemnly acknowledged and prayed over
every Sabbath, could hardly fail to occupy
the attention and to impress the hearts of
those who adhere to this practice. We sel-
dom, indeed, hear a public prayer which
wholly omits all reference to the spread of
the gospel. But O how often is the refer-
ence to it the most cursory and chilling
imaginable; without point, without appa-
rent enoraoredness : neither manifesting^ in-
terest on the part of the minister, nor adapted
to beget interest in his fellow- worshippers!
No wonder that in churches in which this

PUBLIC PRAYER. 241

is the character of the public prayers we
hear of few and stinted contributions to the
great missionary cause. If this cause were
carried into the pulpit every Lord's day,
and there presented before the Lord in the*
distinct, solemn and touching manner which
its importance demands, we surely should
not find so many of the churches on our roll
so entirely delinquent in regard to this duty,
as our records annually disclose.

X. Another consideration worthy of notice
here is the manner in which the Most High
is addressed in different parts of public
prayer. It is common for those who offi-
ciate in this solemn exercise, to adopt some
one title of God, which they carry, for the
most part, through the wdiole prayer.
Whether it be that of ''Almighty God," or
*' Heavenly Father," or any other favourite
title, it is repeated and hackneyed, whatever
may be the burden of the confession, the
grateful acknowledgment, or the importu-
nate petition. How much more appropriate,
and in accordance with a spiritual taste,
w^ould it be, frequently to alter this title, as
we pass from one part of prayer to another,
adverting all along to the extent, the di-
21*

242 THOUGHTS ON

versity, and the glory of the Divine attri-
butes ! Thus, suppose a prayer for the
revival, the prosperity, and the enlargement
of the Church, were prefaced with the fol-
lowing appeal — O thou Sovereign King of
Zion, who hast purchased her with thine
own blood, and hast given to her *' exceed-
ing great and precious promises," look upon
thine own feeble, struggling Church in
mercy. Wilt thou not "revive her, that thy
people may rejoice in thee?" Wilt thou not
lift her from the dust, and clothe her in
beauty, "through thine own comeliness put
upon her ?" Wilt thou not cause her, amidst
all her darkness, to look forth "clear as the
sun, fair as the moon, and terrible as an
army with banners?"

Again ; suppose prayer were about to be
made for the dispersion of popular igno-
rance, and the diffusion of the light of
science, and above all, of the light of life in
Christ Jesus our Lord, among all classes of
men ; — and suppose the suitable petitions on
that subject were introduced thus: "O thou
Source of all knowledge, with whom there is
light, and "no darkness at all," have mercy
upon our land. Thou alone art able to scatter

PUBLIC PRAYER. 243

the shades of night that rest upon the
nations. Send, we beseech thee, far and
wide, the light of science, and especially the
light of the glorious gospel of the blessed
God, to all people from the rising to the
setting sun. Let our children, and the chil-
dren of all around us, be trained up *'in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord," and
let " all kindreds and people and nations and
tongues be made to know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast
sent." And so, if we were about to pray for
the speedy and extended conversion of im-
penitent men, w^e might enter on the topic
in some such way as the following : " O Thou
who delightest not in the death of the sin-
ner, but rather that he turn unto thee and
live, have compassion upon those who know
thee not, and will' not have thee to reign
over them. Open their eyes before it be
for ever too late ; convince them of sin, and
bring them willingly to the love, the service,
and the glory of Him, who, though he was
rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that
we through his poverty might be rich."

These appropriate titles, and modes of
addressing the Most High, are not only in

244 THOUGHTS ON

perfect keeping with the petitions intended
to follow them ; but they are adapted to pre-
pare the minds of worshippers for uniting in
those petitions, and for giving them a more
prompt and edifying access to their feeUngs.
I cannot help thinking that this plan would
recommend itself to the Christian judgment
of many, if it were once fairly and largely
adopted.

XL A good public prayer should ever be
stronghj marked with the sjnrit and the lan-
guage of hope and confidence. Strictly speak-
ing, it is the church alone that really prays.
If so, her prayers ought ever to be couched
in the language of filial love, and of humble,
tender reliance on the favour and faithful-
ness of her covenant God. The devout,
heavenly-minded McCheyne, states, in one
of his familiar letters, that a certain pious
minister had remarked concerning the prayers
of another minister, that he prayed " as if he
thought that God was not willing to grant the
blessings which he asked." It is a real fault
when prayers wear an aspect in accordance
with this remark. Our gracious covenant
God loves to be taken at his word; to be
firmly and affectionately trusted ; to have his

PUBLIC PRAYER. 245

exceeding great and precious promises im-
portunately pleaded; and to be approached
as a willing, tender Father, not only "mighty
to save," but ready and willing to save ;
more ready to bestow the gifts of his grace
than earthly parents to give good things to
their children. This is, perhaps, the true
idea of the "prayer of faith;" and the more
strongly it marks all our approaches to the
throne of grace, the more is it in accordance
with the spirit of the covenant of grace.

XII. The prayer after sermon^ which is
commonly short, is very often, not only a
brief, but a mere general, pointless, and un-
interesting effusion, simply imploring a di-
vine blessing on what has been said, equally
applicable to every similar occasion, and
only adapted to prepare the way for the
close of tlie service. Instead of this, the
closing prayer ought to be framed upon the
plan of making it, as far as possible, one of
the most solemn, appropriate, and impressive
parts of the whole service. It ought to be
formed upon the plan of taking hold of the
conscience and the heart most deeply and
effectually, and of uniting as far as possible
the most pointed and searching solemnity of

246 THOUGHTS ON

application, with the most perfect tenderness
and affection of appeal. The closing prayers
of Whitefield were often peculiarly appro-
priate and inimitably touching; and those of
Nettleton were, perhaps, never exceeded for
appropriate simplicity, and adaptedness to
seal the impressions of the preceding sermon.
The preacher who can consent, after deliver-
ing a sermon of solemn, discriminating cha-
racter, to close, as is often done, with a few
sentences of perfectly common-place prayer,
as much adapted to one subject as another,
is guilty of abandoning an advantage which
ought to be dear to a wise man. Every sen-
tence of the prayer after sermon ought to be
thoughtfully and carefully constructed upon
the plan of deepening and riveting every
impression attempted to be made in the pre-
ceding discourse. And, for this purpose, it
ought to be, on common occasions, rather
longer than it usually is, and constructed
upon a principle of rich appropriateness in
following the sermon.

XIIL In regard to the use of the Lord's
Prayer in the devotions of the sanctuary, it
is proper, in this chapter, to make some re-
marks. It has been seen, I trust, in prece-

PUBLIC PRAYER. 247

ding parts of this volume, by every impartial
reader, that the prayer which bears this title
v^^as never intended by Him who gave it, to
be used as a permanent, precise, verbal form;
but that it was designed rather as a general
directory for prayer, to point out the things
to be prayed for, and the general strain and
structure of this exercise, and not the exact
words to be employed. If this be so, then
the abundant use of this prayer by the
Romish Church, and by some Protestant
churches, in formally introducing it into
every service, and on some occasions three
or four times into the service of the same
day, seems liable to serious question — as
having no adequate warrant, either in the
word of God, or in the early usage of the
Church.

Still the Presbyterian Church regards this
prayer with deep veneration, and by no
means repudiates the use of it. As dropping
from the lips of the Saviour himself, and as
marked with so much heavenly wisdom, she
regards it with profound respect and esteem,
and, like every other part of the inspired
word, takes pleasure in manifesting for it
unfeiofned Christian reverence. She, there-

248 THOUGHTS ON

fore, both recommends and practises the use
of it in her pubUc devotion. Accordingly,
our Presbyterian fathers, in the Directory
for the public worship of God, drawn up and
established by the Westminster Assembly of
Divines, and afterwards adopted by the
General Assembly of the Church of Scot-
land, speak of the use of this prayer in the
following unequivocal and pointed terms. —
Speaking of "prayer after sermon," they
say — " And because the prayer which Christ
taught his disciples is not only a pattern of
prayer, but is itself a most comprehensive
prayer, we recommend that it also be used
in the prayers of the Church." This judg-
ment is adopted and expressed, in the. same
words, by our fathers of the American
Church, in the Directory framed by them in
1788.

As Presbyterians, then, we are far from
objecting to the repetition of the Lord's
Prayer in the pubUc service of the sanc-
tuary. The only question that we ask, is,
what shall be the rule for its use? Shall we
repeat it always — more than any other words
or prayer that were ever uttered by our
blessed Lord? Shall we repeat it more than

PUBLIC PRAYER. 249

once in the same service, as if there were
some magic in its terms? Shall we insist
on its repetition, even on occasions on which
its language does not appear peculiarly ap-
propriate ? We think not. As we are per-
suaded that it was never intended by our
blessed Saviour to be so invariably and for-
mally used ; as w^e do not find a trace of evi-
dence that the apostolic church ever used it
thus, or even at all after its establishment in
the New Testament form, we cannot sup-
pose the constant use of it to be binding.
Yet we believe and teach that the occasional,
the frequent use of it, is proper, and suffi-
cient to meet every demand that the most
scrupulous regard to the principle of Chris-
tian obligation can lay upon us.

I once knew an excellent and popular
Presbyterian minister who found it con-
venient to be systematic in every thing.
And he was so in regard to the subject
under consideration. He closed the last
prayer in the morning of every Lord's day
with the repetition of the Lord's prayer; and
the whole service every afternoon with the
Christian doxology. This is rather too rigid-
ly systematic and formal for me. I have
22

250 THOUGHTS ON

never felt bound or inclined to tie myself to
the practice with even so great frequency as
this; but have contented myself with using
tViat form, at the close of one of the prayers,
once in two, three, or four weeks, so as on
the one hand, to testify, that I venerated and
loved to use it, and, on the other, that it had
not, in my view, any special binding obliga-
tion as a form, or any special efficacy as a
means.

XIV. It is important to add, that the
whole manner of uttering a public prayer
should be in accordance with the humble,
filial, affectionate, yet reverential spirit,
which ought to characterize the prayer itself
throughout. To hear a prayer uttered in a
manner ill in keeping with the sentiments
implied, and the petitions expressed ; to hear
a penitent believing sinner, bowing before
the mercy-seat, and imploring pardoning
mercy and sanctifying grace ; confessing
total unworthiness of the least favour, while
imploring the greatest of all favours, tempo-
ral and eternal ; — and yet making his appeal
to the great Searcher of hearts in a pompous
dictatorial manner, is indeed revolting to an
enlightened, pious taste. Surely here, if

PUBLIC PRAYER. 251

ever, the manner of the supphant ought to
correspond with the humble, contrite spirit
which he professes to cherish, and which his
words express. The eyes ought to be gently
closed, shutting out every scene adapted to
arrest the attention, or to break in on that
entire abstraction from earth and its affairs
which the exercise presupposes. We are
expressly told that this was the manner of
the preachers in the primitive Church.
Several of the early fathers tell us that the
officiating ministers, in the second and third
centuries, always prayed in public ^' closing
the eyes of the body, and lifting up those of
the mind to heaven." I have known a few
ministers of our Church who always prayed
in public with their eyes wide open, and in
some cases evidently looking about the as-
sembly. This was alw^ays considered as
unfriendly to a devotional spirit, and was
connected with disagreeable impressions on
the part of the great mass of the worshippers.
The voice ought also to be regulated in a
manner adapted to the solemn exercise in
which it is employed. The vocal utterance,
the tones, and the whole manner of a
suppliant who is deeply penitent, and truly

252 THOUGHTS ON

in earnest, as they find a response in every
human bosom, so they never fail to disclose
themselves, and to become manifest when-
ever they really exist; and, on the other
hand, those modulations of the voice in
prayer w^hich indicate either the absence of
true feeling, or the presence of a dictatorial,
haughty, disrespectful spirit toward the
greatest and best of beings, never fail to
revolt the minds of those who watch the
language, and are capable of entering into
the spirit of this holy exercise.

In a good public prayer, then, the voice,
and the whole manner are made the objects
of serious and diligent attention. And as a
happy result here cannot be reached by
"mimic attempts," we can only hope to suc-
ceed by having the heart right. If, there-
fore, we expect our voice, when we lead in
this responsible exercise, to convey by every
vibration of articulate sound to the ear of
every fellow- worshipper the idea of humility,
contrition of spirit, earnest desire, filial sub-
mission, and tender, persevering importunity,
we must try, by the grace of God, really to
attain this state of mind — really to feel what
we utter. We must try to acquire this truly

PUBLIC PRAYER. 253

devout, penitent, submissive, and fervent
importunity which is so desirable, or we
shall never be likely to convey, by sym-
pathy, to the minds of others, the feeling that
we are really in earnest.

It may not be improper to subjoin, that
the humble, submissive, penitent, pleading
modulation of the voice here recommended,
ought to be deemed specially appropriate —
peculiarly indispensable when we are im-
ploring mercy for a suffering community;
pleading for the sick and dying; bewailing
the hidings of our Father's face ; mourning
over the low state of religion; or soliciting
the return of his revivino^ and life-irivino:
Spirit. Here any other posture than the dust
of abasement ; any other tones than those of
the humblest importunity, can hardly be
supposed to be tolerated by a believing
w^orshipper.

XV. I have only to add a few remarks
in reference to that emphatic word, Amen!
with which all prayers are commonly ended.
This is a word, as is well known, of Hebrew
origin, and used, in nearly the same form, in
all the dialects of the eastern coornate lan-
guages. The original idea which it conveys
22*

254 THOUGHTS ON

is that of truth, certamty. Sometimes it is
used as a noun; as when Christ (Rev. i. 5,)
is called the " Amen, the faithful and true
witness." Sometimes as an adjective ; as
when we are told (2 Cor. i. 20,) that " all the
promises of God are yea and Amen," i. e.,
firm, certain, infallible. Sometimes as an
adverb, as when our blessed Saviour (John
iii. 3,) said to Nicodemus, '' Verily, verily, I
say unto you, except a man be born again,"
&c., that is, truly, truly, or certainly as you
live. And sometimes as an interjection, as
when the meaning obviously is — Be it so !
Let it be as we have said ! God grant it !

It would seem, from 1 Cor. xiv. 16, that it
was customary in the Apostolic Church for
those who united in prayer, to signify their
assent to what had been uttered, by saying
Amen, at the close. And if this were done
wisely, soberly, and with a truly devout
spirit, it might still be useful. In the second
century, as we are informed by Justin Mar-
tyr, at the close of prayer, the people were
wont to express their concurrence by saying
Amen. And, in the fourth century, Jerome
tells us that this practice was carried so far,
and accompanied with so much license of

PUBLIC PRAYER. 255

voice, in the city of Rome, that the utterance
of Amen at the close of prayer was like an
outburst of thunder. It is not improbable
that some such inconvenient abuse ulti-
mately led to the curbing, if not to the sup-
pression of this popular vociferation.

In the prayers of some churches, the
Amen is seldom or never uttered by the
officiating minister himself; but always in
the form of a response, either by a conspicu-
ous individual, who acts as clerk, or by the
mass of the worshippers, or both. In all the
Presbyterian churches throughout the world,
the officiating minister, it is believed, is in
the habit of pronouncing this word himself,
which all his fellow-worshippers are expected
silently to adopt and make their own. And
this would seem to be in accordance with
the best authorities. Where this word oc-
curs in the book of Psalms, it is evidently
added by the same hand that penned the
inspired song or prayer, and is not left to be
breathed or added by him who reads. In
the directory for prayer which our blessed
Lord gave to his disciples, he adds the Amen
himself, precisely in the manner customary
among us. He did not leave it to be sup-

256 THOUGHTS ON

plied by him who heard or adopted the
prayer. In all the doxologies with which the
inspired Apostles close their Epistles, the
Amen is added by the inspired writer, and not
left to be added by one who makes a re-
sponse. And why should not the man who
leads in prayer pronounce this emphatic
word himself? Nay, why should he not be
expected a fortiori to do it ; to take the lead
in doing it, and by his emphatic example to
excite others to more cordiality and more
fervour of assent?

But I have much fault to find with the
manner in which the Amen is pronounced
by many of those who conduct the public
devotions of our Church. Many pronounce
it in that short, rapid manner which divests
it at once of all emphasis and all meaning ;
many in that feeble, inaudible, half-smothered
manner which gives it the aspect of any
thing but the expression of an ardent wish.
A few with that protracted ''nasal twang"
which confers upon it the character of con-
summate formality. Only now and then is
one heard to pronounce it in that distinct,
tender, emphatic manner which indicates
real feeling and earnest desire; and which

PUBLIC PRAYER. 257

seems to express any thing like what the
term really imports.

In the word Amen, both syllables ought
to be accented. The celebrated orthoepist,
Walker, tells us that this is the only word in
the English language of two syllables, that
has two consecutive accents. If this be so,
then the first syllable or letter should be pro-
nounced as a in amiable, and be marked
with a strong accent; and the second with
equal distinctness of accent, as in the sylla-
ble formed by the plural of man; thus
making a clear, distinct, and strongly marked
utterance of A-men. This, accompanied
with a proper stress of voice, solemnity of
manner, and pathos of tone, would make of
the devout interjection before us, in effect,
and on the popular ear and mind, something
like what it was intended to be.

258

CHAPTER yi.

THE BEST MEANS OF ATTAINING EXCELLENCE IN
CONDUCTINa PUBLIC PRAYER.

Excellence in this, as well as in the other
parts of the public service, is comparative.
As in preaching there are rare attainments in
eloquence, which few can hope to reach, and
which we cannot promise shall be reached
by all, however zealously and faithfully they
may apply themselves to the study; so in
public prayer, a few have risen to a point of
happy excellence seldom attained ; an excel-
lence flowing from a combination of natural
and spiritual accomplishments which can
only be expected now and then to meet and
shine forth. But, as in preaching, so in
prayer, the subject is a proper object of
study, and may be expected, in all ordinary
cases, to reward, as well as to encourage,
faithful and persevering study.

It will not, I trust, be imagined by any
that I am about to prescribe a course of pre-
paration for tiiis exercise of a formal, and

PUBLIC PRAYER. 259

above all, of a mechanical nature, which, by
a sort of human machinery, will insure suc-
cess. By no means. Nothing is further
from my view. But that there is an appro-
priate preparation for it, and a course which
may lead to great improvement in it, I can-
not doubt; and a preparation corresponding
with the spiritual and elevated character of
the exercise itself

The opinion of the venerated fathers of
our church on this subject will appear from
the following counsel, contained in the fifth
chapter of the "Directory for the Worship of
God." That chapter, entitled '^ Of Public
Prayer," after a variety of appropriate direc-
tions, thus concludes:

" It is easy to perceive, that in all the pre-
ceding directions, there is a very great com-
pass and variety; and it is committed to the
judgment and fidelity of the officiating pas-
tor to insist chiefly on such parts, or to take
in more or less of the several parts, as he
shall be led to, by the aspect of Providence;
the particular state of the congregation in
which he officiates; or the disposition and
exercise of his own heart at the time. But
we think it necessary to observe, that, al-

260 THOUGHTS ON

thougli we do not approve, as is well known,
of confining ministers to set or fixed forms of
prayer for public worship; yet it is the in-
dispensable duty of every minister, previous-
ly to his entering on his office, to prepare
and qualify himself for this part of his duty,
as well as for preaching. He ought, by a
thorough acquaintance with the Holy Scrip-
tures; by reading the best writers on the
subject; by meditation; and by a life of holy
communion with God in secret, to endeavour
to acquire both the spirit and the gift of
prayer. Not only so; but, when he is to
enter on particular acts of worship, he should
endeavour to compose his spirit, and to
digest his thoughts for prayer, that it may
be performed with dignity and propriety, as
well as to the profit of those who join in it ;
and that he may not disgrace that important
service by mean, irregular, or extravagant
effusions."

What our venerated fathers place in a
later clause in their list of counsels, I wish
to stand in the fore-front of my suggestions
in regard to this subject. I say, therefore,
with great confidence,

I. That none can hope to attain excellence

PUBLIC PRAYER. 261

in the grace and gift of prayer in the public
assembly, unless they abound in closet devo-
tion, and in holy communion with God in
secret. It is true that, without this, there
may be much formal accuracy; much co-
piousness and variety, both as to topics and
language; much rhetorical beauty; much
that is unexceptionable both in matter and
manner. But, without this, there will not,
there cannot be that feeling sense of divine
things; that spirit of humble, filial importu-
nity; that holy familiarity w^ith the throne
of grace, and w^ith the covenant God who
sits upon it, which bespeak one at home in
prayer, and whose whole heart is in the
exercise. To expect the latter without the
former, w^ould be to look for an effect with-
out its necessary cause; would be to expect
to see our deficiencies supplied by a constant
course of miracles.

The inspired wise man tells us, that " the
heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and
addeth learning to his lips."^ Never w^ere
these words more remarkably exemplified
than in regard to the subject now before us.

* Prov. xvi. 23.
23

262 THOUGHTS ON

It is an old maxim, that no one was ever
truly eloquent who did not really and deeply
feel; who did not truly and heartily enter
into the spirit of the subject concerning
which he imdertook to speak. The maxim
is incontrovertibly just; but it is peculiarly
and pre-eminently just in regard to public
prayer. When the heart is engaged, and in
proportion as it is deeply and warmly en-
gaged ; when the value of spiritual blessings
is cordially felt, and the attainment of them
earnestly desired; when the soul has a heart-
felt sense of its own unworthiness, and an
humble, tender confidence in the Saviour's
love and grace — in a word, when the whole
soul is prepared to flow out in accordance
with the language uttered, in faith, love,
gratitude and heavenly desire; — then, and
only then, will every petition, and word, and
tone be, in some good degree, in happy keep-
ing with the nature and scope of the exer-
cise. When the spirit of him who leads the
assembly is in this appropriate and happy
frame, we may safely trust him in regard to
all that shall flow from his lips.

It cannot be doubted that a defect here is
one of the most abundant sources of faults in

PUBLIC PRAYER. 263

public prayer. Hence the frigid, unfeeling
accuracy, so often observable in tiiis part of
the service of the sanctuary. Hence the
hesitation, the embarrassment, and the va-
rious improprieties so frequently witnessed
in the public prayers of able and pious men.
They have not come from their knees in pri-
vate to the services of the sacred desk. They
have not come with hearts reeking with the
hallowed influences of the closet, to be the
leaders of the Lord's host in the sanctuary.
The consequence is, their hearts are cold.
Though, perhaps, not strangers to the grace
of God, they have not so often, or so recently
as they ought to have done, summoned them,
as it were, into the Divine presence, and so
laboured to impress them with a sense of
their own poverty and weakness, and of the
Divine glory, as to make every confession
and petition the unfeigned utterance of the
heart. How much moretwill all these de-
fects be likely to be, not only really, but sen-
sibly aggravated, if there be not only a state
of present coldness, but, as we have too
much reason to fear there may sometimes be,
the entire absence of experimental piety !
Many years ago, when I was a pastor in a

264 THOUGHTS ON

neighbouring city, a beloved and eminently
pious brother occupied, by invitation, my
pulpit; and rich indeed were the services
which he performed. His sermon was pious,
instructive, and excellent; but his prayers
were peculiarly appropriate, rich, and im-
pressive; indeed in what might not impro-
perly be called a superior style of importu-
nate, touching devotion. I was struck with
this when engaged in uniting with my ex-
cellent brother; but still more, when, on
withdrawing from the sanctuary, an aged
mother in Israel said to me in passing, "That
man prays as if he lived at the throne of
grace."

And hence it is, no doubt, that we some-
times meet with men of comparatively weak
minds, of very small attainments in human
knowledge, and in every respect unqualified
advantageously to address an assembly in
continued discourse, who were yet peculiarly
excellent and edifying in social prayer.
There they appeared in their element; happy
in thought; ready and striking in expres-
sion; and uttering themselves with all that
unembarrassed, simple, filial, touching man-
ner which flowed from a mind perfectly

PUBLIC PRAYER. 265

familiar with the throne of grace, and daily
accustomed to spread their wants and desires
before it on all manner of subjects. We
have seen such deeply spiritual men, when
suddenly called upon to officiate on an un-
usual occasion, w^ithout the least hesitation,
engaging in the service, and going through
it with all the child-like ease, fluency, and
enlargement which indicated that they were
accustomed to plead with the Hearer of
prayer in secret, on all manner of subjects
relating to Christian experience, and to the
state of the Church and the world. I have
been sometimes surprised and delighted to
find plain unlettered men performing this
duty with a readiness and richness both of
thought and expression, superior to those
exhibited by many learned and eloquent di-
vines; convincing every fellow-worshipper
that they had acquired the precious gift not
by literary study or discipline, but by habit-
ual and intimate communion with God, and
the daily practice of pleading with him for
the riches of his grace, and embodying in
simple, familiar language all the desires of
their hearts.

We are told of the great Reformer, Martin
23^

26G THOUGHTS ON

Luther, that his public prayers had a life, a
power, a heartiness, a wrestling importunity
of the most remarkable kind. But we are
told of the same wonderful man that he spent
from three to four hours every day in his
closet, pleading with God for blessings on
his own soul and ministry, and on the great
cause in which he was engaged.

If, then, any desire to make happy attain-
ments, and progressive improvement both in
the grace and the gift of public prayer, the
closet will be found the appropriate and the
most important nursery. If the object be to
train the heart to believing and delightful
intercourse with heaven, and the lips to a
simple, affectionate, and happy utterance of
the desires of the heart, where can we find a
place or an employment so directly and hap-
pily adapted to gain our purpose, as the altar
of private devotion, to which we resort for
holding communion with God in secret;
where, upon our bended knees, w^e read and
study the word of God, and strive to trans-
plant its diction and its spirit into our own
souls? Surely this is the place, and this
the employment in which the soul is to be
nurtured to spiritual views, to holy desires,

PUBLIC PRAYER. 267

to faith, and love, and joy. This is the place
and this the employment in which, by the
aid of the Holy Spirit, we may expect to
make progress in holy intimacy with God,
and in that sanctified and feeling fervour
which is the parent of all genuine importu-
nity in prayer. In a word, this is the place,
and this the employment in which, under
God, the spiritual taste is to be purified, the
spiritual appetite increased, the afifections
lifted up to heaven, and the lips touched as
with a live coal from off God's holy altar to
speak his praise.

We may safely say, then, that no man
ever attained any high degree of excellence
in public prayer, who had not previously
cultivated peculiar intimacy with his cove-
nant God in secret devotion; who did not
abound in closet prayer ; who had not had
his heart trained to more than common fami-
liarity with, and affection for, new covenant
blessings; and his tongue loosened to pour
out spiritual desires without reserve or falter-
ing. I would certainly place this in the
front rank of all means to be employed for
the attainment in question. He that would
be acceptable and powerful in public prayer,

268 THOUGHTS on

must know something liabitnally of what is
meant by ^'wresthng with God" in his
closet: must be "mighty" in secret prayer,
as well as in the Scriptures. He who ne-
glects this, or who has little taste for this,
might as well expect a miracle to be wrought
for his help every time he enters the pulpit.
The kind of excellence in this service which
we wish to see, " goeth not out but by prayer
and fasting."

II. Another means, not so essential, and
yet highly important, if any desire to attain
excellence in public prayer, is, not only to
read, but to study some of the best books
which have treated of this subject.

If any one in giving counsel to a candi-
date for the holy ministry, to prepare him
for preaching, should omit to refer him to
the best authors who have treated of sermon-
izing, he would be regarded as a most defec-
tive counsellor. And the candidate who,
after such authors had been recommended to
him, should undervalue and neglect them,
would be deemed altogether demented. —
Surely it is no less unwise to disregard simi-
lar aid in reference to that part of the public
service which is now under consideration.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 269

Though many ministers of the gospel appear
to be altogether unconscious of the value of
this help, or of their personal need of it, yet
some eminently pious and learned divines
have made a very different estimate, and
have employed themselves in giving detailed
counsel on this subject, and in making large
collections of scriptural texts for the aid of
the young and inexperienced. My impres-
sion is, that, however such books may be
disregarded by the superficial and the igno-
rant, the wiser and the better furnished of
the sacred order have ever regarded them
with favour, and made the highest estimate
of their value.

Among the most respectable of these
writers are, Bishop Wilkins, of the Church
of England, who, though a prelate of that
church, was a warm advocate for the privi-
lege of extemporary or free prayer;* the
Rev. Matthew Henry, the far-famed com-
mentator on the Bible ;t the Rev. Nathaniel

* A Discourse concerning- the Gift, of Prayer, showing what
it is, wherein it consists, and how far it is attainable by indus-
try—1670.

I A Method for Prayer, witli Scripture expressions proper
to be used under each head — 8vo. 1710.

270 THOUGHTS ON

Vincent, a pious and learned divine of Lon-
don, in the seventeenth century;* and the
Rev. Dr. Watts, v^hose praise is in all the
churches of Christ.f The object of all these
excellent ^Titers v^as, not merely to illustrate
and urge the nature and importance of
prayer in general, but to furnish aid, espe-
cially to the young and inexperienced, v^^ho
desire to make improvement both in the
grace and the gift of extemporary, social,
and public prayer. To these may be added
the numerous v^riters who have published
large collections of forms of prayer, for the
closet, the family, and the prayer-meeting.
Of these, Jenks, Bishop Andrews, Bishop
Kenn, Bennet, Jeremy Taylor, Scott, and
Jay, are among the best. Not that they are
all equally clear and sound in their evangeli-
cal views; but they are all rich in devotional
topics and language, and furnish, to the en-
lightened and thinking student, those mate-
rials out of which, if he be not greatly in
fault, he may add largely to his devotional

* Tlie Spirit of Prayer, wherein tlie nature of prayer is
opened, the kinds of prayer are handled, and the riglit manner
of praying discovered, &c. — 12ino. 1077.

t A Guide to Prayer, &c. — 12mo. 1730.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 271

stores. We, not unfrequentlj, derive some
of our best thoughts and happiest expres-
sions from conversation with those from
v^hom we differ most entirely both in spirit
and opinion. The most truly valuable use
we can make of any book, especially one on
such a subject, is by no means servilely
copying its pages; but by digesting its
thoughts ; by making them our own ; and,
in short, like a spiritual chemist, subjecting
its matter to those various analyses and mo-
difications which both the imagination and
the heart can often apply to the most per-
verse and intractable materials.

It is, perhaps, not unjust to say, that the
prevailing mistake of young preachers is to
undervalue and neglect such elementary
works as I have described, partly from un-
consciousness of their own defects, and part-
ly from the notion that such works are rather
beneath them. It is storied of the late Prin-
cipal Robertson, the celebrated historian, and
for many years the venerated leader of the
moderate party in the Church of Scotland,
that he was often solicited by candidates for
the ministry in that church, to give them
instruction and counsel with respect to their

272 THOUGHTS ON

studies, especially in the earlier stages of
them. Though he was far from being him-
self evangelical in the general character of
his mind and preaching; yet we are told
that he never failed to advise such inquirers
to begin by studying with great care Vin-
cent* on the '' Shorter Catechism." And
when they gave a response, as they often
did, which satisfied him that they considered
Vincent's work as beneath them, that is, too
simple and elementary to be studied by those
who had risen above the classes of catechized
children, he often replied — '^ Young man,
you mistake the matter. That book, though
simple and elementary in its character, is
full of sound theology, and of methodized
mature thought. If you master that work,
and impress it thoroughly on your mind, you
will have accomplished far more than you
imagine. You will have laid the foundation
for safe, systematic thinking, and for that
course of didactic instruction which it will
be the business of your life to pursue."
This counsel was worthy of the sagacity of
that Presbyterian rationalist. He knew that

* Thomas Vincent, an elder brother of Nathaniel, mentioned
in a preceding paragraph, who wrote on Prayer.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 273

these young men were expected to preach in
conformity with the Confession of Faith and
other formularies of the Church of Scotland;
and he was perfectly aware that they could
take no step better adapted to prepare them
for performing that w^ork in the most accept-
able and useful manner, than to begin by
making themselves masters of a work which,
though adapted to instruct and benefit the
most untutored youth who had the least in-
telliorence, was fitted also to enlicrhten and
feed the most mature and vigorous mind.

It is a good sign, therefore, when candi-
dates for the holy ministry do not feel too
wise to be taught; when they do not ''des-
pise the day of small things;" when they are
willing to read and to impress upon their
memories sound, clear, elementary treatises
on every department of the public service.
Such a spirit affords a pledge that they are
willing to listen to the dictates of wisdom
and experience, and will be apt to lay a foun-
dation for those mature and solid attainments
which cannot fail to last long, and to wear
well.

Let a candidate for the holy ministry,
then, take all the books which have been
24

274 THOUGHTS ON

mentioned, if they be all within his reach:
let him read them carefully, taking pains to
impress their leading contents on his memo-
ry : let him make such written notes on the
several parts as may serve at once to aid his
memory, and impart order and system to his
views: and, finally, having done this with
great care, not only during the term of his
preliminary studies, but also often during the
first ten years of his ministerial labours : let
him not disdain the occasional use of them
for the same purpose, as long as he lives: —
remembering that in this, as well as with
regard to many other things, every minister
of the gospel ought to be a close student, and
a diligent learner to the end of life. One of
the evils against which every minister who
values either his Master's honour, or his own
usefulness, ought sacredly and constantly to
guard, not once only, but to his last breath,
is the tendency in aged ministers to grow
careless, or, at least, greatly to relax their
attention to this matter. The infirmities of
the aged unavoidably bring with them so
many things which make large demands on
the indulgence of those around them, that a
wise man, when he approaches the closing

PUBLIC PRAYER. 275

scene of life, will strive to let tliese infirm-
ities be as few, and as little prominent as he
possibly can.

III. Another means of attaining excellence
in public prayer, is to store the mind 7vith the
language and the riches of the word of God.

It was mentioned, in a preceding chapter,
as an important element of excellence in a
good public prayer, that it should abound in
the language of Scripture. If this be the
case, then the best means of enriching our
prayers with this precious element, must be
considered as worthy of serious attention
and inquiry. In this inquiry, it is the object
of the present section to afford aid.

If we examine the word of God with a
discriminating eye, and with a mind ready
to absorb, and appropriate to the devout
element, whatever can be legitimately so
appropriated, we shall find that every book
and every chapter, from Genesis to the
Apocalypse, affords ample stores for our pur-
pose. In all the historical books, we shall
find facts stated, principles expressed or im-
plied, or allusions conveyed, which, without
any conceit or unnatural forcing, admit of
the happiest application and use in prayer.

276 THOUGHTS ON

Thus the process of creation ; the command
to the lisrht to shine out of darkness ; the
entrance of sin into the world; the expulsion
from paradise; the sacrifices of Cain and
Abel, with their different results; the over-
whelming flood which sin brought upon the
world of the ungodly; the call of Abraham;
the going down into Egypt; the bondage of
the people there; their deliverance by the
hand of Moses ; the passage of the destroy-
ing angel over the land of Egypt; the de-
liverance of the Israelites by the sprinkling
of blood on the door-posts of their dwellings;
the departure of their armies ; the pursuit of
Pharaoh; the destruction of his host in the
Red Sea ; the subsistence of the congrega-
tion on manna in the wilderness; their
many murmurings and rebellions there;
their entrance into Canaan ; their protracted
wars in expelling the Canaanites; &c., &c.,
may all be rendered subservient to the devo-
tions of the sanctuary; not to be lugged in,
in a clumsy, didactic, and simply historical
style ; but either by such remote allusion, or
such direct reference as may at once gratify
the most literary and the most devout taste.
To illustrate my meaning, if there were

PUBLIC PRAYER. 277

occasion in prayer to plead the cause of a
whole church, or any particular part of it,
encompassed and struggling with difficulty,
what could be more adapted to touch the
feelings, and warm the hearts of devout
worshippers, than to plead in some such
way as the following : " O Thou who didst
of old, deliver thy covenant people from the
bondage of Egypt, and didst open a way
through the sea for them to pass in safety ;
so may it please thee now to deliver thy
afflicted and strugghng Church, to disap-
point those who seek her hurt, to sanctify to
her all her troubles, and bring her out of
them all with increasing purity, and peace,
and joy." Or, supposing we had occasion
to bewail the slavery of sin, and to pray for
deliverance from the bondage of corruption,
we might say — ''We are by nature carnal,
sold under sin; but we rejoice to know that,
as thou didst once bring thy people out of
bondage, and make them the Lord's free-
men in their own land; so thou hast pro-
mised, by the Lord Jesus Christ, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of
the prison to them that are the bond slaves
of Satan. We rejoice to read in thy word,
24*-

278 THOUGHTS ON

that, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so the Son of man has been
lifted np, that whosoever believeth on him
should not perish, but obtain eternal life.'*
And again: "We bless thee that when the
destroying angel received his commission to
go forth, and to smite the first born with
disease and death, thou didst, by the sprink-
ling of blood, give thy people a pledge of
life; so we pray that now, amidst the multi-
tudes who are dying around us, many may
be sprinkled by that blood which cleanseth
from all sin, and which alone can prepare
for the abodes of peace and love." Or again :
*' We thank thee that, when thou wast about
to bring a flood upon the world of the
ungodly, thou didst provide an ark for
saving one man, righteous in his generation,
and his family ; so now we praise thee that
ihou hast provided a greater and better ark
for saving all of our world of sinners who are
willing to enter in. O that multitudes in
the midst of us might be made willing in a
day of thy power!"

Now, as the recollection of these historical
references can be expected to occur readily
and seasonably only to those who remember

PUBLIC PRA.YER. 279

and study them; and as the appositeness
of their occurrence, and the feUcity of their
application will depend not a little on the
deforce in which the minds of individuals are
habituated to run in that channel ; it follows
that every minister of the gospel who desires
to prepare himself in the best manner for
this part of the public service, ought to
read every part of the word of God with a
view to this application of it ; pondering in
his mind the use that might be made of
every record, and thus making every portion
of his scriptural reading subservient to his
public work. It is my fixed opinion, that if
ministers and candidates for the ministry
were in the habit of reading the Bible with
as fixed and strong a purpose, and as earnest
an endeavour to make it all subservient to
their improvement in public prayer, as in
public preaching, we should find new rich-
ness and glory shed on the devotional exer-
cises of the sanctuary.

But it would be wise to go further than
has been suggested. I would earnestly re-
commend that portions of the word of God
be every day, and certainly every week,
carefully committed to memory, with a parti-

280 THOUGHTS ON

CTilar view to their use in public prayer.
Wiiile every part of the word of God, as we
have already seen, may be made an auxiliary
in appropriate and happy prayer, it is well
known that there are other parts which
furnish large and precious examples of
prayer itself, or of that which easily admits
of being thrown into the form of most tender,
importunate, and elevated prayer. The
whole book of Psalms furnishes an example
of what we here mean. "We may consider
this portion of the word of God the great
storehouse of devotional composition, many
parts of which every minister ought to have
carefully deposited in his memory, and to be
able, at will, to produce them in the sacred
desk. In like manner, the writings of all
the Prophets, and especially those of Isaiah
and Daniel, present much matter which will
strike every judicious minister as exceeding-
ly rich in materials for public devotion.
And with these every part of the New
Testament teems, more particularly the
apostolical Epistles, and the Revelation of
John the Divine. Let large portions of
these be faithfully committed to memory,
and the recollection of them with ease be

PUBLIC PRAYER. 281

insured by a frequent repetition of the de-
posit. It was said of the late celebrated
John Brown, of Haddington, probably one of
the most truly and deeply dei^out men that
Scotland ever contained, that he had the
whole Bible committed to memory so far as
that if any verse in the whole volume were
mentioned in his presence, he could instantly
tell where it was to be found, and repeat the
preceding and following verses. Surely this
is an attainment unspeakably desirable for a
minister of the gospel, and which it is easy
to see might be made to bear in the happiest
manner not only on his preaching, but also
on every form of excellence in public prayer.
It is to be presumed, of course, that every
minister of the gospel reads a portion of the
Bible with a view to his own spiritual edifi-
cation, every day that he lives ; and that he
does this at greater length on the Lord's
day than on other days, and on that day
wdth peculiar application of mind. Now if
every minister, in reading the word of God,
at any time, but especially on the morning of
the Lord's day, were to do it with the ex-
press purpose of furnishing his memory and
his heart with some portion of materials for

282 THOUGHTS ON

the public prayers of that day, could he fail
of being aided by it in that part of his public
labours ? It has been already suggested that
variety, under proper regulation, is an im-
portant quality in the devotions of the sanc-
tuary. Could a more direct and efficient
course be taken to secure a desirable portion
of this element in its best form than to
labour, every successive Sabbath, to derive
from the great fountain of all revealed truth,
something ''new as v^ell as old," for the
services of the following day? Perhaps
among all the methods devised of guarding
against that wearisome sameness which is so
apt to be perceptible in the public prayers of
those who very often, and f(?r a long course
of years, officiate in this exercise, that which
I have last mentioned, w^ould, if faithfully
and perseveringly follov^ed, prove most ef-
fectual. Would not even the aged and the
infirm, in the decline of life, if they spent an
hour, or even half that time, every Sabbath
morning, in laying up something for the
public devotions of that day, much more fre-
quently than they do, escape that appearance
of carelessness and w<mi of interest in public
prayer which is so apt to creep into the

PUBLIC PRAYER. 283

public prayers of aged and infirm minis-
ters ?

It was originally my intention to include
in this manual an extended collection of
passages from the word of God for the pur-
pose of furnishing materials on all subjects
for the devotions of the pulpit. But I have
been deterred from carrying into execution
this part of ray original plan by three reasons.
First, such a collection, to be of real value,
must be large; wdiich would have swelled
the size and expense of the volume to an
inconvenient degree. Secondly, Bishop Wil-
kins, Mr. Henry, Dr. Watts, and others, have
already made a collection of this kind quite
as large and complete as I could have
thought of Of course, the work is already
done, and need not be repeated. Thirdly, if
a young minister wishes to derive the greatest
benefit from such a collection, it will do him
most good to make it for himself In study-
ing a classical author in an unknown lan-
guage, a literal translation put into the hands
of the student is always an injury rather
than a help. If he is left to find out the
knowledge of every sentence by his own
labour, his knowdedge will be better digested,

284 THOUGHTS ON

and will dwell more firmly in his memory.
So, if the youthful candidate for the pulpit
should search the Scriptures for himself, and
make the collection recommended, from time
to time, by his personal labour, it would be
more thoroughly his own, and be more likely
to be always at hand to serve his purpose.

IV. Another method of attaining excel-
lence in public prayer, is, when any dispen-
sation of Providence occurs, which appears
to demand special attention in the devotions
of the sanctuary, to make prom'pt and special
prepa7^alio?ifo\: presenting that object in pub-
lic prayer in the most simple, scriptural, and
edifying form. He who occupies the place
of a public teacher and guide, whose duty it
is to enlighten the public mind, and to give
an impulse to public feeling, ought to be
constantly on the watch that he may be en-
abled to perform his duty in a skilful and
happy manner; and when any thing un-
usual occurs it ought, of course, to be matter
of immediate and solicitous inquiry with him
how he may give a touch to the ark of God,
in relation to the matter in question, which
will be likely to issue in the greatest amount
of good to the souls committed to his charge.

PUBLIC PRAYER. 285

It was my privilege, in early life, to be
somewhat acquainted with a venerable min-
ister of Massachusetts, who went further
than any other pastor I can now call to
mind in adapting his preaching to all the
remarkable dispensations of Providence that
occurred. He not only preached in a very
appropriate manner on all fast and thanks-
giving days, whether appointed by the gene-
ral or state governments, but he w^as accus-
tomed to take a public notice in the pulpit of
all occurrences which were adapted strongly
to occupy and excite the public mind — a
protracted and distressing drought; a de-
structive flood; an extensively injurious fire
or storm; a remarkable eclipse; a singularly
distressing case of suicide ; the opening of a
magnificent bridge; a noted case of appeal
to witchcraft ; all these furnished this good
man, from time to time, with themes for pul-
pit discourses, many of which were after-
wards given to the public from the press,
and yet remain monuments of his vigilance
and fidelity.

This practice was wise. Whatever the
event may be which strongly occupies the
popular feeling, and excites to much conver-
25

2S6 THOUGHTS ON

sation, it is capable of being turned to valua-
ble account by a wise and faithful minister
of the gospel. And this consideration ex-
tends to public prayer as well as preaching.
Nay, a wise pastor will often find occasion
to take a seasonable and delicate notice of a
recent occurrence in prayer, which he would
hesitate to make the subject of a sermon, or
formally to introduce into a discourse. Now
it is always of some importance, and some-
times of very great importance to the edifi-
cation of a Christian assembly, that these
notices of recent events in the devotional
exercises of the pulpit be scriptural, judi-
cious, and such as are adapted to meet the
feelings, and gratify the taste of enlightened
Christian w^orshippers.

I have sometimes gone to the house of
God when some recent occurrence of deep
and thrilling interest filled every heart, and
dwelt upon every tongue; and when I ex-
pected a feeling impression of it to warm the
mind, and shine forth in the prayers of the
officiating minister. But, to my disappoint-
ment and mortification, 1 have sometimes
found him as totally silent on the subject, as
if the intelligence had never reached his ears,

PUBLIC PR4YER. 287

and allowing all the excited feelings of those
around him to pass away without any of
those appeals to the throne of grace which are
adapted at once to compose, to soothe, and to
elevate the soul of the devout worshipper.

But, at some other times, I have found the
officiatingr minister, on these excitinsc occa-
sions, not silent, indeed, in regard to them,
but praying in a manner in no respect pre-
ferable to silence. I have known him to
"Utter himself in prayer in such a hesitating,
embarrassed, injudicious manner, as plainly
evinced that he had not bestowed a thought
on the manner in which he should order his
petitions. The consequence was, that in-
stead of meetino^ and consul tinor the excited
feelings of the assembly, he rather gave pain,
and banished all sentiments of devotion.

This is unhappy; and every minister who
desires to promote the edification of the
Church ought to be on the watch to guard
ao^ainst such ernbarrassinof circumstances,
and to prepare himself, on all such special
occasions, to present his petitions in that
simple, scriptural, and happy manner which
sViall be adapted to satisfy every mind, and
to warm every heart. This is, no doubt,

288 THOUGHTS ON

what our fathers meant, when, in the direc-
tions for the performance of pubHc prayer,
quoted in the beginning of this chapter, they
say — " When he is to enter on particular acts
of worship, he should endeavour to compose
his spirit, and to digest his thoughts for
prayer, that it may be performed with dig-
nity and propriety, as well as to the profit of
those who join in it." In this preparation,
the stores of the word of God furnish, of
course, the best aid. Scarcely any exigency,
joyful or adverse, can occur, in regard to
which the inspired pages do not exhibit ap-
propriate forms of petition. If these heaven-
ly stores were studied and treasured up by
ministers as they ought to be, they would be
at no loss for appropriate language in which
to present any object before the throne of
grace; and even with regard to the most
unusual occurrence, the reflection of a few
minutes would supply them with all that
they need. How worthy of censure is that
minister who, in the midst of occurrences
which occupy every heart, and dwell upon
every tongue, will not spend a thought in
preparing to present before the throne in the
most acceptable manner those petitions in

PUBLIC PRAYER. 289

which so many around him feel a deep and
tender interest !

V. The last means of attaining excellence
in pubhc prayer that I shall mention, is, the
habit of devotional composition.

It is perfectly known, to every well-in-
formed person, that we, as Presbyterians, are
entirely and irreconcilably opposed to con-
fining ministers to prescribed forms of
prayer. It has been demonstrated, if I mis-
take not, in a preceding chapter, that such a
practice was wholly unknown in the primi-
tive and apostolic church; that it was never
introduced until about five hundred years
after the death of Christ, when Christian
knowledge and piety had greatly declined;
and w^hen many corruptions, over which in-
teUigent Christians mourned, had crept into
the Church; and that its introduction and
establishment have been connected with a
number of most serious evils.

Still we do not pronounce all use of pre-
composed prayers to be criminal, and have
no doubt that devotional composition may be
so employed as to minister most happily to
the attainment of the best attributes of public
prayer.

25*

290 THOUGHTS ON

I would by no means, indeed, recommend
to any one, in any case, to write prayers; to
commit them to memory ; and to recite them
verbatim in the pulpit. I have never been
personally acquainted with any one who did
this; though I have heard of it in a very few
instances, but always in a way, and under
impressions that satisfied me it was not an
eligible method, but adapted rather to gene-
rate formality, and could not fail of proving
xmfriendly to the most enlightened and suc-
cessful culture of the gift of prayer; that
precious gift, which ought to be highly
prized, and diligently cherished by every
gospel minister, and which enters more deep-
ly into the acceptance and usefulness of the
sacred office than any statement of mine can
represent.

It is not to be supposed that there is any
thing about extempore prayer, more than
about the other services of the pulpit, which
will enable any one who attempts it, to do
well without mental discipline; without ma-
ture knowledge ; without a happy command
of language; without some taste and skill in
the selection of topics; and some facihty,
the result of habit, as well as of grace, in the

PUBLIC PRAYER. 291

choice of simple, plain, yet appropriate dic-
tion. And these things must not be expected
to come by inspiration. Means must, of
course, be employed to attain them. Lord
Chancellor Bacon has somewhere said —
■^ Reading makes a full man; conversation a
readij man, and writing an exact man."
This maxim is not only just, but it is appli-
cable to every department of knowledge and
of mental exercise. He w^ho wishes to disci-
pline his own mind on any subject; to render
his habits of thinking accurate and pro-
found ; to cure himself of habits of crude
thought, and loose expression, ought to
make a point of subjecting every matter that
he takes in hand to the process of writing ;
and he will be more likely to attain his
object than by any other human means in
his power. If a man wished to study a sub-
ject with most entire success; to attain deep,
clear, and systematic views of it in all its parts,
he could not take a better course than to
write a treatise upon it. However confident
he might be, before he took his pen in hand,
that he understood the subject well; he
would soon find that the precision of thought
and of language which he felt imposed upon

292 THOUGHTS ON

him, compelled liim to extend his informa-
tion, to rectify his conceptions, and to modify
his definitions at every step.

These are precisely the correctives which
writing affords in the case of those who are
immature and unfurnished for the able and
happy performance of extemporaneous public
prayer. The most common faults of such
in this exercise, are poverty of appropriate,
comprehensive, seasonable thought, and the
w^ant of a judicious, happy style of expres-
sion. Now, next to a warm and feeling
heart, there can be no surer corrective of
these faults than careful, devout writing.
Nay, many a man of warm and feeling heart
has given vent to pious effusions in prayer,
which he could never have uttered if they
had undergone that careful inspection, and
calm review which the process of commit-
ting to paper necessarily furnishes. Though
fervour of piety is the most important of all
elements as a preparation for public prayer;
yet even this will not secure a man against
all the faults incident to this exercise ; nay,
his very fervour may betray him into modes
of expression, which cannot stand the test of
enlightened and sanctified reflection, and of

PUBLIC PRAYER. 293

which he would in no way be so Ukely to
perceive the real character as by subjecting
them to the inspection and discipline of the
eye as well as of the feelings.

If, therefore, we desire to have our words,
in all our solemn approaches to the throne of
grace, according to the Divine prescription,
*'few and well ordered;" if we desire to
have our petitions "well considered," and
our language such as is best adapted to im-
press and to edify the people of God, can we
doubt that it is wise to ponder well what we
utter before the Lord, and to subject it to
that solemn and leisurely review of which
the process of writing gives so ample an
opportunity? The object of writing in this
case, is not to be refined; not to be rhetorical;
not to be elegant or beautiful; not to aim at
elaborate ingenuity; but, precisely the re-
verse;— to study brevity, simplicity, com-
prehensiveness, and adaptedness to every
capacity; to study that which is natural,
plain, perfectly intelligible to the hujnblest
worshipper; and adapted to meet the feel-
ings at once of the highest and lowest of the
assembly. I know not how this is to be
attained in the happiest and best manner

294 THOUGHTS ON

but by the habit of devotional composition;
by a happy selection and adjustment of
topics ; by weighing language ; and by em-
ploying all the means in our power to make
the most scriptural matter, and the most
scriptural manner of addressing the throne
of grace, familiar to our minds.

The late Dr. Witherspoon, whose counsels
to theological students have always been
highly prized, was accustomed to embrace
the following anecdote in the course of his
lectures to this class of his pupils. The Rev.
Dr. John Gillies, one of the ministers of
Glasgow, was one of the most pious, warm-
hearted, popular divines of the Church of
Scotland in his day. He was greatly distin-
guished as a friend of revivals of religion,
and as taking a lively interest in every thing
connected with the success of the gospel.
His '' Historical Collections," in two volumes
8vo., published in 1754, giving an account of
remarkable revivals of religion, both in
Europe and America, bear ample testimony
to this aspect of his character.

Dr. Witherspoon remarked, that the pub-
lic prayers of this gentleman were, on the
whole, the best he ever heard. They were

PUBLIC PRAYER. 295

not what many would call beautiful or elo-
quent. But in simplicity; in richness of
appropriate thought; in spirituality; in the
constant recognition of the richest evangelical
sentiments; in pathos; in variety; in perfect
appropriateness to every occasion on which
he officiated ; in scriptural language happily
selected, and admirably applied ; in short, in
all the attributes of an humble, filial, touch-
ing prayer, adapted to all capacities, but
especially acceptable to the most fervently
pious of his congregation, he exceeded all
men he had ever heard in the sacred desk.
Dr. Witherspoon observed, that he one day
said to Dr. Gillies: "Brother, I have always
admired your gift in prayer as remarkable
and peculiar. Will you allow me to ask
how you attained that power?" Dr. Gillies
replied as follows : "My dear brother, I do
not allow that there is any thing so remark-
able in my prayers as you seem disposed to
intimate. They do not appear to me to
deserve the commendation w^hich your ques-
tion seems to imply. But if there be any
thing in my public prayers different from
the most common place and ordinary services
of that kind, I must ascribe it, under God, to

296 THOUGHTS on

the unwearied pains I have taken, for many
years, to improve in this branch of my
ministerial work. In the early part of my
ministry I abounded in devotional composi-
tion. Indeed I may say, that for the first
ten years of my pastoral life, I never wrote a
sermon, without writing a prayer, in part or
in whole, corresponding with it in its general
strain. This gave me the habit of express-
ing myself in prayer on all manner of sub-
jects in appropriate, well-considered, and
scriptural terms, and enabled me to embrace
a variety in my public devotional exercises
v^hich I should not have been likely other-
wise to reach. '^

Whether Dr. Gillies was in the habit of
committing the prayers v^hich he thus dili-
gently wrote, verbatim to memory, and strict-
ly reciting them in the pulpit, he does not
appear to have stated ; but if he did, it cer-
tainly was not the wisest course, and was one
which I would by no means recommend as
best adapted to answer the end proposed.
The unavoidable effect of such a course
would be to restrain the " gift" of prayer in
its best fervours; to confer upon the whole
service more of an artificial and studied

PUBLIC PRAYER. 297

aspect; to make the exercise an affair of the
intellect rather than of the heart; and to
generate, in spite of every effort that could
be made to avoid it, cold formality rather
than that "fervent and effectual prayer
which availeth much " in him who offers, as
well as in regard to Him to whom it is
addressed.

My impression is, that the very process of
composing such prayers is the most im-
portant part of the benefit which they confer.
Were each one to be thrown into the fire as
soon as it was completed, the great end of its
composition would be in a good measure
gained. That end is the continual enlarge-
ment of the devotional resources, and the
devotional taste of the individual who writes.
Every time, therefore, that he takes pen in
hand to form an address to the throne of
grace, if he conduct it aright, he benefits both
his heart and his head; — his heart, by sum-
moning it to contemplate the most exalted
and glorious of all objects ; to acknowledge
the most weighty and solemn of all obliga-
tions; and to supplicate the most precious
of all favours, temporal and spiritual ; — and
his head, by selecting and weighing topics ;
26

298 THOUGHTS ON

by pondering on the proprieties of devotional
language; and by studying how to make his
words as " few and well-ordered," as simple,
as scriptural, and as richly comprehensive
as possible.

The fault of many ministers in public
prayer is abounding in unnecessary words;
and of others that they are prone to employ
unsuitable, canting, and unmeaning words.
Now I know of no more effectual method of
correcting both these classes of faults than
the enlightened, careful and deliberate use
of the pen. The moment the eye of an edu-
cated man rests on an incorrect or untasteful
expression committed to paper, he seldom
fails to detect at once its inappropriate cha-
racter.

I have said, that I would by no means
advise any one to be in the habit of commit-
ting written prayers to memory, and reciting
them servilely in the pulpit. There is some-
thing in the practice of uttering any thing
in public from memory that is apt to beget
in the speaker, in spite of every effort to the
contrary, a formal reciting tone. This prin-
ciple seldom fails to be exemplified very
strikingly in memoriter preachers. In the

PUBLIC PRAYER. 299

course of a lonor life, and with some ranore of
opportunity for observation on this subject, I
have never heard more than one, or, at
most, two memoriter preachers who entirely
avoided the reciting tone. The same princi-
ple applies, in some measure, to prayers re-
cited from memory. I do not believe that it
is, ordinarily, possible wholly to divest them
of the character and tone of recitation. It is
one of the rarest things in the w^orld to hear
any one read a prayer, or any other com-
position, in the perfectly simple, natural
intonation which is, of course, employed in
extemporaneous, feeling, animated utterance.
The same difficulty applies to reciting from
memory. The formal reading tone will sel-
dom fail to creep in, and disclose to the
practised ear that the man is uttering some-
thing studied and prepared.

While, therefore, I would earnestly exhort
every young minister and candidate for the
sacred office to abound in devotional com-
position, for the sake of enlarging his devo-
tional resources, both as to topics and lan-
guage, and also as the most effectual means
of imparting to his whole style the simplicity,

300 THOUGHTS ON

the variety, and the scriptural richness so
desirable in that important exercise; I wonld
quite as earnestly advise that the plan of
servile recitation from memory be sacredly
avoided. The true plan is to write often ; to
write much ; to store the mind with ample
furniture for the exercise; but to leave the
utterance of the moment to the impulses of a
feeling, gushing heart. The occasion must
be very pecuUar, and the circumstances very
delicate indeed, in which I should be willing
to recommend repeating, in the public as-
sembly> the ipsissima verba which had been
written.

I take for granted that every candidate for
the ministry, and every minister of the gos-
pel will, every year, observe days of special
prayer and humiliation, accompanied at
proper seasons, with fasting. Such days
will ever be found important in nurturing a
spirit of piety, and will not be neglected by
him who wishes and studies to grow in
grace. Now a wise minister, or candidate
for the ministry, will ever make the ob-
servance of such days subservient to devo-
tional composition. They will lead him to

PUBLIC PRAYER. 301

pen many an address to the great Head of
the Church in regard to the various ohjects
which occupy, in succession, the most promi-
nent places on these various days. And if
he seize with intelligence and with faithful-
ness the spirit of each occasion, he will be
constrained to pour out his feelings on paper,
in resfard to national calamities, and national
mercies ; in regard to the state of the Church
and the world; in regard to the passing
events in Providence, and the desertions or
the triumphs of Divine grace; in regard to
prevailing sickness, or joyful health ; in re-
tgard to the changes of the seasons, and the
fruits of the earth ; and especially in regard
to the conflicts and enjoyments of his own
soul. Now, when a man is led by these
sacred exercises in private to study how he
may most happily and acceptably express
the devout aspirations of his heart on all
these subjects, and is wise enough to be in
the habit of putting on paper the exercises
of his own mind on all these occasions, they
may, and will be made subservient to his
ability to conduct the devotions of the sanc-
tuary in the most appropriate, happy, and

26*

302 THOUGHTS ON

acceptable manner; with all the variety,
simplicity and richness that can be desired.

But while devotional composition ought
always to be connected with these days of
special observance, and to make a part of
that record of such days which may after-
wards be seriously and devoutly reviewed;
yet it ought by no means to be confined to
those days. A wise minister, when he finds
his heart made specially to feel, or his mind,
by any circumstances, drawn into a happy
train of thought or expression adapted to
public devotion, will seize upon it, and take
the first opportunity of committing it to
writing, that he may improve his devotional
vocabulary, and enlarge his devotional trea-
sures. He who has a taste for divine con-
templation, or for converse with heaven; or
a mind awake to all the impressions which
the conversation of the pious, or the com-
plaints or profaneness of the wicked may
sometimes suggest, will be at no loss to
understand how they may all be made
subservient to the purpose under considera-
tion.

If I shall succeed in convincing the reader

PUBLIC PRAYER. 303

of these pages that no man can be expected
to attain much excellence in this department
of the public service of the sanctuary, who
does not feel the importance of this excel-
lence; who is not willing to take pains to
attain it; w^ho does not commune much with
his God in secret; who does not pray with-
out ceasing for both the grace and the gift of
prayer; and who is not constantly on the
w^atch to embrace the opportunities and the
means to this end which may be placed
within his reach, to gain improvement, my
purpose will be in some measure gained.
Until these impressions and habits are ac-
quired, there is no hope of much advance in
this happy accomplishment. A man may,
indeed, upon cheaper terms, learn the art of
making an "eloquent prayer," nay, a ''splen-
did prayer;" a prayer that shall send the
worldly and the superficial away praising it
to the skies; but not that prayer which
" entereth into the ears of the Lord of Saba-
oth," which will meet the wishes of the peo-
ple of God, and w^hich is adapted to draw
down blessings upon the Church of God.
We call that preacher wise, who is ever

304 THOUGHTS ON

desiring and striving to make improvement
in the precious art of reaching and impress-
ing the hearts of men, and ''vv^inning souls
to Christ;" v^ho labours to ''bring out of his
treasure things new and old;" who is awake
to every occurrence, in nature or in grace,
which may suggest to him a new topic of
impressive address, or a new form of lan-
guage likely to find access to the hearts of
any class of his hearers. We commend the
w^isdom of that preacher who does not open
a book, or take a walk, or engage in a jour-
ney, or enter a company, or look abroad on
the face of nature, without trying to find
something to add to his store of means in
preaching Christ to his perishing fellow men.
Surely it is an equal mark of wisdom when
the occupant of the sacred desk is equally
anxious, and equally diligent in striving and
praying to derive from all sources the means
of improvement in conducting the devotions
of the sanctuary. And if so, how shall we
estimate either the judgment or the fidelity
of him, who spares no pains to improve,
enrich, and elevate the character of his ser-
mons, from week to week, while that of his

PUBLIC PRAYER. 305

public prayers seems to engage but little
thought ; to call forth little or no effort ; is
marked with little or no improvement ; and
goes on from year to year, in the same dull
routine, as a mere secondary concern? Feel-
ing myself near to my last account, I would
put it to the consciences of my younger bre-
thren in the ministry (with the aged, I dare
not, for more reasons than one, remonstrate)
how they can reconcile it with their views of
duty, thus to undervalue and neglect what
ouo^ht to be reo^arded and treated as an
instrument for impressing the minds of men,
more potent, more tenderly effectual, than all
the prepared and prescribed forms that were
ever made ready to their hands.

And, as I hope that the consciences of
some will be roused by what has been said,
to a more just estimate of this whole subject
than they have heretofore made; so I trust
they will see that no essential improvement
will be likely to be made in this department
of the public service w^ithout serious and
devoted attention to the subject; without a
governing desire to excel; without much
communion wdth the Father of our spirits,

306 THOUGHTS ON PUBLIC PRAYER.

and his Son Jesus Christ ; and without un-
ceasing application for help from on high.
I hesitate not, once more, to apply to this
attainment those emphatic words which our
Master in heaven applied to another — "This
kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fast-
ing.''*

* Matt. xvii. 21.

THE END.