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A DISCOURSE, 
 
 DELIVERED BEFORE 
 
 THE GENEBAL CONVENTION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH 
 
 IN THE 
 
 UNITED STATES, 
 
 ST. JAMES'S CHURCH, PHILADELFHM, 
 
 On the 21st of May, 1814. 
 BY THE RIGHT REV. 
 
 THEODORE DEHON, D. D., 
 
 Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in South Carolina. 
 PUBLISHED AT THE REQUEST OF THE CONVENTION. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, 
 
 PUBLISHED BY BRADFORD AND INSKEEP 
 
 G. Palmer, printer 
 
 1814. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 WHEN the following discourse was preached, the 
 time of the convention was deemed, by the writer, too 
 precious to admit of the delivery of the whole of it. The 
 parts which were then omitted, are given in the publica- 
 tion, in the humble hope, that they will be acceptable to 
 his brethren; and render the discourse more practically 
 useful to those who shall read it. 
 
A DISCOURSE, &c. 
 
 Psalm xlv. 13. 
 Her clothing is of wrought gold. 
 
 Of whom speaketh the psalmist this ? Of the church ; 
 whom David, with the eye of prophecy, saw, in all that 
 glorious beauty, in which, in the age of her maturit}- , she 
 should be " ' k w tfg ht unto the king," and enjoy tlie 
 choicest demonstrations of his affection and favour. 
 What was meant by her clothing in the psalmist's mind, 
 we may not be able indisputably to ascertain; but we 
 shall not materially err, if we consider it as signifying 
 those offices of devotion, in which she is seen by man- 
 kind sublimely attired; and on the days, on which he 
 vouchsafes to give her a special audience, presents her- 
 self before the Lord her God. In this view of their im- 
 port, the words of the text have been taken to introduce 
 a discourse upon that excellent liturgy, the public service 
 of our common prayer, in which the church is as truly 
 seen by us as she was by the psalmist, in a clothing of 
 wrought gold. 
 
 Should I attempt, in a single discourse, to treat fully 
 of the liturgy of the church, I should wrong the subject, 
 and fill your minds and my own with dissatisfaction. It 
 is work for a volume. And the many excellent volumes 
 in which its character is analyzed, and its perfection de- 
 veloped, render unnecessary any efforts of mine to add to 
 
jis celebrity or illustrate its praise. All, therefore, that I 
 sliall ;um to do, will be, to point out to you some of its 
 most distinguished j)roperties — pro^x^rties, an acquaintance 
 with which is indispensably necessar}', to enable us to 
 know its excellence, and to use it in such a manner as 
 \N ill render it diat pure and holy, that becoming and ac- 
 ceptable s:icrifice, which it was intended we should offer 
 in it to God and the Redeemer. 
 
 That } ou may the more fully see the importance of the 
 subject, allow me, before I proceed to the discussion of 
 it, to recall to your minds the important truth, that tlie 
 gaat, the chief object of our assembling together in the 
 siinctuar}', is to \vorship God. Sermons have, in modem 
 times, more admirers than prayers Immm^ But whoever 
 considers the authority by which public worship is insti- 
 tuted, the reasons on wliich it is grounded, and the 
 purposes for which it is designed, will jx^rceive, that the 
 first business for w hich we come together into the ti mple 
 is to acknowledge the Most High God our rode^n. — 
 to recognize our relations to him, and pay hw\ 
 homage — to seek of him the mercies and blessings \\\ h 
 we need — and in acts of adoration and praise to ccIl- 
 hnUe his glorious name. Preachmg is undoubtedly an 
 ordinance of the Almighty ; and so long as " faith shall 
 come by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," 
 uist be an ordinance of very great moment to the salva- 
 tion of men. But it is nevertheless secondary in nature 
 and importance to that great, that leading, that most in- 
 tCR-sting duty, of worshipping the Lord in the beauty of 
 holiness. This is die highest act in which our nature 
 can be eng-aged. And the people who are furnished w ith 
 the means of performing it most perfecdy arc brought 
 
 arest to the angels in tlieir privileges, and will, if they 
 
use them faithfully, be beheld in their public assemblies 
 with most complacency by the Almighty. How im- 
 portant then the enquiry concerning the properties of that 
 service, which the church has provided for us to perform, 
 when we are gathered together in the courts of our 
 Maker ! What are these properties ? I would call your 
 attention to those which follow — that our liturgy is 
 social — that it is sensible — that it is spiritual — that it is 
 complete — that it is well arranged — and that it is holy. 
 Under these heads, may be brought to view enough of 
 its character, to confirm our attachment to it ; we may 
 find under each of them instruction concerning its excel- 
 lency, and direction concerning its use. 
 
 Men are social beings ; and when they are assembled 
 in the temples of the Almighty, their natures and the coni- 
 munity of their blessings and wants, require, that thev 
 should offer a common worship. In order to this, a form 
 of prayer and praise is necessary. Without it, they 
 cannot associate in the performance of the service. And 
 he, who is most averse to this idea, will, upon reflection, 
 perceive, that even extempc iry prayers are forms to all 
 \\\\o hear them ; from which Jiey cannot wander without 
 relinquishing their part in th" common business of the 
 congregation. As a form is in tlie nature of the tiling 
 necessary, so established forms have in all ages of the 
 church been esteemed most conducive to the pui*poses of 
 social worship. , They were used by God's chosen 
 people in the service of the tabernacle and the tc- /" — 
 they ha\e the sanction of our blessed Lord — tL.y were 
 adopted by the apostles and primitive christians— and are 
 found in the church in every age, from their time to the 
 present day. B}' such stated services, the j^eople know 
 beforehand the sacrifice ^vhich is to be offered — thev have 
 
it as it were in their hands — they unitedly bring it to the 
 altar and lay it thereon ; it is their offering, as well as the 
 priest's. Here, then, may be observed the liappy adap- 
 tation of our liturgy to the social character, which 
 .hould apiKTtain to the worship of the christian temple. 
 Whereas, it is not easy for us to conceive, how, having 
 wo such established service, we could assent to that, 
 \s hich we had ne\er contemplated ; or offer that, which 
 we never possessed. 
 
 But, further, that the service of the sanctuary may be, 
 as it should be, perfectly social, the people should have 
 in it an active part. In the prayers, as well as the 
 praises, with their bodies, as well as with their spirits, 
 they should all, after an orderly manner, be engaged, 
 that the service may be most truly the service of all. 
 
 Conformably with this principle was our liturgy con- 
 structed. The people liave in it an active service, as well 
 as the priest ; sometimes, as in the collects and the prayers, 
 or adorations which have been offered, expressing their 
 assent by an audible and devout amen; sometimes, 
 
 s in tlie versicles, echoing the petition which the priest 
 has made, or enforcing it with new considerations ; some- 
 times, as in the litany, when the minister has offered 
 the suffrage, tiiking as it were with holy ardour the words 
 out of his mouth, and uttering the deprecation, or the 
 ( ntrcaty ; and sometimes, as in the holy hymns, the 
 psalms, and the doxologies, responding in alternate verse 
 iIk |)raises of God, the desires of men, the holiness and 
 l.oiua^c, tlie faith, and hopes, and charity of religion — 
 liius exhibiting an humble imitation of the worship of 
 heaven ; in which we are told the celestial beings cry 
 • >ne to another. How admirably is this arrangement 
 
 dnpled to exhibit tlic jx^rfcetion of the beauty of social 
 
worship ! Allow me then to notice the importance, that, 
 in order to the production of its due effect, the people 
 should refrain, on the one hand, from repeating the parts, 
 which belong exclusively to the minister, as the exhorta- 
 tions, the absolution, the commandments, the benedic- 
 tion, and those prayers which are to be said by him alone, 
 and, on the other hand, that witli pure hearts, and hum- 
 ble, yet audible voices, they should perform the parts, 
 which belong exclusively to them. The responses are a 
 beautiful, very ancient, peculiar, and most useful part of 
 the liturgy of our church. By the solemn performance 
 of them the people may keep their own attention en- 
 gaged, may animate him who is ministering among them, 
 and may kindle devotion one in another. Yea, if the 
 little children were taught to pronounce with attention 
 and proper solemnity these parts of divine service, it 
 would add to the beauty and utility of public w^orship ; 
 and in our assemblies would be exhibited the verity of 
 the inspired declaration, out of the mouths of babes and 
 sucklings thou hast perfected praise. 
 
 To excite you to join diligently and with reverence in 
 the service of common pra}'er, I need only guide your 
 attention to the sublime extent of the application of its 
 social character. It is not only in this house, in which 
 you assemble, that in all its parts it is sociably perform- 
 ed. The same prayers and praises, in the same words, 
 arc offered, perhaps at the same liour, with the same faith, 
 by ten thousand tongues, to the same God and father of 
 all. From all christian parts of the globe the amen re- 
 sounds, which you here utter; and the doxolog}^ is 
 raised, in which you are here called upon to bear a part. 
 It is not in this age only, in which you live, that this 
 service conveys the devotions of christians to hea\'cn. 
 
 B 
 
10 
 
 III some of the ejaculations it contains, the first disciples 
 bruitlud their praises and their wishes to the Most High. 
 Its collects have, many of them, for many hundreds of 
 yciirs been the vehicles of the public devotions of the 
 church. And upon some of its apostrophes lias the last 
 breath of distinguished martyrs trembled, whose piety, 
 durii)g their lives, was refreshed with its hymns, and its 
 psiilms. It is not under the gospel dispensation alone, 
 that some parts of this service have been used to express 
 the common devotions of the fliithful. There are hymns 
 in it which were sung by saints under the mosaic dis- 
 pensation ; and in the use of the psalms particularly, the 
 church of the New Testament is found in society with the 
 cliurch of the Old ; for in these sacred compositions, not 
 the emotions of David's heart only were vented, but much 
 of the worship of God's ancient people did consist. It is 
 not onl> in the church militant upon earth, that this 
 serN'ice, in some of its parts, is used. We have borrowed 
 from the church triumphant in heaven their gratulator}' 
 anthem, and their perpetual hymn, and have reason to 
 believe that their voices are in concert with ours when 
 they sing the song of the redeemed. How sublime is 
 this view of the communion and fellowship of the church, 
 under the mosiiic and christian dispensations, in different 
 ages, and in distant nations, on earth and in heaven, in 
 the use of some part or other of that holy liturgy, which 
 it is our distinguishing felicity to have received from our 
 fathers ! Who would not wish, in the temple, to bear 
 ^;) n his lips those psalms and prayers, in which the 
 |^lori.)us company of the apostles, the goodly fellowship 
 of the proplKts, and the noble army of martyrs, have 
 uttered their devotions to God ! How dead must he be 
 to the finest associations, which can affect the mind, who 
 
11 
 
 is not animated to a devout and fervent performance of 
 his part of the service of the sanctuary, by the considera- 
 tion, that, upon this same censer, which the church holds 
 out to him, incense hath been put by those hands, which 
 are now extended before the throne of the Almighty ; 
 and that as its smoke ascended, those eyes were lifted 
 up to heaven, which are now fixed upon the visible glory 
 of God and the Lamb. 
 
 This social property of our liturgy forms its most 
 prominent feature ; and endears it to us, as suitable to 
 our nature, and friendly to the best feelings of the heart. 
 Would to God its beauty were noticed by every member 
 of our congregations, and commended by his practice to 
 others ! Pleasant and elevating is the scene, which the 
 christian temple exhibits, when the priest and the people 
 are as one, to make one oifering unto the Lord; and 
 from every mouth, from the infant of days and from the 
 old man who hath not filled his days, there arises the 
 alternate adoration or the assenting amen. 
 
 But this leads me to the second property of our liturgy 
 to be noticed, viz. that it is sensible. By this I mean 
 that it has a body, as well as spirit ; that it is adapted to 
 the nature of beings who have senses, as well as souls. 
 All worship, to be becoming, must be suitable to the 
 nature of those who offer it, as well as to his nature to 
 whom it is offered. A worship, wholly spiritual, would 
 not be proper for man in his present state. It would be 
 the act of but half of his natiu'C. To be complete, all 
 his faculties must be employed in it. With his body, 
 as well as his spirit, he must worship — for each is a part 
 of himself, each is the offspring of divine power, each is 
 a partaker of the divine blessings, each is redeemed by 
 the divine mercy, each needs tlic divine protection, and 
 
12 
 
 boili are God's. Indeed it is difficult to conceive, how, 
 without corporeal acts, the important quality of sociality 
 in \\orship, upon which we have already dilated, could 
 be maintained. If the service be not sensible, the signs 
 must be wanting, by which alone men can manifest their 
 association in a common work, to the world and to each 
 other. Shall I be told, that the spirit may be engaged 
 when the body is still ? It may. But the spirits of men 
 cannot, in this present state, evidence to men, what are 
 their eng-agements, but by signs and deeds. If there be 
 in the assemblies of the saints no sound of words, and no 
 consentaneous posture of bodies, there may be sincerity 
 in the indi\idual ; there may be an insulated altar in 
 ( vcr}' bosom ; but the visible chain is wanting, whicli 
 should connect all together; and conduct the spirit, by 
 \vhich one is animated, through the whole. On these 
 accounts, mankind have been impelled, by the dictates of 
 reason, in every country, to in\est their public worship 
 ^vith rites and ceremonies ; and with an eye to these prin- 
 ciples, the wise compilers of our liturgy have rendered it 
 a sensible ser\'ice. They ha^ e adapted it to our state of 
 being upon " this visible diurnal sphere," guarding with 
 equal caution against the impalpable reveries of the 
 mystic, and the tedious mummeries of the formalist ; on 
 the one hand avoiding to incumber the service of the 
 
 anctuary with such a mass of ceremonies, as would 
 obscua-, and overwhelm its spirit, and restraining them- 
 selves, on the other hand, from aftecting a worship so 
 abstract ;md imixrceptible, as would not become man on 
 
 !ie earth; and indeed we know not ^^hcthcr any such is 
 
 tfered in heaven. It is here then }ou will be struck 
 ilh the importance of the audible voice, ^^ ith \\ hich 
 
 he congagation, as well us the priest, are to celebrate 
 
13 
 
 divine service, that they may honour God v/ith thd best 
 member which they have. Here you will perceive the 
 propriety of using, to enliven and beautify the worship of 
 the sanctuary, that faculty, which is given to men, of 
 clothing their thoughts and their feelings, their faith, their 
 hopes, and their love in the ravishing charms of melodi- 
 ous sounds. Here you will discern the fitness of that 
 decent attire, which the church has prescribed for her 
 priests ; of that adoration, which she expresses by the 
 consecration to the honour of the Almighty, of temples 
 meet for his service ; and of those " outward visible 
 signs of inward and spiritual grace," ^vhich she has 
 received in the sacraments from her Lord, and transmits 
 as hallowed to posterity. Here you will see the reasons 
 of those holy instructions, which teach us to fall low on 
 our knees, when we confess our sins to Almighty God, 
 or supplicate his mercies ; and to stand upon our feet, 
 when we declare the articles of fluth, which we are 
 resolved to maintain, or with elevated emotions proclaim 
 the greatness and the goodness, whereby the Most High 
 hath made us glad. These sensible acts, this employ- 
 ment of the faculties and posture of our bodies, the wor- 
 shipping our Creator, how natural arc they, how expres- 
 sive, how becoming our condition in this state of being ! 
 To shew you in what value they were held by those w ho 
 were best able to estimate them, need I turn }our atten- 
 tion to Solomon, kneeling upon his knees, when he offers 
 his prayer to God ; and rising upon his feet, and stretch- 
 ing forth his hands, when in the name of the Almighty 
 he blesses the people? Need I bring to your view the 
 congregation of Israel, the chosen and divinely instructed 
 people, bowing their heads, when they received the bene- 
 diction of the Most High ; and raising their bodies and 
 
14 
 
 their voices, when liiey magnify his name ? Need I call 
 to vour recollection, the striking picture which the spirit 
 of revelation hath given us, of the inhabitants of heaven, 
 veiling their faces, and casting down their crowns, when 
 they worship him who sitteth upon the throne ? Need I 
 take }ou to Gethsemane, and shew you Jesus, tlie pattern 
 of all that is perfect, thrice kneeling down before his 
 Father, while he thrice utters the same earnest supplica- 
 tion ? No ; I need not. These, and other examples, arc 
 familiar to your minds. And whenever you have pon- 
 dered seriously the import of prayer and praise, con- 
 science has testified to yoii the wisdom of the rubrics 
 which teach us to do likewise. They are but repetitions 
 of rubrics of nature. Is other evidence of their fitness 
 needed, than that which is furnished by reason ? You 
 hear it in the voice of the Almighty himself, calling upon 
 you in his holy word, to glorifij God in your bodies, and 
 in your spirits^ which are his. 
 
 This leads me to a third property of our liturgy, 
 worthy of observation, viz. that it is spiritual. Impor- 
 tant as it is, that our religious services should have a 
 sensible form, this form ^\-ould be of no worth, if it were 
 destitute of life. The audible voice is of no value, but 
 as it expresses the thoughts of the heart. The bended 
 knee is of no significance, but as it represents the hum- 
 Ijled soul. God is a spirit, and they that worship him 
 must worship him in spirit and in truth. And as a spirit 
 Ik- is tnily \N()rshipped in the service of our church. No 
 imiige of the CJodhead is contemplated b}' our minds. 
 By no attempt to rcj^rcscnt the Almighty to our senses, 
 is the divine nature dishonoured, and our omi weakness 
 betrayed. As the Great Spirit, Mho pervadedi all sj^acc, 
 and inJiabitelh eternit}-, wc address him — whom, not 
 
15 
 
 having seen, we love ; in whom, tliough now we see him 
 not, yet believing, we rejoice, with joy imspcakable and 
 full of glory. The worship which is rendered to him is, 
 too, in a high degree spiritual. In every part of it there 
 is life. Within the beautiful and holy form there is a 
 soul^ fraught with the treasures of divine truth, and pure 
 as has been found on earth, since the transgression of 
 man. Is it said that it is cold ? Where is manifested 
 more fervent affection, than in its addresses, or more 
 intense devotion, than in its litany and hymns? Is it 
 said to confide too much in its exterior? The faith, 
 Avhich it implies, is seated in the spirit; the blessings, 
 which it most celebrates and deserves, are spiritual ; and 
 it is skilfully contrived to engage our souls in the acts of 
 it, and to carry them, on a stream of sacred emotions, 
 perpetually flowing, to the foot of the mount of God. 
 Is it said, that it affords not scope for the feelings, which 
 are sometimes kindled in the heart, when it approaches its 
 Maker ; nor freedom to the action of the soul, when the 
 spirit of devotion comes upon it ? Which of the affec- 
 tions, or dispositions of man, that is proper to be engaged 
 in the worship of his Maker, may not find employment 
 and vent for itself in the psalms and in some or other 
 of tlic collects? and in what production of the most 
 rapturous being, has piety taken a loftier flight, than in 
 her favourite Te Deirm^ the hymn so eminently spiritual, 
 so wonderfully sublime, that one can scarce forbear to 
 believe, that the lips which first uttered it, were touched 
 with a coal from the altar of heaven ? Is it said that it is 
 formal? What faculty of our nature, meet for the work, 
 is not brought into action in the due performance of the 
 common prayer ? Our souls and all tiiat is widiin us, our 
 undcrstandiiig, our will, and our affections, all in this 
 
16 
 
 service have their part and occupation; and he, wha 
 engages in it as he ought, cannot fail to enjoy a very near 
 communion with his God. In short, humiUty, and faitli, 
 and love, and gratitude, and sincerit}^ have all liere a 
 place, that they may come and adorn the worship of 
 the sanctuary ; and the propensity of our minds to 
 wander, even when our tongues are engaged, is checked 
 with the happiest skill, by those variations and acclama- 
 tions, which n(jw relieve, and now quicken attention ; and 
 by those sudden breaks, and frequent apostrophes, which 
 remind us of the nature of our work, and of the presence 
 of the Almight}'. It is true, all this may be overlooked, 
 or disregarded. In our temples, with all the spirituality 
 of our service, there may pass from our lips an empty 
 sound — our hands may offer an unhallowed oblation. 
 But who, tliat would worship the Lord his God as he 
 ouglit, will not be careful to engage the powers of his 
 mind, and affections of his heart, in this his highest duty ? 
 To what purpose shall we, as taught by the Redeemer, 
 iddress the Deity as our parent, if we have none of the 
 feelings, which the idea of a fadicr, of a father in heaven, 
 of a father who is God, ought to excite? With what 
 benefit arc we so often reminded, in the beginning and 
 nd of our prayers, of the attributes of God, and media- 
 tion of Christ, if we do not exert that reverence and fear, 
 tliiit faitli and hope, that affection imd confidence, which 
 lie very frequent recurrence of these great ideas, was 
 It signed to inspire? Where is the propriety, when xve 
 live s;iid, (ue trust with simplicity and sincerity), ''the 
 Lord Ik.' with you," in replying, ''and with thy spirit," 
 if the heart do not wish what the lips express? What 
 honour c;in result to the Almighty, or >vhat advantage to 
 '"vv^K. V,, from pronouncing the customary amen, if wq 
 
17 
 
 thereby assent to that, to which we have not listened ; or 
 ratify that, about which we are indifferent. Can we 
 expect that the doxology of the tongue will be reported 
 by the spirits, that minister about the throne^ if it be un- 
 accompanied by the alleluia of the soul ? O, let us not 
 separate the life from the form — the soul from the body 
 of our excellent liturgy ! With its sensible let us com- 
 bine its spiritual property ; that thus we may offer to God 
 a reasonable service. With us, who in this respect are 
 so signally blessed, what apology can be found, if the 
 Almighty shall have occasion to say of us, this people 
 draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth 
 me with their lips, but their heart is far from me I 
 
 But it is time for me to pass to another distinguishing 
 property of our liturgy, its comprehensiveness, or full- 
 ness. Here was the labour, this was the difficulty, in 
 compiling a book of common prayer, to provide for the 
 claims and expectations of God, and for the conditions, 
 and wants, and wishes, and duties of all estates of men ; 
 so that of such honour, as we unworthy creatures can 
 render unto our heavenly Father, tliere should be no 
 deficiency ; and none of his worshippers be left without 
 such instiTJctions, as they would need to receive, such 
 oblations, as it would become them to offer, and such 
 supplications, as they might wish to make. And when 
 we consider, how successfully the framers of our liturgy 
 have accomplished this, we must look upon it as among 
 the most wonderful achievements of wisdom and piety, 
 which the world lias known. They have recurred to the 
 oracles of truth, and have brought the Old and the New 
 Testament, to stand daily and always as parts of the 
 liturgy ; that thus it might be enriched with perennial 
 sources of wisdom, and instruction, and peacc^. They 
 
 C 
 
18 
 
 ha\c gone to the Jewish church ; and have brought 
 tliencc the uoiiderful psahns, and many hymns, which 
 the spirit of God seems to have inspired his servants to 
 indite for the use of his people. They have had recourse 
 to die first christians, and the first churches ; to the 
 fadiers, and to their immediate descendants ; and from 
 tiicir precious stores have obtained parts of the primitive 
 liturgies, venerable for their antiquity and holy simplicity. 
 'I'hey have looked among the christians of the eastern and 
 of the western empire; into the Greek church and into 
 (he church of Rome ; and from them have taken many 
 most excellent prajers, versicles, and litany-suffrages, 
 which they have rendered of great value and utility hi 
 the accomplishment of their work. To these rich 
 materials, they have added many productions of their 
 ()\vn pious and enlarged minds ; productions, which, in 
 purity of language, sanctity of sentiment, and true cha- 
 racter of devotion, are not inferior to the generality of 
 those, with which they are combined. From diis mass 
 of materials, they separated whatever was gross, discor- 
 dant, or unnecessiiiy ; and with the rest composed the 
 service, which enriches and adorns our church. Thus 
 you perceive, diat from the richest mines, there has from 
 time to time been collected in large abundance, for the 
 perfecting of the work, the choicest gold ; and under die 
 following head, which will treat of the arrangement of 
 the service, will see, that the gold has been ^\ rought into 
 liiis clothing of the church, with exquisite skill and 
 finished effect. At present our concern is only widi the 
 fulness of die liturgy. 
 
 Let us consider it w ith respect to die Being to whom 
 its adorations are addressed. He is recognized and wor- 
 >hipiH:d in his great chai-acters of our Creator, Redeemer, 
 
19 
 
 and Sanctifier. His glorious attributes, as fiir as they arc 
 known to us, are all of them celebrated. That confession 
 of sins, acknowledgment of dependence, thanksgiving for 
 blessings, adoration of his greatness, supplication for his 
 favour, and avowal of allegiance to him, and all those dis- 
 positions and affections towards the Deity, w^hich man 
 should possess and manifest, are provided for in this litur- 
 gy ; and, conformably with the divine canon, God in all 
 its parts is glorified, tlirough Christ Jesus. 
 . Consider it with respect to the beings, by whom it is 
 to be used. How admirably adapted to instruct the 
 ignorant, and remind the well informed, in what they are 
 to believe and do, is the reading of the holy scriptures in 
 order throughout the year ; the rehearsal in the creed, 
 whenever they assemble and meet together, of a summary 
 of the truths, which God has revealed to be embraced 
 and cherished by them ; and the declaration in the de- 
 calogue, of his will and pleasure concerning their conduct ! 
 Who that attends statedly upon this service can long be 
 ignorant, what is good, and what the Lord his God doth 
 reqidre of him ! So full is it with respect to the truths of 
 Christianity, that it has been w^ell observed, a complete 
 body of divinity might be easily framed out of the 
 words it contains. With what felicity, also, are its 
 prayers and praises so framed, as to embrace, almost 
 without an. exception, the wants and the blessings of 
 every human being ! Is there a lust or passion, a vice or 
 misery, an evil or danger, common to mankind, which is 
 not in it deprecated and deplored ? Is there a grace of 
 Christianity, a virtue, which can adorn and bless the 
 human character, a thing essential to life or godliness, 
 which is not celebrated in it, and devoutly sought ? Is 
 there a condition of prosperity or adversity, of joy or 
 
20 
 
 fibrrow, to which man can be brought, in which he may 
 not find vent lor his wishes in that eminently complete 
 production, the litany ; and for his praises, in the thanks- 
 giving, and the psalms ? As was the case with the food, 
 furnished ibr the Israehtes in the wilderness, there is in 
 this service provision made for every man, according to 
 his necessities, and the necessities of his household. 
 
 But that which renders this property of our liturgy 
 very admirable, is the skill with which it is so framed, as 
 to be adapted to the use ai all classes and orders of men% 
 The high and the low, the rich and the poor, the old and 
 the young, the ruler and the subject, the master luid the 
 slave, tlie saint and the sijiner, may each find in it an 
 oblation, meet for him to offer, and a blessing worthy to 
 be thankfully received. It may be used without per- 
 plexity by the mean and the ignorant, and by the wise 
 and the mighty without disgust. The plainest may un- 
 derstand it ; and it may entertain all the faculties of the 
 most refined. With a felicity, rarely to be found in any 
 human production, its fulness is such, and so continued, 
 that the prince and the beggar may use it together, and 
 both find in it, becoming devotion, instruction, and 
 delight. It has been objected to it, that it is too long. 
 But when with serious deliberation we have considered 
 the matter, we shall discover unexpected difficulty in 
 selecting the parts \\\i\\ which ue ^v•ould most willingly 
 dispense ; and shall perceive that no part can be removed 
 from it, without impairing its strength, disturbing its pro- 
 portions, and diminishing its fulness. 
 
 From the fulness of the liturgy, we pass to the arrange- 
 ment of its parts. A mass of materials, however great 
 and valuable, can excite but little admiration, and be of 
 but little utUit)-, till it is reduced to some form and order. 
 
H 
 
 It has been said that order is heaven's first hw. All tli6 
 works of God, from the disposition of the parts, which 
 form the humblest flower of the field, to the disposition 
 of the planets and stars, which form the magnificence of 
 unbounded space, are doubtless conformed to the princi- 
 ples, and exhibit, to the e}'e which can ken the whole, the 
 beauty of order. And man, who was made originally in 
 the image of God, and is taught in the gospel to aspire 
 after a recovery of that image, should in all his concerns, 
 but especially in the worship which he renders to the 
 Being, who is the author of beauty and lover of harmonj^ 
 observe and cherish order. Without this, the service he 
 renders must produce a jargon with tlie very nature of the 
 Being, to whom it is addressed. In the prophetic vision, 
 which the psalmist had of the church, when in the age of 
 her maturity she should be espoused to her Lord, he 
 remarks, that ** she should be brought unto the king in 
 raiment of needlework," intimating not only, that her 
 attire should not be plain, coarse, or common, but that it 
 should be costly, and adorned by the skilful, according to 
 the unchangeable principles of art and excellency. We 
 have mentioned as a fifth property of our liturgy, worthy 
 to be noticed, that it is well arranged ; and if we advert to 
 it, we shall find, that the golden materials of which it is 
 composed, are not thrown together in splendid confusion, 
 but disposed systematically, and in such a way, as to 
 produce the great ends of an*angement, convenience, 
 pleasure, and the best accomplishment of the effect 
 proposed. 
 
 The parts of our service are so disposed as to produce 
 a variety, which is at once convenient and delightful to 
 the worshipper. The corruptible body too much presses 
 down the mind ; and the mind itself, in the present state. 
 
IS t(xj weak to be loni^ continued upon the same stretcli 
 with much satisfaction. On tliis account, with wise 
 idaptation to the infirmities as well as powers of our 
 nature, and in liumble imitation of the oeconomy of the 
 Great Creator, in the production of his works, our liturgy 
 is rendered " various ; 
 
 that the mind 
 
 Of desultory man, studious of chan^, 
 — may be indulged.'* 
 
 This variety is, in a happy manner, produced by the 
 division of the service into many short prayers ; whereby 
 the thoughts and affections are concentered a little while 
 upon one subject, and then relieved by transition to 
 another ; excited afresh in each by the new address with 
 which it begins, and resting a moment upon the amen at 
 the end. These frequent addresses direct our attention, 
 each one of them, to a distinct attribute of God ; and thus, 
 in the course of the service, all the parts of the glory of 
 his character with which we are acquainted, in grateful 
 succession pass before us. Nor is it \\\\\\ an idle vola- 
 tility, that tliis transition from one attribute of the Deity to 
 another is so frequently made ; but every addi'ess is with 
 great felicity adapted to the subject of the pra} er, which 
 begins with it — a thing worthy to be observed, that when 
 in the use of these various collects, we pray with the 
 spirit, we may pray with the understanding also. Thus, 
 when we are about to confess our sins and implore the 
 forgiveness of them, that we may be filled with that union 
 of fear and hope, which becomes sincere penitents Ixfore 
 the throne of the heavenly grace, we are directed to con- 
 template and address him before whom we bow, as an 
 ''Almighty and most merciful Father:' Thus, when 
 
23 
 
 about to beseech him at his holy table, to prepare us, by 
 cleansing the thoughts of our hearts, perfectly to love 
 him, and worthily to magnify his holy name, we look up 
 to him as the being, " unto whom all hearts are open, all 
 desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid." 
 Thus, when, in obedience to the instructions of the 
 gospel, we are about to offer supplications for the rulers 
 of the land, we address him, as " the high and mighty 
 ruler of the universe, who doth from his throne behold 
 all the dwellers upon earth." And in like manner, when, 
 with the comprehensive benevolence of our holy religion, 
 we are about to pray for all sorts and conditions of men, 
 or to offer thanks for all the blessings enjoyed by us, and 
 by all men, we, in the former case, approach him as "the 
 Creator and preserver of all mankind," and, in the latter, 
 as *' the Father of all mercies." And all this in con- 
 formity with the example of our blessed Lord, who, in 
 the inimitable prayer he hath given us, that we may be 
 filled with the filial reverence and affection which we 
 ought to feel when approaching God, hath taught us in 
 the beginning of it, to call upon him, as " our Father ;" 
 and that we may have confidence in his power to do what 
 we ask, hath reminded us, that he is " in heaven." 
 
 The variety, however, which so much enlivens and 
 beautifies our service, does not consist wholly, nor 
 chiefly, in the division of it into many prayers. How- 
 ever numerous the parts of worship may be, if they be all 
 of the same kind, without change or variation of their 
 nature, the mind would become satiated with the same- 
 ness, and wearied with the repetition. The humblest 
 penitent might be oppressed by prolonged confession, if 
 no recolkction of the promise of absolution gleamed 
 upon his heart. The most devout suppliant would have 
 
24 
 
 his fervour abated, il" no recollection of past mercies ani- 
 mated Ills hopes, and no acts of praise enlivened his 
 spirit. On this account it is, that there arc introduced 
 into our lituri^\', those changes of occupation, of subject, 
 and of posture, which, by diversifymg our business, 
 render it more interesting. Indeed, variety in our acts of 
 worship is not less answerable to the claims of the Al- 
 mighty, than to the necessities of man. '' The church, 
 therefore, diversifies and variegates her service with 
 friendly exhortations, humbling confessions, comforting 
 absolutions, fervent pmyers, hymns and psalms of cheer- 
 ful praise, and with die \\Titings of the prophets and 
 apostles ; to a participation of the benefits of all which, 
 her children are admitted by the initiatory sacrament of 
 baptism ; as afterwards they are promoted to die stature 
 of perfect men in Christ Jesus, by the repeated com- 
 munications of his Holy Spirit in the blessed eucharist.'' 
 In this view of it, our liturgy is as a well furnished 
 garden ; in which are shades of the deepest verdure, and 
 flowers of the liveliest hue, waters flowing from perennial 
 fountains to fertilize and delight, and seats, at which, at 
 proper intervals, \ve may rest and be refreshed. 
 
 But I hasten to observe, that amidst all this variet}', 
 there is a perfect order. The different materials are not 
 thrown together without design. Every part is placed 
 according to principles of fitness. Each has a relation to 
 and deixndiuice upon others. And the pleasing efft'ct of 
 the whole, is the result of that happy union of order widi 
 variety, whicli is the source of the beautiful, in all the 
 works of luiturc and of art. It would be instructive and 
 pleas;int, to contemplate the beauty of the lUTangement in 
 ever) jxut of the common prayer, and administration of 
 tlie holy sacraments. But to do it completely in a dis- 
 
25 
 
 (iourse is impossible. I must content myself with point- 
 ing out to you some of the most prominent features of 
 the felicity of this arrangement, in the services, which we 
 most frequently use. Attentive observation in your 
 retired hours, will discover equal beauty and utility in the 
 disposition of the parts of all the several offices; and 
 many excellencies in the order of the daili/ service, which 
 the lapse of time will compel me to leave unnoticed. 
 
 Interesting is the scene, when a congregation are as- 
 sembled, as a people whom the Most High hath redeem- 
 ed, to worship him in his holy temple. How solemn the 
 moment, when they are about to present themselves 
 before the Almighty! To collect their thoughts and 
 excite in them a due solemnity, the service opens with 
 some passages of scripture peculiarly impressive. To 
 these follows an address, in which the minister, while he 
 sets before them the great purposes of their assembling 
 together, lams chiefly to excite in them humility, and 
 confidence in "Almighty God, their heavenly Father," 
 and invites them to accompany him with thpir hearts and 
 voices to " the tlii'one of the heavenly grace." After this 
 decent preparation, they are ready to bow before his foot- 
 stool. With Avhat sliall they begin ? Angels, ye, first 
 and last, utter only adorations. Spirits of the just made 
 perfect, ye break fordi, at every approacli to your Creator, 
 in acts of praise. But sinful men, should they not first 
 propitiate their Maker, before they offer him any oblation? 
 Accordingly the first act of our devotion is the confession 
 of our sins ; a confession, so ^comprehensive, that under 
 some one or other of its general clauses every fault, with 
 which a man can charge himself, may be included ; and 
 so very aflfecting, that his heart must be dead to all 
 religious emotions, who is not humbled by it before his 
 
 D 
 
26 
 
 ' God. To the pious penitent, who has made this confes- 
 sion, how joyous would it be, could he hear immediately 
 from the throne of the Almi,qht}% '' thy sins be forgiven 
 tluv!" This he cannot hear, ^111 Jesus shall personally 
 present him to the Father. But, behold, for their comfort 
 and encouragement, while they continue in the flesh, God 
 " hath given power and commandment to his ministers, 
 to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, 
 the absolution and remission of their sins." This declara- 
 tion, therefore, the priest, rising from before the throne, 
 makes to the people, directly after their confession. And 
 of the comfort of it, ever}' christian who is conscious that 
 he '^ truly repents, and unfeignedly believes the gospel," 
 should with faith avail himself, to the quieting of his 
 conscience, and perfecting of his gratitude and joy. 
 Being now reconciled to God, according to the promises 
 declared to our race in Christ Jesus, \\e, as children 
 adopted anew into his family, extend our aflfections, and 
 lift our grateful eyes to him as "our Father;" and 
 address to him that summary of our homage and desires, 
 in which he, who purchased our forgiveness, hath taught 
 us to pray. Our spirits being relieved from the burthen 
 of their fears, and revivcxl by the tenor of this pra} er 
 which his Son hath authorised to address to our Maker, 
 \ve rise upon our feet, and with hearts glowing with 
 devotion, in a most ancient doxolog)', an animated 
 hymn, and a portion of the sacred psalms, ascribe e\er- 
 lasting glory to him, in language of inspiration celebrating 
 his praise. This first jxirt of the service how beautiful 
 it is ! How pro}KT the order — how natural and signifi- 
 cant the transitions — how happy our minds, when we sit 
 clown — how well prepared to listen to the instructions of 
 God's holy word ! A lesson is read from the Old Testa- 
 
27 
 
 ment. At the close of it, Ave rise, and cherish the flame 
 of our devotion by celebrating, in suitable hymns, his 
 character and works and grace. There is then read a 
 lesson from the New Testament, and by this arrangement 
 the law and the gospel, the prophets and the apostles, are 
 brought, at a suitable ^ time, to adorn and bless our 
 service ; and the important truth is inculcated, that 
 throughout the Bible tliere is but one scheme carried on, 
 issuing in the redemption of the world tlirough Jesus, the 
 son of God. To the lesson from the New Testament, 
 there follow appropriate hymns, in which we express our 
 adorations and joy. And then having heard the scrip- 
 tures, we, in the presence of each other, of the world, and 
 of God, \^ith great propriety rehearse a summary of the 
 truths, which have been received from revelation ; by our 
 amen declaring our assent to them, and our resolution to 
 maintain them. Knowing in whom we may believe, and 
 what are our interests, and for how great mercies we are 
 indebted to the Most High, we, after a reciprocation of 
 holy wishes between the priest and people, (venerable for 
 the antiquity of its use, and for its christian courteous- 
 ness), prostrate ourselves again before the Almighty, and 
 in a series of prayers, engage in acts of supplication ; in 
 which spiritual blessings are magnified above temporal 
 ones ; the church is regarded more than the world ; the 
 less is sought after the greater ; and sometimes, as in the 
 litany, whch was originally a separate service, but now is 
 incorporated into the morning prayer, there is a regular 
 transition from invocation of mercy to deprecation of evil, 
 and from deprecation of evil to supplication of favours ; 
 in all which the concerns of the soul are remembered 
 before those of the body — the concerns of the church 
 before those of the world — the concerns of the world, and 
 
28 
 
 ihc powers wliuin God hath ordained to rule it, before 
 those of indi\ ichials ; and yet there is not a thing, need- 
 ful for the bcxly, A\liich is forgotten, nor an individual, 
 who niuN not find a petition adapted to his own case* 
 As we draw towards the close of this service, \ve arc- 
 called tipon to exalt oiur gratitude to tlie highest point 
 uf fervour; and to fxpand our cliarity to the utmost 
 extent. In a prayer ibr all sorts and conditions of men, 
 >\e, as we A\()itld ask an alms for the dumb beggar, sup- 
 j)licate appropriate mercies for all our race. And in a 
 general thanksgiving, which bums with the holiest and 
 most ardent spirit of praise, we honour God for all his 
 mercies to us, and to all men. An excellent summary, 
 from the pen of the pious Chrysostom, of all for which 
 the christian can be solicitous, follows : and the bene- 
 dictory prayer, which the spirit of inspiration hath hallow- 
 ed, closes the daily service. 
 
 I must forbear to enter at present upon the office of the 
 commiuiion. This is jx^rhaps the most finished piece of 
 devotion, which exists in the world. In a hasty manner 
 to speak of its excellence would not satisfy my admiration 
 of it. Happily its beauties are so striking, and imjjres- 
 sive, that they who use it, need not to have them describ- 
 ed. No good christian can join in the celebration of this 
 office, widiout discovering in it as high perfection of the 
 beauty of holiness, as he can expect to behold upon earth,. 
 It is objected to the arrangement of our liturg}', that 
 die many variations, and freciuent risings and sittings, 
 diminish its solemnity. Hut to those who have studied 
 the principles by w hich it is framed, these changes ha\ e a 
 lively significance ; and w hile they i\re calculated to keep 
 attention awake, give to the service a becoming character 
 of activitv. 
 
29 
 
 It has also been objected, that the apostrophes and 
 short ejaculations, which abound in our liturgy, produce 
 confusion, and are useless. But, they are of precious 
 value, as relics of primitive devotiwi ; are many of them 
 important, as connecting ligaments in the system, or 
 powerful expressions in themselves of true piety. " In 
 these connexions," says an admirer of the liturgy, " the 
 wisdom of the church hath imitated the skill of natui-e. 
 For as in framing the body of man, nature has not only 
 formed the limbs in proportion, and placed them in order, 
 but has also fastened them with joints, which seem made 
 no less for beauty than necessity ; so in composing the 
 body of our common prayer, the church liath not only 
 framed the se^'eral offices of a due length, and ranged 
 them in a just method, but has likewise united them with 
 versicles, as it were with joints ; which, though less re^ 
 garded, are yet the no less beautiful than necessary parts 
 of our liturgy ; so that v/e shall find as great comeliness 
 and art in these connexions, as tliere are in the composi- 
 tions themselves." 
 
 After this manner are Avisdom and propriety displayed 
 throughout the service, in the arrangement of its parts. 
 The choice gold, w^hich with so much care was collected 
 for the foundation of it, is not thrown together in a pro- 
 miscuous heap. It is '* wroughf — and wrought with 
 such skill, as to produce in the system all the cliarms am! 
 advantages, which are found in what is significant, 
 orderly, and beautiful. And the effect proposed in insti- 
 tuting the service, is by the arrangement niost sureh' 
 accomplished. The churcli is enabled to piescnt hei*seH' 
 before her Lord, in a clothing suitable to her character 
 and condition ; and her Lord, \\\\q.\\ he beholds her iii. 
 
^ 
 
 30 
 
 this good and {^loiious attire, *' hatii pleasure in her 
 beauty." 
 
 The hist ])roj)erty of our liturgy, wliich we shall 
 consider, is that it is hoi}-. Without this quality no 
 offering can be acceptable unto God. Into his ancient 
 tabernacle and temple, nothing, that had the least im- 
 purity, was allowed to enter. To his altar no sacrifice, 
 that liad any blemish, was permitted to be brought. 
 Upon the forehead of the priests, and upon the holy vest- 
 ments, and upon all the utensils of the sacred place, was 
 Inscribed holiness unto the Lord. And, it is its most 
 important commendation, that the service provided for us 
 to offer in his sanctuary, is pre-eminently holy. 
 
 Shall I sjKak to }ou of its language ? Much of it is 
 the huiguage of inspiration. All of it is grand and 
 reverent. So pure and chaste is it, so free from im- 
 becility and corruption, that perhaps there is no better 
 standiird of the excellencies of our tongue. If there be 
 here and Uierc an ancient phrase, or expression, this does 
 not diminish, but rather adds to its solemnity. Who 
 would exchange any part of the rich, majestic, and 
 durable clothing of wrought gold, for the fripixTies of 
 modern decoration ; the tinsel and gaud}' affectations with 
 which some would refine it? 
 
 Shall I speak to you of its doctrines and sentiments? 
 They are purely scriptural. The pattern of them was 
 brought by Jesus from heaven. Nothing is there among 
 them, which has not aflinity Avith the sacred truths, which 
 God halh taui^hi us to revere. They aix? holy, as the 
 gold of the censers, upon \\ hich the ministering spirits in 
 heaven offer the prayers of the saints. 
 
 Shall I sjx^ak to you of its forms and ceremonies? 
 ^riicre is nolliing in them to debase the worshipper oi 
 
31. 
 
 offend his God. No tarnish of pious fraud rusts upon 
 them. No stain of human vanity defiles them. They 
 are simple, pure, significant ; wholly calculated to give an 
 expression of sanctity to the manner, that it may corres- 
 pond with the spirit of the holy service. 
 
 Shall I speak to you of the object to whom it is ad- 
 dressed ? He is the one only living and true God, in the 
 '4t Trinity of persons, as he has graciously revealed himself to 
 mankind in the oracles of truth ; the Being, before whom 
 the company of heaven rest not day nor night, saying, 
 holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, 
 and is to come. 
 
 Shall I speak to you of its tendency ? It is to inspire 
 us with an abhorrence of impurity — to sanctify our 
 thoughts, and elevate our aifections — to beget in us holi- 
 ness of heart and life. He, who duly uses it, will be 
 made more pious and virtuous by it. As Moses, by long 
 contemplation of the divine nature in the mount, caught a 
 gleam of its lustre, with v/hich his countenance beamed, 
 so he, who shall long and constantly use this service, may 
 at length, in the temper of his soul, and conduct of his Hfe, 
 be changed into its glory. 
 
 In short, when I speak of the holiness of our service, 
 shall I err, if I say, that no sacrifice, more perfect in this 
 respect, hath been prepared to be offered to God, in this 
 world, since the fall of man, except the sacrifice of his 
 adorable Son ? Let us bring to the use of it, dispositions 
 and affections, correspondent to its character; and we shall 
 not fail to " worship the Lord with an holy worship." 
 
 I have now finished what I proposed to do, in treating 
 upon the liturgy of our church. In reviewing what has 
 been said, you cannot, my brethren, but perceive, that we 
 ought to consider ourselves, as highly distinguished by 
 
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