eei 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT.3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 E.I 
 
 U£ 1^ 1 2.2 
 
 1^ lis IIIIIM 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 
 1.25 
 
 U. 1.6 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 V] 
 
 ^/7 
 
 <* 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 / 
 
 ^ 
 
 i^ 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sdences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 33 WEST MAIN STRECY 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. 14580 
 
 (716) 873-4503 
 
 
 
CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibiiographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checiced below. 
 
 D 
 
 □ 
 
 n 
 
 n 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 I I Covers damaged/ 
 
 D 
 
 Couverture endommag^e 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaurie et/ou pelliculde 
 
 Cover title missing/ 
 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 Coloured maps/ 
 
 Cartes g6ographiques en couleur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bieue ou noire) 
 
 I I Coloured pletes and/or illustrations/ 
 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Reli6 avec d'autres documents 
 
 . Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 I — < along interior margin/ 
 
 La rei.i rvi serrie peut causer de i'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge intirieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes 
 lors dune restauratior: apparaissent da:is le texte, 
 mais, lorsque cela dtait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas M filmdes. 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires supplimentaires: 
 
 L'Institut a microiilmi le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la methods normale de filmage 
 sont indiqu68 ci-dessous. 
 
 I I Coloured pages/ 
 
 D 
 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommagies 
 
 Pages restored and/oi 
 
 Pages restaur^es et/ou peliicui^es 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or foxei 
 Pages d6color6es, tachet6es ou piqu6es 
 
 Pages detached/ 
 Pages d6tach6es 
 
 Showthrough/ 
 Transparence 
 
 Quality of prir 
 
 Quality indgale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary materit 
 Comprend du materiel suppl4mentaire 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 I I Pages damaged/ 
 
 I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 
 r~^ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 
 I I Pages detached/ 
 
 r~n Showthrough/ 
 
 I I Quality of print varies/ 
 
 I I Includes supplementary material/ 
 
 r I Only edition available/ 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible ima-je/ 
 Les pages totaiement ou partieilement 
 obscurcies par un feuiilet d'errata, une peiure, 
 etc., ont M filmies A nouveau de fapon d 
 obtenir la meiileure image possible. 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est filmi au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 
 
 10X 14X 18X 22X 
 
 I I I I I I I |y| I I I I I 
 
 26X 
 
 30X 
 
 12X 
 
 16X 
 
 20X 
 
 24X 
 
 28X 
 
 32X 
 
:ail8 
 
 du 
 
 >d!fier 
 
 une 
 
 nage 
 
 The copy filmed here has bean reproduced thanks 
 to the generosity of: 
 
 Harold Campbell Vaughan Memorial Library 
 
 Acadia University 
 
 The images appearing here are the best quality 
 possible considering the condition and legibility 
 of the original copy and in keeping with the 
 filming contract specifications. 
 
 Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies are filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, and ending on the last page with a printed 
 or illustrated impression. 
 
 The last recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol — '^ (meaning "CON- 
 TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), 
 whichever applies. 
 
 Maps, . as, charts, etc., may be filmed et 
 different reduction ratios. Those too large to be 
 entirely included i.i one exposure are filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many frames as 
 required. The followiitg diagrams illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grflce d la 
 g6n6rosit6 de: 
 
 Harold Campbell Vaughan Memorial Library 
 
 Acadia University 
 
 Les images suivantes ont 6t6 roproduites avec le 
 plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et 
 de la nettetd de l'exemplaire film6, et en 
 conformity avec les conditions du contrat de 
 filmage. 
 
 Les axemplaires originaux dont la couverture en 
 papier est imprimde sont film6s en commengant 
 par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la 
 dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'ilSustration, soit par le second 
 plat, selon le cas. Tous les autras exemplaires 
 originaux sont filmds en commenpant par la 
 premidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par 
 la dernidre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur la 
 dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le 
 cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUIVRE ", le 
 symbols V signifie "FIN". 
 
 Le& cartes, planchns, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre 
 filmds it des taux de reduction differents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand puur Atre 
 reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film6 d partir 
 de I'angle supdriejr gauche, de gauche d droite, 
 et de haut en bas, en prenant le rombre 
 d'images nd-wSsaire. Les diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent la m^thode. 
 
 rata 
 
 elure. 
 
 3 
 
 t2X 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
ADVANTAGES 
 
 H »^ 
 
 op 
 
 A LITIIKai 
 
 IN COMPAKISON WITH 
 
 E X T E iAl P E ]^: P K A Y E M S 
 
 IN THE 
 
 PUELIC SEliYlCES i)Y THE CllUliCir 
 
 By rev. T. L. HANSON, B.zl., 
 
 TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN; SOMETIME OF THE L'.NIVERjITY OF Lu:fDO.\ ; AND 
 INCUMBENT OF WOODBRIDGE AND VAUOUAV. 
 
 A 
 
 •Hid. 
 
 TORONTO : 
 
 ITKNRY R0W8ELL. 
 
 I.S70. 
 

 ^^ 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 I beg most respectfully to dedicate these i,ages to our beloved 
 Lord Bishop of Toronto, to my Brethren of the Clergy in this 
 Diocese, and, in fine, to all who " love our Lord Jesus Christ in 
 sincerity." 
 
 I have endeavoured to - speak the truth in love," and nothin<v 
 but my most solemn conviction of the truth of what I have 
 written could induce me to seem to run counter to the feelin-s 
 and prejudices of those whom 1 so highly esteem- 1 nu>an n?y 
 Brethren of the various religious denominations. But, our 
 blessed Saviour prayed for the unity of His Churc!., " that tlie,j 
 all may he one ; as Thou, Father, art in me, and I hi Thee 
 that they aUo may he one in ns ; that the icorld may helieve that 
 Ihou hast sent .>^,e."— (St. John, xvii., 21). And feeling, as I 
 do, that the Episcopal is the form most Scriptural and Apol'tolic 
 and the best fitted for propagating the religion of Christ in this 
 world, no one can blan>e me for expressing my convictions, and 
 .shewing the many advantages of our truly Evangelical Com- 
 inumon-cvcn that Church whidi is "built upon the foundation 
 ot the Apostles and Bruphets, Jesus Christ himself bein- the 
 head corner-stone." ° 
 
 T. L. HANSON. 
 
 The Paksonage, 
 Pine (.Trove, June, 1870, 
 
 515 3:^ I 
 
ADVANTAGES 
 
 OF A 
 
 LITURGY, &c., 
 
 " Let all things bo done decently and in order." — 1 Cor. xiv. 40. 
 " Prove all things: hold hist that which is good."— -1 Thess. v. 21. 
 
 God lias made man with a body as well as a soul. His 
 liody, therefore, which is God's, he is bound to exercise in 
 the service and worship ( f God, .as well as the spiritual 
 part of his being. 
 
 But this can only be done by external forms. 
 
 Religion must ex])ress itself in acts. The life of the 
 soul — its feelings — its passions — must be manifested by 
 certain acts and deeds, as the life of the body is manifested 
 ill a similar manner. 
 
 Religion consists in certain acts which express ideas. 
 The soul speaks tln'ough the senses. 
 
 Man has three faculties — 1. Understanding. 2. Imagi- 
 nation. ,S. Sentimeiit. 
 
Corrospondiiig to tliosc -.wa — 1. Words. '2. linages. 3. 
 
 Acts. 
 
 Now to forbid these — to forbid tlie soul tlie lannuao-e of 
 signs and symbols, is to do violence to nature; and, in 
 fact, to destroy thoyghf and feeling. To destroy tJionght 
 inasmuch as it is conceived, developed, and ])reserved by 
 signs. To destroy feeling, because it cannot live, nor 
 perpetuate, nor even commnnicate itself, without its off- 
 spring, gesture. 
 
 Religion being the link between God and nuin, demands 
 expression. We have thoughts, hopes, fears, desires, 
 which must, somehow, have a mode of utterance. In 
 what manner ? In the riglit mode of using observances 
 or ceremonies, /. e., in a Form or Ritual. And do we not 
 find this in ordinary life ? Has it not its Ritual too ? Are 
 there not certain laws and rules in society which every 
 man must observe, if he would be a member of that 
 society ? And are there not certain rites and ceremonies of 
 Religion, to which all must conform, if they would have 
 the true expression of the worshij) of the soul, and unite 
 with one heai't and voice to serve their Maker ? 
 
 f 
 
 It is plain, then, there must he Ritual. God Himself 
 commanded it most minutely and ])articularly in the Old 
 Testament; but, even if this were wot ^o, Nature herself 
 would teach us that it is necessary — a certain form or 
 
f 
 
 iiKxlo of religious worsliip l^eing found among all nations, 
 even the most uncivilized. 
 
 But, more than tl)is : Reason, the '• iani)) of (Jod" within 
 us, teaclies that this body of ours, whieh ])elongs to God, 
 should bow before Him in acts of prayer and r«'H<don. 
 
 Calvin, with reference to this, says, "In that deeoium 
 here prescribe. 1, there is bending of the knee in worship of 
 Almighty God." 
 
 A greater than Calvin, even St. Paul, says, " Let all 
 things be done decently and in oi-der." 
 
 Now, as a proof that outward signs and acts in ordinar^^ 
 life are expressions of inward feeling — if the outward bo 
 absent, or withheld from us, do we not ({uestion the exist- 
 ence or truth of the inwaixl feeling (/.r., supposing there 
 is no insu])ernble barrier to their manifestation ?) 
 
 For exam])le, if a person ])i'ofessed great friendship for 
 ns, and yet treated us with marked neglect, T ask would 
 w^e believe in his sincerity ? And so, if any one either 
 withholds from ({od altogether, or lightly esteems the 
 devotion of the outward man, do we not regard him as 
 deceived, and as a self-deceiver and a h)'j)ocrite ? 
 
 So much is this law, of having a certain outward form 
 in our daily actions in life, the law of our very existence, 
 that the most ultra body of religionists, i.e., the Society 
 
8 
 
 ()<" [''flciifl-;, (»i' (^hiiikcrs, unconsciously testify to its n(HM's- 
 sity and (orcc hy tlicii' convcntion-il dress, 1»y (licir 
 (listin(ttiv(( niod(( (»!' spccttli, and l»y their mainier <•!' 
 I'eckonin"' tlie <1ma's of tlu^ wtM'k and Uic niontlis ol" Die 
 yo;\y. In .'ill tliese ways, find otliers, too, tliey ]>l)iinly 
 pi'uvo tl»attlu3y re((,Uij hare, (t/onn of ih< / r o/'-ii, ^iinl llmf 
 tJiCjl (i(li>l)l a, CCi'htiih (li.'^/'dic/irt', r'lliial oj " '■■■ (iiiil liKdnirr, 
 ivliifc rcjccli iKj odlfdi'd Joi'iiiH allo(jether. 
 
 Now in every otiier Ixxly oi' Clii'i.-tiaiis tlio nde of out- 
 ward i'oini is acknowledged, ami the Chui'ch of l<]nglan<l 
 lias so iinirornil'v^ recoci'iiized ami acted unou it that the 
 word '• Ritual" lias come to Ije used in a narrower an<l 
 secondary s(!nso as the mode of worshi[) prescribe*! hy the 
 Church — the law of worship fixed by authority, and given 
 to her mendjers in the Book of Common Prayer. 
 
 And that there is an absolute necessity for "llitual " of 
 some sort in worshi]), is furtlier evidenced by the manifest 
 <le(iciencies, not to say al)snrdities, C)i' free or extem])ore 
 prayer, used l>y thf)so who will not be guided by the rules 
 of autliority, and claim freedom of jirivate judgment in 
 such matters. Hut, ])ractically, they who abjure forms of 
 prayer, hare a form <>/ Ihc'ir ov;/. How so ^ They i'all 
 into a stcrcotjiiwd mode of ])Ljsenting their pt'titions to 
 the Most High, ;^o that the prater, though it may not be 
 word for w^ord the same every Sunday, is yet substantially 
 the same— whetlier the subject of petition be the Congre- 
 
9 
 
 gatioii, the Sick, tlio Quglti, tfio Parliament, kc, kc. This 
 cannot fail to have struck every one of thouf^ht an<l obser- 
 vation. 
 
 We see, then, that even tlioso bodies of Chi-istians 
 cannot get free from the necessity of a foi'iii, wh(» most 
 cry out against it. And here the question narrows itself 
 to a point: f ' I speak as to wise men, judge ye Avliat I 
 '^^y-") V ^^^^'"^ ^'^ i(> ^^f (f^form, why not have a good one 
 at once ? What is worth doinfTj at all is worth doiu'^ well 
 And since the service of God is the noblest and hirdiest 
 exercise in wh* ;]i man can engage, the Church has pi'ovided 
 with especial care for the right and due observance of all 
 acts of worship, that " all things may be done de(!ently 
 and in order," and not only so, but with the most scrupu- 
 lous attention to dignity and decorum. 
 
 Now, I ask, is not this far better than the substitution 
 in fact of self, and the rule of a man's owv taste, comfort, 
 and edification, for the honour and glory of God and the 
 real good and d,evotion of the worshi})pers ? 
 
 The great and grand idea is this : The Church of God — 
 the Holy Catholic or " Universal " ("'hiirch — merges the 
 individual in the office, so that the Minister or Clei'gyman 
 is hut part of a vast systeui. In piiljlic worship, it is not 
 his act — his prayer — his reading and exposition — no, nor 
 his fancies, his whims and interpretations of Scripture, 
 
10 
 
 but ho must follow and witness to the rules and customs 
 of the Church Catholic — doing as others have done for 
 eighteen luindred years before him. 
 
 What a s[)icndid guarantee this is in tlie Episcopal or 
 English (.'];urcli for correctness of form and purity of 
 doctrine ! 
 
 I conu! now to consider the -uses of a Liturgy or Form 
 of Prayer, and these may be viewed as three-fold : — 
 
 1. For secuvlnii the Saltahlc Worshl2) of Almir/ht)/ God. 
 
 So long as we are here on earth we must worship God 
 with respect to our present state, and therefore, of neces- 
 sity, have some definite and particular time in which to 
 perform that worship. 
 
 To His peculiar i)eople, the Jews, God Himself appointed 
 their set times of public devotion, commanding them to 
 otier u}) two laiid)S daily, one in the morning, and the 
 other at even: (Exodus xxix. o9). And so our Chuivh 
 takes care, at nny rate, to provide in the Prayer Book 
 for morning and evening ])rayer, every dny all the year 
 throngh, following the copy or pattern given by God to 
 His Church in fornier a^'es. 
 
 2. But again, another use of a Liturgy, Form of Prayer, 
 or Bitual, is, /or cxcitliuj reveroice ui Mcoi. 
 
 f 
 
 

 11 
 
 Let us not Ije afraid to iiso tlio last Avnrd, as there Js a 
 wide difieroiice between "liitiutr nnd " liifinillsm" 
 
 Ritual is the fair and honest exposition and observance 
 of the Rubrics of the Prayer Book ; Ritualism is the 
 addin<^r of forms, rites, ceremonies, either not in the Prayer 
 Book, or not coiitem})lated Ity it. 
 
 But we should ^'ujird ao-ainst the mistake of slio-htinf»- 
 and undervaluing Ritual whilst we exibit a just opposition 
 to Ritualism. Oh, let none of us swerve in our alleo-iance 
 to our Scriptural and Apostolic C'hurch, because of some 
 slight blemishes and ini})eifections. 
 
 It is an old and popular saying, " England, with all thy 
 faults, I love thee still :" and so, - My C1nn-eh, with all 
 thi/ faults, I love thee still." 
 
 Rally round and defend the Church so long as she Is a 
 witness foi- God, His truth. His Word, and His Sacraments ! 
 
 Oh ! grand and glorious institution ! Coming down 
 from the past — hoary with age — ever sublime ! Thy 
 Chants rolling like waves of harmony through the mao-- 
 nificent Cathedrals of my Fatherland ; thy Creeds the 
 bulwark of doctrine; thy Articles the exponents of ettn-nal 
 truth; thy Liturgy all coni])rehensive in its petitions, 
 a<lapted to every want and woe of man ; thy C^ollects the 
 most beautiful, concise, and exi)ressivc — every line a ])ra3'er, 
 
12 
 
 find almost every word a thought; — what, I ask, even from 
 the c(mfession of our opponents themselves, can be more 
 adapted to edification, instruction, and devotion. 
 
 Eitual, then, or a Form of Prayer, or a Liturgy, is not 
 only beneficial in that by or through it we give to God 
 the outivard worship and service of our body, but, more- 
 over, it confers a positive benefit on ourselves, inasmuch 
 as it fosters and increases (which experience plainly shews) 
 i liter iial reverence and devotion of the heart and mind. 
 
 We are all dependent upon outivard things for our 
 hiivard imi)rcssions ; in fact, man Is nearly altogether 
 (jovcrned hy the external 'world. 
 
 It is in this way that "Ritual" is so powerful. It 
 witnesses to doctrine — it preaches more effectively than 
 the most eloquent of sermons. Why ? Because that by 
 it truths are brought before us in a sensible and obvious 
 shape, and the character of the truth is expressed— now 
 joyous, now sad ; now encouraging, now terrible —following 
 the nature of the various subjects to be enforced. Thus, 
 ceremonial is to truth what words are to thought — its 
 truest and best expression; thus ceremonial gives form, 
 and body, and shape, to tliat which might linger for ever 
 in the mind, struggling in vain for utterance. 
 
 V' 
 
 3. 
 
 ;. Further, unity is promoted amongst Christians by 
 tJie use of a Liturgy, or " Ritual." 
 
•tj 
 
 13 
 
 In Acts iv. 24, we are told "that they all " (/.r-., tlie 
 believers) "lifted up their voice with one accord, and said, 
 ' Lord, tho art God,' " kc. They could not have thus 
 " all joined with one accord " unless either the vmrds were 
 Jamillcir to thern, or they were under the influence of 
 direct inspiration. ' If the former supposition be correct, 
 then we have an example o<' nform of 'prayer. 
 
 If the hxtter be preferred, then we see that when a con- 
 gregation worshipped under the immediate direction of 
 the Holy Spirit, the prayer was one in which they joined 
 audibly, and was not entrusted to one single individual 
 to whom the rest were to listen in silence. It is obvious 
 that such united prayer can only be obtained, in these 
 times, by the use of a pre-composed form. 
 
 I now pass on briefly to notice the invportance of a 
 Liturgy, or " Ritual." Most impressively, then, it teaches 
 the presence of God in Ills sanctimry, and assists to 
 realize that presence. When the whole congregation 
 makes obeisance at the name of Jesus Christ in the Creed 
 (Ep. Phil. ii. 10), by this act they testify tlieir inward 
 humility, profound reverence. Christian resolution, and due 
 acknowledirnient that the Lord Jesus Christ is the true 
 eternal Son of God, and the (mly Saviour of the world. 
 
 And does not Scripture tell us that whosoever honours 
 the Son honours likewise the Father who sent Him ( and 
 
14 
 
 may we not say the Holy Ghost, too ? — thus shewing our 
 belief in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, inasmuch as we 
 lionour and worship the Father and the Holy Spirit in the 
 person of tlie Son ? 
 
 Til ere cannot be too much stress laid on a correct and 
 solemn Ritual, for the services of the Church, when duly 
 celebrated, win the heart. 
 
 Keligion must put on an outward form to interest man, 
 and be appreciated by him. Our service in the sanctuary 
 of God should be cheerful and attractive, as well as devout. 
 
 Ah ! as we wend our way along the streets of a great 
 city on cold, dark evenings, and we see the public-houses 
 and gin-i)!i.la(^es Hooded with warm, bright light, and 
 sounds of merry music fall on the ear, and then when we 
 think of the ])ooi' man's home, the poverty, the squalor, 
 the hunger and the cold, can we wonder Avhere that j)oor 
 man is to be found ? 
 
 But why not make God's House attractive, too ? Why 
 should we not make men feel welcome and hap])y guests 
 in their Father's house — His earthly temple here below ? 
 One thing is certain : If in any Church there is a crowded 
 attendance, the throngs which fill the place have been 
 drawn thither eithtn* by the beauty of the Church or the 
 eloquence of the ])reacher. If by the latter, then surely 
 
15 
 
 no one will pretend to say that the elegance of the Iniild- 
 iiig is any hindrance, that it will deter any persons from 
 coming, impair the efficiency of the Clergyman's ministry, 
 or interfere with the reception of the truth. 
 
 We need, then, not only to have public places of worship, 
 specially set apart for the service of God, but a fit and 
 becoming Ritual likewise. For when ceremonies disappear, 
 religion disappears. 
 
 When men grow careless about the form, the great 
 probability is that they will lose the life and poiver of 
 Christianity. 
 
 Having gone thus far in our consideration of the benefits 
 of a Liturgy or Ritual, we shall now, we trust, be able to 
 shew you its advantages in a still more striking light, by 
 setting forth by way of contrast the disadvantages and 
 unsuitableness of extempore prayer in the public services 
 of the Church. 
 
 1. Extempore prayer has been well called an " oblique 
 sermon," for the Minister shews that the leading idea in 
 his mind is to convey to the people the sentiments, the 
 exhortations, the reproofs which he wishes to impress upon 
 them — the very nature of the service excluding the idea 
 of really united prayer. 
 
IG 
 
 Accordingly, wo find that the members of those congre- 
 o-ations in which extempore prayer is used, criticize the 
 prayer, either favourably or unfavourably (according to 
 their humour), in much the same style as they do the 
 sermon— Yegiirdmg such prayer merely as the intellectual 
 performance of their Minister, not as a work in which 
 they themselves are to bear a part. Hence we often hear 
 such expressions as these—" Oh, what a beautiful prayer ! 
 Oh, what an eloquent prayer, how well composed!"— 
 words, I contend, utterly unsuited to describe true prayer, 
 and which too plainly prove an awful ignorance of its very 
 nature and design. For what, I ask, is prayer ? It is not 
 mere fluency of speech, for that belongs to the intellect, 
 and may be acquired by study and practice ; it is not the 
 stringing together a number of petitions with a certain 
 degree of volubility, for a man through habit may learn 
 to do this almost unconsciously ; it is not line speaking- 
 it does not consist in magnificent, grand, and strained 
 expressions, distilled with a kind of laborious and painful 
 chemistry, and presented to the Almighty as the incense 
 of our adoration. No, no 1 Prayer is not any, or all, of 
 these. It is the worshij) o.^ th(5 soul— it is the prostration 
 of the whole being in penitence, sorrow, and tears— it is 
 the humble ccmfession of sin-it is the earnest V)eseeching 
 for mercy— in fine, it is the " spirit of grace and supplica- 
 tions" which God has promised to His peo[)le, and to i)our 
 out abundantly on them in answer to their fervent longings 
 and desires. 
 
^m 
 
 17 
 
 2. Ai,^iiu: ■Extempore ]>rayov labours under the serious 
 (lei'ect (.!' peiiiiittiii.L,^ the edification of the congregation to 
 (lc])ena on tlie aliility of the minister. Let us just ask 
 the question— On t of tlie hirgc uuniher of ministers Avho 
 pray extempore iji puhlic every Sunday, what ])r;>portion 
 is really fitted to edify the people ? ( Vnisider how uiauy 
 are ireal- (did inicoufh in prayer, incapable of framing 
 any suitable or becouiing supplication to the Most High. 
 How many indulge in odd or Irrevevent expressions— or 
 else make their prayers a vehicle for (h3nunciati(m oi' their 
 enemies, and invocation of Cod as a patron and abettor ot 
 the most contrary and inconsistent schemes and projects. 
 ALis 1 such things have been and are, to the disgrace of the 
 Church and the dishonour of God. 
 
 And here I Vv^ould n<jt be understood as making any 
 exception in favour of the best and most talented minis- 
 ters of the various denominations, for, when hearing them 
 preach and then pray, wo cannot help feeling what a 
 difference there is between the tv/o performances. After 
 listening to a glowing, eloquent, powerful sermon, instinct 
 with genius, all on fire, sparkling with the scintillations of 
 thought, and radiant with beauty, kindling our souls 
 within us, and bracing to liigh and holy ])urposes; — Oh, 
 how sa<l to have all these feelings dea<lencd, almost 
 (juenched within us, l)y tlie succeeding didl, heavy prayer, 
 which, as it were, throws a funeral pall over the scene, 
 and is painfully out of harmony with the preceding, it 
 
18 
 
 may V)e, brilliant exhibition 1 Who is there that has 
 listened to the pictorial and spirit-stirring eloquence of a 
 Chalmers— the burning eloquence of an Edward Irving— 
 or the entrancing, soul-subduing eloquence of a Guthrie— 
 but must have Avished that such splendid efforts of oratory 
 might have been prefaced and concluded by one of those 
 becautiful prayers or collects which are the very soul of 
 devotion, the very gems of thought and the very marvels 
 of expression. No congregation whatever should be 
 dependent on the extempore prayers of their minister, 
 which are apt to vary (I might almost say infinitely) with 
 the ever-changing phases of our fickle and inconstant 
 minds. 
 
 Besides, there are so many disturbing causes at work- 
 so many Inndrances arising from nervousness, low spirits, 
 or ill-health— that no man can promise to himself in what 
 mood he shall come before the Almighty to frame the 
 supplications which may be suited to the wants, sorrows, 
 and desires, perhaps, of a large congregation. 
 
 This is truly an awful and responsible position, and 
 which, if duly* pondered on, is fitted to appal even the 
 stoutelt heart, especially when we reflect what a deeply 
 solemn and weighty matter it is to lay before the Eternal 
 God the cares, necessities, and sins of "the great assembly" 
 of saints and unbelievers. 
 
19 
 
 ,i) 
 
 In c'onuboiatioH of tliis, I would quote a passage from 
 the life of that eminent minister, the late Rev. Dr. McAll, 
 of Manchester, England. Describing his method of devo- 
 tion in the j)ublic services of his i)lace of worshi}), a friend 
 and admirer thus writes :— " At times he was borne away 
 by the fervour of his feelings, and the elevating topics 
 which he introduced ; and there were moments when he 
 almost resembled a seraph bowing in meek but rapturous 
 adoration before the throne." Again, another admirer 
 uses this language :— " His manner, always reverential, 
 was sometimes rapt as if the spirit had found admittance 
 before the throne, and were bending amid the celestial 
 worshippers." " He was not always alike — who is ? — and 
 in a morbidly sensitive temperament such as his, the vari- 
 ations in the frame of his mind, bearing analogy to those 
 in the physical condition ol" his body, would not fail 
 to be frecpient and marked. According to the temporary 
 peculiarities of that frame, the j^roportions varied in the 
 different departments of liis addresses to the Divine Throne, 
 and, throughout the whole, the difference was strikingly 
 perceptible on different occasions, in the suri)assing copious- 
 ness, ease, and felicity of thought and exjn-ession in (me 
 compared with another, //^/.s prayer.^ varied according to 
 his state of health; so that a reyular hearer could tell 
 soon after the commencement v^hefher the mind and Iwdy 
 were in tune, or deramjed, or uncomfortahle—a clrcura- 
 stance indicated, too, l>y the smooth forehead and placid 
 
20 
 
 huh In the ini'^* c((M', and th(t kuiUcd brow and rrslless 
 l/huK'r hi iJic, oflirry 
 
 I have <;iven this passao-e entire, Lccaiise it is one of tlie 
 most ,strikin.;-an<l i(>reil.l(^ thitt coul.l he selected to illus- 
 trat(aliesul)ir(^L; and I would add, wlu. will not tliank 
 (^od— what niend)eror our lOpiscopal i'hun\i will not he 
 devoutly --raterul th;it " th(! line^ liave fallen to liini in 
 pleasant places," an<l that there is in our connnunion a 
 'pvolcrlUuh io /he ^p'r/ihud llherh) of (he p^ojdc, inasnnieh 
 ill tlie minister is not h-ft to his ever-eh,< ii'j'nuj uanuU, like 
 tlic proverhiahy hcklc ocean, hut is kept in his proj^er 
 ])lace, aol as the (d>mlide vnler,U\t onhj a:< (he insira- 
 meahd leader of the devotions of the con-r.-ation. 
 
 :3. But we must, iinally, hring forward another most 
 serious ohjection to the use of extempore pray(3r in the 
 public services of the Cluirch, vdiicli is tliis : tliat a gifted 
 minister— one capable beyond many others of making 
 Avhat is called "an elorpient prayer"— is in gr.at danger 
 of striving to say fine things, to seek h.r beautitul images, 
 to cull choice expressions— in. fine, to strain h.is utmost 
 etforts after that whicli is elaborate, strange, and ninv, in 
 his prayer, in order to gratify the tastes of the hyper- 
 critical in his audience, who arc drinking in every sentence 
 MS it falls from his lips, and giving to each ibrm of thought, 
 each ilash of imagination, or each specimen of highly- 
 
21 
 
 coloiu-ed fancy, tlint pmiso or disprniso wliiuli their uLim 
 or caprico mny dictJito at i\n\ inoiiu'iit. 
 
 It is Lad onoun-1, if in a srymou, a pr.-a.-1u'r, instead ..f 
 tliinlciri,<^li<»w ho may beneHt his hearers, thinks how h.' 
 luay atti-act tlieir admiration ; hnt snrely it is worse it- 
 he, in ofierin- prayer, he led away iVoui lliinkin:.- of Clod 
 to'thinkin- of his hearers; if he he tempted, instead of 
 praying, to exhibit a gift of pnn/n- ; and ii; while pro- 
 fessing to Immble himself before God, his nnnd he occupied 
 in selltifjfot' eloqmrU terms In vMch to make imyfesslon 
 of his hitmUitif. 
 
 Such an evil is alwiost inevitable when extempore prayer 
 is used in the public services of the Ohmch, and I have no 
 doubt that many of our l>rethren of other «k'nominations, 
 keenly, at times, feel the evil, aye, and would acknowledge 
 it too, if they were not under the trammels of a system. 
 
 It is not long since tlie Edinburgh eoi-respond(mt of the 
 " Watchman and Refiectorr in a letter describing some of 
 the celebrities <.f the Scottish metropolis, says ol" one of 
 ^l^ei.i .„" His (the preachers) exceeding volubility and 
 eommand of language give him a great advantage ni 
 prayer; and he jmurs out his petitions so smoothly and 
 with such hapi>y diction, that one with his eyes closed 
 would suppose him to be reading. Of coarse he is not an 
 
 u 
 
 rgent i^Uadev a 
 
 t the throne of grace ; he Is rattier vagne 
 
9i> 
 
 and rjenrraJ, and no one numlJ accum h'nn of ojf'rrhig the 
 onost eloquent prajer ever addressed to an Edlnhnrcjli 
 audience ! / / " 
 
 Alas ! wliat a i)ity that oceasion should have hocu <^ivTii 
 fur such a (;i'iticisni as this ! What a pity that after such 
 iiiaiiiicst abuses as these, nieu will nut u[)eii their eyes to 
 the unspeakable advautaLjes of a Liturgy ! 
 
 Such dani^^ers to true devotion — such extravacrances — 
 cannot arise wlien nforni of prater is used. 
 
 Nowhere in ^cvlptare, noiuhere in Ecdeslastlcal historf/, 
 do we find that in the ptuhllc services of the Church the 
 minister is to he everythlnij and the [H'ople nothing : that 
 he is to prau, to read, to exhort, to preaeJt, and they to sit 
 still and listen, and take no part ivhatever hi the sei*vice 
 (except, perltaps, the singing), and thus, hg degrees, fall 
 into the habit of suppositag that in the solemn and heart- 
 stirring devotions of the sanctuary they are to be merely 
 'passive recipients — ivell pleased enough if the doctriite 
 tvhieh their minister sets forth passes muster for that Sun- 
 day, and excites no unjpleasaid feelings or misgivings 
 loith regard to its orthodoxy. 
 
 In conclusion, we say that Calvin left his disciples a 
 Liturgy ; Luther composed for his followers a Liturgy ; 
 Knox prepared a Liturgy for the Scottish Presbyterians ; 
 
 f^ 
 
I 
 
 23 
 
 Baxter compiled a Liturgy ior the Ncuirontor.nists. Twine 
 in the Scottish Kirk did the Prcsby terians adopt a Liturgy. 
 At this moment a^^he German Protestant Reformed Chris- 
 tians alike use a Liturgy ; and to the dlsam of a Llluiy>f 
 may be attributed in great measure flw .Soclnianlsm whU-h 
 has Infected the Genevan Church for the loM two hundred 
 years, and 'which has spriini/ up in every Presbyterian 
 unlitwrglcal Church in the luorld. 
 
 PRINTED BY HENRT 
 
 R0W8ELL. 74 AND 76, KING STREET EAST, TORONTO. 
 
mn 
 
 16 . ,.,v :, 
 
 March lat, by Rev. William McCann, on " The Bible." 
 
 April 6th, by Rev. Father Carberry, on " The Jesuits in ', 
 America." 
 
 June 7th, by E. J. Hearn, Esq., on " A Visit to the Lakes 
 of Killarney." 
 
 August 21st, by Rev. Francis Ryan, P.P. of St. Michael's * 
 Cathedral, on " Books, and How to Read Them." 
 
 October 4th, by Rev. Father Dollard, on " The Church in 
 Ireland." 
 
 December 6th, by Rev. Father L. P. Minehan, on " The 
 Infallibility of the Pope. ' 
 
 This branch has been instrumental in placing many of 
 the publications of the Parent Society in the bookstores of 
 this city. I have been informed alao that the Rev. Father 
 William McCann has under special instruction several per- 
 sons who are desirous of joining the Church, as a result of 
 the work of this Society. 
 
 I would like very much if the convener of each com- 
 mittee would throughout this year keep a more correct 
 account of the number of publications distributed and 
 other work done, and that the same be inserted in the 
 minutes of each meeting of the Society, so that at the end of 
 the year proper reports of the Society's work can be issued. 
 I need not ask the members of all committees to do their duty 
 well, as I am sure they will do so zealously. As I cannot 
 devote the time to the Society that I should, and that I desire 
 to, I respectfully ask you once more to give me the best assist- 
 ance in your power, and to attend the meetings regularly. If 
 you do this the St. Mary's branch of the Catholic Truth 
 Society at the end of 1898 will show a record that will be the 
 envy of all other branches of the Society. I think it abso- 
 lutely necessary, in order to make the work more effectual, 
 that some form of amalgamation should take place 
 between the branches in the city, and I would suggest that a 
 committee be appointed from this branch to confer with the 
 committees of the other branches to this end. I think the 
 scheme that Ottawa has adopted of having a central council 
 is the more workable, with the exception that the central 
 council should, in my opinion, be composed of only delegates 
 from the branches, say one delegate for every branch having 
 fifty members, or under that number, and one delegate for 
 every fifty members or major fraction of fifty above that 
 number. 
 
 ■ ■ -*i 
 
 « . >.■ 
 
 -. 
 
 
 :^'