CIHM Microfiche Series (IMonographs) ICMH Collection de microfiches (monographies) Canadian InatHuta tar Hittorieal Mteraraproductiana / Inatitut eanatfton da i iMatoflquat ©1995 Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes technique et bibliographiques The Institute has anempted 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 checked below. IZl D D D n Coloured covers / CouvertutB de couleur I I Covers damaged / — ' Couverture endommagSe r I Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurte et/ou pellicula I I Cover title missing /Le litre de couverture manque I I Cokxired maps/ Cartes g^ographiques en couleur Q Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (l.e. autre que bleue ou noire) r7 Coloured plates and/or illustratk>ns/ Planches et/ou iilustratwns en couleur I I Bound with other material / Reli* avec d'autres documents Only editkm available / Seule Mitkm disponible Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin / La reliure serrie peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorskin le long de la marge intirleure. Blank leaves added during restoratkxis may 8f]pear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been ovJIted from flming / II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutaes lore d'une restauration apparelBsen! dans le lexls, mais, k>rsque cela «tait posaUe, oes pages n'ont pas M fUmtes. Addttnnal comments / Commentaires suppKmentaires: Thii imn is filnHd ■< Dm rtduction ratio dMdnd tatlow/ C* doCMMfii nt film* ni uux dt rMuction indi«i« ci-dtnous. L'lnstitut a microfilm* le meilleur examplaire qu'il lui a 6X6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem- plaire qui sont peut-fitre uniques du point de vue bibli- ographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modifications dans la m6th- ode nomale de filmage sont indkfu^s ci-dessous. I I Cokxjred pages/ Pages de couleur I I Pages damaged/ Pages endommagies r~| Pages restored an*or laminated/ Pages restaurtes et/ou pellkxiiaes Q- Pages discoloured, stained or foxed / Pages dicotor^es, tachet«es ou pk^u^es I I Pages detached/ Pages d«ach«es r^ Showthrough / Transparence I I Quality of print varies/ — ' Quality inigalederimpression I I Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du matariel suppMmentaire I I Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been relilmed to ensure the best possible image / Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont M nimaes a nouveau de fa9on a obtenir la meilleure image possible. I I Opposing pages with varying colouration or discolourations are filmed twice to ensure the best possible image / Les pagas s'opposant ayant des colorations variables ou des dteol- oretk>ns sont filmaes deux fois afin d'obtenir la meilleur image possible. lOX —^^ 14X 1«X 22X MX MX y " ~" n 12X 1«X 2DX 2«X 21 X 32 X Th* copy filmad har* hat baan raproduead thanki to !ha ganarotity of: National Library of Canada L'axamplaira nimt fut raproduit grlca t la gtntrotiU da: Blbllotheque nationals du Canada Tha imaga* appaaring hara ara tha bast quality peuibia conaidsring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in iiaaping with tha filming contract spacificationa. Original eopias iit printad papar covsrs ara fllmad baginning with tha front covar and anding en tha laat paga with a printad or illuatratad impras- lion, or tha bacli covar whan appropriata. All othar original eopiaa ara filmad baginning on tlia first paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa- sion, and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illuatratad imprassion. Tha last raeordad frama on aach mieroflcha shall contain tha symbol — "^ (moaning "CON- TINUED"!, or tha symbol V (moaning "END"), whiehavar appliaa. Las imagas suivantas ont M raproduitas avac la plus grand soin. compta tanu da la condition at da la nattat* da l'axamplaira film*, at an conformit* avae laa conditions du contrat da filmaga. Laa axamplairaa originaux dont la couvartura an papiar ast Imprimta sont filmts an eommanf ant par la pramisr plat at an tarminant soit par la darnitra paga qui eomporta una amprainta d'Imprassion ou d'illustration. soit par la lacond plat, salon la caa. Tous las autraa axamplairas originaux sont filmis an comman9ant par la pramiara paga qui eomporta una amprainta d'impraasion ou d'illustration at »n tarminant par la darnitra paga qui eomporta una talia amprainta. Un das symbolos suivants apparaltra sur la darniira imaga da chaqua mieroflcha, salon la eas: la symbola '^ signifia "A SUIVRE", la symbols ▼ signifia "FIN". Mapa, plataa. charts, ate, may ba filmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to bo antiraly included in ona axposurs ara filmad beginning in the upper left hand comer, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illuslrsta the method: Lea cartea, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent itre filmes i des teux de reduction differants. Lorsqua le document est trap grand pour itra raproduit an un seul cliche, ii est film* i partir da Tangle suptrieur gauche, de gauche i droita. at de haut en bes. en prenant la nombre d'Imagea niceaaairs. Laa diagrammas suivants lllustrant le methode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ««<»oeofy >i$ouiTioN tut cnait (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) A /1PPLIED IIVMGE Inc ^^ 165^ Enl Mam Slraal S'.S niMihrstar. Ne» York U609 USA "-as (716) 482 - OJOO - Phone ^S (716) 28e-5989-Fai> PRESBYTERIAN WORSHIP Presbyterian Worship ITS SPIRIT METHOD AND HISTORV ROBERT JOHNSTON, D.D, TORONTO : THE PWBLISHERS' SYNDICATE, UMms. 1901. J4y INTRODUCTION. Thr worship of the sanctuary is a living subject of discussion and practice in the Presby- terian Churches of the world at lar^e, and within late years, in that of the Canadian' Domimoa Many earnest minds are approaching the study of the subject from various stand- pomts. each worthy of attentive consideration One regards it from the dogmatic position of smptural precedent, or from the larger one of Chnstian principle; the esthetic mind comes to It with visions of order and beauty; the pmc- tical. with his view of the Churtjh's needs in mission fields and in mixed congregations. There is room in the discussion for the laivest statement of lawful opinion, founded on convic- tion of absolute right, and on Christian expedi- ency, and for the exercise of abundant chari J. Dr. Johnston gives no uncertain sound on the subject To his mind the duty of the Chuwh, '" INTBODUCTION. firat and last, is to preserve spirituality of worship, and to discountenance everything that may tend to interfere with the same. But, while this spirit pervades his work, his method is historical, and thus preeminently fair and impartial in statement. The presentation of the argument in concrete or historical form invesU it with an interest which could hardly be com- manded by either dogmatic or practical methods, while it excludes neither. Dr. Johnston brings to his task ripe scholar- ship, including extensive knowledge of Church history and eoclesiology, his proficiency in which he has recently vindicated in such a manner as to leave no room for doubt. To this he adds the teaching of pastoral experience in mission fields, prior to his ordination, afad, since then, in large and influential congregations ; and, to crown the whole, heartfelt devotion to the Church of his fathers, and unswerving personal loyalty to its King and Head. With adoring thanks to the great Teacher of us all, who rewards professors in their declining years with the affectionate regard of their whilom best students, now become wise and INTHODUCnON. VH strong men in the Church's service, I cordially commend to all who may read these words, this outcome of Dr. Johnston's Christian erudition and conscientious literary labor. PBUBrriBiAN CoLuai, MoNTBUL, March, 1901. To ONE WHO LOVID THE HOUSE OF GOD ON EABTB, AND WORSHIPS NOW IN THE Cut whkhein is no Temple— MY MOTHER. CONTENTS. ChAFTIR I. pAOK. Th( Law and the Libcrty or Prksbytkria!) Worship 3 Chapter II. The Aob of Knox : the Formative Period OF Presbtteriam Worship , ,19 Ohapteii III. Knox's Book of Common Order ... 31 Chapter IV. A Diet of Public Worship in the Time of Knox 66 Chapter V. The Period of Controversy ... 66 Chapter VI. The Westminster Assembly and the Direc- tory OF Worship 89 Chapter VII. Legislation Concerning Pcblic Worship in the Period subsequent to the Revolution 103 Chapter VIII. Presbyterian Worship Outside of the Estab- lished Church of Scotland . .119 Chapter IX. Modern Movements in Presbyterian Churches respecting public wohsbip . .135 Chapter X. OONOLCSION 15X "Inward truth of heart alone, la what the Lord requlreo. Hxerol«e» superadded are to be approved, so far as they are subservient to Truth, use- ful Incitements, or marks of profes- sion to attest our faith to men. Nor do we reject things tending to the preservation of Order and Discipline. But when consciences are put under fetters, and bound by religious obUga- tions. in aiatters in which Gtod wiUed them to be tree, then muat we boldly protest in order that the worship of God be not vitiated by human Ac- tions,"— CALVIN. PREFATORY NOTE. The (.urpoM in the following pages U • simple one. It is to discover the trend of thought in connection with Public Worship within the Presbyt f« „ iu ge„e«l prineiple. or features we conoemed, there i. . wide di.- cretion allowed u« by God in mattew of detail which no man or set of men, which neither oiv.- magistrates nor ecclesiastical ruler, can take from us."— Hodob. Chapter I. The Law and the Liberty of Presbyterian Worship. "The Word of God, which ii oontainad in the Soriptui-es of the Old and New Te«tement«, ia the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him."— Wmtmijisiib Catechwh The Church of Christ, m a divine communion, exists in the worid for a definite and »i-)ointed purpose. This purpose may be declared to be twofold, and may be described by the terms " Witness " and " Worship." It is the evident design of God that the visible Church should bear witness to His existence and character, to His revelation and providence, and to His grace towards mankind, manifested in His Son, Jesus Christ To Israel God said, " Ye are my witnesses," and to His disciples forming the nucleus of the New Testament Church, the risen Saviour said. " Ye shall be witnesses unto Me." 1 4 THE LAW AND THE UBERTT Side by side with this evident end of the Church's existence is the other one of Worship. Not only from the individual heart does God require ascriptions of praise and expressions of confidence, but from the organized congregation of His people, He desires to hear the voice of adoration, contrition, and supplication. The cul- tivation of such worship, and the offering of it in a manner acceptable to God, is a work worthy of the Church's most earnest care. It is to be expected, therefore, that in the Word of God there shall be found the principles of a cultus which, possessing Divine authority, shall carry with it the assurance of its suffi- ciency for the ends aimed at, and of ita suit- ability to the requirements of the Church in every age. That the word of God contains such principles clearly indicated, the Presbyterian Church has always maintained, teaching uni- formly and emphatically that Holy Scripture contains all that is necessary for the guidance of the Church, as well in matters of Polity and Worship, as in those of Doctrine. Divine wor- ship, therefore, neither in its constant elements nor in its methods, is a matter of mere human device, nor is the Church at liberty to devise or OF PBX8BTTEBUN WOBSHIP. 6 to adopt anght that b not expliciOy stated or implicitly contained in the Word of God for her guidance. The essential parts of worship we are at no loss to discover, clearly indicated as they are in the history of the Apostolic Church. Praise and Prayer, with the reading and exposition of Scripture, together with the celebration of the Sacraments, are repeatedly referred to as those exercises in which the early Christians engaged. With such worship, though in more elaborate form, the Church had always been familiar for as Christianity itself was in so many respects' the fruit and outcome of Judaism, the expansion into principles of world-wide and perpetual' application, of truths that had hitherto been national and local, so its worship and oi^aniza- tion were, in large measure, the adaptation of familiar forms to those simpler and more com- prehensive ones of the New Testament Church. Throughout the successive periods of Israel's history, marked by patriareh, psalmist, and prophet, Divine worship had grown from simple sacrifice at a family altar to an elaborate temple- ritual, in which praise and prayer and the read- ing of the Law occupied a prominent place ; to 6 THI LAW AND THE LIBBRTT this were added in later times the exposition of the Law and the reading of the Prophets. This service, elaborate with magnificent and imposing forms, continued in connection with the Temple worship down to the time of our Saviour, while in the Synagogud a simpler service, combining all the essential parts of the former with the exception of sacrifice, was developed during the period subsequent to the Babylonian captivity, when, as is generally conceded, the Synagogue with its service had its origin. Apart then from the ritual connected with sacrifice, which was wholly typical, the temple service and the simpler worship of the Synagogue were identical in their diflerent parts, although differing widely in form. Now, just as Christianity was itself not a substitute for the Jewish religion but a develop- ment and enlargement of it, so Christian worship was an outgrowth, with larger meaning and broader application, of the worship of Qod which for centuries had been conducted among the Jews. It continued to comprise the essential elements of prayer and praise, together with the reading and exposition of the Divine message, a message which was enlarged in Apostolic times by the record concerning the Christ who had OF PBESBTTEBIAN WOBSBIP. 7 come, and by the inspired writings of the Apostles of our Lord to the Church which they had been commissioned to plant and foster, while associated with these was the administration of the Sacramentt: jf Baptism and the Lord's Supper. It has always been maintained by the Presby- terian Church, that of these different elements of worship, none should be neglected, inasmuch as all of them have Divine sanction, and that to these nothing should be added, inasmuch as any addition made, could possess human sanction only, and would be a transgression of the prin- ciple that Scripture and Scripture alone contains authority for the government and practice of the Church of Jesus Christ. It follows that in the arrangement and adjust- ment of each of these various parts of worship, in their due relation to each other, and in the determination of the methods that shall prevail in their performance, the Church must be governed by an appreciation of the purpose for which they have been established, and of the ends which they are expected to serve. The object of public worship must ever be kept in view, and no forms, however attractive, are to be admitted by which that object may be hidden 8 THI LAW AND TH« LIBERTT or obLcnred : on the other hand, order and 8eeni- liness demand a due attention, and it is an error, only less mischievous than the former, to have regard to the spirit of worship alone, and thus to neglect whatever suitable forms and methods may best secure the orderly and appropriate performance of its every part. The most commonly recognized purpose of public worship is the cultivation of the spiritual life of the worshipper, and this is attained by the employment of means intended to bring the soul into an attitude of response to its Lord. It follows then that matters of form, attitude, and order in worship, should be so arranged and regulated that they may serve as aids to the securing of this end, and that nothing should be permitted which may in any way interfere with the development of this spirit of response on the part of those so engaged. And when it is remembered how small a matter may interfere with the worship of a congregation, and how easily disturbed and distracted the hearts of men are by untoward circumstances or conditions, it will be seen that not only the forms of worship demand attention, but th.-t the order of its different parts, the attitude of the worshippers, OF PRESBTTEBIAN WOBSBIP. and all matters of detail are worthy of careful thought and of earnest consideration. But Christian worship has an altruistic aim also, and is intended to serve as a witness before the world to those fundamental truths professed by the Christian Church. With this end in view, it is evident that its forms should be such as shall most clearly and effectively set forth before the eyes of beholders, those truths and principles which the Church holds as essential to Christian faith and practice. To obscure such a public declaration of Christian belief, by hiding these truths beneath an elaborate adornment that disguises or completely conceals them, is to be faithless to the commission of Jesus Christ to be a witness unto Him before the world ; to neglect such witness-bearing, or by carelessness or inat- tention to detail, to render it in a manner so inefifective as to disparage the truth in the eyes of beholders, is to be none the less unfaithful to that great commission. With the twofold purpose of worship clearly kept in view as the foundation for any discus- sion of this subjec' it is also to be remembered that the Church of Christ is left free by her Divine King and Head, so to order matters of 10 THB LAW AND THB LIBIBTT det«.l. under the guidance of the Spirit of Truth and .n harmony with the principles iaid down in Scripture, as may in accordance with varyin., ages and circumstances seem best for the attain- ment of the ends desired. While Christian worship m its essential parts is prescribed by Scnpture, the Church is free to amplify or develop these general outlines, provided only that all be in harmony with the spirit of Revela- tion. It IS very evident that new conditions of a progressive civilization, the spirit of the times or the particular circumstances of a community' may make desirable a modification of a parties - ar method of worship long poetised; it is for the Church, relying ever on the guidance of the Spint of Truth, to determine how such modifica- tion may, without violation to the spirit of Scnpture, be made. For this reason it can never be binding upon the Church to accept as final, the particular methods of worship used and found suitable by men of another age or another land; while such may be accepted as valuable for suggestions contained, and as indi- catmg the spirit that controlled good and great men of another time, yet the Church can only accept them (in loyalty to the Spirit Who OF PBISBTTERIAN W0B8HIP. 11 abides in her, and Who is hers in every age) in so far as they prove themselves suitable to present times and conditions. The present possession by the Church, of the Holy Spirit as a guide into all truth, according to the promise of Christ to His disciples, is a doctrine that no branch of the Church would readily surrender, and her right, under that guidance, to seek the good of the body of Christ on lines which, while consistent with the principles of Scripture, commend themselves to her as more suitable to present conditions than former meth- ods, this right is one which she can part with only at the risk of endangering her usefulness to her own age. To Presbyterians, therefore, thankful as they are for an historic past that has in it so much to arouse gratitude to God and loyalty to the Church they love, the citing of the practice of their forefathers in Reformation times, or even that of the early fathers of the Church, can never be a final argument for the acceptance of any particular method in worship. Believing in a Church in which the Spirit of God as truly governs and guides to-day as He did in Refor- mation or post-Apostolic times, and in a Chris- It THI LAW AMD jg^ UBKKTT ti«. Jibertjr of which neither the p^ctiee nor eg..at,onofh„i,.e„ofthepa.tLdep:: then, they ngWy refuse to .nrrender Lr '•berty or to retire from their «spo„«bility. In the best and truest sense the P«.byteri.n from the Apostless he cherishes with an unfal- t^nng confluence. While ejecting the ritual eor, , ehe Church, she has never been c.J of the true succession of faith and doctrine «.d pracfce from the time of the Apostles to th. present day, a succession to which she lays a not unworthy claim; and. claiming hyalty to Apostohc doctrine, polity and p«ctice, she ha« ever been jealous in asserting her Divine right. « - Al^stolic Church, to the cont J„g presence and guiding wisdom of the Holy Spiri! of God. Under the guidance of that Spirit she has ever claimed, and still claims, the right of administering the government and directing the worship which, in their essential principles, are «et forth ,n Scripture, neither supeitiiliously regarding herself in any age as independent of those who have gone before, and so disregarding the legislation and practice of the fathen,. nor on the other hand, slavishly accepting such OW PBE8BTTIRIAN W0B8HIP. 18 legislation and practice as binding apon the Church for all time, and as excluding for ever any progress or change. That spirit, at once of independence as regards man, and of dependence as regards God, has characterized Presbyterian- ism in its most vigorous and progressive periods; by that spirit must it still be characterized if, in succeeding ages, the work allotted to it is to be faithfully and well performed. If then the Church of one age is so independ- ent of those who in other times have served her, it may be asked of what interest is her past hiBtory to us of to-day, and of what benefit to us is a knowledge of the legislation and practice of the Church in other periods of her progress ? Of much value in every way is such knowledge. Those periods in particular, in which the Church has made notable progress, and in which her life has evidently been characterized by much of the Holy Spirit's presence and power, may well be sto-iied, as times when those In authority were, indeed, led to wise measures, and guided to those methods of administration and practice, whidh by their success approved themselves as enjoying the Divine favor ; the lamp of experi- ence is one which wise men will never treat 14 THI LAW Aim THI UBIBTT With indifference. In .tndying the Reformation period, therefore, • period marked by special Mtivity and progrew within the Pregbyterian Church, we do so, not so much to discover forms which we may adopt and imiUte, as to .liscover the spirit which moved the leaders in the Church of that day, and the principles which governed them in formulating those regulations, and in adopting those practices, which proved suitable and successful in their own age. To emulate the spirit of brave and wise men of the pa«t is the part of wisdom, to imitate their methods may be the extreme of folly. Another result, and one equally desirable, will be attained by a study of Presbyterian practice from Reformation times onward. It wiU trans- pire, as we follow the history of public worehip by what paths we have arrived at our present position, and we shall discover whether that position is the result of diligent and careful search after those methods most in accord with Scripture principles, and so best suited to the different periods through which in her progres., the Church has passed, or whether it is due to a temporary neglect of such principles, and a dis- regard of the changing necessities of different or PBmrriRUir wouship. IS •ges. We ahftll diicover, in a word, whether we have advanced, in dependence upon the Spirit of Qod **id in recognition of our responsibilitiei, or whether we have retrograded through self-trust and indifference. The Age of Knox: fhft Formative Period of Presbyterian Worship. "Among the great personages of the past it ■would be difficult to name one who in the same degree has vitalized and dominated the collective energies of his countrymen." — Bbown's Life of Knox. Chapter II. '^^j'ff^Knox: the Formative Period of Presbyterian Worship. reZr " '« ^'" '''' *''' *••« R«fon„ed th R?: °«r«'^-°^-d by the Estates of the Realm of Scotland, as the faith of the on byParhament of the first Scottish Confe" 8.on a fon„ ,, drawn up by Kno. and his brethren at Parliament's request, and formX ^pproved by that body as -. wholesome and trhVo^rwr"^""'^*''^^"^"'"'''^ oa word. This year may, therefore be regarded as the year of the birth of Te' Chu«h of Scotland, although previous to it the Reformed faith had been preached, and its wor! ship practised, in many parts of the land when. nob.es and barons, who had themselves adlpi: It, held individual or united sway J tZl "* *'^ ''"""°° °' '^'"■- - Scot- land in the years immediately prior to this event 20 THE FORHATITK PERIOD I will be instructive. In 1557, as a result of Knox's rebuke of the Scottish nobles for their hesitancy in forwarding the Reformed faith, the " Confederation of the Lords of the Congrega- tion " was formed, and its members subsciibed to the first of the five Covenants that played so important a part in the religious history of Scotland. In this Covenant, those subscribing bound themselves to " maintain and further the blessed Word of God and His congregation and to renounce the congregation of Satan with all the superstitions, abominations and idolatry thereof." To the general declaration were appended two particular resolutions, in which was expressed a determination to further the preaching of the Word, in the meantime, in private houses, and to insist on the use of King Edward's Prayer Book in parishes under the control of subscribers to the Covenant. By these same Protestant lords and commoners the first official order, authorizing for their own parishes a form of Reformed worship in Scot- land, was issued in these terms : — " It is ordained that the Common Prayers be read weekly on Sunday, and other festival days, publicly in the OF PHESBTTKBIAN WOBSHIP. 21 R??*'" K'^ks witb the lessons of the Old and New Testaments conform to Sye;!"*'" °' ''"' ^^ °f Common It is generally conceded, and the judgment is supported by the references to it in Scottish history, that this Book of Common Prayer thus authonzed was the second Book of King Edward the Sixth. ^ From the year 1557 until the arrival of Knox .n Scotland in 1559 this was the Book com- monly used in parishes where the Reformed religion prevailed. It disappeared, however, as so much el.e of a foreign character disappeared m the course of the national Reformation, giving place to the Book prepared by Knox and then commonly known as " The Book of Our Common Order but now frequently referred to as 'Knox's Liturgy." This was originally the work of Knox and four associate reformers living ,n exile in Frankfort-on-the-Main, and the history of its origin is interesting. It had been required of the English refugees living at Frank fort as a condition of their being allowed to use for worship the French church of that town that they should adopt the Order of Worship of the French Reformed Church. To this require it THE FOBHATIVB PERIOD meat the majority agreed, but, some objectiug, it was finally determined that five of their number, of whom Knox was one, should draw up a new order of service. This work, under- taken in 1554, was duly accomplished, but when completed it failed to find acceptance at the hands of those who had proposed it. The draft of the new book was therefore laid aside uniil 1556, and was then published for the use of the church at Geneva, of which Knox in the mean- time had become the minister. There is in connection with this Book, and the debates and disturbances attending its prepara- tion, one instructive fact that should not be forgotten. The English Prayer Book provided foi- responses by the people and included the Litany, to both of which the French Reformed Church objected, in accordance with the well- known opinions of their great leader Calvin, who held, as did also his disciple Knox, that in praise alone should the congregation audibly join in public worship. Among the English refugees were some who desired the privilege of responding in public worship according to the English fashion, and it was the persistence in this matter of Cox. afterwards Bishop of Ely, i or PRESBTTBBUN WORSHIP. JS and of some of his co-patriots, that led to Knox's removal to Geneva, and to the publication there of the Book of Geneva as an oider for public worship in the English congregation to which he ministered. It is important that this should be remembered, for in speaking of the Book of Common Order as "Knox's Liturgy." and thus giving to it a name by which it was never tcnown in Knox's day, an impression has pre- vailed, and is still prevalent, that the book provided a form of worship liturgical in char- acter, with a responsive service, while the fact is that Knox made no provision for even so much as the saying of "Amen" by the people, their part in prayer being the silent following in their hearts of the petitions uttered by the reader or the preacher for the day. The first official recognition of this book in Scotland was in 1562, when an order of the General Assembly required that it should be uniformly used in the administration of the Sacraments, solemnization of marriage and burial of the dead. At this time it was still in its Genevan form, and was called '• The Form of Prayers and Ministration of the Sacraments, etc., used in theEoglish congregation at Geneva; and u TBI rOBMATIYB PKRIOD approved by the famous and Qodly-Iearned man, M. John Calvin." Two years later, in 156t, a Scottish edition appeared, in which were ad- ditional prayers with the complete copy of the Psalter, and in this year the (General Assembly ordained that : " Every Minister, Ezhorter and Read- er shall have one of the Psalm Books lately printed in Eklinborough, and use the order contained therein in Prayers, Marriage and Ministration of the Sacra- ments." This book was called " The Form of Prayers and Ministration of the Sacraments, etc., used in the English Church at Geneva approved and received by the Church of Scotland, whereunto besides that was in the former books are also added sundry other Prayers with the whole Psalms of David in English Metre." As the Psalms occupied by far the greater part of the book it came to be commonly known as " The Psalm Book," and as such, with frequent ad- ditions, among which were several hymns and dozologies, it continued to be the recognized Book of Common Order of the Scottish Church down to the time of the Westminster A.ssembly. It cannot be claimed, however, that this book OP PRESBYTERIAN WORSPIP. 86 ever secured a firm or lasting hold upon the affections of the Scottish people in general. Its authority was ecclesiastical only, inasmuch as the Estates of the Realm never gave to it the official sanction which they had repeatedly granted to King Edward's Prayer Book. One reason for this evident want of popularity may have been that, except in its Psalter department and in some of its minor parts, it was a book for the clergy only and not for the people. Even the Psalms in those days passed through new editions so rapidly, and were subjected to such serious changes, that they never obtained the place in the affections of the people that later versions have secured, and by 1645 The Book of Common Order appears to have fallen into such comparative neglect that no strong resistance was made to its abolition in favor of the Direct- ory of Worship. That it was held in esteem by the clergy, although not so revered as to be looked upon as incapable of improvement, appears from the fact that in 1601 a proposal ./as made to revise it, together with the confession of faith, which had been prepared by Knox. This work was com- mitted to Alexander Henderson, the renowned t8 THE FORKATIVI PXBIUD minister of Leuchars and the valiant leader of the Church of Scotland in her resisUnce against the tyranny of Charles the First and his min- ister, Laud. The revision, however, was never accomplished, Henderson confessing, according to the historian, Baillie, that he could not teke upon him "either to determine some poinU contro- verted, or to set down other forms of prayer than we have in our Psalm Book, penned by our great and divine reformer. A book which held for so long a time ite place of authority in the Scottish Church, and which embodied during so important a period the law of the Church concerning worship, deserves particular study at the hands of those who are interested in the history of this important sub- ject, but inasmuch as the form of worship alone is under discussion, it will be necessary to refer only to those parte of it which bear on this phase of the Church's practice. Before doing so, however, it will be instructive to notice what is too frequently overlooked, that the adoption of Knox's Book of Common Order by the Scottish Church indicates even in that age a desire for forms of worship less liturgical than those which were employed by other parte of OF PBX8BTTXBIAN W0B8BIP. 27 the Reformed Church. It is to be remembered that those parishes in which the Reformed religion prevailed hod been accustomed to the use of the English Book of Common Prayer with responsive services for the people, and with prayers from which the minister was not supposed to deviate. This Book was set aside, and in its place was adopted an Order of wor- ship in no part of which provision was made for responses, and in all of whose prayers the minister was not only allowed freedom, but was encouraged to exercise the same. Such action on the part of men accustomed to make changes only after careful deliberation, clearly indicates an intelligent choice of a non-liturgical service as opposed to one of the opposite character. More than this, the Scottish Book of Common Order is marked hy an even greater freedom from prescribed forms than is Calvin's original Book of Geneva from which Knox copied so largely. For while both of them agreed in avoiding a respon- sive service, Knox seems to have been even less than Calvin in sympathy with prescribed forms of prayer from which no deviation was to be allowed. There is nothing to indicate that Knox wo.ild have agreed with the sentiment expressed •• TH« rOBUATITB PIBIOD. in Calvin'a letter to the Protector 8ome«et, in which he s«y8 : " A, to what concerns a form of pmyer and ecclesiastical rites, I highly approve of It. that Cere be a certain form from which the mmisters be not allowed to vary. . . . Therefore there ought to be a stated form of prayer and adminiHtration of the Sacraments." The form of Church prayera, as originally prepared by Calvin in keeping with his sentiments above eipres-sed do not provMa for any variation in certain ,«irts' of the service. The Scottish Book of Common Order, however, allows, in its every part, for the operation of the free Spirit of God, and for other prayers to be offered by the minister than those there suggested. At this period of its history, therefore, we And the Church of Scotland more pronounced than any other section of the Reformed Church in its desire for freedom from prescribed forms in the worship of God. Indeed, we are probably not in error in judging that in different cirtiumstances with an educated ministry in the Church and those appointed as leaders of worship who had received training for that important work, Knox would have felt even such a book as that which he prepared, to be both unnecessary and undesirable. Knox's Book of Common Order. "The Book of Common Order is best dewribed m a discretionaiy liturgy."_SPROTT. Chapter III. Knox's Book of Common Order. The Book of Common Order makes no reference to the reading of Scripture aa a jart of public -worship, nor does it, after the fashion of many similar books, conUin a table of Scrip- tures to be read during the year. This omission however, is amended by an ordinance found in the First Book of Discipline prepared by Knox in 1681, and adopted by the General Assembly of that year, by which it is declared to be: "A thing most expedient and neces- aary that every Kirk have a Bible in English, and that the people be com- manded to convene and hear the plain reading and interpretation of the Scrip- ture M the Kirk shall appoint" It was further enjoined by the same authority and at the same time that : "Each Book of the Bible should be begun and read through in order to the end, and that there should be no skip- ping and divigation from place to place of Scripture, be it in reading or be it in preaching." 3: KNOX's BOOK OF It is evident, therefore, that it was the purpose of Knox that the whole of Holy Scripture should be publidy read for edification, and that it should be read as God's message to men and not as an exercise subordinate to the preaching, or intended merely to throw light upon the subject of the discourse. In connection with the reading of Scripture and of the Prayers, mention is made, in this same Book of Discipline, of an Order of Church officers who filled an important place in the Church of that time. It was ordained that where "no ministers could be had presently" the Common Prayers and Scriptures should be read by the most suitable persons that could be selected. These suitable persons came to be known as "Readers," and they form a distinct class of ecclesiastical officers in the Reformation Church of Scotland. The need of such an Order was evident, for the Church found great diffi- culty in securing men of the requisite gifu and graces for the office of the ministry. The Readers therefore, formed an important and numerous order in the Church for many years, numbering at one time no less than seven hundred, while at the same time there was le» COMMON ORDER. 88 than half that number of ordained ministers. These men were not allowed to preach or to administer the sacraments, and they formed only a temporary order required by the exigencies of the times, as is evident from the fact that the General Assembly of 1581, in the hope that all parishes would soon be supplied with ordained ministers, forbade any further appointment of Readers. In the mind of Knox, these men were the successors to the lectors of the early Church, and corresponded in Scotland to the docteura of the Swiss Reformed Church, a Church whose organ- ization he regarded as but little less than perfect. Although they conducted a part of the service in parishes where ministers regularly preached, yet in the original idea of the office the intention was, that they should conduct public worship, in Va departments of prayer and praise and reading of the Scriptures, only in parishes where a minister could not be secured. It is nece-ssary to understand their office and their position in the Church, inasmuch as the existence of such an order has a bearing upon our appreciation of the form of public worship at this time adopted in Scotland. 84 KNOX'S BOOK or In the exercise of public prayer the greatest freedom was granted the minister by the Book of Common Order. Calvin had prescribed a form of confession, the uniform use of which he required, but the general confession with which the service of the Book of Common Order opened, was governed by this rubric : " When the congregation is assembled at the hour appointed, the Minister nseth this confession, or like in effect, exhorting the people diligently to examine themselves, following in their hearts the tenor of his words. Similar liberty was also allowed the minister in the prayer which followed the singing of the Psalms and preceded the sermon; the rubric governing this directed that : " This done, the people sing a Psalm all together in a plain tune; which ended, the Minister prayeth for the assistance of God's Holy Spirit as the same shall move his heart, and so pro- ceedeth to the sermon, using after the sermon this prayer following, or sueh like." And finally, as governing the whole order of worship, it is added : "It shall not be necessary for the Minister daily to repeat all these things befwe menticmed, but, beginning with COHMON ORDER. 85 some manner of confession, to proceed to the sermon, which ended he either ugeth the prayer for all estates bejfore mentioned or else prayeth as the Spirit of Ood shall move hts heart, framing the same according to the time and matter which he hath entreated of. And if there shall he at any time any present plague, famine, pestilence, war, or such like, which be evident tokens of Qod's wrath, as it is our part to acknowledge our sins to be the occasion thereof, bo are we appointed by the Scriptures to give ourselves to mourn- ing, fasting and prayer as the means to turn away God's heavy displeasure. Therefore it shall be convenient that the Minister at such time do not only admonish the people thereof, but also use some Form of Prayer, according as the present necessity requireth, to the which he may appoint, by a common consent, some several day after the sermon, weekly to be observed." The liberty allowed to the minister in this so important part of public worship is evident, and although many prayers are added as suitable for particular times and occasions, and some, which are described as of common use under certain circumstances and by particular churches, yet none of them are prescribed as the only prayers proper for any particular season or occasion. 3 sa KNOX'S BOOK OF Even in the administration of the Lord's Supper, the directions which accompany the prayer which precedes the distribution of the bread and wine allows a similar latitude to the Minister. " Then he taketh bread and giveth thanks, either in these words following or like in eff '' " The student of the life of the great Scottbh ^.eformer does not need to be told that the framer of the Book of Common Order was not himself bound by any particular form of prayer in public worship. On the occasion of his memorable sermon after the death of the Regent Moray, his prayer at its close was the passionate outburst of a burdened soul, impossible to one restricted by prescribed forms, while his prayer, which is still preserved, on the occasion of a national thanksgiving, is an illustration of the perhaps not excellent way in which, in this exercise, he was accustomed to combine devotion and practical politics ; a part of it ran thus : "And seeing that nothing is more odious in Thy presence, O Lord, than is ingratitude and violation of an oath and covenant made in Thy Name: and seeing that Thou hast made our ,1 <» OOMHON ORDER. gf confederates of England the instrnmente by whom we are now set at liberty, to whom we in Thy Name have promised mutual faith again; let us never fall to that unkindness, O Lord, that either we declare ourselves unthankful unto them, or profanei-s of Thy Holy Name." It is not surprising that one who allowed him- self such liberty in public prayer should lay no binding forms upon his brethren in the ministry. It remains only to be said, with regard to the restrictions of the Book of Common Order, that so far from providing any fixed form of prayer for uniform use, even the Lord's Prayer was not imposed in any part of public worship. It is added, together with the Creed, to the form of prayer called "A Prayer for the Whole Estate of Christ's Church," but this prayer is governed by the general rubric already quoted, which permits such variation as the minister, moved by the Spirit of Qod, shall deem deni! . j. There is nothing to show that it was expected that the Lord's Prayer should be used as an invariable part of public worship. With these facts before us, whatever our judgment may be of the wisdom of Knox and of the Church of his day in the matter of a regulated 38 KNOX's BOOK OF service, we cannot close our eyes to the evident conclusion that the Reformer was wholly opposed to the bondage of form in prayer. In this part of public worship he claimed for himself, and exercised under the guidance of the Spirit of God, the greatest freedom ; and consistent with this position he never sought to impose as a part of regular public worship, the repetition by the minister of even that form of prayer which of all others has for iw use Divine authority. To what- ever in worship the Book of Common Order may lend its countenance, it assuredly gives no sup- port to the imposition upon worshippers of pre- scribed forms of prayer. Side by side with that part of public worship already considered there has always been associ- ated the exercise of Praise. Although the Scottish Church conformed most closely to the Churches of France and Switzer- land, yet it was impossible that it should not, to some degree, be influenced by the spirit of the German Reformatioa This influence was especi- ally marked in that which was a special char- acteristic of the German Church, a love for sacred song and a delight in the same on the part of the people. COHMON OBDEB. 89 The Book of Common Order contained, as has been mentioned, in its early editions, tlie complete Psalter, and to this were added, subsequently, a few Scripture Hymns, together with the Dox- ology Gloria PatH in different metres, so'that it could be sung at the end of every Psalm. This Doxology appears in Hart's edition of the Book °lCommon Order of 1611, in six different metres, under the general head of " Conclusions," and was evidently used regularly at the close of the Psalms sung in public worship. It was not until the beginning of the seventeenth century that there began to arise criticisms of the custom of singing the Doxology, and it would, therefore, appear that during the formative period of the Scottish Church, which we are considering, it was regulariy used, and occasioned no objection and aroused no opposition. 11,e Hymns which, were printed with the Psalter "were"few in! number, and were chiefly free paraphiases of', sections of Scripture. They are " The Ten Com- i mandments." "The Lord's Prayer." " Veni Creator." "The Song of Simeon called Nunc Limittis." " The Twelve Articles of the Christian Faith." and "The Song of Blessed Marie called Magmficat." The purpose of the Hymns appears 40 KKOX'S BOOK or to have been the memorizing of Scripture and important doctrinal truths, and there is no evidence that they were employed in public worship, nlthough a place was not denied them in the Book of Common Order ; in the Order for Public Worohip mention is made of Psalms only, and in all the accounts, which have come down to us in correspondence or history, of the public services of that time, the people are invariably spoken of as joining in a Psalm, while even in the public processions, which were common on occasions of national rejoicing or thanksgiving. Psalms only are mentioned as being sung by the people. The singing was usually led by the Reader, but there is occasional mention in the records of the time of the " Uptaker " of the Psalms, who evidently performed the duties of a Precentor. The Sacraments. — In the Confession of Faith, which forms the first part oi the Book of Common Order, it is clearly stated that there are two Sacraments only in the Christian Church, and that these aio Baptism and The Lord's Supper. No subject in connection with the practice of the Church created more discussion in Reformation times than the methods which CiOiatON OROER. 41 J were to be followed in the administration of the Sacrament*. The spirit of the Scottish reformers is indicated in the following sentence, which governed this matter : " Neither must we in the administra- tion of these Sacraments follow man's fancy, but as Christ himself hath ordained so must they be ministered, and by such as by ordinary vocation are thereunto called. In accordance with this general regulation the Book of Common Order prescribes in detail "The Manner of the Administration of the Lord's Supper." The words of the opening rubric are as follows : " The day when the Lord's Supper is ministered, which is commonly used once a month, or so oft as the Congrega- tion shall think expedient, the Minister useth to say as follows : " Here follow the words of institution of the Supper from St. Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians, after which is added an exhortation in which flagrant sinners are warned not to draw near to the holy table, and timid saints are encouraged in wise and helpful words to approach with repentance and faith. This is the address which in later times came to be known as " Fencing 42 KNOZ'8 BOOK OF the Table." There are no words to indicate that any variation from the preecribed address wm enconraged. The address being 6nished " The Minister comes down from the Pulpit and sitteth at the Table, every man and woman in likewise taking their place as occasion best serveth : Then he taketh Bread and givetli thanks either in these words following or like in effect." This prayer is wholly one of praise and thanksgiving, there being an evident purpose in the omission of any invocation of the Holy Spirit and of words that might be regarded as a consecration of the bread and wine, and in the strict adherence to the example of our Lord, Who, " when He had given thanks, took bread." The manner of communing is then de- scribed : "This done, the Minister breaketh the bread and delivereth it to the peo- ple, to distribute and divide the same among ther -■elves, according to our Saviour Ch-.^t's commandment, and likewise giveth the cup : During the which time some place of the &rip- tures is read which doth lively set forth the death of Christ, to the intent that our eyes and senses may not only be OOMHON OBDKR. 48 oeeapied in these outward signs of bread and wine, which are called the visible word, bnt that our hearts and minds also may be fully fixed in the contemplation of the Lord's death, which IS by this Holy Sacrainent repre- sented. And after this action is done he giveth thanks, saying : " The prayer of thanksgiving which follows is the only one in connection with this service for which no alternntive was allowed the minister. An appropriate Psalm of thanksgiving followed the prayer, the Blessing was invoked and the congregation dispersed. The Communion, as is evident from the rubric quoted above, was received while the congrega- tion was seate(\ and this practice the Presby- terians adhered to and defended as against the Episcopal pracuce of kneeling at this service, regarding the latter attitude as liable to be inter- preted as a rendering to the Sacrament of hom- age and adoration which should be reserved for God alone. The service, it is evident, was marked by simplicity and by nn almost total absence of prescribed form. In a note " to the reader," the author of the Book of Common Order explains that the object throughout is to set forth simply 44 KNOx'a BOOK or and eflTootively thote sigiu which Ohriit hath ordained " to our spiritnal use and comfort." How often this Sacrament was to be observed was left to the judgment of individual congrega- tions, but frequent celebration was recommended. Calvin thought it proper that the Lord's Supper should be celebrated monthly, but finding the people opposed to such frequent celebration he considered it unwise to insist upon his own views. With his opinions on this matter, those of Knox were quite in harmony. The Sacrament of Baptism was likewise characterized in its administration by similar simplicity, and yet it is evident that, in this more than in any other part of public worship, the minister was restricted to the forms provided both in prayer and in address. The rubrics which govern the two prayers of the service and the address to the parents, make no mention of alternate or similar forms being permitted. In this the Book of Common Order differs from the Book of Geneva, which allowed the minister liberty in these parts of the service. There would seem, therefore, to be an evident intention on the part of the Scottish reformers in thus departing from their custom in OOHMOM ORDUL 45 other ptrta of wonhip. It may be th»t inaa- mach u BaptUm U the Sacrament of admimion into the Chnrch, it was deemed advisable that for the instruction of those seeking membership therein, either for themselves or for their chil- dren, the form of sound doctrine set forth at such a time should not be varied even in the manner of statement. The Sacrament was administered in the Church "on the day appointed to Common Prayer and preaching," instruction being given that the child should there be accompanied by the father and godfather; Knox himself had, aa godfather to one of his sons, Whittingham, who had been his chief assistant in compiling the Book of Common Order, and who bad also been his helper and fellow-worker at Geneva. The opinion of the Swiss reformers, as well as that of their Scotch followers, was in favor of the presence of sponsors in addition to the parents at the baptism of children. The parent having professed his desire to have his child baptized in the Christian faith, was addressed by the minister, and called upon to profess his own faith and bis purpose to instruct his child in the same. Having repeated the Creed, the minister pro- 46 KNOX'8 BOOKIoF ceeded to expound the same as seUing forth the sum of Christian doctrine, a prescribed prayer followed, the child was baptized, and the prayer of thanksgiving, also prescribed, closed the service. The Book of Common Order required that marriages should be celebrated in the Church and on the Lord's Day : " The parties assemble at the begin- ning of the sermon and the Minister at time convenient saith as foUoweth : " In the forms of exhortation and admonition to the contracting parties no liberty to vary the address is allowed the minister, but in the one prayer which formed a part of the service, viz., the blessing at the close of the ceremony it is ordered : "The Minister commendeth them to God in this or euch like aort." The service ended with the singing of an appropriate Psalm. In the service for burial of the dead it was ordered by the First Book of Discipline that neither singing, prayer, nor preaching should be engaged in, and this " on account of prevail- ing superstition." In this matter, however, permission was granted to congregations to use ■' COMMON ORDER. 47 their discretion ; Knox, we know, preaclied a sermon after the burial of the Regent Moray, and the directions in the Book of Common Order clearly leave much to be determined by the circumstances of the case : " The corpse is reverently brought to the grave accompanied with the Con- '' gregation without any further cere- monies : which being buried, the Minis- ter, if he be present and required, goeth to the Church, if it be not far off, and maketh some comfortable exhortation to the people toucliiiig death and resurrec- tion; then blesseth the people and so dismisseth them." This is but one of many instances that show that the early reformers accorded to the Church, in matters not absolutely essential to the preser- vation of sound doctrine and Scriptural practice, the greatest liberty. With regard to the admin- istration of the Sacraments and the public worship of God, they laid down well-defined regulations and outlines to which conformity was required ; in matters that might be looked upon as simply edifying and profitable, liberty was allowed to ministers and congregations to determine according to their discretion, as Knox himself declared with respect to exercises of worship atburials : 48 KNOX'S BOOK or ' " We are not so precise but that we are content that particular Kirka use them in that behalf, with the consent of the ministry of the same as they will answer to God and Assemby of the Universal Kirk gathered within the realm." We have thus presented in brief outline the contents of the Book of Common Order, com- monly ased in Scotland from 1562 to 1645, in so far as its regulations refer to public worship and the administration of the Sacraments. The book is itself so simple and clear in its statements that it is not difficult to discover the spirit of its compilers, and their understanding of what was required for the seemly and Scriptural obser- vance of the different parts of Divine worship. The results of our survey may be summed up in a few words. The Scottish Church gave a prominent place to prayer, to the reading of Holy Scripture, and to praise, in the public worship of God on the Lord's Day. Not in any sense do these exercises seem to have been regarded as subordinate in importance to the preaching of the Word; the congregations assembled for Divine worship, of which preaching was one important part. But even where there was no preaching, the people COMMON OBDGR. 49 nevertheless came together for Divine worship, in which they were led, in the absence of any minister, by persons duly appointed for that purpose. The service in public worship was not in any of its departments a responsive one. The only audible part shared by the people was in the praise ; they did not respond in prayer even to the extent of uttering an audible " Amen," nor did they join audibly in any general confession, in a declaration of faith as contained in the Apostles' Creed or in any other formulary, nor did they even repeat with the minister the Lord's Prayer when that model of prayer given by Christ to His disciples was used in public worship. Liberty under the guidance of the Holy Spirit marked the minister's use of the forms provided, and the privilege of extempore prayer was sacredly guarded, the example of Knox, as well as his precept, encouraging his brethren in the ministry to cultivate free and unrestricted prayer to God. In this matter the Church declared her belief in the Holy Ghost and in His presence with her, believing that those who were divinely called to the work of the ministry 50 KJfOX's BOOK OF were by the Spirit of God dujy equipped for the performance of the important duties of that office. Although forms of prayer were provided, these appear to have been intended mainly for the use of the Readers, who were not duly ordained to the ministeriaU <»ffioe,-»B* Mp th» guidance of ministers, but m no part of public WORSHIP APART FROM THE SAOKAME^TS WAS THE MINISTER CONFINED TO THK USE OF PBESCRIBRD FORMS. Even the Rciiders enjoyed a degree of liberty in this matter, a liberty which they exercised, as is evident from an Order of Assembly passed in the reign of James for- bidding Readers to offer extemporary prayers, but requiring them to use the forms prescribed. Lastly, in the administration of the Sact»- ments honor was put upon them by the care that was observed in their public, reverent and frequent observance. Simplicity marked all the service connected with these holy ordinances, while, at the same tim-), whatever might appear to unduly exalt them to an unscriptural position in the thoughts of men, was carefully avoided, as well in the prayers and exhortations used as in the manrer of administration. The Sacraments were regarded as helps to the spiritual life of COMMON ORDER. 61 God's elect, as "medicine for the spiritually sick," and were never represented as holy mysteries into which only certain of God's children should penetrate. If these conclusions are just, it is very evident that those who to-day advocate the introduction into Presbyterian worship of responses and pre- scribed forms can find no support for such a practice, however they might limit it, in Knox's Book of Common Order, or in the practice of our Scottish ancestors in this so virile and vigorous period of the Church's history. Just as little support, too, can those find who would impose upon the ministry of the Church the use of set forms from which no deviation is to be allowed either in the conduct of public worship or in the administration of the Sacraments. The most that can be argued from this ancient regulation of worship, which is much more accurately described as a Directory rather than as a Liturgy, is the desirability of a uniform order of service for the whole Church, of a due pro- portion of attention to each part of worship, and of the conformity by all ministers to a uniform method in the administration of the Sacraments. The Book of Common Order clearly indicates the 68 KNOX's BOOK or COMMON OBDIB. eonvietion of the Scottish reformen that all things in connection with the worship of God should be done " iu seemly form and according to order," and it quite as clearly indicates their purpose to acknowledge and rely upon the operation of the free Spirit of Ood, in the exercise of that worship and in the performance of the public ordinances in the sanctuary. A Diet of Public Worship in the Time of Knoz. "What I have been to my country, albeit this unthankful age will not know, yet the ages to come will be compelled to bear witness to the truth."— John Knox. Chapter IV. A Diet of Public Worship in the Time of Knoz. A Diet of Worship on a Sabbath day in Scotland in the days of Knox, or in the period immediately succeeding bis death, had for the people of that time a profound interest. It was a period of itorm and upheaval, and the Church, with its worship and teaching, was the centre around which, in large measure, the struggles of the age gathered; and although for us these struggles are simple history, and the subjects of debate are, many of them, forever laid aside, still it is of interest to learn how a service in connection with the public worship of the day proceeded in this formative period of Presby- terian practice, when order and method were less matters of indifference than they are now. Happily we are not left without abundant material for forming an accurate picture of a Sabbath-day service at that time, for in addition u A DIR or PCBLIO WOBSBIP to the explicit dirvctiona eontained in the Book of Commun Order, there haye come down to us deacriptions of public worship by partieipants therein. As early as seven o'clock a bell was rung to warn the people of the approach of the hour of worship, and this was followed an hour later by another bell, which summoned the congregation to the place of prayer. It was a congregation of all classes, for in Scotland the Reformed doetrine made its way among the great and the lowly alike. Writing in 1641, a refuUtion of the charge made in England against the Scotch that they " had no certain rule or direction for their public worship, but that every man, following his extemporary fancy, did preach or pr»y what seemed good in his own eyes," Alexander Henderson thus describes in his reply the eon* gregation in a Scotch Church : " When so many of all sorts, men and women, master* and servants, young and old, as shall meet together, are assembled, the public worship beginneth." In the early days of Fresbyterianism the rich and the poor met together, realising that the Lord was the Maker of them both. The congregation assembled in a Ghureh IK TBI Tim or KKOX. 57 building that wm plain in its interior, the plain- neM being emphaoized, and at times rendered unsightly, by reason of the removal of the statues and pictures which in pre-Reformation times had decorated the walls and pillars. The building was, however, as required by the Book of Discipline, r?ndered comfortable and suitable for purposes of worship. It was ordered, " lest that the Word of God and ministration of the Sacraments by unseemliness of the place come into contempt," there should be made "such preparation within as appertaineth as well to the majesty of the Word of God as unto the ease and commodity of the people." Such wise words indicate on the part of our Scottish ancestors an appreciation in their day of what is all too often even in these happier and more enlightened times, forgotten — the importance of having a Church building in keeping with the greatness of the cause to which it has been dedicated, and at the same time suitable and convenient for the purposes of public worship. The narrowness which would forbid beauty and artistic decora- tion and the pride which would sacrifice comfort and convenience for the sake of appearance, were both avoided. At one end of the building stood 58 A DIET or PUBLIC WOBSBIP • pulpit, beside it, or within it, • bwin or font for UM in the adinini«tr«tion of the Sftenunent of Baptiim, and in the part where formerly the altar had stood, tables were placed for use in the observance of the Lord's Supper; at the end of the Church opposite to the pulpit was placed a stool of repentance, an article frequently in use in an age when Church discipline was vigorously administered. Pews were as yet unknown; some churches had permanent desks or benches, to be occupied by men holding public positions, or by prominent members of influential guilds, the rest of the people stood throughout the service, or sat upon stools which they brought with them to the Church. The members of the congregation on entering the Church were expected to engage reverently in silent prayer, and at the hour appointed, the Reader from his desk called upon all present to join in the Public Worship of God; he then proceeded to read the Prayer prescribed in the Book of Common Order, or, if he so desired, to offer one similar thereto in intent ; in either case the prayer was a general confession, and was followed by a Psalm or Psalms announced by the Reader and sung by the whole congregation Uf TBI Tim or XMOZ. M and ending with the Gloria Patri. Next oame the reading of the Scriptures from the Old and New Testaments, the reading being continuous through whatever books had been selected. This ended that part of puliic worship which was conducted by the Rea,: r, „.|,1 oioufi. ' in all about one hour. On the second ringir.5 "^ 'i'? hc'l, t'^ 1 1'nL.tet entered the pulpit, knet, insi;-i,t. .'«,.. ton, and then led the people m piavei- ' .ij= the Spirit moved his heart ; " this finished, he p. o. tded to the sermon, tr which the peojji- l.tenerf either standing or sitting, as opportunity afforded, with their heads covered, and occasionally, if moved thereto, giving vent to their feelings by expres- sions of applause or disapproval. After the sermon the minister led the congregation in prayer for blessing upon the Word preached and for the general estate of Christ's Church: if the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed were employed in the service ('out this was optional with the minister) they were repeated by the minister alone at the close of this prayer, and embodied in it; a Psalm was sung "by the con- gregation and the Benediction was pronounced, or rather, the Blessing was invoked, for the «0 A DIR or PnSUO W0IU9HIP petitioM were framed m supplieations : "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with us all : So be it" Such was the course of an ordinary diet of worship. If a marriage was to be celebrated the parties presented themselves in Chureh before the sermon; the ceremony having been per- formed, the parties remained, according to regu- lation, until the close of the public worship. If the Sacrament of Baptism was to be adminis- tered the infant was presented for the ordinance at the close of the sermon by the father, who was attended by one or more sponsors. When the Lord's Supper was observed (which ii some congregations was monthly) the tables were spread in that part of the Church which had formerly been the chancel, and as many com- municants as could conveniently do so sat down together with the minister. These, when the tables had been served, gave place to others. The services throughout were marked by simplicity, reverence and freedom from strict and unbending forms ; liberty characterized their every part, and room was left for the exercise of the guiding Spirit of God, in a measure not IK THB TIMB OP KNOX. 61 enjoyed by Churches tied to the use of a pre- Bcribed worship ; at the same time there was a recognized order and a reverent devotion in all parts of the worship which many non-lituigical Churches of this day may well covet. It was a service simple yet impressive, voluntary yet orderly, regulated and yet untrammeled. The Period of Controversy, i6i4-i64S- " Tbet were splintered and torn, but no power eoold bend or melt them. They dwelt, as pioas BCB are apt to dwell, in suffering and sorrow on tlie tti-^aposing power of Providence. Their harden grew lighter as they considered that God had 80 determined that they should bear it." — Fbmodb. Chapter V. The Period of Controversy, 1614-1645. The years from 1608, the date of James the Sixth's ascent to the united thrones of England and Scotland, until 1645 the year of the West- minster Assembly, cover one of the most exciting and interesting periods in Scottish history. Especially is this period of interest to the student of Scottish Church history, because of the influences both direct and indirect which the strogKles of that time had upon the develop- ment of the character and practice of the Pres- byterian Church. The Book of Common Order had received the authority of the General Assembly sitting in Edinburgh in 1664, and for nearly fifty years from that date it was the unchallenged directory for worship and usage in the Scottish Church. Its use, though not universal, was general, and it was uniformly referred to, as well in civil as in ecclesiaBtical courts, a* combing for the Church the law respecting public worehip. 66 THE PERIOD OF CONTBOTBRST. The first mention of any desire to modify or amend this book occurs in 1601, in the records of the General Assembly, when a motion was made respecting an i<^proved version of the Bible, a revision of the Psalter and an amendment of "sundry prayers in the Psalm -Book which should be altered in respect they are not con- venient for the time." The Assembly, however, declined to amend the prayers already in the Book, or to delete any of them, but ordained that : " If any brother would have any prayers added, which are meet for the time .... the same firat to be tried and cllowed by the Assembly." The motion thus proposed, and the action of the General Assembly regarding it, is of interest in that it seems plainly to indicate that what- ever desire there was for change, this desire was not the result of a movement in favor of a fuller liturgical service, nor on the other hand, of one which had for its object the entire removal of the form of worship at that time in use. To this form, commonly employed, no objection was offered, but owing to changing times and ciiu>im- atances, it was regarded as desirable that the matter contained in the suggested forms of THI PERIOD OF C0NTR0VER8T. 67 prayer should be so modified as to make them more applicable to the conditions of the age James the Sixth of Scotland ascended the throne of the united kingdoms in 1603, and many of his Presbyterian subjects cherished the hope that his influence would be exerted to conform the pr«!tice and worship of the Church of England to that of other Reformed Churches In this hope they were destined to severe dis- appointment, as it very soon became evident that the aim of the royal theologian was to reduce to the forms and methods of Episcopacy those of all the Churches within his realm In considering the subject of Presbyterian worship It will not be necessary to enter fully into the history of the civil struggle between the Church of Scotland and the Stuart Kings except in those phases of it which affected the worship of the Church; as these, however, are so ck»ely interwoven with questions of government it will be impossible always to avoid reference to the latter or to keep the two absolutely distinct In 1606 it was decided by the Scottish Pariia- ment that the King was "absolute. Prince, Judge and Governor over all persons, estates, and causes, both spiritual and temporal within th. s 68 TH« PDUOD or CONTB0V1K9T. realm." Four yeus later the Oeneral Assembly, composed of commissioners named by the King, met at Glasgow and issued a decree to the effect that the right / ailing General Assemblies of the Chun': belonged to the Crown. This, among other acts of this Assembly, was ratified by the Parliament of 1612, and James, having thus secured the position in the Church which he coveted, proceeded in his endeavors to mould it, as well in its worship as in its government and doctrine, to his own views. The Church of Scotland was not allowed to remain long in ignorance of the King's purpose. Early in 1614 a royal order was sent to the northern kingdom requiring all ministers to celebrate Holy Communion on Easter Day, the S4th of April, and this was followed in 1616 by a proposal from the King to the General As- sembly that " a liturgy and form of divine service should be prepared " for the use of the Scottish Church. The Assembly (formed as indicated above) with ready acquiescence heart- ily thanked His Majesty for his royal care of the Church and ordained : " That a uniform order of Liturgy or divine service be set down to be read TH« PEBIOO or CONTBOVIIUT. 6S in all Kirks on the ordinary d«y« of prayer aod every Sabbath day l^fore the sermon, to the end the Mmmon peoj)le may be acquainted therewith, Ti^^ "^t"? """y l<-«UTi to serve God r/kV- u^"^ *" """ '"*«»» the As- thw Book of Common Prayer contained m the Psalm Book, and to set down a common form of ordinaiy service to be used in ail times hereafter." The work thus authoriwd of revising the Book of Common Order was at once undertaken by those appointed thereto, but although a draft was made and much labor was expended upon it during a term of several years, the book in its revised form w«, never introduced into the Scottish Church. By the time it had received Its final revision at the hands of the King and his Scotch advisors in London, such events had transpired, and such a spirit of opposition had been aroused in Scotland by other measures, that It was deemed wise to withhold it, and the death of James occurring in 162S, while it was still unpublished, the book in its revi«,d form was retained by Spottiswoode, Bishop of St Andrew's, and appears to have been forgotten for years, even by iu most active promotors. From correspondence in the time of Charie,s 70 THE ntuoo or contkovibst. First, however, it appear* that James had not relinqiiiithed his aim of imposing the new book upon the Scottish Chnroh, and it is probable that his death alone prevented the attempt being made to carry oat his cherished purpose. Much of the voluminous correspondence, which at this time passed between James and the leaders of the Scottish Church, is still extant and it serves to indicate some of the anticipated changes in the forms of worship. In the regular worship appointed for the Lord's Day there was to be introduced a liturgy which was to be used before the sermon; the Ten Commnndments were to be read, and after each of them the people were to be instructed to respond, or, as the rubric directed : "After every Commandment they ask mercy of uod for their tranupres- sion of the same in this manner, — Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this law." There was also an evident purpose to leave less to the discietion of the minister, and to restrict him more closely to the use of provided forms in prayer, as well as to regulate more particularly the reading of the Scriptures. A table of Scripture lessons was to be prepared TBI PtBIOD or COMTBOTmar. 71 showing the pMMget proper to be reMl on each ^•y; prmyer* were klao provided for wonihip upon winto' day* and festivals, in the use of which there was to be no option, and the privi. lege of exUmpore prayer in any part of public worship was to be Ulcen from the minbter, in laige measure if not entirely. That this inten- tion was cherished seems evident from a discus- sion in which Spottiswoode engaged with one Hog. minister at Dysart Hog had defended an action complained of, by saying that his prayer on the occasion referred to had been in con- formity with Knox's Boolr of Common Order ; in reply Spottiswoode declared that "In a short time that Book of Discipline would be din- chai^d and ministers tied to set forms." The Book was rejrarded by all as a compromise between the Book of Common Order and the English Prayer Book, and appears to have excited no enthusiasm, even among its pro- moters; it was too subversive of Scottish custom to please those wno were loyal to the old usage, and it was not sufficiently liturgical to suit James and his like-minded counsellors. It has been stated that the transpiring of certain events had delayed the publication of this ■■MUmON nST OMIT (ANSI and ISO UST CHART No. J) 1.0 i.l IS u |2J 133 |jj25|u ij^ A /APPLIED fM/r3E he 1453 Ent Uoin Strwt RochMMr. N«w rod. 14009 USA (716) *ta~OXO~Phc^ 72 THB PBRIOD or CONTBOTIB8T. Liturgy; these events were connected with the historic " Articles of Perth." These " Articles " were orders, first of the General Assembly of 1618, sitting at Perth and acting under royal instruction, and afterwards of the Parliament which confirmed them in 1621, enjoining Kneeling at the Communion ; Private Communion in cases of sickness ; Private Baptism " upon a great and reasonable cause ; " Episcopal Confirmation ; The observance of the festivals of Christmas, Good Friday, Easter Day, Ascension Day and Whitsunday. The Five Articles were passed in Assembly in spite of vigorous opposition on the part of a minority that, nevertheless, represented the most intense feeling of a very large section of the Scot- tish people. The first of these Five Articles, that were subversive of so much for which the reformers had struggled and had at last secured, re&tablished a practice that could only be regarded by the Church as Romish in its tend- ency, and wholly unsoriptural. It excited the roast violent opposition, and secured for itself, THE PERIOD OF CONTROVERSY. 73 even after its approval by Parliament, deter- mined resistance on the part of the people. Previous to this, in 1617, James had by his childish flaunting of the service of the Church of England in the face of the Scottish subjects, on the occa.sion of his visit to Edinburgh, estranged the sympathies of many who had previously been not unkindly disposed toward his projects, and aroused among the people in general, a deeper and more widespread opposition to his scheme of reform than had hitherto made itself manifest. Some months before his visit he had given orders for the re-fitting of the Royal Chapel at Holyrood, and for the introduction of an organ, the preparation of stalls for choristers, and the setting up within the Chapel of statues of the Apostles and Evangelists. The organ and choristers the Scotch could abide, but the pro- posal of " images " aroused such an outburst of opposition on the part of the people that James, being advised of it, made a happy excuse of the statues not being yet ready, and withdrew his order for the forwarding of them to Scotland. The services in Holyrood Chapel, however, during the visit of His Majesty to Edinburgh, were all after the Episcopal form, " with singing 74 THE PERIOD OP CONTBOVEBSY. of choristers, surplices, and playing on organs," and when a clergyman of the Churoh of England officiated at the celebration of the Lord's Supper, the majority of those present received it kneeling. All this, as may be imagined, had its effect upon James's Scottish subjects, but that effect was the opposite of what he had hoped fc. Instead of inspiring a love for an elaborate liturgy, or developing a sympathy between the two king- doms in matters of worship, the result was to antagonize the spirit of the Scots, as well against the proposed changes as against the King, who, with childish pleasure in what he deemed proper, sought to enforce his will upon the conscience of the people from whom he had sprung, and among whom he had been educated. The loyalty of the Scots to the Stuarts is pro- verbial, but though ready to die for their king, to acknowledge him as lord of tha conscience they could not be persuaded. A spirit of opposi- tion stronger than that which had before existed was developed against any liturgy in Church worship, and the seeds were sown which were afterwards to bear fruit in the harvest of the Revolution of 1688. This opposition, it may be argued, was not the outcome of a calm considera- T THE PBBiOD OF CONTROVEBST. 75 tion of the questions involved, but was an indirect result of the national anger at the attempt of the King to coerce the consciences of his subjects. In any event, so strong was the opposition to any change in th- religious worship of the land, that James ceased his active endeavors to carry out his will, and in a message to his Scottish subjects in 1624 assured them of his desire "by gentle and fair means rather to reclaim them from their unsettled and evil- grounded opinions. r by severity and rigor of just.ce to .nflict t.. .c punishment which their misbehavior and contempt merits." We no V come to a period marked by a still more vigorous assault upon the liberties of the «• -h of Scotland, and by a correspondingly vigorous opposition thereto on the part of the Scottish people. William Laud, who afterwards became Archbishop of Canterbury, began to exert his influence upon the religious life of both England and Scotland during the closing years of James's reign, but it was in the reign of Charles the First, who succeeded his father in 1625 that he came before the world in his sudden and so unfortunate greatness. History has lefr but lutle doubt in the mind of the careful student 76 THE PERIOD OF CONTROVEBbT. that Laud's deliberate purpose and persistent influence, both in England and in Scotland, were towards a revival of Romanism within the Church of which he was a prelate, or at least towards the creation of a high Anglicanism which would differ but little from the Romish system. Adroitly, and frequently concealing his real purpose, he labored to this end, and it is not too much to say that the vigorous and, at last, suc- cessful opposition to his plans in Scotland, saved the English Church from radical changes which it is clear he was prepared to introduce in the southern Kingdom when his desires for Scotland had been effected. England owes to Scotland the preservation of \er Protestantism on two occasions : first, in the days of Knox, when the work of the sturdy Reformer prevented what must have taken place had a Catholic Scotland been prepared to join with Spain in the over- throw of Protestant England, and again when Scottish opposition effectively nipped in the bud Laud's plans for a Romish movement in both Kingdoms. The history of the movement under Laud it is only possible briefly to summarize. In 1629 Charles revived the subject, to which his father THE PERIOD OP CONTROVEBST. 77 had devoted so much attention, of an improved service in the Church of Scotland, and wrote to the Scottish Bishops ordering them to press forward the matter of an improved liturgy with all earnestness. As a result, the draft of the Book of Common Prayer prepared in the reign of James was again brought to light and for- warded to Charles, and this would probably have been accepted and authorized for use but for Laud's influence. It however was too bald and simple to suit the ritualistic Archbishop, who persuaded the King that it would be entirely preferable to introduce into Scotland the English Prayer Book without ch^.nge. Correspondence upon the matter was continued until 1633, when Charles, accompanied by Laud, visited Scotland for the purpose of being crowned, and also " to finish the important business of the Liturgy." During his .stay in Scotland Charles followed the example of his father in parading before the people upon every possible occasion the ritual of the Church of England, conduct on hi.s part which served only to stir up further and more deeply-seated opposition. Soon after his return to England he dispatched instructions to the Scottish Bishops requiring them to decide upon a r' 78 THE PBUIOD OP C0NTKOVER8Y. form of liturgy and to proceed with its prepara- tion. His messuge was in these terms : "Considering that there is nothing more defective in that Church than the want of a Book of Common Prayer and uniform service to be l.n the pent-up feelings of the congregation. Such a clamor arose « n.ade it impossible for the Dean to proceed, books and other missiles were freely thrown, and a stool, hurled by the traditional Jenny Geddes, narrowly missed the Deans head, whereupon that dignitary fled precipitately, followed by the more forcible than elegant ejaculation of the wrathful woman "Out thou false thief; dost thou say mass at my'lug ? " The riot in Edinburgh was the signal for similar manifestations of popular feeling throughout the land, the national spirit was arou.sed, and the stately fabric which Charles and Laud, supported 80 THIS PEKIOD d. The liberty of freo prayer ao dear to the Scottish reformera waa, if not entirely denied, largely encroached upon; a reaponaive aervice, to which, in common with the great leadera of Qen. va. Kno, and Melville had been «, uniformly opposed, wan intro^luced • •nd particu. ly in the aervice for the adminia- ttrntion of .„ Sacrament of the Lord'a Supper forma of worda w.re employed which seemed to teach doctrines rejected b- ^he reformers. Here then was abundant g«„. for opposition to Lauds hturgy when judged on iu merits, and th.a ground the stem theologians of that day were not likely to overlook. Nor ia it to be forgotten that in the many supplications which from time to time were presonted to the King both from Church and SUte against the introduction of the Service Book, the anti-English plea never found a place, but uniformly, reference was made in sLng terms to the unscriptural form of worship sug gested for adoption by the Scottish people J-^her with a protest against the arLga'nt' imposition upon them of a form of service not 84 THE PERIOD or CONTROTEBST. desired. Persistently in these supplications the subscribers expressed their desire that there should be no change in the form of worship to which they had been accustomed, and prayed for a continuance of the liberty hitherto enjoyed. In a complaint laid before the Privy Council the Service Book and Canons are described as " con- taining the seeds of divers superstitions, idola- try and false doctrine," and as being " subversive of the discipline established in the Church." The Earl of Rothes in an address spoke thus : " Who pressed that form of service contrary to the laws of God and this kingdom ? Who dared in their conventicles contrive a form of Qod's public worship contrary to that established by the general consent of this Church and State ? " And that the form of worship ever held a prominent place in the discussions of the time, appears from a letter supposed to have been written by Alexander Henderson, in which he defends the Presby- terian Church against a charge of disorder and neglect of seemly procedure in worship ; he says, "The form of prayers, administration of the Sacraments, etc., which are set down before their Psalm Book, and to which the ministers THE FEBIOD OF C0NTR0VEH8T. 86 aro to conform themselves, is a sufficient wit- ness; for although they be not tied to set forms and words, yet are the> not left at random, but for testifying their consent and keeping unity they have their Directory and prescribed Order." While it is true, therefore, that the high- handed conduct of the King in forcing upon an unwilling people a form of service already dis- tasteful because of its foreign associations, was doubtless an important element in arousing the vigorous opposition with which it was met, nevertheless, there is abundant evidence to show that apart from any such consideration, the spirit of the Church of Scotland was entirely hostile to the introduction of further forms, to the elabora- tion of their simple service, and to the imposi- tion upon their ministers of prescribed prayere from which in public worship they would not be allowed to depart The Westminster Assembly and the Directory of Worship. If the Assembly's Directory increased liberty, it also augmented responsibility. If it took away the support of set and prescribed forms on which the indolent might lean and even sleep, this was done to the avowed intent that those whc conducted public services might the more industriously prepare for them ; and thereunto the more diligently stir up the gifts of God within them. — Riv. Euoenb Danibl. Chapter VI. The Westminster Assembly and the Directory of Worship. Pbior to the year 1638 the Church of Scot- land, in its struggle to preserve its form of worship, had to contend with the advocates of prelacy and ritualism, but now opposition to the established practice arose from another quarter. In connection with every great reform there are apt to arise extravagant movements, the promoters of which see only one side of con- fessedly important truths, and so carry to undue excess some phase of reform '^hich, in properly balanced measure, would have been ri>. '^ous and desirable. So it was in the period the Reformation. Among the several sectaries which had their origin in the Reformed Church was a company called Brownists, an extreme section of the Independents, who took their name from their founder, one Robert Browne, an English- man and a preacher, although a rejecter of 90 THE WISTUINSTEB ASSBMBLT ill ordination and a protester against the necessity of any official license for the work of the min- istry. It was a part of their creed to object to any regulation of public worship, and evea to many of the simplest ceremonies which had hitherto been retained by the Reformed Churches. In Scotland they opposed, as they had done elsewhere, all reading of prayers, and, in particular, the kneeling of the minister for private devotions on entering the pulpit, the repeating of the Lord's Prayer in any part of the public service, and the singing of the Oloria Patri at the end of the Psalm. The movement, let it be said, although it took an extreme form, had its spring in the deep disgust and shame felt by many pious souls at the laxity and formality which characterized religious life in Eogland during the earlier part of the Stuart period. The unwise policy of Charles in seeking to force upon the Scottish Church a liturgical ser- vice, had produced in the minds of many its natural result, creating extreme views in oppo- sition to all prescribed forms of worship. The Brownists, therefore, found in Scotland a large following, and a rapidly increasing section of AND TBI DIRICTORT OF WORSHIP. 91 the Church began gradually to depart even from the forms and suggestions of the Book of Com- mon Order, and to adopt a still less restricted form of service. Against these irregularities the General Assemblies of 1639 and 1640 legislated, and yet in such terms as seem to indicate that already the mind of the Church at large was being prepared for change. It was ordained by the first of the Assemblies referred to that " No novation in worship should be suddenly enacted, but that Synods, Pres- byteries and Kirks should be advised with before the Assembly should au- thorize any change." The desire for greater freedom in worship con- tinued to increase, vmtil in 1643 the Qeneral Assembly appointed a committee with instruc- tions to prepare, and have in readiness for the next Assembly, a Directory for Divine Worship in the Church of Scotland. This was a distinct concession to that section of the Church which was opposed to even the simplest forms of an optional liturgy. The work, however, was su- perseded by a similar undertaking on a larger scale, in virtue of an invitation from the mem- bers of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster to the Church of Scotland to join with them in 92 TBI WnmiNBTIR ABSIHBLT the preparation, among other ilandards, ot • Directory of Worship for the use of the ClmreheB of both England and Scotland. The invitation was accepted with readiness, and " certain min- isters of good word, and representative elders highly approved of by their brethren," were elected to represent the Scottish Church in this great work. These men were Baillie, Hender- son, Rutherford, Gillespie and Douglas, minis- ters, with Johnston, of Warriston, and Lords Cassilis and Maitland as la; representatives; Argyle, Balmerinoch and Loudon were after- wards added. The work was duly prosecuted at Westminster, and, although the Scotch Com- missioners with reluctance relinquished their Book of Common Order, yet for the sake of the uniformity in worship which they hoped to see established throughout England, Scotland and Ireland, they joined heartily in the work, and carried it when completed to the Assembly of the Chnrch of Scotland, by which it was duly examined, slightly amended in the directions concerning baptism and marriage, and finally, unanimously approved in all its parts, and adopted. The terms in which the Assembly AND TBI DIRICTORT OF W0B8HIP. 9S •xprMaed ita approval of this work are unre- served: " The General Assembly, having most seriously connidered, revised and ex- amined the Directory aforementioned, after several public readings of it, after much deliberation, both publicly and in private committees, after full liberty given to all to object ngainst it, and earnest invitations of all who have any scruples about it, to make known the same, that they might be satisfied, doth unanimously, and without a contrary voice, agree to and approve the follow- ing Directory in all the heads thereof, together with the pi'eface set before it ; and doth require, decern and ordain that, according to the plain tenor and meaning thereof and the intent of the preface, it be carefully and unifor-nly observed and practised by all the min- isters and others within this Kingdom whom it doth concern." The Scottish Parliament likewise gave ita approval of the Directory, which was accord- ingly in due time prepared for publication, and issued under the title, "A Directory for the Public Worship of God throughout the three kingdoms of Scotland, England and Ireland ; with an Act of the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland for establishing and observing 94 THX WUTMINBTn AMEMBLT I thU present Directory;" And thus the West- minster Directory became the primary authority on matters of worship and administration of the Sacraments witliin the Charoh of Scotland. Its use, however, during the years immediately following iti adoption appears to have been by no means general, many still adhering to the method of the Boolt of Common Order, others inclining towards an even greater freedom than seemed to them to be permitted by the Direct- ory. These latter belonged to that section of the Church afterwards known as Protesters, and whose opposition to the use of the Lord's Prayer and the Creed, as well as to prescribed forms of prayer, was most pronounced. Events soon occurred which exerted a strong influence in favor of absolute liberty in worship, and which effectively strengthened the Protesters in the position which they had assumed. In 1661 there took place at Scone the un- happy crowning of Charles the Second by the Scots. This act placed Scotland in open opposi- tion to Cromwell, and as a result the land was brought under his iron-handed rule during the remaining years of the Protectorate. The effect of this on the worship of the Church was to AND THE DIRICrrORT Or WOKBHIF. 95 introdaee into Scotlutd the methods of worship •pproved by tha Independents, to whom thoae p«rties in Sc Jand which were opposed to all prescribed forms or regulation of worship, now attached themselves. Worship after the Presbr. terian form was not disallowed, but the preach- ers of Cromwell's army, with the approval of an increasing party in the Scottish Church, forced themxelves into the pulpits of the land and con- dacted worship in a manner approved of by themselves. In these services preaching occu- pied the most prominent place, and to worship, as such, but xcant attention was given, so that in 1653 the ministers of the city of Edinburgh, finding complaints among the people that in the services of the Sabbath day there was no reading of Scripture nor singing of Psalms, took steps to have these parts of worship resumed. While the public worship of the Church of Scotland during the period of the Commonwealth cannot be said to have had any general uniformity, it is evident that the intluence of Independency upon it was toward the curtailment of form and the granting of absolute liberty to every preacher to conduct worship in whatever way seemed good to himself. It was the swing of M THB WB8TMtllRKR ASSIMBLT the pendulum to the oppo*ite extreme from the enforced order of Laud'M Liturgy. It i« doubtful if thiB ermtic period would have left any per- manent effect upon the religioun life and worship of Scotland, had it not been for the formation of a party in sympathy with the political prin- ciples of the Protector. This party, being forced into political opposition to the supporters of royalty, naturally found themselves, through their aHitociations, prejudiced in favor of the religious principles and practices of those with whom they stood allied in the state; and thus it was that a strong party favoring absolute liberty in matters of worship arose in the Scot- tish Church. The restoration of Charles the Second in 1660 brought with it the disavowal on his part of the Covenant to which he had subscribed, and the open rejection of the Presbyterian principles to which he had been so readily loyal ir the day of his distress. Episcopacy was restored as the form of Church government for Scotland, and bishops were consecrated ; but it was left to time and the gradual power of imitation to secure the introduction of a ritual into the worship of the Church. Charles the Second and his minion, AND TBk OIRCOTOKT OF WORSBIP. 97 Sharp, did not dMm it wiie to undertake a work in which Charles the First and Laud had so lignally failed, the work of iii]|ioein|; a ritunl of wonhip upon the Scottish Church ; Episcopal government had been ini|H>»e(l, Episcopnl wor- •hip it was hoped would follow. In both of his aims, however, though sought by such different methods, Charles was doomed to disappointment. As impotent as was the royal comr.iand, though backed by every form of deprivation of right and of cruel persecution, to secure the acceptance by Scotland of an Episcopal Church, so impotent was the service, conducted by royal hirelings aiid conforming curates, 'o inspire the people with any love for formal worship. It was, fur- ther, in comparatively few of the Churches of Scotland that any attempt was made to intro- duce the service of the English Prayer Book. In the now Episcopal Churches of the land, a form of worship which gave a place to the Lord's Prayer, the Gloria Patri, the Apostlef' Creed, and the Decalogue, was regarded as satis factory. Public worship, therefore, at this time may be said to have been simply a return to the method suggested, but not required, in the time of Knox ; but even these historic Scottish forms, 98 THE WESTMINSTKtt ASSEMBLY by reason of their aasociation with an enfoi-ced Episcopacy, became increasingly distasteful to that large body of the Scots who refused to con- form to the Church by law established, and who, as a result, were driven to the moors and the hill-8ide«, there to worehip God as conscience prompted. The Protesters, the party to which the major- ity of the Covenanters belonged, had always been opposed to anything savoring of ritual in worship. But their opposition was intensified and deepened during the twenty-eight years of the "killing time," as they saw the worship of the party from which their persecutors arose, characterized chiefly by the acceptance of those forms against which they had entered their pro- test in former days. Even in the case of those whose consciences permitted them to conform to the established religion of the land and to wait or the ministry of the conforming clergy, there was developed, through sympathy with their persecuted countrymen, hunted on the hills and tracked to their hiding places like quarry, a suspicion of even the forms of a religion that permitted such cruelties. And thus it was that when the deliverer alike for EngUnd and Scot- AND THE DIBEGTORT OF W0B8HIF. 99 land arrived from the "hollow land," where behind their dykes the conquerors of the Span- iards had won for themselves the privilege of religious liberty, Scotland was prepared to join in the welcome given to William of Orange, and to hail with delight the prospect of a restored Presbyterianism and its inherent liberty. Most heartily, therefore, was it that the leaders in Scotland, alike in Church and State, subscribed to the request presented to William, " That Presby- terian government be restored and re-established as it was at the beginning of our Reformation from Popery, and renewed in the year 1638, continuing until 1660." Legislation concerning Public Wor- ship in the Period subsequent to the Revolution of 1688. "KKLIOION shall rise from its ruins; and its oppressed state at present should not only excite us to p«y, but encourage us to hope, for it. speedy reviy.l."-DB. WnHBBSPOON. i ^11 Chapter VII. Legislation concerning Public Wor- ship in the Period subsequent to the Revolution of 1688. In 1689 the first Parliament under William and Mary was held, and their Majesties promised to establish by law "that form of Church government which is most agreeable to the inclinations of the people." In accordance with this promise the Confession of Faith, adopted in 1645, was in the following year declared to be for Scotland " the public and avowed confession of this Church," and an Order was issued summon- ing a General Assembly, the first since the forcible dissolution of the Assembly of 1653 by Cromwell's dragoons. No Act was passed at this time concerning public worship, nor was the authority of the Directory affirmed, but, whether by intention or through neglect, it was left to tL J Church to adjust matters pertaining to this subject, without formal instruction from Parlia- 104 FUBUO W0B8HIP IK TH« PKBIOD „ent ConBidering.however. that the cont«.mng party in the Church w« the one th.t h.d suffered persecution, and whose -f ^""-"J^" ings on the subject of worship had been intens^ fiTd by long and severe suffering, it »s not to be wondered .t if the changes and adjustmenta effected in church worship and discipUne should in large measure bear the sUmp of their extreme opinions. So far as legislation is concerned how- ever, moderation and fairness marked all the . proceedings of the Church, for in *e A«em% of 1690. which was largely composed of those whose sympathies were with the Protesters, no «,tion whatever wa. Uken for the regulation of public worship, the only Act having any refer- Lee thereto being one which forbade pnvaU administration of the Sacraments. Butaltt.ough the form of worship was not affected by legisla- tion, it is evident firom ccatempomry wntings that the spirit of the Protesters ^^^'I'^T, exerted itself in fostering, in many parts of the land, a sentiment even more hostile to every- thing that might savor of even the simplest "The references of the Assemblies that followed the Revolution show that the Directory of Wor- 8UBSIQUENT TO THE RXTOLITnOK. 108 ship aa adopted by the Westminster Divines, and afterwards by the Church and Parliament of Scotland, was at this time regarded as the authority in matters of worship, and it was to worship, as so regulated, that the Act of 1693 referred. This Act pertaining to "The Uni- formity of Worship " ordained : " That uniformity of worship and of the administration of all public ordi- nances within this Church be observed by all the said ministers and preachers as the same are at present performed and allowed therein, or shall be here- after declared by the authority of the same, and that no minister or preacher be admitted or continued hereafter unless that he subscribe to observe, and do actually observe, the aforesaid uniformity." The General Assembly, in the following year, in accordance with this civil legislation, pre- pared a form for subscription in which the sub- scribing minister promised to "observe uniformity of worship and of the administration of all public ordinances within this Church, as the same are at present performed and allowed." In the same year reference is made in an "Act anent Lecturing " to the " Custom introduced and established by the Directory." 106 PDBUC W0B8HIP IN THE PERIOD It U evident, therefore, that at thU period the Directory was regarded by the Church a. the authority, and the only authority, in matters pertaining to worship. In spite of Acts requiring uniformity, however, there were still within the Church those who sought to introduce changes, some of these desiring the introduction of an imposed ritual, others regarding absolute congre- gational liberty in matters of worship as desir- able. As a result of divergent views and prac- tices there was passed by the Assembly of 1697 the Barrier Act, for the purpose of "Preventing any sudden alteration or innovation or othei prejudice to the Chureh in either doctrine or woiai.n or discipline or government thereof, now happily established." This was the formal and particular enactmer.t of the principle laid down two generatiofiS earlier, when in 1639 the Church, disturbed by the Brownists. had ordained that "no novation in woiBhip should be suddenly enacted." One other Act of Assembly in this period must be quoted as showing the feeling in Scotland at this time with regard to ritual in the Church. It resulted from a determined effort on the part of some Episcopalians to introduce, wherever + BUBSEQVINT TO THE EIVOLUTIOJ*. 107 possible, the English Book of Common Pr»yer into the services of the Church in Scotland. The Assembly accordingly enacted that : "The purity of religion and particu- larly of Divine Worship ... is a signal blessing to the Church of God— . . . and that any attempts made for the in- troduction of innovations in the worship of God therein have been of fatal and dangerous consequence . . . that such innovations are dangerous to this Church and manifestly contrary to our known principle (which is, that nothing is to be admitted in the worship of God but what is prescribed in the Holy Scrip- ture) and against the good and laudable laws made since the late happy Revolu- tion for establishing and securing the same in her doctrine, worship, discipline and ^vemment" Therefore the Church required "all the ministers of this Church ... to represent to their people the evil thereof and seriously to exhort them to beware of them, and to deal with all such as do or practise the same in order to their recovery and reformation." The above enactment leaves no room for doubt as to the opinion prevailing in the Church of Scotland at the beginning of the eighteenth century respecting ritual in the public worship of God. At the same time it is very evident 108 PUBLIC WORSHIP IH THE PBWOD that a de«re prevaUed in the Church for a seemly and uniform order of wrvice in public worship and an Act of the Assembly of 1706 •• Seriously recommends to all minis- ters and others within this national Church the due observance of the Directory for public worship of Uod approve., by the General Asse.nbly held in the year 1646.' This deliverance may be taken as represent- ing the spirit of all legislation of the Church respecting worship up to the middle of the present century. Whenever, in response to overtures from subordinate courts, or inspired by special requirements of the times, deliverances concerning any part of worship were prepared by the Assembly, they uniformly directed the Church to the observance of the regulation of this department of Divine service as provided for in the Westminster Directory. It cannot be claimed, however, that due regard was accorded the Directory throughout the whole Church. The last halt of the eighteenth century was a time of spiritual coldness in Scot- land; not only did evangelical piety languish but there existed at the same time a correspond- ing want of interest in the worship of the BUBSiqiTEMT TO THIS REVOLUTION. 109 Church. Praise wm neglected, and little effort WM made to secure suitable singing of the Paainu ; at times the reading of Scripture was entirely omitted, prayers were brief and meagre, the sermon was regarded as in itself sufficient for the whole service, and all other parts of public worship were looked upon either as pre- liminaries or subordinate exercises, not calling for any particular preparation or attentioa It was a time when spiritual life was low, and the out- ward expression of that life exhibited a corre- sponding want of vigor. The evil, therefore, from which the Church suffered at this period was not an excess of attention to worship, but a neglect of it ; not a too great elaboration of forms, but an almost total disregard of them, even of such as are helpful to the development of the spiritual life of the worshipper. And thus it came to pass that the struggle of more than a century against the use of prescribed forms of worship resulted in a condition more extreme than had been either anticipated or desired, for not only were such forms abandoned, but worship itself was neglected and disregarded. In reviewing the period subsequent to the rejection of Laud's Liturgy and up to the time 110 PUBLIC TOMHtP «H TH« ««IOD Of the First 8eee»io« within th. Ch««h J Scotland. «.n.e ».atu«. that mark th, B.n«.l trend of the .pirit of Pre.byt«rl««m with rewrd to worship »re dewly mMife^t. Tt.inthe'apid«rowthofthe^ofhe Browni.t, and their .ympathize". -«^-^'^l had been rende«,d the easier by the arb.tr.ry act, of Cbarle. and Uud in a pre«d,ng penod we and a clear indication of *« »P"»^ jj opinions strongly opposed to the use » Fe'*"^^ fLs of prayer and. indeed, of any ntual ». the exercises of public worship. U ™»y be ur^d. a, has already been ren,ark«d. that th.s opposi- tion was not the result of an unprejud.^d con- Bideration of the subject on its merits, but tha^ it was rather an outcome of the sp.nt which had been aroused by the persecutions through which the Stuart had endeavored to force a ntual upon the Church of Scotland. This may be granted, and yet it is not to be forgotten that Lny of those who held these views '«« """"^ the excellent of their age, men who did not hesitate to bear persecution and to endure hard- ness as good soldiers of Christ for conscience sake, and who. while doubtless influenced by the nentiments of those who stood to them either m HUBRIcqUBKT TO THI RITOLVTION. 1 1 1 the relation of friend* or foe», were not men to •llow prejudice to blind both reaM>n ud eon- •cience alike. They had found a ritualiitie worship aaweiate»^»f ^^^^.^ Wales and at a subsequent period a tur :^L: in which the reading by J«-o^ ..eir.rmons.in the puUic-st^;^^^^ was condemned, as was also » tho«, .dult persons who. -.-^-^J'^":, .Unees. either in public, in pnva^. or -^ restrict themselves to set '"^/^^^, ..ether these be read^or .^Ud^ The^^^_ r':tr;;e;jrD""iwy.assuit. claimed for the ^^'""^ christian as able for the service of praise, in me u « in the Old Testament dispensation, but " SA Ahat in addition to these. " others acknowledged that, in aaaiuu contained in the New Tesument Itself may be sung in the ordinance of Praise." sLilar to this position was that of or THE I8TABLI8HED CHURCH. Ill United Associate Synod, which, formed in IRSO, published, seven years later, its views on the subject of worship. It condemned " the conduct of adult penons who restricted th mselves to set 5orm» of prayer, whether read or whether repeated ; " it aclcnowledged also that other parts of Scripture besides the FHalms were suitable for praise, and, with regard to the use of the Lord's Prayer in public worship, a matter which had caused much discussion within the Church in earlier times, it asserted that : "As Scripture Doxologies and the Divinely-approved petition of saints may be warrantably adopted in our devotional exercises, both public and personal, so may the Lord's Prayer be used by itself or in connection with other supplications." Other manifestos were published from time to time by difllerent bodies as separations or unions took place, for the early part of the past century was a period of frequent divisions and of more happy unions. But while differences existed with regard to the use of paraphrases and human hymns in the service of praise, on the general subject of simplicity of worship and absence of prescribed forms, the manifestos previous to the middle of the century were a l! ti IM PBBBTTIBUK WORSHIP 0UT8ID1 unit A. lau indeed a. 1872. in a deliverance of the United PresbyUriau Church upon the Bubject o! instrumental music in public worship, this jealousy of simplicity in worship hitherto enjoyed is evident. To a consideration of that subject this Church had been led by the example of the Established Church in secunng to ita congregations liberty of action in the matter. The United Presbyterian Synod, in a deliverance in which it declined to pronounce judgment upon the introduction of instrumental music in Divme .ervice. proceeded to urge upon the courte of the Church, and upon individual ministers, the duty of guarding anxiously the simplicity of worship in the sanctury. Not until recent years has any considerable section of the Presbyterian Church shown a tendency to return to the bond- age of a ritual. The views of the bodies above referred to will he differently estimated by diflerent men. Some will be inclined to regard the Secessiomsta « narrow in spirit and severe in their simpUci y and as often failing to exhibit a due regai-d for the beauty of holiness that should character.^. Divine worship. It will surely, however, indi- cate on the part of those who read their history or THB nTABLIBHBD CBUROH. Its k want of appreciation if they fail to recognize the sturdy spiritual life which, forming, aa it ever doei, the truest foundation for right views of religion, marlied these men of whom an eminent leader in the religious life of Scotland has said "they stood for Truth and Light in days when the battle went sore against them both ; and as long as Truth and Light are maintained in Scotland it will not be forgotten that a great share of the honor of having carried them safe through some of our darkest days, was given by God to the Seceders." The period of the disruption in Scotland was one of such struggle concerning great and fun- damental principles of Church government, that the Free Church, during the first quarter of a century of its existence as a separate com- munion, had little time to devote to a considera- tion of the subject of worship ; with the work of organization at home, and afterwards in seeking to carry forward evangelization abroad it was fully occupied. It was for the Free Church, as also for the Established Church, a period of revival and of new life, and at such a time men , think but little of form and method, finding spiritual satisfaction in the voluntary and spon- 114 PBMBTTEBUN WORSHIP OUTSIDE toneou. worship which »uoh an occwion develop. The practice, however, of the Free Church m wor.hip.and iU uniform tendency, wa. dec.dedly un-liturgical; freedom from prewribed form-, m prayer and an abeence of ritual marked ite ser- vice, during the half-century of it. exutence «, a .eparate communion. So emphatic wa. .t. devotion to abwlute liberty on the part of the wor.hipper. that it was the la.t of the great Pre.byterian bodie. in Scotland to take any step, toward, a further control of public wor- ,hip other than that which i. provided in the Directory. _ About the year 1885 the Pre.byterian Churches of England and of Australia appointed commit- tee, to consider the matter of a uniform order and method of public worship, and these in each ca«, devoted their etforte to the revision of the We.tmin.ter Directory, and in neither has any- thing more liturgical been suggested than the repetition of the Creed and the Lord's Prayer by the people. The orders of service recom- mended are more lengthy than that of the Westminster Directory, but are similar in their general character. The hesitation shown in accepting even such slight changes as were sug- or THI ■t.'ABLISHID CHURCH. Its gaated and the vif^oroas debates which reralted, furnish abundant evidence that the spirit of both of these Churches is still strong in favor of voluntary and untraromeled worship. It is but right that in reviewing public wor- ship outside of the Established Church, reference should be made to the practice of those large sections of the Presbyterian Church which, orig- inating in Scotland, have grown strong in other lands. The Presbyterian Church of the United States of America has exhibited in the main the same spirit that has characterized Presbyterian bodies across the sea. In 1788 the Synod of New York and Philadelphia adopted among other symbols the Westminster Directory for the Worship of Ood, abbreviating it somewhat, but changing its instructions in no material respect. There hns been but little legislation by this Church con- cerning this subject. In 1874 the General Assembly declared the practice of a responsive service in the public worship of thn sanctuary to be without warrant in the New Testament, and to be unwise and impolitic in view of its inevitable tendency to destroy uniformity in the form already accepted. It further urged upon 126 PEESBTTEBIAN WORSHIP OUTSIDE sessions of Churches to preserve in act and spirit the simplicity indicated in the Directory. This judgment of the American Church with regard to the influence of a liturgy in public worship is not materially different from that of the framers of the Directory as it is set forth in their strongly-worded pr.face. In 1S76 the Assembly declined to send down to presbyteries an overture declaring that responsive readings are a permissible part of worship in the sanc- tuary, although it declined at the same time to recommend sessions to make the question a sub- ject of Church discipline. Six years afterwards it again refused to " prepare and publish a Book of Forms for public and social worship and for special occasions which shall be the authorized service-book of the Church to be used when- ever a prescribed formula may be desired;" the reason given for such refusal, however, was the inexpediency of such a step in view of "the liberty that belongs to each minister to avail himself of the Calvinistio or other ancient devo- tional forms of the Keformed Churches, so far as may seem to him for edification." This ex- planation clearly indicates that, while the Amer- ican Church is in sympathy with the necessity or THE ESTABLISHES CBUKCB. 117 on the part of ministers, of a due and orderly discharge of all public services, yet it is unwilling to lay itself open to the charge of even suggesting the imposition of forms upon the Church for use on stated occasions. An optional liturgy has not been without its advocates among the leaders in this influential section of the Church. Such eminent and wise men as Drs. Charles and A. A. Hodge and Dr. Ashbel Green confessed them- selves as in favor of the introduction of such forms for optional use, and Dr. Baird in his " Eutaxia " and other writers have argued vigor- ously from the example of sister churches of the continent of Europe for a return to the practice which they regarded as historically Presbyterian. As yet, however, the Church has preferred lib- erty to even suggested restriction. The results in this Church, it cannot be denied are not all that could be desired. The Directory is but little rtudied by ministers, and has by many been practically set aside. Frequently each congregation in the matter of worship is a law unto itself. Responsive readings have been introduced in some places, and choir re- sponses after prayer in others ; in some congre- gations the people join in the repetition of the ;i 128 PEISBTTERIAN WORSHIP OUTSIDE Creed and the Lord's Pmyer, while in others neither of these is heard; in one the collection has become a formal offertory; in another it affords i.n opportunity for the rendition of a musical selection by the choir. Worship in this great Church is at the present time characterized by the absence of a desirable uniformity, which it was one evident purpose of the Directory to secure, and in some of its congregations by the nse of symbolism that occasionally becomes extravagant, and which is calculated to appeal entirely to the imagination, the result frequently being a service not attaining to that dignity which an authorized Utargy fosters, while it sacrifices that simplicity in which Presbyterians have been accustomed to glory. The United Presbyterian Church in America, the result of so many happy unions, has always regarded simplicity in worship as an end ear- nestly to be desired, and worthy of all serious effort to secure. Its influence has, therefore, been uniformly in favor of that avoidance of forms against which the Seceders of Scotland, whom it represents on this continent, so often protested. The Presbyterian Church, South— that Church whose history has been characterized by a loyalty or THE liSTABLISHED CHURCH. 129 SO unswerving to the doctrinal standards of Presbyterianism, by a spirit so wisely aggressive in evangelistic and missionary effort, and by a ministry so scholwly and eloquent, has, in the matter of public worship, shown as constant a fidelity to the Westminster Directory as in doc- trine it has shown to the Confession of Faith. There have been attempts made to introduce changes looking towards the adoption of optional liturgical forms, bu' these have been few, and they have been rejected in such a way as to leave no room for doubt as to the mind of the Church in this matter. The Directory has been ably revised, but it still remains a Directory, suggestive and emi- nently suitable to present requirements of the Church. Serious and persevering attention has been given to the praise service, and no less than three Hymnals have received and now enjoy the Church's imprimatur. Public worship in Divine service has retained a much greater uniformity among the Presbyterians of the Southern States than among their brethren in the North, and there has been less yielding to the popular demand for those features in worship that appeal 130 PBE8BTTKEIAN W0B8H1P OXJTSIDB to the imagination, and which so often serve to entertain rather than to edify. The Presbyterian Church in Canada, owing to the ties that bind it to the Churches of the Old Land, has closely followed their practjce, and its method in worship has been character- ized by a similar spirit. No authoritative or mandatory formulas have been imposed upon it nor does it seem likely that such would be wceived should they be proposed. Reverence and dignity have in general characterized its public services, and yet in recent years those changes which have gradually been introduced into the worship of the Church in that part of the American Kepublic lying contiguous to the Dominion have made their appearance m Presbyterian worship in Canada The chief result has been, as in that Church aho. an unfortunate want of uniformity in this part of divine service. There has always been a con- stant and due regard paid to all parts of worship provided for in the Directory, and the neglect of any of these parts cannot be seriously charged against any considerable part of the Church but congregations have frequently considered them- selves at liberty to change their order and to OF THE B8TABLISJIED CHURCH. 131 vary them as circumstances seem to demand. It is this feature as much as any that has in recent years led to an agitation for the improve- ment of public worship, and that is calling the earnest attention of the Church to a matter of supreme importance. Until very recently then, all branches of the Presbyterian Church in the British Empire and those bodies in the United States whose stan- dards have been those ol Westminster, have refused to recognize the need for any other formula of worship than that, or such as that, provided in the Directory. And where any con- siderable desire for change and improvement has been found, it has expressed itself usually as favorable to a revised Directory rather than as desirous of the adoption by the Church of a liturgy, however simple. Those great sections of the Church which have been most active in the work of Home and Foreign Evangelization, a work that has especi- ally claimed attention during this century, have found the simp'o rship of our fathers well suited to the cultivation of the spiritual life that must of necessity lie behind all suoh eflTorts, and to the development of the reverent and devo- ISS PBISBTTERIAN W0B8BIP. lional spirit so characterisUc of an aggressive Christianity. The Church has been true to the traditions and principles so loyally , maintained in the days of her heroic struggles in the past, and along these lines she has found in her public worship blessing and inspiration for her peaceful toils, even as our fathers in their day found in similar worship strength and revived courage with which to meet their difficulties and to endure persecution. Modern Movements in Presbyterian Churches Respecting Public Worship. "All who desire to manifest an intelligent appreciation of what is distinctive in Presby- terian ritual would do well to guard against attaching undue importnT'ce. or adhering too tenaciously, to details of a past or present usage. as if these constituted the essentials from which there must never be the smallest deviation, of which there may never be the slightest modifi- cation or adaptation to altered acquirements and circumstances." — McCniE. Chapter IX. Modern Movements in Presbyterian Churches Respecting Public Worship. The earliest indication of any general desire in Scotland for a more elaborate service than that in general use in the Church at the time of the Revolution was seen in the proposal to enlarge the Psalmody and to improve the Service of Praise. As early as 1713 the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland called the attention of congregations to the necessity that existed for a more decent performance of the public pnise of God, in a recommendation that was exceedingly desirable and necessary if the accounts of the service of praise at that time are to be believed. This was followed, not long afterward, by the introduction of paraphnises, styled "Songs of Scripture," and later of hymns, and finally of instrumental music. In this matter of the improvement of worship in the department of praise, the Secession Churches in several cases iMiii 13(5 lIODtRN MOVIMINTB were more forward than the EstablUhed Church, the revive.1 interest in religion and worship ^hich had been, in a measure the cause of the.r existence lending itself to such u>oasu.-es. In all sections of the Church the conflict concerning praise in worship w«. for a long period prose- cuted with an energy that frequently arose to bitterness. The vexed questions of hymn-smguig and the use of instruments in Churches be.ng settled, there followed, or ,«rhaps it may be said there arose out of these, the further question of the elaboration and improvement of other part, of worship. , , o i In 1858 the Assembly of the Church of Scot- land recommended to congregations that were without a minister, the use in worship of a booK prepared by its authority, in which were LLied the prayers of the Book of Common Order, together with much material from the Directory of Worship. This action on the part of the Church was regarded by some as indicating the existence of a spirit which warranted the formation of "The Church Service Society. This Society was formed by certain ministers of the Established Church who were strongly impressed with the desirability of the adoption RBSPtCnHO PUBLIC W0B8HIP. 187 by the Church of certain aathorized forms of prayer for public worship, and of the use of pre- scribed forms in the administration of the Saera* ments. By the publication of its constitution, in which it announced its object as " The Study of the Liturgies ancient and modern of the Christian Church, with a view to the preparation and ulti- mate publication of certain forms of prayer for public worship, and services for the administra- tion of the Sacraments, the celebration of Marriage, the Burial of the Dead," etc, it very early aroused vigorous opposition on the part of many who Raw in its organization an evident intention to introduce into the Church a liturgical service. Such a purpose the Society emphati- cally disavowed, and insisted that there was no desire on the part of its members to encroach upon the simplicity of Presbyterian worship, but claimed rather the desire to redeem the same from lifelessness and lack of a devotional spirit with which they declared it is so likely to be char- acterized. So effectively have the fears of those who first uttered their objections been allayed, that the Society is said to comprise in its member- ship, at the present time, more than one-third of the ordained ministers of the Established Church. 1S8 MODDM MOTunnnm The resulto of this Society's labor* have been published in a volume which is now in iU seventh edition. It is a book of more than 400 pages, and is entitled, " Euchologion— A Book of Com- mon Order." Its contents seem to harmoniie more with the views which were charged against the originators of the Society at its commencement than with the defence which was put forward in its behalf at that time. Although widely used it has no official sanction of the Church, and, therefore, it is not necessary to enter into any cloee analysis of its contents. Briefly, however, it may be said, it U a liturgy much more closely approximating to the English Book of Common Prayer than to Knox's Book of Common Order, or to the ritual of any of the Reformed Churches of the Continent, with which its projectors de- clare themselves to be more in sympathy than with the Episcopal Communion of England. The first part comprises, in addition to pre- scribed daily Scripture readings and readings for every Sunday of the year, the Order of Divine Service for morning and evening for the five several Sundays of the month; in this Order are contained special forms of prayer, responses to be used by the congregation, the Lord's Prayer, to RmPKCTINQ PirBMO WORSHIP. 139 be repeatetl by roiniiter and congregation to- gether, and the ApottW Creed, which in to Iw either said or sung. In the second part, which contains "additional materials for daily and other services," the first place is given to the Litany, which is an exact transcript of that of the Churoh of England with the exception of a change in one petition, ren- dered necessary by the difference in the forms of government in the two Churches, A number of " prayers for special graces," " collects " and "prayers for special seasons" and "additional forms of service " are added. The " prayers for special seasons " have regard to " our Lord's advent," "the Incarnation," "Palm Sunday," " the descent of the Holy Qhost," etc. The last section of the book provides forms of service for the administration of the Sacra- ments, visitation of the sick, marriage, burial, ordination, etc. In the form for the visitation of the sick a responsive service is provided, as also in the order for Holy Communion, On the whole it is probably not too much to assert that " Euchologion — a Book of Common Order," issued by the Church Service Society, is decidedly more liturgical in form than was the unfortunate 140 MODEBN MOVKMBNTS Laud's Liturgy, which raised against itself and its projectors swch a vigorous protest on the part of the Church of Scotland. Following the organization of the Society referred to, came one in connection with the United Presbyterian Church called " The United Presbyterian Devotional Association," having for its object "to promote ihe edifying conduct of the devotional services of the Church." This Society declares ite willingness to profit from the worship of other Churches besides the Pres- byterian, but at the same time asserts its loyalty to the principles and history of Presbyterianism. The forms published in its book, " Presbyterian Forms of Service," are not intended to be used liturgically, but the purpose is that they should furnish examples and serve as illustrations of the reverent and seemly conduct of public worship. The latest book to be issued on these lines te " A New Directory for the Public Worship of God"; this name is further enlarged by the following description, which provides a sufficient index to its contents : « Founded on the Book of Common Order (1560-64) and the Westminster Directory (1643-45) and prepared by the Public tlESPECnNO PUBLIC W0B8HIP. 141 Worship Association in Connection with the Free Church of Scotland." This book follows in general the form and method of the Directory, carefully avoiding the provision of even an optional liturgy. The form which it has assumed, that of a simple Directory of Worship, was adopted after long discussion in the " Association " on these four questioas, " The desirableness of an optional liturgy as distin- guished from a Directory of Public Worship ;" " The Desirableness of a Responsive Service," such a service to include the use by the people with the minister of the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, the Beatitudes, the Commandments, etc.; "The desir- ableness of the Collect form of prayer and of Responses in general," and "The desirableness of the celebration of the Christian year." After long and exhaustive debate on the above questions the book has been issued in its present form as a simple Directory of Worship, responses and the celebration of the Christian year and even an optional liturgy having been rejected as undesirable. Orders of service are suggested, as well for public worship as for the administration of the Sacraments and for special services, and suggestions at great length are 142 HODtBN MOVEHbUTS offered concerning what should find a place iii the prayers of Invocation, Thanksgiving, Con- fession, Petition, Intercession and Illumination. A few historic prayers of eminent saints of God are included as examples, and large quotations are made for the same purpose from Knox's Book of Common Order and from Hermann's "Consultation," and from this last source "A Litany for Special Days of Prayer" is added in an Appendix. If the Euchologion indicates a strong tendency on the part of the "Church Service Society " towards the introduction of a respoasive and liturgical service into public wor- ship, the New Directory of Public Worship indicates just as strongly a tendency within the "Public Worship Association" to avoid the introduction of even optional forms and to retain the simplicity that has for three centuries characterized Presbyterian worship. The attempts to revise the Directory of Wor- ship in onler to modify and adapt it to present- day requirements made recently by the Presby- terinn Church of England, and by the Fede- rated Churches of Australia and Tasmania, have already been referred to. That these Churches have confined their efforts to a revision of the RE8PEUTIK0 PUBLIC WOBSUIP. 143 Directory, and have in this asserted their ap- proval of a Directory of WoTBhip rather than of a liturgy, is in itself an instructive fact. In the revised Directory of the Presbyterian Church of England some changes are made in the direction of securing for the people a larger part in audible worship. The repetition of the Creed is permitted, and where used is to be repeated by the minister and people together; it is recommended as seemly that the people after every prayer should audibly say Amen, and the Lord's Prayer, which should be uni- formly used, is to be said by all. The work of revision by the Churches of Auh- tralia and Tasmania introduces fewer changes. In the administration of "The Lord's Supper" it is recommended that at the close of the Conse- cration Prayer the minister recite the "Apostles Creed " as a brief summary of C'.iristian Faith, and when the Lord's Prayer is used, as advised before or after the prayer of intercession, the people may be invited to join audibly or to add Amen. Worthy of more extended notice than the limits of this chapter will permit is " The Book of Church Order" of the Presbyterian Church 144 MODEBN MOVEMENTS ia the United SUtes. A« early as 1864 a pro- ,HMal was made in Assembly to revise the West- ^ster Directory of Worship for the purpose not only of rendering it more suitable to the requirements of the time, but in order also to so modify and improve it as to increase its sug- gestiveness and helpfulness to ministers. The work was undertaken by a committee appointed in 1879. and in 1894 this committee presented itB formal report, which was adopted, imd the ^vised Directory was ordered to be published. It contains sixteen chapters, treating of all the .natters treated in the original Directory, and containing in addition suggestive chapter, on "Sabbath Schools." "Prayer Meetings. "Secret and Family Worship." and "The Admission of Persons to Sealing Ordinances." Respecting the public reading of Holy Scrip- ture the revised Directory declares it to be "a part of the public worship of Ood," and that " it ought to be performed by the minister or some other authorized person." Of public prayer, after indicating its difterent parts, and suggesting the place that it should occupy in the service, the mind of the Church is thus expressed: "But we think it necessary to observe that, although BESPICTINO PUBLIC WORSHIP. 145 we do not approve, as is well known, of con- fining ministers to set or fixed forms of prayer for public worship, yet it is the indispensable duty of every minister, previously to his entering on bis office, to prepare and qualify himself for this part of his duty, as well as for preaching," In the chapters on the administration oi baptism and the Lord's Supper particular directions are given, and questions suitable to be asked of the parents of children presented for baptism are suggested, while in the directions for the admission of persons to sealing ordinances, an important distinction is drawn between the re- ception of baptized children of the Church and that of those who, on confession of their faith, are at that time first received. To the Directory there are added optional forms for use at a marriage service and at a funeral service. The book is not elaborate, and may be thought by many to be far from comprehensive as a Direc- tory, but it is suggestive and helpful, anu, while true to the principles of Presbyterian worship, it gives no evidence of disregard for the beauty and appropriateness that should characterize the public servicas of the Church. Among books of Church order it is well worth study by those n ' 148 MODSRN MOVEMENTS who desire in worship to combine simplicity with dignity. . It is evident from these recent and simul- toneous movements in so many branches of the Presbyterian Church, that there exists a feeling on the part of many that there is need of im- provement in the important department of wor- ship in our public services. It is probable that there will be found few to deny this, or to con- fess absolute satisfaction with the worship of the Church to-day. The question on which many will hold widely divergent opinions is as to the means to be adopted for its improvement. Some there are. as in the Church Service Society, who advocate a prescribed liturgy for at least certam parts of public worship; others, who desire a liturgy, but who are content to leave to congre- gations or to ministers freedom to use it or to disregard it; still others are loyal to the spirit of the age which produced the Westminster Directory, while they are at the same time willing to revise that work, which was found 80 serviceable to the Church for so long a period, and so to tender it more suitable to the demands of our own age. If a judgment may be formed fi-om the move- BISFKTINO PUBUC W0B8BIP. 147 menu that have jtut been reviewed, it is prob- able that at least for some time to come, the Presbyterian Church will continue to walk in the paths that have become familiar through long usage. The age, it is true, is past when dictation on this matter, either favoring or con- demning a liturgy, would be suffered ; and, there- fore, it is to be expected that congregations will exercise liberty in the matter. Yet, so far as the general sentiment of the Church is con- cerned, a sentiment that will doubtless from time to time find expression in official declara- tions, it appears evident that the preponderating feeling is still strongly in favor of a voluntary worship, unrestricted even by suggested forms. 11 i -A conrt«t form « a cert«n way to bring the «.«! to a cold, inaen.ible. formal worship. - Baxtxb. Chapter X. Conclusion. Th« foregoing biipf review of pnblio worship within those influential sections of the Fresby- teri«n Church whose attitude on this question has been examined, affords a sufficient ground for the assertion that those bodies have shown, until recently, a uniform and steadily growing suspicion of a liturgical service, even in its most modified form. The Book of Common Order, the first official service book adopted by the General Assembly of the Chure'i of Scotland for the regulation of its worship, marked a distinct advance towards a freer form and grreater liberty on the part of the minister in conducting Divine service. As compared not only with the English Prayer Book of the time, which was used in Reformed parishes in Scotland, but even «ith Calvin's order of worship, which had been so generally adopted by the Reformed Churches on the Con- 158 COHOLUfllOM. tinenl, this Book of Common Order wm char- acterized by a spirit of Urger liberty in worship and less reliance upon forms either suggosted or imposed. In the period of struggle through which the Church of Scotland passetl in the reigns of James the First and Charies the First, the con- flicts, civil and religious, only served, so far as they had any effect upon the views of the Church concerning worship, to strengthen the alre«ly strong opposition to prescribed forms of prayer and to ritualUtic observances. Ac- cordingly, when it was proposed to substi- tute for the Book of Common Order a Direc- tory. in which there should appear no prescribed forms for any part of public worship, the Scoteh Assembly gave a ready assent to the proposal, and, although some words of regret at parting with an historic symbol were sixiken at that time by leaders in the Scottish Church, they were only such .is it was natural to expect should be spoken in view of the strong attachment for that symbol fostered by its use during many years, but they were not Huch as indicate that those who so spoke felt themselves called upon to surrender any (.■ONCLUBION. 1S8 principle in laying Mide the order to which they had l)oen no long accustomed. Indeed the hearty and cheerful adoption by the Scottixh Ajwcmbly of the strongly worded ])reface to the Westminster T)j rectory, exposing as it does so vigorously U.. •/eakne', ns well as the dangers resulting ti >ii, 'lie iisc i' j, liturgy in pablio worshij. ; liiimy iiniicate^ i:,it in the judgment of the ' imr.'h ol' tli i'.. • t,lie use of liturgical forms wat in ; only :vA Ivlpful, but was posi- tively iio!-il" IS. n- w'-'l to the best interestn of the congrc^'itiu'' a'^ ' > ^ln most efficient service of the ministci Again in a third epoch of the (Jhureh's history, in the days following the "killing time," and marked by the succession to the throne of Wil- liam of Orange, and later by the union of Eng- land and Scotland, the Presbyterian Church of the latter country not only reasserted her loyalty to the principles of liberty in worship which she had so long defended, but she also succeeded in having secured to her by legislation, freedom from the im|)osition of ritualistic forms. It is at least allowable to assert that the eadcrs in the Scottish Church in the days of the Westminster Assembly and at the beginning 154 CONCLOSIOM. of the eighteenth century, regarded the perfect liberty in worAip allowed by the Directory not only a« Bcriptural. but as Buitable for the at- tainment of the great ends of public worship, for on no other grounds would they have con- sented to its adoption in Scotland. And if Presbyterians of to-day desire to imitate the spirit and methods of their ancestors, it is rea- Bonable that they should study the example of the men of the second Reformation. There is good ground for claiming that in no period of the Church's history did it give evidence of a deeper spiritual life and a more aggressive energy than in the age in which those heroic spirits lived. The leader in that day also, such men as Henderson, Qiil-ispie, Rutherford and Baillie. understood the spirit of Presbyterianism and the need of the Church quite as fully as did any leMlers of either an earlier or a later day. It is not to be forgotten that, in an age that produced men whose names must never be omitted when the roll of Scotland's greatest sons is called, the Presbyterian Church stood firmly for absolute liberty in worship from prescribed forms. It should, therefore, be considered by those who would have the Church return to the CONCLUSION. 156 bondage of formg or even to their optional uae, that they are advocating not a return to the practice of any former period in which the Church was free to exercise its own deaire in this matter, but rather that they are urging her to a course that will be wholly antagonistic to the spirit of Presbyterianism as indicated by the trend of its practice during a stirring and event- ful history of three hundred years. The spirit of Presbyterian worship has been consistently and persistently non-liturgical and anti-ritualistic, and to advocate the adoption of liturgy and ritual to-day is to depart completely from that historic attituda A few words on the subject of liturgies in general may not inappropriately close this sketch of the history of Presbyterian worship since the Reformation. It is now generally acknowledged that the introduction of liturgiej into the worship of the Christian Church was not earlier than the latter part of the fourth century. Not until the presbyter had become a priest, and worship had degenerated into a function, did liturgies find a place in Christian service. Even the earliest Oriental liturgies were sacramentaries, the Chris- 156 CONCLUSION. tian sacrifice being the central object around which the entire service gathered. So long as the life of the Church was strong, and in its gtiength found delight in a freedom of approach to God, so long the Apostolic practice was fol- lowed and worship was unrestricted and simple. During the middle ages, as religion became ever more formal and less spiritual, as the priest- hood deteriorated intellectually and spiritually, liturgies flourished; and it is not too auch to assert that just in proportion tc the growth of the liturgical service in any Church, in that pro- portion the power of its ministry has declined. Indeed the whole history of liturgies in their origin, development, and effects, should make the Church that rejoices in freedom from their binding forms most careful ere submitting in any degree to their paralyzing influence. It is argued in favor of the introduction of forms of prayer that their use would tend to the more orderly and dignified conducting of public worship by the minister. It is not a difficult matter to take exception to methods to which we have long been accustomed, and to compare these, sometimes to their disadvantage, with ideal conditions. As a matter of fact, however. CONCLUSION. 157 it may in all faimesa be asked, does diaorder or irreverence characterize Presbyterian wonhip in general, or indeed to any noticeable extent ? Whatever lovers of another sjrstem, within our own Church, may say, it cannot be denied that the impression in the minds of men of all denominations (an impression that has not gained strength without cause) is that, com|)areil with the worship of any other denomination, that of the Presbyterian Church is characterized by reverence, dignity and order. The comluct of any average congregation in the Presbyterian Church, and the heartiness with which its members join in every part of public worship will appear at no disadvantage when compared with that of a congregation worshipping with a ntual. Whatever other blessings a liturgy may secure for those devoted to its use, it has never been able to develop in the Churches where it is employed a spirit and conduct in public worship as reverent and devotional, and at the same time so marked by understanding, as that which has uniformly characterized the Presbyterian Church, and that Church would have to gain very much in other directions to ';ompcnsate for the open- ing of the door to the t'urnial and careless repeti- 158 CONCLUSION. tion of holy words bo often assorted with the use of a Utnrgy. It is further argued that conRregations would, with the aid of a liturgy, be enabled to take both a more lively and a more intelligent paH in public prayer than they can possibly do when endeavoring to follow a minister who uses extempore prayer only. This argument must appear to be of considerable weiojht to those only who forget how lifeless and unmeaning ft mere form of words, with which the lips have grown familiar, can become. Paley frankly admitted, when treating of this matter, that " the perpetual repetition of the same form of words produces weariness and inattenti veness in the congregation." There is a danger Uiat by carelessness in con- sidering the needs of the worshippers, and by diffusiveness, the minister may render the service of prayer far less helpful than it should be to those whom it is his privile<,'e to lead to the throne of grace; but the cure lor this is not to be found in the introduction of .stereotyped forms, which in the nature of the ca.se cannot be suitable for all occasions, but in a due recog- nition by the minister of the greBti.es,s of the duty which he assumes in speaking to God for l^^yp^^^ CONCLUSION. 159 the people. Such a recognition will lead him to seek that preparation of heart and mind neces- sary for its helpful performance, nor will his consciousness of the need of help, other than man can give, go unrecognized by the Father of Spirits, Who in this matter also sends not His servants at their own charges. As to the unity in prayer so much desired, true prayer is " in the Spirit," and earnest wor- .shippers have a right to expect that their hearts will be united by that Spirit at the throne of grace, so that " with one accord " they may present their petitions and claim the promise to thoso who are thus agreed. This is the true unity and uniformity which Christians are bonnd to seek, and any mere mechanical uniformity of words, apart from this, is but the outward trap- pings of form which are much more liable to satisfy the ciueless worshipper than to inspire in him any thought of the need of a more real approach to God. Lastly, it is urged that the responsive reading of the Scriptures would prove an aid to the intellij^ut understanding of them, and that the repetition of the Creed or other such formulary 1«0 COSCLUBION. Of a>K!trine wouUl serve to preserve the Church in the soundnaiH of the faith. The refutation of the first statement is to be found in many congregations where the pracUce h« been tried, and in Sabbath Schools ,n which the custom now prevails. Many there are who will not read, others who cannot, and these fai entirely to profit from the unintelligible hum of a number of voices reading in what is often any- thing but harmony either of sound or time ; and those who do read, frequently fail to receive tha dear impression of the truth that should result from the effective and sympathetic reeling of an entire passage. Without dwelling on the question whether the reading of the Scriptures is to be regarded as properly a ministerial act or not, on the simple ground of efficiency, responsive rend- ing in large and constantly-changing congrega- tions must frequently, if not generally, prove a ^'"irregards the repetition of the Creed by the congregation, it is certainly a question open for discussion whether or not the frequent repetition of a formulary of doctrine is a safeguard to the faith of the Church. !■ this matter also we are not without the life' of experience and his- CONCLUSION. 161 tory ; tho Presbyterian Churehcs of Scotland and America, which have never adopted any such practice, have certainly a record with respect to soundness in the faith which compares favor- ably with that of Churches which have for ages adopted this as a custom in their worship. It would not be difficult to mention Churches in which the repetition of a formulai-j of doctrine has long been an established question, and in which it is not apparent that the practice has successfully served as a safeguard to doctrine. Comparisons are odious, and we do not desire to institute them, but as wise men we should surely be guided by the light which history and experience in the past throws forward upon tho pathway that we are to travel. The Presbyterian Church has a history which may with reason cause all her children to thank Qod and take courage as they look forward on greater works than those of past days yet to be accomplished. Her past is rich in noble deeds, valiant testimonies and stirring struggles for the truth, and through it all she pressed forward rejoicing in a liberty which is inseparable from the principles of Presbyterianism, and one prod- uct of whicli has ever been an unwillingness IM OOXOLOtaoN. to be trwimeM by formi. in her W"*''* *° God Thai hUtory U such w need cawe no IWb,teri«i to bloeh when it i. reUted side by .id. with thirt ot »y »»»»« eh""'' ' """^y •'' mittt be bold souls who would propose to intio- duee » r.dio.1 chwge into the genius of Pn«- byteri«tam. or to relinquUh principles which „»ve led to such success, for others that have vet to show an equal vitality and vigor. Our free and untrainmeled worship demands from the won*ipper his best ; it brings him face to face with his God, and forbids him t« rest in «y mere repetition of a familUr form ; it ,eq«i«s of the minister a preparation of both mind and soul. Mid challenges him to spiritual conflict which he dare not refuse, while in addi- tion to all this its very freedom renders it .daptable to aU the varying oircumsUnces in wWeh in a land li^e our own the worship of Ood mnst be conducted. It is suitable alik«, to the stately city churd. and to tfca humble cabin of tte settler, or to the mission house of the far West; wherever men assemble for worship it .flteds the possibility for seemly, orderly and r.,.«nt p«»edun.. Is there any other form of 0OKCLC8IUN. lOS wonhip MggMtod tor which lu much can be Midr Am long M ihe ministen of the Presbyterian Chanih are men of God, recognizing His call to the saertd office of the ministry, and believing that those whom He calls He equips with needed grace and gifts for their work, so long will they be able to lead the congregations to which they minuter in worship that shall be at once honoring to God and a help to the spiritual life of the pMple: when they cease to be sach men forms may become, not only expedient, but esseatial.