good counsels, and all just works do proceed; give unto thy servants that peace, which the world cannot give; that our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments, and also that by thee, we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in rest and quietness, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

A Collect for Aid against Perils. (26.) O LORD, our heavenly Father, by whose Almighty power we have been preserved this day; by thy great mercy defend us

holiness and righteousness, which are the surest and only foundations for a true and lasting peace. From which we may learn, that there is an inseparable union between righteousness and true peace, and that we cannot have this peace, unless it spring from holy desires, good counsels, and just works. If the grace of God work these in us, is not all the slanders, the scorn, nor injustice of the world, can hinder the serene reflections and inward peace of a good conscience. He that doth not deserve reproach can nobly despise it, and he that hath not provoked his neighbour to wrong him by any evil doing, can easily bear the greatest of injuries. Whereas if all the world be quiet, and none disturb the wicked man, he makes himself restless, because there is an enemy wit in, that upbraids him more loudly, and wounds him more deeply, than he can do the holy man. Whoever therefore enquires for true peace, let them behold him, in and from whom are all the causes of it, with love and admiration. And let them acknowledge to his glory and their own comfort, that he is the author and finisher of every good work. He excites our affections to desire that which is good, engageth our will to choose it, and strengtheneth our hands to perform it. There are no holy thoughts in our minds, no good purposes in our hearts, nor any righteous actions in our lives, but it is in, and by, and through him. To him then let Is make our supplications, that he will fill our hearts with the motions of the Holy Spirit, the first seeds of all virtue, and by the continuing increase of the same grace make these holy desires spring up into prudent and religious counsels and determinations; and by favourable circumstances, and additions of strength, ripen them into pious and just works; and the fruit thereof will be peace. cheerfully hope and pray, that he that planted the root, and sowed the seed, will give us the pleasure of the fruit and comfort of the harvest: and let us beware, since we confess this to be the fruit of nighteousness, that when we seem most earnest in our prayers for this peace, we do not wilfully deprive ourselves of it, and hinder our own wishes,

We may

from all perils and dangers of this night, for the love of thy only Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

A prayer for the PRESIDENT of the United States, and all in Civil Authority.

O LORD, our heavenly Father, the high and mighty Ruler of the universe, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth; most heartily we beseech thee, with thy favour to behold and bless thy servant, The PRESIDENT of the United States, and all others in authority; and so replenish them

by stifling holy thoughts, and breaking pious resolutions, and neglecting good works. For he that cuts the root and lops off the branches, must not expect ever to eat of this fruit; and if he complains, deserves to be silenced as the author of his own misery. DEAN COMBER.

The former of the two Collects, peculiar to evening prayers, is taken from a Latin form, at least 1100 years old. It begs for the greatest of blessings here below, that joyful peace of mind, which our Saviour promised his disciples: "Peace I leave with you: my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you," John xiv. 27. And since it cannot be obtained, but by "holy desires, good" and prudent "counsels" for the execution of them," and just actions," done in consequence of both; so we petition him, "from whom all" these "proceed," to grant it us by means of them; that "our hearts being set" by his 66 grace to keep his commandments," and our ways "defended" by his providence "from the fear of our enemies," we may find "the work of righteousness, peace; and its effects, quietness and assurance for ever," Is. xxxii. 17. Abp. Secker.

(26.) Though their titles are different, the third collects at Morning and Evening Prayer bear a considerable resemblance to each other; and both of them are peculiarly well adapted for the situations they respectively hold. That for the morning, appears to be more immediately directed against the dangers and temptations to which we may be exposed in the course of the day. In this for the evening, towards the approach of natural darkness, we beseech God to "enlighten the eyes of our understandings, that we sleep not in our sins unto death ;" and to defend us from all the dangers and perils that may ensue in the night. We commit ourselves to the protection of him, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, and to whom darkness and light are both alike.

SHEPHERD.

This is peculiar to and proper for the evening. We are always indeed environed with danger. but none are more dismal, sudden, and unavoida

with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that they may always incline to thy will, and walk in thy way: Endue them plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant them in health and prosperity long to live; and finally, after this life, to attain everlasting joy and felicity, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for the Clergy and People. ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift, send down upon our Bishops and other Clergy, and upon the Congregations committed to their charge, the healthful spirit of thy grace; and, that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing: Grant this, O Lord, for the honour of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Prayer for all Conditions of Men.

O GOD, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men, that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially we pray for thy holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians, may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally,, we commend to thy fatherly goodness all those who are any ways afflicted or distressed in mind, body, or estate; that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them, according to their several necessities; giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

ble, than those of the night, when darkness adds to the terror, and sleep deprives us of all possibility | of foresight or defence; so that he must be an atheist, and worse than heathen, who doth not then by a special prayer commit himself to God's providence, the knowledge of which doth enlighter our minds, and makes us full of inward peace and

¶A General Thanksgiving. ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies, we, thine unworthy servants, do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy all men. goodness and loving kindness to us, and to We bless thee for thy creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all, for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy merthankful, and that we may show forth thy cies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days, through Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom. ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy name, thou wilt grant their requests; fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.

O GOD, the Father of Heaven; have mercy upon us miserable sinners. (3.)

(1.) There is no part of the public service of the Church, in which the congregation bears so large a share, or which breathes so ardent a devotion, as the Litany. It contains the united requests of the whole congregation; and its import should be deeply considered, that it may be used with understanding, and felt devoutly in the heart.

The word Litany, as it is explained by the Rubric which precedes the service, signifies a general supplication. It is used in a similar sense by the ancients, both of Greece and Rome ;-importing, an earnest supplication made to the Gods, in lime of adverse fortune. A judicious writer, of our Church, defines the word Litany, as denoting a public supplication, whereby the mercy of God is more ardently and solemnly invoked. The penitential supplications of David, recorded in the li. Psalm, are of the nature of a Litany, and so are the earnest intercessions of Daniel, contained in the ix. chapter of his Prophecies ;-from both of which, passages have been transcribed into our Litany. But a still more striking instance of a public and solemn Litany was appointed by God himself, for the Jewish nation in a time of general calamity; the burthen of which was, "Spare thy people, O Lord." (Joel ii. 17.) And still more striking and solemn was that Litany of our Saviour, which he thrice repeated with strong crying and tears." Luke xxii. 44, and Heb. v. 7.

66

Compositions of this nature have been used in the Christian Church from the earliest ages. Tertullian speaks of such forms of prayer, which had been in use before his time. St. Ambrose has left us the form of a Litany, which commonly bears his name, and which agrees in many things with our's. About the close of the fourth century, Litanies began to be used in processions, the people walking barefoot, and repeating them with great devotion. In the year 600, Gregory, the Great, revised all the ancient forms, and out of them compiled the famous seven-fold Litany, which became a model to all the Western Churches. To this Litany our's bears a much nearer resemblance than it does to that o. the Romish Church; the latter containing invocations of the Saints, which our reformers have justly expunged. The processions being an innovation

O God, the Father of Heaven; have mercy upon us miserable sinners.

upon the early practice of the Church, and having been the cause of much scandal, were prohibited; but the supplications, which were of primitive appointment, have been continued to the present day.

T. C. B.

(2.) The Litany is directed to be used on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.-Wednesdays and Fridays were established as days of Fasting by the primitive Church; which thought it not fit to shew less devotion than the Pharisees, who fasted twice a week, and which selected these particular days because the Saviour was betrayed on the one, and crucified on the other. And the Litany is repeated on Sunday, partly because there is then the greatest assembly to join in its earnest supplications, and partly that no day may seem to have a more solemn service than the Lord's day.

Anciently, the Morning Prayer, the Litany, and the Communion Office, were three distinct services; which were used at different hours. In the time of King Edward, and Queen Elizabeth, the Litany was used as a preparatory to the Communion service, a Psalm or Hymn only, intervening between them. The present arrangement was established at the last review of the English Prayer Book, in the vear 1661.

The Litany, as it stands in our service, is the same as that in the English Book, with the exception of some slight verbal amendments, and an alteration and abridgement of the intercessions for those in civil authority. It differs but very little from the Litany of the Lutheran Churches of Germany and Denmark, but varies considerably from that of any other Church; being more full than the Litany of the Greek Church, and shorter than that of the Romish, one half of which is occupied with invocation of saints.

The most of our Prayers are offered up solely by the minister, the people only saying Amen, at the close of each: But the Litany is the joint supplication of the whole Congregation, and every member is to take an audible part in it. The greater portion indeed, is to be repeated by the Minister singly, but the people utter a response, to every sentence. This way of diversifying our devotions is admirably calculated to keep alive our attention,

The Litany begins with a solemn and humble address, and a fervent petition to the ever blessed Trinity. We first address each person in the Godhead distinctly, and then all of them jointly; acknowledging our sinfulness and misery, and imploring the divine mercy and pardon. First, we invoke the Father, as the source of Deity, and fountain of mercy. We prostrate ourselves at his footstool, and implore his grace; saying, "O God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy upon us miserable sinners."-We call upon him under this appellation, because he created the heaven as well as the earth, and because heaven is his throne, while the earth is his footstool. In heaven he manifests the peculiar glories of his nature; and though the angels and spirits of just men made perfect rejoice in his presence, yet they veil their faces when they approach his throne, because of his excellent glory. But though he dwells in light inaccessible, and full of glory, his goodness is not confined to the celestial mansions, for his tender mercies are over all his works, and he has revealed himself to us, as abundant in goodness and truth, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin. This manifestation of himself is exactly suited to our condition. We have been constantly prone to transgression. In all things we have come short of our duty, and in many things we have offended altogether. We nave wandered from God, and devoted ourselves to the world; and were he to be extreme to mark what we have done amiss, we could not abide his Justice. We therefore invoke his compassion, and beseech him to "have mercy upon us, miserable sinners." Whenever we do this, then, let us devote a passing thought to our numerous transgressions, and their multiplied aggravations, that we may be penetrated with humility and contrition, and that the feelings of our hearts may be in unison with the words which we utter with our lips.

O God the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son; have mercy upon us miserable sinners.

O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three persons and one God; have mercy upon us miserable sinners.

O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity,

In the next place, we invoke "God the Son," as "Redeemer of the world ;" who loved us, and gave himself for us, and hath redeemed us to God by his blood. The divinity and atonement of Christ constitute the entire foundation of this address. We invoke the Redeemer not merely as the Son of God, but as "God the Son ;" and this language is perfectly consonant with that of Scripture. St. Paul calls him "God blessed for ever," and tells us that he "thought it no robbery," or usurpation "to be equal with God." And, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, he introduces the Father as saying to him, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the soeptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom :"-" And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the Angels of God worship him." Not only the divine name, therefore, but the divine nature, and divine honours and worship are ascribed to him.

That we have sinned against the Son, is no less certain than that we have sinned against the Father. We have neglected the tenders of salvation which he has made to us. We have crucified him afresh, by doing things which he has expressly forbidden; and have put him to an open shame, by being ourselves ashamed to stand up for his cause, to defend his Church, and to maintain the truth as it is contained in his gospel. We have made light of his holy Ordinances, slighted his Word, neglected his Sacraments, been unmindful of his example, and unthankful for his sufferings and death. Let us humble ourselves then, when we approach his footstool; and let us call upon him in the devout and animated language of our Church, “O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy upon us miserable sinners."

Next, we are directed to address the third person in the Godhead, with the same view, and from the same motive, that led us to invoke the Father and the Son. "O God the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and Son, have mercy upon us

miserable sinners."

The Scriptures not only appropriate to the Holy Ghost the name of God, but they ascribe to him all the distinguishing attributes of divinity. They direct us to bless, and to baptize, in his name; and they inform us, in express terms, that "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost;" and that "these three are one." And though we address him as

"proceeding from the Father and the Son," yet still, by virtue of his divine nature, as well as office, he acts with full and supreme authority; dividing, and distributing to every man his blessed gifts and graces, severally aS HE WILL. (1 Cor. xii. 11.)— Thus "proceeding from the Father and the son," according to the economy of the Gospel Covenant, and to accomplish the purposes of divine grace, it Is his prerogative to awaken the conscience, to sanctify the heart, to give a right and spiritual direction to our understanding, and to co-operate with our moral powers, which sin has paralized, in perfecting the great work of our salvation. But how often have we sinned against the Holy Ghost, and grieved the blessed Spirit, by stifling his heavenly monitions, by resisting his calls, by neglecting his gifts, by contemning his graces, and by slighting those Ordinances which have been appointed as the means by which he may convert us fron sin, sanctify and renew our natures, and confirm us in the way of our duty. Let us entreat him, then, to pardon what is past, and not withdraw his presence from us; and let us prostrate ourselves before him, and beseech him to have mercy upon us, miserable sinners."

But in order to express our importunity more strongly, we not only invoke separately the three persons in the Godhead, but in concluding the invocation, we address them jointly. "O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three persons and one God, have mercy upon us miserable sinners."

This form of address is agreeable to the ancient practice of the primitive Church; which after the solemn Invocation of each person in the Godhead, united them all together, in one and the same request for mercy. Every sin which we commit against any one person in the Trinity, is committed against the rest: the mercy and pardon which we implore, must come from the whole; and the misery from which we seek to be relieved, must be the grace, not of any single person, but must flow from the joint and undivided concurrence of the whole Trinity.

We have a divine command to call upon God for mercy, in time of trouble. "Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee." (Ps. 1. 15.) And the precept of St. James is, "Is any afflicted, let him pray." (v. 13.) David begins his great penitential Psalm with a supplication for mercy; "Have mercy upon me, O God." Mercy is the great remedy for misery. We need it both because we are miserable, and because we are sinners; and all the Litanies extant, as well as our own, have begun with the supplication, "Lord bave mercy upon us, miserable sinners."

The design of the people's repeating the whole verses after the minister is, that every one may first implore to be heard in his own words; which

when they have obtained, they may leave it to the Priest to set forth all their necessities to Almighty God, they themselves declaring their assent to every petition as he delivers it.

After having thus reflected on the importance of this solemn invocation, it remains that we further consider what are our views of our ownselves, and what are our feelings when we offer its reiterated petitions for mercy.

Do we really feel ourselves to be miserable sinners? And has our prayer for mercy proceeded from unfeigned lips? To know these things, is of much greater importance than many persons seem to be aware of. If sincerity and uprightness of heart are necessary in our dealings with men, much more must they be requisite in our intercourse with God. His eye penetrates the inmost recesses of the heart. He sees through every disguise. All things are naked and open to his view; and he has solemnly engaged to reward every man according to his works. Let us not mock him, then, by using these solemn words without meaning. Let us beware how we dissemble with him, or act the part of the hypocrite before one who searcheth the heart and trieth the reins. Let us humble ourselves under a deep sense of our misery and our guilt, and with sincerity, with contrition, and with the most anxious solicitude, implore him to "have mercy upon us miserable sinners."

On the other hand, if we have come into his presence with a due sense of our unworthiness, with our hearts in unison with our words, and have felt the spirit while we adopted the sentiment of the poor publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner:" if we have had those views of ourselves as transgressors against God, which have taught us to walk humbly with him, and to build all our hopes of pardon on the stability of that covenant, which is ordered in all things and sure; then we have reason to believe that our petitions will be heard; that we have an interest in the divine mercy; that our sins will be blotted out, and that our iniquities will be forgiven. If this be our case, we may go on our way rejoicing-praising God from day to day for the blessings of redemption, the dispensations of his grace, and the treasures of his mercy, till we are conducted in safety to his everlasting kingdom.

But if we have never served God with our heart; and feel no anxiety, no painful apprehensions with regard to the event, it is high time that we should be roused from our stupid indifference. Let us reflect on the awful situation of those who die in their sins. Having wasted their time and abused their talents; having neglected or despised the means of grace, and filled up the measure of their iniquities, they abide under the displeasure of the Almighty, and there is nothing revealed to them