in which they have uniformly been used from the

day of their royal and to the present time,

divinely inspired author,

and the custom of the Jews in this respect, the request, also, of the disciples of our Lord to be instructed in the proper mode of praying in the same manner as the disciples of John had been, — and the common prayer which Christ on this occasion was pleased to grant, together with the practice of the immediate followers of Christ after his resurrection, and in the first ages of the Christian establishment; - when, I repeat, we consider all these things, I think we must allow them to be in favour of the practice of our church.*

"The best stratagem that Satan hath, who knoweth his kingdom to be no one way more shaken than by the public devout prayers of God's church, is by traducing the form and manner of them to bring them into contempt, and so to shake the force of all men's devotion towards them. From this, and from no other forge, hath proceeded a strange conceit, that to serve God with any set form of common prayer is superstitious; as though God himself did not frame to his priests the very speech wherewith they were charged to bless the people; or, as if our Lord, even of purpose to prevent this fancy of extemporal and voluntary prayers, had not left us of his own framing one which might both remain as a part of the church liturgy and serve as a pattern whereby to frame all other prayers with efficacy, yet without superfluity of words."--Hooker's Eccl. Pol. lib. v. $26.

Now with respect to our Liturgy, I say ours, for I heartily adopt it, I know of nothing that equals it in dignity, in simplicity of style, in force, in compression, and expressive fervour, but the Scriptures themselves, and I can admit of nothing as surpassing it. Next to the inspired volume, this book, which one would be tempted to call only not inspired, must certainly be ranked. It breathes throughout the spirit of Christian love; and of this only I affirm, from my own experience, that when read with solemnity and feeling, it may be followed with all that deep, holy, and humble devotion which is most worthy of the Almighty God, and most acceptable to him."

"In all this," said Eloise, "I fully concur with you; and so greatly, even before I thought of attending on the public worship of the church, did I venerate the Litany in particular, that I have myself used it at all times in my private devotions, and, in the latter days of my poor mother's illness, I read it to her continually."

"I do not wonder," said I, "that you have been so particularly struck with this part of our service; for the good Rector of my parish has told me, that many eminent and distinguished scholars and ornaments of the church have

been so habitually impressed with its devotional power, that they have had the same read to them in their last moments, thus sealing their testimony of its dignity and usefulness by a dying proof of their attachment to it. But above all its other services, in beauty and force of language, and in spirit of earnest supplication, none, in my estimation, transcends that of the Communion. It is impossible for any to read this, as a composition, without admiration: impossible for any I think to enter into it without the spirit of humility, brotherly love, and of the highest gratitude for the inestimable mercy of Him who died upon the cross to save us."

"This," said Eloise," is a point of all others on which I am desirous of having some conversation with a friend whose opinion I so highly esteem; for, as I have never received the sacrament, I both feel that I ought, and greatly desire to do so; yet there are some reasons, which at present I cannot explain, to prevent me, for a short time, from doing it with perfect satisfaction to my own mind."

We now came to a turn in the course of our walk, and our reflections also were forced into a different direction, by observing that as we were approaching the house, our friends were

doing the same from another point. We were obliged, therefore, to put an end to our conversation, and in a few minutes we all entered the house together. After dinner the little child was, as usual, introduced, and with him his new, but familiar companion, the favourite Fido, whose joint gambols afforded amusement to the whole domestic party. After tea, Mr. Jordan read a sermon of Bishop Horne's to the household: this and the family-prayers being ended, the conversation turned upon many points of Scripture, which were canvassed in all the spirit of Christian love and fellowship, each of the party, whatever might be his own particular view of the subject, showing a strong love of divine truth, and devout earnestness in the cause of religion. Shortly after, we all of us separated for the night, and retired to our several apartments, with, I trust, a well-founded hope, that we had not kept the Sabbath-day' otherwise than 'holy.' After a week or two passed in this agreeable society, encouraged by those different marks of attention, with which she seemed to regard me, I once again pressed Eloise upon the point nearest my heart. I did this, indeed, not without considerable hesitation, lest I should have mistaken her cheerfulness

and difference of manner for a sanction to my importunity; while she, perhaps, considering herself as now secure from any repetition of it, had only on this account been less constrained in her behaviour towards me than she might otherwise have been. But what was my joy to find that my proposal was now accepted with all the warmth of feeling and reciprocal affection that a person in my situation could wish for!

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"You may think,” said she, " that when you before urged me on this subject, I either was indifferent to your earnest and flattering solicitations, or, perhaps, was acting in the manner that I did, to put your affection to the test. Be assured that I have been actuated by no such motives; for my confidence in you has ever been all that you could wish it. To explain, however, my conduct towards you, I have to unfold a story, which after your avowal may not be uninteresting to you; and in doing this, I have to acknowledge that I have hitherto suffered you to remain in a state of delusion, which, however in the first instance it originated in your own mistake, it is now time that I should clear up, by informing you, that although Mrs. Richards by her affectionate