All that is materially necessary to be noticed at this time, respecting the doxology, or concluding form of general praise, being at one time omitted and at another time used, is, that though our Lord commanded this use of the Lord's Prayer, he does not insist on the adoption of the doxology, but leaves it as a matter of discretion to be added or emitted, as occasion may warrant the propriety of either practice. And the custom of our Church seems governed by the same good judgment in this respect, as in most of her offices and decisions; for, by using the Prayer both ways, she steers clear of all error: she uses it with the doxology the first time it is presented in the public service, because the office is there a matter of PRAISE, and therefore the doxology very applicable; but since she finds it sometimes left out in Scripture, she omits it in some places of her service, where the subject of the worship is not an act of direct thanksgiving. In answering these objections, therefore, which this portion of my subject has necessarily led me to notice, you have the reasons given for the

of no moment; who grasp at the shadow, and let go the substance. The test of true faith and strict piety is to reverence and follow all that Christ has left us for our rule, and not to be disputing about every insignificant distinction, which, instead of advancing pure religion in ourselves, tends only to hurt the general cause, and supplies matter of cavil to the profane and sceptical objector.

different manner of repeating the Lord's Prayer in our church, for which, perhaps, you could not account before.

After all, we may rest this conclusion on a candid judgment, viz. whether it would not be an act of the greatest absurdity and disobedience to decline the use of the whole Prayer, because the latter part of it seems not to be positively required to be constantly added to the

rest.

Though matter of controversy or dispute is what I have carefully avoided in all my instructions to you in these Lectures, as being more likely to perplex than to profit you, yet this point being an article of some consequence for every member of our excellent Establishment to understand, and occasionally defend, I could not, without submitting to a manifest deficiency in my task, omit this plain state of the case respecting our Lord's authority for set forms of prayer, grounded upon his own positive example in leaving us this form, and commanding his Apostles and other disciples to use it as such, Nor can we doubt, that they observed this command, since all the accounts we have from the earliest ages of Christianity, fully prove it to have been their CONSTANT CUSTOM.

Having now afforded you, according to my best judgment, whatever information seemed necessary upon the contents of this very com

prehensive form of words, and delivered the same in a very full and plain manner, in eight particular Lectures, I cannot close this part of my task more properly, than by addressing the Almighty in a short paraphrase or comment on the whole Prayer, OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN ; i. e. Look upon us, O heavenly Father, as poor, weak, ignorant, froward, and helpless children, and pity us according to thy goodness, for Jesus Christ's sake, the Son of thy love.-HALLOWED BE THY NAME. O that we, and all thy servants, may give the Lord the honour due unto his name, which is great, wonderful, and holy.—THY KINGDOM COME; take possession of our hearts, thou King of heaven, and subdue whatever is amiss in us.-THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. O grant us a light to see, a desire to choose, and a power to do thy will in all things.-GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD; afford us grace, to be content and thankful for our present condition, to which, as sinners, we have no right. Thou, O heavenly Father, knowest what we have need of we cast all our care on thee, for thou carest for us may we seek thy kingdom, and the righteousness thereof, which is the needful food of our SOULS.-AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THEM THAT TRESPASS

AGAINST US. Vouchsafe us grace to imitate thy goodness, that we may forgive, and give, and

love, as becomes the disciples of Jesus Christ : -and LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. May we never provoke thee to withdraw thy needful help, nor permit us to be tempted above what we are able to bear; leave us not to ourselves and our own choice, nor let our faith fail us in the day of temptation and trial.-FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY, FOR EVER AND EVER, AMEN. To thee, O King of heaven, we have now prayed; on thee we depend, for thou only hast power to help and defend us. To thee, therefore, we give the glory of all the blessings we enjoy or hope for, both temporal and spiritual, in this world, or in the world to come; and that through Jesus Christ our Saviour. To whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, blessed for evermore, be all the praise and power ascribed by Amen, Amen.

men and angels.

LECTURE XLIV.

"What desirest thou of God in this Prayer ?” "I desire my Lord God, our heavenly Father," &c.

MATTHEW, XXI. 22.

All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

WHEN I entered upon this public task, I proposed affording you the fullest information upon every part of our Church Catechism; and as the nature of PRAYER, and the great benefit of our duty in exercising it, cannot be too well understood or too earnestly enforced, I have judged it for your advantage to deliver another general Lecture upon this important subject. Before I proceed, therefore, to that explanation of the Catechism which treats of the nature and number of the Holy Sacraments, it may render my plan more perfect, to take notice of that part of the Catechism which