LECTURE VI.

LITURGIES AND RITUALS.

1 Timothy ii. 1, 2.

I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers,

intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for

kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead

a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

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THE ARGUMENT.

The consideration of Liturgies and Rituals follows naturally

that of Scripture, Creeds, and Articles-the expediency of

them not here so much the subject of inquiry as the

necessity fixed Forms of Prayer a constituent element of

a visible Church-visibility and unity of the Church proved

-

-an united Church requires and pre-supposes united

Prayer Scripture authority for this shewn to be contained

in the text-early divisions of Public Worship the same

as now-Prayer for public and national Blessings form a

Scriptural Authority for visible and national Churches-

the Church's early prayers for authorities prophetic of

authorities becoming ultimately friendly to her-the want

of Apostolical Liturgies no proof that Liturgies are not

essential to the Church the Jews had a prescribed

Liturgy that Liturgy a model for the early Christian-the

four primitive Christian Liturgies traced up to the Apos-

tolical age at the Reformation these were restored in their

original purity-Visibility and Purity of a Church marked

by its Liturgy-Danger of leaving Public Worship to

private discretion-a national Church should have a national

form of prayer-excellence of our own Liturgy-it con-

soled our confessors and martyrs in their tribulations—

Jeremy Taylor's eloquent Panegyric upon it.................. 145

LECTURE VII.

(CHURCH AUTHORITY FOR RESTRAINING ERROR.)

HERESY AND SCHISM.

Matthew xviii. 17, 18.

And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church:

but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee

as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you,

Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in

heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be

loosed in heaven.

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THE ARGUMENT.

Church authority indispensable-the opinion of the Church

at large binding on the minority of its members-(the rule

of private judgment explained in a note)-errors of Ro-

manism and dissent on this point-difficulty of ascertaining

the decisions of the Church no argument against their

stringency when known-Church authority recognized, in

some sense, by all parties-extent limited to expulsion

from communion for doctrinal errors- -Romish abuses on

this point- definitions of errors-infidelity- heresy-

schism-denial of any of the doctrines of the Creeds

Heresy-denial of any of the Articles of Religion Schism

-Bishop Beveridge's view of this subject stated-Schism

may be caused by the enactment of improper laws—as well

as by disobedience to just ones-the boast of Schismatics

that they differ from us but on small matters an aggravation

of their offence-Scripture exhortation to unity............ 177

LECTURE VIII.

(CHURCH AUTHORITY FOR PROPAGATING THE TRUTH).

SECULAR AID, EDUCATION, AND PREACHING.

Mark xvi. 15.

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach

the gospel to every creature.

THE ARGUMENT.

The commission to propagate the Gospel issued to Men not

to Books-reasons for this-system and subordination

necessary among the propagators of the Gospel-the

Gospel kingdom follows the analogy of an earthly king-

dom as to laws and officers-system observed by the

apostles and first preachers of the Gospel-human means

may be joined with spiritual in spreading the Truth-the

laws of human nature and of the Gospel have both the

same divine origin-they may work together for good—

human authority at first opposed to the divine law-when

whole nations became Christian the two authorities entered

into alliance-Church and State originally independent of

each other-they can and may mutually promote each

other's ends-these separate ends stated-what privileges

the Church claims to herself-religious teaching and edu-

cation among them—would resist the state in establishing a

rival system to her's, in either of these points-her duty in

such a case-summary of the argument of this lecture—

general conclusion....

.......

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THE DUTY OF LITURGICAL PREACHING STATED AND ENFORCED.

1 Corinthians iii. 4, 5.

For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of

Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who

is Apollos, but Ministers by whom ye believed, even as the

Lord gave to every man

?

239

PREFACE.

IN the Introductory Lecture, the author has explained, at some length and with all the clearness in his power, his own views with regard to the present position of the Church of Christ-the causes which have led to that position-and the remedies which might be proposed for some of the evils which attend it. The considerable interval which has elapsed since the composition of that Lecture, while, from the excitement which now exists on all great questions of Theology, it has daily thrown some additional light on that position, has not tended to alter the author's views regarding it, but rather to confirm them by the concurrent testimony of almost every successive writer on these questions. It is now evident to all, that the external Consti

tution of the Church of Christ had received from the Clergy, (and especially during the last quarter of a century) much less attention than its essential importance demanded. The exigency of the times had a tendency to lead men to neglect every thing in the study of Theology which was not evidently indispensable; and a school had gradually sprung up in the Church, which held that system was of little consequence compared with personal sincerity and zeal. Every man can be assured that he possesses the latter: the former is of difficult attainment and thus it came to pass that each minister took that view of the Gospel which was suggested to him by the accidental impressions of his early years, or the bent of his natural disposition and turn of mind. As might have been expected, the theology which thus originated, soon developed itself under two tolerably distinct aspects-what may be called sentimental and common-sense divinity. The imaginative adopted the one, the argumentative teacher the other system; each taking the direction of his own mind to be the true guide to scriptural interpretation, and both being alike profoundly ignorant, if they did not entertain a profound contempt, of