in alarm to see what has gone wrong. "Silence is not a gap to be filled; it is the greatest of all preparations and the climax of all adoration."1 Not the least of its benefits is the wonderful sense of fellowship with which it clothes the worshipers. It creates an atmosphere in which it is easy and natural to hear the voice of God. The description of a service of silence in the second part of the manual develops these statements more fully.

Introductory Appeal or Invocation

Every well ordered public exercise has a definite mode of beginning. There are two well recognized methods of beginning a service, aside from the use of a hymn. One is a call to worship addressed to those present in the words of appropriate verses of Scripture. The other is a prayer of invocation to God. Often both the sentences and the prayer are used. There is nothing which will more quickly bring a group of people into an attitude of reverence than the measured utterance of carefully chosen verses from Scripture. According to present custom a hymn is the chief means of calling an audience to attention, the music being counted on to drown out those who are loath to cease talking. Thus the fervor is lost with which the hymn might be sung if the people approached it after the hallowing effect of some words from Scripture. The sentences may 1 "Fellowship of Silence," p. 145.

be chosen with a view to suggesting the topic of the service, or they may be simply the call to worship. A careful selection of such verses is given in the third part of this manual. Sometimes the sentences are in the form of a "responsory," a sentence of Scripture by the leader being appropriately responded to by the worshipers, but this is hardly possible without printed forms of service.

Exhortation

A simple exhortation serves the valuable purpose of giving the keynote of a brief devotional service. In this way the leader and his fellow worshipers come into the closest understanding with each other. The sentences of which we have just spoken are in themselves an exhortation, but the leader can well make in addition a statement as to the purpose of the service and the central lesson to be drawn from it. In many church services this is done by the prayer of invocation, but in such informal group meetings as we have in mind it had better be a simple statement, summed up, perhaps, in a brief prayer.

Confession

This element is not often necessary in a brief service, but there is no reason why it should not be present more frequently. If people are deeply moved by what they have heard and are convinced of their own unworthiness, it is right and proper

and psychologically necessary that opportunity be given them to confess their sins and failings publicly and in general terms. Nearly all prayer books of the different Protestant churches, and the preliminary matter of a great many of the hymnals, print the "General Confession," and most persons are able to follow it if said slowly. But there are ways of confession other than by a prayer said in unison. Some hymns are preeminently of the confession type, as for instance, "Bowing low in deep contrition, Lord, we come to Thee." They are very effective if the leader asks that they be sung as confessions, softly and in penitential attitude. Certain psalms are good for confessional use, notably the 51st. Throughout the prophetic books are sentences of earnest penitence which could be woven into corporate confession. Especially true is this of the 9th chapter of Daniel. The confessions here referred to are given in the third part of the manual.

United Petition

At some point in most services opportunity should be given for united petition. Otherwise the only prayer is that uttered by some individual, which at best only partly expresses the aspirations of all the worshipers. Hymns furnish this element, but if circumstances prevent the use of music in informal services, as is often the case, we must turn to other channels of united intercession.

The Lord's Prayer furnishes an ideal opportunity for such expression of common worship. It is not only universal in its petitions, but it also embraces all forms of spiritual aspiration: namely, address, adoration, petition, and praise. The Lord's Prayer is the classic expression of unity, and this idea alone should guarantee its constant use in the devotions of fellow-workers in some great cause. The chief objection to the frequent use of the Lord's Prayer is the fear of falling into the "vain repetition" against which Christ warned. Possibly this can be overcome, and more meaning can be given to those petitions which most nearly cover the theme of the service by a slight pause after their utterance. The leader would, of course, have to request this in ad

vance.

Praise and Thanksgiving

The attitude of adoration should characterize every act of worship. The Father in Heaven, we know by analogy and direct teaching, rejoices as a human father to have His children tell Him that they love Him, and why they love Him, and to make mention of those things for which they are especially grateful. Praise in the words of Scripture may best be rendered by the use of certain of the Psalms and by those hymns in the early chapters of Luke's gospel in which those surrounding our Lord express their joy at His birth, namely, Luke 1:46, ff., and

Luke 2:29, ff. (see Part III). The recitation of a psalm is generally concluded with the sentences of praise known as the Gloria Patri, "Glory be to the Father," etc. This, which is among the most ancient forms of worship, in a sense Christianizes the Psalms, for the old Covenant is only perfected in the light of our Lord's teaching. So, too, can the Doxology be fittingly used. It is useful also for any spontaneous expression of praise. The greatest hymn of praise, familiar to most people, is the Gloria in Excelsis, "Glory be to God on high," etc. of ancient Greek origin. This is printed in most hymnals.

But a leader need not be limited to ancient forms. Some modern "Te Deums," notably those of the English poet John Oxenham,2 are most suggestive, and by virtue of their being modern in expression but cast in ancient forms are very stimulating. A striking sentence, useful at all times, is 1 Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever, Amen."

The Reading of Scripture

So generally is it recognized that Christian education rests on the Scriptures, and that education is one of the purposes of worship, that it is

2 "All's Well," pp. 43, 58, 157.