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Ireland, that no man shall be accounted a lawful Bishop, Priest, or Deacon of that Church, or suffered to execute any of its functions, except he be called, tried, examined, and admitted thereto;"* according to an excellent and spiritual form of Ordination: and, if all the Ministers of our Church, acting consistently with their solemn vows and professions, be furnished by divine grace for the work to which they have been called, and labour with zeal and fidelity in their vocation and ministry, then, indeed, shall we have an instrument of incalculable importance and value, for the diffusion of the blessings of true religion in every part of our land. We are accustomed to hear, from many quarters, calumnies, sneers, and falsehoods, directed by its enemies both against the system and it's administration. We desire to see every abuse in its administration corrected, every defect supplied, wherever they may be discovered: the system itself, i. e. the Episcopal Constitution of the Church, we believe to be derived from the Apostles, and to have it's origin from God.

That the DOCTRINES of the Church of England, on all the great and essential points of Christian faith and practice, are sound and scriptural, I shall not, on this occasion, attempt to establish by any

*Preface to Form of Ordination.

detailed arguments. I assume that my hearers are already fully convinced of the truth of this assertion; and I think, that no one, who understands and values the Gospel revelation, and candidly compares the doctrines of our Church, as they are embodied in her Articles, or dispersed through her Homilies and Liturgy-with that only sure and unerring standard, the Word of God-can come to any other conclusion. This, indeed, is a point freely conceded by the orthodox Protestant Dissenters of former days; and is not, I think, denied, or rather, is conceded also by the great body of those, who consider themselves the orthodox Dissenters of the present day; even amidst all that prejudice, bitterness, and animosity which too often prevents even good men from seeing and acknowledging the truth. Our Church continually appeals to the Scriptures; maintaining, that "whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation:”* she teaches, and urges on our attention, those essential doctrines of our holy religion-original sin, justification by faith only through the efficacy of Christ's meritorious atoning sacrifice, sanctification in heart and life, and the necessity

* Art. vi.

of the continual influences of the Holy Spirit; in short, on all points necessary to salvation, she requires of her members the sincere profession of that "faith which was once delivered to the saints."* In adopting her creed, we embrace sound and scriptural doctrine; we make a good profession. In her fixed Articles of faith, and stated forms of worship, continually presenting, both to ministers and congregations, the great doctrines of Christianity, we have the best human means for preserving within her pale, and even for extending beyond her communion, the purity of the Christian faith and the diffusion of Christian doctrines. In holding fast our profession, we shall not be wavering nor unsteady, nor "carried about with every wind of doctrine, &c. ;" and in walking consistently with that profession we shall bring forth all those acceptable "fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God."+

We proceed to notice in the next place, the FORMULARIES OF WORSHIP, prescribed and used by our Church.

Those who are separated from our Communion, and all who are hostile to an Established Religion, condemn, and object to, the use of Liturgies, and all appointed forms of prayer and thanksgiving.

* Jude iii.

+ Ephes. iv. 14.

Philip. i. 11.

Many excellent men, in their anxiety to imitate, as closely as possible, the practice of the Apostles in their religious assemblies, seem to have overlooked, or paid too little regard to, the peculiar circumstances under which they were miraculously furnished for the work of the ministry. Endued with various extraordinary gifts by the immediate inspiration of the Spirit; they needed neither human learning nor premeditation in the discharge of the various duties of their office. When numerous churches had been founded, and those extraordinary powers were withdrawn; the ministers of Christ, no longer preaching under the immediate and miraculous inspiration of the Spirit, were warranted only in expecting the blessing of God on their labours, in the use of those ordinary means which might seem necessary and expedient. When it is alleged, that God will never fail to bestow such gifts as may be necessary for the edification of his Church; we deny, that, in the use of forms of prayer, there is any necessary distrust of his promise and of his power; or, that, in reliance on that promise, we ought to discard all forms, and, in our religious assemblies, use only extemporaneous prayers. In the use of a Liturgy, we adhere to the old paths; and believing, that such is the good way, calculated to give rest to our souls, we walk therein.

Devotional forms, both of prayer and thanksgiving, have been in use from the time of Moses. In the synagogues of the Jews, from a very early period, a Liturgy was used. In the service of the synagogue our Saviour himself was accustomed to join. For the constant use of his disciples and Church in all ages, he composed that most admirable form, the Lord's prayer; and he has enjoined it on his followers, as a form to be adopted in the words in which it was delivered; and also as a model and pattern for their imitation in their devotional exercises. We find, that, from an early period, forms of prayer and thanksgiving were used in the Christian Church; that, with additions from time to time, the custom of using such forms in the public services of the Church was continued, without interruption, till regular liturgies were appointed and adopted, wherever Christian worship was publicly celebrated. Amidst the darkness of the middle ages, and the tyrannical ascendancy of the Papal power, dangerous errors and grievous corruptions had not merely contaminated the pure doctrines of the Gospel, and caused an utter relaxation of wholesome discipline; but had also extended their fatal influence to the public services of the Church. Divested of their spiritual character, they were altogether debased by mere formality, superstition. and idolatry. Our holy Reformers, by rejecting all that was unscriptural,

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