to that family because they are Papists; yet we readily confefs, that their having embraced that idolatry, and appearing to be fo deeply impreffed with the cruel and impious maxims of that falfe and bloody religion, gives us a higher relish of the infinite goodness of a merciful God, in calling to the throne of thefe kingdoms the illuftrious house of Hanover, the princes of which have long distinguifhed themselves as the patrons of liberty and the Proteftant religion.

But from viewing the doctrine of our church, we must now proceed to take a fhórt furvey of her worship.

This a late writer has been pleafed to pronounce" fanatical extravagance.- A mode "of worship the most naked and fimple ima"ginable, in which not only rites and ornaments, but even order itfelf is difdainfully "rejected as an useless burden. A mode of "worship which, upon its establishment, was obferved to make the most enormous "ravages in the breaft, and to fubvert every "rational principle of conduct and behavi66 Our *"

Were this a true reprefentation of the cafe, it would be no eafy matter to vindicate the fenfe and fobriety of a people who fhould difcover any regard to fuch a form: and melancholy, beyond expreffion, muft their ftate have been, had this abfurd, this pernicious

* Hume's history of G. Britain, vol. 1. p. 62.

mode

mode of worship taken place amongst them for any confiderable time. But feventy years have paffed fince this very mode of worfhip was fully established in Scotland; and, fince that time, it hath been practifed without interruption there; and yet our greatest enemies, even this author himfelf, will scarce affirm, that all that is valuable and virtuous has been entirely destroyed by it; on the contrary, fince that period, Scotland has flourished more than ever.

So that the argument from experience will be fo far from making againft our worship, that, with impartial men, it must lead to a very contrary conclufion.

And as fact affords no argument against our worship, neither will any be found to arise from a careful examination of its nature and tendency.

It is true, that with us, people are deprived of fome artificial helps to devotion, which may be found amongst thofe of another perfuafion: The eye is not entertained with painting and fculpture,-nor the ear regaled with mufical inftruments of different kinds;-every particular motion of the body, and every fyllable that dares be uttered within the facred walls, are not ascertained by a positive law;

the place of worthip is not made holy by fprinkling,-nor the fign of the cross thought to convey a particular virtue.

But though stript of these adventitious helps, the substance of every ordinance is carefully preferved

preferved amongst us, and clothed with fuch neceffary external circumftances, as at once impreffes the mind with the idea of a holy grandeur and fimplicity; agreeable to the divine directory, That as God is a spirit, he should be worshipped in spirit and in truth.

I neither speak now of the fabric of our churches, nor of the manner in which fervice may fometimes be performed there: the one is truly fhameful; the other may, perhaps, in particular inftances, be faulty. But with neither the one nor the other can our conftitution be charged; for although it condemns fuperftitious pomp and ceremony, yet it freely adopts the apoftolic precept, That all things be done in decency and order; as I am perfuaded. will appear to every man who impartially reads the book of common order, drawn up at the beginning of the Reformation, and the Directory for public worship compofed by the affembly of divines at Westminster; which give fuch directions, and prefcribe fuch forms, as, if followed out in pactice, could not fail to make us perceive the commanding power and attractive beauty of genuine New-Teftament worship.

Let us only figure to ourfelves, a number of Chriftians, animated by the religious exercifes of the family and clofet, repairing, on the morning of the Lord's day, to a place decently fitted up for public worship, and which the fervices regularly performed there leads them to account facred-;-entering, not with hur

ry,

ry, tumult, and irreverence, but with spirits at once compofed, and elevated with a deep impreffion of the variety and extent of the divine favours : Let us view them rifing -to a folemn act of praise, and exprefling the warm devotion of their grateful hearts, in fome OldTeftament pfalm, or New-Teftament hymn, and in this heavenly exercife employing all the harmony and compass of the human voice, more grand and fweet than any inftrument: -Figure them anon, with eyes and hands. lifted up to heaven, in all the humility and earnestness of prayer, confefling their fins, and asking grace of him, who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not:- Prepared by fuch exercises, with what meeknefs and attention do they hear the fcriptures read, and the important doctrines and duties of religion explained, while each eye is fixed upon the speaker, and all, as new-born babes, appear defirous of the fincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby;-concluding their worship, as it was begun, with a fervent act of prayer and praise.

Let Prejudice herself now fay, if the worship of the fanctuary, thus performed, be not in truth a reafonable fervice.

But this is the very order and form of the worship prescribed by our constitution for the Chriftian Sabbath.

The fame happy correfpondence with the nature, and tendency to promote the ends of religion, will be found in our offices for baptifm,

baptifm, the holy fupper, and vifitation of the fick *. But to any particular display of these I must not now proceed; the time putting me in mind, that it is proper to conclude this difcourfe by a fhort furvey of the government of our church, and an examination of its tendency.

With regard to this, we totally difclaim the fecular power of the church of Rome, and its ufurped dominion over the confciences of men.-Our conftitution neither permits the clergy to incroach upon the rights of civil government, with refpect to others; nor to imagine, that their relation to the churchi can fcreen them in violating the laws of the ftate. It indeed afferts the power of the church to make fuch regulations as are neceffary for promoting the interefts of religion, and maintaining order and decency amongst her members,-provided these regulations are not inconfiftent with thofe effential and immutable laws laid down in the word of God,

By the laws of the church of Scotland, the facrament of the Lord's fupper fhould be difpenfed in every parish four times in the year.- And though this is feldom praetifed; yet, by its being dispensed in different parishes on different days, thofe who incline have an opportunity of communicating frequently, without any great trouble.

-The people are prepared for that holy ordinance, by a fast on fome day of the preceding week, and fermon on the Saturday, and meet again on the Monday morning for public thanksgiving.. -And fo far are thefe meetings from being fcenes of riot and debauchery, as they have been lately reprefented, that fcarce one fingle inftance of diforder has ever fallen under my observation.

and