an honest Heart, appear throughout. While others take Pains to perplex and confound; you, without Art or Labour, inftruct and convince. In a late Attack on one Part of our Conftitution, how nobly and intrepidly did you ftand forth in it's Defence! Your incomparable Vindication of the Rights of the Church must ever endear you to all her faithful Sons, to all true Friends of found Doctrine; particularly to the Members of that University, which may boast of having educated a CHRISTIAN ORATOR, whose Genius would have done Honour to the Affemblies of antient Greece, or .Rome.

Nor are your Virtues in private Life lefs eminent and laudable than those which adorn your public Character. Sobriety, Temperance, and Chastity,

rarely

rarely to be found in high Stations, diftinguish you in the Midft of a profligate and licentious Age. Without any Affectation of Singularity, you defpise the Follies, and deteft the Vices, of the Times. Indefatigable in Business, you fparingly indulge yourself even in the most innocent Recreations and Amusements: while Gaming, that Bane of Society, whose deadly Poison spreads through all Ranks of People, is your utter Averfion.

Your focial Qualities, particularly your cordial Benevolence and warm Attachment to your Friends, ought not to pass unnoticed. No flattering, equivocal Speeches; no unmeaning Promises, ever come from your Lips. Your Delight is to oblige; and your Manner of conferring Favours doubles the Obligation. Happy they, who

are honoured with your Intimacy, and enjoy the rational Pleasure of your instructive and entertaining Conversation! who are admitted to your festive Board; where they are fure to find Elegance and Plenty, without Luxury or Profufion; Politeness, without Ceremony; Cheerfulness, without noisy or diffolute Mirth; Wit, without Satire ; and perfect Harmony and Good-nature, without Restraint!

Long may you live, a Comfort to your Friends, an Ornament to the Senate, and a Blessing to your Country!

INTRODUCTION.

OF

F all the Forms of Prayer that have ever been compofed for the Use of Christians, our admirable Liturgy has, from it's first Appearance to this Day, deservedly held the first Rank; and been most highly esteemed and applauded by the best Judges, and wifeft Members, not only of our own, but of many other Proteftant Churches. For, whether it be confidered barely as a Form of rational Devotion, or as a Treasure of found Doctrine, and an Incentive to the Practice of every Christian Virtue; whether we attend to the Matter it contains, or to the Language in which it is expressed; it's Excellency will Point of View appear in every distinctly, and it must be allowed, upon the Whole, to be a most useful, pious, and masterly Compofition. One peculiar Recommendation of it is, that it requires no deep

Penetration,

Penetration, no critical Skill, or Learning, to comprehend it; but every Person, even of the meaneft Capacity, with an honeft well-difpofed Heart, and free from Prejudice, cannot fail to understand and admire it. A great Part of it indeed is taken, Word for Word, from the infpired Writings: and the rest is evidently formed upon the fame Plan, and breathes the fame Spirit of true Wisdom, and folid Piety. Both the Doctrines and Precepts of our holy Religion fhine confpicuously through every Page of it; so that we may properly be faid to read our Faith, as well as Duty, in our Petitions. How clearly are the grand Doctrines of the Trinity, Incarnation, Redemption, original Sin, and divine Grace, taught us, not only in the Articles and Creeds, but alfo in our daily Prayers! How strongly is the true genuine Spirit of Chriftian Humility inculcated in every Part of our Service ; particularly in the Confeffion, and in the first of the three Collects! What an excellent Compendium of Divinity and Morality is given us in the Litany! What exalted Notions of the divine Attributes and Perfections do the Pfalms and Hymns fuggeft to us! How forcibly