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xii, xxxviii, lii, Ivi, lviii, lix, lx, lxiv, lxix, lxxiii, lxxiv, xciv? Or great Parts of Pf. xvii, xviii, xxii, xxxi, xxxii, xli, lv, lxxxviii, lxxxix, cii, cxx, cxl, or fome Verses in many other Pfalms? Pfalm vi. may be fuitably enough read in a Time of Sicknefs, but furely it is not proper for general Public Ufe at all Times. Pfalm xliv and lxxix might also be fitly enough applied at fome Periods of Humiliation for ill Succefs in War; but furely in the prefent Time, (after fo many fignal Victories,) if we make them Parts of our Devotions to God, we are guilty of the greatest Abfurdity, not to fay manifeft Untruth. And yet these are regularly read once a Month, in all the Churches of England and Ireland! The ignorant Part of our Congregations do not think how to apply thefe or the Execrations to other Times and Circumftances, and fo either indolently, or improperly, or impioufly use them. The Execrations and Curfes in the Pfalms, e. g. Pf. v, vii, xviii, xxxv, lxxxiii, cix, cxxix, are contrary to GOD's exprefs Command in many Texts of Scripture, the very Reverse to our mild and benevolent SAVIOR's Precepts and Example, and as used in Devotion, bad Men vent them wickedly, and ignorant Men apply them to wrong Purposes, yea fome out of Malice and Revenge. If the primitive Chriftians used them in this Way promifcuously, or misused them, we know that many erred even in the Apoftles' Days, and we are not to continue in Error for Antiquity's Sake, but ought to return to GOD's facred Teftimony and Truth in the Scriptures. And therefore it is hoped, that this imperfect Attempt, in the HYMNS for each Day of the Month, drawn up for daily Ufe in Morning and Evening Service, (inftead of the Pfalms alone and indifcriminately,) will be edifying to many, and excepted against by none, as fome Pains have been taken to methodize the Whole, and to add (in lieu of the Pfalms or Parts omitted,) many other fublime and fuitable Paffages of Adoration, or eminent Defcriptions of the Majefty and Perfections of GOD, that occur in the other different Books of the Old Teftament, and which cannot ferioufly be read without producing fome good Effects on every well difpofed Mind. And to each HYMN is alfo added a Doxology from the New Teftament, in order to adapt the whole more to the Ufe of a Chriftian Church, instead of the Gloria Patri so often repeated in the Common Prayer, yet no where to be

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met with in that Form in the Scriptures themselves. What Alteration therefore is made here, in Scripture Words alone, must be allowed to be lefs exceptionable to Some; and the Author flatters himself He fhall hereby offend none, that pay Regard to the Law and to the Teftimony of their DIVINE MASTER.

He is longer perhaps in the Parts of Adoration, Praife, and Thanksgiving than Some may have thought neceffary: But furely we cannot too often repeat our Praise and Thanks to GOD, for his infinite Mercy and boundless Goodness. And these Parts of Devotion were therefore thought requifite to be larger and more explicit, than they commonly are in Chriftian Congregations; as this is an Act of Worship, that has the beft Tendency to compose the Mind, is directly expreffive of our Delight in God, our Joy in his Government, our Acknowledgment of his Perfections and Providence, our Gratitude for his multiplied Blessings and Favors to us and to all his Creatures, and confequently works in the Heart the very best Difpofitions to fecure the divine Acceptance. We ought certainly to thank God for paft Mercies and Favors, before we presume to ask for more. The prefent Exhortation before daily Service in the Common Prayer rightly admonishes us, to render GOD Thanks for Benefits received, before we are to pray for future Bleffings; yet without any Regard to this, the Thanksgiving is deferred, 'till we have made all our Supplications! Perhaps therefore the Alteration made in this Liturgy, from the common Courfe herein, will not be blamed.

THE ADMONITION, after the fecond Leffon, before the Morning and Evening Prayers, He thinks a valuable Addition to a Public Office of Devotion, as it is defigned to contain a brief Summary of a Chriftian's Duty to GOD, his Neighbor, and himself, which cannot be too often inculcated; and in this Way, where the People, by refponding to the Minifter, make it their own Act, it is not unlikely to produce a very good Effect: And it feems to be that teaching and admonishing one another, which the Apostle directed.. Calaff. iii. 16.

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THE LITANY of the Church was defigned at firft to be ufed on certain Days, and not to be flipt in betwixt two different Offices, made to be read at different Times, and upon different Occafions. By this Intermixture, many needlefs Repetitions are promifcuously made in Confufion, and fome material Things fo mifplaced, that fome Things, which ought to be in the Beginning, are poftponed to the End of our Devotions. And perhaps the Introduction and Conclufion, as well as fome intermediate Parts of it, might not improperly be altered, fo as to have more of a Scriptural Turn, and not to offend any Chriftian of whatever private Perfwafion he may be: Which has also been attempted in the prefent Work; and the Whole, thus reformed, is accordingly inferted betwixt the Morning and Evening Service, to be used at Difcretion by fuch Minifters and Congregations as approve it, on fuch Days or Times as they think beft, instead of the other General Prayers that are in the Common Service.

IN like Manner, the TE DEUM is attempted to be rendered fuitable to every Chriftian's Ufe, and left at Difcretion, to be read or not, inftead of the other HYMNS in the common Morning or Evening Service, affording an agreeable and useful Variety.

SOME Friends, with whom the Author has converfed about this Defign, have thought a CREED neceflary, as agreeable to the Custom and Practice of our own and moft Chriftian Churches. That called the Apostles' Creed, (but not made by them,) was judged deficient; and the other Creeds, in the English Liturgy, made to supply that Deficiency, are perhaps in fome Particulars erroneous, at least disputed. What He has altered or added here on this Head, (to be ufed occafionally at the Beginning of Morning Service,) no fincere Chriftian can object to pronounce or affent to.

FOR the Evening Service, on Sondays, the TEN COMMANDMENTS are deemed requifite to be read, with the Introduction thereunto, if approved by the Minifter; and after them, is added our SAVIOR's own Summary of them all, with the additional peculiar Command our LORD himself pro

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pofed to establish, which is thought altogether as neceffary for a Chriftian Church, as the DECALOGUE of the Jews: And that there might be no Interruption in reading the Whole, One fort Prayer for the Obfervance thereof is to be repeat. ed after all by the People with the Minifter.

WHAT farther is new or peculiar in the prefent Form for Chriftian Worship, will be eafily obferved by every attentive Perufer of it. Whatever Faults may be found with the Execution, the Plan is thought fufficiently defenfible, and the whole is fubmitted to better Judgment. It is hoped, that the following Work (if not brought into public Ufe by any Society of Chriftians,) may yet be used with fome Benefit and Improvement, at least in private Families, who are at Liberty to ufe any pious Chriftian Forms, as they fhall beft approve: And this Purpose the prefent Liturgy is calculated to anfwer, as well as public Service; for particular Parts of it, as the CONFESSION, THANKSGIVING, HYMNS for the Day of the Month, as well as the LESSONS, and the PRAYERS may be read in Family Devotion, it is imagined, with peculiar Advantage and Edification, and without any Confufion or Inconvenience. Yea, Perfons that will pursue the Courfe here laid down for reading the Scriptures, and in their Closets alfo will privately read one of the HYMNS every Morning and Evening, may probably find great Benefit to their own Minds from fuch a Practice; and the reft must be used as Leifure permits. At least this Method the Author has a long while practifed himself; and with Gratitude to the SUPREME GIVER of Time and Opportunity, reflects on the Comfort and Profit He hath experienced thereby.

IT is to be obferved, that before feveral Parts of the Morning and Evening Service a black Line is drawn down the Page, as before the prefent; or a Crotchet [] is placed; which denotes that fuch Parts (before which the Line or [] is) may at any Time be omitted, without breaking the Connection of the Whole; and the daily Service is by that Means made fhorter than the Sonday One is intended to be, which appears highly proper. For the Sonday Service ought reafonably to be longer and more particular, than that on common Week-Days; and there

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fore nobody furely will think an Hour, or even an Hour and Half too much, (and the Whole of this Service will hardly take up fo much Time,) to be exercised in the delightful Public Offices of Devotion, each Sonday Forenoon and Afternoon, when whole Societies are met together to join their grateful Tribute of Praife to the Sovereign LORD of the Univerfe, for his innumerable Mercies continually received, and to pour out their Hearts before Him in Prayer for future Benefits. Such as do think it too long and tedious, may readily fhorten it, by Omiffions, where they think proper: But the Author himself cannot think the Whole too long, or any Part of it needlefs,

It is neceffary alfo to declare here once for all, that the Author claims no farther Merit in the present Work than as a Compiler; and He has freely used the Affiftances afforded Him by other Books in this Way, without quoting in each Place, whence He borrowed the Expreffions or Thoughts, chufing rather to follow (as far as He could approve) what has before been offered by Others, than on every Occafion to hazard the propofing new Phrases or Modes of Expreffion. For this Reason, besides what He has taken from the Common Prayer or Liturgy of England, he acknowledges great Affiftance in forming his present Plan from the Liturgy reftored to it's primitive Inftitution, or God's Houfe of Prayer for all People, by Philoveritas. Printed at London, 1739, in 8vo. Alfo from Mr. Baxter's Liturgy printed in the firft Volume of Calamy's Abridgment of Baxter's Life-Some of the finest Parts of ADORATION are from the Chriftian Liturgy, by the Author of the Solemn Form for the General Fafi, printed for Hett, London, 1741, in 4to.-Befides thefe, He has borrowed fome ufeful Things from A Form of Common Prayer for Morning and Evening, written on the Plan of the Free and Candid Difquifitions, printed by Millar, 1751, 12mo. 2d Edit.-Alfo from a Specimen of a Liturgy defigned for the Ufe of a private Congregation, in 8vo. Millar, 1752.-And from A New Form of Common Prayer, by a Clergyman of the Church of Engfand, 8vo. Griffiths, 1753. But most especially, He has been ready to copy from the HOLY SCRIPTURES, the best and only infallible Guides in fuch a Defign, and from whence he has taken all his DOXOLOGIES,

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