24 AN fit aLE ATTEMPT, &C. ground of your disapprobation of the parochial worship of the nation. Some of yourselves, and your fathers before you, who bave attended divine service there, have complained much; that coldness and indifferency of spirit and formality are ready to be introduced into your devotion by this means; and that your hearts are apt to grow dull, negligent and drowsy, under this uniform and constant rehearsal of the sanie returning forms and phrases, especially considering that the minister is not sutlèred to omit any one appointed line in the book, though he thinks it never so improper nor is he permitted to add or insert one new sentence in the midst of his collect, though never so many devout sentiments and petitions should arise in his mind while be is read- ing it, and though these petitions appear to him never so suitable to the present time and place and congregation. God forbid that I should say or think that forms of prayer are sinful things, or improper for our assistance I nor indeed am I só zealous against forms, as to imagine that a precomposed liturgy, in the main distinct parts of worship, confession or peti- tion, would be unlawful to be used. The directory of the assembly of divines at Westminster comes pretty near to such a design, still supposing that there be liberty for the minister to omit or add, to change and vary according to present occasion, and that lie have leave to express a warm devout thought which is upon his heart, and that the is not constrained to forbid and suppress those pious sentiments and desires which may be hoped to be the motions of the good Spirit of God in prayer. I never imagined that well-composed forms of prayer might not be used withsuch a liberty, and assist the real devotion of well disposed minds either at home or at church. It is my opinion they may be so managed as to become a happy means to promote true reli- gion in the hearts even of wise and advanced christiaus as well as children and weaker persons. I am verily persuaded that there are many holy souls address the God of heaven in a variety of prayers that are precomposed, and find spiritual improvement thereby. There are many devout minds who continually worship him in an acceptable manner, even in these forms of words, and that not only in public, but in their families also. And yet I cannot help thinking with you, that this method of worship, if there be a confinement to the constant repetition of one and the same form, has naturally some tendency to pass over the ears without due impressions on the heart, and to leave the worship- per under a coldness and indifference of spirit, which wouldbe greatly relieved by a larger variety of sentiments and expres- sions in the public worship of every Lord's-day.' May I be permitted here to cite a few lines from the ingeni- ous writings of the late Marquis of Halifax, who being a cour- ier in the reigns of the two brothers, King Charles and James
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