For the fafe Childbearing of the Queen. 1626.

O ETERNAL God, and merciful Father; all peace and ftrength is from thee; and lineal fucceffion is thy blessing on Princes, and States, the means to preserve unity, comfort, and ftrength. We give thee humble and hearty thanksefpecially at this time, for thy mercy to our Sovereign, his royal Queen, and this State, in giving her Majefty hope of her long defired iffue, filling their and our hearts with gladnefs. Lord, perfect thy bleffings; be with her in Soul and Body; preferve her from all dangers; keep her fafe to, and in Travail, with ftrength to bring forth her joy, and our hope. Make her a joyful mother of many children, to thy glory, his Majefty's happinefs, the fecurity of this ftate, and the flourishing of the CHURCH and true Religion among us. Grant this, for Jesus Christ's fake.,Amen.

Thanksgiving for his Majefty's recovery from the Small Pox. 1632.

O GOD and Father, we thank thee for our gracious Sovereign Lord King CHARLES, for thy gentleness in a difeafe fo troublefome and fearful, and thy mercy in remov. ing it fo foon and happily. We own our fins, and the pu nishment deserved. Remember us in mercy, and bless our King with health, ftrength, and happiness; especially the fear of thy Name, to continue under THEE and over us, a father of the State, Patron of the CHURCH, a comfort to the Queen, till he fees his Children's Children, and peace upon Ifrael, in Jefus Christ. Amen.

HAVING brought thefe extracts from a work not very generally known to a conclufion; may I be permitted to make a few obfervations, to which the general fubject, and particularly the latter fpecimens of the archbishop's devotional flile naturally lead the mind?

AS it has ever been the practice of the CHURCH, to make fuch additions to her Liturgies, as particular circumstances might demand; fo were thefe "Prayers upon fundry public occafions" ever regarded with the greatest attention to the welfare and condition of the Church. The neceffity for this caution, is abundantly evident, fince what has thus the public fanction of the Church, is deemed as a part of herself,

and

and from which therefore a judgment is formed of her doctrine and difcipline. Important as the NECESSITY is of keeping this recollection always in view; it has of late been Strangely NEGLECTED. The comparison of occafional compofitions in the antient Liturgies, and even of the Church of England, with those which are now produced, will prove the truth of this complaint. It is indeed very generally underftood and believed, that when the piety of our good and gra cious king commands any addition of this fort to be made, that a conference of the BISHOPS is expected, to produce by their joint learning, induftry, and piety, a compofition, as worthy of the occafion which calls it forth, as fuch a union of talents can poffibly make it-to form an acceptable addrefs to GOD, from the mouths and hearts of all his people! If therefore the compofition is neglected, if it is every way unworthy both of the occafion and use,-if it is left, and transferred from one to another, until almost any form is judged well enough to pass; how much, how seriously, and deeply muft it derogate from the authority it ought to carry, and certainly would carry, if it had been rightly formed.

What an inlet does this negligence afford for the abuse and encouragement of Sectaries; who have long and loudly exclaimed, that the compilers of our occafional Prayers were too indifferent to their cause, to make new forms, fince all our "Forms of Prayer" for public occafions for many years paft, have hardly exhibited any difference; and none of them more than fuch verbal alterations as might secure to the king's printer another edition! Indeed this is lamentably true, nor can he be a real friend to the Church, who will either deny or suppress the disgraceful fact from fuch as are bound to notice and remedy the evil. I know weil, an orthodox and regular Churchman, who has not for some years paft, found it neceffary to purchase a new FORM OF PRAYER, for any of our public occafions; fo much, and fo intimately are they alike! Now fir, why fhould our enemies, vigilant and inveterate as they are, thus enjoy the occafion to triumph over us?

But to return to the confideration of the devotions of archbifhop Laud. As thofe of a private nature are models of that chafte fimplicity and religious humility, which ought to diftinguifh the creature always in its afpirations to the Creator; fo thofe on public occafions, and for public perfons, are exactly fuited to the exigencies of the times, and the neceffities of the particular cafes for which they were com

VOL. XIV.

Chm. Mag. May 1808.

3. B

pofed.

pofed. It may be faid of all them, that they warm the heart, inflru&t the understanding, and elevate the foul to a fttate of fuperiority over the world. Such addresses teach us, as bifhop Taylor obferves, to read our duty in our prayers, reminding us with whom we have to do, and that we are the work of his hands.

JUVENIS, SENr.

ON PRAYING TO SAINTS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S

SIR,

MAGAZINE.

N the Gentleman's Magazine for laft month, the leading

a Milner,

a

middle district, and bifhop of Caftaballa. Therein this redoubtable champion for every thing in the Romish church, whether tranfubftantiation, papal infallibility, the worship of reliques, or the existence of miracles, enters upon a vindication of prayers to the faints. I have read much on that fide of the queftion, but the doctor's arguments exceed all that I ever met with. He fays, that there is every reason to fuppofe that the people of Cana, in Galilee, petitioned the Bleffed Virgin to obtain of her divine son that miraculous fupply of wine which we know the actually procured for them;" and then he adds, triumphantly, that "there is no more idolatry to make fuch a petition to that holy perfonage now fhe is in heaven, than it was to make it to her here upon earth."

This furely is one of the most extraordinary affumptions ever known in the quirks of controversy; and rotten indeed muft be that caufe, for the fupport of which, fuch a miferable fubterfuge has been invented. There is no warrant at all for the fuppofition that the people petitioned the virgin to intercede with her fon; but the direct contrary is apparent, from what the evangelift fays, that" this was the beginning of miracles which Jefus did," therefore, the peo

ple

ple could have no inducement from any previous knowledge of his divine power to apply to the virgin in this exigency. But again, it is to be obferved that the guests knew nothing of the miracle at all, when it happened, for inftead of giving the praife where it was due, they complimented the master of the feast for having given to them the best wine at the laft, contrary to what was cuftomary on those occafions.

To fuppofe, therefore with this grave fophifter, that the people of Cana petitioned the bleffed virgin to intercede with her fon, for a miracle, is to contradict the ftory altogether. We read that though Mary told Jefus there was no wine, and though fhe inftructed the fervants to do what he fhould direct, yet the hiftorian is careful to let us know, contrary to the fuppofition of Dr. Milner, that no body belonging to the house, except the fervants, knew any thing of the miracle, and as to the fervants, it can hardly be fuppofed that they would prefume to petition for a thing, of the poffibility of which they could have no idea.

But Dr. Milner has another very curious fcriptural proof to fupport the practice of praying to faints. "When Job's three friends" fays he, "were commanded to get him to pray for them, (Job xlii. 8.) they were not guilty of detracting from the divine honour, nor of placing an undue influence in him."

The perverfion of this portion of fcripture, is if poffible more extravagant than that of the former. Eliphaz and his two friends are reprefented in the facred hiftory, as having offended the Lord," for not fpeaking of him the thing that was right;" and therefore, to avert the divine anger, they were commanded to bring "feven bullocks and feven rams to holy Job for a burnt-offering;" which is a proof, by the way, that Job was a patriarch and a priest. It is then added, that " Job would pray for them, and that his perfon, or rather his facrifice of atonement would be accepted."

What a blessed theologian this bishop of Castaballa must be, who can find out a precedent for "praying to faints living or dead," in this priestly interceffion of Job under the patriarchal difpenfation?

Such a mode of twifting fcriptural paffages of a very plain import, puts me in mind of a profound divine, who taking it into his head, at a vifitation, to preach against nonrefidence, chofe for his text (Matthew i. 2.) " Abraham begat Ifaac."

The

The verfe certainly was happily felected, for what stronger proof can there be in all the bible against the evil of non-refidence, fince if Abraham had not refided, but had kept away from Sarah his wife, Ifaac would not have been begotten.

I

ON LICENSING SCHOOLMASTERS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S

SIR,

MAGAZINE.

HE obfervations of an Epifcopalian in your last numTHE ber, (page 276) are of great importance, and the subject cannot be too ftrongly or generally recommended to the ferious confideration of all members of the national church.

Without wishing to hurt the feelings of any man, I cannot help faying, that as far as my obfervation goes, the province of teaching youth, with the exception of endowed fchools, is too generally exercifed by perfons very ill-quali fied for a truft of fuch magnitude.

If a man wants a clerk, porter, or an errand-boy, he requires a character of the person who applies for the fituation; and if the wife wishes to put out her infant, fhe will be careful to inquire into the circumftances, health, and temper of the nurfe. All this is reasonable, and as it should be; but in the name of common sense, is it not as reasonable, that we should be equally inquifitive refpecting the religious principles, moral character, and literary qualifications, of the perfon to whom we commit the charge of moulding and directing the minds of our offspring?

Yet how few are there who attend to any of thefe points; or who make all of them the objects of their inquiry when they put their children to school?

For the most part, parents take no pains to inquire what religion the schoolmafter is of, or whether he be of any re

ligion