charm, on all occasions, however inappropriate. And our reformers, probably in concession to a prevailing feeling that no devotions could be acceptable without it, have introduced it into every one of the services they drew up. And though this admirable prayer is of so general a form that no one more universally appropriate could be devised, I cannot think that, in some of the Occasional Services, such, for instance, as those for Baptism, and for the Churching of Women, it would have been introduced, had it not occurred in Scripture.

The Apostles' Creed, again, from its acknowledged antiquity, together with the title it bears, and the tradition (probably, in part, true') of its being the composition of the Apostles, is held by many Protestants (to say nothing of the superstitions of some Churches on this head) in a kind of veneration which may justly be characterised as superstitious. There are Protestants of the

f If, as there seems good reason for thinking, part of this creed was actually in use with the Apostles, this circumstance renders it the more remarkable that it should not have been recorded by them in their writings. See Sir Peter King's History of the Apostles' Creed.

lower orders, and some above the very lowest, who are accustomed to recite it in their private devotions as a prayer.

I am well aware that there must ever be danger of all prayer degenerating into a superstitious formalism; but this danger must evidently be increased in proportion as the words uttered are the less appropriate to the occasion, and to the circumstances of the petitioner: and this must inevitably have been more likely to take place with a Liturgy transmitted to us from the times of the Apostles, as a part of Scripture.

§ 6. How little that scrupulous veneration with which such a Liturgy, had it existed, would have been regarded, is necessarily connected with even an anxious wish to ascertain its meaning, and to make the mind accompany the voice, is evident from the cases above alluded to. It is evident that one who uses a creed as a form of prayer, cannot understand even its general drift. besides these persons, how many there are who do not (perhaps I might say, how few that do) understand even the nature and design of that kind of composition which is usually called a creed;

But,

viz. that it is a symbol, or confession of faith, intended to ascertain the professed orthodoxy of those who adopt it; and consequently is not to be regarded as, necessarily, containing a summary of the most intrinsically important points of Christian doctrine, but such as shall stand opposed to the particular heresies, most to be guarded against, in each age and country respectively."

With respect to catechisms again,-elementary introductions to the Christian faith,-nearly the same reasons will hold good. For though the Christian religion is fundamentally "the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever," it is impossible that any one mode of introducing its truths to the mind of the catechumen, can be the best adapted for children and adults,—the civilized and the barbarian,—and for all the other varieties

"It is not, as men have supposed, that the principal heads of our faith were summed up together; but from the whole of Scripture those parts were selected which were most needful for the occasion." (KAIPIOTATA.) Cyril. Catech. cited by Bp. Pearson in his Exposition of the Creed, Art. 1.

See Sir Peter King's History of the Apostles' Creed, a work characterised by much good sense, extraordinary learning, and a most rare degree of candour.

of station, sex, country, intellectual culture, and natural capacity.

Each church, therefore, was left, through the wise foresight of Him who alone "knew what is in Man," to provide for its own wants as they should arise;-to steer its own course by the Chart and Compass which his holy Word supplies, regulating for itself the Sails and Rudder, according to the winds and currents it may meet with.

"The Apostles had begun and established precedents, which, of course, would be naturally adopted by their uninspired successors. But still, as these were only the formal means of grace, and not the blessing itself, it was equally to be expected that the church should assume a discretionary power, whenever the means established became impracticable or clearly unsuitable, and either substitute others, or even altogether abolish such as existed. It might seem at first that the apostolical precedents were literally binding on all ages: but this cannot have been intended; and for this reason, that the greater portion of the apostolical practices have been transmitted to us, not on apostolical authority,

but on the authority of the uninspired church: which has handed them down with an uncertain mixture of its own appointments. How are we to know the enactments of the inspired rulers from those of the uninspired? and if there be no certain clue, we must either bring down the authority of apostolical usage to that of the uninspired church, or raise that of the uninspired church to that of the apostolical. Now the former is, doubtless, what was, to a certain extent, intended by the Apostles themselves, as will appear from a line of distinction by which they have carefully partitioned off such of their appointments as are designed to be perpetual, from such as are left to share the possibility of change, with the institutions of uninspired wisdom.

"If then we look to the account of the Christian usages contained in Scripture, nothing can be more unquestionable, than that while some are specified, others are passed over in silence. It is not even left so as to make us imagine that those mentioned may be all: but, while some are noted specifically, the establishment of others is implied, without the particular mode of observance being given. Thus, we are equally sure from Scripture,

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