PHI LOS 0 P H Y . - Classic Works of Apologetics Online

!l76 Forms of Prayer
where the conduct of the public worship is entrusted.,
without restraint or assistance, to the discretion and
abilities of the officiating minister.
2. That it prevents the cor/usion of extemporary
prayer, in which the congregation being ignorant of
each petition before they hear it, and having little
or no time to join in it after they have heard it, are
confounded betWeen their attention to the minister,
and to their own devotion. The devotion of- the
hearer is necessarily suspended, until a petition be
concluded; and before he can assent to it, or properly
adopt it, that is, before he can address the same
request to God for himself, his attention is called off
to keep pace with what succeeds. Add to this, that
the mUld of the hearer is held in continual expectation~
and detained from its proper business by the
very novelty with which it is gratifirc. A congre.
gation may be pleased and affected with the prayers
and devotion of their minister, without joining in
them, in iike manner as an audience oftr-n.times are
with the representation of devotion upon the stage,
who, nevertheless, come away without being con.
~cious of having exercised any act of devotion themselves.
Jf)int prayer, which amongst all denonliIla.
rions of Christians is the declared design of " COIlling
together," is prayer in which they alljoin; and
not that \\:hich one alone in the congregation C011-
ceives and deliver~, and of which the rest are merely
hearers. This objection seems fundamental, and
holds even \\~here
tIle minister's office is discharged
with every possible advantage and accomplishment.
The labouring recollection and embarrassed or tu ..
multous delivery of many extempore speakers,
form an additional objection. to this mode of public
worship; for .these imperfections are very genera1,
.and give great pain to the serious part of a congregation,
as well as afford a profane diver~ion to the
levity of the other part.
These advantages of a liturgy are connected. with
twc: principal inconveniences; first, that forms of