vindication on higher ground. Our prayer to God is, that we may never stop. We admire the declaration introduced by the Polish Unitarians into the preface to their Catechism; 'We do not think we ought to be ashamed if in some respects our church improves.' We believe with Robinson, that God has more light yet to break forth out of his holy word'; and besides, it is often a long time after the discovery of an important truth, before some of its most important applications are understood. We have too much confidence in Providence and in human nature to sympathize with those who

grow pale Lest their own judgments should become too bright,

And their free thoughts be crimes, and earth have two much light., A spirit is abroad, as we have said, free, bold, uncompromising and terrible as an army with banners, which is trying the opinions and institutions of the world, as by fire. It is the duty of the wise and good to endeavour to guide this spirit, to restrain its excesses, and above all to imbue it with a sincere and earnest love of truth, humanity, and God. But we fear not the issue. We believe that every accession of new light and intelligence will be found to illustrate and enforce the evidences of the Christian revelation, and give mankind a deeper and more living sense of its truth and reality.

ART. V.A Liturgy for the Use of the Church at King's Chapel in Boston; collected principally from the Book of Common Prayer. Third Edition, with Alterations and Additions. Boston, 1828. 8vo. 8vo. pp. 368.

THE Congregation worshipping at King's Chapel is taking the only course with regard to its Liturgy, which can make a Liturgy tolerable; the course, that is, of revision and improvement. The addition of new prayers in the present edition, we think, a special and most necessary improvement. Let a prayer-book contain a sufficient variety of devotional forms and expressions to meet all the general situations in life and the general states of mind, and especially that constitution of the mind by which variety, to a certain extent, is useful; and we have, for our own part, no violent ob

VOL. XI. -N. S. VOL. VI. NO. II.

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jection to a Liturgy, and can conceive of some very good arguments in favor of it. We had rather not be tied to it. There would be times when we should wish to pour out our hearts, without the restraint of any lessons or forms. But there would also be times of less freedom, or times of weariness and exhaustion, when we should be glad to lean on forms and to frame our thoughts in the holy words of others,- times in short, when we should have power to be devout, rather than to originate devotion.

The object which we have in view in this article is connected in some points with the subject of ritual religion, and we have therefore placed at the head of it the Liturgy of King's Chapel. Our object is, to recommend more frequent and formal avowals of religious experience than are common among us; and with a view to urge upon the attention of our readers some of the proper modes of such avowal, we wish to lay before them two general considerations. One is, the importance of fixtures and landmarks in the religious course; and the other is the influence upon every man of an assumed character.

These points obviously bear upon ritual observances; and we are the more willing to discuss them, because we believe that the tendency of the present times is too much to the neglect of such observances. If forms have had too much, far too much importance assigned to them in past times, this very circumstance might justly awaken our solicitude about the reaction of opinion in our own times. The Christian rites are falling into a disuse in this country, altogether unprecedented in Christendom.* The tendencies of so singular a state of things certainly deserve to be very seriously considered. This is not a country, most assuredly, which can forego any useful means of moral discipline and restraint. And he who lightly casts aside such means, or lightly talks of his liberty to do so, may be lightly doing or saying that, which is to have an inconceivable influence upon the welfare of future generations.

Now it appears to us, that in the way of life and in the

* This tendency of opinion in our country is seen even in the Society of Friends, the leading anti-formalist party in the Christian world. The peculiarities of dress in that Society, which there is a growing inclination to lay aside, were as truly a form and a profession, as the Communion is among other sects.

way of generations, there should be distinct and formal recognitions of the religious principle; and this is what we mean by fixtures and landmarks in the religious course. Every child, we are disposed to say,-every youth, every man, every people should be brought, at certain times and seasons, to the regular, stated, and solemn acknowledgment and cultivation of religion, as the great source of their happiness, and the great end of their being. If religion be such, and if, at the same time, it is not, any more than knowledge, spontaneous in its growth, why should it not be so cultivated? Why should not moral culture be carried on by processes just as exact and as well defined, as intellectual culture? Admit that there is a principle or power of religion in the mind, as there is a principle or power of intelligence. The most liberal philosopher and legislator for the mind would not, probably, demand any more. But the principle of intelligence is sent to school. It has lessons and tasks appointed for it. They should, indeed, be as carefully as possible adapted to the mind, and should possess as little as possible the character of mere tasks, and there may be, after all, a great deal of imperfection about them. Still no one hesitates to introduce them into the course of education. There are, also, regular gradations in the mental course, and distinct periods of instruction, and probation, and profession. Why should not a similar course be pursued with the religious principle? Why so much dread or dislike, as some entertain, of catechisms and confirmations, and of the communion service? If knowledge is an object of rational pursuit and acquisition, so is religion. If the one is difficult to acquire, so is the other. But, should we think it safe to let the principle of intelligence take its chance for improvement in the world, without appointing for it any steps, or processes, or plans? Why, then, should we think this of the religious principle?

We have been careful, let it be observed, to speak of the general principle of intelligence in this comparison. There are specific and technical acquisitions of knowledge which to a certain extent distinguish it from religion. But if the object were to educate bare intelligence; if it were to train, for instance, the power of reasoning, to its greatest strength and perfection, it is obvious that plans and processes would be arranged for so doing. The pupil would not be left to

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slide along, as he might, into the perfection of this great faculty. The teacher, the parent, would not be content with saying, that he wished his child to be intelligent; that he intended now and then, on proper occasions, to remind him of the importance of possessing this character; that intelligence, like the sunshine, ought to be every where, and that there is danger of locating and confining it, or that it is a free principle, and that there is danger of enslaving or biasing it.' No; the vision and faculty divine,'-divine though it be, he would train; he would guard; he would educate. And the question is, Why shall he not do the same thing with the religious nature?

But we must urge something farther with regard to the case just stated. This gliding along in the moral course without any definite purpose, without any distinct landmarks, realizes to our view one of the most alarming representations of spiritual negligence. It is thus that childhood glides into youth, and youth into manhood, and manhood into declining years, and the man sinks to moral perdition, because he was never led at any one point to inquire whither he was going; because no stated hour of meditation and prayer, no season of self-examination, no appointed and solemn recognition of religion, ever called him to consider what he was, or for what he was preparing. The parent, with this vague feeling about religion, has no definite plan for the religious instruction of his child; unless it be a plan to exclude every thing definite. No lessons must be set for him; no evening prayers must rise by his couch of rest; nor is the place of these supplied by frequent and earnest conversation with the child, on the great themes of piety. What, now, is, and must be, the result? Childhood steals away, with its bright dream, and with no more distinct track. As it knows nothing but what it is taught, and is taught no religion, no impressions on this momentous theme mark the footsteps of early years. Youth comes, but is signalized by no memorials of piety. If some religious impressions are felt, in entering upon the threshold of life, and this is not uncommon at that interesting period, yet nothing is done to fix or confirm these impressions; the mind is not led to habitual, daily prayer, or to that solemn profession of religious purposes which is so becoming and beautiful, as an inaugural act, a consecration to the great duties of a moral existence. With no moral fixtures, with no

distinct mementos, with no holy pledges, this early susceptibility of religious impression yields to the power of active employments; there is no landmark or barrier lifted up amidst the tide of business or pleasure; and negligent youth sinks almost unconsciously into worldly manhood. And thus life passes on, and passes away; and comes to its close, perhaps, with the astounding conviction, that little or nothing has been distinctly done or even determined, with regard to the great end for which life was given.

Would it not, probably, have been otherwise, if religious impressions had had their due importance and prominence distinctly and openly assigned to them; if there had been visible memorials of the religious life to mark its progress; if the traveller in his moral pilgrimage had, from time to time, set up altars, and worshipped the God of life? We cannot possibly doubt, that stated meditations and solemn pledges, justly regarded, would be of great moral service; that the gathering up of religious purposes, in daily prayer, or in the communion season, would help, and strengthen, and further many, who are now faltering in the right way, or forgetting what that way is.

Let it not be thought that we would set any usages in competition with the importance of individual conviction. The question is, How is individual conviction most likely to be awakened, and how can it best be sustained? It is undoubtedly a delicate question. There should not be too much form nor too little, if we can find the medium. But our conviction is, that the public mind is leaning to a neglect of forms which is inexpedient aud dangerous.

The forms of religion are forms of avowal; and this, as we have stated, it is our object to urge. With reference to this object, let us now dwell for a moment on the other general consideration; namely, the influence upon every man of an assumed character.

Men are commonly treated with decided reference to the character in which they choose to pass in the world. It is usually thought the part of politeness to do so. The em ployments or the amusements which their friends devise to occupy or to entertain them will be influenced, in general, by this consideration of their taste and habits. Especially will this be true of the conversation addressed to them. If the topics of a man's discourse are always worldly or trifling; if