of our Liturgy and Litany, and with the Doctrines of the Church. He is under the impression that a variation in our private devotions, from the form and phraseology which render our book of Common Prayer so peculiarly adapted to public worship, is desirable; the feelings and expressions with which we pray in private, and in our families, not being so generalized as in our public exercises of devotion.

It cannot be doubted, but that both our public, family, and private prayers, should, as much as possible, embody in them the most essential and leading doctrines of the Bible and the Church; for the character of our devotion must greatly depend on the views we hold with regard to particular Doctrines, the Sacraments, and other ordinances of religion.

E. g. As relates to doctrines': if we put a limitation to the universally comprehensive character of the death of Christ, and by our private interpretation of Scripture be led to deny that its efficacy is co-extensive with the race of man, and to maintain that it is limited to individuals who have been effectually called ; the spirit and character of our prayers and intercessions will be materially altered: or if, claiming the special guidance

1 Isa. liii. 6. Rom. v. 6. xiv. 15. 20. 1 Cor. viii. 11. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. Col. i. 20. 1 Tim. ii. 4. iv. 10. Titus ii. 11. Heb. ii. 9. 2 Pet. iii. 9. 1 John ii. 2.

"Jesus Christ made on the Cross (by His own oblation once offered,) a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world."-Communion Service. Consecration.

"By His death, salvation came to all, and every creature was ransomed. He is the life of all, even He who like a sheep gave up His own body to death, as a ransom for the salvation of all."-Athanasius, A. D. 326. Benedict. Ed. vol. i. p. 75.

of the Spirit, and superseding the written witness to the truth, we should interpret Scripture according to the sense in which it is understood by the advocates of Calvinism, who, forgetting that "secret things belong to the Lord," insist that God has eternally, irrevocably, and unconditionally predestinated some to eternal life, and reprobated or passed by others; (thus necessarily destroying man's agency and responsibility) our prayers will be offered up under the influence of this erroneous impression, leading to uncharitable and dishonourable notions of the goodness and grace of God, or to unjustifiable self-confidence'. (Refer to the Westminster Confession of Faith, and Brown's Dictionary of the

1 Vid. Faber's admirable work on primitive election. John vi. 70. Rom. xi. 28. 1 Thess. i. 2, 3, 4.

Bible, for the Calvinistic view of God's decrees.)

Again, if adopting the sentiments of those who maintain that the same Spirit which dictated Scripture, guides every man who desires to know the truth to a right understanding of it, we disregard the voice of antiquity, which witnesses that the office and work of the Holy Spirit, is to sanctify us through the truth as already understood and communicated to us through God's appointed means; are we not in danger of erring as widely, and in the same manner, as the Church of Rome, which claims a special guidance for the living judge above the written rule1?

1 Vid. Manning's Sermon, with the Appendix, on the Rule of Faith.

St. Irenæus lib. iii. ii. I. 2. lib. ii. s. 7, 8. Acts xvi. 4, 5. xi. 2. 16. 2 Thess. ii. 15. iii.

6.

Hooker's Eccl. Pol. Luke i. 1. 4. 1 Cor.

Heb. xiii. 7, 8.

Thus, if we admit the propriety of sanctioning the countless and contradictory expositions which the private judgment of modern interpreters imposes on revealed truth, our prayers must assume a tone corresponding with the views we may happen to hold on such important points'.

The character of our devotions will be greatly influenced by the truth and consistency of our principles; and in this respect it is of no small importance whether, with the Primitive Church, we feel the necessity of being united to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, one perpetual visible living body, com

1 Ex. gr. Select the 30th verse of the 8th chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Calvinists, prejudiced in behalf of their favourite doctrine of individual election, interpret the word "glorified" of the future glory of elected individuals, while the primitive Church, semper, ubique, et ab omnibus, understood it of the present glory of all Christians.