Ask the Quaker why he has not been in his closet? “The Spirit has not moved me." But thou hast not craved the benediction of God on thy family. "The Spirit did not move me." Thou hast not implored a blessing on thy food? "I made a pause -but the Spirit did not move me." That meeting for discipline was not constituted by prayer? "The Spirit did not move any of our elders." Meetings on First and Fifth-days are held and dismissed; I hear no supplications offered before the throne of grace?"The Spirit did not move us." I do not know but old John Brown, of Wamphry, might insist that he is right, and that facts bear him out! One thing, however, we all do know. The Holy Spirit, by a solemn precept, has made it a duty binding most closely our consciences, "to pray without ceasing." But this spirit, that brings this doctrine and these practices into the society, does not cease to dictate excuses for "restraining prayer !”

In olden times there was much more prayer in the society. Their fathers carried it with them from those societies which they abandoned. We have some of their best specimens of prayer attached to the sermons of Penn, and Whitehead, and Stephen Crisp. There is one peculiar feature stamped on them all. They confess no sins:* they mourn over no delinquencies: they abound with gratitude for their superior attainments; and, with the piety of him who went up to pray with the publican, they thank God "that they are doing his will on earth as it is done in heaven.”† And, occasionally, we meet with apostrophes which breathe more of malediction than of blessing, like Brian's ban—

66

SIR WALTER SCOTT.

§ 3. Of Singing Psalms, &c.—" Pariter omnes, velut uno ore, et uno corde, confessionis psalmum Domino offerunt."-Basil.

* Penn cannot even speak respectfully of our confessions of sin in prayer. See vol. ii. pp. 271, 676, 677.

† Crisp, p. 20, edit. Phil. A. D. 1787.

See specimens of this in Penn vol. ii. p. 559, &c. See his book against Faldo passim. His " Reasoning against Railing," which is strangely misnamed, and his "Serious Apology." These are fruitful in prophetical

curses.

Magnus in Epist. 63.—This branch of public worship is enjoined on us by the highest authority. "Sing unto the Lord." Utter his praises "in a song." And the reasons brought to enforce the duty, are taken not from any peculiar state of the church, but are such as do present forcibly the perpetual obligation of it.*

Singing evidently implies music; and, as the very form, and notes, and air are no where fixed by divine authority, we are guided by the general canon. "Let all things be done decently

and in order."

The friends have not been visited by an impulse from their spirit, to sing the praises of God in public. The society is opposed to the sweet harmony of music. They act on principle; their spirit has persisted in keeping them in obstinate silence. It has not yet revealed the notes, the bars, and staves: and tender consciences must not, and dare not fabricate them. It is carnal wisdom" that invents these bars and staves and quavers; to sing them is "fleshly exercise," and it is, therefore, rejected from their spiritual system!

66

There is another difficulty in their way. The songs of the church are drawn out of the holy scriptures alone. She rejects all the effusions of modern inspirations. In thus using, in our songs, the experiences of the patriarchs and prophets, such as

* Colos. iii. 16, &c.-These reasons are drawn from the natural and moral character of God. We are enjoined to celebrate his praises in a song, because he is God; because he made us ; because of his providence ; because he has, with the most magnificent display of his natural and moral attributes, redeemed us. Psalms passim. Our Lord and his apostles set the example of the duty, under the new order of the christian dispensation. Math. xxvi. 30. The Holy Ghost, by the apostle James, has enjoined this duty on the church. James v. 13. The singing of the praise of God formed a prominent part of the exercise of the militant church, as delineated in the vision of John. Rev. v. 9, &c. The christian church, in her primitive and purest times, regarded this as a sacred duty. See Cave's Prim. Chris. b. i. c. 9. Bingham's Orig. Eccles. vol. vi. lib. 14, cap. 1, 2. Plin. lib. x. epist. 97, &c. "Soliti (Christiani) essent stato die-carmen Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem." Bern. de Moore Perpet. Comp. vol. vi. pp. 75, 76. Calvinus in 1 Cor. xiv. Lucian, (or the author of the Dial. Tom. ii. Philop.) speaking of the Christians, says "They fast long, spending whole nights in watchings and singing hymns." Wettenhall on Gifts and offices, edit. 1679, p. 268. And (what is not the least with the society) Barclay pleads for singing, "as a sweet and refreshing part of worship."

There are, individually, many exceptions. The gay Friends in our large cities begin to introduce musical instruments into their families.

are there enrolled by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost, we incur, in the opinion of the society, the deep guilt of hypocrisy. "You utter," say they, "what suited them, not what suits you; you apply to your own feelings their experiences." utter lies."

“ You

This heavy charge betrays sheer ignorance of the nature and design of this part of divine worship, and a single explanation is enough to repel it. We sing, not only to give vent to pious emotions, but to produce them; and there is a strong moral tendency in this part of worship to produce them. The matter of our songs is entirely dictated by the Spirit of God speaking in the Bible. These divine truths are calculated to regulate our views; to collect the wandering thoughts; to rein the turbulent heart; to invigorate faith; to animate zeal; to inflame our love to God, and to urge the whole soul forward in holy exercises and rational devotion. The church combining her energies with one mouth, and by the grace of God, with one heart, sings the love of her Redeemer or the divine goodness-or the terror and magnificence of his justice-or the guilt of sin and the vengeance that pursues it. The lofty nature of the theme, combined with the tender and enchanting force of the music, elevates the soul to God in holy aspirations of love and delight; or it melts it into unaffected sorrow for sin, and inspires it with the abhorrence of crime.

If there be any weight in their objection against singing psalms, it must strike with equal force against their public prayers. Their preachers sometimes pray. No preacher can utter the precise sentiments and vows of all the assembly. All do as really profess to join in prayer as in singing. What the speaker may, utter in accordance to his own feelings and those of a part of the audience, must be wide of the feelings and vows of others,

But whatever the Friends do plead for in theory on this arti cle of their creed, it is certain that they practise more singing than we do. We sing before and after sermon only; but their preachers, male and female, monopolizing the whole, sing both prayers

* See Penn vol. ii. p. 60, Stubb's Light, &c. p. 151, and Bar. Apol. Prop. x. sect. 26, p. 421.

and sermons! and still their grand tenet is not surrendered. For, verily, their notes are not according to the carnal rules of the amateur; and in numbers their singing is not altogether human!*

* The friends will sing only when carried out by the sanction of an impulse. I put the following case into the hands of their grave casuists, to say by what impulse it was produced. An old Friend of Philadelphia, husband of a minister who made a missionary tour of Europe, surprised himself and his family by new musical powers. In a dream of the night, when sleep had fallen on him, he struck up with vigorous lungs, the notes of a well known lively tune. There is no saying how long he would have yielded himself up to the "refreshing exercise;" for it is certain he was awakened by his family crowding in coustern ition, around his couch, to learn by actual inspection, whence "Yankee Doodle" could possibly proceed! (J. Queen.)

CHAPTER III.

OF THE MINISTRY.

“Ως ώραιοι οι πόδες των ευαγγελιζομενων ειρήνην, των ευαγγελιζομένων τα ayatá."-ST. PAUL.

1. The office of the ministry was ordained by our Lord.* The church is his house. None may intrude on it offices which he has not ordained; none may revive what he has revoked; none may abolish what he has appointed. In theology these are axioms.

2. The extraordinary offices of other times must be carefully distinguished from the ordinary offices. In the Jewish church the Levites were the stated ministry. It was made their duty to expound the law to the people. On particular emergencies, extraordinary officers were sent. Besides the ordinary function of teaching, the prophet wrought miracles and predicted future events. But this office was not hereditary; it came immediately from God; and it ceased with the particular exigency which de-. manded it, or it expired with the life of the prophet.

In the christian church we recognise the same classification of offices. Our Lord "gave apostles, evangelists and prophets;" these he invested with an extraordinary commission—these he armed with extraordinary powers. He had great work to be performed by them. It was no less than the establishment of christianity, and the overthrow of philosophism, idolatry and superstition; and these, though supported by the prince of darkness, and by potentates and sages, tumbled in ruins before the truth, and the great offices of Christ's house. They were swept away as a mound of sand before the rolling tide.

But after christianity was established, it was necessary that there should be officers in the house of God, who should rule and teach permanently. Hence another class of officers was appoint

Eph. iv. 11, 12.

Lev. x. 11. Neh. viii. 8.