? this the plural form of expression of which Mr. Moore speaks? Did the people evidently join in this prayer Did they, each and all, socially pray for " MY son Solomon." We ought to be serious in these matters; but with such criticism before us, it is really no easy task. Mr. Moore must surely have thought his readers no Solomons, to be carried away by such assertions and such arguments. David afterwards, as we have seen, calls on the people to follow the example he had individually set them, by blessing the Lord; a call which they obey "and bowed down their "heads and worshipped the Lord;"* that is, shewed external marks of respect and reverence. Sacrifices then follow, and the people "did eat and drink before the Lord on that day with great gladness." In all the various modes of shewing respect and reverence, recorded in this passage, there is then, we find, no trace whatever of public social prayer, in the manner now in use, 66 66 The last passage, relative to this period, quoted by the two writers above-named, is one from the 16th chap. of 1 Chron. v. 4. "And David appointed certain levites, of whom Asaph "was the chief, to minister before the ark of the Lord, and ro RECORD, AND THANK, AND PRAISE the Lord." The office. and duties of the levites we shall not now stop to inquire into. They will hereafter be more particularly discussed. We will simply take this passage as it stands, only premising that there is a marked and evident distinction between thanksgiving, or praise; and petition, or prayer. The duties of the levites (bearing reference, as we have seen, to the peculiar presence of Jehovah, as king of Israel) were, in his royal tent, or presence, "to record, and thank, and "praise the Lord." Of prayer, as a part of these duties, let it be observed that not one single word is said; yet what is Mr. Moore's comment upon the passage? In this chapter we are informed, he says, "that David appointed certain "officers, whose stated employment it was to offer to God' "devout addresses of praise and thanksgiving; and this, it * Our common version says "they worshipped the Lord AND THE KING:" a friend, for whose critical acuteness we have great respect, suggests that the words," and the King" belong to the next verse. It would then read "and "they bowed down their heads and worshipped the Lord. And the King, and they" (the people)" sacrificed," &c. In a previous sheet we have adverted to the phrase," they worshipped-God AND THE KING," in explanation of the term worship, as shewing that it does not necessarily mean prayer, but any external mode of shewing respect or reverence; that sense of the word may. equally be maintained, even though the suggestion of our friend should prove as well founded, as it is certainly ingenious. "is added, they did continually; and of what consequence "is it whether they were chaunted, or sung, or spoken, or "that they were accompanied by musical instruments? They were social acts of praise and PRAYER!" (p. 35.) Now why, let us ask, in the name of common honesty and fair argument-why is the word prayer here introduced, when it has no sanction whatever from that passage of scripture which the remark professes to illustrate? The acts of the levites were not "acts of praise and PRAYER." The consulting Deity in prayer belonged, as we have seen, to the priest; the appointment of the levites expressly was to record, and thank, and praise the Lord." Of the writer of "The Inquiry into the Scriptural authority for Social Worship," as he is personally unknown to us, we cannot be suspected of a wish to speak personally disrespectful; but this we may be allowed to say, how weak must that cause be which requires for its support such quotations as we have been adverting to, and such comments as we have above exposed; which renders it necessary that its advocate should transform an individual denunciation of vengeance into a social supplication; and foist in a word-prayer-the very word too on which the whole controversy hinges-as existing in a passage where it does not occur! Reviewing what we have written in this Essay, we think. we may be justified in stating that we have proved and established these conclusions-namely, that the prayer of the tabernacle, although in a certain sense public, was not designedly so; publicity having been here, in fact, what logicians call accidental, not essential; the real object being not to pray in public, but to pray in the appointed place of prayer; not to pray in the presence of man, but in the presence of God, who was supposed to be there specially present. Neither was such prayer, in any sense of the words, joint or social. It was not the collective prayer of many, but the individual prayer of one person; or, if of many, each praying by himself, individually. It was not prayer by means of a liturgy, or a pre-composed form, in which all wholly or occasionally joined, as is performed in the established churches of Rome and England; and to introduce which amongst the Unitarians has been the professed, and it would appear the successful, object of the publication of the "Reformed Liturgy:" neither was it what is called joint extemporaneous prayer, or the language of one appointed spokesman in the name and on the part of a whole assembly, as is practised amongst other dissenters of our own age and 66 66 country. To sum up all in a few words-it was NOT "social prayer in the manner now in use; that is, of one individual delivering the prayer in the name of all, and the congregation signifying their participation and concurrence by the response, Amen," but it was either the prayer of the priest, or servant of God, who went from the presence of the people, and in the holy place offered up his petitions in the hope and expectation of a miraculous reply, or, if the people prayed in or near this tabernacle, it was the separate, unstudied and unaided prayer of individuals who spoke in their own names and persons, with neither priest to lead their devotions, nor congregation to join in them, nor clerk to conclude with the response, Amen; who prayed before their tabernacle not for the purpose of publicity, but on account of its being supposed the peculiar residence or palace of their God and king; and who therefore, in this respect, can be no pattern for the imitation of any other people, still less of modern times, possessing, as we do, more correct and more enlightened views of the nature and attributes of God-the hour having long since arrived when God is neither to be worshipped" in this mountain nor in that city," (from a belief in his peculiar presence) "but when they "that worship the Father shall worship him in spirit and in "truth, for he seeketh such to worship him." Thus far, then, we have established so much of our position (see p. 15) as maintains, that social prayer was not instituted by Moses; and that it was not afterwards, by divine direction, introduced into the tabernacle worship. The worship of the Jewish temple yet remains for examination in a future Essay. Much of the materials which have been used as to the tabernacle, will be found equally applicable to the temple service and the whole inquiry into the duties of the priests, levites, &c., and the question, whether or not they officiated, like the self-named priests of the present day, in public social prayer-nearly the whole of this part of the subject has been, in order to avoid tautology, purposely deferred till we proceed to an examination of the temple service. In conclusion, for the present, we would again wish to impress upon our readers that even had the practice of social prayer prevailed in the Jewish tabernacle, it would have been by no means therefore binding upon Christians in the present day; but that not having been the practice of an age to which the forms and ceremonies of religion were peculiarly applicable--and not having formed a part of a system of religious ordinances, which were of divine appointment and origin-the inference is a fair one, that the ceremony of public social prayer is one without authority from heaven; whilst should it, in the course of our future inquiries, appear equally without a sanction from the writings of the New Testament, as we have already seen it, unsupported by at least a portion of those of the Old, it will then follow that it is a practice not binding upon Christians; and its pernicious consequences and inconsistency with the pure and mental principles laid down by Jesus and his apostles, may be successfully employed to shew it deserving of the reprobation, rather than the approval of every serious and piously disposed mind. RELIGIOUS CHARACTER ITS DISCIPLINE AND IMPROVEMENT. The following extract from a Private Letter, communicated by one of our Members, is submitted, under the hope that it may prove beneficial to many connected with us in Christian fellowship; to the general reader, also, it will tend to exhibit that faithful and sincere friendship which is to be found only in the church of God, and by means of which the grand end and object of our religious principles-which is to improve and perfect our dispositions and character here, that we may be fitted for happiness hereafter—is furthered and promoted. —" And now, my dear Friend, having as before remarked, exhibited my view of your character in all its various forms, I proceed with pleasure to comply with the second part of your request, viz. that I should give you such advice as my experience may dictate, as to the best means of overcoming dispositions and defects which you now see and deplore, and of obtaining those truly devout and religious feelings and dispositions which will enable you to attain that character which Christianity demands, and without which you are satisfied you never can obtain that excellence you are professing to aim at and press after-the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. A A 66 Being a man of like passions and infirmities with yourself-having had most adverse constitutional dispositions to strive against-and having, like you, been exposed to the dangers of worldly applause and prosperity, I cannot, perhaps, take a more effectual way of complying with your wishes than by giving you, simply and unadorned, those suggestions which my own experience affords, from the conflicts and difficulties I have had to encounter; together with a description of those means which I have found, in my own case, most successful in gaining the objects which you also now have in view. In contemplating the causes which have led you thus anxiously to seek to know your own character, and the best means of making it perfect, I cannot but perceive the finger of a gracious and unerring Providence, and confess the wisdom and certainty with which all his plans have been ordained and accomplished. A striking event in my own life—the death of my wife-was the epoch of my conversion; as I trust the errors into which has fallen, may prove the occasion of your mental improvement. It seemed necessary, in the great chain of events, that there should be such a man as -, and that he should so err to the extent he has done, both for his own benefit and yours; and at the same time, that there should be so faithful a friend, to avail himself of the circumstances, in order to bring both to deep reflection; not to say such a one as myself to have been persevering for years in treasuring up all the accumulated materials, in aid of other circumstances, to make your change complete and unalterable. Can we, I again repeat, do otherwise than perceive the finger of an unerring Providence, who, notwithstanding the waywardness of his erring creatures, will accomplish his purposes, and fulfil all his benevolent designs? And is it possible we can contemplate this without being humbled to the dust with a deep sense of our own littleness and unworthiness; and with hearts bursting with gratitude, henceforth determine that it shall be "our meat and "our drink to do his holy will"—" that we will present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service;" and that, being no longer conformed to this world, "but transformed by the renewing of our minds, we may prove in reality what is that good and acceptable, and "perfect will of God." And here let me observe how wise, how equitable are all the ways of God! As it regards myself, I had no friend whatever to direct or guide me in the narrow way that leadeth to eternal life; but I had, as a powerful as 66 66 1 |