ON LITURGIES.

Jesus Christ used a Liturgy. He attended the Synagogue at Nazareth. The service consisted of prayers, and of the reading and exposition of the Scriptures. On one occasion he read the 61st chapter of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and told the congregation, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." He also worshipped in the Temple at Jerusalem. In addition to the

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service of the Synagogue, the appointed sacrifices were offered in the Temple. There was also a full choral service. After the preparation of the altar, and the killing of the morning sacrifice, the President of the Temple called upon the congregation to offer their prayers. The service opened with this beautiful prayer: "Thou hast loved us, O Lord our God with an everlasting love with great and abundant compassion hast thou compassionated us, O our Father, our King, for our Fathers' sake who trusted in thee, and thou taughtest them statutes of life. So be gracious to us also, O our Father, O most merciful Father,—O thou compassionate one, pity us and put into our hearts to know, understand, obey, learn, teach, observe, do, and perform all the words of the doctrine of thy law in love, and enlighten our eyes by thy law, and cause our hearts to cleave to thy commandments, and unite our hearts to love and to fear thy name." After this prayer the Ten Commandments were rehearsed, and the people read over their phylacteries. These consisted of four sections, or paragraphs of the law written on two parchments which they conLuke iv., 21.

tinally wore, including Exodus xiii., 3-10; xiii., 11–16. Deuteronomy vi., 4-9 and xi., 13-21. Then followed the burning of incense. Lots were drawn to determine who was to offer it: but the person chosen could not begin, even if he were the High Priest himself, until the President said, 66 Sir, offer:" and as soon as the incenseofferer commenced, the congregation finished the remaining four prayers. The following benediction was

pronounced in the last prayer, upon the " COURSE entering upon their duties: "He that caused his name to dwell in this House, cause to dwell among you love, and brotherhood, and peace, and friendship." And the form of final blessing was in these words: "The Lord bless thee and keep thee: the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace." To which the people responded, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting."

The daily Psalms sung during the week were the 26, 48, 82, 94, 81, and 93. And on the Sabbath the 92nd Psalm in addition: and also an additional sacrifice. In the Morning Service the Levites sang the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy, 22 ch., and in the Evening the Song of Moses in Exodus, 15 ch. At the Passover they sang the "Egyptian Hallel," in commemoration of their deliverance out of Egypt. It consisted of the Psalms 113 to 118 inclusive. The latter part, it is said, was sung by Jesus and his disciples after the institution of the "Lord's Supper.”+

* Numbers vi., 24, 26.

+ The Temple Service: Lightfoot's Works, Vol. ix., 8vo.

With these Services of the Synagogue and Temple the Apostles were familiar, and they continued to attend upon them on the Sabbath until the destruction of the Temple. They also as the disciples and Apostles of Jesus observed the first day of the week. This was Judaism; and with the destruction of the Temple and the abolition of Sacrifices it passed away.

It was the custom of distinguished teachers among the Jews to furnish their disciples with one or more prayers. John the Baptist gave a prayer to his disciples. It was probably lost at an early period, though M. Norberg, the celebrated Swede, who has translated so many of the 1 writings of the disciples of John the Baptist, says that there is "the Liturgy of John, a middle-sized volume," still untranslated. The disciples of Jesus said to him, "Lord teach us to pray as John taught his disciples." In reply, Jesus repeated the same prayer which he had given in the sermon on the Mount. The only Liturgical elements furnished by the new testament are the Lord's Prayer the words of the institution of the Lord's Supper-the form of words in baptism, and the Apostolio forms of Benediction and of Doxology. The form of Doxology in the Book of Common Prayer is not from the Scriptures, and was not known till the 3rd century. We have no record of any one of the Apostles, nor of the Apostles collectively, compiling a creed or a Liturgy.

John, who it is conjectured, was the last surviving Apostle, died about A.D. 100. Then followed the five Apostolic Fathers, Barnabas, Clement, Ignatius, Hermas, and Polycarp, the last mentioned suffered martyrdom at Smyrna, A.D. 160 or 167. There is neither creed nor Liturgy in any of the writings of the Apostolic Fathers.