in similar prayers, apparently confine its intercessions for the ministers of its own communion.

CONCLUDING PRAYERS AND THANKSGIVINGS.

The Prayer of St. Chrysostom is well adapted to close our public worship. There are, however, two other collects at the conclusion of the Communion Service, equally appropriate for the purpose; but which, being left to the discretion of the minister, are seldom used. Might it not then be desirable that the Prayer of St. Chrysostom should only be used at the end of the Litany, and that the other two should severally be substituted in its place in the Evening Prayers and in the Communion Service?

Perhaps also, for the purpose of somewhat varying our Services, the Apostolical Benediction at the end of the Litany might be exchanged for the divinely inspired form recorded in the 6th chapter of Numbers; "The Lord bless you and keep you: the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gra

cious unto you: the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace."*

In the American Prayer Book there are inserted, "Prayers for a sick person, for a sick child, for persons going to sea, for persons under affliction, and for malefactors after condemnation;" and also "Thanksgivings for a recovery from sickness, and for a safe return from sea." Similar prayers and thanksgivings might be beneficially introduced into our own Liturgy.

THE LITANY.

This most interesting and affecting portion of our Liturgy, admirable as it is in itself, is susceptible of some verbal improvements. A few are here suggested: others would probably occur in the event of an authorized revision of our Liturgy.

"The Trinity," says Mr. Hull, "is the

*The above form is thus abridged in the Commination Service :-" The Lord bless us and keep us: the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us, and give us peace, now and for evermore."

substance of the Protestant faith in a brief expression, sounding nobly to the disciplined and understanding ear." Dr. Johnson defines the Trinity to be "the incomprehensible union of the Three Persons in the Godhead." According to either definition the term appears to be more properly use di reference to a doctrine, than as an actual address to Deity. It is, therefore, suggested that the fourth clause in the Litany should be thus expressed :—“O holy, blessed, and glorious Jehovah, three Persons, and one God: have mercy upon us, miserable sinners." Such an emendation would not in the slightest degree impugn the essential doctrine of the Trinity, whilst it might better harmonize with the feelings of the more learned and intelligent Christian.

Agreeably to the observations which have already been made on the State Prayers, the four clauses which refer to the king and royal family might be thus abridged and concentrated:-"That it may please thee to keep and strengthen in the true worshipping of thee, in righteousness and holiness of life,

thy servant George, our King, [the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales,] and all the Royal Family." A short petition for the Parliament might also here be appropriately inserted in this or a similar form:"That it may please thee to direct and prosper all the consultations of the high court of Parliament, at this time assembled, to the advancement of thy glory, the good of thy Church, the safety, honour, and welfare of our sovereign and his dominions." If this regulation were adopted, the same reason which is assigned for omitting the State Prayers when the Litany is read, would be applicable to the prayer for the high court of Parliament.

THE COMMUNION SERVICE.

The following suggestions are made on the supposition, that, agreeably to what has been already proposed, the Communion Service should be appointed to be read on Sunday mornings when the Lord's Supper was administered, on Sunday afternoons in those churches where there are three services,

and also on Saints'-days and other Festivals which do not occur on a Sunday; but always to the exclusion of every other part of the Liturgy. Several of the observations would, however, be equally applicable under any other arrangement.

In the American Liturgy, our Lord's beautiful summary of the law and the prophets (Matt. xxii. 37-40.*) immediately follows the Commandments. Such a regulation, it is presumed, might be very advantageously adopted in our own Service; especially if the Commandments and the words of our Lord were both introduced by a short declaration of the circumstances under which each of them was originally uttered. Perhaps it might also be desirable that the first petition, "Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law," which is repeated after each of the

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."