,,presbyterian ,,worship   ,,its        
,,spirit    ,,method ,,and              
,,history     ,,by  ,,robert ,,johnston1
 ,d4,d41  ,london4     ,,toronto2  ,,the
 ,,publishers' ,,syndicate1 ,,limited4  
#aija     ,,introduction4  ,the worship 
of the sanctuary is a living subject of 
discussion and practice in the          
,presbyterian ,churches of the world at 
large1 and1 within late years1 in that  
of the ,canadian ,dominion4  ,many      
earnest minds are approaching the study 
of the subject from various standpoints1
 each worthy of attentive consideration4
  ,one regards it from the dogmatic     
position of scriptural precedent1 or    
from the larger one of ,christian       
principle2 the aesthetic mind comes to  
it with visions of order and beauty2 the
 practical1 with his view of the        
,church's needs in mission fields and in
 mixed congregations4  ,there is room in
 the discussion for the largest         
statement of lawful opinion1 founded on 
conviction of absolute right1 and on    

,christian expediency1 and for the      
exercise of abundant charity4  ,dr4     
,johnston gives no uncertain sound on   
the subject4  ,to his mind the duty of  
the ,church1 first and last1 is to      
preserve spirituality of worship1 and to
 discountenance everything that may tend
 to interfere with the same4  ,but1     
while this spirit pervades his work1 his
 method is historical1 and thus         
preeminently fair and impartial in      
statement4 ,the presentation of the     
argument in concrete or historical form 
invests it with an interest which could 
hardly be commanded by either dogmatic  
or practical methods1 while it excludes 
neither4  ,dr4 ,johnston brings to his  
task ripe scholarship1 including        
extensive knowledge of ,church history  
and ecclesiology1 his proficiency in    
which he has recently vindicated in such
 a manner as to leave no room for doubt4
 ,to this he adds the teaching of       
pastoral experience in mission fields1  
prior to his ordination1 and1 since     

then1 in large and influential          
congregations2 and1 to crown the whole1 
heartfelt devotion to the ,church of his
 fathers1 and unswerving personal       
loyalty to its ,king and ,head4  ,with  
adoring thanks to the great ,teacher of 
us all1 who rewards professors in their 
declining years with the affectionate   
regard of their whilom best students1   
now become wise and strong men in the   
,church's service1 ,i cordially commend 
to all who may read these words1 this   
outcome of ,dr4 ,johnston's ,christian  
erudition and conscientious literary    
labor4  7signature of ,john ,campbell7  
,,presbyterian ,,college1  ,,montreal1  
,march1 #aija4     ,,to ,,one ,,who     
,,loved  ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,god ,,on  
,,earth1  ,,and ,,worships ,,now  ,,in  
,,the ,,city ,,wherein ,,is ,,no        
,,temple--  ,,my ,,mother4              
,,contents4   ,,chapter ,i4  ,,the ,,law
 ,,and ,,the ,,liberty ,,of             
,,presbyterian ,,worship   ,,chapter    
,,ii4  ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,knox3 ,,the   

,,formative ,,period ,,of ,,presbyterian
 ,,worship   ,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,knox',s
 ,,book ,,of ,,common ,,order4          
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,a ,,diet ,,of ,,public
 ,,worship ,,in ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,knox
   ,,chapter ,v4  ,,the ,,period ,,of   
,,controversy   ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,the  
,,westminster ,,assembly ,,and ,,the    
,,directory ,,of ,,worship   ,,chapter  
,,vii4  ,,legislation ,,concerning      
,,public ,,worship ,,in ,,the ,,period  
,,subsequent ,,to   ,,the ,,revolution  
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,presbyterian       
,,worship ,,outside ,,of ,,the          
,,established ,,church ,,of ,,scotland  
,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,modern ,,movements   
,,in ,,presbyterian ,,churches          
,,respecting ,,public ,,worship         
,,chapter ,x4  ,,conclusion     ,inward 
truth of heart alone1 is what the ,lord 
requires4  ,exercises superadded are to 
be approved1 so far as they are         
subservient to ,truth1 useful           
incitements1 or marks of profession to  
attest our faith to men4 ,nor do we     

reject things tending to the            
preservation of ,order and ,discipline4 
,but when consciences are put under     
fetters1 and bound by religious         
obligations1 in matters in which ,god   
willed them to be free1 then must we    
boldly protest in order that the worship
 of ,god be not vitiated by human       
fictions4--,,calvin4     ,,prefatory    
,,note4  ,the purpose in the following  
pages is a simple one4  ,it is to       
discover the trend of thought in        
connection with ,public ,worship within 
the ,presbyterian ,church1 particularly 
in ,scotland1 during the course of her  
history since the ,reformation4  ,the   
spirit of the ,church in her stirring   
and formative periods1 especially if    
that spirit is a constant one1 is       
pregnant with instruction4  ,such a     
constant spirit is readily discovered by
 a study of the attitude of the         
,presbyterian ,church towards the       
subject of ,public ,worship during the  
course of her history1 and to the writer

 it seems very evident that that spirit 
indicates an increasing suspicion of    
liturgical forms in ,worship1 and a     
growing confidence in1 and desire for1  
the liberty of untrammeled approach to  
,god4  ,whether this spirit be the best 
or not1 it is not the purpose of these  
pages to discuss4  ,the great principle 
of the liberty of the ,church in matters
 of detail1 is fully recognized1 a      
principle ever to be sedulously guarded1
 but an appeal is made to the record of 
history for its evidence as to the      
historic attitude of the ,presbyterian  
,church1 on a question which to-day is  
claiming the earnest attention of those 
who desire for that ,church fidelity to 
her ,lord and efficiency in ,his work4  
,my indebtedness in the study of this   
subject to ,dr4 ,mc,crie's ,cunningham  
,lectures on ,scottish ,presbyterian    
,worship1 ,brown's ,life of ,john ,knox1
 ,sprott's ,scottish ,liturgies and     
,baird's ,eutaxia1 as well as to various
 ,histories of the ,reformation in      

,scotland1 and for ,american ,church    
,history to ,moore's and ,alexander's   
valuable digests1 ,i gladly and with    
gratitude acknowledge4  ,an abundant and
 increasing literature upon the subject 
of ,public ,worship is an encouraging   
sign of the attention which the ,church 
is giving to a matter so vital to its   
best life4  ,r4 ,j4  ,,st4 ,,andrew',s  
,,manse1   ,,london1 ,january1 #aija4   
,the ,law and the ,liberty of           
,presbyterian ,worship4    ,while it is 
admitted that there is a form of        
government prescribed or instituted in  
the ,new ,testament1 so far as its      
general principles or features are      
concerned1 there is a wide discretion   
allowed us by ,god in matters of detail1
 which no man or set of men1 which      
neither civil magistrates nor           
ecclesiastical rulers can take from     
us4--,,hodge4    ,chapter ,i4  ,the ,law
 and the ,liberty of ,presbyterian      
,worship4  ,the ,word of ,god1 which is 
contained in the ,scriptures of the ,old

 and ,new ,testaments1 is the only rule 
to direct us how we may glorify and     
enjoy ,him4--,,westminster ,,catechism4 
,the ,church of ,christ1 as a divine    
communion1 exists in the world for a    
definite and appointed purpose4  ,this  
purpose may be declared to be twofold1  
and may be described by the terms       
,witness and ,worship4  ,it is the      
evident design of ,god that the visible 
,church should bear witness to ,his     
existence and character1 to ,his        
revelation and providence1 and to ,his  
grace towards mankind1 manifested in    
,his ,son1 ,jesus ,christ4  ,to ,israel 
,god said1 ,ye are my witnesses1 and to 
,his disciples forming the nucleus of   
the ,new ,testament ,church1 the risen  
,saviour said1 ,ye shall be witnesses   
unto ,me4  ,side by side with this      
evident end of the ,church's existence  
is the other one of ,worship4  ,not only
 from the individual heart does ,god    
require ascriptions of praise and       
expressions of confidence1 but from the 

organized congregation of ,his people1  
,he desires to hear the voice of        
adoration1 contrition1 and supplication4
  ,the cultivation of such worship1 and 
the offering of it in a manner          
acceptable to ,god1 is a work worthy of 
the ,church's most earnest care4  ,it is
 to be expected1 therefore1 that in the 
,word of ,god there shall be found the  
principles of a cultus which1 possessing
 ,divine authority1 shall carry with it 
the assurance of its sufficiency for the
 ends aimed at1 and of its suitability  
to the requirements of the ,church in   
every age4  ,that the word of ,god      
contains such principles clearly        
indicated1 the ,presbyterian ,church has
 always maintained1 teaching uniformly  
and emphatically that ,holy ,scripture  
contains all that is necessary for the  
guidance of the ,church1 as well in     
matters of ,polity and ,worship1 as in  
those of ,doctrine4  ,divine worship1   
therefore1 neither in its constant      
elements nor in its methods1 is a matter

 of mere human device1 nor is the       
,church at liberty to devise or to adopt
 aught that is not explicitly stated or 
implicitly contained in the ,word of    
,god for her guidance4  ,the essential  
parts of worship we are at no loss to   
discover1 clearly indicated as they are 
in the history of the ,apostolic        
,church4  ,praise and ,prayer1 with the 
reading and exposition of ,scripture1   
together with the celebration of the    
,sacraments1 are repeatedly referred to 
as those exercises in which the early   
,christians engaged4  ,with such        
worship1 though in more elaborate form1 
the ,church had always been familiar1   
for as ,christianity itself was in so   
many respects the fruit and outcome of  
,judaism1 the expansion1 into principles
 of world-wide and perpetual            
application1 of truths that had hitherto
 been national and local1 so its worship
 and organization were1 in large        
measure1 the adaptation of familiar     
forms to those simpler and more         

comprehensive ones of the ,new          
,testament ,church4  ,throughout the    
successive periods of ,israel's history1
 marked by patriarch1 psalmist1 and     
prophet1 ,divine worship had grown from 
simple sacrifice at a family altar to an
 elaborate temple-ritual1 in which      
praise and prayer and the reading of the
 ,law occupied a prominent place2 to    
this were added in later times the      
exposition of the ,law and the reading  
of the ,prophets4  ,this service1       
elaborate with magnificent and imposing 
forms1 continued in connection with the 
,temple worship down to the time of our 
,saviour1 while in the ,synagogue a     
simpler service1 combining all the      
essential parts of the former with the  
exception of sacrifice1 was developed   
during the period subsequent to the     
,babylonian captivity1 when1 as is      
generally conceded1 the ,synagogue with 
its service had its origin4  ,apart then
 from the ritual connected with         
sacrifice1 which was wholly typical1 the

 temple service and the simpler worship 
of the ,synagogue were identical in     
their different parts1 although         
differing widely in form4  ,now1 just as
 ,christianity was itself not a         
substitute for the ,jewish religion but 
a development and enlargement of it1 so 
,christian worship was an outgrowth1    
with larger meaning and broader         
application1 of the worship of ,god     
which for centuries had been conducted  
among the ,jews4 ,it continued to       
comprise the essential elements of      
prayer and praise1 together with the    
reading and exposition of the ,divine   
message1 a message which was enlarged in
 ,apostolic times by the record         
concerning the ,christ who had come1 and
 by the inspired writings of the        
,apostles of our ,lord to the ,church   
which they had been commissioned to     
plant and foster1 while associated with 
these was the administration of the     
,sacraments of ,baptism and the ,lord's 
,supper4  ,it has always been maintained

 by the ,presbyterian ,church1 that of  
these different elements of worship1    
none should be neglected1 inasmuch as   
all of them have ,divine sanction1 and  
that to these nothing should be added1  
inasmuch as any addition made1 could    
possess human sanction only1 and would  
be a transgression of the principle that
 ,scripture and ,scripture alone        
contains authority for the government   
and practice of the ,church of ,jesus   
,christ4  ,it follows that in the       
arrangement and adjustment of each of   
these various parts of worship1 in their
 due relation to each other1 and in the 
determination of the methods that shall 
prevail in their performance1 the       
,church must be governed by an          
appreciation of the purpose for which   
they have been established1 and of the  
ends which they are expected to serve4  
,the object of public worship must ever 
be kept in view1 and no forms1 however  
attractive1 are to be admitted by which 
that object may be hidden or obscured3  

on the other hand1 order and seemliness 
demand a due attention1 and it is an    
error1 only less mischievous than the   
former1 to have regard to the spirit of 
worship alone1 and thus to neglect      
whatever suitable forms and methods may 
best secure the orderly and appropriate 
performance of its every part4  ,the    
most commonly recognized purpose of     
public worship is the cultivation of the
 spiritual life of the worshipper1 and  
this is attained by the employment of   
means intended to bring the soul into an
 attitude of response to its ,lord4  ,it
 follows then that matters of form1     
attitude1 and order in worship1 should  
be so arranged and regulated that they  
may serve as aids to the securing of    
this end1 and that nothing should be    
permitted which may in any way interfere
 with the development of this spirit of 
response on the part of those so        
engaged4  ,and when it is remembered how
 small a matter may interfere with the  
worship of a congregation1 and how      

easily disturbed and distracted the     
hearts of men are by untoward           
circumstances or conditions1 it will be 
seen that not only the forms of worship 
demand attention1 but that the order of 
its different parts1 the attitude of the
 worshippers1 and all matters of detail 
are worthy of careful thought and of    
earnest consideration4  ,but ,christian 
worship has an altruistic aim also1 and 
is intended to serve as a witness before
 the world to those fundamental truths  
professed by the ,christian ,church4    
,with this end in view1 it is evident   
that its forms should be such as shall  
most clearly and effectively set forth  
before the eyes of beholders1 those     
truths and principles which the ,church 
holds as essential to ,christian faith  
and practice4  ,to obscure such a public
 declaration of ,christian belief1 by   
hiding these truths beneath an elaborate
 adornment that disguises or completely 
conceals them1 is to be faithless to the
 commission of ,jesus ,christ to be a   

witness unto ,him before the world2 to  
neglect such witness-bearing1 or by     
carelessness or inattention to detail1  
to render it in a manner so ineffective 
as to disparage the truth in the eyes of
 beholders1 is to be none the less      
unfaithful to that great commission4    
,with the twofold purpose of worship    
clearly kept in view as the foundation  
for any discussion of this subject1 it  
is also to be remembered that the       
,church of ,christ is left free by her  
,divine ,king and ,head1 so to order    
matters of detail1 under the guidance of
 the ,spirit of ,truth1 and in harmony  
with the principles laid down in        
,scripture1 as may in accordance with   
varying ages and circumstances seem best
 for the attainment of the ends desired4
  ,while ,christian worship in its      
essential parts is prescribed by        
,scripture1 the ,church is free to      
amplify or develop these general        
outlines1 provided only that all be in  
harmony with the spirit of ,revelation4 

,it is very evident that new conditions 
of a progressive civilization1 the      
spirit of the times1 or the particular  
circumstances of a community1 may make  
desirable a modification of a particular
 method of worship long practised2 it is
 for the ,church1 relying ever on the   
guidance of the ,spirit of ,truth1 to   
determine how such modification may1    
without violation to the spirit of      
,scripture1 be made4  ,for this reason  
it can never be binding upon the ,church
 to accept as final1 the particular     
methods of worship used and found       
suitable by men of another age or       
another land2 while such may be accepted
 as valuable for suggestions contained1 
and as indicating the spirit that       
controlled good and great men of another
 time1 yet the ,church can only accept  
them 7in loyalty to the ,spirit ,who    
abides in her1 and ,who is hers in every
 age7 in so far as they prove themselves
 suitable to present times and          
conditions4  ,the present possession by 

the ,church1 of the ,holy ,spirit as a  
guide into all truth1 according to the  
promise of ,christ to ,his disciples1 is
 a doctrine that no branch of the       
,church would readily surrender1 and her
 right1 under that guidance1 to seek the
 good of the body of ,christ on lines   
which1 while consistent with the        
principles of ,scripture1 commend       
themselves to her as more suitable to   
present conditions than former methods1 
this right is one which she can part    
with only at the risk of endangering her
 usefulness to her own age4  ,to        
,presbyterians1 therefore1 thankful as  
they are for an historic past that has  
in it so much to arouse gratitude to    
,god and loyalty to the ,church they    
love1 the citing of the practice of     
their forefathers in ,reformation times1
 or even that of the early fathers of   
the ,church1 can never be a final       
argument for the acceptance of any      
particular method in worship4           
,believing in a ,church in which the    

,spirit of ,god as truly governs and    
guides to-day as ,he did in ,reformation
 or post-,apostolic times1 and in a     
,christian liberty of which neither the 
practice nor legislation of holy men of 
the past can deprive them1 they rightly 
refuse to surrender their liberty or to 
retire from their responsibility4  ,in  
the best and truest sense the           
,presbyterian ,church is ,apostolic1 and
 her spiritual succession from the      
,apostles she cherishes with an         
unfaltering confidence4  ,while         
rejecting the ritual theory of the      
,church1 she has never been careless of 
the true succession of faith and        
doctrine and practice from the time of  
the ,apostles to the present day1 a     
succession to which she lays a not      
unworthy claim2 and1 claiming loyalty to
 ,apostolic doctrine1 polity and        
practice1 she has ever been jealous in  
asserting her ,divine right1 as an      
,apostolic ,church1 to the controlling  
presence and guiding wisdom of the ,holy

 ,spirit of ,god4 ,under the guidance of
 that ,spirit she has ever claimed1 and 
still claims1 the right of administering
 the government and directing the       
worship which1 in their essential       
principles1 are set forth in ,scripture1
 neither superciliously regarding       
herself in any age as independent of    
those who have gone before1 and so      
disregarding the legislation and        
practice of the fathers1 nor1 on the    
other hand1 slavishly accepting such    
legislation and practice as binding upon
 the ,church for all time1 and as       
excluding for ever any progress or      
change4 ,that spirit1 at once of        
independence as regards man1 and of     
dependence as regards ,god1 has         
characterized ,presbyterianism in its   
most vigorous and progressive periods2  
by that spirit must it still be         
characterized if1 in succeeding ages1   
the work allotted to it is to be        
faithfully and well performed4  ,if then
 the ,church of one age is so           

independent of those who in other times 
have served her1 it may be asked of what
 interest is her past history to us of  
to-day1 and of what benefit to us is a  
knowledge of the legislation and        
practice of the ,church in other periods
 of her progress8  ,of much value in    
every way is such knowledge4  ,those    
periods in particular1 in which the     
,church has made notable progress1 and  
in which her life has evidently been    
characterized by much of the ,holy      
,spirit's presence and power1 may well  
be studied1 as times when those in      
authority were1 indeed1 led to wise     
measures1 and guided to those methods of
 administration and practice1 which by  
their success approved themselves as    
enjoying the ,divine favor2 the lamp of 
experience is one which wise men will   
never treat with indifference4  ,in     
studying the ,reformation period1       
therefore1 a period marked by special   
activity and progress within the        
,presbyterian ,church1 we do so1 not so 

much to discover forms which we may     
adopt and imitate1 as to discover the   
spirit which moved the leaders in the   
,church of that day1 and the principles 
which governed them in formulating those
 regulations1 and in adopting those     
practices1 which proved suitable and    
successful in their own age4  ,to       
emulate the spirit of brave and wise men
 of the past is the part of wisdom1 to  
imitate their methods may be the extreme
 of folly4  ,another result1 and one    
equally desirable1 will be attained by a
 study of ,presbyterian practice from   
,reformation times onward4  ,it will    
transpire1 as we follow the history of  
public worship1 by what paths we have   
arrived at our present position1 and we 
shall discover whether that position is 
the result of diligent and careful      
search after those methods most in      
accord with ,scripture principles1 and  
so best suited to the different periods 
through which in her progress the       
,church has passed1 or whether it is due

 to a temporary neglect of such         
principles1 and a disregard of the      
changing necessities of different ages4 
,we shall discover1 in a word1 whether  
we have advanced1 in dependence upon the
 ,spirit of ,god and in recognition of  
our responsibilities1 or whether we have
 retrograded through self-trust and     
indifference4     ,the ,age of ,knox3   
the ,formative ,period of ,presbyterian 
,worship4    ,among the great personages
 of the past it would be difficult to   
name one who in the same degree has     
vitalized and dominated the collective  
energies of his countrymen4--,,brown',s 
,,life ,,of ,,knox4    ,chapter ,,ii4   
,the ,age of ,knox3 the ,formative      
,period of ,presbyterian ,worship4   ,it
 was in the year #aefj that the         
,reformed religion was officially       
recognized by the ,estates of the ,realm
 of ,scotland1 as the faith of the      
nation4  ,this recognition consisted in 
the adoption by ,parliament of the first
 ,scottish ,confession1 a formula drawn 

up by ,knox and his brethren at         
,parliament's request1 and formally     
approved by that body as wholesome and  
sound doctrine grounded upon the        
infallible truth of ,god's ,word4  ,this
 year may1 therefore1 be regarded as the
 year of the birth of the ,church of    
,scotland1 although previous to it the  
,reformed faith had been preached1 and  
its worship practised1 in many parts of 
the land where nobles and barons1 who   
had themselves adopted it1 held         
individual or united sway4  ,a glance at
 the condition of affairs in ,scotland  
in the years immediately prior to this  
event will be instructive4  ,in #aeeg1  
as a result of ,knox's rebuke of the    
,scottish nobles for their hesitancy in 
forwarding the ,reformed faith1 the     
,confederation of the ,lords of the     
,congregation was formed1 and its       
members subscribed to the first of the  
five ,covenants that played so important
 a part in the religious history of     
,scotland4  ,in this ,covenant1 those   

subscribing bound themselves to maintain
 and further the blessed ,word of ,god  
and ,his congregation and to renounce   
the congregation of ,satan with all the 
superstitions1 abominations and idolatry
 thereof4  ,to the general declaration  
were appended two particular            
resolutions1 in which was expressed a   
determination to further the preaching  
of the ,word1 in the meantime1 in       
private houses1 and to insist on the use
 of ,king ,edward's ,prayer ,book in    
parishes under the control of           
subscribers to the ,covenant4  ,by these
 same ,protestant lords and commoners   
the first official order1 authorizing   
for their own parishes a form of        
,reformed worship in ,scotland1 was     
issued in these terms3--   ,it is       
ordained that the ,common ,prayers be   
read weekly on ,sunday1 and other       
festival days1 publicly in the parish   
,kirks with the lessons of the ,old and 
,new ,testaments conform to the order of
 the ,book of ,common ,prayer4   ,it is 

generally conceded1 and the judgment is 
supported by the references to it in    
,scottish history1 that this ,book of   
,common ,prayer thus authorized was the 
second ,book of ,king ,edward the       
,sixth4  ,from the year #aeeg until the 
arrival of ,knox in ,scotland in #aeei  
this was the ,book commonly used in     
parishes where the ,reformed religion   
prevailed4  ,it disappeared1 however1 as
 so much else of a foreign character    
disappeared1 in the course of the       
national ,reformation1 giving place to  
the ,book prepared by ,knox and then    
commonly known as ,the ,book of ,our    
,common ,order but now frequently       
referred to as ,knox's ,liturgy4  ,this 
was originally the work of ,knox and    
four associate reformers living in exile
 in ,frankfort-on-the-,main1 and the    
history of its origin is interesting4   
,it had been required of the ,english   
refugees living at ,frankfort1 as a     
condition of their being allowed to use 
for worship the ,french church of that  

town1 that they should adopt the ,order 
of ,worship of the ,french ,reformed    
,church4  ,to this requirement the      
majority agreed1 but1 some objecting1 it
 was finally determined that five of    
their number1 of whom ,knox was one1    
should draw up a new order of service4  
,this work1 undertaken in #aeed1 was    
duly accomplished1 but when completed it
 failed to find acceptance at the hands 
of those who had proposed it4  ,the     
draft of the new book was therefore laid
 aside until #aeef1 and was then        
published for the use of the church at  
,geneva1 of which ,knox in the meantime 
had become the minister4  ,there is in  
connection with this ,book1 and the     
debates and disturbances attending its  
preparation1 one instructive fact that  
should not be forgotten4  ,the ,english 
,prayer ,book provided for responses by 
the people and included the ,litany1 to 
both of which the ,french ,reformed     
,church objected1 in accordance with the
 well-known opinions of their great     

leader ,calvin1 who held1 as did also   
his disciple ,knox1 that in praise alone
 should the congregation audibly join in
 public worship4 ,among the ,english    
refugees were some who desired the      
privilege of responding in public       
worship according to the ,english       
fashion1 and it was the persistence in  
this matter of ,cox1 afterwards ,bishop 
of ,ely1 and of some of his co-patriots1
 that led to ,knox's removal to ,geneva1
 and to the publication there of the    
,book of ,geneva as an order for public 
worship in the ,english congregation to 
which he ministered4  ,it is important  
that this should be remembered1 for in  
speaking of the ,book of ,common ,order 
as ,knox's ,liturgy1 and thus giving to 
it a name by which it was never known in
 ,knox's day1 an impression has         
prevailed1 and is still prevalent1 that 
the book provided a form of worship     
liturgical in character1 with a         
responsive service1 while the fact is   
that ,knox made no provision for even so

 much as the saying of ,amen by the     
people1 their part in prayer being the  
silent following in their hearts of the 
petitions uttered by the reader or the  
preacher for the day4  ,the first       
official recognition of this book in    
,scotland was in #aefb1 when an order of
 the ,general ,assembly required that it
 should be uniformly used in the        
administration of the ,sacraments1      
solemnization of marriage and burial of 
the dead4  ,at this time it was still in
 its ,genevan form1 and was called ,the 
,form of ,prayers and ,ministration of  
the ,sacraments1 etc41 used in the      
,english congregation at ,geneva2 and   
approved by the famous and              
,godly-learned man1 ,m4 ,john ,calvin4  
,two years later1 in #aefd1 a ,scottish 
edition appeared1 in which were         
additional prayers with the complete    
copy of the ,psalter1 and in this year  
the ,general ,assembly ordained that3   
,every ,minister1 ,exhorter and ,reader 
shall have one of the ,psalm ,books     

lately printed in ,edinborough1 and use 
the order contained therein in ,prayers1
 ,marriage and ,ministration of the     
,sacraments4   ,this book was called    
,the ,form of ,prayers and ,ministration
 of the ,sacraments1 etc41 used in the  
,english ,church at ,geneva approved and
 received by the ,church of ,scotland1  
whereunto besides that was in the former
 books are also added sundry other      
,prayers with the whole ,psalms of      
,david in ,english ,metre4  ,as the     
,psalms occupied by far the greater part
 of the book it came to be commonly     
known as ,the ,psalm ,book1 and as such1
 with frequent additions1 among which   
were several hymns and doxologies1 it   
continued to be the recognized ,book of 
,common ,order of the ,scottish ,church 
down to the time of the ,westminster    
,assembly4  ,it cannot be claimed1      
however1 that this book ever secured a  
firm or lasting hold upon the affections
 of the ,scottish people in general4    
,its authority was ecclesiastical only1 

inasmuch as the ,estates of the ,realm  
never gave to it the official sanction  
which they had repeatedly granted to    
,king ,edward's ,prayer ,book4  ,one    
reason for this evident want of         
popularity may have been that1 except in
 its ,psalter department and in some of 
its minor parts1 it was a book for the  
clergy only and not for the people4     
,even the ,psalms in those days passed  
through new editions so rapidly1 and    
were subjected to such serious changes1 
that they never obtained the place in   
the affections of the people that later 
versions have secured1 and by #afde ,the
 ,book of ,common ,order appears to have
 fallen into such comparative neglect   
that no strong resistance was made to   
its abolition in favor of the ,directory
 of ,worship4  ,that it was held in     
esteem by the clergy1 although not so   
revered as to be looked upon as         
incapable of improvement1 appears from  
the fact that in #afja a proposal was   
made to revise it1 together with the    

confession of faith1 which had been     
prepared by ,knox4  ,this work was      
committed to ,alexander ,henderson1 the 
renowned minister of ,leuchars and the  
valiant leader of the ,church of        
,scotland in her resistance against the 
tyranny of ,charles the ,first and his  
minister1 ,laud4  ,the revision1        
however1 was never accomplished1        
,henderson confessing1 according to the 
historian1 ,baillie1 that he could not  
take upon him either to determine some  
points controverted1 or to set down     
other forms of prayer than we have in   
our ,psalm ,book1 penned by our great   
and divine reformer4  ,a book which held
 for so long a time its place of        
authority in the ,scottish ,church1 and 
which embodied during so important a    
period the law of the ,church concerning
 worship1 deserves particular study at  
the hands of those who are interested in
 the history of this important subject1 
but inasmuch as the form of worship     
alone is under discussion1 it will be   

necessary to refer only to those parts  
of it which bear on this phase of the   
,church's practice4  ,before doing so1  
however1 it will be instructive to      
notice what is too frequently           
overlooked1 that the adoption of ,knox's
 ,book of ,common ,order by the         
,scottish ,church indicates even in that
 age a desire for forms of worship less 
liturgical than those which were        
employed by other parts of the ,reformed
 ,church4  ,it is to be remembered that 
those parishes in which the ,reformed   
religion prevailed had been accustomed  
to the use of the ,english ,book of     
,common ,prayer with responsive services
 for the people1 and with prayers from  
which the minister was not supposed to  
deviate4 ,this ,book was set aside1 and 
in its place was adopted an ,order of   
worship in no part of which provision   
was made for responses1 and in all of   
whose prayers the minister was not only 
allowed freedom1 but was encouraged to  
exercise the same4  ,such action on the 

part of men accustomed to make changes  
only after careful deliberation1 clearly
 indicates an intelligent choice of a   
non-liturgical service as opposed to one
 of the opposite character4  ,more than 
this1 the ,scottish ,book of ,common    
,order is marked by an even greater     
freedom from prescribed forms than is   
,calvin's original ,book of ,geneva from
 which ,knox copied so largely4  ,for   
while both of them agreed in avoiding a 
responsive service1 ,knox seems to have 
been even less than ,calvin in sympathy 
with prescribed forms of prayer from    
which no deviation was to be allowed4   
,there is nothing to indicate that ,knox
 would have agreed with the sentiment   
expressed in ,calvin's letter to the    
,protector ,somerset1 in which he says3 
,as to what concerns a form of prayer   
and ecclesiastical rites1 ,i highly     
approve of it1 that there be a certain  
form from which the ministers be not    
allowed to vary4444 ,therefore there    
ought to be a stated form of prayer and 

administration of the ,sacraments4  ,the
 form of ,church prayers1 as originally 
prepared by ,calvin in keeping with his 
sentiments above expressed1 do not      
provide for any variation in certain    
parts of the service4  ,the ,scottish   
,book of ,common ,order1 however1       
allows1 in its every part1 for the      
operation of the free ,spirit of ,god1  
and for other prayers to be offered by  
the minister than those there suggested4
  ,at this period of its history1       
therefore1 we find the ,church of       
,scotland more pronounced than any other
 section of the ,reformed ,church in its
 desire for freedom from prescribed     
forms in the worship of ,god4 ,indeed1  
we are probably not in error in judging 
that in different circumstances1 with an
 educated ministry in the ,church and   
those appointed as leaders of worship   
who had received training for that      
important work1 ,knox would have felt   
even such a book as that which he       
prepared1 to be both unnecessary and    

undesirable4     ,knox's ,book of       
,common ,order4    ,the ,book of ,common
 ,order is best described as a          
discretionary liturgy4--,,sprott4       
,chapter ,,iii4  ,knox's ,book of       
,common ,order4  ,the ,book of ,common  
,order makes no reference to the reading
 of ,scripture as a part of public      
worship1 nor does it1 after the fashion 
of many similar books1 contain a table  
of ,scriptures to be read during the    
year4  ,this omission however1 is       
amended by an ordinance found in the    
,first ,book of ,discipline prepared by 
,knox in #aefa1 and adopted by the      
,general ,assembly of that year1 by     
which it is declared to be3   ,a thing  
most expedient and necessary that every 
,kirk have a ,bible in ,english1 and    
that the people be commanded to convene 
and hear the plain reading and          
interpretation of the ,scripture as the 
,kirk shall appoint4   ,it was further  
enjoined by the same authority and at   
the same time that3   ,each ,book of the

 ,bible should be begun and read through
 in order to the end1 and that there    
should be no skipping and divigation    
from place to place of ,scripture1 be it
 in reading or be it in preaching4   ,it
 is evident1 therefore1 that it was the 
purpose of ,knox that the whole of ,holy
 ,scripture should be publicly read for 
edification1 and that it should be read 
as ,god's message to men and not as an  
exercise subordinate to the preaching1  
or intended merely to throw light upon  
the subject of the discourse4  ,in      
connection with the reading of          
,scripture and of the ,prayers1 mention 
is made1 in this same ,book of          
,discipline1 of an ,order of ,church    
officers who filled an important place  
in the ,church of that time4  ,it was   
ordained that where no ministers could  
be had presently the ,common ,prayers   
and ,scriptures should be read by the   
most suitable persons that could be     
selected4  ,these suitable persons came 
to be known as ,readers1 and they form a

 distinct class of ecclesiastical       
officers in the ,reformation ,church of 
,scotland4  ,the need of such an ,order 
was evident1 for the ,church found great
 difficulty in securing men of the      
requisite gifts and graces for the      
office of the ministry4 ,the ,readers   
therefore1 formed an important and      
numerous order in the ,church for many  
years1 numbering at one time no less    
than seven hundred1 while at the same   
time there was less than half that      
number of ordained ministers4  ,these   
men were not allowed to preach or to    
administer the sacraments1 and they     
formed only a temporary order required  
by the exigencies of the times1 as is   
evident from the fact that the ,general 
,assembly of #aeha1 in the hope that all
 parishes would soon be supplied with   
ordained ministers1 forbade any further 
appointment of ,readers4  ,in the mind  
of ,knox1 these men were the successors 
to the lectors of the early ,church1 and
 corresponded in ,scotland to the       

docteurs of the ,swiss ,reformed        
,church1 a ,church whose organization he
 regarded as but little less than       
perfect4  ,although they conducted a    
part of the service in parishes where   
ministers regularly preached1 yet in the
 original idea of the office the        
intention was that they should conduct  
public worship1 in its departments of   
prayer and praise and reading of the    
,scriptures1 only in parishes where a   
minister could not be secured4 ,it is   
necessary to understand their office and
 their position in the ,church1 inasmuch
 as the existence of such an order has a
 bearing upon our appreciation of the   
form of public worship at this time     
adopted in ,scotland4  ,in the exercise 
of public prayer the greatest freedom   
was granted the minister by the ,book of
 ,common ,order4  ,calvin had prescribed
 a form of confession1 the uniform use  
of which he required1 but the general   
confession with which the service of the
 ,book of ,common ,order opened1 was    

governed by this rubric3   ,when the    
congregation is assembled at the hour   
appointed1 the ,minister useth this     
confession1 or like in effect1 exhorting
 the people diligently to examine       
themselves1 following in their hearts   
the tenor of his words4   ,similar      
liberty was also allowed the minister in
 the prayer which followed the singing  
of the ,psalms and preceded the sermon2 
the rubric governing this directed that3
   ,this done1 the people sing a ,psalm 
all together in a plain tune2 which     
ended1 the ,minister prayeth for the    
assistance of ,god's ,holy ,spirit as   
the same shall move his heart1 and so   
proceedeth to the sermon1 using after   
the sermon this prayer following1 or    
such like4   ,and finally1 as governing 
the whole order of worship1 it is added3
   ,it shall not be necessary for the   
,minister daily to repeat all these     
things before mentioned1 but1 beginning 
with some manner of confession1 to      
proceed to the sermon1 which ended he   

either useth the prayer for all estates 
before mentioned or else prayeth as the 
,spirit of ,god shall move his heart1   
framing the same according to the time  
and matter which he hath entreated of4  
,and if there shall be at any time any  
present plague1 famine1 pestilence1 war1
 or such like1 which be evident tokens  
of ,god's wrath1 as it is our part to   
acknowledge our sins to be the occasion 
thereof1 so are we appointed by the     
,scriptures to give ourselves to        
mourning1 fasting and prayer as the     
means to turn away ,god's heavy         
displeasure4  ,therefore it shall be    
convenient that the ,minister at such   
time do not only admonish the people    
thereof1 but also use some ,form of     
,prayer1 according as the present       
necessity requireth1 to the which he may
 appoint1 by a common consent1 some     
several day after the sermon1 weekly to 
be observed4   ,the liberty allowed to  
the minister in this so important part  
of public worship is evident1 and       

although many prayers are added as      
suitable for particular times and       
occasions1 and some1 which are described
 as of common use under certain         
circumstances and by particular         
churches1 yet none of them are          
prescribed as the only prayers proper   
for any particular season or occasion4  
,even in the administration of the      
,lord's ,supper1 the directions which   
accompany the prayer which precedes the 
distribution of the bread and wine      
allows a similar latitude to the        
,minister4   ,then he taketh bread and  
giveth thanks1 either in these words    
following or like in effect4   ,the     
student of the life of the great        
,scottish ,reformer does not need to be 
told that the framer of the ,book of    
,common ,order was not himself bound by 
any particular form of prayer in public 
worship4  ,on the occasion of his       
memorable sermon after the death of the 
,regent ,moray1 his prayer at its close 
was the passionate outburst of a        

burdened soul1 impossible to one        
restricted by prescribed forms1 while   
his prayer1 which is still preserved1 on
 the occasion of a national             
thanksgiving1 is an illustration of the 
perhaps not excellent way in which1 in  
this exercise1 he was accustomed to     
combine devotion and practical politics2
 a part of it ran thus3  ,and seeing    
that nothing is more odious in ,thy     
presence1 ,o ,lord1 than is ingratitude 
and violation of an oath and covenant   
made in ,thy ,name3 and seeing that     
,thou hast made our confederates of     
,england the instruments by whom we are 
now set at liberty1 to whom we in ,thy  
,name have promised mutual faith again2 
let us never fall to that unkindness1 ,o
 ,lord1 that either we declare ourselves
 unthankful unto them1 or profaners of  
,thy ,holy ,name4  ,it is not surprising
 that one who allowed himself such      
liberty in public prayer should lay no  
binding forms upon his brethren in the  
ministry4  ,it remains only to be said1 

with regard to the restrictions of the  
,book of ,common ,order1 that so far    
from providing any fixed form of prayer 
for uniform1 use1 even the ,lord's      
,prayer was not imposed in any part of  
public worship4  ,it is added1 together 
with the ,creed1 to the form of prayer  
called ,a ,prayer for the ,whole ,estate
 of ,christ's ,church1 but this prayer  
is governed by the general rubric       
already quoted1 which permits such      
variation as the minister1 moved by the 
,spirit of ,god1 shall deem desirable4  
,there is nothing to show that it was   
expected that the ,lord's ,prayer should
 be used as an invariable part of public
 worship4  ,with these facts before us1 
whatever our judgment may be of the     
wisdom of ,knox and of the ,church of   
his day in the matter of a regulated    
service1 we cannot close our eyes to the
 evident conclusion that the ,reformer  
was wholly opposed to the bondage of    
form in prayer4  ,in this part of public
 worship he claimed for himself1 and    

exercised under the guidance of the     
,spirit of ,god1 the greatest freedom2  
and consistent with this position he    
never sought to impose as a part of     
regular public worship1 the repetition  
by the minister of even that form of    
prayer which of all others has for its  
use ,divine authority4  ,to whatever in 
worship the ,book of ,common ,order may 
lend its countenance1 it assuredly gives
 no support to the imposition upon      
worshippers of prescribed forms of      
prayer4  ,side by side with that part of
 public worship already considered there
 has always been associated the exercise
 of ,praise4  ,although the ,scottish   
,church conformed most closely to the   
,churches of ,france and ,switzerland1  
yet it was impossible that it should    
not1 to some degree1 be influenced by   
the spirit of the ,german ,reformation4 
,this influence was especially marked in
 that which was a special characteristic
 of the ,german ,church1 a love for     
sacred song and a delight in the same on

 the part of the people4  ,the ,book of 
,common ,order contained1 as has been   
mentioned1 in its early editions1 the   
complete ,psalter1 and to this were     
added1 subsequently1 a few ,scripture   
,hymns1 together with the ,doxology     
,gloria ,patri in different metres1 so  
that it could be sung at the end of     
every ,psalm4 ,this ,doxology appears in
 ,hart's edition of the ,book of ,common
 ,order of #afaa1 in six different      
metres1 under the general head of       
,conclusions1 and was evidently used    
regularly at the close of the ,psalms   
sung in public worship4  ,it was not    
until the beginning of the seventeenth  
century that there began to arise       
criticisms of the custom of singing the 
,doxology1 and it would1 therefore1     
appear that during the formative period 
of the ,scottish ,church1 which we are  
considering1 it was regularly used1 and 
occasioned no objection and aroused no  
opposition4 ,the ,hymns which were      
printed with the ,psalter were few in   

number1 and were chiefly free           
paraphrases of sections of ,scripture4  
,they are ,the ,ten ,commandments1 ,the 
,lord's ,prayer1 ,veni ,creator1 ,the   
,song of ,simeon called ,nunc ,dimittis1
 ,the ,twelve ,articles of the          
,christian ,faith1 and ,the ,song of    
,blessed ,marie called ,magnificat4     
,the purpose of the ,hymns appears to   
have been the memorizing of ,scripture  
and important doctrinal truths1 and     
there is no evidence that they were     
employed in public worship1 although a  
place was not denied them in the ,book  
of ,common ,order2 in the ,order for    
,public ,worship mention is made of     
,psalms only1 and in all the accounts1  
which have come down to us in           
correspondence or history1 of the public
 services of that time1 the people are  
invariably spoken of as joining in a    
,psalm1 while even in the public        
processions1 which were common on       
occasions of national rejoicing or      
thanksgiving1 ,psalms only are mentioned

 as being sung by the people4  ,the     
singing was usually led by the ,reader1 
but there is occasional mention in the  
records of the time of the ,uptaker of  
the ,psalms1 who evidently performed the
 duties of a ,precentor4  ,the          
,sacraments4--,in the ,confession of    
,faith1 which forms the first part of   
the ,book of ,common ,order1 it is      
clearly stated that there are two       
,sacraments only in the ,christian      
,church1 and that these are ,baptism and
 ,the ,lord's ,supper4  ,no subject in  
connection with the practice of the     
,church created more discussion in      
,reformation times than the methods     
which were to be followed in the        
administration of the ,sacraments4  ,the
 spirit of the ,scottish reformers is   
indicated in the following sentence1    
which governed this matter3   ,neither  
must we in the administration of these  
,sacraments follow man's fancy1 but as  
,christ himself hath ordained so must   
they be ministered1 and by such as by   

ordinary vocation are thereunto called4 
,in accordance with this general        
regulation the ,book of ,common ,order  
prescribes in detail ,the ,manner of the
 ,administration of the ,lord's ,supper4
  ,the words of the opening rubric are  
as follows3   ,the day when the ,lord's 
,supper is ministered1 which is commonly
 used once a month1 or so oft as the    
,congregation shall think expedient1 the
 ,minister useth to say as follows3     
,here follow the words of institution of
 the ,supper from ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle 
to the ,corinthians1 after which is     
added an exhortation in which flagrant  
sinners are warned not to draw near to  
the holy table1 and timid saints are    
encouraged in wise and helpful words to 
approach with repentance and faith4     
,this is the address which in later     
times came to be known as ,fencing the  
,table4  ,there are no words to indicate
 that any variation from the prescribed 
address was encouraged4  ,the address   
being finished   ,the ,minister comes   

down from the ,pulpit and sitteth at the
 ,table1 every man and woman in likewise
 taking their place as occasion best    
serveth3 ,then he taketh ,bread and     
giveth thanks either in these words     
following or like in effect4   ,this    
prayer is wholly one of praise and      
thanksgiving1 there being an evident    
purpose in the omission of any          
invocation of the ,holy ,spirit and of  
words that might be regarded as a       
consecration of the bread and wine1 and 
in the strict adherence to the example  
of our ,lord1 ,who1 when ,he had given  
thanks1 took bread4  ,the manner of     
communing is then described3   ,this    
done1 the ,minister breaketh the bread  
and delivereth it to the people1 to     
distribute and divide the same among    
themselves1 according to our ,saviour   
,christ's commandment1 and likewise     
giveth the cup3 ,during the which time  
some place of the ,scriptures is read   
which doth lively set forth the death of
 ,christ1 to the intent that our eyes   

and senses may not only be occupied in  
these outward signs of bread and wine1  
which are called the visible word1 but  
that our hearts and minds also may be   
fully fixed in the contemplation of the 
,lord's death1 which is by this ,holy   
,sacrament represented4  ,and after this
 action is done he giveth thanks1       
saying3   ,the prayer of thanksgiving   
which follows is the only one in        
connection with this service for which  
no alternative was allowed the minister4
 ,an appropriate ,psalm of thanksgiving 
followed the prayer1 the ,blessing was  
invoked and the congregation dispersed4 
,the ,communion1 as is evident from the 
rubric quoted above1 was received while 
the congregation was seated1 and this   
practice the ,presbyterians adhered to  
and defended as against the ,episcopal  
practice of kneeling at this service1   
regarding the latter attitude as liable 
to be interpreted as a rendering to the 
,sacrament of homage and adoration which
 should be reserved for ,god alone4     

,the service1 it is evident1 was marked 
by simplicity and by in almost total    
absence of prescribed form4  ,in a note 
to the reader1 the author of the ,book  
of ,common ,order explains that the     
object throughout is to set forth simply
 and effectively those signs which      
,christ hath ordained to our spiritual  
use and comfort4  ,how often this       
,sacrament was to be observed was left  
to the judgment of individual           
congregations1 but frequent celebration 
was recommended4 ,calvin thought it     
proper that the ,lord's ,supper should  
be celebrated monthly1 but finding the  
people opposed to such frequent         
celebration he considered it unwise to  
insist upon his own views4  ,with his   
opinions on this matter1 those of ,knox 
were quite in harmony4  ,the ,sacrament 
of ,baptism was likewise characterized  
in its administration by similar        
simplicity1 and yet it is evident that1 
in this more than in any other part of  
public worship1 the minister was        

restricted to the forms provided both in
 prayer and in address4  ,the rubrics   
which govern the two prayers of the     
service and the address to the parents1 
make no mention of alternate or similar 
forms being permitted4  ,in this the    
,book of ,common ,order differs from the
 ,book of ,geneva1 which allowed the    
minister liberty in these parts of the  
service4  ,there would seem1 therefore1 
to be an evident intention on the part  
of the ,scottish reformers in thus      
departing from their custom in other    
parts of worship4  ,it may be that      
inasmuch as ,baptism is the ,sacrament  
of admission into the ,church1 it was   
deemed advisable that for the           
instruction of those seeking membership 
therein1 either for themselves or for   
their children1 the form of sound       
doctrine set forth at such a time should
 not be varied even in the manner of    
statement4  ,the ,sacrament was         
administered in the ,church on the day  
appointed to ,common ,prayer and        

preaching1 instruction being given that 
the child should there be accompanied by
 the father and godfather2 ,knox himself
 had1 as godfather to one of his sons1  
,whittingham1 who had been his chief    
assistant in compiling the ,book of     
,common ,order1 and who had also been   
his helper and fellow-worker at ,geneva4
  ,the opinion of the ,swiss reformers1 
as well as that of their ,scotch        
followers1 was in favor of the presence 
of sponsors in addition to the parents  
at the baptism of children4  ,the parent
 having professed his desire to have his
 child baptized in the ,christian faith1
 was addressed by the minister1 and     
called upon to profess his own faith and
 his purpose to instruct his child in   
the same4  ,having repeated the ,creed1 
the minister proceeded to expound the   
same as setting forth the sum of        
,christian doctrine1 a prescribed prayer
 followed1 the child was baptized1 and  
the prayer of thanksgiving1 also        
prescribed1 closed the service4  ,the   

,book of ,common ,order required that   
marriages should be celebrated in the   
,church and on the ,lord's ,day3   ,the 
parties assemble at the beginning of the
 sermon and the ,minister at time       
convenient saith as followeth3   ,in the
 forms of exhortation and admonition to 
the contracting parties no liberty to   
vary the address is allowed the         
minister1 but in the one prayer which   
formed a part of the service1 viz41 the 
blessing at the close of the ceremony it
 is ordered3   ,the ,minister commendeth
 them to ,god in this or such like sort4
   ,the service ended with the singing  
of an appropriate ,psalm4  ,in the      
service for burial of the dead it was   
ordered by the ,first ,book of          
,discipline that neither singing1       
prayer1 nor preaching should be engaged 
in1 and this on account of prevailing   
superstition4  ,in this matter1 however1
 permission was granted to congregations
 to use their discretion2 ,knox1 we     
know1 preached a sermon after the burial

 of the ,regent ,moray1 and the         
directions in the ,book of ,common      
,order clearly leave much to be         
determined by the circumstances of the  
case3   ,the corpse is reverently       
brought to the grave accompanied with   
the ,congregation without any further   
ceremonies3 which being buried1 the     
,minister1 if he be present and         
required1 goeth to the ,church1 if it be
 not far off1 and maketh some           
comfortable exhortation to the people   
touching death and resurrection2 then   
blesseth the people and so dismisseth   
them4   ,this is but one of many        
instances that show that the early      
reformers accorded to the ,church1 in   
matters not absolutely essential to the 
preservation of sound doctrine and      
,scriptural practice1 the greatest      
liberty4  ,with regard to the           
administration of the ,sacraments and   
the public worship of ,god1 they laid   
down well-defined regulations and       
outlines to which conformity was        

required2 in matters that might be      
looked upon as simply edifying and      
profitable1 liberty was allowed to      
ministers and congregations to determine
 according to their discretion1 as ,knox
 himself declared with respect to       
exercises of worship at burials3   ,we  
are not so precise but that we are      
content that particular ,kirks use them 
in that behalf1 with the consent of the 
ministry of the same as they will answer
 to ,god and ,assembly of the ,universal
 ,kirk gathered within the realm4   ,we 
have thus presented in brief outline the
 contents of the ,book of ,common       
,order1 commonly used in ,scotland from 
#aefb to #afde1 in so far as its        
regulations refer to public worship and 
the administration of the ,sacraments4  
,the book is itself so simple and clear 
in its statements that it is not        
difficult to discover the spirit of its 
compilers1 and their understanding of   
what was required for the seemly and    
,scriptural observance of the different 

parts of ,divine worship4  ,the results 
of our survey may be summed up in a few 
words4  ,the ,scottish ,church gave a   
prominent place to prayer1 to the       
reading of ,holy ,scripture1 and to     
praise1 in the public worship of ,god on
 the ,lord's ,day4  ,not in any sense do
 these exercises seem to have been      
regarded as subordinate in importance to
 the preaching of the ,word2 the        
congregations assembled for ,divine     
worship1 of which preaching was one     
important part4  ,but even where there  
was no preaching1 the people            
nevertheless came together for ,divine  
worship1 in which they were led1 in the 
absence of any minister1 by persons duly
 appointed for that purpose4  ,the      
service in public worship was not in any
 of its departments a responsive one4   
,the only audible part shared by the    
people was in the praise2 they did not  
respond in prayer even to the extent of 
uttering an audible ,amen1 nor did they 
join audibly in any general confession1 

in a declaration of faith as contained  
in the ,apostles' ,creed or in any other
 formulary1 nor did they even repeat    
with the minister the ,lord's ,prayer   
when that model of prayer given by      
,christ to ,his disciples was used in   
public worship4  ,liberty under the     
guidance of the ,holy ,spirit marked the
 minister's use of the forms provided1  
and the privilege of extempore prayer   
was sacredly guarded1 the example of    
,knox1 as well as his precept1          
encouraging his brethren in the ministry
 to cultivate free and unrestricted     
prayer to ,god4  ,in this matter the    
,church declared her belief in the ,holy
 ,ghost and in ,his presence with her1  
believing that those who were divinely  
called to the work of the ministry were 
by the ,spirit of ,god duly equipped for
 the performance of the important duties
 of that office4  ,although forms of    
prayer were provided1 these appear to   
have been intended mainly for the use of
 the ,readers1 who were not duly        

ordained to the ministerial office1 and 
for the guidance of ministers1 but ,,in 
,,no ,,part ,,of ,,public ,,worship     
,,apart ,,from ,,the ,,sacraments ,,was 
,,the ,,minister ,,confined ,,to ,,the  
,,use ,,of ,,prescribed ,,forms4  ,even 
the ,readers enjoyed a degree of liberty
 in this matter1 a liberty which they   
exercised1 as is evident from an ,order 
of ,assembly passed in the reign of     
,james forbidding ,readers to offer     
extemporary prayers1 but requiring them 
to use the forms prescribed4  ,lastly1  
in the administration of the ,sacraments
 honor was put upon them by the care    
that was observed in their public1      
reverent and frequent observance4       
,simplicity marked all the service      
connected with these holy ordinances1   
while1 at the same time1 whatever might 
appear to unduly exalt them to an       
unscriptural position in the thoughts of
 men1 was carefully avoided1 as well in 
the prayers and exhortations used as in 
the manner of administration4  ,the     

,sacraments were regarded as helps to   
the spiritual life of ,god's elect1 as  
medicine for the spiritually sick1 and  
were never represented as holy mysteries
 into which only certain of ,god's      
children should penetrate4  ,if these   
conclusions are just1 it is very evident
 that those who to-day advocate the     
introduction into ,presbyterian worship 
of responses and prescribed forms can   
find no support for such a practice1    
however they might limit it1 in ,knox's 
,book of ,common ,order1 or in the      
practice of our ,scottish ancestors in  
this so virile and vigorous period of   
the ,church's history4  ,just as little 
support1 too1 can those find who would  
impose upon the ministry of the ,church 
the use of set forms from which no      
deviation is to be allowed either in the
 conduct of public worship or in the    
administration of the ,sacraments4  ,the
 most that can be argued from this      
ancient regulation of worship1 which is 
much more accurately described as a     

,directory rather than as a ,liturgy1 is
 the desirability of a uniform order of 
service for the whole ,church1 of a due 
proportion of attention to each part of 
worship1 and of the conformity by all   
ministers to a uniform method in the    
administration of the ,sacraments4  ,the
 ,book of ,common ,order clearly        
indicates the conviction of the         
,scottish reformers that all things in  
connection with the worship of ,god     
should be done in seemly form and       
according to order1 and it quite as     
clearly indicates their purpose to      
acknowledge and rely upon the operation 
of the free ,spirit of ,god1 in the     
exercise of that worship and in the     
performance of the public ordinances in 
the sanctuary4     ,a ,diet of ,public  
,worship in the ,time of ,knox4    ,what
 ,i have been to my country1 albeit this
 unthankful age will not know1 yet the  
ages to come will be compelled to bear  
witness to the truth4--,,john ,,knox4   
,chapter ,,iv4  ,a ,diet of ,public     

,worship in the ,time of ,knox4  ,a diet
 of worship on a ,sabbath day in        
,scotland in the days of ,knox1 or in   
the period immediately succeeding his   
death1 had for the people of that time a
 profound interest4  ,it was a period of
 storm and upheaval1 and the ,church1   
with its worship and teaching1 was the  
centre around which1 in large measure1  
the struggles of the age gathered2 and  
although for us these struggles are     
simple history1 and the subjects of     
debate are1 many of them1 forever laid  
aside1 still it is of interest to learn 
how a service in connection with the    
public worship of the day proceeded in  
this formative period of ,presbyterian  
practice1 when order and method were    
less matters of indifference than they  
are now4  ,happily we are not left      
without abundant material for forming an
 accurate picture of a ,sabbath-day     
service at that time1 for in addition to
 the explicit directions contained in   
the ,book of ,common ,order1 there have 

come down to us descriptions of public  
worship by participants therein4  ,as   
early as seven o'clock a bell was rung  
to warn the people of the approach of   
the hour of worship1 and this was       
followed an hour later by another bell1 
which summoned the congregation to the  
place of prayer4 ,it was a congregation 
of all classes1 for in ,scotland the    
,reformed doctrine made its way among   
the great and the lowly alike4  ,writing
 in #afda1 a refutation of the charge   
made in ,england against the ,scotch    
that they had no certain rule or        
direction for their public worship1 but 
that every man1 following his           
extemporary fancy1 did preach or pray   
what seemed good in his own eyes1       
,alexander ,henderson thus describes in 
his reply the congregation in a ,scotch 
,church3 ,when so many of all sorts1 men
 and women1 masters and servants1 young 
and old1 as shall meet together1 are    
assembled1 the public worship beginneth4
  ,in the early days of ,presbyterianism

 the rich and the poor met together1    
realizing that the ,lord was the ,maker 
of them both4  ,the congregation        
assembled in a ,church building that was
 plain in its interior1 the plainness   
being emphasized1 and at times rendered 
unsightly1 by reason of the removal of  
the statues and pictures which in       
pre-,reformation times had decorated the
 walls and pillars4  ,the building was1 
however1 as required by the ,book of    
,discipline1 rendered comfortable and   
suitable for purposes of worship4  ,it  
was ordered1 lest that the ,word of ,god
 and ministration of the ,sacraments by 
unseemliness of the place come into     
contempt1 there should be made such     
preparation within as appertaineth as   
well to the majesty of the ,word of ,god
 as unto the ease and commodity of the  
people4  ,such wise words indicate on   
the part of our ,scottish ancestors an  
appreciation in their day of what is all
 too often even in these happier and    
more enlightened times1 forgotten--the  

importance of having a ,church building 
in keeping with the greatness of the    
cause to which it has been dedicated1   
and at the same time suitable and       
convenient for the purposes of public   
worship4  ,the narrowness which would   
forbid beauty and artistic decoration   
and the pride which would sacrifice     
comfort and convenience for the sake of 
appearance1 were both avoided4  ,at one 
end of the building stood a pulpit1     
beside it1 or within it1 a basin or font
 for use in the administration of the   
,sacrament of ,baptism1 and in the part 
where formerly the altar had stood1     
tables were placed for use in the       
observance of the ,lord's ,supper2 at   
the end of the ,church opposite to the  
pulpit was placed a stool of repentance1
 an article frequently in use in an age 
when ,church discipline was vigorously  
administered4  ,pews were as yet        
unknown2 some churches had permanent    
desks or benches1 to be occupied by men 
holding public positions1 or by         

prominent members of influential guilds1
 the rest of the people stood throughout
 the service1 or sat upon stools which  
they brought with them to the ,church4  
,the members of the congregation on     
entering the ,church were expected to   
engage reverently in silent prayer1 and 
at the hour appointed1 the ,reader from 
his desk called upon all present to join
 in the ,public ,worship of ,god2 he    
then proceeded to read the ,prayer      
prescribed in the ,book of ,common      
,order1 or1 if he so desired1 to offer  
one similar thereto in intent2 in either
 case the prayer was a general          
confession1 and was followed by a ,psalm
 or ,psalms announced by the ,reader and
 sung by the whole congregation and     
ending with the ,gloria ,patri4  ,next  
came the reading of the ,scriptures from
 the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 the     
reading being continuous through        
whatever books had been selected4 ,this 
ended that part of public worship which 
was conducted by the ,reader1 and       

occupied in all about one hour4  ,on the
 second ringing of the bell1 the        
minister entered the pulpit1 knelt in   
silent devotion1 and then led the people
 in prayer as the ,spirit moved his     
heart2 this finished1 he proceeded to   
the sermon1 to which the people listened
 either standing or sitting1 as         
opportunity afforded1 with their heads  
covered1 and occasionally1 if moved     
thereto1 giving vent to their feelings  
by expressions of applause or           
disapproval4  ,after the sermon the     
minister led the congregation in prayer 
for blessing upon the ,word preached and
 for the general estate of ,christ's    
,church3 if the ,lord's ,prayer and the 
,apostles' ,creed were employed in the  
service 7but this was optional with the 
minister7 they were repeated by the     
minister alone at the close of this     
prayer1 and embodied in it2 a ,psalm was
 sung by the congregation and the       
,benediction was pronounced1 or rather1 
the ,blessing was invoked1 for the      

petitions were framed as supplications3 
,the grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ  
and the love of ,god and the communion  
of the ,holy ,ghost be with us all3 ,so 
be it4  ,such was the course of an      
ordinary diet of worship4  ,if a        
marriage was to be celebrated the       
parties presented themselves in ,church 
before the sermon2 the ceremony having  
been performed1 the parties remained1   
according to regulation1 until the close
 of the public worship4  ,if the        
,sacrament of ,baptism was to be        
administered the infant was presented   
for the ordinance at the close of the   
sermon by the father1 who was attended  
by one or more sponsors4  ,when the     
,lord's ,supper was observed 7which in  
some congregations was monthly7 the     
tables were spread in that part of the  
,church which had formerly been the     
chancel1 and as many communicants as    
could conveniently do so sat down       
together with the minister4  ,these1    
when the tables had been served1 gave   

place to others4  ,the services         
throughout were marked by simplicity1   
reverence and freedom from strict and   
unbending forms2 liberty characterized  
their every part1 and room was left for 
the exercise of the guiding ,spirit of  
,god1 in a measure not enjoyed by       
,churches tied to the use of a          
prescribed worship2 at the same time    
there was a recognized order and a      
reverent devotion in all parts of the   
worship which many non-liturgical       
,churches of this day may well covet4   
,it was a service simple yet impressive1
 voluntary yet orderly1 regulated and   
yet untrammeled4     ,the ,period of    
,controversy1 #afad-afde4    ,they were 
splintered and torn1 but no power could 
bend or melt them4 ,they dwelt1 as pious
 men are apt to dwell1 in suffering and 
sorrow on the all-disposing power of    
,providence4  ,their burden grew lighter
 as they considered that ,god had so    
determined that they should bear        
it4--,,froude4    ,chapter ,v4  ,the    

,period of ,controversy1 #afad-afde4    
,the years from #afjc1 the date of      
,james the ,sixth's ascent to the united
 thrones of ,england and ,scotland1     
until #afde the year of the ,westminster
 ,assembly1 cover one of the most       
exciting and interesting periods in     
,scottish history4  ,especially is this 
period of interest to the student of    
,scottish ,church history1 because of   
the influences both direct and indirect 
which the struggles of that time had    
upon the development of the character   
and practice of the ,presbyterian       
,church4  ,the ,book of ,common ,order  
had received the authority of the       
,general ,assembly sitting in ,edinburgh
 in #aefd1 and for nearly fifty years   
from that date it was the unchallenged  
directory for worship and usage in the  
,scottish ,church4  ,its use1 though not
 universal1 was general1 and it was     
uniformly referred to1 as well in civil 
as in ecclesiastical courts1 as         
comprising for the ,church the law      

respecting public worship4  ,the first  
mention of any desire to modify or amend
 this book occurs in #afja1 in the      
records of the ,general ,assembly1 when 
a motion was made respecting an improved
 version of the ,bible1 a revision of   
the ,psalter and an amendment of sundry 
prayers in the ,psalm-,book which should
 be altered in respect they are not     
convenient for the time4  ,the          
,assembly1 however1 declined to amend   
the prayers already in the ,book1 or to 
delete any of them1 but ordained that3  
,if any brother would have any prayers  
added1 which are meet for the time4444  
the same first to be tried and allowed  
by the ,assembly4   ,the motion thus    
proposed1 and the action of the ,general
 ,assembly regarding it1 is of interest 
in that it seems plainly to indicate    
that whatever desire there was for      
change1 this desire was not the result  
of a movement in favor of a fuller      
liturgical service1 nor on the other    
hand1 of one which had for its object   

the entire removal of the form of       
worship at that time in use4  ,to this  
form1 commonly employed1 no objection   
was offered1 but owing to changing times
 and circumstances1 it was regarded as  
desirable that the matter contained in  
the suggested forms of prayer should be 
so modified as to make them more        
applicable to the conditions of the age4
  ,james the ,sixth of ,scotland        
ascended the throne of the united       
kingdoms in #afjc1 and many of his      
,presbyterian subjects cherished the    
hope that his influence would be exerted
 to conform the practice and worship of 
the ,church of ,england to that of other
 ,reformed ,churches4  ,in this hope    
they were destined to severe            
disappointment1 as it very soon became  
evident that the aim of the royal       
theologian was to reduce to the forms   
and methods of ,episcopacy1 those of all
 the ,churches within his realm4 ,in    
considering the subject of ,presbyterian
 worship it will not be necessary to    

enter fully into the history of the     
civil struggle between the ,church of   
,scotland and the ,stuart ,kings except 
in those phases of it which affected the
 worship of the ,church2 as these1      
however1 are so closely interwoven with 
questions of government it will be      
impossible always to avoid reference to 
the latter or to keep the two absolutely
 distinct4  ,in #afjf it was decided by 
the ,scottish ,parliament that the ,king
 was absolute1 ,prince1 ,judge and      
,governor over all persons1 estates1 and
 causes1 both spiritual and temporal1   
within the realm4  ,four years later the
 ,general ,assembly1 composed of        
commissioners named by the ,king1 met at
 ,glasgow and issued a decree to the    
effect that the right of calling        
,general ,assemblies of the ,church     
belonged to the ,crown4 ,this1 among    
other acts of this ,assembly1 was       
ratified by the ,parliament of #afab1   
and ,james1 having thus secured the     
position in the ,church which he        

coveted1 proceeded in his endeavors to  
mould it1 as well in its worship as in  
its government and doctrine1 to his own 
views4  ,the ,church of ,scotland was   
not allowed to remain long in ignorance 
of the ,king's purpose4  ,early in #afad
 a royal order was sent to the northern 
kingdom requiring all ministers to      
celebrate ,holy ,communion on ,easter   
,day1 the #bdth of ,april1 and this was 
followed in #afaf by a proposal from the
 ,king to the ,general ,assembly that a 
liturgy and form of divine service      
should be prepared for the use of the   
,scottish ,church4  ,the ,assembly      
7formed as indicated above7 with ready  
acquiescence heartily thanked ,his      
,majesty for his royal care of the      
,church and ordained3   ,that a uniform 
order of ,liturgy or divine service be  
set down to be read in all ,kirks on the
 ordinary days of prayer and every      
,sabbath day before the sermon1 to the  
end the common people may be acquainted 
therewith1 and by custom may learn to   

serve ,god rightly4  ,and to this intent
 the ,assembly has appointed 444 to     
revise the ,book of ,common ,prayer     
contained in the ,psalm ,book1 and to   
set down a common form of ordinary      
service to be used in all times         
hereafter4   ,the work thus authorized  
of revising the ,book of ,common ,order 
was at once undertaken by those         
appointed thereto1 but although a draft 
was made and much labor was expended    
upon it during a term of several years1 
the book in its revised form was never  
introduced into the ,scottish ,church4  
,by the time it had received its final  
revision at the hands of the ,king and  
his ,scotch advisors in ,london1 such   
events had transpired1 and such a spirit
 of opposition had been aroused in      
,scotland by other measures1 that it was
 deemed wise to withhold it1 and the    
death of ,james occurring in #afbe1     
while it was still unpublished1 the book
 in its revised form was retained by    
,spottiswoode1 ,bishop of ,st4          

,andrew's1 and appears to have been     
forgotten for years1 even by its most   
active promoters4  ,from correspondence 
in the time of ,charles ,first1 however1
 it appears that ,james had not         
relinquished his aim of imposing the new
 book upon the ,scottish ,church1 and it
 is probable that his death alone       
prevented the attempt being made to     
carry out his cherished purpose4  ,much 
of the voluminous correspondence1 which 
at this time passed between ,james and  
the leaders of the ,scottish ,church1 is
 still extant and it serves to indicate 
some of the anticipated changes in the  
forms of worship4  ,in the regular      
worship appointed for the ,lord's ,day  
there was to be introduced a liturgy    
which was to be used before the sermon2 
the ,ten ,commandments were to be read1 
and after each of them the people were  
to be instructed to respond1 or1 as the 
rubric directed3   ,after every         
,commandment they ask mercy of ,god for 
their transgression of the same in this 

manner1--,lord have mercy upon us and   
incline our hearts to keep this law4    
,there was also an evident purpose to   
leave less to the discretion of the     
minister1 and to restrict him more      
closely to the use of provided forms in 
prayer1 as well as to regulate more     
particularly the reading of the         
,scriptures4  ,a table of ,scripture    
lessons was to be prepared showing the  
passages proper to be read on each day2 
prayers were also provided for worship  
upon saints' days and festivals1 in the 
use of which there was to be no option1 
and the privilege of extempore prayer in
 any part of public worship was to be   
taken from the minister1 in large       
measure if not entirely4  ,that this    
intention was cherished seems evident   
from a discussion in which ,spottiswoode
 engaged with one ,hog1 minister at     
,dysart4  ,hog had defended an action   
complained of1 by saying that his prayer
 on the occasion referred to had been in
 conformity with ,knox's ,book of       

,common ,order2 in reply ,spottiswoode  
declared that ,in a short time that     
,book of ,discipline would be discharged
 and ministers tied to set forms4  ,the 
,book was regarded by all as a          
compromise between the ,book of ,common 
,order and the ,english ,prayer ,book1  
and appears to have excited no          
enthusiasm1 even among its promoters2 it
 was too subversive of ,scottish custom 
to please those who were loyal to the   
old usage1 and it was not sufficiently  
liturgical to suit ,james and his       
like-minded counsellors4  ,it has been  
stated that the transpiring of certain  
events had delayed the publication of   
this ,liturgy2 these events were        
connected with the historic ,articles of
 ,perth4  ,these ,articles were orders1 
first of the ,general ,assembly of      
#afah1 sitting at ,perth and acting     
under royal instruction1 and afterwards 
of the ,parliament which confirmed them 
in #afba1 enjoining  ,kneeling at the   
,communion2  ,private ,communion in     

cases of sickness2  ,private ,baptism   
upon a great and reasonable cause2      
,episcopal ,confirmation2  ,the         
observance of the festivals of          
,christmas1 ,good ,friday1 ,easter ,day1
 ,ascension ,day and ,whitsunday4  ,the 
,five ,articles were passed in ,assembly
 in spite of vigorous opposition on the 
part of a minority that1 nevertheless1  
represented the most intense feeling of 
a very large section of the ,scottish   
people4  ,the first of these ,five      
,articles1 that were subversive of so   
much for which the reformers had        
struggled and had at last secured1      
restablished a practice that could only 
be regarded by the ,church as ,romish in
 its tendency1 and wholly unscriptural4 
,it excited the most violent opposition1
 and secured for itself1 even after its 
approval by ,parliament1 determined     
resistance on the part of the people4   
,previous to this1 in #afag1 ,james had 
by his childish flaunting of the service
 of the ,church of ,england in the face 

of the ,scottish subjects1 on the       
occasion of his visit to ,edinburgh1    
estranged the sympathies of many who had
 previously been not unkindly disposed  
toward his projects1 and aroused among  
the people in general1 a deeper and more
 widespread opposition to his scheme of 
reform than had hitherto made itself    
manifest4  ,some months before his visit
 he had given orders for the re-fitting 
of the ,royal ,chapel at ,holyrood1 and 
for the introduction of an organ1 the   
preparation of stalls for choristers1   
and the setting up within the ,chapel of
 statues of the ,apostles and           
,evangelists4  ,the organ and choristers
 the ,scotch could abide1 but the       
proposal of images aroused such an      
outburst of opposition on the part of   
the people that ,james1 being advised of
 it1 made a happy excuse of the statues 
not being yet ready1 and withdrew his   
order for the forwarding of them to     
,scotland4  ,the services in ,holyrood  
,chapel1 however1 during the visit of   

,his ,majesty to ,edinburgh1 were all   
after the ,episcopal form1 with singing 
of choristers1 surplices1 and playing on
 organs1 and when a clergyman of the    
,church of ,england officiated at the   
celebration of the ,lord's ,supper1 the 
majority of those present received it   
kneeling4  ,all this1 as may be         
imagined1 had its effect upon ,james's  
,scottish subjects1 but that effect was 
the opposite of what he had hoped for4  
,instead of inspiring a love for an     
elaborate liturgy1 or developing a      
sympathy between the two kingdoms in    
matters of worship1 the result was to   
antagonize the spirit of the ,scots1 as 
well against the proposed changes as    
against the ,king1 who1 with childish   
pleasure in what he deemed proper1      
sought to enforce his will upon the     
conscience of the people from whom he   
had sprung1 and among whom he had been  
educated4  ,the loyalty of the ,scots to
 the ,stuarts is proverbial1 but though 
ready to die for their king1 to         

acknowledge him as lord of the          
conscience they could not be persuaded4 
,a spirit of opposition stronger than   
that which had before existed was       
developed against any liturgy in ,church
 worship1 and the seeds were sown which 
were afterwards to bear fruit in the    
harvest of the ,revolution of #afhh4    
,this opposition1 it may be argued1 was 
not the outcome of a calm consideration 
of the questions involved1 but was an   
indirect result of the national anger at
 the attempt of the ,king to coerce the 
consciences of his subjects4  ,in any   
event1 so strong was the opposition to  
any change in the religious worship of  
the land1 that ,james ceased his active 
endeavors to carry out his will1 and in 
a message to his ,scottish subjects in  
#afbd assured them of his desire by     
gentle and fair means rather to reclaim 
them from their unsettled and           
evil-grounded opinions1 nor by severity 
and rigor of justice to inflict that    
punishment which their misbehavior and  

contempt merits4  ,we now come to a     
period marked by a still more vigorous  
assault upon the liberties of the       
,church of ,scotland1 and by a          
correspondingly vigorous opposition     
thereto on the part of the ,scottish    
people4 ,william ,laud1 who afterwards  
became ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 began
 to exert his influence upon the        
religious life of both ,england and     
,scotland during the closing years of   
,james's reign1 but it was in the reign 
of ,charles the ,first1 who succeeded   
his father in #afbe1 that he came before
 the world in his sudden and so         
unfortunate greatness4 ,history has left
 but little doubt in the mind of the    
careful student that ,laud's deliberate 
purpose and persistent influence1 both  
in ,england and in ,scotland1 were      
towards a revival of ,romanism within   
the ,church of which he was a prelate1  
or at least towards the creation of a   
high ,anglicanism which would differ but
 little from the ,romish system4        

,adroitly1 and frequently concealing his
 real purpose1 he labored to this end1  
and it is not too much to say that the  
vigorous and1 at last1 successful       
opposition to his plans in ,scotland1   
saved the ,english ,church from radical 
changes which it is clear he was        
prepared to introduce in the southern   
,kingdom when his desires for ,scotland 
had been effected4  ,england owes to    
,scotland the preservation of her       
,protestantism on two occasions3 first1 
in the days of ,knox1 when the work of  
the sturdy ,reformer prevented what must
 have taken place had a ,catholic       
,scotland been prepared to join with    
,spain in the overthrow of ,protestant  
,england1 and again when ,scottish      
opposition effectively nipped in the bud
 ,laud's plans for a ,romish movement in
 both ,kingdoms4  ,the history of the   
movement under ,laud it is only possible
 briefly to summarize4  ,in #afbi       
,charles revived the subject1 to which  
his father had devoted so much          

attention1 of an improved service in the
 ,church of ,scotland1 and wrote to the 
,scottish ,bishops ordering them to     
press forward the matter of an improved 
liturgy with all earnestness4  ,as a    
result1 the draft of the ,book of       
,common ,prayer prepared in the reign of
 ,james was again brought to light and  
forwarded to ,charles1 and this would   
probably have been accepted and         
authorized for use but for ,laud's      
influence4  ,it however was too bald and
 simple to suit the ritualistic         
,archbishop1 who persuaded the ,king    
that it would be entirely preferable to 
introduce into ,scotland the ,english   
,prayer ,book without change4           
,correspondence upon the matter was     
continued until #afcc1 when ,charles1   
accompanied by ,laud1 visited ,scotland 
for the purpose of being crowned1 and   
also to finish the important business of
 the ,liturgy4  ,during his stay in     
,scotland ,charles followed the example 
of his father in parading before the    

people upon every possible occasion the 
ritual of the ,church of ,england1      
conduct on his part which served only to
 stir up further and more deeply-seated 
opposition4  ,soon after his return to  
,england he dispatched instructions to  
the ,scottish ,bishops requiring them to
 decide upon a form of liturgy and to   
proceed with its preparation4  ,his     
message was in these terms3             
,considering that there is nothing more 
defective in that ,church than the want 
of a ,book of ,common ,prayer and       
uniform service to be kept in all the   
,churches thereof 444 we are hereby     
pleased to authorize you 444 to         
condescend upon a form of ,church       
service to be used therein4   ,such a   
form was accordingly prepared1 forwarded
 to ,london for the ,king's approval1   
and1 after revision by ,laud1 who was   
commanded by ,his ,majesty to give to   
the ,bishops of ,scotland his best      
assistance in this work1 it was duly    
published in #afcg1 and ordered to be   

read in all ,churches of ,scotland on   
the #bcrd of ,july of that year4  ,the  
book appeared1 stamped with the royal   
approval1 elaborately illuminated and   
illustrated1 and bearing this title1    
,the ,book of ,common ,prayer and       
,administration of the ,sacraments1 and 
other parts of ,divine ,service1 for the
 use of the ,church of ,scotland4  ,a   
royal order accompanied it1 in which    
civil authorities were enjoined to      
,command and charge all our subjects1   
both ecclesiastical and civil1 to       
conform themselves to the public form of
 worship1 which is the only form of     
worship which we 7having taken counsel  
of our clergy7 think fit to be used in  
,god's public worship in this our       
kingdom4   ,the introduction of this    
,service ,book1 as it was called1 into  
public worship in ,st4 ,giles1          
,edinburgh1 on the day appointed1 was   
the signal for an outburst of popular   
indignation that was as fire to the     
heather in the land4  ,on that occasion 

the ,archbishop of ,st4 ,andrew's was   
present with the ,bishop of ,edinburgh1 
but when the ,dean rose to read the new 
service1 even the presence of such      
dignitaries was not sufficient to       
restrain the pent-up feelings of the    
congregation4  ,such a clamor arose as  
made it impossible for the ,dean to     
proceed1 books and other missiles were  
freely thrown1 and a stool1 hurled by   
the traditional ,jenny ,geddes1 narrowly
 missed the ,dean's head1 whereupon that
 dignitary fled precipitately1 followed 
by the more forcible than elegant       
ejaculation of the wrathful woman1 ,out 
thou false thief2 dost thou say mass at 
my lug8  ,the riot in ,edinburgh was the
 signal for similar manifestations of   
popular feeling throughout the land1 the
 national spirit was aroused1 and the   
stately fabric which ,charles and ,laud1
 supported by a prelatic party in       
,scotland1 had been laboriously rearing 
for years1 was overthrown in a day4     
,this feeling of opposition on the part 

of the people to the introduction of a  
liturgy into the ,church of ,scotland1  
found due and official expression in the
 following year4  ,the ,general         
,assembly meeting at ,glasgow repudiated
 ,laud's ,liturgy and appealed          
repeatedly to the ,book of ,common      
,order as containing the ,law of the    
,church respecting worship4  ,in his    
eloquent closing address the ,moderator1
 ,alexander ,henderson1 said3 and now we
 are quit of the ,service ,book1 which  
was a book of service and slavery       
indeed1 the ,book of ,canons which tied 
us in spiritual bondage1 the ,book of   
,ordination which was a yoke put upon   
the necks of faithful ministers1 and the
 ,high ,commission which was a guard to 
keep us all under that slavery4  ,the   
people also in formal manner expressed  
their mind on the matter and in the     
,solemn ,league and ,covenant1 signed in
 ,gray friars ,churchyard1 asserted     
their purpose to defend1 even unto      
death1 the true religion1 and to labor  

by all means lawful to recover the      
purity and liberty of the ,gospel as it 
was established and professed before the
 late innovations4  ,charles at first   
determined upon extreme measures1 and   
preparations were made to force the     
stubborn ,kirk of ,scotland to bow1 but 
wiser measures prevailed1 and the       
desires of the ,church of ,scotland were
 for the time granted4  ,the ,book of   
,common ,order1 thus reaffirmed as the  
law of the ,church respecting worship1  
continued in use during the years       
following the ,glasgow ,assembly of     
#afch1 years which for ,scotland were   
comparatively peaceful1 by reason of the
 troubles fast thickening around the    
,english throne4  ,this interesting     
chapter of ,scottish history which we   
have thus briefly reviewed1 is of value 
to us in the present discussion only in 
so far as1 from the facts presented1 we 
are able to understand the spirit that  
characterized the ,church of ,scotland  
at this period1 and the principles that 

guided them in their attitude toward the
 subject of public worship4  ,what this 
spirit and those principles were it is  
not difficult to discover4  ,the facts  
themselves are plain2 not only did the  
,church in its regularly constituted    
courts oppose the introduction of new   
forms and the elaboration of the ,church
 service1 but the people resisted by    
every means in their power1 and at last 
went the length of resisting by force of
 arms1 the attempt to impose upon them  
the new ,service ,book4  ,it is asserted
 that the chief1 if not the only cause  
of this resistance was1 first1 an       
element of patriotism which in ,scotland
 opposed uniformly any measure which    
seemed to subordinate the national      
customs to those of ,england1 and       
secondly1 the righteous and             
conscientious objection of              
,presbyterians to having imposed upon   
them by any external authority1 a form  
of worship and ,church government which 
their own ecclesiastical authorities had

 not approved1 and which they themselves
 had not voluntarily accepted4  ,the    
objection1 in a word1 is said to have   
been not to a liturgy as such1 but to a 
foreign liturgy and to one imposed4  ,it
 cannot be denied that these were       
important elements in the opposition of 
the ,scottish people to the projects of 
,charles4  ,many of them1 for one or    
other of these reasons1 opposed the     
,king's command1 who had no             
conscientious scruples with regard      
either to the form or substance of      
,laud's liturgy4  ,too much is claimed1 
however1 when the assertion is made that
 there was no real objection among the  
people to the introduction of an        
elaborated service such as that which   
was proposed4  ,the liberty of free     
prayer so dear to the ,scottish         
reformers was1 if not entirely denied1  
largely encroached upon2 a responsive   
service1 to which1 in common with the   
great leaders of ,geneva1 ,knox and     
,melville had been so uniformly opposed1

 was introduced2 and particularly in the
 service for the administration of the  
,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper1 forms
 of words were employed which seemed to 
teach doctrines rejected by the         
reformers4  ,here then was abundant     
ground for opposition to ,laud's liturgy
 when judged on its merits1 and this    
ground the stern theologians of that day
 were not likely to overlook4  ,nor is  
it to be forgotten that in the many     
supplications which from time to time   
were presented to the ,king both from   
,church and ,state against the          
introduction of the ,service ,book1 the 
anti-,english plea never found a place1 
but uniformly1 reference was made in    
strong terms to the unscriptural form of
 worship suggested for adoption by the  
,scottish people1 together with a       
protest against the arrogant imposition 
upon them of a form of service not      
desired4  ,persistently in these        
supplications the subscribers expressed 
their desire that there should be no    

change in the form of worship to which  
they had been accustomed1 and prayed for
 a continuance of the liberty hitherto  
enjoyed4  ,in a complaint laid before   
the ,privy ,council the ,service ,book  
and ,canons are described as containing 
the seeds of divers superstitions1      
idolatry and false doctrine1 and as     
being subversive of the discipline      
established in the ,church4  ,the ,earl 
of ,rothes in an address spoke thus3    
,who pressed that form of service       
contrary to the laws of ,god and this   
kingdom8  ,who dared in their           
conventicles contrive a form of ,god's  
public worship contrary to that         
established by the general consent of   
this ,church and ,state8  ,and that the 
form of worship ever held a prominent   
place in the discussions of the time1   
appears from a letter supposed to have  
been written by ,alexander ,henderson1  
in which he defends the ,presbyterian   
,church against a charge of disorder and
 neglect of seemly procedure in worship2

 he says1 ,the form of prayers1         
administration of the ,sacraments1 etc41
 which are set down before their ,psalm 
,book1 and to which the ministers are to
 conform themselves1 is a sufficient    
witness2 for although they be not tied  
to set forms and words1 yet are they not
 left at random1 but for testifying     
their consent and keeping unity they    
have their ,directory and prescribed    
,order4  ,while it is true1 therefore1  
that the high-handed conduct of the     
,king in forcing upon an unwilling      
people a form of service already        
distasteful because of its foreign      
associations1 was doubtless an important
 element in arousing the vigorous       
opposition with which it was met1       
nevertheless1 there is abundant evidence
 to show that apart from any such       
consideration1 the spirit of the ,church
 of ,scotland was entirely hostile to   
the introduction of further forms1 to   
the elaboration of their simple service1
 and to the imposition upon their       

ministers of prescribed prayers from    
which in public worship they would not  
be allowed to depart4     ,the          
,westminster ,assembly and the          
,directory of ,worship4    ,if the      
,assembly's ,directory increased        
liberty1 it also augmented              
responsibility4  ,if it took away the   
support of set and prescribed forms on  
which the indolent might lean and even  
sleep1 this was done to the avowed      
intent that those who conducted public  
services might the more industriously   
prepare for them2 and thereunto the more
 diligently stir up the gifts of ,god   
within them4--,,rev4 ,,eugene ,,daniel4 
,chapter ,,vi4  ,the ,westminster       
,assembly and the ,directory of         
,worship4  ,prior to the year #afch the 
,church of ,scotland1 in its struggle to
 preserve its form of worship1 had to   
contend with the advocates of prelacy   
and ritualism1 but now opposition to the
 established practice arose from another
 quarter4  ,in connection with every    

great reform there are apt to arise     
extravagant movements1 the promoters of 
which see only one side of confessedly  
important truths1 and so carry to undue 
excess some phase of reform which1 in   
properly balanced measure1 would have   
been righteous and desirable4  ,so it   
was in the period of the ,reformation4  
,among the several sectaries which had  
their origin in the ,reformed ,church   
was a company called ,brownists1 an     
extreme section of the ,independents1   
who took their name from their founder1 
one ,robert ,browne1 an ,englishman and 
a preacher1 although a rejecter of      
ordination and a protester against the  
necessity of any official license for   
the work of the ministry4  ,it was a    
part of their creed to object to any    
regulation of public worship1 and even  
to many of the simplest ceremonies which
 had hitherto been retained by the      
,reformed ,churches4 ,in ,scotland they 
opposed1 as they had done elsewhere1 all
 reading of prayers1 and1 in particular1

 the kneeling of the minister for       
private devotions on entering the       
pulpit1 the repeating of the ,lord's    
,prayer in any part of the public       
service1 and the singing of the ,gloria 
,patri at the end of the ,psalm4  ,the  
movement1 let it be said1 although it   
took an extreme form1 had its spring in 
the deep disgust and shame felt by many 
pious souls at the laxity and formality 
which characterized religious life in   
,england during the earlier part of the 
,stuart period4  ,the unwise policy of  
,charles in seeking to force upon the   
,scottish ,church a liturgical service1 
had produced in the minds of many its   
natural result1 creating extreme views  
in opposition to all prescribed forms of
 worship4  ,the ,brownists1 therefore1  
found in ,scotland a large following1   
and a rapidly increasing section of the 
,church began gradually to depart even  
from the forms and suggestions of the   
,book of ,common ,order1 and to adopt a 
still less restricted form of service4  

,against these irregularities the       
,general ,assemblies of #afci and #afdj 
legislated1 and yet in such terms as    
seem to indicate that already the mind  
of the ,church at large was being       
prepared for change4  ,it was ordained  
by the first of the ,assemblies referred
 to that   ,no novation in worship      
should be suddenly enacted1 but that    
,synods1 ,presbyteries and ,kirks should
 be advised with before the ,assembly   
should authorize any change4   ,the     
desire for greater freedom in worship   
continued to increase1 until in #afdc   
the ,general ,assembly appointed a      
committee with instructions to prepare1 
and have in readiness for the next      
,assembly1 a ,directory for ,divine     
,worship in the ,church of ,scotland4   
,this was a distinct concession to that 
section of the ,church which was opposed
 to even the simplest forms of an       
optional liturgy4  ,the work1 however1  
was superseded by a similar undertaking 
on a larger scale1 in virtue of an      

invitation from the members of the      
,assembly of ,divines at ,westminster to
 the ,church of ,scotland to join with  
them in the preparation1 among other    
standards1 of a ,directory of ,worship  
for the use of the ,churches of both    
,england and ,scotland4  ,the invitation
 was accepted with readiness1 and       
certain ministers of good word1 and     
representative elders highly approved of
 by their brethren1 were elected to     
represent the ,scottish ,church in this 
great work4  ,these men were ,baillie1  
,henderson1 ,rutherford1 ,gillespie and 
,douglas1 ministers1 with ,johnston1 of 
,warriston1 and ,lords ,cassilis and    
,maitland as lay representatives2       
,argyle1 ,balmerinoch and ,loudon were  
afterwards added4  ,the work was duly   
prosecuted at ,westminster1 and1        
although the ,scotch ,commissioners with
 reluctance relinquished their ,book of 
,common ,order1 yet for the sake of the 
uniformity in worship which they hoped  
to see established throughout ,england1 

,scotland and ,ireland1 they joined     
heartily in the work1 and carried it    
when completed to the ,assembly of the  
,church of ,scotland1 by which it was   
duly examined1 slightly amended in the  
directions concerning baptism and       
marriage1 and finally1 unanimously      
approved in all its parts1 and adopted4 
,the terms in which the ,assembly       
expressed its approval of this work are 
unreserved3   ,the ,general ,assembly1  
having most seriously considered1       
revised and examined the ,directory     
aforementioned1 after several public    
readings of it1 after much deliberation1
 both publicly and in private           
committees1 after full liberty given to 
all to object against it1 and earnest   
invitations of all who have any scruples
 about it1 to make known the same1 that 
they might be satisfied1 doth           
unanimously1 and without a contrary     
voice1 agree to and approve the         
following ,directory in all the heads   
thereof1 together with the preface set  

before it2 and doth require1 decern and 
ordain that1 according to the plain     
tenor and meaning thereof and the intent
 of the preface1 it be carefully and    
uniformly observed and practised by all 
the ministers and others within this    
,kingdom whom it doth concern4   ,the   
,scottish ,parliament likewise gave its 
approval of the ,directory1 which was   
accordingly in due time prepared for    
publication1 and issued under the title1
 ,a ,directory for the ,public ,worship 
of ,god throughout the three kingdoms of
 ,scotland1 ,england and ,ireland2 with 
an ,act of the ,general ,assembly of the
 ,kirk of ,scotland for establishing and
 observing this present ,directory2 and 
thus the ,westminster ,directory became 
the primary authority on matters of     
worship and administration of the       
,sacraments within the ,church of       
,scotland4  ,its use1 however1 during   
the years immediately following its     
adoption appears to have been by no     
means general1 many still adhering to   

the method of the ,book of ,common      
,order1 others inclining towards an even
 greater freedom than seemed to them to 
be permitted by the ,directory4 ,these  
latter belonged to that section of the  
,church afterwards known as ,protesters1
 and whose opposition to the use of the 
,lord's ,prayer and the ,creed1 as well 
ay to prescribed forms of prayer1 was   
most pronounced4  ,events soon occurred 
which exerted a strong influence in     
favor of absolute liberty in worship1   
and which effectively strengthened the  
,protesters in the position which they  
had assumed4  ,in #afea there took place
 at ,scone the unhappy crowning of      
,charles the ,second by the ,scots4     
,this act placed ,scotland in open      
opposition to ,cromwell1 and as a result
 the land was brought under his         
iron-handed rule during the remaining   
years of the ,protectorate4  ,the effect
 of this on the worship of the ,church  
was to introduce into ,scotland the     
methods of worship approved by the      

,independents1 to whom those parties in 
,scotland which were opposed to all     
prescribed forms or regulation of       
worship1 now attached themselves4       
,worship after the ,presbyterian form   
was not disallowed1 but the preachers of
 ,cromwell's army1 with the approval of 
an increasing party in the ,scottish    
,church1 forced themselves into the     
pulpits of the land and conducted       
worship in a manner approved of by      
themselves4  ,in these services         
preaching occupied the most prominent   
place1 and to worship1 as such1 but     
scant attention was given1 so that in   
#afec the ministers of the city of      
,edinburgh1 finding complaints among the
 people that in the services of the     
,sabbath day there was no reading of    
,scripture nor singing of ,psalms1 took 
steps to have these parts of worship    
resumed4  ,while the public worship of  
the ,church of ,scotland during the     
period of the ,commonwealth cannot be   
said to have had any general uniformity1

 it is evident that the influence of    
,independency upon it was toward the    
curtailment of form and the granting of 
absolute liberty to every preacher to   
conduct worship in whatever way seemed  
good to himself4  ,it was the swing of  
the pendulum to the opposite extreme    
from the enforced order of ,laud's      
,liturgy4  ,it is doubtful if this      
erratic period would have left any      
permanent effect upon the religious life
 and worship of ,scotland1 had it not   
been for the formation of a party in    
sympathy with the political principles  
of the ,protector4  ,this party1 being  
forced into political opposition to the 
supporters of royalty1 naturally found  
themselves1 through their associations1 
prejudiced in favor of the religious    
principles and practices of those with  
whom they stood allied in the state2 and
 thus it was that a strong party        
favoring absolute liberty in matters of 
worship arose in the ,scottish ,church4 
,the restoration of ,charles the ,second

 in #affj brought with it the disavowal 
on his part of the ,covenant to which he
 had subscribed1 and the open rejection 
of the ,presbyterian principles to which
 he had been so readily loyal in the day
 of his distress4  ,episcopacy was      
restored as the form of ,church         
government for ,scotland1 and bishops   
were consecrated2 but it was left to    
time and the gradual power of imitation 
to secure the introduction of a ritual  
into the worship of the ,church4        
,charles the ,second and his minion1    
,sharp1 did not deem it wise to         
undertake a work in which ,charles the  
,first and ,laud had so signally failed1
 the work of imposing a ritual of       
worship upon the ,scottish ,church2     
,episcopal government had been imposed1 
,episcopal worship it was hoped would   
follow4  ,in both of his aims1 however1 
though sought by such different methods1
 ,charles was doomed to disappointment4 
,as impotent as was the royal command1  
though backed by every form of          

deprivation of right and of cruel       
persecution1 to secure the acceptance by
 ,scotland of an ,episcopal ,church1 so 
impotent was the service1 conducted by  
royal hirelings and conforming curates1 
to inspire the people with any love for 
formal worship4  ,it was1 further1 in   
comparatively few of the ,churches of   
,scotland that any attempt was made to  
introduce the service of the ,english   
,prayer ,book4  ,in the now ,episcopal  
,churches of the land1 a form of worship
 which gave a place to the ,lord's      
,prayer1 the ,gloria ,patri1 the        
,apostles' ,creed1 and the ,decalogue1  
was regarded as satisfactory4  ,public  
worship1 therefore1 at this time may be 
said to have been simply a return to the
 method suggested1 but not required1 in 
the time of ,knox2 but even these       
historic ,scottish forms1 by reason of  
their association with an enforced      
,episcopacy1 became increasingly        
distasteful to that large body of the   
,scots who refused to conform to the    

,church by law established1 and who1 as 
a result1 were driven to the moors and  
the hill-sides1 there to worship ,god as
 conscience prompted4  ,the ,protesters1
 the party to which the majority of the 
,covenanters belonged1 had always been  
opposed to anything savoring of ritual  
in worship4  ,but their opposition was  
intensified and deepened during the     
twenty-eight years of the killing time1 
as they saw the worship of the party    
from which their persecutors arose1     
characterized chiefly by the acceptance 
of those forms against which they had   
entered their protest in former days4   
,even in the case of those whose        
consciences permitted them to conform to
 the established religion of the land   
and to wait on the ministry of the      
conforming clergy1 there was developed1 
through sympathy with their persecuted  
countrymen1 hunted on the hills and     
tracked to their hiding places like     
quarry1 a suspicion of even the forms of
 a religion that permitted such         

cruelties4  ,and thus it was that when  
the deliverer alike for ,england and    
,scotland arrived from the hollow land1 
where behind their dykes the conquerors 
of the ,spaniards had won for themselves
 the privilege of religious liberty1    
,scotland was prepared to join in the   
welcome given to ,william of ,orange1   
and to hail with delight the prospect of
 a restored ,presbyterianism and its    
inherent liberty4  ,most heartily1      
therefore1 was it that the leaders in   
,scotland1 alike in ,church and ,state1 
subscribed to the request presented to  
,william1 ,that ,presbyterian government
 be restored and re-established as it   
was at the beginning of our ,reformation
 from ,popery1 and renewed in the year  
#afch1 continuing until #affj4          
,legislation concerning ,public ,worship
 in the ,period subsequent to the       
,revolution of #afhh4    ,religion shall
 rise from its ruins2 and its oppressed 
state at present should not only excite 
us to pray1 but encourage us to hope1   

for its speedy revival4--,,dr4          
,,witherspoon4    ,chapter ,,vii4       
,legislation concerning ,public ,worship
 in the ,period subsequent to the       
,revolution of #afhh4  ,in #afhi the    
first ,parliament under ,william and    
,mary was held1 and their ,majesties    
promised to establish by law that form  
of ,church government which is most     
agreeable to the inclinations of the    
people4  ,in accordance with this       
promise the ,confession of ,faith1      
adopted in #afde1 was in the following  
year declared to be for ,scotland the   
public and avowed confession of this    
,church1 and an ,order was issued       
summoning a ,general ,assembly1 the     
first since the forcible dissolution of 
the ,assembly of #afec by ,cromwell's   
dragoons4  ,no ,act was passed at this  
time concerning public worship1 nor was 
the authority of the ,directory         
affirmed1 but1 whether by intention or  
through neglect1 it was left to the     
,church to adjust matters pertaining to 

this subject1 without formal instruction
 from ,parliament4  ,considering1       
however1 that the controlling party in  
the ,church was the one that had        
suffered persecution1 and whose         
well-known feelings on the subject of   
worship had been intensified by long and
 severe suffering1 it is not to be      
wondered at if the changes and          
adjustments effected in church worship  
and discipline should in large measure  
bear the stamp of their extreme         
opinions4  ,so far as legislation is    
concerned1 however1 moderation and      
fairness marked all the proceedings of  
the ,church1 for in the ,assembly of    
#afij1 which was largely composed of    
those whose sympathies were with the    
,protesters1 no action whatever was     
taken for the regulation of public      
worship1 the only ,act having any       
reference thereto being one which       
forbade private administration of the   
,sacraments4  ,but although the form of 
worship was not affected by legislation1

 it is evident from contemporary        
writings that the spirit of the         
,protesters survived1 and exerted itself
 in fostering1 in many parts of the     
land1 a sentiment even more hostile to  
everything that might savor of even the 
simplest ritual4  ,the references of the
 ,assemblies that followed the          
,revolution show that the ,directory of 
,worship as adopted by the ,westminster 
,divines1 and afterwards by the ,church 
and ,parliament of ,scotland1 was at    
this time regarded as the authority in  
matters of worship1 and it was to       
worship1 as so regulated1 that the ,act 
of #afic referred4  ,this ,act          
pertaining to ,the ,uniformity of       
,worship ordained3   ,that uniformity of
 worship and of the administration of   
all public ordinances within this       
,church be observed by all the said     
ministers and preachers as the same are 
at present performed and allowed        
therein1 or shall be hereafter declared 
by the authority of the same1 and that  

no minister or preacher be admitted or  
continued hereafter unless that he      
subscribe to observe1 and do actually   
observe1 the aforesaid uniformity4      
,the ,general ,assembly1 in the         
following year1 in accordance with this 
civil legislation1 prepared a form for  
subscription in which the subscribing   
minister promised to observe uniformity 
of worship and of the administration of 
all public ordinances within this       
,church1 as the same are at present     
performed and allowed4  ,in the same    
year reference is made in an ,act anent 
,lecturing to the ,custom introduced and
 established by the ,directory4  ,it is 
evident1 therefore1 that at this period 
the ,directory was regarded by the      
,church as the authority1 and the only  
authority1 in matters pertaining to     
worship4  ,in spite of ,acts requiring  
uniformity1 however1 there were still   
within the ,church those who sought to  
introduce changes1 some of these        
desiring the introduction of an imposed 

ritual1 others regarding absolute       
congregational liberty in matters of    
worship as desirable4  ,as a result of  
divergent views and practices there was 
passed by the ,assembly of #afig the    
,barrier ,act1 for the purpose of       
,preventing any sudden alteration or    
innovation or other prejudice to the    
,church in either doctrine or worship or
 discipline or government thereof1 now  
happily established4   ,this was the    
formal and particular enactment of the  
principle laid down two generations     
earlier1 when in #afci the ,church1     
disturbed by the ,brownists1 had        
ordained that no novation in worship    
should be suddenly enacted4  ,one other 
,act of ,assembly in this period must be
 quoted as showing the feeling in       
,scotland at this time with regard to   
ritual in the ,church4 ,it resulted from
 a determined effort on the part of some
 ,episcopalians to introduce1 wherever  
possible1 the ,english ,book of ,common 
,prayer into the services of the ,church

 in ,scotland4  ,the ,assembly          
accordingly enacted that3   ,the purity 
of religion and particularly of ,divine 
,worship 444 is a signal blessing to the
 ,church of ,god-- 444 and that any     
attempts made for the introduction of   
innovations in the worship of ,god      
therein have been of fatal and dangerous
 consequence 444 that such innovations  
are dangerous to this ,church and       
manifestly contrary to our known        
principle 7which is1 that nothing is to 
be admitted in the worship of ,god but  
what is prescribed in the ,holy         
,scripture7 and against the good and    
laudable laws made since the late happy 
,revolution for establishing and        
securing the same in her doctrine1      
worship1 discipline and government4     
,therefore the ,church required all the 
ministers of this ,church 444 to        
represent to their people the evil      
thereof and seriously to exhort them to 
beware of them1 and to deal with all    
such as do or practise the same in order

 to their recovery and reformation4     
,the above enactment leaves no room for 
doubt as to the opinion prevailing in   
the ,church of ,scotland at the         
beginning of the eighteenth century     
respecting ritual in the public worship 
of ,god4  ,at the same time it is very  
evident that a desire prevailed in the  
,church for a seemly and uniform order  
of service in public worship and an ,act
 of the ,assembly of #agje   ,seriously 
recommends to all ministers and others  
within this national ,church the due    
observance of the ,directory for public 
worship of ,god approven by the ,general
 ,assembly held in the year #afde4      
,this deliverance may be taken as       
representing the spirit of all          
legislation of the ,church respecting   
worship up to the middle of the present 
century4  ,whenever1 in response to     
overtures from subordinate courts1 or   
inspired by special requirements of the 
times1 deliverances concerning any part 
of worship were prepared by the         

,assembly1 they uniformly directed the  
,church to the observance of the        
regulation of this department of ,divine
 service as provided for in the         
,westminster ,directory4  ,it cannot be 
claimed1 however1 that due regard was   
accorded the ,directory throughout the  
whole ,church4  ,the last half of the   
eighteenth century was a time of        
spiritual coldness in ,scotland2 not    
only did evangelical piety languish but 
there existed at the same time a        
corresponding want of interest in the   
worship of the ,church4  ,praise was    
neglected1 and little effort was made to
 secure suitable singing of the ,psalms2
 at times the reading of ,scripture was 
entirely omitted1 prayers were brief and
 meagre1 the sermon was regarded as in  
itself sufficient for the whole service1
 and all other parts of public worship  
were looked upon either as preliminaries
 or subordinate exercises1 not calling  
for any particular preparation or       
attention4  ,it was a time when         

spiritual life was low1 and the outward 
expression of that life exhibited a     
corresponding want of vigor4  ,the evil1
 therefore1 from which the ,church      
suffered at this period was not an      
excess of attention to worship1 but a   
neglect of it2 not a too great          
elaboration of forms1 but an almost     
total disregard of them1 even of such as
 are helpful to the development of the  
spiritual life of the worshipper4  ,and 
thus it came to pass that the struggle  
of more than a century against the use  
of prescribed forms of worship resulted 
in a condition more extreme than had    
been either anticipated or desired1 for 
not only were such forms abandoned1 but 
worship itself was neglected and        
disregarded4  ,in reviewing the period  
subsequent to the rejection of ,laud's  
,liturgy and up to the time of the      
,first ,secession within the ,church of 
,scotland1 some features that mark the  
general trend of the spirit of          
,presbyterianism with regard to worship 

are clearly manifest4  ,first1 in the   
rapid growth of the sect of the         
,brownists and their sympathizers1 a    
growth that had been rendered the easier
 by the arbitrary acts of ,charles and  
,laud in a preceding period1 we find a  
clear indication of the spread of       
opinions strongly opposed to the use of 
prescribed forms of prayer and1 indeed1 
of any ritual in the exercises of public
 worship4  ,it may be urged1 as has     
already been remarked1 that this        
opposition was not the result of an     
unprejudiced consideration of the       
subject on its merits1 but that it was  
rather an outcome of the spirit which   
had been aroused by the persecutions    
through which the ,stuarts had          
endeavored to force a ritual upon the   
,church of ,scotland4  ,this may be     
granted1 and yet it is not to be        
forgotten that many of those who held   
these views were among the excellent of 
their age1 men who did not hesitate to  
bear persecution and to endure hardness 

as good soldiers of ,christ for         
conscience' sake1 and who1 while        
doubtless influenced by the sentiments  
of those who stood to them either in the
 relation of friends or foes1 were not  
men to allow prejudice to blind both    
reason and conscience alike4  ,they had 
found a ritualistic worship associated  
with practices which they could not but 
judge to be ungodly and unjust1 and     
engaged in by men who made much of form1
 but little of truth and charity and    
justice4  ,it is not surprising1        
therefore1 that in their desire for a   
revived spiritual life in the ,church   
they should consider such a life to be  
most effectively forwarded by a         
departure from those forms that had been
 associated with the decay of true      
religion in their midst4  ,but1 in the  
second place1 this sentiment in favor of
 absolute freedom from form was not     
confined to sectaries or their          
sympathizers in the ,church1 it made    
itself manifest among the leaders of    

religion in the land and in the ,church 
courts4  ,the proposal of the ,general  
,assembly of #afdc to prepare a         
,directory of ,worship1 and the         
subsequent action of the ,scottish      
,church in uniting with the ,westminster
 ,divines in the preparation of that    
,directory1 clearly indicate that the   
,church had changed its attitude since  
the day in which the ,assembly refused  
to alter any of the prayers in the ,book
 of ,common ,order4  ,the adoption of   
the ,directory by the ,scottish ,church 
was in a measure an endorsation of the  
views of those who were opposed to the  
use of prescribed forms1 and while it is
 true that the ,scotch ,commissioners   
would have preferred the retention of   
parts of the ,book of ,common ,order1 it
 is surely instructive that even these  
men were prepared to abandon all forms  
for worship and to accept simply a      
regulative ,directory4  ,the            
enthusiastic endorsation accorded the   
,directory1 both by ,parliament and by  

the ,assembly1 is a further indication  
that the spirit of the ,church of       
,scotland had undergone whatever slight 
change was necessary to make it         
favorable to a simple regulation of     
public worship1 unhampered by anything  
that had even the appearance of a       
ritual4  ,the introduction of the       
,directory into ,scotland1 it is true1  
effected a very slight change in the    
method of conducting public worship4    
,indeed1 a comparison of the order of   
service as laid down in the ,directory  
with that prescribed by the ,book of    
,common ,order shows the order of       
,worship to be the same in both4  ,and  
thus it was that ,baillie1 in addressing
 the ,assembly1 and expressing his      
satisfaction at what had been           
accomplished1 declared it to be a most  
remarkable distinction that the practice
 of the ,church of ,scotland set down in
 a most wholesome1 pious and prudent    
,directory1 should come in the place of 
a ,liturgy in all the three ,dominions4 

,by the adoption of the ,directory all  
the substance of the worship of the     
,church of ,scotland was retained with  
the order likewise of its different     
parts1 but the suggested forms were     
surrendered1 and even prayers1 which    
owing to the circumstances of an earlier
 age had been retained and submitted for
 discretional use1 were laid aside4  ,no
 mention was made in the ,directory of  
the use of the ,gloria1 nor did the     
creed find a place either in public     
worship or in the administration of the 
,sacraments1 but the ,lord's ,prayer was
 mentioned as being not only a pattern  
of prayer1 but itself a comprehensive   
prayer1 and a recommendation was        
accordingly made that it should be used 
in the prayers of the ,church4  ,it is  
evident1 therefore1 that the spirit of  
the ,presbyterian ,church was still     
strongly in favor of worship regulated  
in its order and providing for all the  
different spiritual exercises authorized
 by ,scripture1 but which at the same   

time should be free from any imposed    
forms from which worshippers should not 
be allowed to deviate4  ,of the opinion 
of the ,church of ,scotland at this time
 on the dire effects produced by the use
 of a ritual in the cultivation of      
formality among the people1 and in the  
encouragement of a lifeless ministry in 
the ,church1 there can be no question1  
as the adoption of the terms of the     
preface to the ,directory clearly shows4
  ,with the experience of the ,english  
,church of that age before them as an   
object lesson of the evil effects of    
ritualistic worship1 the ,presbyterian  
,church was not unwilling to abandon the
 use of all imposed forms1 and to give  
itself rather to the cultivation and    
development of a truly spiritual        
worship4  ,and finally1 the spirit thus 
planted and fostered in ,scotland1 was  
intensified during the persecutions     
which followed the restoration of       
,charles the ,second4  ,so firmly was   
this opposition to an imposed form of   

worship implanted in the hearts of      
,presbyterians that1 alike at the       
,revolution and again at the time when  
the terms from the ,act of ,union       
between ,england and ,scotland were     
under consideration the most earnest    
representations were made1 to the end   
that there should be no change in the   
worship of the ,scottish ,church1 but   
that the freedom in this matter1 so     
prized and so dearly won1 should be     
secured to the people of ,scotland4     
,the ,church of ,scotland then1 it may  
safely be said1 moved ever in the       
direction of securing greater liberty in
 worship1 rather than towards an        
increase of ritual and an imposition of 
form4  ,every succeeding period in her  
history1 whether we judge from the      
general spirit characterizing the people
 or from the official acts of the       
,parliament and the ,church1 shows a    
growing distaste for a liturgical       
worship and an increasing appreciation  
of liberty in all matters pertaining to 

the approach of the soul to ,god4  ,the 
,church of ,scotland rejected1 on the   
one hand1 the extreme positions of      
sectaries who condemned alike a combined
 system of ,church government1 the      
celebration of marriage in the ,church1 
the use in worship of the ,lord's       
,prayer and all regulations even of the 
order of ,divine worship1 and on the    
other hand it resisted successfully the 
strongest ,anglican influences which    
would have deprived it of the liberty it
 prized and would have circumscribed    
that liberty by a ritual4  ,it retained 
dignity and order1 while it rejected    
both the license of extravagance and the
 bondage of form4     ,presbyterian     
,worship ,outside of the ,established   
,church of ,scotland4    ,whether they  
were right or wrong 444 no man of       
fairness will fail to allow that the    
record of the ,seceders all through the 
period of decadence was a noble one1 a  
record of splendid service to the cause 
of ,christ and the historic ,church of  

,scotland4--,m',,crie4    ,chapter      
,,viii4  ,presbyterian ,worship ,outside
 of the ,established ,church of         
,scotland4  ,no review of ,presbyterian 
,worship would be complete which failed 
to consider the spirit which has        
characterized those large sections of   
the ,church which exist in ,scotland    
outside of the ,establishment1 and those
 also which have been planted and       
fostered in the ,new ,world4  ,in #agcc 
the first ,secession ,church was formed1
 when ,ebenezer ,erskine1 ,william      
,wilson1 ,alexander ,moncrieff1 and     
,james ,fisher1 protesting against what 
they regarded as the unjust treatment   
accorded them by the prevailing party in
 the ,church1 were declared to be no    
longer members of the ,church of        
,scotland4  ,this ,secession ,church    
enjoyed a rapid growth1 and soon came to
 form a very influential section in the 
,presbyterianism of the land4  ,its     
principles and practices with regard to 
worship show that same suspicion of a   

ritual and partiality for a free form of
 worship which has always characterized 
the ,presbyterian ,church in the days of
 her greatest vigor4  ,in #agcf this    
,church published its judicial          
testimony1 in which it declared its     
loyalty to the ,directory of ,worship as
 the same was approved by the ,assembly 
of #afde4  ,some years later one section
 of this ,church1 known as the          
,antiburgher1 published a condemnation  
of the corruptions of worship as        
witnessed in ,england and ,wales1 and at
 a subsequent period a further          
manifesto1 in which the reading by      
ministers of their sermons in the public
 ministry of the ,word was condemned1 as
 was also the conduct of those adult    
persons who1 in ordinary circumstances1 
either in public1 in private1 or in     
secret1 restrict themselves to set forms
 of prayer1 whether these be read or    
repeated4  ,the same manifesto1 in a    
part treating of ,psalmody1 claimed for 
the ,psalms ,divine authority1 as       

suitable for the service of praise1 in  
the ,christian as well as in the ,old   
,testament dispensation1 but            
acknowledged that1 in addition to these1
 others contained in the ,new ,testament
 itself may be sung in the ordinance of 
,praise4  ,similar to this position was 
that of the ,united ,associate ,synod1  
which1 formed in #ahbj1 published1 seven
 years later1 its views on the subject  
of worship4  ,it condemned the conduct  
of adult persons who restricted         
themselves to set forms of prayer1      
whether read or whether repeated2 it    
acknowledged also that other parts of   
,scripture besides the ,psalms were     
suitable for praise1 and1 with regard to
 the use of the ,lord's ,prayer in      
public worship1 a matter which had      
caused much discussion within the       
,church in earlier times1 it asserted   
that3   ,as ,scripture ,doxologies and  
the ,divinely-approved petition of      
saints may be warrantably adopted in our
 devotional exercises1 both public and  

personal1 so may the ,lord's ,prayer be 
used by itself or in connection with    
other supplications4   ,other manifestos
 were published from time to time by    
different bodies as separations or      
unions took place1 for the early part of
 the past century was a period of       
frequent divisions and of more happy    
unions4 ,but while differences existed  
with regard to the use of paraphrases   
and human hymns in the service of       
praise1 on the general subject of       
simplicity of worship and absence of    
prescribed forms1 the manifestos        
previous to the middle of the century   
were a unit4  ,as late indeed as #ahgb1 
in a deliverance of the ,united         
,presbyterian ,church upon the subject  
of instrumental music in public worship1
 this jealousy of simplicity in worship 
hitherto enjoyed is evident4  ,to a     
consideration of that subject this      
,church had been led by the example of  
the ,established ,church in securing to 
its congregations liberty of action in  

the matter4  ,the ,united ,presbyterian 
,synod1 in a deliverance in which it    
declined to pronounce judgment upon the 
introduction of instrumental music in   
,divine service1 proceeded to urge upon 
the courts of the ,church1 and upon     
individual ministers1 the duty of       
guarding anxiously the simplicity of    
worship in the sanctuary4  ,not until   
recent years has any considerable       
section of the ,presbyterian ,church    
shown a tendency to return to the       
bondage of a ritual4  ,the views of the 
bodies above referred to will be        
differently estimated by different men4 
,some will be inclined to regard the    
,secessionists as narrow in spirit and  
severe in their simplicity1 and as often
 failing to exhibit a due regard for the
 beauty of holiness that should         
characterize ,divine worship4  ,it will 
surely1 however1 indicate on the part of
 those who read their history a want of 
appreciation if they fail to recognize  
the sturdy spiritual life which1        

forming1 as it ever does1 the truest    
foundation for right views of religion1 
marked these men of whom an eminent     
leader in the religious life of         
,scotland has said they stood for ,truth
 and ,light in days when the battle went
 sore against them both2 and as long as 
,truth and ,light are maintained in     
,scotland it will not be forgotten that 
a great share of the honor of having    
carried them safe through some of our   
darkest days1 was given by ,god to the  
,seceders4  ,the period of the          
disruption in ,scotland was one of such 
struggle concerning great and           
fundamental principles of ,church       
government1 that the ,free ,church1     
during the first quarter of a century of
 its existence as a separate communion1 
had little time to devote to a          
consideration of the subject of worship2
 with the work of organization at home1 
and afterwards in seeking to carry      
forward evangelization abroad it was    
fully occupied4  ,it was for the ,free  

,church1 as also for the ,established   
,church1 a period of revival and of new 
life1 and at such a time men think but  
little of form and method1 finding      
spiritual satisfaction in the voluntary 
and spontaneous worship which such an   
occasion develops4  ,the practice1      
however1 of the ,free ,church in        
worship1 and its uniform tendency1 was  
decidedly un-liturgical2 freedom from   
prescribed forms in prayer and an       
absence of ritual marked its services   
during the half-century of its existence
 as a separate communion4  ,so emphatic 
was its devotion to absolute liberty on 
the part of the worshippers that it was 
the last of the great ,presbyterian     
bodies in ,scotland to take any steps   
towards a further control of public     
worship other than that which is        
provided in the ,directory4  ,about the 
year #ahhe the ,presbyterian ,churches  
of ,england and of ,australia appointed 
committees to consider the matter of a  
uniform order and method of public      

worship1 and these in each case devoted 
their efforts to the revision of the    
,westminster ,directory1 and in neither 
has anything more liturgical been       
suggested than the repetition of the    
,creed and the ,lord's ,prayer by the   
people4  ,the orders of service         
recommended are more lengthy than that  
of the ,westminster ,directory1 but are 
similar in their general character4     
,the hesitation shown in accepting even 
such slight changes as were suggested   
and the vigorous debates which resulted1
 furnish abundant evidence that the     
spirit of both of these ,churches is    
still strong in favor of voluntary and  
untrammeled worship4  ,it is but right  
that in reviewing public worship outside
 of the ,established ,church1 reference 
should be made to the practice of those 
large sections of the ,presbyterian     
,church which1 originating in ,scotland1
 have grown strong in other lands4  ,the
 ,presbyterian ,church of the ,united   
,states of ,america has exhibited in the

 main the same spirit that has          
characterized ,presbyterian bodies      
across the sea4  ,in #aghh the ,synod of
 ,new ,york and ,philadelphia adopted   
among other symbols the ,westminster    
,directory for the ,worship of ,god1    
abbreviating it somewhat1 but changing  
its instructions in no material respect4
  ,there has been but little legislation
 by this ,church concerning this        
subject4  ,in #ahgd the ,general        
,assembly declared the practice of a    
responsive service in the public worship
 of the sanctuary to be without warrant 
in the ,new ,testament1 and to be unwise
 and impolitic in view of its inevitable
 tendency to destroy uniformity in the  
form already accepted4  ,it further     
urged upon sessions of ,churches to     
preserve in act and spirit the          
simplicity indicated in the ,directory4 
,this judgment of the ,american ,church 
with regard to the influence of a       
liturgy in public worship is not        
materially different from that of the   

framers of the ,directory as it is set  
forth in their strongly-worded preface4 
,in #ahgf the ,assembly declined to send
 down to presbyteries an overture       
declaring that responsive readings are a
 permissible part of worship in the     
sanctuary1 although it declined at the  
same time to recommend sessions to make 
the question a subject of ,church       
discipline4  ,six years afterwards it   
again refused to prepare and publish a  
,book of ,forms for public and social   
worship and for special occasions which 
shall be the authorized service-book of 
the ,church to be used whenever a       
prescribed formula may be desired2 the  
reason given for such refusal1 however1 
was the inexpediency of such a step in  
view of the liberty that belongs to each
 minister to avail himself of the       
,calvinistic or other ancient devotional
 forms of the ,reformed ,churches1 so   
far as may seem to him for edification4 
,this explanation clearly indicates     
that1 while the ,american ,church is in 

sympathy with the necessity on the part 
of ministers1 of a due and orderly      
discharge of all public services1 yet it
 is unwilling to lay itself open to the 
charge of even suggesting the imposition
 of forms upon the ,church for use on   
stated occasions4  ,an optional liturgy 
has not been without its advocates among
 the leaders in this influential section
 of the ,church4  ,such eminent and wise
 men as ,drs4 ,charles and ,a4 ,a4      
,hodge and ,dr4 ,ashbel ,green confessed
 themselves as in favor of the          
introduction of such forms for optional 
use1 and ,dr4 ,baird in his ,eutaxia and
 other writers have argued vigorously   
from the example of sister churches of  
the continent of ,europe for a return to
 the practice which they regarded as    
historically ,presbyterian4  ,as yet1   
however1 the ,church has preferred      
liberty to even suggested restriction4  
,the results in this ,church1 it cannot 
be denied1 are not all that could be    
desired4  ,the ,directory is but little 

studied by ministers1 and has by many   
been practically set aside4  ,frequently
 each congregation in the matter of     
worship is a law unto itself4           
,responsive readings have been          
introduced in some places1 and choir    
responses after prayer in others2 in    
some congregations the people join in   
the repetition of the ,creed and the    
,lord's ,prayer1 while in others neither
 of these is heard2 in one the          
collection has become a formal          
offertory2 in another it affords an     
opportunity for the rendition of a      
musical selection by the choir4         
,worship in this great ,church is at the
 present time characterized by the      
absence of a desirable uniformity1 which
 it was one evident purpose of the      
,directory to secure1 and in some of its
 congregations by the use of symbolism  
that occasionally becomes extravagant1  
and which is calculated to appeal       
entirely to the imagination1 the result 
frequently being a service not attaining

 to that dignity which an authorized    
liturgy fosters1 while it sacrifices    
that simplicity in which ,presbyterians 
have been accustomed to glory4  ,the    
,united ,presbyterian ,church in        
,america1 the result of so many happy   
unions1 has always regarded simplicity  
in worship as an end earnestly to be    
desired1 and worthy of all serious      
effort to secure4  ,its influence has1  
therefore1 been uniformly in favor of   
that avoidance of forms against which   
the ,seceders of ,scotland1 whom it     
represents on this continent1 so often  
protested4  ,the ,presbyterian ,church1 
,south--that ,church whose history has  
been characterized by a loyalty so      
unswerving to the doctrinal standards of
 ,presbyterianism1 by a spirit so wisely
 aggressive in evangelistic and         
missionary effort1 and by a ministry so 
scholarly and eloquent1 has1 in the     
matter of public worship1 shown as      
constant a fidelity to the ,westminster 
,directory as in doctrine it has shown  

to the ,confession of ,faith4  ,there   
have been attempts made to introduce    
changes looking towards the adoption of 
optional liturgical forms1 but these    
have been few1 and they have been       
rejected in such a way as to leave no   
room for doubt as to the mind of the    
,church in this matter4  ,the ,directory
 has been ably revised1 but it still    
remains a ,directory1 suggestive and    
eminently suitable to present           
requirements of the ,church4  ,serious  
and persevering attention has been given
 to the praise service1 and no less than
 three ,hymnals have received and now   
enjoy the ,church's imprimatur4  ,public
 worship in ,divine service has retained
 a much greater uniformity among the    
,presbyterians of the ,southern ,states 
than among their brethren in the ,north1
 and there has been less yielding to the
 popular demand for those features in   
worship that appeal to the imagination1 
and which so often serve to entertain   
rather than to edify4  ,the             

,presbyterian ,church in ,canada1 owing 
to the ties that bind it to the         
,churches of the ,old ,land1 has closely
 followed their practice1 and its method
 in worship has been characterized by a 
similar spirit4  ,no authoritative or   
mandatory formulas have been imposed    
upon it1 nor does it seem likely that   
such would be received should they be   
proposed4 ,reverence and dignity have in
 general characterized its public       
services1 and yet in recent years those 
changes which have gradually been       
introduced into the worship of the      
,church in that part of the ,american   
,republic lying contiguous to the       
,dominion have made their appearance in 
,presbyterian worship in ,canada4  ,the 
chief result has been1 as in that       
,church also1 an unfortunate want of    
uniformity in this part of divine       
service4  ,there has always been a      
constant and due regard paid to all     
parts of worship provided for in the    
,directory1 and the neglect of any of   

these parts cannot be seriously charged 
against any considerable part of the    
,church1 but congregations have         
frequently considered themselves at     
liberty to change their order and to    
vary them as circumstances seem to      
demand4  ,it is this feature as much as 
any that has in recent years led to an  
agitation for the improvement of public 
worship1 and that is calling the earnest
 attention of the ,church to a matter of
 supreme importance4  ,until very       
recently then1 all branches of the      
,presbyterian ,church in the ,british   
,empire and those bodies in the ,united 
,states whose standards have been those 
of ,westminster1 have refused to        
recognize the need for any other formula
 of worship than that1 or such as that1 
provided in the ,directory4  ,and where 
any considerable desire for change and  
improvement has been found1 it has      
expressed itself usually as favorable to
 a revised ,directory rather than as    
desirous of the adoption by the ,church 

of a liturgy1 however simple4  ,those   
great sections of the ,church which have
 been most active in the work of ,home  
and ,foreign ,evangelization1 a work    
that has especially claimed attention   
during this century1 have found the     
simple worship of our fathers well      
suited to the cultivation of the        
spiritual life that must of necessity   
lie behind all such efforts1 and to the 
development of the reverent and         
devotional spirit so characteristic of  
an aggressive ,christianity4  ,the      
,church has been true to the traditions 
and principles so loyally maintained in 
the days of her heroic struggles in the 
past1 and along these lines she has     
found in her public worship blessing and
 inspiration for her peaceful toils1    
even as our fathers in their day found  
in similar worship strength and revived 
courage with which to meet their        
difficulties and to endure persecution4 
,modern ,movements in ,presbyterian     
,churches ,respecting ,public ,worship4 

,all who desire to manifest an          
intelligent appreciation of what is     
distinctive in ,presbyterian ritual     
would do well to guard against attaching
 undue importance1 or adhering too      
tenaciously1 to details of a past or    
present usage1 as if these constituted  
the essentials from which there must    
never be the smallest deviation1 of     
which there may never be the slightest  
modification or adaptation to altered   
acquirements and                        
circumstances4--,mc,c,r,i,e4    ,chapter
 ,,ix4  ,modern ,movements in           
,presbyterian ,churches ,respecting     
,public ,worship4  ,the earliest        
indication of any general desire in     
,scotland for a more elaborate service  
than that in general use in the ,church 
at the time of the ,revolution was seen 
in the proposal to enlarge the ,psalmody
 and to improve the ,service of ,praise4
  ,as early as #agac the ,general       
,assembly of the ,church of ,scotland   
called the attention of congregations to

 the necessity that existed for a more  
decent performance of the public praise 
of ,god1 in a recommendation that was   
exceedingly desirable and necessary if  
the accounts of the service of praise at
 that time are to be believed4  ,this   
was followed1 not long afterward1 by the
 introduction of paraphrases1 styled    
,songs of ,scripture1 and later of      
hymns1 and finally of instrumental      
music4  ,in this matter of the          
improvement of worship in the department
 of praise1 the ,secession ,churches in 
several cases were more forward than the
 ,established ,church1 the revived      
interest in religion and worship which  
had been in a measure the cause of their
 existence lending itself to such       
measures4 ,in all sections of the       
,church the conflict concerning praise  
in worship was for a long period        
prosecuted with an energy that          
frequently arose to bitterness4  ,the   
vexed questions of hymn-singing and the 
use of instruments in ,churches being   

settled1 there followed1 or perhaps it  
may be said there arose out of these1   
the further question of the elaboration 
and improvement of other parts of       
worship4  ,in #aheh the ,assembly of the
 ,church of ,scotland recommended to    
congregations that were without a       
minister1 the use in worship of a book  
prepared by its authority1 in which were
 embodied the prayers of the ,book of   
,common ,order1 together with much      
material from the ,directory of         
,worship4  ,this action on the part of  
the ,church was regarded by some as     
indicating the existence of a spirit    
which warranted the formation of ,the   
,church ,service ,society4  ,this       
,society was formed by certain ministers
 of the ,established ,church who were   
strongly impressed with the desirability
 of the adoption by the ,church of      
certain authorized forms of prayer for  
public worship1 and of the use of       
prescribed forms in the administration  
of the ,sacraments4  ,by the publication

 of its constitution1 in which it       
announced its object as ,the ,study of  
the ,liturgies ancient and modern of the
 ,christian ,church1 with a view to the 
preparation and ultimate publication of 
certain forms of prayer for public      
worship1 and services for the           
administration of the ,sacraments1 the  
celebration of ,marriage1 the ,burial of
 the ,dead1 etc41 it very early aroused 
vigorous opposition on the part of many 
who saw in its organization an evident  
intention to introduce into the ,church 
a liturgical service4  ,such a purpose  
the ,society emphatically disavowed1 and
 insisted that there was no desire on   
the part of its members to encroach upon
 the simplicity of ,presbyterian        
worship1 but claimed rather the desire  
to redeem the same from lifelessness and
 lack of a devotional spirit with which 
they declared it is so likely to be     
characterized4  ,so effectively have the
 fears of those who first uttered their 
objections been allayed1 that the       

,society is said to comprise in its     
membership1 at the present time1 more   
than one-third of the ordained ministers
 of the ,established ,church4  ,the     
results of this ,society's labors have  
been published in a volume which is now 
in its seventh edition4  ,it is a book  
of more than #djj pages1 and is         
entitled1 ,euchologion--,a ,book of     
,common ,order4  ,its contents seem to  
harmonize more with the views which were
 charged against the originators of the 
,society at its commencement than with  
the defence which was put forward in its
 behalf at that time4  ,although widely 
used it has no official sanction of the 
,church1 and1 therefore1 it is not      
necessary to enter into any close       
analysis of its contents4 ,briefly1     
however1 it may be said1 it is a liturgy
 much more closely approximating to the 
,english ,book of ,common ,prayer than  
to ,knox's ,book of ,common ,order1 or  
to the ritual of any of the ,reformed   
,churches of the ,continent1 with which 

its projectors declare themselves to be 
more in sympathy than with the          
,episcopal ,communion of ,england4  ,the
 first part comprises1 in addition to   
prescribed daily ,scripture readings and
 readings for every ,sunday of the year1
 the ,order of ,divine ,service for     
morning and evening for the five several
 ,sundays of the month2 in this ,order  
are contained special forms of prayer1  
responses to be used by the             
congregation1 the ,lord's ,prayer1 to be
 repeated by minister and congregation  
together1 and the ,apostles' ,creed1    
which is to be either said or sung4  ,in
 the second part1 which contains        
additional materials for daily and other
 services1 the first place is given to  
the ,litany1 which is an exact          
transcript of that of the ,church of    
,england with the exception of a change 
in one petition1 rendered necessary by  
the difference in the forms of          
government in the two ,churches4  ,a    
number of prayers for special graces1   

collects and prayers for special seasons
 and additional forms of service are    
added4  ,the prayers for special seasons
 have regard to our ,lord's advent1 the 
,incarnation1 ,palm ,sunday1 the descent
 of the ,holy ,ghost1 etc4  ,the last   
section of the book provides forms of   
service for the administration of the   
,sacraments1 visitation of the sick1    
marriage1 burial1 ordination1 etc4  ,in 
the form for the visitation of the sick 
a responsive service is provided1 as    
also in the order for ,holy ,communion4 
,on the whole it is probably not too    
much to assert that ,euchologion--a     
,book of ,common ,order1 issued by the  
,church ,service ,society1 is decidedly 
more liturgical in form than was the    
unfortunate ,laud's ,liturgy1 which     
raised against itself and its projectors
 such a vigorous protest on the part of 
the ,church of ,scotland4  ,following   
the organization of the ,society        
referred to1 came one in connection with
 the ,united ,presbyterian ,church      

called ,the ,united ,presbyterian       
,devotional ,association1 having for its
 object to promote the edifying conduct 
of the devotional services of the       
,church4  ,this ,society declares its   
willingness to profit from the worship  
of other ,churches besides the          
,presbyterian1 but at the same time     
asserts its loyalty to the principles   
and history of ,presbyterianism4  ,the  
forms published in its book1            
,presbyterian ,forms of ,service1 are   
not intended to be used liturgically1   
but the purpose is that they should     
furnish examples and serve as           
illustrations of the reverent and seemly
 conduct of public worship4  ,the latest
 book to be issued on these lines is ,a 
,new ,directory for the ,public ,worship
 of ,god2 this name is further enlarged 
by the following description1 which     
provides a sufficient index to its      
contents3 ,founded on the ,book of      
,common ,order 7#aefj-fd7 and the       
,westminster ,directory 7#afdc-de7 and  

prepared by the ,public ,worship        
,association in ,connection with the    
,free ,church of ,scotland4  ,this book 
follows in general the form and method  
of the ,directory1 carefully avoiding   
the provision of even an optional       
liturgy4  ,the form which it has        
assumed1 that of a simple ,directory of 
,worship1 was adopted after long        
discussion in the ,association on these 
four questions1 ,the desirableness of an
 optional liturgy as distinguished from 
a ,directory of ,public ,worship2 ,the  
,desirableness of a ,responsive         
,service1 such a service to include the 
use by the people with the minister of  
the ,lord's ,prayer1 the ,creed1 the    
,beatitudes1 the ,commandments1 etc42   
,the desirableness of the ,collect form 
of prayer and of ,responses in general1 
and ,the desirableness of the           
celebration of the ,christian year4     
,after long and exhaustive debate on the
 above questions the book has been      
issued in its present form as a simple  

,directory of ,worship1 responses and   
the celebration of the ,christian year  
and even an optional liturgy having been
 rejected as undesirable4  ,orders of   
service are suggested1 as well for      
public worship as for the administration
 of the ,sacraments and for special     
services1 and suggestions at great      
length are offered concerning what      
should find a place in the prayers of   
,invocation1 ,thanksgiving1 ,confession1
 ,petition1 ,intercession and           
,illumination4  ,a few historic prayers 
of eminent saints of ,god are included  
as examples1 and large quotations are   
made for the same purpose from ,knox's  
,book of ,common ,order and from        
,hermann's ,consultation1 and from this 
last source ,a ,litany for ,special     
,days of ,prayer is added in an         
,appendix4  ,if the ,euchologion        
indicates a strong tendency on the part 
of the ,church ,service ,society towards
 the introduction of a responsive and   
liturgical service into public worship1 

the ,new ,directory of ,public ,worship 
indicates just as strongly a tendency   
within the ,public ,worship ,association
 to avoid the introduction of even      
optional forms and to retain the        
simplicity that has for three centuries 
characterized ,presbyterian worship4    
,the attempts to revise the ,directory  
of ,worship in order to modify and adapt
 it to present-day requirements made    
recently by the ,presbyterian ,church of
 ,england1 and by the ,federated        
,churches of ,australia and ,tasmania1  
have already been referred to4  ,that   
these ,churches have confined their     
efforts to a revision of the ,directory1
 and have in this asserted their        
approval of a ,directory of ,worship    
rather than of a liturgy1 is in itself  
an instructive fact4  ,in the revised   
,directory of the ,presbyterian ,church 
of ,england some changes are made in the
 direction of securing for the people a 
larger part in audible worship4  ,the   
repetition of the ,creed is permitted1  

and where used is to be repeated by the 
minister and people together2 it is     
recommended as seemly that the people   
after every prayer should audibly say   
,amen1 and the ,lord's ,prayer1 which   
should be uniformly used1 is to be said 
by all4  ,the work of revision by the   
,churches of ,australia and ,tasmania   
introduces fewer changes4  ,in the      
administration of ,the ,lord's ,supper  
it is recommended that at the close of  
the ,consecration ,prayer the minister  
recite the ,apostles ,creed as a brief  
summary of ,christian ,faith1 and when  
the ,lord's ,prayer is used1 as advised 
before or after the prayer of           
intercession1 the people may be invited 
to join audibly or to add ,amen4        
,worthy of more extended notice than the
 limits of this chapter will permit is  
,the ,book of ,church ,order of the     
,presbyterian ,church in the ,united    
,states4  ,as early as #ahfd a proposal 
was made in ,assembly to revise the     
,westminster ,directory of ,worship for 

the purpose not only of rendering it    
more suitable to the requirements of the
 time1 but in order also to so modify   
and improve it as to increase its       
suggestiveness and helpfulness to       
ministers4  ,the work was undertaken by 
a committee appointed in #ahgi1 and in  
#ahid this committee presented its      
formal report1 which was adopted1 and   
the revised ,directory was ordered to be
 published4  ,it contains sixteen       
chapters1 treating of all the matters   
treated in the original ,directory1 and 
containing in addition suggestive       
chapters on ,sabbath ,schools1 ,prayer  
,meetings1 ,secret and ,family ,worship1
 and ,the ,admission of ,persons to     
,sealing ,ordinances4  ,respecting the  
public reading of ,holy ,scripture the  
revised ,directory declares it to be a  
part of the public worship of ,god1 and 
that it ought to be performed by the    
minister or some other authorized       
person4 ,of public prayer1 after        
indicating its different parts1 and     

suggesting the place that it should     
occupy in the service1 the mind of the  
,church is thus expressed3 ,but we think
 it necessary to observe that1 although 
we do not approve1 as is well known1 of 
confining ministers to set or fixed     
forms of prayer for public worship1 yet 
it is the indispensable duty of every   
minister1 previously to his entering on 
his office1 to prepare and qualify      
himself for this part of his duty1 as   
well as for preaching4  ,in the chapters
 on the administration of baptism and   
the ,lord's ,supper particular          
directions are given1 and questions     
suitable to be asked of the parents of  
children presented for baptism are      
suggested1 while in the directions for  
the admission of persons to sealing     
ordinances1 an important distinction is 
drawn between the reception of baptized 
children of the ,church and that of     
those who1 on confession of their faith1
 are at that time first received4  ,to  
the ,directory there are added optional 

forms for use at a marriage service and 
at a funeral service4  ,the book is not 
elaborate1 and may be thought by many to
 be far from comprehensive as a         
,directory1 but it is suggestive and    
helpful1 and1 while true to the         
principles of ,presbyterian worship1 it 
gives no evidence of disregard for the  
beauty and appropriateness that should  
characterize the public services of the 
,church4  ,among books of ,church order 
it is well worth study by those who     
desire in worship to combine simplicity 
with dignity4  ,it is evident from these
 recent and simultaneous movements in so
 many branches of the ,presbyterian     
,church1 that there exists a feeling on 
the part of many that there is need of  
improvement in the important department 
of worship in our public services4  ,it 
is probable that there will be found few
 to deny this1 or to confess absolute   
satisfaction with the worship of the    
,church to-day4  ,the question on which 
many will hold widely divergent opinions

 is as to the means to be adopted for   
its improvement4  ,some there are1 as in
 the ,church ,service ,society1 who     
advocate a prescribed liturgy for at    
least certain parts of public worship2  
others1 who desire a liturgy1 but who   
are content to leave to congregations or
 to ministers freedom to use it or to   
disregard it2 still others are loyal to 
the spirit of the age which produced the
 ,westminster ,directory1 while they are
 at the same time willing to revise that
 work1 which was found so serviceable to
 the ,church for so long a period1 and  
so to render it more suitable to the    
demands of our own age4  ,if a judgment 
may be formed from the movements that   
have just been reviewed1 it is probable 
that at least for some time to come1 the
 ,presbyterian ,church will continue to 
walk in the paths that have become      
familiar through long usage4  ,the age1 
it is true1 is past when dictation on   
this matter1 either favoring or         
condemning a liturgy1 would be suffered2

 and1 therefore1 it is to be expected   
that congregations will exercise liberty
 in the matter4  ,yet1 so far as the    
general sentiment of the ,church is     
concerned1 a sentiment that will        
doubtless from time to time find        
expression in official declarations1 it 
appears evident that the preponderating 
feeling is still strongly in favor of a 
voluntary worship1 unrestricted even by 
suggested forms4     ,conclusion4    ,a 
constant form is a certain way to bring 
the soul to a cold1 insensible1 formal  
worship4--,,baxter4    ,chapter ,x4     
,conclusion4  ,the foregoing brief      
review of public worship within those   
influential sections of the             
,presbyterian ,church whose attitude on 
this question has been examined1 affords
 a sufficient ground for the assertion  
that those bodies have shown1 until     
recently1 a uniform and steadily growing
 suspicion of a liturgical service1 even
 in its most modified form4  ,the ,book 
of ,common ,order1 the first official   

service book adopted by the ,general    
,assembly of the ,church of ,scotland   
for the regulation of its worship1      
marked a distinct advance towards a     
freer form and greater liberty on the   
part of the minister in conducting      
,divine service4  ,as compared not only 
with the ,english ,prayer ,book of the  
time1 which was used in ,reformed       
parishes in ,scotland1 but even with    
,calvin's order of worship1 which had   
been so generally adopted by the        
,reformed ,churches on the ,continent1  
this ,book of ,common ,order was        
characterized by a spirit of larger     
liberty in worship and less reliance    
upon forms either suggested or imposed4 
,in the period of struggle through which
 the ,church of ,scotland passed in the 
reigns of ,james the ,first and ,charles
 the ,first1 the conflicts1 civil and   
religious1 only served1 so far as they  
had any effect upon the views of the    
,church concerning worship1 to          
strengthen the already strong opposition

 to prescribed forms of prayer and to   
ritualistic observances4  ,accordingly1 
when it was proposed to substitute for  
the ,book of ,common ,order a           
,directory1 in which there should appear
 no prescribed forms for any part of    
public worship1 the ,scotch ,assembly   
gave a ready assent to the proposal1    
and1 although some words of regret at   
parting with an historic symbol were    
spoken at that time by leaders in the   
,scottish ,church1 they were only such  
as it was natural to expect should be   
spoken in view of the strong attachment 
for that symbol fostered by its use     
during many years1 but they were not    
such as indicate that those who so spoke
 felt themselves called upon to         
surrender any principle in laying aside 
the order to which they had been so long
 accustomed4  ,indeed the hearty and    
cheerful adoption by the ,scottish      
,assembly of the strongly worded preface
 to the ,westminster ,directory1        
exposing as it does so vigorously the   

weakness as well as the dangers         
resulting from the use of a liturgy in  
public worship1 plainly indicates that  
in the judgment of the ,church of that  
day the use of liturgical forms was not 
only not helpful1 but was positively    
perilous1 as well to the best interests 
of the congregation as to the most      
efficient service of the minister4      
,again in a third epoch of the ,church's
 history1 in the days following the     
killing time1 and marked by the         
succession to the throne of ,william of 
,orange1 and later by the union of      
,england and ,scotland1 the             
,presbyterian ,church of the latter     
country not only reasserted her loyalty 
to the principles of liberty in worship 
which she had so long defended1 but she 
also succeeded in having secured to her 
by legislation1 freedom from the        
imposition of ritualistic forms4  ,it is
 at least allowable to assert that the  
leaders in the ,scottish ,church in the 
days of the ,westminster ,assembly and  

at the beginning of the eighteenth      
century1 regarded the perfect liberty in
 worship allowed by the ,directory not  
only as scriptural1 but as suitable for 
the attainment of the great ends of     
public worship1 for on no other grounds 
would they have consented to its        
adoption in ,scotland4  ,and if         
,presbyterians of to-day desire to      
imitate the spirit and methods of their 
ancestors1 it is reasonable that they   
should study the example of the men of  
the second ,reformation4  ,there is good
 ground for claiming that in no period  
of the ,church's history did it give    
evidence of a deeper spiritual life and 
a more aggressive energy than in the age
 in which those heroic spirits lived4   
,the leaders in that day also1 such men 
as ,henderson1 ,gillespie1 ,rutherford  
and ,baillie1 understood the spirit of  
,presbyterianism and the need of the    
,church quite as fully as did any       
leaders of either an earlier or a later 
day4  ,it is not to be forgotten that1  

in an age that produced men whose names 
must never be omitted when the roll of  
,scotland's greatest sons is called1 the
 ,presbyterian ,church stood firmly for 
absolute liberty in worship from        
prescribed forms4  ,it should1          
therefore1 be considered by those who   
would have the ,church return to the    
bondage of forms or even to their       
optional use1 that they are advocating  
not a return to the practice of any     
former period in which the ,church was  
free to exercise its own desire in this 
matter1 but rather that they are urging 
her to a course that will be wholly     
antagonistic to the spirit of           
,presbyterianism as indicated by the    
trend of its practice during a stirring 
and eventful history of three hundred   
years4  ,the spirit of ,presbyterian    
worship has been consistently and       
persistently non-liturgical and         
anti-ritualistic1 and to advocate the   
adoption of liturgy and ritual to-day is
 to depart completely from that historic

 attitude4  ,a few words on the subject 
of liturgies in general may not         
inappropriately close this sketch of the
 history of ,presbyterian worship since 
the ,reformation4  ,it is now generally 
acknowledged that the introduction of   
liturgies into the worship of the       
,christian ,church was not earlier than 
the latter part of the fourth century4  
,not until the presbyter had become a   
priest1 and worship had degenerated into
 a function1 did liturgies find a place 
in ,christian service4  ,even the       
earliest ,oriental liturgies were       
sacramentaries1 the ,christian sacrifice
 being the central object around which  
the entire service gathered4  ,so long  
as the life of the ,church was strong1  
and in its strength found delight in a  
freedom of approach to ,god1 so long the
 ,apostolic practice was followed and   
worship was unrestricted and simple4    
,during the middle ages1 as religion    
became ever more formal and less        
spiritual1 as the priesthood            

deteriorated intellectually and         
spiritually1 liturgies flourished2 and  
it is not too much to assert that just  
in proportion to the growth of the      
liturgical service in any ,church1 in   
that proportion the power of its        
ministry has declined4 ,indeed the whole
 history of liturgies in their origin1  
development1 and effects1 should make   
the ,church that rejoices in freedom    
from their binding forms most careful   
ere submitting in any degree to their   
paralyzing influence4  ,it is argued in 
favor of the introduction of forms of   
prayer that their use would tend to the 
more orderly and dignified conducting of
 public worship by the minister4  ,it is
 not a difficult matter to take         
exception to methods to which we have   
long been accustomed1 and to compare    
these1 sometimes to their disadvantage1 
with ideal conditions4 ,as a matter of  
fact1 however1 it may in all fairness be
 asked1 does disorder or irreverence    
characterize ,presbyterian worship in   

general1 or indeed to any noticeable    
extent8  ,whatever lovers of another    
system1 within our own ,church1 may say1
 it cannot be denied that the impression
 in the minds of men of all             
denominations 7an impression that has   
not gained strength without cause7 is   
that1 compared with the worship of any  
other denomination1 that of the         
,presbyterian ,church is characterized  
by reverence1 dignity and order4  ,the  
conduct of any average congregation in  
the ,presbyterian ,church1 and the      
heartiness with which its members join  
in every part of public worship will    
appear at no disadvantage when compared 
with that of a congregation worshipping 
with a ritual4  ,whatever other         
blessings a liturgy may secure for those
 devoted to its use1 it has never been  
able to develop in the ,churches where  
it is employed a spirit and conduct in  
public worship as reverent and          
devotional1 and at the same time so     
marked by understanding1 as that which  

has uniformly characterized the         
,presbyterian ,church1 and that ,church 
would have to gain very much in other   
directions to compensate for the opening
 of the door to the formal and careless 
repetition of holy words so often       
associated with the use of a liturgy4   
,it is further argued that congregations
 would1 with the aid of a liturgy1 be   
enabled to take both a more lively and a
 more intelligent part in public prayer 
than they can possibly do when          
endeavoring to follow a minister who    
uses extempore prayer only4  ,this      
argument must appear to be of           
considerable weight to those only who   
forget how lifeless and unmeaning a mere
 form of words1 with which the lips have
 grown familiar1 can become4  ,paley    
frankly admitted1 when treating of this 
matter1 that the perpetual repetition of
 the same form of words produces        
weariness and inattentiveness in the    
congregation4  ,there is a danger that  
by carelessness in considering the needs

 of the worshippers1 and by             
diffusiveness1 the minister may render  
the service of prayer far less helpful  
than it should be to those whom it is   
his privilege to lead to the throne of  
grace2 but the cure for this is not to  
be found in the introduction of         
stereotyped forms1 which in the nature  
of the case cannot be suitable for all  
occasions1 but in a due recognition by  
the minister of the greatness of the    
duty which he assumes in speaking to    
,god for the people4  ,such a           
recognition will lead him to seek that  
preparation of heart and mind necessary 
for its helpful performance1 nor will   
his consciousness of the need of help1  
other than man can give1 go unrecognized
 by the ,father of ,spirits1 ,who in    
this matter also sends not ,his servants
 at their own charges4  ,as to the unity
 in prayer so much desired1 true prayer 
is in the ,spirit1 and earnest          
worshippers have a right to expect that 
their hearts will be united by that     

,spirit at the throne of grace1 so that 
with one accord they may present their  
petitions and claim the promise to those
 who are thus agreed4  ,this is the true
 unity and uniformity which ,christians 
are bound to seek1 and any mere         
mechanical uniformity of words1 apart   
from this1 is but the outward trappings 
of form which are much more liable to   
satisfy the careless worshipper than to 
inspire in him any thought of the need  
of a more real approach to ,god4        
,lastly1 it is urged that the responsive
 reading of the ,scriptures would prove 
an aid to the intelligent understanding 
of them1 and that the repetition of the 
,creed or other such formulary of       
doctrine would serve to preserve the    
,church in the soundness of the faith4  
,the refutation of the first statement  
is to be found in many congregations    
where the practice has been tried1 and  
in ,sabbath ,schools in which the custom
 now prevails4  ,many there are who will
 not read1 others who cannot1 and these 

fail entirely to profit from the        
unintelligible hum of a number of voices
 reading in what is often anything but  
harmony either of sound or time2 and    
those who do read1 frequently fail to   
receive that clear impression of the    
truth that should result from the       
effective and sympathetic reading of an 
entire passage4  ,without dwelling on   
the question whether the reading of the 
,scriptures is to be regarded as        
properly a ministerial act or not1 on   
the simple ground of efficiency1        
responsive reading in large and         
constantly-changing congregations must  
frequently1 if not generally1 prove a   
failure4  ,as regards the repetition of 
the ,creed by the congregation1 it is   
certainly a question open for discussion
 whether or not the frequent repetition 
of a formulary of doctrine is a         
safeguard to the faith of the ,church4  
,in this matter also we are not without 
the light of experience and history2 the
 ,presbyterian ,churches of ,scotland   

and ,america1 which have never adopted  
any such practice1 have certainly a     
record with respect to soundness in the 
faith which compares favorably with that
 of ,churches which have for ages       
adopted this as a custom in their       
worship4  ,it would not be difficult to 
mention ,churches in which the          
repetition of a formulary of doctrine   
has long been an established question1  
and in which it is not apparent that the
 practice has successfully served as a  
safeguard to doctrine4  ,comparisons are
 odious1 and we do not desire to        
institute them1 but as wise men we      
should surely be guided by the light    
which history and experience in the past
 throws forward upon the pathway that we
 are to travel4  ,the ,presbyterian     
,church has a history which may with    
reason cause all her children to thank  
,god and take courage as they look      
forward on greater works than those of  
past days yet to be accomplished4  ,her 
past is rich in noble deeds1 valiant    

testimonies and stirring struggles for  
the truth1 and through it all she       
pressed forward rejoicing in a liberty  
which is inseparable from the principles
 of ,presbyterianism1 and one product of
 which has ever been an unwillingness to
 be trammeled by forms in her approach  
to ,god4  ,that history is such as need 
cause no ,presbyterian to blush when it 
is related side by aide with that of any
 other ,church2 surely they must be bold
 souls who would propose to introduce a 
radical change into the genius of       
,presbyterianism1 or to relinquish      
principles which have led to such       
success1 for others that have yet to    
show an equal vitality and vigor4  ,our 
free and untrammeled worship demands    
from the worshipper his best2 it brings 
him face to face with his ,god1 and     
forbids him to rest in any mere         
repetition of a familiar form2 it       
requires of the minister a preparation  
of both mind and soul1 and challenges   
him to spiritual conflict which he dare 

not refuse1 while in addition to all    
this its very freedom renders it        
adaptable to all the varying            
circumstances in which in a land like   
our own the worship of ,god must be     
conducted4  ,it is suitable alike to the
 stately city church and to the humble  
cabin of the settler1 or to the mission 
house of the far ,west2 wherever men    
assemble for worship it affords the     
possibility for seemly1 orderly and     
reverent procedure4  ,is there any other
 form of worship suggested for which as 
much can be said8  ,as long as the      
ministers of the ,presbyterian ,church  
are men of ,god1 recognizing ,his call  
to the sacred office of the ministry1   
and believing that those whom ,he calls 
,he equips with needed grace and gifts  
for their work1 so long will they be    
able to lead the congregations to which 
they minister in worship that shall be  
at once honoring to ,god and a help to  
the spiritual life of the people3 when  
they cease to be such men forms may     

become1 not only expedient1 but         
essential4