to sing by turns a hymn to Christ as God." This latter, it should seem, was not a Psalm of David, but a hymn composed for the purpose : and it proves indisputably, that even in the apostolic age, forms of devotion were in use. If we come down to the times subsequent to the Apostles, we shall find Liturgies composed for the service of the different Churches. The Liturgies of St. Peter, St. Mark, and St. James, though they were corrupted in later ages, are cer- tainly of high antiquity : that of St. James was of great authority in the Church, in the days of Cyril, who, in his younger years, at the end of the third or beginning of the fourth century, wrote a Comment upon it. And it were easy to trace the use of them from that time even to the present day. Shall it be said, then, that the use of a pre-composed form of prayer is not lawful? Would God have given so many forms under the Jewish dispensation, and would our blessed Lord have given a form for the use of his Church and people, if it had not been lawful to use a form ? But it is worthy of observa- tion, that those who most loudly decry the use of forms, do themselves use forms, whenever they unite in public worship. What are hymns, but forms of prayer and praise ? and if it be lawful to worship God in forms of verse, is it not equally so in forms of prose ? We may say therefore, our adversaries themselves being judges, that the use of a form of prayer is lawful.
As for those passages of Scripture which are sup- posed to hold forth an expectation that under the Gospel we should have ability to pray without a form ; for instance, that " God would give us a spirit of grace and of supplication," and that " the Spirit should help our infirmities, and teach us what to pray for as we ought ;" they do not warrant us to expect, that we shall be enabled to speak by inspiration, as the Apostles did, but that our hearts should be dis- posed for prayer, and be enabled to enjoy near and intimate communion with God in that holy exercise : but they may be fulfilled to us as much in the