First Voice. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; He is the King of glory. Now this facility of Hebrew verse to take an antiphonal form with great effectiveness, seems to be a delicate but a positive proof that it was so moulded originally— that the responsive element was its life and its charm. The elaborate compositions of the prophets and their contemporaries may never have been intended for formal responsive singing; and the same may be true of some of the Psalms; but parallelisms having once originated for such purpose, and having had the sanction of ages, became a national habitude of verse-expression of all kinds, even when the responsive element was not actually called into operation. It may also be justly allowed, that in now seeking to reproduce the responsive parts in compositions that may have been designed for such exercise, different minds may fix upon diversified arrangements of responses and choruses, because absolute indication of the divisions fixed by the author, may, in the transmission of the poems, have been entirely obliterated; but of this we are not quite sure. A minute inspection of the complex system of accents and pauses, introduced by the Masoretes, may exhibit an intentional preservation of this self-same thing in certain parts of the sacred text. The peculiar features of this work are the following :1st. Responsive Services, in three parts. The first part comprises services taken entirely from the Scriptures, and for the first time arranged for congregational response and service. In adapting the passages to such usage, the author has taken not only those that he opined were originally intended for such purpose, and probably so employed in the Temple-service of Jerusalem, but even other portions that might profitably be so arranged. It is hoped that, besides proving aids to devotion, these services will evince the sense and power of Holy Truth. Extant liturgies chiefly those evangelical in tone, and as far as adaptable to the radical idea of this work, constitute the second part. In those of early date, being critical restorations, a few omissions have been made, principally of prayers, for which indications for extempore supplication have been substituted. A few expressions which could not well be used by our modern churches have been altered, and the words inserted in lieu are italicised. These early liturgies are given as much as specimens of what obtained in the initial epochs of Church-life as for worship now-a-days. The Church-of-England services here appear in abridged, modified, and it is hoped improved form. To the excellent and valuable Biblical Liturgy by the Rev. David Thomas, the author is indebted for four compositions in this portion of the work. Because of their length in the original services they are here abridged and, moreover, fully adapted to congregational response. The third part consists of services original in composition. Three, entitled Obedience, Purity, Eternity, are from the pen of a friend, who kindly assisted the author; by whose aid greater variety has been secured in this part. The services of the whole work, though divided into three distinct portions, are yet designated under one, and not three series of numbers, in order to prevent confusion of reference, such as one sometimes painfully witnesses in the use of Watts' Psalms and Hymns. By the arrangement adopted, any minister can appoint a liturgy for morning or evening devotion, by simply announcing the number of the service, as the 5th, 15th, or 25th, as he may wish and see proper. And if any one object to the use of Responsive Services that are not in the ipsissimis verbis of Scripture, he is under no particular necessity to use parts two and three; he may confine himself entirely to the first part. For those who have no such scruple, but can embrace evangelism, whether in the language of the ancient or modern churches, and regard as much the spirit as the letter of the Divine record, the second portion will supply Iwith the best utterances of the universal Church of Christ, so that they may worship in concord with the sainted dead. And the third portion will remind them of the Church as a present, living reality, having the Spirit now as well as in the days of yore; and whilst not despising the good of antiquity, but conserving it, also able to contemplate wants and joys that are, and to present them acceptably before the All-inviting Mediatorial Throne. 2nd. No made prayers. Free prayer was a grand institute of the primal Church: it gave life and power to it. For premeditated prayer, extemporaneous in utterance, as contradistinguished from cold, prepared, unvaried public prayers, many churches have nobly contended for generations, and the author is not wishful to disown and disthrone free prayer. He would leave it precisely where it is, with this exception: that whereas "long prayer," as it is familiarly designated, is now often too rambling, too protracted, and too unspiritualizing, the author would assist devotion by the use of a responsive service, in which all should bear a distinct and hearty share, and by this means prepare for short, effective, holy, spontaneous prayer on the part of the minister and church. "Long prayer," which is a decided abuse of free prayer, might be for ever banished from our consecrated fanes, to the glad relief of both pastor and people. Not unfrequently has the author seen in small towns, and occasionally in large ones, a pulpit occupier, who had small ability in preaching, but tolerable gift in prayer, appoint four singings, make three prayers, the second one of excessive length, and all that there might be but fifteen or twenty minutes left for sermonizing. This is a disgusting time-serving in the house of God; a dodge which old and young soon comprehend. It is unseemly; and the writer wishes, by a judicious aid, to prevent the necessity of so sorry an exhibition. Free prayer, and free prayer for ever; the author seeks not its extinguishment, but its rescue from degradation by conversion into all-exhausting, never-ending, long prayer. There are but two prepared prayers in the work, one the Lord's prayer, to which few can reasonably object for congregational worship; and the other Daniel's praver on account of Jewish sin, inserted for repetition by all in the service on national transgressions; should any object to this, there is an effective remedy by its non-employment. In the few ancient liturgies inserted in the second part will be found an apparent deviation from the strictness with which made prayers have been eliminated from other services, because the author deemed recitation of historical circumstances in the life of Christ, and of subjects of public united thankfulness, well calculated for responsive worship, and partaking more of the nature of the latter than of genuine supplication. Whilst advocating free prayer, the author is wishful to eschew for himself and others all bigotry and prejudice with regard to forms of prayer. In using the responsive services, it would perhaps be the wisest course to offer a short extemporary prayer previous to the service being recited by minister and congregation, and then to follow it by another short, spontaneous presentation of thanks and supplications to the Father in heaven. This, it is humbly hoped, would be conducive to fervid, heartfelt devotion. 3rd. Short space of time occupied in each service. Twelve minutes is the average length of time for the completion of each service. A few may be fifteen or eighteen minutes; but others are only ten, or even eight minutes long. This is an advantage. Too long a liturgy becomes wearisome. 4th. A part for our children and the Sabbath scholars. Worship as at present conducted in most dissenting places of worship, almost ignores the young people. This has been felt by many to be an injurious anomaly, and especially with regard to that important element of our modern churches, the Sabbath-school children. It is attempted in these services to remedy this evil by assigning a distinct portion to the children, whether of the school or of private families. To accomplish well the part assigned, there must be unflagging attention and sustained interest on the part of the young, as well as of the more adult portion of the congregation. It will be no small pleasure to the author to have succeeded, even in a small measure, in the removal of this generally acknowledged defect. 5th. No monotony. In the use of one prescribed form, Sabbath by Sabbath, and year by year, there is generated not only a familiarity with the contents, but too frequently a wearying sense of monotony. The excellence of the ritual is impaired in effect by an unvarying repetition. To avoid this universally-felt evil of liturgies, not one, but an ample number of services upon various topics has been prepared. This feature of the work, by securing a pleasing and edifying diversity, will, it is presumed, effectually exclude all tediousness arising from sheer monotony. Such are the distinctive features, and we would fain hope excellences, of the work now issued to the public. In other respects, the author is but too painfully aware of defects in execution; but had he waited for perfection nothing would have been attempted. Each part of this work might have been extended with facility, especially the number of services from extant liturgies might have been doubled; but such a course would have involved expense scarcely justified until it be seen whether the churches will to any extent adopt responsive services. In the hope that this little work may pioneer the way for something more elevated and effective, it is now offered to the churches |