doning what we have been guilty of against the rule of that commandment, and his grace to keep it better for the future, in these words, Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law; which being a prayer, ought to be humbly offered upon our knees. Be very serious therefore, when the commandments are read; and think, as the minister goes along in every one of them, whether you have not offended God, by thought, word, or deed, in something contrary to that commandment, for in many things we all offend, as the Apostle tells us, James iii. 2. And accordingly, when you audibly join with the rest of the congregation, in that short prayer which follows each, beg pardon of God with a deep and true repentance; and, whether your conscience accuse you or not, be serious and in earnest, when you beg of God to incline your heart to keep that article of his law, and to write the whole upon it more effectually.

Whenever there is a sermon delivered, you should hear it with meekness and reverence, earnestly begging God, that you may both perceive and know what things you ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same.

THE BLESSING AT THE END OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE.

This part of the service concludes with a blessing, (to be pronounced by the minister alone, and not to be repeated after him) which is in these words: The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and remain with you always.

After the blessing, it may be fit to continue still for some

time upon your knees, humbly beseeching Almighty God to pardon what he has seen amiss in you since you came into his presence; and graciously to hear the prayers, and to accept the praises which you have now offered up to him, through the merits of Jesus Christ our only Mediator and Advocate.

A PRAYER AT OUR FIRST ENTRANCE INTO THE CHURCH.

Lord, I am now in thine house; assist, I pray thee, and accept of my services. Enable me, and all who shall this day meet in thy name, to worship thee in spirit and in truth.

Let thy Holy Spirit help our infirmities, and dispose our hearts to seriousness, attention, and devotion; and grant that we may improve this opportunity to the honour of thy holy name, and the benefit of our souls, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A PRAYER AT CHURCH, AFTER THE SERVICE IS ENDED.

Blessed be thy name, O Lord, for this opportunity of attending to thee in thy house and service.

Grant that I, and all that profess thy name, may be doers of thy Word, and not hearers only; pardon our wanderings and imperfections; and accept both us and our services, through our only Mediator Jesus Christ.

Amen.

APPENDIX II.

THE claims of the Church of Rome are built upon the supposition that Peter was chosen by our Lord above all the Apostles, and made chief Bishop or Pope, not only of Rome, but of all the world; that he has transmitted to the Popes of Rome by succession, this great prerogative of being the Vicegerent of God, with power to pardon sins, to punish transgressors as well by temporal as by spiritual pains, to depose princes, and to absolve their subjects from their oaths of allegiance to heretical princes. The canon law of the Roman Church says, that "if the Pope were so wicked as to carry with him innumerable people by troops to hell, to be with himself tormented for ever, yet no mortal man must presume here to reprove his fault, because he is judge of all, and himself to be judged of none." The divines of that Church speak of the Pope as having "an incomprehensible power, because great is the Lord, and great is his power, and of his greatness there is no end." Again he is called "King of kings, and Lord of lords."

It is truly surprising, upon what slight pretexts these lofty claims are founded. The whole authority that is urged for them from Scripture is, the declaration of our Lord to Peter, Mat. xvi. 18. "Thou art Peter, and upon

If common sense was not

this rock I build my Church." sufficient to teach us, that these words give no authority for the supremacy of Peter and his successors, we should find ample evidence of the fact in the opinions of the fathers and the acts of councils. It is certain that our

Lord constantly discouraged the idea of any pre-eminence among the Apostles, and that St. Peter never claimed any. At the council of Jerusalem, St. James, and not St. Peter, pronounced the sentence of the assembly. St. Paul on a certain occasion publicly reproved Peter before all, because he was to blame. Galat. ii. 11. This could not have been permitted if Peter had been appointed Pope in the sense now contended for by Roman Catholics. St. Ambrose, St. Austin, and Hieronimus commenting on the text, draw the same inference. The fathers sometimes speak of a primacy of worth or merit, on account of the age, or zeal, or elevation by which Peter was distinguished; and again they say with Chrysostom, that "St. Paul showeth that each Apostle did enjoy equal dignity." Accordingly we find that in the different councils bishops from different sees presided. Hosuis the Bishop of Corduba, in the council of Sardeia; Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, in the third general council of Ephesus; and Constantine the Emperor in the council of Nice-the Bishop of Rome, at that time, neither claiming, nor receiving, any precedence whatever. At length, however, because of its more powerful principality, Rome came to be looked up to with some deference, and her Bishop began to enjoy a proportionate share of her dignity. Cyprian gives this reason for its precedence; "Because Rome for its magnitude ought to precede Carthage." This is the sole ground upon which the council of Chalcedon affirmed the preeminence of Rome; "To the throne of ancient Rome, because that was the royal city, the fathers reasonably conferred the privileges." Upon this ground the Church of Constantinople at one time claimed the supremacy, and was called the head of the churches; "the Most Holy Church of that most religious city, the mother of our devotion, and of all orthodox Christians, and the most holy

see of that imperial city." Imp. Leo. cod. lib. 1. Tit. 2. § 16. Theodout says, that " Antioch was the most ancient and truly Apostolical Church." Theod. 5. 9.

These facts show that the papal office was not known in the primitive Church. If so, the Church of Rome as a true church falls to the ground; for it is on this hypothesis the infallibility of that church rests, and on this infallibility the whole chain of her rites, ceremonies, and doctrines depends. Many of these she does not pretend to derive from Scripture, but from tradition and the authority of the Church, which are paramount to them. The Church has decreed, and the Church is infallible; therefore the decree, is right and true. This is the great sword that cuts every Gordian knot, and removes every difficulty as by a magic wand. Upon this principle, her members are not permitted to renounce those absurdities which had crept into the Church in the dark ages of the world, when any thing was the more likely to gain belief in proportion to its incredibility. Transubstantiation, the worship of the Virgin Mary and the saints, purgatory, and many other articles of their creed, are found nowhere in Scripture, nor in the councils or writings of the early ages. But they have been decreed by the Church, and that is enough. Her members are taught that it is sinful to doubt what has been thus decreed, and therefore, never being allowed to investigate for themselves, they can never escape from the trammels imposed upon them by education and riveted by superstition.

It is manifest from these considerations, that the Roman Church is not, as it pretends to be, the oldest church. Because that Church existed before the time of the Reformation, it is speciously urged by the Romanists, that theirs is the oldest religion. It is, indeed, older than the Reformation, but not so old as primitive Christianity. Let any