ment, we shall feel constrained to bend low before a Holy God. It is difficult I know, in some churches to kneel; but in spite of the difficulty we should do so; or, if this cannot be managed, we should at any rate stand up whilst we address ourselves to God.

And remember, not in this prayer only, but in every prayer kneeling is the fitting posture.

So much for the opening prayer in our service. And now, the Confession being ended, the minister rises up, and pronounces what is called

THE ABSOLUTION;

the people still remaining on their knees before the Lord. As God's ambassador, he announces pardon in his Master's name. He has no power himself to forgive, but he declares God's willingness to forgive those who are truly penitent.

These are the words,-" Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live; and hath given power and com

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mandment to his ministers to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins: he pardoneth and absolveth "—not all men, but "all them that truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy gospel "-in short, every penitent believer.

And then he finishes by begging them to ask God to grant them a really penitent heart, and also grace henceforth to live a pure and holy life.

It is a rule in our Church that only a Priest (that is, one in full orders) shall read this Absolution. A deacon may perform all the rest of the service.

Next follows

THE LORD'S PRAYER,

the Prayer of Prayers, which the Lord Himself has taught us, and which He meant to be a kind of pattern Prayer in all our approaches to the Throne of Grace. I will not do more than run through it very briefly.

In this Prayer we come before God as His children, and address Him as our heavenly

Father-"Our Father, which art in heaven." There are seven separate petitions.

First, we pray that God's name may be hallowed, or reverenced, by all men.

Secondly, that His kingdom may comethat is, that His Gospel kingdom may spread far and wide, and that His kingdom of glory may soon be ours.

Thirdly, that His will may be done by us here on earth, as it is done by saints and angels in the world above. We say "in earth," and not on earth; for the word in means throughout-that is to say, in every part of the earth.

The Prayer winds up with the words, "For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever." This is called the Doxology. We find it in St. Matthew's Gospel, but not in St. Luke's. In it we acknowledge the greatness and glory of God; and therefore we feel assured that He is able to bestow all that we have asked for.

What a pity it is that this Prayer of our Lord's, which means so much, should, from its very commonness, be so little thought of by us! What a pity that these words should

so often be repeated as if they meant nothing! May Christ Himself, who taught us the Prayer, teach us also how to use it!

Having now confessed our sins-having been assured of God's pardoning mercy by the mouth of His Minister-and having approached Him in the Saviour's own wordswe now prepare ourselves for the work of Praise, by putting up a few short petitions. But of these I shall speak in the next chapter. I trust that what has already been said may lead you to take a greater interest in our Church Prayers. Ask God to make His House a Bethesda, "a house of mercy," to you, and to make His worship a joy and delight to your soul. Ask Him to enable you to come before Him with a penitent and contrite heart, and to praise Him with joyful lips. And each time that you are invited to assemble in His Sanctuary, may the feeling of your heart be, "A day in thy courts is better than a thousand" elsewhere; "Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth."

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CHAPTER II.

THE PSALMS FOR THE DAY.

THE principal subject of this Chapter will be the Psalms for the Day.

Most of the Psalms contain words of Praise. And therefore, to prepare us for this portion of the Service, four Short Petitions are offered up. You will observe that two are uttered by the Minister, and two by the People. "O Lord, open thou our lips," says the one; and the others add, "And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise." You will find these very words in Ps. li. 15.

And why do we speak thus?

power to open our mouths, and

Have we not speak God's

praises? No, we can neither love God, nor praise Him as we ought, unless He touches our hearts, and unlocks our closed lips.

The Minister further prays, "O God, make