thou them O God which confefs their faults. In the firft part of the fentence, the words, thou them, when run too clofely together, have a bad effect on the ear. Spare thou them' which may be avoided by a small separation of those words; as,

Spare thou' the'm' O God' which confefs their faults. Reftore thou them that are penitent. Here is a repetition of the fame words, thou them, which has still a worse effect on the ear, and is to be remedied in the fame way. • Reftōre thou' the'm that are penitent. According to thy promifes' declared unto mankind in Christ Jefu our Lord"" And grant O most mer

ciful Father for his fake' -Here we have another instance of the want of respect to the Deity, by not making the proper paufe before the immediate addrefs to him; and indeed the fame may be obferved throughout the whole fervice. It fhould be read thus:

I

thus: "And grantŌ mōft merciful Father for hi's fake' that we may hereafter' live a godly' rìghteous' and sober life" to the glory of thy holy name.

In reading the Abfolution, it is ufual to begin it in the fame manner, and tone of voice, as if it were a prayer addreffed to the Almighty, instead of speaking of him, and delivering a commiffion in his name. As thus Almighty God! the Father of our Lord Jefus Christ'-instead of the authoritative tone of one fpeaking in his name, and who has received power and commandment from him, to declare his gracious pleasure to his people. The words as they ftand, have indeed the fame air as feveral prayers beginning in the fame manner which probably has betrayed most into the fame mode of delivering them. But whoever will fuppofe them to be preceded by the article, the, which is under

8

ftood,

ftood, as thus-The Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, &c. will immediately fee the neceffity of ufing a tone very different from that of fupplication; and will eafily bring himself to the use of it. • Who defireth not the death of a finner, but rather that he may tur`n from his wick edness and live.' Here the emphasis on the words, finner, in the first part, and, turn from his wickedness, in the latter, obscure the main purport of the fentence; which is, The Almighty takes no pleasure in feeing a finner perish everlastingly (which is implied in the death of a finner) but wishes rather, by a course of penitence and reformation, he may receive eternal life; which is implied in the word, live. How ftrongly marked therefore should words be of fuch powerful import! And hath given power and commandment to his minifters, to declare and pronounce to his people being

penitent'

penitent'―The words, by being thus huddled together, lofe much of their import and clearness. But read in the following way-And hath given power and commandment to his minifters " to declàre' and pronounce to his people'-the diffe rent parts of each member of the sentence, and their reference to each other are dif tinctly pointed out. He hath given to his minifters commandment' to declare" and power' to pronounce the abfolution of fins-upon a certain condition. Ought not the condition then, to be particularly marked and enforced, instead of being flurred over as it usually is? to declare and pronounce to his people being penitent the abfolution, &c.' should it not have the folemnity of a pause, both before and after it, accompanied by a lower tone of voice, to give it its due weight? As thus to declare and pronounce to his people' being peni

tent' the abfolution' and remiffion of their fins. He pardoneth and abfolveth all them that truly repent, &c.' Here the obfervation formerly made recurs, of the flight manner in which the Almighty is often mentioned, and which must be much more ftriking on this occafion, where his minifter is commanded in his name, to declare his pleasure to his people, upon fo important an article. Surely this cannot be done with too much folemnity, and may be effected by dwelling with a tone of reverential awe, on the relative which stands for his name, followed by a fuitable pause; thus Hè" pardoneth and abfolveth all them that truly repen't' and unfèignedly believe his holy Gofpel. Wherefore let us befeech him to grant us true repentance, &c. In this, as in all other places, where there is a particular addrefs to the congregation, it is to be wished that it were

brought