brought more home to them, by force of emphasis on the proper word; as thusWherefore let us befeech him to grant u's' true repentance—that is, let us all who are here affembled, unite to befeech him that we may be made fit partakers of this covenant; the covenant just before published to all Chriftians. From which each pastor takes occafion to exhort his own particular flock, earnestly to pray to God, that they may partake of it.

These are the principal faults usually committed in reading the absolution. Others of finaller note I fhall not expatiate on, but leave them to each one's obfervation, by reading the whole in what appears to me to be the right manner.

Almighty God' the father of our Lord Jefus Christ' who defireth not the death of a finner but rather that he

may turn from

his wickedness and live" and hath given

po`wer'

power and commandment to his minifters to declare and pronounce to his people' being penitent' the abfolution and remiffion of their fins He" pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent' and unfeignedly believe his holy gofpel Wherefore let us beseech him' to grant u's' true repentance' and his hòly fpirit". that those things may please him' which we do at thi's prefent' and that the rest of - our life hereafter may be pure and hòly" fo that at the las't' we may come to his eternal joy through Jefus Christ our Lord "

I now come to the Lord's prayer. Nothing can fhew the corrupt ftate of the art of reading, or the power of bad habit, in a ftronger light, than the manner in which that short and fimple prayer, is generally delivered. In the first words of it, Our Father which àrt in Heaven-that falfe em

phafis on the word, art, has almoft univerfally prevailed. This strong stress upon the affirmative, art, looks as if there might be a doubt, whether the refidence of God were in Heaven, or not; and the impropriety of the emphasis will immediately appear, upon changing the word we are accustomed to, to another of the fame import. For instance, should any one inftead of fayingOur Father who refideft in Heaven-read -Our Father who resideft in Heaven, the absurdity would be glaring. confequently should be read in the fame way - Our Father' which art in Heaven' with the emphafis upon Heaven, and the voice fomewhat raised. I have known a

The other

few who have seen this mistake, and to avoid it, have run into another errour, as thus- Our Father whichart in Heaven,' making the two words, which and art, appear but as one, by too precipitate an ut

terance

terance-whichart-They should be pronounced distinctly, but without any stress; and this will be accomplished in spite of habit, by frequent trials, if care be taken to reserve the emphafis for the word Heaven, as thus Our Father' which art in

Heaven' hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.'-By running the words and members of the sentence thus into each other, the importance of the fentiments, and the relation which one member of the sentence bears to the other, are loft. The firft, expreffes a wifh for the coming of the promised kingdom of Chrift; the other, a defire of the confequences to be expected from the coming of that kingdom, that the will of God may be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven; which we are told will be the cafe, when Chrift begins his reign. The meaning of the firft, is the fame as if it

were written-May thy kingdom come; but the word, may, being understood, its place fhould be supplied by a small pause before the word, come-thy kingdom' come "" and after a due pause, to let fo folemn a wish make its proper impreffion, the reason of this with, that is, in order that the will of God may be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven, fhould be diftinctly pointed out, by a small paufe before the words, on Earth, and, in Heaven, as thus'thy kingdom' come" thy will' bè done' on earth' as it is in Heaven'—with the emphasis on the word, be, and a pause before it, to correfpond with the pause and emphafis, before, and on, the word, come ; as there is the fame reason for both, may, being here understood, as in the former cafe; may thy kingdom come" may thy will be done" and upon the absence of that optative' the emphasis, in order to fup

ply