134 LIFE AXD CORRESPONDENCE OF THE [l/SS 



almost sacrilege to api)roach the porch, or lift a hand to touch a single 

 part, to polish a single corner, or to clear it from its rust of years. 



When, on the one hand, we looked back to the days of the first refor- 

 mation in Religion, the progressive steps by which those pious worthies 

 broke down the enormous pile of rubbish and error, which for ages had 

 been built up to obscure the ancient foundations laid by Christ and his 

 Apostles ; when we considered the difificulties whfch they had to 

 encounter — the powers of this world combined against them — the 

 strength of ancient habits and prejudices — the ignorance of the age 

 (learning and philosophy being then at a low ebb, and chiefly engrossed 

 by those whose interest it was to support the former error;) when we 

 considered these things, we were rather astonished that they had gone 

 so far than that they went no farther — but, we were encouraged to pro- 

 ceed, by considering, on the other hand, that we had none of those 

 difficulties to deter us. 



Blessed be God, we live in a liberal and enlightened age, when Re- 

 ligion, if not so generally practised as it ought, is never' 'eless generally 

 better understood ; and when nothing can be considered as deserving 

 the name of Religion, which is not rational, solid, serious, charitable, 

 and worthy of the nature and perfections of God to receive, and of free 

 and reasonable creatures to perform — Nor had we to contend against, 

 nor suffer from, the rulers of this world. Blessed be God again, they 

 yield us that best protection and assistance which Religion can receive 

 from earthly powers — perfect and equal liberty to worship God accord- 

 ing to that sense of holy Scripture which our reason and conscience 

 approve ; and to make such alterations and improvements in points of 

 decency, order, government and edification, as the general body of the 

 Church, from time to time, may judge most expedient. 



Favourable to our wishes, therefore, was the present ^era. Through 

 the wise ordering of Providence, we had just become a sovereign and 

 separate people among the nations of the earth ; independent of all 

 foreign jurisdiction, in matters ecclesiastical as well as civil. With vast 

 labour and application our forms and constitutions of civil government 

 had been built up and established upon the purest principles of political 

 wisdom and liberty; in consequence of which, certain changes in our 

 ecclesiastical constitutions became necessary, as well as in our forms of 

 Prayer for the "powers that be;" considering them "as ordained of 

 God." 



These alterations being once made, an occasion was offered (such as 

 few Churches before us have ever enjoyed) of taking up our Liturgy or 

 public Service, for a Review, where our former venerable reformers had 

 been obliged to leave it ; and of proposing to the Church at large, 

 such further alterations and improvements, as the length of time, the 

 progress in manners and civilization, the increase and diffusion of 



