LETTEr.S. 2U1 



many of our forms, and how little they merit that con- 

 tempt which ignorant people pour upon them. Very 

 holy men (men now, we have every reason to believe, in 

 heaven) composed them, and they have been used from 

 age to age ever since, in our churches, with but few 

 alterations. But you will say they were used by the 

 Roman Catholics, who are a very superstitious and bi- 

 goted set of people. This is no objection at all, because 

 the Roman Catholics were not always so bad ; and what 

 is a proof of this is, that there once was no other reli- 

 gion in the world, and we cannot think that church 

 very wicked, which God chose, once, to make the sole 

 guardian of his truth. There have been many excellent 

 and pious men among the Roman Catholics, even at the 

 time their public faith was corrupted. 



You may have heard of the Reformation : you know 

 it was brought about by Luther and Calvin, in the six- 

 teenth century, about 1536. Now Calvin is the founder 

 of the sect of Independents, such as those who meet at 

 Castlegate, yet he had a hand in framing the liturgy 

 which, with alterations, we now use, and he selected it 

 in part from the liturgy of the Roman Church ; because 

 they had received it from the primitive Christians, who 

 were more immediately taught by the apostles. The 

 reformation means that change in religion which was 

 brought about, as said before, by Luther and Calvin, in 

 consequence of the abuses and errors which had crept 

 into the Romish Church. 



You may possibly think the responses, or answers of 

 the clerk and people, rather ridiculous. This absurdity, 

 however, generally consists more in the manner than in 

 the thing. They were intended to be pronounced aloud 

 by the people, and were used as a means to keep their 

 attention awake, and show their sincerity. At the time 

 this form was invented, not one man in five or six hun- 

 dred could read ; and these repetitions answered another 

 purpose, of fixing important ejaculations and sentences 

 in their minds. In these days the same necessity does 

 not exist ; but we still retain the form on account of 

 its other advantages, and through reverence of such an 



