S30 1 I T 
hence there were in the kingdom divers forms of public 
prayer ; there was the ufe of Sarum, the ufe of York, the 
ufe of Bangor, and the ufe of Lincoln. Thefe offices were 
all in Latin ; fo that the laity, who had not the advantage 
of a learned education, could not join in them, nor receive 
any edification from them ; they were alfo mixed with 
many of thofe corruptions into which the mother-church of 
the weftern world, the church of Rome, had fallen name¬ 
ly, addreffes to the faints, adorations of the ho(f, images, 
and other inventions that were no longer looked on with 
reverence when Henry VIII. began the great work of re¬ 
formation. It was then thought necefiary to correct and 
amend thefe offices; and not only to have the fervice of 
the church in the Engliffi tongue, but to reftore it to its 
original purity ; it being the defign of our reformers not 
to introduce a new form of worlhip, but to correct and 
amend the old one, till it was rendered more agreeable to 
Scripture, and the practice of the primitive church in the 
pureft-agesof Chriftianity. In this reformation they pro¬ 
ceeded with moderation, and gradually, according as they 
were able ; and thus at length our Common Prayer, framed 
upon the molt approved models of primitive Chriftianity, 
and brought to its prefent ftate after fucceffive revifions, 
has been judged to be as comprehenlive and as unexcep¬ 
tionable a form of public fervice as is ufed in any church 
in the world. We have the teftimony of the celebrated 
Grotius, that it comes nearer to the primitive patterns 
than thofe of any of the reformed churches. It has al¬ 
ways been in high efteem with the moft eminent protef- 
tants abroad ; and it has been admired even in the eaftern 
churches: it is difapproved only by the papifts, who 
grudge that it retains not more of their fervice; and by 
the diffenters, who are jealous that it retains fo much. 
Archdeacon Paley obferves, that it would be no diffi¬ 
cult talk to contraft the liturgies of moft churches into 
lialf their prefent compafs ; and yet retain every diftinft 
petition, as well as the fubftance of every fentirnent which 
can be found in them. Although this author does not 
admit the propriety of ftudying brevity too much, he is of 
opinion, that the too-great length of church-fervices is 
unfavourable to piety. It begets in many an early and 
unconquerable diflike to the public vvorftiip of their coun¬ 
try or communion. They come to church feldcm ; and 
enter the doors when they do come under the apprehen¬ 
sion of a tedious attendance, which they prepare for at 
fir ft, or foon after relieve, by compofing themfelves to a 
drowfy forgetfulnefs of the place and duty, or by fending 
abroad their thoughts in fearch of more amuftng occupa¬ 
tion. Although there may be fome few of a difpofition 
not to be wearied with religious exercifes, yet, where a ri¬ 
tual is prolix, and the celebration of divine fervice long, 
no effect is in general to be looked for, but that indolence 
will find in it an excufe, and piety be dilconcerted by 
impatience. It might further be obferved, that the extent 
of our ellabliihed liturgy does not leave time fufficient 
for public inftruction; tliat the attention is fatigued be¬ 
fore this part of our public fervice commences ; and that 
cxcefs in our public difcourfes, which admit of variety, 
is more excufable than the lame fault in our devotional 
exercifes, during which the attention ought to be kept 
alive, and the underftanding and heart properly engaged; 
whereas, on the contrary, as the fervice (el'pecially the 
inorning-fervice) is fo long, fermons are now generally 
fnort, and catechizing altogether omitted. But the length 
and repetitions complained of in our liturgy are not fo 
much the fault of the compilers, as the effect of uniting 
into one fervice, what was originally diftributed into three. 
Accordingly we obferve, thar the Lord’s Prayer in. parti¬ 
cular is enjoined to-be publicly ufed every Lord’s day in 
our ordinary fervice, when there is no. communion, no 
lefs than feven times, viz. five times in the morning and 
twice in the afternoon; and when there is a communion, 
and alfo afternoon fermon or lefture, then nine times; and 
if the office of baptifm,-and the other of churching of wo¬ 
men, happen to cpme in, as they may and do fometimes, 
L I T 
hoth morning and afternoon, then thirteen times. The 
Gloria Patri is introduced commonly, and moft ufually, 
feven or eight times; riot unfrequently nine or ten ; and 
may alfo occur eleven times, in the courfe of our morn¬ 
ing fervice only. Notwithftanding that dread of innova¬ 
tion, which, fays archdeacon Paley, feems to have become 
the panic of the age, few, as he fuppofes, would be dif- 
pleafed with fuch omiffions, abridgments, or change in the 
arrangement, as the combination of feparate fervices muft 
neceflarily require, even fuppofing each to have been 
faultlefs in itfelf. If, together with thefe alterations, the 
Epiftles and Gol'pels, and the Collefls which precede them, 
were compofed and feledfed with more regard to unity of 
fubjeft and defign ; and the Pfnlms and Leflons either left 
to the choice of the minifter, or better accommodated to 
the capacity of the audience, and the edification of mo¬ 
dern life ; the church of England would be in poffeffion 
of a liturgy, in which thofe who affent to her doftrines 
would have little to blame, and the diffatisfied muft ac¬ 
knowledge many beauties. The ftyle throughout is ex¬ 
cellent ; calm, without coldnefs ; and, though every¬ 
where i'edate, oftentimes affefting. The paufes in the 
fervice are difpofed at proper intervals; the tranfitions 
from one office of devotion to another, from confeffion to 
prayer, from prayer to thankfgiving, from thanklgiving 
to “hearing of the word,” are contrived, like feenes in 
the drama, to fupply the mind with a fucceffion of diver- 
fified engagements. As much variety is introduced alfo 
in the form of praying as this kind of compofition feems 
capable of admitting. 
It would be difingenuous not to acknowledge, that the 
chief part of our liturgy was in ufe in the Roman-catholic 
church, from which the church of England is reformed ; 
but it would betray a want of acquaintance with ecclefi- 
aftical antiquity to fuppofe that thefe prayers and fervices 
originated in that church, as feveral of them were in ufe 
from the fivft ages of C.hriftianity, and many of the beft 
of them before the name of pope or popery was known 
in the earth. Clarke’s Bible, p. xxv. Cockfons Com. Prayer. 
LIT'UUS,/. Among the Romans, was the ftaff made 
ufe of by the augurs in quartering the heavens. It bore 
a refemblance to the crofier of a bilhop, but was ftorter. 
It was crooked at one end, and thickeft in the curved 
part, according to A. Gellius. We frequently meet with a 
reprefentation of it upon medals, amongft other pontifical 
inftruments. It was called Lituus Quirinalis, from Quirinus, 
a name of Romulus, who was flcilled in all the myfteries 
of augury. On fome coins of Nero the lituus appears at 
his breaft ; and from badly-preferved coins has been taken 
by fome medallic writers for a ferpent. 
Lituus was alfo an inltrument of mufic in ufe in 
the Roman army, in the form of the augural ftaff, whence 
it had its name. It was a fpecies of clarion, or oftave 
trumpet, made of metal, and extremely loud and fhrill, 
ufed for the cavalry, as the ftraight trumpet was for the 
foot. Horace diltinguilhes it from the tuba, or trumpets 
Multos caftra juvant, et lituo tub® 
Permiltus fonitus, —--— Od. i. 23. 
as Claudian does from the flute : 
Tibia pro lituis, et pro clangore tubarum 
Molle lyrse, fultumque canant. 
A genuine ancient metalline lituus is now in the poC- 
feffion of fir Jofeph Banks ; it was found, with many other 
antiquities, both Roman and Anglo-Saxon, in clearing 
the bed of the river Wit ham, near Tatterfliall, Lincoln- 
(hire, in 1761, and is perhaps the only inltrument of the 
kind that is now extant. It is a long narrow tube, with 
a fwelling curve at the end ; it is neatly made of very thin 
brafs, with three joints, or pieces, like German flutes; 
and has been well gilt. Its length is upwards of four 
feet, though the upper end has been.evidently broken off. 
An inftrument of this kind, made of calf brafs, was found 
in digging a well near Battle in Sufiex,. and was then 
j filled 
