12 Priest. Ō Gōd, make speed to save-us ; 4 and to the Holy Ghost"; Ans. As it was in the beginning, ìs nów, and èver sháll-be' world without end. Amen. Priest. (*) Praise ye the Lord. 22 Ans. The Lord's náme' bè-praised. to God seems only to be 'to open our lips;' but when the emphasis is placed on the word 'thou'-'Ō Lord, open thou our lips,' the figurative meaning starts forth, which is 'Do thou inspire us with a true spirit of devotion, and our mouth shall show forth thy praise.' Sheridan. Glory, &c.] The Minister should not proceed till the noise of the congregation's rising shall have entirely subsided.—The Doxology demands the full swell of the voice, accompanied with warmth and energy. In a cursory mode of reading, the conjunctive slide may be given to the words 'Father' and 'Son;' but the disjunctive will convey the sense with greater distinctness. Beware of making the conjunctions emphatic. -and to the Holy Ghost] The first part of the Doxology should terminate with the rising inflection, because that inflection is most in unison with the expression of rapture, and because it connects the meaning more closely with the second part.] As it was, &c.] This part must never be hurried over. In delivering it, due attention should be given to the rule respecting the reading of a series, which requires that the voice should gradually increase in the force and fulness of its tones as the series advances. See p. 32.] PSALM XCV.THE VENITE *. 25 1. O cóme, let us sing-unto-the-Lord; let us heartily rejoice' in the strength of our salvátion; 2. Let us come before his presence' with thanksgiving, and show ourselves glàd-in-him' with psálms ; 22 3. For the Lord' is a great-God; and a great king' above all-gods. 4. In his-hand' are all the corners of the 22 earth; and the strength of the hills' is hís àlso. 5. The sea'-is-his, and hè máde-it: and hishands prepáred the dry land. 15 15 6. O come, let us wòrship, and fall down, and kneel-before-the-Lord' our Máker; This Psalm, especially the seven first verses, may be delivered rather faster than the preceding part of the service, and with a degree of cheerfulness and animation. -let us sing-unto-the-Lord] The word 'Lord' having been used in the sentences immediately preceding, the emphasis in the present case should be placed upon 'sing.'] strength of our salvation] The rising inflection is here adopted, to show that the same connection subsists between this verse and the third, as between the second and third.] 14 7. For He is the LORD our GóD; and we are the people of his pásture, and the sheep of his hand. 8. To-day if ye will hear his voice,, hardennot your hearts, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation' in the wilderness; 9. When your fathers' tempted-me, provedme, and saw my works. sáw (0) 25 10. Fōrty years long was I grieved-with-thisgeneration, and said, It is a péople' that do èrr in their hearts, for they have-not known m'y wáys. 11. Unto whom' I swàre in my wráth, that THE'Y' should not enter' into m'y rèst. 9. When your fathers] When the language of the Deity himself is introduced, a deeper tone of voice and a slower delivery may help to produce greater solemnity and awe.] THE LESSONS. THE LESSONS] In specifying from what parts of Scripture the Lessons, as well as the Epistles and Gospels, are taken, it is required to be distinctly audible; but to adopt a solemn emphatic manner, as if the most important truths were announced, betrays great want of judgment.-With respect to the manner of reading the Lessons, the direction of the Ru G bric deserves particular attention. They are "to be read distinctly, with an audible voice: he that readeth so standing and turning himself, as he may be best heard of all such as are present." This latter direction is very important; because the greater part of the congregation are less conversant with the Lessons, than with the other parts of the service.— The custom of always looking over the Psalms and Lessons in private, before reading them in public, will be found to be extremely useful. See Preface, Sect. 13.] In some of the narrative parts of the Old Testament, the frequent and redundant repetition of the conjunction 'and' is very observable; which peculiarity some readers render still more conspicuous by always pronouncing the word with considerable force, as if it were of primary importance. Such a practice becomes very wearisome to the ears of the congregation. Other readers, anxious to avoid this error, clip the word into the shortened sound of 'end.' The correction of both these errors may be best accomplished by giving right inflections and proper force to the words that are of real consequence; by so doing, the unimportant and' cannot fail of becoming properly feeble, and passing without accent, though still it may be pronounced distinctly.] THE TE DEUM *. PART I. A Doxology. 1. Wé' praise-thee-'O'-Gód; we acknowledge thelle' to bé the LORD; The language of this Hymn, observes Dr. Bennet, is won 2. All the earth' doth worship thelle, the Father everlasting; 66 derfully sublime and affectionate, and we cannot utter any thing more pious and heavenly. Let our souls be warmed with correspondent affections. Let us mentally speak the versicles which we do not pronounce with the lips, and make the whole Hymn one continued act of ardent and intense devotion. And," continues the same writer, "let me entreat my brethren of the Clergy, not to begin this Hymn too hastily. After they have said 'Here endeth the first Lesson,' let them make a small pause, till the people have time to rise from their seats, and compose themselves for the recitation of this solemn Hymn.-After each of the Lessons, both in the morning and evening service, the same method should be observed before the beginning of any other Hymn or Psalm.” Paraphrase on the Common Prayer. The reader may be assisted in delivering this sublime Hymn, by observing the three distinct parts of which it consists. The nine first verses are expressive of praise and adoration. In the tenth commences a solemn confession of faith, but still addressed to the Deity, and this is followed by earnest supplication, continued to the end. Each part must be delivered in a manner suited to its peculiar character.] 1. Wé] This word requires a slight pause after it, if the paraphrase of Dr. Nichols be considered to convey the real meaning: "We, the congregation of thy faithful people now gathered together.”—An enumeration here begins of those who join in adoration:- We' who are here assembled ;— 'all the earth;'-'all angels;'-the justified spirits of Apostles, Prophets, and Martyrs.' -O God] The construction of the first sentence in the original Latin, is very peculiar, and the meaning not very |