emphasis that we naturally give to us in a corresponding passage, Luke xviii. 13, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.'-Smart.

And grant, O most merciful Father.]—This invocation is generally introduced without sufficient pause before and after it. The same remark is applicable throughout the Service to those invocations which are not placed at the beginning of a sentence.

Amen.]-The alphabetic sound of the a is generally adopted in reading, but both in chanting and singing it becomes more vocal when pronounced as ah, as in Father.'

THE ABSOLUTION.

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth' nót the death-of-a-sinner, but rather that he may tùrn-from-his-wickedness', and live; and hath given power and commandment to his Mínisters, to declare and pronounce to his people' being pénitent' the absolution and remission of-their sins-He' pardoneth and absolveth' all thém that trùly repént, and unfeignedly believe His Holy Gòspel'. Wherefore' let us beseech-him' to grant ús trùe repéntance' and his Holy Spirit' that those things may please Him' which we do at this présent, and that the rést-of-our-life hereàfter' may be pure and hóly; so that' at the lást' we may come to Hís etèrnal jóy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God, the Father, &c.]-" In pro

nouncing the Absolution, it is usual to begin it in the same manner and tone of voice as if it were a prayer addressed to the Almighty, instead of speaking of Him, and delivering a commission in His name. The words, as they stand, have indeed the same air as several prayers beginning in the same manner, which probably has betrayed most into the same mode of delivering them. But whoever will suppose them to be preceded by the article the,' which is understood as thus, "The Almighty God,' &c., will immediately see the necessity of using a tone very different from that of supplication, and will easily bring himself to the use of it."-Sheridan.

The tones required are certainly not supplicatory but smooth and even, solemn and dignified, with somewhat of an authoritative manner, until the commencement of the hortatory part, Wherefore' let us beseech Him' to give us grace, &c. After pronouncing the word 'wherefore' with the upward inflection, a pause may be introduced, followed by a change of manner corresponding with the sentiment. In delivering the concluding words, the Minister should take care to be particularly solemn, deliberate, and impressive. He must likewise studiously mark the transition from pronouncing the Absolution to joining in

prayer. Having spoken with a dignity suitable to the ambassador of Heaven, he must prepare himself for uniting with his fellow-sinners in the tones which befit the humble supplicant.

-power, and commandment.]-It is necessary to observe the comma after power, and to stress the and,' the sense being, God has not only given power, but has commanded to exercise that power.-A. J. D. D'Orsey.

-who desireth' not the déath-of-a-sinner, &c.]-The pause should be inserted before the negative, to show that the verb desireth' is implied in the following member of the sentence -'but (desireth) rather,' &c.

-being penítent.]-These words express the condition on which the Absolution is pronounced; and therefore (as Sheridan justly asks) should it not have the solemnity of a pause, both before and after it, accompanied by a suitable depression of voice, to give it its due weight?

-remission-of-their-sins.]-Be careful to lay the stress on remission,' rather than on 'sins.” The latter word is equivalent to to the word 'wickedness,' which has already been expressed; and therefore the word 'sins' will pass under the inflection which commences on the word 'remission.'

-Hé pardoneth.]-The verbs' pardoneth' and ' absolveth' are so far removed from the subject, 'Almighty God,' that, for the sake of perspicuity, the pronoun 'He' is inserted. A pause after it is necessary: it will then convey this meaning: 'He (ie., the Almighty Being whose merciful disposition has now been described) pardoneth and absolveth,' &c.

-to grant us true repentance, &c.]-This pronoun is here emphatic, because reference is made to the preceding sentence. We are to pray that we may be included among "all them that truly repent, &c."-Many readers emphasize several of the pronouns in the Absolution where no contrast seems to be intended, and the sense does not require emphasis: e.g., Almighty God. . . . who hath given power and commandment to His Ministers to declare and pronounce to His people, &c.'-' Wherefore let us beseech Him to grant us true repentance and His Holy Spirit, that those things may please Him, which we do at this present.'

-through Jesus Christ.]-Beware of the error of giving stress to the preposition, pausing at the wrong place, and slurring over the words, thus: 'through-Jesus, Christ our Lòrd.'

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

Our Father-which-ărt-in-Héaven, hàllowed bé thy name ; thỳ kingdom còme ; thỳ will’ be dòne in earth, ás-it-is in heaven.

Give-us this day our daily bread, and forgiveus óur-tréspasses, as wè-forgive them that trespass against us and lead-us-not' into temptation, but' deliver us from èvil.

:

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glóry' for ever and èver. Amen.

Pause before beginning the Prayer. Longer pauses are required between the several parts of it than of other prayers, both because it contains so many distinct petitions, and because each petition, though brief, embraces so much meaning. The mind requires a little time to be enabled to keep pace with these rapid transitions, and to embrace this fulness of signification; whereas, other prayers generally present only one or two leading ideas, with which the secondary sentiments are closely connected, and which they tend to explain and enforce.

And as the Prayer is to be repeated aloud by the people with the Minister, longer pauses will likewise serve to prevent that confusion and indistinctness of utterance which generally prevail throughout the whole; whilst the slow and deliberate manner of speaking adopted by the