The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-09-19
REVERENCE IN WORSHIP.

The attention to certain things,
little matters, in themselves, on the
part of priest and people will do
much towards securing that rover
ence which should always charac-
terize Divine Service. Public wor-
ship is not to be engaged in with
out due preparation, and therefore,
following the Apostolic injunction
that all things should be done de-
Gently and in order, the Church has
provided carefully prescribed forms
to be used on the several occasions
of divine service. But no order,
however admirable, will in itself Sc
cure reverence; rubrics cannot create
the deyout spirit, that must be cul-
tivsted in the closet. But without
considering now that spiritual pre-
parat:on which is essential to true
worship, attention will be directed
to some little matters which have
considerable influence in determin-
ing whether the service shall be
reyercnt or not.
AS to the Priest. He should al
ways be at Church in time to kaou
that everything is ready for service,
80 that when he enters the chancel,
neither his thoughts nor those II
the people will be distracted by his
having to hunt about for prayer
book or hymnai, and, it may be,
be compelled to return to the vestry-
room before his search is ended.
Such aD exhibition proclaims TO all
the low estimate he places on pub
lie worship, and how little though
he gives to preparation for divine
service.
If his thoughts are upon what he
processes to be engaged in, he viii
have neither time nor inclination tc
spend few moments in gazing at
the congregation, and lookingaround
to see who is present, it should be
sufficient for him to know that the
LORD is in His holy temple.
Like priest like people, and if the
priest sets this example the people
will be certain 10 initiate it. Nor il
it proper to indulgs this curiosity
while the choir is singing, for praise
is just as essential part of worship
as prayer, The priest should be very
careful that nothing in his manner
should encourage the too prevalent
opinion that the portion of the ser
vice which is sung is only a musical
performance to be listened to by the
congregation, and therefore he
should not sit down, wander about
the chancel and whisper to the other
clergy, or hunt up the lessons while
the praises Of God are being sung,
any more than he should do tbs Sc
things while prayer is being offered.
The lessons should be found and
marked before the congregation
assemblies, and the Bible should
never be closed while the church is
open for service. An open Bible is
the boast of our communion, and
every church should have a hand
some copy Of the sacred Scriptures
upon the lecturn to be used there
and there only. The Bible on the lee
turn is, as it were, the official copy
of Gods Word, from which the
lessons should be read, and not from
a pocket Bible or wade mecum.
The Bible should not be closed,
much less thrust. aside, during the
sermon, its open pages being, as it
were, the ever speaking voice of the
Divine Revelation warning the
preacher to deliver his message &C
cording to the Law and the Testi-
mony.
Throughout the service the priest
had better read from the book tina n