TRACTS FOR THE TIMES.
BISHOP BULL ON THE ANCIENT LITURGIES.
(From his XIIIth Sermon.)
[To Timothy,] to this public person, to this great bishop of the Church, is this charge given by St. Paul in my text: "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men," &c. He was to take care that such prayers should be made in all churches and congregations under his inspection and jurisdiction.
And how could he do this, but by providing by his authority that there should be set forms of prayer, framed according to this rule, given him by the Apostle, to be used in those churches? Sure I am, the primitive Catholic Church understood this to be the meaning of the Apostle. Hence, in all the churches of Christ over the world, however distant from each other, we find set forms of public prayers, suited and conforming to this direction of the Apostle.
And, indeed, if we consult all the ancient liturgies extant at this day, we shall find this observation to be most true; they are all framed and composed according to this rule of the Apostle.
And it is observable, that however those ancient liturgies have been altered and corrupted in after times by many additions and interpolations, yet there are in all of them still remaining many excellent and divine forms of prayer and thanksgiving wherein they do all perfectly agree, and which, therefore, cannot reasonably be thought to have any other original than apos-
