[o] With the Blessing : 'The Lord bless thee and keep thee,' &c. Somuch for daily Divine Service and for teaching the Word of God, speciallywith a view to influencing the young and alluring the simple. Those who comeout of curiosity and the desire to gape at something new will soon be sickand tired of the whole thing, as they were before of Divine Service in Latin.For that was sung and read in church daily, and yet the churches are desertedand empty: and already they are prepared to do the same with the GermanService. So it is best that such Divine Service should be arranged with aneye to the young and to those simple folk that may perhaps come to it. As forthe rest, no law nor order, exhortation nor driving, that one can devise, isof any good to induce them to go willingly and of their own accord to DivineService, so unwilling and reluctant are they to do so (though God takes nopleasure in forced service), so idle and good-for-nothing.      As for feast-days, such as Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, Michaelmas,Purification and the like, we must go on, as hitherto, with Latin till wehave hymns enough in German for the purpose. The work is but beginning, andall that belongs to it is not yet ready. Only, as one knows, make a start oneway and several ways and means will be discovered.      Fast-days, Palm Sunday, and Holy Week may be retained. Not that wewould compel any one to fast; but that the reading of the Passion and theGospels appointed for these times should be observed. But we would not keepthe Lenten veil, strewing of palms, covering up of pictures, and all theother mummery, nor sing the four Passions, nor preach on the Passion foreight hours on Good Friday. Holy week must be like other weeks, except thatthere should be sermons on the Passion for an hour daily throughout the week,or on as many days as is convenient, with reception of the Sacrament by allwho desire it. For with Christians everything should be kept in God's servicethat has to do with the Word and the Sacrament.      To sum up, this and every other order is so to be used that should anymisuse arise in connexion therewith, it should be immediately done away withand another made: just as King Hezekiah broke up and did away with the brazenserpent, which God Himself had commanded to be made, because the children ofIsrael misused it. Forms and Orders should be for the promotion of faith andthe service of love, and not to injury of faith. When they have no more todo, they are forthwith dead and of no more worth; just as, if good coin iscounterfeit, for fear of misuse it is abolished and destroyed; or as, whennew shoes have become old and dry, we wear them no longer but throw them awayand buy new ones. Order is an outward thing. Be it as good as it may, it canfall into misuse. Then it is no longer order but disorder. So no Order hasany intrinsic worth of its own, as hitherto the Popish Order has been thoughtto have. But all Order has its life, worth, strength, and virtue in rightuse; else it is worthless and fit for nothing. God's Spirit and grace be withus all. 

Amen.