Dr. Taylor wrote at Warrington, a pamphlet entitled ‘The Scripture Account of Prayer, in an Address to the Dissenters of Lancashire,’ occasioned by the preparation of a Liturgy, to be introduced into a new place of worship recently established at Liverpool; a proceeding which had excited considerable interest, and some rather angry controversy. On this question Dr. Taylor took a decided part, and expressed his opinion in strong terms, having a great dislike both to a liturgy in general, and more especially to the idea of introducing it in place of the method of free prayer, commonly practised among Protestant Dissenters.
It is not necessary here to enter into the argument on either of these points; but it may be observed, that the dispute seems to have arisen in part from a misconception of the object which the promoters of the scheme had in view, which was not strictly to introduce a form of prayer into congregations of Dissenters properly so called, but to afford to many members of the Established Church, who had expressed a dislike to the doctrine of the Common Prayer on the one hand, and to the extemporaneous prayer in use among Dissenters on the other, an opportunity of joining in a form of worship to which neither of their objections should apply. With this view a chapel was opened at Liverpool, in which the liturgy in question was introduced; but as very few of the