Spirit which are the ground life of the worship of God Superstitio est vitium contrariu religioni Superstition is a sin opposite to Religion saith Aquinas which is very clear from the nature and rise of it for as Religion is a worshiping of God according to his wil Quisquts praeceptis Câ—â—lestibus obtemperaverit is culior est Whosoever followes the divine Precepts that is a worshipper of God saith Lactant. but superstition carrying the very nature in the name of it tels us that 〈◊〉 Supra statutum over and above the Statutes of God 〈◊〉 Word in the Greeke is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as if it should signifie the feare of the Divell and the signification sutes very well with the nature of the thing for when a man coyneth a worship to himselfe he recedeth so farre from the feare of God and whereas the Divell is the Author of all superstitious worship whether it be of another God or of the true God after a way of selfe-device or will-worship then it may be truely called the fear oâ— the Divell as the true worship of the true God is notioned under the name of his feare this superstition shutteth up the way to the Iewes conversion and openeth the mouthes of Atheisticall Gentiles against the profession of all religion in derision whereof Auerroes speakes tantingly thus Sit antma mea cum Philosophis quia Christiani aaâ— rant quod edunt Let my soule be with the Philosophers because the Christians adore that which they eate So may the Jewes take occasion to say Let our soules be with the old Ceremonies sith the Christians new Ceremonies are so foppish and ridiculous having no footing from the Word of God But to bring the charge to the particular in hand if our Lyturgie be not a Messe of superstition and superstitions Ceremonies we professe we know not what superstition is to instance it in one particular namely in the grand Ceremonie of adoration or kneeling at the Sacrament hath it not beene the staffe and strength of that abominable I doll the breaden God and if the Masters of the Ceremonies disavow that opinion yet the Sermoks and Writings of divers of them doe testiâ—ie to their face how they go as far yea and farther than many Papists in that particular as it is true that the current of Popish Champions doe maintaine the bodily presence as Innocentius the father of that Monster Bellarmir and Heiga the Expositor of the English Masse by changing and chopping that fiâ—â—t corpus so divers of the Canturbur an faction as himself Mountagu Packlington Lawrence agree with the Papists and Lutherans in this point namely concerning the Matter leaving the Manner as a Cabaâ—isticall Mysterie de vocibus aixi ne de inâ—ssa quidem imo nec transubstantiationis certamen moveremus for word saith Mountague as the Mosse yea or transubstantiation it selfe we will not contend I like not those saith Doctor Lawrence that say his body is not there and to explaine himselfe he addeth Substantially Essentially not by way of Commemoration or Representation but should not this be their opinion since they act what they hold by a materiall Altar Priest and Sacrifice had not that Hydra of the Scottish Lyturgie made a greater Monster by the addition of some more heads and that very cunningly by the English Authours and sent out to take in the Church of Scotland had not that we say lost all the heads and had the braines dash'd against the stones the aforesaid Authours made no question but that all the power of both Head and Tatle should have had room enough to dominere here in England the Pope having such a large army both of Legionarie and Auxiliarie forces to maintaine it But blessed be God who brake the head of that young Dragon in our neighbour Nation and we hope will by you crush out all the blood of the old one here who was the mother of that and the Masse-booke the mother of both there is a Proverbe amongst the Naturalists {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Except a serpent eat a serpent it cannot become a Dragon so except our Liturgie had beene full of serpents it could not have hatched the Dragon that was sent unto Scotland The superstitions of this bulke are such and so many that if Paul were here and saw them as he saw that of Athens he would undoubtedly cry out Men and brethren I see that in all things you are too superstitious we may better apply that speech of Tacitus concerning superstition not exittalis hurtfull or dangerous but execrabilis cursed and execrable and so it is indeed both to whole Churches and other people whose eyes God hath opened to see the evill of it which we are confident you do and I say as Paul said to King Agrippa We know you beleeve it but as it seemed unreasonable to Festus to send Paul a prisoner without the charge laid against him so we neither will nor dare charge any thing upon this Lituâ—gie which we shall not prove nor desire the outing of it without good and sound reasons for our desire and therefore we humbly and heartily desire your Honours to take into your consideration these five Reasons following The first is from the Name wherein the Champions of the service-Service-Booke agree with the Papists calling at the Masse The second is from the Ground of it The third is from the Matter of it The fourth is from the Manner of it The fifth is from the Effects of it to which we will adde some Motives CHAP. II. Of the Name FOr the First the Service-Booke-men and the Papists doe mutually interchange the Name of Liturgie and Masse the latter call their Masse by the name of Lyturgie the Jesuite Sanctes professeth that the most convenient Name that can be given to the Masse is that of Lyturgie or Service not but that the word Lyturgie is of good use for {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} signifieth to officiate in sacred Worship witnesse Acts 13. 1. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as they were ministring unto the Lord Where the Rhemists vaunt of a coyned liberty to translate the word saying Masse Which were to crosse the truth and all the learned upon the place as O cumenius Theophylact and Chrysostome yea and their owne Expositors as Cajetan and others the Apostle rendereth it by another word of the same value {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} but howsoever they scrape kindnesse to a word of use till they abused it yet who knoweth not that knoweth any thing that their Lyturgie is the very Lethargie of Worship and what difference betweene our Liturgie and theirs truely nothing but a paire of sheeres and putting ours in a Coat of another tongue as shall afterward abundantly appeare onely ours hath not all that theirs hath but ours hath nothing to a word but out of
a Curbing bit to stop to wind and turne them at their pleasure yea sometimes to cut them in the mouth if they delivered any such part of Gods Counsell as touched their copy-hold besides the scoffing calumnies that the Prelats and their Janizaries would put upon them how did they grieve the soules of divers worthy men that divers of them were forced to breake through that Egyptian bondage with danger of their liberties and lives if they had beene reached by the Prelates ill Angels but flying with the Woman into the Wildernesse the flood of the Service-booke out of the mouth of the Serpent was sent after them but both fire and water conspired to the devouring of it witnesse its arrivall at New England two fellowes being drunke addressed themselves by water to disperse some bundles of them one of them swearing that he would have a pipe of Tobacco in despight of the Devill striking fire the sparks fell into a barrell of Gun-powder which blew both men and bookes all into the ayre the men were saved by swimming in the water and the Liturgie sunck when it could not swimme and so we hope it shall Some of us heard a painefull Minister complaine with abundance of teares a little before his death That so long as he and such as he carried the Prelates fardell after them they would never downe We will shut up this point with a very remarkable observation though God made conforming Ministers being the Dispensers of his Word the meanes to turne many from their evill wayes yet this proved for the most part but in the point of life and conversation and not in point of parity of worship according to our Lord and Masters practice upon his patient that Samaritan woman whom he reclaimeth not onely from uncleannesse of life but also from a polluted worship the Woman here is not onely touched in conscience for her evill life but also desires to bee rectified in the case of Religion Christ healeth her of both those diseases and having given check as a Father observed both to the arrogancie of the Samaritans and of the Jewes for the latter was faulty as well as the former though not in the like degree hee layeth downe an undeceivable rule for both that they and all who will worship God acceptably must worship him in spirit and in truth in spirit that is opposed to bodily service as washings annointings garments c. In truth that is opposed to shadowes and figures whereof Christ is the substance and the body such converts then as will reape comfort out of respect had unto all Gods Commandements they must come downe from the mountains of impure worship Austin hath a pretty saying upon this that he that will draw neare to God must come downe from his owne mountaine or from the mountaine of his owne device in Gods worship it is a duty laid on Christs Messengers in preparing of his way to lay those mountaines levell as well as others but the good men durst not meddle with the Gerezim of the service-Service-booke because they were captives to it and partly because the Philistims that kept it would fall upon them We come in the second place to the Ordinances blocked up by the booke as close as the Ministers we must give but a touch as our Liturgian Masse-mongers esteeme more of the Service than Preaching so they justle out and keepe out Preaching with it For the former let Howson speake not being ashamed to assert that Preaching is no part of divine worship agreeable to that Canon of the constitution Anno 1603. making a cleare and positive distinction betweene Preaching and Worship in these words in time of divine Worship or Preaching And for the later we vvill cite but one testimony for brevities sake namely from the same Canons If any Minister having subscribed to the Articles and to the Liturgy and to the Rites and Ceremonies therein contained doe afterward omit any thing he is liable to the penalty of suspension for one moneth and after that if he amend not to excommunication and lastly if he continue so the third moneth to totall deprivation they have their patterne from Pope Pius the fifth who made the same impious sanction for the Breviary that at no time nor in any case any thing thereof should be omitted yea the Congregations of London have had too much experience of Service for Sermons which exchange is very robberie contrary to the Proverbe for it is ordinary with the Iourney-men Levites and Letanie-priests to spin out all the time in making up that course thred of the Service that is allotted for Sermon and this they do of malice like the dog in the manger but were it good they would never be so eager upon it for the Countrey Priests will cast it thorow a riddle and curtall it to the waste to gaine a long after-noone for prophane sports but judge ye Honourable Senatours if this be not a miserable case that Hagar should not onely insult over Sarah but also thrust her out of her owne house How unreasonable yea how dangerous a thing is it that the wholsome and soule-saving Word of the Lord Iesus should give place to a fardell of mens devices in the worship of God We come now in the third place to the People there are three things of note in every common-wealth {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the People Religion and Law the Service-booke intrencheth upon all these as first upon the Law in so many particulars though we cannot name them all that it justly may be called Nomomastix a scourge to the Law we will instance in one or two particulars first by the Law of England no Clergie-man to the very Pope himselfe shall beare any Rule or Exercise any Iurisdiction Nisi in rebus spiritualibus Except in spirituall things witnesse the second Lawyer that ever wrote of our Lawes namely * Bracton who lived in the time of King Henry the third when Popery was in the â—uffe for a little before in King Iohn his time the Crowne of England was at the Popes disposing which I alledge the rather to shew the Insolency and Impudency of our Prelates managing of the Service-booke against the Law to which book if Ministers will not conforme and subscribe they out them of their free-holds contrary to right and law the iniquity of which course hath been clearly manifested in Caudryes Case Another witnesse yet more antient appears in this particular namely * Glanvill the first that ever writ of our Lawes in the time of King Henry the second under whom the said Authour was Lord Chiefe Iustice and speaking of the Case of the triall of advowsons belonging as he alledgeth Ad Coronam dignitatem Regiam To the pleas of the Crowne he produceth a prohibition to the spirituall Court which he calleth Curiam Christianitatis that they meddle not with the matter though it might seeme collaterally to
translation to bee read to some particular instances wee come and amongst many places we must give but a touch wee will begin with that palpable falshood Psal. 105. 28. which the Booke hath thus They were not obedient to his Word but the Scripture saith They were not disobedient to his Word what directer contradiction can there be than this the Scripture given by inspiration of the Spirit admitteth no contradiction Doctor Spark told the Archbishop of Canterbury that it was apparent by the History of their dealing in Egypt that to reade They were not obedient to his Word were to charge Moses and Aaron with falshood Another place abused Luke 10. 1. being their Gospell for that Evangelists day After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also and sent them two and two before them but the common Booke reade seventy two which though it be not in matters of faith as the defendants answer yet it is a corrupting of the Scripture May we teare a mans skin from his flesh because we cut not the sinewes nor breake not the bones In a word this is the answer of the Papists upon the place which our Writers take off But now we will evidence in a place as matter of faith as we take it Gal. 4. 5. the Service-booke readeth that â—e through election might receive the adoption that belongeth to naturall sonnes where the Church Bible according to the originall hath it thus that we might receive the adoption of the sonnes For naturall sonnes of God we cannot be said to be Nam non nascimur sed renascimur Christiani for we are not borne Christians but borne againe yea by nature we are the children of wrath is there not matter here of flat contradiction and that in a high point of faith We will trouble you but with one other place and that upon matter of faith too namely Luk. 1. 28. and 48. the Text hath it Hayle freely beloved or having found favour but the Service-booke will none of that but reade it Hayle full of grace just with the Rhemists and the defenders of it goe upon the same grounds that they doe crossing the true signification of the words all sound and learned Expositors ancient and moderne as Pagnious Vatabalius Chrysostome Beza Doctor Fulke Doctor Whitakers and others sorting full with Gregory Martin Reynolds and the rest and gives incouragement to Stafford in his Female Glory to tell the Puritanes railingly that till they bee good Marians in his sense they shall never be good Christians There are fifteene places more in the service-Service-booke of this cut but these are enough and too many to be so abused Now we come to a touch of Additions as the Booke addes three whole verses to the 14. Psalme where a great difference is to be thought on betweene a Paraphrafter and a Translator The former may amplifie but yet in different letter from the Text but the Translator may not adde no not from other Texts of Scripture The grand Papists the justifiers of this and other such stuffe dare not avouch these verses to bee in the Hebrew or Greeke copies no not in the Greeke Bible set forth at the command of Sextus Quintus 1587. for the justifying of the vulgar Latine as appeares by his owne copie written by Cardinall Carraffe and another Cardinall namely Cajetan avoucheth that Paul in the third to the Romans had taken them from divers places of Scripture Sed ignorâ—ns nescio quis adjunxit has Psalmo 14. But some ignorant party I know not who hath added them to the 14. Psalms so there is a whole verse added to the 13. Psalme and an addition added to the 24. Psalme corrupting the Text and applying that to Iacob which is spoken of God and divers additions more which we will not reckon Now a taste of omissions or leaving out as all the titles of the Psalmes being as other holy Scripture given by holy inspiration and very usefull yea and Master Bâ—cer learnedly and divinely affirmeth are as so many keyes to unlock and open the doore that letteth in to the understanding of the Psalmes Hallelujah is left out of the 72. Psalme the Booke omitteth Prayse yee the Lord seventeene times and putteth in Glâ—ria Patri Lastly amongst divers other omissions on which we cannot insist the comfortable conclusion of the Lords Prayer is left out They have drown'd in this Book 160. Chapters according to their owne account of Canonicall Scripture amongst which are whole bookes as the Cbronicles Cantcles and the most part of Apocalyps left out in place whereof the Apocrypha is placed and that as they say tending more to edifying yea and some Chapters also wherein are palbable untruths as Ecclesiasticus 49. Iuduh 9. Tobit 5. the last two of these Bookes being fabulous a president of these foule abuses of Scripture are found no where in the world but in the Popish Masse-booke To this we may subjoyne that prophaning grosse abuse of Epistles and Gospels in which there are three strange and remarkable occurrences for which there is no ground or reason but from the Masse-booke and Masse-mongers First what reason is there that in the Masse-booke and in our Liturgie the Acts of the Apostles and Prophets yea any booke of the old Testament the books of Genesis excepted by them should be called Epistlâ—s as Acts 7. on Stephens day Rev. 14. on Innocents day Ioel 1. Esay 50. Secondly there is never a full passage or whole place but scraps and shreads as the beginning of one Chapter and ending of another and in this they deale with the Word as Mezentius deale with his beds he cut them and lengthened them to serve his owne cruell humours and not for the good of his guests If Kings will not have their Writs by confusion of names â—ronged much lesse the King of kings who is the God of order Thirdly and lastly at the Epistles there is silence sitting and what every one will but at the Gospels there is standing scraping bowing and a response before and after as every one of these were to serve some piece of superstition or other so thereasons given by Papists are as ridiculous as the things are superstitious it is enough to name them in generall that the maintainers of the Liturgie may be ashamed to alledge them and better of their owne they have not We therefore desire your Honours to cast a regardfull eye upon the wronged and much abused Word and not as paessers by as Ieremis speakes in a case much like but as supreame Iudges here on earth to vindicate Gods dishonour done to him in his Ordinances Gods Word as the Fathers speake is his Epistle not in that sense they call Prophesies Epistles wherein he commends many lovely favours to us yea his Testament wherein he leaves and bequeaths many rich legacies to us If Kings and Monarchs should deale so with us would we suffer them to be abused
16. 2 Cor. 6. 2. Matth 4. 10. cleare contrary to the divine law and indisputable prerogative of God the Homilies appointed by the Law of the land the most and best reformed Churches and the harmony of Confessions none siding with them in it but Papists and popishly affected Now we come to touch and but to touch upon the foppish and foolish things in the Booke besides the foolish and senslesse iranslations of some Psalmes pressed by the Service-booke as Psal. 58. 9. Psal 68. 30. which would be too large to set downe and canvasse What can be said for those Tautologies and Battologies used in the Service-booke as Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us the very Popish Kyrieleison Christeleison condemned Matth. 6. 7. the word Battologie here condemned commeth as the learned observe from one Battus a ridiculous Poet repeating the same words or verses often and so Christ forbiddeth a vaine repetition of words or phrases and the better the words are the more grievous is the sin so the vaine repetition in Prayer is most odious of all both the heathenish and Popish Battologies are strucke dead at one blow saith Master Cartwright for mumbling up the same prayers againe and againe and can these repetitions of ours being the very same in English go Scot-free one foppery more for we cannot name them all namely that mutuall salutation betweene Priest and people in these words The Lord be with you and with thy spirit which Doctor Boyce girding at the Novellists takes upon him to defend from Ruth 24. with many invective straines with other matter to little purpose is it a good argument from salutation in civill conversment to fall a saluting one another in the worship of God if our Lord and Saviour forbad his Disciples to salute any in the way so farre as it might be any impediment to his service like unto that of Elisha the Prophet how much lesse will Christ admit salutations in the midst of his Service It seemes their devotion is very hot that falleth to tosse a salutation whilest they are upon Gods worship Hence is that apish tricke in the Northerne parts that all the women especially in comming into the Church make a câ—rtesie to the Priest Doctor Boyce for further confirmation citeth the Lyturgie of Iames Chrysostome and Basil but all know as hath been said that they who are acquainted with this subject know these Lyturgies to be as Apocryphal as the subject the Doctor confesseth upon the report of Bellarmine that Tritenhemius writ a whole booke upon Dominus Vobiscum in which are many fruitlesse questions and so we are sure the thing it selfe is fruitlesse CHAP. V. Of the Letany WE come now to the last piece of the matter of the Lyturgie but not the least sinfull but rather the most offensive Namely the Letany not a stump or a limb of Dagon but the head of the Masse booke appointed to be said on Sundayes Wednesdayes and Fridayes yea and at other times if the Ordinarie appoint it of this it may truly be said as one said of the Pharisees sinne that it was either the sinne of the holy Ghost or a sinne very nigh it so the Letany is either blasphemie or very nigh blasphemy upon these dayes one of every house must be present setting a note of some preheminency both upon these weeke dayes and the Service yea from the Etymologie of the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or Letany the defenders of it will have it to be a more serious and cordiall prayer than others it is observed by the learned that the Antients had the order and manner of the Letany from the Heathens as Dtonysius Halicarnassius witnesseth and Causabon observeth in these words {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Letanies or Supplications about the altars of their gods Polybius renders the words very handsomely and significantly by the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifieth to intice the gods by blandishing allurements these words and others used by humane Writers to the same purpose as by Homer and others falls in with the same fault that our Saviour accuseth the Pharisees of namely vaine repetition and multitude of words for which saith Christ they thinke to be heard Now this Letany is a very fascinating fardel of tautologies and Battologies besides its other faults in this Letany there is Lord deliver us eight times Heauens we beseech thee twenty times to omit many desires to be delivered from things from which there is not the least appearance no more than of the french pox the danger of being drunke at a Whitson ale or a purse cut at a stage play and not so much In that prayer to be delivered from fornication what meaneth that addition and from all other deadly sin as though some sin were not deadly Againe after a tautological summing up and repetition of the titles and Elogies of the Trinity tossed with responses they fall on in a heathenish way to act the word Letany or Maggany as it is well rendered namely as it were to conjure and as if the divell were now to be dispossest which no Priest must dare to doe by the Canon without license from the Ordinary they would use the very same pieces namely By the mysterie of thy holy incarnation by thy holy nativity and circumeision by thy baptisme fasting and temptation by thine agony and bloody sweat by thy crosse and passion by thy precious death and buriall and by the coming of the holy Ghost Good Lord deliver us This piece of the popish mass-Masse-booke whence we have it is no better than that conjuring or jugling of the Magitians whereby they seemed to imitate Moses his working of miracles which they did not as the learned in that art testifie without Magick spels they use ridiculous invocations saith the same Author and so be the invocations in the Letany and the better the words are as we have said the more grievous the abuse and that we may not come short of the Papists Idolizing of this Letany we have not onely our ordinary and weekly Letanies but also our annuall or yeerely Letanies acted in procession It is true we have left out the Saints in our Lyturgie that was too grosse but had the Laudenses got their colours fixed ere this the Letany had been flancked with this stuffe But why did they expunge that suffrage in King Edward his Booke against the Pope From the tyrannie of the Bishop of Rome good Lord deliver us To shut up this cursory triall of the matter for it is no more how can the Service-book-men justifie these words of the Collect on the twelfth Sunday after Trinity giving unto us that which our prayer dare not presume to aske It is true we obtaine more than we pray for but what we dare not pray for either in act or desire we shall never obtaine The summe of that which hath been
said we bring up into this Argument That service the matter or bulke whereof is partly false partly foolish and frivolous should not be presented unto God But the parts of the Service-book whether essentiall or integrall are such as hath been fully proved Therefore they should not be presented to God We humbly intreat your Honours to lay this argument in the ballance of truth and if it weigh downe the Service-booke let the said Booke we pray you be cast out of the Sanctuary as light CHAP. VI Of the Manner NOvv vve come to the fourth particular namely the forme or manner vvhich is large as exorbitant and offensive as the matter the forme is the essence of a thing say the matter vvere good and the manner naught god vvould never like it for the old Proverbe is true God loves Adverbs better then Adjectives Bene better than Bonum It vvas a good worke in David to bring up the Arke from the house of Aminadab but one Philistine Ceremony spoyled the whole worke David therefore acknowledged the bâ—each to bee made because they sought him not in order when our Saviour taught his followers to pray in that plat forme of prayer which a Father calls the founâ—ation of all our prayers he layeth not downe onely the matter but also the forme when yee pray pray {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} after this manner hold fast saith the Apostle the forme of sound words which thou hast heard of me c. where hee layeth downe not onely the matter of Preaching but also the forme even so should prayer have a forme of sound words Conformers to the Service-booke make Ionas his Gourd of one place of Scripture Let all things be done according to order and decency But as the place is no shelter for them so wee wonder that they cannot see the grosse disorder of the Service-booke and Ceremonies and still call for order The Apostle rejoyced to see the order of the Colossians but it would have grieved him exceedingly to have seene the disorder of the service as he grieved at the superstition of the Athenians for it is Will-worship which the Apostle condemneth in the same place of the Colossiâ—ns but to some particulars and first to the Minister whâ—se change of voyce posture and place is strange and ridiculous for the first hee must say some prayers with a loud voyce not all what can be the reason of this but that of the Masse-Priests that there are some mysteries Tanquam sacra Cereris that the prophane Laicks should not heare Secondly for his posture besides the windings turnings and cringes his face must be sometimes towards the people and sometimes his backe Thirdly the Priest sayes somewhat in the Church somewhat in the Chancell getting himselfe from the people as farre as he can as if there were some outfall betweene him and the people or as if hee were the High-Priest gone into the Holy of Holiâ—s In the second place comes the unmannerly handling of the matter First they have many short Collects but a long and tedious Service the persecuted Christians indeed made short prayers upon the feare of the enemies approaches when they were forced to flye A good foundation we acknowledge but to turne this into a generall and continued rule will make but a scurvie building Now to the rest of the short cuts and shreds rather wishes than prayers as Master Cartwright truely calls them for which Doctor Boyce falls foule upon him with an invective declaration not with refutation which course suits not with learning much lesse with a Minister calling it a rude speech savouring more of the shop than of the Schoole but the abilities of the man is farre above his calumny and why doth he not fall a rayling at him for answering the Rhemists in charging the Masse-booke with the selfe-same fault where he calls them short shreds patched up together to make a wearisome service upon the long last what patched petitions how scatteringly and disorderly divided to the number of thirty or forty what interrupting pauses and posting on againe with Let us pray In this they are like unto little Girles who setting themselves as though they would sew they cut abundance of cloth into uselesse shreds doing no good but hurt and yet for further discovery of this unmethodicall and unmannerly dealing let us put this quere to the maintainers of this patched Service that Master Cartwright puts to the Papists for the mammocks of their mass-Masse-booke If such a suit saith he were offered to a mortall man would he not rather thinke himselfe mocked by the suppliant than honoured After the same manner speakes God to the Jewes Offer the now to thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person saith the Lord of Hostâ— and if any object that God speakes there of the Blinde and the Lame the answer is easily made whatsoever is not of God in his service for matter or manner it is blinde and lame for the closure of this dismembring of Gods service we annexe the tossing or driving the Service betwene the Priest and the People for either the People pray with the Priest or they repeat his prayer or they adde some responses or answers all unsuitable to Gods service Sir Thomas Moâ—e was so zealous in this way that he did officiate at the Masse in his Surplice If the Minister be Gods mouth and the peoples and stand between them in things pertaining unto God is it not a grosse absurdity That when an Ambassador of State is delivering an Ambassage to the King that the standers by or attendance though much concerned in the businesse should set in with the Ambassadors speech or repeat what he saith or interrupt his speech with a pause of a response This interrupting course in Gods worship is every way more grosse as much as the high and dreadfull God is greater than the greatest King and we are to take notice that God will not be moâ—ked To shut up the point one thing we cannot but wonder at why the Popish Prelaticall Priests doe admit the common people a share in saying of Service who will not have the people in any case to try much lesse to judge of the doctrines of their Teachers abusing the very Scripture that makes against them for they call themselves the Clergy alluding to the name {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifieth the lot or portion arrogating to themselves the Lord to be their portion and they to be the Lords But by way of opposition they account the people no better than unhallowed or carnall people calling themselves abusively by the name of spirituall which with the former name portion agreeth to all Gods people but we conceive the reason to bee this that by filling their braines with the froth of that stuffe and their mouthes with that confused noyse of words
which the most of them regard no more than the foole of Winasor that could sing all the Service and how should God regard it this they doe we say to shut them out from the soule-saving Word and the Word from them and then the Priests beare rule or tyrannize over them at their pleasure Now we have done with the Arguments arising from the Essentiall Bulke or Integrall parts of the Booke whence wee desire your Honours to consider how from foure impregnable arguments namely from the name the rise the matter and forme or manner we have necessarily evinced the ejection of the Service-booke all which wee briefly summe up thus That worship of God which for Name Originall Matter and Manner is naught all over is not to be suffered head nor tayle but wholly to bee cast out of Gods House But the Liturgy or Service-Booke is such a worship c. Therefore it is to be cast out CHAP. VII Of the Effects FRom Arguments taken from the Nature of the thing we come to some Arguments Collaterall yet forcible enough to evince both the Equity and the Necessity of our desire and first from the ill Effects of the Booke and that not accidentally which might haply excuse the Cause but properly and originally holding alwayes in tali vel in tanto an evill effect argues alwayes an evill cause an evill Bird comes alwayes of an evill egge as bad fruit of a bad tree yea the evill cause is alwayes worse than the effect Nam propter quâ—d aliquid tale est illud ipsum est magis tale That which makes a thing evill is worse it selfe For methods sake we will reduce the evills of the Service-booke into foure heads distinguished from their severall objects as first it shewes its evill effects upon the Ministers secondly upon the Ordinances thirdly upon the People fourthly against God most of all Sect. First upon the Ministers it worketh pernitiously whether they be good or bad worke-men or no work-men to instance in the later where Ministers should be apt to teach furnished with old and new Seers Watchmen Begetters of sonnes unto God and builders up of the body of Christ but this Book settles such blinde fellowes over people who can neither â—eed nor leade what we pray you is the procreant and conservant cause of dumbe dogs that cannot barke idle shepheards saying Sir Iohns meere Surplice and Service-book-men such as cannot doe so much as a Porter in his frock for hee doth service and the Priest onely sayes Service is it not the Service-booke A Priest in London vvhen hee heard the Service-booke should downe made this his maine argument or rather idlement vvhy it should not If they remove the Service-booke saith hee What shall all the reading Ministers doe they must goe begge starve or steale for worke they cannot the words were to this effect not remembring the Apostles principle Hee that will not labour shall not eaâ—e Some yeares agoe a very godly man being convented before that High-commission was asked by some of them what he thought of the Service-book the man being afraid to deliver his opinion of such a piece of ordnance mounted fully charged upon him the great Canoniers sitting by ready to give fire yet with much adoe plucking up his spirits hee told them freely that it was a halter to leade a blinde horse to the water such dumbe Diegoes or devouring Caterpillers may rightly be called as the Prophet speaketh Foolish shepheards and so the Service-booke the Instrument of a foolish shepheard they truck away their soules and the soules of others for a crust are they not then errant fooles And this foolish instrument the Service-booke is the Broker in this unhappy bargaine Sect. There are another sort of bad Ministers who will not be idle as they say but they are very ill exercised such the Apostle calls evill workers dogs enemies to the Crosse of Christ The Apostle bids us beware of such but indeed ours are worse than those false Apostles for they preached Christ though of envy but ours preach error heresies blasphemies and calumnies out of envy and not Christ Were there ever the like accusations heard of for number and nature as hath beene laid against those unparallel'd Ministers for vilenesse both in living and preaching The Goliah his staffe wherewith they maintaine all this and all their brags against the Hoâ—st of Israel is the Service-booke which is the Helena of the Hierarchie the strict and totall observation whereof Lincolne Articles doe punctually appoint To those wee might adjoyne Non-residents and Pluralists who knowing that Service will serve the turne can have choyce of Readers to serve their Cures at a cheap rate In Kent a common Fâ—dler read Service for twelve pence week In another place a Black-smith did the like yea the Prelates themselves trade in this commodity when they have an old offâ—cast servant the ruines of a prophane wretch good for nothing then make a Priest on him Witnesse a Prelaâ—es Porter made Priest of Paddington One that we all know diebus illis Chaplaine to a great Officer of State but now a proud Prelate in the time of his Chaplainry possessed three Benefices to the value of seven hundred pounds a yeare or thereabout allowing nothing out of all this for the feeding of so many sâ—ockes saveâ—ten pounds a piece or thereabouts to three poore Curates with a number of cast Service-bookes which are no good meat neither cold nor hot yea had not this service-Service-booke beene this man and others could never have beene so unconscionable Yet further the Service-book hath beene the bane of many good Ministers and that of two sorts Conformers and Non conformers the later of whom were deprived of their Ministery dearer to them than their lives cast out of their Free-holds against the Law of the Land Excommunicated Imprisoned their Families dissolved cashiered from all Callingâ— yea their very being through calumnies and injuries thrust at so that with Fimbria against Scaevola they quarrelled with them Quod totum ferrum in se non receperant that they received not the whole deadly weapon into their body and what the quarrell but the Service-booke To which the Ministers must not onely conforme but also subscribe as to foure bookes more some of which it may be they had never seene that nothing in them was contrary to the Word of God Monstrum horrendum O fearefull sinne to father falshood and lyes upon God for which the Lord may justly quarrell with this Nation Now for the godly and painefull Ministers yet conforming and subscribing the Service-booke was a heavie burthen to them and they groaned under the rigour of the Service It may be said of the Service-booke as it was said of Gath in another kinde namely it was Metheg Amath the bridle of the hilly tract or strength of the Philistins so the Booke was the strength of the Philistiâ—â— Prelacie and a bridle with
destruction then much guilt lieth upon the service-Service-booke Where there is no vision the people must perish or in the first language are left naked So how many Congregations are stript stark naked of the Word in this Land in some of which it is well knowne there hath scarce been a Sermon in an age and in most places where they have preaching it is neither Seed to beget nor Bread to feed upon And what makes this nakednesse but the Lyturgie which is enmity both to good Ministers and Ministery For as the Ivie which winding it selfe about the Vine drawes the sap and spirit out of it so the advancement of this Lyturgie leaves neither life nor spirit in the Ordinance of the Word and being like priest like people love to have it so for the Lyturgie will never bring them out of the deadly Lethargie of sinne it will never awake the soule nor pierce the conscience and therefore they love it as Micah did his Idoll But let a man of God by the light of the Word discover their wretched condition he had as good stirre in a Hornets nest they will quickly hunt him and pursue him to the Lyons Den if they can but God be blessed for it the Beasts are in chase themselves The love and liking of evill men unto this Booke is an evidence of the badnesse of it for if it were Gods Ordinance they would hate it as they doe the Ordinances of God as Isaac tooke Abimelech his sending of him away for a token of his hatred so when a soule-hating people set away the Word and cleave to the Service or the Service joyned it may be with some dead Ministery then it is a token they hate the former and love the later A worthy Minister went to visit one of his flocke upon his death-bed a man of quality for the world but an enemy to goodnesse the Minister groping the pulse of his estate he asked the Minister what he thought of the Bishop of Canturbury which the Minister waving it being dangerous then to call a spade a spade he asked the party if he would pray with him he replyed yea if he would do it on the Booke of Common prayer To shut up this point we will make but generall mention of the troubles which this Booke did bring upon the English exiles in forraigne Natioâ—s in the time of the Marian persecution for the information in the particulars whereof we referre you to a Booke called The troubles of Franckford where from their first erecting of a Church in Franckford Anno 1554. this Book and the Patrons thereof never left persecuting of those that could not brook it till after the death of Queene Mary they returned home in these troubles we commend three things to consideration First in all these broyles and unchristian vexations the maintainers of the Booke dealt both maliciously and fraudulently with the other party The second thing the Patrons of the Booke could not alledge any thing for it and for others that they held but such Popish stuffe as they did foot upon Lastly some of those Patrons upon their returne became persecutours of such as stood for the whole truth The last Evill effect but not the least is against God we mean directly or more ommediatly for indirectly all the other Effects were against God but as all sin provokes God so corrupt worship is that sin against which the jealousie of God is inflamed and he becomes a consuming fire yea the Lord calleth such worship by way of transcendencie abomination If Moses would not sacrifice in Egypt because it was an abomination to the Lord as hath been said why should we provoke the Lord by abominable service All systems of Theologie are full of this in the Thesi therefore we will not insist upon it â—ut come as briefly as we can to adde something to that which hath been spoken of the Hypothesis or Service-book which M. Calvin calleth as hath beene said in his letter to Franckford the leaving of the popish dregs so the papisticall Ceremonies therein contained are truly called by that Franckford Booke burthem yokes and clogs to Gods People and his service besides those which have been names we will speake but a word or two more namely of Festivall dayes to Saints at least transitive though not determinative as the Papist excuse their Idolatry The other is kneeling at the Communion the former is an intrenching upon Gods prâ—rogative For â—oâ—e can appoint an holy day but he who haâ—â— maâ—e the dayes and hath all power in his own hand which is cleare first from the denomination of them in both Testaments in the old they are called the solemne feasts of Iehovah not onely because they were to be kept to Iehovah but also because they were of his appointing and so in the new Testament as we read but of one for the selfe-same reasons it is called The Lords day another instance of clearing is from that brand of rebuke that is put by God upon that Ieroboam that made Israel to sinne he and he onely that the Booke of God speakes of took upon him besides all his Idols and Idolatrous tricks not to appoint another Numericall day but the same day of another Moneth namely the eighth Moneth where God hath appointed the seventh Moneth and that out of respects speciously politicke because in the eighth Moneth all the harvest would be in and they might feast more freely Secondly that the Lords feast being finished in Ierusalem they might come to Ieroboams feast but these fig-leaves could not cover his scarres but the spirit chargeth directly upon him that that was the Moneth that he had lyed or coined to himself Gretzer the Jesuite commends the English though it be nothing to our commendation Quod Calvino papistae Anglice c. That as the Popish-English-Calvinists are freer in other Rites and Ceremonies than the Puritanes in France and Germany and other where so they are in holy-dayes And to say the truth we are too free indeed for as a learned man observeth we have more holy dayes than ever God gave to the Iewes we will not insist on this subject they who will know more of it let them read Altare Damâ—scenum only we will point at these two places which may fully shew the unlawfulnesse of them Ye observe yeeres and dayes I am afraid of you Let no man judge you in meat or in drinke or any part of a holy-day Yet those holy-dayes though then out of date were better than ours for they were of Gods appointment and so are not ours Followeth in the next place Kneeling at the Sacrament the last particular that we are like to touch upon for if we should reckon up all a great volume would not hold them This Pâ—pish moderne posture of not above 400. years standing which as hath been said and Peter Martyr witnesseth Propter
was Moses the man of God in the matter and manner of Gods worship that he would neither have horne or hoofe over or under the Commandement that was the ground of his punctuality from which he would not goe one haires breadth and wherein we intreate your Honours to follow him to the full Caleb is said to follow God wee will goe and sacrifice unto the Lord our God as he shall say unto us Can it bee so said of the Service-booke no sure it is no sacrifice of a sweet smell Let any man that feareth God tell us ingenuously if he beleeveth that Christ the golden Câ—nser standing at the golden Altar will receive the Lyturâ—geâ—prayers perfume them with the odours of his merits present them to the father surely we have no ground for it because as hath beene said they are not according to the will of his Father Yea Christ seemeth to threaten out of his owne mouth the contrary in the 16 Psalme which is meaâ—â— of Christ he speaking of and threatning their Idolatr◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee tels them plainely hee will not powre out their oblations that is hee will not bee a Mediatour to their services and surely this is no acceptable service it is no beaten oyle for the Lampe though Master Wommocke pleased to stile it so it is not sure that pure oyle out of the two Olives into the golden Lampe that lightens the Sanctuary but it is rather Traine-oyle and scarce so good that foules the house and darkneth the light and for its messages to heaven which he mentioneth in his Epistle we have made a good plea as we conceive for the contrary let him disprove it if he can for the whole booke though it concerne them with whom he dealeth in it yet because it glisters as if there were mettall in it we may lay it a little to the test The Epistle hath two heads in the former he maintaineth set prayer in generall in the latter he endeavoureth to justifie the set prayers of the Lyturgie in particular in both these the expressions be smooth the palliations stretched to the furthest but it may be said without offence of both {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} too neat but nothing usefull The head of set prayer we have not touched yet till we come to answer some objections but wee cannot but wonder at Master Wommockes incogitancie to father a set forme of prayer upon Timothy terming it the first furniture tâ—at hee provided for the house of God a strange position and as unsoundly grounded from Saint Pauls direction Surely the Jesuites would blush at it or at least it might be one of Iohn of Crage his observations from these words I exhort not that you pray as he glosseth but that Prayers be made for all men Made saith he i. e. set-prayers This is like Iohn of Garlando's tricks that did what he could to spoyle the Text with the Glosse It is like a Sorbonists mis-exposition of that place Exod. 29. 39. Thou shalt present one Lambe the word Ghasah signifieth to make which hee and the Romanists apply to the words of Institution Hoc facite Make this a sacrifice which as Galasius observeth is a very ridiculous piece Doth any man thinke that this was either Paul his intention or Timothy his practice no sure it is a grosse mistake of the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which doth not signifie a set forme of Prayer exhibited but as the learned in the tongue observe it signifieth preces fundere to powre out prayers by the helpe and guidance of the spirit proved by the comparing of other places where the same word is used againe the Spirit is said to make request for us dare any man glosse it by making a set forme of prayer for us no sure but the meaning is he causeth us to make request To be briefe let us see how to untie this knot if Paul in these words prescribed a set forme and Timothy made it the furniture of Gods house then such a forme should be found and all the Prayers injoyned by Paul should be set formes because he injoynes no other prayer here than he doth other where in other words signifying to pray as {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} both signifying to pray Luke 22. 33 1 Cor. 14. 15. and many other places but to assume first no patterne is to be found secondly to affirme that all Pauls prescriptions of prayer were for set formes were a very grosse and absurd falshood Ergo so is the ground whence it ariseth He might as well have said when Christ promised to pray for Peter that he promised to make a set forme of prayer for him for the words in both places are synonyma but enough of this which is besides our purpose Now let us view as briefly as we can what he saith for the Lyturgy in particular he confesseth it to be the daughter of a Roman Catholicke that is well and so doth D. Boyce the Novellists say saith he that our Communion Booke is nothing else but the Roman Missall and Portuis thrust out of Latine into English which the Doctor contradicts not for he could not Why saith Doctor Hall out of ancient models not Roman yea why should the childe be beaten for the Parent saith M. Wommocâ— For answer if the childe bee as like the parent in nature and properties as hath been proved as an Egge is like to an Egge then there is roome for neither in Gods worship but both mother and child like Hagar and Ismael must out of dores for the parallels of Saboth Sun and other things wherewith he would palliate they are not Homogeneall or of like nature for nothing can make theÌ„ clean in Gods worship being mans device and worship still Againe the maintenance of these shreadie and scrappie Prayers from gadding of the soule is but a gadding argument We have spoken of the ground of short and sappy ejaculations upon other ground and nothing like the foolish patches of the Masse-book Austin tells us of the many prayers that the Israelites made in the Egyptian fornace and that they were short ejaculations but they would have continued them but for their burthens but men are forced to breake off here where there is no burthen but the Service-booke it selfe Againe he hath a plea from the Leproâ—-house wherein we are very willing to joyne issues with him he confesseth that the old Roman Liturgie was like a Leprous house the plague was spread in it but now it is picked scraped plaistered with well-tempered or rather untempered morter hee should have said that upon the deepest search no corruption can appeare and therefore to be judged cleane by the Law but there he goeth too farre and farther we conceive then most of the Prelates would doe in a cold mood yea herein he is contradictory to himselfe for he acknowledgeth scars and
the Lord should be against them as it had beene against their Fathers yea they should be consumed both they and their King and as Samuel to terrifie them called for thunder and raine so we have felt both thunder and raine Judgement yet mixt with mercie both from the mediate and immediate hand of God and do feel it at this present and to the end we should clear his House of corrupt worship The yoake of the Philistims was never removed from the necke of the Israelites till they put away their strange Gods and Ashtaroth their speciall Idoll But when their humiliation was joyned with Reformation then the Lord gave not onely deliverance but also Victory over and freedome from their Enemies II. From the Danger of not doing A word now of the particular Danger whereof we make bold to give you notice as God hath honoured you in calling you to be the Reformers of Church and State so the work is great as Nehemiah said and the danger proportionable if it be neglected When God putteth his select Servants upon high Imployments whether they be Magistrates or Ministers knowing best their weaknesse and the many Impediments he puts them on ever and anon to be couragious not to feare or be afraid and the ground of all is have not I commanded you So the Lord giveth the Prophet Ieremy a charge to speak all that the Lord should command and backeth it with a threatning be not dismayed at their faces lest I confound thee both the Hebrew and the Septuagint hath it lest I make thee afraid Saul his disobedience in sparing Agag and the fat of the cattle notwithstanding all his faire pretexts with the fearefull punishment inflicted by God upon him may be a terrour to all men in place that they do not the work of the Lord by halves and quarters but that with Caleb they follow the Lord to the full The Lord hath laid his Command upon you to put away the Excommunicate thing and to cleanse his house of Idols and Idolothites and blessed be that God whom you serve ye have begun by your Edicts though men of disobedience hinder the worke but follow home the worke we intreat you and remember those Achans but above all put away that Ashtaroth the Service-book for that we may well call Fundi nostri calamitas the very Caterpiller of Gods Husbandry To shut up this Motive from the point of danger be pleased to take notice how God beares in upon Moses that great Commission to Pharaoh to let his people go and that both by words and signes namely by turning his rod into a serpent his hand made leprous and the waters turned into blood which were not onely to confirm him in his message against the feare of his adversaries but more particularly to teach him that if he withdrew himselfe in part or in whole from the worke the Plague of Leprosie of Blood and Biting with Serpents should be upon him yea God put Moses upon a present tryall of Obedience and Faith by causing him to take the Serpent by the tayle notwithstanding of the danger to be bitten by it we speake to the wise who can apply it better then we CHAP. X. Of the Covenant THe third Motive for removall of this Booke may be taken from the Protestation dated May 5. 1641. Confirmed sent abroad and solemnly sworne unto yea and bound up with a publique Covenant on the publike day of Thanksgiving by Ministers and People so that it is an inviolable Covenant stricken betweene God and us like unto that in Nehemiah which is there called a sure Covenant a written Covenant to which our Princes Ministers and People seale unto from which we cannot depart except we will incurre that fearfull Judgement threatned against Covenant-breakers Emblemed out unto us in Scripture by dividing of the Sacrifices and causing the parties to goe betwixt them admonishing that God will so divide them in his wrath if they forsake the Covenant The subject of the Covenant consisteth of three parts In the first we are sworne and tyed to maintaine all the Rights of Religion King and State In the second to oppose all Persons and Things that do oppose the three former mentioned and more specifically to oppose with all our life and power all Popery and Popish Innovations which Expressions are thrice mentioned once in the Protestation or oath and twice in the Explanation the third and last piece of the subject is the Peace of the three Kingdomes England Scotland and Ireland which we by Oath are also bound to maintaine Hence two Arguments will offer themselves one more directly and the other by way of consequence For the former if all Popery and Popish Innovations are to be opposed then it will follow that the Service booke and Ceremonies should be opposed and by consequence by your Authority abolished Verba Statuti sunt amplianda non restringenda the words of Acts and Statutes for good and against evil are to be taken in the largest extent but the words themselves are universall enough Now that the service-Service-Book and Ceremonies therein contained and pressed upon mens Consciences are Popery We and many others have cleared yea they are Popish Innovations Nam omnia quae à Christo non sunt nova sunt all things that are not from our King Christ in his worship are meere Innovations as Tertullian was wont to call Praxeas hesternum Praxeam a yesterdayes upstart so one and all of them are Exotick and upstart things It is true indeed by the Malignity of the Masters of those Ceremonies the bulke was increased and would have been like the Crocodiles who grow so long as they have a being if you had not come in place of the Tutyrites a creature terrible to the Crocodiles which leapeth upon their backs and brings them to the shoare but otherwise for the kinde they are all non ejusdem farinae sed furfuris the same kinde of Bran and as the Woman said of the Foxes If one be good all are good For the further confirmation that they are Popish we have proof from that Treatise of Ceremonies annexed to the service-Service-Booke in some antient Copies we have read that they thought good to retaine some Popish Ceremonies but in another Coppy they call them the old Ceremonies retained still all one in effect The latter argument from the Protestantion by way of sequell is from out mutuall Covenant and Oath joyntly and severally to maintaine the Peace of the three Kingdomes which is impossible to be done in the Opinion of our Brethren the Scots without Identity of Discipline and Worship witnesse the very words of the Arguments by the Scottish Commissioners given to the Lords of the Treaty perswading Conformity in these to be the chiefe meanes of Peace We vvill transcribe some passages for all vve cannot leaving the thing it selfe to your honours revievv It is say they to be
Body is come for us then to imitate them in this foolish Relique or to devise a Priestly garment of our owne head in Gods worship is to rob Christ of his honour exceedingly and to make our selves deeply guilty of will-worship Had not God himselfe clothed those garments in the Law with a particular and punctuall command for matter and monner they had beene foolish and ridiculous things they made the holy garments saith Moses as the Lord commanded which later words as the Lord commanded are repeated as the learned observe nine severall times in this Chapter intimating that they did not swarve one jot from Gods direction teaching all Gods servants thereby as the learned apply it ut se contineant intra limites verbi Dei that they containe themselves within the limits of Godsword bring nothing into the service of God of their own invention for the Apostle cals that {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} wil-worship this being so it appeares what evill workers those Ministers are who with an high hand doe display this Banner of the Man of sinne against Gods owne face in the time of his worship interposing betwixt Gods presence and the worship and diverting of the blessing upon the worship for Moses is said to blesse the worke of the worship upon on this ground because he saw it done as â—ehovah had commanded The Hebrewes adde and that truely that because of this the presence of God was in it Wherefore we humbly intreat your Honours as ye would have God to be in his worship and his blessing upon it and upon you and us in a perfect hatred of that menstruous Cloth and garment spotted with the flesh to cast it out and all the rest as Carcasses of abominable things but withall we intreat you to set the Masters of the Wardrobe on packing with them It is observed as a custome among the Papists that they bury their Prelates in all their Pontificall robes of which a learned Divine tels us he could give no reason except they meant they should doe service when they were dead that had never done any being alive If your Honours will lap up the Prelates in the Seare cloth of their owne Surplices and intombe them them in the Tabernacle of the Service-Booke imbalmed with the strange oyntment of their owne Ceremonies and bury them under the Oake that is in oblivion as Iacob did the Idols of his family and as our neighbors brethren have done with the like stuffe then the fear of you shall be upon all your enemies and the childe that is to come shall blesse God for you CHAP. XI The Objections NOw we come in the last place to remove some Objections which we shall shew to be of no great weight and therefore we use the fewer words The first is from the Antiquity of the Service-Booke to which Doctor Halâ— and others have received an answer by Smectymnuus but say it had Antiquity without truth it were no better than a custome of errour Et nullum tempus occurrit Deo there is no prescription to the King of Kings The second Objection Many good men have used it and liked it well for answer Testimonia humana non faciunt fidem Mans approbation is not current of it selfe but as it buts upon the faithfull witnesse otherwise it is an inartificiall argument as Logicians call it the Patriarchs used and did many things that were not approveable some good Kings of Iudah as Amaziah and Iehosaphat tooke not away the High places were they any whit the better for that yea the suffering of them is set up as the Kings fault it were better to follow Hezekiah that tooke them away Master Wommâ—cke alleadgeth for the service-Service-booke that Rome is not demolished in the first day and so we alleadge against it that good men in mending times did either see as farre as their Horizon or at least as they durst So wee have more light and are set upon their shoulders therefore it is both sinne and shame for us not to see more and doe more than they did Hezekiah did more than Iosaphat and Iosiah more than they both Thirdly it is objected that it hath many good things in it that is answered already the Alcoran and Talmud have many good things in them yea the Apocrypha Bookes have many excellent truths in them are they therefore to be presented in Gods worship The fourth objection is from a more convenient course of correcting of it than of cashiering of it For answer what King or State did ever yet thrive in moyling and toyling themselves to make cleane the Popes leprous stuffe to bring it into the worship of God but all that ever prospered in that worke made utter extirpation Popes will be content to heare of reformation and give order for it to their Cardinals but they are joyned to their Idols as God speakes of Ephraim Let them alone Secondly this is not Gods course in reforming of his house as the rubbish of the Leprous house was to bee cast out into an uncleane place as hath beene said so polluted pieces of Idolatrous service are not to be brought by any cleansing into the House of God God commandeth his people to throw downe the Altars of the Canaanite where under Altars are comprehended all other abominations they were not to set a new trim upon any of them but because they obeyed not the Lord they smarted for it Blessed bee God who hath put it into your hearts to strike at Altars 〈◊〉 Pictures Crosses and all the Popish Idols wee are in good hope you will not leave a Popish Relique in the Land neither in Church or Street and then we may be sure there shall no Canaanite dwell in our Land this scraping and picking that Master Wommock speakes of will be no better then paring of the nayles and shaving of the haire which as the Great Turke said of his Army will quickly grow againe yea and grow againe the faster too good medicines in naturall things may be extracted out of ranke poysons but so cannot pure worship out of things polluted being mans inventions therefore the Prophet Esay telleth us that nothing will serve but the casting away of the polluted thing not cleansing of it The fifth and last objection is from Acts of Parliament which the Service-book-men make the staffe of their confidence and yet in truth being well tryed it shall be found that they abuse the state and consciences of men most grossely Doctor Hall and others strike much on that string as Parliamentary Acts peremptorily establishment yet they make but very harsh Musicke A man would thinke that Doctor Hall being a learned Divine would first have laid this worship of Liturgy in the ballance of the Sanctuary and tryed the weight of it there and if it had proved too light as surely it would then to have counted it a
piacle against God and man to offer to make up the waight with humane Lawes It is not unworthy your remembrance how one of the later brood of the Scotrish Prelates alleadging or rather mis-alleading before our late Soveraigne King Iames some Act of Parliament for the establishing and maintenance of the Prelacy the King asked a Noble-man being by being a great Legist and Officer of State what he thought of those Acts the Noble-man replyed That it went never well with them since their Church men laboured more to be versed in the Acts of Parliament than in the Acts of the Apostles But to the matter for all this cry we are more than halfe confident they shall have but little wooll for the Service-booke from the Acts of State when they are well looked into Wee know not any colour of confirmation for this service-Service-booke except that Statute prefixed to it which how little it maketh for it let the words of the Statute testifie of which we shall set downe those that are most pertinent for it is needlesse to write them all In the fifth and sixth yeare of King Edward the sixth an Act was made for the establishing of a Booke called The Booke of Common-prayer the which was repealed in the first yeare of Queene Mary which Statute of repeale was made voide by this same Act the first yeare of Queene Elizabeth and that the aforesaid Booke with the alterations and additions therein added shall stand and be and all Ministers shall use the said Booke authorized by Act of Parliament in the said fifth and sixth yeare of King Edward the sixth and no other This is the summe of the Statute in relation to the Subject namely What Service-booke it is that the Statute establisheth and for any thing we can see there is not one passage or title for confirmation or establishing any other Service-booke but that of King Edward the sixth divers Ministers in King Iames his time urged vvith subscription answered the Prelates True it was that if they refused they and theirs were like to bee desolated but if they yeelded they should make themselves transgressours of the Lawes of the Kingdome in subscribing to another Booke than that established by Law the Prelates in pressing this subscription forced two Statutes namely the Statute alleadged by the change of the Booke and also another Statute requiring no subscription but barely to the Articles of Religion which onely concerne the Confession of true Christian faith and the Doctrine of the Sacraments Now to come to further answer let us grant by way of Confession that there were an Act or Acts for ratifying of the Booke which in terminis we cannot see as Statutes use to be expressed yet by the Law of charity and duty we hold our selves bound to beleeve that a State professing the truth of Religion would never inact so for a Service-booke of mans device as that it might be a snare to the people of God having other ends as a kinde of uniformity supply for want of Ministery and bringing Papists to the Church but not to presse it in the bulke beyond the spheare of any mans Conscience witnesse a Rubricke in King Edward the sixth his Booke but give it to speake as punctually for the Booke as they would have it shall it be simply good for that it is onely in the power of a divine Statute simply to make a thing good all Divines Humanists and Lawyers that have written on the Laws concurre in this Maxime Omnium legum inanis censura nisidivinae legis imaginem gerant the power of all Laws is void except they beare the impression of the Law of God the Orator gives a reason for it â—ex divina omnium legum censura the divine Law is the standard of all lawes yea a thing evill in it selfe established by a Law becommeth worse as the learned tell us it becommeth armata injustâ—tia an armed injustice or with Laciantius to the same purpose legitime injurias inferre to do injurie in forme of Law just with the Poet jusque daâ—um sceleri well Englished and licenced Which truth also is cleared from divine Authority the Psalmist complaineth of the injurious evill done upon Gods Church and People aggravating it from this that is it was framed by a decree which place the Authour of Zyons Plea applyeth very pertinently to the Hierarchie proving it to be the Master-sin wherewith the Church and State are pestered and for which especially God hath a controversie with us because it is decreed by a Law and as a Law for the Hierarchie proved of no force to keepe it up no more then the late Lawes of Scotland could uphold their Prelates so grant that there were a Law for the Service-book the thing being naught what could it help it Within these hundred yeeres there was a Law in England for the Popes supremacie say that were not repealed stood it either with Reason Religion or Loyalty to submit unto it Yea some fragments of Lawes are yet unrepealed in this land that no judicious man will obey neither have we alledged those evidences upon this suspition to encounter with any Statutes but to stop the mouthes of those men who would make the Statute-Law a blinde guide under which their unlawfull callings and superstitious service might march furiously against the word of truth Now to come to an end for we are sorry we could be no briefer we will onely answer this Quaere consisting of these two heads First whether we do approve of any set-prayer in a more private way And secondly whether we do approve of any set-liturgie in publike to both these we answer ingenuously as we thinke and for the former we do thinke that parties in their infancie or ignorance may use formes of prayer well and wholsomely set for helps and props of their imbecillity yea riper Christians may do well to read such profitable formes the matter whereof may by setting of their affections on edge prepare and fit them as matter of Meditation the better for Prayer but for those parties so to continue without progresse to conceived prayer were as if children should still be poring upon spelling and never learne to reade or as if children or weak should still go by hold or upon crutches and never go right out We may say of set-prayer used for infirmity as Divines say of the legall ceremonies in the interim that they were tolerable not necessary and so vvhatsoever is or may be said in the behalfe of it is not so much as vve conceive for the commendation of it as for the toleration of it for a time and for giving satisfaction to scrupulous consciences for the vvarrantable use of it in case of necessity To the second head for a set forme of Liturgia in publique vve ansvver that vvith all the Reformed Churches vve do allovv a sound forme of set-liturgie as an exampler or president of our performance of
belong to belong unto their Courts and if they should persist after the prohibition then they are commanded by apparance to answer it in the Kings Bench But how many of the Kings Prohibitions have been slighted by the High Commission threatning those that have brought them the Case then depending having its rise from that Service-booke Another Instance we will cite of their incountering of the Laws it is decreed that Ecclesiasticall power shall neither Imprison nor fine except in case of mutation of Penance but how many good Christians both ministers and others have been not onely Fined more then they were worth but also closly Imprisoned in the nastiest dogholes they could devise never parting with them till their breath departed from them and what was the ground of all these Illegall and cruell courses contrary to the Common and Statute Laws but Non-conformity to that Service-booke and Ceremonies We might be large in this point but the Treatise will not bearâ—t only we pray your Honours who are Iudices Vindices Legâ—s the Judges and revengers of the Laws and breaches thereof to looke upon this Law-destroying-piece and to manifest that the Law of God is in your hearts with which it cannot consist cast it out of Gods house that he may delight to dwell amongst us In the second place for the Service Books affronting of Religion somewhat hath been said and more we have to say in the Fourth Evill Effect namely against God but now a little more of its malignity against the people wherin we wil be briefe People are of two sorts Good and Bad how the better sort have suffered from this Iron Furnace it is more then manifest in spoyling of their Goods losse of Liberty desolating of their Families being forced to wander from place to place their nigh friends and acquaintance not daring through feare to lodge them at last forced either to forsake their native soyle and dearest friends with no small griefe gento patriae plangente the genius of their Countrey to speake vvith Lypsius amenting after them or if they staid by it and vvere catched in the Prelates clutches they told them vvhen they petitioned they should lye till their bones rottâ—d as Doctor Abbot then Prelate of Caâ—turbury said of Master Baiâ—s vvhom they stifled in the Gate-house and all this because they could not eate and svvallovv dovvn to the choking of their conscience the Arsnical gobbleâ—s of that poysonable Booke vvhich is vvorse than the Iron furnace for so the spirit termes it Gods people came out of that but the furnace heated for the not adoring by their Service-booke as Nebuchadnezzers for not adoring of his Idoll did ordinarily consume such as vvere cast into it so that it became like the Lyons Denne vvhereof the Poet speakes Omnia te advorsum spectantia nulla reâ—rorsum Many impressions of ingresse but none of regresse but is this all no though it be too much if any out of their zeale to Gods worship stand up in opposition against that Geliah vvilling to redeem and buy the truth at vvhatsoever rate they shall buy it Indeed if the adversaries may have their vvill not only vvith hands spoiling of their houses exposing of their families to all manner of miseries but also vvith blowes and that not of an ordinary size but vvith torments and tortures unparalleld as cutting branding slitting whipping besides shamefull pilloring vvith censures of fines upon one more than they vvere all vvorth after all this they cannot satisfie their rage in devising Goâ—gotha's bad enough vvherein to draine out their hearts bloods being deprived of the company of their vvives families and friends and used vvorse than dogs Of such heavie inflictions upon Ministers and Gods people vve professe vve never read nor heard neither under the Heathen Rome nor Antichristian Romes persecution for though they tortured the Martyrs of Christ yet they rid them out of their miseries vvith their lives yea the cruellest kind of American Savages called the Mohaukes though they fattened their captive Christians to the slaughter yet they eat them up at once but the Service-booke Savages eat the servants of God by piece-meal keeping them alive if it may be called a life Vt sentiant se mors that they may be the more sensible of their dying One instance and but one occurs to our reading that hath some resemblance of this dealing Catulus to revenge his brothers death desired Sylla to let him have Marius his brother to revenge himselfe upon vvho is said thus to torment him Cum laceros artus aequataque vulnera membris Vidimus toto quamvis in corpore caeso Nil anime letale datum c. Which a Poet Englisheth thus His mangled joynts as many wounds as limbs We see yet no wound deadly given to him Through his spoil'd body an example rare Of cruelty a dying life to spare Yet this Catulus did so but with one but our Catuli Siâ— canibus similes Like old dogs have filled their shambles with many the aforesaid Poet gives a good reason for it in these words Nullus semel ore receptus pollutus patitur sanguis mansuâ—scere fauces Englished thus Never againe grow those jawes pure that blood did once distaine And why are these harmelesse men made worse then sheep to the slaughter but that they meddle with Diana the Service-book and the Master and Wardens of that Company who may truly say with Demetrius {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} By this craft we get our goods so we have better grounds than Zipporah had calling Moses a bloody husband to say and maintain it that the Service-booke is a bloody booke Another sort of Gods people there were who were so terrified with the cruell usage of their brethren that either they durst not search into the rottennesse of this Piece and so like blinde men that swallowed many flies and some it may be that did see the evill of it durst not avoid it for feare of a worse turne from the Scribes and Pharisees then casting out of the Synagogue Lastly some people professing the Lord Iesus and having been very usefull in Gods House by the necessary avoiding of this quick-sand have for want of good take heed been cast upon the rocks of Separation Anabaptisme and other unsound Tenents which hath made a very great breach in profession For which see more in Zyons plea and though the rise of Separatisme and other Sects be there justly charged upon the Hierarchie yet by shunning of this sowre pasture they fall unadvisedly foule on breaking of the hedge Now we come to the worser sort of people of whom we may truly say that which the Pharisees said falsly of Christ A cursed people not knowing the Law all the provocations in the Land have not made havock of so many soules especially under colour of good as this hath done if Ignorance be the mother of