hinc promere in Luc. 11. docet nos compendium rerum orandarum neque enim eo tempore syllabis adstringebantur Casaubon exercit 235. Christus vero non de praedicatione Dei landum agit sed ut recte monet Augustinus de modo concipiendi preces privatas Mr. Mede conceives that the Disciples understood not that Christ in Matthew intended it for a Form of Prayer unto them but for a Pattern and Example only c. p. 5. And sure they could less understand by that in Luke 4. that Christ intended they should use the same words as in a set Form since the same words are not there used Hence Jansenius inferrs that Christ would not have any so careful of the words as of the things to be prayed for itaque ut disceremus in oratione non tam de verbis quam derebus esse anxii ac de Spiritu orationis diversis verbis orationem tradidit in Luc. 11. that Christ in the delivery of those Petitions did not teach his Disciples what words they should use in Prayer but what things they should pray for and understands it to be a direction for secret and mental Prayer where no words are to be used The coherence in Matth. 6. led him to explain it of such Praying as Christ is speaking of ver 6. which he took to be mental and none deny to be secret It is granted also that divers Churches had a certain order wherein they agreed to administer the several parts of Worship and particularly the severals in the Sacraments so as each had its known and fixed place An order there is visible in Chrysostom in 2 Cor. hom 18. p. 647. and in Augustine to Paulinus epist. 59. quaest 5. p. 340 341. This was setled in some Churches by Custom and in some there was in time a Rule for it such is that Can. 19. Syn. Laodicen whose Title in the Latin Copies is de ordine orationum Catechumenorum atque fidelium And in the West the 27 Canon of the Synod of Pau in the beginning of the sixth Age. And 't is provided for in general terms by the Council of Vens Can. in the latter end of the fifth Age. Besides such direction as is in those Canons other written Rubricks were not needful For the actual disposing of the severals in their proper place the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 served them of which Can. 22. and 23. Conc. Laodic f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Con. Laod. Can. in Cod. 126. This managed by a Deacon acquainted with the usages of the Church where he ministred was sufficient without other Rubrick for that purpose supposing it answered that description of its antient use which we have in Balsamo There was also some kind of Uniformity in their Sacramental Prayers that is a general agreement to pray for the same things though not in the same words They might have said thereof quamlibet alia verba dicamus nihil aliud dicimus This appeared especially in the general Prayer before the Eucharist Therein for whom and for what they prayed very many of the Antients give some account Thereby it is manifest that they prayed for the same persons for all of all sorts and for the same things with respect to the various conditions of those several sorts of persons and this in variety of expressions So that herein was exemplified that of Augustine Liberum est aliis atque aliis verbis eadem tamen in orando dicere Epist 121. And this is the Uniformity in Prayer which Caelestine urgeth against the Pelagians Epist pro Prosper Hilar. c. 11. All Churches through the World agreeing to pray for those persons and those things which were inconsistent with their Tenets And that mode of Praying which as the Author of the Books de vocatione Gentium g Praecipit itaque Apostolus imâ— per Apostolum Dominus fieri obsecrationes c. pro omnibus hominibus pro Regiâ—us c. quam legem supplicationis it a omnium Sacerdotum omnium fidelium devotio concorditer tenet ut nulla pars mundi sit in qua hujusmodi orationes non celebrentur a populis Christianis Supplicat ergo ubique Ecclesia Deo non solum pro Sanctis in Christo jam regeneratis sed etiam pro omnibus infidelibus inimicis crucis Christi pro omnibus Idolorum cultoribus pro omnibus qui Christum in membris ipsius prosequuntur pro Judâ—is pro Haereticis Schismaticis Quid autem pro istis petit nisi ut relictis erroribus suis convertantur ad Deum accipiant fidem accipiant charitatem de ignor antiae tenebris liberati in agnitionem veniant veritatis De voc Gent. lib. 1. cap. 12. says the Lord by the Apostle having prescribed the devotion of all sorts did concorditer observe Such particular and voluntary Forms such an order in Administring such an uniformity in Praying is not in question nor am I concerned in common Forms if arbitrary though setled by custom But this is it which is denyed that in the antient Church for many Ages after Christ such Liturgies or Forms of Prayer were commonly imposed on those who administred the Sacraments as are before described Or that in the antient Church while its condition was tolerable or its practice imitable the common and ordinary way of administring the Sacraments was by such prescribed Liturgies and Forms of Prayer as are before described wherein the Administrators had no liberty left to change words or order to abridge or inlarge or otherwise vary from the imposed Models If there had been such Liturgies antiently as are contended for and are now in use Prayers would have been read then as they are now But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or preces legere or de scripto recitare or any Forms of Speech equivalent are Phrases unknown and not to be found so far as I can yet discover in any Writers of the four or five first Ages at least and therefore the thing was in all probability not known nor practised in those times We meet not only with the Reading of Psalms Theod. l. 2. c. 13. p. 63. Reading of Lessons but Reading of the Narratives of the Martyrs Sufferings h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just M. Apol. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Con. Laod. Can. 17. Passiones Martyrum Con. 3. Carth. Can. 47. Carranz p. 116. liceat it aque legi passiones Martyrum cum anniversarii dies eorum celebrantur ut in Cod. Can. 46. Reading of Epistles from some Eminent Persons or Churches as Dionysius Corinth says Clemens Epistle had been Read as it was wont to be in their Lords days Assemblies Euseb l. And Athanasius wills those of Antioch to read the Epistle sent from the Synod at Alexandria 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad Antioch p. 451. to 1. And Cornelius was wont to read Cyprians Epistles to the Church at Rome Cyp. p. 12. Reading of the Diptyches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Phavorinus a boldness to express ones self freely Epist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 186. No freedom is left him who must only read what is prescribed him Vid. in Eph. hom ult p. 892. where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. D. H. N. T. 319. 1. Idem tam commode orationes legit ut hoc solum didicisse videatur Plin. ep 19. l. 5. If the Antient Churches had no written Liturgies no Books of publick Prayers they could have no prescribed no imposed no nor any common Liturgies viz. the same in many several Congregations though not imposed And if there had been any such Service Books it is not imaginable but there would have been some notice of them in some of the Writers of those Ages yet for this both we and those who are most concerned to find it are still to seek We meet not with any mention of such Books upon such occasions where it might be expected they would be mentioned if any where and where we might justly look to find them if they had been to be found Those who give a particular account of the Books Vessels and several Utensils which were to be found in the Church make no mention of any such thing as this Vid. Dall de objecto cultus Amongst other things wherewith Athanasius was falsely charged by the Arrian faction to make way for his condemnation Macarius with reflection upon that great Person who imployed him is accused to have leapt upon the Altar overthrown the Table broke the Communion Cup burnt the Bible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socr. Hist l. 1. c. 20. p. 539. Now it may well be presumed that Ischyras the false accuser incouraged with hopes of a Bishoprick which was his reward afterward and so concerned to swell the charge as big and render it as odious as he could would have added to the rest some indignity offered to the Sacred Liturgy This had been as easily alleadged as the rest if the subject had been extant and might have been as hainously resented if there had been such Liturgies or such opinion of them as in our times When Gregorius the Arrian Bishop came to take possession of the Bishoprick of Alexandria and entered a Church by force of what abuses were offered to all things therein Athanasius gives a particular account the Table 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Font 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Wine the Oyl the Doors and latticed Partitions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Candlesticks the Tapers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad Africanos ep tom 1. p. 729. But not a word of a Service Book no more then of a Book of Homilies When the multitude of Christians so increased at Constantinople that it was thought necessary to dispose of them in several Churches Constantine takes care that those Churches should be respectively furnished with Bibles and writes to Eusebius of Caesarea to have them prepared accordingly Now let those that are for prescribed Liturgies be Judges would it not have been requisite that those Churches should have been also furnished with Service Books and care taken that these should have been likewise writ out for them if any such had been then in use Would Constantine have omitted this if he had been of their mind or would not Eusebius who overlooks nothing of that nature have added this in commendation of him if he had made any such provision Does it not hence appear that Churches were then thought sufficiently provided with Books necessary for Divine Service when they were furnished with Bibles And can it be supposed that Constantine whose generousness towards the Church is known to have run out in many superfluities would have been deficient in things accounted in any degree necessary Euseb de vit Constant l. 4. c. 34. ' O 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and cap. 36. p. 401. where we have that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the fourth Council of Carthage it is provided when the Bishop is ordained the Book of the Gospels shall be held over his head teneat Evangelioâ—um codicem super caput cervicem ejus c. 2. When the Exorcist is ordained a Book of Exorcisms is to be given him accipiat de manu Episcopi libellum in quo scripti sâ—nt exorcismi c. 7. When the Reader is ordained the Bible out of which he is to read is to be delivered him can 8. tradet ei codicem de quo lecturus est dicens ad eum accipe esto lector verbi Dei. But no Book of publick Prayers either used or delivered or mentioned in the Ordination of Bishop Presbyter or Deacon the only persons who ministred in the Prayers of the Church or any other Officer Yet here if any where we might reasonably have expected to have met with a Service Book if there had been any at that time One of the first Books for publick Service which I meet with is the Libellus officialis in Conc. Tol. 4. Can. 25. an 633. which seems rather but a short Directory then a compleat Liturgy given to every Presbyter at his Ordination to instruct him how to administer the Sacraments least through ignorance of his Duty herein he should offend Quando Presbyteri in Parochiis ordinantur libellum officialem a suo Sacerdote accipiant ut ad Ecclesias sibi deputatas instructi accedant ne per ignorantiam etiam in ipsis divinis Sacramentis Christum offendant And many of the Canons of that Council had been needless if those Churches had been before furnished with such a Liturgy since that would have provided sufficiently for the severals there decreed Can. 2. 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. To ascend a little higher in the times of the Churches Persecution in the beginning of the fourth Age if there had been such Service Books why did not their Persecutors call for the delivery of them as they did not only for the Bible but for other Church Utensils Vid. Conc. Arelat Can. 13. in Caranz p. 65. Why hear we of no traditores upon this account It was not the Christians belief contained in the Scripture concerning the true God or the Gentiles false Gods that did more exasperate the Heathen against them then their Worship The Jews whose belief was as opposite to theirs had a toleration many times when the Christians were destroyed And Origen l Neque de Diis non recte sentire crederentur eum non fuisse verum sevitiae causam ex â—o probat Origines quod Epicureis aliisque Philosophis omnem omnino divinam providentiam tollentibus parcebatur Grot. observes that they were not wont to persecute any for their Opinions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adv Celâ— l. 2. p. 68. There were opinions amongst their persecutors concerning God as scandalous to the Heathen as those which the Scripture taught the Christians The Epicureans wholly denying Divine Providence m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
another Mans Sermons and was his power in Praying no more than his reading another Mans Prayers One would think it could denote no less than that he had a more powerful way or faculty in Preaching and Praying And if it be said that this lay only in his more devout or earnest reading c. Ans If the disinteressed can be satisfied that his powerful faculty in Preaching was but his fervency in reading other mens Sermons I shall not contend but that his powerful faculty in Praying might be no more than his devout reading of other mens Prayers Athanasius himself shews us that Prayers were not then had from Prayer-Books and prescribed Forms when he tells us mens orationis fons est following Basil in the beginning of his Tract de Spiritu Sancto tells Amphilochius that he lately Praying with the People and concluding his Prayers Hook. pol. l. 5. §. 42. with a Doxology used variety of expressions therein sometimes to the Father with the Son together with the Holy Ghost sometimes by the Son in the Holy Ghost and that offence was taken at one mode of his expressing it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cap. 1. p. 248. Hence it appears Basil was not would not be limited to the same words in any the least part of publick Prayers not in one clause so short a clause not in the conclusion of a Prayer where those who vary in other parts many times agree not in a Doxology where those that are for more liberty elsewhere can be content with less He varies in this once and again in several Prayers and none of his variations fall in with the usual mode to the Father and the Son aend the Holy Ghost nor did the fear of offence restrain him from using this liberty Now if in such circumstances he would not be confined in the part of a Prayer to the invariable use of so short a clause as the half of the Doxology now used would he be confined g Qui loquendi arte caeteris hominibus excellere videntur but not to be reckoned inter illos doctissimos quorum mens magnarum rerum est exercitata quaestionibus Discant non contemnere quos cognoverint morum vitia quam verborum amplius devitare id ibid. p. 329. His enim maxime utile est nosse ita esse praeponendas verbis sententias ut praeponitur animus corpori id p. 330. Basil In Praying publickly used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strange or unusual expressions which could not be the words of a Common-Prayer Book of ordinary tho' free use much less of one prescribed and injoyned to be constantly and unvariably used If there had been any such you will not think but Basil would have been confined to them but he is far from it he would not be limited to the same words himself or confine others to the invariable use of whole Prayers No it is hereby evident his times knew no such bonds he used expressions as to his Auditory seemed strange and unusual which the words of a Common-Prayer Book could not have been Augustin giving directions how the Catechumens are to be instructed adviseth the Catechists Deo gratias particularly to accomodate themselves to their several capacities and when they are to deal with those of some learning and eloquence to let them understand that God minds not so much the expressions as the inward affection ita enim non irridebunt si aliquos Antistites ministros ecclesiae forte animadverterint vel cum barbarismis soloecismis Deum invocare de Catechiz rudib cap. 9. p. 330. Tom. 4. pars poster So they will not jeer if perhaps they take notice that some Bishops and Ministers of the Church do invocate God with Barbarisms and Solecisms Prayers wherein there were Barbarisms and Solecisms none will imagin them to have been prescribed by the Church yet such were the Prayers both of Bishops and Ministers in Austin's time Socrates who lived in the middle of the Fifth Century h Antâ—nius of Valentia a Dominican in the Council of Trent said that it was plain by all History that antiently every Church had her particular Ritual of the Mass brought in by use and upon occasion rather than by deliberation and decree and that the small Church did follow the Metropolitan and the greater which were near The Roman rite hath been to gratifie the Pope received in many Provinces tho' the Rites of many Churches are still most different from it c. And that of Rome also hath had great alterations and the true Roman rite not that which is now observed by the Priests in that City c. Hist. of the Counc of Trent l. 6. p. 548 549. Prayers in end of Antient Councils not premeditated but as the Spirit did excite some Bishops In Trent not giving way to the extemporary Spirit of any but repeating it out of a paper ibid. p. 813. Fid. Augustini retractat l. 2. c. 20. of varieties in Sacraments â—â—c tamen commemorari omnia potuerunt and whose History reaches an 439. gives us an account of the variety then used in Prayers altogether inconsistent with any common prescribed Liturgy l. 5. c. 21. p. 698. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Generally in any place whatsoever and amongst all the sorts of Worshippers there cannot two be sound agreeing to use the same Prayers Now where there was diversity of Prayers every where How could there be the use of one common Liturgy where there was no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no agreement or concurrence in using the same Prayers in any place How could there be one prescribed model when there could not be found two any where using the same Prayers Where were they to be found that used the same Service-Book For the West we may understand by Innocent's Epistle to Decentius formerly alledged how far they were in the same Age from being confined to one Form of Church-Service when he tells us every one celebrated as pleased him And long after this something of the Antient liberty is discernable in the several Countries which was retained in some of them even after the imposing Spirit was rouzed and active And by the remaining ruins we may guess what it was when it stood intire At the time when the Fourth Council of Toledo was held an 633. the Spanish Churches were not subject tho' forwarder for such subjection than others to imposed orders for one Form of Worship no not in the Sacraments Even these in the said Churches were celebrated Crab. Tom. 2. p. 196. in various modes and in some of them unduely as is expressed in the Preface to that Synod In sacramentis divinis quae diverso atque illicito modo in Hispaniarum Ecclesiis celebrantur In France i Percipiens de omnibus civitatibus Franciae Magistros Scholae antiphonarios eis ad corrigendum tradere ab iis discere cantare correcti sunt ergo Antiphonarii Francorum quos unusquisque pro arbitrio