That his Friend Du-Plessis saith The Lord's Prayer was commended to the Apostles for their ordinary Prayer (d) Du-Plessis of the Mass Book I. chap. 1. pag. 9. I have been more particular in clearing this point that I may shew the Reader to how little purpose this Author usually fills his Margen and may now conclude That Christ did intend this Prayer for a Form and so it was used by the Church in all Ages Secondly We are often told of a Gift of Prayer which was in the Apostolick Church and this Gift enabling Persons as they suppose to express their wants in Extempore Phrases made Forms in that Age however useless I Answer That this Gift is not expresly mentioned in Scripture nor in any ancient Author but S. Chrysostom and he holds it was a Miraculous Gift peculiar to the Pastors of the Church and saith it was ceased long before his time so that in S. Chrysostom's Opinion our Dissenters Extempore Prayers cannot proceed from this Gift and it is plain they pervert all the places of Scripture which they produce to prove their claim to this Gift of Prayer Christ indeed saith When the Apostles Martyrs or Confessors were brought before their Enemies and Persecutors They need take no thought how or what they should speak for it should be given them in that hour what they should speak (e) Math. x. 19. But What is this saith a Learned Father to speaking before our Friends where premeditation is enjoyned (f) Isidor Peleus lib. 4. ep 218. or what reason is there to apply this to the Prayers we make to God to whom we must not say any thing which we have not well considered on before we speak it (g) Eccles v. 1 2. Secondly They alledge that place of S. Paul Rom. VIII 26. The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray for as we ought c But this place cannot be meant of the infirmity of wanting Words because it is here said The Spirit maketh intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered and the Context shews that S. Paul is speaking of the infirmity of Impatience under present Afflictions and praying for immediate deliverance even when it is not pleasing to God nor profitable for us Now this Infirmity the Spirit helpeth and teacheth us to bear them patiently and submit to Gods Will yea to pray his Will may be done yet in the mean time the Spirit pleads with God to deliver us and that with inexpressible ardency So that this place is no ground for any to expect the extraordinary assistance of the Spirit to teach them new Words and Phrases in ordinary Cases and for their daily Prayers Thirdly They tell us S. Paul speaks of praying with the Spirit and praying with understanding (h) 1 Cor. xiv 15. I Answer He is discoursing of praying in an unknown Tongue which since none of our Adversaries can do now this place is nothing to their purpose and I much question whether they who pray Extempore can be said to pray with understanding as to their own particulars because they neither know before what they are to say nor can remember afterward what they have said However the strict Meaning of this place is no More but that if a Man who had the Gift of Tongues prayed in a Congregation which understood not the Language he prayed in he must Make the People understand the meaning of his Prayer or be silent but whether his Prayer were a Form or Extempore is not said in this place which refers to the Gift of Tongues and not to the Gift of Prayer But our Adversary hath a peculiar Notion of this Gift of Prayer viz. That it was an ordinary Gift common to all Christians and continuing to this day which he proves because all to whom the Apostles writ are exhorted to Pray in the Spirit (i) Ephes vi 18. and to pray in the Holy Ghost (k) Jude ver 20. by which he understands that they were all able to conceive their own Prayers and therefore he thinks if they made use of Prayers formed by others they did not exercise their own Gift nor pray as they were able (l) Discourse of Liturg. p. 128 129. To which I Reply That the absurd consequences of this Exposition ought to make our Author ashamed of it since it would follow from hence That no Man in their public Assemblies except the Minister did Pray in the Spirit because the Minister alone conceives the Prayer and though it be Extempore to him yet it is a Form to the whole Congregation who must pray in his Words and not exercise their own Gift of Praying by the Spirit in his Sense which is to invent the Words by the Spirit Rejecting therefore this absurd Exposition that leads to so ridiculous a Conclusion we shall note That praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit Ephes vi 18. signifies no more than praying fervently and heartily as loving in the Spirit (m) Coloss I. ver 8. is put for loving fervently ex animo from the Heart Thus Grotius expounds it Praying not only with the Voice but from the Heart (n) Grot. Com. in Ephes vi 18. And thus Praying in the Holy Ghost Jude ver 20. implies Praying with that devotion and fervency which we are moved to by the Holy Spirit but then this is no extraordinary Gift this is no more than what both Then and Now every good Man by the ordinary assistance of the Spirit might and may do even by a Form for he that repeats that so as to attend the Sense and heartily desires every Petition may be granted he prays by the Spirit or in the Spirit as these Scriptures exhort and thus the People as well as the Priest in public or private may and ought to pray in the Spirit Which shews that these places rightly expounded are nothing at all to our Dissenters pretended gift of Inventing new Words every time they Pray We will grant there was such a Gift in the Apostles times But we judge St. Chrysostom knew much better than they what it was and he thinks it was as Miraculous as the gift of Tongues with which St. Paul joyns it He saith it was given only to one and affirms it was ceased long before his time and seems to imply that the Forms which were made in his Days had their Original from the Prayers which were made at first by these inspired Men Whose Prayers thus conceived were written down and so preserved and used when the Gift it self failed And when we consider the agreeableness of all Ancient Liturgies in the Method and even in many of the Phrases and Forms and their neer Resemblance to each other we may Rationally believe they were all derived at first from that One Spirit which directed all Inspired Men in their new planted Churches to ask fit and proper things almost in the very same Words And thus the
Canon it self do only direct the Order in which these several parts of the Service shall be used and forbid the altering that Order yet withal it refers to these several parts of the Service and calls them by their proper Names supposing a Book well known in which they were written down in the same order which is prescribed by this Canon It is plain the Antiphons Hymns Collects c. were certain fixed Forms not made in this Council but supposed to be commonly known by all long before and since some variety in the reciting these Forms had crept in so as one Diocess differed somewhat from another that Variety though it were but in the order of using these Forms is forbid here and the same Uniformity established in this Province which had been setled every where else And indeed this Canon convinces me there was no difference in the Forms themselves the same Antiphons Hymns Collects c. were used every where that needed not any regulation only they were differently placed in the Liturgies of divers Churches and this they Reform by setling one Liturgy for the whole Gallican Church which is called Ordo Ecclesiae and This Order contained not only the Rubrics or disposal of these several parts of Service but also The Forms themselves so disposed and set in Order And doubtless if any had then been so bold to vary the Hymns and Forms of Prayer these Fathers who would not suffer any Variety in the method and placing them would much less have endured the presumption of altering the Words and Expressions but that was a piece of Confidence that was not heard of in this Age. The next Year was held the first Council of Orleance Concil Aurel. I. An. Dom. 507. which again forbids Any of the People to go out of the Church before that final Blessing after the Lords Prayer in the end of the Communion Service (h) Concil Aurel. I. Can. 28. Bin. Tom. II. par l. pag 562. and enjoyns the Litanies shall be used three days before Ascension day and orders the People who had so large a share in this ancient Form to leave Work and joyn in presenting this general Supplication to Almighty God (i) Ibid. Can. 29. Agreeable to which is that Passage in Caesarius his Homilies where he tells us That the whole Church throughout the World then celebrated these Three Days with Litanies and then no Christian ought to be absent from that Religious Assembly (k) In tribus istis diebus quas regulariter in toto mundo celebrat Ecclesia nullus se à sancto Conventu subaucat Caesar hom 1. Now can any man doubt of the use of Prescribed Forms when these Litanies were so generally observed both in the Eastern and Western Churches Is it not plain the Communion Service was the same in all these Provinces since so many Authors and Councils agree That that Office every where ended with the Lords Prayer and the Blessing An Order now must signifie more than a Rubric For undoubtedly they had a prescribed Rule containing both the Forms and the Method also And the better to secure this Liturgy from being altered Concil Epaun. An. Dom. 509. the Council of Pamiers Ordains That all Churches in the Province shall observe the same Order in celebrating Divine Offices which was used by the Metropolitan Bishop (l) Ad celebrandum divina Officia â—â—dinem quem Metropolitani tenent Provinciales observare debent Concil Epaun. Can. 27. Bin. Tom. II. par I. pag. 553. And a few years after the same Order was made in Spain where Variety of Nations and Opinions had made some difference in their Liturgies But at Girone in Catalonia it was decreed That as to the appointing of Divine Service as it was performed in the Metropolitan Church so in Gods Name let that same Vsage be observed through the whole Province of Catalonia as well in the Communion-Office as in that of Singing and Ministring (m) De institutione Missarum ut â—uâ—modo in Metropolitanâ Ecclesiâ fuerâ—t ita in Dei nomine in omni Tarraconensi Provinciâ tam ipsius Misa Orao quam psallenai ministrandi consuetudo servetur Concil Gerund An. 517. Can. 1. Bin. ibid. pag. 618. that is The Order of Divine Offices which by a prescribed Rule was setled in the Metropolitan Church for the Communion-Service the Hymns and other Administrations were to be the Guide to all the Diocesses under the Jurisdiction thereof Which supposes that the Original Liturgy was written and kept carefully there by which all the Books of Divine Offices transcribed for the several Diocesses of his Suffragans were to be corrected which was a very fit Means to preserve that Unity both as to the Forms and Order which they now laboured to restore in all these parts of the VVorld The last named Council also mentions Litanies in two Canons Can. 2 and Can. 3. And informs us That the Lords Prayer was there repeated daily in the end both of Morning and Evening Prayer Can. 10. And all this leaves us no room to doubt of their using those ancient Forms which after these great Confusions began to be restored in these Countries upon the Conversion of both Pagans and Hereticks to the Faith and their beginning to incorporate with the People which they had Conquered in the last Age. And I have a little transgressed the Order of Time that I might lay these Canons together which were all made upon the same Occasion and do mutually explain one another Fulgentius Ep. Ruâ—pens Ann. Dom. 508. § 3. We must now step into Africa where that Pious Bishop Fulgentius flourished who was the most Eminent Champion for the true Faith against the Arians then very numerous in that Country And this holy Confessor hath left us sufficient Evidence of the continuance of the ancient African Forms For he largely expounds that Primitive Petition so generally used at the Consecration in all the old Liturgies viz. That God would send down the holy Spirit upon the Elements to sanctifie them and make them the Body of his deer Son (n) Fulgent ad Monim lib. 2. cap. 6. p. 79. Yea he confirms the Orthodox Faith from this ancient and well known Form of Prayer He also discourses very fully upon that general conclusion of the Collects which the Arians cavilled at Through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord who liveth and Reigneth with thee in the unity of the holy Spirit (o) Per universas pene Africae regiones Catholica dicere consuevit Ecclesia Per Jesum c. Fulg. ad Ferrand Diac. Resp ad Quaest 4. pag. 266. Assuring us that the Catholick Church in almost all the Regions of Africa concluded their Prayers in this Form which he proves is agreeable to Scripture to the usage of the Primitive Church and to the Doctrin of the Orthodox Fathers And that must be a very ancient piece of Liturgy which is of Authority in dispute with
rate concerning it As to what relates to stinted Forms of Prayer the Judicious Mr. Clerkson in his excellent Dicourse of Liturgies having so Learnedly and fully discussed it he needs only commend its perusal to the Candid Reader with an Assurance That until it be cleared that stinted Liturgies are Ancienter than that Learned Person represents them to be they shall be Freed from a strict Imposition Thus far he Who hath been so grosly mistaken in his Character of this Discourse that I know not how he can make satisfaction for being so Confident in his Error but by giving us another assurance that if we prove Liturgies are much more Ancient than his Friend represents them to be He and those who have been misled with him will no longer disturb the peace of the Church and Nation by opposing them but will quietly submit to the strict imposition of them since it is no more but to be obliged to Serve God in public by the most Primitive and Prudent way of Worship ERRATA PAg. 3. lin 13. Marg. read Philo p. 34. l. 20. Marg. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 35. l. 28. Marg. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 48. l. 9. r. of praying 〈◊〉 the Pagan way p. 63. l. 3. r. assign no p. 85. l. 23. r. this cause p. 96. l. 3. r. Cardinal Bona p. 101. l. 25. r. eldest Fathers p. 109. l. 16. r. cannot be p. 115. l. 22. stop thus parts for the Heathen Worship p. 123. l. 8. r. Liturgy is put for p. 139. l. 22. Marg. verbum praedicet p. 154. l. 28. Marg. r. pag. 161. p. 156. l. 24. Marg. r. Coci censura p. 176. l. 27 177. l. 16. r. Constitutions p. 190. l. 7. r. Public Service p. 195. l. 3. stop thus provâ—â— before there p. 202. l. 19. r. is in the Manner p. 207. l. 19. Marg. r. de bapt Servator p. 211. l. 21. r. that the words p. 212. l. â— r. giving us many p. 228. l. 8. Marg. r. mundo p. 243. l. 18. r. a Solecism p. 251. l. 17. r. such Mistakes With some other literal Errors which the Judicious Reader can easily correct A Scholastical History OF THE PRIMITIVE ORIGINAL And general Use of LITURGIES IN THE Christian Church The Introduction concerning the Grounds for Liturgies in Holy Scripture § 1. THough LITURGIES have great reputation from their Ancient use in the Church and the principal design of this Tract be to prove that yet since a late Author is so bold to say They pretend not to Scripture (a) Discourse concerning Liturgy p. 1. I shall introduce my Discourse by shewing That Liturgies have a great reputation also for the testimony which the Scripture bears to them not only as the Phrases and main parts of them are the words of Scripture but because the Holy Bible makes it appear That the People of God from the beginning did generally use Forms of Prayer and Praises in their public Worship The Learned Fagius thinks they are as old as the time of Enosh when Men began publickly to call upon the Name of the Lord (b) Gen. iv 26. but it is certain that the first piece of solemn Worship among the Israelites recorded in Scripture is a Form of Praise sung in parts by the Men and Women after their deliverance from the Egyptians (c) Exod. xv ver 1. compar'd with ver 21. Soon after God himself prescribed a Form of Words by which the Priest was to bless the People (d) Num 6.23 and Forms of Prayer for those who offered their First-fruits and Tithes (e) Deut. xxvi ver 5 13. yea God prescribes a Form of Prayer for the Penitent Jews and charges them to Take words with them and turn to the Lord and say Take away all Iniquity c. and upon their using this Form He promises to heal their backslidings c. (f) Hos xiv 2 3 4. The Psalms of David were Forms of Prayer and Praise endited by the Spirit of God not only for his private use but for the publick service of the Temple (g) 1 Chron. xvi 7. 2 Chro. xxix 30. Chap. v. 13. And I could bring innumerable Proofs both out of Jewish and Christian Writers if it were needful to shew that the Jews did worship God by Set Forms and had a fixed Liturgy (h) Josephus Philo P. Fagius Scaliger Buxtorf Synag Seld. in Eutych but I shall only refer to two Great Men Doctor Hammond who proves both that they had Forms and that their Forms were in the same Method with our Common-Prayer (i) Dr. Hamm. View of Direct p. 136. Oxford Papers p. 260. Vol. 1. And Dr. Lightfoot who not only asserts they had stated Forms (k) Dr. Lightfoot Vol. 2. p. 158. p. 1139. but sets down the order both of their Hymns and Supplications gives us the Words which they used (l) Idem Vol. l. p. 922 942 946. and learnedly demonstrates that these Forms continued even to our Saviours time and long after (m) Ibid. p. 157 Exp on Mutiâ— vi 9. Now from this short but full Evidence we thus argue If the Jews who were Gods only People and the best among them even such as were inspired and in the purest times of that Church did worship God acceptably by Set Forms of Prayer in their public Devotions then a Liturgy is no argument of a corrupted Church no hindrance to servency no way displeasing to God nor unfit for public Assemblies as our Adversary pretends But neither he nor his Friends are able to produce one instance where either God disliked Forms or good Men complained of them under the legal Dispensation Therefore I may conclude That Liturgies are very agreeable to the Scriptures of the Old Testament and may be justified from many places thereof § 2. To this it may be objected That though this Method of Praying was agreeable to the old Law it is not suitable to Gospel-times To which I reply First That this yields the Cause as to the Jewish Church and is a clear acknowledgment that the Faithful did then Worship God by Forms But Secondly Since the Duties of Prayer and Praise are grounded on the same Reason now that they were then and neither are nor were intended to be abrogated they who say this must assign some satisfactory Reason why these Duties may not be performed now in the same manner that they were performed then otherwise it is not probable that a Form as such is unsuitable to the Gospel way of Worship especially since Christ and his Apostles who duly frequented the Temple-Worship where these Men grant Forms were used did never shew any dislike of that way of Worshiping and though they taxed their other Corruptions very freely they joyned in these Forms and never reproved the Jews for using them Thirdly This way of serving God having been so anciently and universally used if Jesus had designed to alter it and set up the new
Secondly That it was reckoned a pious thing to compose and learn a Form of Prayer which Eusebius would not have commended if Forms had not been esteemed lawful and commonly used in public And Thirdly That those who use Forms of Prayer either by committing them to memory or by frequent use might often lift up their Eyes to Heaven in the repeating of them So that we may grant his Instance of Constantine's Effigies on his Coin represented as in a praying posture with Hands and Eyes lifted up to Heaven (l) Disc of Liturg pag. 10. For since we are sure he used Forms this only shews the folly of his arguing from that posture that such as did use it could not pray by a Form I shall therefore conclude this Evidence with this further Observation That we cannot doubt that Christians had accustomed themselves to pray by Forms in Public before the time of this Religious Prince who was guided by those Bishops who had been Confessors for the Faith and yet composed and used Forms of Prayer and was highly commended for it nor did any of that Age object this as any Innovation in the Christian Worship but Eusebius particularly reckons it as an Instance of his Piety that He ordered all his Army at a certain Signal given by one Man to send up one and the same premeditated Prayer to God (m) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vita Constant lib 4. cap. 19. Which shews That the Christians did then worship God by premeditated and prescribed Forms and not in the Extempore way which our Adversaries pretend to be the ancient Mode S. Athanasius An. Dom. 326. § 3. Soon after flourished the Great Athanasius in whom there are evident marks of a public Liturgy for we have noted before That the People can never make certain and vocal Responses but only where the public Prayers are made in a known Form but nothing can be plainer than that they made such Responses in the Diocess of Alexandria For he alluding to the ancient Litanick way of Praying declares when he said Let us pray for the safety of the most Religious Emperour Constantius that all the People immediately answered with one Voice Christ help Constantius (n) Athanas Apol ad Constant pag. 156 157. In another Tract he tells us The People mourned and groaned to God in the Church all of them crying to the Lord and saying Spare thy People good Lord spare them give not thine Heritage for a reproach to their Enemies (o) Idem Epist ad Solitar pag. 239. which is an original piece of Litany and a known Form prescribed in Scripture retained in the Primitive Church and continued still in use among us Athanasius also speaks of the Prayers at the Communion as a distinct Office affirming That the People offered up these Prayers with one Voice and without any manner of disagreement adding That in that great multitude there was but one Voice when they unanimously answered Amen (p) Idem Apol. ad Constant pag. 159. From these and other Testimonies the Centuriators confess there were Forms of Prayer used at Alexandria in his time (q) Magdeb. Cent. 4. cap. 6. pag. 412. and the Learned Bishop Bilson observes That the Church in that Age thought it not enough for the Simple to say Amen they knew not to what but requiring and appointing their devout distinct and intelligent Answers Confessions Blessings and Thanksgivings as well in the ministration of the Lords Supper as in other parts of their public Service (r) Bilson's Christ Subjeâ—t part 4. p. 435. So that it is plain he believed there was a Form wherein the Peoples part of all Offices was appointed by the Church which could not be done in the Extempore way I shall only further note That Athanasius orders the People to sing the Psalms in the very Words wherein they are written Affirming That he who thus repeats them may be confident God will hear these Supplications (s) Athâ—n de inter Psalm pag. 303. Which confirms that which was observed before out of Origen That the Church of Alexandria had many Forms of Prayer out of the Psalms As for my Adversary He omits all these passages and as is usual with him he mentions nothing of this Father but two places out of which he hopes to raise some Objections against Forms of Prayer First He saith The Arians who charged Athanasius with burning the Bible do not mention any Indignity done to the Liturgy whence he gathers there was no Liturgy used there ourse of pag. 13. But let it be noted that he falsifies the Historian who saith they charged him with burning The Holy Books (u) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socrat. hist lib. 1. cap. 2. pag. 539. in the plural Number which may very well take in the Liturgy as well as the Bible being reckon'd also an Holy or Sacred Book And we have shewed That in the Emperour Constantine's Court there were Books of Prayers as well as of Holy Scripture and therefore it is likely there was so also at Alexandria For even in the relation of the Arians Cruelty there He writes of a Virgin who was very ill treated by them who had her Psalter wherein were many of their Forms of Prayer in her hand (w) Athan. ad Orthod de perfec Arian pag. 171. Secondly He alledges a place out of Theodoret which affirms as he saith That the Devils were more afraid of Athanasius his Prayers than of others and thence concludes that he prayed Extempore (x) Discourse of Liturg. p. 129. I Reply That Theodoret makes no comparison between his praying and others and if he had it would utterly have spoiled his Cause because if the Devils feared Athanasius Prayers more than any others as being Extempore then it would follow that all others had prayed by Forms so that upon that supposition Athanasius had prayed Extempore contrary to the general use of the Church But indeed Theodoret is only saying That the Devil hated him for his fervent Praying and rational Preaching by which he converted many (y) Theoderet hist lib. 3. cap. 8. he makes no comparison between him and others nor doth he say one word to prove that Athanasius did not pray by a Form we therefore will freely grant our Adversary That not Phrases but Devotion of Mind is the Fountain of Prayer And we argue from thence That it was Athanasius his Devotion not his Phrases that was so terrible to the Devil That crafty Spirit is not afraid of new Words or Extempore Phrases it is the inward Devotion of Mind which he dreads and that Athanasius did doubtless exercise to a very high degree even in the use of those Forms which were then allowed and prescribed by the Church Wherefore our Adversary gains nothing by this Father â—â—vianus Antioch An. Dom. 348. § 4. In the time of Athanasius Leontius an Arian was Bishop of Antioch who having altered some few Words in the
or Synod and he adds they desire no more liberty than this I Answer The Canon enjoyns the Eucharistical Forms as having been established before and allows no Prayers but Forms in any other Office and there is nothing in the true Reading concerning the allowance of prudent Men that is his own Corruption And if his Bretheren are content to use Forms composed by prudent Men in former time and approved by a Synod the Common-Prayer is such a Form and therefore they must conform to it Secondly He saith No Prayers are forbid but such as are against the Faith (u) Disc of Liturg. pag. 50. I answer all Prayers but those which had been approved formerly in a Council are forbid in the Eucharist which was then daily Administred and so this was the only Solemn Office of Prayers And even at other times to prevent Heretical Prayers they forbid all new Forms from being brought into the Church Therefore if any then had pretended to the Gift of Prayer and had made new Forms for the Eucharist or the hours of Prayer though they were not against the Faith yet these Canons forbid them Thirdly He fills his Margen to shew in how many Offices imposition of hands were used (w) Disc of Liturg. p. 51. and then pretends that his feigned liberty was allowed in the Prayers used in all these several Offices I answer The imposition of Hands in this Canon must signify some part of the Eucharistical Office somthing done at the Altar in the Administration and it is expresly ordered that no Prayers shall be used in this laying on of Hands which I take to be the consecrating the Elements but such as had before been confirmed by a Synod Wherefore in this point there was no liberty at all left but every one was confined to the old established Form Fourthly He raises divers other scruples but they all rely upon his own false Translating of the Canon (x) Disc of Liturg. p. 53. 54 and may be here passed by because they are answered before Lastly He represents Chemnitius as falsly as he had done the Council saying that he cites these two Canons to prove the Order of Celebrating among the Ancients was Arbitrary (y) Disc of Liturg. p. 55. I answer Chemnitius is confuting the Roman Churches imposing her Canon of the Mass upon all Churches under pretence that no Consecration can be without it And he shews that in the ancient Church there was not one certain Form of Words which all the Churches in the World were bound to use under the peril of mortal Sin it being free for them to use any Form that agreed to the Faith which he proves by these two Canons and by this Argument because the Greeks had one Form in Dionysius his Church another in Basils and another in Chrysostoms In the West also S. Ambrose used one Form Isidore another and Gregory another who yet would not impose the Roman Form upon England from whence he concludes that the Papists now are unjust in imposing their Mass on all Churches and also in blaming the Lutherans who use Forms agreeing to the Ancients and the Analogy of Faith and tending to edification (z) Chemnitij exam Concil Trident. par 2. pag. 191. Therefore if this Author be a good Evidence he owns Liturgies in the Primitive Church and justifies the use of them in the Reformed Churches he condemns nothing but imposing one Liturgy upon all the Churches in the World to conceal which my Adversary in citing Chemenitius draws a line where these Words come in To which all Churches in the World were bound under the peril of mortal Sin Which words shew Chemnitius disliked mainly the binding all Churches to use one Churches Form But as to these two Canons Bellarmine justly reproves Chemnitius for applying those parts of them which forbid such Prayers as are against the Faith to the Eucharistical Prayers because they belong as we have shewed to Prayers used in the Church at other times (a) Bellarm. de Missâ lib. 2. cap. 18. And I dare say Chemnitius did not think That the public Prayers were Arbitrary in the Primitive Church in my Adversaries Sense that is that private Ministers were allowed to Pray Extempore or to make Forms of their own nor did he think it would be allowed to the inferior Clergy to use suppose Dionysius his Form in S. Basils Church it is plain from his Argument and the Lutheran Churches practice that the Clergy of every Province were bound to use the Forms prescribed by that Church whereof they were Members And this is the obligation which our Church puts upon all her Clergy which our Dissenters most unjustly complain of since we see it hath been always done by all the Regular and well setled national Churches in the World I have now done with this eminent Century and proved That as Christianity was first setled and established by Law in this Age so were Liturgies also So that we shall conclude this Period with our Adversaries Character of this Time Many there were saith he excellently accomplished in the Fourth Age and some till about the middle of the Fifth it may therefore seem something for the Credit of Liturgies if they can be found in the Church while there was any thing of such Eminency in it (b) Disc of Liturg. p. 55. Wherefore having made it appear that Liturgies were used even in the Three first Ages which he pretends so much to admire and being setled by Law and custom so firmly in this Age which abounded with more and more learned Fathers than all the Ages before it we may conclude That to Pray by a prescribed Liturgy is to pray according to the usage of the best Times of the Church and to pray agreeably to the Opinion and practice of the most Learned Pious and Eminent Fathers whose judgment if our Adversaries had any Reverence for they would certainly comply with so pure and Primitive a Liturgy as that which is prescribed by the Reformed Church of England the undoubtted Bulwark of the True Protestant Religion The End of the Fourth Century BOOKS newly Printed for and Published by Robert Clavell at the Peacock at the West-end of S. Pauls ROman Forgeries in the Councils during the first Four Centuries Together with an Appendix concerning the Forgeries and Errors in the Annals of Baronius By Thomas Comber D.D. Precentor of York Concio ad Synodum ab Episcopis Clero Provinciae Cantuariensis celebratam Habita in Aede Westmonasteriensi XII Kal. Decembr An. Dom. 1689. Per Guilielmum Beveregium Archidiaconum Colcestriensem Jussu Episcoporum A Sermon Preached to the Protestants of Ireland in and about the City of London at S. Mary le Bow in Cheapside Octob. 23. 1689. being the Day appointed by Act of Parliament in Ireland for an Anniversary Thanksgiving for the Deliverance of the Protestants of that Kingdom from the Bloody Massacre and Rebellion begun by the Irish Papists on the 23d of October 1641. By his Grace the Archbishop of Tuam A Sermon Preached before Their Majesties at Whitehall on the 5th Day of November 1689. being the Anniversary Day of Thanksgiving for the great Deliverance from the Gunpowder-Treason and also the Day of His Majesties happy Landing in England By the Bishop of S. Asaph Lord Almoner to their Majesties Seasonable Reflections on a late Pamphlet Entituled A History of Perfect Obedience since the Reformation wherein the true Notion of Passive Obedience is setled and secured from the malicious Interpretations of Ill designing Men. FINIS
IMPRIMATUR April 26. 1690. C. Alston R.P.D. HEN. Episc Lond. à Sacris A Scholastical HISTORY OF THE Primitive and General Use OF LITURGIES IN The Christian Church Together with An Answer to Mr. Dav. Clarkson's late Discourse concerning LITURGIES PART II. Of the Time after the Year 400 With an Answer to the Arguments against Liturgies and the Testimony of Protestant Divines for them By THO COMBER D. D. Precentor of YORK Publica est nobis communis Oratio Cypr. de Orat. Dom. § 5. pag. 310. LONDON Printed by S. Roycroft for Robert Clavell at the Peacock at the West-end of S. Pauls 1690. THE PREFACE TO THE Second Part. WHEN those who oppose the Vse of LITURGIES had appealed to Antiquity and boasted it would disown them I concluded they were obliged to stand to the Sentence of a Judge of their own choosing (a) Acts xxv 12. and therefore followed them to that Tribunal before which they had brought their Cause And when the First Four Centuries whose Authority is most venerable and their Testimony the most convincing (b) Antiquitas quo propiùs aberat ab ortu divinâ progenie hoc meliùs ea fortasse quae erant vera cernebat Cicer. Tuscul quaest had given it on Our Side It was the Opinion of some of my good Friends that I need descend no lower and might save the labour of a Second Part But I considered That though it was enough to such as were Impartial to prove that Liturgies began so Early Yet others who were prejudiced against them would question the Truth of that unless I could clear the following Ages also from all the Objections that their Friend hath raised out of them against this great Truth He hath fixed the Original of Prescribed Forms a Century or two Lower and made a shew of proving That the Vse of these Forms was left arbitrary even till the beginning of the Ninth Century And scattered divers Arguments in several places of his Book collected out of some General Observations which could not be brought under any one of the Ancienter Fathers Names nor Answered in the First Part because they depended on Miscellaneous Quotations chiefly relating to the Time after the Fifth Century began Wherefore I was compelled to follow him down through all these Later Ages and shew That Liturgies not only continued to be imposed and used then but were generally believed to have come down to them by Tradition from the most Eminent Bishops of the Primitive and Apostolical Ages and that his Objections rather confirm than weaken this Assertion I was obliged also to Examine every thing that looked like an Argument that I might neither give the obstinate Occasion to call those Reasonings Invincible which scarce deserved a serious Answer (c) Tacere ultra non oportet ne jam non verecundiae sed diffidentiae esse incipiat Cypr. ad Demetr nor leave any Scruples in the Minds of such as are willing to be undeceived And for their sakes as well as to make this History more compleat I have added the Testimonies of the most Eminent Reformed Divines both concerning the Antiquity and Vsefulness of Liturgies in general and concerning the Excellency of Our Churches Forms of Prayer By all which it will appear That such as scruple to Hear or Read our Common-Prayer are so very singular in that Notion that they are not only contrary to Vs and to all Antiquity but also to the Best and most Regular of the Protestant Foreign Churches 'T is true when Men have an Interest to serve they will have no Inclination to yield to the clearest Demonstration nor to the plainest Matter of Fact And therefore perhaps Some of this Party may hope to run down all that is brought out of the Ages after the Year 400 with the old Cry of POPERY and SUPERSTITION But I would anticipate so weak an Objection by observing That their Friend led me into these Ages and they must not blame me for following him Again There is nothing deserves these hard Names in this later Period but only that which was then first brought into the Church and was not known nor used in purer Times Now the First Part sufficiently proves That Liturgies were none of the Inventions of these Ages by shewing they were used and approved in the former Centuries before any of those Corruptions came in I grant that those Copies of Ancient Liturgies which come to our hands have many passages in them which relish of the Superstition of later Ages But then we are also sure by those Passages which the Fathers cite out of them before they were corrupted that they were pure at first and these Exceptionable places have been tacked to them long after they were first composed Which the Compilers and Reformers of our Liturgy well understood and therefore though they imitated them in all that was agreeable to the Doctrin and Practice of the First Four Centuries they cut off and rejected all the rest and so have reduced the Primitive way of Praying to its Original purity and ancient soundness They knew the Praying by Forms was very Ancient the Corruption of those Forms of later date So that when they and other Reformed Churches have purged out all the Superstitious Innovations and restored the Primitive Method of Serving God by prescribed Forms agreeably to the Scriptures and the Practice and Opinions of the best Ages I would hope that all who are prepared to submit to Truth by which it is every Mans interest to be conquered (d) Qui veritati cedit utiliter vincitur Petr. Damian lib. 1. ep 20. will renounce their groundless Prejudices against this useful and Ancient Method of Praying And no longer dote upon the new Extempore and Arbitrary way which was never used in public till of late since the Ages of Inspiration whose practice can be no Rule to us who have not those extraordinary Gifts And which is inconsistent with the Safety the Honour and the Quiet of all Established Churches To conclude The best Christians and the most regular Churches in all Ages have used and approved Forms of Prayer and found great comfort in them and much benefit by them And if our Dissenters would be content to serve God so also they would then be capable of being Members of our Established Church and we should no longer be disturbed weakned and endangered by this unhappy Separation But so long as they retain this Fundamental Error and profess their aversation to our whole way of Worship All projects of Vnion and hopes of Accomodation are vain And for that reason I have so fully considered this Question and set all that relates to it in one Orderly View because it is Evident that the Right Determination thereof must be the first step to that Peace which is the Interest and would be the Safety of this divided Nation the Welfare whereof all good Men unfeignedly desire ERRATA PAg. 9. lin 5. read Scribi fas p. 11. l.
them repeated Again he cites this Father to prove that those who were Baptized were taught the Words of the Lords Prayer (u) Isid lib 4. ep 24. Disc of Lit. pag. 2. Which shews that Forms were not held unlawful in that Age. But if my Adversary had not been obliged to keep back all that makes for Liturgies it is not easy to be imagined why he should never mention that Famous Epistle which Isidore Writ on purpose to expound that old piece of Liturgy Pronounced by the Bishop in the public Forms as we saw in the Constitutions S. Chrysostom and others that is Peace be with you unto which as Isidore tells us the people answered and with thy Spirit (w) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isid lib. 1. ep 122. This Form so well explained by this Father gives us reason to believe that the rest of those Liturgies wherein this known Form is found were used in his time and that when he advises a Clergy-Man not to abuse the Holy Liturgy (x) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id. lib. 1. ep 313. he means that he ought not to profane and desecrate the sacred Forms by a most unholy Life and Conversation especially since he was not only a Scholar of S. Chrysostoms who made a Liturgy but also tells us (y) Id. lib. 1. ep 90. that the Women in his time Sung their part of the Church Service and when they were deservedly Excommunicate they were not all wed this great Priviledge which sufficiently shews there were Forms prescribed in his days wherein all the People had their share § 4. His Contemporary was the Learned Synesius Synesius An. Dom. 412. who lived also in the same Country he was bred among the Gentile Philosophers and not Converted till he was come to be of a good Age So that he had learned before he became a Christian what silence and secrecy was due to Mysteries and therefore he furnishes my Adversary with divers Passages concerning the Heathens care to conceal them (z) Disc of Lit. pag. 34. but since he hath owned the Pagans writ their Mysteries down He must not conclude that the Christians had no written Prayers in this Age wherein they called them Mysteries for though they were concealed from the Infidels and Uninitiated they were daily used among the Faithful And that they were Forms prescribed hath been fully proved However though we cannot expect that Synesius should write down the Sacred Words in his Books or Epistles which might fall into common or profane Hands yet there are intimations in him that there were Forms of Prayer in his time and long before For when he speaks of the Worship of God he saith The Sacred Prayers of our Fore-fathers in the holy Mysteries do cry unto that God who is above all not so much setting forth his Power as reverencing his Providence (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Synes de Regno pag. 9. Now these Sacred Prayers could not be Extempore since they were delivered down to them by their Fore-fathers therefore they must be ancient Forms Extempore Devotions are properly our own Prayers but the Prayers of our Fathers are Forms received from the Ages before us Besides we may note that he describes the Service in which these Prayers were used by this Phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and elsewhere he styles it The hidden Mysteries (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synes Ep. 57. pag. 194. And Nicephorus his Scholiast explains 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be such things as are mystically delivered both as to the words and actions (c) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nâ—ceph Scholia id Synes p. 401. That is in a Form of Words and an order of Ceremonies which are the two essential parts of a Liturgy Which Name also we have in Synesius where he is reciting the Injuries done to him by Andronicus for he saith The Devil endeavoured by this Mans means to make him fly from the Liturgy of the Altar (d) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ep. 67. p. 193. that is as he explains himself afterwards to make him omit the celebration of the Sacrament and give over reciting the public Offices which were then performed by a Liturgy in all regular Churches And though he be very nice of writing down any of the Forms in his common Writings yet he gives us either the Substance or the Words of one of his Prayers which he used not only in private but in the public Offices viz. That Justice might overcome Injustice and that the City might he purged from all Wickedness (e) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id. Ep. 121. p. 258. Which Passage probably was a part of the Liturgy then used in his Country there being something very like it in other ancient Liturgies which were used elsewhere in that Age. However our Adversary who cites Synesius so often and to no purpose about Mysteries could not or would not see any of these places which shew there were ancient and prescribed Forms in his days Celestinus Ep. Rom. A.D. 423. § 5. Pope Celestine as is affirmed by many Authors ordered the Psalms to be sung in the Communion Office by the whole Congregation in the way of Antiphone (f) Vita Celest ap Bin. Tom. 1. par 1. pag 732. Bena. rerum Liturg. lib. 2. cap. 3. p 502. That is as Isidore expounds it with reciprocal Voices each side of the Choir alternately answering the other (g) Isâ—â—â—r Orig. lib. 6. cap. 19. And Platina adds That he put some particulars into the Offices then in use (h) Platin vita Celest pag. 61. Which shews That the Roman Church was accustomed to Forms in his days Yet my contentious Adversary twice produces this Popes Testimony to shew that in his Time at Rome there was no more than an Order and Uniformity as to the persons and things prayed for but that they did not pray for them in the same Words (i) Disc of Lit. pag 6. p 29. and he cites the same place again to prove that Forms cannot be justified from that Passage (k) Ibid. p. 138. But to manifest his Mistake I will first transcribe and then explain these Words of Celestine from whence he makes this false Conclusion The Words are these Let us look upon the Mysteries of the Priests Prayers which being delivered by the Apostles are uniformly celebrated in all the World and in every Orthodox Church That so the Rule for Praying may fix the Rule of Believing For when the Bishops of the Faithful perform their enjoyned Embassy they plead with the Divine Mercy for all Mankind the whole Church Praying with them They intreat and pray That Faith may be granted to Vnbelievers that Idolaters may be delivered from their impious Errors that the light of Truth may appear to the Jews by the removing of the Veil from their Hearts that Hereticks may repent and receive the Catholic Faith that Schismatics may be revived by the Spirit
of it sent to this Bishop is called An Order of Prayer Which therefore doth not signifie a bare Rubric for Method but a Book containing the Prefaces Hymns and Prayers themselves And thus it is used in the Life of S. Laetus a Monk who about this Time was ordained Deacon and He in a short time learned the Psalter and all that the Ecclesiast cal Order required so as to be more perfect in them than many were who had been longer used to them (s) Cointè Annal Eâ—â—les â—raâ—â— An 533. pag 413. This Ecclesiastical Order was a Book as well as the Psalter and this ingemous Monk got to say the very Words of them both by Heart But to return to Pope Vigilius He was so tenacious of Forms that he warns Etherius not to permit one Syllable to be altered in the Gloria Patri Which the Catholics by ancient Custom use to say after the Ps â—ms thus Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost but some Heretics a little before presumed to leave out the last and saying it thus and to the Son the Holy Ghost which he coâ—demus as an Heretical Variation (t) Vâ—â— Ep. 2. ibid. pag 4. But it had been impossible to secure the Orthodox Forms if my Adversaries pretended liberty of varying the Words of their Prayers and Praises had then been allowed in the Church Nay if that had been permitted in former Ages there would have been no certain Primitive Forms left by which they could have corrected these Heretical Innovations § 8. In the East we have further Evidence of the continuance of Liturgick Forms Concil Mopsevest An. D. 550 for in the Council of Mopsvestia the Fathers there assembled pray for the Emperour in that ancient and generally received Form O Lord save the Emperour And hear him whensoever he calls upon thee (u) Salvum fac Domine Imperatorem exaudi eum quacunque die te invocaverit Vid. Synod Quint. collat 5. apud Bin. Tom. II. par 2. pag. 83. Anastasius Sinaita Patriar Antioch An. Dom. 560. But soon after this we have sufficient Proof that the whole Liturgy transcribed in the Apostolical Constitutions and shewed to have been the Antiochian Office some Ages before was still in use there For Anastasius who had been a Monk of Mount Sinai being now Patriarch of Antioch hath some Homilies owned to be genuine still extant wherein he refers to and expounds the Words and Actions prescribed by that ancient Liturgy As first He bids them mind the Deacons Voice when he crieth Stand with reverence stand with fear bow down your Heads And again The Priest saith he engages you to attend when he bids you Lift up your Hearts And what do you Answer Do you not Reply We lift them up unto the Lord Adding That the Peoples joyning their part to the Priests made the Prayers to be more effectual He goes on to tell them The Angels minister at the holy Liturgy The Cherubins stand round about and with sweet Voices sing the Trisagion Holy Holy Holy and the Seraphins bow and adore He mentions also the Lords Prayer as being daily repeated by all in the Communion-Office and Comments upon that ancient Form Give holy things to those that are holy (w) Arastas Sin Orat de sacr Synaxt in Auctario Bib. Pati Tom. 2. col 9 10. Now these Passages and in this Order may be seen in divers ancient Liturgies particularly in that which is set down in the Constitutions which shews that the same Forms were used at Antioch in this Age which had been used there in divers of the fore-going Centuries And though in these Homilies he doth transcribe no more of them but only such parts of the Liturgy as were proper to move the People to come to the Communion with Devotion and Reverence Charity and holy Resolutions yet by those which he occasionally mentions and by the Order of them we may discern the ancient Forms were still in use there with little or no Variation § 9. By this Time divers Parts of Spain had embraced the Catholic Faith Concil Bracar I. An. Dom. 563. and therefore now the Orthodox Bishops met in a Council at Braga and after they had caused the Book of ancient Canons to be publicly read before them they gather out of them some that were of present use and revive them by a fresh imposing them The first thing they labour to regulate is that variety of Forms and different ways of Divine Service which the mixture of divers Nations and Opinions had produced among them therefore the first Canon is That one and the same Order of Singing shall be kept in Morning and Evening Prayer and that no different Customs either of private Men or of Monasteries shall be mixed with the Ecclesiastical Rule (x) Ut unus atque idem Psallendi ordo in Matutinis vel Vespertinis officiis teneatur non diversae ac privatae neque Monasteriorum consuetudines cum Ecclesiasticâ regulà sint permixtae Concil Brac. Can 1. Bin. Tom. 2. par 2. pag. 211. The Morning and Evening Offices consisted chiefly of Psalms and Hymns with some proper Collects and were all or the most part of them chanted and sung which cannot be in a public Congregation unless the Form and Words be known before Wherefore for these Mattens and Vespers they had established One Order Besides these there was the Communion-Office before Noon and for that they had also a Prescribed Form which they call here The Ecclesiastical Rule and since some private Persons presumed to alter this and others followed some of the Forms prescribed by the Rules of certain Monasteries they utterly reject these Variations and bind them all to the public Liturgy This is the plain sense of the Canon and therefore Ordo Psallendi and Ecclesiastica Regula must be more than a Rubric for these confined them to Sing the Mattens and Vespers in the same words and to celebrate the Communion-Service by such a certain Rule as admitted of no Variation And the following Canons make this still more plain The Second is That on the Vigils of Feasts and at the Communion all shall read the same and not different Lessons in the Church The Third orders That Bishops and Priests shall use the same Form of Saluting the People viz. The Lord be with you To which they shall Answer And with thy Spirit even as the whole East hath retained it from the Apostles and not as the Priscillianists have altered it The Fourth Canon is That the Communion-Office shall by all be celebrated by that same Order which Profuturus formerly Bishop of this Church received in Writing from the Apostolical See The Fifth enjoyns That none pass by that Order of Baptizing which the Church of Braga anciently used and which to avoid all doubts concerning the same Profuturus had received in Writing from the See of S. Peter (y) Concil Bracar l. Can. 2
3 4 5. apud Bin. Tom. 2. par 2. pag. 212. Here we have one Kalendar fixed appointing the very same Lessons one Form of Salutation derived from the Apostles one Written Form for the celebration of the Eucharist and another being the Order of Baptism which in the days of a Bishop who was dead some years before this Council were sent in Writing from Rome and had been ever since used in these Provinces which can be nothing else but a Liturgy from which they will not suffer any Minister to vary in the least And it signifies nothing to alledge That this is one of the first Injunctions for such Uniformity in this Country that had been for an Age and more over-run with Barbarous People and overspread with Heresies because there are evident Supposals That the Ancient Churches which had not been renversed by these Calamities but kept to their old accustomed Ways furnished the New regulated Churches with ancient Forms which had been used among them from the Primitive Ages and that sufficiently proves the Antiquity of Liturgies My Adversary who conceals all this Evidence cites the 30th Canon of this Council but very falsly for he reads it thus Besides the Psalms of the Old Testament let nothing Poetically Composed be Sung in the Church and he false dates it also (z) Disc of Lit. pag. 179. Concil Bracar Can. 30. An. 565. But the Words of the Canon are a Translation of the Canon of Laodicea made 200 years before Forbidding the Singing of any Poetical Compositions in the Church except the Psalms and what Hymns were taken out of the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament (a) Vid. Bin. Tom. 2. par 2. pag. 212. which was designed to set aside the late composed Hymns of the Arians used among the Heretical Goths and other corrupt modern Composures Not to reject the Magnificat the Benedictus Nunc dimittis and other Canonical Hymns which our Dissenters now totally disuse He adds That Ordo Psallendi in the Council of Tours signifies not what but how many Psalms shall be Sung (b) Disc of Lit. pag. 174. But let the Canon be consulted and any Man who knows the Custom of the Age will see that the design of that Canon was to establish a Kalendar which did appoint and prescribe the very Psalms as well as the Number which were to be Sung at the certain Seasons there mentioned (c) Vid. Bin. Tom. 2. par 2. in Concil Turon 2. An. 570. Can. 19. p. 228. And he unfortunately forgot one Canon of this Council of Tours which enlarges the former Canon of Braga and takes in all the ancient Hymns which he pretends are rejected by that Canon for it says Though we have the Hymns of Ambrose in the Canon yet since we have other Forms worthy to be Sung we willingly receive them unless they have no Authors Name in the Title because if they be agreeable to the Faith they ought not to be left out of use (d) Ib. Can. 24. pag. 230. So that we see this Canon owns the Te Deum the Benedicite and other Hymns provided they be Orthodox and the Authors were known Friends to the Catholic Faith and here are Forms supposed as generally used and a Council to allow them after which the Church may use them though they be not taken out of Canonical Scripture I have no more to add here but a scattered Passage or two to confirm the continuance of the old Forms in the Gallican Church First Whereas there was a necessity of leaving the Priest at liberty to put the Names of those who Offered into the Prayer for all Estates of Men some ventured to take more freedom and in that part of the Office varied from their Mother Church Which occasion'd a Council at Arles to Decree That the Oblations made at the Holy Altar should not be offered up by any of the Bishops of that Province otherwise than according to the Form used in the Church of Arles (e) Concil Arelat An. Dom. 554. Can. 1. apud Cointe Annal. pag. 799. Or if with some we expound this Canon of the Prayer of Consecration still it proves That the Forms used in the Metropolitan Church were to be an invariable Rule to all the Churches in that Province The Council of Tours also before cited mentions Litanies Antiphons and the Hallelujah (f) Concil Turon 2. An. 570. Can. 18 c. And we have a farther account of the Use of Litanies there in the first Council of Lions (g) Concil Ludg. 1. eod An. Can. 6. Bin. Tom. 2. par 2. pag. 232. All which are the Forms which we have shewed were in use in the preceding Centuries And when Chilperic a King of France about this Time pretended to Compose new Hymns and Prayers our Author tells us They would by no means receive them into the Churches Offices (h) Greg. Turon lib. 6. cap. 46. pag. 308. for those were fixed before and none but a Council of Bishops could be permitted to alter or add to them I had almost forgot Martin Bishop of Braga Martin Episcop Bracar An. Dom. 572. who came into that See very soon after the fore-mentioned Council and being a Grecian by Birth he collected and translated divers Canons of the Greek Church into Latin for the use of Spain in which Collection of his we have very many plain Indications of a Liturgy One of these Canons obliges every Clergy-man in a City or any place where there is a Church to be present at the daily Office of Singing Mattens and Vespers (m) Canones Martin Bracar Can. 63. Bin. Tom. 2. par 2. pag. 246. And another forbids New composed Psalms made by some of the Vulgar to be said in the Church (n) Ib. Can. 67. For indeed the Hours of Prayer and the Offices appointed for them were then so fixed that as none might neglect them so none were allowed to change them or add to them in any sort whatsoever And I must note by the way that this very Martin who collected these Canons was he that had Converted the Suevians in Spain to the Catholic Faith that so we may be satisfied that part of Spain a little before this had a second and New Conversion and that gave occasion to divers of these Canons for an Uniformity in the Divine Service which was to be established there Pelagius II. Ep. Rom. An Dom. 577. § 10. To proceed with the Western Church the Bishops of France and Germany about this Time desired Pope Pelagius the Second to inform them what were the Prefaces then used in the Roman Church that is what Festivals there were upon which they made a peculiar Addition to the Primitive Form of Lift up your Hearts c. suitable to the occasion of that particular Festival And his Reply is this Having diligently read over the holy Roman Order and the sacred Constitutions of our Predecessors we find only these Nine
Gregory the Great Leontius Bizantin An. D. 594. § 13. Toward the End of this Century Leontius of Bizantium writ his Books against Nestorius and Eutyches wherein he complains of Theodorus of Mopsevestia the Master of Nestorius That he not only corrupted the Scripture but presumed to do another Evil equal to that viz. That he foolishly invented a New Liturgy besides that which the Fathers delivered to the Churches neither reverencing that of the Apostles nor that which the Great S. Basil writ by the same Spirit in which Liturgy of his he filled the Mystery of the Eucharist with Blasphemies rather than Prayers And can we now saith Leontius reasonably expect any other Antichrist since this Man so desperately hates Christ and changes the things that are Christs (f) Leont Bizan adver Nestor Eutych lib. 3. §. 18. Bib. Patr. Auctar. Tom. 2. col 619. I briefly pointed at this before (g) Cent. V. §. 8. But I produce this place here at large because it shews That in the Greek Church the Liturgy of S. James which is here called that of the Apostles and the Liturgy of S. Basil were believed in this Age to gave been endited by Inspiration and to deserve a Reverence almost equal to Holy Scripture So that for a private Bishop to despise or disuse them on conceit of his own Fancies was adjudged to be Blasphemy and he who did so was in this Century thought to be an Enemy to Christ himself Now this extraordinary Veneration for these Liturgies could proceed from nothing but their having been long used in the Eastern Church and their assurance of their great Antiquity and Excellency And if private Ministers had then enjoyed such a liberty in varying the public Prayers according to their own Fancies and Conceptions This Author could not have been so ridiculous as to represent this as so heinous a Crime in a Bishop So that we may conclude this Century also wherein we find the Use of Liturgies every where continued and by all the Fathers and Councils of this Age they are spoken of with much Reverence and represented as delivered from the Apostles and Primitive Bishops and as the ancient way of Serving God being no where first introduced in this Period but only in Countries newly Converted And the great business of many Councils in this Time was to reduce those Nations which had variety in their Offices to a Regular Uniformity CHAP. III. Of LITVRGIES in the Seventh and other Later Centuries TO gather up all the Evidence for LITURGIES in this and the following Ages would be a needless Trouble to the Reader and my self both because what I have so clearly made out to begin much sooner can receive no great strength from the Writers of this declining Age and because my Adversary doth confess they began to be imposed above one whole Century before the beginning of this Yet since he will go on to lower Times to plead for the continuance of his imaginary Liberty I shall follow him and not only confute his Objections but collect also which he hath omitted some of the most remarkable Proofs for the continuance of Liturgies in these Ages § 1. He that considers the Authorities before produced to prove Isidorus Ep. Hispalens An. Dom. 603. That Isidore who succeeded his Brother Leander in the Archbishopric of Sevil did perfect the Mozarabic Liturgy will not question but there was a setled Form of Prayer in Spain in his Time But if it be needful further to prove so plain a Matter we find in his Book of the Original of things one Chapter of Divine Offices wherein he explains the meaning of the several Liturgick Phrases such as The Evening Office The Morning Office The Mass A Choir Antiphons Responsals Canticles Psalms Hymns Allelujah Amen Hosanna the Offertory c. (h) Isidor orig lib. 6. cap. 19. pag. 80. Now these as we have seen are all parts of ancient Liturgy and he supposing the things to be known to all here gives the reason of the Names Moreover he hath also extant another Tract concerning The Offices wherein he shews what was the Original of every one of the Ecclesiastical Offices wherein he shews who were the Inventers of Canticles to be sung with Voices and Psalms to be sung to Musical Instruments as also who were the Authors of the Hymns used in the Church both Divine among which he reckons the Benedicite and Human the latter Composed by S. Hilary and S. Ambrose whose Hymns were used in all the Western Church He goes on to inform us That the Greeks first Composed Antiphons and that the Responsals were made in Italy in old Time As for Prayers he saith Christ was desired by his Disciples to compose them a Prayer which he did and thence the Church learned to use Prayers like to that which Christ made The Greeks being the first that composed such Forms of Supplication And a little after he treats of the Alleluja which by ancient Tradition was sung always in Spain except on Fasting-days and in Lent He explains also the Offertory which use to be made with Singing in his Time Then he reckons up Seven Prayers in the Mass that is saith he The Order of those Prayers by which the Sacrifice is Consecrated which being instituted by S. Peter is celebrated in one and the same Manner throughout the whole World The first is an Exhortation to the People to entreat the Lord that is a Litany The second is a Prayer That God would receive the Prayers and Alms of the Faithful The third respects the Offerers and Faithful deceased The fourth relates to the Kiss of Charity The fifth is for Sanctifying the Oblation and setting out Gods Praise exciting Heaven and Earth to joyn in it in which Hosannah is sung The sixth is the Prayer for the Holy Spirit to descend on the Sacrament The last is the Lords Prayer After which follows the Nicene Creed and the Benediction of the People (i) Isidor de Offic. Eccles lib. 1. cap. 4.5 6 7 8 9.13 14 15 16 17. pag. 581 582 c. All which several Prayers and Forms are yet to be seen in the Mozarabic Office to which Isidore here refers and so exactly follows the Order of it even where it differs from other Forms and Liturgies as particularly in giving the Benediction before the Distribution (k) Vid. Offic. Mozarab in Bib. Patr. Tom. xv edit Colon. cap. 27. pag. 779. Item vid. Concil Tolet. 4. Can. 17. Bin. Tom. 2. par 2. pag. 350. that no Man can doubt but that Office was Extant then with all the Parts now contained in it except those which mention the Virgin Mary added since of which there is no mention in him I must transcribe this whole Book of Isidore's if I should produce all the other particulars about the Hours of Prayer the Vespers Completorium Vigils Matius c. In all which and all the rest of those Books such plain and
express mention is made of prescribed and known Forms then setled in the Spanish Church that it is impossible to deny or evade so manifest a Truth To which may further be added his Epistle to Ludifredus Bishop of Corduba about the several Ecclesiastical Officers and their Duties wherein he mentions The known Forms of Lauds and Responsals the Office of Prayers and reciting of the Names the giving of Peace and indeed all other Parts of Liturgy so that nothing is more clear than that he hath respect to the prescribed Forms then in use (l) Isidor Ep. ad Ludifred pag. 615. And the like Reference he makes to the particular Offices and Forms used by the Monks in their private Oratories within their Monasteries where they also prayed by Forms (m) Idem in reg Monach. cap. 6. de Offic. pag. 701. So that it is impossible there should be any thing more evident than that a Liturgy and prescribed Forms of Prayer and Praise were used in this Country of Spain in Isidore's Time who was Bishop of Sevil Thirty three years together and the most learned Man that can be found in the Western Church in this Age. § 2. Concil Toletan 4. An. Dom. 633. This very Isidore was President of the Fourth Council of Toledo called by King Sisenandus wherein there were Sixty two Bishops and seven more subscribed by Proxy being Summoned out of all the Provinces in France and Spain then subject to the Gothic Kings who had much enlarged their Empire since the Mozarabic Office was first composed Wherefore many of the Canons of this Council were made to settle the use of that one Liturgy every where in Sisenandus his Dominions for it seems before this National Council it was not universally received or at least not used without some variety but here the Second Canon saith We Decree that as we Bishops are joyned in the Vnity of the Catholic Faith So will we do nothing differently or dissonantly in the Sacraments of the Church lest any difference of ours among the Ignorant and Carnal should give suspicion of Schism and the variety of several Churches prove a Scandal to many Therefore one Order of Praying and Singing shall be observed by us through all Spain and France one manner of Communion Service one manner of Morning and Evening Prayer nor will we who are Vnited in one Faith and one Kingdom have any longer divers Ecclesiastical Customs For the ancient Canons also Decree this That every Country shall have the same way of Singing and Ministring (n) Unus igitur ordo Orandi atque psallendi nobis per omnem Hispaniam atque Galliam Conservetur Unus modus in Missarum solennitatibus Unus in vespertinis matutinisque officiis nec diversa sit ultra in nobis Ecclesiastica consuetudo qui in una fide continemur Regno hoc enim antiqui Canones decreverunt ut unaquaeque Provincia psallendi ministrandi parem consuetudinem contineat Concil Tolet. 4. Can. 2. Bin. Tom. 2. par 2. p. 345. From which Canon we may Observe First That the different ways of celebrating Divine Service was looked on as a Corruption broken in upon them contrary to the ancient Canons that is those of Laodicea Milevis Vannes Pamiers Gyrone and others cited before Secondly That these differences were occasioned by the Bishops having been formerly of different Opinions in matters of Faith and lived under different Kings but being now all of one Faith and under one Prince it was necessary to have one Form of Service Thirdly That these Differences were Scandalous to the Bishops and an Offence to the People while they did continue Fourthly Therefore they settle one Form of Morning and Evening Prayers and one Form of Communion-Service throughout all the Dominions of Sisenandus who Ruled all Spain and in some Parts of France lately gained by his Ancestors they now will have but one Order that is One Liturgy as that Word signifies without the least difference And since Isidore had so lately corrected and compleated Leander's Office and was President here we may conclude that this Canon was to settle that very Liturgy And because some Bishops might be so much in love with their former ways of Service that without the Authority of so great a Council they would not change them there follow divers Canons to forbid the Particulars wherein they differed and to settle those prescribed in the Mozarabic Office of which being many I will only repeat the Heads which are these The 5th Canon forbids the Trine Immersion in Baptism and orders it to be done but once The 6th enjoyns all to observe the Office for Good-Friday The 8th orders that on Easter-Even there shall be Tapers Consecrated in the Churches of France as had been anciently done in the Churches of Spain The 9th Canon Commands the Lords Prayer to be said every day and not only on Sundays The 10th forbids the singing Allelujah in Lent since the Vniversal Church omitted it in that time of Fasting The 11th enjoyns the singing Glory be to thee O God after the Gospel according to the Old Canons and not after the Epistle as some used The 12th condemns those who rejected all Hymns not found in Scripture and orders the use of those made by S. Ambrose S. Hilary and other Ecclesiastical Doctors The 13th Censures those who would not sing the Benedicite or Song of the Three Children in the Communion-Office on Sundays and Festival-days being an Hymn used all over the Catholic Church The 14th directs the Singing of Glory and Honour be to the Father c. exactly as it yet prescribed in the Mozarabic Liturgy and in no other And the 15th is about the Gloria after the Responsals that it be always used alike The 16th asserts the Revelations of S. John to be Canonical and orders them to be read between Easter and Pentecost The 17th orders the Benediction of the People as well as the Lords Prayer to be used before the distribution of the Sacrament (o) Concil Tolet 4. Can 5. Can. 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. Bin. Tom. 2. par 2. pag 346 347 c. An Usage which as we noted before is also peculiar to the Mozarabic Liturgy Now from these Canons we may gather First what were the Particulars wherein the several Diocesses had differed viz. not that some of them had no Liturgy and others had but that whereas all of them used prescribed Forms there was some variety in the use of some of the particular Parts of Liturgy at least in the Order or the Time of using them but as for my Adversary's pretended Liberty for Private Ministers to vary daily these Offices here is nothing can be meant of that it was several Diocesses which differed not by reason of Extempore or Arbitrary Prayers but only about some Liturgic Forms or the manner of using them Every Bishop and Diocess had an Order and Now they Decree there shall be but
of Rome (m) Mornay of the Mass Book I. chap. 9. pag. 74. For then it follows That the ancient German Offices were still used in some Parts that were subject to the Archbishop of Colen So that still this is exchanging one Form for another and no proof at all of liberty in Praying a thing unknown in this Age. Agobardus Episc Lugdun An. 831. § 7. We have little more in this Discourse against Liturgies out of Antiquity excepting only some few pretended proofs from late Ages to shew that they used various words in the distribution of the Eucharist As First he tells us that Agobardus the Famous Arch-Bishop of Lions could not well like that Common Roman Form The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ c. since he was only for Scripture Expressions in the public Offices And then he intimates that Agobardus was censured for this by Baronius and his Epitomator (n) Disc of Lit. pag. 90. 91. To which I reply First That Baronius never censures this great Bishop at all for this passage is not in Baronius but only in Spondanus the Epitomator and from him alone my Adversary cites it (o) Vid. Baron Tom. 9. An. 831. p. 797. 798. Secondly Spondanus speaks not one word of Agobardus his correcting the Communion-Office but only that he took great pains in restoring the ancient Antiphonary or Book of Hymns (p) Spondan Epitom An. 831. Num. 2. And Baluzius hath now put out the very Tract which Spondanus refers to and there is not one Syllable in all that Book expressing any dislike at the Words used in the distribution (q) Agobardi lib. de divin Psalmod lib. de correct Antiph oper Tom. 2. edit Paris 1666. Yea there is a peculiar discourse of this Bishop against Amalarius his Comment on the Mass wherein he speaks of the Roman Canon Te igitur c. yet never makes the least exception against the Roman Order or any thing contained in it (r) Ibid. lib. contr Amal. pag. 101. So that this pretended dislike of the Roman Form of distribution is a meer Fiction of his own Brain And if it were true that Agobardus did not like any thing in Sacred Offices but what was Scripture Yet there is no cause he should for that cause dislike this which he calls the Roman but was the Primitive and is now our Protestant Form since the words are taken out of and grounded on express places of Holy Scripture The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ is a Scripture Expresion (s) Math. xxvi 26. Luk. xxii 19. 1 Cor. xi 24. and the next words Preserve thy Body and Soul to Eternal Life are grounded on Scripture Promises (t) John vi ver 50.51.53.54 58. so that if Agobardus were never so scrupulous he might very well like and use this Form But because my Adversary deals only in Epitomes I will now give a full Account of this matter We must observe therefore that Leidradus the Predecessor of Agobardus in the year 799. according to the desire of Charles the Great had brought in the Roman Order of Singing into the Church of Lyons and had put out an Antiphonary with an Epistle before it the Hymns whereof were generally taken out of the Holy Scripture (u) Leidradi Ep. ad Carol. Mag. inter oper Agob Tom. 2. p. 127. But about 30 years after Amalarius a busy Monk pretends to bring a new Antiphonary from Rome Corrected after the Roman Office in the time of Gregory the Fourth which he presented to Lewis the Godly and hoped by his Authority to impose it on all the Gallican Church But Agobardus the Primate of France rejects this new Antiphonary and writ a Book to prove there were Heresies Blasphemies and Nonsense in these Hymns of Amalarius and keeps to the old Roman Antiphonary established by his Predecessor the Hymns of which were for the most part taken out of the Psalms and other parts of Holy Scripture commending this to his Clergy and giving them his Reasons why he would not admit of the other And this Book of Agobardus concludes with these words As the Church hath a Book of Mysteries for Celebrating the Solemnity of the Mass digested Orthodoxly and with convenient Brevity and hath a Book of Lessons collected Judiciously out of the Divine Books so they ought to have this Third Book the Antiphonary purged from all Human Figments and Lies sufficiently ordered out of the pure words of Scripture through the whole Circle of the year That so in performing sacred Offices according to the most approved Rule of Faith and the Authority of ancient discipline there may be kept among us one and the same Form of Prayer of Lessons and of Ecclesiastical Songs (w) Agobard de correct Antiphon §. 19. Tom. ii p. 100. This is the whole Story and the passage which Spondanus ignorantly or at least rashly Censures and my Adversary Ridiculously brings in to shew Agobardus his dislike of the words of distribution Whereas these words refer only to the Hymns which yet probably were not all the very words of Scripture but were either Transcribed thence or agreeable thereto much more than the new Hymns of Amalarius And since Agobardus received and used the Roman Canon and the whole Roman Missal wherein were many things which are not the words of Scripture we must not expound these words cited but now so strictly as Spondanus doth as if he would not use any words in Divine Offices but those of Scripture For Agobardus means no more than that the Hymns ought to be either taken out of Scripture or agreeable to the Doctrine thereof for he proves that the Hymns of Amalarius were Heretical and Blasphemous contrary in many things to the Holy Scripture and therefore he rejected them But as to any Liberty in varying the Prayers Lessons or Hymns that were established or altering the Roman Forms This great Bishop was so far from it that he enjoyns the old Gregorian Office and imposes that prescribed Form together with the Lessons and the Hymns and opposes those Innovations and Alterations which some attempted to make because the Forms and Order then established were agreeable both to the Rule of Faith and to the acient Ecclesiastical Laws upon which occasion he produceth that African Canon before cited (x) Part. i. Cent. 4. §. 24. pag. 257. in these Words viz. That no Supplications and Prayers be said unless they have been approved in a Council nor shall any of these at all be Sung in the Church till they have been considered by the Prudent and approved of in a Synod lest any thing against the Faith be composed either my mistake or by design (y) Canon Afric ap Agob de correct Antiph §. ii p. 92. And now the Reader shall judge whether this Author be for my Adversaries purpose or no since he imposes Books of prescribed Prayers Lessons and Hymns and thinks the keeping strictly to them is
Singular Number the Holy Bible to make his Reader suppose it was meant alone of that Book But the Original speaks of more Books and therefore since a Liturgy was then in use at Alexandria no doubt that was one of the Holy Books which they here falsly accused Macarius for Burning And since the Author calls them Holy not Divine Books it is more probable he meant it of the Books of Offices which were counted only Sacred than of the Scripture which they generally call Divine or Divinely inspired Books Which distinction is very evident in Eusebius where he relates how in the Persecution under Dioclesian They Burnt the Divine and Sacred Books in the Mâ—rket places (g) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb lib. 8. cap. 2. p. 217. In which place the Divine Books are the Holy Scriptures and the Sacred Books those which contained the Service of the Church The same Author in the Life of Constantine makes a plain distinction between these Books as being several Volums For he saith the Emperor took the Books for the explaining the Divinly inspired Scriptures and after for repeating the prescribed Prayers with those who dwelt in his Roy. al Palace (h) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb vit Const lib. 4. cap. 17. First he took the Bible into his Hands and then after that it seems he took the other Book wherein the usual Established Prayers were written For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Books implies more Books than one Secondly As to the Books which Constantine sent to Eusebius into Palaestine to procure for his Churches at Constantinople he calls them Those Divine Books which he knew most necessary according to the Ecclesiastical Catalogue to be prepared and used (i) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. l. 4. cap. 35. And this might be expounded of Books of Offices as well as Bibles but suppose we grant this Catalogue here mentioned to be the Canon of Scripture agreed on by the Church and so the Books he sent for were only the Canonical Books of Scripture His inference that the Churches in Constantine's Time had no other Book will by no means follow Eusebius lived in Palaestine where the Scriptures were first written and best understood and there the best Copies were to be had and Eusebius who lived there was the fittest Judge of them therefore Constantine sent thither and to him perhaps for no more but Bibles Not because Churches were furnished then with no other Books but because we know Constantine had Prayer-Books at home and could get acurate Copies of the Service writ out at Constantinople and need not send so far as Palaestine for those Books but it was most proper to send thither for Copies of Canonical Scripture Thirdly The Council of Carthage also doth mention a Book of the Gospels held over the Bishops Head a Book of Exorcisms to be given to the Exorcist and a Book of Lessons to be delivered to the Reader at their Ordination But doth not mention the Service-Book delivered to any that entred into Orders (k) Concil 4. Carthag can 1. 7 8. But it is too much from thence to conclude there was no Service-Book there in the year 498 because we have proved by many Testimonies which are Positive that they had prescribed Prayers there long before And he may as well argue that we have no Common-Prayer-Book in England since it is not delivered either to any Bishop Priest or Deacon at their Ordination that is there is no more done here than was there and yet both we have and they had a Book of Offices for all that Optatus S. Augustin and others before cited do fully attest it Moreover these Books of Exorcisms were Forms of Prayer and of Catechising Collected out of Holy Scripture (l) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril praef ad Catech. for those who were newly Converted to Christianity And such Books had been long time used in the Church before this Council though this formal delivery of them is not mentioned till this Council Orders it Fourthly As to the Persecutors not enquiring for or finding or the Christians delivering no other Books to them but only Bibles I reply the matter of Fact is not True and therefore his Consequence viz. that they had no Prayer-Books then is false Indeed the Bible was the most Eminent of all the Christian Books and the Foundation of their Faith their Worship and their Manners And in those Ages the Bible was in all Christians Hands the People Read it at Home whereas the Liturgy was only in the Priests Hands and upon the Notion they had of the necessity of concealing Mysteries from Pagans was kept very close By which means no doubt Bibles were oftner found by the Persecutors and better known to them than the Book of Offices the Dyptics the Book of Exorcisms the Book of Anthems written and composed to the Honour of Christ Yet we are sure they had these Books then though they are rarely or never mentioned singlâ— only they come under the general Titles of Christian Writings Divine Sacred or Holy Books c. and no doubt sometimes the Persecutors found and Burned these as well as Bibles For we may observe that all Authors generally speak in the Plural Number The Divine and Holy Writings and the Writings The Books of the Church in Eusebius are said to be Burnt and Destroyed by the Persecutors (m) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb lib. 8. cap. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. cap. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id. lib. 10. cap. 4. Why do our Writings deserve to be committed to the Flames saith Arnobius (n) Nâ—â—strâ— quidem Scripta cur ignibus merueruâ—t dari Arnob. l 4. They Demanded the Divine Books for the Fire Saith Augustin (o) Peterent divinos câ—dices exurendos Aâ—â— brevic Câ—l l. 3. So they ask the Holy Martyrs if they had any Writings in their keeping (p) Dicas aliquas Scripturas habeas â—ron An. 30◠§. 53. And the Canon of Arles is general against all that had delivered up the Holy Writings (q) De his qui Scripturas Sanctas tradidisse dicuntur Concil Arcl. can 13. An. 316. Now why should they so Constantly and Unanimously speak of more Books if there had been no Book but a Bible But further some of the Acts of the Martyrs mention Volumes of Parchment and other folded Books besides the Bible (r) Baron An. 303. §. 10. In the Acts under Zenophilus the Persecutors demanded If they had any Writings of their Law or any thing else in their Library (s) Ibid. §. 13. 14. Now they had removed the Books before they came conveying them to the Readers House where at last they found 24 great and small Volums and in another House 8 Books and 4 folded Tomes Now certainly these were not all Bibles no doubt some of them were Books of Prayers Hymns and Passions or Names at least of Martyrs Writ out as S. Cyprian had directed Another
of them was asked If he had any Writing in his House (t) Habes ergo Scripturam aliquam in domo tuâ Baron An. 303. §. 50. Another was charged to give up those Books and whatsoever Parchments he had (u) Baron An. 302. §. 120. Finally in the Examination of Irene they charge her with preserving a great many Parchments Books Tablets Codicils and Pages of Scripture which had belonged to the Christians from the beginning And she owns that since the Edict to Burn all these the Christians to their great Grief could not use them Night and Day as they had formerly done but were forced to hide them (w) Baron An. 303. §. 44. 46. Now when we consider the Christians Praying Thrice a Day at least Morning Noon and Night and see so many sorts of Books reckoned up which had belonged to them from the beginning and were used Night and Day before this cruel Edict We cannot but imagin they were the Catalogues of Martyrs the Prayer-Books and Antiphonaries Litanies and other Offices used in their Divine Service because they are reckoned up here distinct from the Pages of Holy Scripture We conclude therefore that it is a meer Dream of our Adversaries to Fancy the Christians then had no Books but the Bible since he Argues against matter of Fact his Premisses are utterly false and therefore his Conclusion falls to the ground As for his long Ramble about the Heathens tolerating very odd Opinions concerning their Gods but prohibiting new ways of Worship (x) Disc of Lit. p. 17. c. It is well known that every Country then had a several way of Worshiping their proper Gods and many of these ways were allowed and used in Heathen Rome And so was the Christian Worship under some Emperors but I grant and have proved that when Persecution came the Pagans searched for Liturgies as well as Bibles So that all his random Guesses have only given me the occasion of clearing this Point That the Christians had prescribed Forms writ in Books and Parchments folded or rolled up even under the Heathen Persecuting Emperors § 5. We are now come to Finally which one would think was his last Argument If there had been any such Liturgies they would have been made use of against the Errors and for deciding the Controversies with which the Church was exercised in those Ages wherein we are concerned especially those two that which opposed the Godhead of Christ and that which asserted the Faithful to be wi hout Sin (y) Disc of Lit. p. 22. c. Which Argument I thus turn upon himself If they were made use of against Hereticks and in these two Points and by my Adversaries own Confession then he must grant there were Liturgies in those Ages Now my Adversary himself in the same Page confesses that S. Augustin mentions the public Prayers against Pelagius and though he pretends he doth not speak of them as a Form I have under the title of Augustin before shewed the falshood of that pretence and proved that he cited and referred to the African Forms (z) Part. I. Chap. IV. §. 21. Again my Adversary in the next Page produces a passage out of Eusebius to shew that Artemon an Heretick who held Christ was a meer Man was confuted by those Hymns which were composed by the Brethren in the beginning of Christianity wherein Christ was praised as very God (a) Disc of Lit. pag. 23. Now Hymns were a great part of the Christian Liturgy and therefore my Adversary hath utterly spoiled his own Argument and proved that some parts of Liturgy were used to confute both the Heresies he instances in And since he Argues negatively one or two positive Examples are enough to confute him if there were no more But I have shewed and must not tire my Reader with that kind of Repetition which I blame in him That divers other Fathers did use the words of the public Liturgies against these and other Heresies so doth Optatus Milevitanus cite them to confute the Donatists (b) See this Hist Part. I. Chap. 4. §. 10. S. Augustin to convince the Pelagians (c) Ibid. §. 21. pag. 228. S Hierom brings in the Gloria in excelsis to expose the same Hereticks (d) Hieron cont Pelag. lib. 2. pag. 447. Celestin cites the Prayers for all Men (e) See Part. II. Chap. I. §. 5. and Petrus Diaconus in Fulgentius the Prayer of Consecration to decide the Controversies of their Times (f) Ibid. Chap. II. §. 3. So that his Antecedent is a notorious Falshood confuted by his own Confession and by matter of Fact and therefore his Consequence must be false Yea from these and other instances we firmly prove that there must be Liturgies in those Ages in written Forms and certain words which were generally owned to be of great Antiquity and Authority at the time when they were produced in Controversies of Faith because Extempore Prayers cannot be cited at all and Novel Inventions must have been quoted to little purpose against obstinate Hereticks who openly opposed the Faith of the Church But some perhaps may wonder there are not more passages cited in the three first Ages against the Hereticks of those Times our of Liturgies To which I answer There are but very few Writers of these Ages and of those who did write few of their works are come to our hands and their Arguments are generally so obscure that probably they may more frequently refer to their Liturgies than we can easily observe Besides the Church was then unsetled and it is probable those Hereticks who opposed its Doctrins would not allow its Liturgy for a competent Judge as we see in Paulus Samosatenus who despised the Solemn Forms of Praise used at Antoch as being made not long before his Time and therefore the Fathers of those Ages cited not the Liturgies so often as they of the Fourth and Fifth Century did when the long and Universal use of them had given them a greater Reputation and a firmer Authority However in the Second Century we have shewed that Irenaeus brings in some Hereticks arguing from the Churches Forms (g) See Part. I. Chap. II. §. 3. which proves prescribed Forms were then used as clearly as if they had been cited against Hereticks We have also proved that Gregory Thaumaturgus made a Liturgy in the midst of the Third Age (h) Ibid. Chap. III. §. 5. and by divers other Evidences we have shewed there were Liturgies in these first three Centuries which Point being fixed we need not enquire nicely how often they were cited against Hereticks who for any thing I know in those early Times valued a passage of the Liturgies then in use no more than our Dissenters do a Proof from our Common-Prayer-Book But we see in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries in both which he affirms they had no Liturgies there are Quotations good store out of the public Forms which is enough to
be trusted with making Extempore Prayers and therefore it seems necessary that these Bishops should have Forms prescribed which they either Read or got them by Heart and if so then such Forms were used above 50 years before the Period he assigns As for his last Instance of Leo's not admitting any one to be a Bishop unless he were perfect in the Psalter I observe that this Emperor intended to prevent that Scandal which had been given by those few unlearned Bishops in former Times and therefore would have none admitted but such as well understood the Psalter which was a great part of the Liturgy and part of it to be Read every day among the Prayers so that it is very probable that the usual Forms of public Prayer were put into one Volume with the Psalter as our Common Prayer is at this day And I understand the Historians meaning to be That Leo would admit no Man into any Order of the Clergy who was not perfect in the public Book of Offices (k) Theodor. Lector Col. lib. 1. p. 182. and if it be so Expounded then it proves a constant and common use of Liturgies An. 460. However it is well known that whatever was the lowest measure for qualifying a Man to be Ordained there were very many Learned Clergy-Men in that Age Yea and in the following Century also But if the Church were so depraved as he represents it some time before and a little after the year 500 We have sufficiently shewed it doth not hurt the cause of Liturgies which were certainly come into use many Ages before And thus I will dismiss these Fraudulent and Invidious Reflections upon the Fourth and Fifth Centuries desiring the Readers Pardon for following my Adversary in so Tedious a Digression CHAP. V. Of the Agreement of the Reformed Churches in the Approbation and use of Liturgies § 1. THere remains nothing now to make out prescribed Forms of Prayer to be agreeable to Vincentius Lirinensis his Golden-Rule that is to have been used always by all Churches and every where (l) Vincent Lirin contra Haeres cap. 3. pag. 6. But only to prove the Reformed Divines do generally allow and commend Liturgies and all the Eminent Protestant Churches use them Now since the Learned and Pious Promoters of the Reformation did so narrowly examine into and so Unanimously reject all those Doctrins and Practices of the Roman Church which did not agree to Holy Scripture and pure Antiquity and yet none of them did ever reckon prescribed Forms among those Corruptions but approved and established them in those Churches which they had reformed we may conclude That Set Forms of Prayers and Liturgies are ageeable to Gods Word and to the usage of the best Ages of the Church And we have at this time a more particular reason to make out this Consent of all setled Protestant Churches as to the use of prescribed Forms Because our Adversaries are perpetually calling upon us to conform our selves to the Example of Foreign Reformed Churches and pretending that to allow their way will be a certain means to unite all Protestants both at home and abroad We confess the end is a thing at this Juncture very desirable but that which they suppose is so far from being a probable means to obtain it That if we should cast off our prescribed Forms and set up their Extempore and Arbitrary way of Praying we should act contrary to the Judgment of the best Protestant Writers and to the Practice of the most famous Protestant Churches every where but by continuing the use of our excellent Liturgy and binding all our Clergy to it we follow the advice and example of all our Sister Churches And can they imagin that to oblige a few obstinate and singular leading Men and their Ignorant and Enthusiastical followers we will bring such a reproach upon our Church as to cast away that Method of Praying which is so consonant to Scripture and Antiquity and so agreeable to the Opinion and practice of the best Protestants It would be madness in us to do this and it is little less in them to expect it However because some of them are to this day deluded with this gross mistake That prescribed Forms are some of the remains of Popery and a Liturgy established is not allowed in other Protestant Churches I shall conclude this Discourse with some few proofs of the Opinion and Practice of the most Eminent Divines and Churches of the Reformation both Foreign and Domestic and that in relation as well to Liturgies in general as to our Liturgy in particular when I have first observed that the Learned and Industrious Mons Durell hath Collected a great number of these Testimonies some of which I have here inserted and added others of my own observation referring the Reader for fuller satisfaction to his elaborate Book (m) Durell View of the Gov. and public Worship of God in the Reformed Churches beyond the Seas Print Lâ—nd 1662. I begin with the Lutheran Churches among whom the Reformation first began and who at this day do far exceed in number the Churches which follow Calvins Method and afford the greatest number of Foreign Protestants § 2. And First for Luther himself There is no Man can or dare Question his Approbation of Liturgies and prescribed Forms of Prayer it being well known that he appointed such Forms for all those Churches which he Reformed and in his works we have a Form of Common Prayer for the Church of Wittenburgh drawn up by himself out of the Mass-Book but so as to leave out that which he thought to be Superstitious and Corrupted (n) Forma Mist pro Eccles Wittenburg Ep. Luther Tom. II. p. 384. And all the Churches of his Communion at this day have and use a Liturgy containing Collects Epistles and Gospels for every Sunday in the year And also Set Forms of Hymns and Canticles Prayers and Litanies together with prescribed Offices for all other parts of Ecclesiastical Ministrations for Baptism and the Lords Supper for Matrimony Visiting the Sick Burying the Dead c. One of which lately Printed in a large Quarto in the Danish Tongue imposed on and used in the Churches of Denmark was lately shewed and in divers places intepreted to me by an ingenious Pastor of that Country Mons Ivarus de Brinch who came over with the Forces into England the last Winter An. 1689. And besides the Agreement between our Collects Epistles and Gospels and theirs I observed that their Litany is almost Verbatim the same with ours And the Churches in upper Germany which are Lutheran have all such Liturgies I have one Book Dedicated to Joachim Marquesse of Brandenburgh Collected by Christopher Cornerus Printed at Leipsick An. 1588. with this Title The select Canticles of the Old and New Testament with the pure Hymns and Collects which are wont to be sung in the Orthodox and Catholic Church He means of the Lutherans who do all to this
Salmâ—s defens reg cap. 8. To him I will add another Man of incomparable Learning who had no Obligations to this Church of England but rather the contrary which is the Famous Hugo Grotius who saith I am sure the English Liturgy the Rite of Laying Hands on Children in memory of their Baptism the Authority of Bishops of Synods consisting of none but the Clergy and many such like things do sufficiently agree to the Orders of the Ancient Church from which we cannot deny but that we have departed both in France and Holland (*) Grot. ad Boetslaer ep 62. pag. 21. And whoever considers these most Eminent Writers great Judgment in Antiquity may very well allow them to be sufficient Witnesses in this Question But none of the Forein Divines are more full or more clear in determining this Matter than the deservedly famous Lud. Capellus who lived to hear of this very Independent Sect who rejected our English Liturgy and all prescribed Forms and writ a most claborate Thesis on purpose to answer and expose their frivolous Objections a Thesis deserving to be read by all English Divines and to be wholly translated into English for the Common Good out of which at present I will only recite a few Passages viz. That as soon as Miraculous Gifts ceased and Hereticks began to infest the Church there was a necessity for Liturgies which wise and pious Bishops composed for the use of all the Presbyters in their Diocesses (a) Theses Salmurienses Praesid Lud. Capello par 3. De Liturg. Formulis conceptis Thes 3. pag. 657. This was done chiefly in the Great Churches as that of Rome Alexandria Constantinople c. and followed by Lesser Churches (b) Ibid. Thes 4 These Forms were short and plain at first consisting of some few Prayers and Lessons cut of the Psalms and other Scripture with the Blessing Consecration and distribution of the Communion c. And such was the Roman Office in the first Four Ages till Damasus's time but augmented and corrupted by the following Popes (c) Ibid. Thes 5. And then he hath these Words which I will transcribe at large But about 140 years ago when there was a Departure from the Roman Church and the People came out of Babylon and withdrew themselves from the Pope's Tyranny The Authors of the Reformation then purged the Holy Liturgy from all the Superstition and Popish Idolatry and took away all that was burthensom and that did not tend to Edification And thus at that time there were divers prescribed Forms of Liturgies simple and pure Composed by the several Authors of the Reformation in Germany France England Scotland Holland c. which differed as little as could be from the ancient Forms of the Primitive Church which Liturgies the Protestants have used hitherto happily and with good success in their several Nations and Districts Vntil very lately there arose in England a sort of morose scrupulous and too nice that I say not down-right superstitious Men who for many trifling Reasons of no moment not only dislike the Liturgy hitherto used in that Church but would have both it and the whole Order of Bishops to be utterly abrogated and abolished in place whereof they would substitute that which they call their Directory To which some wild and frantick Men add this Opinion That it is unlawful to use any prescribed Form either in public or private Prayers and that no good Man can with a safe Conscience be present at these Prayers (d) Id ibid. Thes 6 7. pag. 658. After this he acurately states the Controversie by distinguishing about the several Parts of the Public Service and proves Forms may lawfully be used in any part of it but as to Prayers he reckons it is most requisite they be made by Forms (e) Thes 9. ad Thes 23. pag. 659 c. And then he brings in all their Objections against Forms and all their little Reasons for their Arbitrary way and very learnedly and solidly confutes them all I shall only mention the Heads and refer the Reader to the Discourse it self for his full satisfaction viz. 1. He shews this is not an imitation of the Papists 2. Not a burden to Mens Consciences 3. Not worse because it was not the way in the Apostles Times 4. A Directory is not sufficient security against Heresie 5 He shews That though Forms are most necessary for the Unlearned yet the Learned ought not to be left free in the Public Prayers 6. He proves this is not that Will-worship which is forbidden in Scripture 7. He confutes those who say These are not our own Prayers 8. And those who pretend they are against Christian Liberty 9. Or that they spoil Ministers Gifts 10. Or do not profit the Auditory And lastly He answers that Objection That the use of Forms hinders our lifting up our Eyes in Prayer (f) Id. ibid. Thes â—4 c. ad pag. 669. And after he hath called all these light and frivolous little Reasons and petty Objections He concludes the whole Question with five Positions First That Forms are not absolutely necessary for all Persons in all Times and Places Secondly That they would not be generally necessary but only because all things are to be done decently and in order Thirdly That where there are Unlearned Pastors there Forms are absolutely necessary Fourthly Even where there are Learned Pastors a public Form is very useful and necessary for the common Edification of the Church Fifthly The use of these Forms cannot justly be condemned or disliked since always and every where it is most convenient and hath obtained in the whole Christian Church throughout all the World perpetually for above 1300 years and it is now every where used but only amongst these Vpstart Independents (g) Id. ibid. Thes 49. p. 669 So that truly the Moroseness or Scrupulousness and Superstition or rather the petulant and obstinate boldness of these Men is senseless and prodigious superstitiously to condemn and foolishly to compare to an Idol forbid in the Second Commandment to be avoided by all a Thing which is in it self most innocent whose use is most profitable and its observation most convenient which hath so long been practised in the Vniversal Church and never was yet rejected by any Church and which all the Churches of God every where now use to their great benefit but they reject it out of meer Whimsey or out of a Vile design to bring in an unbridled Licentiousness and intolerable Disorder into the Church But amongst them such are most to be detested who either will not use the Lords Prayer or none but that Form and that without joyning it to any other Prayers public or private and hold it a Sin for any good Man to be in a Church or a Family where they use prescribed Forms and account this to be a just cause of Separating from such Worship lest they should be defiled with their Sin who use such Forms
These are like those in Isaiah Chap. lxv 5. which say Stand by thy self come not near for I am holier than thou these are saith the Lord a Smoke in my Nose That is They vehemently stir up my Wrath against them God grant they may return to a better mind (h) Id. ibid. Thes 50 51. pag. 670. Thus that pious and learned Author concludes his Learned Theses and I will only make one Remark more of his concerning this Sort of Men viz. That nothing seems to incite them so studiously to condemn all Forms of Liturgy like the love of Innovation and the design of introducing Corruption that under the specious veil and pretence of liberty of Praying and Prophecying they may bring in all kind of Sects into the Church and therefore they make Men believe that vain false and erroneous Opinion viz. That in our Times as well as the Apostles the Spirit of Prayer and Supplication is to be poured out on the present Church according to Joel ii 28. and Zech. xii 10. which is the common and most pestilent Error of all Phanaticks about the Comforter which Christ was to send (i) Id. ibid. Thes 28. p. 663. It is a Reformed Divine of the French Church Second to none of his Time for Learning Piety and Judgment a famous Professor in an Eminent Protestant University who gives this Character of that Party of our Dissenters who are against all Prescribed Forms and by it we may discern what Notion Forein Churches have of them and of our Liturgy also I shall end these Forein Testimonies with a Paper delivered to me Signed by two Exiled French Pastors of great Piety and good Learning now residing in this City We whose Names are hereunto Subscribed being asked what we thought of Liturgies have expressed our Opinion in these Words We think a Liturgy in the Church is not only useful but also necessary For as there is and ought to be One Rule of Faith so also there ought to be One and the same Form of Gods public external Worship And it manifestly appears That the Protestants of the French Churches never were against such Forms because they had a Form for Administring the Sacraments for celebrating Matrimony and certain other Prescribed Prayers which none of us were allowed to recede from †Carol. Daubuz Minist Gal. Johan Costebadeus Minist Gal. Dated at York April 8. 1690. And now I will produce only two Domestick Testimonies of Men most entirely Unexceptionable and so conclude The first is that of Bishop Ridley who died a Martyr for the Protestant Faith and he in a Letter writ to his Friends a little before his Martyrdom saith This Church had of late i. e. in K. Edwards days the whole Divine Service all common and public Prayers Ordained to be said and heard in the common Congregation not only framed and fashioned to the true vein of Holy Scripture but also set forth according to the Commandment of the Lord and S. Pauls Doctrin for the Peoples Edification in their Vulgar Tongue (k) Bish Ridlies Farewell An. 1555. in Fox Acts Monum Vol. 2 pag. 1940. This was the Opinion of this great and glorious Martyr concerning our Common-Prayer before it was so refined as it hath since been And as to the Liturgy as it was Corrected by Queen Elizabeth the incomparable Bishop Juell in his never enough to be admired Apology gives this Testimony of it We have come as near as ever we could to the Church of the Apostles and to that of the old Catholic Bishops and Fathers while we know it was yet pure and as Tertullian saith an uncorrupt Virgin not stained hitherto with any Idolatry or any grievous or notorious Error And we have directed not only our Doctrin but also our Sacraments and our Form of public Prayers by their Rites and Institutions (l) Juelli Apolog Lat. edit Lond. 1591. pag. 170. I need add no more Evidence in a matter so plain for this will shew to all whom Interest and wilful Prejudice doth not blind both that all Foreign Churches and Eminent Writers do approve of prescribed Forms and that they as well as our own Reformers generally esteem our Liturgy as a most excellent Form of Service Wherefore I will now conclude with a charitable and compassionate Address to those unhappy but well meaning Dissenters who are designedly imposed on by their interested Teachers I doubt not but many of them sincerely desire to worship God in the most acceptable way and the reason why they separate from our Worship is because they have been industriously prejudiced against Forms as a Novel Corruption a Popish Superstition a Method of Praying contrary to Scripture and to the Judgment and Practice as well of the Primitive and Ancient as of the Protestant and Modern Churches But now my Brethren when all this is proved to be nothing else but Falshood and Malice I hope you will suffer your selves to be undeceived and joyn with us in that way of Praying which was used by the Saints in the old Testament enjoyned by Christ in the New practised by all those Holy Bishops and Devout Christians who lived ever since the first setling of the Church and now allowed and observed in all Regular Protestant Churches And especially since we have a Liturgy so generally approved by them all You have heard their Judgments of it and you may see the Practice of these Foreign Protestants who come hither from France and Holland Germany and Denmark they all like our Worship and as soon as they understand our Language joyn with us in it There never saith Mons Bochart was any of us in England who did not freely come to your Divine Service as soon as they had learned your Tongue none of us who did not receive the Holy Sacrament from Presbyters ordained by Bishops or if occasion were from Bishops themselves which I my self profess I often did with great profit while I studied Divinity at London and Oxford (m) Samuel Bochart Ep. ad Claris Morleum ap Durel p. 64. Foreign Protestants joyn with us and wonder at you for separating from us And can you still be made to believe our Service is Popish or that it is the Protestant interest either for us to cast off this our Protestant way of Serving God or you by continuing in your Separation to divide and weaken the most famous and best established Protestant Church in the World I do in the Bowels of Jesus Christ beseech you to cast off your Roman-like implicite Faith in those who have so evidently deluded you and to lay aside your prejudices which you may here see are so ill grounded For if once you discern your Error and can conquer your unfortunate Mistakes I doubt not but all of you who have no other ends to serve but those of Piety may come to our Churches and will find great comfort and benefit by our rational pure and Primitive Forms and will
how they should do (m) Math. viii 4. Mark i. 44. Luke v. 14. and the Word whence it is derived signifies to methodize put in order and to place Souldiers in their Ranks (n) Cor. 15.23 so to do all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to Order (o) 1 Cor. xiv 40. is to act according to a prescribed Rule which Rule S. Paul saith he will make or prescribe when he came (p) 1 Cor. xi 34. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This then being the proper and natural signification of this Word we may reasonably expound it of Prescribed Forms of Prayer both for Morning and Evening of which as the Centuriators observe Origen speaks in other places (q) Magdeb. Cent. 3. cap. 6. pag. 134. But our Adversary would shift off this proof also First By asking If these were not private Prayers (r) Disc of Liturg pag 140. I Answer The Words are general not restrained either to public or private Prayers expresly but it being certain the Christians had a custom to assemble Morning and Evening to Prayers the phrase of using these Prayers Night and Day seems chiefly to be referred to public Offices Secondly He asks If no Prayers can be commanded but in Set Forms I Reply The Word doth not barely signifie Prayers commanded but enjoyned according to a prescribed Order as I have proved Now Prayers left to the Invention of Men to be daily made new cannot properly be called Ordered Prayers And therefore though Christian Ministers were commanded to preach yet the Words and Method being left to their invention or choice our Adversary can no where find 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made use of as an Epithet for a Sermon or Homily Note also Origen doth not say The Christians made these enjoyned Prayers but used them which supposes they were made into a prescribed Form before Thirdly He enquires If there be no Commands for Praying frequently but Human Prescriptions and I must ask what is this to the purpose Origen is not speaking of Commanding Men to pray nor declaring whether the Duty of Prayer be prescribed by God or the Church He is speaking of the Prayers themselves and gives them this Character that they were Ordered or Prescribed so that he is very impertinent to tell us of Divine Commands to pray frequently since Origen's Words are not about Obeying a Precept to Pray but using ordered enjoyned or prescribed Prayers which all ingenuous Men must own to be in Forms and that proves a Liturgy because it is Prayers in the plural Number Thirdly in the same Books against Celsus when Origen cites some certain passages out of the Psalms â—e brings them in with these Prefaces We â—nd in the Prayers or We say often in the Prayer (s) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orig. in Cels lib. 4. p. 178 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. pag. 197. And thus it is said in the Prayer or The prudent when he prayeth â—aith (t) Idem lib. 6. pag. 285. lib. 7. pag. 354. Now when we consider that the Psalms were the main part of the Jewish Liturgy and that the Christians in the first Ages inclined to imitate their Forms and above all the Old Testament admired and frequently used the Book of Psalms and took their Forms of Praise from thence we may conclude they borrowed many Forms of Prayer also from the Psalms and transcribed them into their Liturgy so that Origen appeals to these passages as being known by the Christians to be a part of their Prayers Which will still be clearer when we observe that the Abassine Christians who are very tenacious of primitive Rites and derived most of their Usages from the Ancient Church of Alexandria as Ludolfus relates Take most of their daily Prayers out of the Psalter (u) Ludolf hist Ethiop lib. 2. cap. 12. And therefore Origen who belonged to Alexandria no doubt refers by these Prefaces to the public and known Liturgy then used in that famous Church Our Adversary is not pleased at this Inference and whereas his own Eyes are so blinded with his Extempore Way that he cannot see the clearest light for Forms he saith it argues a Fancy deeply tinctured with Liturgies to suppose this to be any proof of them But let it be noted he barely asserts it is no proof and most falsly represents the matter for he saith When Origen quotes any passage out of the Psalms he thus speaks c. (w) Discourse of Liturg. p. 139. Now this is not true because first Origen in that very Book cites an hundred passages out of the Psalms without any such Preface without saying They are found in the Prayers c. Secondly The places which he doth cite with such a Preface are always very proper to be used in a Liturgy as Forms of Praise or Prayer Such as these The Earth is full of the Goodness of the Lord and Open thou mine Eyes that I may see the wondrous things of thy Law Create in me a clean Heart O God and the like So that these and no other passages being said to be found in the Prayers c. no doubt we have all imaginable cause to think that these very words of the Psalms were in Origen 's time used in the Churches Liturgy and prescribed in the Forms of Public Prayer Especially since he can ascribe no sufficient Reason but the peculiar use made of these Select places in the public Offices which made Origen quote them with such a Preface and cite other passages of the Psalms as he doth other Scriptures without any Preface at all Fourthly Our Adversary cites another place out of Origen's Homilies taken at the second hand from Dailé to prove they used no Forms of Prayer in that Age because it is said Our Thoughts must not wander after our Senses in Prayer but be wholly intent and fixed on God not being disturbed by the Idea of any External appearance (y) Orig. in Num. hom XI I shall not here need to fly to his help at a dead lift that possibly Ruffinus the Translator did put in these Words For allowing them to be genuine it must be more unlawful to let our Minds wander after new Phrases and our Fancy rove about for Matter Order and Words which is the case in Extempore Prayer than it is to repeat the Words of a known Form which we can say by heart or read without disturbance because the actings of the Fancy and Invention in Extempore Prayer do much more hinder the Mind from steddy thinking upon God than having a Book before us in the recital of a common and usual Form Lastly I hope it is needless to repeat what was shewed before viz. That Origen's Phrases of Praising God as well as we are able (z) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orig. in Cels l. 8. pag. 402. and Praying to him with all the might we have (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id. ib. pag. 386. See the Discourse of Liturg
Extempore more than the other and it being very fit one part of the public Service should be like the other But our Adversary asks Why this Bishop did not alter the Liturgy also (y) Discourse of Liturgy p. 26. And though I am not bound to answer all his random Questions and suppositions grounded upon this Negative that Eusebius doth not say He did alter the Liturgy Yet I shall Reply That Hymns are more proper than Prayers are to set out and magnifie our Saviour's Divinity and so were much more offensive to this Heretick than the Prayers which were only addressed to the Father in the Name of Christ as our Mediator which the Arians allowed him to be And therefore Paulus began to reject the Hymns but probably he might have proceeded further if he had not been so early discovered and expelled before he could make any more Alterations Nor is it unlikely that the Liturgy was so ancient at Antioch being extant in Ignatius's Time that he durst not venture upon that at first I shall add no more in this Century but to observe That in the Epistle of Dionysius of Alexandria recorded by Eusebius it appears to have been the general usage of the Church for every one of the People to say Amen when they heard the Priest offer them the Sacrament and say The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ c. (z) Euseb hist Eccles lib. 6. cap. 35. p. 180. Which was a Form so universally used in all Churches of the World that we may conclude it was enjoyned by all Liturgies otherwise it had been impossible that all Christians should have so exactly agreed in that Form at that place and on that occasion We proceed now to Times of greater Light and more clear Evidence CHAP. IV. Of Liturgies in the Fourth Century § 1. THat the Use of Forms and stated Liturgies did not begin in the end of the Fifth nor in the entrance of the Sixth Century is very plain from the preceding Testimonies which sufficiently confute our Adversaries Assertion Yet if we had no Evidence of setled Forms of Prayer before this Age it had been enough to justifie our use of them because this is the first Century wherein the miraculous Gifts were ceased and the Church was setled under Christian Magistrates Wherefore since we plead for the use of a prescribed Liturgy in an established Church it is as much Antiquity as our Cause needs to shew we have Precedents for it from this Age that is as soon as the Primitive Churches Circumstances and ours did agree Now the Centuriators tell us that upon the Settlement of the Church The Bishops appointed Prayers for all things necessary for the happy state of the Empire for the Emperours for the safety of the Church for public Peace and for the Vnconverted (a) Episcopipreces Sacras ordinarunt pro omnibus rebus necessariis c. Magd. Cent. 4. §. 7. pag. 498. Now if the Bishops appointed such Prayers doubtless the Inferiour Clergy did use them and that shews there was a prescribed Liturgy Yet our Adversary strives by all kinds of Artifice to hide this plain Truth and the first Authors he produces in this Century are Arnobius and Lactantius to prove the Christians looked up to Heaven when they prayed (b) Discourse of Liturg. pag. 9. Which we freely grant but reject his consequence of their having no Written Forms since Experience shews that both Priest and People by frequent use of our Common Prayer may and do often look up to Heaven when they pray by this Form And as for one of these very Fathers ARNOBIUS An. Dom. 303. viz. ARNO BIVS though he writ against the Gentiles a little before the Settlement of the Church and therefore speaks very cautiously of the Christian Rites (c) Ita de Eucharistid loquitur viz. ut ad illud quod dabitur possint esse paratae Arnob. lib. 2. pag. 65. yet there are some Intimations in him of the use of Forms We adore saith he him that is higher than all and pray to him by a Venerable Service we supplicate him with Daily Prayers and vocally call on him for that which we need To venerate this supreme King is the end and design of these Divine Offices To him according to custom we all prostrate our selves adoring him with our joynt Prayers and requesting of him things just honest and fit for his holy Ears (d) Hic propositus terminus divinorum Officiorum hic finis est Huic omnes ex more prosternimur hunc Collatis Precibus adoramus c. Id. lib. 1. pag. 13 14 15. Now this Venerable Service of Daily Prayers vocally performed in Divine Offices wherein all the Christians joyned and bore a part can be no other than stated Forms known before to the Congregation and unless the Ministers and People had used such Forms Arnobius could not be sure they should always ask things fit for Gods holy Ears The same Author in another place evidently points to that Litany which Tertullian had briefly described in his Apology saying In our Conventicle we Invocate the Supreme God praying for Peace and Pardon to all Men For the Magistrates the Armies for the Emperours for our Friends and our Enemies for those that are alive and those that are dying (e) Arnob. adv gent. lib. 4. pag. 152. which are the very Heads that other Fathers set down when they do not design to quote the Words of their Litany but only to describe it in a public Discourse Constantin M. An. Dom. 312. § 2. The first Christian Emperour Constantine the Great who now established by Secular Laws the true Worship of God is our next Evidence for the use of prescribed Forms For Eusebius who was an Eye and Ear witness of those Transactions which he relates concerning him gives us an Account That he ordered his Palace after the manner of a Church and that when the Christians were assembled he would begin to take the Books into his hands either for explaining the Holy Scripture or repeating the prescribed Prayers in his Royal Family (f) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb vit Const l. 4 c. 17. p. 395. He also relates That he made a Form of Prayer for his Guards which they were to use every Sunday (g) Id. ib. c. 18. and he taught them to recite this Prayer with hands lifted up to Heaven and with the Eyes of their Minds lifted up still higher even to the King of Heaven (h) Id. ib. c. 19. The very Words of which Form Eusebius sets down (i) Id. ib. c. 20. and commends the pious Emperour because he was a Teacher of the Words of Prayer (k) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb de laud. Constantin p. 465. Now we learn from hence First That repeating Prayers out of a Book was the usage of Christians in the Church because when this was done in Constantine's Family it made his Court to resemble a Church
shorter Form (p) Proclus Constant Epist de traditione divin Missae ap Bonav de rebus Liturg. lib. 1. cap. 9. And though that and S. Chrysostoms had made this Liturgy to be laid aside at Constantinople yet the famous Council of Trullo (q) Concil Constan â—in Trullo can 32 An. Dom â—80 there cites it under S. James his name as Authentic evidence in a dispute It is therefore most notoriously false in our Adversary to say Balsamon declares in his notes upon this Canon of Trullo that the Greeks under the Patriach of Constantinople and those of the Diocess of the Orient utterly disclaimed this Liturgy 1200 years after Christ (r) Disc of Liturg p. 149. For Balsamon there affirms that S. James the Brother of our Lord being the first Bishop of Jerusalem first delivered an holy Liturgy but the Church of Constantinople having another Form in his time did not receive it nor would he permit the Patriarch of Alexandria to use it in his great Church as he desired though Balsamon confess it was used by those of Jerusalem and Palestine on great Festivals even in his time (s) Balsam not in 32. can Concil in Trull Bever Tom. 1. pag. 193. So that the Greek Church did not utterly disclaim this Liturgy they owned S. James to have been the first Author of it and held Communion with those Churches which used it only having for some Ages used other Forms they thought not fit to permit this Liturgy to be read in their great Church and this confirms my Position viz. That there was anciently such a Form of Prayers used in the Church of Jerusalem But our Adversary objects (t) Disc of Liturg pag. 149. c. ad p. 154. First That this Liturgy is not mentioned by any Fathers or Councils I reply The matter of it and the very Words are mentioned by many Fathers and the very name and Title as we have shewed are found in Proclus and in the Council of Trullo Secondly If S. James made it he saith it ought to be accounted Apostolical and ought never to be added to diminished or altered Answer If S. James had made it for his Church of Jerusalem other Apostles might make other Forms for other Apostolical Churches so that S. James his Liturgy would not have ben necessary for all places But he knows we hold that S. James and the other Apostles Celebrated the Sacrament at first by very short Forms probably using only the Lords Prayer the Words of Consecration and an Hymn of praise and while there were inspired Bishops they added divers Collects Responses and Prefaces which being writ down and remembred brought forth the Primitive Liturgies in the next Age after those Miraculous Gifts of Prayer ceased Now since all Liturgies retain those things which are essential and were certainly Apostolical in other parts of the Office every Church may vary as they find expedient Thirdly He objects that there are many Corruptions and gross Superstitions in this Liturgy Answer We freely confess it and as freely own that none of these are either Apostolical or so much as Ancient But let it be noted these Corruptions crept in by the itch of altering which hath infected every Age and all Churches and by this means brought in all the Corrupt Opinions of every Age into the service of God thus the names of Saints and Ora pro nobis got into the Roman Litanies about the ninth Age or somwhat later but he would be an odd Logician who should argue that the Roman Church had no Litany before the ninth Age because the invocation of Saints came in about that time Since in their Litany there are other Petitions very Pious and agreeable to the Doctrin of the pure and Primitive Church yea the very Phrases are found in the most ancient and Orthodox Fathers and there are yet extant some Manuscript Litanies without any names of Saints So as to this Liturgy there are many Corruptions in it which are modern Additions but there are also many Pious and excellent Prayers agreeable to Scripture and to the best Antiquity yea the very Words of which are found in the Orthodox and elect Fathers Fourthly Therefore whereas he objects that we had better wholly reject this Liturgy because we know not how to separate the Corruptions from what is pure and Orthodox I reply We can easily distinguish between them for we desire to justify no more of this Liturgy than what is agreeable to the Scriptures and to the Doctrin and Practice of the first four Centuries And there is enow of those Primitive passages in this Liturgy to convince any reasonable Man that there was a Form of public Prayers and Praises prescribed and used in the Church of Jerusalem long before S. Cyrils time and therefore I place this Liturgy here as being an Authentic Evidence there were Forms of Prayer allowed in this Age which is all that I am concerned to prove I conclude with Causabon's observation that the Liturgy under the Title of S. James which is now extant is partly true and partly false (u) Causab Exerc. in Baron xvi §. 41. pag. 384. And truly all Du-Plessis his Arguments which our Adversary hath Transcribed do only shew that S. James was not Author of all that Liturgy which now goes under his name (w) Du-Plâ—ssis 〈◊〉 he Mass 〈◊〉 1. chap. 2. but that learned Man never inferred from thence as this Author doth that there were no public Forms used in the Fourth Century for Du-Plessis acknowledges there was an Order and Form for the Celebration of the Sacrament in this Age and shews wherein it differed from the Modern corrupted Roman Mass (x) Idem ibid. Book 1. chap. 4. p. 30. c. and this may suffice to say concerning this Liturgy of S. James § 7. There is another Liturgy in the Apostolical Constitutions ascribed to Clement Clement's Constitutions circ An. Dom. 360. and though the Author to make the Forms and Rites of his own Age look more Venerable falsly claps the Apostles Names upon them yet he is owned by all Judicious Men to have been a Person Learned and well Skilled in Ecclesiastical Offices and is allowed to be worthy of Credit even by our Adversary (y) Disc of Liturg. p. 39. marg p. 110. in that which he relates concerning that time wherein he lived which as we will presently shew must be at least as early as the middle of this Century Wherefore so early we have a clear and undeniable Evidence that there was a prescribed Liturgy and Forms of Prayer used upon all public occasions The particulars are too long to insert but the several Heads are these These Constitutions have the Form of the Deacons warning those who were to Communicate noâ— to come with Malice or Hypocrisy (z) Constit Apostol lib. 2. cap. 58. They mention the alternate Singing of Davids Psalms (a) Ibid. cap. 61. begun at Antioch not long before A
short account of the general Litany made by the Deacon for the whole World and every part of it for Priests and Princes for the Bishop and the Emperor and the Peace of all (b) Id. ibid. and also the Form of the Bishops Blessing and of the final Prayer (c) Id. ibid. pag. 45 probably to be used in ordinary Assemblies In these Constitutions we find private Christians enjoyned to say the Lords Prayer as a Form thrice in a Day (d) Ibid. lib. 7. cap. 25. and we have Forms drawn up for their use both before and after the Sacrament (e) Ibid. cap. 26.27 and upon divers other occasions (f) Ibid. cap. 34 35 c. There is also an Office of Baptism with Forms of Renunciation of the Devil and confessing the Faith as also a Form for Consecrating the Water c. (g) Ibid. cap. 41 42 43. An Office for the Ordination of a Bishop (h) Lib. 8. cap. 3. and also for the Ordaining Priests and Deacons c. (i) Ibid. cap. 24 25. But most particularly there is the Office at the Communion with all those Forms used at those most Solemn Assemblies (k) Ibid. lib. 8. 〈…〉 5. ad 〈…〉 That is to say The Litany said by the Deacon for the Catechumens the Faithful answering to each Petition Domine miserere with the Bishops Prayer for them The like Litany and prescribed Prayers for those that were possessed those who were to be Baptized and for the Penitents And after these were all gon out there is also prescribed a Litany by the Deacon and a Prayer by the Bishop for the Faithful After which follows Forms prescribed for the Salutation the first Benediction the offering of their Gifts the invitation the Preface Lift up your Hearts c. The Hymn called Trisagion to be sung by all the People And also a Form for consecrating the Elements An intercession for all Estates of Men The order for receiving and saying Amen when they do receive The singing of the xxxiv Psalm O tast and see how Gracious the Lord is Finally there is a public Form of Prayer after the Communion and the concluding Benediction with many other Forms on other less Solemn occasions Particularly there are Forms for Morning and Evening Prayer as our Adversary confesseth (l) Disc of Liturg. pag. 162. Marg. Now if all this will not amount to a Liturgy then there is no such thing in the World and if it be a Liturgy then prescribed Forms must needs be used when this Author writ yea and long before otherwise he could not have pretended that the Apostles were Authors of these Forms his very pretending that shews that those of that Age had lost the memory of the first composers of these Forms and this Author took advantage from their Immemorial use to ascribe them to the Apostles Now our Adversary being aware of this though he dare not deny these Constitutions to be good Evidence for that time wherein they were written yet labours to disparage and baffle this clear Witness by several Crafty Cavils and Objections First He thrusts this Writer down above one whole Century and pretends he lived in the end of the Fifth or the begining of the Sixth Age (m) Disc of Liturg. p. 110 111. But this is most notoriosly false as may be proved First Because the Fathers of the Fourth Century cite it as a known Book in this Age. Secondly Because the matter of these Forms are exactly agreeable to the Doctrin and Practice of the Third and Fourth Centuries For the first point Athanasius reckons this Book which he calls the Doctrin of the Apostles among those which the Fathers allowed â—o be Read in the Church therefore it was extant long before his time (n) Athan. Epistol ad Ammam Monach Eusebius also computes it among those Writings which though they were not Canonical Scripture yet were approved by the Ancients and distinguishes it from the Books which the Hereticks had Forged (o) Euseb Hist lib. Cap. 19. pag. 71. S. Cyril in the middle of this Century cites that passage about the Phaenix out of it and ascribes â—t by name to Clemens (p) Cyril Catech 18. p. 213. Collat. cum Constit Clem. lib. 5. cap. 8. which he would not have don if it had not been then accounted an approved Book and well known to those of his Age. Epiphanius quotes it very often in his Book against Heresies by the express name of the Apostolical Constitutions as an Author of eminent Credit and whose Testimony was sufficient as to what was a Primitive usage (q) Epiphan Panar lib. 1. Tom. 3. Haer. 45 Lib. 3. Tom. 1. Haer. 75. and he gives this Character of them That many doubted of them but did not reject them For saith he all regular Order is contained in them and there is nothing contrary either to Faith or Worship or to the Rule of Church Government (r) Epiphan Ibid. lib. 3. Tom. 1. Haer. 70. that is they contain all necessary directions as to Doctrin Divine Offices and Discipline Now if this Book had this Reputation in this Fourth Century we must believe it was written sooner and we may well allow it as good Evidence for Matter of Fact at least in this Age where we are content to place it and we hope our Adversaries will not be able to except against our modest assignation of the Constitutions to the later part of this Century because Mr. Cook thinks their true Author was Contemporary with S. Basil who died An. 378 (s) Discou se of Lâ—turg p. 110. Maâ—g And Monsieur Dailé reckons these Constitutions among the most ancient Books which are Apocryphal and confesseth They were published soon after the year of Christ 330 and therefore he cites them as good Evidence for the Usages of this Century and the former (t) Dâ—â—le p aefat ad l â—run de Relig. â—â—â—tus obj â—o pâ—oâ—eâ—nem for which reason he must allow them to be a sufficient Witness for the use of Forms and Liturgy in these two Ages And truly Secondly We may prove this Book to be at least thus ancient by the Matter of it which is Primitive pure and pious and the Forms are taken out of Scripture or the Writings of the most genuine Fathers and are proper to the several occasions and agreeable to the Opinion and Practice of these Ages being free from those grosser Corruptions of the later Times such as Invocation of the Virgin Mary the Saints and Angels Adoration of Images Crosses and Relicks the Sacrifice Propitiatory of the Mass the Popes Infallibility and Supremacy with such like Yea this Liturgy being allowed to have been used in this Century and not mentioning any of these things is a good proof That they are all notorious Corruptions and Innovations there is nothing but some Charitable Prayers for the Dead without any respect to Purgatory which can be excepted against in
Instance truly represented That Nazianzen's Father always used a Liturgy in the Church and that the Son means those public prescribed Forms when he tells us He was always better when he could get to the Church for the bare saying of the Liturgy cured him (q) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. Orat. 19. pag. 313. And this may suffice for Gregory Nazianzen S â—ASIâ— An Dom. 370. § 13. His contemporary and dear Friend was S. Basil who is not only a good Evidence for Liturgies but composed one himself so that our Adversary is forced first to conceal most of his Proofs for Publick Forms and then to hunt about for Objections against both Forms in general and his Liturgy in particular but with how little success shall now be shewed in this Method First we will produce the Proofs which he hath suppressed or laboured to pervert Secondly we will reply to his Objections and Thirdly justifie the main part of his Liturgy to be a genuine composure of S. Basils First We begin with his Evidence for Public Forms and the first shall be his vindication of that way of praising God which he had set up at Naeocesarea which we will give at large in its due place because our Adversary hath but an imperfect account of it and places it in the latter end of his Book (r) Discourse of Liturg. p. 166. The Words are these As to the Psalmody for which we are accused I answer That the Custom now set up is consonant and agreeable to all the Churches of God for the People rising while it is yet Night go early to the House of Prayer and with much pains and trouble yea with many Tears make their Confession to God and afterwards rising from Prayer they stand up to sing Psalms being divided into two parts they sing by Turns answering one another Then they comfort themselves by considering Gods Word and casting away all vain thoughts mind this alone After this one is ordered to begin the Hymn and the rest follow and thus with variety of Psalms and Prayers intermixed the Night is spent As soon as Day appears they offer to the Lord a Psalm of Confession all as it were with one Mouth and one Heart every one making these Penitential Words to be his own And if you reject this you must reject the Aegyptians those in both Lybia's in Thebais and Palestina the Arabians Phenicians Syrians and those near Euphrates yea in a word all among whom Watchings Prayers and common Psalmody is used (s) D. Basil Epist 63. ad Clor. Naeocâ—sar pag. 843 844. Now from hence it is plain that the People joyned with the Priest in the Prayers as well as in Singing of Psalms and Hymns and Bishop Bilson alledges this place to prove That the Service was common to the Priests and People and parted between them by Verses and Responds 〈◊〉 of Christ Subject paâ— 4 pag. 434. with pag. 453. But Extempore Praying and Singing cannot be performed by alternate Responses therefore these Christians had known and prescribed Forms both for their Prayers and Hymns Yet Secondly This Very way of Praying was used then in most Churches of the Christian World Therefore Thirdly Most Churches in the World had Used Liturgies before S Basil's time and he highly approved that way of public Worship It may be some will object However this shews that there was no Liturgy at Naeocesarea before I Answer if it were so That was a particular Church and this was not above Forty five year after the setling of Christianity But if the Reader look back into the last Century it will appear they had a Form of Prayers and Hymns in this very Church above an Hundred year before even in the days of Gregory Thaumaturgus and S. Basil did not so much alter the Method or Words of that Liturgy as the way of Singing and Saying it and this the Clergy of Naeocesarea Accused him for Secondly In this very Epistle S. Basil mentions a Litany with Approbation which was brought into the Church of Naeocesarea long before his Time though after the days of Gregory Thaumaturgus so that in this Age that Litany probably might be near one Hundred year old (u) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil ep 63. pag. 844. But Litanies were Forms of Supplication for pardon of Sin and averting Judgments wherein the People always bare a part and to which they Answered Lord have mercy on us c. or Lord hear us or Grant this good Lord yea there are two Passages of this very Litany or some other as ancient which are mentioned in S. Basil's Epistles The first is this We pray that the rest of our Days may continue in peace We request that our Death may also be in peace (w) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil ep 68. pag. 856. We cannot be certain these are the very Words of the public Form because they are only occasionally spoken of in a Letter but they are certainly in the Litanick way and if we compare them with the Ancient Litanies we shall find them come so near the Words there used that we cannot doubt but he refers to some of these Forms Wherein they pray That they may pass the rest of their Life in peace and request That at their Death they may make a Christian end (x) Liturg. D. 〈◊〉 lio â—atr pâ—g 4 5. Liturg. 〈◊〉 â—â—d pag 70. Câ—â—râ—â—t Apostol â—iâ— 8. ca. 43. which are almost the very same Expressions differ no more than the Liturgies of several Churches are wont to do The second place in S. Basil is in an Epistle which he writ to a Friend that was gone into Seythia who feared he should be forgot in his Prayers S. Basil tells him This was impossible unless he should forget the Work which God appointed him for And you saith he being one of the Faithful cannot but remember the Offices of the Church wherein we intercede for our Brethren who are gone to Travel for the Souldiers for those who profess Christs Name and for them who bring fâ—rth the Spiritual fruit of good Works (y) 〈…〉 141. pag. 1014. Now all that are acquainted with the Ancient Forms of Litany know they always pray'd for Christians travelling in strange Countries for such as believed in Christ and for those who brought forth the fruit of good Works for the whole Army c. (z) Liturg. Jaâ—â—â— ut suâ—r â—â—g 89. item Condit Apoâ—â— â— 8. cap. 13. cap. 18. Lit. 〈◊〉 Chris 'T is true these are mixt with divers other Intercessions but S. Basil picks out those Passages of the Litany which belonged to this Mans circumstances who seems to have been a Souldier gone on an Expedition into Scythia and to have been not only a Christian but to have been eminent for Charity and good Works Our Adversary indeed boldly affirms this Passage is not sufficient to prove the Use of Forms (a) Discourse of Liturg. p. 137. 138. But
way of Eminence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and all Rites and Forms not set down there though they were writ down by the Fathers he calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not written things which is further clear by the occasion of this whole Chapter wherein S. Basil is vindicating himself for using a Phrase and Form of Doxology which was not written in Scripture and his Argument is That the Church used many Rites and Forms which were not written in the Bible such as renouncing the Devil and Praying toward the East and the Forms used in Sacramental Administrations Now Clemens Alexandrinus Tertullian Cyprian and many others as we have shewed had written concerning every one of these things but still they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not written in Scripture but derived from Tradition and therefore they ought not saith S. Basil to blame me if I used a Form of Doxology not written in Scripture Now this clear exposition of the place alledged shews our Authors base disingenuity who to serve a turn and patch up an Argument against Liturgies wilfully perverts S. Basil's words which being rightly understood are so far from condemning Forms or proving they were not written that they prove they were composed long before S Basil's time and then owned for Catholic Traditions Finally whereas he insinuates that S. Bosil counts these Forms to be Mysteries not to be published and thence infers that to write them down was to publish them and therefore doubtless they were not written down I reply That these Forms were daily used among the Faithful and they were not nice to publish them to these it was only the Catechumens and Infidels from whom they kept these Mysteries and considering the charge they laid upon the Faithful and the Priests not to divulge them to those who were without the Church there was no need to be afraid to write them down since the Books were only in their custody who then believed it was a damnable Sin to let the Unbaptized see these Books or hear the words of them And he hath answered this Argument himself by shewing us that the Heathens who also counted their Forms of worship to be Mysteries not to be divulged to the uninitiated did write these Forms in Books which were kept by their Priests (n) Compare Disc of Liturg. pag. 28 with 122. 123. Therefore writing is very consistent with concealing Mysteries from Strangers And there is nothing in this place of S. Basil which proves there were no written Prayers in his time Thirdly He alledges that S. Basil in Prayer with the People used the Doxology two ways both Glory be to God and the Father with the Son and with the holy Ghost and by the Son in the holy Ghost (o) Basil de Sp. Sanct cap. 1. pag. 144. and though the same Father say that the Form of Baptizing the Creed and the Doxology ought to agree yet he varied this short Form twice in one day from whence he infers more than once that S. Basil would not be bound up by any Form (p) Disc of Liturgies pag. 104. pag. 130. I answer This Objection is taken out of the same suspected Tract but I will let that pass and observe that though S. Basil saith this was done in the Prayers with the People yet it doth not follow that this was in any part of the Office it might be in the conclusion of his Forenoon and Afternoon Homily which being performed at the usual hours of Morning and Evening Prayers and when the People were met to Pray yea the Prayers both going before and following the Homily he may properly enough say this was done in the Prayers with the People Now these Homilies or Sermons being S. Basil's own composures he thought he might vary the Doxology there as he used to do at other times but fortuning to use an expression that savoured of the Arian Heresy The Orthodox People who had been used to a right Form of Doxology in their Liturgy ever since the days of Gregory Thaumaturgus as was shewed before were able by that to censure these new and strange ways of expressing himself (q) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil dc Sp. S. cap. 1. And were so angry at him for this Variation that he was forced to write this Book to vindicate those Phrases Wherefore this variety of Doxology being not used in the Liturgy but the Sermons or Homilies is nothing to his purpose nor will it prove that S. Basil varied from the prescribed Forms much less will it make out there were no prescribed Forms since our Clergy use variety of Doxologies at the end of their Sermons but it would be Ridiculous to Argue from thence that they will not be bound to say the Gloria Patri in that Form wherein it is set down in the Liturgy If it be again objected that S. Basil hath great variety of Doxologies yet extant in the end of his Homilies and therefore had this variation been after Sermons the People could hardly have perceived it I answer The latter of these Forms was used by the Arians in a very ill Sense to intimate the inequality of the Father and the Son and though no doubt S. Basil meant well yet it did so evidently tend towards Heresy and was so very different from the Old Orthodox Form in the Liturgy that the People who could digest various Phrases in unprescribed Composures provided the Sense was Orthodox took check at this dangerous Variation and by the way we may learn from hence how great a security it is to the Faith for the People to be accustomed to Orthodox Forms which doth enable them to observe yea and correct any kind of dangerous Innovations But if my Adversaries will not allow this variation to have been any where but in the Prayers though there is no Reason to allow that yet supposing it were so Then this was an Action of S. Basil which is not to be imitated and since he had like to have run into Heresy by taking this undue liberty it will make nothing for the Credit of Extempore Prayers that they expose such as use them to the danger at least of venting Heretical expressions involuntarily And S. Basils being forced to beg Pardon for it shews it ought not to be quoted for a Precedent yet after all it this variation were in the Prayers it shews there were then Forms well known to the People and confirms us in the necessity of prescribing and imposing such Forms to prevent Heresy from creeping into the Church which otherwise may get ground even by the well meant expressions of some Eminent Extempore Man Fourthly He affirms that S. Basil did not teach his Monks to pray by any Liturgy but to choose their Expressions out of Scripture (r) Basil Constit monast cap. 1. p. 668. 669. I answer Divers of the learned deny this Book to be genuin (s) Scultet medul p. 1056. See Discourse of Liturg. p. 120.
been Fettered with prescribed Forms could not have liberty to do (f) Discourse of Liturg pag. 67 68. And here first I shall observe He is to prove that the Inferiour Ministers ought to be at liberty to order all the Prayers as they please in the ordinary Service of God But his usage is to instance in some irregular Fact upon some single extraordinary occasion done by some great and eminent Bishop which if his Instances prove true will never justifie his Opinion And truly this was an Extraordinary Bishop who was fit to make a Liturgy and a very extraordinary Case The City being all in an Uproar and S. Ambrose was told in the middle of his Office That his Friend Castulus was like to be murthered by the enraged Arians upon which sad and sudden occasion he for that once put in One Petition which was only That God would help Castulus and there is nothing in the Original Relation to shew us he did it aloud so that possibly he might stop a minute and in his Heart pray to God to help the poor Man (g) Vid. Ambr. Ep. 14. ad Marcellin Sor. Tom. 5 p. 205. But whether this request were Mental or Vocal it was on so sudden and unusual occasion that for all this S. Ambrose might be as he calls it Fettered with a Form upon ordinary occasions yea we have proved he was so and that this general Collect was a Form also And if a great Bishop now should hear that his dearest Friend or nearest Relation was suddenly fallen into danger of Death while he was Praying for all Estates of Men at the Altar No Man would blame him if he did Mentally or Vocally put in such an Ejaculation as Lord help my dear Friend c. Nor would any whose understanding were not Fettered with strange prejudices Argue from thence either that this Bishop never used a prescribed Form or that all the Ministers in his Diocess were left at liberty on ordinary occasions to alter the Liturgy as they pleased But as to his Reflexion upon Forms I must observe that our Lord Jesus saw fit to bind us in such Fetters when he gave us a Form of Prayer and that which binds us to a regular performance of our Duty and assists us to do it better is like the Tackle of a Ship or the Cords which bounded each side of the Old Grecian Races helping us and directing us both at once There are some indeed who count their Vitious Appetites are too much Fettered by the Commandments of God and the Laws of the Land and like the Sarmatians fancy Licentious and Lawless Madness to be the only liberty (h) Licentem amentiam libertatem existimarent Am. Marcellin lib. 17. But neither God nor our Governours for all this do see sit to take off these useful Chains and Aristotle hath taught us that to Live as the Goverment requires us is no Slavery (i) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Pol. 9. Liberty is not a Power to do what we list but what we ought to do Now Laws and Forms direct what we ought to do and hinder us only from what is Evil or Dangerous and therefore do not prejudice our Liberty but guide us to use it so as may be consistent with the Common-Good And wise Men do not desire to be at liberty to talk Nonsense and Blasphemy nay nor to speak impertinently immethodically and rashly before God and a great Congregation but the Gospel teaches us that such as need Chains and Fetters most are most impatient of them and most apt to break them (k) Mark v. 4. But to return to our History § 18. Though S. Hierom S. Hieron An. Dom. 378. were no Bishop yet his learning and Authority was so great that as our Adversary seems to grant (l) Disc of Liturg. p. 171. he directed Pope Damasus in Regulating the public Offices at Rome so that what Marianus Victorius reports in his life is not improbable viz. That at his instance Hallelujah was sung at Rome after the custom of Hierusalem and the Gloria Patri in the end of each Psalm was also sung there after the manner of Antioch from him also Rome received a corrected Copy of the Septuagints Psalms to be read and sung in the Church (m) eo emendante Roma legendo◠canendosque in Ecclesia LXX interpretum Psalmos suscepit Marian. Victor in vit Hieron E. Gregor Mag. I note by the way that the ignorant Editor of Mt. Clarksons Book for I would not suspect the Author Ridiculously mistakes the Septuagints Translation of the Psalms and puts in 70 Psalmos suscepit viz. That Rome received Seventy Psalms from S. Hierom. risum teneatis amici But from the Quotation rightly stated we may observe that S. Hierom could not be against Forms of Praise in the Public Pervice when he prescribed both the Hallelujah and the Gloria Patri which are such Forms to the Roman Church or at least advised the Pope to prescribe them And his Works abound with Testimonies That Forms both of Prayer and Praise and alternate Singing of Psalms after the way of Antioch was used in Palestina and approved by him while he was there The Instances though but occasionally mentioned by S. Hierom are so many that we must cite them briefly He adviseth a pious Lady to bring up her young Daughter in Piety by accustoming her to rise before day to Prayers and singing Psalms and by teaching her to sing Hymns Morning and Evening and to Pray at the Hours of Nine Twelve and Three (n) Hieron ad Laet. Ep. 7. p. 59. Now this Child could not be taught either to Pray or Sing otherwise than by Forms He also gives advice to another Virgin to perform her Order of Psalms and Prayers at Nine Twelve and Three as also at Evening in the Night and the Morning (o) Id. ad Demetriad ep 8. pag. 74. Id. ad Eustach ep 22. p. 189. He also tells That he learned the Psalms by heart in his youth and daily repeated part of them as an Office of Devotion (p) Idem adv Ruffin lib. 2. Tom. 2. p 335. Moreover he directs those Religious persons who lived with him or consulted him to get every word of the Psalter by heart and to answer the Psalm in their Turn (q) Hieron ad Rustic ep 4. pag. 45 46. In his time also they had an Order of Singers whose Office was to Chant the Psalms and Hymns in the Church (r) Id Com. in V. Ephes Tom. 6 pag. 420. Yea it is very plain from him that they had a Choir which sang alternately and began always with Hallelujahs (s) Idem ad Sabin ep 48. pag. 305. Epitaph Paulae pag. 232. And that all the People at Funerals joyned in Singing Psalms and the Hallelujah till they made the gilded Roof of the Temple to shake and Eccho again (t) Idem in Epitaph Fabiolae Moreover he
their Time were to be prayed for but the New Editions of these Liturgies have no Emperours or Bishops Name at all only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 leaving it to the Priest to add the Names as Persons changed To conclude I have not seen one solid Objection against the main Body of S. Chrysostom's Liturgy and there is enough of that which we defend and is genuine to shew that Liturgies were used in this Age and there is clear Evidence and good Reason to believe not only that S. Chrysostom approved of Forms but that he Corrected the Ancient Office and made all that is Essential pure and primitive in this very Liturgy which now goes by his Name And this may suffice for this Father § 21. At the same time when S Chrysostom was Famous in the East S. Augustin S. Augustin An Dom. 3â— flourished in the African Church and He also is a good Witness for us in this Age For it is impossible he could be against Forms of Prayer written in a Book and to be read out of it because he affirms That Christ therefore left us a Form of Prayer in writing knowing Words were necessary to moveâ— us and that we might look upon that which we ask (a) Nobis ergo necessarâ—a sunt Verba quibus commoveanâ—ur inspiciamus quid pâ—tamuâ— Aug. ad Prob. Ep. 121. p. 129. Now for the Church to imitate Christ and write down our Prayers in a Book could not be a fault in the opinion of S. Augustin who owns the Lords Prayer to be a Form and in divers places affirms that the Faithful repeated it every day (b) Aug. de verb. Ap. Ser. 31. Item hom 42. alibi And therefore he will not grant that any Christians wanted the Spirit to help them with Words and Expressions that he saith cannot be the meaning of our not knowing what to Pray for as we ought Rom. viii 26. because it is not Credible that either the Apostle or those to whom he Writ were Ignorant of the Lords Prayer (c) Id. ad Prob. Ep. 121. pag 129. And therefore he goes on to expound the Spirits helping our infirmities of the Spirits giving us Patience so that we do not pray absolutely to be delivered out of our Afflictions as naturally we should do if the Spirit did not convince us they were for our good So that S. Augustin takes away the main Text on which our Adversaries ground their Extempore Prayers and thinks there is no need for the Spirit to furnish us with expressions We have now seen by other Fathers that they had a Liturgy in every Church by which care was taken for proper expressions and S. Augustin seems to have believed that the Original of these Liturgies the most essential parts wherein almost all Churches agreed was from S. Paul himself for he saith as my Adversary cites him (d) Disc of Liturg. Marg. pag. 173. The Apostle speaking of the Eucharist presently adds The rest will I set in order when I come giving us to understand that though it was too long for an Epistle to intimate all that order of Administration which the Vniversal Church observes yet he did ordain that which is every where observed without Variation (e) Aug. ad Januar. Ep. 118. p. 116. Now the use of Forms was every where observed and though there was some little variety in the Longer Forms of Prayer and Thanksgiving which were made afterwards yet the use of the Lords Prayer the Prefaces the Prayer of Consecration as to the Evangelical Words and some of the Hymns All which were Forms and of Universal use these S. Augustin affirms were ordered and ordained by the Apostle when he came to Corinth so that he maks the Original of using Forms of Prayer and Praise in the Sacrament to be Apostolical And the same thing he affirms in another place where he is arguing against Hereticks Let us look saith he upon the Mysteries of the Ecclesiastical Prayers which the whole World hath received by Tradition from the Apostles and which are uniformly Celebrated in every Orthodox Church that the Rule for our Prayers may fix the Rule of our Faith (f) Oâ—secratiâ—â—rum quoque sacerdâ—talium Sacramenta respiciamus quae ab Apostolis tradita in tâ—to modo atque in omni Catholicâ Ecclesiâ Uniformiter Celebrantur â—â— legem credendi lex statuat supplicanâ— Aug. de Eccles dog cap. â—â— Tom. 3. pag. 4â— He must mean this of Forms Extompore Prayers being invisible but these might be looked on yet these he saith were derived from Apostolical Tradition and uniformly Celebrated therefore there was then a written Liturgy appointed at first by the Apostles as S. Augustin thought and used by all Christians to the Words of which he appeals for Evidence against Hereticks in matters of Faith Now if the Prayers had been daily varied by the Extempore Gift he could not have appealed to the Words of them and if these Forms had been composed but a little before this time of S. Augustin he could not have urged their Authority in matters of dispute with Hereticks or others Therefore they had Forms written in former Ages and by their Antiquity become of great Authority in this Century Whereupon the same Father wishes that such as are weak and doubtful in the Question of perseverance would look upon those Prayers of theirs which the Church always had and ever will have (g) ut intuerentur Orationes suas quas semper habuit habebit Ecclesia Aug. de bon persev lib. 2. Tom. 7. pag. 279. That is upon the public Liturgy from the certain Words of which he draws Arguments to satisfy their doubts not fearing they would question the Authority of those Prayers which the Church ever had used from the beginning And therefore he boldly challenges Vitalis who hâ—ed some Erroneous Opinions to dispute if he saw fit against the Prayers of the Church when he heard the Priest of God at the Altar Exhorting his People to Pray so and so c. (h) Aug. ad Vital Ep. 107. pag. 102. which shews not only that there were Forms because Extempore Prayers can never be urged for or alledged against the Church But it shews that these Forms were by long usage become so venerable that their Authority was esteemed sacred and indisputable And they were accounted the best Evidence of Apostolical Tradition after the holy Scripture The particulars of this African service agreeable to the parts of the Greek Liturgy S. Augustin saith were these The Singing of Hymns reading of Lessons and Sermons the Prayers made by the Bishop in an audible Voice and the Common-Prayer enjoyned by the Deacon (i) aut Antâ—stâ—tes clara voce deprecantuâ— aut communis Oratio v ce Diaconi indicitur Aug. ad Januar. Ep. 11â— p. 119. That is the Collects and the Litany to the First of which the People answered Amen To the Second they made Responses at the end of every Petition
which assures us they were Forms of Prayer And that Common-Prayer properly signifies such a Form in which both Minister and People have their several parts Of this Litany or Common-Prayer there are divers Petitions mentioned in S. Augustin upon occasion and though being writing Letters he doth not always cite them in the same Words yet the Phrases are so very much alike and the Sense and Order of them is so exactly the same that we may be sure he alludes to some known Form Thus he saith in one of the places afore cited the Church prays That Faith may be granted to unbelievers that Idolaters may be delivered from their ungodly Errors that the Vail may be taken away from the Hearts of the Jews so that the light of Truth may shine unto them that Hereticks may by Repenting receive the true Faith that Schismaticks may be restored by the Spirit of Charity that the lapsed may partake of the remedies of Repentance and that the Catechumens being brought to the Sacrament of Regeneration may have the Treasures of Heavenly mercy opened to them (k) Aug. de Eccles dogm cap. 30. p. 46. ut supra f In another place he describes so many of these Petitions more briefly as concern his present Question The Minister saith he prays For unbelievers that God would convert them to the Faith for the Catechumens that God would inspire them with the desire of Regeneration and for the Faithful that by his Gift they may persevere in that which they have begun (l) Idem ad Vital Epist 107. pag. 102. H and a little after The Faithful pray for themselves that they may presevere in that which they have begun (m) Id. ibid. pag. 103. H. eadem verba iterum ibid. p. 104. I. which Sentence is twice mentioned in one Epistle where also he saith When do you hear Gods Minister Praying with a loud Voice That God would make the unbelieving Gentiles come over to the Faith and do not answer Amen (n) Id. pag. 104. G. And in another Book When did not the Church use to Pray That unbelievers may believe And for the Faithful that God would grant they may persevere in him even to the End To which saith he the People answer Amen (o) Aâ—g de 〈…〉 7. â—â—g â—â—â— Now my Adversary makes it an Argument against Liturgies that S. Augustin here speaking of the same Prayers cites them in various Words (p) Disc of 〈◊〉 pag. 21 22. But I have already observed he is writing Epistles and doth not pretend to quote the very Words but yet he describes the things Prayed in Phrases so very like each other that we may be sure he referred them to a common Form the Words of which were so well known that he need not strictly tye himself to repeat them As if I were writing to two several Persons and should prove the Church of Englands Charity by saying in one Letter that on Good Fryday she prays for the Conversion of Jews Turks Infidels and Hereticks and in another Letter by saying she Prays that God would convert the Jews convince the Turks and make Infidels and Hereticks become true Believers Supposing those I writ to were well acquainted with the Collect for Good Fryday None but such an Arguer as I have to deal with would gather from thence That the Church of England had no prescribed Collect for this day and this occasion And there is the less regard to be given to this Scruple because there are so many other clear Proofs in S. Augustin that there were certain Forms in his Time in the African and in other Churches He tells us That all Nations Grecians Latins and Barbarians used that Form Lord have mercy upon us (q) Aug. Pascentio Ep. 178. pag. 164. Now this we know was the Response in the ancient Litany And that same Preface before the Trisagion which we have anciently met with in S. Cyprian and many others is often mentioned and expounded in S. Augustin's Works So often as the Priest saith Lift up your Hearts the Spiritual Man can boldly and safely say We lift them up unto the Lord (r) Ei quoties Sacerdos dixerit sursum corda securè fidelitèr dicunt se habere ad Dominum De Temp. ser 54. pag 153. In another place Our Heart saith he is in Heaven and therefore it is not without cause that we hear those Words Lift up your Hearts (s) Id Com. in Psal 148. pag. 377. And again to shew it was of universal as well as daily use he saith All Mankind throughout the World do daily as it were with one Voice answer That they lift up their Hearts unto the Lord (t) Quotidiè per universum orbem genus humanum unà penè voce respondet sursum Corda se habere ad Dominum Id. de verâ Relig c. 3. p. 158. Moreover he gives us as clear Testimony of the rest of this Preface You know saith he to Dardanus in what Sacrifice it is said Let us give Thanks to our Lord God (u) Aug ad Dardan ep 57. pag. 57. and the like he writes to Honoratus (w) Id. ad Honorat ep 120. pag. 124. To which the Answer was then as it is now in our Common-Prayer It is meet and right so to do For thus S. Augustin discourses That which is said in the Sacrament by the Faithful Lift up your Hearts And We lift them up unto the Lord is intimated to be the Gift of God and therefore the Priest admonisheth those to whom he had spoken To give Thanks to our Lord God and they Answer It is meet and right (x) ut Gratias agant Domino Deo nostro Et dignum justum esse respondent Aug. de bon persev lib. 2. Tom. 7. p. 276. Item Aug de bono videit cap. 16. There can be nothing plainer therefore than that this very Form was used in the very same Words both in the Eastern and African Churches and it was also used in the Western Church so exactly in the same Form that we may justly look upon this as a piece of Primitive Liturgy which no Church presumed to alter He also speaks of a Prayer of Consecration by which the holy Elements were blessed The Petitions of which were concluded almost in every Church with the Lord's Prayer (y) Quam totam petitionom fere omnis Ecclesia dominica Oratione concludit Aug. Paulino ep 59. pag. 62. and he tells us that the Sacrament was delivered to the Faithful in these Words The Body or The Blood of Christ to which they always answered Amen (z) Aug. de verb. Ap. Ser. 31. pag. 87. enar in Psal 32. pag. 49. which very Form had been used in Africa ever since Tertullian's Time as we shewed before and we have also found it in the Eastern Churches and at Milan as well as here Finally He mentions a certain Vow in the Post-Communion wherein the Faithful do