Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n
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A67134
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A view of the face unmasked, or, An answer to a scandalous pamphlet published by divers ministers and entituled The common prayer book unmasked wherein the lawfulness of using that book is maintained ... : whereunto are added also some arguments for the retaining of that book in our Church ... / by Sam. Wotton ...
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Wotton, Sam. (Samuel)
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1661
(1661)
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Wing W3657; ESTC R34766
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45,602
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60
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For the present we can as truly deny them as they falsly affirm them and if they would instance of them more pâ—rticularly they should receive answer accordingly The fourth kinde of evil effects follows namely against God himself which they tell us of are these two Feastival days to Saints and kneeling at the Communion These I confess are rightly laid to the charge of the Common Prayer-Book which nothing else in all this Chapter is but both these things we defend as good and lawful For that the Church of God hath not power to appoint and set apart some days to be kept holy to God upon particular occasions is a fancy against the generality of their own parties opinion and practice as well as against the truth it self For did not they continually in all these late years in which they had all the sway in their own hands and all others but meer slaves to them did not they I say set apart more days to keep holy in their raign for Thanksgiving Humiliation c. then ever were appointed before except in some time of Plague in five times so many years And as their practise was then so their judgment was before none of them ever questioning the lawfulness of keeping the Fifth of November for a day of Thanksgiving or the days of Fasting for Prayer and Humiliation in the times of Pestilence or any other grievous calamity Neither do the two places quoted by them Gal. 4. 10. Col. 2. 16. any thing touch our holy days for they forbid not the Christian Churches to appoint any particular holy days as they should see cause but forbid Christians to be in bondage to the Jewish Feastivals being but shadows of things to come at first and so ending with the Sacrifice of Christ the Substance For the second thing Kneeling at the Communion they would prove it to be Idolatry thus To adore in by or before a Creature respectively with relation to the Creature is Idolatry But to kneel at the Sacrament is so to adore Therefore it is Idolatry In this Syllogism we deny the Minor as having no truth in it we do no otherwise adore then we do always at Prayer and in the act of delivering and receiving the Sacrament we are in prayer joyning in our hearts with the words of the Minister praying to God That the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ may preserve our bodies and souls unto Everlasting Life And being thus in Prayer unto God no action is so fitting as kneeling The last Argument in this Chapter against us is this God will not hear the prayer of the Service-Book Therefore they are not to be offered Then that God will not hear the Prayers in our Liturgy they would prove by this That they are not according to Gods will Which they suppose they have proved by all that they hâ—ve said in this Book This if they have not proved but all their Arguments to that purpose have been by me sufficiently answered and confuted then is this last Argument nothing worth Whether therefore of the two is true let the Reader judge and I will say no more of this matter Now for the Cross in Baptism which they onely do but mention and refer us to Zions plea. I may as well I make no doubt refer you to the answer thereto though I must confess I have never seen the one or the other So having done with the matter and arguments in this Chapter for their most unchristian railings in it and all the rest of that stuff which their Book is stuffed withal if St. Peters words and St. Judes can neither stop their mouths nor make others stop their ears against such speeches by those two places 2 Pet. 2. 10 11 12. and Jude v. 9 10. they may proceed without control onely being their Virgin-Daughter Sobriety does behave her self so loosely and uncivilly in this Chapter that neither she nor any of her sisters can be found in this Book untainted according to their own confession in the beginning of their Preface we have little reason to suppose unspotted Piety to have been the Author of their Treatise So I proceed CHAP. VIII Intituled three Motives IN this Chapter they beg for the taking away of the Common-Prayer in this sort Let us humbly crave you would be pleased for the love that you bear and owe to the Lord Jesus to the purity of his worship to the thrivings of our bodies souls and estates to the turning away of Gods judgements c by all these and many more we again and again intreat you to pluck up the plant of the Service-Book which God never set What is all this but according to their censure of our Letany upon those words By thine agony c. but a meer conjuring for here they pray as we there by several motives By the love you bear to the Lord Jesus by the love you bear to the purity of his worship c. Yet these things here they count no conjuring no more do I but let me ask them what equity there can be in condemning that in us which they allow in themselves here 's a poor Virgin shrewdly vitiated by them Alas poor mother Piety that hast all thy daughters so often abused by thy pretended friends The next of note in this Chapter is an idle extravagant discourse which they make of Mr Womacke which how easily soever it might perhaps be answered yet I will wholly pass by for brevities sâ—ke and keep me to the work in hand namely to the defence of the Common Prayer Book for they confess themselves at the end of this excursion That all this is nothing to the purpose which might be as truely said of a great deal more in their book though they do not confess it Against their next stroke against the Bishops desiring to have them and the book destroyed together as being the upholders of one another we shewed the vanity of that argument when they first mentioned it of that therefore no more for though I am forced by their want of method to follow them sometimes forward and bâ—ckward yet do â— live to say the same thing over and again in several words as they do Lastly then for their vain and needless discourse of Christs governing his Church which no man ever made question of it to their argument gathered thence against us because Christ hath appointed what we must have in Liturgy and Government I answer to all in a word Christ hath appointed in general that which all must and we do follow but he hath left the particulars of order and decency to his Church else what ground could they have for any other Prayer then the Lords Prayer or for any prayer at all before their Sermons finding no precept or example of Christ or his Apostles in that kind in all the Scripture This may suffice for the matter of all this Chapter the title whereof is of three motives but we have hitherto met
to the Ministers discretion at every particular time and occasion If any man think it most fit to begin with some short prayer he may to this end we have these sentences Turn thy face away from our sins O Lord and correct us O Lord and yet in thy judgement c. If it be thought more fit to move the people a little to humility in respect of their sins that they more earnestly mind this sacred duty they are met about we have to that purpose Rent your hearts and not your garments c. If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves c. I will go to my father and say c. If thirdly some think it more needful first to propound comfort and consolation that the people may with the more faith call upon God and serve him with the more heart and spirit we have to that end At what time soever a sinner doth repent c. So that beginning the service of God with the word of God in the house of God we have several sentences for several times and several occasions to be used as is most convenient at any time Then follows most fitly a brief but grave and serious exhortation to put the people in mind of and stir them to that duty which they are come together about After which immediately they make a most excellent short and pithy confession of their sins humbly kneeling upon their knees After confession we know follows absolution according to that of Solomon Prov. 28. 13. and of David So then proceeds our Liturgy to a Declaration of Gods pardoning the penitent by which we are Psal 32. 3. all the more heartned and encouraged with faith to pray to God for all things necessary to soul or body we do this therefore presently in that form of Prayer which our Saviour himself taught us Having thus faithfully prayed and not doubting but what we have faithfully asked shall effectually be obtained we are bound in the next place as reason as well as Religion will teach us to praise God for this his mercy toward us which we being not able to do without Gods assistance we do first desire him to open our lips that our mouth may shew forth his praise and through our earnest desire presently to perform this holy duty we desire God to make speed and haste to help us in this kind and then with a short doxology expressing our faith in and of the Trinity we proceed to Psalms of praise First we have one set Psalm every day being a Psalm of speciall note to stir up to this holy duty and then every day several Psalms in such order that the whole Psalter is read through once every moneth Having thus far proceeded in this excellent manner and order we must not yet leave thus but because he that goes not forward in Religion daily will quickly go backward we must endeavor daily to increase in the knowledge of God which will be by reading and hearing the word of God and that chiefly in the house of God therefore in the next place we have two Lessons read to us one out of the old Testament another out of the new and between those Lessons and after them excellent Hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God in sending our Saviour especially and also for all his mercies and favours spiritual or temporal to our souls or bodyes let any man of reason and judgement now say if our book do not orderly lead us all this way yet here I confess is not enough as we do diligently and daily learn somewhat out of the Word of God in the house of God so it is most fit we should there also shew what we have learned and make some profession and confession next therefore most fitly follows a solemn and publike confession of our Christian faith comprised in the Creed which we are all to say with the Minister and that standing which gesture is most convenient in these two respects First to declare our readiness and willingness to make that confession and that we do all joyn in it which if we sat still could not so easily be perceived it being an easie thing to observe who stand and who sit but hard to see who speaks and who do not Secondly to testifie by this gesture of standing up that this faith we are not afraid or ashamed publikely to stand to but that this we are ready to maintain and defend against all opposition whatsoever as that fâ—ith we will live and dye in Lastly after all this thus devoutly decently and reverently performed how can we better conclude this holy work then with prayer altogether unto God to confirm settle strengthen and establish us in that holy Faith which we do profess and have now made confession of and to 〈…〉 ase our knowledge and to grant us all mercies and favours 〈…〉 ful for souls and bodies and to keep us from evils to the one or to the other In which prayers first we begin with a mutual short prayer of the Minister and people each for other to testifie each to other their perfect love and charity one to another that so they may the more cheerfully and unanimously joyn as one in the ensuing prayers in which after a brief praying for Gods mercy in general we begin again First with the Lords prayer the most absolute and perfect pattern for all our prayers Then after some few short ejaculations of the Minister and the people answering which is an especial means to rouse and stir up the dull affections of the people subject to be weary and faint in holy duties we proceed to the set and solemn prayers ensuing The first of which is varied every day almost and upon the most solemn and great days fitted to the day as the present occasion requires and so on every particular holy day The other prayers for peace grace encrease of knowledge and protection against perills and dangers and so the prayers for the King c. being most necessary at all times are every day to be used and after all the blessing pronounced to all Thus I have briefly touched upon you see our excellent way and manner of serving God according to our Common Prayer book appointed daily It would be no difficult matter to run through all the other matters in that book as the administration of the Sacraments solemnization of Matrimony with all the other Rites and Ceremonies I desiring brevity this may suffice for this my fourth argument for the Liturgy the excellent order and manner of using it I come now to the fifth and last argument for it the blessed and happy effects of this our worshipping and serving God in this sort from the beginning of the Reign of that never enough praised and admired Queen Elizabeth of blessed and eternal memory How wonderfully did the Lord bless and preserve her with a long happy and prosperous Raign that did establish and settle this Liturgy in her Kingdoms