a manner as much as by an essence yet there is in it nothing of duty and obligation and therefore it is the most unreasonable thing in the world to make any of these things to be a question of Religion 33. I shall therefore press these things no further but note that since all Liturgy is and ever was either prose or verse or both and the Liturgy of the Church of England as well as most others is of the last sort I consider that whatsoever is in her devotions besides the Lessons Epistles and Gospels the body of which is no other thing then was the famous Lectionarium of S. Jerome is a compliance with these two dictates of the Apostle for Liturgy the which one for verse the other for prose in 1 Psalms and 2 Hymns and 3 Spiritual songs for verse for prose 4 deprecations and 5 prayers and 6 intercessions and 7 giving of thanks will warrant and commend as so many parts of duty all the portions of the English Liturgy 34. If it were worth the pains it were very easy to enumerate the Authors and especially the occasions and time when the most minute passages such I mean as are known by distinct appellatives came into the Church that so it may appear our Liturgy is as ancient and primitive in every part as it is pious and unblameable and long before the Church got such a beam in one of her eyes which was endevoured to be cast out at the reformation But it will not be amiss to observe that very many of them were inserted as Antidotes and deleteries to the worst of heresies as I have discours'd already such was that clause through Jesus Christ our Lord who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the holy Spirit ever one God and some other phrases parallel were put in in defiance of the Macedonians and all the species of the Antitrinitarians and used by S. Ambrose in Millain S. Austin in Africa and Idacius Clarus in Spain and in imitation of so pious precedents the Church of England hath inserted divers clauses into her Offices 35. There was a great instance in the administration of the blessed Sacrament For upon the change of certain clauses in the Liturgy upon the instance of Martin Bucer instead of the bloud of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for you preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life was substituted this take and eat this in remembrance c. and it was done lest the people accustomed to the opinion of Transubstantiation and the appendant practices should retain the same doctrine upon intimation of the first clause But in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths reign when certain persons of the Zuinglian opinion would have abused the Church with Sacramentary doctrine and pretended the Church of England had declared for it in the second clause of 1552 the wisdome of the Church thought it expedient to joyn both the clauses the first lest the Church should be suspected to be of the Sacramentary opiâ—ion the latter lest she should be mistaken as a Patroness of Transubstantiation And both these with so much temper and sweetness that by her care she rather prevented all mistakes then by any positive declaration in her prayers engaged her self upon either side that she might pray to God without strife and contention with her brethren For the Church of England had never known how to follow the names of men but to call Christ onely her Lord and Master 36. But from the inserting of these and the like clauses which hath been done in all ages according to several opportunities and necessities I shall observe this advantage which is in many but is also very signally in the English Liturgy we are thereby enabled and advantaged in the meditation of those mysteries de quibus festivatur in sacris as the Casuists love to speak which upon solemn days we are bound to meditate and make to be the matter and occasion of our address to God for the offices are so ordered that the most indifferent and careless cannot but be reminded of the mystery in every Anniversary which if they be summ'd up will make an excellent Creed and then let any man consider what a rare advantage it will be to the belief of such propositions when the very design of the Holy-day teaches the hard handed Artizan the name and meaning of an article and yet the most forward and religious cannot be abused with any semblances of superstition The life and death of the Saints which is very precious in the eyes of God is so remembred by his humble and afflicted handmaid the Church of England that by giving him thanks and praise God may be honoured the Church instructed by the proposition of their example and we give testimony of the honour and love we owe and pay unto Religion by the pious veneration and esteem of those holy and beatified persons 37. Certain it is that there is no part of Religion as it is a distinct vertue and is to be exercised by interiour acts and forms of worship but is in the offices of the Church of England For if the soul desires to be humbled she hath provided forms of Confession to God before his Church if she will rejoyce and give God thanks for particular blessings there are forms of thanksgiving described and added by the Kings authority upon the Conference at Hampton-Court which are all the publick solemne and foreseen occasions for which by Law and order provision could be made if she will commend to God the publick and private necessities of the Church and single persons the whole body of Collects and devotions supplies that abundantly if her devotion be high and pregnant and prepared to fervency and importunity of congress with God the Letanies are an admirable pattern of devotion full of circumstances proportionable for a quick and an earnest spirit when the revolution of the Anniversary calls on us to perform our duty of special meditation and thankfulness to God for the glorious benefits of Christs Incarnation Nativity Passion Resurrection and Ascension blessings which doe as well deserve a day of thanksgiving as any other temporal advantage though it be the pleasure of a victory then we have the offices of Christmass the Annunciation Easter and Ascension if we delight to remember those holy persons whose bodies rest in the bed of peace and whose souls are deposited in the hands of Christ till the day of restitution of all things we may by the Collects and days of Anniversary festivity not onely remember but also imitate them too in our lives if we will make that use of the proportions of Scripture allotted for the festival which the Church intends to which if we adde the advantages of the whole Psalter which is an intire body of devotion by it self and hath in it forms to exercise all graces by way of internal act and spiritual intention there is not any ghostly advantage which the most
his infinite mercy bring thee to the regions of holinesse and eternal peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen I. A prayer to be used in behalfe of Fooles or Changelings O Eternal and most blessed Saviour Jesus who art the wisedome of the Father and art made unto us wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and Redemption have pity upon the miserable people to whom thou hast given life and no understanding Thou didst create us of nothing and gavest us being when we were not and createdst in us capacity of blessings when we had none and gavest us many when we did not understand them thou bringest infants from the wombe and from the state of nature to the state of grace and from their mothers breasts thou doest often convey them to the bosome of Jesus and yet they doe nothing but thou art glorified in thy free gift O be gracious to all Natural fooles and innocents for thou hatest nothing which thou hast made and lovest every soule which thou hast redeemed we that have reason can deserve heaven no more then these can but these doe not deserve hell so much as we have done Impute not to them their follies that are unavoidable nor the sins which they discerne not nor the evils which they cannot understand keepe them from all evil and sad mischances and make supply of their want of the defences of reason by the special guard of Angels and let thy obedience and thy sufferings be accepted and thy intercession prevaile for them that since they cannot glorify thee by a free obedience thou mayest be glorified by thy free mercies to them and for their destitution of good in this world let them receive eternal blessings in the world to come through thy mercies O eternal and most Blessed Saviour Jesus Amen II. A prayer for Madmen ALmighty God whose wisedome is infinite whose mercy is eternal whose tranquillity is essential and whose goodnesse hath no shore In judgement remember mercy and doe thou delight to magnify thy mercy upon them who need it but cannot aske it who are in misery but feele it not who doe actions without choice and choose without discretion and sober understanding Pity the evil they suffer and pardon the evils that they have done and impute not unto them the evils which they rather beare then act and let not their entry into this calamity be an exclusion from their future pardon but let this sad calamity and judgement which they beare be united to the sufferings of our Lord and be sanctified by his intercession and become an instrument of their peace Lord restore them to their health and understanding take from them all violent passions and remove all evil objects far from their eyes and eares create a cleane heart and renew a right Spirit in them Give them sober thoughts and meeke Spirits contempt of the world and love of holy things suffer them not to doe violence to any man and let no man doe violence to them let them be safe under the conduct of thy providence and the publick lawes and be innocent under the conduct of thy holy Spirit that when thou shalt returne and speake peace to thy people they may rejoyce in thy mercies and salvation thou didst O God shew mercy to Nebuchadnezar gavest to him the heart of a man after he had sin'd and fallen into the lot of beasts and wildnesse and thy hand is not shortned that thou canst not helpe but let thy mercies and loving kindnesse returne upon thy servants as at first that thou mayest rejoyce in thy mercies and salvation because thou hast pleasure in the prosperity of thy Servants Grant this Almighty God and Father for Jesus Christ his sake our Lord and dearest Saviour Amen III. A prayer in behalfe of Hereticks and seduced persons O Most blessed most Gracious Saviour Jesus who art the way and the truth and the life thou art a light to them that sit in darkenesse the light that lightneth every man that commeth into the world preserve thy Church in peace and truth in love and holinesse to thy second comming Reduce every misbeleiver to the fold of thy Church instruct every ignorant person in the wayes of Godly wisedome subdue the pride of man and bring every understanding to the obedience of thy sacred law Let no mans vanity or ignorance divide the church let not any holy truth be sullied with the mixture of impure and heretical doctrines nor evil principles disorder the beauties of religion and godly living nor any doctrines of men be taught as the commandement of God but grant that the truth of God may be publikely maintained constantly taught hūbly beleived zealously practized by all men in their several stations that in the church of God there be no contention but in giving honour to each other and glory to God in all the wayes of faith and charity through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen II. Blesse the ministery of thy holy word in its ordinary dispensation grant it may prevaile mightily for the convincing of them that have no faith for the reprooving of the errors of them whose faith is not pure for the confirming them who are weake in faith for the perfecting them who are novices in faith open the hearts of all gainsayers take from them all their prejudices and all their passions their secular interests and confident opinions that they may humbly and meekely attend to the voice of God in the mouths of thy servants in the pages of scripture in the doctrines of the Spirit that they may doe nothing against the truth but for the truth that they may not quench the Spirit nor despise prophecying nor shut their eyes against the light and their hearts against the love of God but grant that in all things being obedient to the heavenly calling they may receive the blessings of truth and peace in this world and in the world to come exalting the kingdome and partaking the glories of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen These three last prayers are to be used upon any of the great Festivals of the yeare especially Easter day Ascension day Whitsunday and upon 8 dayes after these Festivals or upon good Friday Prayers and Psalmes to be used by the Minister and Curate of Soules at the Visitation of the sick In the Name of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Our Father which art in Heaven c. Minister O God make speed to save us Answer O Lord make hast to helpe us * Glory be to the Father c. ¶ As it was in the beginning c. Then recite this Psalme * REbuke me not O Lord in thine anger neither correct me in thy heavy displeasure ¶ Have mercy upon me O Lord for I am weake O Lord heate me for my bones are vexed * My soule is also sore troubled but Lord how long wilt thou punish me ¶ Turne thee O Lord and deliver my soule O save me for thy mercies sake * For in death no
That indetermination of the office may not introduce indifferency nor indifferency lead in a freer liberty or liberty degenerate into licentiousness or licentiousness into folly and vanity and these come sometime attended with secular designs lest these be cursed with the immission of a peevish spirit upon our Priests and that spirit be a teacher of lies and these lies become the basis of impious theoremes which are certainly attended with ungodly lives and then either Atheism or Antichristianism may come according as shall happen in the conjunction of time and other circumstances for this would be a sad climax a ladder upon which are no Angels ascending or descending because the degrees lead to darkness and misery 5. But that which is of special concernment is this that the Liturgy of the Church of England hath advantages so many and so considerable as not onely to raise it self above the devotions of other Churches but to endear the affections of good people to be in love with Liturgy in general 6. For to the Churches of the Romane Communion we can say that ours is reformed to the reformed Churches we can say that ours is orderly and decent for we were freed from the impositions and lasting errours of a tyrannical spirit and yet from the extravagancies of a popular spirit too our reformation was done without tumult and yet we saw it necessary to reform we were zealous to cast away the old errours but our zeal was balanced with consideration and the results of authority Not like women or children when they are affrighted with fire in their clothes we shak'd off the cole indeed but not our garments lest we should have exposed our Churches to that nakedness which the excellent men of our sister Churches complained to be among themselves 7. And indeed it is no small advantage to our Liturgy that it was the off-spring of all that authority which was to prescribe in matters of Religion The king and the Priest which are the Antistites Religionis and the preservers of both the Tables joyn'd in this work and the people as it was represented in Parliament were advised withal in authorizing the form after much deliberation for the Rule Quod spectat ad omnes ab omnibus tractari debet was here observed with strictness and then as it had the advantages of discourse so also of authorities its reason from one and its sanction from the other that it might be both reasonable and sacred and free not onely from the indiscretions but which is very considerable from the scandal of popularity 8. And in this I cannot but observe the great wisdome and mercy of God in directing the contrivers of the Liturgy with the spirit of zeal and prudence to allay the furies and heats of the first affrightment For when men are in danger of burning so they leap from the flames they consider not whither but whence and the first reflections of a crooked tree are not to straightness but to a contrary incurvation yet it pleased the Spirit of God so to temper and direct their spirits that in the first Liturgy of King Edward they did rather retain something that needed further consideration then reject any thing that was certainly pious and holy and in the second Liturgy that they might also throughly reform they did rather cast out something that might with good profit have remained then not satisfy the world of their zeal to reform of their charity in declining every thing that was offensive and the clearness of their light in discerning every semblance of errour or suspicion in the Romane Church 9. The truth is although they fram'd the Liturgy with the greatest consideration that could be by all the united wisdome of this Church and State yet as if Prophetically to avoid their being charg'd in after ages with a crepusculum of Religion a dark twilight imperfect Reformation they joyn'd to their own starre all the shining tapers of the other reformed Churches calling for the advice of the most eminently learned and zealous Reformers in other Kingdomes that the light of all together might shew them a clear path to walk in And this their care produced some change for upon the consultation the first form of King Edwards Service-book was approved with the exception of a very few clauses which upon that occasion were review'd and expung'd till it came to that second form and modest beauty it was in the Edition of M D L II and which Gilbertus a German approved of as a transcript of the ancient and primitive forms 10. It was necessary for them to stay somewhere Christendome was not onely reformed but divided too and every division would to all ages have called for some alteration or else have disliked it publickly and since all that cast off the Romane yoke thought they had title enough to be called Reformed it was hard to have pleased all the private interests and peevishness of men that called themselves friends and therefore that onely in which the Church of Rome had prevaricated against the word of God or innovated against Apostolical tradition all that was par'd away But at last she fix'd and strove no further to please the people who never could be satisfied 11. The Painter that exposed his work to the censure of the common passengers resolving to mend it as long as any man could finde fault at last had brought the eyes to the ears and the ears to the neck and for his excuse subscrib'd Hanc populus fecit But his Hanc ego that which he made by the rules of art and the advice of men skill'd in the same mystery was the better peece The Church of England should have par'd away all the Canon of the Communion if she had mended her peece at the prescription of the Zuinglians and all her office of Baptism if she had mended by the rules of the Anabaptists and kept up Altars still by the example of the Lutherans and not have retain'd decency by the good will of the Calvinists and now another new light is sprung up she should have no Liturgy at all but the worship of God be left to the managing of chance and indeliberation and a petulant fancy 12. It began early to discover its inconvenience for when certain zealous persons fled to Frankford to avoid the funeral piles kindled by the Romane Bishops in Queen Maries time as if they had not enemies enough abroad they fell foul with one another and the quarrel was about the Common Prayer Book and some of them made their appeal to the judgement of M r Calvin whom they prepossessed with strange representments and troubled phantasms concerning it and yet the worst he said upon the provocation of those prejudices was that even its vanities were tolerable Tolerabiles ineptias was the unhandsome Epithete he gave to some things which he was forc'd to dislike by his over-earnest complying with the Brethren of Frankford 13. Well! upon this the wisdome of
is contained in the Common Prayer Book to be conformable to that order which our blessed Saviour Christ did both observe and command to be observed And a little after he offers to joyn issue upon this point That the Order of the Church of England set out by authority of the innocent and godly Prince Edward the sixth in his high Court of Parliament is the same that was used in the Church fifteen hundred years past 20. And I shall go near to make his words good For very much of our Liturgy is the very words of Scriptures The Psalms and Lessons and all the Hymnes save one are nothing else but Scripture and owe nothing to the Romane Breviaries for their production or authority So that the matter of them is out of question holy and true As for the form none ever misliked it but they that will admit no form for all admit this that admit any But that these should be parts of Liturgy needs not to be a question when we remember that Hezekiah and the Princes made it a Law to their Church to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the Seer and that Christ himself did so and his Apostles after the manner of the Jews in the Feast of Passeover sung their Hymnes and portions of the great Allelujah in the words of David and Asaph the Seer too and that there was a song in heaven made up of the words of Moses and David and Jeremy the Seer and that the Apostles and the Church of God always chose to doe so according to the commandment of the Apostle that we sing Psalms and Hymnes to God I know not where we can have better then the Psalms of David and Asaph and these were ready at hand for the use of the Church insomuch that in the Christian Synaxes particularly in the Churches of Corinth S. Paul observed that every man had a Psalm it was then the common devotion and Liturgy of all the faithful and so for ever and the Fathers of the fourth Councel of Toledo justify the practice of the Church in recitation of the Psalms and Hymnes by the example of Christ and his Apostles who after Supper sung a Psalm and the Church did also make hymns of her own in the honour of Christ sung them Such as was the Te Deum made by S. Ambrose and S. Augustine and they stood her in great stead not onely as acts of direct worship to Christ but as Conservators of the articles of Christs Divinity of which the Fathers made use against the heretick Artemon as appears in Eusebius lib. 5. cap. 28. Eccles. Hist. 21. That reading the Scripture was part of the Liturgy of the Apostolical ages we finde it in the tenth Canon of the Apostles in Albinus Flaccus Rabanus Maurus and in the Liturgy attributed to S. James Deinde leguntur fusissimè oracula sacra veteris Testamenti Prophetarum Filii Dei Incarnatio demonstratur Passio Resurrectio ex mortuis ascensus in Coelum secundus item adventus ejus cum gloria Atque id fit singulis diebus c. 22. So that since thus farre the matter of our devotions is warranted by Gods Spirit and the form by the precedents of Scripture too and the ages Apostolical above half of the English Liturgy is as Divine as Scripture it self and the choice of it for practice is no less then Apostolical 23. Of the same consideration is the Lords Prayer commanded by our blessed Saviour in two Evangelists the Introit is the Psal. 95. and the Responsories of Morning and Evening Prayer ejaculations taken from the words of David and Hezekiah the Decalogue recited in the Communion is the ten words of Moses and without peradventure was not taken into the Office in imitation of the Romane for although it was done upon great reason and considering the great ignorance of the people they were to inform yet I think it was never in any Church Office before but in Manuals and Catechisms onely yet they are made Liturgick by the suffrages at the end of every Commandement and need no other warrant from antiquity but the 20. Chapter of Exodus There are not many parts beside and they which are derive themselves from an elder house then the Romane Offices The Gloria Patri was composed by the Nicene Councel the latter Versicle by S. Jerome though some eminently learned and in particular Baronius is of an opinion that it was much more ancient It was at first a confession of faith and used by a newly baptized Convert and the standers by and then it came to be a Hymne and very early annexed to the Antiphones and afterwards to the Psalms and Hymnes all except that of S. Ambrose beginning with Te Deum because that of it self is a great Doxology It is seven times used in the Greek Office of Baptism and in the recitation of it the Priest and people stood all up and turned to the East and this custome ever continued in the Church and is still retained in the Church of England in conformity to the ancient and Primitive custome save onely that in the Let any we kneel which is a more humble posture but not so ancient the Letanies having usually been said walking not kneeling or standing But in this the variety is an ornament to the Churches garment S. Gregory added this Doxology to the Responsory at the beginning of prayer after O Lord make hast to help us That was the last and yet above a thousand years old and much elder then the body of Popery And as for the latter part of the Doxology I am clearly of opinion that though it might by S. Hierome be brought into the Latine Church yet it was in the Greek Church before him witness that most ancient Hymne or Doxology 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 However as to the matter of the Doxology it is no other then the Confession of the three most blessed persons of the Trinity which Christ commanded and which with greatest solemnity we declare in Baptism and certainly we can no ways better or more solemnly and ritually give glory to the Holy Trinity then by being baptized into the profession and service of it The Trisagion was taught to the Greek Church by Angels but certain it is it sprang not from a Romane fountain and that the Canon of our Communion is the same with the old Canon of the Church many hundred years before Popery had invaded the simplicity of Christian Religion is evident if we compare the particulars recited by S. Basil Innocentius his Epistle to John Archbishop of Lyons Honorius the Priest Alcuinus and Walafridus Strabo and if we will we may adde the Liturgy said to be S. James's and the Constitution of S. Clement for whoever was the author of these certainly they were ancient Radulphus Tongrensis and the later Ritualists Cassander Pamelius Hittorpius Jacobus Goar and the rest
24. And that we may be yet more particular the very Prayer for Christs Catholick Church in the Office of Communion beside that it is nothing but a plain execution of an Apostolical precept set down in the Preface of the Prayer it was also used in all times and in all Liturgies of the ancient Church And we finde this attested by S. Cyril of Jerusalem Deinde postquam confectum est illud spirituale sacrificium ... obsecramus Deum pro communi Ecclesiarum pace pro tranquillitate mundi pro Regibus c. To the same purpose also there is a testimony in S. Chrysostome which because it serves not onely here but also to other uses it will not be amiss here to note it Quid autem sibi vult primum omnium In obsequio scil quotidiano perpetuâ—que divinae religionis ritu Atque id noverunt fideles quomodo diebus singulis mane vespere orationes fundantur ad Dominum quomodo pro omni mundo Regibus omnibus qui in sublimitate positi sunt obsecrationes in Ecclesia fiant Sed forte quis dixerit pro omnibus quod ait tantum fideles intelligi voluisse At id verum non esse quae sequuntur ostendunt Denique ait pro Regibus neque enim tunc Reges Deum colebant It is evident by this that the custome of the Church was not onely in the celebration of the holy Communion but in all her other Offices to say this Prayer not onely for Christs Catholick Church but for all the world 25. And that the charity of the Church might not be misconstrued he produces his warrant S. Paul not onely expresly commands us to pray for all men but addes by way of instance for Kings who then were unchristian and heathen in all the world But this form of Prayer is almost word for word in S. Ambrose Haec regula Ecclesiastica est tradita à Magistro gentium quâ utuntur Sacerdotes nostri ut pro omnibus supplicent ... deprecantes pro Regibus ... orantes pro iis quibus sublimis potestas credita est ut in justitia veritate gubernent ... postulantes pro iis qui in necessitate varia sunt ut eruti liberati Deum collaudent incolumitatis Authorem So farre goes our form of Prayer But S. Ambrose addes Referentes quoque gratiarum actiones ... And so it was with us in the first Service-books of King Edward and the Preface to the Prayer engages us to a thanksgiving but I know not how it was stoln out the Preface still remaining to chide their unwariness that took down that part of the building and yet left the gate standing But if the Reader please to be satisfied concerning this Prayer which indeed is the longest in our Service-book and of greatest consideration he may see it taken up from the universal custome of the Church and almost in all the words of the old Liturgies if he will observe the Liturgies themselves of S. Basil S. Chrysostome and the concurrent testimonies of Tertullian S. Austin Celestine Gennadius Prosper and Theophylact 26. I shall not need to make any excuses for the Churches reading those portions of Scripture which we call Epistles and Gospels before the Communion They are Scriptures of the choicest and most profitable transaction And let me observe this thing That they are not onely declarations of all the mysteries of our redemption and rules of good life but this choice is of the greatest compliance with the necessities of the Christian Church that can be imagined For if we deny to the people a liberty of reading Scriptures may they not complain as Isaac did against the inhabitants of the land that the Philistines had spoiled his well and the fountains of living water If a free use to all of them and of all Scriptures were permitted should not the Church her self have more cause to complain of the infinite licentiousness and loosness of interpretations and of the commencement of ten thousand errours which would certainly be consequent to such permission Reason and Religion will chide us in the first reason and experience in the latter And can the wit of man conceive a better temper and expedient then that such Scriptures onely or principally should be laid before them all in daily Offices which contain in them all the mysteries of our redemption and all the rules of good life which two things are done by the Gospels and Epistles respectively the first being a Record of the life and death of our blessed Saviour the latter instructions for the edification of the Church in pious and Christian conversation and all this was done with so much choice that as obscure places are avoided by design as much as could be so the very assignation of them to certain festivals the appropriation of them to solemn and particular days does entertain the understandings of the people with notions proper to the mystery and distinct from impertinent and vexatious questions And were this design made something more minute and applicable to the various necessities of times and such choice Scriptures permitted indifferently which might be matter of necessity and great edification the people of the Church would have no reason to complain that the fountains of our Saviour were stopp'd from them nor the Rulers of the Church that the mysteriousness of Scripture were abused by the petulancy of the people to consequents harsh impious and unreasonable in despight of government in exauctoration of the power of superiours or for the commencement of schisms and heresies The Church with great wisdome hath first held this torch out and though for great reasons intervening and hindering it cannot be reduced to practice yet the Church hath shewn her desire to avoid the evil that is on both hands and she hath shewn the way also if it could have been insisted in But however this choice of the more remarkable portions of Scripture is so reasonable and proportionable to the nature of the thing that because the Gospels and Epistles bear their several shares of the design the Gospel representing the foundation and prime necessities of Christianity and the mysterious parts of our Redemption the summe the faith and the hopes of Christianity therefore it is attested by a ceremony of standing up it being a part of the confession of faith but the Epistles containing superstructures upon that foundation are read with religious care but not made formal or solemn by any other circumstance The matter contains in it sufficient of reason and of proportion but nothing of necessity except it be by accident and as authority does intervene by way of sanction 27. But that this reading of Epistles and Gospels before the Communion was one of the earliest customes of the Church I finde it affirmed by Rabanus Maurus Sed enim initio mos iste cantandi non erat qui nunc in Ecclesia ante sacrificium
there by any such thing as regeneration by the Ministery of the word and begetting in Christ and Fathers and Sons after the common faith as the expressions of the Apostle make us to beleeve certain it is the blessings of Religion doe descend most properly from our spiritual Fathers and with most plentiful emanation And this hath been the Religion of all the world to derive very much of their blessings by the Priests particular and signal ministration Melchisedech blessed Abraham Isaac blessed Jacob and Moses and Aaron blessed the people So that here is benediction from a Prince from a Father from the Aaronical Priest from Melchisedech of whose order is the Christian in whose Law it is a sanction that in grea◠needs especially the Elders of the Church be sent for and let them pray over him that is distressed That is the great remedy for the great necessity And it was ever much valued in the Church insomuch that Nectarius would by no means take investiture of his Patriarchal Sea until he had obtained the benediction of Diodorus the Bishop of Cilicia Eudoxia the Empress brought her son Theodosius to S. Chrysostome for his blessing and S. Austin and all his company received it of Innocentius Bishop of Carthage It was so solemne in all marriages that the marrying of persons was called Benediction So it was in the fourth Councel of Carthage Sponsus sponsa cùm benedicendi sunt à Sacerdote c. benedicendi for married ... And in all Church Offices it was so solemne that by a Decree of the Councel of Agatho A. D. 380. it was decreed ante benedictionem Sacerdotis populus egredi non praesumat By the way onely here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for two parts of the English Liturgy For the benediction in the Office of marriage by the authority of the Councel of Carthage and for concluding the Office of Communion with the Priests or Bishops benediction by warrant of the Councel of Agatho which Decrees having been derived into the practice of the universal Church for very many ages is in no hand to be undervalued lest we become like Esau and we miss it when we most need it For my own particular I shall still press on to receive the benediction of holy Church till at last I shall hear a Venite benedicti and that I be reckoned amongst those blessed souls who come to God by the ministeries of his own appointment and will not venture upon that neglect against which the piety and wisdome of all Religions in the world infinitely doe prescribe 44. Now the advantages of confidence which I have upon the forms of benediction in the Common Prayer-book are therefore considerable because God himself prescribed a set form of blessing the people appointing it to be done not in the Priests extempore but in an established form of words and because as the authority of a prescript form is from God so that this form may be also highly warranted the solemne blessing at the end of the Communion is in the very words of S. Paul 45. For the forms of Absolution in the Liturgy though I shall not enter into consideration of the Question concerning the quality of the Priests power which is certainly a very great ministery yet I shall observe the rare temper and proportion which the Church of England uses in commensurating the forms of Absolution to the degrees of preparation and necessity At the beginning of the Morning and Evening Prayer after a general Confession usually recited before the devotion is high and pregnant whose parts like fire enkindle one another there is a form of Absolution in general declarative and by way of proposition In the Office of the Communion because there are more acts of piety and repentance previous and presupposed there the Churches form of Absolution is optative and by way of intercession But in the Visitation of the sick when it is supposed and enjoyned that the penitent shall disburthen himself of all the clamorous loads upon his conscience the Church prescribes a medicinal form by way of delegate authority that the parts of justification may answer to the parts of good life For as the penitent proceeds so does the Church pardon and repentance being terms of relation they grow up together till they be compleat this the Church with greatest wisdom supposes to be at the end of our life grace by that time having all its growth that it will have here therefore then also the pardon of sins is of another nature then it ever was before if being now more actual and compleat whereas before it was in fieri in the beginnings and smaller increases and upon more accidents apt to be made imperfect and revocable So that the Church of England in these manners of dispensing the power of the Keys does cut off all disputings and impertinent wranglings whether the Priests power were Judicial or declarative for possibly it is both and it is optative too and something else yet for it is an emanation from all the parts of his Ministery and he never absolves but he preaches or prays or administers a Sacrament for this power of remission is a transcendent passing through all the parts of the Priestly Offices For the keys of the Kingdome of heaven are the promises the threatnings of the Scripture and the prayers of the Church and the Word and the Sacraments and all these are to be dispensed by the Priest and these keys are committed to his Ministery and by the operation of them all he opens and shuts heaven gates ministerially and therefore S. Paul calls it verbum reconciliationis and says it is dispensed by Ministers as by Embassadors or Delegates and therefore it is an excellent temper of the Church so to prescribe her forms of Absolution as to shew them to be results of the whole Priestly Office of Preaching of dispensing Sacraments of spiritual Cure and authoritative deprecation And the benefit which pious and well disposed persons receive by these publick Ministeries as it lies ready formed in our blessed Saviours promise erit solutum in coelis so men will then truly understand when they are taught to value every instrument of grace or comfort by the exigence of a present need as in a sadness of spirit in an unquiet conscience in the arrest of death 46. I shall not need to procure advantages to the reputation of the Common Prayer by considering the imperfections of whatsoever hath been offered in its stead but yet a 1 form of worship composed to the dishonour of the Reformation accusing it of darkness and intolerable inconvenience 2 a direction without a rule 3 a rule without restraint 4 a prescription leaving an indifferency to a possibility of licentiousness 5 an office without any injunction of external acts of worship not prescribing so much as kneeling 6 an office that onely once names reverence but forbids it in the ordinary instance and enjoyns it in
fires of devotion then the straw and the stubble which some men did suddenly or weakly rake together when ever they were to dress their Sacrifice Now although these prayers have no authority to give them power yet they are humbly and charitably intended and that may get them love and they have been as to the matter of them approved by persons of great learning and great piety and that may sufficiently recommend them to the use of those who have no other or no better and they no way doe violence to Authority and therefore the use of them cannot be insecure and they contain in them no matter of question or dispute and therefore cannot be justly suspected of interest or partiality and they are especially in the chiefest offices collected out of the devotions of the Greek Church with some mixture of the Mozarabick and AEthiopick and other Liturgies and perfected out of the fountains of Scripture and therefore for the material part have great warrant and great authority and therefore if they be used with submission to Authority it is hop'd they may doe good and if they be not used no man will be offended 49. I hope there will be no need of an apology or an excuse for doing an act of charity If no man will confess that he needs any of these they can be let alone for they are intended onely for them that doe but if there be a need these prayers may help to obtain of God to take that need away and to supply it in the mean while But there is nothing else intended in this design but that we may see what excellent forms of prayer were used in the ancient Church what a rare repository of Devotion the Scripture is how it was the same spirit of prayer that assisted the Church of England and other Churches of God how much better the Curates of souls may help themselves with these or the like offices then with their own extempore how their present needs may be supplied and their devotion enlarged and a day of Religion intirely spent and a provision made for some necessities in which our calamities and our experience of late have too well instructed us For which and for other great reasons all Churches have admitted variety of Offices In the Greek Church it is notorious they have three publick Books and very many added afterwards by their Patriarchs their Bishops and their Priests some are said often and others sometimes and in Spain the Mozarabick office was used until the time of Alfonsus the 6 th and to this very day in six Parishes in Toledo and in the Cathedral Church it self in the Chappel of Frier Francis Ximenez and at Salamanca upon certain days in the Chappel of Doctor Talabricensis And after all these may be admitted into the use and ministery of families for all the necessities of which here is something provided 50. He that gathered these things together intends as humbly as piously as charitably as he can doe in any action whatsoever and if any of his brethren can tell his heart better then himself I am sure he may say much more of it but if any man can think I have in it any purpose less pious or less severe or that there is any obliquity or any thing but what is here expressed I must answer for it if there be and he must answer for it if there be not January hath xxxi days The Moon xxx Sun in Aquar riseth h. 7. m. 52. sec. 34. In lat 52. setteth h. 4. m. 7. sec. 26. Jan. 10.  h. 8. m. 3. sec. 56. In lat 54.  h. 3. m. 56. sec. 4.      Morning prayer Evening prayer      1 Lesson 2 Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Less 19 1 A Calend. Circumcision * * * * 8 2 b 4 Non.  Gen. 1. Matt. 1 Gen. 2. Rom. 1.  3 c 3  3 2 4 2 16 4 d Pr. No.  5 3 6 3 5 5 e Nonae Edward K. 7 4 8 4  6 f 8 Idus Epiphany * * * * 13 7 g 7  Gen. 9. Matt. 5 Gen. 12 Rom. 5. 2 8 A 6 Lucian 13 6 14 6  9 b 5  15 7 16 7 10 10 c 4  17 8 18 8  11 d 3  19 9 20 9 18 12 e Pr. Idus  21 10 22 10 7 13 f Idus Hilary Bp. 23 11 24 11  14 g 19 Cal. of February 25 12 26 12 15 15 A 18  27 13 28 13 4 16 b 17  29 14 30 14  17 c 16 Sulpitius Bp. 31 15 32 15 12 18 d 15 Prisca Virg. 33 16 34 16 1 19 e 14 Ulstan Bp. 35 17 37 1 Cor. 1.  20 f 13 Fabian 38 18 39 2 9 21 g 12 Agnes 40 19 41 3  22 A 11 Vincent Mart. 42 20 43 4 17 23 b 10  44 21 45 5 6 24 c 9 Timothy Bp. 46 22 47 6  25 d 8 Conv. S. Paul * * * * 14 26 e 7 Polycar Mart. Gen. 48 Mat. 23 Gen. 49 1 Cor. 7. 3 27 f 6  50 24 Exod. 1 8  28 g 5  Exod. 2 25 3 9 11 29 A 4 Valerius Bp. 4 26 5 10 19 30 b 3 C. R. M. 7 27 8 11 8 31 c Pr. Cal.  9 28 10 12 February hath xxviii days The Moon xxix Sun in Pisc. riseth h. 7. m. o. sec. 28. latit 52. setteth h. 4. m. 59 sec. 32. Feb. 8.  h. 7. m. 1. sec. 40. latit 54.  h. 4. m. 58 sec. 20.      Morning prayer Evening prayer      1 Lesson 2 Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Less  1 d Calend. Fast Exo. 11 Mark 1 Exo. 12 1 Cor. 13 16 2 e 4 Non. Purific Mary * 2 * 14 5 3 f 3 Blasius Exo. 13 3 Exo. 14 15  4 g Pr. No.  15 4 16 16 13 5 A Nonae Agathe 17 5 18 2 Cor. 1 2 6 b 8 ld  19 6 20 2  7 c 7  21 7 22 3 10 8 d 6  23 8 24 4  9 e 5 Apollon Virg 32 9 33 5 18 10 f 4 Scholast Virg. 34 10 Lev. 18 6 7 11 g 3  Lev. 19 11 20 7  12 A Prid. ld  26 12 Nu. 11 8 15 13 b Idus  Nu. 12 13 13 9 4 14 c 16 Cal. Valentine 14 14 16 10  15 d 15  17 15 20 11 12 16 e 14  21 16 22 12 1 17 f 13  23 Lu. di 1 24 13  18 g 12  25 dim 1 27 Galat. 1 9 19 A 11  30 2 31 2  20 b 10  32 3 35 3 17 21 c 9  36 4 Deut. 1 4 6 22 d 8  Deut. 2 5 3 5  23 e 7 Fast 4 6 5 6 14 24 f 6 S. Matthias * 7 * Ephes. 1 3 25 g 5  6 8 7 2  26 A 4  8 9 9
unto the profession of thy faith and we humbly beseech thee to grant unto him thy grace to accompany him all the daies of his life that he may hold fast the profession of his faith making his calling and election sure that his body being washed in pure water and he tasting of the heavenly gift being made partaker of the holy Ghost and sprinkled in his heart from an evil Conscience he may follow thee in the regeneration and after the end of this life he may for ever be with them who have washed their robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lamb. Grant this O God our Father thorough Jesus Christ our Blessed Saviour and Redeemer II. O most holy most gracious Saviour Jesus who lovest thy Church and hast given thy self for it that thou mayest sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water in the word do thou with thy holy Spirit enlighten and with thy word instruct the understanding of this child that he may live by faith and may perceive the secrets of thy kingdom and know thy will and obey thy laws and promote thy glory III. O God be thou his Father for ever Christ his elder Brother and his Lord the Church his Mother let the body of Christ be his food the bloud of Christ his drink and the Spirit the earnest of his inheritance Let faith be his learning Religion his imployment his whole life be spiritual heaven the object of his hopes and the end of his labours let him be thy servant in the kingdome of grace and thy Son in the kingdome of glory thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Then shall the priest adde this blessing OUr Blessed Lord God the Father of men and Angels who hath sent forth his An-Angels ministers appointing them to minister to the good of them who shall be heirs of salvation he of his mercy and goodness send his Holy Angel to be the Guardian of this child and keep him from the danger and violence of fire and water of falls and sad accidents from evil tongues and evil eyes from witchcraft and all impressions of the spirits of darkness from Convulsions and Rickets from madness and stupidity from folly and evil principles from bad examples and from evil teachers from crookedness and deformity from the mutilation of a member or the loss of sense from being useless and unprofitable from being impious harsh natur'd and unreasonable and make him a wise useful and a holy person belov'd of men and belov'd of God thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Amen YOU the Godfathers and Godmother of the child as you have done this charity to the infant to bring him to Holy Baptisme so you must be sure to continue your care over him till he be instructed in his duty taught what vow he hath made by you and how he shall perform it To this purpose you shall take care that he may learn the Lords prayer the Apostles Creed and the Commandements of our Lord that he may know how to pray what to beleeve and what to practise and when he is in all these things competently instructed neglect not any opportunity of bringing him to the Bishop that he by imposition of hands and invocation of the holy Spirit of God may procure blessing and spiritual strength to this child Which duty when you have done you are discharged of this trust and from the mercies of God may humbly hope for the reward of your charity So ends the office of Baptisme THE DEVOTIONS and PROPER OFFICES for WOMEN An office for safe Childbirth I. O Almighty Father of Men and Angels in whose hands are the keyes of life and death of the womb and of the grave look down at this time in great mercy and gentlest compassion upon thy servant Thou hast O God upon the weakest of mankind fixed the sharpest decree of painful childbirth but so thou lovest to magnifie thy mercies and thy power that thy strength may be seen in our weakness so let it be O God unto thy handmaid let thy loving kindness be her confidence and her rest her hope and her security now and in the hour of her travail II. LORD let thy holy Angels be present with thy servant in their holy and charitable ministeries about her person it is a great thing that we require but we beg it of the great King of Heaven and Earth the Lord of Angels who hath promised that his Angels shall stand in circuit round about them that fear the Lord Look O Lord upon her fear it is humble but it is trembling look upon her love and make it what it is not yet doe thou sanctifie her fear of thee and change it into obedience and carefulness of duty increase her love of thee and make it to be pure and perfect operative and buisie zealous and obedient make it to grow up to the perfections of a Christian and pass unto the beauties of holyness so shall thy servant feel thy daily mercies and no evil shall come neer to hurt her III. GRacious Father give thy servant leave to rely upon thy glorious promises thou hast commanded us to call upon thee in our trouble and hast promised to deliver us O look upon thy handmaid leave her not nor forsake her for trouble is hard at hand and there is none that can help or deliver but onely thou O God In thee O Lord doe we trust let thy servants never be confounded Be pleased O Lord to give thy servant patience and dereliction of her own desires perfect resignation of her own will and a conformity to thine that she may with joy receive the blessing which thou wilt choose for her and which we humbly beg of thee even that she may have a holy a healthful a joyful and a safe deliverance of her burden Lord keep her from all sad accidents and evil contingencies from violent pains and passions from all undecency of Comportment and unquietness of Spirit from impatience and despair from doing any thing that is criminal or feeling any thing that is intolerable IV. O Lord my God give thy servants leave to pray to thee in behalf of this thy handmaid that thou wilt not cut her off in the middest of her daies nor forsake her when her strength faileth but spare her O God not for any purposes of vanity or the satisfaction of any impotent or secular desires but that she may live to serve thee to redeem her time mispent in folly to get victory over temptations and perfect dominion over her passions to grow great in religion and of an excellent charity and devotion O spare her a little that she may recover her strength before she goes hence and be no more seen so shall thy servant rejoice in thy mercies and speak of thy loving kindness in the Church of thy redeemed ones and will spend her daies in holiness and zealous pursuances of religion Remove her sinnes far from her as the East is from the
office published by the authority of Queene Elizabeth 1597. I. A prayer for an Army or Navy in time of VVarre O Almighty Lord God of hosts the prince of peace and the everlasting Counsellor we humbly beseech thee so to conduct encourage and defend our Armies and Fleets with thy mighty arme and thy wise providence that what they shall attempt or take in hand for defence of this Church and State may be prosperous and blessed Direct and lead them all in safety strengthen their Governours and leaders with sound counsell and wise Conduct The officers and souldiers with ready obedience and valiant resolution Blesse their conflicts with signal victories give them blessed opportunities of effecting the purposes of peace and justice with the least bloodshed Preserve them from contagious diseases from the violence of sword and sicknesses from evill accidents or crafty designes from treachery or surprise from carelesnesse of their duty and fromall irreligion from confusion or feare from mutiny and disorder Give them an happy and an honourable returne that we being defended from our enemies thy servant our Soveraigne or Supreme may rejoice in thy mercies and thy church may give thee thankes in the daies of peace and all thy people may worship thee in a holy religion giving thee praise and honour and glory for ever in Eternal ages through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Or this I. O Most mighty Lord God who reignest over all the Kingdomes of Men thou hast power in thy hand to cast downe and to raise up to save thy servants and to rebuke their enemies and in all ages hast given victory to the people effecting by small numbers what man cannot doe by the multitude of an Host Let thy eares be now open unto our praiers and thy merciful eyes upon our trouble and our danger O Lord doe thou judge our cause in righteousnesse and mercy prosper our armes and defend our armies Establish us in the rights thou hast given us in our lands and in our goods in our Government and in our lawes in our Religion and in all the holy orders which thou hast appointed to minister to all who shall be heires of salvation II. Never let ambition or Cruelty thirst of Empire or thirst of blood the greedinesse of of spoile or the pleasures of a victory make us either to love warre or to neglect all the just wayes of peace and grant unto the Army such piety and prudence such happy circumstances and blessed events that none of them may doe any act misbecoming Christians Disciples and servants of the prince of peace Doe thou O God blesse them in all their just actions and necessary defences that they may neither doe wrong nor suffer any Let not our enemies have their unjust desires nor their mischeivous imaginations prosper leaft we become a scorne and derision to our oppressors The race is not to the swift nor the battle to thestrong and a horse is counted but a vaine thing to save a man but our trust is in the name of the Lord our God he is our strength and our defence for it is thou O Lord who canst indifferently save with many or with few III. Wherefore from thy holy sanctuary open thine eyes and behold stretch forth thy hand and helpe defend and save our Armies and Navies O thou God of power from all evil of man and all evil of chance Cover their heads in the day of battle and danger send thy feare before thy servants that our enemies may flee before them let thy faith make them valiant in fight and put to flight the armies of Aliens Rebels c. and by this shall thy servants know thou favourest us in that our Enemy doth not triumph against us and shall alwaies confesse to the praise of thy name that it was thou Lord the sheild of our hope and the sword of our glory who hast done great things for us and evermore say Praised be the Lord that hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servants Heare us O Lord for the glory of thy name for thy loving mercy and for thy truth sake through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen An Office for Prisoners THe foregoing ordinary Offices are fitted for all mankind in General and so may be also used by these in their Prisons To which they may adde what is fit for them in the following devotions and upon Solemne occasion or upon special necessity or devotion they may intirely and distinctly use the following prayers and psalmes c. In the Name of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Our Father which art in Heaven c. Versicle O God make speed to save us Answer O Lord make hast to helpe us Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. The Psalme I Will cry unto God with my voice even unto God will I cry with my voice and he shall hearken unto me ¶ In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord in the night my sore ceased not my soule refused to be comforted * When I am in heavinesse I will thinke upon God when my heart is vexed I will complaine ¶ O remembet how short my time is wherefore hast thou made all men for nought * I goe hence like the shadow that departeth and am driven away as the grashopper But the Lord shall endure for ever he hath also prepared his seat for judgement ¶ For he shall judge the world in righteousnesse and minister true judgement unto his people * The Lord also will be a defence for the oppressed even a refuge in due time of trouble ¶ And they that know thy Name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast never failed them that seeke thee * Deliver me O Lord from the evil man preserve me from the violent man ¶ I know that the Lord will maintaine the cause of the afflicted and the right of the poore * Surely the righteous shall give thankes unto they Name the upright shall dwell in thy presence ¶ O let the sorrowful sighing of the prisoners come before thee according to the greatnesse of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die * The humble shall consider this and be glad Seeke ye after God and your soule shall live ¶ For the Lord heareth the poore and despiseth not his prisoners * Who is like unto the Lord our God who dwelleth on high ¶ Who humbleth himselfe to behold the things that are in heaven and earth * He raiseth up the poore out of the dust and lifteth the needy out of the Dunghil ¶ Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth for evermore * For he satisfieth the longing soule and filleth the hungry soule with goodnesse ¶ Such as sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death being bound in affliction and iron * He bringeth them out of darknesse and the shadow of death and breaketh their bands in sunder ¶ O that men would praise the Lord for