to make Profession of known or suspected falshood as to put in practise unlawful or suspected actions 2. Further we humbly desire that it may be seriously considered that as our first Reformers out of their great wisdome did at that time so compose the Liturgy as to win upon the Papists and to draw them into their Church-Communion by varying as little as they well could from the Romish forms before in use so whether in the present constitution state of things amongst us wee should not according to the same Rule of Prudence and Charity have our Liturgy so composed as to gain upon the judgements and affection of all those who in the substantials of the Protestant Religion are of the same perswasions with our selves Inasmuch as a more firm union and consent of all such as well in Worship as in Doctrine would greatly strengthen the Protestant interest against all those dangers and temptations which our intestine Divisions and Animosities do expose us unto from the common Adversary 3. That the Repetitions and Responsals of the Clerk and People and the alternate reading of the Psalms and Hymns which cause a confused murmure in the Congregation whereby what is read is less intelligible and therefore unedifying may be omitted The Minister being appointed for the people in all publick services appertaining unto God and the Holy Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament intimating the peoples part in publick prayer to be only with silence and reverence to attend thereunto and to declare their consent in the cloze by saying Amen 4. That in regard the Letany though otherwise containing in it many holy petitions is so framed that the petitions for a great part are uttered only by the people which wee think not to be so consonant to Scripture which makes the Minister the mouth of the people to God in prayer the particulars thereof may be composed into one solemn prayer to be offered by the Minister unto God for the people 5. That there be nothing in the Liturgy which may seem to countenance the Observation of Lent as a Religious Fast the example of Christs fasting forty daies and nights being no more imitable nor intended for the imitation of a Christian than any other of his miraculous works were or than Moses his forty daies fast was for the Jews And the Act of Parliament 5. Eliz. forbidding abstinence from flesh to bee observed upon any other than a politick consideration and punishing all those who by preaching teaching writing or open speeches shall notifie that the forbearing of flesh is of any necessity for the saving of the soul or that it is the service of God otherwise than as other politick Laws are 6. That the Religious Observation of Saints-daies appointed to be kept as Holy-daies and the Vigils thereof without any foundation as wee conceive in Scripture may be omitted That if any be retained they may be called Festivals and not Holy-Daies nor made equal with the Lords-day nor have any peculiar service appointed for them nor the people bee upon such daies forced wholly to abstain from work And that the names of all others now inserted in the Calender which are not in the first and second books of Edward the sixth may be left out 7. That the gift of Prayer being one special Qualification for the work of the Ministry bestowed by Christ in order to the Edification of his Church and to bee exercised for the profit and benefit thereof according to its various and emergent necessity It is desired that there may bee no such imposition of the Liturgy as that the exercise of that gift bee thereby totally excluded in any part of publick worship And further considering the great age of some Ministers and infirmities of others and the variety of several services oft-times concurring upon the same day whereby it may bee inexpedient to require every Minister at all times to read the whole It may bee left to the discretion of the Minister to omit part of it as occasion shall require which liberty wee finde to bee allowed even in the first Common Prayer-Book of Edward 6. 8. That in regard of the many defects which have been observed in that version of the Scriptures which is used throughout the Liturgy manifold instances whereof may bee produâ—ed as in the Epistle for the first Sunday after Epiphany taken out of Romans 12. 1. Bee yee changed in your shape And the Epistle for the Sunday next before Easter taken out of Philippians 2. 5. Found in his Apparel as a man as also the Epistle for the fourth Sunday in Lent taken out of the fourth of the Galathians Mount Sinai is Agar in Arabia and bordereth upon the City which is now called Jerusalem The Epistle for St. Matthews day taken out of the second Epistle of Corinth and the 4th Wee go not out of kind The Gospel for the second Sunday after Epiphany taken out of the second of John When men bee drunk The Gospel for the third Sunday in Lent taken out of the 11th of Luke One house doth fall upon another The Gospel for the Annunciation taken out of the first of Luke This is the sixth month which was called barren and many other places wee therefore desire instead thereof the New Translation allowed by Authority may alone bee used 9. That inasmuch as the holy Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation to furnish us thorougly unto all good works and contain in them all things necessary either in Doctrine to be beleeved or in Duty to bee practised whereas divers chapters of the Apocryphal Books appointed to bee read are charged to bee in both respects of dubious and uncertain credit It is therefore desired that nothing bee read in the Church for Lessons but the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament 10. That the Minister bee not required to rehearse any part of the Liturgy at the Communion-Table save only those parts which properly belong to the Lords Supper and that at such times only when the said holy Supper is administred 11. That as the word Minister and not Priest or Curate is used in the absolution and in divers other places it may throughout the whole Book bee so used instead of those two words and that instead of the word Sunday the word Lords-Day may bee every where used 12. Because singing of Psalms is a considerable part of publick worship wee desire that the Version set forth and allowed to bee sung in Churches may bee amended or that wee may have leave to make use of a purer Version 13. That all obsolete words in the Common-Prayer and such whose use is changed from their first significancy as Aread used in the Gospel for the Monday and Wednesday before Easter Then opened hee their wits used in the Gospel for Easter Tuesday c. may bee altered unto other words generally received and better understood 14. That no portions of the Old Testament or of the Acts of the
abler Brethren If there had been a stated Form before imposed on the Churches what room could there be for this course And even this much seems but a caution made newly upon some late abuse of Prayer The same we say de Concil Malevit Can. 12. if they were but a prudentioribus tractatae vel comprobatae in Synodo new Prayers might by any man at any time be brought in which sheweth they had no such stated publick Lyturgy as is now pleaded for and even this seemeth occasioned by Pelagianism which by this caution they would keep out We hope your omission of our eighth Desire for the use of the new Translation intimateth your Grant that it shall be so But we marvel then that we find among your Concessions the alteration of no part but the Epistles and Gospels As they would have no Saints dayes observed by the Church so no Apocriphal Chapter read in the Church but upon such a reason as would exclude all Sermons as well as Apocripha viz. because the holy Scriptures contain in them all things necessary either in Doctrine to be believed or in duty to be practised If so why so many unnecessary Sermons why any more but reading of Scriptures if notwithstanding their sufficiency Sermons be necessary there is no reason why these Apocriphal Chapters should not be as useful most of them containing excellent Discourses and Rules of morality it is heartily to be wished that Sermons were as good if their fear be that by this means those Books may come to be of equal esteem with the Canon they may be secured against that by the title which the Church hath put upon them calling them Apocriphal and it is the Churches Testimony which teacheth us this difference and to leave them out were to cross the Practise of the Church in former Ages Repl. We hoped when our desires were delivered in writing they would have been better observed and understood we asked not that no Apocriphal Chapter may be read in the Church but that none may be read as Lessons For so the Chapters of holy Scripture there read are called in the Booâ— and to read them in the same place under the same Title without any sufficient note of distinction or notice given to the People that they are not Canonical Scripture they being also bound with our Bibles is such a temptation to the vulgar to take them for Gods Word as doth much prevail and is like to do so still And when Papists second it with their confident affirmations that the Apocriphal Books are Canonical well refelled by one of you the R. Reverend Bishop of Durham we should not needlesly help on their success If you cite the Apocripha as you do other human Writings or read them as Homilies when and where there is reason to read such we spake not against it To say that the People are secured by the Churches calling them Apocripha is of no force till experience be proved to be disregardable and till you have proved that the Minister is to tell the People at the reading of ever such Chapter that it is but Apocriphal and that the People all understand Greek so well as to know what Apocriphal signifieth The more sacred and honourable are these Dictates of the holy Ghost recorded in Scripture the greater is the sin by reading the Apocripha without sufficient distinction to make the People believe that the Writings of man are the Revelation and Laws of God And also we speak against the reading of the Apocripha as it excludeth much of the Canonical Scriptures and taketh in such Books in their steads as are commonly reputed fabulous By thus much you may see how you lost your Answer by mistaking us and how much you will sin against God by denying our desires That the Minister should not read the Communion Service at the Communion Table is not reasonable to demand since all the Primitive Church used it and if we do not observe that Golden Rule of the venerable Council of Nice let antient Customs prevail till reason plainly requires the contrary we shall give offence to sober Christians by a causless departure from Catholick usage and a greater advantage to enemies of our Church then our Brethren I hope would willingly grant The Priest standing at the Communion Table seemeth to give us an invitation to the holy Sacrament and minds us of our duty viz. to receive the holy Communion some at least every Sunday and though we neglect our duty it is fit the Church should keep her standing Repl. We doubt not but one place in it self is as lawful as another but when you make such differences as have misleading intimations we desire it may be forborn That all the Primitive Church used when there was no Communion in the Sacrament to say Service at the Communion Table is a crude Assertion that must have better proof before we take it for convincing And it is not probable because they had a Communion every Lords day And if this be not your meaning you say nothing to the purpose To prove they used it when there was a Communion is no proof that they used it when there was none And you your selves disuse many things more Universally practised then this can at all be fairly pretended to have bin The Council of Nice gives no such golden Rule as you mention A Rule is a general applyable to particular Cases The Council onely speakes of one particular Let the ancient Custom continue in Aegypt Lybia and Pentapolis that the Bishop of Alexandria have the Power of them all The Council here confirmeth this particular Custom but doth not determine in general of the Authority of Custom That this should be called a Catholick usage shewes us how partially the word Catholick is sometime taken And that this much cannot be granted us lest we advantage the Enemies of the Church doth make us wonder whom you take for its Enemies and what is that advantage which this will give them But we thank you that here we find our selves called Brethren when before we are not so much as spoken to but your speech is directed to some other we know not whom concerning us Your reason is that which is our reason to the contrary you say the Priest standing at the Communion Table seems to give us an invitation to the Holy Communion c. What! when there is no Sacrament by himself or us intended no warning of any given no Bread and Wine prepared Be not deceived God is not mocked Therefore we desire that there may be no such Service at the Table when no Communion is intended because we would not have such grosse dissimulation used in so Holy things as thereby to seem as you say to invite Guests when the Feast is not prepared and if they came we would turn them empty away Indeed if it were to be a private Masse and the Priest were to receive alone for want of Company
practice of them or subscription to them But may bee permitted to enjoy their Ministerial Function and Communion with the Church without them The rather because these Ceremonies have for above an hundred years been the fountain of manifold evils in this Church and Nation occasioning fad divisions between Ministers and Ministers as also between Ministers and People exposing many Orthodox Pious and Peaceable Ministers to the displeasure of their Rulers casting them on the edge of the penal Statutes to the loss not only of their Livings and Liberties but also of their opportunities for the service of Christ and his Church and forcing people either to worship God in such a manner as their own consciences condemn or doubt of or else to forsake our Assemblies as thousands have done And no better fruits than these can bee looked for from the retaining and imposing of these Ceremonies unless wee could presume that all His Majesties Subjects should have the same subtilty of judgement to discern even to a Ceremony how far the power of man extends in the things of God which is not to bee expected or should yeeld Obedience to all the Impositions of men concerning them without inquiring into the will of God which is not to bee desired Wee do therefore most earnestly entreat the Right Reverend Fathers and Brethren to whom these Papers are delivered as they tender the glory of God the honour of Religion the Peace of the Church the service of His Majesty in the accomplishment of that happy Union which His Majesty hath so abundantly testified his desires of to joyn with us in importuning his most excellent Majesty that his most gracious indulgence as to these Ceremonies granted in his Royal Declaration may bee confirmed and continued to us and our posterities and extended to such as do not yet enjoy the benefit thereof 19. As to that Passage in His Majesties Commission where wee are authorized and required to compare the present Liturgy with the most antient Liturgies which have been used in the Church in the purest and most primitive times Wee have in obedience to His Majesties Commission made enquiry but cannot finde any Records of known credit concerning any intire forms of Liturgy within the first three hundred years which are confessed to bee as the most Primitive so the purest ages of the Church Nor any Imposition of Liturgies upon any National Church for some hundreds of years after Wee finde indeed some Liturgical forms Fathered upon St. Basil St. Chrysostome and St. Ambrose but wee have not seen any Copies of them but such as give us sufficient evidence to conclude them either wholly spurious or so interpolated that wee cannot make a judgement which in them hath any Primitive Authority Having thus in general expressed our desires wee come now to particulars which wee finde numerous and of a various nature some wee grant are of inferiour Consideration verbal rather that material which were they not in the Publick Liturgy of so famous a Church wee should not have mentioned others dubious and disputable as not having a clear foundation in Scripture for their warrant but some there bee that seem to bee corrupt and to carry in them a repugnancy to the Rule of the Gospel and therefore have administred just matter of Exception and offence to many truly religious and peaceable not of a private station only but learned and judicious Divines as well of other Reformed Churches as of the Church of England ever since the Reformation Wee know much hath been spoken and written by way of Apology in answer to many things that have been objected but yet the doubts and scruples of tender consciences still continue or rather are increased Wee do humbly conceive it therefore a work worthy of those wonders of Salvation which God hath wrought for His Majesty now on the Throne and for the whole Kingdome and exceedingly becoming the Ministers of the Gospel of Peace with all holy moderation and tenderness to indeavour the removal of every thing out of the Worship of God which may justly offend or grieve the spirits of sober and godly people The things themselves that are desired to bee removed not being of the foundation of Religion nor the essentials of Publick Worship nor the removal of them any way tending to the prejudice of the Church or State Therefore their continuance and rigorous Imposition can no waies be able to countervail the laying aside of so many pious and able Ministers and the unconceivable grief that will arise to multitudes of His Majesties most loyal and peaceable Subjects who upon all occasions are ready to serve him with their prayers estates and lives For the preventing of which evils wee humbly desire that these particulars following may bee taken into serious and tender Consideration Concerning Morning and Evening Prayer Rubrick THat morning and evening Prayer shall bee used in the accustomed place of Church Chancel or Chappel except it bee otherwise determined by the Ordinary of the place and the Chaucel shall remain as in times past Exception WE desire that the words of the first Rubrick may be expressed as in the Book established by Authority of Parliament 5to 6to Edw. 6ti Thus the Morning and Evening Prayer shall bee used in such place of the Church Chappel or Chancel and the Minister shall so turn him as the people may best hear and if there bee any controversie therein the matter shall be referred to the Ordinary Rubrick And here is to bee noted that the Minister at the time of the Communion and at other times in his ministeration shall use such Ornaments in the Church as were in use by Authority of Parliament in the second year of the Reigne of Edward the sixth according to the Act of Parliament Exception Forasmuch as this Rubrick seemeth to bring back the Cope Albe c. and other Vestments forbidden by the Common-Prayer-Book 5. and 6. Edw. 6. and so our reasons alledged against Ceremonies under our eighteenth general Exception wee desire it may bee wholly left out Rubrick The Lords-Prayer after the Absolution ends thus Deliver us from evil Exception Wee desire that these words For thine is the Kingdome the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen May be alwaies added unto the Lords-Prayer and that this Prayer may not bee enjoyned to bee so often used in morning and evening Service Rubrick And at the end of every Psalme throughout the year and likewise in the end of Benedictus Benedicite Magnificat Nunc Dimittis shall bee repeated Glory to the Father c. Exception By this Rubrick and other places in the Common-Prayer-Books the Gloria Patri is appointed to bee said six times ordinarily in every Morning and Evening Service frequently eight times in a Morning sometimes ten which wee think carries with it at least an appearance of that vain repetition which Christ forbids for the avoiding of which appearance of evil wee desire it may bee used but once in
the Morning and once in the Evening Rubrick In such places where they do sing there shall the Lessons bee sung in a plaine Tune and likewise the Epistle and Gospel Exception The Lessons and the Epistles and Gospels being for the most part neither Psalms nor Hymns wee know no warrant why they should bee sung in any place and conceive that the distinct Reading of them with an Audible voice tends more to the Edification of the Church Rubrick Or this Canticle Ben'dicite omnia opera Exception Wee desire that some Psalm or Scripture Hymn may bee appointed instead of that Apocryphal In the Letany Rubrick From all Fornication and all other deadly sin Exception IN regard that the wages of sin is death wee desire that this clause may bee thus altered From Fornication and all other hainous or grievous sins Rubrick From Battel and Murther and sudden death Exception Because this expression of sudden death hath been so often excepted against wee desire if it bee thought fit it may bee thus read From battel and murther and from dying suddenly and unprepared Rubrick That it may please thee to preserve all that travel by land or by water all women labouring with childe all sick persons and young children and to shew thy pitty upon all prisouers and captives Exception Wee desire the term All may bee advised upon as seeming liable to just Exceptions and that it may bee considered whether it may not better bee put indefinitely those that travel c. rather than universally The Collect on Christmas-day Rubrick ALmighty God which hast given us thy only begotten Son to take our nature upon him and this day to bee born of a pure Uirgin c. Exception WEE desire that in both Collects the word This day may bee left out it being according to vulgar Acceptation a contradiction Rubrick Then shall follow the Collect of the Nativity which shall be said continually unto New-years-day The Collect for Whitsonday Rubrick God which upon this day c. Rubrick The same Collect to be read on Monday and Tuesday in Whitson-week Rubrick The two Collects for St. Johns day and Innocents the Collects for the first day in Lent for the fourth Sunday after Easter for Trinity-Sunday for the sixth and twelfth Sunday after Trinity for St. Lukes day and Michaelmas day Exception Wee desire that these Collects may bee further considered and debated as having in them divers things that wee judge fit to bee altered The Order for the Administration of the Lords-Supper Rubrick SO many as intend to bée partakers of the Holy Communion shall signifie their names to the Curate over-night or else in the morning before the beginning of morning-prayer or immediately after Exception THe time here assigned for notice to bee given to the Minister is not sufficient Rubrick And if any of these be a notorious evil liver the Curate having knowledge thereof shall call him and advertize him in any wise not to presume to the Lords Table Exception Wee desire the Ministers sters power both to admit and keep from the Lords Table may bee according to His Majesties Declaration 25. Octob. 1660. In these words The Minister shall admit none to the Lords Supper till they have made a credible Profession of their Faith and promised Obedience to the Will of God according as is expressed in the Considerations of the Rubrick before the Catechism and that all possible diligence be used for the Instruction and Reformation of scandalous Offenders whom the Minister shall not suffer to partake of the Lords Table until they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented and amended their former naughty lives as is partly expressed in the Rubrick and more fully in the Canons Rubrick Then shall the Priest rehearse distinctly all the ten Commandements and the people knéeling shall after every Commandement ask Gods mercy for transgressing the same Exception Wee desire 1. That the preface prefixed by God himself to the ten Commandements may bee restored 2 That the fourth Commandement may bee read as in Exod 20. Deut. 5. Hee blessed the Sabbath day 3. That neither Minister nor People may bee enjoyned to kneel more at the reading of this than of other parts of Scripptures the rather because many ignorant persons are thereby induced to use the Ten Commandements as a Prayer 4. That instead of those short Prayers of the People intermixed with the several Commandements the Minister after the reading of all may conclude with a suitable prayer Rubrick After the Creed if there be no Sermon shall follow one of the Hoinilies already set forth or hereafter to be set forth by common Authority Exception We desire that the Preaching of the Word may be strictly enjoyned and not left so indifferent at the Administration of the Sacraments as also that Ministers may not be bound to those things which are as yet but future and not in being After such Sermon Homily or Exhortation the Curate shall declare c. and earnestly exhort them to remember the Poor saying one or more of these sentences following Then it all the Church-Wardens or some other by them appointed gather the Devotion of the People Two of the sentences here cited are Apocryphal and four of them more proper to draw out the peoples Bounty to their Ministers than their Charitie to the poor Collection for the poor may be better made at or a little before the departing of the Communicants Exhortation We be come together at this time to féed at the Lords Supper unto the which in Gods behalf I bid you all that be here present and beséech you for the Lord Jesus Christ sake that ye will not refuse to come c. The way and meanes thereto is first to examine your Lives Conversations and if ye shall pâ—rceive your offences to be such as be not only against God but also against your Neighbours then ye shall reconcile your selves unto them and be ready to make restitution and satisfaction And because it is requisite that no man should come to the holy Communnion but with a full trust in Gods mercy and with a quiet conscience If it be intended that these Exhortations should be read at the Communion they seem to us to be unseasonable We fear this may discourage many from coming to the Sacrament who lye under a doubting and troubled Conscience Before the Confession Then shall this general Confession be made in the name of all those that are minded to receive the holy Communion either by one of them or else by one of the 〈…〉 Priest himself We desire it may be made by the Minister only Before the Confession Then shall the Priest or the Bishop being present stand up and turning himself to the people say thus Exception The Minister turning himself to the people is most convenient throughout the whole Ministration Before the Prefaces on Christmass day and 7 dayes after Because thou didst give Jesus Christ thine onely Son to be born as this Day
fault with it and while we took it to be a defective disorderly and inconvenient mode of Worship it would be our sin to use it of choice while we may prefer a more convenient way what ever we ought to do in case of necessity when we must worship God inconveniently or not at all And as to our people for whose edification and not destruction we have our power or offices we have taken that course as far as we are able to understand which most probably tended to their good and to prevent their hurt and separation from the Church and consequently that course which did most conduce to his Majesties ends and to his real service and the Churches peace none of which would be promoted by our obtruding that upon our people which we know them unable to digest or by our hasty offending them with the use of that which we are forced to blame and are endeavouring to correct and alter And we see not how it can be justly intimated that we use no part of it when we use the Lords Prayer the Creed the Commandments the Psalms the Chapters and some other parts and how much more you expect we should have used that we might have escaped this brand of Ingratitude we know not But we know that Charity suffereth long and thinketh no evil 1 Cor. 13 4 5. and that we have not attempted to obtrude any mode of Worship on our Brethren but desired the liberty to use things of that nature as may conduce to the benefit of our Flocks And as we leave them to judge what is most beneficial to their own Flocks who know them and are upon the place so it is but the like freedome which we desire We are loath to hurt our people knowingly The time is short if you will answer our reasonable Proposals it will not be too late at the expiration of our Commission or the date of the reformed Liturgie to use it greater liberty hath been used about Liturgies in purer times of the Church with less offence and accusation It can be no just cause of offence to mind them of their duty as they do us of ours telling us It is our duty to imitate the Apostles practise in a special manner to be tender of the Churches peace and to advise of such Expedients as may conduce to the healing of breaches and uniting those that differ for preserving of the Churches peace we know no bettter nor more efficatious way then our set Liturgie there being no such way to keep us from Schism as to speak all the same thing according to the Apostle If you look to the time past by our Duties we suppose you mean our Faults for it is not Duty when it 's past If you in these words respect onely the time present and to come we reply 1. The Liturgie we are assured will not be a less but a more probable means of Concord after the desired Reformation then before the defects and inconveniences make it less fit to attain the end 2. VVhether the Apostle by speaking the same thing did mean either all using this Liturgie of ours or all using any one form of Liturgie as to the words may easily be determined This is of much later date unless you will denominate the whole form of the Lords Prayer and some little parts And those that affirm that the Apostles then had any other must undertake the task of proving it and excusing the Churches for loosing and dis-using so precious a Relict which if preserved would have prevented all our strifes about these things And in the mean time they must satisfie our Arguments for the Negative as 1. If a Liturgie had been indited by the Apostles for the Churches being by universal Officers inspired by the Holy Ghost and so of universal use it would have been used and preserved by the Church as the Holy Scriptures were But so it was not Ergo no such Liturgie was indited by them for the Churches 2. If a prescript form of words had been delivered them there would have been no such need of exhorting them to speak the same thing for the Liturgie would have held them close enough to that And if the meaning had been see that you use the same Liturgie some word or other to some of the Churches would have acquainted us with the existence of such a thing and some reproofs we should have found of those that used various Liturgies or formed Liturgies of their own or used extemporary Prayers and some express Exhortations to use the same Liturgie or Forms but the holy Scripture is silent in all those matters It is apparent therefore that the Churches then had no Liturgie but took liberty of extemporate Expressions and spoke in the things of God as men do in other matters with a natural plainness and seriousness suiting their Expressions to the subjects and occasions And though Divisions began to disturb their Peace and holy Orders the Apostle in stead of prescribing them a form of Diâ—ine Services for their unity and concord do exhort them to use their gifts and liberties aright and speak the same thing for matter avoiding Disagreements though they used not the same words 3. Just. Martyr Tertull. and others sufficiently intimate to us that the Churches quickly after the Apostles did use the personal Abilities of their Pastours in Prayer and give us no hint of any such Liturgie of Apostolical fabrication and imposition and therefore doubtless there was nothing for it could not have been so soon lost or neglected 4. It is ordinary with those of the contrary Judgement to tell us that the extraordinary Gifts of the Primitive Christians were the reason why there were no prescribed forms in those times and that such Liturgies came in upon the ceasing of those Gifts and 1 Cor. 14. describeth a way of publick worshipping unlike to prescript forms of Liturgie so that the matter of Fact is proved and confessed And then how fairly the words of the Apostle exhorting them to speak the same thing are used to prove that he would have them use the same Forms or Liturgie we shall not tell you by any provoking Aggravations of such abuse of Scripture And indeed for all the miraculous Gifts of those times if prescript Forms had been judged by the Apostles to be the fittest means for the concord of the Churches it is most probable they would have prescribed such considering 1. That the said miraculous Gifts were extraordinary and belonged not to all nor to any at all times and therefore could not suffice for the ordinary publick Worship 2. And those Gifts began even betimes to be abused and need the Apostles Canons for their regulation which he giveth them in that 1 Cor. 14. without a prescript Liturgie 3. Because even then divisions had made not onely an entrance but an unhappy progress in the Churches to cure which the Apostle exhorts them oft to Unanimity and Concord without exhorting
them to read the same or any Common-Prayer-Book 4. Because that the Apostles knew that perilous times would come in which men would have itching ears and would have heaps of Teachers and would be self-willed and unruly and divisions and offences and heresies would encrease and ergo as upon such fore-sight they indited the holy Scriptures to keep the Church in all Generatioâ—s from errour and divisions in points of Doctrine so the same reason and care would have moved them to do the same to keep the Churches in unity in point of VVorship if indeed they had taken prescribed Forms to be needful to such an Unity They knew that after their departure the Church would never have the like advantage infallible authorized and enabled for delivering the universal Law of Christ And seeing in those parts of VVorship which are of stated use and still the same Forms might have suited all Ages as this Age and all Countries as this Country in the substance there can no reason be given why the Apostles should leave this undone and not have performed it themselves if they had judged such Forms to be necessary or the most desirable means of unity If they had prescribed them 1. The Church had been secured from errour in them 2. Believers had been preserved from divisions about the lawfulness and fitness of them as receiving them from God 3. All Churches and Countries might had one Liturgie as they have one Scripture and so have all spoke the same things 4. All Ages would have had the same without innovation in all the parts that require not alteration whereas now on the contrary 1. Our Liturgies being the Writings of fallible men are lyable to errour and we have cause to fear subscribing to them as having nothing contrary to the Word of God 2. And matters of Humane Institution have become the matter of scruple and contention 3. And the Churches have had great diversity of Liturgies 4. And one Age hath been mending what they supposed they received from the former faulty and imperfect So that our own which you are so loath to change hath not continued yet three Generations And it is most evident that the Apostles being entrusted with the delivery of the entire rule of Faith and Worship and having such great advantages for our unity and peace would never have omitted the forming of a Liturgie of universal usefulness to avoid all the foresaid inconveniences if they had taken this course of unity to be so needful or desirable as you seem to do Whereas therefore you say you know no better or more efficatioâ—s way then our Liturgie c. We reply 1. The Apostles knew the best way of unity and of speaking the same thing in the matters of God But the Apostles knew not our Liturgie nor any Common-Prayer-Book for ought hath yet been proved Ergo the said Liturgie is not the best way of unity or speaking the same thing c. 2. The Primitive Church in the next Ages after the Apostles knew the best way of unity c. But they knew not our Liturgie Ergo our Liturgie not known till lately is not the best way of unity If it be said that our Liturgie is ancient because the Sursum Corda the Gloria Patri c. are ancient We answer If indeed it be those ancient sentences that denominate our Liturgie we erave the Justice to be esteemed Users of the Liturgie and not to suffer as Refusers of it as long as we use all that is found in it of such true antiquity This experience of former and latter times hath taught us when the Liturgie was duly observed we lived in peace since that was laid aside there hath been as many modes and fashions of publick Worship as fancies we have had continual dissention which variety of Services must needs produce whilst every one naturally desires and endeavors not onely to maintain but to prefer his own way before all others whence we conceive there is no such way to the preservation of peace as for all to return to the strict use and practise of the Form Pardon us while we desire you to examine whether you speak as members that suffer with those that suffer or rather as insensible of the calamities of your Brethren that is as uncharitable you say you lived in peace but so did not the many thousands that were fain to seek them peaceable habitations in Holland and in the deserts of America nor the many thousands that lived in danger of the High-Commission or Bishops Courts at home and so in danger of every malitious Neighbour that would accuse them of hearing Sermons abroad when they had none at home or of meeting in a Neighbors house to pray or of not kneeling in the receiving of the Sacrament c. We would not have remembred you of these things but that you necessitate us by pleading your peace in those days as an Argument for the imposing of the Liturgie 2. Might not Scotland as strongly argue from this Medium against the Liturgie and say Before the Liturgie was imposed on us we had peace but since then we have had no peace 3. When the strict imposing of the strict use and practise of these Forms was the very thing that disquieted this Nation taking in the concomitant Ceremonies and Subscription when this was it that bred the divisions which you complain of and caused the separations from the Churches and the troubles in the Churches it is no better arguing to say We must return to the strict use of that Form if we will have peace then it was in the Israelites to say We will worship the Queen of Heaven because then we had peace and plenty when that was it that deprived them of peace and plenty we compare not the Causes but the Arguments nor is it any better Argument then if a man in a Dropsie or Ague that catcht it with voracity or intemperance should say While I did eat and drink liberally I had no Dropsie or Ague but since my appetite is gone and I have lived temperately I have had no health Ergo I must return to my intemperance as the onely way to health Alas Is this the use that is made of all our experiences of the causes and progress of our Calamities What have you and we and all smarted as we have done and are you so speedily ready to return to the way that will engage you in violence against them that should be suffered to live in peace If the furnace that should have refined us and purified us all to a greater height of love have but enflamed us to greater wrath wo to us and to the Land that beareth us What doleful things doth this prognosticate you that Prisons or other penalties will not change mens Judgements And if it drive some to comply against their Consciences and destroy their Souls and drive the more conscientious out of the Land or destroy their bodies and
the Milâ—ennium or of Angels corporeity was generally received as an Opinion it will not warrant you to receive either of them as a certain necessary truth If you finde that the general Councils forbad Kneeling in any Adoration on the Lords days but without force against Dissenters you may not go deny the Sacrament to all that kneel nor yet forbid them to keel in praying So if you finde some little parcels of our Liturgie or some of our Ceremonies used as things indifferent left to choice forced upon none but one Church differing from another in such usages or observances this will not warrant you to use the same things as necessary to order unity or peace and to be forced upon all use them no otherwise then the Churches used them We heartily desire that according to this Proposal great care may be taken to suppress those private Conceptions of Prayers before and after Sermon lest private Opinions be made the matter of Prayer in Publick as hath and will be if private persons take liberty to make Publick Prayers The desire of your hearts is the grief of our hearts the Conceptions of Prayer by a publick person according to a publick rule for a publick use are not to be rejected as private Conceptions We had hoped you had designed no such innovation as this in the Church VVhen we have heard any say that it would come to this and that you designed the suppression of the free Prayers of Ministers in the Pulpit suited to the variety of the subjects and occasions we have rebuked them as uncharitable in passing so heavy a censure on you And what would have been said of us a year ago if we should have said that this was in your hearts Nothing will more alienate the hearts of many holy prudent persons from the Common-Prayer then to perceive that it is framed and used as an Instrument to shut out all other Prayers as the Ministers private Conceptions Such an end and designe will make it under the notion of a means another thing then else it would be and afford men such an Argument against it as we desire them not to have but we hope you speak not the publick sense As the Apostles desired as aforesaid that all would speak the same things without giving them that ever was proved a Form of words to speak them in so might we propose to you that uncertain opinions be made no part of our Liturgie without putting all their words into their mouthes in which their desires must be altered Your hearty desire and the reason of it makes not onely against extemporary Prayer but all prepared or written Forms or Liturgies that were indited onely by one man and have not the consent antecedently of others And do you think this was the course of the Primitive times Basil thus used his private Conceptions at Câ—sarea and Greg. Thaumaturgus before him at Neocesarea and all Pastors in Justin Martyrs and Tertullians days And how injurious is it to the Publick Officers of Christ the Bishops and Pastors of the Churches to be called private men who are publick persons in the Church if they be not Every single person is not a private person else Kings and Judges would be so And have you not better means to shut out private opinions then the forbidding Ministers praying in the Pulpit according to the variety of subjects and occasions You have first the Examination of persons to be ordained and may see that they be able to speak sense and fit to manage their proper works with judgement and discretion before you ordain them And some confidence may be put in a man in his proper calling and work to which he is admitted with so great care as we hope or desire you will admit them If you are necessitated to admit some few that are injudicious or unmeet we beseech you not onely to restore the many hundred worthy men laid by to a capacity but that you will not so dishonour the whole Church as to suppose all such and to use all as such but restrain those that deserve restraint and not all others for their sakes And next you have a Publick Rule the holy Scripture for these men to pray by And if any of them be intolerably guilty of weaknesses or rashness or other miscarriages the words being spoken in publick you have witnesses enow and sure there is power enough in Magistrates and Bishops to punish them and if they prove incorrigible to cast them out In all other Professions these means are thought sufficient to regulate the Professors His Majesty thinks it enough to regulate his Judges that he may chuse able men and fit to be trusted in their proper work and that they are respoâ—sible for all their male-administrations without prescribing them Forms beyond which they may not speak any thing in their Charge Physitians being first tryed and responsible for their doings are constantly trusted with the lives of high and low without tying them to give no counsel or medicine but by the prescript of a Book or determination of a Colledge And it is so undeniable that your reason makes more against Preaching and for onely reading Homilies as that we must like it the worse if not fear what will become of Preaching also For 1. It is known that in Preaching a man hath far greater opportunity and liberty to vent a false or private opinion then in Prayer 2. It is known de eventu that it is much more ordinary And if you say That he speaks not the words of the Church but his own nor unto God but man and therefore it is less matter We answer It is as considerable if not much more from whom he speaks then to whom he speaks as the Mâ—nister of Christ in his stead and name 2 Cor. 3. 19 20. And it is as a higher so a more reverend thing to speak in Gods Name to the people then in the peoples name to God and to speak that which we call Gods Word or Truth or Message then that which we call but our own desire we make a God a lyar or corrupt in his words if we speak a falshood in his Name we make but our selves lyars if we speak a falshood to him in our names the former therefore is the more heynous and dreadful abuse and more to be avoided or if but equally it shews the tendeâ—cy of your reason for we will not say of your designe as hoping you intend not to make us Ruffâ—ans We do therefore for the sake of the poor threatned Church beseech you that you will be pleased to repent of these desires and not to prosecute them considering that to avoid a lesser evil avoidable by safer means you will bring a far greater evil on the Churches and such as is like to strip these Nations of the glory in which they have excelled the rest of the world even a learned able holy Ministry and a people sincere and serious
that a convenient conjunction of both might be a well-tempered means to the common constitutions of most But still we see the world will run into extreams whatever be said or done to hinder it It is but lately that we were put to it against one extream to defend the lawfulness of a Form of Liturgie now the other extream it troubleth us that we are forced against you even such as you to defend the use of such Prayers of the Pastors of the Churches as are necessarily varied according to subjects and occasions while you would have no Prayer at all in the Church but such prescribed Forms And why may we not adde That whoever maketh the Forms imposed on us if he use them is guilty as well as we of praying accordiâ—g to his private Conceptions And that we never said it proved from Scripture that Christ appointed any to such an Office as to make Prayers for other Pastors and Churches to offer up to God and that this being none of the work of the Apostolical or common Ministerial Office in the Primitive Church is no work of any Office of Divine Institution To that part of the Proposal That the Prayers may consâ—st of nothing doubtful or questioned by pious learned and Orthodox persons they not determining who be those Orthodox persons we must either take all them for Orthodox persons who shall confidently affirm themselves to be such and then we say First the Demand is unreasonable for some such as call themselves Orthodox have quâ—stioned the prime Article of our Creed even the Divinity of the Sâ—n of God and yet there is no reason we should part with our Creed for that Besides the Proposal requires impossibility for there never was nor is â—or can be such Prayers made as have not been nor will be questioned by sâ—me whâ— call themselves pious learned and Orthodox if by Orthodox be meant those who adhere to Scripture and the Catholick Consent of Antiquity we do not yet know that any part of our Liturgie hath been questioned by such And may we not thus mention Orthodox persons to men that profess they agree with us in Doctrinals unless we digress to tell you who they be What if we were pleading for civil coâ—cord among all that aâ—e loyal to the King must we needs digress to tell you who are loyal We are agreed in one Rule of Faith in one holy Scripture and one Creed and differ not you say about the Doctrinal part of the 39 Art And will not all this seem to tell you who are Orthodox If you are resolved to make all that a matter of Contention which we desire to make a means of Peace there is no remedy while you have the Ball before you and have the Wind and Sun and the power of contending without controul But we perceive That the Catholick consent of Antiquity must go into your definition of the Orthodox but how hard it is to get a reconciling determination what Ages shall go with you and us for the true Antiquity and what is necessary to that consent that must be called Catholick is unknown to none but the unexperienced And indeed we think a man that searcheth the holy Scripture and sincerely and unreservedly gives up his Soul to understand love and obey it may be Orthodox without the knowledge of Church-History we know no universal Law-Giver nor Law to the Church but one and that Law is the sufficient Rule of Faith and consequently the test of the truely Orthodox though we refuse not Church-History or other means that may help us to understand it And to acquaint you with what you do not know we our selves after many Pastors of the Reformed Churches do question your Liturgie as far as is expressed in our Papers And we profess to adhere to Scripture and the Catholick consent of Antiquity as described by Vincentius Liniensis If you will say that our pretence and claim is unjust we call for your Authority to judge our hearts or dispose us from the number of the Orthodox or else for your proofs to make good your accusation But however you judge we rejoyce in the expectation of the righteous Judgment that shall finally decide the Controversie to which from this Aspersion we appeal To thâ—se Generals loading publick Form with Ch. pomp garm Imagery and many Superfluities that creep into the Church under the name of Order and Decâ—ncy iâ—cumbring Churches with Superfluities over-rigid reviving of obsolete Customes c. We say that if these Generals be intended as appliable to our Liturgie in particular they are gross and foul Slanders contrary to their profession page ult and so either that or this contrary to their Conscience if not they signifie nothing to the present business and so might with more prudence and â—andor have been omitted You needed not go a fishing for our Charge what we had to say against the Liturgie which we now desired you to observe was here plainly laid before you Answer to this and suppose us not to say what we do not to make your selves matter of reproaching us with gross and foul slanders Onely we pray you answer Mr. Hales as Mr. Hales whom we took to be a person of much esteem with you especially that passage of his which you take no notice of as not being so easie to be answered for the weight and strength which it carries with it viz. that the limiting of the Church-Communion to things of doubtful disputation hath been in all Ages the ground of Schism and Separation and that he that separates from suspected Opinions is not the Separatist And may we not cite such words of one that we thought you honoured and would hear without contradicting our Profession of not intending depravation or reproach against the Book without going against our Consciences If we cite the words of an Author for a particular use as to perswade you of the evil of laying the hurches unity upon unnecessary things must we be responsible therefore for all that you can say against his words in other respects We suppose you would be loath your words should have such interpretation and that you should be under such a Law for all your Citations Do as you would be done by It was the wisdom of our Reformers to draw up such a Liturgie as neither Romanist nor Protestant could justly except against and therefore as the first never charged it with any positive Errours but onely the want of something they conceived necessary so it was never found fault with by thâ—se to whom the name of Protestants most properly belongs those that profess the Augustine Confession and for those who unlawfully and sinfully brought it into dislike with some people to urge the present State of Affaires as an Argument why the Book should be altered to give them satisfaction and so that they should take advantage by their own unwarrantable Acts is not reasonable If it be blameless no man can
justly except against it but that de facto the Romanists never charged it with any positive Errours is an Assertion that maketh them reformed and reconcileable to us beyond all belief Is not the very using it in our own Tongue a positive Errour in their account Is it no positive Errour in the Papists account that we profess To receive these Creatures of Bread and Wine Do they think we have no positive Errour in our Catechism about the Sacrament that affirmeth it to be Bread and Wine a ter the Consecration and makes but two Sacraments necessary c. 2. And unless we were nearlier agreed then we are it seemeth to us no Commendation of a Liturgie that the Papists charge it with no positive Errour 3. That no Divines or private men at home or of forraign Churches that ever found fault with the Liturgie are such to whom the name of Protestant properly belongeth is an Assertion that proveth not what authority of Judging your Brethren you have but what you assume and commendeth your Charity no more then it commendeth the Papists that they deny us to be Catholicks Calvin and Bucer subscribed the Augustine Consession and so have others that have found fault with our Liturgie 4. If any of us have blamed it to the people it is but with such a sort of blame as we have here exprest against it to your selves and whether it be unlawful and sinful the impartial comparing of your words with ours will help the willing Reader to discern But if we prove indeed that it is defective and faulty that you bring for an Offering to God when you or your Neighbours have a better which you will not bring nor suffer them that would Mal. 1. 13. and that you call evil good in justifying its blemishes which in humble modesty we besought you to amend or excuse us from offering then God will better judge of the unlawful act then you have done But you have not proved that all or most of us have caused the people at all to dislike it if any of us have yet weigh our Argument though from the present state of Affairs or if you will not hear us we beseech you hear the many Ministers in England that never medled against the Liturgy and the many moderate Episcopal Divines that have used it and can do still and yet would earnestly intreat you to alter it partly because of what in it needs alteration and partly in respect to the Commodity of others Or at least we beseech you recant and obliterate such passages as would hinder all your selves from any Act of Reformation hereabout that if any man among you would find fault with some of the grosser things which we laid open to you tenderly and sparingly and would â—eform them he may not presently forfeit the reputation of being a Protestant And astly we beseech you deny not again the name of Protestants to the Priâ—ate of Ireland the Archbishop of York and the many others that had divers meetings for the Reformation of the Liturgie and who drew up that Catalogue of faults or points that needed mending which is yet to beseen in print they took not advantage of their own unwarrantable Acts for the attempting of that alteration The third and fourth Proposals may go together the demand in both being against Respensals and alternate Readings in Hymnes and Psams and Lâ—tâ—â—y c. And that upon such reason as doth in truth enforce the necessity of continuing them as they are namely for edification They would take these away because they do not edifie and upon that very reason they shâ—uld continue because they do edifie if not by informing of our reasons and understandinâ—s the Prayers and Hymns were never made for a Catechism yet by quicâ—ning continuing and uniting our devotion which is apt to fâ—eeze or sleep â—r â—â—at in a lâ—ng continued Prayer or Fâ—rm it is necessary therefore for the edifying of us therein to be often called upon and awaâ—â—ned by frecuent Amens to be excited and stirred up by mutuâ—l exultations prâ—vocations petitions holy câ—ntentions and strivinâ—s which shall mâ—st shâ—w his â—wn and stir up others zeal to the Glory of God For this purpose alternate Reading Repetitions and Responsals are far better than a long tedious Prâ—yer Nor is this â—â—r opiniâ—â— onely but the Judgement of former ages as appears by the practise of antient Christian Churches and of the Jews also But it seems they say to be against the Scripture wherein the Minister is appointed for the people in publick Prayers the peoples part being to attend with sâ—lence and to declare their assent in the close by saying Amen if they mean that the people in publick Services must onely say this word Amen as they can no where prove it in the Scriptures so it doth certainly seem to them that it cannot be proved for they directly practise the contrary in one of their principal parts of Worship singing of Psalms where the people bear as great a part as the Minister If this may be done in Hopkins why not in Davids Psalms If in Metre why not in Prose if in a Psalm why not in a Letany What is most for edification is best known by experience and by the reason of the thing for the former you are not the Masters of all mens experience but of your own and others that have acquainted you with the same as theirs We also may warrantably profess in the name of our selves and many thousands of sober pious persons that we experience that these things are against our edification and we beseech you do not by us what you would not do by the the poor labouring servants of your family to measure them all their dyet for quality or quantity according to your own appetites which they think are diseased and would be better if you work'd us as hard as they and we gave you some of the Reasons of our Judgement 1. Though we have not said that the people may not in Psalms to God concur in voice we speak of Prayer which you should have observed and though we onely concluded it agreeable to the Scripture-practise for the people in prayer to say but their Amen yet knowing not from whom to understand the will of God and what is pleasing to him better then from himself we considered what the Scripture saith of the ordinary way of publick Worship and finding ordinarily that the people spoke no more in prayer as distinct from Psalms and Praise then their Amen or meer consent we desired to imitate the surest pattern 2. As we finde that the Minister is the mouth of the people to God in publick which Scripture and the necessity of order do require so we were loath to countenance the peoples invading of that sacred Office so far as they seem to us to do 1. By reading half the Psalms and Hymnes 2. By saying half the Prayers as the Minister doth the other half 2. By
being one of them the mouth of all the rest in the Confession at the Lords Supper 4. By being the onely Petitioners in the far greatest part of all the Letanie by their Good Lord deliver us and We beseech thee to hear us good Lord while the Minister onely reciteth the matter of the matter of the prayer and maketh none of the Request at all we fear lest by parity of reason the people will claim the work of preaching and other parts of the Ministerial Office 3. And we mentioned that which all our ears are witnesses of that while half the Psalms and Hymns c. are said by such of the people as can say them the murmur of their voices in most Congregations is so unintelligible and confused as must hinder the edification of all the rest for who is edified by that which he cannot understand We know not what you mean by citing 2 Chron. 7. 1 4. Ezra 3. 11. where there is not a word of publick prayer but in one place of an Acclamation upon an extraordinary sight of the glory of the Lord which made them praise the Lord and say He is good for his mercy is for ever when the prayer that went before was such as you call A long tedious prayer uttered by Solomon alone without such breaks and discants And in the other places is no mention of prayer at all but of singing praise and that not by the people but by the Priests and Levites saying the same words For he is good for his mercy endures for ever towards Israel The people are said to do no more then shout with a great shout because the foundation of the House was laid and if shouting be it that you would prove it 's not the thing in Question Let the ordinary mode of praying in Scripture be observed in the prayers of David Solomon Ezra Daniel or any other and if they were by breaks and frequent beginnings and endings and alternate Interlocutions of the people as yours are then we will conform to your mode which now offends us but if they were not we beseech you reduce yours to the examples in Scripture we desire no other rule to decide the Controversie by As to your Citation 1 Socrat. there tells us of the alternate singing of the Arrians in the reproach of the Orthodox and that Chrysostome not a Synod compiled Hymns to be sung in opposition to them in the streets which came in the end to a Tumult and Bloudshed And hereupon he tells us of the original of alternate singing viz. a pretended Viâ—ion of Ignatius that heard Angels sing in that order And what is all this to alternate Reading and praying or to a Divine Institution when here is no mention of reading or praying but of singing Hymns and that not upon pretence of Apostolical Tradition but a Vision of uncertain credit Theodore also speaketh onely of singing Psalms alternately and not a word of reading or praying so and he fetcheth that way of singing also as Socrat. doth but from the Church at Antioch and not from any pretended Doctrine or Practise of the Apostles and neither of them speaks a word of the necessity of it or of forcing any to it so that all these your Citations speaking not a word so much as of the very Subject in question are marvellously impertinent The words Their Worship seem to intimate that singing of Psalms is part of our Worship and not of yours we hope you disown it not for our parts we are ashamed of it Your distinction between Hopkins and Davids Psalms as if the metre allowed by Authority to be sung in Churches made them to be no more Davids Psalms seemeth to us a very hard saying If it be because it is a Translation then the prose should be none of Davids Psalms neither nor any Translation be the Sâ—ripture If it be because it is in metre then the exactest Translation in metre should be none of the Scripture If because it 's done imperfectly then the old Translation of the Bible used by Common-Prayer-Book should not be Scripture As to your reason for the supposed priority 1. Scripture-examples telling us that the people had more part in the Psalms then in the Prayers or Reading satisfie us that God and his Church then saw a disparity of Reason 2. Common Observation tells us That there is more order and less hinderance of Edification in the peoples singing then in their reading and praying together vocally It is desired that nothing should be in the Liturgie which so much as seems to countenance the observation of Lent as a Religious Fast and this as an expedient to peace which is in effect to desire that this our Church may be contentious for peace sake and to divide from the Church-Catholick that we may live at unity among our selves For St. Paul reckons them amongst the lovers of contention who shall oppose themselves against the custome of the Churches of God That the religious observation of Lent was a custome of the Churches of God appears by the testimonies following Chrys. Ser. 11. in Heb. 10. Cyrill Catec myst 5. St. Aug. Ep. 119 ut 40 dies ante Pascha observetur Ecclesiae consuetudo roboravit and St. Hierom ad Marcell says it was secundum traditionem Apostolorum This Demand then tends not to peace but Dissention The fasting forty days may be in imitation of our Saviour for all that is here said to the contrary for though we cannot arrive to his perfection abstaining wholly from meat so long yet we may fast forty days together either Cornelius his fast till three of the Clock after noon or Saint Peters fast till noon or at least Daniels fast abstaining from meats and drinks of delight and thus far imitate our Lord. If we had said that the Church is contentious if it adore God in kneeling on the Lords Days or use not the White Garment Milk and Honey after Baptism which had more pretence of Apostolical tradition and were generally used more anciently then Lent would you not have thought we wronged the Church If the purer times of the Church have one custome and latter times a contrary which must we follow or must we necessarily be contentious for not following both or rather may we not by the example of the Church that changeth them be allowed to take such things to be matters of Liberty and not Necessity If we must needs conform to the custom of other Churches in such things or be contentious it is either because God hath so commanded or because he hath given those Churches authority to command it If the former then what Churches or what Ages must we conform to If all must concur to be our pattern it will be hard for us to be acquainted with them so far as to know of such concurrences And in our Case we know that many do it not If it must be the most we would know where God commandeth us to imitate
kept as Holy-dayes but they are useful for the preservation of their memories and for other reasons as for Leases Law-dayes c. Repl. The antiquity of the Translations mentioned is far from being of determinate certainty we rather wish than hope that the Syriack could be proved to be made neer the Apostles times But however the things being confessed of humane Institution and no forreign Power having any authority to command his Majesties Subjects and so the imposition being only by our own Governours we humbly crave that they may be left indifferent and the Unity or Peace of the Church or Liberty of the Ministers not laid upon them Sect. 1. This makes all the Lyturgy void if every Minister may put in and leave out at his discretion Repl. You mistake us we speak not of putting in and leaving out of the Liturgy but of having leave to intermix some Exhortations or Prayers besides to take off the deadness which will follow if there be nothing but the stinted Forms we would avoid both the extream that would have no Forms and the contrary extream that would have nothing but Forms but if we can have nothing but extreams there 's no remedy it 's not our fault And this moderation and mixture which we move for is so far from making all the Lyturgy void that it would do very much to make it attain its end and would heal much of the distemper which it occasioneth and consequently would do much to preserve the reputation of it As for instance if besides the Forms in the Lyturgy the Minister might at Baptism the Lords Supper Marriage c. interpose some suitable Exhortation or Prayer upon special occasion when he finds it needful should you deny this at the visitation of the sick it would seem strange and why may it not be granted at other times It is a matter of far greater trouble to us that you would deny us and all Ministers the Liberty of using any other Prayers besides the Lyturgy than that you impose these Sect. 2. The Gift or rather Spirit of Prayer consists in the inward Graces of the Spirit not in extempore expressions which any man of natural parts having a voluble tongue and audacity may attain to without any special Gift Repl. All inward Graces of the Spirit are not properly called the Spirit of Prayâ—r nor is the Spirit of Prayer that Gift of Prayer which we speak of nor did we call it by the name of a special Gift nor did we deny that ordinary men of natural parts and voluble tongues may attain it But yet we humbly conceive that as there is a Gift of Preaching so also of Prayer which God bestoweth in the use of means diversified much according to mens natural parts and their diligence as other acquired abilities are but also much depending on that Grace that is indeed special which maketh men love and rellish the holy Subjects of such Spiritual studies and the holy exercise of those Graces that are the soul of Prayer and consequently making men follow on such exercises with delight and diligence and therefore with success and also God is free in giving or denying his Blessing to mans endeavours If you think there be no Gift of Preaching you will too dishonourably level the Ministry If reading be all the Gift of Prayer or Preaching there needs no great understanding or learning to it nor should Coblers and Tinkers be so unfit men for the Ministry as they are thought nor would the reason be very apparent why a Woman mightnot speak by Preaching or Praying in the Church Sect. 3. But if there be any such Gift as is pretended it is to be subject to the Prophets and to the Order of the Church Repl. The Text speaks as Dr. Hammond well shews of a subjection to that Prophet himself who was the Speaker Inspiration excluded not the prudent exercise of Reason but it is a strange ordering that totally excludeth the thing ordered The Gift of Preaching as distinct from Reading is to be orderly and with due subjection exercised but not to be on that pretence extinguished and cast out of the Church And indeed if you should command it you are not to be obeyed whatever we suffer And why then should the Gift of Prayer distinct from Reading be cast out Sect. 4. The mischiefs that come by idle impertinent ridiculous sometimes seditious impious and blasphemous expressions under pretence of the Gift to the dishonour of God and scorn of Religion being far greater than the pretended good of exercising the Gift it is fit that they who desire such liberty in publick devotions should first give the Church security that no private opinions should be put into their Prayers as is desired in the first proposal and that nothing contrary to the Faith should be uttered before God or offered up to him in the Church Repl. The mischiefs which you pretend are inconveniences attending humane imperfeotion which you would cure with a mischief Your Argument from the Abuse against the Use is a palpable fallacy which cast out Physitians in some Countries and rooted up Vines in others and condemneth the reading of the Scriptures in a known tongue among the Papists If the Apostles that complained then so much of divisions and Preaching false doctrine and in envy and strife had thought the way of cure had been in sending Ministers about the world with a Prayer-book or Sermon book and to have tyed them only to read either one or both of these no doubt but they would have been so regardful of the Church as to have composed such a Prayer-book or Sermon book themselves and not left us to the uncertainties of an Authority not infallible nor to the divisions that follow the impositions of a questionable Power or that which unquestionably is not universal and therefore can procure no universal Concord If one man among you draw up a Form of Prayer it is his single conception and why a man as learned and able may not be trusted to conceive a Prayer for the use of a single Congregation without the dangers mentioned by you as one man to conceive a Prayer for all the Churches in a Diocess or a Nation we know not These words that the mischief is greater than the pretended good seem to express an unjust accusation of ordinary conceived Prayer and a great undervaluing of the benefits If you would intimate that the Crimes expressed by you are ordinarily found in Ministers Prayers we that hear such much more frequently than you must profess we have not found it so allowing men their different measures of exactness as you have even in writing Nay to the praise of God we must say that multitudes of private men can ordinarily pray without any such imperfection as should nauseate a sober person and with such seriousness and aptness of expression as is greatly to the benefit and comfort of our selves when we joyn
and it were really desired that the People should come it were another matter Moreover there is no Rubrick requiring this Service at the Table when there 's no Communion It is not reasonable that the Word Minister should be onely used in the Liturgy for since some parts of the Liturgy may be performed by a Deacon others by none under the order of a Priest viz. Absolution Consecration it is fit that some such word as Priest should be used for those Offices and not Minister which signifies at large every one that ministers in that holy Office of what order soever he be The word Curate signifying properly all those who are trusted by the Bishops with Cure of Souls as anciently it signified is a very fit word to be used and can offend no sober Person The word Sunday is ancient Just. Martyr Ap. 2. and therefore not to be left off Repl. The word Minister may well be used instead of Priest and Curate though the word Deacon for necessary distinction stand yet we doubt not but Priest as it is but the English of Presbyter is lawful but it is from the common danger of mistake and abuse that we argue That all Pastors else are but the Bishops Curates is a Doctrine that declares the heavy charge and account of the Bishops and tends much to the ease of the Presbyters minds if it could be proved If by Curates you mean such as have not directly by Divine obligation the Cure of Souls but onely by the Bishops Deligation But if the Office of a Presbyter be not of Divine Right and so if they be not the Curates of Christ and Pastors of the Church none are And for the ancient use of it we find not that it was so from the beginning And as there 's difference between the ancient Bishops of one single Church and a Diocesan that hath many hundreds so is there between their Curates But why will ye not yeeld so much as to change the word Sunday into the Lords Day when you know that the later is the name used by the holy Ghost in Scripture and commonly by the Ancient Writers of the Church and more becoming Christians Just. Martyr speaking to Infidels tells how they called the day and not how Christians called it All he saith is that on Sunday that is so called by the Heathens the Christians hold their Meetings see the usage of the Church in this point in August Cont. Faustum Manich. lib. 18. cap. 5. Singing of Psalms in Meeter is no part of the Lyturgy and so no part of our Commission Repl. If the word Lyturgy signifie the publick worship God forbid you should exclude the singing of Psalms And sure you have no fitter way of singing then in Meeter When these and all Prayers conceived by private men as you call the Pastors whether prepared or extemporary and by purity of reason Preaching are cast out what will your Lyturgy be We hope you make no question whether singing Psalms and Hymnes were part of the Primitive Lyturgy And seeing they are set forth and allowed to be sung in all Churches of all the People together why should they be denyed to be part of the Lyturgy we understand not the reason of this N. 13. 14. we suppose you grant by passing them by The Phrase is such c. The Church in her Prayers uses no more offensive Phrase then Saint Paul uses when he writes to the Corinthians Galatians and others calling them in general the Churches of God sanctified in Christ Jesus by vocation Saints amongst whom notwithstanding there were many who by their known sins which the Apostle endeavoured to amend in them were not properly such yet he gives the denomiation to the whole from the greater part to whom in Charity it was due and puts the rest in minde what they have by their Baptisme undertaken to be and what they professe themselves to be and our Prayers and the Phrase of them surely supposes no more then that they are Saints by calling sanctified in Christ Jesus by their Baptisme admitted into Christs Congregation and so to be reckoned Members of that Society till either they shall separate themselves by wilful Schisme or be separated by Legal Excommunication which they seem earnestly to desire and so do we Repl. But is there not a very great difference between the Titles given to the whole Church as you say from the greater part as the truth is from the better part though it were the lesse and the Titles given to individual members where there is no such reason We will call the Field a Corn-field though their be much Tares in it because of the better part which denominateth But we will not call every one of these Tares by the name of Corn. When we speak of the Church we will call it holy as Paul doth but when we speak to Simon Magus we will not call him holy but say Thou art in the Gall of bitterness and the bond of Iniquity and hast no part or lot in this matter c. we will not perswade the People that every notorious Drunkard Fornicator Worldling c. that is buryed is a Brother of whose Resurrection to Life Eternal we have sure and certain hope and all because you will not Excommunicate them We are glad to hear of your desire of such Discipline But when shall we see more then desire and the Edge of it be turned from those that fear sinning to those that fear it not Sect. 1. The Connexion of the parts of our Lyturgy is conformable to the example of the Churches of God before us and have as much dependance as is usually to be seen in many Petitions of the same Psalm And we conceive the Order and Method to be excellent and must do so till they tell us what that Order is which Prayers ought to have which is not done here Repl. There are two Rules of Prayer one is the Nature of the things compared in matter and order with nature and necessity The other is the revealed Will of God in his Word in General the holy Scripture more Especially the Lords Prayer The Lyturgy for the greatest part of the Prayers for dayly use is confused by which soever of these you measure it You seem much to honour the Lords Prayer by your frequent use of it or part of it we beseech you dishonour it not Practically by denying it for matter and order to be the onely ordinary and perfect Rule we know about particular Administrations where it is but certain Select Requests that we are to put up suited to the particular subject and occasion we cannot follow the whole Method of the Lords Prayer which containeth the heads of all the parts where we are not to take in all the parts we cannot take them in that order But that none of all your Prayers should be formed to that perfect Rule that your Letany which is the comprehensive
Brethren or hinder that peace healing of the Church For Order is for the thing ordered and not contrarily For example there is much disorder lies in the Common-Prayer-Book yet we would obey it as far as the ends of our calling do require It wouldbe undecent to come without a Band or other handsome Raiment into the Assembly yet would we obey if it were commanded us rather than not worship God at all We are as confident that Surplices and Copes are undecent and kneeling at the Lords Table is disorderly as you are of the contrary And yet if the Magistrate would be advised by us supposing himself addicted against you we would advise him to be more charitable to you than you here advise him to be to us We would have him if your Conscience require it to forbear you in this undecent and disorderly way But to speak more distinctly 1. There are some things decent and orderly when the opposite species is not undecent or disorderly 2. There are some things undecent and disorderly in a small and tollerable degree And some things in a degree intollerable 1. VVhen things decent are commanded whose opposites would not be at all undecent their Charity and Peace and Edification may command a Relaxation or rather should at first restrain from too severe Impositions As it is decent to wear either a Cloak or a Gown a Cassock buttoned or unbuttoned with a Girdle or without to sit stand or kneel in singing of a Psalm to sit or stand in hearing the Word read or preached c. 2. VVhen a Circumstance is undecent or disorderly but in a tolerable degree to an Inconvenience Obedience or Charity or Edification may commaud us to do it and make it not only lawful but a duty pro hic nunc while the preponderating Accident prevaileth Christs instances goe at least as far as this about the Priests in the Temple breaking the Sabbath blamelesly and David's eating the Shew-bread which was lawful for none to eat ordinarily but the Priests And the Disciples rubbing the ears of Corne I will have mercy and not Sacrifice is a lesson that he sets us to learn when two duties comes together to preserve the greater if we would escape sin And sure to keep an able Preacher in the Church or a private Christian in Communion is a greater duty caeteris paribus than to use a Ceremony which we conceive to be decent It is more orderly to use the better translation of the Scripture than the worse as the Common-prayer-book doth and yet we would have no man cast out for using the worse It is more orderly decent and edifying for the Minister to read all the Psalms than for the people to read each second verse And yet we would not cast out men from the Church or Ministry meerly for that disorder It is more orderly and decent to be uncovered in divine worship than covered And yet rather than a man should take cold we could allow him to hear a Chapter or Sermon covered why not much more rather than he should be cast out But let us come to the Application It is no undecent disorderly worshiping of God to worship him without our Crosse Surplice and kneeling in the reception of the Sacrament 1. If it were then Christ and his Apostles had worshipped undecently and disorderly And the Primitive Church that used not the Surplice nor the transient Image of the Crosse in Baptism but in an unguent yea the Church for many hundred years that received the Sacrament without kneeling 2. Then if the King Parliament and Convocation should change their Ceremonies it seems you would take your selves bound to retain them for you say you must not worship God undecently But that they may be changed by Authority our Articles determine and therefore Charity may well require the Magistrate to change them without any wrong to the worship of God 3. VVe appeal to the common judgement of the Impartial whether in the nature of the thing there by any thing that tels them that it is undecent to pray without Surplice in the reading place and not undecent to pray without in the Pulpit And that it is undecent to Baptize without Crossing and not to receive the Lords Supper without And that it is undecent for the Receiver to take the Lords Supper without kneeling and not for the Minister to give it him standing that prayeth in the delivery Sect. 8. These promised we Answer to your first Reason that those things which we call Indifferent because neither expresly commanded or forbiden by God have in them a real goodness a fitness and decency and for thâ— cause are imposed and may be so by the Rule of St. Paul by which Rule and many others in Scripture a power is given to men to impose Signs which are never the worse surely because they signifie something that is decent and comely and so it is not doubtful whether such power be given It would rather be doubtful whether the Church could impose such ildle Signs if any such there be as signifie nothing Repl. To your first Answer we reply 1. We suppose you speak of a moral Goodness and if they are such indeed as are within their power and really good that is of their own nature fitter than their opposites they may be imposed by just Authority by equal means though not by usurpers nor by penalties that will do more harm than the things will do good 2. Signs that signifie nothing we understand not It is one thing to be decent and another to signifie something that is decent what you mean by that we know not The Cross signifieth our not being ashamed to profess the Faith of Christ crucified c. do you call that something that is decent It is something necessary to Salvation 3. Signes are exceeding various At present we use but two distinctions 1. Some are Signs ex primaria intentione iustitnentis purposed and primarily instituted to signifie as an Escucheon or a Sign at an Inne door in common matters and as the Sacrament and Cross in sacred matters and some are Signs but consequently secondarily and not essentially as intended by the Institutors so Hills and Trees may shew us what a Clock it is and so every Creature signifieth some good of Mercy or Duty and may be an Object of holy Meditation so the colour and shape of our Cloaths may mind us of some good which yet was none of the primary or proper end of the Maker or Wearer 2. Signes are either arbitrary expressions of a mans own mind in a matter where he is left free or they are Covenanting Signes between us and God in the Covenant of Grace to work Grace on us as moral Causes and to engage us Sacramentally to him Such we conceive the Cross in Baptism to be The Preface to the Common Prayer Book saith They are apt to teach and excite c. which is a moral operation of
orderly which he appointed If milk were to be publickly suckt or drank by all in profession that we will feed on the sincere Milk of his Word and so to dedicate us to him by Covenant Or if we were to put on an Helmet and other Armour in token that we will be his Soldiers to the death and manfully fight under c. These Ingagements by such publick signs are Sacraments in the sense as the word was used of old when it signified a Soldiers solemn listing or covenanting with his Commander Thus by distinguishing decent and orderly modes and Circumstances necessary in genere from new Ordinances even solemn dedicating covenanting or such like mystical Signs we have shewed you what we grant and where you fail and what is indeed a wrong to Christ and an accusation of his Laws and what not and how unjust your following accusation of us is who never yet told you we would be accounted the best Christians but to desire to please Christ as neer as we can is not blame worthy Abundance of things of lesser moment than these are commanded by God in the Law to which he addeth that Sanction Deut. 12. 12. Whatever things I command thee c. And we conceive that the words As my Father sent me so c. had somewhat proper to the extraordinary Mission And if he hear not the Church c. is neither spoken of a Church universal nor of Magistrates making Laws for such Ceremonies or Signs But if he hear not that Church with which he was in Communion and which admonisheth him for his sin let that Church reject him from their Communion Sect. 10. The Command for decent Ceremonies may still continue in the Church notwithstanding the 12. of Deut. and so it may too for all the exceptions taken against them by sundry Learned Pious and Orthodox persons who have judged them they say unwarrantable and if Laws may be abrogated as soon as those that list not to obey will except against them the world must needs run into confusion but those that except are weak Brethren whom by Christs Precept and Example we must not offend If by weak we understand ignorant they would take it ill to be so accounted and it is their own fault if they be there having been so very much written as may satisfie any that have a mind to be satisfied And as King James of blessed memory said at Hampton Court if after so many years Preaching the Gospel there be any yet unsatisfied I doubt it proceeds rather out of stubborness of opinion than out of tenderness of Conscience if by tenderness of Conscience they mean a fearfulness to sin this would make them most easie to be satisfied because most fearful to disobey Superiours But suppose there be any so scrupulous as not satisfied with what hath been written the Church may still without sin urge her Command for these decent Ceremonies and not be guilty of offending her weak Brother for since the scandal is taken by him not given by her it is he that by vain scrupulosity offends himself and layes the stumbling-block in his own way Repl. But the Command for mans Institution of a new Worship of God or Rites Sacramental are so like to Sacraments as the Cross is or for the unnecessary imposition of unnecessary things which should be left to every prudent Ministers discretion and this upon pain of being cast out of the Church or Ministry and the Law for subscribing that all these are lawful and for swearing obedience to the Bishops all these Laws are not to be found in Scripture If you should but command your Servant to do what you bid him decently and orderly you would think he mistook you if upon that pretence he would do any other work which he could but say tended to the decency of yours And we would gladly hear what you can think your selves is forbidden in Deut. 12. 32. if not such humane Ordinances And why you forbear giving the truer sense of the Text It is a sad Case with the poor Church when Gods Wisdom that made a few and necessary things the matter of his Churches Concord is no more valued but we will be wiser and when the experience of the Church that hath been torn into pieces 1400. years by mens inventions and needless usages and impositions is yet of no more force with us that come after them but whatever can be said or done or seen we will still make Laws that all men shall be tantum non unchristned and damned that is cast out of the Ministry or Church-Communion that will not wear this or that or bow thus or thus or look this way or that way or say this word or that word and when we have laid such a needless snare we will uncharitably cry out that the world will be brought into Confusion because men that list not to obey would have the Laws abrogated where hath Christ set you to make such Laws Is it not work enough for us and you to obey the Laws that he hath made why made he none for Postures and Vestures and Words and Teaching Signs of this nature if he would have had them If he had not told us that there is one Law-giver one Lord and that his Word is able to make us wise unto Salvation and that he would lay no greater burden on us than necessary things and would not have us despise or judge each other on such occasions If he had but told us that he left any Officers after his inspired Apostles for the making of Ceremonies or new Laws of Worship or Teaching engaging Signs for the Church we would as gladly understand and obey his Will in these things as you What hurt is it to us to use a Cross or other Ceremony if it were not for fear of disobeying God Enforce Gods Law upon us as zealously as you will and see if we will disobey it But that the world shall run into confusion rather than we shall leave to serve God as Peter and Paul did without Crossing Surplices and kneeling at the Sacrament and then that we shall be reproached as the Cause of all by our disobedience God hath told the world by his Word and will tell them by his Judgements that this is not his way to Unity and Peace As to your Argument from your Brethrens weakness we say 1. It is not your strength to slight it or them nor is it their weakness that they are willing to be esteemed weak The Apostle called those weak that placed a necessity in indifferent things Rom. 14. and not those that understood their indifferency But the truth is the nature of things indifferent is not well unstood by all on either side some may think evil of some things that deserve it not and in this they are weak though in other matters they may be strong And for the rest we speak according to the worst that you your selves can charitably
suppose you can say no more of them but that they are weaker that is in this know less then you though perhaps we may take them to be stronger that is to be more in the right yet are we not so confident as to censure you or others but speak of things difficult and doubtful as they are But how prove you that we would take it ill to be our selves or have those we speak of accounted ignorant in such things as these use us no worse then the ignorant should be used And till you would turn a man out of the Ministry or Church for being ignorant of the nature of a Ceremony which never was in his Creed the Decalogue or Scripture deal not so by us that would be wiser if we knew how That all our ignorance is our own fault we deny not But it is an excesse of confidence and uncharitableness to tell us that there is so very much written as may satisfie any man that hath a mind to be satisfied when we professe in his sight that knoweth the hearts that we have a mind to be satisfied and would know the truth at what rate soever if we knew how what would you have us to do that we do not to be satisfied Do we not read as much for Ceremonies as the dissenters use to do against them many Books against them are yet uuanswered as we never shuned any Publick or private conference with any of you and such reasonings are not like to convince us If you will be the Judges of your Brethrens hearts and say it is not tenderness of Conscience but stubbornness we shall refer that to the day when your hearts and ours shall all be opened Must none be tender Conscienced that dare not venture to obey you in such things when you may with undoubted safety forbear the imposing of your Ceremonies and so forbear the casting out of your Brethren if you will not who shews less tenderness of Conscience That the scandal is taken and not given is still the thing in question as to many things And if it were no just occasion of offence yet you ought not to lay that which others weakness will turn into a stumbling block unnecessarily before them If the Apostles Argument be good Rom. 14. The Church may not urge unlawful things nor things meerly lawful upon such penalties as will exclude things necessary If an idle word be to be accounted for an idle Law is not laudable much less when all men must be excluded the Ministry oâ— Communion that scruple it when yet a man may be a prophane Swearer for 12. pence an Oath and may swear an 100. times before he payes that 12. pence A Papist shall pay 12. pence for not coming to Church and a Protestant be thrust out of your Communion for not kneeling at the Sacrament and a Minister suspended imprisoned undone for not crossing a Child or wearing a Surplice May Magistrates or the Church rhus urge their commands can any thing be spoken plainer then the Scripture speaks against this course And would you make the world believe that the Brethren that do not all that you bid them are so unreasonably and obstinately scrupulous as to have no matter of offence but what they lay before themselves when they have the Practise of the Apostles and the Custom of the Primitive Church for many hundred years against you and this called by them an Apostolical Tradition and decreed by the most venerable Councils that ever were If you had but one of these the decree of a General Council or Practice of all the purest Church alone for one of your Ceremonies you would think him uncharitable that so reproached you for pretending Conscience Sect. 11. The Case of St. Paul not eating flesh if it offended his Brother is nothing to the purpose who there speakes of things not Commanded either by God or by his Church neither having in them any thing of Decency or Significancy to serve in the Church St. Paul would deny himself his own Liberty rather than offend his Brother Bnt if any man breakes a just Law or Custom of the Church he brands him for a Lover of Schisme and Sedition 1 Cor. 11. 16. Repl. But because at our last Meeting it was said with so much confidence by one that the Case in Rom. 14. and 15. was nothing to ours we shall here say the more to what you say that Pauls not eating flesh is nothing to the purpose your reasons are 1. Because he speakes of nothing commanded by God or his Church 2. Nor of any thing of Decency or significancy to serve in the Church To the first we have often told you that which is undeniable 1. That Paul was a Governour of that Church himself that had no Superior to con trole him If you say then that he wrote not as a Governor we Answer yes for he wrote as an Apostle and wrote that Epistle that was to be a standing Law or Canon to them If this be no act of his Office and Authority there was none such And then you must say the like of all the rest of the Epistles 2. Moreover as Paul the Apostle excludeth all such impositions so he wrote to all the Resident Pastors that were at Rome for he wrote to the whole Church and therefore these commands extend to the Governours that they make not such things the matter of Contempt or Censures or any uncharitable course but bear with one another in them Will you call men obstinate self-offenders that differ from you when you have no better Answers then these to the plain decisions of the holy Ghost what we speak of Rom. 14. 15. we speak also of 1 Cor. 8. And 3. It is to the Rulers of the Church that we are speaking and it is they that answer us And shall the Rulers say if it were not a thing commanded we might bear with you when it is themselves that command them Ecclesiastically and we intreat them but to forbear that and to concur with us in Petitioning the King to forbear commanding them coercively who no doubt will easily forbear it if they do their part 4. Yea a fortiore it layeth a heavier charge on such Governours then others If it be so hainous a Sin as Paul maketh it to censure or despise one another for meats and dayes and such like things how much more to Excommuuicate silence and undo one another and deprive thousands of Souls of the Preaching of the Gospel that consented not to their Pastor's non-conformity 5. Paul letteth you know that those things are not the Center or matter of our necessary Concord but of mutual forbearance and therefore condemneth all that will make them necessary to our Unity Ministry or Communion 6. And the difference is wholly to the advantage of our Cause for those that Paul spoke to were not come so high as to go about to force others to do as they did but onely to despise
them for not doing it 2. And therefore to the second Reason we answer 1. If the things had been different yet so was Pauls Injunction different from our request for Paul goeth so high as to command them to deny their own Liberty in not eating lawful meats themselves least they offend and hurt their Brethâ—en whereas we are now but desiring you that you would not force others to do that which they take to be a sin and that with penalties that fall heavier on the Church then on them They had on both sides fairer pretences then you have The Cases before us to be compared are four the Case of the refusers of meats and observers of dayes then The Case of the users of those meats and not observers of those dayes The Case of our imposers And the Case of non-conformists The pretence that their refusers of meats had in 1 Cor. 8. was that being offered to Idols they thought it made them partakers of the Idolatry and so they sinned through weakness in being offended at others and censuring them that used their Liberty And had they not here a fairer pretence for their offence and censures then you for your impositions You cannot shew half so great an appearance of good in the things commanded as they could do of Evil in the things for which they were offended And the offended censurer in Rom. 14. had this pretence that the thing was forbidden in Gods own Law even the meats which he refused and the dayes coÌ„mmanded which he observed And he knew not that the Law in these matters of Order and Ceremony was abrogated which Peter himself was ignorant of when he refufed to eat things common and unclean But you have no pretence of Gods own command for the matter of your impositions as these men had for the matter of their offence and censure so that here you are on the worser side And for the other party that in 1 Cor. 8. abused their Liberty and Rom. 14. despised their Brethren they had a double pretence one was that it was their Liberty and if every scrupulous party should drive them from their lawful meat and drink they knew not whither they might drive them Another was that the Law was abrogated by Christ and therefore if they complyed in practice with the scrupulous or did not shew their difference they might seem to be guilty of the restoring of the Law and complying with the Jewes and the Hereticks that both then were enemies to the Church and agreed in this had not these men now a fairer pretence for eating 1 Cor. 8. and for the dissent shewed Rom. 14. then you ever yet produced for forcing others from Ministry and Church or into sin and Hell if they will obey you against their Consciences and all for that which you never pretended to shew a command of God for And others shew you as they think Scripture and Councils and Custom against To tell us then that Paul spake of things not Decent and Significant is pardon our plainness to say much less then nothing For it was not against imposing that Paul spake but using and not using censuring and despising and their Arguments were suitable to their Cause of another kind of moment than Decency or Indecency Significancy or Insignificancy even from supposed Idolatry rejecting Gods Law and complying with Jews and Hereticks in restoring the Law and casting away the Liberties purchased by Christ even in their private eating and drinking To be no more tedious now we humbly offer in any way convenient to try it out with the Reverend Brother that so confidently asserted the disparity of the cases and to prove that these Scriptures most plainly condemn your impositions now in qnestion though we should have thought that one impartial reading of them might end the controversie and save the Church and you from the sad effects As to that 1 Cor. 11. 16. we answer 1. It is uncertain whether the word Custom refer to the matter of Hair or to contention so many Expositors judge q. d. the Churches of God are not contentious 2. Here is no Institution muchless by fallible men of new Covenanting Dedicating or Teaching Symbols or Ceremonies nor is here any unnecessary thing enjoyned but that which nature and the Custom of the Country had made so decent as that the opposite would have been abusively indecent This is not your Case A Cross or Surplice is not decent by nature or common reputation but by Institution that is not at all for if it be not instituted because decent it will not be decent because instituted nor are these so decent as the opposite to be indecent The Apostles worshipped God as decently without them as you do with them The Minister prayeth in the Pulpit as decently without the Surplice as in the Reading place with it 3. Paul doth but exhort them to this undoubted Comeliness as you may well do if men will do any thing which nature or common reputation makes to be slovenly unmannerly or indecent as being covered in Prayer or singing Psalms or any such like about which we will never differ with you But even here he talks not of force or such penalties as tend to the greater hurt of the Church and the ruin of the person Sect. 12. That these Ceremonies have occasioned many Divisions is no more fault of theirs than it was of the Gospel that the Preaching of it occasioned strife betwixt Father and Son c. the true Cause of those Divisions is the Cause of ours which St. James tells us is Lust and inordinate desires of Honour Wealth or Licentiousness or the like were these Ceremonies laid aside there would be the same Divisions If some who think Moses and Aaron take too much upon them may be suffered to deceive the People and to raise in them vain fears and jealousies of their Governours but if all men would as they ought study peace and quietness they would find other and better fruits of those Laws of Rites and Ceremonies as Edification Decency Order and Beauty in the Service and Worship of God Repl. Whether the Ceremonies be as innocent as to Divisions as the Gospel a strange Assertion will better appear when what we have said and what is more fully said by Dr. Ames Bradshaw and others is well answered If the true Cause of our Divisions be as you say Lust and inordinate desires of Honour or Wealth or Licentiousness then the party that is most lustful ambitious covetous and licentious are likest to be most the Cause And for Lust and Licentiousness we should take it for a great attainment of our ends if you will be intreated to turn the edge of your severity against the Lustful and Licentious O that you would keep them out of the Pulpits and out of the Communion of the Church till they reform And for our selves we shall take your Admonitions or Severities thankfully when ever we are convicted by you of any
such as we are any way bound by When you say the Church may vary in such indifferent things 1. If kneeling or standing at Prayer be an indifferent thing then so are they at this Sacrament 2. Then you follow the Changers and we the old Pattern 3. Then the Canons of general Councils and Customs pretended to be from Apostolical Tradition may be changed 4. What is it that you call the Church that changeth or may change these A Council or a popular Custom Bring us not under a forraign Power 5. The thing then being so indifferent and changeable you may change it if you please for ends that are not indifferent 6. And if now the Ministers may Pray standing why may not the People receive standing 7. When you say that to sit was never the use of the best times you deny the Apostles and primitive times to be the best as to the extent of the Church they were not the best but as to the purity of administrations they were Sect. 16. That there were ancient Lyturgies in the Church is evident St. Chrysostom's St. Basil's and others And the Greeks tell us of St. James much elder than they and though we find not in all Ages whole Lyturgies yet it is certain that there were such in the eldest times by those parts which are extant as Sursum Corda c. Gloria Patri Benedicite Hymnus Cherubinus c. Vere dignum justum c. Dominus vobiscum cum Spiritu tuo with divers others Though â—hose that are extant may be interpolated yet such things as are found in them all consentient to Catholick primitive Doctrine may well be presumed to have been from the first especially since we find no Original of these Lyturgies from General Councils Repl. We know there wanteth not a Lyndanus a Coccius to tell the world of St. Peters Lyturgy which yet prayeth that by the Intercession of Peter and Paul we may be defended c. and mentioneth Lynus Cletus Clemens Cornelius Cyprian Lucia Barbara and abundance such shall we therefore conclude that there were Lyturgies from the first and that what is here consentient to Antiquity waâ— in it There wants not a Marg. de la Bigne a Greg. de Valent. a Coccius to commend to us the Lyturgy of Mark that prayeâ—h protege Civitatem istam propter Martyrem tuum Evangelistam Marcum c. and tells us that the King where the Author lived was an Orthodox Christian and prayeth for the Pope Subdeacons Lectors Cantors Monks c. must we therefore believe that all that 's Orthodox in it is ancient So there wants not a Bigne Bellarm. c. to tell us of St. James his Lyturgy that mentions the Confessors the Deiparam the Ancherets c. which made Bellarm. himself say de Lyturgia Jacobi sic sentio eam non esse ejus aut multa a posterioribus eidem addita sunt and must we prove the Antiquity of Lyturgies by this or try ours by it There wants not a Sainctsius a Berllarm a Valentia a Paresius to predicate the Lyturgy of St. Basil as bearing witness to Transubstantiation for the Sacrifice of the Mass for Praying to Saints c. when yet the exceeding disagreement of Copies the difference of some Formes from Basil's ordinary Forms the Prayers for the most Pious and faithful Emperours shew it unlikely to have been Basils Many predicate Chrysostom's Mass or Lyturgy as making for praying to the dead and for them the propitiatory Sacrifice of the Mass c. when in one Edition Crysost is prayed to in it saith Cook in another Nicolaus and Alexius that lived about 1080. is mentioned in another Doctrines are contained as de Contaminata Maria c. clean contrary to Chrysostom's Doctrine must we now conclude that all is Ancient that is Orthodox when one Copy is scarce like another or can we try our Lyturgy by such as this The shreds cited by you prove a Lyturgy indeed such as we have used while the Common Prayer Book was not used where the Psalms the words of Baptism of Consecration Commemoration and delivery of the Lord's Supper and many other were used in a constant Form when other parts were used as the Minister found most meet so Sursum Corda was but a warning before or in the midst of Devotion such as our Let us Pray and will no more prove that the substance of Prayer was not left to the Ministers present or prepared Conception than Ite Missa est will prove it The Gloria Patri Bellarm. himself saith according to the common opinion was formed in the Conncil of Nice which was in the 4th Century And even then such a particular testimony against the Arrians might well stand with a body of unimposed Prayers and rather shews that in other things they were left at liberty If the Benedicite the Hymns or other passages here mentioned will prove such a Lyturgy as pleaseth you we pray you bear with our way of Worship which hath more of Hymns and other Forms than theâ—e come to That these Lyturgies had no Original from General Councils adds nothing with us to their Authority but sheweth that they had an arbitary Original and all set together shews that then they had many Lyturgies in one Princes Dominion and those alterable and not forced and that they took not one Liturgy to be any necessary means to the Churches Uniâ—â— or Peace but bore with those that used various at discretion We well remember that Tertul. tels the Heathens that Christians shewed by their conceived Hymns that they were sober at their Religious Feasts it being their Custom ut quisque de Scripturis sanctis vel de proprio ingenio potest provocetur in medium Deo canere Apol. cap. 39. Note here 1. That though there be more need of Forms for Singing than for Praying yet even in this the Christians in publick had then a liberty of doing it de proprio ingenio by their own wit or parts 2. That those that did not de proprio ingenio did it de Scripturis sanctis and that there is no mention of any other Lyturgy from which they fetcht so much as their Hymnes And the same Tertul. Apol. c. 30. describing the Christians publick Prayers saith sine monitore quia de pectore oramus we pray without a Monitor or promptor because we do it from the heart or from our own breast And before him Just. Mar. Ap. 2. p. 77. saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But if all these words seem not plain enough to some it is no wonder when they rest not in the greater plainness of the holy Scriptures where Prayer is so frequently mentioned as much of the imployment of believers and so many directions encouragments and exhortations given about it and yet no Liturgy or stinted form except he Lords Prayer is prescribed to them or once made mention of no man directed here to use such no man exhorted to get him a Prayer
Consecrat no man is to be accounted a good Catholick Christian that does not receive three times in the year The distempers which indispose men to it must be corrected and not the receiving of the Sacrament therefore omitted It is a pittiful pretence to say they are not fit and make their sin their excuse formerly our Church was quarrelled at for not compelling men to the Communion now for urging men How shall she please Hooker l. 5. s. 8. Repl. We conâ—ess it is desirable that all our distempers and unfitnesse should be healed and we desire with you that Sacraments may be oftner but that every person in the Parish that is â—â—fit be forced to receive is that which we cannot concur with you to be guilty of Two sorts we think unfit to be so forced at least First abundance of people grosly ignorant and scandalous that will eat and drink Judgment to themselves not discerning the Lord's Body Secondly many melaâ—â— holy and otherwise troubled doubting souls that if they should receive the Sacrament before they find themselves more fit would be in danger to go out of their wits with fear left it would seal them to destruction and as the Lyturgy saith left the Devil enter into them as into Judas or at least it would grievously deject them As formerly so now there is great reason 〈…〉 that the unprepared be not forced to the Sacrament and ye◠〈◊〉 to great a part of the Body of the Church may not be let alonâ— in your Communion without due admonition and discipline that ordinarily neglect or refuse the Churches Communion in this Sacrament Those that are so prophane should be kept away but withall they should be proceeded with by discipline till they repent or are cast out of the Church Sect. 12. Answ. This Rubrick is not in the Lyturgy of Queen Elizabeth nor confirmed by Law nor is there any great need of restoring it the world being now in more danger of Prophanation than of Idolatry besides the sense of it is sufficiently declared in the 28 Article of the Church of England The time appointed we conceive sufficient Repl. Can there be any hurt or danger in the peoples being taught to understand the Church aright Hath not Bishop Hall told you in his Life of a Romanist beyond Sea that would have forced him down that the Church of England is for Transubstantiation because of our Kneeling pag. 20. And the same Bishop greatly differing from you saith in the same Book pag. 294. But to put all scruples out of the mind of any Reader concerning this Point let that serve for the upshot of all which is expresly set down in the fifth Rubr. in the end of the Communion set forth as the Judgment of the Church of England both in King Edward and Queen Elizabeth's time note that though lately upon negligence note upon negligence omitted in the Impression and so recites the words Where you say There is no great need c. We reply 1. Prophaness may be opposed nevertheless for our instructing the People against Idolatry 2. The abounding of Papists who in this point seem to us Idolatrous sheweth that there is danger of it 3. The commonness of Idolatry throughout the world and the case of the Israelites of old shew that mans nature is prone to it 4. Prophaness and Idolatry befriend each other As God is jealous against Idolatry so should all faithful Pastors of the Church be and not refuse to give such a Caution to the People and say There is no great need of it Publick Baptism Sect. 1. Ex. Ans. Until they have made due profession of Repentance c. We think this desire to be very hard and uncharitable punishing the poor Infants for the Parents sakes and giving also too great and arbitrary a Power to the Minister to judge which of his Parishioners he pleaseth Atheists Infidels Hereticks c. and then in that name to reject their Children from being baptized Our Church concludes more Charitably that Christ will favourably accept every Infant to Baptism that is presented by the Church according to our present order and this she concludes out of holy Scripture as you may see in the Office of Baptism according to the Practice and Doctrin of the Catholick Church Cyp. Ep. 59. August cap. 28. de verb. Apost Ser. 14. Repl. We perceive you will stick with us in more then Ceremonies To your Reasons we reply 1. By that Reason all the Children of all Heathens or Infidels in the world should be admitted to Baptism because they should not be punished for the Parents sakes 2. But we deny that it is among Christians that believe Original Sin any absurdity to say that Children are punished for their Parents sakes 3. But yet we deny this to be any such punishment at all unless you will call their non-deliverance a punishment They are the Children of Wrath by nature and have Original sin The Covenant of Grace that giveth the saving Benefits of Christ is made to none but the faithful and their Seed Will you call this a punishing them for their Fathers sakes that God hath extended his Covenant to no more Their Parents infidelity doth but leave them in their Original sin and misery and is not further it self imputed to them If you know of any Covenant or Promise of Salvation made to all without Condition or to Infants on any other Condition or qualification but that they be the Seed of the faithful dedicated to God you should do well to shew it us and not so slightly pass over things of so great moment in which you might much help the world out of darkness if you can make good what you intimate If indeed you mean as you seem to speak that its uncharitableness to punish any Infants for the Parents faults and that a non-liberation is such a punishmeâ—t then you must suppose that all the Infants of Heathens Jews and Turks are saved that dye in Infancy or else Christ is uncharitable And if they are all saved without Baptism then baptizing is of no use or necessity as you seem to think What then is the priviledge of the Seed of the Faithful that they are Holy and that the Covenant is made with them and God will be their God We fear you will again revive the opinion of the Anabaptists among the People when they observe that you have no more to say for the baptizing of the Children of the Faithful than of Infidels Heathens and Athiests To your second Objection we Answer You will drive many a faithful Labourer from the work of Christ if he may not be in the Ministry unless he will baptize the Children of Infidels Heathens and Excommunicate ones before their Parents do repent And the first question is not who shall be judge but whether we must be all thus forced Is not the question as great who shall be judge of the unfitness of persons for the Lord's Supper and yet there
Sacrament may as well make all sacred yea civil actions of weight to be Sacraments they being usual at the beginning ending of all such It was never heard before now that these words make a Sacrament Rep. Is there no force in an argument drawn from the appearance of evil the offence and the danger of abuses when other words enow may serve turn They go to the Lords Table because the Communion is to follow Rep. They must go to the Table whether there be a Communion or not Consecrated the estate of Matrimony to such an excellent mystery c. Though the institution of Marriage was before the fall yet it may be now and is consecrated by God to such an excellent Mystery as the representation of the spiritual Marriage between Christ and his Church Eph. 5. 23. we are sorry that the words of Scripture will not please The Church in the 25. Article hath taken away the fear of making it a Sacrament Reply When was Marriage thus consecrated If all things used to set forth Christ's offices or benefits by way of similitude be consecrated then a Judge a Father a Friend a Vine a Door a Way c. are all consecrated things Scripture phrase pleaseth us in Scripture-sense The new-married persons the same day of their marriage must receive the holy Communion This enforces none to forbear Marriage but presumes as well it may that all persons marriageable ought to be also fit to receive the holy Sacrament And marriage being so solemn a Covenant of God they that undertake it in the fear of God will not stick to seal it by receiving the holy Communion and accordingly prepare themselves for it it were more Christian to desire that these licentious festivities might be supprest and the Communion more generally used by those that marry the happiness would be greater than can easily be exprest Unde sufficium ad enarrandum faelicitatem eâ—us Matrimonij quod Ecclesia conciliar confirmat oblatio Tertul. lib. 2. ad Uxorem Rep. Indeed Will you phrase and modifie your administrations upon such a supposition that all men are such as they ought to be and do what they ought to do Then take all the world for Saints and use them accordingly and blot out the Doctrine of Reproof Excommunication and Damnation from your Bibles Is it not most certain that very many married persons are unfit for the Lords Supper and will be when you and we have done our best And is it fit then to compel them to it But the more unexpected the more welcome is your motion of that more Christian course suppressing of licentious festivities when shall we see such Reformations undertaken Visitation of the Sick FOrasmuch as the condition c. All which is here desired is already presumed namely That the Minister shall apply himself to the particular condition of the person but this must be done according to the rule of prudence and justice and not according to his pleasure therefore if the sick person shew himself truly penitent it ought not to be left to the Ministers pleasure to deny him Absolution if he desire it Our Churches direction is accâ—rding to the 13. Can. of the venerable Council of Nice both here and in the next that follows Rep. But the question is whether he shew himself truly penitent or not if we have not here neither a judgement of discretion for the conduct of our own actions what do we with reason Why are we trusted in the Office And whose judgement must we follow The Bishop cannot have leisure to become the Judge whether this man be penitent It must then be the Minister or the man himself And must we absolve every man that saith he repenteth Then we must believe an incredible profession which is against reason Some are known Infidels and in their health profess that they believe not the Scripture to be true and make a mock at Jesus Christ and perhaps in a sickness that they apprehend no danger in will send for the Minister in scorn to say I repent and force him to absolve him that they may deride him and the Gospel Some of us have known too many of those that have for twenty or thirty years been common drunkards seldome sober week together and still say when they came to themselves that they were sorry for it and did unâ—eignedly repent and as they said in health so they said in sickness dying within a few dayes or weeks after they were last drunk Must we absolve all these Some dye with a manifest hatred of an holy like reviling at those that are careful to please God yet saying they hate them not as holy but because they are all Hypocrites or the like and yet will say they repent of their sins Some forbear not their accustomed swearing and cursing while they profess repentance Some make no restitution for the wrong which they say they repent of And must we take all those for truly penitent If not the Minister must judge What you mean by your saying Our Church's direction is according to the 13th Canon of the venerable Council of Nice both here and in the next that follows we know not The second Council of Nice you cannot mean its Canon being uncertain and the 13th of no such sense And the 13th Canon of the first Council of Nice is onely that lapsed Catecheumens shall be three years inter and ientes before they pray again with the Catecheumens This shews they then took not up with every word of seeming penitence as true repentance but what it is to your purpose we know not nor is there any other Canon in that Council for you The eleventh Canon is sufficiently against you The lapsed that truly repented were to remain among the penitent for three years and seven years more if they were fideles c. ab omnibus vero illud precipue observetur ut animus eorum fructus poenitentiae attendatur quicunque enim cum omni timore lacrimis perseverantibus operibus bonis Conversationem suam non verbis solis sed opere veritate demonstrant cum tempus statutum etiam ab his fuerit impletum oratiâ—nibus jam coeperint communicaâ—e licebit etiam Episcopo humanius circa res aliquod cogitare We know this rigor as to time was unjust and to the dying it was abated but you see here that bare words that were not by seriousness and by deeds made credible were not to be taken as sufficient marks of penitence of which it was not the person himselfe that was to be the Judge The form of absolving in the Liturgy is more agreeable in the Scriptures then that which they desire it being said in St. John 20 Whose sins you remit they are remitted not Whose sins you pronounce remitted and the condition needs not to be expressed being alway necessarily understood Rep. It is a controversie amongst the learnedst Expositers how much that